1.   First Generation was founded by the late Pete Drake, a renowned steel guitar player and producer, who signed country stars when they left a major label.

2.   Is signing stars as shills for products worth the often considerable cost and the headaches they sometimes cause?

3.   It rose to the top of the heap by signing such stars as Sylvester Stallone and Tom Cruise.

4.   It recently signed tennis star Venus Williams to a big endorsement deal.

5.   Not long ago, the decision by Reebok International Ltd. to sign basketball star Allen Iverson to a long-term endorsement contract was open to much second guessing.

6.   Signing big-name stars to appear in Imax films could make a big difference at the box office, too.

7.   Some are simply thinking about salary cap room to sign their stars in the off season.

8.   The league is also looking to sign foreign stars like Jorge Campos, the flamboyant Mexican goalkeeper.

9.   The WUSA eventually would like to sign international stars, but currently the emphasis is on recruiting Americans.

10.   Barcelona finally got the De Boer brothers on Friday and Arsenal signed Nigerian star Nwankwo Kanu after months of persistence.