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Musical muses sought for Woodruff Park ditty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sure, the city’s revitalized Woodruff Park downtown has spiffy new patio tables, chairs and 2 tons less litter, but last week’s successful Week at Woodruff extravaganza was still lacking, well, something.
And since Buzz Central is, after all, continually committed to community service, we felt it was our duty to contribute something to the urban renewal project.
The 6-acre park has two fountains, a bronze sculpture titled “Phoenix Rising” (symbolizing Atlanta’s rise back to prominence after the Civil War), 16 crape myrtles, “No Urban Camping” signage, food, sunglass and handbag vendors, free Wi-Fi and a dedicated chess playing space. But the missing element that could finally push the urban oasis over the top?
A theme song.
And dear reader, that’s where you come in. To ensure success, Buzz has commissioned an expert for the job. Atlanta singer-songwriter Melanie Massell has agreed to help come up with a theme song for the downtown green space, utilizing lyrical ideas generated by Buzz readers.
After all, Massell wrote the 2000 Chamber of Commerce hit “It’s Buckhead!” the toe-tapping ditty that some say single-handedly rescued the tony utopia from the bad karma of day-trader shootings, nightclub slayings and an out-of-control party scene.
“And here all these years, I’ve been taking the credit for that!” cracked Buckhead Coalition President Sam Massell, Melanie’s proud papa.
Back when he was Atlanta’s mayor, Massell created the park for its $10 million benefactor, Coca-Cola magnate Robert Woodruff. When Massell cut the ribbon on that rainy April day in 1973, the park was dubbed Central City Park since Woodruff’s donation initially was anonymous. The space was renamed in 1985 after Woodruff’s death.
Said Sam Massell: “Since I’m the one who helped to get the park built, Melanie should be the one now to help save it.”
So, Buzz readers, hit the park at lunchtime this week, and jot down some lyrical ideas. (For more background on the park, go to www.atlantadowntown.com.) Oh, and do try to work in a mention of the park’s shiny new Baggit contraption, which dispenses environmentally friendly brown plastic bags for pet waste removal. (We’re just glad we don’t have the task of conjuring up a word that rhymes with “biodegradable.”)
E-mail your lyrics with the subject line “Woodruff” to buzz@ajc.com. We’ll pass along the most creative submissions.
Stork report
Let’s hope they invest in a better highchair or a more competent nanny. Singer Britney Spears told David Letterman on Tuesday that she is pregnant with baby No. 2. “Don’t worry, Dave, it’s not yours,” the pop princess quipped on “The Late Show.” Spears, 24, and her husband, backup dancer-turned-rapper Kevin Federline, 28, were married in 2004 and have an 8-month-old son, Sean Preston.
A stylish week, indeed
Bringing New York-based design phenom Vera Wang to Georgia later this month isn’t enough for the Savannah College of Art and Design. It’s just announced a weeklong series of “SCAD Style” events that will culminate in Wang receiving the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award at the Trustees Theater in Savannah on May 27.
The string of style-and-design events begins May 20 with an Etoile Gala honoring such luminaries as furniture designer Dakota Jackson, retailer Jeffrey Kalinsky, entertainment moguls Judy and Michael Mauldin, Veranda magazine founding editor and style journalist Lisa Newsom and SCAD alumnus Santiago Barberi Gonzalez.
“SCAD Style is one way for the college to support a number of the professions that our students enter after graduation,” President Paula S. Wallace said in an e-mailed statement. The invitation-only Etoile Gala will benefit students seeking scholarships to study at SCAD’s campus in Lacoste, France. For a listing of the week’s events, call 404-253-3250 or visit www.scad.edu/scadstyle.
Celebrity docket
Rapper Snoop Dogg returned to London on Wednesday for a meeting with police after getting involved in a brawl at Heathrow Airport last month.
The 34-year-old rapper and five other men were arrested on charges of violent disorder and starting a brawl, and spent the night in jail, after trouble flared when some of Snoop’s party were denied entry to British Airways’ first-class lounge.
The group had been en route to Johannesburg, South Africa, where Snoop, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, was due to perform. They clashed with officials after some were told they didn’t have the correct tickets to enter the lounge.
Snoop was to meet officers at Heathrow police station to see whether any action would be brought against him. Police said seven officers were injured in the brawl.
A British Airways spokesman said Snoop has been banned from travel on the airline.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Eric Burdon (the Animals, War) is 65. Actress Natasha Richardson is 43. Actor Jonathan Jackson (“Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” “Tuck Everlasting”) is 24.
Contributing: A. Scott Walton and news services. If you have a tip, 404-526-2749. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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