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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 04 > Entry
‘Shield’ star is calling on Sir Elton John
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here at Buzz Central, we normally resist requests to play matchmaker for a heterosexual guy with a girlfriend and a happily married gay man. However, when “The Shield” actor and former Lithia Springs boy Walton Goggins rang the BuzzBerry from the Los Angeles set of the gritty FX series, we were powerless to refuse his request — especially since he was brimming with “Shield” scoop for Buzz readers.
The Oscar winner, who took home the award for the short “The Accountant” in 2001 (with Ray McKinnon and Lisa Blount, his two fellow Georgian Ginny Mule Productions filmmakers), is headed back here Sept. 18 for the premiere of the trio’s new comedy “Randy and the Mob.”
Goggins wants to extend a personal invitation to fellow Oscar winner and part-time Atlantan Sir Elton John to join him and the other celebs at the glitzy Atlantic Station premiere.
“I first met Elton the night we won the Oscar and suddenly we were at every party in Hollywood,” Goggins told Buzz. “He was so sweet and generous with his time. It was surreal since I’ve been an out-of-the-closet Elton John fan since my teens.”
Since John is a savvy film buff, Goggins feels certain that the pop star will respond favorably to the Southern Gothic black comedy that “teaches humility and tolerance and a strong sense of family.”
As for his triple-crossing cop character Shane Vendrell on “The Shield,” there’s good news: “We’re shooting episode seven of the seventh season today, and I’m still here, buddy!” Goggins said. “But we’re all watching our backs. It’s frenetic. The writing this season is as good and as twisting and as rich as ever. It’s a pleasure to play, especially with the actors I get to work with here.”
While Goggins doesn’t know if Shane will make it out of the season breathing, he speculated: “Let’s just say I paid off my car, and I refuse to get a new one. It’s probably prudent to be frugal right now. I’m dodging bullets here as we speak!”
More than ‘Hope’-ful sales
With the current cost of stamps, co-chairs Carey Carter and Dr. Nancy Gallups thankfully won’t have to spend much on postage this fall to solicit interest in “Hope for Children: A Musical Tribute,” their inaugural fund-raiser for Murphy-Harpst Children’s Centers in Cedartown. The evening — starring former “American Idol” contestant Diana DeGarmo, the Grady High School Marching Band and Choral Group, and other talented small fry — is scheduled for Oct. 27 at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. The posh dinner and show will raise much-needed funds for Murphy-Harpst Centers’ ambitious planned state-of-the-art treatment center.
The first invitation has yet to go out, and the event is already 97 percent sold out.
“It’s really a wonderful problem to have,” concedes Carter to Buzz. “The response has been really gratifying to me since this cause is so close to my heart.”
Additionally, two high-end retail giants, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, have signed on as sponsors for the fund-raiser, a generous corporate double-bill normally unheard of in the city’s charitable circles.
So will Carter use the occasion to unveil his talents as a song and dance man?
“That would be a no,” he told us. “I’ll enjoy the evening much more if other people are actually in the room with me!”
For information, visit: www.murphyharpst.org.
Stork report
When we met up with Atlanta Peach magazine editor in chief Elizabeth Schulte Roth the other night, she showed up with more than just copies of the September Fall fashion issue. Roth had a baby bump. She told us that she and hubby Thomas Roth are due to become parents at the end of January. Said Roth: “I told [Atlanta Peach founder] Jerry [Powers], your Atlanta Peach baby now has a baby Peach on the way as well.”
Celebrity birthdays
Radio personality Paul Harvey is 89. Singer Merald “Bubba” Knight of Gladys Knight and the Pips is 65. Actress Judith Ivey is 56. Drummer Martin Chambers of the Pretenders is 56. Actress Khandi Alexander (below, “CSI: Miami,” “NewsRadio”) is 50. Actor-comedian Damon Wayans is 47. Actress Ione Skye is 36. Actor Wes Bentley (“American Beauty”) is 29. Singer Beyonce Knowles (Destiny’s Child) is 26. Actor Trevor Gagnon (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 12.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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