A Super Week

Buzz editor Joni Hoffman met actor Adrian Greiner at the Bulls & Blackjack Celebrity Poker Night and then reconnected on the red carpet at the Rolling Stone party. Joni was thrilled Adrian remembered meeting her. (Photo: Dylan Aguilar) 

When the Super Bowl took place in Houston in 2004, all I wanted was the “golden ticket” to watch it live. I didn’t get a ticket – until the very last minute. My relative, David Levin, was visiting from Boston and had tickets. Literally 20 minutes before the game, he called me to ask if I was still interested in going, as the person he was supposed to go with had gotten sick. Yes! I told him. It was a bucket-list experience.

For the past year before Super Bowl LI, I was hoping to get lucky again and watch it live. But this time, The Buzz Magazines received media access to some of the exciting Super Bowl parties and events leading up to The Big Game. I couldn’t wait to be right in the middle of all the action. We hired photographer Dylan Aguilar to team up with me to cover all the fun.

The weekend kicked off for us on Thursday with the 2017 Bulls & Blackjack Celebrity Poker Night at Dr. Quang and Staci Henderson’s home in River Oaks. My goal, as always, was to find Buzz residents enjoying the event. I approached a good-looking young man and asked him if he was from Houston, as he looked familiar. “No,” he told me, “California.” It caught me by surprise when I realized I was standing with “Vince Chase” from Entourage (Adrian Greiner).

From there we hopped in an Uber to downtown Houston. We saw lots of Buzz residents having a blast at Super Bowl LIVE and the NFL Experience. 

On Saturday night, we started the night by covering the Red Carpet Experience at the Museum of Fine Arts for Rolling Stone Live’s Big Game Bash, hosted by Rolling Stone in partnership with Talent Resources Sports. It was wild to be standing among national media outlets such as ESPN and the Today Show on the red carpet.

Next, we made our way to Sugar Land for the Maxim Super Bowl party, presented by Thomas J. Henry and produced by Karma International, at the new Smart Financial Centre. From the moment we arrived and saw the venue all lit up, we knew it would be something special. It was beyond impressive. Performances included Travis Scott, DJ Khaled, DNCE and star celebrities and athletes were everywhere. Thomas J. Henry’s daughter, 16-year-old actress, model and activist Maya Henry, spearheaded the silent auction with proceeds going to Tree Media Foundation. The evening – and all events leading up to Super Bowl LI – made me so proud to call Houston home.

Super Bowl Sunday arrived and, this time, there was no last-minute invitation to attend the game. But after all the glamourous parties, I was so glad to watch the game at a friends’ home in sweatpants. The only thing that could’ve made the Super Bowl LI experience better? Of course, if the Texans had been playing.

Houston Super Bowl Committee, you really pulled it off. Houston shined and we are all so proud.