Party time

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If you happen to be in this Super Bowl city this weekend, and you happen to have a large wad of cash on you, and you happen to have the urge to stand around a really crowded room, pick at some exotic-looking finger food, drink a lot, ogle the occasional super model, entertainment personality or athlete and listen to some loud music, have we got a list for you.

Parties, parties, parties. It's the Big Game, you know, and everybody's having one. Here are some of the hoity-toitiest of the get-togethers. Be warned: You'll have to know someone, sleep with someone, sweet-talk someone or be prepared to part with that large wad of cash to get into these.

(Or, maybe, you can just slip around the back.)

The Commissioner's Ball, Friday, 7:30 p.m., Jacksonville Equestrian Center Owners, big-moneyed sponsors and the beautiful people rub elbows while nibbling at shrimp by the thousands and partaking in the open bar. Some media boobs squeeze in once in a while, too. One online site had ducats at $1,250 apiece.

The Official P. Diddy Welcome to Jacksonville Party, Friday, 11 p.m., Plush nightclub The multi-named, hip-hop icon always has one of the best parties around ... or so we've heard. You can tell by the late start how cool this thing is. As crowds go, you have to figure the one at P. Diddy's couldn't be more different from the one at the Commish's. One site asks just $299 a pair for tickets. Good luck with that.

Leigh Steinberg's Party, Saturday, 2 p.m., Times-Union Center The agent to football stars always draws a good, athlete-heavy crowd for his afternoon of themed fun. With practically every quarterback who's any quarterback as his client, even the non-football savvy should recognize someone in the crowd. E-Bay price: $550 apiece.

Leather and Laces, Saturday, late, Plush Hosted by former Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin, this charity gig features the standard lineup of good-looking women (some of them centerfolds), rich athletes, an occasional actor or entertainer and drinks, drinks and more drinks. VIP tickets on the Leather and Laces site go for $300 apiece.

Playboy Super Saturday Night, Saturday, 9ish, River City Brewing Company Hugh Hefner, John Travolta, Donnie Wahlberg and other celebrities figure to be all over the place ... and, yeah, the Bunnies, too. Nakedness is not frowned upon at this party. Near-nakedness (body-painted mermaids!) is to be expected. One online broker is advertising tickets at $1,895 apiece.

Maxim's Maximony Super Bowl Party, Saturday, late, Garden Club of Jacksonville The men's mag is putting on a wedding-themed party -- I'm not sure how that's going to work -- for an affair (maybe that's the wrong choice of words) that celebrates the excess of the Super Bowl. The NFL may not like these kinds of parties, but who knows excess better? A ticket on one online site -- a staggering $1,950.

Sports Illustrated Super Swimsuit Party, Saturday, 9 p.m., Seawalk Pavillion, Jacksonville Beach Rapper Kanye West, nominated for 10 Grammy Awards, headlines the show, while swimsuit models Marisa Miller, Bridget Hall and Veronica Varekova simply headline. Beyonce made an appearance at last year's gig in Houston, hosted by LL Cool J. One online site has tickets for $1,250 apiece.