Will Matthews woman grace SI cover?

Last year, Brooklyn Decker of Matthews earned a small spot on the cover of what is the de facto Holy Grail for swimsuit models: the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. And this year, she appears to be the favorite to nab the big spot on it.

Various Web sites -- including Bodog and Fafarazzi -- have been speculating this week that the 22-year-old Butler High grad could be the latest SI cover girl. We'll find out for sure Monday night, when the official announcement is made during "The Late Show with David Letterman" (11:35 p.m. start on WBTV).

Regardless of where she winds up, this will be the fifth straight appearance in the swimsuit issue for Decker ... who is almost as famous for being Mrs. Andy Roddick as she is for her tanned and toned figure. The magazine hits newsstands Wednesday.

Between now and then, you can join Brooklyn's legion of nearly 20,000 Twitter followers by clicking here. I'll be talking to her by phone on Tuesday afternoon, so look for highlights from that interview at www.charlotteobserver.com, and in Wednesday's Charlotte Observer.

Michael Bublé set to return to Charlotte

Grammy Award-winner Michael Bublé is coming to Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday, July 10. Bublé -- who is touring in support of his 2009 album, “Crazy Love” -- last performed here in March 2008, at the same venue.

The announcement adds bulk to the TWC Arena’s 2010 lineup, which also includes Black Eyed Peas on Feb. 20, Bon Jovi on April 22, Carole King and James Taylor on June 2, and Daughtry on June 11.

Tickets for Bublé’s concert go on sale Friday, Feb. 12 at 10 a.m. through www.timewarnercablearena.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone (800-745-3000).

- - -

Here's "The Situation": The star of MTV’s hit show “Jersey Shore” did not appear as scheduled at Suite Wednesday night. But fans will get another shot at seeing him in the flesh: The Situation is now planning to party at the EpiCentre nightclub this coming Wednesday night (Feb. 10) instead.

Wallace Fever now. Playoff fever to follow?

Normally at this time of year, die-hard Bobcats fans are getting ready to spend some time focusing on … something besides the Bobcats. But this is a different kind of year for our NBA team, and thanks to Gerald Wallace, we’re gearing up for a different kind of All-Star break.

Charlotte’s whirling dervish of a forward is the first player in the team’s six-season history to be selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game, which is set for Feb. 14 in Dallas; he also will compete in the Feb. 13 Slam Dunk Contest.

So, naturally, the Bobcats organization is making a big deal out of it.

The festivities kick off Saturday night, before Charlotte faces the New Orleans Hornets at Time Warner Cable Arena: The first 5,000 people in the doors get a free Gerald Wallace action figure, and a booth will be set up so fans can videotape a message for the star – as well as offer suggestions about what dunks he should attempt in Texas.

Wallace-focused fun then culminates next weekend, when the Bobcats host “watch parties” for both Saturday’s dunk-off and Sunday’s game at the Wild Wing Café in Ayrsley Town Center. During breaks in the action, fans can win prizes and mingle with the Lady Cats.

Also on tap: Through 5 p.m. Saturday, visitors to www.bobcats.com can enter for a chance to win a trip for two to the All-Star Game in Dallas, an autographed All-Star jersey, or one of several other prizes. Then there’s “The Gerald Wallace All-Star 2-Pack ticket special,” a fancy way to sell you a set of tickets to the final two Bobcats home games before the break – Saturday’s game against the Hornets and Tuesday’s versus the Wizards – for only $33. (See the team Web site for details.)

To top it all off, the team appears to have a shot at making the playoffs this spring for the first time in franchise history, after five seasons of futility. Don’t clear your spring calendar yet, but if you’re a Bobcats fan, you might want to consider this weeklong celebration a dress rehearsal.

Who's the biggest 'Avatar' fan in Charlotte?

OK, I'm going to share an excerpt from an e-mail I received earlier this week, and I want you to guess whether the author of it is talking about "Avatar" -- which scored nine Academy Award nominations this morning -- or "The Hurt Locker" -- which garnered the same number of Oscar noms:

"I'm so in love with [it]!!! I will say that [it] is the best movie ever!! I have seen it twice. ... AMAZING!!! If my husband and I get another date night, that's the movie I'll choose!!"

I won't even bother insulting your intelligence. I'll just say that this kind of reaction is why James Cameron's crowd-pleasing piece of pop eye candy has taken $551.7 million out of Americans pockets ... and why Kathryn Bigelow's gritty war movie has made just $12.6 million.

"To get to those numbers, you need repeat business, you need great word-of-mouth, and you need to grab an audience basically across the board," Hollywood.com's Paul Dergarabedian told CBS last week after "Avatar" became the highest-grossing flick of all-time.

So whether or not Cameron wins Best Director when the Academy Awards are handed out on March 7, he's already won in the court of public opinion. "The Hurt Locker" is an important film, a film that shows the horrors of war up close, a film that most moviegoers will rave about, but one that they'll probably never pay to see again. "Avatar"? Some people can't seem to get enough of it.

In recent days, I've heard from a 55-year-old grandmother who's seen it three times and calls it "one of the best movies I have ever seen"; a woman who's seen it three times and "probably will see it again"; and a guy who's seen it twice in the IMAX 3D format. A couple of other excerpts from other fans:

"No one can deny that 'Avatar' is by far the most beautiful (in terms of imagery) movie ever made. It's opened the door for all sorts of 'unfilmable' stories to be made into movies, and for that Cameron should be applauded." --Clay Johanson, who saw the movie four times during its opening weekend.

"I think James Cameron just hit the mark again for mass appeal. There's a strong female lead and the love story for women. There's macho men and some mean air and land combat for the guys. ... It's pretty impressive that the same director was able to take two entirely different movies ("Titanic" and "Avatar") to box office heights no one else has." --Chris Beeman, who's seen both the regular 3-D and the IMAX 3-D versions.

Still looking, though, for an off-the-charts "Avatar" fan who lives in the Charlotte area. Someone whose number of viewings is in the double-digits. Someone who is considering naming their first-born daughter "Neytiri." Someone who believes "Avatar" has changed their life, and is doing things he or she never dreamed of doing because of it.

If you think you are the No. 1 "Avatar" fan in the Queen City, please e-mail me at tjanes@charlotteobserver.com and tell me your story.

Daughtry brings tour to TWC Arena

Following its nationally televised New Year’s Eve performance in Times Square, Daughtry has revealed plans for the second leg of its U.S. arena tour -- which includes a stop at Time Warner Cable Arena on Friday, June 11.

Daughtry will be joined by special guest Lifehouse and opening band Cavo.

Fans registered to receive the www.daughtryofficial.com e-mail newsletter will have access to passwords with which to pre-order tickets for upcoming shows.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m. through www.timewarnercablearena.com, www.ticketmaster.com, the Time Warner Cable Arena box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone 800-745-3000.

Dashboard Confessional to join Bon Jovi

Dashboard Confessional will perform the opening set at Bon Jovi’s concert at Time Warner Cable Arena on Thursday, April 22. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketmaster (click here).

Dashboard Confessional last month released its sixth album, "Alter the Ending." The Florida alternative rock band is led by singer-songwriter Chris Carrabba.

Black Eyed Peas coming to Charlotte

From a Bobcats Sports & Entertainment press release that just popped into our inbox:

Three-time Grammy Award winning recording artist, The Black Eyed Peas announced that dates for their headline tour will include a stop at Time Warner Cable Arena on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2010. Described as the ultimate Black Eyed Peas party experience, this tour marks the first time that the group – will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie – is united for a North American headline tour since their 2006 Monkey Business world tour. On sale date will be announced soon.

In support of their multi-platinum #1 album, The E.N.D, featuring the chart record-breaking consecutive #1 singles, “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling” – The Black Eyed Peas will replicate the party vibe of a hot dance club (complete with guest DJs including will.i.am ) in arenas across the country and around the world. “The E.N.D. World Tour” proves The Energy Never Dies with a feast for the senses for hundreds of thousands of fans. The tour will also be “green,” with a unique charitable component to be announced in the weeks ahead.

"AEG Live has always been a company that likes to execute out-of-the-box ideas. Our newest clients, The Black Eyed Peas, have defined that concept like no other group in contemporary music and culture," says Randy Phillips, President & CEO of AEG Live. "We expect our first hundred shows together to be a roller coaster ride that will redefine the live entertainment experience as only the Peas can."

2009 has been a monumental year for The Black Eyed Peas, starting with the March release of “Boom Boom Pow” – not only the group’s first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 but one of the top dozen or so longest-charting singles in Hot 100 history, 12 weeks at the top. They bumped themselves out of #1 with their second single, “I Gotta Feeling” (released in June), surpassing their own success with a 14-week stay at #1 (only the fourth group in Hot 100 history to replace itself at #1). Their 26 consecutive week run at #1 has now become a new all-time benchmark in Hot 100 history (for groups or solo artists).

Meanwhile, flush with two massive hit singles, The E.N.D. (released June 2, 2009) debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with the highest first-week sales of The Black Eyed Peas’ career.

The E.N.D., The Black Eyed Peas’ fifth studio album, is also their first original album since Monkey Business (released May 2005), certified RIAA triple platinum in the U.S., with worldwide sales of more than 9 million copies. Monkey Business generated Grammy Awards over two consecutive years, for “Don’t Phunk with My Heart” and “My Humps.” The Peas’ first Grammy Award came six years ago, for “Let’s Get It Started,” from their breakthrough album of 2003, Elephunk, which introduced Fergie into the lineup, and turned the group into interna­tional superstars with cumulative 25-times platinum sales in nearly a dozen countries around the world. In 2006 Fergie released her 6 million-selling solo debut The Dutchess and in 2007 Producer Of the Year Grammy nominee will.i.am released Songs About Girls. Of special note is will’s involvement in the 2008 Presidential campaign of Barack Obama, whose song, “Yes We Can” was written by will.i.am, as well as the two post-election anthems, “It’s A New Day” and “America’s Song.”

To date, The Black Eyed Peas have sold over 27 million combined units worldwide, and have logged over 300 headline tour dates in 29 countries with over 2.2 million tickets sold.