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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January > 22 > Entry
Cooper is $4M man; Sedgwick closes big ‘Closer’ deal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta-based CNN has signed Anderson Cooper to a multiyear deal, doubling his pay to about $4 million a year, according to Broadcasting & Cable magazine.
Also, Atlanta-based cable network TNT has signed “The Closer” star Kyra Sedgwick to a deal that could extend her stay on the show to seven seasons and make her one of TV’s highest-paid actresses, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The trade publication said she will get in the neighborhood of $250,000 to $300,000 per episode. The popular drama, in which Golden Globe winner Sedgwick plays an Atlanta transplant solving crimes in Los Angeles, will return for a third season this summer.
Instant Rock Star
Atlanta bassist and businessman Johnny Colt had just finished a long tour with Train last October and was looking forward to a few weeks off to work on his Thai boxing.
But a week in, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke, now part of the CBS reality show-created band Rock Star Supernova, called and said the band (also featuring Tommy Lee) needed help.
Jason Newsted of Metallica had hurt his shoulder when an amp hit him. Could Colt sub for Newsted?
Vacation over and no Thai boxing. Within 24 hours, Colt was in California, quickly learning Rock Star songs. “I’ve been doing this for 18 years,” he told Buzz. “Bass isn’t that hard.”
The band started its official tour last week in Florida but won’t be coming to Atlanta. “Tell [local promoter] Peter Conlon he needs to pay!” said Colt, who also has worked with the Black Crowes.
Overscene
Multiple Grammy-winning artist India Arie at the Harmony in Life showcase at Sugar Hill. Not only was the Atlanta R&B singer milling around upstairs at her brother J’on’s 34th birthday party, but she capped off an evening of performances by Russell Taylor, Keite Young and Algebra with an unannounced set.
In between her own songs and a couple of covers (Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” and Ludacris and Mary J. Blige’s “Runaway Love”), Arie admitted to the crowd that this was a warm-up show of sorts for her; she’d taken November and December off. “But I always like to play [in Atlanta] because we kind of grew up together,” Arie said.
Verdict: Atlanta nice
Jonathan Adler, a well-known interior designer and lead judge on Bravo’s upcoming “Project Runway” spinoff “Top Design,” said he loves Atlanta.
“People tell me Southerners are nice to our faces but not behind our backs,” he told Buzz recently. “I find they’re always nice.” With seven retail stores, he’s considering adding one in Atlanta, too.
As for judging a reality show, Adler had no hesitation: “I’m like the primordial muck from where all reality show fans spawn. When they asked me, I said, ‘Totals! I’m there!’ “
Latest Branson venture ready to blast off
Is climbing Mount Kilimanjaro or trekking the deepest jungles of Belize too mundane for you? And do you have $200,000 to spare?
British entrepreneur Richard Branson, who already has helped propel Atlanta businesswoman Sara Blakely into the stratosphere, has a deal for you: a three-hour flight into outer space, 75 miles above the Earth’s surface, featuring at least six minutes of weightlessness. Put down $20,000 now, and you’ll reserve a spot for a flight from New Mexico as early as late 2008.
Two local travel agents (and 46 nationwide) were recently accredited to book flights for people who have a yen for adventure: Janie Bullard of Distinctive Journeys in Powder Springs and Jennifer Campbell of Explorations, a Travel Agency Ltd. in Atlanta.
“Our clients are looking for experiential travel,” said Campbell, who paid $5,000 over five years for the rights to book flights. “People want something different. We’ve been in the sea, land and air. The next place is space.”
Her goal: to get 30 to 50 people to pony up for the experience. She’s already gotten a few interested people.
Bullard, who sends nature photographers to exotic places around the world, said she won’t start doing any real promotion to her clients until after all the agents spend two days at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in early February learning about what the trip would entail.
“In terms of life experience, this would definitely raise the bar,” she said.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor John Hurt is 67. Actress Linda Blair is 48. Actress Diane Lane is 42. Rap DJ-actor Jazzy Jeff is 42. Singer Willa Ford is 26. Actress Beverley Mitchell (“7th Heaven”) is 26.
HIGH FIVE
Top DVD sales for the week of Jan. 9
1. “Snakes on a Plane”
2. “Jackass: Number Two”
3. “The Covenant”
4. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest”
5. “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” — Billboard.com
WHAT’S ON YOUR IPOD?
Masi Oka, who plays Hiro on “Heroes,” back tonight on NBC:
“Here I Go Again,” OK Go; “Over My Head (Cable Car),” The Fray; “Move Along,” All-American Rejects; “Crazy,” Gnarls Barkley; “Collide,” Howie Day (“That’s on every TV promo!”); “The Reason,” Hoobastank; “Where Is the Love?” Black Eyed Peas
Guilty pleasure: “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Journey (“We sang that all the time in my college a cappella group.”)
A song that fits his show: “Superman,” Five For Fighting
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.
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