By Jennifer Brett

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

If you're like Buzz, you spent your last plane ride sipping drinks and fiddling with your new iPhone. If you're like Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, you raised tens of thousands of dollars for flood victims. He was in Los Angeles during the freakish weather event in Georgia that the U.S. Geological Survey has called "a 500-year flood." Right before he boarded a plane for home, Ludacris talked to his buddy Sean "Diddy" Combs and both pledged to donate $10,000 for flood relief efforts.

"You know Puff's got money to blow," joked Ludacris, calling his friend by an alternate moniker. While airborne, he put the touch on fellow artists and drummed up at least $80,000. Recently, he started doling out the donations. He visited with residents in hard-hit Douglasville the other day, providing winter coats to a single mom and her four children.

"It felt personal to me," Ludacris said. "No matter who you are, no matter how much money you have, you can do something to give back. We all need to leave this room and go do something."

Luda shared tales of his high-flying philanthropy Thursday at "An Evening of Respect: A Musical Tribute to the Immortal Otis Redding," held at Woodruff Arts Center to benefit "The Big ‘O' Youth Educational Dream Foundation." The organization, directed by Redding's widow Zelma and his daughter Karla Redding-Andrews, supports projects including the Otis Redding Singer/Songwriter Camp in Macon, Boys and Girls Clubs of America and scholarships for students at Mercer University Law School.

Vampires swoop into Gwinnett

Hoping to capitalize on the mania surrounding vampires and werewolves, Summit Entertainment is sending us actors Edi Gathegi, known to "Twilight" fans as Laurent, and Jamie Campbell Bower, whose creds include Caius in "New Moon" and portraying Anthony Hope in Tim Burton's "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (he'll also play Gellert Grindlewald in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.") The two will answer questions at Hot Topic at the Mall of Georgia starting at 6 p.m. Thursday . The Q&A is free. Buying a T-shirt at Hot Topic gets you a wristband, earning you the right to an autograph.

Buzz in our ear

We hear Wendy Davis, who plays Joan Burton on Lifetime's "Army Wives" will be here next week to tape an appearance on the Mo'Nique Show. The audience will include soldiers and military family members and the episode will air on Thanksgiving...Her marriage is finished, but Tameka Foster Raymond isn't. We're seeing Usher's ex everywhere here lately. If she's glum about her divorce -- which was finalized last week, according to court documents, it isn't showing. Who wants to bet she soon announces a new fashion line, a new reality show -- or both?

Recommended reading

The latest list of staff picks from Buzz fave A Capella Books includes "Wait Until Twilight" by Sang Pak, "Deaf Sentence" by David Lodge, "Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)" by Tom Vanderbilt, "The Museum of Innocence" by Orhan Pamuk and "The Locust and the Bird" by Hanan Alshaykh. Upcoming events include a lecture and book signing by Michael Rosen, author of "What Else But Home: Seven Boys and an American Journey Between the Projects and the Penthouse." The book tells the story of a family bridging race, class and financial standing through love and baseball. It's at 7 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Carter Presidential Library Theater. Information: www.acappellabooks.com.

Celebrity birthdays

Actor Charlie Robinson ("Night Court") is 64. Actor Robert David Hall ("CSI") is 61. Actor Lou Ferrigno ("The Incredible Hulk") is 58. Drummer Dee Plakas of L7 is 49. Rapper Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa is 40. Rapper Scarface of Geto Boys is 39. Musician Susan Tedeschi is 39. Actor Eric Dane ("Grey's Anatomy") is 37. Singer Nick Lachey is 36. Singer Sisqo (Dru Hill) is 31. Actress Nikki Blonsky ("Hairspray") is 21.

Contributing: news services