A celebrity packed tennis lineup, featuring Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jim Courier and Vera Zvonareva come together for fifth time in the Tampa Tennis Classic benefiting Raymond James Courier’s Kids, an inner-city youth tennis program founded by Jim Courier that supports First Serve tennis programs.

The Tampa Tennis Classic will feature America’s biggest names in tennis, and will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum, Monday, March 22, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. On the men’s side, with 60 singles career titles between them, these three Davis Cup representatives are sure to wow the crowds in Tampa in a battle of the stars. Representing the women, Zvonareva is currently ranked number nine in the world and holds nine singles titles.

Raymond James Courier's Kids and the USTA's First Serve Program are dedicated to providing opportunities and positive life alternatives to at-risk youth. The programs offer a blend of tennis instruction, computer classes, academics and mentoring to promote positive values, healthy habits and education.

For the past decade, Andy Roddick has been a fixture both on and off the tennis court. He has been featured in several non-sports publications ranging from Rolling Stone to Vogue and was selected as the Sexiest Athlete by People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive issue in 2003. He won the 2004 ESPY for Best Male Tennis Player and was nominated again in 2005. He was honored by the ATP as the 2003 Player of the Year when he became the youngest American to end the year at No. 1 in the Indesit ATP Race. He also received The Arthur Ashe Humanitarian award in 2005 for his charitable efforts and contributions and was nominated in 2009 for Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year.

James Blake turned pro in 1999 while he was the #1 collegiate player at Harvard University. With a record of 20-9, he has led the Davis Cup team since joining in 2001. James overcame a near-death incident and a case of the shingles, leaving him partially paralyzed with blurred vision. Just one year later, he climbed from #210 to one of the top ten players in the world. In November 2006, he obtained his highest ranking of #4, and continues to be ranked in the top of the professional rankings.

Jim Courier dominated the men’s professional tennis circuit in the early 90’s with a game he fashioned out of grit, determination and a punishing inside-out forehand. He was the first in his class of American Champions – which includes Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi – to hold the No. 1 world ranking. In 2005, Jim was honored by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Vera Zvonareva burst onto the scene in 2003 by stunning Venus Williams in the 4th round of the French Open. In 2008 she claimed two titles (Prague and Guangzhou) and reached the finals of six other tournaments – the most by any player in the 2008 season. During the summer, she also won the bronze medal in Women’s Singles for Russia at the Beijing Olympic Games – one of the most important achievements in her career. She recently reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and became only the second player in history to win both the singles and doubles titles at the 2009 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.

The First Serve Program is the USTA’s national initiative to introduce inner city youth to the life-long sport of tennis.  The program was launched in Florida and has 4 basic components: tennis instruction, computer classes, academics and mentoring.  First Serve offers its programs free to participants. For more information, or to get involved with the program, visit firstserve.org.

Tickets: Tickets for this event go on sale this Saturday, December 12 at 10:00 a.m. at the McDonald’s Box Office at the St. Pete Times Forum and all Ticketmaster Outlets. To order tickets by phone, call Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000. Tickets are priced at $20.00, $30.00, $55.00, and $95.00.  Prices do not include service charges. For dinner reservations at Medallions Restaurant on the day of the event please call 813.301.6926.  For more information please call 813.301.2500 or visit www.sptimesforum.com. Advanced parking passes are available at Ticketmaster.com and the McDonald’s Box Office at the St. Pete Times Forum.

Late night talk show host, comedian and actor Craig Ferguson makes his debut at Ruth Eckerd Hall when he brings his stand-up comedy act for one incredible show Wednesday, March 17 at 8 pm. Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon.

Ferguson entered the world of late night comedy following a diverse and eclectic career that encompasses film, television and the stage. Since taking the helm of the Late, Late Show on January 3, 2005, the show has set all-time viewer records in three consecutive sweeps.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ferguson got his start in the entertainment industry as a drummer for some of the worst punk bands in the U.K., a profession he held for several years. Following his musical stint, he began bartending in a local pub in Glasgow where he was introduced to Michael Boyd, the artistic director of The Tron Theatre in Glasgow, who persuaded Ferguson to give acting a go. After several low paying acting gigs, Ferguson discovered he had a knack for comedy and was soon the star of his own BBC television show, The Ferguson Theory.

After several stints on the English comedy circuit, Ferguson brought his act to America in 1995 to star with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy Maybe This Time. After the show ended, ABC decided to add the talented Scotsman to The Drew Carey Show, playing Drew Carey's boss, Nigel Wick, from 1996-2003.
Ferguson has written the feature films The Big Tease and Saving Grace. In 2003, he made his directorial debut with I'll Be There, which he also wrote and starred in. I'll Be There went on to receive the Audience Award for Best Film at the Aspen, Dallas and Valencia film festivals. Craig was also named "Best New Director" at the Napa Valley Film Festival. Ferguson’s other film credits include, Niagra Motel, Lenny the Wonder Dog, Prendimi l’anima, Life Without Dick, Chain of Fools, Born Romantic and The Big Tease.

Since coming into his own on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and winning his first Emmy nomination in 2006, Craig has seem to become the topic of conversation within the media and a growing trend of success in 2008. In February he succeeded in becoming a U.S. Citizen mentioning that this is his home after thirteen years and “my heart is here”. Soon after, Craig had landed himself the biggest date of all; A date with President Bush hosting the White House Correspondence Dinner. Critics raved of his witty and comical deliverance speech to the 3,000 attendees who included political journalists, celebrities and Washington’s power players.

Coming up in September 2009 Harper Collins is set to publish a memoir by Craig Ferguson In America On Purpose - a book about why and how late night funnyman, Craig Ferguson became an American. "American on Purpose…," says David Hirshey, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor. "…will make you laugh, cry and sing The Star Spangled Banner with a Scottish burr." 

Reserved tickets priced at $69.50, $49.50, $39.50 and $29.50 will be available at the Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office located at 1111 McMullen Booth Road in Clearwater, by calling 727.791.7400 or by logging onto www.rutheckerdhall.com. The Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Office is open Monday through Saturday, from noon to 6 pm and one hour prior to showtime. Tickets will also available by logging onto www.ticketmaster.com.