The Beat

Are offshore motorheads ready for the screaming teens of the MTV set? Backstreet Boy Nick Carter has purchased a 43-foot offshore racer, which will run in the 2002 circuit of the American Powerboat Association (APBA). Carter, who lives in Marathon in the Florida Keys, will sponsor a team captained by his father, Bob, who'll take the boat to speeds of more than 130 mph. "My dad always wanted to race, so that's the reason I bought it," says Nick. "I want to see him race this boat for a couple of years, and when things start slowing down for me, I might put myself in the driver's seat." Of course, the teen heartthrob is familiar with life in the fast lane. He was arrested earlier this year after a late-night run-in with a police officer at a Tampa nightclub and last month agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program....

Hollywood's fascination with the X Games crowd continues. The latest undertaking: Keep Your Eyes Open, a feature film set in the extreme sports world. Tamra Davis, who directed Britney Spears's debut film, Crossroads, is developing the project with her husband, Beastie Boy Mike D, who'll also contribute to the sound track. Among the athletes to appear in the film are BMX rider Mat Hoffman, motocross racer Travis Pastrana, pro surfer Sunny Garcia and pro skier Seth Morrison....

The parade of jock-rockers marches on. This week's entries include Falcons defensive back Ray Buchanan, who signed with EMI to record an R&B-flavored hip-hop album this summer; Broncos defensive tackle Trevor Pryce, whose recording studio, Outlook Music, will release its first album, by alt-rock band Roman Candle, later this month; and boxer Roy Jones Jr., whose debut album, Round One, was released last week. Of the three, Jones (above) looks to have the most potential. His single, That Was Then, has reached No. 3 on Billboard's rap charts. Jones also wrote or cowrote all 19 songs on Round One, including Who Wanna Get Knocked Out.