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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 02 > Entry
Whitney-wear can be yours
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whitney Houston’s fans will have a unique opportunity to potentially own some of the pop star’s property next week during a court-ordered auction in New Jersey. On the auction block among the nearly 100 items: instruments used in Houston’s last world tour, Dolce & Gabbana outfits, designer bustiers, a church pew, a forklift and two leather high chairs.
According to a court order filed Aug. 3 in New Jersey Superior Court, a lien was placed on the items for nonpayment on a warehouse storage space rented by her company, Nippy Inc.
Sharkey & Campisi partner Jeffrey Campisi, whose law firm is overseeing the auction for Speed of Sound, said the property has been stored in the company’s Irvington, N.J., warehouse for more than five years.
“The warehouse rental was paid diligently until May of 2005, and then payments stopped,” Campisi told Buzz on Tuesday.
When the order was signed in August 2006, the amount of the lien was $86,084.51. Since then, the outstanding bill has risen to “between $150,000 and $200,000,” with late fees and other costs, Campisi said.
At 11 a.m. Tuesday, the possessions are scheduled to be auctioned at the warehouse.
“It’s a little unusual for us to auction off personal items such as clothing,” A.J. Willner Auctions partner Steve Newmark told Buzz. “Normally, we’re selling factories.”
According to Newmark, the former Alpharetta resident’s only recourse to reclaim personal items is “to send someone with cash in hand to the auction and be the winning bidder.”
Campisi says that reps from Nippy Inc. are actually assisting in the cataloging of the items, which include a series of music awards won by the singer’s estranged hubby, Bobby Brown, in the late 1980s.
“Financially, it’s in their best interest for the sale to bring in enough to cover the outstanding debt,” Campisi explained. “After the auctioneer is paid and other costs are taken care of, any outstanding money could potentially go back to [Houston’s company].”
Photos of many of the items have been posted at ajwillnerauctions.com. According to Newmark, the Web site has logged 98,000 hits in the past week.
At our deadline Tuesday, the singer’s Atlanta attorney, Mark Trigg, was seeking a statement from his client regarding the sale.
Brown’s Atlanta attorney, Phaedra Parks, said Tuesday that she was aware of the auction but not that any of Brown’s awards were included. After Buzz helpfully guided Parks to the photos of the awards posted online, she added: “I’ll have to investigate further and get Bobby’s thoughts on how he would like to proceed.”
Houston filed for divorce from Brown last year.
Belated surprise
The best-kept secret in Atlanta radio this side of 94.9 FM’s sudden change to a country music format two weeks ago was revealed Saturday night when an astonished Eagle 106.7 FM morning jock Dallas McCade entered the banquet room at the Monroe Golf and Country Club and unexpectedly found nearly 90 relatives and friends on hand to celebrate her 40th birthday.
McCade, a longtime Atlanta radio personality who turned 40 on Dec. 26, received another unexpected gift moments later from hubby Tim Nash when he dramatically informed his wife and guests they would be entertained that evening by country crooner Jason D. Williams. The Memphis-based Williams hammered out tunes on the piano as he serenaded McCade and the crowd for two hours with his Jerry Lee Lewis-style vocals.
Oprah opens school
Oprah Winfrey headed a celebrity lineup that included Tina Turner and Spike Lee at the opening Tuesday of the talk show queen’s new leadership academy for poor South African girls.
The true stars, though, were Sade and Megan, whose father killed their mother and then himself; Zodwa, whose mother died of AIDS; and some 150 other girls who Winfrey said had a “light so bright” that it shone through their deprivation and helped their dreams come true.
The $40 million Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in the town of Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg, plucked the girls from poverty to be groomed for power.
Winfrey said she planned to open another school for boys and girls this month in eastern KwaZulu-Natal province.
Guests on Tuesday, including Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier and Atlantan Chris Tucker, were asked to bring a personally inscribed book for the library. The books included everything from self-help books to “Harry Potter.”
Winfrey, who is called “Mam Oprah” by the girls, said she came with a celebrity posse for a reason. “These people have the power to do things. They have voices which can be heard in the U.S. and across the world,” she said.
Celebrity docket
Singer George Michael is scheduled to appear in court Jan. 11 on charges of being unfit to drive, London Metropolitan Police said.
The 43-year-old singer was arrested Oct. 2 after police responded to complaints that a car was blocking an intersection in north London. Police said Michael was found passed out inside the car.
Michael received a caution for possession of marijuana and was released on bail on charges of being unfit to drive, police said.
Stork report
It’s a boy!
“Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” actor Will Ferrell and his wife are the parents of another son, the actor’s publicist said Tuesday in Los Angeles.
Mattias Ferrell was born just after 2 a.m. Saturday, said Matt Labov. Ferrell, 39, and Viveca Paulin were married in 2000. They have a son, Magnus, 2.
Ferrell earned a Golden Globe nomination last month for his role in “Stranger Than Fiction.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Robert Loggia is 77. Actor Dabney Coleman is 75. Singer Stephen Stills is 62. Bassist John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin is 61. Actress Victoria Principal is 57. Actor Mel Gibson is 51. Actress Danica McKellar (“The Wonder Years”) is 32. Singer and former “American Idol” contestant Kimberley Locke is 29.
Contributing: Jeff Hood and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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