The Beat

The toughest tickets in L.A. have always been courtside, which may be why a group of celebrity pals has come up with a way to guarantee they can get them, even if they won't be watching the Lakers or Clippers. The newest American Basketball Association franchise, the expansion Hollywood Fame, was purchased by a group that includes singer Nick Lachey, Dancing with the Stars second-runner-up and former WWE star Stacy Keibler (below), NASCAR driver Brian Vickers and Ravens quarterback Kyle Boller. "Being able to say you're an owner of a basketball team is pretty cool," says Boller, who has been friends with Lachey for several years. "Now I just need to sit down with [ Ravens owner] Steve Bisciotti and pick his brain, find out how you keep everyone happy and winning." The Fame, which will play at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, debuts in November.

? Vince Papale, the real-life hero of Invincible, has lived a roller-coaster life, as has the man who helped bring his story to the big screen. Co-producer Mark Ciardi started out as a pitcher in the Brewers' minor league system. He had a brief call-up in 1987, when he went 1--1 in four games before being sent back down. After an arm injury ended his career, he moved to Europe, where he worked as a model for Valentino and Aspen cologne, and in 1996 he moved to L.A., where he launched a career as a producer while working out of a friend's garage. His breakthrough: landing the rights to the story of Devil Rays pitcher Jim Morris, a former minor league roommate and the subject of 2002's The Rookie, which starred Dennis Quaid. That, says Ciardi, "is the textbook definition of coming full circle." Ciardi went on to produce the Olympic hockey flick Miracle and The Game Plan, which stars Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson as a pro QB and is due out next year. He's now working on a film about multisport star Jim Thorpe.

? Those unhappy with their fantasy football drafts might consider entering the online league being run by The Onion. The mock newspaper will reward the person who assembles the least effective team--"guys who always let you down, like Daunte Culpepper and Domanick Davis," an Onion rep says. Contestants can log on at fantasysports.theonion.com and choose a defense and players at quarterback, running back, receiver and kicker. The biggest loser will win $5,000 and a year's supply of beef jerky.

? NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip is building Waltrip Racing World, a state-of-the-art headquarters in Cornelius, N.C. The interactive race shop will include a skywalk, restaurant and several movie screens to entertain fans who tire of watching pit crew practice.... A Lance Armstrong biopic is in the works. A rep for the seven-time Tour de France winner tells SI it's "in the writing process." Casting hasn't begun, but some of the names rumored to be up for the lead-- Matt Damon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Matthew McConaughey--are pals of Armstrong's.