Bobby Maze 3^rd Annual Celebrity Weekend featuring Adrian Peterson, Candace Parker, Allen Iverson & Chamique Holdsclaw and more!

If you're a sports fan or just dig hanging around celebrities, this is THE weekend to hang in Knoxville! Bobby Maze, former professional basketball player and point-guard for the University of Tennessee men’s basketball team during the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons is making his way back to good ‘ole Rocky Top to host the 3^rd Annual Celebrity Weekend benefiting the Emerald Youth Foundation. Kickball and basketball game tickets are available for purchase online. Kickball tickets are $5, and basketball tickets range from $25 to $75.

Did we mention that Bobby’s bringing some of famous friends and lots of former VOLS along for the ride? Purchase a ticket and get up close and personal with celebs like Adrian Peterson, Candace Parker, Allen Iverson and Chamique Holdsclaw, while watching them play kickball and shoot hoops to benefit Knoxville’s youth.

The weekend festivities kick off at the new Emerald Youth Samson Sports Complex on Friday, June 19, with a kickball game starring professional athletes playing against members of the Knoxville Police Department and the Emerald Youth Foundation.

Things really heat up on Saturday, June 20 at Hardin Valley Academy with two AAU basketball games and a star-studded celebrity basketball match-up to follow.

It’s going to be one Big Orange Party with after-hours happenings at NV Nightclub and The International. You can even don your white duds Kanye style and hip-hop the night away.

Maze, who is passionate about mentoring today’s youth, wants to provide children and teenagers with encouragement and opportunities to help them stay active and become leaders in their communities. He is proud that the Celebrity Weekend will benefit Knoxville’s urban youth.

Kudos, Bobby Maze. You truly put the ROCK in Rocky Top.

Who doesn’t love a good First Friday event? Join us downtown this Friday, March 6 to help raise funds for “Team Mandy” as Mandy Bradshaw participates in Star 102.1’s Dancing with the Knoxville Stars East Tennessee Children’s Hospital fundraiser.

Who DIDN’T watch the game last week? International Business Times reported that an average of 114.4 million people viewed NBC’s Sunday broadcast per minute! And although seeing the best two football teams in America confront one another isn't often considered the place for 'softies', the ads featured last week certainly appealed to the 'softer' side of our emotions.

I love how the advancement of technology and social media has allowed the quick wit of some brands to shine. From Oreo’s dastardly quick tweet post-football blackout to the #BendGate debacle, brands are showing their comedic chops.

And many of these brands aren’t even phone brands. It makes sense that Samsung and HTC would make jabs about Apple’s unintentional phone design flaw in comparison to their phones’ intentional design. But who would have thought Dockers or even Heineken would get in on the conversation?

Dockers showed their Apple support by donning “Dockers ON-THE-GO” with a hidden security pocket just for the iPhone 6. There’s no sitting on or bending phones with these khakis.

Avoid #bendgate with our hidden security side pocket. Smart phone, meet the #SmartestKhakis ever made. pic.twitter.com/Eb2bvg6fcS

— Dockers (@Dockers) September 24, 2014

Utilizing the trending hashtag “BendGate”, Heineken showed a little sarcastic sympathy for the brand by stating it happens to them all the time.

Dear Apple… #BendGate pic.twitter.com/XJ8zVEUog9

— Heineken NL (@Heineken_NL) September 25, 2014

One of the funniest responses I’ve seen came from Slim Jim. Take a look.

Safe in your pocket, safe in your mouth. #BendGate #6Plus pic.twitter.com/0hZbOpGEqW

— Slim Jim (@SlimJim) September 24, 2014

For more brand trolls, head on over to this Mashable article or check out #BendGate on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. What are some of your favorite #BendGate brand responses?

If you haven’t heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge, then you must live completely off the grid. The viral sensation has become pervasive throughout the news and social media, and its reach is truly remarkable, sparking participation from everyday people, celebrities, athletes and even former Presidents of the United States.

Nordstrom has announced its first-ever private label give-back brand, Treasure&Bond, which will give 5% of its net profits to nonprofit organizations that are missioned with empowering girls and women. I love seeing such a respected retail brand making such a beautifully bold statement. Better yet, I love how a brand that is recognized for showcasing quality fashion trends is perhaps now setting a trend for other retailers to empower-it-forward with young girls and women.

Some say it is the hottest new trend in fitness and fashion. These HotPants claim to elevate your temperature while wearing them. It is not a new fact that the hotter you get, the more calories you burn.