Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October
October 2006
Hall of Fame nod puts R.E.M. back in spotlight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Athens’ own R.E.M. has made the list of nominees for the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the band’s very first year of eligibility. In order to be nominated, a debut single or album must have been released at least 25 years ago. “We looked at the calendar and, sure enough, it’s been 25 years,” R.E.M. manager Bertis Downs told Buzz Monday from his Athens office. In 1981, the band released its very first single, “Radio Free Europe,” with the B-side, “Sitting Still,” as a single on the Atlanta independent label, Hib-Tone. Other previous nominees getting another crack at being inducted this year include rap and hip-hop pioneers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Patti Smith and the Stooges. The Dave Clark Five, Chic, the Ronettes, Joe Tex and Van Halen are also among the nominees. Five of the nine nominated acts will be inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. The finalists will be chosen by more than 500 voters. R.E.M.’s inclusion on the ballot may actually help Smith, who for various reasons has thus far been denied inclusion in the elite club. “The guys are massive fans of Patti’s,” Downs said. “[R.E.M. frontman] Michael [Stipe] has gone on record saying that her album ‘Horses’ is one of the reasons he’s a writer and a singer.” If both acts make it into the 2007 class, Downs predicted “it could result in one of those classic jam sessions that the Hall of Fame ceremony is known for. But the guys are really just pleased to be considered.” Meanwhile, a rare vinyl copy of the band’s debut Hib-Tone “Radio Free Europe” single on eBay Monday had an opening bid of $75. But we found the single and its B-side were a bit cheaper (and technologically more accessible via iPod) on the band’s double disc set, “And I Feel Fine: The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987,” released this fall.
Whitney steps out Alpharetta home owner Whitney Houston re-emerged publicly over the weekend with longtime mentor Clive Davis. Houston, 43, was escorted to a benefit for juvenile diabetes research in Beverly Hills, Calif., by Davis, her record producer, People magazine reported Monday on its Web site. “I feel great,” Houston was quoted as saying, while Davis, one of Saturday evening’s honorees, told People: “We’re going to make a killer album.” A blond Houston, wearing a black gown and diamond earrings, sat at the main table for the 17th Carousel of Hope Ball with Halle Berry and Berry’s boyfriend, model Gabriel Aubry, People said. “American Idol” runner-up Katharine McPhee sang Houston’s “I Have Nothing” at the event. Houston filed divorce papers in Orange County Superior Court two weeks ago, a month after filing for legal separation from Bobby Brown.
Dooley’s ‘horror story’ At Monday’s 12th annual Pink Ribbons fashion show and luncheon, Barbara Dooley, wife of former University of Georgia football coach Vince Dooley, told her “horror story” — her diagnosis and subsequent treatment for breast cancer. “The cancer was found through a regular checkup,” Dooley told Buzz. “And the emotions you go through are incredible. But you tell yourself to think positive thoughts. “But then I found out that there are times when you can scream and holler and it’s OK.” Dooley, chic in a pink-and-black suit, finished her treatment in July, and her hair is growing back “very curly.” Vince, Barbara said, was the stabilizing force in the family. “He was so kind through it all that I told him, ‘If I had known how sweet you are, I would have had cancer years ago!’ ” Brenda Wood of WXIA-TV emceed Pink Ribbons, which was founded by Dr. Sheldon M. Lincenberg, head of Georgia Plastic Surgery. The 555 guests at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead raised about $80,000 for the Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition Fund and Bosom Buddies of Georgia. A highlight of the event was the Parisian fashion show with guest designer Kay Unger. Ten breast cancer survivors modeled chic after-five looks. One model survivor, Susan Murphy of Grayson, said her way to cope is to “live well, laugh often and love much.”
Sick bay Former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh has revealed that he has prostate cancer. “Since we’ve caught it very early, and it’s small and slow-growing, I fully expect to have a rapid and complete recovery,” Lesh, 66, says in a statement on his Web site. He plans to have surgery in early December. Lesh says he’s been monitored by “a crack team of doctors” since his 1998 liver transplant. One doctor noticed recently that he had elevated levels of prostate specific antigens (PSA), proteins produced by cells of the prostate gland. High PSA levels can indicate prostate cancer. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, Lesh said.
Celebrity birthdays CBS anchorman Dan Rather is 75. Actress Sally Kirkland is 62. Actress Deidre Hall (“Days of Our Lives”) is 58. NBC anchorwoman Jane Pauley is 56. Director Peter Jackson (“Lord of the Rings”) is 45. Drummer Larry Mullen of U2 is 45. Actor Dermot Mulroney is 43. Actor Rob Schneider is 42. Actor Eddie Kaye Thomas (“American Pie”) is 26. Contributing: Marylin 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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It’s over between the two Regular Guys (one says)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eric Von Haessler, in the wake of the restroom stunt that led to his firing from 96rock last week, said that he and “Regular Guys” radio co-host Larry Wachs are unlikely to pair up again.
Sure, he said the same thing in 2004, after their first firing from 96rock over an indecency snafu. They got back together in 2005. “I was talked into it,” Von Haessler told Buzz last week. “I sort of knew I needed to move on.”
Trouble started for him and Wachs after Wachs taped a conversation between two fellow radio hosts at Viva 105.7, another station owned by Clear Channel, on Oct. 9 in a company restroom. They aired the conversation on the radio Oct. 10, leading the targets — Juan “Yogi” Tapia and Jose “Panda” Carias — to file a lawsuit against Clear Channel, Wachs and Von Haessler, citing invasion of privacy and negligent hiring.
Von Haessler was taken off the lawsuit last Thursday, according to Jamie Hernan, lawyer for Tapia and Carias. Though Von Haessler said that saves him on legal costs, “it’s still a stupid lawsuit.” And he’s still out of a job.
Because Clear Channel boss Chuck Deskins has asked employees not to discuss the case, Tapia and Carias declined to comment. But in a news release, the pair said they’ve been threatened in nasty e-mails and calls from irate “Regular Guys” fans and have hired bodyguards to protect themselves.
At the same time, they refuse to drop the lawsuit unless Clear Channel promises not to hire the “Regular Guys” again and not to retaliate against Tapia and Carias, who are under contract with Viva until 2009, Hernan said.
Von Haessler said he thinks Tapia and Carias are not driven purely by privacy issues or because the “Regular Guys” would make fun of Mexicans and illegal immigrants. “They are getting as much as they can out of their careers on the grave of the Regular Guys,” he said.
Clear Channel, which owns six radio signals in Atlanta, has had major financial and ratings problems locally, fueling rumors that some may change formats as early as today.
‘Rocky’ road to semi-stardom
There’s no easy explanation as to why a 31-year-old low-budget movie about transsexual aliens inspires a theater troupe to re-enact the story in sync with the film every week, word for word, song by song, grope by grope. But that’s what Lips Down on Dixie does with “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” at the Plaza Theatre on Ponce de Leon Avenue. Buzz checked out the Halloween edition Friday night.
But as costume maker and hostess Candace Weslosky noted, Halloween didn’t change the show, which drew a typical audience of about 100 people, about half of them “virgins” who have never seen it live. “It’s Halloween every week for us,” she told Buzz. The film is ” ‘Battlefield Earth’ bad,” she told the crowd, yet “we do this purely because we have no life.”
The troupe (www.lipsdownondixie.com), which relies on volunteers and donations, has dined on Meat Loaf (as in the movie), mocked Brad and Janet and danced “The Time Warp” again and again for six years at the Plaza. But they’ve had to restrict audience props. No throwing toast, for instance. “When toast gets wet and gets stuck in a place the cleaning people miss, it eventually smells like vomit,” Weslosky explained.
Weslosky, 23 and part of the show since 2000, wasn’t even alive when the movie first aired. But her loyalty paid off. She found love in the midst of such inanity and is now engaged to Chris Miller, who plays Brad.
Road to ‘Hell’s Kitchen’
If you’re a culinary Casanova and dream about getting verbally roasted by Gordon Ramsay on Fox’s summer hit “Hell’s Kitchen,” auditions will be held at the Flying Biscuit in Candler Park from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 2 and at Viking Culinary Art Center, at 1745 Peachtree St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 3. (Flying Biscuit baker Jeff Dewberry appeared in Season One in 2005.)
But if you’d rather just watch a reality show live, ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” is going on tour and will hit the Gwinnett Arena on Jan. 26, with contestants actor Joey Lawrence, Lisa Renna, her hubby Harry Hamlin, pop singer Willa Ford, Season Two winner Drew Lachey and singer Joey McIntyre. Tix go on sale Nov. 4.
If carols don’t satisfy you …
Last year, 99X radio held its Christmas concerts over two days at the Tabernacle, with headliners O.A.R. and Our Lady Peace. The names and venue are bigger for the Dec. 6 “Mistle Toe Jam,” starring the Killers, Jet, AFI and OK Go, at Philips Arena. Tickets range from $27 to $49 and go on sale Nov. 4.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Grace Slick is 67. Actor Henry Winkler is 61. Actor Harry Hamlin is 55. Actor Kevin Pollak is 49. Singer-guitarist Gavin Rossdale of Bush is 39.
Contributing: 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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With Paula Deen, ritzy lunch is a riot
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There’s a distinct advantage to lunching with a genuine Food Network celebrity at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead Dining Room. On Friday, Paula Deen’s presence at our table was likely the only reason we weren’t tossed out of the tony eatery.
The Savannah-based host of “Paula’s Home Cooking” and “Paula’s Party,” along with her hilarious husband, Michael Groover, eagerly enabled us to laugh to the point of tears and to trade tastes off each other’s plates.
Deen is in town this weekend to promote her fifth book, “Paula Deen Celebrates!” (Simon & Schuster, $26). The cookbook will debut on The New York Times Bestseller List at No. 4 this week.
“Can you believe that?” she whispered.
The Borders store across the street could.
The site of her Friday night signing had 1,300 copies of “Celebrates!” stacked and ready to go.
Groover told us that last week Deen’s book signing in a South Carolina Wal-Mart resulted in police cars being dispatched.
“Everybody was paying attention to Paula, and shoplifters were stealing things!” Groover said as he and Deen cackled. “Thank goodness the security folks were looking at their cameras.”
Simply because it was there on the menu, we had to order the $14.50 hot dog, dressed with fried tobacco onions, smoked chipotle sour cream and apple coleslaw. As we traded bites (Deen ordered the Asian-themed buffet), the TV cook dug into the dog and immediately scrunched up her nose. She put her mouth up to our ear and said, “That slaw needs more mayo. It’s a little dry. The hot dog tastes deeliiiicious, but it’s a little different.” She paused a moment and added: “I don’t think there’s any snouts or toenails in it. They probably used too much meat. It’s a little high-falutin’. “
Deen says her racy new Food Network show, “Paula’s Party,” has just been renewed for a second season. And there’s a reason the show airs at 10 p.m. Fridays. So far, she’s made an engaged couple in her studio audience breakfast in bed — and then climbed in with them. She’s also stuck her tongue into a running chocolate fountain.
“I’m a little bawdy,” she allowed. “I guess I’m just my father’s daughter. But it’s all done with a pure heart. Until my dying day, I’ll believe that God has a sense of humor and enjoys hearing us all laugh.”
The posh Ritz patrons dining around us, however, had other thoughts on the matter. Finally, she dabbed at her tear-filled blue eyes with her napkin, and playfully scolded: “Y’all, we’d better quit it or they’re gonna throw us out of here!”
Deen will sign books at 1 p.m. today at the Wal-Mart in Loganville and at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Costco in Buford.
An edible evening
Deen would have been right at home at the annual Dining by Design dinner Thursday night at Mason Murer Fine Art gallery in Midtown. The table sponsored by the Atlanta catering, event planning and design firm A Legendary Event was good enough to lick. Designer Steve Walsh had fashioned the entire conference tabletop, place mats and the swinging 1960s-inspired decor all out of chocolate. More than 300 pounds of the stuff was fashionably swirled into the table (in order to prevent a Friday morning backup at the city’s dry cleaners, jackets were gingerly removed) while 140 pounds of M&Ms adorned the table’s centerpiece.
“There was actually a lot of experimentation,” Walsh told us. “We had to get the consistency just right and create a formula that wouldn’t run or melt all over everyone.”
When we popped over to table helmed by Liz Lapidus, meanwhile, we half-expected to see the Atlanta publicist clock someone with a can of cleanser. After all, the table designed by Retro Modern’s Scott Reilly contained roses and wire hangers as the camp classic Joan Crawford bio pic “Mommie Dearest” played on the wall beside diners. When Faye Dunaway screeched on screen, “Christina, bring me the ax!” just before she hacked down her rose garden, Lapidus and company celebrated by placing roses in their teeth.
New Year’s Eve date
Dunwoody High School grad Ryan Seacrest will once again partner with his idol, Dick Clark, this New Year’s Eve. As they did last year, Seacrest and Clark will co-host the annual “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
The former “American Bandstand” host, 76, will join the “American Idol” host and musical guest Christina Aguilera to ring in 2007 before a national TV audience of millions. Clark missed the show two years ago when he suffered a stroke but returned to the holiday staple last New Year’s Eve.
Seacrest, the 31-year-old host of “American Idol,” handled co-hosting duties last year and is expected to eventually succeed Clark as the show’s host.
Clark originated the New Year’s Eve program back in 1972.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actress Joan Plowright is 77. Country musician Charlie Daniels is 70. Actress Jami Gertz is 41. Actor-comedian Andy Richter is 40. Actress Julia Roberts is 39. Country singer Brad Paisley is 34. Actor Joaquin Phoenix is 32. Singer Justin Guarini (“American Idol”) is 28.
Sunday: Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 59. Actress Kate Jackson is 58. Actress Winona Ryder is 35. Actress Gabrielle Union is 33.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Dallas Austin’s latest may put you to sleep
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We got an advance listen to Atlanta record producer Dallas Austin’s latest release Thursday.
We were immediately inclined to nod off.
But that’s precisely the idea behind “Blue,” a disc of soul-soothing compositions Austin has created as a benefit project for his Dallas Austin Foundation charity. The album, created exclusively for Blue Med Spa with selections titled “Bliss,” “Breeze,” “Sangria” and “Tranquility,” will be officially unveiled tonight at a release party at the Midtown spa.
Taking a moment from ringing up a spa gift certificate for Spice chef Marvin Woods, Blue Med Spa owner John Stupka told us: “The CD displays a different side of Dallas, a Zen type of a feel. It’s for chilling out, sitting by the pool or meditating.”
Tonight’s intimate fund-raiser, chaired by Stupka, Atlanta Falcons player Warrick Dunn and Mary Catherine Sneed, is open to only 100 guests. DAF helps to provide recording studio facilities in public schools for musically minded students. At press time Thursday, Stupka said only a handful of tickets remained.
Tickets are $175 per person or $300 a couple. The “Blue” CD is $15. Call for info: 404-357-1036.
A big Saturday
Two performers hitting Atlanta stages Saturday night have highly individual takes on fashion. R&B singer-producer Sleepy Brown says he gets his young Isaac Hayes look from his father — Jimmy Brown of the late ’70s Atlanta funk group Brick (“Dazz”). But literally, he gets it from the Little Five Points stores Envy and Junkman’s Daughter.
“My dad has always been the coolest to me,” said Brown, who is performing at the new Underground Atlanta nightspot, Sugar Hill. “And now I know exactly where to get my favorite old-man pants — just like his!”
As for N’Dea Davenport of the British soul band the Brand New Heavies, the former Clark Atlanta University student can’t point to such an immediate influence on her style.
“I try to stay out of communication with the status quo,” she explained prior to her group’s show at Center Stage in Midtown. “No TV. No movies. No theater. I go through phases of complete oblivion. People tell me about television shows, and I’m like, ‘I’ve never seen “Entourage.” Never seen “Desperate Housewives.” Never an episode.’
“I try to maintain a certain human innocence. I approach life in a basic way — as though I live in a rain forest. I guess I just don’t want to be influenced by what you’re supposed to be doing, what you’re supposed to be listening to, or what you’re supposed to be wearing.”
Overscene
Oscar-winning actress (and former Atlantan) Halle Berry and her model-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry, sitting in first class aboard a Delta flight Thursday from Los Angeles to Atlanta. Buzz tipster and Beverly Hills financial services rep Frank Maiorano was seated near the couple. “Halle is simply stunning,” Maiorano told us. According to Maiorano, the beautiful couple happily ate the first class meal of ravioli, chicken, salad and chocolate cake.
Celebrity docket
For her latest alleged assault, catwalk stalker Naomi Campbell opted to put away her jewel-encrusted BlackBerry and went old school. UK media sources are reporting the model lunged at and used her fingernails to scratch up the face of a drug counselor Wednesday. Apparently, drug tests were requested as the model attempted to renew her U.S. work visa. Campbell was spotted returning to a London police station Thursday.
Metropolitan police had said Wednesday that officers were called to an address in central London in the afternoon and arrested a 36-year-old woman. She was released on bail.
Police declined Thursday to say whether Campbell, 36, was involved. But in response to inquiries about her, they confirmed that “a 36-year-old woman” had returned to a police station Thursday morning and was released on bail until an undisclosed date in December.
The force has a policy of not naming people who have been arrested unless they are charged with a crime.
A statement from the Outside Organization, which represents Campbell, said: “We believe there has been a misunderstanding. Once police have investigated, we are sure this will be resolved satisfactorily.”
Campbell admitted in 2000 that she attacked her personal assistant, Georgina Galanis. The model paid an undisclosed sum to Galanis and was not convicted of a crime.
Charges are still pending against the model in New York, where she allegedly attempted to brain another assistant with a blinged-out BlackBerry device.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Ruby Dee is 82. Actor-comedian John Cleese is 67. Country singer Lee Greenwood is 64. Author Fran Lebowitz is 56. Singer Simon LeBon of Duran Duran is 48. Singer Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver is 39. Singer Kelly Osbourne is 22.
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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Dre takes in a movie, talks about his own
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
OutKast’s André 3000 and CNN’s Thomas Roberts were among those in the audience Tuesday night as Atlantans got their first look at “Running With Scissors,” the twisted comedy-drama based on Augusten Burroughs’ best-selling memoir.
The jampacked screening at Regal Atlantic Station Stadium 16 (some Burroughs fans had to be turned away) featured an end credit Q&A with the writer, who turned up in a tan suede fringed jacket.
Since Dre was conveniently seated directly behind us, we chatted briefly with him about the eventual DVD release of the recent OutKast Prohibition-period musical “Idlewild.” He told us fans can look forward to an added musical performance of “Clock” that didn’t make it into the theatrical release, as well as the possibility of commentary from Big Boi and director Bryan Barber.
The multimedia mogul also told us that he was well-pleased with last week’s packed house at the Fox Theatre for the premiere screening of his upcoming Cartoon Network ‘toon “Class of 3000.” We remarked that some parents are probably still thanking him for handing out harmonicas to the small fry in attendance. Dre slid us a smile and replied, “There was a reason we gave them out as the kids were leaving.”
The preview audience enthusiastically applauded at the conclusion of the razor-sharp “Scissors” (co-stars Annette Bening and Jill Clayburgh should just go ahead and begin shopping for Oscar night frocks), but Burroughs proved a dicier character in person.
The memoirist, who wrote “Dry” as a follow-up to “Scissors,” told the audience that he is now planning a “third memoir to close out the trilogy,” based on his deceased father, who recently died of cirrhosis of the liver.
“It’s going to be my dead daddy book,” he told the audience. “I wanted to find out, ‘Is he the person I think he is?’ ” Burroughs then happily disclosed that while he hasn’t actually begun writing the tome, it’s already been optioned for a film.
The statement caused a crestfallen Burroughs reader sitting next to us to whisper, “I think I just lost a hero.”
“Running With Scissors” officially opens here Friday.
A ‘Dining’ preview
Guess who’s coming to dinner? New York DJ Lady Bunny and a sold-out crowd for Elle Decor’s Dining by Design, a $350-a-plate dinner tonight at the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery.
The annual fund-raiser for the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS always features a banquet of fantasy tabletops created by local designers that mere mortals would be hard-pressed to duplicate at home. This year’s lineup doesn’t disappoint, even if many of the sponsors were still installing their creations when spectators started streaming in Wednesday for the first viewing.
While all the tables were head-turners, one of the standouts was the setting Michael Knight, of “Project Runway” fame, designed for Macy’s. The Atlanta designer created a breakfast-in-bed theme using merchandise from the retail chain’s Hotel Collection in nontraditional ways. Who else would think of covering chairs in white bathrobes or using toothbrush accessories to hold napkins or, in this case, face towels? The table linens were comforters, and the place mats were really pillow shams. All this from a man who rarely sets a fancy table in his own home.
“I don’t even use it,” Knight says. “I’m an in-front-of-the-TV-with-dinner type guy.”
The lavish displays will be open for public sneak peeks today from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Mason Murer, 199 Armour Drive N.E. Admission: $10.
Oprah salutes Madonna
On Wednesday’s edition of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Madonna said the 13-month-old boy she plans to adopt from the African country of Malawi is healthy and thriving in her London home.
The child, David Banda, was taken to London last week after Malawi’s High Court granted Madonna and her husband, director Guy Ritchie, an interim adoption order.
The Material Mom said David was healthy, despite having overcome malaria and tuberculosis. The interview was taped Tuesday via satellite from London.
“David is amazing,” the 48-year-old pop star said. “What really surprises me is how great my children are with him and how he’s transitioned so easily from living in Africa in an orphanage to living in our house.”
In an interview posted Tuesday on Time magazine’s Web site, David’s father, Yohane Banda, said he will not contest the adoption.
“I don’t want my child, who is already gone, to come back,” he said. “I will be killing his future if I accept that.”
Winfrey said,”I have to say, Madonna, that’s a brave thing that you did. This audience, I know, applauds you for it.”
Madonna has two other children — daughter Lourdes, 9, and son Rocco, 6.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Shelley Morrison (“Will & Grace”) is 70. “Wheel of Fortune” host Pat Sajak is 60. Guitarist Keith Strickland of the B-52’s is 53. Country singer Keith Urban is 39. Actor Jon Heder (“Napoleon Dynamite”) is 29.
Contributing: Alma Hill 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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Nikolai’s Roof lines up top chefs for pricey benefit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
You can’t accuse Nikolai’s Roof of procrastination. The four-star eatery atop the Hilton Atlanta downtown threw a lavish cocktail party Monday night to announce its Food & Wine Lovers Weekend, set for Feb. 2-4. The inaugural event will combine cooking classes, wine tastings and panel discussions with winemakers, sommeliers and chefs from all over the world. The hotel is offering exclusive weekend packages (with hotel room and Nikolai’s Roof dinners included) for $1,200 per couple (or $995 if you book before Nov. 30). The weekend serves as a benefit for the American Heart Association.
One of the weekend’s participants, Christophe Eme, the chef/owner of Ortolan in Los Angeles, flew in for the gathering. Eme was named one of America’s best new chefs in 2005 by Food & Wine magazine.
As a result of the honor, the very self-deprecating French chef told us: “I got a very large ego. That is why they are going to install double doors here for the February event. I am extremely grateful my English is really, really bad, and I am naturally very shy.”
Eme and Belgian-born Nikolai’s Roof chef Olivier de Busschere proved to be so shy as they effortlessly charmed the caviar- and vodka-sampling females in the room that the event could already be sold out.
A series of interactive wine and food experiences leading up to the February event begins Saturday with a series of cooking classes and wine tastings. Call 404-221-6816 for details or go to www.nikolaisroof.com.
And since it’s a benefit for the heart association, we attempted to overlook the fact that Nikolai’s Roof servers tried to ply us with delectable samples of cholesterol-choked foie gras all evening.
Paula dazzles Regis and Kelly
Food Network dynamo Paula Deen didn’t allow a little fashion faux pas to interfere with her “Live With Regis and Kelly” cooking demo with curmudgeon Regis Philbin on Tuesday. When she arrived on the morning show, she was wearing the very same orange shirt she’s sporting on the cover of her latest cookbook, “Paula Deen Celebrates!” Recognizing the style slip, Deen told Philbin: “I just got so upset back there in the green room!” The pair then attempted to whip up a batch of Deen’s oven caramel popcorn for trick-or-treaters. After she chastised her assistant for skimping on the ingredients (“Put in all of that butter, Regis!”), the talk show vet threatened to put his greasy hands on the Savannah restaurateur. “Don’t mess up my one and only orange shirt now,” Deen told Regis. Kelly Ripa showed up in the faux kitchen at the end of the segment as Deen pulled a finished tray out of a cold oven. “It’s hard as a rock,” Deen complained, tapping the congealed corn. Eyeing Deen’s retina-damaging wedding ring, Ripa cracked: “Why don’t you hit it with your diamond ring, Paula!”
The Lady and Sons owner brings her book tour here with appearances at Borders in Buckhead (7 p.m. Friday), Wal-Mart in Loganville (noon Saturday) and Costco in Buford (1 p.m. Sunday).
And FYI: Our all-time favorite lunch companion has agreed to once again have a meal with us while she’s in town. On the off chance Miss Paula says something colorful, we’ll be sure to report on it.
Overscene
Kristin Cavallari, star of the MTV reality show “Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County,” dining on the patio at the InterContinental hotel in Buckhead. The backstabbing bad girl is a snooty sorority girl in the remake of “Revenge of the Nerds,” filming around town. On Sunday, Cavallari was also spotted at the Falcons-Steelers game. Alas, we attempted to obtain all the details Tuesday, but oddly, the female Buzz reader who was in the ladies room stall next to Cavallari declined to dish on the record.
TomKat: Making it official
Those “FreeKatie.com” folks better start working overtime. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have set the date. The Hollywood couple/chum for paparazzi will marry on Nov. 18 in Italy, Cruise’s representative, Arnold Robinson, confirmed Tuesday. Holmes will wear a dress designed by Giorgio Armani.
Holmes, 27, and Cruise, 44, became engaged in June 2005. Their daughter, Suri, was born April 18. She made her debut on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine last month. The photo showed Suri peeking out of a jacket worn by Cruise, with Holmes looking on.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Marion Ross is 78. Singer Speech (Arrested Development) is 38. Actor Adam Goldberg (“Saving Private Ryan”) is 36. Country singer Chely Wright is 36. Singer Ciara is 21.
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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Vick’s onfield heroics fashionable with GQ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As it turns out, that cuticle-chewing win over the Steelers on Sunday at the Georgia Dome wasn’t Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick’s only impressive feat this week. Vick, who racked up a career-high four touchdown passes Sunday, also has been named one of the “16 Coolest Sports Heroes of All Time” in the November issue of GQ magazine.
The portfolio of legendary sports figures also spotlights the accomplishments of Joe Namath, Willie Mays, Magic Johnson and John McEnroe.
Of Vick, GQ scribe Raha Naddaf writes: “Comparing Michael Vick with any other player gets you nowhere. First off, he’s a quarterback, and quarterbacks are not supposed to run the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds. Second, he’s a quarterback, and quarterbacks are not supposed to be the most electrifying, most elusive, most jaw-dropping players on the field at any time.”
Of Vick’s ultimate goal, GQ quotes him as saying: “To get to the Super Bowl, man. It’s time for the Falcons to go where they need to go and have fun doing it along the way.”
Since there wasn’t exactly a small army of Falcons fans clustered around the Dome’s ticket window demanding a refund Sunday, we’d surmise that Vick could be on target to achieving that goal.
The November issue of GQ hits newsstands Tuesday.
Rockers get their due
Atlanta rockers the Selmanaires got a nice hit of national recognition Monday when Idolator, Gawker’s music-centric sister Web site, gave the band a major shoutout and posted MP3s of several of the trio’s songs. Added Idolator editors: “A few months ago, we picked up the Selmanaires’ debut album, ‘Here Come the Selmanaires’ at Atlanta’s thankfully-still-in-existence Criminal Records; ever since, it’s become one of those records that pops up on shuffle every few days, prompting us to ask, “Whosa what’s this again? The Salamanders? The Salmonella?’ After our initial band-name confusion, though, we focus on the tunes, which are sorta tense, sorta garage-rock, sorta psychedelic. We like.”
Local fans are less confused by the band’s name (the act derives its name from Selman Street in Reynoldstown where twin brothers Herb and Jason Harris first rehearsed with member Tommy Chung in a house back in 2000). The Selmanaires will next gig at the EARL in East Atlanta on Nov. 24.
Soliciting Grammy votes
We also received some encouraging news from Atlanta filmmaker Clay Walker on Monday. It seems that he and veteran Atlanta jazz performer Freddy Cole are on the long list of potential 2007 Grammy Awards nominees. Ballots that were just mailed to industry voters will help determine who will be nominated.
Cole is under consideration for album of the year, best jazz vocalist and recording of the year for his sublime studio recording, “Because of You.” Walker is a potential nominee in the best long form video category for his documentary, “The Cole Nobody Knows.”
E-mailed Walker: “We need to ask anyone who might be a voting member or knows someone who is to please vote for our projects.” Voting continues through the middle of next week. If Cole scores the nomination, it could make an impressive birthday gift. The singer and pianist turned 75 last week.
Oprah, Madge, baby talk
Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is scheduled to use her nationally televised confession booth Tuesday to tape an interview with Madonna, in which the cone bra-favoring pop singer will discuss her increasingly controversial adoption of a 13-month-old boy from the African country of Malawi.
The interview is scheduled to air Wednesday.
Madonna traveled to Malawi on Oct. 4 with her husband, Guy Ritchie. They spent eight days visiting orphanages she is funding through her charity.
The child, David Banda, was taken to London last week after Malawi’s High Court granted Madonna and Ritchie an interim adoption order.
The toddler’s father, Yohane Banda, said Sunday he didn’t realize he was signing away custody of his motherless son “for good.”
It could not be confirmed at press time whether Oprah would brandish a sword in a Solomon-like attempt to satisfy all.
Celebrity docket
Rapper Foxy Brown could be thrown in jail Tuesday if she misses her sentencing in New York. Brown failed to appear in New York Criminal Court on Monday. Her attorney, Frank Rothman, said Brown was recovering at home from a dental procedure.
“I don’t take this kindly,” Judge Melissa C. Jackson said. “I don’t believe she is incapable of being here.”
The judge said that if Brown failed to show up, a plea deal sparing her jail time would be voided, and she would be sentenced to a year behind bars.
As Buzz readers will recall, Brown pleaded guilty in August to misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a fight with salon workers over a manicure. In the memorable nail salon snit, Brown kicked one employee and smacked a second in the face in 2004 in an argument over payment for her manicure.
The deal would require Brown to serve three years’ probation and take anger management classes.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor-producer David Nelson (“The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet”) is 70. Former Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman is 70. Actor F. Murray Abraham is 67. Actor Kevin Kline is 59. Actor B.D. Wong is 44. Singer Monica is 26.
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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Save the world or hawk a documentary?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fictional character Jack Bauer of “24” fame would be perplexed by the behavior of the actor who plays him, Kiefer Sutherland.
He’d find Sutherland’s desire to promote a band on his music label — Rocco DeLuca and the Burden — inconsequential compared with, oh, saving America from terrorists and nuclear bombs.
Bauer would find it odd that Sutherland would fly into Atlanta in the middle of filming the sixth season of “24” to promote a documentary, “I Trust You to Kill Me,” at the Lefont Plaza Theater. In it, Sutherland spends two weeks in Europe as tour manager for the band. (The actor chose Atlanta as one of four cities to promote the movie because 99X radio has given the band so much airplay.)
Bauer would find Sutherland’s lack of organizational skills and incessant carousing irritating. In the film, which is as much about Sutherland as the band, the self-deprecating actor loses his cellphone and, during one drunken escapade, goofily jumps head first into a Christmas tree.
Bauer would probably relate more to the intense, laconic lead singer DeLuca. In the film and at a crowded Smith’s Olde Bar appearance Saturday night, DeLuca resembled an angrier version of Dave Matthews but wails like Robert Plant and embodies the internal angst of the late Jeff Buckley.
Bauer and Sutherland do have one thing in common, though: Bauer is rarely seen eating anything, and Sutherland, when offered exotic vittles in Iceland, explained,
“I don’t like food.”
To thine own groove be true
Speaking of A-listers, Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx came to town for his annual Laffapalooza comedy fest at Center Stage in Midtown. Before the Saturday show, he graciously answered questions for a rapt audience of college students interested in the music business.
Foxx’s best advice: To do what you want to do, you often have to do something for the suits. “You do eight songs for them, four for you,” he said. “Do one movie for them, two for yourself. And sometimes what you do works, like ‘Ray.’ Nobody thought it would do what it did.”
He also gave props to Atlanta’s hip-hop sound: “What’s great about Jermaine Dupri and the movement is you made it your own. You took over. At one point it was East Coast, West Coast. Now everyone is coming here to get hits.”
To solidify that point, Atlanta sensation T.I. made a surprise appearance at Laffapalooza that night to sing a few songs.
Diss your digs and maybe win
Former Grant Park resident Ty Pennington and ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” are looking for Georgia residents for Season Four.
The top 20 show, as fans already know, seeks inspirational stories that will cause millions to tear up every Sunday night. Interested families should e-mail a brief synopsis of their story, along with family members’ names and what’s wrong with their house, to Veronica at castinggeorgia@yahoo.com by Wednesday. Go to abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/casting.html for more info.
Party time with Tom Joyner
Tom Joyner, the country’s most popular black morning radio host, made his annual trip to the Atlanta Civic Center on Friday for his live “Sky Show,” heard locally on Kiss 104.1. Among his guests: silky crooner Jeffrey Osborne, Kenny Lattimore, Chanté Moore and former Atlanta Hawk Dominique Wilkins.
During the show, Joyner name-dropped virtually every major black R&B or hip-hop artist who lives in town, from Usher to Ludacris, and one white dude: Elton John. And corporation representatives traipsed onstage with oversized checks to give out $90,000 in scholarships for Joyner’s foundation.
But Joyner never mentioned that his biggest sponsor, Southwest Airlines, doesn’t serve Atlanta. The audience winners of free Southwest tickets will have to pull a Clark Howard and drive 140 miles to Birmingham to use them.
Joyner gears these shows as much for the thousands who come to party early in the morning as for his radio audience. The old-school dance contest, for example, translated poorly on the air but got the audience hopping. Even during commercial breaks, Joyner tirelessly worked the crowd. Offering free T-shirts to all active military members, he laughed when an elderly man came to the stage. “Which war did you serve?” Joyner cracked. “The Civil War?”
Country music blues
Country music star Keith Urban, who battled a cocaine addiction in the 1990s, has checked himself into rehab for alcohol abuse, according to a statement he released Friday. Urban, who recently married actress Nicole Kidman, will likely cancel upcoming promotional appearances for his latest CD, “Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy Thing.” … Meanwhile, another country singer’s personal life is also going south. Sara Evans’ estranged husband, Craig Schelske, alleges that his wife had an affair, according to court papers filed Friday in Franklin, Tenn. He also claims she had a nervous breakdown in 2005. In her filing, she alleges that he had an affair with the nanny.
Celebrity birthdays
Director Ang Lee is 52. Jazz singer Dianne Reeves is 50. Country singer Dwight Yoakam is 50. “Weird Al” Yankovic is 47.
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.
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Museum’s shirt show suits hip, young crowd
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
By Richard L. Eldredge The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 10/21/06
Not only were T-shirts the apparel of choice at the opening night party for the Museum of Design Atlanta’s latest exhibition Thursday, the venerable fashion mainstay also served as the artwork.
About 800 of the city’s hipster young artist types flooded into the gallery inside the Marquis II Tower space at 285 Peachtree Center Ave. downtown to take in “To a T: T-Shirt Culture … Cute or Couture?” which features T-shirt designs from local designers and artists from as far away as Australia, British Columbia, Brazil and England.
So how did the Atlanta-based museum make contact with T-shirt designers halfway around the globe?
“We started a Museum of Design Atlanta MySpace page,” MODA rep Laura Moody told us. “It’s really been an invaluable resource tool. We never would have connected with some of these people through conventional means.”
The exhibition also boasts two original his-and-hers designs from “Project Runway” finalist Michael Knight. For his pair of framed shirts, it’s likely that the budding Atlanta designer smashed up a mirror ball or two.
“He actually called at one point to ask if the shirts had to be wearable,” said Moody of the cutting-edge designs. “We told him, ‘No, do whatever you want.’ “
Upstairs, the boys from Atlanta-based Esperanza Clothing were showing off their city-centric line of shirts that salute Sweet Auburn, the Clermont Lounge, the city’s colorful past (“ATL: We Only Get Burned Once”) and one shirt that pleads to “Bring Back the Point ‘Cause Nobody’s Gotten Their Head Kicked in Too Long!”
But when we were introduced to Esperanza co-creator Daniel Barbalho, we strongly suspected the recent Georgia Tech grad never actually dodged beer bottles beside us in the late Little Five Points rock club in the previous millennium.
“We wanted a way to celebrate what’s cool about the city, and people have really responded,” Barbalho told us.
The best business card of the evening, however, belonged to the party’s DJ David Vanarsdale. His cards displayed near his mixing equipment were made from recycled vinyl albums. We were assured that only ancient Celine Dion and Kajagoogoo platters were mangled to make Vanarsdale’s unique calling cards.
“To a T” runs through Jan. 13 at MODA.
In-house radio feud
It’s not uncommon to encounter a few morning show feuds on Atlanta’s airwaves. But within the same company? The morning teams at Viva 105.7 and 96rock may be charting new territory.
This week, Juan Tapia (Yogi on the air) and Jose Carias (who goes by Panda) sued their employers Clear Channel and 96rock’s the Regular Guys over a bathroom bit in which they were the target.
According to the lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court, Regular Guys co-host Larry Wachs entered a bathroom at Clear Channel offices Oct. 9 and secretly taped a conversation between Tapia and Carias. Each was in an individual stall. “Defendant Wachs intentionally recorded Tapia’s and Carias’ conversation and recorded certain offensive sounds while they were utilizing the facilities,” the lawsuit said.
The next day, the Regular Guys aired Tapia’s and Carias’ conversations and made fun of their “race and sexual orientation,” the lawsuit stated. The pair, who helm a Spanish-language music station, said they have complained in the past to Clear Channel management about offensive comments made by the Regular Guys but felt they were “largely ignored.”
None of the parties involved would comment about the lawsuit, which cites invasion of privacy and negligent hiring and seeks unspecified punitive damages. After the lawsuit was officially filed Monday, 96rock took the Regular Guys off the air and has been airing repeats.
There was no immediate word if a judge would eventually flush the suit.
Coming Out month?
Apparently, a couple of folks didn’t get the memo that National Coming Out Day was last week. In a statement Friday to People magazine, “Grey’s Anatomy” actor T.R. Knight confirmed that unlike his character, Dr. George O’Malley, he is not a heterosexual.
“I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I’d like to quiet any unnecessary rumors,” Knight said in the release. “While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I’m gay isn’t the most interesting part of me.”
Former “American Idol” contestant and Cumming resident R.J. Helton, meanwhile, disclosed during a Sirius Satellite Radio interview this week that he is gay. The announcement had the potential to shock one grandmother somewhere in Billings, Mont.
Upside? A lucrative future awaits Helton performing aboard those gay cruise ships that crusty “A.I.” judge Simon Cowell is so fond of referencing.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actress Joyce Randolph (“The Honeymooners”) is 81. TV judge Judy Sheindlin (“Judge Judy”) is 64. Guitarist Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go’s is 53. Actress Carrie Fisher is 50. Actor Will Estes (“American Dreams”) is 28.
Sunday: Actress Joan Fontaine is 89. Actress Annette Funicello is 64. Actor Jeff Goldblum is 54. Comedian Carlos Mencia is 39. Country singer Shelby Lynne is 38. Reggae rapper Shaggy is 38. Drummer Zac Hanson of Hanson is 21.
Contributing: Rodney Ho 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.
Andre 3000 parties for ‘Class of 3000’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you noticed a symphony of harmonicas Wednesday night in Midtown, you have André “Dre” Benjamin to thank. The colorful half of Atlanta rap duo OutKast — also known as André 3000 — was the host of the premiere of his new Cartoon Network animated series, “Class of 3000,” at the Fox Theatre.
Among those in attendance for the unveiling of the show, set in a fictional school of performing arts in Atlanta: Seven, Benjamin’s son with singer Erykah Badu; OutKast partner Antwan “Big Boi” Patton’s wife, Sherlita, and kids; OutKast producer Ray Murray; Atlanta Braves player Brian Jordan; Michael Mauldin (music mogul Jermaine Dupri’s father and entertainment power broker in his own right); V-103’s Ryan Cameron and family; and WXIA-TV news anchor Karyn Greer.
“We knew we wanted to show Bankhead, and we knew we wanted to show Buckhead,” Benjamin said. “ATL all day long!”
Performances by R&B singer Chris Brown and local rapper DJ Unk rounded out the near three-hour premiere.
“Class of 3000” will premiere at 8 p.m. Nov. 3 on the Cartoon Network .
And the parting gift to the many children in attendance? Those harmonicas that are probably still echoing along Peachtree Street.
Overscene
Music and movie producer Dallas Austin, “Tom Joyner Morning Show” personality Myra J. and former V-103 personality Porsche Foxx in the capacity crowd Wednesday night at Variety Playhouse to see Natalie Cole. The R&B legend’s latest album, “Leavin,’ ” a brand-new CD of eclectic covers, was produced by Austin. (And by the way, you haven’t fully lived until you hear Nat’s little girl toss off this line from Fiona Apple’s “Criminal,” which Austin has thoughtfully transformed into a horn-punching R&B smackdown for the diva: “I’ve been a bad, bad girl / It’s a sad, sad world / When a girl can break a boy just because she can …”)
Rapper marks VH1 win
The local rapper who calls himself Mercury Storm has been showered with attention since he won VH1’s Freestyle 59 contest, a national hip-hop talent search. Merc (real name: David Parker) had taped an acceptance speech in advance in case he wound up winning, but he didn’t find out that he’d won the contest — and $10,000 in prize money — until Tuesday night’s broadcast of VH1’s “Hip-Hop Honors” program. Merc watched the show with family and friends at the Central City Tavern.
“The whole venue just erupted so much, I couldn’t even hear myself,” he said. “I couldn’t even hear my speech. Luckily, I recorded this on the TiVo, so I got to see it later.”
Parker said he was bummed that VH1 edited out his plug for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program but happy that his on-air dedication to his late cousin, Neil Parker, made it on air.
Parker says he’s going to use the 10Gs to pay off credit card bills and his car. “And whatever’s left over, I’m going to use to propel my rap career and try to push things in the right direction.”
What, no gold grille or 28-inch rims?
“I’d rather be debt-free,” he said. “To me, that’s a bigger accomplishment.”
Liza, David at last!
Already forgotten that scrapped VH1 reality series starring Liza Minnelli and her on-track-to-be former hubby David Gest? Bless its heart, YouTube hasn’t. This week, the online video clip junk drawer posted the unaired pilot — the entire 30-minute celeb-crammed car crash. And since it’s officially in our job description, we eventually removed our fingers from our eye sockets, jammed in the earbuds and dutifully endured it for you Thursday.
It does not disappoint.
In the ep, Liza takes a jazz dance class that leads the heavily perspiring singer to ask: “Am I the only one spritzing here?”
Meanwhile, Gest is supposed to be out ordering furniture for a star-filled dinner party. Instead, he goes on a CD-buying bender (“Don’t tell Liza,” he instructs an assistant. “She has me on a no-CD diet!”). The highlight of the spree? When Gest asks a clerk, “Where are your LL Cool J albums?”
Later, Minnelli sucks down a triple ice cream-laden coffee drink at Starbucks while lamenting: “I wish I had a waistline again. My hips are just sittin’ there on those fake hips now.”
Naturally, the episode concludes with the lavish party at the couple’s Andy Warhol-choked Manhattan penthouse with guests Ray Charles, Sandra Bernhard, Liz Smith, Ashford and Simpson and a disturbingly “Anna Nicole Smith Show”-addicted Dominick Dunne. Gest frets at length about a spill on the carpet and later gives a guest (and the camera crew) a tour of his fabulous memorabilia collection, filled with Patty Duke and Cher trinkets and his Diana Ross and the Supremes doll collection.
Hmm. In retrospect, maybe Minnelli was smart to yank down the curtain on that union. The seemingly unauthorized posting may have also been yanked down as you read this, but you can try www.youtube.com; search for “Minnelli and Gest.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actor William Christopher (“M.A.S.H.”) is 74. Musician Tom Petty is 56. Actor Viggo Mortensen (“The Lord of the Rings”) is 48. Rapper Snoop Dogg is 35.
Contributing: Nick Marino, 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.
‘24’ star dons his tour manager hat for ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just in the nick of time, Jack Bauer is being dispatched to Atlanta this weekend.
His mission: to single-handedly save the “alternative rock” radio format.
“24” star Kiefer Sutherland has been booked to host the first big party for 99X’s brand-new “Morning X with Sean, Leslie and Jenners” and to introduce local rock fans to Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, a new signee to Sutherland and Jude Cole’s Ironworks record label.
Between bouts of saving the world on his hit Fox drama, Sutherland took on the role of tour manager on DeLuca and band’s recent world tour. The sometimes hilarious results (let’s just say Sutherland doesn’t share Bauer’s meticulous sense of order in the face of constant chaos) are chronicled in the rockumentary “I Trust You to Kill Me.”
After taking the red-eye from the Los Angeles set of “24” and sleeping in all day here, Sutherland will introduce his protégés and a screening of the documentary at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Plaza Theatre on Ponce de Leon Avenue. After the screening, Sutherland will host a Q & A with DeLuca onstage at the Plaza.
At midnight, the rock buds and fans will head over to Smith’s Olde Bar, where DeLuca will plug in for a set of songs from his album, “I Trust You to Kill Me.”
“A month ago, when we had our first meeting on the phone, it was a little crazy,” 99X program director Leslie Fram told Buzz on Wednesday. “I’m a huge fan of ‘24,’ and all I could think was, ‘I’m talking to Jack Bauer!’ The fact that Kiefer is taking time off from shooting the show to do this is great. He’s deeply committed to this music. Plus, he ended the phone call by telling us, ‘I think I have to go blow up a bus now.’ “
Fram told us that DeLuca reminds her a great deal of late singer-songwiter Jeff Buckley, “who’s also a great blues guitarist.”
While it helps greatly to be a 99X listener this week in order to score tickets to the events, some tickets to the Smith’s gig and the Plaza screening are also being made available to the public. The Plaza will sell tickets the day of the screening for $7.50 (cash only) while Smith’s Olde Bar is selling tickets this week to the late-night set for $10 in advance or $12 on Saturday.
Uncoupling
Who would have guessed that Alpharetta’s kookiest couple would inspire stifled yawns as their 14-year “Lemony Snicket” storybook marriage officially concludes. This week, singer Whitney Houston filed divorce papers in Orange County [Calif.] Superior Court, a month after filing for legal separation from Bobby Brown, confirms Houston’s publicist Nancy Seltzer. The couple lived in Alpharetta.
Oddly, the documents could not immediately be Googled on Wednesday (and believe us, we tried). Houston, 43, had asked in her separation papers that she be granted custody of the couple’s 13-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina, and that Brown, 37, be allowed visitation rights.
The couple wed in 1992, with Houston at the height of her fame as a Grammy-winning superstar known for such hits as “I Will Always Love You.”
In recent weeks, the singer has been living in Los Angeles and working on a comeback album with original mentor Clive Davis.
Celebrity docket
In another jaw-dropping turn of events, Bobby Brown has actually paid up $11,000 in delinquent child support, after being threatened with arrest if he stepped back into Massachusetts.
A family judge had issued an arrest warrant two weeks ago after Brown failed to show up at a hearing over two months’ worth of payments he owed to Kim Ward, the mother of his two teenage children.
Brown’s attorney said then that he was having a “very difficult” time, as his tumultuous marriage to Houston was coming to an end.
Patrick McDermott, the registrar of probate for the Norfolk Probate and Family Court, said this week that both sides have assured him Brown has since made his payments, though no paperwork had been filed with the court.
“I have at least been given the word that Kim Ward is satisfied that payment has been made and she’s good to go, for now,” he said.
McDermott said the arrest warrant would technically remain in effect until the judge holds another status hearing, which had not yet been scheduled. But he said there was no real risk Brown would be arrested.
“Provided he’s paid up, there’s no reason to haul him in here,” he said.
Overscene
NBA great Charles Barkley sipping on a Grey Goose vodka with a splash of cranberry at Taurus restaurant Tuesday night… . Model/actress/David Bowie missus Iman dining on grilled Atlantic salmon, pearl couscous and shiitake soy glaze and a glass of chardonnay at Spice in Midtown last week. Rapper/actor Ludacris was also spotted at the eatery last week.
Celebrity birthdays
Artist Peter Max is 69. Actor John Lithgow is 61. Singer Jeannie C. Riley is 61. Singer Jennifer Holliday is 46. Actor Jon Favreau is 40. “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker is 37. Country singer Cyndi Thomson 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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Really going hip-hop? Elton spied with Timbaland
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Peachtree Road resident Elton John might just be following through on his recent threat about trying his hand at a hip-hop album. Las Vegas Review-Journal gossip Norm Clarke (think Buzz but with a wicked cool eye patch) reports that Sir Elton and producer Timbaland were spotted teaming up at the Palms recording studios over the weekend “on a super secret project.” John is in Vegas this week performing his “Red Piano” shows at Caesars Palace.
Clarke says work might well be continuing on the trans-Atlantic Broadway debut of John’s London hit “Billy Elliot” musical as well. Sir Elton’s hubby, David Furnish, was seen at Krave Nightclub on Sunday with “Billy Elliot” director Stephen Daldry.
Aaron, friends quietly mark wife’s birthday
When highly respected retired CNN chairman Tom Johnson sends a text message to inform us that we’ve missed a significant milestone in the city’s history, we tend to sit up straight and take a few notes.
But since we’re well aware of how humble Billye and Hank Aaron are, it didn’t surprise us that they didn’t issue a press release regarding Billye’s private 70th birthday celebration Sunday night at City Grill downtown.
“I go to a lot of functions in this city and around the world, but this was truly a special evening that perfectly captured the magic of Billye and Henry,” Johnson reflected Tuesday.
Among the 200 or so guests who flew in from all over the country: Cissy Marshall, the widow of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall; former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young; CNN founder Ted Turner; Morehouse President Walter E. Massey; and the birthday girl’s sisters and brother. An entertainment highlight was an a cappella performance by Aaron’s grandson, singer Victor Aaron Haydel.
Said Johnson, who attended with his wife, Edwina: “It was an evening of Billye thanking the many people from all walks of life she’s encountered through the years. It was quite a wonderful tribute.”
Bouquets of yellow roses greeted the Texas College alumna as she entered the celebration.
A delayed ‘Aftermath’
It’s every singer-songwriter’s worst nightmare. The release party for your debut CD has to be scrapped when your master recording gets lost by a certain shipping service. That’s the position pianist and singer Luke Myers was in last month when the 23-year-old Marietta native’s first EP project temporarily went missing, forcing him to reschedule his release party for Tuesday night at the Red Light Cafe in Midtown. “It was a little frustrating,” Meyers told us.
But now with “Aftermath,” his disc of five songs that evoke the work of Sarah McLachlan and Coldplay, available at cdbaby.com and iTunes.com, the shy singer was only left with one task — presenting the personal works live.
“It’s actually pretty terrifying to get up there by yourself with just a piano,” Myers said. As for the autobiographical nature of the tunes centering on lost love, the singer cracked: “The songs aren’t totally about me and my experiences, but there’s enough of me in there.” For more info: www.myspace.com/lucassimonmyers.
Final tallies in
Word trickled into Buzz Central Tuesday that last weekend’s seventh annual Pink Tie Ball, which had 500 guests at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead, helped to raise more than $700,000 for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Attendees sported pink dresses and pink bow ties, the symbolic color for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. … Across the street at the InterContinental hotel, the Russell Athletic Roses 65 Sweatshirt Ball was busy raising more than $225,000 for cystic fibrosis. Ball guests helped to celebrate the 80th birthday of the venerable workout garment by creatively incorporating bits of sweatshirts into their formal attire. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation board member and former Atlanta Hawks star Dominique Wilkins sported a red cummerbund created from a red sweatshirt.
Celebrity docket
Actor Wesley Snipes was indicted Tuesday on eight counts of tax fraud for allegedly failing to pay nearly $12 million in taxes and failing to file returns for six years.
Federal prosecutors in Tampa said Snipes fraudulently claimed refunds in 1996 and 1997 on taxes already paid and then failed to file returns from 1999 and 2004. If convicted, he could be sentenced to 16 years in prison.
The “Blade” actor had not been arrested at press time because authorities didn’t know where he was.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Peter Boyle (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 71. Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is 45. Actress Erin Moran (“Happy Days”) is 45. Country singer and “American Idol” contestant Josh Gracin is 26. Actress Joy Lauren (“Desperate Housewives”) is 17.
Contributing: Marylin Johnson and news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Fonda heads glitterati turning out for charity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
During the celebrity-sprinkled launch party for Spanx pantyhose founder Sara Blakely’s charitable foundation Saturday night, we ran through a small barrel of ink while attempting to scribble down all the scoop.
First up, we spotted a luminous Jane Fonda at the Ritz-Carlton downtown pre-dinner cocktail reception with two of her children, Atlanta businesswoman Vanessa Vadim and actor Troy Garity.
Garity’s proud mother told us he had flown in from the Virginia film set of “Lake City” for the weekend. His co-stars? Sissy Spacek, Keith Carradine, Rebecca Romijn and musician Dave Matthews. According to Imdb.com, Garity plays Spacek’s son, “who comes to the aid of his estranged mother after her safety is threatened.” Filming began this month.
Fonda herself recently returned from filming “Georgia Rule” in Hollywood with “Pretty Woman” director Garry Marshall and co-stars Felicity Huffman, Lindsay Lohan, Dermot Mulroney, Cary Elwes and Marshall good-luck charm Hector Elizondo, who is cast in practically every movie the director shoots.
Fonda, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention founder, told us that chances are excellent the film will serve as the next benefit for the charity.
“But there’s no set date for its release,” she explained. “It could be March, April or even October. Since it’s Morgan Creek’s [studios] first chick film, they’ve got to determine when is the best time to put it out there.”
Earlier this year, prior to the film shoot, we confided to the actress that Marshall is one of our very favorite — and one of the most hilarious — people we’ve ever interviewed for this space.
When we brought up “The Princess Diaries” director and Murphy Brown’s former boss Saturday night, Fonda kissed her fingertips and said, “He was absolutely wonderful. You told me!”
And since we had been generously given an all-access pass to the festivities, we were — sigh — on our best behavior. Consequently, we saved for the film’s 2007 premiere all the Lohan inquiries we were dying to ask Fonda.
Big checks and ‘Barbarella’
Inside the Ritz-Carlton ballroom, Virgin chairman Richard Branson (who donated $750,000 of seed money to start the Sara Blakely Foundation), kept things extremely entertaining as he was interviewed on the dais by Star 94’s Vikki Locke. Of his recent $3 million check donated to combat global warming, Branson joked, “It was actually quite painful when it got down to adding those last few zeroes!”
Branson then told a particularly racy anecdote involving his circumcision (as an adolescent!) and his simultaneous discovery of Jane Fonda’s sexy space spoof “Barbarella.” “I ended up in stitches, literally!” Branson disclosed as Fonda laughed a few tables away. “I once told that story at a function in front of Ted Turner and Jane just after they had gotten married. Jane was actually great about it but Ted acted, well, a bit clumsy over the story!”
Dessert with Jewel
The evening remained intriguing as singer-songwriter Jewel performed a three-song set over dessert. Taking the microphone post-Branson, the singer told the rapt audience, “My publicist was concerned about what I’d say on stage, but after Richard’s comments about sex in space, I think I’m going to be OK.”
Describing an impromptu hitchhiking trip through Mexico as a 16-year-old while learning to write songs, Jewel characterized the risky endeavor as “that spring break trip all parents are dying for their children to take!”
A Supreme Christmas party
A bit later, we ran into Captain Planet Foundation Chairwoman Laura Turner Seydel as the Blakely Foundation launch party migrated across Peachtree Street to the old Macy’s building, which had been transformed into a food-filled nightclub featuring a concert by Collective Soul. She told us that Scherrie Payne and Lynda Laurence, former members of the Supremes, have been booked as the entertainment at the 12th annual Captain Planet Foundation Xmas Party on Dec. 8 at the Tabernacle downtown.
Laura’s father, Ted, along with environmentalist Philippe Cousteau, are the event’s special guests.
An “eco-chic” fashion show with “luxury eco designer” Linda Loudermilk will be featured as well as a VIP cocktail reception held nearby at Ted’s Montana Grill.
“Believe it or not, after 12 years of doing these benefits, it’s gotten easier,” Turner Seydel told Buzz. “We’ve formed a community over the years. We like to say we’re doing God’s work, which makes it easier as well.”
For tickets: 404-522-4270 or www.captainplanetfdn.org.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Tom Poston is 85. Daredevil Evel Knievel is 68. Singer Gary Puckett of Gary Puckett and the Union Gap is 64. Actor Michael McKean (“Laverne and Shirley,” “This Is Spinal Tap”) is 59. Country singer and former Newnan resident Alan Jackson is 48. Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 38. Singer Chris Kirkpatrick of ‘NSync is 35. Rapper Eminem is 34. Singer Wyclef Jean of the Fugees is 34.
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 wins raves with gossipy show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gays love Kathy Griffin. And they came in droves for her sold-out Friday night performances at the Ferst Center for the Arts, giving her an extended standing ovation just for arriving onstage.
Having worked crowds ranging from college campuses to American soldiers in Iraq, pop-culture dish maven Griffin happily calibrates her act for the audience — though she doesn’t always get it quite right.
“I love Atlanta. I love the fried food. I love the Yellow Jackets!” she said, referencing the Tech team since she was on campus. But some audience members booed (Dawg fans?). Then someone in the audience yelled, “We’re gay: We don’t care!”
During the late show, the star of Bravo’s Emmy-nominated reality show “My Life on the D List” spent plenty of time on subjects who have never said they’re gay — but might be. Targets included Clay Aiken (she’s a big fan), host Ryan Seacrest (she’s no fan), Tom Cruise (she loves to mock Scientology) and Star Jones’ husband Al Reynolds. (“Al is the guy who when he walks by you, you can hear finger-snapping!”)
Griffin was gleeful watching Jones’ career “demise” as “The View” matriarch Barbara Walters, with one withering look, “turned Star into a pillar of salt.”
One thing Griffin didn’t talk about much was her own unpleasant divorce, which she only mentioned in passing. Rather, she ended her 90-minute gig by dusting off an old story from 1999 about co-headlining with comic Andy Dick at a University of North Florida concert. According to her and news accounts at the time, Dick pretended to do a sex act with another man onstage, much to the chagrin of administrators and many of the students.
Overscene
Following his Friday night gig at Chastain Park Amphitheatre, singer-songwriter and former Atlantan John Mayer (who turns 29 today) came by his old haunt Smith’s Olde Bar to support his guitar player David Ryan Harris at Harris’ midnight gig. …
Mike Epps, Bruce Bruce, Arnez J and Nard were among the comics at Uptown Comedy Corner to celebrate their own, V-103 morning show co-host Wanda Smith. Also in attendance for her often X-rated birthday roast Thursday were Q of R&B group 112, JaQuitta Williams of WSB-TV, Frank Ski, Miss Sophia and Bubby Love of V-103.
Feeding the masses
Taste of Atlanta pulled up its big tent in a Lenox Square mall parking lot and relocated to the far trendier outdoor streets of Atlantic Station this year. The results were tasty indeed: perfect weather and a huge boost in attendance and funds raised for charities such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
For attendees midafternoon Saturday, however, this meant long lines at many of the 70-plus restaurant booths, each with samples ranging from pumpkin-themed goodies at Wolfgang Puck to chocolate soup at Sotto Sotto.
The longest waits were for any restaurant offering ribs, including Fado, Roy’s, KC Pitt BBQ and the Tahitian Noni Café. By 4 p.m., a few restaurant booths had shut down after supplies were (too) quickly consumed. The Oceanaire, out of its New England clam chowder, posted a makeshift sign: “So sorry. We’re out.”
Meanwhile, Marvin Woods, new chef at Spice, cheerfully cooked delicious shrimp hush puppies for a patient crowd. Unprepared for the onslaught, he had only brought a single cast-iron skillet.
Duluth teen is ‘Casper’
Part-time Duluth resident Devon Werkheiser, best known as Ned on the popular Nickelodeon show “Ned’s Declassified,” is playing the voice of Casper the Friendly Ghost in a new animated film, “Casper’s Scare School,” debuting this Friday on the Atlanta-based Cartoon Network.
Though Casper will interact with characters voiced by the likes of sitcom stars Jim Belushi and Bob Saget, Werkheiser said he never met them. “I did four-hour voice sessions all by myself,” the 15-year-old told Buzz. “I was kind of upset about that.”
Werkheiser, who was able to recite the entire “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” film at age 6, attended Atlanta acting school the Talent Factory while going to Medlock Elementary and River Trail Middle schools. He only spent two weeks at Northview High School because of the shooting schedule for “Ned’s,” which drew more than 17 million viewers over eight showings the week of Oct. 2.
Now home schooled and spending most of his time in Los Angeles, he’s auditioning for movies. “I love acting,” he said. “L.A. is so fast-paced, and there’s always something to do and new people to meet. It’s cool. But sometimes, I miss just sitting at home and being normal.”
‘Access’ is excelling
Publicists at “Access Hollywood” gleefully passed on news to Buzz last week that the show is doing three to four times better among women in its new time slot on WAGA-TV at 7 p.m. weekdays vs. WXIA-TV at 12:30 p.m. last season. They trotted out Spelman College grad and “Access” correspondent Shaun Robinson for a phone interview.
Robinson, who has family in Atlanta, said she loved Spelman and wishes she could visit Atlanta more often. Last time she came in 2005, she noshed at Gladys Knight’s Chicken & Waffles and Mary Mac’s Tea Room. She’s also a big fan of Whitney Houston.
“I think Whitney is on the road to recovery,” Robinson told Buzz. “She’s got friends and family supporting her.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Angela Lansbury is 81. Actress Suzanne Somers is 60. Guitarist Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead is 59. Actor-director Tim Robbins is 48. Bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers is 44.
Contributing: Sonia Murray 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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Atlanta ‘Runway’ finalist gets the star treatment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not one, but two red carpets greeted “Project Runway” finalist Michael Knight as the Atlantan lent his rapidly growing star power to help the Art Institute of Atlanta on Thursday night.
Knight was there to help generate buzz for AIA’s new fashion and retail management degree program. Under a tent in the AIA parking lot, strategically placed models posed in Knight’s creations as hundreds of aspiring fashion students, industry insiders and stargazers showed up to greet Knight. “Y’all are here for me!” he said in a moment of Sally Field-like delirium. “It’s bananas.”
Dressed in a yellow Izod polo shirt, with jeans and gym shoes, Knight regaled the crowd with tales from fashion’s edge. Around age 8, he picked up a jumbo pencil after seeing a dress on “Soul Train” and thinking, “Man, I could do something like that.” He went on to study fashion design at Georgia Southern University, but after an industry internship, he ended up with a job at a collections agency. Three months later, he quit.
Good thing.
Knight’s best friend had a gig with R&B group Jagged Edge and hooked him up with styling duties. That led to a high-wattage roster of clients before his debut on “Runway.”
While Knight dodged questions about the show’s finale, which airs Wednesday, he did drop a few tidbits. Yes, he is designing a collection. Yes, he will stay in Atlanta. And yes, he has a little slip of paper in his wallet with a pledge for the future: “I will be in Bryant Park [in New York] next year.”
Atlanta’s cocktail party “It” guy also turned up at the fall/winter Versace collection preview Wednesday night at the Buckhead home of David Tufts. Among the 150 socialite types spotted scooping up this season’s must-haves: Kimmy Umphenour, Nicole Jones and Kirsten Braden. Proceeds benefit the Georgia Aquarium. The charitable effort has proved so popular that the Buckhead Versace shop will continue to kick in to help the downtown attraction with each purchase through Sunday.
We’re told, incidentally, that a $25,000 coat is still available (where did we put that Buzz Central black Am Ex card?).
New name for anchor
The Monica Kaufman era at WSB-TV Action News officially ended Thursday. On the evening’s telecasts, viewers were introduced to Monica Pearson, the veteran anchor’s new professional name. More than a year ago, the newswoman married DeKalb County policeman John E. Pearson Sr. And while she’s gone by her married name on WSB’s Web site for over a year, changing Miss Monica’s moniker on-air required alterations to station promos and graphics. When meteorologist Glenn Burns reintroduced Pearson to viewers during the 11 o’clock report, Pearson cracked, “New name, new hair, new everything!”
A real-estate marriage
Real estate office openings don’t normally rank very high on our mandatory R.S.V.P. list. However, as we ventured through the adorable house at 1031 Juniper St. on Thursday night that is the new headquarters of Sanctuary Real Estate in Midtown, we were, well, really impressed. Owner Ryan Cooper’s vision is to unite buyers with sellers, and builders with agents, all under one roof. And anyone who has sweated through I-285 gridlock trying to get from a Realtor’s office to a lawyer’s office for a closing will appreciate the approach.
“Through this new concept of a boutique agency, we’re hoping to eliminate some of that stress,” Cooper told us out on the back deck of the house. “This way, our clients can just walk from one room of the house to another to complete another part of the process.” Sanctuary’s opening party also served as a benefit for the Warrick Dunn Foundation. Attendees included Dave FM’s Holly Firfer and CNN’s Thomas Roberts. For more info: www.yourownsanctuary.com.
Country star files for divorce
Country singer Sara Evans alleges in divorce papers that her husband committed adultery, was verbally and emotionally abusive, drank excessively and frequently watched pornography in their home.
Evans, 35, filed for divorce on Thursday from Craig Schelske and announced through a spokesman that she was quitting ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” “to give her family full attention at this difficult time.”
The couple married in 1993 and have three children ages 7, 3 and 2.
Schelske, 43, and unemployed, ran for Congress as a Republican from Oregon’s 5th District in 2002. The Salem, Ore., native could not be reached for comment.
In the filing in state court in Franklin, Tenn., where the couple has a home, Evans alleges that Schelske watched pornography on the couple’s computers and has at least 100 nude photographs of himself in a state of arousal. She also alleges that several photos show Schelske having sex with other women.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actor Roger