INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana is undoubtedly a sports mecca.
A celeb magnet however? Not so much.
But that has changed as Madonna and an assortment of stars from film, music and TV arrive for the entertainment and partying tied to the Super Bowl.
It doesnt even matter what state or what city its going to be in, people are going to come and theyre going to party and they will enjoy the game, said rapper-turned-celeb-DJ D-Nice, who is spinning at the ESPN Next party hosted by Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and featuring a performance by chart-topping rapper Drake.
Alec Baldwin is hosting the NFL Honors, which will features celebs like Lenny Kravitz; Snoop Dogg, Nas and J. Cole are expected to perform separately at various parties; Steven Tyler and Carrie Underwood are performing for CMT Crossroads on Super Bowl eve; and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is planning a broadcast after the Super Bowl with scheduled guests to include Taylor Lautner, Tracy Morgan, Tim Tebow and Maroon 5s Adam Levine. Playboy is having its annual Super Bowl party, as is Maxim, which has a superhero theme. Both promise curvaceous beauties and celebs.
Its looking to be a strong celeb turnout, dispelling some initial concerns that the choice of Indianapolis might lead to weaker participation from stars than in previous years, when the Super Bowl was held in sunny cities like Miami and San Diego.
Tracy Kessler, an event planner who has curated the Maxim party for the past seven years, says it helps that San Francisco and Baltimore collapsed in the final minutes of the AFC and NFC championship games, leaving the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.
When youre in a big town like Miami, you know the celebrities are coming no matter what. When youre in a town like Indy you do worry about that (turnout) until the teams are in it, and we could not have had two better teams, Kessler said. I breathed a sigh of relief when we saw who was going.
Still, there are some concerns. Indianapolis doesnt have the club or luxury hotel stock that bigger cities have. But Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer for Audi, which hosts the A-list Audi Forum Super Bowl week, says Indianapolis is not an undesirable location for its temporary oasis for celebs (Spike Lee, Neil Patrick Harris, Kellan Lutz and Mary J. Blige are among the expected guests).
Ive read a lot of articles, and I think people are being a little hard on Indianapolis, because theyre comparing it to much larger and obviously more celebrity-oriented type of towns like Miami and places like that, he said. In our minds, it doesnt change a thing. Whether its Miami with the warm weather or Arizona or Indianapolis, we always want to execute a smart forum. ... We still feel its important to be there.
And D-Nice, who has spun at several Super Bowl parties, feels the excitement is as great as it could be among his celebrity friends.
Its definitely going to be a celeb crowd. Every celeb that I personally know, theyre definitely all going to the game and theyll be out in Indy for Super Bowl weekend. Its Super Bowl, its football, its the one sport that we all love.
He added: Of course Miami is Miami, its different, sunshine, beaches, nightlife is there. But I think for everything thats missing in Indy, were going to bring it to the city.