The Beat

DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES star Eva Longoria and her boyfriend, Spurs guard and Western Conference All-Star Tony Parker, have an old-fashioned relationship. When she expressed interest in playing in the McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game last Friday in Houston, he nixed the idea. "I asked if I would break a nail, and he decided I wouldn't play," she says. "He was afraid I would embarrass him." So Longoria did the next best thing: She coached. Longoria's H-Town squad, featuring Nelly, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh and Becky Hammon of the WNBA's New York Liberty lost to Clutch City, which was coached by Queen Latifah.

? Michael Jordan celebrated his 43rd birthday with some rich and famous friends during All-Star weekend-- Diddy, Kevin Garnett, Willis McGahee, Steve Nash, Terrell Owens and LenDale White were among the crowd at Jordan's party in Houston--but it was His Airness who was in a giving mood. After Grammy winner John Legend serenaded him with Happy Birthday, Jordan put a trove of memorabilia up for auction, with the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. One lot, a signed collection of all 21 editions of Air Jordan sneakers (including Air Jordan XXI, which was released last Saturday) reached $425,000, thanks in part to bids from rapper Fat Joe and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. The bidding will continue on eBay until March 3.

? Pamela Anderson's days of sipping mint juleps and sporting wide-brimmed hats at Churchill Downs appear to be over. Last week the actress and fervent PETA spokesperson (left), who has been to the Kentucky Derby twice, announced that she will not attend the Run for the Roses anymore, saying, "I don't want to support cruelty to animals, whether it's forcing horses to race for our amusement or scalding chickens alive for our plate."

? On the premiere of Fox's Skating with Celebrities last month, judge Dorothy Hamill critiqued actress Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Canadian pairs figure skater Lloyd Eisler (who won Olympic bronze in 1992 and '94) by saying, "I'd love to see more of a connection between the two of you." It appears that Hamill has gotten her wish. Eisler and Swanson started dating in December, says a rep for the two. They will compete on the show's two-part finale (it was taped in October and airs on Feb. 27 and on March 2), but not without some controversy. Eisler's wife, Marcia, with whom he has two children and from whom he separated in November, says she had a feeling that there was a romance brewing in October, when Swanson forwarded her an e-mail from Lloyd that read, "I love you." Says Marcia, "I guess he and Kristy deserve each other."