The Beat

The way Sebastian Telfair sees it, Through the Fire, a documentary about his 2004 senior year at Coney Island's Lincoln High, is Hoop Dreams with a happy ending. Seeing the two protagonists in that 1994 film fizzle out before reaching the NBA "made me want to work hard," says the Blazers guard. Fire premieres on ESPN on Sunday at 8 p.m. Telfair is already looking forward to a sequel. "It would be called Out of the Fire," he says. "It ends with me winning an NBA championship."

? Paging Usher, Nelly and Jay-Z: Michelle Williams has a proposal for you. The Destiny's Child singer recently became a part owner of the Chicago Sky, a WNBA expansion franchise, and she's already talking smack with the three aforementioned NBA playaz. ( Jay-Z is a co-owner of the Nets, Usher is a part owner of the Cavs, and Nelly has a stake in the Bobcats.) "I want to make a bet with them about whose team does better," Williams (right) says. "Maybe I could get some basketball advice from them while we're at it."

? Allison Baver doesn't tune in to The Apprentice every week; "I haven't exactly had a lot of time to watch TV lately," she says. That's because Baver, 25, spent most of her time at the rink, training for the Olympics. Now that the Games are over--the short- track speedskater's team finished fourth in the 3,000-meter relay--Baver will turn her attention to impressing The Donald. She is one of 12 Olympians chosen by NBC to vie for a spot on the next season of The Apprentice. Baver, who is pursuing an MBA online, says a boardroom gig would suit the side of her fans seldom see. "People see me wearing sneakers and sweatpants," she says, "but I'm a business suit kind of girl."

? Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who coproduced Oscar nominees Good Night, and Good Luck and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, jetted from his team's game against the Suns in the first quarter to attend the Academy Awards on Sunday. Alas, he went 0 for 7. Well, 0 for 8, since the Mavs lost too.... The Oscar experience was a little more rewarding for several LPGA golfers. Commissioner Carolyn Bivens took a half-dozen players, including Cristie Kerr and Natalie Gulbis, to L.A. to hit the after-party circuit. (The LPGA donated tickets and private lessons to the Oscar gift bags.) Bivens and crew mingled with Paris and Nicky Hilton, Ludacris and Jamie-Lynn Sigler. And Stephanie Louden got to chat with Carson Daly about--what else?--golf. Daly, who went to Loyola Marymount on a golf scholarship, says he still has a two handicap.

? The story of Jason McElwain, the autistic high schooler who nailed six three-pointers in a game last month (SCORECARD, March 6), has caught the attention of Hollywood. Jason's parents say they've heard from 25 production companies, including Disney and Warner Bros., about buying the rights to their son's story. Said Jason, "I don't know what I'm walking into."

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