The Beat

ACTRESS AND ACCESS Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos (below), former NBA guard Jim Jackson and ex--NFL quarterback Jay Fiedler were among the celebs who attempted to qualify for the AVP Cuervo Gold Huntington Beach Open last Thursday. It was the first time Menounos tried to join the pro beach volleyball circuit and, like Jackson and Fiedler, she failed to make the cut. But that seemed to be O.K. "We're here on the beach, it's a gorgeous day, and there are a lot of beautiful people here," she said after she and her partner, Jessie Cooper, were swept in straight sets by Bianca Peigler and Shannon Sneed. "I think I want to give everything up and become a beach bum." ... Not long before he won a unanimous decision over Steve Forbes last Saturday night, Oscar De La Hoya learned, to his surprise, that a seven-foot bronze statue of him will be placed in front of the Staples Center later this year, alongside sculptures of L.A. heroes Magic Johnson and Wayne Gretzky. "I'm going to drive by it every day just to make sure they don't egg it," De La Hoya said.

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PHOTO

VALERIE MACON/GETTY IMAGES (MENOUNOS)