The Beat

When he found out that the Arizona Cardinals had drafted USC quarterback Matt Leinart, Les Corieri, the owner of three Phoenix-area clubs, told The Arizona Republic, "I am really happy he's here with the image that he's bringing." Leinart bolstered his man-about-town rep last week when he was spotted squiring Paris Hilton around Los Angeles and Las Vegas. After a shopping date in L.A. ( Hilton hid behind a long brunette wig), they hung out (with Leinart's buddy Nick Lachey) at the Caesars Palace nightclub Pure for Leinart's postdraft bash, which featured Hilton performing the song Do Ya Think I'm Sexy and dedicating it to the guest of honor. As Hilton (right) left the party--alone--she told reporters she and Leinart are "just friends."

? Vince Young has also found himself trailed by cameras of late, but they're not paparazzi's. The former Texas quarterback will be the subject of the six-part series Next Level: Vince Young, scheduled to premiere on BET in October. The network has been shadowing the Titans' top pick since April.

? Put 5'9" Knicks guard Nate Robinson in a roomful of NBA players, and he's one of the shortest guys there. Put him at the White House Correspondents Dinner and, well, he's still not very tall. So the reigning NBA slam dunk champ almost went unnoticed last week at the Washington Hilton and Towers. Says Robinson, "I had a lot of people--a lot of celebrities, like Ludacris--kind of looking at me like, Is that him? Nah, that can't be him; he's too short." Robinson, who bought his first tuxedo for the event, scored an invite to the formal gala from MSNBC.com, which runs his blog, The GR8 Life. Robinson's take on fellow guest Anna Kournikova? "She's so hot." His take on the Commander in Chief? "[The President] seemed like a cool guy. He has a great sense of humor."

? Looking for the perfect hat to wear to next year's Kentucky Derby party? If you don't mind a used chapeau, you could do worse than the one Petra Nemcova wore last Saturday. The SI swimsuit model is auctioning off the Grey Goose vodka designer hat she wore to the Derby on eBay to raise money for a diabetes charity. Nemcova was one of many sports celebs in attendance. Michael Jordan, Jerome Bettis, Cal Ripken Jr., Serena Williams and O.J. Simpson--who picked Lawyer Ron because, he said, "I love lawyers"--were also at the track.... Mitch Richmond learned a thing or two about athlete finances during his 14-year NBA career. He says, "If you're living the fast life, taking care of your mom and your family, what happens to that money when you don't manage it right? You get broke fast." That's the quandary facing a group of former football players in Free Agents, an action movie on which Richmond is working as an executive producer. The players' solution: rob a few banks.