Magic Johnson, still smarting from the cancellation of his short-lived "The Magic Hour," has come back shooting with the announcement of a new record label: Magic's 32 Records. The venture comes two months after the death of the talk show, which saw a brief spike in ratings when its No. 1 critic, Howard Stern, made an appearance, but was nonetheless canceled two months after its debut.

Magic, 39, hopes to release music of all kinds, including country, rock, Latin, and urban. An album featuring the label's first signed act, an R&B; artist named Avant, is due early next year. Even though the music industry is even more overpopulated with record labels than the TV industry is with talk shows, Phil Robinson, 32 Records' president, is bullish on its survival. "We'll have synergy with the other Magic Johnson companies," Robinson tells EW Online, "which will provide us with a lot of marketing and promotional opportunities that most new labels don't have."

Johnson's ever-growing entertainment empire includes a chain of multiplex movie houses called Magic Johnson Theatres, a talent agency (which represents Vivica A. Fox and others), Magic Johnson Productions (which promotes boxing events and concerts), and Magic Johnson Entertainment (which is currently working on a feature film and TV movie). The music label will be operating with one notable advantage: "After basketball," says Robinson, "music is Magic's greatest passion."

You Might Also Like

• Television News Remote Patrol | Bruce Fretts
• Television News Stern of the Screw | Josh Wolk