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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > June
June 2006
Wedding bells for Janet and Jermaine?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We were more than a little intrigued by “Entertainment Tonight’s” ever-so-brief chat with Atlantans Jermaine Dupri and Janet Jackson on the red carpet at the BET Music Awards on Tuesday night. The music mogul and singer/actress were clowning around when Dupri suddenly announced “We’re getting married on Sept. 26!” as Jackson giggled. In a voice-over, “Entertainment Tonight” claimed Dupri was kidding. Still, when we e-mailed Patti Webster, the couple’s rep, on Thursday inquiring about the statement, Webster coyly replied, “Good question …” Hmmm, maybe we shouldn’t have immediately disregarded those whisperings around town that the newly svelte Ms. Jackson is scouting out alterations on a previously purchased designer wedding gown …
‘The View’ without Star
Barbara Walters desperately tried to move on from the drama of “Stargate” on Thursday morning on “The View” with “One Life To Live” actress Renee Goldsberry guest-hosting in Star Jones Reynolds’ still-warm seat. While Goldsberry (who has guest-hosted on the show previously) was her usual informed, savvy, gorgeous self, Walters ended up choking on one of her own feet just moments into the telecast.
Walters conceded that, as the grand dame of ABC News, she doesn’t actually watch her network’s daytime dramas when not starring in one herself. So she asked Goldsberry, “What do you do on ‘One Life to Live’? ” Goldsberry replied, “I play an attorney.”
The studio audience immediately erupted in nervous laughter. Jones Reynolds, you see, prior to her occupation as a Bridezilla, was best known on “The View” as a legal eagle. As the blood entertainingly drained from her face, Walters gasped, “Heaven help me!”
Incidentally, we were lucky enough to catch a link that www.defamer.com briefly posted online Thursday. The vilification video clip of Walters publicly banishing Jones Reynolds came with a “Passive-Aggression-o-meter” marking levels starting at “Disapproving Church Lady” and maxing out at “British Royalty.”
Fort Benning rallies the troops for Hanks
Actor Tom Hanks was inducted in absentia Thursday at Fort Benning as an honorary member of the U.S. Army’s Ranger Hall of Fame for his portrayal of a World War II Army Ranger company commander in the movie “Saving Private Ryan.” He was also recognized for his continuing commitment to honoring those who served in the war.
Besides his role in “Saving Private Ryan,” Hanks was cited for serving as the national spokesman for the World War II Memorial Campaign, for being the honorary chairman of the D-Day Museum Capital Campaign and for his role in writing and helping to produce the Emmy Award-winning miniseries, “Band of Brothers.”
Perhaps scared away by the swarms of paparazzi loitering around Fort Benning, Hanks was unable to attend the induction ceremony. He becomes the first actor to receive such an honor.
Each year, the Army’s elite Ranger units and regimental associations nominate few Ranger Hall of Fame candidates, who are scrutinized by a selection board. All but honorary inductees like Hanks have to be graduates of the Army’s grueling Ranger School at Fort Benning, or they have to have served in a Ranger unit.
The latest 17 inductees were mostly career soldiers, ranging from generals to sergeants.
Bizarre Bazaar cover
Pregnant pop singer Britney Spears is baring nearly all on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. How naked is she, you ask? The mere fact that we’re not running said cover in this space should tell you something.
The singer posed in the buff for the cover of the August issue; there’s also a photo spread inside. On the cover, Spears, who is sitting, cups her breasts with her hands and crosses her legs while showing her protruding belly and smiling for the camera of lensman Alexi Lubomirski.
“Nothing to wear?” a cover headline asks. “487 best new ideas inside.”
The singer is also sporting new darker-hued tresses.
That’s spelled C-L-A-S-S-Y.
Spears revealed to late-night talk-show host David Letterman last month that she was pregnant with her second child, confirming media reports, ending much speculation and resulting in our first good night’s sleep in months…
Stork report
Mariska Hargitay, star of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and her husband, Peter Hermann, have welcomed their first child, a son named August, People magazine reports.
The baby, who was a week overdue, was born by Caesarean section Wednesday in Los Angeles, weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces, the magazine said.
“Mother and baby are doing wonderfully,” Hargitay’s publicist, Leslie Sloane Zelnik, was quoted as saying. “She is ecstatic — over the moon.”
Hargitay and Hermann, an actor, married in August 2004.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Lena Horne is 89. Jazz bassist Stanley Clarke is 55. Actor David Garrison (“Married … With Children”) is 54. Actor David Alan Grier is 51. Actor Vincent D’Onofrio is 47. Actress Monica Potter (“Boston Legal”) is 35. “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino is 22.
Contributing: News services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Jewel-studded gala
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cartier threw a party Tuesday night to introduce customers and guests to its location in Lenox Square mall — a 2,475-square-foot space in the Neiman Marcus wing formerly occupied by the Pella shoe store and Mori Luggage & Gifts. The new shop, 50 percent larger than the previous one, is decorated in a muted palette and oak paneling with glass display cases perfect for showcasing diamonds, Love bracelets and panther-accented earrings.
“The store has such an elegant look with soothing colors,” said guest Aida Flamm. “Now, when you walk in, it’s almost like enjoying a fashion show of jewelry.” In talking with Buzz, Frédéric de Narp, president and chief executive officer of Cartier North America, joked that “I saved the best for last,” referring to Cartier’s Atlanta boutique as the final stop on his 10-month tour of stores.
About 135 guests quaffed champagne and nibbled on caviar as well as seared foie gras truffle on brioche rounds and mini truffled grilled cheese sandwiches, courtesy of A Legendary Event catering company. Among those enjoying the evening: Bridgett and Lance Weller; Cindy and Bill Voyles; Merry and Chris Carlos; Nick Gold; Kevin Knaus; Lynne Halpern; and Amanda Brown-Olmstead. A generous note: Cartier will donate 10 percent of any purchase made at its boutique through July 7 to the Michael C. Carlos Museum.
Day 2 of Star saga: View from ‘The View’
The daytime drama continued unabated when “The View” returned to the airwaves Wednesday morning, a day after co-host Star Jones Reynolds made an unscheduled on-air resignation.
Most telling? The ABC daytime chat show bore no evidence of its now ex-employee. Jones Reynolds had been removed from all of the show’s intros. As remaining co-hosts Barbara Walters, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck sat at the familiar wooden table center stage, a solemn Walters led the show with the following announcement:
“This is truthfully a sad day for us,” Walters said, explaining Jones Reynolds’ absence. She went on to say that Jones Reynolds surprised them by resigning on-air Tuesday.
“The truth is, ABC did not want to renew her contract for a variety of reasons I won’t go into,” Walters told the hushed studio audience.
“We wanted to protect Star, and we wanted her to leave with dignity. But Star made another choice. Regrettably, Star will no longer be on ‘The View.’ … ‘The View’ helped make Star a star, and Star helped to make ‘The View.’”
After Tuesday’s show, Walters told the Associated Press she felt “betrayed” by Jones Reynolds’ on-air resignation.
All images of Jones Reynolds had been removed from the network’s media and viewer Web sites Wednesday.
The mud-slinging continued Wednesday morning when the ex-“View” host called into comic Steve Harvey’s syndicated morning radio show, heard locally on 102.5 FM.
“This is a sad day,” she told listeners to Harvey’s program, carried by more than 20 radio stations.
Jones Reynolds said she jumped the gun on the coordinated announcement of her departure because she felt it would be a “lie” to her fans if she’d held off until Thursday. And, she said, “Don’t feel sorry for Star Jones.”
Also on Wednesday, Jones Reynolds went on Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM show in Los Angeles and said: “It’s a little shocking to me that Barbara feels betrayed. … My departure was orchestrated some time ago. … And while I can accept any business decision, it’s hard to make peace with the manner in which it was handled during the last two months. … If anyone should feel betrayed, it should be me. … Barbara didn’t have my back.”
The bad blood was expected to continue to flow on CNN on Wednesday night with a planned appearance by Jones Reynolds on “Larry King Live.” Highlights (?) from the broadcast will be posted on ajc.com.
Star 94 spins Dixie Chicks
Top 40 station Star 94, hardly known for courting controversy, began playing the Dixie Chicks single “Not Ready to Make Nice” Tuesday, the first station in Atlanta to do so.
Since lead singer Natalie Maines’ hostile comments about President Bush in 2003, the two Atlanta country stations, Kicks 101.5 and Eagle 106.7, have not spun a single Dixie Chicks song because listeners in research tests were so negative toward the trio. And though the act’s current CD has sold more than 1 million copies its first month, country radio has largely ignored the Chicks, with “Not Ready to Make Nice” barely making the Top 40 on the country charts.
On mainstream Top 40 and soft rock stations, the single isn’t doing any better, but Star 94 decided to give it a try.
“Star 94 is not trying to make any political statement,” Mark Kanov, Star 94’s general manager, told Buzz. “We’re not saying what they said was good or bad or right or wrong. The music they’re playing is good. People are buying their music.”
Kanov said, so far, reaction has been 75 to 80 percent positive.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Gary Busey is 62. Comedian Richard Lewis is 59. Singer Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls is 28.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Marylin Johnson, Morieka V. Johnson and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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‘General Hospital’ to reunite Luke, Laura
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABC announced Tuesday that “General Hospital” actress Genie Francis has agreed to resume her iconic role as Laura Spencer this fall to commemorate Luke and Laura’s (wanna feel really old?) 25th wedding anniversary.
The soap couple’s 1981 wedding made Nielsen ratings history by attracting 30 million viewers at the show’s height of popularity.
While Luke Spencer portrayer Anthony Geary has remained on the show (he won his fifth Daytime Emmy for the role this year), Francis, 44, last left the series in 2002 after Laura whacked her father Rick Webber, lapsed into a catatonic state and was shipped off to a sanitarium.
ABC reps tell us that the actress is scheduled to resume her role in October and will appear on-air “at least” through November sweeps. Laura’s return marks the latest of the venerable soap’s classic characters popping back up on the show. In recent months, Rick Springfield, Tristan Rogers, Emma Samms and Finola Hughes have all made popular reappearances in the fictional Port Charles.
Via a statement released by ABC, Francis says: “I am very happy to be returning to my ‘General Hospital’ family and look forward to portraying a role that means a lot to me as well as the fans who have supported the character throughout the years.”
Says ABC Daytime President Brian Frons: “We are very excited about Genie’s return as we gear up to commemorate a quarter-century since the biggest milestone in the history of daytime television. The return of Laura Spencer to the show’s canvas will solidify the show’s already strong and poignant storytelling.”
Celebrity docket
Alleged BlackBerry-heaving supermodel Naomi Campbell appeared Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom, where prosecutors said a plea bargain was possible in her cellphone assault case. She did not speak during the brief proceeding.
The real action came outside the lower Manhattan courthouse, where some 50 photographers and camera crews waited for a shot of the 36-year-old catwalker after her appearance before Criminal Court Judge Evelyn Laporte on Tuesday.
Campbell, attorney David Breitbart and her small retinue were forced to hide inside the courthouse for about five minutes until a car arrived to take them away from the media horde.
When Campbell’s case was called, prosecutor Shanda Strain told the judge that no grand jury action had been taken in the case. The defense then agreed to an adjournment pending a possible plea deal, and Laporte ordered everyone to return to court Sept. 27.
Campbell was arrested March 30 for allegedly throwing a bejeweled BlackBerry device at one of her employees in a dispute over a missing pair of jeans.
She has called the allegations “completely untrue.” The employee, housekeeper Ana Scolavino, was treated at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York for an injury to the back of her head after the incident.
‘Mockingbird’ author shares
Harper Lee, author of the novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” has written a rare published item — a letter for Oprah Winfrey’s magazine on how she became a reader as a child in a rural, Depression-era Alabama town.
The 80-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner quit giving interviews about 40 years ago and, other than a 1983 review of an Alabama history book, has published nothing of significance in some four decades. That makes her article for O, the Oprah Magazine, something of a literary coup for the television talk show celebrity.
In a letter for the magazine’s July “special summer reading issue,” Lee tells of becoming a reader before first grade: She was read to by her older sisters and brother, a story a day by her mother, newspaper articles by her father. “Then, of course, it was Uncle Wiggly at bedtime.”
She also writes about the scarcity of books in the 1930s in Monroeville, where she grew up and where she lives part of each year. That deficit, combined with a lack of anything else to do — no movies for kids, no parks for games — made books especially treasured, she writes.
“Now, 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cellphones, iPods, and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books,” she writes.
Celebrity birthdays
Comedian-director Mel Brooks is 80. Actress Kathy Bates is 58. Actor John Cusack is 40. Actor Gil Bellows (“Ally McBeal”) is 39. Actress Tichina Arnold (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 35.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Coffee drinks on the ‘Devil’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Need a coffee break from your evil boss? Thanks to the fictional Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep’s deliciously awful editor character in the upcoming “The Devil Wears Prada”), a large java is on the house Tuesday at selected shops.
From 2 to 4 p.m., free coffee beverages will be dispensed, courtesy of movie studio 20th Century Fox, at the following locations: Joe’s East Atlanta Coffee Shop at 510 Flat Shoals Road, Java Vino at 579 N. Highland Ave., Javito at 581 Edgewood Ave., Caffe Lisette at 3489 Chamblee Tucker Road and Gold Star Cafe and Bakery at 903 Peachtree St. “The Devil Wears Prada” opens Friday.
Working for the Devil?
Speaking of which, the AJC is actively seeking your “boss from hell” stories for a Living article set to run next week. E-mail us all the juicy details, your name and a daytime phone number. Shoot your info to reldredge@ajc.com. Unless, that is, your Satanic supervisor routinely reads your e-mail …
Celebrity docket
Singer Boy George won’t be going to jail. But the former Culture Club front, er, man got a scolding from a New York judge Monday for not complying with the terms of his sentence on a drug charge.
“I’m not going to give you another chance,” Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anthony Ferrara warned the singer, who didn’t do the community service required by his plea deal for his conditional discharge.
In March, Boy George, whose real name is George O’Dowd, pleaded guilty to third-degree false reporting of an incident. The charge followed his false report of a burglary at his Lower Manhattan apartment, where police said they found cocaine.
Under his plea deal, O’Dowd was to enter a drug program in England and do five days of community service in Manhattan. He was also supposed to pay a $1,000 fine and a $160 surcharge.
But O’Dowd, 45, didn’t do the community service.
“You have to do the community service,” Ferrara told O’Dowd on Monday. “It’s up to you whether you make it an exercise in humiliation or in humility.”
The judge gave O’Dowd until Aug. 28 to complete the community service.
Somehow, O’Dowd resisted the obvious urge to perform a karaoke rendition of “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” in open court.
Honeymoon for Kidman, Urban
Paparazzi magnets Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban jetted out of Sydney Monday, likely bound for a secluded honeymoon getaway on the golden sands of the South Pacific.
Kidman has said she and Urban will set up home in Nashville when they return to the United States.
The newlyweds kept a low profile Monday, emerging only to have lunch with family at a luxury waterfront
hotel.
Kidman and Urban have been tight-lipped about their immediate post-wedding plans. Local media have said Fiji or Tahiti were the most likely destinations.
Several reports have suggested the pair has spent up to $183,000 to hire out Fiji’s exclusive Wakaya Club Resort for a week.
Celebrity birthdays
Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 47. Actor Tobey Maguire (“Spider-Man”) is 31. Actress Madylin Sweeten (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 15.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Kidman, Urban tie the knot
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wearing a flowing white Balenciaga gown and veil, a beaming Nicole Kidman married country music star Keith Urban at a clifftop chapel Sunday in Manly, Australia. The intimate ceremony was attended by close family members and a few A-list stars, including Australians Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Naomi Watts and media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
The couple released a photograph of Kidman in her gown and Urban in a black suit, white vest and black necktie with a white rose on his lapel, both smiling.
“We just want to thank everyone in Australia and around the world who have sent us their warm wishes,” the couple said in a brief statement released with the picture.
Clutching a bouquet of white roses and accompanied by her father, Antony, the Oscar-winning actress arrived at the Roman Catholic church in Manly in a cream-colored Rolls-Royce limousine after driving from her harborside mansion across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, followed all the way by media helicopters.
She wore drop pearl earrings, her face partly obscured by a veil. She smiled and waved to well-wishers. Her blond hair hung around her shoulders.
Australian Associated Press reported that the wedding gown was designed by Nicolas Ghesquière for Balenciaga.
The Gothic-style St. Patrick’s College building was floodlit for the dusk-to-evening ceremony, held in a small chapel. The guests then moved to a marquee erected on the grounds for the reception.
Kidman’s adopted daughter with ex-husband Tom Cruise, Isabella, 13, and sister Antonia arrived in a separate limousine, dressed as bridesmaids. The former couple’s adopted son, Connor, 11, also reportedly took part in the ceremony.
Urban reportedly was attended by his brother Shane and friend Marlon Holden.
The event was in contrast to Kidman and Cruise’s wedding ceremony, which was held in private according to the rites of the Church of Scientology, to which Cruise belongs. The couple divorced in 2001 after 10 years of marriage. It’s the first marriage for Urban, who is based in Nashville.
Helicopters buzzed overhead and hundreds of people, including a throng of paparazzi, lined the streets outside the compound in the beachside suburb as guests arrived in black luxury sedans and minibuses.
Kidman was born in Hawaii but raised in Australia, and Urban was born in New Zealand but raised in Queensland. She held low-key celebrations in Sydney last week marking her 39th birthday. Urban is 38.
‘Housewives’ wedding
“Desperate Housewives” star Marcia Cross and stockbroker Tom Mahoney were married Saturday in San Gabriel, Calif., People magazine reported. About 200 guests attended the wedding at the Church of Our Savior Episcopal Parish.
Cross, 44, and Mahoney, 48, became engaged last August.
Half again as much
The AtlanTix half-price ticket booths have sold 100,000 tickets, according to the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts. The Southeast’s first half-price ticket booth service has helped arts and cultural institutions raise more than $1.25 million that they might not have otherwise gotten.
The first booth, at Underground Atlanta, opened in 1998. The second opened at Lenox Square mall last year, helping increase overall sales 40 percent.
New blood for ‘Law’
The “Law & Order” revolving door has brought in Alana De La Garza as the latest cast addition to the long-running NBC television drama, the network confirmed Friday. De La Garza, who played Horatio Caine’s now dead wife on “CSI: Miami,” will join the series next fall, replacing Annie Parisse, and will be the sixth woman paired with Sam Waterston’s assistant district attorney character.
Stork report
Diana Krall, 41, and husband Elvis Costello, 51, announced Sunday that the jazz singer is pregnant and due in December — just in time for their third wedding anniversary. Costello is touring with Allen Toussaint in support of their album, “The River in Reverse.”
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Billy Davis Jr. of the 5th Dimension is 66. Rock singer Chris Isaak is 50. Rock singer Patty Smyth is 49. Actor Sean Hayes (“Will and Grace”) is 36. Actor Chris O’Donnell is 36.
Contributing: Kirsten Tagami and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 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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Truett Cathy a marriage success, too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy has become the media darling of the biggest marriage conference of the year, being held at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis this weekend.
“Good Morning America,” “ABC World News Tonight” and Fox News have sent camera crews to the Hampton home of Cathy to interview the restaurateur about his pro-marriage and work philosophy.
“He gets a lot of awards,” said Chick-fil-A spokesman Mark Baldwin. “We’re surprised this one has generated so much attention.”
Today, Cathy will be honored with the 2006 Smart Marriages Award, marking the first time a corporate leader has received the honor.
“Happy homes mean more productive employees,” a cheerful Cathy told Buzz as he geared up for back-to-back media interviews.
Cathy’s efforts to bolster marriage include the $14 million conversion of Berry College farmhouses into a marriage retreat center. He also invites employees’ spouses to attend annual meetings in Florida, where he has marriage advisers on hand. And Lunch and Learn seminars at the corporate headquarters often focus on marriage-boosting tips.
“If there are problems at home, you can’t put your best foot forward at work,” he said.
Cathy, 85, first met his wife, Jeannette, at age 8. He had a crush on the girl two doors down who looked “just like Shirley Temple.”
They parted ways, and more than 10 years later they crossed paths and got married.
Mary Mac’s fesses up
Equal artificial sweetener and Zagat’s food guide have named the top spots for iced tea and other summertime beverages in a variety of U.S. cities. In Atlanta, its pick for the best place to tank up on the elixir that runs through every Southern vein is a sentimental choice: Mary Mac’s Tea Room, on Ponce de Leon. The best coffee/tea house to visit with your pet? Java Vino, on North Highland. Does Mary Mac’s (where sweet tea is referred to as the “table wine of the South”) use Equal to sweeten a (sacrilege!) low-calorie version of its eminent brew? “Yes we do honey,” said a patient lady who answered the phone during the suppertime rush. For other Zagat picks, see www.zagat.com.
Counting down
Although she has tried to duck the spotlight, Nicole Kidman’s every move has been followed by photographers, TV crews and fans in the days leading up to her marriage to Keith Urban in Australia.
On Friday, Kidman, Urban and some high-profile guests drove out of her Sydney waterfront property amid rumors of a wedding rehearsal. The fine points of the ceremony — expected Sunday night — remain top secret.
Kidman, who was born in Hawaii to Australian parents, and Urban, a country star who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia, ended months of speculation with an announcement shortly after arriving in Sydney on Monday.
The couple are expected to be married in a Roman Catholic ceremony at a Gothic-style stone church overlooking Sydney’s Manly beach.
Local media have predicted an extravagant, black-tie affair with a guest list that includes Kidman’s longtime friend Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and “Moulin Rouge” director Baz Luhrmann.
It will be the first marriage for Urban, 38, who is based in Nashville. Kidman divorced Tom Cruise in 2001 after 10 years of marriage.
Saved by the T-shirt?
In all those annoying years of “Saved by the Bell,” Dustin Diamond — aka “Screech” — says he managed to accumulate $2 million. Somehow most of that is gone, and the former child star is just a few weeks shy of becoming homeless. Or so it says on his Web site, www.getdshirts.com, where Diamond is hawking autographed T-shirts to keep his house from foreclosure. “I paid $15 to save Screeech’s house” says one shirt, adding an extra “e” to keep from running afoul of copyright laws. TV Guide Channel is helping with an appearance by Diamond on the chat show “TV Watercooler” to be taped next week.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: television actress Sherry Stringfield (“ER”) is 39; drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac, is 59 (or 64, depending on your source); guitarist Jeff Beck is 62; cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (“Apocalypse Now,” “1900”) is 66.
Sunday: singer Carly Simon is 61; pop singer George Michael is 43.
Contributing: Helena Oliviero and news services. If you have a tip, call 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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Alliance actress will play Celestine Sibley
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This month, Theatre in the Square’s Palmer Wells conceded to Buzz that casting the role of our late AJC colleague Celestine Sibley for the Marietta venue’s world premiere of “Turned Funny” was becoming akin to finding Scarlett O’Hara.
After a national search, Wells and artistic associate Jessica Phelps West have hired a pair of talents with strong connections to Atlanta.
Former Alliance Theatre artistic director Fred Chappell is taking a brief break from his position as the head of the master of fine arts directing program at Florida State University to direct “Turned Funny” here this summer.
His former Alliance partner in crime, Milwaukee actress Linda Stephens, meanwhile, has been cast as the much-beloved AJC columnist and reporter.
“People tend to overuse the word ‘gift,’ ” Stephens told us by phone Thursday. “But that’s truly what this is. I don’t know when I’ve been this excited about a theater project.”
We’re going to climb out on a limb here and speculate that Celestine would approve of the selection of Stephens. After all, Celestine adored “Gone With the Wind” and knew its author.
And among Stephens’ impressive theatrical credits? She was the sole voice talent hired to tackle the 50-hour “GWTW” audio book, the only version of which was approved by the Margaret Mitchell estate.
Stephens also appeared on Broadway in both “Damn Yankees” with Jerry Lewis and “The Man Who Came to Dinner” with Nathan Lane. In the 1970s and 1980s at the Alliance, she and Chappell collaborated on a handful of Tennessee Williams plays. “Turned Funny” will kick off Theatre in the Square’s 25th anniversary on Aug. 9.
Wedding watch: Day 4
Actress Nicole Kidman visited a children’s hospital ward with her son and daughter shortly after they arrived in Sydney, Australia, for her widely anticipated wedding to Keith Urban.
Isabella, 13, and Connor, 11, flew by private jet from Tokyo where they were accompanying their father, Tom Cruise, on a publicity trip, Australian media reported.
The children were driven to the mansion on Sydney Harbor that Kidman and Cruise once shared, accompanied by their grandmother Janelle, and left soon after with Kidman on Thursday to visit Sydney Children’s Hospital.
They spent about two hours visiting the oncology, hematology and neurology wards, chatting with patients and officials.
An international conglomeration of photographers, camera crews and fans jostled for position as they left the hospital, blocking one of the exits at one point. “If everyone can just not get too dangerous,” requested the 39-year-old actress.
Kidman has reportedly asked guests to make donations to charity instead of buying wedding gifts. She and Urban, a 38-year-old country music star based in Nashville, are expected to wed in a lavish ceremony Sunday night.
Work continued Thursday on erecting a marquee at a Gothic-style sandstone Catholic church in the beachside suburb of Manly — the presumed location of the wedding.
Celebrity docket
Rapper Eminem continued divorce proceedings with his wife, Kimberley Mathers, in a private hearing Thursday in Michigan. Details of the meeting in Macomb County Circuit Court were not disclosed.
The once and future former Mrs. Mathers, who is seeking financial support, attorney fees and joint custody of the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, was seen being escorted out of the building by a sheriff’s deputy.
Her lawyer, Michael J. Smith, declined to comment. A message seeking comment was left Thursday with Eminem’s attorney, Harvey Hauer.
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III, was not seen by reporters at the courthouse, but he was present for the hourlong meeting before Court Referee David Elias, court officer Mark Mileski said.
The 33-year-old Grammy-winning rapper filed for divorce April 5.
Eminem and Mathers remarried on Jan. 14, a month after the couple announced they were getting back together. Round 1, also known as their first marriage, was from 1999 to 2001.
Macomb County Circuit Judge Antonio Viviano has set a deadline of Aug. 25 for completion of depositions, interrogatories, pension evaluations and other matters.
A settlement conference is scheduled for Sept. 19.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Ted Shackelford (“Knots Landing”) is 60. “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson is 50. Actress Frances McDormand is 49. Drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth is 44. Actress Selma Blair is 34. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 29.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Let your (World) Cup overflow for U.S. lads
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Finally, Americans are discovering the secret to loving World Cup football (er, soccer) matches as the Europeans do.
In other words, beer for breakfast and massive absenteeism from work!
To celebrate this newfound knowledge, 790 The Zone’s “Mayhem in the AM” crew featuring Nick Cellini, Steak Shapiro and Mike Bell, along with midday guy Chris Dimino, will be broadcasting live from Dantanna’s in Buckhead from 6 a.m. to noon Thursday, during the United States/Ghana match.
The aptly named event?
“The Red, White and Brews World Cup Viewing Party.” We’re told that Dantanna’s will offer flags and patriotic apparel to listeners who turn up. Distant Replays will also be giving away a U.S. jersey to the attendee who correctly picks the minute in which team USA scores its first goal.
Over at Piebar in Midtown, Todd Rushing and Bob Amick’s space-age bachelor pad/pizza eatery is springing for free suds for the whole house every time a goal is scored during World Cup games. And since Piebar recognizes that Atlanta is an international melting pot of footie fans, the free booze gets tapped any time either team puts a ball in the net. The games will be broadcast on the venue’s big screen TVs at noon and 3 p.m. only.
Boosting ‘The Boondocks’
Leave it to the ever-inventive Cartoon Network folks and Aaron McGruder to figure out a unique method of trolling for Emmy votes. To help ensure a first season Emmy nomination for “The Boondocks,” the Adult Swim late-night ‘toon adaptation of McGruder’s popular newspaper strip, some unconventional ad copy has been cropping up in Hollywood’s trade publications. The copy reads: “No black people on ‘Frasier,’ it won Emmys. No black people on ‘Will & Grace,’ it won Emmys. They finally put some black people on ‘Desperate Housewives’ and they locked one of ‘em in the basement. But [expletive] it, we’ll try anyway.”
Overscene
While on the subject of trolling for votes, gubernatorial candidates Mark Taylor and Cathy Cox have been spotted in some rather nontraditional places (well, for politcos, anyway) of late. Music executives Jermaine Dupri, Clarence Avant, Chaka Zulu and Shakir Stewart, rapper-actor Ludacris, R&B singer Bobby Valentino, the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs’ Camille Love and politicos Kasim Reed, Ceasar Mitchell and Taylor were at Bluepointe for a reception last week for Island Def Jam Chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid. … Meanwhile, Taylor’s gubernatorial opponent Cox was spotted walking the red carpet at Fever nightclub on Cheshire Bridge Road with such music notables as Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC, R&B singer Keith Sweat and attorney Charles Mathis, all there in celebration of Devyne Stephens’ new partnership with Universal Records.
At deadline Wednesday, Buzz was as yet unable to confirm gubernatorial incumbent Sonny Perdue’s inevitable duet performance of “Pimpin’ All Over the World” during a scheduled appearance by Ludacris this Saturday at Vision nightclub…
Wedding Watch: Day Three
Actress Naomi Watts jetted into Sydney, Australia, early Wednesday for the wedding of her longtime friend Nicole Kidman to Keith Urban. The ceremony is widely expected to be held this weekend.
Watts, who was born in Britain but raised in Australia, arrived on a flight from New York wearing a gray sweater and black pants, her hair pulled back with a purple headband.
“I’m very excited for my friend,” Watts told reporters after saying she wasn’t “at liberty to discuss” any details of the event. She and Kidman met when they were young actresses in Sydney.
The guest list for the wedding, expected to be held Sunday, reportedly includes Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman, Rupert Murdoch and his wife, Wendi Deng, and Murdoch’s Sydney-based son Lachlan and his wife, model Sarah O’Hare.
Meanwhile, baby-bouncer/paparazzi-plagued pop tart Britney Spears may want to take some notes from the engaged couple. In an effort to make the throng of paparazzi camped outside her door more comfortable this week, Kidman sent out bottles of water and a case of beer with an attached note saying: “Enjoy! Nicole and Keith.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Ralph Waite (“The Waltons”) is 78. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 70. “60 Minutes” correspondent Ed Bradley is 65. Journalist Brit Hume is 63. Singer Alan Osmond of the Osmonds is 57. Actress Meryl Streep is 57. Actress Lindsay Wagner is 57.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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‘Home Plate’ chef to shake up Spice menu
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We briefly alluded to it in Monday’s Buzz. Now for the details on Turner South “Home Plate” chef Marvin Woods’ upcoming relocation to Atlanta. After being courted by restaurateurs in Charlotte and Atlanta, the Miami-based Woods has been hired to heat things up at Spice in Midtown.
Spice owner Bruce Patterson successfully snatched the bandanna-favoring foodie from his other suitors to bring a heaping helping of Woods’ trademark Lowcountry-island-African-influenced specialties to the popular eatery starting this fall.
Over the weekend, we’re told, Woods and family were house-hunting in Vinings. Woods also served as a presenter at the Southeastern Emmy Awards Saturday night and popped in at the annual Father’s Day “Real Men Cook” competition on Sunday.
His bio includes 100-plus episodes of “Home Plate” and 23 years’ experience in kitchens, working in London, New York City, Miami and Atlantic City. He’s also the author of two cookbooks.
Fans can expect to see Woods hanging out today at his future workplace on Juniper Street, within walking distance of the Fox Theatre, but he won’t officially start stirring the pot in the kitchen until September.
‘Salute 2 America’ lineup
WSB-TV’s seemingly indefatigable parade queen, Barkley Russell, sent over the impressive celeb-filled lineup for the station’s 46th annual “Salute 2 America Parade” on Tuesday. In addition to co-anchors Chuck Dowdle and Monica Kaufman, the parade will feature Braves manager Bobby Cox as grand marshal, a salute to the 48th Brigade of the Georgia National Guard featuring local Backstreet Boys/gospel vocalist Brian Littrell, “The Break-Up” actor Ivan Sergei, Snellville songstress Diana DeGarmo, and current “General Hospital” “it” couple Kimberly McCullough and Jason Thompson. As usual, the festivities start at 1 p.m. At press time, Buzz was still taking wagers on how many times Kaufman will allow Dowdle to refer to her on-air as “Monny” during this year’s telecast …
Pooches closeted for Pride
No matter how gay their puppy apparel, your precious little Liza and Lorna shouldn’t be coming out to the city’s 36th annual Atlanta Pride celebration this weekend in Piedmont Park. Atlanta Pride organizers issued a news release Tuesday to remind attendees that due to a pesky 2003 city ordinance, dogs are prohibited from outdoors festivals that draw more than 10,000 people. “We know from experience that the no-dogs-at-large-festivals ordinance will draw some complaints,” Atlanta Pride Executive Director Donna Narducci acknowledges in the missive. “Our goal is to remind folks before they get to the park, so they won’t be turned away.” And before the HRC and PETA folks hit the send button on e-mails to Buzz Central, be advised, the park’s other festival no-nos are being enforced: Skateboarding, rollerblading, biking and scootering are also prohibited this weekend.
Quotes of the day
Comic Dave Chappelle closed out his sold-out three-night, six-show tenure at the Tabernacle downtown Monday night with some notable zingers. Among them, he described his descent into our fair city thusly: “Flying into Atlanta, I noticed all of the green trees … and the teeny tiny crystal meth labs. I’ve grown quite fond of Atlanta. We should all thank Abraham Lincoln for making all of this possible … burning down the whole city and freeing all of the slaves.”
Commenting on his recent vacation, Chappelle told the crowd: “While I was away, I didn’t pay much attention to the news … but I knew immigration was an issue. There were Mexicans in all of my hiding places.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Jane Russell is 85. Musician Ray Davies of the Kinks is 62. Cartoonist Berkeley Breathed (“Bloom County,” “Outland”) is 49. Country singer Kathy Mattea is 47. Actor Doug Savant (“Desperate Housewives,” “Melrose Place”) is 42. Guitarist Mike Einziger of Incubus is 30.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Dave Chappelle tells all about fleeing TV
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s set the record straight: First, there is nothing easy about turning down $50 million. Just ask comedian Dave Chappelle, who hit Atlanta with a three-night, six-show stand-up blitz that ended Monday night. With a steady flow of cigarettes on hand, he kicked off his late-night Sunday set by addressing his hasty departure from a very lucrative Comedy Central deal.
The comic told the crowd that the decision to drop his wildly popular series “Chappelle’s Show” was so hard that it cost him precious sleep during his much publicized African getaway. Second, despite media reports and rumors after his abrupt departure from the show and subsequent vacation, “I am not a crackhead,” Chappelle said.
Whether he likes it or not, the comic’s unaired sketches begin broadcasting July 9 on Comedy Central.
As for the shows here, the sold-out crowd’s energy, enthusiasm and standing ovations said it all. True to form, the comic didn’t shy away from controversy, tackling topics such as the n-word, the Iraq war, the show “Cheaters” and even put-upon preggers pop tart Britney Spears (who, by the way, Chappelle believes is getting a hard time).
Surprise guest Mos Def kicked off the show. The rapper-actor’s casual, laid-back set flowed from old-school singalongs to Hurricane Katrina tributes to samples from his upcoming CD.
More ‘Room for Squares’
Former Buckhead singer-songwriter John Mayer’s local fans have spoken. The performer has added a second Atlanta date to his tour schedule this fall. A potential concern? Hyperthermia. Response to Mayer’s first show at Chastain Park Amphitheatre, set for Oct. 14, has inspired a second show, the night before, on Oct. 13. The tickets, ranging from $35 to $65.50, go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m.
Coupling
“Grey’s Anatomy” actress Katherine Heigl is engaged to musician and former Augusta resident Josh Kelley, according to People magazine.
Heigl and her fiancé have not set a wedding date, representatives told the magazine.
Heigl, 27, who plays Dr. Isobel “Izzie” Stevens on the hit ABC show, met Kelley, 25, last year when she appeared in a video for his song, “Only You.”
Heigl, a former model, also appeared on the WB’s “Roswell.” Kelley’s third album, “Just Say the Word,” is expected to be released in stores July 24. The project is already available for purchase at iTunes.com.
Celebrity docket
Former Libertines frontman Pete Doherty’s march to an early grave continued unabated over the weekend.
The singer was fined $1,900 in Sweden when Stockholm police found traces of cocaine in his blood after a performance by his rock band at the Hultsfred music festival.
Police detained the 27-year-old Babyshambles frontman after the concert because “he showed signs of being under the influence of narcotics,” said police spokesman Ulf Karlsson.
Tests showed traces of cocaine and the tranquilizer benzodiazepine, Karlsson said. He said Doherty had a prescription for the tranquilizer.
Doherty was fined and released, Karlsson said. He said Doherty was not in possession of any illegal drugs, so he will not face other charges.
Babyshambles was one of the main draws at the annual Hultsfred festival, one of the biggest in Sweden.
Earlier this month, Doherty had allegedly checked himself into a detox clinic in Portugal after multiple arrests in London for drug possession, his lawyer, Sean Curran, said.
Kidman, Urban to wed
The world’s paparazzi population is on high alert.
“Bewitched” actress Nicole Kidman and her fiancé, country singer Keith Urban, arrived home in Australia on Monday to be married, they said in a joint statement.
“We are very happy to be back in Australia,” they said in the statement carried by Australian Associated Press.
“We have come home to celebrate our wedding with our family and friends.”
Australian media have widely speculated that Kidman, who turns 39 today, and Urban, 38, will wed Sunday at a Catholic church in a northern Sydney suburb close to where Kidman, who was born in Hawaii, attended high school.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Olympia Dukakis is 75. Actor Danny Aiello is 73. Actor John Mahoney (“Frasier”) is 66. Musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys is 64. Actor John McCook (“The Bold and the Beautiful”) is 61. Singer Ann Murray is 61. Singer Lionel Richie is 57. Actor John Goodman is 54. Bassist Michael Anthony of Van Halen is 52. Bassist John Taylor of Duran Duran is 46. Actress Nicole Kidman is 39. Actor Josh Lucas (“Sweet Home Alabama,” “A Beautiful Mind”) is 35.
Contributing: Quindelda McElroy and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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T.I. honors fallen friend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In his first hometown performance since the death of one of his best friends, Atlanta rapper T.I. paid tribute to Philant Johnson in several ways: He played a short film of Johnson, who was also his personal assistant, for the sold-out crowd at Philips Arena. He donned a black T-shirt with Johnson’s portrait — one of four of his outfit changes. And he dedicated the single “Live in the Sky,” from his current million-selling CD “King,” to Johnson. “I miss my partner,” the artist said somberly. Johnson was killed last month in Ohio. No arrest has been made.
But T.I.’s part of Hot-107.9’s Birthday Bash 11 didn’t end on a sad note. He wrapped it up with recent No.1 single “What You Know.” It was the biggest moment of the night until minutes later, when, as Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy was finishing up, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z joined him on “Go Crazy.”
“I see you, ATL,” Jay-Z told the crowd before doing a few verses of two other songs. Too bad many in the audience couldn’t see his superstar girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles and fellow Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland tucked away in a corner of the stage. And in the opposite corner was former Destiny’s Child member turned solo singer Letoya Luckett.
‘Gong’ echoes in new summer ‘talent’ show
NBC’s new summer show “America’s Got Talent,” which debuts Wednesday, sounds like “The Gong Show” redux: It’s open to anybody from boy bands to a rapping granny to an 80-year-old stripper.
But “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell, the new show’s executive producer, said he’s “honored” by the comparison to the infamous 1970s Chuck Barris show. “That’s one of the biggest shows of all time,” Cowell told Buzz during a telephone news conference last week. “But the biggest difference between us and ‘The Gong Show’ is everyone on this show genuinely believes they’re fantastic. They’re not coming on as a joke.”
The show’s appeal, Cowell said, will be the fact that “you just don’t know who’s going to walk up on that stage.”
Cowell won’t appear on the show, because he’s contractually tied to “Idol.” Rather, Regis Philbin is the host, and the judges are singer Brandy, Mr. “Baywatch” David Hasselhoff and journalist Piers Morgan, who will take on Cowell’s role as the British curmudgeon.
So is Morgan better with the quips than Cowell? “No! You think I’d put someone better than me on the show?” Cowell cracked.
Carter book wins
Jimmy Carter can add another honor to his legacy: The former president is Georgia’s 2006 Author of the Year. Carter won for his 20th book, an essay collection titled “Our Endangered Values” that spent several weeks at the top of The New York Times Bestseller List.
The 42nd annual awards, sponsored by the grass-roots Georgia Writers Association, were presented Sunday night in ceremonies at Georgia Tech. Other 2006 winners include: David Fulmer for his literary mystery “Jass,” set in New Orleans’ Storyville district in the early 1900s; Bruce Feiler for his nonfiction book “Where God Was Born”; Sidney Pike for his memoir “We Changed the World,” about the early days of CNN; and Brian Jay Corrigan for his debut novel, “The Poet of Loch Ness.” For the full list of winners, go to www.georgiawriters.org.
Western dude Duvall
Oscar-winning actor Robert Duvall loves gritty, realistic Westerns and was instantly drawn to the concept of “Broken Trail,” a miniseries that runs Sunday and Monday on AMC — the network’s first original movie.
“We made it more character-driven than action,” Duvall told Buzz last week by phone. “We even made changes from the first cut so it would be more about the characters.”
Indeed, the miniseries has many slow, thoughtful moments interspersed with flashpoints of violence. It features Duvall and Thomas Hayden Church (“Sideways”) as cowboys taking a herd of horses on a 1,000-mile trek from Oregon to Montana, saving five Chinese women sold for prostitution along the way. Their characters are stoic but deeply humane, treating Native Americans and women with nothing but respect.
Was that realistic?
“Possibly,” Duvall said. “Cowboys used to go down the streets and tip their hats to hookers. There weren’t that many women. There were good people. Good and bad.”
In one scene, Duvall, 75, nonchalantly doffs his shirt and washes himself. “We improvised a lot,” he said. “It was cold. We did that one quick.”
And he’s still incredibly busy. “I have a young wife,” he said, referencing his fourth, Luciana Padraza, 35. “I better keep going.”
Southeastern Emmy winners
WSB-TV news won a Southeast Regional Emmy for programming excellence Saturday night at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Buckhead.
But Turner South garnered the most awards, with 11, in its final year of eligibility. Fox Cable, which took over the channel in May, is expected to air Turner South programming for a few more months.
The awards tally included 10 Emmys for WXIA-TV, eight each for TBS Atlanta and WAGA-TV, four for WSB-TV, three for FSN and one for WGCL-TV.
Ryan Cameron of V-103 radio, who hosted the awards show, picked up his second regional Emmy for hosting “Atlanta & Company” on WXIA-TV. “This means I’m going to have sex tonight!” a buoyant Cameron yelped as his wife, Kysha, smiled and nodded her head.
Meanwhile, presenter and Miami chef Marvin Woods, who taped 200 “Home Plate” shows for Turner South, told Buzz that he’s moving to Atlanta and has already committed to taking over Midtown restaurant Spice, with plans to revamp the menu this fall. And he’s seeking another TV show, too.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Gena Rowlands is 70. Actress Phylicia Rashad is 58. Singer Ann Wilson of Heart is 56. Actress Kathleen Turner is 52. “American Idol” judge Paula Abdul is 44.
Contributing: Teresa K. Weaver, Sonia Murray and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 or e-mail rho@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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Alan Jackson still a hunk of a man
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Newnan car salesman Alan Jackson still has it, according to Country Weekly readers. The country singer is among the top 10 sexiest men in country, reports the music weekly on stands today.
Nicole Kidman’s Aussie fiancé, Keith Urban, captured the top spot.
Readers picked their top 10 sexiest male country artists with Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney rounding out the top five, in that order.
“The biggest surprise is how rapidly over the last couple of years Keith Urban has shot to the head of the class,” editor Bill Gubbins said.
Urban and Kidman are preparing to marry but have not formally announced a date. Various media reports say they will get hitched this summer.
About 32,000 readers voted online and by mail in the first poll, Gubbins said.
Newcomers Gary Allan and Chris Cagle ranked sixth and seventh, with established artists George Strait, Jackson and Billy Ray Cyrus Nos. 8-10, respectively.
The magazine has a similar poll ranking country music’s hottest bachelors, but many of the artists picked by readers on this list are married and have families.
“They’ve made it clear that the wedding ring doesn’t matter in terms of sex appeal,” Gubbins said.
The magazine will be releasing readers’ picks for country’s most-beautiful women this month.
Celebrity docket
David Gest, most famous for being married to Liza Minnelli, is being sued by a former employee, claiming sexual harassment. And the complainant is — gasp — a guy.
Charles R. Beyer of Lakeland, Tenn., claims in a federal court lawsuit that he was harassed and humiliated by Gest while working as his personal assistant last July.
“David A. Gest made sexual comments, touched the plaintiff in a sexual nature, wrote sexual comments in the plaintiff’s calendar, paid another employee to touch the plaintiff,” Beyer, 35, wrote in a complaint he filed himself.
Gest’s attorney, Edward Bearman, said his client tried to do Beyer a favor by giving him a temporary job that lasted only nine weeks.
“The guy just wouldn’t go away,” Bearman explained. “I think this is just a bogus attempt to get some money out of a celebrity, and I’m not even sure he qualifies as an employee.”
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigated but did not substantiate Beyer’s claims.
Minnelli and Gest married March 16, 2002, at a celebrity-choked spectacle that included Michael Jackson as best man and Elizabeth Taylor as maid of honor. They separated in July 2003 and filed for divorce later that year.
Gest moved to Memphis in 2004, where he staged the fabulous “David Gest’s All-Star Holiday Extravaganza” featuring Jane Russell, Petula Clark, Gale Storm, Patricia Neal and Tippi Hedren.
Britney by the numbers
According to Nielsen ratings info released by NBC on Friday, more than 9 million viewers tuned in to rubberneck Thursday night as “Dateline” forever soiled its news department’s reputation by airing its exclusive Matt Lauer interview with preggers pop tart Britney Spears. The ratings were so substantial that the once-proud Peacock Network opted to rerun the hourlong, overturned tanker-truck accident — on the programming black hole known as Friday night, for the three of us still not thoroughly fascinated by J-Love talking to dead people. Or as the gum-smacking singer herself put it: “I’m an emotional wreck right now, but not in a bad way.”
‘Idol’ court victory
“American Idol” winner Ruben Studdard has been awarded $2 million in his lawsuit against his ex-manager for misappropriating the singer’s money and credit cards.
Studdard, 26, of Birmingham, won the television talent show in 2003 and filed suit last year against ex-manager Ronald W. Edwards and Edwards’ promotions company, Sez Inc.
Jefferson County (Ala.) Circuit Judge Scott Vowell awarded Studdard $500,000 for his actual losses and another $1.5 million in punitive damages, the Birmingham News reported this week on its Web site.
Vowell dismissed Edwards’ promotions company from the suit because it was bankrupt and had no assets. Edwards filed a petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on June 17, 2005.
The suit claimed Edwards misused more than $246,000 of the singer’s money.
According to the judge’s ruling, Edwards took money from Studdard’s checking and other bank accounts, improperly used his credit cards and even used Studdard’s money to repay a $10,000 bank loan. Studdard has sold more than 2.2 million records, but the damage to his credit because of the fraud made it hard to obtain financing to buy a home, Vowell’s order said.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Singer Barry Manilow is 60. Director Bobby Farrelly (“There’s Something About Mary”) is 48. Actor Thomas Haden Church (“Sideways,”) is 45. Actor Greg Kinnear is 43. Actor Jason Patric is 40.
Sunday: Musician Paul McCartney is 64. Movie critic Roger Ebert is 64. Singer Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men is 35. Country singer Blake Shelton is 30.
Contributing: News services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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TV foodie’s single son hot enough for People
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One surprise included on the list of People magazine’s “Hottest Bachelors” due on stands Friday? Savannah restaurateur and Food Network goddess Paula Deen’s baby boy, Bobby.
The 36-year-old (who, incidentally, somehow manages to pull off a seductive pose while eating a sandwich in the accompanying photo) is best known for helping out with big brother Jamie on their mom’s popular “Paula’s Home Cooking” TV show. This summer, the Deen boys get their own primetime Food Network show, “Road Tasted.”
On dating, Bobby Deen tells People that the process is like cooking: “Separately, the ingredients are wonderful, but mixed together it could be a disaster.”
On the gal he’s looking for, Deen says: “She has to be sweet. … I don’t usually date girls I wouldn’t bring home to Mama.” Also, it would help to be partial to mayonnaise and butter. …
Others on the list include two Hollywood types with local connections who we don’t exactly want to encounter on the highway any time soon.
“We Are Marshall” actor Matthew McConaughey (who interestingly is described in the mag as being 5’ 11 3/4”) tells the magazine that since his recent split with Penelope Cruz, his favorite gal pal has been Foxy, his red heeler doggie. Also, “My favorite thing to do alone is to jam in my truck and drive.”
We’re eternally happy, meanwhile, that Dunwoody High grad and former Star 94 intern Ryan Seacrest is tooling around an entire coast away from here these days. The “American Idol” host tells People: “I’ve mastered the art of driving with my knees and responding to e-mails on my BlackBerry.”
We’re guessing that as soon as Ryan’s mom, Connie Seacrest, reads that quote today, her son’s cellphone will be vibrating at his Los Angeles radio station workplace. …
Spears has her say
In our courageous capacity as Buzz scribbler, we endured the rigors of the Britney Spears “Dateline” interview Thursday. The televised train wreck with the pregnant pop tart and interviewer Matt Lauer no doubt juiced up NBC’s sluggish summer ratings, even as it dug a fresh basement for its news division’s reputation.
Promoted as being “defiant, determined and emotional”, the singer addressed rumors that her rapper/white-tanktop-lovin’ husband Kevin Federline is sleeping in the basement (he’s not).
On the ongoing tabloid reports that her marriage is failing with the hiring of a new “manny” for her baby son, the pop star said, “None of it is true.”
Responding to her ongoing issues involving gravity and infant Sean Preston, Spears said brightly: “Accidents happen!”
And if we’re being completely honest, when Spears hilariously misused air quotes while attempting to demonstrate that the tabloids have been going “a little far with me lately,” we did briefly knock over our Pabst Blue Ribbon 16-ouncer.
Naturally, the media exercise ended dramatically when the singer tearfully told Lauer: “You have to realize, we’re people!”
As opposed to? …
Celebrating Bennett’s 80th
Our very own Sir Elton has lent his voice to legendary singer Tony Bennett’s next studio project, celebrating the crooner’s 80th birthday. And as much as we adore Bennett, the planned disc has more than a faint whiff of those painful, final Frank Sinatra “Duets” albums. Bennett has recruited more than a dozen music heavyweights, including Bono, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand, to sing on his new album, “Tony Bennett: Duets/An American Classic.”
The album of 18 songs, to be released Sept. 26, also features duets with Stevie Wonder, the Dixie Chicks, Elvis Costello, Billy Joel, Diana Krall, Sting, George Michael, K. D. Lang, James Taylor, Tim McGraw, John Legend, Juanes and Michael Buble.
Bennett, whose birthday is Aug. 3, croons standards including “I Wanna Be Around,” with Bono, and personal favorites including “Smile,” with Streisand, and “The Very Thought of You,” with McCartney.
“Each duet artist brought their own soul and sensibility to their song performance, and it was a wonderful gift for my birthday to be able to record with these talented musicians,” Bennett said in a statement.
He also performs a solo version of his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” accompanied by pianist Bill Charlap.
In a statement, Columbia Records chairman Steve Barnett said, “It’s an honor and a privilege to wish Tony a very happy 80th birthday and to thank him for giving us the gift of so much magic and so much music over the years.”
Oddly, the label’s statement neglected to mention that in the previous millennium, Columbia dropped the singer from the label after he declined repeated suggestions to record disco and rock tunes.
Celebrity birthdays
Songwriter Lamont Dozier is 65. R&B singer Eddie Levert is 64. Actress Joan Van Ark is 63. Singer James Smith of the Stylistics is 56. Actress Laurie Metcalf (“Roseanne”) is 51. Actor Eddie Cibrian (“Invasion”) is 33. Snellvillian “American Idol” runner-up Diana DeGarmo is 19.
Contributing: News services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749, fax 404-526-5509, 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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Rickey Smiley making amends for Chastain tantrum
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A year ago, standup comic Rickey Smiley refused to go onstage at Chastain Amphitheatre, unhappy about a fellow comic who came on before him who he felt broke the flow of the show and swiped topics he was going to address. “You can’t do comedy when you’re angry,” he said.
As penance for his surprise absence, Smiley offered fans an autographed poster, a CD and written apology to anyone who wrote to him.
Friday, at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, he’ll be back for the first time since that incident as the headliner with handpicked lower-level comics who won’t steal his thunder.
He told Buzz that he sent out several apologies after his no-show and even offered free tickets to this performance. “We want everyone to continue to be a fan,” he said.
Smiley, a morning jock at a Dallas radio station, said next year he plans to follow the path of Atlanta’s Tyler Perry and create a musical comedy instead of just doing standup. The tentative grammatically challenged name of the play: “Ain’t Nobody Called Me and Told Me Nothin’.”
Atlanta-based Third Day is headlining a six-day Christian cruise trip dubbed Music Boat Cruise 2007 scheduled to leave Miami April 30, 2007, destined for the Caribbean. McDonough’s Casting Crowns performed the first Music Boat last fall. So bookmark the site www.premierchristiancruises.com to buy tickets when they go on sale in August. …
Comic anchors morning show for ‘grown folks’
Steve Harvey is joining the Atlanta airwaves Monday at 102.5, which is now a hybrid R&B music/talk station.
Harvey, best known for his stand-up comedy and his long-running sitcom, is now a syndicated morning host on more than 20 radio stations nationwide, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Philadelphia and Detroit.
“It’s absolutely the funniest morning show on the planet,” Harvey told Buzz. “I’ve done the math on this. It’s not bragging.”
He also said the radio show allows him to reveal multiple facets of himself, including his inspirational side.
At the same time, he won’t trash-talk his rival Tom Joyner, heard locally on Kiss 104.1, which has a much stronger signal than 102.5. “I respect him,” Harvey said. ” I enjoy him. We’re friends. That’s all.”
Harvey will replace Silas “SiMan” Alexander, the morning host for 102.5 since 2002. SiMan will do evenings 7 to midnight.
A gracious SiMan said he’s appreciative that 102.5 is keeping him on as the local voice and face of the station, even if it means a much lower-profile time slot. “It’s a good move for the station,” SiMan said. “Steve has star power. And he’s funny.”
Once exclusively an R&B music station, 102.5 has gone through a transformation the past year with the additions of all-talk Michael Eric Dyson and Al Sharpton from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and relationships guru Michael Baisden from 3 to 7 p.m. Both Baisden and Harvey blend R&B music with entertainment. The station’s new slogan: “Grown folks radio, the new 102.5.”
No Cars, Blondie
Saturday’s New Cars/Blondie concert at Chastain Park Amphitheatre has been postponed because Cars guitarist Elliot Easton broke his left clavicle after a near crash June 5 on the tour bus. He played four more shows but was told by doctors he needed surgery. Easton is in New York recuperating. A new date has not been announced, but tickets will be honored later.
Pop star reaches out
Atlanta R&B star Usher pulled on some work gloves, grabbed a pair of trimmers and chopped away at a patch of vines that had overtaken a fence at a New Orleans school shuttered by Hurricane Katrina.
Usher joined dozens of volunteers Tuesday to clear the overgrown lawn of the International School of Louisiana, the state’s first foreign language-based charter school, which has been closed since Katrina hit Aug. 29. He got his first glimpse of Katrina’s destruction Monday, when he visited storm-damaged neighborhoods in New Orleans and nearby St. Bernard Parish.
“To see it in this state, it’s devastating,” Usher said, cutting away at the vines that had twisted through the chain-link fence surrounding the school.
Random bits
CNN evening host and GQ cover boy Anderson Cooper has landed at the top of the New York Times best-seller list with his “Dispatches From the Edge,” a hybrid mix of memoir and reportage. He has been promoting the book heavily in the media (“Oprah,” “Regis,” et al.) and on his own CNN show. Coincidentally or not, his ratings were up 24 percent in May, year over year; in April they were down 36 percent …
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Jim Belushi is 52. Actress Helen Hunt is 43. Actress Courteney Cox Arquette (“Friends”) is 42. Rapper-actor Ice Cube is 37. Actress Leah Remini (“King of Queens”) is 36. Actor Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother,” “Doogie Howser, M.D.”) is 33.
Contributing: news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 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.
Agnes Scott prof has tony Tony prediction record
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to his own calculations, Agnes Scott professor David Thompson bests The New York Times, Playbill and USA Today in his Tony Award predictions, correctly naming 20 out of 24 award winners this year for an 83 percent accuracy rate. Only Backstage and NYTheatre.com did better, with an 88 percent accuracy rate each, he said.
Thompson began making his Tony predictions about seven years ago, and he does all his research in a one-week marathon of theatergoing during a visit to New York each spring. The short trip necessitates some long days on Broadway. On at least three visits, he’s attended three shows on a single Saturday, packing Power Bars in his pockets to keep going.
“I felt like Tony Stewart doing the Indy 500 and the Coke 600 in the same day,” joked Thompson, who was relaxing Tuesday during a post-Tony vacation trip to Panama City, Fla.
Tree sitting
“Splash” mermaid Daryl Hannah was among 20 or so protesters who clashed with police Tuesday over the forced eviction of a group of urban farmers from a 14-acre tract in Los Angeles. Those fighting the sale of the parcel for use as a warehouse chained themseles to barrels filled with cement, but police and riot forces sawed through the chains and began hauling away the demonstrators Tuesday morning.
According to The Associated Press, Hannah had been sitting in a large walnut tree on the property when she was removed by authorities, who cut away branches and used a firetruck lift to bring her down.
“I’m very confident this is the morally right thing to do, to take a principled stand in solidarity with the farmers,” Hannah told the news service by cellphone. Singer Willie Nelson and actor Danny Glover have expressed support for saving the farm.
A little bit of L.A. in Atlanta
The celebrating continues for former Atlantan Antonio “L.A.” Reid. This past weekend, Oprah Winfrey, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey and Usher were on hand for the music mogul’s 50th-birthday party in New York. And this Friday, the chairman of Island Def Jam is flying into Atlanta, where Mayor Shirley Franklin will honor Reid for launching LaFace Records here. Many consider the now-closed record label a kick-starter for the city’s still-going music scene. And to thank him, the mayor will place a plaque at the corner of East Paces Ferry and Lenox roads — a first from the city for an entertainer, Franklin’s special events manager said.
Quote of the day
Britney Spears loves her husband, Kevin Federline, because, well, he’s not too complex. Spears revealed her feelings in an interview with Matt Lauer, to be aired on the “Today” show Thursday morning and on “Dateline” at 9 that night. A few tidbits were thrown our way to whet the appetite:
Lauer: What is it about Kevin that makes you love him?
Spears: It’s very simple. Women complicate everything. He’s so simple. His simplicity and just he’s like a boy. He just, you know, and he cares. He cares so much and his heart is awesome. He has a really big heart and I love that.”
Don’t call her madam
Heather Mills McCartney and former Beatle Paul McCartney are divorcing, they confirmed Tuesday, a detail not stated when they announced their separation last month. She also announced plans to sue any newspapers that dig into her past.
News of the separation was followed quickly by the appearance of nude photos of the soon-to-be-former Mrs. McCartney in several publications. Shortly thereafter, the London mass-circulation Sunday publication News of the World printed stories that said when she was in her 20s she accepted sums of cash for spending the night with wealthy men. In a statement last month, Sir Paul said, “Seeing that so many inaccurate stories have been written at the moment about Heather and myself, all I can ask people to do is not believe them and understand that most of what is coming out is made up and entirely false. Thanks for your support.”
According to E! Online, the McCartneys may not have had a prenuptial agreement, so, as they work out custody of their 2-year-old daughter Beatrice, they also could be negotiating her share of his $1.5 billion.
Call him … Midnight?
Rock star, movie star and all-around cool guy Jack Black and his wife, Tanya Haden (daughter of jazz bassist Charlie Haden), are the parents of a baby boy, Black told the “Access Hollywood” program Monday night. No name was mentioned in the “Access Hollywood” piece, or on the US Hollywood Web site where it also appeared, but Buzz would like to suggest either Coffee, Pitch or Basic.
Celebrity birthdays
Tennis great Steffi Graf is 37. Singer Boy George is 45. Businessman and TV personality Donald Trump is 60.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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DJ dishes on the dirt, shirt and grub on ‘Marshall’ set
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Star 94 “Steve & Vikki” show prankster Tom Sullivan can now add thespian to his résumé.
Sullivan spent the better part of last week at Herndon Stadium at Morris Brown College, filming pivotal scenes for the upcoming sports flick “We Are Marshall” with stars Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox. Sullivan was cast as an Xavier University assistant football coach, a team favored to beat the underdog, tragedy-laden Marshall team.
Alas, with the broiling heat, 12- to 14-hour days, polyester costumes and a whopping $72.10 per day salary, the experience was, well, less than glamorous.
But Sullivan reported to Buzz that the film’s stars were equally nice. “Matthew Fox introduced me to his wife.” Fox was quieter off-camera, according to Sullivan. “McConaughey was the more social one, talking to the extras and stuff.”
Sullivan says both Matthews had some off-camera tobacco vices. Fox chain-smoked and McConaughey frequently expelled chewing tobacco.
“I wore the same XU polo shirt for three days!” says Sullivan. “In those temperatures, it got kinda gross, too. On the third day of filming, they had this roll-on stuff used to create grass strains and also liquid dirt. I made myself a little messy. On Saturday, I got a clean shirt.”
Lunchtime was no picnic, either.
Sullivan says that extras were fed Chick-fil-A for a week straight. “When they announced that we were having Papa John’s pizzas, the extras acted like they’d just won the lottery.”
There was a two-piece-per-person limit, however.
“Overall, I really liked the experience,” Sullivan says. “In the future, though, I’d like it to be maybe 10 degrees cooler. And I would have liked to keep one of those inflatable fans they used in the stands as extras. One of those would be great for the HOV lane.”
And the most dramatic thing Sullivan got to do while pacing up and down the sidelines for four days?
“I got to take McConaughey his bongos,” Sullivan says.
We’re almost certain he’s kidding.
Quote of the day
In honor of the multiple spit-take-inducing quality of the upcoming NBC interview with media-saturated mom Britney Spears, Buzz will proudly excerpt portions this week via our “Quote of the day” segment. The full Q&A with Matt Lauer airs Thursday on both “Today” and at 9 p.m. on “Dateline.”
“I can’t go anywhere without someone judging me. … I did it with my dad. I’d sit on his lap and I’d drive. We’re country.” — the pregnant pop tart explaining why her baby Sean Preston was riding in her lap (and not in a rear car seat) as she recently sped away from paparazzi.
Seagal cancels local gig
Well, this bit of news certainly blows a crater into our social activities this evening. Action superstar Steven Seagal and his band Thunderbox have canceled their scheduled concert tonight at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points. According to the press release sent to Buzz Central, “Steven’s sound is part classic Delta blues and part swamp stomp.” The gig would have been “the Variety debut of this multitalented musician, actor and martial artist.” In observance of this tragedy, Buzz will be in seclusion and not taking calls tonight.
Babs returning to ATL!
In other concert news/signs of the apocalypse, Barbra “I’m through with touring” Streisand will appear on Nov. 2 at Philips Arena. Via a press release, Streisand’s longtime manager Martin Erlichman announced the tour, citing her commitment to contribute to “charitable organizations as her motivation to return to the stage.” Translation: Her Meineke spokesman hubby James Brolin’s 401(k) plan. The legendary diva has booked popera boy band Il Divo to open the dates for her. In a partnership with American Express, card-carrying fans (credit card, that is) can secure “a special opportunity” to score tickets early for the Atlanta date, all this week through Sunday at www.ticketmaster.com. Ah, yes, which brings us to the price of said tickets. The best seats are $750, followed by seats economically priced at $350, $200 and $100.
Stork report
Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana Bozan, are the parents of a baby girl, the inexplicably normally named Isabella, their first child, the actor’s publicist said Monday.
“Mother and baby — everyone — is wonderful, fine,” publicist Jennifer Allen said. The baby was born Sunday in a Miami hospital, Allen said.
Jason Bateman and his wife, Amanda Anka, are expecting their first child.
Bateman, who starred in the Fox comedy series “Arrested Development,” announced on Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7 last week that Anka is 5 1/2 months pregnant with a baby girl.
Celebrity birthdays
Magician Siegfried of Siegfried and Roy is 67. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 63. Actor Richard Thomas is 55. Comedian Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”) is 53. Actresses Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are 20.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Comic Ron White on book tour
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Blue Collar Comedy Tour” comic Ron White didn’t have his signature cigar and glass of scotch. Rather, on Saturday evening he subsisted on a Red Bull. But that’s because he wasn’t doing stand-up. He was at an east Cobb County Borders to sign his first book, “I Had the Right to Remain Silent … But I Didn’t Have the Ability” (Dutton Adult, $24.95).
He’s on a three-city book tour, hitting only New York, Philly and his current residence of metro Atlanta, where he spent 90 minutes hobnobbing with 200-plus fans.
“How does it feel to be you?” said Jake McCoy, a 12-year-old Marietta resident in a Braves cap, opting for a semi-existential question in his few seconds with White.
“It’s great to be me,” White said before cracking, “except at 8 o’clock this morning.”
Jake said he’s been a fan for two years and has an aunt who named her dachshund “Tater” after White’s most famous bit, which led to his nickname, “Tater Salad.”
White later told another young fan to wait a while to read the book because it’s a bit risqué. But, White added with a twinkle in his eyes, “Nobody can really scold me. I live in the ‘I do whatever I want world.’ You don’t.”
At the end, Cameron Cook and Collin Thomas, rising Lassiter High juniors, got him to autograph his now empty Red Bull can as well as Cook’s fishing license, after plying the hungry White with a Butterfinger Crisp bar. Cook, perhaps jokingly, said the can would be great to sell on eBay.
White acknowledged to Buzz that the book, a mix of jokes, illustrations and road stories, is more marketing than literature. “If I had a choice, I’d go see me live,” he said, but “my stories are conversational, so it should read well.” Pause. “Not that I’ve actually read it.”
Britney’s ‘manny’
At the U.S. Naval Academy, Perry Taylor was addressed as midshipman. Now, he’s known as Perry Poppins. The 28-year-old Easton, Md., native has popped up in tabloids as the male nanny — or “manny” — for Britney Spears, who has a 9-month-old son, Sean Preston, and is pregnant.
“Actually, he’s more of a bodyguard,” says Taylor’s mother, Caroline Moncure-Taylor, a Washington real estate agent. Moncure-Taylor told The Baltimore Sun that Taylor has worked for the 24-year-old pop singer for less than a month.
For Star, which featured Spears and Taylor on the cover of its June 19 issue, he’s “Britney’s Sexy New Stand-In Husband!”
“He’s good with kids and he’s always there when he’s needed — unlike Kevin!” the tabloid continues, referring to aspiring rapper Kevin Federline, Spears’ husband.
Fever hits Atlanta
Fever, the first major new nightclub to open in the city of Atlanta in ages, hosted a celebrity fashion show late Saturday night featuring “My Name is Earl” actress Jaime Pressly, who showed off her line of clothing. The club — a converted duplex on Cheshire Bridge Road that opened last month and could fit at least 700 people — is targeting a high-end clientele, with a strict dress code, plush furniture, outdoor cabanas, a bachelor/bachelorette room and two levels with VIP areas for the high rollers. And as is the trend lately among nightclubs, there are several actual beds.
TNT looks to get ‘Saved’
TNT is banking on the surprise breakout Kyra Sedgwick hit “The Closer” to launch a drama about paramedics called “Saved” at 10 tonight, after “The Closer.”
“Saved” stars Tom Everett Scott, best known for “That Thing You Do” back in 1996. Scott’s career never quite took off after that, with two short-lived TV series (“The Street” on Fox in 2000 and “Philly” on ABC in 2001) before this one came along.
“It takes quite a bit for a show to hit,” Scott told Buzz from Vancouver, British Columbia, where the series shoots. “I try not to get my hopes up too high.”
On “Saved,” Scott plays a complicated, underachieving paramedic with a major gambling problem in a profession that gets little respect. “They’re selfless guys,” he said. “It’s tough. It’s very dirty. They do all this work, then hand off the patients.”
Scott in real life is also a gambler — a poker expert seen on shows such as “Celebrity Poker Showdown” and “World Poker Tour.” “I’m not that good of a poker player,” he said modestly, “but I have my moments.”
Scott is partnered on the show with Omari Hardwick, a former Decatur resident who attended Marist School and graduated from the University of Georgia, where he played football. “He’s a big sweetie, a great actor,” Scott said.
Meanwhile, Sedgwick is still marveling over the success of “The Closer,” which hinges on her quirky, junk food-loving detective from Atlanta transplanted in Los Angeles. “I never watch ‘CSI’ or ‘Law & Order,’ ” she told Buzz. “I grew with ‘Baretta’ and ‘Columbo.’ I was always more interested in the character than the crime. On our show, that’s what people tune in for.”
Random bits
Paris Hilton backed her Range Rover into a car in a parking garage after a shopping trip, her publicist, Elliot Mintz, said Friday. A video on TMZ.com showed scrapes on the bumpers of both vehicles. Mintz said she informed the parking people and left her contact information. “She was swarmed by paparazzi,” he said. “The intensity of the lights, flashbulbs, momentarily disoriented her. She backed up, there was a minor fender-bender. No injuries.” …
Shakira’s catchy No. 1 hit “Hips Don’t Lie” sold a record 265,000 legally downloaded copies last week, the most in history, fueled by the fact the label held back the single to pump sales of her album, “Oral Fixation Vol. 2.” It beat former record holder “Laffy Taffy” by Atlanta’s D4L. …
Savannah rock jock Lexie Kaye will be the first live voice on classic hits station 97.1/The River starting June 26 as the morning host from 5:30 to 8:30 weekdays. Check her out at www.lexiekaye.com.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Vic Damone is 78. Actor-singer Jim Nabors (“Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.”) is 76. Jazz musician Chick Corea is 65.
Contributing: Shandra Hill Smith and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 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.
Wanted: Musicians worthy of Beyonce
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Let’s dispense the most important piece of information first — singer and former Destiny’s Child goddess Beyoncé Knowles will not, repeat, will not physically be in Atlanta on Monday when auditions begin for the musicians who will eventually accompany her on her upcoming “B’Day” tour this fall.
From noon to 9 p.m. Monday, auditions will be held here and in four other U.S. cities for an all-female band to back the pop star. Organizers are looking for drummers, keyboardists, bass, guitar, horn and percussion players. We’re told you must “have a look” and be able to play your instrument by ear. (Reading music is optional.)
Musicians (who must be at least 18) trying out also should be prepared to play the singer’s hit “Work It Out” as performed on the “Beyoncé: Live at Wembley” DVD. A head shot and résumé also should be brought to the audition.
Organizers have also stressed to Buzz Central that only serious musicians should show up since space is extremely limited. Finalists from each audition city must be available to fly to New York to perform a final tryout for the pop star herself and her creative team next week. You must also be prepared to hit the road by June 20.
If you fit all of the above criteria, feel free to turn up Monday at Crossover Entertainment Studios at 1310 Ellsworth Industrial Blvd. in Atlanta (404-352-3716, www.crossover-studios.com).
And, oh yes, you also should be prepared to feed Buzz fabulous backstage scoop if selected. …
Turner book snags $4.5 mil
Ted Turner’s literary agent has reached a $4.5 million deal to publish Turner’s life story, the New York Post reported Friday. The paper, citing anonymous sources (its preferred method of reporting), stated that Hachette Books is buying rights to the CNN founder’s life story. The Post said Turner’s agent had hoped to get up to $7 million. Hachette is a unit of Lagardere, a French publisher that this year bought Time Warner’s book unit. Details on the latest book on Turner or its publishing timetable were not immediately available. Naturally, it gave us an opportunity to imagine where we might land in the book’s eventual index. We’re thinking something like: “Turner, Ted: media scourges, see Peach Buzz pgs. 77, 158, 236, 550-558.”
The advance dish on ‘Devil’
If you read this space on an ongoing basis, you probably care deeply that Buzz took in an advance media screening of “The Devil Wears Prada” on Friday morning. Well, first things first. We can tell you that the film adaptation of Lauren Weisberger’s best-selling novel, starring Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway and Stanley Tucci, is a more than faithful adaptation of the book. Natch, many in the fashion industry have long whispered that the 2003 hardcover was based in part on Weisberger’s former job as an assistant to Vogue editor Anna “Nuclear” Wintour. If so, Streep, as fictional Runway editor Miranda Priestly, also must have the publishing ice princess on speed dial. And like the novel, the dialogue is hilariously horrible and savagely slicing. Or as one of Priestly’s undernourished assistants sighs to another: “I’m just one stomach flu from my goal weight.” The film bows June 30.
Theater folks stay on the go
Theatre Communications Group opened its national conference at the Woodruff Arts Center with a conspicuously Southern drawl. “Yes, we really are this nice down here,” said Alliance Theatre artistic director and TCG board member Susan V. Booth, welcoming representatives of 439 theaters from 47 states and the District of Columbia. “No, you should not ask for Pepsi products.” Thursday’s performances included a moving excerpt from Alternate Roots’ “Uprooted: The Katrina Project” and playwright Ain Gordon’s juicy backstage history, “Art, Life & Show-Biz,” featuring his mother, the legendary dancer Valda Setterfield. Shuttle buses took late-night revelers to an after-party at Dad’s Garage, and Friday’s schedule included a morning session with Obie Award-winning director Anne Bogart and an afternoon book signing by Suzan-Lori Parks, the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama (“Topdog/Underdog”). Atlanta theater directors, meanwhile, were hustling conference-goers to check out world premieres by local writers Suehyla El-Attar (Horizon Theatre) and Thomas Ward (Theatrical Outfit).
Celebrity docket/sick bay
Troubled British rocker Pete Doherty has checked himself into a detox clinic in Portugal, according to his lawyer.
The 27-year-old Babyshambles frontman was not present for a scheduled hearing Friday in London on the progress of a court-ordered rehabilitation program following his arrests for drug possession. A spokeswoman for the court confirmed the next hearing would be July 13.
District Judge Jane McIvor excused Doherty’s absence, saying he was not on bail or charged with anything at the moment.
“There’s a valid reason for him not being here,” she said.
The former Libertines singer has reportedly been fitted with an opiate-suppressing implant at the clinic, where he had checked himself in Monday, his lawyer said.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Singer Faith Evans is 33. Actor Shane West (“ER,” “Now and Again”) is 28. Actress Leelee Sobieski is 24.
Sunday: Actor Gene Wilder is 73. Actor Chad Everett is 69. Bassist Tai Anderson of Third Day is 30. Actor Joshua Jackson (“Dawson’s Creek”) is 28.
Contributing: Wendell Brock, Kirsten Tagami and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Yung Joc happy to be living his dream
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No matter when you’re reading this item today, chances are excellent that “It’s Goin’ Down,” still, with hot Atlanta rapper Yung Joc. On the chance that you’re not hip to the hip-hop lingo, “It’s Goin’ Down” means “a good time is happening.”
And it’s been good times for some time with the 23-year-old. His single “It’s Goin’ Down” — have we mentioned that enough yet? — continues to top three of Billboard magazine’s R&B, hip-hop and rap charts. His debut “New Joc City” hit stores Tuesday.
And his label presidents Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kevin Liles and Russell “Block” Spencer, R&B group Jagged Edge and V-103’s Greg Street and Frank Ski were among the many revelers celebrating its release Tuesday night at Vision nightclub in Midtown.
“I actually started celebrating way before the party, though,” Joc told Buzz on Wednesday morning at the Ritz-Carlton’s Atlanta Grill downtown. “When I woke up, that in itself was a blessing. To wake up and realize I’ve got the No. 1 record, No. 1 ringtone, No. 1 video — more blessings. And then to realize I’m actually releasing my first solo effort on a major label — Block Entertainment/Bad Boy South/Warner Music Group/Atlantic — I mean, I’ve been celebrating all day. I’m still celebrating. I’m so happy. This is no longer a dream for me. I’m living it.”
Reward for lemonade stand
A reward is being offered for “Simple Life” simpletons Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie’s lemonade stand that was heisted this week from that vision-vibrating pink house at 1238 North Ave. in Candler Park.
The house owned by fans of the E! reality show was painted to promote “The Simple Life: ‘Til Death Do Us Part.” The lemonade stand was part of the promotional package.
According to show rep Paul Gendreau, “anyone who returns the lemonade stand to the North Avenue house will have no questions asked.” Inexplicably, if the thief leaves a note in the mailbox with their name and address on it, we’re told that E! will send you “a box of ‘The Simple Life’ and E! swag to choke a horse!”
Alas, an elaborate late night swag/lemonade stand exchange drop point involving a gun battle, pink Gucci luggage and a Chihuahua apparently wasn’t deemed feasible by E! officials.
Gold records gone missing
Speaking of purloined items and “no questions asked,” gentle readers, if you also just happen to be in possession of Kandi Burruss’ 15 or so gold and platinum plaques, you have a few options to make good. You can call 678-687-8299 to find out how to return them and collect a monetary reward. You can mail the items back to P.O. Box 491239, College Park, GA 30349.
And V-103’s Frank Ski has offered to collect the goods personally tonight at Vision nightclub. No questions asked.
The Grammy-winning, singer-songwriter’s Fayetteville home was broken into Wednesday. Thieves took a TV, a computer monitor, a drum machine and her gold and platinum records. “I really, really want my plaques back,” she told Buzz on Thursday. “I can’t replace those. Maybe [the robbers] thought they were actual gold and platinum CDs inside, I don’t know. But they are of personal value to me.
“Obviously I’d be happy to get all of my stuff back,” she added. “But my plaques, and the key on the back of that [computer] monitor, are the most important.”
Buzz, meanwhile, is going to try to ignore the growing evidence that certain individuals think this space is routinely read by lemonade stand and/or gold record thieves… .
Shelling out for Shiloh
If you’re planning on picking up this week’s People magazine with the photo spread featuring little Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, bring some extra dough with you. Apparently, after forking over an estimated $4 million for the U.S. rights to the photos of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and their lush-lipped baby daughter, People wants to pass the cost on to you. This week’s issue will cost $3.99. Of course, all those lawyers hired to threaten the legions of Web sites who posted the baby’s image from a leaked photo without permission probably contributed to the price increase as well.
Sick bay
Country legend Loretta Lynn broke her shoulder in a fall at her Hurricane Mills, Tenn., home and was scheduled to have shoulder replacement surgery, a spokesman said.
Lynn, 71, injured her left shoulder Sunday. She was expected to have the surgery Thursday at a Nashville hospital and go home to recuperate, spokesman William Smithson said in a news release. At press time Thursday, no updates on Lo-retta’s condition had been provided.
Stork report
Television actor and “Dancing With the Stars” hoofer John O’Hurley and his wife, Lisa, are expecting their first child.
They married in 2004.
O’Hurley, 51, is best known for his role as catalog king J. Peterman on the long-running “Seinfeld” television sitcom. He also won a championship last October on “Dancing With the Stars,” in which celebrities are paired with professional dancers and compete against one another in choreographed performances.
Celebrity birthdays
Guitarist-inventor Les Paul is 91. Sports commentator Dick Vitale is 67. Actor Michael J. Fox is 45. Actor Johnny Depp is 43. Actress Gloria Reuben (“The Agency,” “ER”) is 42. Actress Natalie Portman is 25.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Pink house lemonade stand stolen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Somebody has made off with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie’s lemonade stand at that hot-pink-hued house at 1238 North Ave. in Candler Park.
The disappearance was reported to Buzz Central on Wednesday.
The house has been transformed into a sensory-stupefying promotional tool to advertise “The Simple Life: ‘Til Death Do Us Part,” the E! reality series featuring the two Tinseltown babes. Since last week, the homeowners have reported being inundated with visitors at all hours of the day and night.
“The lemonade stand was chained down, and somebody just cut through the chain and made off with it in the middle of the night,” show rep Paul Gendreau said.
The homeowners believe the theft occurred sometime in the early morning hours Tuesday.
“I just have this feeling that someone in Alpharetta now has the coolest lemonade stand in the city,” Gendreau said with a sigh.
Still, the homeowners did not file a police report.
The homeowners would like their property returned. Gendreau is promising a reward. At press time, it was as-yet-undetermined whether that would include sending Hilton and Richie to your home to beguile your teenage son…
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt smackdown
The suits at Time Inc., the parent company of People magazine, spent hump day in a major slap-fest with dozens of Web outlets around the country that had posted the first pictures of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt.
You see, the images were leaked onto the Internet. They had already been exclusively sold for upward of $4 million to People in the United States and Hello mag in the United Kingdom for around $3 million. Somehow, a copy of this week’s Hello cover image made its way out of the mag’s headquarters in Britain.
Locally, Star 94 afternoon “Cindy & Ray” co-host Cindy Simmons promptly posted the image (cropping out the Hello mag logo) on her “Celebrity Dirt” column online at star94.com, while Q100’s “The Bert Show” page at allthehitsq100.com more wisely linked to the image already posted on another site.
Our fave New York-based celeb site, Gawker.com not only posted the magazine cover image, but after receiving a Time-ly cease and desist e-mail, also posted all the unpleasant legal correspondence and Gawker’s legal department’s response.
When discussing the dust-up on air Wednesday morning, the ladies of the ABC daytime hen party “The View” took a more conservative approach: Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck held up an orange crayon rendition of the Jolie-Pitt spawn.
While Buzz won’t be tempting fate (or inspiring any lawsuits) by running the image, we can tell you three things about the family photo: 1) Angelina Jolie has a nasty tattoo on her left arm, 2) Shiloh is snoozing in the photo, and 3) Proving there is a God, the ever-perfect Brad Pitt has visible crow’s-feet (which, we’ll be honest, also resulted in our self-esteem surging the teensiest bit).
Watch taping of Foxworthy show
Later this month, Alpharetta comic Jeff Foxworthy begins taping “Jeff Foxworthy’s Big Day Out,” his new family-friendly comedy show for CMT. And he wants you to be there.
Local fans are being recruited for tapings scheduled at the Alliance Theatre on June 22, 25, 27 and 29 and July 5 and 7. All shows start at 7 p.m.
Musical guests booked for the sketch comedy series include: Trace Adkins, Big & Rich, Sara Evans, Kenny Rogers and Blake Shelton.
You can register for the free tickets online at www.launchatlanta.com
/foxworthy.
Pee-wee bows on Cartoon Network
After being shuttered for more than 15 years, the doors to “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” are being reopened.
The show will get new life on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup.
All 45 original episodes will air starting July 10, company officials announced.
“I’d say this is a dream come true,” Paul Reubens, who played Pee-wee Herman, said in a statement.
Reubens, 53, created the bow-tie-wearing character in 1978 as a member of Los Angeles-based comedy troupe the Groundlings. “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” originally aired Saturday mornings on CBS beginning in 1986.
No doubt, those Adult Swim fans who fervently took to online message boards recently to complain about that recent “Saved by the Bell” sitcom rerun experiment on Adult Swim will already be sleep-deprived today protesting another live-action addition to ‘toon TV outlet.
Celebrity birthdays
Comedian Jerry Stiller is 79. Comedian Joan Rivers is 73. Singer Nancy Sinatra is 66. Singer Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night is 64. Singer Bonnie Tyler is 53. “Dilbert” cartoonist Scott Adams is 49. Actor-director Keenen Ivory Wayans is 48. Actress Julianna Margulies (“ER”) is 39. Actor David Sutcliffe (“Gilmore Girls”) is 37. Rapper Kanye West is 28. Fiddler Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek is 25.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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‘Marshall’ star, pal stick out at Chops
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chops Lobster Bar could have charged a cover for its floor show Monday night in the swanky Buckhead eatery.
We’re told that more than a few necks suffered whiplash when “We Are Marshall” actor Matthew McConaughey and Tour de France champ Lance Armstrong turned up in a Bentley to sample chef William Eudy’s steak and seafood.
Faithful Buzz reader Robert Beldick e-mailed to tell us that he and his wife had a prime celeb-watching position in the restaurant while they celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary.
Beldick reports the two recently single men toasted each other with “what I presume to be very expensive red wine, which was decanted.”
Beldick and others report that Armstrong was indeed wearing his cancer foundation’s signature yellow bracelet.
Alas, for the single women in the room, Chops staffers were disgustingly efficient at keeping fans away from the table.
Naturally, that didn’t apply to CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta, who strolled up with friends to say hello to the pair. Other diners included a large batch of folks attending a meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology.
At press time Tuesday, there was no immediate word on how Buzz reader Beldick plans to top this for his seventh wedding anniversary.
Ted Turner may soon one-up ex-wife’s memoir
If you believe the New York Post, Ted Turner has cribbed a page from Jane Fonda, his memoir-writing former spouse. In Tuesday’s editions, the Post reported that the CNN founder is seeking to snag a $7 million advance or higher as publishing houses bid on the book. Given that the Post is owned by veteran Turner foe Rupert Murdock (a tabloid that, in the last millennium, had us constantly chasing Ted and Jane breakup stories years before the couple’s eventual separation), we rang up Turner rep Phillip Evans. He didn’t immediately confirm or deny the Post story. Translation: The story just might have some legs since we weren’t laughed off the phone.
Now, we’re left to ponder whether Ted will extend the same courtesy that Jane extended to him prior to the publication of her book “My Life So Far” by letting her read the chapters about her in advance.
Inspiration for Woodruff theme song ever-flowing
“It’s Buckhead!” singer Melanie Massell continues to receive lyrical love from Buzz readers for Woodruff Park’s upcoming theme song. Here’s one of the latest entries submitted from a reader: “Woodruff Park is our sunshine and rain / The place to be / Walking, bus, driving or train / Diversity at its best / White, brown or black / The place for everyone to always come back / You hear.”
If you’re up for the challenge, e-mail us your suggestions at buzz@ajc.com.
Also, downtown workers might want to head out to Woodruff today at noon. As if the public space needed any more improvisational comedy, the thespians at Dad’s Garage will be out there providing some free midday laughs.
Here’s hoping that they wear T-shirts or something so we don’t end up applauding the wrong folks.
Stork report
Woody Harrelson and his wife, Laura Louie, have welcomed a new addition to their all-female brood: another daughter.
“In this crazy patriarchal world we live in, we are doing our part to balance the energy. We are proud to announce the completion of our goddess trilogy with the birth of our third daughter, Makani Ravello,” who was born Saturday, the Oscar-nominated actor (“The People vs. Larry Flynt”) and Louie said in a statement Monday.
The baby’s older sisters are Deni Montana, 13, and Zoe Giordano, 9.
Harrelson, 44, and Louie, 41, were married in 1998. They live on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
He stars as a singing cowboy in Robert Altman’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” due in theaters Friday, and opposite Keanu Reeves in the animated thriller “A Scanner Darkly,” set for release July 7.
And no, it wasn’t immediately clear whether the hemp clothing-loving actor had toked up just prior to the press statement’s release.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Tom Jones is 66. Talk show host Jenny Jones is 60. Actor Liam Neeson is 54. Record producer L.A. Reid is 50. Musician Prince is 48. Guitarist Dave Navarro is 39. Actor Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”) is 18.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Pink house might even shock Paris and Nicole
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leave it to Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to drive down the property values near the burgeoning Little Five Points/Candler Park neighborhoods without ever setting a stiletto heel here.
A house at 1238 North Ave., across from Freedom Park near Moreland Avenue, has generated stares (and multiple reports into Buzz Central) after being painted Pepto-Bismol pink.
The house also boasts signage hyping the estranged friends’ “The Simple Life: ‘Til Death Do Us Part” reality series that debuted on E! Sunday night. This season, Hilton and Richie independently dip their pedicured tootsies into domestic life, complete with faux spouses and children.
We’re told that the owners of the house are such “Simple Life” fans that they agreed to the retina-punishing publicity stunt. On Friday, “Simple Life” PR reps even offered media types an advance look-see at the house, where pink lemonade was served up. A “blinged-out” dog contest was also held on the grounds.
Alas, an online blogger claiming to be the house’s owner says they aren’t 100 percent thrilled with their new-found notoriety.
A poster identified as Kaylix wrote on the E! Online “Simple Life” message board Saturday: “The big pink house on North Ave. is mine. Lots of people are stopping by to admire the place. Thanks for all the attention. As the number one fan, I just wanted to let everyone in the Atlanta area know that PR filming has already taken place. We are having lots of fun and feel very lucky to represent the show.
“But come on. Stopping by at 8, 9 and 10 p.m. or later and ringing the doorbell isn’t cool. Please enjoy the place from the street or the park. Thanks!”
Soul in the shade
Despite rumbling trucks and a problematic sound system, veteran soul singer Candi Staton managed to excite an outdoor crowd with an acoustic set over the weekend at Aurora Coffee/Criminal Records on North Highland Avenue during the Virginia-Highland Summerfest.
Performing songs from her just released, critically acclaimed “His Hands” album, her first set of secular tunes in 15 years, Staton, under the shade of an awning, was accompanied by an acoustic guitarist and three backing vocalists.
“This album has been in my heart for such a long time,” she told the crowd. “For years and years, I’ve been doing what other people wanted me to do. This album is for me. I’m in my 60s now, it’s time that I finally do what I want to do for a change!”
As an encore, Staton performed her 1976 disco hit, “Young Hearts Run Free.”
While she just returned from a sold-out United Kingdom tour, Staton has been low-profile in Atlanta, her hometown. “I’d be thrilled to perform more here,” she told us after her set. “All I need is an invitation.”
Overscene
A small flock of lunching Parrotheads, nesting inside the Buckhead Diner over the weekend. And just when the vast array of floral shirts and Bermuda shorts threatened to do irreparable damage to the concept of “Casual Fridays” forever, who should turn up but the Macaw Messiah himself, Jimmy Buffett? We’re told that the singer’s fans, congregating for his HiFi Buys Amphitheatre show Friday night, were momentarily stunned by the unexpected cameo. Buffett and two guests were quickly led to a quiet booth but managed to sign a few autographs along the way… . Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, a female companion and family members enjoying the country-fried steak, fried chicken, rack of lamb and other Sunday supper specialties recently at Restaurant Eugene in Buckhead. Spies tell Buzz that the female companion initially offered to pay but after a complication with a credit card emerged, P. Diddy gallantly whipped out his plastic and paid the bill for the party.
Shining — with Pinky
Imagine our joy when the June/July issue of New York Dog magazine hit Buzz Central Monday only to discover its cover model was Star Jones Reynolds and her precious white Maltese, Pinky!
Poring over the cover story, “Star Treatment,” we learned three very crucial things. 1) Star Jones Reynolds has a toe ring. 2) The “View” diva has matching red-and-white hair bows made for Pinky out of her excess dress fabric. 3) Her hubby cares deeply about his masculine public image.
Says Star in the mag: “So we get home and Al is like, ‘What is this prissy dog? How is that going to look on a Christmas card?’ It’s going to annoy the heck out of Al when he sees this, but he’s in love with that dog!”
So Al Reynolds can come to bond with a puny, poofy dog partial to wearing fabulous hair ribbons? Get out!
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops is 70. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein is 52. Actress-comedian Sandra Bernhard is 51. Actor Paul Giamatti (“Sideways”) is 39.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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Kathy Griffin knows her place and milks every minute
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Comedian and pop culture observer Kathy Griffin will never be an A-list celebrity, and she knows it. And she’s fine with that.
“I have the best of both worlds,” she told Buzz by phone last week, on the eve of the second season of her “Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List” reality show on Bravo, which debuts Tuesday at 9 p.m. “I get to make a living doing something I love, and nobody is going through my garbage. And nobody cares if I’m eating at In-and-Out Burger.”
Among the funniest moments of the first show is Griffin receiving the “key” to the city of Louisville, Ky., before eight city employees and one actual fan. And she tries to auction for charity a weekend with her at her home and finds out that the top bidder, who offered $28,000, wasn’t serious. And neither were the next dozen or so.
The winner ended up paying $5,000, a major ego hit for Griffin. “I could have called a gay guy I already know to pay that,” she cracked. She said the second episode will feature said winner hanging out at her house, bored to tears and oddly obsessed with Geri Halliwell, former Spice Girl.
Griffin, who was fired from the E! network last year partly for making a joke about former Conyers actress Dakota Fanning being in rehab (not true, of course), recently got into a tiff with Dunwoody High grad and her E! replacement Ryan Seacrest on Seacrest’s Los Angeles radio show. She was teasing him about his short romantic fling with Teri Hatcher, and Griffin said he hung up on her.
“His team was calling my publicist saying he was upset I was starting a rumor, [so] he hung up on me,” she said. “He was going to send out a press release saying I was making it up for publicity. That would have been a dream come true!” (Seacrest publicist Meredith O’Sullivan didn’t respond to a request for comment.)
To see Griffin’s stand-up show live, mark your calendar for Friday, Oct.13, at the Ferst Center for the Arts, with a second date to be added, according to www.kathygriffin.net, her official Web site.
Anchors aweigh for anchor
The Philadelphia Daily News last week reported that Atlanta local CBS evening anchorman Rich Noonan’s contract will not be renewed in October. He came to Atlanta’s WGCL-TV in November 2004 from Philly. Noonan, 44, declined to comment to Buzz but was quoted as telling the Daily News, “It’s just shocking. I was doing a great job.” He told the paper that WGCL recently said that its ratings have grown steadily since Noonan came to the fourth-place station. WGCL station manager Andy Alford confirmed Noonan’s impending contract nonrenewal and the ratings improvement but declined to comment further.
‘Law & Order’ update
NBC has decided to move its franchise “Law & Order” from 10 p.m. Wednesdays, the show’s perch for much of its 16-year lifespan, to 10 p.m. Fridays starting this fall. It’s also shifting “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” out of the competitive sights of “Desperate Housewives” and into the 9 p.m. Tuesday time period, before the most popular version, “Law & Order: SVU.”
Also, Dennis Farina, who played Detective Joe Fontana on “Law & Order,” is leaving after two seasons. He had replaced the late, great Jerry Orbach, who died in 2004. Milena Govich, who co-starred in “L&O” creator Dick Wolf’s canceled “Conviction” on NBC, is expected to replace Farina.
‘Battle’ glory
John Gibson and Anthony Morris, the playwrights of the indefatigable Southern family comedy “Peachtree Battle,” were honored last week at the Four Seasons by gay media watchdog group GLAAD for their fair, full-bodied portrayal of a gay character in a way that reaches a mainstream audience. Among the speakers were actress Amanda Bearse (“Married With Children”), Mike Alvear (HBO’s “Sex Inspectors”) and Star 94 radio’s Vikki Locke.
“We were just stunned when they called,” Gibson told Buzz.
“I thought it was actually really funny and engaging,” said Sunil Oommen, a GLAAD rep from New York who saw “Peachtree Battle” earlier this year. (The play has been a consistent sellout for more than four years.)
Random bits
“American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks’ CD single “Do I Make You Proud” with “Takin’ It To the Streets” will be out June 13. It was ranked No. 6 on Amazon.com Sunday. Runner-up Katharine McPhee’s “My Destiny” with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” will be out June 27 and was at No. 34 on Amazon. In the meantime, fourth-place finisher Chris Daughtry has declined an offer to be the lead singer for rock band Fuel… .
Disney’s “High School Musical” DVD sold a whopping 400,000 copies its first day of release, the most of any TV movie ever… .
Jakes Toadhouse (also known as Jakes Roadhouse), the longtime jam band headquarters based in Decatur, has shut down. Its Web site (www.jakesroadhouse.net) has an amusing dancing skeleton and the words “RIP” on its page… .
“Wedding Crashers” won best movie at the “MTV Movie Awards,” taped Saturday and set to air Thursday. (More on D5.) … .
“Atlanta & Company,” WXIA’s local gabfest starring Ryan Cameron and Holly Firfer, drew an average of about 16,000 viewers in May, one of its worst performances since it launched last fall at 11 a.m. weekdays. That’s fifth place, behind the likes of “Maury,” “The Price Is Right,” “The View” and even the TBS movie. But producer Mary Fiorello said the show is coming back next year because businesses that pay a fee to be interviewed by the hosts are happy. “The show,” she told Buzz, “is not about ratings.”
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Laurie Anderson is 59. Saxophonist Kenny G is 50. Singer Brian McKnight is 37. Actor Mark Wahlberg is 35.
Contributing: news services. 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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Ex-hubby, Jimmy Carter get in a few digs at Fonda
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As the child of a pair of Sunday school teachers, we grew increasingly uncomfortable as the f-bomb was liberally lobbed in front of former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter late Thursday night during the Jane Fonda celebrity roast at the Georgia Aquarium.
However, in our capacity as Peach Buzz scribbler, we were delighted to share with you some additional morsels from the soiree.
As reported Friday in the AJC, the sold-out fund-raiser for Fonda’s Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention attracted 650 attendees and celebrity roasters Larry King, OutKast’s Big Boi, playwright Eve Ensler, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, Rosie O’Donnell, “Rush Hour” actor Chris Tucker and Ted Turner, Fonda’s ex and date for the night.
The sometimes blue language, explicit sex talk and occasionally surreal commentary from the celebrities onstage inspired King to dub the evening, “The world’s strangest and most unique roast I’ve ever witnessed.”
Sleeping with a movie star could be intimidating, Turner told the crowd. “The first time we went to bed, Jane asked, ‘What’s my motivation?’”
The CNN founder also conceded that using Fonda’s name during their marriage was far more effective when trying to secure a restaurant reservation.
“That’s why I’ve decided to hyphenate my name to Ted Turner-Fonda,” he said. “Because occasionally I need to eat somewhere other than Ted’s Montana Grill.”
Via videotape from New York, “Late Show” host David Letterman couldn’t resist taking a jab at King’s much younger wife.
“Hey, Larry,” Letterman instructed the roast host, “tell your wife to stop calling.”
Giving the toast, Carter told the crowd that he had originally categorized Fonda as a “Communist sympathizer” but got to know her personally on fishing trips during her marriage to Turner.
“I never dreamed how jealous Ted Turner could be,” Carter cracked. “He had no reason to be. He was younger, more handsome and wealthier. This was before the Time-Warner merger.”
At the end of the evening, Fonda took to the stage to thank attendees and to take a couple of good-natured swings at her “favorite ex-husband.”
Said Fonda: “Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.”
ASO ‘adventurous’ award
Here’s more proof, if you need it, that the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is on the cutting edge of contemporary music. The ASO accepted an award for “adventurous programming” Friday in Los Angeles from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the American Symphony Orchestra League.
It is the fifth ASCAP award for the ASO. The other four were in the 1980s, said spokeswoman Renee Vary.
The award honors orchestras that make “extraordinary efforts to expand the symphonic repertoire and develop and educate orchestra audiences.” Some of the highlights of the ASO’s 2005-‘06 season, according to ASCAP: two works by superstar composer Osvaldo Golijov, “Ainadamar” and “La Pasión según San Marcos”; the video game-inspired “Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy” by Nobuo Uematsu; and Atlanta-raised composer Jennifer Higdon’s “Dooryard Bloom,” a dark, 24-minute cantata for solo baritone based on Walt Whitman’s elegy for Abraham Lincoln.
Uncoupling
Attention Atlanta hoochie mamas (and if you dressed in a halter top at Vision nightclub when K-Fed was in town, you qualify). The “sexiest man alive” is available again. Yes, “We Are Marshall” actor Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz “have decided to split,” Cruz spokesman Robert Garlock told The Associated Press on Friday. McConaughey’s rep, Alan Nierob, confirmed the breakup, first reported by People magazine.
McConaughey, People’s reigning hunk of hunks, has been consistently spotted around the ATL with his dog Foxy as he and the cast of “Marshall” shoot the sports flick here.
This fall, Cruz, 32, stars in Pedro Almódovar’s “Volver” (“Return”).
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actor Tony Curtis is 81. Game show host Chuck Barris (“The Gong Show”) is 77. Newsman Anderson Cooper is 39. Actress Lalaine Dupree (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 19.
Sunday: Singer Gordon Waller of Peter and Gordon is 61. Actor Parker Stevenson is 54. Actor Scott Wolf (“Everwood”) is 38. Actor Noah Wyle (“ER”) is 35. Comedian Horatio Sanz (“Saturday Night Live”) is 32. Actress Angelina Jolie is 31.
Contributing: Kirsten Tagami and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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‘Marshall’ crew brings in inflatable crowd
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There are a few inflated heads on the football stadium sets being used around town for the “We Are Marshall” shoot this week. And no, we’re not talking about the film’s stars Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, David Strathairn or Ian McShane. A California-based outfit aptly named Inflatable Crowd Co. has trucked in 4,000 “fans” for use in the sports flick’s game sequences. We’re told that an ordinary workshop vacuum inflates the torsos of the three-dimensional stand-ins, and then the dummies are dressed in 1970s-period clothing. Real extras are sprinkled throughout the airheads to achieve a more natural effect. The inflatable fans were also used in “Friday Night Lights” and “Cinderella Man.” “We Are Marshall” continues shooting here for two more weeks. An October opening in theaters is planned.
‘Rent’s’ cast knows about close quarters
If the national touring cast of “Rent” appears especially chummy onstage this weekend as the 10th-anniversary production of the Broadway musical hits the stage at the Fox Theatre, it’s not all acting.
The cast members are also roommates off-stage this summer.
This is particularly effective for actor Warren Nolan Jr., who plays Tom Collins. The actor who plays Collins’ lover in “Rent” is sharing rooms on the road with Nolan.
“The situation is pretty amazing,” Nolan told us Thursday on his way in from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. “When I get onstage, I don’t have to pretend to like him. It gives us all additional layers to work with onstage.”
Nolan says the impact of the 2005 film version of the musical has only drawn new people into theaters to see the live version.
“We’re seeing 12- and 13-year-olds who have seen the movie, wanting to experience it live,” he explains. “The great thing about this show is even a decade into it, everyone is still so affected by it when they see it for the first time. It’s been an amazing ride.”
Nolan will be familiar to some of the folks in the Fox audience this weekend. From 1998 to 1999, he was a music and pre-med biology major at Morehouse College.
“I’m hoping to have time to get out to some of the places I used to hang out at,” he says. “But I’ve got to be honest. I’m actually trying to remember the different spots. The airport looks a lot different. With Atlanta, it might all be completely changed by now.”
In keeping with late “Rent” creator Jonathan Larson’s original wishes, same-day $20 front-row tickets for the show’s youngest — and most broke fans — will be available today, Saturday and Sunday. The $20 seats (plus a $2 Fox restoration fee) are cash only and go on sale two hours before showtime. Tonight’s curtain is at 8. Saturday performances are at 2 and 8 p.m. and Sunday’s are at 1 and 6:30 p.m. For more info: 404-817-8700 or www.foxtheatre.org.
Almost celebrity docket
Former Libertines frontman Pete Doherty (who is currently this close to having the phrase “troubled rocker” permanently affixed to his name in this space), was searched for drugs at a Barcelona, Spain, airport Thursday, but was cleared to proceed after no drugs were found on his flight from London, authorities said.
Doherty, 27, and his band, Babyshambles, were on a flight to Barcelona from Gatwick airport, EasyJet spokeswoman Samantha Day said in London. The captain radioed ahead to ask police to meet the plane at El Prat airport after noticing suspicious behavior by Doherty, she said.
“The captain asked for a police presence because a passenger was taking too much time in the bathroom and he suspected that he might be taking drugs,” Javier Gaspar, a civil guard spokesman in Barcelona, told The Associated Press.
The airline said a syringe had been found in the bathroom, but Gaspar said, “We have found no syringe, nor any illegal substances.”
Doherty was apparently traveling to the Primavera Sound Festival. He was released without charges, but he and his band have been banned from flying on EasyJet, Day said.
Sick bay
Film critic Roger Ebert, who has battled cancer in recent years, will undergo surgery again, according to a published report.
In Thursday’s Chicago Sun-Times, where Ebert has been the movie critic for almost 40 years, columnist Robert Feder reported that Ebert will have surgery June 16 to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland.
“It’s not life threatening, and I expect to make a full recovery,” the 63-year-old critic and host of the nationally syndicated movie review show “Ebert & Roeper” told Feder. “I’ll continue to function as a film critic during this time.”
“This is known as a slow-growing and persistent cancer,” Ebert said. “You live with it.”
Ebert said he plans to tape enough shows with Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper that the program will continue to air during his recovery.
Celebrity birthdays
“Prison Break” actor Stacy Keach is 65. Singer William Guest of Gladys Knight and the Pips is 65. Drummer Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones is 65. Actor Jerry Mathers (“Leave It to Beaver”) is 58. Actor Dennis Haysbert (“24”) is 52. Comedian Wayne Brady is 34. Drummer Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes is 26.
Contributing: 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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Varsity Jr. owner ready to drive on through
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After 25 years, this “dog is walking.”
Susan Gordy, owner of the Varsity Jr. on Lindbergh Drive, celebrated her retirement from the 41-year-old eatery Tuesday night with 300 hot dog-eating friends, customers and family members.
“I’ve had a fabulous run,” Gordy told the assembled group on the patio. “But I look forward to a good time from here on in!” The workaholic Gordy, 62, figured out that if she had counted her actual working hours, her tenure really “would have been 40 years.”
Gordy took over management of the Varsity Jr. in 1980, after the death of her husband Frank Gordy Jr.
His family owns the Varsity on North Avenue, and she recently sold the Varsity Jr. to them.
For many guests, it was a chance to have one last dog with Susan.
“It’s an end of an era,” said Buckhead Coalition President Sam Massell of Gordy’s retirement. “I don’t know of anyone who has worked harder to serve the public.” Attorney Matthew Gansereit’s date was his 3-year-old daughter Anna Catherine, who enjoyed “a hot dog and an F.O.” (frosted orange) at “my favorite place.” Other friends of Gordy’s spotted in the crowd: Penny and Jerry Goldwasser; Sally White; RoseMary Quillin; Jane Williamson; Jerome Garrison and Lyniece Talmadge and her daughter Elizabeth.
One guest spent most of the evening under the table: Humphrey, a piebald dachshund. Humphrey’s owner, Dr. Robert Wilcox, reported that the weiner-shaped dog enjoyed two Mary Browns (which, for the uninitiated, is two hot dogs sans buns).
Staton update
Alas, even Buzz occasionally needs a token for the clue bus. In our item Wednesday about soul legend Candi Staton’s upcoming rare live appearance in town this Saturday, we reported that the singer would be appearing at a Criminal Records-sponsored show inside Aurora Coffee. Faithful readers then began e-mailing to ask “Which one?” As it turns out, Criminal Records owner Eric Levin now runs both an indie record shop and java joint in Little Five Points and a Criminal Records/Aurora Coffee combo in Virginia-Highland. Staton will appear for free at 3 p.m. Saturday at at the 992 N. Highland Ave.
When we reached Levin via cellphone, he explained: “We’ve opened a Criminal Records satellite shop at the Highlands Aurora Coffee shop as an experiment. So far, we’re carrying about 120 titles in there and there’s a listening post. It’s really a work in progress. It might even become a venue for vinyl. We’re hoping that customers will help us to decide.”
Center Stage back
For the city’s veteran live music fans, Wednesday’s announcement by Rival Entertainment could have been subtitled “Back to the Future.” In a press release, it was announced that the concert promoter, producer and venue management group run by Thomas Cook, Josh Antenucci and Lucy Lawler is changing the name of EarthLink Live. Beginning today, the 1,035-capacity Midtown concert venue is changing its name back to its more familiar moniker from the previous millennium, Center Stage.
Rival also runs the complex’s 300-capacity Vinyl and the 650-capacity Loft music spaces. Explains Antenucci: “Even after five years, the vast majority of our clientele refer to the theater as Center Stage. It makes perfect sense to go back to the name that music fans know and trust.”
Sick bay? Not so
In Monty Python terms, Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor emerged on “Larry King Live” Tuesday night to proclaim “I’m not dead yet.” Taylor dismissed tabloid reports that she was being treated for Alzheimer’s disease or was gravely ill.
“Oh, come on, do I look like I’m dying?” the 74-year-old actress asked King in a rare television interview. “Do I look like or sound like I have Alzheimer’s?”
Tabloids report such things “because they have nothing else dirty to write about anybody else,” Taylor said.
The June 5 issue of The National Enquirer carries the headline “Liz: Alzheimer’s Tragedy.” The story states that Taylor was being treated for the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Citing an unidentified source described as a longtime friend, the story says that during a hospital visit doctors found she was “slipping mentally.”
“Oh, my God. Am I dead, am I alive?” an exasperated Taylor replied on CNN.
Asked about the attribution of the Alzheimer’s story, she said, “Do you think any friends of mine would say things like that?”
King also noted that she used a wheelchair. “What’s the reason for that?” he asked.
“My back, which has been chronically bad since I was a teenager,” she said.
Taylor said she was born with scoliosis, a condition that results in curvature of the spine, and has osteoporosis.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Andy Griffith is 80. Singer Pat Boone is 72. Actor Morgan Freeman is 69. Actor Rene Auberjonois (“Boston Legal”) is 66. Guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 59. Country singer Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn is 53. Model Heidi Klum is 33. Singer Alanis Morissette is 32.
Contributing: Marylin Johnson 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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