Thursday Night at The Venue

Thursday was my first night as a member of the media covering The Good Life Experience, Diddy and Deion Sanders' three-night Super Bowl event.

I arrived at the Venue at around 8:30 pm and got my credential for the red carpet. Stars weren't expected to arrive until after 10:30, but I wanted to make sure I got a good spot.

At around 9:30, the rain started and all the members of the media were forced underneath the entrance to The Venue, making us all tightly squeezed and uncomfortable. Since I was taking photographs, I had to kneel so I wouldn't block the TV cameras. It was cool, though.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, who is on my fantasy team, was the first celebrity to arrive. Winky Wright, who was the night's official host, arrived soon after, followed by "Primetime", Deion Sanders.

In no particular order, these stars were at the party, and seen on the red carpet:
American Idol Jordin Sparks, Willis McGahee, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Reche Caldwell, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson, Andre Berto, Michael Clayton, Chidi Ahanatu, Ronnie Brown, Stormy Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Chris Richardson of American Idol, Steven Jackson, Jason Witten, Kyle Orton and Shannon Sharpe.

Everyone, including the TV cameras, were waiting in the rain for one guy: Diddy. He finally arrived at a little after 1 am, but it was well worth it.

So my first night on the red carpet was terrific.