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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > January
January 2007
Spanx founder returns to ‘Oprah’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Somehow, six years have elapsed since we wrote about Spanx pantyhose founder Sara Blakely’s inaugural appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” In November 2000, the talk show queen elevated the burgeoning footless control-top pantyhose brand to an overnight household name when she proclaimed the product one of “Oprah’s Favorite Things.” A film crew and producers were dispatched to tape a segment with Blakely in her then-small Virginia-Highland-based business.
On Thursday at 4 p.m. on WSB-TV, Blakely returns to “Oprah.”
Only this time, the business owner (who now oversees a $100 million dollar business) will be on stage in Chicago with Winfrey for the start of the all-important February sweeps TV ratings period.
“We got the call in late November and Sara taped the show on Dec. 13,” Spanx rep. Misty Elliott told Buzz Wednesday. “It was a pretty exciting moment. It’s been Sara’s dream. Sara and I are pretty close in age and Oprah has been on TV since we were in high school. She’s really brought up our generation of women.”
While Elliott wasn’t at liberty to provide us with any advance scoop on the show, trolling around at oprah.com online netted us some additional tidbits of information. According to the Website, the show is titled “How’d They Do That?” and touts Spanx as “a brilliant invention that makes women look thinner.”
It would appear that Blakely, 35, who launched her Sara Blakely Foundation here last fall (a $1.5 million dollar charitable organization that benefits young women in South Africa), may have managed to surprise Winfrey on-air during the taping. According to Oprah.com, Thursday’s show includes “a million dollar moment that left Oprah speechless!”
As soon as the show airs Thursday morning in Chicago, Blakely promises to dish all the details with us. Come back to ajc.com on Thursday for all the scoop.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Valderrama gets his birthday rolling
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ten Pin Alley, Atlantic Station’s newest (and well, OK, only) upscale cocktail lounge/bowling emporium isn’t technically open yet.
However, if you’re one of the owners, you’re usually allowed to christen the joint with a private bash.
That’s how “That ’70s Show” actor and co-owner Wilmer Valderrama celebrated his 27th birthday Monday night with a few close friends.
The evening began at Dolce, the Italian eatery Valderrama co-owns with celebrity friends like Ashton Kutcher and “Big Brother” reality TV contestant Mike “Boogie” Malin. The “Big Brother All Stars” winner played host to the host of MTV’s “Yo Momma,” as Valderrama and pals dined on appetizers of burrata cheese, grilled tomatoes and prosciutto, and tuna tartare with fresh avocado chili sauce and won-ton crisps.
Later, as the party made its way to Ten Pin Alley, Dolce chefs dashed over with Valderrama’s faves from the bowling nightspot’s menu, including truffled macaroni cheese balls with white cheddar sauce, zucchini fries with goat cheese tomato fondue, Kobe beef and barbecue pork sliders, and barbecue duck with grilled pineapple sauce.
Afterward, the “Fast Food Nation” actor and pals toasted the occasion with magnums of Cristal champagne. And in case you were wondering, a magnum of Cristal retails for around $500 a bottle.
On Tuesday, there was no immediate word on Valderrama’s cholesterol count.
Ten Pin Alley is due to open to the public this week.
Personalizing the ‘Titanic’ experience
As crowds turn up to “Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition” during its multimonth run at the former SciTrek site in Midtown, each attendee is handed a White Star Line boarding pass to the doomed luxury liner. In an effective example of interactivity, each pass contains a biography of an actual Titanic passenger. It’s not until the end of the exhibition when “passengers” learn via a list on the wall whether they lived or perished in the icy Atlantic.
“It’s incredibly effective way of making visitors a part of the experience, and it’s fascinating to watch people, especially young kids, scan that wall at the end of the exhibition,” the exhibit’s Atlanta rep Jonathan Barnes told Buzz on Tuesday. We’ll admit to having a few anxious moments the other afternoon as we clutched our boarding pass at the end of the display. For the record, our passenger, Masabumi Hosono, 42, the only Japanese businessman on board for Titanic’s maiden and final voyage, survived.
Celebrity docket
“Simple Life” simpleton Paris Hilton has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to shut down a Web site that displays personal photos, videos, diaries and other belongings once kept at a storage facility.
The unintentionally hilarious Web site was launched last week, claiming the items were auctioned after Hilton neglected to pay a $208 bill at a Los Angeles-area storage facility. It also promises visitors who pay a fee of $39.97 access to Hilton’s passport, medical records and other legal documents. In the name of research, Buzz on Tuesday forced ourselves to examine photos of a bare-breasted Hilton engaged in hot girl-on-girl action with unidentified females and a snapshot of a portly bare-chested gentleman who reportedly has a kilo of an illegal substance lined up on his torso.
Hilton said a moving company was supposed to pay the storage fees and was “shocked and surprised” to learn her belongings were sold at a public auction.
The lawsuit alleges defendants Nabil and Nabila Haniss paid $2,775 for the contents of the storage unit and later sold the items for $10 million to entrepreneur Bardia Persa, who created the naughty Web site ParisExposed.com.
Hilton’s publicist, Elliot Mintz, said that she would like the site shut down and “would like all of these items returned to her.” It wasn’t immediately clear if this somehow explains Hilton’s absence of undergarments in recent months.
Lloyd Webber to get ‘Grease’-y
In what we’re surmising is a stab at casting classiness, “Cats” composer Andrew Lloyd Webber will slum as a guest judge on the Feb. 11 edition of the reality TV exercise “Grease: You’re the One That I Want,” NBC announced Tuesday.
The composer, whose inexplicably successful Broadway hits include “Evita” and “Phantom of the Opera,” will weigh in on the remaining 12 finalists, who are competing to play Danny the slick greaser and Sandy the naive good girl (John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the classic 1978 movie version) in the revival of “Grease” coming to Broadway this summer.
The hopefuls — split evenly between guys and girls — will perform songs from Broadway musicals, including (begin massaging your temples now) Lloyd Webber’s shows, in the two-hour episode beginning at 7 p.m.
ON MY iPOD
Poet/author Nikki Giovanni, who signs her latest book, “Acolytes,” at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ansley Mall Chapter 11: “Kathleen Battle, the Fisk Jubilee Singers, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, John Coltrane, [Thelonius] Monk. It stays on shuffle. Oh, and SOS [Band] and the Gap Band. And I need to put Diana Ross on there. I need ‘Love Hangover.’ [giggling] See, I am old-school.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Carol Channing is 86. Author Norman Mailer is 84. Actress Suzanne Pleshette is 70. Singer Harry Wayne Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band is 56. Singer Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols is 51. Actor Anthony LaPaglia (“Without a Trace”) is 48. Actress Minnie Driver is 37. Actress Portia de Rossi (“Arrested Development,” “Ally McBeal”) is 34. Actress Kerry Washington (“Ray”) is 30. Singer Justin Timberlake is 26.
Contributing: Lamar Wilson 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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Tearful time for Braxton: Son’s autistic
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Part-time Alpharetta resident Toni Braxton broke down during Monday’s telecast of “The View” as she disclosed that her 3-year-old son Diezel has been diagnosed with autism.
The pop star served as the celebrity co-host on the ABC daytime talk show as it dedicated an entire episode to the topic.
“I get so emotional about this,” Braxton told co-hosts Rosie O’Donnell, Joy Behar and Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
Last summer, Braxton, husband Keri Lewis and their two children relocated to Las Vegas, where Braxton is under contract to perform at the Flamingo Hotel through March.
On air Monday, the singer and actress said that she first suspected something was wrong when Diezel was enrolled in school there.
“I could see little red flags,” she said. “He wasn’t advancing at the same level as his brother [Denim]. We got his hearing checked twice. He went to speech therapy. … There were behavior, speech and compliance issues.”
Finally, Diezel was diagnosed with autism last fall.
Braxton said she agreed to go on the autism-centered episode of “The View” Monday to help heighten awareness for other families.
Said Braxton: “That’s why I’m here.”
As the show went into its first commercial break Monday, a tearful Braxton got a hug from O’Donnell, who encouraged her, saying, “You’re doing fantastic.”
Overscene
Rapper-actor Bow Wow chatting with Atlanta Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins at the Hawks-76ers game at Philips Arena over the weekend. Also on hand were Atlanta Thrashers head coach Bob Hartley and Thrashers winger Slava Kozlov.
Celebrity beat
Former Atlantan Allison Samuels’ collection of behind-the-scenes stories — “Off the Record: A Reporter Unveils the Celebrity Worlds of Hollywood, Hip-hop and Sports” (Amistad, $24.95) — touts interviews with some famous locals like Coretta Scott King, Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson. But since it’s not always all about us, when Buzz got her on the phone, we asked the Newsweek reporter to dish about things other than our fair city.
After all, she is the same reporter who once had to tell the now-resurging Eddie Murphy he wasn’t cover material. Oprah Winfrey told her that American students don’t appreciate what they have in terms of educational opportunities. And Denzel Washington felt comfortable enough with her to concede that he passed on a love scene with Smyrna gal Julia Roberts in “The Pelican Brief” because he didn’t want to upset his black female fans.
Before her signing at 7 tonight at Barnes & Noble in East Point, Samuels — a former intern at this newspaper — discussed whether her job at the weekly is basically to cover famous black people:
“[Laughs] Kind of. But it was my decision.
“When I got to Newsweek, there were 100 reporters to cover Jodie Foster and one reporter to cover Babyface. So I thought it was a sensible thing to focus on African-Americans of note.”
For more information on the signing: 404-349-0359.
Help for twin boys
Dr. Stephanie Martin, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, plays a key role in a Sunday episode of a new Discovery Channel series, “Surgery Saved My Life.”
For several months in fall, Discovery cameras followed the journey of Griffin single mom Roxann Moore and her two 6-year-old sons, both of whom suffer from cerebral palsy. Neither was expected to walk unassisted, but Martin found a way to surgically repair John, the first twin, a year ago at Children’s at Egleston. He now walks on his own.
So far, James is not walking, but Martin says he’s now standing. “He has an internal desire that’s unparalleled,” Martin said. “I didn’t know if he’d have enough gumption to get up.”
Martin said watching herself on TV was both “strange” and “humbling.”
She was amused when the filmmakers insisted she go jogging to show she’s active, when in fact she’s so busy with her career and kids, she doesn’t really jog.
She hopes the show will inspire folks to help out Moore, who can’t afford the tuition to send James to a special school.
Discovery is airing the episode at 1 and 9 p.m. Sunday. Be warned: It’s not for the squeamish. There are close-ups aplenty of ligaments, muscles and bone during the surgery.
Sick bay update
Blues legend B.B. King was discharged from a Galveston, Texas, hospital over the weekend, following treatment for a fever, and was “back to his old self.”
The 81-year-old guitarist was “feeling fabulous,” said Tina France, vice president of Lieberman Management of New York. King still plans to perform tonight in Fort Worth, France said.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Gene Hackman is 77. Actress Vanessa Redgrave is 70. Singer Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship is 65. Musician Phil Collins is 56. Actor Charles S. Dutton is 56. Comedian Brett Butler (“Grace Under Fire”) is 49. Actor Christian Bale (right) is 33. Actor Wilmer Valderrama (“That ’70s Show”) is 27.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, 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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Male crooners tune up pipes for MTV show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“American Idol” hasn’t been to Atlanta for auditions since 2003, but MTV’s “Making the Band 4” believed the ATL is the place to find the next New Edition or Boyz II Men. The show, produced by frequent Atlanta visitor Diddy, screened more than 300 male crooners at Verve Lounge downtown on Saturday.
The judges were pleased with the a capella performances, saying the talent was better than Houston, Orlando or Los Angeles, the three previous audition cities.
“They came out, they represented, they could sing, they could dance,” said choreographer Laurie Ann Gibson after the first round.
Ultimately, they let through a generous 100 people on Day One but were much tougher Sunday, culling the talent down with a dance routine and singing to backing tracks. Only a handful will go to Hollywood for the semifinals.
Buzz watched a couple dozen of the wannabes perform before the judges. Three things got folks eliminated within seconds: a look they didn’t like, bad singing and forgetting the words.
“Learn the lyrics!” judge Ankh Ra Amenhetep would say over and over.
Among the songs some contestants mauled were “End of the Road” by Boyz II Men, “Can You Stand the Rain” by New Edition and “My Cherie Amour” by Stevie Wonder.
Michael Woodard of Palm Beach, Fla., had gotten cut in Orlando and came to Atlanta to try again. Gibson remembered him from the previous audition, noting, “Eye of the tiger, heart of a lion!” She then had him take off his choker, thinking it was constricting his singing.
The choker-less Woodard started tentatively but ended strong. The judges gave him a second chance. “You’ve got to get your energy up,” she advised. “I need more eye of the tiger!”
Fugees popular
Clarkston’s Fugees youth soccer team got a warm welcome at the Coastal Georgia Soccer Assocation tournament in Savannah this past weekend.
News of The New York Times’ recent story about the team and a subsequent $3 million movie deal had everyone in Savannah asking, “Where are the Fugees at?” said Beth Wasdin, tournament program director.
“Several have called wanting to have them over for dinner,” she said. “They’re like the most popular team here.”
Savannah residents came out with handmade signs welcoming the team, which is made up of refugee children from many countries, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia, Sudan and Iraq.
New York Times reporter Warren St. John plans to write a book about the Fugees, and the proposed movie will follow the struggles of coach Luma Mufleh, 31, in building the team and finding a permanent soccer field to use in Clarkston.
St. John, taking a break from reporting, was cheering the team on at the tournament. He declined to discuss statements by the mayor of Clarkston, who issued a release saying that the Times article had taken comments out of context. “I’m confident our story is accurate,” St. John said.
Mufleh clarified previous reports, saying the $500,000 from the movie deal will not go to buy real estate for a soccer field but instead will go to the Fugee Families Foundation, which will help not only with soccer, but with the greater needs of refugee families, such as education, health, employment and affordable housing.
Whitney’s prizes
That classy publication the National Enquirer picked up a few baubles from the recent Whitney Houston auction in New Jersey and is giving them away as prizes to lucky readers. The former Alpharetta resident had allegedly owed a storage facility more than $150,000. Among the prizes: pink silk-floral-print cropped pants by Dolce & Gabbana, an elegant white, crystal-studded belt and a thin crystal belt with matching choker.
The tabloid lawyers included this disclamer: “Not affiliated, sponsored, endorsed or associated with Whitney Houston.”
High Five
Top 5 search terms on Yahoo
For the week of Jan. 22
1. Paris Hilton
2. Britney Spears
3. Internal Revenue Service
4. Beyoncé Knowles
5. Lindsay Lohan
— Yahoo!
Late night jokes
“Is everyone excited about the Academy Awards? Helen Mirren was nominated for a tremendous role. She plays a stubborn, out-of-touch queen … I believe it’s based on the story of Elton John.”
— David Letterman
” A recent survey of drivers and their distractions found that 68 percent of drivers eat meals while driving; 73 percent talk on the phone while driving. Here’s the scary part: 98 percent filled out the survey while driving.”
— Jay Leno
Celebrity birthdays
Actor John Forsythe is 89. Actor Tom Selleck is 62. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 53. Actor Nicholas Turturro (“NYPD Blue”) is 45. Actress Sara Gilbert (“ER,” “Roseanne”) is 32.
Contributing: Reagan Walker 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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Panda cub learns how to play hostess
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cribbing a page from the successful playbooks of the Georgia Aquarium and the High Museum of Art, Zoo Atlanta will soon begin offering online ticketed reservations for its new star, Mei Lan, the baby panda.
Zoo fans will have an opportunity to “make an appointment to see Mei Lan,” zoo spokeswoman Susan Elliott told Buzz on Thursday night during a cocktail party for the feted furball.
Alas, the start of the program won’t coincide with warmer temperatures but will rely instead on Mei Lan’s growth.
“Once she feels more comfortable being outside for longer periods of time, we’ll begin to offer the online time-ticketing as an option,” Elliott said. “It could be as early as the next few weeks. We’ll just have to see.”
And while she wasn’t exactly old enough to drink, little Mei Lan did toddle out briefly Thursday night to say hello to her guests before bedtime. About 250 well-wishers turned out for the “Shout for Joy!” gathering.
Chinese lanterns and a generous supply of portable heaters helped to guide chilled guests to the panda habitat and the large heated tent erected for the occasion.
The evening served as a thank-you for the many corporate folks and civic leaders who helped to originally bring the pandas to Atlanta. Honorary chairs included three men who were all instrumental in the international exchange program: former President Jimmy Carter, former U.N. Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
During his brief remarks, Carter (who attended with his 7-year-old grandson, Hugo) informed the crowd that negotiations to bring two giant pandas to Atlanta date back more than 20 years.
Smiling, Carter cracked: “There was an extraordinary amount of money involved. … But we have realized the ultimate dream.” In exchange for his efforts, Carter and Hugo had a few private moments to gaze at Mei Lan through the glass.
“Hugo was delighted,” Carter said. “He’s even missing ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ to come out and see Mei Lan tonight.”
Mayor responds to NYT story
As promised, a statement from Clarkston Mayor Lee Swaney made its way to Buzz Central on Friday. Five days after a prominent New York Times story on the Fugees, a refugee youth soccer team, and its ongoing challenges to playing ball in Clarkston, Swaney is challenging several of the story’s charges. (Clarkston was largely depicted in the article as a good old boy Southern town averse to diversity.)
This week, the movie rights to the story were acquired by Universal Pictures.
Via the statement, Swaney said: “There is a misconception that the Fugees team and soccer in general is banned in the city of Clarkston parks. Please be assured that this is not the case and the Fugees have been practicing on Armstead Field since October 2006. The New York Times reporter repeatedly confuses Milam Park Field — which is dedicated to Little League baseball and unsuitable for soccer — with Armstead Field, which is where the Fugees continue to play. The only limitations we have ever placed on either Armstead Field or Milam Park Field are to restrict the usage to children only.
“We are deeply disappointed in the tone of [reporter Warren] St. John’s article. The report is factually inaccurate and several statements are taken out of context — apparently to present a more dramatic story and arrive at his own conclusions.
“We are very proud of the Fugees’ success, which is a positive outcome from Clarkston being among the most culturally diverse cities in Georgia. The Fugees represent the best of what the human spirit can accomplish by overcoming oppressive conditions in their native countries and coming together in their new community to achieve success through the power of sports and teamwork.”
An e-mail sent to St. John from Buzz seeking comment did not immediately garner a response.
Sick bay
Blues legend B.B. King remained hospitalized for a low-grade fever Friday in Galveston, Texas, following the flu but was in good condition, his management agency said.
The 81-year-old guitarist and singer was expected to be discharged today, a hospital spokesman said. His agency said he plans to perform Tuesday in Fort Worth, Texas.
“He’s doing great,” said Tina France, vice president of Lieberman Management of New York. “He’s in good spirits and cracking jokes.”
King had been scheduled to perform Thursday at the Grand Opera House but was admitted to the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said Paul McCarthy, a nurse administrator.
King, who has a history of diabetes, was taking antibiotics for a 100-degree fever, France said.
Stork report
It’s a girl!
CNN chief medical correspondent-neurosurgeon-professor Dr. Sanjay Gupta and his wife, Rebecca, welcomed their second child Thursday. Sky Anjali Gupta weighed in at 6 pounds, 9 ounces.
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Actor James Cromwell (“24,” “Babe”) is 67. Actress Bridget Fonda is 43. Actor Alan Cumming (“Spy Kids”) is 42. Country singer Tracy Lawrence is 39. Rapper Tricky is 39.
Sunday: Actor Alan Alda is 71. Singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan is 39. Rapper Rakim is 39. Actor Elijah Wood (“The Lord of the Rings”) 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.
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Clarkston’s soccer dispute heads for film
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The announcement issued Thursday by Hollywood trade paper Variety probably won’t increase tourism in Clarkston.
Universal Pictures has netted the rights to make a big-screen version of a story in last Sunday’s New York Times. The lengthy article by Warren St. John chronicled the struggles of the Fugees, a youth soccer club made up of international refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, Burundi, Congo, Liberia, Somalia and Sudan, who now live in Clarkston.
Universal shelled out “$2 million against $3 million for the rights” to the St. John article, according to the trade bible. St. John is also set to turn the story into a book. And the studio snapped up the life rights to the team’s coach, Luma Mufleh.
Placed by resettlement agencies, the boys were banned from playing on a grassy field in the local town park. Last summer, Clarkston Mayor Lee Swaney famously fanned the flames of controversy when he told the AJC: “There will be nothing but baseball and football down there as long as I am mayor.”
If Universal has its Hollywood way, however, the future could be looking less muddy for the 9- to 17-year-old players. As part of the movie deal, the studio has agreed to finance a new soccer field for the players via a $500,000 check.
According to Variety, a bidding war erupted this week on the Left Coast over the story. Columbia Pictures, DreamWorks and Disney vied for the rights before Universal emerged the winner.
Since the film is at least two years away from hitting your local megaplex, Clarkston’s Swaney and any longtime residents resistant to multicultural change, who will inevitably be cast as the villains of the piece, still have time to change the current town slogan: “Clarkston: Small Town, Big Heart.”
A call placed to Clarkston City Hall seeking comment from Swaney was not immediately returned. Buzz was told a news release will be forthcoming, however.
Battle of the briefings?
Flipping through the press kit for this Saturday’s Honda Battle of the Bands (which showcases the best marching bands at the nation’s historically black colleges and universities) at the Georgia Dome downtown, we came upon a curious event.
At 2 p.m., an “African-American Press Briefing” is scheduled. And it’s the only press briefing listed. We rang up the event’s media rep Ronald Childs for details.
“Nobody is being excluded,” Childs explained. “Since the event now attracts press attention from the BBC, NPR, The New York Times and other big media outlets, we just wanted to do something special for media representatives from smaller presses and the college publications. But anyone can attend, I want to make that clear.”
Five-year extension for ‘Bert Show’ star
Bert Weiss, the head of “The Bert Show” on Q100, has agreed to a new five-year deal that will keep him on the station into 2012, according to John Dickey, executive vice president at Atlanta-based Cumulus Broadcasting, which owns the top 40 station.
Management “made an extremely compelling offer for him to stay with the company,” said Weiss’ agent, Bob Eatman. (Weiss is on vacation and couldn’t be reached for comment.)
“The Bert Show,” which has been on Q100 since 2001, regularly outperforms the rest of the station in the ratings and had strong fall numbers, finishing top five in two key demographic groups: 18- to 34-year-olds and 25- to 54-year-olds.
Eatman said Weiss was actively recruited by other radio stations in Atlanta and outside the market. Dickey claims Star 94 chased after Weiss, but Star General Manager Mark Kanov denied that assertion.
The other three core members of “The Bert Show” — Jenn Hobby, Melissa Carter and Jeff Dauler — are under separate contracts.
Sick bay
Actress Nicole Kidman was taken to a hospital Thursday after the Jaguar she was driving crashed during downtown Los Angeles shooting of the science-fiction thriller “The Invasion,” police said.
Kidman was examined at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and released a short time later. She returned to work Thursday.
Kidman plays a psychiatrist who unearths the origin of an alien epidemic, and she was filming a scene depicting an escape from zombielike characters who are on the hood of her car.
Or as Buzz commonly refers to it, Friday night.
Overscene
“Big Brother” reality TV contestant Mike “Boogie” Malin at Cirque du Soleil’s “Corteo” at Atlantic Station being reprimanded by an usher for using his BlackBerry during Wednesday night’s performance. Malin is a co-owner of Dolce, a new Atlantic Station eatery. We’re told that Malin somehow resisted the urge to “CrackBerry” during Act 2.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Paul Newman is 82. Actor David Strathairn is 58. Singer Lucinda Williams is 54. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen is 52. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres is 49. Guitarist Andrew Ridgeley (Wham!) is 44. Actor Paul Johansson (“One Tree Hill”) is 43. Gospel singer Kirk Franklin is 37. Country guitarist Michael Martin of Marshall Dyllon is 24.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Elizabeth Cobb 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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Spice may lose its new chef, get new owner
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With practically every news cycle of late, a different, more salacious rumor regarding Midtown’s Spice restaurant trickles into Buzz Central. So, on Wednesday we rang up owner Bruce Patterson to try to separate fact from fiction. “We’re open, we’ve been open, and we’re staying open,” Patterson told us jovially while whipping up a gourmet feast in his home kitchen.
Whether the Juniper Street dining destination’s future includes Turner South “Home Plate” celebrity chef Marvin Woods, however, is less certain. Last summer, Patterson successfully lured Woods to the property to inject some flavor into the 6-year-old restaurant with his Low Country-Island-African-influenced dishes. Woods officially debuted in the Spice kitchen last fall to mostly positive reviews.
But in recent weeks, Woods has been a vapor trail. “Marvin’s on a break,” Patterson confirmed. “He’s hasn’t formally resigned, and he hasn’t been terminated. He’s on a leave of absence.”
Attempts to reach Woods via his cellphone and e-mail by Buzz were not successful. Patterson said about 50 percent of Woods’ menu remains intact at Spice, “but we’re not featuring Marvin in any of our new advertising.”
One of the wilder rumors of late involves Atlanta rapper-actor Ludacris as a potential buyer of Spice. Patterson confirmed that “people representing Ludacris have been in touch, but there is no signed deal on the table.”
Reps for the rapper-actor strongly hint to us that Luda may be interested, but no deal has been struck.
Patterson told Buzz he owns both the business and the lucrative property at 793 Juniper St. Since he first gutted the former crack house and turned it into a heat-seeking eatery, the neighborhood has gone decidedly upscale, boasting a flurry of other restaurants and boutiques. “I don’t know that we were solely responsible for [the redevelopment], but I’d like to think that Spice helped,” Patterson said.
‘Runaway Bride:The Musical’
Twenty-one months later, the Runaway Bride drama still keeps running. Thanks to Duluth’s Red Clay Theatre, plans are, er, afoot to stage “The Runaway Bride,” tagged as an “unauthorized rock opera.” Writer Jamie Heck, a Duluth resident, said the musical will not be a satire or spoof of the nonwedding between Jennifer Wilbanks and John Mason in April 2005.
Rather, Heck said, the plot revolves more around the community’s reaction to that week’s events — Wilbanks’ disappearance, the search, her return — that turned Duluth into a national soap opera.
Heck said that Wilbanks’ and Mason’s characters will have minor parts and, for legal reasons, won’t even be named. He has not spoken with the parties involved, he said.
“I really want it to be a good story about the community,” Heck said, “and a positive story about the community without it being sappy.”
The musical is scheduled to premiere in October.
A Deen taste test
Paula Deen’s boys are in Atlanta this week filming segments for the second season of their popular Food Network series “Road Tasted.” Savannah’s the Lady & Sons restaurant managers and TV hosts Jamie and Bobby Deen spent Tuesday at the Atlanta bakery of Breadwinner, a brother-sister-wife-owned business started by Geoff Melkonian, his sister, Wendy, and his wife, Katie.
For more than seven hours, the Deens and the Melkonians filmed segments, whipping up loaves of the family’s signature Papa Don’t Peach and Better Than a Bubble Bath Mocha Chocolate Chip breads. The baked goods are available locally at Souper Jenny in Buckhead, Metro Fresh in Midtown, Muss & Turner’s in Smyrna and online at getloafed.com.
“Since they built a family business up as well, they were incredibly supportive and humble,” Geoff Melkonian told us of the Deen brothers Wednesday. “They were guys you would totally watch the game and have a beer with. We spent a lot of the day cutting up with them.”
The segments should air in April.
Neither Geoff nor Wendy is exactly a stranger to the spotlight. As a musician for Five Eight and Josh Joplin, Geoff has appeared on “Late Show With David Letterman” and “Late Night With Conan O’Brien.” Wendy, meanwhile, left the taping session this week to don a nun’s habit as Sister Mary Gabriel in “Sister Act: The Musical” at the Alliance Theatre, which officially opened Wednesday night.
Quote of the day
“I’m only going to fly United from now on.”
— Oscar-nominated “Jesus Camp” documentary filmmaker Heidi Ewing extolling the virtues of the airline in The Washington Post Wednesday. Ewing was flying Tuesday when a United pilot announced to passengers that Ewing had scored the nomination.
Celebrity birthdays
Blues singer Etta James is 69. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young (“Peyton Place”) is 63. Guitarist Matt Odmark of Jars of Clay is 33. Singer Alicia Keys is 26.
Contributing: Ken Sugiura 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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Globe-trotting Turner does a slow fade
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN founder and current bison baron Ted Turner’s nonstop schedule temporarily caught up with him last week at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation at Lake Oconee.
While delivering brief remarks in front of about 125 Ted’s Montana Grill employees last Wednesday night, Turner “slowly went down to the floor,” according to Turner spokesman Phillip Evans, who was standing nearby. After righting himself, Turner, 68, gripped a podium to steady himself as he finished remarks and was eventually helped off the stage by staffers.
“With back-to-back meetings, fatigue and lack of rest, Ted became a little light-headed,” Evans explained. “He is fine, and there is no cause for concern.”
Last week, Turner was subjecting himself to a typically grueling schedule, recently returning from a trip to Argentina.
Turner was said to be out west Tuesday and not available for comment.
“He was simply just trying to do too much,” Evans told Buzz on Tuesday. “A hotel paramedic checked him out, and he was fine. It was more embarrassing than anything. If there was ever a major health issue regarding Ted Turner, you would know about it.”
Hair’s to friendship
Ten-year-old Avondale Estates resident Amoriah Shaw is once again sporting a shorter haircut to school this week. And thankfully, so is her best friend, Emma Wheeler, 9, of Decatur. Almost four years ago, Amoriah donated her hair to be made into a wig for Emma, who was battling leukemia and losing her hair from chemotherapy.
Now, with her cancer in remission, Emma and Amoriah decided to part with 10 inches apiece during a joint hair appointment at Frost salon in Decatur. They donated the hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit that fashions wigs for patients experiencing medical-related hair loss.
“Sometimes I reach down to pull my hair into a ponytail and I forget!” Amoriah told Buzz, giggling Tuesday. “It was great to be able to do this with Emma this time. Before, I was sad to see her sick. This was a lot more fun!”
Brains activity on the increase
The Brains, the Atlanta band that flared briefly in the 1980s with the hit “Money Changes Everything” and then flamed out, is returning, in a sense. The guys plan a one-off gig at Club 29 in Decatur on Saturday that will feature Tom Gray (the brain behind the Brains) singing five or six Brains songs, with backing by the Swimming Pool Qs (fellow exiles from the 1980s Atlanta rock scene), with guest appearances by ex-Brainsmen Charles Wolff (on drums) and perhaps Rick Price (on guitar). Gray, who lately gigs with his chamber blues ensemble Delta Moon, is perplexed but pleased about the redux. “The Brains’ site on MySpace, run by our former fan club president, has more ‘friends’ than Delta Moon does,” he said in a recent e-mail. “Somehow forces I don’t understand are converging.”
Stork report
“Prison Break” actress Sarah Wayne Callies (above) is expecting her first child with husband, Josh Winterhalt, her spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The baby is due in late summer, publicist Jodi Gottlieb told The Associated Press.
Callies, 29, portrays Dr. Sara Tancredi on the Fox drama.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Ernest Borgnine is 90. Cajun fiddler Doug Kershaw is 71. Singer Ray Stevens is 68. Singer Aaron Neville is 66. Singer Neil Diamond is 66. Drummer Keech Rainwater of Lonestar is 44. Singer Pat “Sleepy Brown” is 37. Actress Matthew Lillard (“Scooby Doo,” “She’s All That”) is 37. Actress Mischa Barton (“The O.C.”) is 21.
Contributing: Bo Emerson, Maria Saporta 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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‘GWTW’ trove goes on block
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fans of the book, film and even the architecture of “Gone With the Wind” will want to circle Feb. 11 on their calendars. That’s when “GWTW” memorabilia of all varieties goes on the auction block in Barnesville.
The sale will take place at the Gone With the Wind Hall of Stars Museum, an antebellum mansion owned by “GWTW” actor Fred Crane, who portrayed Brent Tarleton, one half of the film’s Tarleton twins. Film buffs will recall that Crane, then a young man, had the film’s first piece of dialogue.
Crane, 89, wants to slow down and leave the museum and its many artifacts to others. His dream scenario is to sell the property and everything in it to a sole buyer so the museum can continue.
Autographed items by “GWTW” stars Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Butterfly McQueen, Leslie Howard and others are up for grabs along with memorabilia from other stars like Hattie McDaniel.
A rare first edition of Margaret Mitchell’s novel, originally given as a gift by the author to then-Georgia governor E.D. Rivers, is also being sold.
Perhaps the oddest stuff in the collection? Alligator dress shoes and cuff links once owned by “Superman” actor George Reeves. Reeves (originally credited as George Bessolo), played the other Tarleton twin in “GWTW.” Crane and Reeves struck up a lifelong friendship (Reeves even performed best man duties at Crane’s first wedding in 1940).
According to auctioneers, the mansion in Barnesville — located about 35 miles northwest of Macon — was built in 1849 and served as a Confederate headquarters and hospital during the Civil War. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The sale will start at 11 a.m. under a heated tent.
For more info, www.fsagallery.com and www.atlantaauctionco.com.
Good grades
Predictably, the reporter responsible for WGCL’s strangely appetizing “Restaurant Report Card” segments is thrilled that the state’s new restaurant health inspections will contain both a number and a letter grade.
“It’s great for us since viewers will now actually get a letter grade on ‘Restaurant Report Card,’ ” correspondent Adam Murphy told Buzz on Monday. “It won’t really lessen the impact of what we do at all. If anything, it’ll make things clearer to the consumer.”
The new system should be in place by the end of the year.
Murphy says he was disappointed, however, that unlike South Carolina and California, the state is not requiring eateries to post their inspections at the front door. “That would enable diners to make a decision on whether or not they wanted to eat at an establishment before they ever walk in the front door,” he told us.
But Murphy, a self-professed occasional late-night drive-through consumer himself, is pleased about the new mandatory postings at those establishments. “You wouldn’t believe how many e-mails we’ve received from viewers who wanted that information posted there. Before the change, it really was ‘eat at your own risk’ at drive-throughs.”
Thanks from Urban
Keith Urban praised his wife, Nicole Kidman, and thanked his fans for their support during his three-month stay at a rehab center for alcohol abuse treatment, in a video posted on his Web site.
Urban entered the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., on Oct. 19 for what he thought would be a 30-day stay.
The 39-year-old country singer, who has publicly acknowledged a former addiction to cocaine, said he decided to stay for three months because he realized that learning to abstain was only part of the process to recovery.
Celebrity docket
Hotel heiress/reality TV star Paris Hilton was placed on 36 months probation and ordered to pay fines after pleading no contest Monday to alcohol-related reckless driving in Los Angeles, a reduction of an original charge of driving under the influence.
Hilton, 25, did not appear in court. The plea was entered by her attorneys, the city attorney’s office said.
Judge Michael Sauer also ordered her to attend an alcohol rehabilitation program and imposed other conditions.
He gave her the option of reducing her probation to 24 months if she completed 40 hours of community service. No immediate decision was made on that option.
Sick bay
Drummer Travis Barker is leaving a European tour with his new band Plus 44 because of an unhealed fracture in his arm.
The former Blink-182 drummer had been on tour despite a fractured right arm he suffered Sept. 9 while filming a video, according to Interscope Records.
Barker, 31, will return to Los Angeles to be treated. The band, fronted by former Blink-182 singer and bassist Mark Hoppus, has not announced a replacement drummer.
Overscene
Lifestyle guru/rug merchant Martha Stewart dining at Watershed in Decatur; “Amazing Race” reality show winner Reichen Lehmkuhl lunching at Einstein’s in Midtown; and nonpracticing “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” actress Jane Seymour and her “Walk the Line” actor-hubby James Keach at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia in Dunwoody. Seymour’s fave room service order? Coffee.
Quote of the day
“It was pretty disheartening to be objectified like that.” — Actor Leonardo DiCaprio reflecting on his horrid life as a supermodel serial-dating heartthrob after the success of “Titanic” in 1997.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Chita Rivera is 74. Singer Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters is 59. Keyboardist Danny Federici of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band is 57. Actor Richard Dean Anderson (“MacGyver”) is 57.Singer-guitarist Robin Zander of Cheap Trick is 54. Actress Gail O’Grady (“American Dreams,” “NYPD Blue”) is 44. Actress Mariska Hargitay (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 43. Actress Tiffani Thiessen (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 33.
Contributing: 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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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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With rug’s unveiling, Martha’s got it covered
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Normally, the press folks covering functions at AmericasMart downtown have a fairly serene assignment. Not so, Friday night when folks from Rug Insider Magazine, Rug News.com and yes, Buzz, gathered to chronicle the debut of Martha Stewart Rugs by Safavieh.
Natch, the lifestyle guru herself was on hand to introduce the stylish area rugs that will retail for $6OO to $3,3OO.
At a ritzy private reception at the Capital City Club across the street later, Stewart, clad in a white blouse, tan sweater and leather pants invited us to sit down for a quick chat. Of her new New York Times bestseller, “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook,” Stewart told Buzz: “When I got married I was given a copy of ‘Mrs. Beaton’s Household Management,’ written in 1861. I’ve been working on this update of that book all my life.”
Stewart says when women joined the workforce, housekeeping traditions were lost in the dust.
“I realized young people my daughter’s age had none of this information.” In the 7OO plus page tome, Stewart even provides a cease fire solution on how to properly load a dishwasher.
“I love domestic bliss,” she said. “Hopefully, the dishwasher information can help inspire that. Thankfully, since my divorce, I don’t have any of that worry.”
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Former DJ gets his shot on ‘Prison Break’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When the Fox drama “Prison Break” resumes at 8 Monday night, fugitive brothers Michael Scofield and Lincoln Burrows have a new nemesis to worry about —Atlanta actor and former Dave FM morning man Steve Barnes.
“I play a Secret Service agent named Drucker,” Barnes said Friday. So far, Barnes has flown to Dallas to shoot two episodes of the addictive drama.
“Essentially, I come in and keep giving [another agent] bad news, and he’s not happy about it.”
Barnes, a big fan of the show, is having a blast.
“It’s a total roller-coaster ride of a show,” he said. “So far, I’m just shooting on a soundstage office set in Dallas. The joke on the set is you don’t want to get a script where you’re running around outside shooting [exteriors]. That usually means you’re dead!”
Barnes’ episodes air Monday and Jan. 29.
One for the books
Like any good publicist, Larry Lowenstein was all about getting ink for his client, not himself. That meant Lowenstein routinely kept us updated on Kennesaw State University, where he served as media coordinator for years. That’s also what makes his new memoir, “Famous People Who Knew Me” (Humanics Publishing), such a surprise.
Before his career in Atlanta, as it turns out, Lowenstein worked for CBS during its infancy in the 1950s (bumping into Edward R. Murrow, Ed Sullivan, Walter Cronkite, Mike Wallace and others) before helping to establish the New York offices of Rogers & Cowan, where Zsa Zsa Gabor, Doris Day, Natalie Wood, Vivien Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor were clients.
And like any savvy press agent, Lowenstein has managed to stage a glitzy release party for the tome despite the inconvenient fact that he passed away last fall at the age of 86.
Today, his widow, Joyce Lowenstein, and a small mob of friends will gather from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Ansley Mall Chapter 11 Books in Midtown to toast the publication of Larry’s last project.
While the book is positively bursting with celeb stories, our fave has to be Lowenstein greeting Taylor and new hubby Eddie Fisher at a New York airport as the Hollywood couple embarked on their 1959 honeymoon.
Upon meeting Lowenstein on the tarmac, Taylor threw two furs over each of his arms and then handed over her makeup kit, warning him not to let it out of his sight because “it contains every piece of jewelry I own!” Then Taylor, Fisher and their entourage promptly departed, stranding the young PR agent with two furs, Taylor’s entire white diamond collection and zero modes of transportation.
Actor apologizes
The drama behind the scenes at ABC’s top show, “Grey’s Anatomy,” continued to rival the show’s on-screen plot complications Friday with the network and “Grey’s” actor Isaiah Washington both issuing apologies.
“We are greatly dismayed that Mr. Washington chose to use such inappropriate language at the Golden Globes, language that he himself deemed ‘unfortunate’ in his previous public apology,” the network said in a statement. “His actions are unacceptable and are being addressed.”
During a backstage interview Monday at the Globes gala, Washington denied making an anti-gay remark about co-star T.R. Knight last October. In front of scores of media at the awards, he inexplicably used the six-letter f-word again.
In his apology, Washington acknowledged “repeating the word Monday night.”
“I apologize to T.R., my colleagues, the fans of the show and especially the lesbian and gay community for using a word that is unacceptable in any context or circumstance. I marred what should have been a perfect night for everyone who works on ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ I can neither defend nor explain my behavior. I can also no longer deny to myself that there are issues I obviously need to examine within my own soul, and I’ve asked for help.”
Trump fined for flag
Officials in the ritzy coastal town of Palm Beach, Fla., have voted to fine Donald Trump $1,250 a day for flying a large American flag atop an 80-foot flagpole at his lavish club in violation of town codes.
Code enforcement officials have accused the 60-year-old real-estate mogul of violating zoning guidelines with a flagpole taller than 42 feet, for not obtaining a building permit, and for not getting permission from the landmarks board.
Trump has refused to take down the flag. He has also filed a $25 million lawsuit against the town arguing, in part, that officials are selectively enforcing ordinances and that flying the American flag at his Mar-a-Lago club is a constitutionally protected expression of free speech.
“The town council of Palm Beach should be ashamed of itself,” Trump told The Associated Press. “They’re fining me for putting up the American flag. This is probably a first in United States history.”
Trump’s club hoisted the 15-by-25-foot flag atop the 80-foot pole at the sprawling waterfront site on Oct 3. The town had given him until Nov. 27 to remove the flag or apply for approvals.
“I think Mr. Trump, the property owner, picked this fight. I think he’s been provocative,” said Martin Fried, a member of the town’s Code Enforcement Board.
Officials voted Thursday to fine Trump.
Trump said he wouldn’t pay any fines and would keep the flag flying.
“It’s all up in the court,” he said. “It’ll be a long time, unfortunately.”
High five
Top downloaded movies at iTunes on Friday
1. “Jackass: The Movie”
2. “Mean Girls”
3. “Zoolander”
4. “South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut”
5. “The Italian Job”
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Singer Slim Whitman is 83. Actress Patricia Neal is 81. Director David Lynch is 61. Guitarist Paul Stanley of Kiss is 55. TV host Bill Maher is 51. Actor James Denton (“Desperate Housewives”) is 44. Country singer John Michael Montgomery is 42. Actor Rainn Wilson (“The Office”) is 39. Singer Edwin McCain is 37. Actor Skeet Ulrich (“Jericho”) is 37.
Sunday: Singer Richie Havens is 66. Actress Geena Davis is 51. Drummer Mark Trojanowski of Sister Hazel is 37.
Contributing: 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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Hines Ward and mom do Super Bowl shoot at Botanical Garden
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hines Ward and his mother, Kim Young-hee, were at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Midtown, shooting a segment with CBS Sports for the Feb. 4 Super Bowl XLI pre-game show. We’re told producers even shot Ward’s baby photos for the piece.
Bridal shop moving
Anne Barge is moving her bridal operation from a Midtown hotel to a former Buckhead bank building. The new store, Anne Barge Atelier, opens Feb. 5 at 79 W. Paces Ferry Road, at the corner of Paces Ferry Place.
It will be across the street from the plush St. Regis Hotel, which is scheduled to open in 2008. “My lease was up at the Four Seasons [a space atop the hotel], and I needed more room,” said Barge, who designed the wedding gown for Violet Chang, wife of boxer Lennox Lewis. “And I’m going back home to my old street.” From 1981 to 1995, the designer owned a bridal shop on Paces Ferry Place.
Her 5,000-square-foot emporium will feature cafe au lait-colored walls accented with off-white Corinthian columns and black touches. A 40-foot brick runway will allow brides to imagine walking down the aisle on their big day. In addition to her own designs, Barge will carry the Badgley Mischka bridal collection, as well as accessories and flower girl dresses.
And, if any bride is in a hurry or is worried about storing her dress, Barge’s new shop will boast a drive-through window and a vault — courtesy of former owners.
‘Mansion Madam’ returns to stage
She was dressed like a cowboy — sort of. At least like a cowboy who favored black sequins but not pants.
That’s how Lisa Ann Taylor, the so-called “Mansion Madam” of Gwinnett County, brought her newfound notoriety to a strip club Thursday night.
Taylor — better known by her stage name, Melissa Wolf — said she returned to adult entertainment for income after her arrest made it difficult to sell real estate.
The 42-year-old Taylor danced Thursday at the Toy Chest near Detroit. She also will appear this weekend at Cheetah’s of Windsor in Canada. A sign outside the Cheetah’s Club in Ontario last week advertised Taylor as the “Mansion Madam” Melissa Wolf.
Taylor faces up to 37 years in prison on charges of running a call-girl operation from her Sugarloaf Country Club home in Duluth. She said in an interview this week that the recent attention has rekindled interest in her career.
Sick bay
Actress Lindsay Lohan, 20, has checked into rehab.
“I have made a proactive decision to take care of my personal health. I appreciate your well wishes and ask that you please respect my privacy at this time,” the actress said in a statement issued through publicist Leslie Sloane Zelnick.
Us Weekly reports that Lohan entered the posh Wonderland Center in Los Angeles at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, arriving in a sports utility vehicle and clutching a Jamba Juice. Zelnick confirmed to The Associated Press in December that Lohan was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Last July, Lohan was treated at a Los Angeles area hospital for overheating and dehydration on the set of “Georgia Rule,” the upcoming Garry Marshall-directed film that stars Atlantan Jane Fonda.
‘Homekeeping’ hint of the day
(From Page 229) “How to Clean a Telephone: Moisten a cloth with dishwashing liquid solution and wipe the surface of the telephone. For hard-to-reach spots, use cotton swabs dipped in rubbing alcohol.” — From “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook.” The lifestyle guru signs the 744-page guide Saturday at the Lenox Square Williams-Sonoma store.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Jean Stapleton is 84. Actress Tippi Hedren is 77. Singer Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers is 68. Country singer Dolly Parton is 61. Actor Paul McCrane (“24”) is 46. Actress Drea de Matteo (“The Sopranos”) is 35.
Contributing: Jennifer Brett, Marylin Johnson, George Chidi 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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Carters readying charitable cradle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter have selected a decidedly warmer climate for their 15th annual Winter Weekend benefit for the Carter Center. The couple’s usual ski weekend in Crested Butte, Colo., has been swapped in favor of a Jan. 30-Feb. 3 weekend at Club Med in Cancun, Mexico.
One aspect of the fund-raiser that hasn’t changed? President Carter is offering one of his exclusive woodworking projects as the signature piece in the weekend’s live auction. This year, Carter has handcrafted a baby cradle fashioned out of tiger wood that is 43 inches tall, 19.5 inches wide and 35 inches long.
Deep-pocketed donors only need apply, however. Last year’s 6-foot wooden cabinet by Carter fetched a $1 million winning bid. Value placed on this year’s donation: $100,000.
“Rosalynn and I are deeply grateful for those who provide critical support to help make a difference around the world,” Carter told Buzz via a statement from the Carter Center. “Their contributions inspired the Carter Center to face new challenges to improve life for the world’s poorest and most forgotten people.”
For folks who actually have caps on their credit limits, the live auction also features less expensive items, including a fly-fishing weekend with the Carters and pal Ted Turner for $10,000, two bottles of red wine made by the president “using traditional family methods” for $1,000 a bottle and a Savannah weekend featuring a dinner with Food Network phenom and presidential pal Paula Deen valued at $2,000. For info: www.cartercenter.org.
Beloved stuffed animal missing
A recent AJC lost and found classified ad had us scratching our heads here at Buzz Central. The three-line ad read: “Stuffed bluebird, 7-inches, lost at the airport wearing blue soccer uniform. 404-486-9751.” When we rang the number listed, Atlanta mom Angela McKinnon answered. As it turns out, the missing bird is McKinnon’s 9-year-old daughter Delaney Stewart’s favorite stuffed animal. “She dropped him at Hartsfield-Jackson when we were coming back from a trip over New Year’s,” McKinnon told Buzz Wednesday. “She’s had him since she was 1. He’s really like a member of the family. We would rather have lost all of our luggage. Delaney cried herself to sleep over it.”
The ad for the well-worn Precious Moments Tender Tail plush toy has already inspired one prank call “from someone saying they were holding him hostage,” McKinnon says. The family has printed reward posters and is offering $200 for the safe return of the beloved stuffed toy.
‘Homekeeping’ hint of the day
(From Page 84) “How to Load the Dishwasher: Delicate dishes and glassware should be placed in upper rack.”
— From “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook.” The lifestyle guru signs books Saturday at the Lenox Square Williams-Sonoma store.
Quote of the day
“I’m going to be really honest right now: He needs to just not speak in public. Period. T.R. is my best friend. I will use every ounce of energy I have to take you down if you hurt his feelings.”
—“Grey’s Anatomy” actress Katherine Heigl backstage at the Golden Globes after co-star Isaiah Washington once again used an f-word in relation to gay “Grey’s Anatomy” actor T.R. Knight
Celebrity birthdays
Actor-director Kevin Costner is 52. Country singer Mark Collie is 51. Actress Jane Horrocks (“Absolutely Fabulous”) is 43. Comedian Dave Attell (“Insomniac”) is 42. Actor Jesse L. Martin (“Law and Order,” “Rent”) is 38. Singer Jonathan Davis of Korn is 36. Actor Jason Segel (“How I Met Your Mother” ) is 27.
Contributing: 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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Martha will clean up at Atlanta book signing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As you might expect, there will be a few rules in place when Martha Stewart pops into the Lenox Square Williams-Sonoma store on Saturday to liberate fans of $45 apiece.
We’re told that only 350 customers will have the opportunity to meet the lifestyle guru when she signs copies of “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home” (Potter, $45), a weighty 744-page tome that doubles as a home gym.
Fans must purchase the book in advance from Williams-Sonoma and must turn up with a proof-of-purchase receipt. Also, you have to call in advance at 404-812-1703 to get placed on a list for a ticket to the book signing. (On Tuesday, spaces remained on the list.) Fans are also asked to refrain from taking pictures.
The book is on The New York Times Best Sellers list. And Stewart’s rep Katie Goldberg told us Tuesday that Stewart’s two previous events with Williams-Sonoma drew sold-out crowds.
So in exchange for $45, exactly what kind of advice does Stewart dispense to you? It just so happens, a copy of the “Homekeeping Handbook” thudded into Buzz Central on Tuesday. All week (as a public service, natch), we’ll whet your appetite with snippets from it, leading up to Stewart’s visit to the ATL.
Today’s tip (from Page 64): “How to Wash Dishes by Hand: Wash one piece at a time. Rub the dish with a cloth or sponge while revolving it with the other hand, working from the center of the dish outward. Turn the dish over and repeat.”
Here comes the … new wedding mag
Atlanta magazine announced Tuesday that it will add to its publishing lineup in July with the debut of Atlanta Weddings. And the name at the top of the masthead is a familiar one to longtime residents. Susan Forehand, who served as Saks Fifth Avenue’s Atlanta PR director for two decades, has been named editor in chief of the twice-a-year glossy.
“Susan Forehand will be the most distinguishable characteristic of Atlanta Weddings,” says Atlanta publisher Sean McGinnis. “Her name speaks of class, elegance and sophistication, and we are so excited to have her joining our team. Already, she has created a foundation for the magazine that will be unique to the Southern bride.”
We’re praying that Forehand’s “foundation” has nothing to do with the electric slide. …
Hot flashes to continue in Feb.
Contrary to what has been previously reported, Atlanta is not quite through “Menopause” yet. We were notified Tuesday that the popular musical at 14th Street Playhouse that’s been running for 21 months will not close Sunday, after all. Due to “overwhelming demand,” the show will move from its current home at Stage 2 and will reopen in the larger Stage 1 on Feb. 1. “Menopause the Musical” is now set to run through Feb. 25.
A peek at Posh before it opens
Over the weekend, select scribbler types and some lucky local chefs had the opportunity to snag an advance taste of what Atlanta chef Tom Catherall is planning for his inaugural menu at Posh in Buckhead occupying the former Seeger’s space. Repast’s Joseph Truex, Bluepointe’s Doug Turbush and Aria’s Gerry Klaskala were among those sampling courses of ham knuckle and foie gras terrine, Mediterranean fish soup with roasted shrimp, curry-dusted monkfish in mussels broth and braised short ribs of beef on a celery root puree. Posh opens to the public Wednesday night. Phone: 404-869-0777.
Quote of the day
“Maybe I should see it with my lawyer.” — Diana Ross on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday on the Supreme-ly inspired “Dreamgirls” film that Ross claims she has yet to partake of.
Celebrity docket
Bejeweled BlackBerry tosser Naomi Campbell copped to attempting to brain her maid — sort of — pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault in a New York court Tuesday.
“I threw a cellphone in the apartment. The cellphone hit Ana,” Campbell told Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Robert Mandelbaum. “This was an accident because I did not intend to hit her.”
Campbell, 36, hit Ana Scolavino in the back of the head with the communications contraption in the model’s Manhattan apartment last March. Scolavino was treated for a head injury.
In exchange for her guilty plea, Campbell must pay Scolavino’s medical expenses of $363, do five days of community service and attend a two-day anger management program.
Outside the courthouse, her lawyer David Breitbart said: “I’m hopeful she can do the community service indoors.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Betty White is 85. Actress-singer Eartha Kitt is 80. Actor James Earl Jones is 76. Talk show host Maury Povich is 68. Actor-comedian Steve Harvey is 50. Actor Jim Carrey is 45. Actor Joshua Malina (“The West Wing,” “Sports Night”) is 41. Actor Naveen Andrews (“Lost”) is 38. Musician Kid Rock is 36. Actor Freddy Rodriguez (“Six Feet Under”) is 32.
Contributing: 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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Special Golden Globes edition
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Living the dream
Simon Cowell, the curmudgeon on “American Idol,” was not always a big fan of Jennifer Hudson when she competed. But several years later, after winning the Golden Globes’ best supporting actress award for her role in “Dreamgirls,” she was ready to send him a message.
“You like my award, Simon?” Hudson said with an impish grin, posing with the award like a pageant winner just moments after her win Monday night in Los Angeles.
Nonetheless, Hudson — who came in a distant seventh in 2004 on “Idol” and had struggled to make an impression since — came across as truly humbled by the victory, even if it had been considered preordained in recent weeks.
“Just hearing that I would be considered was enough for me,” she said. “This was something I totally didn’t expect.”
Hudson said before “Dreamgirls,” acting wasn’t high on her priority list, but “this just gave me the confidence to carry on. I found a new love for acting.”
And will she be watching “Idol” tonight when it launches its sixth season? “I will be on a plane headed overseas,” she noted. “But my sister is always there to keep me updated and texting me. Or e-mailing me. Roaming [cost] is too high!”
‘House’ call
Hugh Laurie said winning a Globe for the second time for his role as the irresistibly unlikable diagnostician on Fox’s “House” was like taking a parachute jump a second time.
“You can’t be blasé about it,” he said. “It’s still a parachute jump. … It’s undiminished. It was really an exciting thing. It still is.”
But at the same time, “I actually feel positively guilty. I don’t know what I should do,” he said, fingering the trophy. “I should find some charitable purpose for it.”
Asked about his turn on the red carpet earlier, he said it was easy for him because he trailed superstars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. “I surfed the wave. I was like an old plastic bag just bobbing along. I let them tow me along. People were going crazy with pictures of the two of them together, which they seemed reluctant to give.”
Murphy’s law
After a reporter suggested Globe winner Eddie Murphy (best supporting actor for “Dreamgirls”) had been pigeonholed into family films such as “Dr. Dolittle” and “Daddy Day Care,” Murphy bristled.
“I never thought of myself as being pigeonholed,” he harrumphed. “I’ve been making movies 25 years. I’ve been trying to do different things. … I can’t keep doing ‘Beverly Hills Cop.’ If you look at all my movies from ‘48 Hours’ to now, it’s pretty diverse.”
He loosened up a few minutes later when asked if after singing in “Dreamgirls,” he planned to revive his brief, oft-mocked 1980s music career. “That’s pretty much dead,” he said, with a sly grin. “‘Party All the Time 2’ will not be happening.”
Behind the scenes
Toughest media question of the night posed to Meryl Streep, winner of best actress in a musical or comedy for “The Devil Wears Prada”: “You look 25 years old tonight! You look fabulous!” Wait, that wasn’t a question. But she did respond: “You must be way in the back!”
“This show has been such an amazing gift, an unexpected gift, which is the very, very best kind.” — Kyra Sedgwick, TV drama actress winner for TNT’s “The Closer,” in which she plays Atlanta-turned-L.A. cop Brenda Johnson.
“Now I’m a foreign director. I’ve got to learn some languages.” — Clint Eastwood, after his film “Letters from Iwo Jima” won for best foreign language film.
No love lost
Warren Beatty, who received a lifetime achievement award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, was not in much of a mood to banter about his love life when he met the media, something presenter Tom Hanks spent several minutes doing on stage. Did he mind the focus on his infamous reputation?
His answer? “Um … no.”
Another reporter tried again: “Can you comment on the double standard that men are applauded for being great lovers but women are considered slutty?”
Beatty arched an eyebrow and replied: “I think that changed in the ’60s and ’70s. A lot of men are called slutty. I don’t know if I concur with your definition.”
Celebrity birthdays
Country singer Ronnie Milsap is 64. Country singer Jim Stafford is 63. Talk show host Dr. Laura Schlessinger is 60. Director John Carpenter is 59. Actress-dancer Debbie Allen is 57. Singer Sade is 48. Singer Maxine Jones of En Vogue is 41. Actor David Chokachi (“Baywatch”) is 39. Actor Richard T. Jones (“Judging Amy”) is 35. Supermodel Kate Moss is 33. Guitarist Nick Valensi of the Strokes 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.
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‘Unity Party’ seeks to integrate Atlanta club scene
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Q1OO and V1O3 threw a “Unity Party” at Lotus Lounge in Buckhead.
The goal: To bring some diversity to the city’s segregated club scene.
Jenni Girtman / Staff
Tiffany Wright (from left), Merilee Durgan and Angela J. Dennis relax at the Unity Party at Lotus Lounge.
Whether that goal was accomplished, depended on who you talked to. Noting the absence of white party-goers at the beginning of the evening, Angela J. Dennis told Buzz: “I’m disappointed by the lack of the diversity.”
Dennis is from Chicago, and friends Merilee Durgan and Tiffany Wright hail from New York. The issue is unique to Atlanta, the trio said.
Said Durgan: “It’s about history and how this city can’t let go of it. It’s really sad it’s this way in Dr. King’s hometown. This tonight is just one big chocolate cookie with a couple of (white) chips thrown in.”
Lotus owner Donna Frederick was more hopeful. “It’s a great idea for a party,” she said. “We have an incredibly diverse city. Let’s celebrate it.”
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Designer’s show gets slice of upper crust
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Our jaw doesn’t often come unhinged here at Buzz Central. However, this week, after we got a gander at the host committee for the upcoming “Marching Band Glam” Pecan Pie Couture fashion show and benefit, the company nurse had to be summoned.
To unveil his summer 2007 fashion line, Pecan Pie Couture owner and chief designer Clint Zeagler reached out to veteran fund-raisers Carey Carter and Kevin Knaus and artist pals Carolyn Carr and Michael Gibson. The foursome then rolled through their Rolodexes and started dialing influential friends to form the event’s host committee.
For the Feb. 1 gala at the Grady High School gym, the quartet came up with a gaggle of guests even the most connected of the city’s fund-raisers would drool over, including Sandra Baldwin, Denise Cohen, Tony Conway and Steve Walsh, Jeff and Susan Dunn, Mark Edge, Aida Flamm, Drs. Nancy and Jeffrey Gallups, Fay Gold, Angela and Pano Karatassos, Marilyn Krone, Harriet and Henry Leibowitz, Alissa Portman, Elizabeth and Thomas Roth and John Williams.
The evening will feature Zeagler’s latest designs modeled by members of the Atlanta Ballet, a performance by the Grady High Marching Band and an appearance by the self-proclaimed Atlanta ambassador of mirth, Baton Bob. All proceeds from the $15 ticket price will go to benefit Grady’s Urban Couture fashion program.
“It’s not even an A-list crowd, it’s an A-plus crowd,” Carter told Buzz on Friday. “Everyone is just excited to be part of something so fresh, innovative and cutting edge. No one even thought about saying no. Besides, Clint is describing the event as ‘20 percent tacky, 30 percent cheeky, 100 percent Southern and 100 percent love.’ How many designers have the [gumption] to be that honest?”
Added Knaus: “It’s just completely different, and people responded to Clint’s energy. I’m going to support anything that helps the city’s designers and fashion industry.”
When Zeagler finally had a moment to dial us back late Thursday night, he conceded: “I’m a little nervous now. I don’t know exactly who everybody is on that list, but I know they’re important. I don’t want to mess this up!”
Each member of the host committee was asked to invite 10 friends. The result? The event is practically sold out (any last-minute tickets will be made available at pecanpiecouture.com).
And to think, Buzz witnessed Knaus and Carter first being introduced to the budding young designer last fall at the Four Seasons hotel. …
Not-so-sterling PR
The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau received some assistance Friday when the BBC finally began reporting on the recent arrest of Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, the visiting British historian jaywalker cuffed and sent to the pokey by Atlanta police last week.
On its Web site Friday, BBC News wrote about the colorful incident under the headline: “What Every Brit Should Know About Jaywalking: In the U.K., No One Would Bat an Eyelid. In Atlanta, You Could Be Wrestled to the Ground.” The BBC faithfully recounted the incident well-covered in the AJC, while managing to extract a juicy new detail from Fernandez-Armesto.
The BBC reported that not only did Atlanta police officer Kevin Leonpacher arrest Fernandez-Armesto, but he also “confiscated his box of peppermints.” In an interview with the Times in London, meanwhile, Fernandez-Armesto said that his colleagues now regard him “as a combination of Rambo, because it took five cops to pin me to the ground, and Perry Mason, because my eloquence before a judge obtained my immediate release.”
While it’s not against the law there, Buzz can report from personal experience that we’ve never attempted jaywalking in the U.K. The onslaught of small European cars whizzing past us on the wrong side of the street at dizzying speeds usually results in us calling a cab.
Ah, to be 16 again
Apparently the party just doesn’t stop for some privileged teenagers. First Atlanta’s Allison Mathis was chosen by MTV to have her birthday party recorded for its “My Super Sweet 16” show. Entertainment mogul Jermaine Dupri made an appearance, hip-hop group G-Unit performed, WXIA-TV covered it as news, and Mom and Dad handed her the keys to a brand-new Mercedes SUV. Then just this past week, the Paideia student was interviewed on the cable channel’s “TRL” countdown show. And on Monday night, the daughter of entertainment attorney Charles and Cyndi Mathis will have 200 or so folks over at Justin’s Restaurant & Bar in Buckhead for a viewing party of her episode, complete with red carpet.
All this made us wonder what she hopes for her 17th. “I’m not really tired of celebrating my 16th yet,” Mathis told Buzz on Friday (her birthday was Aug. 26). “But as for my 17th birthday, really, I’m kind of looking past that, to college.”
Stork report
It’s a girl!
Former “Married With Children” TV mom Katey Sagal, 49, and her writer-producer husband, Kurt Sutter, 43, welcomed their first child together on Wednesday, Sagal’s publicist Cara Tripicchio said.
Daughter Esme Louise Sutter was born via a surrogate in Los Angeles, Tripicchio said.
Sagal also has a 12-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son from a previous marriage.
Quote of the day
“I can do more than imagine.”
— Actor Peter O’Toole, 74, on Friday’s edition of “The View” when asked if he could imagine himself taking up with a 19-year-old woman like his randy character in the upcoming film “Venus.”
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Actor Charles Nelson Reilly is 76. Comedian Rip Taylor is 73. Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Seinfeld”) is 46. Country singer Trace Adkins is 45. Actor Patrick Dempsey is 41. Actor Orlando Bloom is 30.
Sunday: “60 Minutes” commentator Andy Rooney is 88. Actress Faye Dunaway is 66. Actress Holland Taylor (“Two and a Half Men”) is 64. Actor Carl Weathers is 59. Rapper LL Cool J is 39. Actor Jason Bateman is 38. Musician Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters is 38.
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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Film’s seeking recruit to play Heisman barrier-breaker
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Possibly working off of the mojo generated by the filming of “We Are Marshall” here last year, casting directors are coming to Atlanta on Monday, seeking a young football-playing actor to portray Ernest Davis, the first African-American football player to be awarded the Heisman Trophy.
“It’s a bit of a narrow field,” casting director Mark Fincannon conceded Thursday. “He’s got to excel both as an athlete and as an actor. This kid went through the deepest levels of emotion any of us could ever go through. Because of that, we’re probably leaning more to the acting side for this role.”
The rugged, 6-foot-3, 212-pound Syracuse University running back was awarded the Heisman in 1961. Signed by the Cleveland Browns, Davis had a bright future but was diagnosed with leukemia before his first pro game.
The Universal film “The Express,” starring Dennis Quaid and to be directed by Gary Fleder (who did “Runaway Jury” and “Kiss the Girls”), is scheduled to shoot this spring. Casting folks are looking for a 19- to 24-year-old for the role.
As he roams the Southeast looking for someone to portray Davis, Fincannon found himself checking out Monday night’s BCS title game. Florida junior Brandon Siler, in particular, caught his eye, he says.
“We’re trying to reach out to him,” says Fincannon. “In terms of physical appearance, [former Georgia star] Herschel Walker reminds me of Ernie Davis.”
Because of college football rules, a graduated college senior or someone who does not plan to play pro is being sought.
Fincannon and company will be auditioning Monday at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Buckhead.
To schedule an appointment, call 910-251-1500 or e-mail photos and specs to mark@fincannoncasting.com.
Whittemore’s woes
Soon-to-be-former Libby’s Cabaret owner Libby Whittemore first got clued in about a potential problem involving her club’s credit card machines’ maladies when a grateful customer e-mailed her this week.
The message read: “We had a really great evening on Dec. 30, but I think that you picking up the tab was going a little far!”
Because of a technological glitch, 30 credit card transactions input on the supper club’s next-to-last night of business resulted in a bookkeeping nightmare for Whittemore.
This week, she sent out an e-mail plea to customers who used plastic on that evening to check their credit card statements to see if their accounts have been properly billed.
Some folks, you see, actually received a credit to their account instead of a debit.
Sighed Whittemore: “This is the [stuff] I won’t miss!” If you have any questions regarding your Dec. 30 bill, Whittemore asks that you phone her at 404-869-4748.
Flash on the phone
Considering the wizardry he applies to two turntables, you would think Grandmaster Flash would have no problem with one simple phone.
The thing is, the DJ tells Buzz, it’s been ringing constantly since Monday. That’s when the news hit that he and his hip-hop groupmates the Furious Five, Athens rockers R.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith and the Ronettes would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. “Ever since then it’s been like ‘Hey, you’ve got to talk to this person!’ ‘Hey, this person has a question for you! Hey! Hey! Hey! Ring! Ring! Ring!’ ” he said from his New York home.
“This is like the final frontier of acceptance for hip-hop,” Flash continued. “It’s a big day for graphic artists. A big day for breakers. A big day for MCs. A big day for DJs. It’s waaaayyyy bigger than just my group. … And I’m the oddball in there, for real. Everybody else got in holding that microphone, or they played their form of instrument. I’m the only one in it that plays turntables. I don’t mind being that oddball at all though!”
Coupling
“According to Jim” actress Courtney Thorne-Smith married her boyfriend, agent Roger Fishman, on New Year’s Day, her spokesman confirmed this week.
Thorne-Smith, 39, and Fishman wed “at her home in a small, private ceremony,” publicist Jim Broutman said. He declined to give further details.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Kirstie Alley is 56. Political commentator Rush Limbaugh is 56. Country singer Ricky Van Shelton is 55. Radio personality Howard Stern (left) is 53. News correspondent Christiane Amanpour is 49. Actor Oliver Platt is 47. Singer Rob Zombie is 41. Singer Zack de la Rocha (Rage Against the Machine) is 37. Singer Dan Haseltine of Jars of Clay is 34.
Quote of the Day
“We truly have lost a pioneer. Now it’s our turn to keep the funk alive.”
— Former Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake (in Entertainment Weekly) on the passing of James Brown, inadvertently strengthening speculation that the ex-‘N Sync-er has never actually used the playback function while in the studio.
Contributing: Sonia Murray, Tom Sabulis 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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Ski claims Shout, other clubs discourage black clientele
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Having covered the BET Hip-Hop Awards parties here last fall, Buzz did much head-nodding when V-103 morning man Frank Ski went on-air Wednesday morning to criticize nightspots in the city that try and discourage a predominantly African-American clientele on certain nights.
The odd thing? Ski happened to be on the airwaves of Q100’s “The Bert Show” when he lobbed the audio grenade.
Using Shout in Midtown as an example, Ski criticized clubs and restaurants that charge higher cover charges, change the DJ playlist and request outrageous parking fees when “black folk” start turning up en masse.
“When Vision closed, their Friday night crowd started going to Shout,” Ski told Buzz on Wednesday. “This happens all over the city. It’s not necessarily the black clientele, per se, but it’s the perception of having a black clientele that businesses try and avoid. If they get labeled as a ‘black establishment,’ then they’re afraid the white folk will be scared to come in.”
Ski and co-host Wanda Smith appeared briefly on Q100 on Wednesday to help promote the two stations’ MLK Day eve Unity Party at Lotus Lounge, set for Sunday night where the two radio audiences will hopefully hang together.
Moments after Ski hung up, David Abes, director of operations for Here to Serve Restaurants, Shout’s parent company, phoned into Q100 to challenge Ski’s claims.
“We cater to everybody,” Abes said. “We want an eclectic crowd and we play every genre of music. We’re throwing a party every night. I’m surprised that Frank would make a comment like that, especially since he called me last week on my cellphone to make a reservation at Shout.”
Ski told Buzz that he did indeed make the reservation. “A lot of times I’ll have celebrities and notable folks who want to go out, and I make the reservations for the group,” Ski explained.
For the record, there is no cover charge at Sunday night’s gathering at Lotus Lounge.
Ski will be among the folks in the DJ booth.
Cash for Whitney?
There’s a possibility that Whitney Houston’s company Nippy Inc. could see a check from the court-ordered public auction of her former stuff Tuesday.
Reps at A.J. Willner Auctions — the Irvington, N.J. company that sold off Houston’s white leather throne, Dolce & Gabbana sequined tiger-print skirt and other cast-off items — told Buzz on Wednesday that the sale raised “just under $200,000.” According to lawyers for the warehouse that took Houston’s company to court over unpaid rental fees, Nippy had an outstanding bill of between $150,000 and $200,000.
The former Alpharetta resident could feasibly see a check large enough for at least a couple of replacement black velvet bustiers. …
An Austin mystery
Since Atlanta power attorney Joel Katz was presented directly in front of us on the red carpet for a pre-Grammy party, Buzz couldn’t pass up yet another opportunity to inquire about one of his famous clients. No, not the late James Brown nor the current “American Idol” finalist-turned-Broadway star Diana DeGarmo.
No, it’s the one who was convicted of drug possession in Dubai last summer and quickly pardoned.
So where was Grammy winner Dallas Austin on this big musical night in Atlanta, we asked. “Dallas is actually in Los Angeles delivering a movie,” Katz responded Tuesday night.
About Austin’s own personal adventure? Katz smiled and replied, “No comment.”
Then, before he made his way inside Tiffany & Co. for the local chapter of the Recording Academy’s celebration, still smiling, he added: “I just happen to be going to Dubai on Friday.”
And why would that be Mr. Katz? “No comment.”
Kudos for Beltline
Handing the city of Atlanta an award for the Beltline project this week seems a bit like congratulating a college student just for signing up for that advanced calculus course. Still, the bold, albeit glacially paced and boulder-riddled, excursion in urban renewal is set for kudos tonight in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit Partners for Livable Communities has selected Atlanta’s ambitious project as one of nine recipients at the Celebration of Vision and Community Spirit dinner.
Presented by Governing magazine publisher Peter Harkness, the award recognizes the Beltline project as “one of the most dynamic urban strategic investments in America,” according to Partners for Livable Communities president Bob McNulty. We’re going to assume that when determining to bestow our fair city with a national livability award, PLC reps did not seek the input from jaywalking visiting British historians… .
Sick bay
Expect to see Bree in bed later this season on “Desperate Housewives.” Her portrayer, Marcia Cross, who is expecting twins in April with husband, Tom Mahoney, has been put on bed rest, her spokeswoman said Wednesday.
“This is a precautionary measure only,” publicist Heidi Slan said in an e-mail.
Producers have decided to move production at the end of this week to the actress’ Los Angeles home for two days, according to a story posted on TV Guide’s Web site.
Cross, whose character isn’t pregnant, had planned to film only two more shows following the Feb. 11 episode because it was becoming too difficult to hide her pregnancy,
TV Guide reported Wednesday.
Quote of the day
“That poor pathetic man.” — Barbara Walters, referring to Donald Trump’s latest pot-stirring letter on Wednesday’s episode of the highly-rated ABC soap “The View.” Walters and co-host Rosie O’Donnell then high-fived each other.
Today’s birthdays
Actor Rod Taylor is 77. Country singer Naomi Judd is 61. Actress Kim Coles (“Living Single”) is 45. Singer Mary J. Blige is 36. Actress Amanda Peet (“Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”) is 35.
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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State Grammy nominees rock at Tiffany’s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just about any day in Phipps Plaza you can spot a recording artist.
But rarely are they walking into the Tiffany & Co. store on a red carpet, with a violin quartet playing on one end.
That’s just two of the things that made the local chapter of the Recording Academy’s party for its Georgia Grammy nominees special Tuesday night.
Tops on that list, however, had to be the star power.
Of the 30-plus nominees up for a record 52 nominations, rappers Ludacris and T.I., rockers Mastodon, Christian group Third Day, contemporary gospel artist Byron Cage and producer DJ Toomp were all at the dressy event. And sipping flutes of champagne with them were radio personalities (Ryan Cameron, Leslie Fram, Morris Baxter), record execs (Michael Mauldin, Dee Dee Murray), entertainment attorneys (Joel Katz, Donald Woodard), one “American Idol” finalist (Diana DeGarmo) and the Atlanta chapter’s senior executive director Michele Rhea Caplinger.
Each nominee was given an Elsa Peretti heart with their name etched on it and a Tiffany gift certificate. (The registers were open.)
“Atlanta, Georgia, is really doing it big tonight,” remarked Ludacris, who picked up his first Grammy last year.
This year’s four-time nominee T.I., on the other hand, has yet to win one of the music industry’s highest honors. But Tuesday evening he was feeling like his luck might change at the upcoming Feb. 11 ceremony. “Nights like this almost make you feel like you already won,” he said.
Caffey court call
Legal representatives for former NBA Milwaukee Bucks forward Jason Caffey are expected to be in Fulton County Superior Court on Friday. The Atlanta resident is being sued for failure to pay child support. Caffey is being taken to court by Lorunda Brown, the mother of Justin Amir Caffey, 4, for not paying nearly $74,000 in child support and other fees.
According to an order filed in Fulton County Superior County in October 2002, Caffey is required to pay $4,250 to Brown each month. According to legal papers obtained by Buzz, beginning in February 2005, Caffey began making partial payments or no payments at all. In an amendment to a motion for contempt filed Jan. 5, Brown alleges that Caffey has failed to pay any support for November, December or thus far in January.
When we contacted Brown’s attorney, Randall Kessler, on Tuesday, he told us: “We’ve tried to keep it out of court, but with this much at stake, my client cannot keep waiting and hoping for him to do the right thing. We intend to ask the court to incarcerate Mr. Caffey until he pays what he owes.”
Caffey’s lawyer, James Altman, had no comment when reached by Buzz on Tuesday. Altman did confirm, however, that he expected to represent his client in court Friday.
Junior GOPs
When Georgia governor Sonny Perdue stepped off the stage Monday night after welcoming guests at his inaugural gala inside the Georgia World Congress Center, two of his youngest supporters were waiting in the wings with a digital camera to document the moment. David Bachman, 18, the treasurer of the Georgia Teen Republicans, had driven to Atlanta from Cherokee County for the soiree. A friend, Amanda Pugh, 18, accompanied him.
“It’s really an amazing night,” Bachman observed as he looked around the massive exhibit hall filled with Perdue pals his parents’ ages. “It’s great to see that kids are getting politically active. Normally, kids don’t start to care until taxes start getting taken out of their paychecks.”
Donald vs. Rosie: Round 286
Sure, sure any rational human being would have left those pre-holiday playground put-down antics of Donald Trump and Rosie O’Donnell behind in the new year. But then again, who said that O’Donnell and Trump were rational? O’Donnell returned to the airwaves of “The View” Monday, causing another eruption from the New York Daily News and the New York Post. The tabs reported Tuesday that before Monday’s broadcast, O’Donnell strongly criticized “View” creator Barbara Walters for not talking up for her adequately during the skirmish. Naturally, Trump forwarded a letter addressed to O’Donnell to “Extra,” who promptly forwarded the contents to Buzz Central.
In the missive, Trump continues to assert that Walters is in his corner. “After your maniacal rant against me, Barbara called me from her vacation to apologize for your behavior,” Trump writes. “She said that ‘working with [O’Donnell] is like living in hell’ and ‘don’t worry, she won’t be here for long.’ Barbara knows exactly what she told me and she has to live with it.” Reps for Trump confirmed the letter’s authenticity to Buzz. Reps for “The View,” no doubt lying in a fetal position under their desks, did not return our call for comment by deadline.
Overscene
Atlanta R&B singer, Broadway star and recently minted restaurateur Usher (above) holding court at Houston’s in Buckhead. Before his lunch Monday, he mentioned that he was in the early stages of a possible James Brown tribute, tentatively set to happen in May in New York.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 63. Singer Rod Stewart (right) is 62. Singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is 59. Singer Pat Benatar is 54. Singer Shawn Colvin is 51. Singer Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is 43. Guitarist Matt Roberts of 3 Doors Down is 29. Rapper Chris Smith of Kris Kross is 28.
Celebrity docket
Undergarment-impaired hotel heiress/reality TV star Paris Hilton pleaded not guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor drunken driving charges in Los Angeles following her arrest last year for allegedly weaving around a Hollywood street in her Mercedes-Benz.
Hilton, 25, wasn’t required to be in Superior Court. Her attorney entered the pleas on her behalf to one count each of driving under the influence and driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 or above.
Judge Michael T. Sauer set a Jan. 23 pretrial hearing date and said the case must go to trial by Feb. 23.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. However, the minimum penalty for a first-time offender is a fine, probation and participation in an alcohol rehabilitation program.
Hilton’s attorney, Shawn Chapman, declined to speak with reporters after the hearing.
Motorcycle officers said they saw Hilton’s McLaren SLR being driven erratically and stopped it just before 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 7.
Hilton later said she may have been “speeding a little bit” and was on her way to get a hamburger because she had filmed a music video all day without eating.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 63. Singer Rod Stewart (right) is 62. Singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is 59. Singer Pat Benatar is 54. Singer Shawn Colvin is 51. Singer Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies is 43. Guitarist Matt Roberts of 3 Doors Down is 29. Rapper Chris Smith of Kris Kross is 28.
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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Angelou plans ‘A Pledge’ at King concert
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Poet-novelist-activist Maya Angelou will read her latest poem, “A Pledge to Rescue Our Youth,” at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s 15th annual “A King Celebration” memorial concert, to be performed Thursday at the King International Chapel at the civil rights leader’s alma mater, Morehouse College. The show will be broadcast nationally on the King holiday (locally on WABE-FM, 90.1).
In 1959, the civil rights leader appointed Angelou to the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, as its northern coordinator. At the invitation of Bill Clinton, she was only the second poet to speak at a presidential inauguration. She’s now spokeswoman for a series of “Dream in Color” events sponsored by Target that seek to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Among holiday events across the country, the ASO is the only orchestral performance. Target will hand out a free CD of past “King Celebration” highlights.
Grammys run-up
Generating buzz for the 49th Grammy Awards show, Feb. 11, starts early. Tuesday night at 8, the Atlanta chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will play host to several Georgia nominees at Phipps Plaza’s Tiffany & Co. for a private event. A record number of nominees associated with the Peach State are in the running this year — 52 by one count. Mall rats and other members of the gawking public should be able to catch the bejeweled likes of Ludacris, Jane Fonda, T.I., Akon, Third Day and Field Mob walking up the red carpet.
And more harmony
Remember Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder crooning “Ebony and Ivory”?
Well, that’s kind of what Q100 and V-103 are cooking up this Sunday with a special “Unity” mixer/party at Lotus Lounge in the refurbished Lindbergh Center. The goal: bring Q100’s predominantly non-African-American audience and V-103’s mostly black crowd together.
A few months ago, Q100’s Bert Weiss had called V-103’s Frank Ski on the air to discuss “Survivor” when the reality show had separated its tribes by race. But the discussion soon segued into Atlanta’s nightlife scene and why most clubs cater specific nights to specific races.
“This is supposed to be the city too busy to hate,” Ski told Buzz. “Whites and blacks don’t party together. When Vision was open, Friday night was my night, and Saturday was Bert’s night.”
So they decided to try this experiment in racial mingling, picking the night before the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. Lotus was open to the idea, but Weiss said “we ran the idea by some club owners, and they thought it would never work.”
Since the two stations are rivals and share some audience, Ski said it took a bit of finesse to get V-103’s management to agree. “It was like the Middle East peace talks,” he joked.
Weiss, who said his management was fine with the idea from the start, has no clue how many people will show up but said it’s good to start in a relatively small space like Lotus, which fits about 400 people. “If we do well, we can always go somewhere bigger later on,” he said.
Jurassic nights
In the Ben Stiller comedy “Night at the Museum,” the dinosaurs and other exhibits come to life after hours. But the hit movie, No. 1 at the box office for three weekends straight, seems to be bringing extra life to a variety of dino places — including Atlanta’s Fernbank Museum of Natural History — during regular hours, too.
New York’s American Museum of Natural History, whose exterior is featured in the film, reported a 20 percent increase in attendance during the holidays. And on Monday, Fernbank claimed an 18 percent attendance boost since the film’s opening. During the two weeks spanning Dec. 22-Jan. 5, the Atlanta museum drew 21,841 visitors, up from its same-period average for the five previous years of 18,504.
“The film is revealing the wow factor that lies around every corner at a place like Fernbank Museum of Natural History,” says spokesperson Brandi Berry, who acknowledges that people pushing to see Fernbank’s ambitious “Imperial Rome” exhibit of art and artifacts before it closed Jan. 3 may have been a factor, too.
In any case, Fernbank is looking to another movie to help it through the inevitable post-holiday blahs. The Imax film “Hurricane on the Bayou,” capturing the impact of Hurricane Katrina, opens there Jan. 20.
Overscene
R&B singer-songwriter Algebra and bassist-rapper Divinity (taking a holiday break from playing in Beyoncé’s all-female band), both at David Ryan Harris’ weekend performance at Smith’s Olde Bar. Harris was himself taking a break from playing with fellow former Atlantan John Mayer; an opportunity that’s afforded him a brush (of sorts) with Oprah Winfrey.
“I tried to slip her my CD, because I really think she should do a show about women who are crazy about their bodies,” Harris said, recalling when he accompanied Mayer on Winfrey’s popular TV chat show. “And I think [my song] ‘Pretty Girl’ should be playing when she does it,” he added with a laugh. “Anyway, she appeared, like, right before the show was supposed to start. And was gone — like magic — when it was over. So I didn’t get a chance to hit up almighty Oprah.”
Celebrity birthdays
Singer-songwriter Joan Baez is 66. Guitarist Jimmy Page is 63. Singer-songwriter Crystal Gayle is 56. Pop star Dave Matthews (left) is 40. Pitcher Jay Powell is 35. Supermodel Maggie Rizer is 29. British royal girlfriend Kate Middleton is 25.
HIGH FIVE
Top 5 Songs on 92.9 Dave FM
For the week of Jan. 1-7
1. Keane, “Nothing in My Way”
2. Snow Patrol, “Chasing Cars”
3. Ray LaMontagne, “Three More Days”
4. John Mayer, “Belief”
5. Gomez, “See the World”
Source: Mediabase 24/7
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Howard Pousner, 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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Wild Bill’s owner ready to hit the road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Being the house band at a bar or club can be grueling and tedious, but Bill Gentry always had an advantage at Wild Bill’s: He’s majority owner and founder of the huge Gwinnett County nightclub. In other words, he can’t fire himself.
But after more than three years honing his craft with his 35 Cent Rodeo, the Carrollton native said he’s leaving Wild Bill’s on Jan. 27 to pursue a record deal and tour nationally.
“This club gave me a chance to build a fan base,” Gentry said. “But it’s time to move on.”
The 5,000-capacity concert venue has enabled him to open for everyone from Keith Urban to Rascal Flatts. He’s also gotten to test out original songs in front of a friendly crowd.
This past year, Gentry said, he’s gotten even more breaks, lining up powerhouse Atlantans Joel Katz as his lawyer and Charlie Brusco (who manages Styx) as his agent. In fact, that’s how Gentry was able to nab Styx for a concert this Friday at Wild Bill’s, with advance tickets just $16.
In the meantime, he’s still plugging away on the Wild Bill’s stage for a couple of more weekends. During his second set on a quiet post-New Year’s Saturday night, the boyishly exuberant Gentry plowed through a couple of Dierks Bentley songs and dueted with Eric Key, a Dalton resident, on “Beer for My Horses.”
Key will take over for Gentry as the lead vocalist, but Gentry has also brought in three up-and-coming singers to give them a chance to develop.
While Gentry loves the crowds at Wild Bill’s, he won’t be obligated to be a cover band anymore: “We always have to play ‘Sweet Home Alabama.’ No ifs, ands or buts!”
VH1 ‘all-stars’
Atlantan Emmanuel Lewis was an original “Surreal Life” member back in 2003, when the goofy show featuring C-list celebs in a house was on the now-defunct WB. The show has since moved to VH1, where Lewis on Sunday night joined an “all-star” cast of past “Surreal Life” participants.
The taping took several weeks. “It was more grueling” than his first stint, Lewis told Buzz. “I’m used to privacy and listening to my music. There is no music. There is no freedom.”
But, hey, it’s a paycheck. And he got to hang out with the likes of Verne Troyer (“Austin Powers”), C.C. DeVille of Poison and porn-film legend Ron Jeremy.
“Some people use it to try to relaunch their careers,” Lewis explained. “I’m really there to have fun. And I did.”
And he is not apologetic about his signature laugh, featured prominently in the first “Surreal Life.”
“If you laugh a lot,” he said, “you live longer.”
Slim, trim DJ
Morning radio jocks are not known to be great physical specimens. But 104.7/The Fish morning co-host Kevin Avery is defying that stereotype by promising to run 10 kilometers every day on a treadmill in the Buckhead studio during the show. He started last week, and so far, so good.
“I’ve been feeling great,” Avery told Buzz. “No pain. Everything seems to be functioning.”
In recent years, the 40-year-old father of four has been running regularly and laying off the scones at the nearby Starbucks. He eats Grape Nuts with whole oats and soy milk before going to work. With regular exercise and a better diet in the past three or four years, Avery said, he’s been able to pare his waist from 38 inches to a svelte 32.
House of Wachs
In other radio news, former Regular Guys co-host Larry Wachs has gotten a two-week solo gig doing nights at Free FM, a talk station in New York.
Program Director John Mainelli said he can’t afford Wachs in that 10 p.m.-to-midnight time slot, but he wanted to expose Wachs to other Free FMs nationwide owned by CBS. “I like Larry’s dry, wry, sly wit in this age of so many ham-handed talk show hosts,” Mainelli wrote in an e-mail to Buzz last week.
Wachs, who is still seeking a full-time job, said he’s enjoying going solo. “It’s starting from the ground up again,” he told Buzz. “No characters, no sound bites. Just me in a studio with my thoughts.”
Wachs and his former Regular Guys partner, Eric Von Haessler, split up in the fall after 96rock fired the pair following Wachs’ ill-fated restroom stunt involving sister station Viva 105.7’s morning show.
The Regular Guys’ former sidekick, “Southside” Steve Rickman, has found a new home at Eagle 106.7 as a third voice on the morning show with Rhubarb Jones and Dallas McCade.
Celebrity birthdays
Comedian Soupy Sales is 81. “Sunday Morning” host Charles Osgood is 74. Singer Shirley Bassey is 70. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 69. Singer David Bowie is 60. Singer R. Kelly is 40.
HIGH FIVE
Album sales
Top five from 2006
1. “High School Musical” soundtrack, 3.72 million 2. Rascal Flatts, “Me and My Gang,” 3.48 mil. 3. Carrie Underwood, “Some Hearts,” 3.02 mil.
4. Nickelback, “All the Right Reasons,” 2.69 mil.
5. Justin Timberlake, “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” 2.38 mil.
— Nielsen SoundScan
LATE-NIGHT JOKES
“Stockholders of Home Depot are upset because after the board of directors fired Home Depot’s CEO, they have decided to give him a $200 million retirement package. Even worse, they gave the Home Depot CEO his $200 million in the form of a gift certificate to Ace Hardware.”
— Conan O’Brien on Jan. 4
“In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, the prime minister of Iraq says not only will he not seek a second term in office, he wishes he could quit early. He says he has other interests he’d like to pursue, like trying to stay alive.”
— Jay Leno on Jan. 4
Contributing: 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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This ‘L’ word briefly stands for lonely
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Q100’s Melissa Carter found herself stalling on stage for what seemed like an eternity Thursday night inside a packed Wetbar in Midtown after the stars of “The L Word” temporarily abandoned her.
Actress Daniela Sea, who plays Max on the soapy lesbian-centered Showtime series, and actor Dallas Roberts, who portrays Angus on the show, were busy outside the club greeting the hundred or so fans who were turned away in the evening drizzle.
The capacity viewing party to promote Sunday’s fourth season premiere of the series was every bit the mob scene that the gathering has been in past years.
When Carter arrived at 5:45 p.m. for the scheduled 7 p.m. event, the line was already wrapped around the building.
“I finally had to go out and get the actors while I was on the microphone,” Carter recounted. “I was bombing up there. I was actually telling Christmas jokes. It was pathetic.”
In addition to being a co-host of the nationally syndicated show “Radio With a Twist,” Carter also served as a consultant on the show’s accompanying new soundtrack, “L Tunes: Music From and Inspired by ‘The L Word.’”
“Since I’m the only lesbian on [“Radio With a Twist”], they asked if I would help out,” Carter explained. The DJ encouraged producers to include songs by Pink, Kelis, Da Brat, Tori Amos and Nina Simone for the project.
“I tried to emphasis that lesbians are women first and that gay people are extremely diverse within themselves. And while we love them, we don’t just listen to K.D. Lang, Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls.”
Where there’s a will, a wife?
Is she or isn’t she? Maybe only a probate judge can say for sure.
As the deliciously theatrical battle continues over whether Tomi Rae Hynie was really married to the late Godfather of Soul James Brown, a lawyer for Hynie said that the debate may be over in three weeks, when Brown’s will is due to be probated.
“If James Brown left a will and left her what he should have left her, there won’t be any litigation,” said Robert Rosen, a Charleston, S.C., attorney who helped Hynie procure an annulment from her first marriage to Javed Ahmed.
Hynie married Brown in 2001, while she was still married to Ahmed, Brown’s lawyers have said. Hynie does not dispute that.
But she does argue that her marriage to Brown was still legal, because the marriage to Ahmed was later annulled.
Brown paid for the legal fees for that annulment, Rosen said.
But Brown did not have a second wedding ceremony with Hynie, and that’s the heart of the issue.
South Carolina case law suggests that a second ceremony between Hynie and Brown needed to occur to legalize their marriage, said John McDougall, a family law expert in Columbia, S.C.
Meanwhile, Deanna Brown Thomas, one of Brown’s daughters, refused on “Larry King Live” Thursday night to argue with claims that she and her siblings were unkind to Hynie during memorial services for Brown.
“I don’t have any comments to that,” said Thomas, a disc jockey at an Augusta radio station. “I’m here to talk about the great man my dad was.”
Hannity’s new Sunday show
“Fill me in. I have not heard about this.” Buzz assumes Elisabeth Hasselbeck is joking when she says that about the Donald Trump/Rosie O’Donnell feud in an interview to appear on Sunday’s premiere of “Hannity’s America” at 9 p.m. on Fox News Channel. Hannity, the top-rated TV/radio host and best-selling author who once worked on Atlanta radio, says “America” is “just the opposite of a Sunday show.” He’ll do interviews, take to the streets to talk to “average Americans” and have “a liberal segment built in. We call it the ‘Hannity Hot Seat.’ ” (We assume that’s where Sunday’s other guest, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan, comes in.)
“The View” co-host Hasselbeck discusses being conservative, Star Jones Reynolds and, oh yes, Donald v. O’Donnell, which began eons ago with a controversy over Miss USA’s carousing lifestyle.
“I think probably everyone is going to be bored of it in about a week,” Hasselbeck says in an advance transcript provided by Fox News. “It’s funny because I kind of feel the issue should more surround Miss USA. I feel as though she was, yes, given a second chance and now I am hearing she is contemplating doing Playboy if it’s done in a tasteful way. I mean, if that’s what you do with a second chance. That’s where I have an issue.”
Houston’s N.J. home saved
Thing are looking up for Whitney Houston. The foreclosure sale on the former Alpharetta resident’s Mendham Township, N.J., home originally set for this week, has been canceled after she settled some $1 million in outstanding mortgage payments.
Morris County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve Ackerman says Houston reached an agreement with Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, which had filed a civil suit in June.
Houston also has paid $83,000 in back taxes on the 10-acre Mendham estate, according to the township clerk, Penny Newell.
Auction item of the day
As we continue the occupational hazard of flipping through the catalog to preview items in Tuesday’s New Jersey court-ordered public auction of Whitney Houston’s discarded finery, we proudly present:
Item No. 198: A Dolce & Gabbana sequined tiger-print skirt. Given its length, this could easily be converted into either a tube top or a headband.
Overscene
Actor Richard Thomas , his wife, Georgiana, and son Montana James, 10, dining at Eno on Peachtree Street in Midtown before Thomas’ Thursday performance with George Wendt in “Twelve Angry Men” at the Fox Theatre. We’re told that Thomas enjoyed tuna carpaccio, while Georgiana had the shrimp Mozambique and Montana ordered the pear-and-cheese pizza. Afterward, the family perused the adjacent Barrelman wine and cheese shop. “Twelve Angry Men” closes Sunday.
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Director John Singleton is 39. “The Early Show” co-host Julie Chen is 37.
Sunday: Author William Peter Blatty (“The Exorcist”) is 79. “Rolling Stone” publisher Jann Wenner is 61. Actor David Caruso is 51. “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric is 50. Actor Nicolas Cage is 43.Country singer John Rich of Big and Rich is 33.
Contributing: Virginia Anderson, Jill Vejnoska 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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Singers share memories of James Brown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two far-flung local performers have been recalling their experiences with the departed Godfather of Soul this week.
Atlanta vocalist Francine Reed, who is performing nightly in the Cirque-esque dinner theater extravaganza Teatro ZinZanni in San Francisco, opened James Brown’s final show here at Chastain Park in 2003.
“If I hadn’t been working here, you know I would have been down there in Augusta with bells on, baby!” Reed told us Thursday from California. The singer says the Atlanta Mayor’s Office sent her a picture of Reed with the Godfather as a memento of their gig together.
Reed also fondly recalled how Brown inadvertently helped her get settled when she first moved to Atlanta in 1994.
Reed had recorded a version of “I Got You (I Feel Good)” for a popular Senokot laxative TV spot that ended up, well, running for years.
“That monthly check really got me set up in Atlanta,” Reed reflected. “Whether he knew it or not, James Brown helped a girl to get settled in his state. I went out yesterday and bought his ‘50th Anniversary’ CD set. I’ve been shaking it up and down the streets of San Francisco singing his praises.”
When she returns to Fuzzy’s Place on Feb. 23, Reed says her Atlanta fans can expect a medley of Brown’s tunes in her act.
Stone Mountain-based soul singer Candi Staton, meanwhile, sent us an e-mail from London, where she recently performed in the “David Gest Soul Spectacular” with Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Billy Paul, the Stylistics and Deniece Williams.
“I did a tour with James Brown around the time that my ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ was a hit in 1976,” Staton wrote. “That was a little slump period for James. The audience was maybe half-full each night. Still, he performed every night like he was singing to 10,000 people. He totally dominated the stage. It really impressed me.”
Stork report
Taurus restaurant owner and executive chef Gary Mennie and wife Karen celebrated baby No. 3 on Wednesday with the birth of Bennett Lawrence Mennie. Little Bennett weighed in at 7 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches in length.
CNN’s King series
In advance of Martin Luther King Day, we’re told that CNN’s Soledad O’Brien is assembling a five-part exclusive look at King’s private papers, set to air next week. Former United Nations ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and Congressman John Lewis are among those interviewed for the series, set to air Monday-Jan. 12. On Jan. 15, the papers will debut in the eagerly anticipated exhibit “I Have a Dream: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection” at the Atlanta History Center.
AUCTION ITEM OF THE DAY
Still deliberating about whether you want to fork over $100 just to get into next week’s court-ordered Whitney Houston warehouse auction in New Jersey? This week, Buzz is flipping through the auction catalog to provide a preview.
Today’s item: No. 186, a 36-inch vertical band saw. According to the photo, in an attempt to stave off any sawing-related fatigue, the large piece of machinery comes with its own stool.
Sick bay
“Young Frankenstein” actress Teri Garr, 58, is recovering from surgery to repair an aneurysm she suffered at her Los Angeles home on Dec. 21.
Doctors expect the actress to make a full recovery, says publicist Heidi Schaeffer. Garr, who also suffers from multiple sclerosis, is alert and talking, Schaeffer added.
Celebrity docket
Rapper Busta Rhymes was busta-ed Thursday in New York City on a misdemeanor assault, stemming from a man’s complaint that the hip-hop star had whooped him in a dispute over money.
Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Neil Ross set bail at $3,500 for the third-degree assault charge, and set Rhymes’ next court date for Feb. 20.
The rapper later made bail and left the courthouse, away from the media’s view. One of his lawyers, Scott Leeman, said Rhymes was taken away on a Corrections Department bus. His sport utility vehicle was still parked outside the courthouse.
Rhymes, 34, turned himself in and was booked on the misdemeanor charge at a Manhattan police station Wednesday night, police Lt. John Grimpel said.
Grimpel said a man told police that Rhymes had punched and kicked him numerous times in a confrontation outside a lower Manhattan building on Dec. 26. The man, whose name wasn’t released, was treated at a hospital after the incident, Grimpel said.
“I can tell you, judge, my client is innocent, and I rarely say this in a courtroom,” said Robert Kalina, another of Rhymes’ lawyers. He added that the alleged victim had no discernible injuries other than one red mark on his face.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Robert Duvall is 76. Talk-show host Charlie Rose is 65. Actress Diane Keaton is 61.
HIGH FIVE
Top 5 downloaded ring tones:
1) Koji Kondo
“Super Mario Brothers Theme”
2) Ne-Yo
“Sexy Love ”
3) Nickelback
“Rockstar”
4) Buckcherry
“Crazy [expletive]”
5) Henry Mancini
“Pink Panther”
Source: Billboard magazine, Jan. 13 issue
Contributing: 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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Engagement passes fiery test
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fur Bus co-owner Rick Butgereit and PR maven Meg Reggie could be excused Wednesday for still attempting to process the holiday season.
For the past year, the couple has been spotted around town together at various media functions. So it was not a huge shock then that on Dec. 21, while dining at the Capital Grille in Buckhead, Reggie received a surprise that wasn’t on the menu: a ring box.
“He knows what a commitment phobe I am, so he gave me the choice of wearing it on my left or right hand,” Reggie recounted Wednesday. The ring didn’t fit on her right hand but fit perfectly on her left.
Two days later, the pair got to road-test those future “for better or worse” wedding vows when Butgereit’s house in east Cobb County went up in flames as the family slept. Butgereit’s oldest son put his hand through a window to fight the flames with a garden hose as the family escaped the burning house.
Many of the family’s Christmas gifts that had been stashed in the opposite end of the house were soot-covered but unharmed.
“The support from our community has been amazing,” Butgereit told us. “They gave us clothes, blankets, food and anything else we could possibly need.”
Meanwhile, Reggie’s ex-husband, esteemed celebrity and society wedding photographer Denis Reggie, has offered the use of his house and a car to the couple.
Looking on the bright side, the pair say that now they can avoid that pesky deliberation about where to live. Joked Butgereit: “Besides, I’ve been meaning to remodel anyway. I guess you could say I took the short route.”
AUCTION ITEM OF THE DAY
Not sure if you want to road trip it to New Jersey for next week’s court-ordered public auction of Whitney Houston’s personal belongings? All week as a public service, Buzz will painstakingly thumb through the auction catalog to preview various items for you.
Today’s item: No. 227: A beaded Versace catsuit. This sparkly black one-piece number comes complete with splotches of green, gold, blue and red and is adorned with, an, um, interesting animal and people print.
Rathbun Steak gets cooking online
As the city continued its journey back from the tryptophan-induced doldrums of the holidays Wednesday, we were excited to see that the Web site for Kevin Rathbun Steak, the Atlanta chef’s latest Inman Park creation, had suddenly gone live online. Here’s what we were able to determine from the info posted at kevinrathbunsteak.com:
The 145-seat eatery is scheduled for an early spring debut. The Johnson Studio, which has already transformed the interiors at the chef’s other two venues — Rathbun’s and Krog Bar — is busy creating a space with dark hardwood flooring and a wood ceiling. The steakhouse will also have “the look of a modernized speak-easy where in the past, only the ‘in the know’ people would know where the place would be.”
There was no immediate word whether that means the upcoming meat emporium would go signless, à la Seeger’s and Halo …
‘The View’ returns
Buzz Central’s “long national nightmare” resumed Wednesday as “The View” returned live on ABC. Natch, “View” den mother/executive producer Barbara Walters, seemingly well-rested from vacation, felt it necessary to also resume the pre-holiday feud between Rosie O’Donnell and The Donald. And Walters made it clear that she’s standing by O’Donnell in her bitter battle of words with Donald Trump.
Walters said she never told Trump she didn’t want O’Donnell on the show, as he has claimed. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” she said.
“She has brought a new vitality to this show, and the ratings prove it,” Walters said of O’Donnell, who is on vacation this week. When she returns, Walters said, “We will all welcome her back with open arms.”
Walters also took a moment to smooth things over with Trump, who got all riled up when O’Donnell said on “The View” that he had been “bankrupt so many times.”
“ABC has asked me to say this just to clarify things, and I will quote: ‘Donald Trump has never filed for personal bankruptcy. Several of his casino companies have filed for business bankruptcies. They are out of bankruptcy now,’ ” Walters said.
A phone call to Trump for comment wasn’t immediately returned Wednesday.
Uncoupling
“Lost” actress Emilie de Ravin has separated from her husband after six whole months of marriage, her spokesman confirmed Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Australian actress, who plays Claire Littleton, and actor Josh Janowicz, also 25, were married in Melbourne in June, publicist Jeff Raymond said. It was the first marriage for both. They have no children.
Celebrity docket
A judge in the Anna Nicole Smith baby dispute has given the former Playboy Playmate until Jan. 23 to have her daughter undergo paternity testing sought by a former boyfriend, the man’s attorney said.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider ruled in favor of the 39-year-old Smith’s ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead last month. Birkhead claims he’s the father of Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern, who was born Sept. 7 in the Bahamas.
It wasn’t known when Smith’s daughter might have the DNA test.
“We can’t make it any easier for her,” said Birkhead’s attorney, Debra Opri.
An after-hours phone message left for Smith’s lawyer, Ronald A. Rale, wasn’t immediately returned.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Jane Wyman is 93. Actress Dyan Cannon is 70. Bernard Sumner of New Order (and Joy Division) is 51. Country singer Patty Loveless is 50. Singer Michael Stipe of R.E.M. is 47. Country singer Deana Carter is 41. Actress Jill Marie Jones (“Girlfriends”) is 32.
Contributing: news services.
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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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‘Connie Sue’ helps bid Libby’s farewell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tears flowed along with the champagne at Libby’s Cabaret as 2007 beckoned early Monday morning. After a 6 1/2-year run, singer/owner Libby Whittemore closed up shop for good, citing a hefty load of debt and a looming increase in rent in the space on Northside Parkway.
Old friends and regulars had snapped up every last seat for the New Year’s Eve celebration by Labor Day.
“Each one of you here tonight is a familiar face,” Whittemore told the packed house. “It means a great deal that you’re here. We’ve had a great run, and honestly, its because of all of you. The way you’ve felt about this room, well, there are no words that would amply tell you.”
And among the Libby’s servers working one last shift? Waiter Justin Proctor, whom Whittemore referred to onstage as the “miracle boy.” After the 26-year-old suffered a severe head injury last year, Libby’s regulars took up a collection for his medical bills as Proctor languished in a coma for a month.
Early Monday morning, Proctor was back, busy waiting on customers, taking pictures for regulars, dancing around in the back of the club and texting friends on his cellphone.
The waterworks began onstage as Whittemore and Lisa Paige, an Atlanta vocalist who has come into her own on Libby’s stage, attempted “For Good,” a friendship-themed ballad from the Broadway hit “Wicked.”
Tears streamed down Paige’s face as she and Whittemore tried to get through the number. Afterward, Whittemore cracked, “I thought we’d be a little deeper into the night before I started this.”
As midnight neared, Whittemore’s alter ego Connie Sue Day, the actress and singer’s bawdy character from Tom Edwards’ “Della’s Diner” series of plays (the Atlanta playwright and old pal of Whittemore’s was on hand for the evening) arrived to stifle any further emotional outbursts.
As “The 31st Lady of Country Music,” complete with gravity-defying red wig and tiara, Whittemore belted out Patsy Cline numbers as midnight arrived. In the wee hours, as regulars dined on a breakfast buffet, Whittemore, then out of Connie Sue’s costume, confided to Buzz: “As she’s done countless times in my career, Connie Sue saved me tonight. It’s hard to get all weepy and emotional when you look like that.”
Whittemore will continue to operate her Web site, www.libbyscabaret.com, throughout 2007 to update her former customers.
Ray’s takes a rest
Ray’s on the River regulars were jolted over the weekend when they discovered the doors locked at the Sandy Springs mainstay. For the first time in its 22-year history, the restaurant is closed for a major renovation.
We’re told that when it reopens this spring, Ray’s on the River will have a “sophisticated, upscale look as well as a state-of-the-art remodeling of the kitchen.” Atlanta architectural firm Seiber Design is overseeing the project.
Ray’s rep Hilary Abbott tells Buzz that regulars craving Ray’s signature New Orleans barbecued shrimp, steaks and smashed red bliss potatoes can venture to Ray’s Killer Creek in Alpharetta or Ray’s in the City on Peachtree.
Just a granite gag
This just in from the Atlanta Latino newspaper: Stone Mountain is moving — all the way to the Mexican border.
And who’s to do all the heavy lifting, you ask? Latinos, of course.
That’s what readers of Atlanta Latino, a bilingual weekly, learned Thursday in a front-page article headlined “The Latest News: Stone Mountain to Be Moved Out of State.” The “Department of Development of Georgia,” the article reported, has contracted about 5,000 Latinos to haul one of the state’s top tourist attractions away by the truckload in an effort to stimulate the economy and secure the border.
Only readers who made it to the end of the story discovered the truth. Thursday was Dia de los Inocentes, or “Day of the Innocents,” a Latin-American version of April Fools’ Day that comes on Dec. 28. Stonewall Jackson and his fellow Confederate carvings wouldn’t be going Lou Dobbs after all.
Judith Martinez-Sadri, editor in chief of Atlanta Latino, said she, the publisher and one other editor were the only ones who knew about the hoax beforehand. So staffers picked up the paper Thursday with mouths agape. “They bought into it,” Martinez-Sadri said. “They thought it was real.”
So did many shoppers at the Plaza Fiesta mall near Chamblee. Martinez-Sadri said attendants at the newspaper’s kiosk heard several folks comment that they’d better make one last visit to Stone Mountain Park before one of the main reasons for going — that oh-so-gigantic chunk of granite — retired farther south. One man wanted to know how he could apply for a job with the project.
Though a few readers called to complain, Martinez-Sadri said the vast majority have roots in Mexico, Colombia and other countries where newspapers occasionally mark Day of the Innocents with a phony article or two.
At least one guest who called Stone Mountain Park was fooled, however, said Katie Seuberling, the park’s public relations coordinator. “They wanted to know if it was true or not,” she said. Perhaps the callers hadn’t read the quotes from “Gov. Soni Perrdu” and “Sen. Chiip Rollers.”
Stork report
Former Smyrna gal Julia Roberts is expecting her third child with her husband, cinematographer Danny Moder, her spokeswoman confirms.
The baby is due this summer, Roberts’ publicist, Marcy Engelman, said in a story posted on People magazine’s Web site. News of the pregnancy first appeared in the New York Post’s Page Six column. A call to Engelman by The Associated Press wasn’t immediately returned.
Roberts, 39, and Moder, 37, have 2-year-old twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, born in November 2004.
Uncoupling
Actress Victoria Principal’s 21-year marriage to her second husband is officially over.
The former “Dallas” star is single again after reaching a financial settlement with plastic surgeon Harry Glassman, according to court papers filed last week in Los Angeles. The two have property interests worth more than $50 million, according to the divorce judgment.
Principal, 56, and Glassman were married in June 1985. She filed for divorce in May, citing irreconcilable differences.
Principal and her first husband, Christopher Skinner, divorced in 1980.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Gabrielle Carteris (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 46. Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. is 39. Model Christy Turlington is 38. Actor Taye Diggs is 36. Drummer Scott Underwood of Train is 36. Singer Doug Robb of Hoobastank is 32. Actor Dax Shepard (“Employee of the Month”) is 32. Actress Kate Bosworth is 24.
Contributing: Brian Feagans and news services
HIGH FIVE
Top-selling products on Amazon.com in 2006:
Books: “Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … and Others Don’t” by Jim Collins
Music: “Taking the Long Way” by the Dixie Chicks
DVD: “Pirates of the Caribbean — Dead Man’s Chest” (Two-Disc Collector’s Edition)
Software: “World of Warcraft”
Electronics: Apple iPods
Source: Amazon.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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Clean slate for ‘07 fills up with good intentions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We’re so — sniff — proud.
Many of this year’s New Year’s resolutions are quirky, fun and just a little … well, out there. Some of you are resolving to stop stalking rapper T.I., to start prowling around senior citizen communities for a potential date, to get out of the cabaret business and even to cease getting sucked into episodic TV shows that quickly get canceled.
Read on, and Happy New Year!
Jay Tullis, Tyrone: “I resolve to become a lesser person. If I don’t achieve my goal through diet and exercise, I can always resort to being petty and mean.”
Knox Demmond, DeKalb County: “To jump out of airplanes more often. Also, to teach neighbors willing to learn the way to kill kudzu with minimal use of herbicides.”
J. Ivey, Forest Park: “To stop collecting Mike Luckovich cartoons, as I am running out of album space, and to stop looking for rapper T.I.”
Marilyn Gamble, Winterville: “To quit stressing out over world peace as long as this administration is in office and to just strive for peace in my house. Here’s to serenity and tranquillity for all!”
Will Gara, Atlanta: “After spending too much money in ‘06 on remodeling my house and a trip to the South of France, I declare 2007 to be the Year of Thrift. My American Express card will be put in a drawer until all the other bills are paid off.”
Libby Whittemore, Atlanta singer and owner of Libby’s Cabaret: “To only ever be an employee and to never be self-employed again.”
Bob Peterson, Brooks: “To waste more time, gain more weight and grow less hair. It worked last year.”
Frank Walker, Atlanta: “My wish is to play at least 30 rounds of golf in 2007. This is the third year that this has been my resolution, and I haven’t come close to achieving it.”
Brian DiNapoli, Decatur: “To really make a difference and touch somebody’s life through volunteering.”
Reva and Hank Ezell, Atlanta: “Now that we are both retired, we resolve to do whatever it takes to spend our children’s inheritance. We’re starting with a trip to Antarctica, and then … who knows?”
Melanie Massell, Dunwoody singer-songwriter: “To recognize and celebrate that every day on this side of the grass is a great day!”
Tiffany Dillard, Decatur: “To order season tickets to Auburn University football games. And to be prepared for another University of Georgia and Auburn battle on the field. But most importantly, to turn off my cellphone when my UGA family and friends are trying to reach me every time UGA is leading in the game.”
Susan Brooms, Woodstock: “I want what most women want in 2007 — to lose the weight before bathing-suit weather, to get organized and clean out the clutter, to be a better mother and to stop running around all crazy and nuts, while also decreasing the size of my butt.”
Dorothy Ringsrud, Milledgeville: “At my age, I resolve to quit telling my children and everyone else in the family what they are doing wrong. They seldom listen, anyway.”
Jerry Schwartz, Chamblee: “To show kindness in all that I say and do. I’ll be a person of integrity, someone who can be trusted and counted on, and I’ll realize that a positive attitude can influence the condition of your life.”
Lea McLees, Smyrna: “To introduce as many residents as possible to their pancreases. My volunteer passion is raising money for pancreatic cancer research through Atlanta Team Hope, and I’ve been asked ‘What is a pancreas?’ a lot this year.”
Barb Evangelista, Canton: “Hmmm, I just don’t know. So … the Peach Buzz resolutions I will read. To consider the ones where I can succeed. I’ll skip the ones about diet, exercise and money spent. They’re just too hard to implement.”
Johnny Esposito, Johnny’s Hideaway nightclub namesake, Atlanta: “To look for a new girlfriend. I’m gonna try the senior citizens’ homes this year.”
Mike Casey, Johnny’s Hideaway comic: “To clean out our Lost and Found items that have accumulated over the years, including 3,000 invitations to Johnny Esposito’s 39th-birthday party, a size 52 girdle, 650 copies of Glenn Miller’s singalong sheet music, 16 pairs of dentures, eight assorted hairpieces and 320 men’s wedding bands.”
Victoria Schwartz, Tucker: “To watch no more mystery TV shows until they become established hits. After leaving the folks in Florida in the middle of an ‘Invasion’ and the folks in North Carolina on the ‘Surface’ of a tsunami last year, I watched ‘Vanished’ vanish this fall, along with several other good mysteries. So, I resolve this year to read novels instead, because I have never read a novel that stopped in the middle because sales weren’t good enough.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Frank Langella is 67. Comedian Don Novello (Father Guido Sarducci) is 64. Country singer Steve Ripley of the Tractors is 57. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 49. Actor Morris Chestnut (“The Brothers,” “The Best Man”) is 38. Actor Verne Troyer (“Austin Powers”) is 38.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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