Traffic in the usually staid downtown area moved at crawl as the city awaited the big game between the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Attending the Maxim party Saturday night, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said that Dallas didn’t disappoint as a Super Bowl venue, noting that the saying “everything’s bigger in Texas” still stands.
“The weather’s not going to change that, that motto will stick always,” he said of the week of ice and snow.
T-SHIRT TIME: After serving as DJ at a party on Friday night, “Pauly D” DelVecchio from MTV’s reality phenomenon “Jersey Shore” hit the town again on Saturday night.
He accented his crisp white T-shirt and jeans with a scarf and plenty of bling, including a diamond cross necklace, diamond earrings, a chunky diamond bracelet and a gold watch with diamonds.
He said he was looking forward to “Jersey Shore” being filmed in Italy this spring.
“I’ve never been before,” he said. “It’ll be like a vacation.”
ENTOURAGE: Kevin Connolly of “Entourage” made it to the Maxim party only hours after arriving in Dallas.
Connolly, who said he’ll make the big game on Sunday, said he’s preparing for the last season of the HBO series about a group of friends who move to Los Angeles after one of them achieves success as an actor.
“We’re getting ready to start the last season,” he said.
“I’m not thrilled about it, but that’s it.” Other “Entourage” stars in town included Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara, who both participated Saturday afternoon in a celebrity flag football game in a heated tent in downtown Dallas.
GLEE: Many members of the cast of “Glee,” which will air an episode on Fox following the Super Bowl, were in town for Super Bowl weekend.
Jenna Ushkowitz and Kevin McHale attended the Maxim party on Saturday night.
McHale, who plays Artie, said his favorite guest star so far has been Gwyneth Paltrow, who sang Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You” on an episode.
McHale says Paltrow is set to film another guest spot for “Glee.” Also seen around town were Chord Overstreet and Matthew Morrison.
And Lea Michele was set to sing “America the Beautiful” at the game Sunday.
PUMP UP THE JAM: In a small tent at a Dallas hotel, a party put on by the tequila maker Casa De Don Julio included David Spade, who was seen showing off his dance moves by the DJ stand, and Chelsea Handler, who was lounging on a couch.
BEACH BOWL: Temperatures were mostly hovering in the 40s Fahrenheit when New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and other celebrities hit the sand Saturday for a flag football game in Dallas, where the sun was finally shining after a week of ice and snow.
Manning predicted an exciting “down to the wire” matchup between the Packers and Steelers.
“After the game, no one will be talking about the weather,” said Manning, who served as a coach during the DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl.
The game was played on a sand-covered field in a heated tent, a welcome bonus for some of the actors, professional athletes and other celebrities who turned out for the game.
But actress Hayden Panettiere may have been too nervous to notice the outdoor temperature, noting the crowd inside the specially constructed 10,000-seat stadium.
“This is a lot of pressure — it’s a big crowd,” she said.
Matt Bomer of TV’s “White Collar” said he grew up just outside Houston and was “a little weary” when he flew into Dallas “because I know they only have so many snow plows.” But a little snow didn’t bother actor Kevin Dillon of “Entourage,” who said: “It’s not too bad. I’m a New Yorker.” Others participating in the Beach Bowl included Hall of Famer and former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, “Gossip Girl” stars Chace Crawford and Jessica Szohr, “Glee” star Chord Overstreet, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and Josh Duhamel of “Life as We Know It,” who will be watching his wife, Fergie perform as part of the Black Eyed Peas during Sunday’s halftime show.
