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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > November
November 2007
Seedy, smelly Santa’s not for everybody
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Leave it to Criminal Records in Little Five Points to offer a counterculture alternative to that high-end Phipps Plaza Santa. Today, for the fourth year running, hundreds of fans of the indie music emporium are expected to line up to have a photo taken with a particularly nasty St. Nick, played by Atlanta raconteur Henry Owings. Parents, be warned, this really bad Santa sports a bottle of booze, a smelly stogie and an even worse reeking suit.
And Criminal customers love him.
“Some people look at him and think it’s completely horrible,” concedes Criminal Records owner Eric Levin. “But other families have adopted this as their yearly Christmas picture and bring the children and Grandma along. If the kids are cool and their parents are cool, this is a good tradition for you. But you have to like getting yelled at. He gives a full performance.”
Customers can retrieve their free snapshots by going to Criminal.com next week.
Says Levin: “I’ll be behind the camera, snapping away. We tried this with a professional photographer, but they wanted everything perfect and that’s not what this is really about. You gotta keep that line moving!”
The Criminal Records Santa will be not so proudly on display today from noon to 6 p.m. at 466 Moreland Ave.
FRAM HONORED
The March of Dimes bestowed on 99X Program Director Leslie Fram the lifetime achievement award at its annual radio shindig Thursday night at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead. The organization also raised $110,000, $10,000 more than its goal. Jimmy Baron, who worked with Fram for more than a dozen years at 99X until last year, introduced Fram.
“In my career, I’ve spent a significant amount of time flying around the country to banquets presenting Leslie with plaques,” he said. Baron, who is now producing a potential reality show for a major broadcast network, joined 99X in 1993 from Chicago. “I was looking to leave Chicago,” he said. “I was working for a guy who was temperamental and irrational and a raging jerk. I couldn’t wait till I came here so I didn’t have to deal with that type of personality.”
This got a big laugh because it’s well known Baron and fellow Morning X alum Steve Barnes, who was not in attendance, didn’t get along. And maybe, just maybe, this was an allusion to Barnes. Or maybe not.
PLEDGE TIME
For its pledge drive campaign tonight, WPBA 30 is pulling out the big bows. Specifically, “Bowfire,” a new TV special featuring the superstar string group created by artistic director Lenny Solomon. The jazz violinist is even flying in for an in-studio appearance Saturday night starting at 8:30. Bowfire has attracted a global following by daring to merge hip-hop, classical, jazz, Celtic and Chinese influences into an energized stage show with fiddling dancers.
“We look at them each night and just marvel,” Solomon told us this week, laughing. “It’s really quite amazing.”
While he was on the phone, Solomon spilled that the group is returning to the Fox Theatre for a scheduled May 8 gig. He says the venue is among the group’s favorites.
“Both aesthetically and acoustically, it’s just a jewel,” he says. “We’re looking forward to going back.”
As you might expect, Solomon says that having so many diverse players in Bowfire lends itself to some continuing musical education on tours. “You’ll be backstage and suddenly your ear is being pulled into a dressing room by what someone is playing,” Solomon says. “You walk in and inevitably ask, ‘What is that you’re doing!? We’re all constantly learning from each other.”
“Bowfire” debuts at 8:30 on WPBA 30 Saturday night.
CHELKO ART SALE TO HELP CHARITY
Collectors of late Atlanta artist Paul Chelko will want to head to his Buckhead gallery today through Monday. That’s when more than 500 pieces of his original works — from hand-painted clothing, ornamental vessels and original oils, pen and ink pieces — will be sold to help settle the artist’s estate and to provide some financial legs to the Chelko Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women and ending gender discrimination. According to foundation president Randi Layne, 25 percent of sales will go to the charity. Prices will range from $100 up to $50,000.
“Paul personally earmarked many of the pieces that will be sold,” Layne told us Friday. “I’ve already heard from many of his collectors who are excited about this opportunity.”
Chelko’s Gallery, at 5200 Peachtree Road, Suite 3413, will be open from noon to 6 p.m. today through Monday. When you arrive at the address, call 404-993-0306, and you’ll be buzzed up.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Joyce is very trusting.”
— WSB-TV Action News anchor Monica Pearson on Thursday night’s broadcast as reporter Joyce Oscar gallantly walked across a busy rush-hour Alpharetta intersection during a live shot. Oscar was reporting on a police crackdown on motorists who fail to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Actor-director Woody Allen is 72. Actress-singer Bette Midler is 62. Comedian Sarah Silverman is 37.
Sunday: Actress Julie Harris is 82. Bassist Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters is 39. Actress Lucy Liu is 39. Singer Nelly Furtado is 29. Singer Britney Spears is 26.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Janet’s new album out in February
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Remember that new album Atlantan Janet Jackson is working on here? According to Billboard.com, the follow up to the singer’s 2006 “20 Y.O.” will be out in February via Island Def Jam.
The trade publication reports that the singer and actress also is prepping for a worldwide tour to coincide with the new disc.
While the “Why Did I Get Married?” star recently hinted on Q100 that her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri will be helping out on the new studio project, the as-yet-unnamed album is being executive produced by Def Jam CEO and former Atlantan Antonio “L.A.” Reid.
Billboard reports that Dupri currently is busy working on fellow 1980s hitmaker Mariah Carey’s new album, also due early next year.
Explained Dupri in an interview with Billboard earlier this year: “We’re going to make it seem like we’re in competition to see who’s going to have the biggest album of the year.”
At presstime Thursday, Buzz was managing to somehow suppress the urge to place a glass and our ear against a wall outside the couple’s Atlanta residence so we could accurately report Miss Jackson’s response to that. …
BRINGING YOUTUBE DEBATE HOME
Did you tune into Wednesday’s Republican YouTube debate on CNN? Nah, neither did we (it was on opposite “Gossip Girl,” after all).
However, an Atlanta father and son were all the rage on the Internet video Web site Thursday after their question was inserted into the national conversation on CNN Wednesday night.
In a video recorded in a weight room, Printess Tate II of Douglasville introduced his son Printess Tate III, who asked the candidates: “I notice you spend billions of dollars on the war in Iraq every year. But, what about the war going on in your own country, black-on-black crime? What are you going to do about that war? It feels like the Taliban is right outside.”
Candidates Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani swallowed hard and tried to provide thoughtful responses. Said Romney: “First of all, Printess is pretty fortunate because he’s got a dad standing next to him that apparently loves him, by all appearances there, and that’s probably the best thing you can do for a kid.”
Added New York’s former mayor: “I had a very strong record in doing precisely what the young man was asking about, reducing crime specifically in neighborhoods that would be regarded as poor.”
Not unexpectedly, the question from the 10th-grader at Alexander High School ignited a politically charged debate online, generating pages and pages of messageboard postings Thursday.
Before he moved to Douglasville shortly after Hurricane Katrina, Printess Tate III saw plenty of violence in his neighborhood in New Orleans’ Third Ward.
Those shootings, robberies and other crimes were on his mind when he submitted a videotaped question to Wednesday night’s CNN/YouTube presidential debates, says the 10th-grader at Alexander High School.
His question was one of about 40 asked of Republican candidates.
“I have a question for you guys,” Tate said on the video. “I know you’re spending millions of dollars a year on the war in Iraq, but what about the war going on in your own country — black-on-black crime?”
In the video, Tate stood with his dad, Printess Tate II — a fact noted by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who tackled the question.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
More trouble is on the horizon for former Lynyrd Skynyrd drummer Artimus Pyle. He was arrested for a second time this week in St. Augustine, Fla., after failing to properly register as a sex offender, sheriff’s officials said.
The 59-year-old musician, whose real name is Thomas Delmer Pyle, was arrested Tuesday at one of three addresses he gave to authorities, Sgt. Chuck Mulligan said. He was being held on $50,000 bond, Mulligan told the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. Jail records do not show whether he had a lawyer.
Pyle had been released on $10,000 bond after being arrested on the same charge Nov. 19. He was arrested again after he still didn’t register a new permanent address, officials said.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I opened it up, read it and I almost cried. But then I realized there were no cameras on.”
Steve Martin on receiving the announcement that he had been selected to be honored at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors on “The View” Wednesday.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top five On Demand programs for the week of Nov. 18-26 as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “Soulja Girl,” Soulja Boy, music video, Music Choice
2. “Kiss Kiss,” Chris Brown, music video, Music Choice
3.”Pop Bottles,” Birdman, music video, Music Choice
4. “No One,” Alicia Keys, music video, Music Choice
5. “Girlfriend,” Bow Wow and Omarion, music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is 90. Actor Robert Guillaume is 80. TV personality and producer Dick Clark is 78. Director Ridley Scott is 70. Singer Rob Grill of the Grass Roots is 64. Bassist Roger Glover of Deep Purple is 62. Actress Margaret Whitton is 57. Singer-actor Mandy Patinkin is 55. Guitarist Shuggie Otis is 54. Country singer Jeannie Kendall of the Kendalls is 53. Singer Billy Idol is 52. Guitarist John Ashton of Psychedelic Furs is 50. Comedian Colin Mochrie (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) is 50. Rapper Jalil of Whodini is 44. Actor-director Ben Stiller is 42. Actress Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Sideways”) is 37. Country singer Mindy McCready is 32. Singer Clay Aiken is 29. Actress Elisha Cuthbert (“24”) is 25.
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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Usher gives V-103 details on new baby
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks to our old pal V-103 personality Ryan Cameron, we got some much needed details on the birth of Usher Raymond V Wednesday at Buzz Central.
Cameron and his producer Marsha Hallager tossed us an MP3 file of Cameron’s surprise 2-minute, 16-second on-air interview with Atlanta pop star Usher Raymond IV, discussing the birth of his first child with Tameka Foster Monday night at an undisclosed metro hospital.
Calling him “Ush,” Cameron caught the singer on his cellphone in what sounded like a hospital elevator.
“Yeah, man, he’s here,” Usher confirmed to Cameron. “He’s a beautiful baby boy.”
The singer said the baby was born at 9:59 p.m. Monday night, weighing seven pounds, nine ounces.
Added Usher: “When you see me out now, just say ‘Hey, Daddy.’… It’s the type of thing that just brings you to your knees.” Of fatherhood, Usher told Cameron, who’s also a parent: “This is one of the coolest clubs to be in, ever.”
When Cameron asked Usher if he assisted in Foster’s delivery, he said: “I did what I had to do, I did it all.”
The couple is still negotiating about a potential middle name.
Before he hung up, Usher assured Cameron and his listeners: “I’m sitting on top of the world right now. Thank you for all your prayers.”
At presstime Wednesday, the pop star’s meetings-plagued publicist Patti Webster still had not paid us the professional courtesy of a return phone call to confirm the birth.
Good cause in the cart
B98.5 FM’s daylong Can-nah Montana food drive Tuesday bagged a total of 18 shopping carts worth of donated food from listeners, all hoping to win tickets to the over-hyped, tween-tinged Hannah Montana show Wednesday night at the Gwinnett Arena. Listeners also helped raise more than $2,000 in “Food for Sharing” pre-packaged bags at the Publix on Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta. Oh, and the winner? Little 8-year-old McKenna Renz of Suwanee won the prize package of four seats to the long sold-out concert featuring Miley Cyrus. Buzz sincerely hopes that
McKenna’s parental figures carefully covered her eyes when those folks with the plenty pricey but phoney seats met up with the security reps scanning the legit tickets at the venue Wednesday night.
We hear that …
A special cocktail and light dinner gathering is being planned for next week at Stats, the latest Bob Amick and Todd Rushing eatery concept downtown to celebrate former U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young’s nomination of State Sen. Emanuel Jones (D-Ellenwood) and former state representative Matt Towery for the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for their work in changing the law to gain the recent release of Genarlow Wilson from prison. The now 21-year-old was serving a 10-year term for having consensual relations as a teenager with another teen. Wilson’s attorney, B.J. Bernstein, is set to speak at the soiree.
OVERSCENE
According to bloggers at ajc.com, actress Cybill Shepherd was spotted ordering a top-shelf double libation at the Georgian Terrace in Midtown. A hotel marketing rep could not immediately be reached Wednesday to confirm the intel. But after witnessing the opening night of Shepherd in “Curvy Widow” at the Alliance Sunday night, we can certainly understand the actress’ alleged beverage preference.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Blues musician John Mayall is 74. Actress Diane Ladd is 64. Comedian Garry Shandling is 58. Director Joel Coen is 53. Actor-comedian Howie Mandel is 52. Actor Andrew McCarthy is 45. Actor Don Cheadle is 43. Singer Jonathan Knight of New Kids on the Block is 39. Actor Brian Baumgartner (above) (“The Office”) is 35. Rapper The Game is 28. Actor Lucas Black (“Sling Blade”) is 25.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Fund-raiser still growing in its 5th year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you’ve ever hosted a holiday party and looked up to encounter half the city squeezed into your dwelling, you have something in common with nonprofit For the Kid in All of Us founder Alex Wan.
This week, Wan is bracing for the fifth annual Toy Party downtown, which benefits Atlanta’s underprivileged children through organizations including Sheltering Arms for Kids, CHRIS Kids, the women and pediatric divisions of AID Atlanta, Youth Pride, Safe Path, Easter Seals and others.
What started as a holiday party for Wan and a few well-meaning friends has evolved into one of the largest seasonal fund-raisers in the city.
“Even in 2002 when we had the party at my house, 200 guests ended up coming,” Wan reflected Tuesday. “My house doesn’t actually hold 200. I later heard from people, ‘We couldn’t get in so we just left the toy on the washer and dryer!’ “
Happily, the annual event has since also outgrown parties at the Georgia Freight Depot and the Inforum as well. This year’s event is set for Sunday at the Atlanta Apparel Mart on Spring Street from 5:30 to 9 p.m. In exchange for a new unwrapped toy or gift card valued at $15 or more, festively attired attendees are treated to complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cocktails.
Wan told us that traditionally, the older kids in need prove the toughest to shop for.
“They’re the kids we end up with the least for,” he said. “Target and Best Buy gift cards are great for them. At that age, they want to be able to pick out their own stuff and electronics are always a big part of that.”
Toy Party organizers are anticipating more than 4,000 donated items at this year’s event, necessitating the rental of two large trucks.
“I just love standing around and listening to the stories behind why people bring certain toys,” Wan says. “Usually, it’s either a toy they received and loved as a child or it’s a toy they never received but always wanted and now they’re buying it for another child. One of my favorite days of the year is when we walk in with big bags of toys for the kids. There’s just no better feeling.”
For info: www.forthekid.org.
Stork Report?
Well, did they or didn’t they download a kid?
While his reps insisted on going all Kremlin on Buzz when we rang for confirmation Tuesday, People mag is reporting that Atlanta pop star Usher and his wife, Tameka Foster, welcomed a baby boy on Monday night at an Atlanta hospital. People cited multiple — but anonymous — sources.
People.com reported that the couple could head home as soon as Wednesday.
Despite our most dogged attempts, reps in the singer’s publicist Patti Webster’s office flat-out refused to respond to our requests for confirmation as Buzz went to press Tuesday. Webster also did not respond to an e-mail seeking confirmation.
We were told that Webster was in meetings.
The Associated Press reported that Webster did e-mail the news agency with confirmation. “Yes, I can confirm that Usher had a baby,” AP quoted Webster as saying in the e-mail.
Usher, 29, and Foster, 36, announced the pregnancy in June.
Ratings record for Cartoon Network
Cue the congratulatory ads in the Hollywood trade papers. Atlanta’s own Cartoon Network had a lot to be thankful for with its Thanksgiving Eve premiere of the live-action flick “Ben 10: Race Against Time.” The movie featuring supernatural superhero Ben Tennyson became the most watched telecast in Cartoon Network history, according to the folks at Nielsen Media Research. The 90-minute film attracted the peepers of 3,987,000 tykes. In other words, the film starring kid actor Graham Phillips in the title role and former “Six Million Dollar Man” Lee Majors as Grandpa Max is up there, ratingswise, with the network’s all-time most popular cartoon canine, Scooby Doo.
Zoinks.
OVERSCENE
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Joey Harrington picking up his Thanksgiving turkey at the Whole Foods Market on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Midtown.
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Miley Cyrus fans need to mark their calendars for Saturday. That’s when tickets go on sale for Disney’s “Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert,” a digital 3-D film on the performer’s sold-out, 54-city singing tour.
The film will play in theaters for one week beginning Feb. 1. Exact theaters are not yet known. The movie will involve three concerts held recently in two cities.
Beginning Saturday, tickets can be purchased online at the movie’s official Web site: www.Disney.com/HannahMontana3D.
The movie’s director of photography is Mitch Amundsen, who recently did “Transformers.” Editor Michael Tronick (“Hairspray”) also is involved. The concert film director is Bruce Hendricks.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Motown Records founder Berry Gordy Jr. is 78. Singer Randy Newman is 64. Actress S. Epatha Merkerson (“Law and Order”) is 55. Actor Judd Nelson is 48. Comedian Jon Stewart is 45. Rapper Chamillionaire is 28.
Contributing: Bob Longino 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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Hannah tickets could be had for peanuts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Is your small fry still in a sulk over your inability to score those impossible-to-get tickets for the Hannah Montana concert Wednesday night at the Gwinnett Arena? The solution may be as easy as dropping by the Publix on Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta Tuesday.
What’s more, there’s an opportunity to teach your mopey moppet about helping the truly less fortunate this holiday season.
After their producer Will Gara somehow secured four tickets to the long sold-out show, the B98.5 FM morning team of Kelly & Alpha came up with Tuesday’s daylong Can-nah Montana food drive.
Listeners who stop by the aforementioned Publix from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. today with at least one nonperishable food item will be automatically registered to win the set of four tickets when the winner is announced Wednesday morning.
“I’d love to be able to tell you it was one of those great writer’s room moments with Buddy, Sally and Rob Petrie [from “The Dick Van Dyke Show”] or that my agricultural economics degree from Virginia Tech had something to do with it,” joked Alpha Trivette Monday. “But the truth is, we were doing a canned food drive and Can-nah Montana just made perfect sense. It’s a good cause and we hope folks will come out.”
Given the enthusiastic response from listeners, Gara has no idea what he’ll be facing as he does a live remote this morning from the Publix as frantic fans of Miley Cyrus show up.
“It could be nice and orderly or it could be a nightmare,” a guarded Gara told Buzz. All food donated will go to Publix’s “Food For Sharing” drive that benefits the Feed the Hungry program in metro Atlanta.
On Wednesday night, meanwhile, the station will sponsor a party for parents at the Loafing Leprechaun on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth near Gwinnett Arena.
Explained Gara: “Through the years, I’ve noticed lots of parents who drop off their kids at a show and then wait for them for hours in the car. This way, at least they’ll be able to get something to eat.”
Overscene
“Grey’s Anatomy” actor Eric Dane and his actress wife Rebecca Gayheart sipping coffee and hot cocoa at Atlantic Station’s Lobby at Twelve.
Pop star and part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson shopping for ski clothes at Rocky Mountain Sports in Sandy Springs. Citing the “Why Did I Get Married?” actress’ preference for privacy, store reps would only confirm the sighting when we got all nosy and rang the store for details Monday.
R&B singer and Broadway actress Toni Braxton dining with about 25 friends and family at Uncle Julio’s Casa Grande in Buckhead.
Tyler Perry among ‘Top Entertainers’
Jackson is a bit less private when it comes to raving about her Atlanta director Tyler Perry in the new “The Top 25 Entertainers” issue of Entertainment Weekly now on newsstands. The writer-actor is named as one of the mag’s “Most Buzzed About” celebs on the list. Said Jackson in EW: “He’s a wonderful writer. He knows what his audience wants. It’s just a God-given thing.” When “Why Did I Get Married?” made $21.4 million this year, opening opposite less successful fare by George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, Perry captured the attention of more than just his core fans. Writes EW’s Tim Stack: Now that the Atlanta-based mogul has gotten Hollywood’s attention, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a true industry giant.”
You’ll recall that Peachtree Road resident Elton John first raved to us about Amy Winehouse back in February. The singer continues to cautiously praise the troubled “Rehab” vocalist in the issue. Says Sir Elton in EW: “I’ve seen her live and she is the real deal, although she sometimes can be hit-and-miss, depending on how out of it she is. It’s like [the late] Nina Simone and Van Morrison: You don’t know what you’re going to get. You don’t know if it’s going to be a little off or if it’s going to be electrifying. The only thing that’s going to stop Amy is herself.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor James Avery (“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”) is 59. TV personality Bill Nye (above, “Bill Nye the Science Guy”) is 52. Actor William Fichtner (“Prison Break”) is 51. Actress Robin Givens is 43. Actor Michael Vartan (“Big Shots”) is 39. Rapper Twista is 35. Actor Jaleel White (“Family Matters”) is 31.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Because that’s what they’re for!”
—“Grey’s Anatomy” actress Chandra Wilson, on why she continues to clip coupons (the actress on the hit show still does her own grocery shopping) on “The View” Monday
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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Bartender serves up positive vibe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buzz understands you can be the best, most convivial gastropub this side of the Thames River, but without a staff that exudes personality, charm and character, pub could easily turn into flub.
Bartender Joshua Buggs at Tap in Midtown epitomizes outstanding customer service to the point where we’d go back just to let him whip up another one of his savvy cocktail creations.
When Buzz and our companion Shawn Joyner dropped by Tap on Saturday for booze and a bite, we’d already heard of the place’s reputation as a cool spot to congregate for cold beer and conversation. Yet it’s always nice to have someone serve you who really enjoys what they do.
“The most important thing is service with a smile,” Buggs says. “Any negative aura is going to bring somebody down. You have to be happy to be here.”
Buggs, who’s been with Tap since it opened in the spring at 1180 Peachtree St., says he enjoys serving customers drinks they’re not used to. In his arsenal are such diddies as the Polluted Tapwater (fresh mashed berries, ginger beer and choice of gin, tequila, rum or vodka), the Astro Pop (four Stoli vodkas, sour mix, Sprite, blue curacao and grenadine) and, our favorite, the Grateful Dead (Long Island Iced Tea, but mixes in blue curacao and Chambord). All definitely worth a try.
And what grand, masterful recipe does this Purveyor of the Pour like to whip up for himself?
“I enjoy Sapphire gin and tonic.”
Fire closes Tower II
When Buzz turned to the Sunday morning news and saw a brief report that the popular gay Atlanta nightspot Tower II had caught fire Saturday, we sprung into action for more information.
It may take four or five weeks for fire officials to determine the cause, said a distraught Angela Ballew, owner of the predominantly African-American venue that has seen such celebs as Kelly Price, local hip-hop artist Ms. B, Jeffrey Osborne, Divinity (Beyonce’s bass player) and Frenchie of “American Idol” fame make appearances.
“But we’re glad it happened in the morning and that no one got hurt.”
Ballew says the fire started about 8:30 or 9 a.m. and was confined to the roof area.
Mario Harris, who hosts parties at the venue each Friday night through his WassupNAtl group, says, “Everything was fine, and we were good to go” at the end of the night.
Harris says he’s exploring his options, including a move to Django, to carry on his Friday hip-hop, house and R&B events until Tower II gets back on its feet.
“We’re going to rebuild,” notes Ballew. “It’s going to take us a little while, but God works in mysterious ways. And when we do rebuild, we’re going to be bigger and better.”
She hopes for a grand reopening in spring.
Divorce report surprises Hulk
Looks like Hulk Hogan was dealt a major blow — and he never saw it coming.
The St. Petersburg, Fla., Times reported Friday that Hogan’s wife, Linda, filed for divorce from the wrestler, according to The Associated Press.
Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Bollea, told the Times he didn’t know his wife had filed for divorce. He was informed by a reporter that Pinellas County court records showed the paperwork was submitted Tuesday. “Holy smokes,” Bollea later told the newspaper. “Wow, you just knocked the bottom out of me.”
The couple star in the VH1 reality TV series “Hogan Knows Best,” with their two children.
Hogan’s 17-year-old son, Nick Bollea, was arrested on reckless-driving charges Nov. 7 after a car accident. Clearwater police said Bollea crashed his 1998 Toyota Supra while street racing against a friend. A report said Bollea was driving faster than 60 mph in a 40 mph zone.
Bollea was not seriously injured, but his passenger, John Graziano, was critically hurt.
T.I. Fallout
“[T.I.’s] legal issues could jeopardize branding and movie commitments, including a movie role in the film ‘Once Was Lost,’ a partnership with Chevrolet and the launch of his own clothing company, AKOO.
At press time, Chevrolet said T.I.’s endorsement deal is ‘under review’” — Hillary Crosley, in the Nov. 24 issue of Billboard magazine
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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‘Runway’ dress goes retail
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s instant gratification for “Project Runway” fans: A version of Victorya Hong’s winning dress from Wednesday’s episode went on sale Friday.
The dress is being offered as part of Sarah Jessica Parker’s Bitten line, sold at Steve & Barry’s stores nationwide. The “Sex and the City” star was the week’s guest judge on the Bravo reality show about fashion.
The challenge put to the aspiring designer contestants was to create an outfit appropriate for Parker’s casual sportswear collection, known for its cheap pricing compared with other celebrity clothing lines.
The Bitten interpretation of the dress will be offered in black or burgundy for $19.98, and the vest that goes with it will come in gray or black for $14.98.
“I loved Victorya’s design immediately when I saw it during my appearance on ‘Project Runway,’” Parker said in a statement.
Hong’s original dress will be on display at Steve & Barry’s flagship Manhattan store for several weeks.
A country Christmas
A year ago, Clear Channel played the Grinch by cutting off Christmas music a week early on Lite 94.9 to introduce Atlanta to its new country station the Bull. This didn’t sit well with traditionalists who love their “Jingle Bell Rock” and “O Holy Night.”
So on Thanksgiving evening, the Bull’s heart grew three sizes as the station brought back Christmas — but with a Southern twang. This is actually an unusual development. While mostly soft rock stations (such as B98.5) and Christian pop stations (such as 104.7/The Fish) take the all-Christmas route, very few country stations do so.
Fortunately, Program Director Clay Hunnicutt had little trouble compiling a relatively deep playlist of 450 Christmas songs thanks to the fact virtually every major country artist has recorded a Christmas album or at least contributed to a compilation.
For instance, the station has included Yuletide tunes by Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson, Alan Jackson and (already) 17-year-old Taylor Swift. But the legends have not been forgotten: you’ll also get to sing along to classics recorded long before Swift was born by the likes of Johnny Mathis, Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole.
HIGH FIVE
Music
The top sellers at Criminal Records, week ending 11/17:
1. Grizzly Bear, “Friend” EP
2. Band of Horses, “Cease to Begin”
3. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand”
4. Prefuse 73, “Preparations”
5. Ani DiFranco, “Canon”
Source: Criminal Records in Little Five Points
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Former Beatles drummer Pete Best is 66. Actor Stanley Livingston (“My Three Sons”) is 57. Record producer Terry Lewis is 51. Actor Colin Hanks (“Roswell”) is 30. Actress Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Roswell”) is 29.
Sunday: Actor Ricardo Montalban is 87. Singer Percy Sledge is 67. Actor-game show host Ben Stein is 63. Actor John Larroquette is 60. Singer Amy Grant is 47. Actress Christina Applegate is 36. Actor Eddie Steeples (“My Name Is Earl”) is 34.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Captain takes ‘Planet’ party to both coasts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
To celebrate its 13th annual Xmas Party fund-raiser, eco nonprofit Captain Planet Foundation will throw a bi-coastal bash next month.
First up, will be an event at the Jules Verne Film Festival at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles where Ted Turner will be honored for his environmental work. A screening of an episode of “Captain Planet and the Planeteers” for 3,000 kids (the educational ecological ‘toon conceived by the CNN founder was originally broadcast on his TBS and Cartoon Network channels) will be followed by a reunion of the notable voice talent behind the cartoon. Green-minded celebs, including Ed Begley Jr., Jessica Capshaw, Sally Kirkland, Malcolm McDowell, Buzz Aldrin, LeVar Burton and possibly Martin Sheen will be in attendance.
The two coast fund-raiser has been in the works since January.
Explained tireless Captain Planet Foundation special projects senior director K.P. Hendry to Buzz this week: “I’m good at thinking these things up, but the problem is then I have to make it actually happen!”
On Dec. 14, the fund-raising moves back here to the Tabernacle downtown where Turner, his daughter and co-chair Laura Turner Seydel and others will help host this year’s “Visionary Voyages” -themed Xmas Party with headlining world music rock act Kan ‘Nal.
The Denver-based group is so green, they had to be convinced to leave their bio- diesel bus parked at home,
Explains Hendry: “I didn’t want them getting stuck in ice while coming across the country from Denver. They finally agreed to fly.”
Many longtime Atlanta supporters of the foundation already have purchased VIP tickets to events on both coasts. An added perk for the participants?
They’re also invited to a posh private cocktail party being thrown atop “Grease” director Randal Kleiser’s palatial Runyon Canyon Ranch home, where guests will have an envious view of Hollywood and Los Angeles below.
In its 13th year, how big is the Captain Planet Foundation’s Xmas Party? Well, when she discovered a conflict on her calendar, even Turner’s former spouse Jane Fonda graciously moved her 70th birthday bash (a pricey benefit for her G-CAPP charity) to Dec. 13 so she could support both causes.
Explained Hendry: “We should all be so lucky to have such good rapport with our exes. It’s like what Ted has said all these years. ‘If you work together, you can accomplish anything.’”
or additional info and tickets: www.xmasparty.org
Hawks’ Turkey Day tipped off to kids
Before celebrating the holiday with their friends and family this week, members of the Atlanta Hawks organization, including Tyronn Lue, Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia, partnered with the Children’s Restoration Network to throw a turkey dinner for in-need kids. The event at Hudson Grill this week featured players and coaches serving up Thanksgiving meals with all the trimmings to children from area group homes. After joining the kids for dinner, the Hawks distributed gift bags and signed autographs. We’re told that the equally civic-minded Hudson Grille hooked the Hawks up with all of the food for the event, as well as the use of the restaurant and staff.
Munchkins merit new Hollywood star
Almost 70 years after “The Wizard of Oz” premiered at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, a few of the film’s Munchkins — including Georgian Karl Slover — made a grand entrance there this week to receive a collective star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Seven of the surviving actors who played the inhabitants of Munchkinland in the 1939 classic attended the ceremony, arriving in a horse-drawn carriage and trailed by a marching band. A yellow carpet, resembling the film’s yellow brick road, led them to the stage. One tap-danced, and another sang. “We love you; you have touched our hearts,” former Munchkin Mickey Carroll, 88, told the crowd. Carroll was joined by former Munchkin colleagues Slover, Ruth Duccini, Jerry Maren, Margaret Pellegrini, Meinhardt Raabe, and Clarence Swensen. “I’m as proud today as my mother would have been,” said Joey Luft, the son of Judy Garland. Garland, who played the movie’s wide-eyed orphan, Dorothy Gale, died of a drug overdose in 1969. Slover was one of more than 100 adults and children who were recruited for “Oz” to play the natives of what author L. Frank Baum called Munchkin Country in his 1900 book “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.” They only made $125 a week while filming, followed by decades of recognition.
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Love, money, muscles all worth thanks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanksgiving 2007. This year, Peach Buzz readers — both in sickness and in health — are thankful. And as always, some of your submissions caught us a little off guard. But as some of you point out, even horror movies, moves not made and the occasional obscene phone call are all reasons to celebrate today. Read on!
Jerry Niemeyer, Acworth: “I am most thankful for Sandy, my wife of 36 years. She’s been my strength for a long time. We met almost 40 years ago through an obscene phone call.”
Joni Pelta, Atlanta: “To live in one of only four cities in the U.S. with pandas at our zoo. The pandas, especially the antics of 1-year-old Mei Lan, never fail to make me smile and feel great on my frequent visits to Zoo Atlanta.”
Jerry Schwartz, Alpharetta: “Every Thanksgiving, I take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left side I list all the events that year that were happy ones and on the right, I list those that were unhappy. I’m thankful that the left hand column is much, much longer than the right.”
David and Billie Sims, north Fulton: “For the wonderful public school teachers that have worked with our daughter, Ali, who was born with Down syndrome. She will graduate this year from Centennial High School, thanks to the efforts of many teachers.”
Vicky Hagan, Marietta: “One year ago, I joined a women’s gym. I never thought at 50 I could develop muscles in my arms, but I have a nice set of pecs now. I love this feeling of strength. My husband calls me Mighty Mouse. I am thankful I have taken control and hope to be hotter at 50 years old than I was at 40.”
Meta Shore, Smyrna: “After being almost deaf for nearly 30 years, I had a Cochlear implant, and now I can hear birds, music, phone, the doorbell ring. Conversations with friends and strangers have been a pleasure.”
Marie McIntyre, Monroe: “Last Thanksgiving, my husband had just completed months of chemotherapy and was facing a stem cell transplant. This year, because of the remarkable people at Emory Winship Cancer Institute, he’s in complete remission and feels wonderful. At our house, every day is Thanksgiving.”
Kathy Hooks, Atlanta: “My old dog Abbey. She has consoled me during the two greatest losses I have ever faced. Just when it seemed my heart would indeed heal, Abbey became very sick. But it wasn’t our time to part, and I am thankful I got the chance to return the favor by never leaving her side.”
Lenny Player, Sandy Springs: “I’m highly appreciative of the highs and lows I experience as my mom’s caregiver. She has Lou Gehrig’s disease. The experience has helped me see what’s good about her as well as my deficiencies as a man and son. It has all been extremely worthwhile.”
Virginia Ashmore, Monroe: “In July 1999, my husband had emergency open heart surgery that required quadruple bypasses. In February, he was diagnosed with an intracranial bleed. After months of healing and many, many prayers, my husband is alive, walking and talking, without any physical hindrance.”
Jane Wilgus, Atlanta: “To be a part of a blended family. We may not be the Brady Bunch, but we have such fun when we’re together and respect each other.”
Carole Hager, Smyrna: “For cheap wine, the money I buried in my backyard and the ability to laugh out loud and at myself.”
Stephanie Vaughn, Atlanta: “After many terrible years, I found love and news that I was expecting a baby. I never thought I would be able to have another child. In September, I welcomed a baby boy. I’m thankful for the life of my beautiful children and the God that has allowed my life to completely transform when I had admittedly lost faith.”
Ric Burnett, Doraville: “For a wonderful wife, Betty, for 27 years and no kids for 27 years. But I’m not thankful for stores that have 20 cash registers and only two are being used.”
Barbara King, Doraville: “My husband was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer. After his first round of treatments he was stable for a year and a half. Now the cancer has now metastasized. He feels well and will be alive for another holiday season. We will travel out of town to be with family.”
Sandy Perkins, Roswell: “My husband and I decided to ‘retire’ in our family home rather than downsize. Our many cul-de-sac neighbors chose to leave, and now we have several new younger families. We are so very thankful for them because they think of us as the ‘older fun couple’ who they invite to parties and family celebrations.”
Ted Shomake, Lawrenceville: “For the example my father, Don, has set for me on how to be a good husband and father. Soon after his retirement, my mother contracted senile dementia, a condition which has forced him to quit his dream retirement job at a golf course. He has demonstrated to me what real love is about as he cares for my mom.”
Harriet Harris, Atlanta: “My son — when he was about age 8 — offered this as we went around the table expressing our gratitude: ‘I’m thankful for the Earth because it gives me a place to stand.’ “
Steven Warren, Atlanta: “I’m thankful that I got to torture young men for fun and profit as the star of ‘Scarce,’ a Canadian independent horror film that premiered in Toronto last month. It’s the first feature in which I’ve received top billing in my midlife crisis career as an actor.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Robert Vaughn (“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”) is 75. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis is 49. Actress Scarlett Johannsson (“Lost in Translation”) is 23.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Artist gets ‘princess’ prize at ‘Enchanted’ preview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta artist Erica Ramsey exited Monday night’s advance screening of “Enchanted” at the AMC Parkway Pointe theatre with much more than just memories of “happily ever after.”
As the winner of Disney’s local “Princess For a Day” contest, the 36-year-old walked away with a $500 shopping spree at the Mall at Stonecrest, a $100 Sephora gift card, a designer frock made especially for her. Oh, and a “fairy godfather.”
“Project Runway” finalist and Atlanta designer Mychael Knight himself was on hand to announce the winner before the screening. And as many plucky Disney princesses have taught us throughout the decades, a sense of humor and a way with words can come in handy as you try on glass slippers.
Knight told Buzz that the cleverness of Ramsey’s winning essay made it stand out among the other eight finalists in the contest.
In her entry, Ramsey whimsically reflected on her recent 36th birthday, choosing to look at it through the eyes of her former princess-aspiring 6-year-old self.
“I started mentally reviewing my success to date as a princess,” she wrote. “I noted that my tresses are not golden, flowing, or even trimmed. I saw I also had a gray hair sticking out. Nice.”
“I then regarded my house, which is not a castle with a moat, staff and a tower. It’s a condo and it’s got a very un-fairytale-like adjustable rate mortgage to go with it. (Evil spells do exist!) … None of this looked at all familiar to my younger princess self, so I wondered — what about ‘Happily Ever After?’ Is there at least that?”
“Please let Mychael Knight be my fairy godfather and I could at least posture as a princess for a day.”
As she read the entry aloud to the entire packed theater, Knight told Ramsey: “We’re going to do an amazing, amazing dress for you.”
But Knight told us the outfit will only be started after he gets to know its future wearer.
“Clothing and fashion is such an expression of who you are as a person,” he explained. “It has to reflect her.”
The movie itself, a self-deprecating Disney mix of live action and animation, was a hit with the audience, a smattering of families and older folk. Actor James Marsden’s Prince Edward, an over-the-top spoof on the arch-typical thick-jawed Disney hero, got laughs throughout as did Susan Sarandon’s deliciously campy turn as the evil queen Narissa.
“Enchanted” officially opens today.
Turkey via T.I.
“T.I. and the Grand Hustle K.I.N.G. Foundation to host Thanksgiving dinner” read the top of the news release that landed on Buzz Central’s desk Tuesday. But wait, what was that underneath, by the asterisk? “Please note: T.I. will not be in attendance.”
Sigh.
Guess being under house arrest for weapons charges means you can’t leave your lakefront home for a charitable event, either. Nevertheless, a free dinner will be held for the needy at the rapper-actor’s nightclub, Club Crucial (2517 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway N.W.), from 6 to 9 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. And according to the release from his label rep, 400 turkeys also will be donated to the Atlanta Parks & Recreation Center on behalf of T.I. and his foundation. And he also is asking his “celebrity friends” to help raise $150,000 for the annual Hosea Williams Feed The Hungry Thanksgiving Day Dinner.
Getting Grammy nod?
The nominations for the 50th annual Grammy Awards will be announced Dec. 6, and if Grammy announcement tradition holds true this time around, we already can bet on one Atlantan being included on that list. Multimillion-selling local rapper-singer Akon will join legendary producer Quincy Jones, rockers Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park and breakout country singer Taylor Swift at the podium at 8:30 a.m. in Hollywood, Calif., to unveil the major contenders. And Grammy doesn’t generally ask you to announce the nominees unless you are among the nominees.
The Grammy Awards will air on CBS Feb. 10 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Pssst!
Remember that 1979 Trans Am that Braselton custom car shop Year One recently delivered to “Smokey and the Bandit” star Burt Reynolds after it was faithfully restored on DIY Network’s “Celebrity Rides?” Now DIY is giving one away.
To enter, automotive buffs need to create a video that illustrates why you should get the car and then upload this video at www.Heavy.com by Nov. 30. The bandit himself will help select the winner, who will be announced on the Dec. 14 one-hour special, “Celebrity Rides: Burt Builds a Bandit,” airing on DIY at 10 p.m. For more info: www.diynetwork.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Marlo Thomas is 70. Singer Dr. John is 67. Actress Juliet Mills (“Passions,” “Nanny and the Professor”) is 66. Actor-director Harold Ramis is 63. Actress Goldie Hawn is 62. Singer Livingston Taylor is 57. Actress-singer Lorna Luft is 55. Actress Nicollette Sheridan is 44. Singer Bjork is 42.
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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Calendar aims for maximum exposure
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This year’s benefit calendar “Body + Art” is personal for Atlanta photographer and salon owner Richie Arpino. Taking a brief break from his hosting duties at the calendar’s launch party Saturday night at Mitchell Gold-Bob Williams shop in Buckhead, Arpino told us that this year’s effort, featuring nudes striking poses in front of work by Harriett Leibowitz, Paul Chelko and other artful Atlantans, is dedicated to his sister-in-law Janie Arpino, who succumbed to breast cancer this year.
A few feet away, reps from Breast Friends were busy using credit card machines to tally up sales of the limited edition $40 calendars.
“She was diagnosed last year just when I was starting work on the 2008 calendar and she was definitely the motivation behind this year’s effort,” Arpino said.
Nearby, models for the charity calendar, sporting pink tank tops, were busy signing autographs for attendees sipping pink lemonade drinks enhanced with vodka.
The longtime Atlanta hair salon owner concedes that his part-time hobby is taking up more and more time. “Tomorrow I start work on the 2009 edition. I’m going to focus on love and couples and the way they embrace and touch. That’s just where I’m at right now.”
Arpino’s photography is also currently being seen in every Target store in America via the whimsical cover photo he shot for Collective Soul’s latest album, “Afterwords” which features the Atlanta rockers slurping soup at Metrofresh in Midtown.
“Remember how we all analyzed the Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’ cover and tried to figure out what was up with Paul McCartney?” Arpino asks. “Well, the Collective Soul fans are now doing that with the ‘Afterwords’ cover. They’re all online asking why [guitarist] Dean [Roland] is sitting under a certain picture and why is his soup bowl empty?’ They don’t know that it was just a candid shot I snapped as they were eating after a long photo shoot. But we’re not letting on. We’re playing it up. A little mystery’s a good thing, after all!”
“Body + Art” is available at Outwrite Books in Midtown.
Overscene
Police guitarist Andy Summers, sporting a “very cool” purple hat “that only rock stars can get away with,” checking out the Doc Watson show at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points. On his way out, Summers complimented opening act The Lovell Sisters. … Police drummer Stewart Copeland enjoying the smoked salmon at Tap in Midtown. … Rapper/actor Ludacris and six associates at Sweet Lowdown in Midtown. We’re told that Luda ordered the eatery’s signature fried chicken.
‘20/20’ vision for Spanx
Atlanta’s own global philanthropist and entrepreneur Sara Blakely finally has something in common with Drew Carey. And thankfully, it has nothing to do with improv comedy or horn-rimmed glasses. Both were prominently featured on Friday night’s edition of “20/20” on ABC. The pair were among those who discussed initial failure and what motivated them to push forward. Blakely is the founder of Spanx, a $100 million business. In a deeply personal interview, Blakely told the news mag that during her well-documented career selling fax machines door to door, she was “personally escorted out of several buildings, and I had my business card ripped up in my face probably about twice a week.” Reasoned Blakely: “I realize that failure is just life’s way of nudging you and letting you know you’re off course. If I hadn’t failed, I wouldn’t be here.”
Charitable ‘Assist’
Atlanta Hawk Josh Childress will have his own cheering section tonight during the team’s game against the San Antonio Spurs at Philips Arena downtown. Three kids have been given tickets to the game thanks to Childress and the “Hawks Assist” program that gives seriously ill kids and their families a fun night out via the Children’s Wish Foundation International. We’re told that the evening’s special guests will come equipped with a “Wish Kids Love Josh” sign expressing their thanks to the charitable player.
Last call for reader thanks
Tuesday is the deadline, dear reader for you to contribute to this year’s “What I’m thankful for”-themed Turkey Day column. Send along your poignant and/or humorous contribution to buzz@ajc.com today by noon, along with your full name, where you live and a daytime phone number. The best entries will be published in Thursday’s Peach Buzz column.
HIGH FIVE
Criminal Records top-selling albums for week ending Nov. 10 were:
1. The Pipettes, “We Are the Pipettes”
2. Sigur Ros, “Hvart/Heim “
3. Prefuse 73, “Preparations”
4. Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers, “Archives Vol. 1, Live at the Avalon Ballroom”
5. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand”
Source: Criminal Records in Little Five Points
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
TV personality Richard Dawson is 75. Comedian Dick Smothers is 69. Singer Norman Greenbaum is 65. Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is 61. Actress Bo Derek is 51. Drummer Todd Nance of Widespread Panic is 45. Actress Ming-Na (“ER”) is 44. Rapper Mike D of the Beastie Boys is 42. Country singer Dierks Bentley is 32. Country singer Josh Turner is 30. Actress Nadine Velazquez (“My Name Is Earl”) is 29.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Winder resident makes cancer patient’s wish come true
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Noble deeds shouldn’t go unnoticed. That’s why Buzz took notice when Atlanta Falcons season ticket-holder David Stott helped raise more than $1,000 for 12-year-old Tim Moore and his grandfather. Here’s the story in a nutshell.
Stott, a Winder resident, read in his native Pierce City, Mo., newspaper the story of Tim and his yearlong battle with brain cancer. The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted the boy’s desire for a room makeover decked in colors and memorabilia of his favorite team — the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Stott contacted Make-A-Wish about flying the boy to Atlanta for Sunday’s Falcons game vs. Tampa Bay, and he’d take care of the game pass. But Make-A-Wish’s policy is one wish per client.
Determined, Stott held fund-raisers to get Moore and his granddad, Jerry Moore, here for the game. He even arranged for Tim, who’s undergone 31 radiation treatments, four months of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, to see the game from the 50-yard line.
During a pregame ceremony, “Tampa Bay Coach Jon Gruden gave [Tim] an autographed book,” Stott says. Tim also received an autographed visor from Falcons tailback Warrick Dunn, and had a chance to meet Tampa Bay players Joey Galloway, Matt Bryant and Mike Alstott.
“He’s excited and appreciative of this opportunity to meet the coach and some of the players and being on the field,” Stott says of Tim’s first-ever experience being at a Buccaneers game.
“I just wanted to help,” Stott adds. “That’s the way I try to live.”
Brown’s show mostly a stiff
OK, what was supposed to be grown and sexy seemed more like loud and wrong.
Atlanta was ready for the New Jack Swing tour Friday at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center that promised jams by Guy, After 7, K-Ci & JoJo and Bobby Brown.
It was a good, if slow, start as After 7 warmed up the crowd. K-Ci & JoJo, on the other hand, seemed like they just rolled onto the stage. They went through songs like “Life” and “If You Think You’re Lonely Now,” but the weakened voices and lack of showmanship made the performance seem like an afterthought.
Then Bobby Brown hobbled out. Buzz can appreciate his working through an injured ankle, but his show was underwhelming. Beyond humping the stage and air, he couldn’t dance, and he shoved “new” songs down our ears when what we really wanted was “Roni” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” And where was “My Prerogative”?
Fellow New Edition member Ronnie DeVoe helped Bobby out, while Keith Sweat made a surprise cameo.
Aaron Hall of Guy was the night’s biggest hit. Sure he had a few missteps, including racy “dancing” (even Aaron commented he was getting too old for those antics). But his voice was strong as he went through hits like “Let’s Chill” and “I Miss You,” which made many couples get up to dance in the aisles. Thank goodness for sweet endings. (To see the full review, go to accessAtlanta.com’s Music Scene blog.)
Mixing it up helps overcome adversity
There’s something humble and genuine about DJ Aaries when Buzz chatted with him Friday on the phone.
That’s why, when the Stone Mountain mixologist won the national “I Will Not Lose” video competition sponsored by Rocawear and Blackplanet.com, it wasn’t hard to see why. He earned a chance to have his face splashed all over magazines and TV in Roacawear’s spring ad fashion campaign.
“You don’t expect it to be you,” says the musician, who thinks he was tops because of his desire to promote, nurture and spin up-and-coming artists. “This feels outstanding.”
Jay-Z’s Rocawear line and Blackplanet.com, one of the nation’s most popular African-American networking sites, came up with the campaign to show how celebs like Ciara and Chris Brown and everyday people overcome adversity. The online contest allowed visitors to upload videos with their testimonials and let voters decide whose was most moving. About 2 million votes were cast.
DJ Aaries, whose real name is Lawrence Butler, beat out about 500 entrants along with co-winner JUSK1234 from Charlotte with his story about growing up poor and moving around with his family to look for work.
Now, Aaries, who’s been a regular on BET’s “Rap City,” mentors rising DJs and makes it his mission to give exposure to little-known artists during his DJ sets.
“I show that if you work hard, things can happen.”
Check out his winning video at iwillnotlose.org.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Talk show host Larry King is 74. Media mogul Ted Turner is 69. Actor Dan Haggerty is 66. Sportscaster Ahmad Rashad is 58. Actress Meg Ryan is 46. Actress Jodie Foster is 45. Dancer-choreographer Savion Glover is 34.
CONCERT WATCH
Celine Dion “Taking Chances World Tour” hits Philips Arena Jan. 17, 2009. Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m.
Contributing: Quindelda McElroy. David Graves covers leisure activities. If you have a worthwhile event coming up let him know at dgraves@ajc.com.
Got a tip for Peach Buzz? 404-526-2749 or buzz@ajc.com
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Benefit for longtime Fuzzy’s staff
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A small army of musicians are banding together Sunday to financially assist the 24 staffers recently left unemployed when Fuzzy’s Place unexpectedly closed.
The 30-year-old North Druid Hills Road watering hole, founded by Fuzzy Cawthon, was shuttered this month by its current owner and Fuzzy’s brother, Chris Cawthon (Fuzzy died last year).
The Mike Veal Band, which has gigged at Fuzzy’s every Wednesday for the past 15 years has secured a new gig on Wednesdays down the street at the Tin Roof Cantina. Now, Veal, along with other Fuzzy’s musicians, including Francine Reed, Java Monkey, Diane Durrett, the Soul Shakers, Barry Richman and Room to Groove, are booked for a benefit Sunday at the Tavern on the Bridge in Duluth to help out the folks who are still looking for employment.
“[The closing] was a major shock,” Veal told Buzz on Friday. “Nobody saw this coming. We’ve got more than 20 folks out there, some of which have worked at Fuzzy’s behind the bar for 33 years or on the floor for 26 years or in the kitchen for 11 years, and now they’ve got no income. Fuzzy’s has an incredibly dedicated staff. With the holidays coming, we wanted to do something for our friends.”
While there’s no set cover for the 5 to 11 p.m. event, donations will be accepted. For info: tavernonthebridge.com.
The future of Fuzzy’s remained uncertain Friday. A sign posted on the door informs patrons: “Closed for Reorganization.” Calls made to the restaurant/nightclub Friday went unanswered.
Getting ‘Restless’
Remember that recent “Young and the Restless”
casting call held here in Atlanta? The CBS soap’s casting directors have already selected a winner, and TaNeisha Bennett is headed to Hollywood. Well, sometime next year, at least.
Bennett was one of the hundreds of aspiring actresses who waited in line for hours this month when the show held an open audition downtown.
So is Bennett super-psyched about the network acting opportunity? Does she have any thoughts about whom she’d like to shoot scenes with? And what’s her reaction to the soap dropping a parking deck on half of Genoa City in the show’s latest sweeps story line?
We have no clue.
For two straight days, efforts to reach the actress via her agent Deborah Owensby at Houghton Talent in Atlanta inexplicably proved fruitless. A search for Bennett’s bio and credits on the firm’s Web site, meanwhile, led us only to a broken link.
Thankfully, “Y&R” casting director Karen Rea was only too happy to discuss what led to Bennett’s selection:
“First of all, she is adorable to look at and has a wonderful smile,” Rea told Buzz in an e-mail. “She is very natural and easy to watch. TaNeisha was playful and yet professional while auditioning with [“Y&R” actor] Michael Graziadei. And she has a giggle that brings a smile to your face.”
CBS reps tell us that Bennett’s debut will be scheduled for early in 2008.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top five On Demand programs for the week of Nov. 5-11 as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “Soulja Girl,” Soulja Boy, music video, Music Choice
2. “Kiss Kiss,” Chris Brown, music video, Music Choice
3. “No One,” Alicia Keys, music video, Music Choice
4. “Pop Bottles,” Birdman, music video, Music Choice
5. “Hypnotized,” Plies Feat. Akon, music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essential
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Singer Gordon Lightfoot is 69. Movie director Martin Scorsese is 65. Actress Lauren Hutton is 64. “Saturday Night Live” producer Lorne Michaels is 63. Actor-director Danny DeVito is 63. Entertainer RuPaul is 47. Actor Dylan Walsh (“Nip/Tuck”) is 44. Singer Ronnie DeVoe of New Edition is 40. Guitarist Isaac Hanson of Hanson is 27.
Sunday: Actress Linda Evans is 65. Actor Owen Wilson (right, “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Zoolander”) is 39. Actress Chloe Sevigny (“Boys Don’t Cry”) is 33. Rapper Fabolous is 28. Rapper Mike Jones 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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New owners, new look for Silver Grill
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No, that’s not a fried chicken and turkey and dressing-deprived mirage on Monroe Drive this week as drivers do double-takes in front of the old Silver Grill. The legendary eatery’s neon sign is lit once again and the diner is back open, nearly a year after it famously closed up shop, following a successful 58-year run.
Say hello to the Silver Midtown Grill, courtesy of its new owners Stephan Barrani and Sam Scott.
The duo has completely refurbished the outdated space (think new marble counters, hardwood floors, light fixtures and finally credit-card machines) while retaining the Silver Grill’s crowd-pleasing menu and somehow luring back signature employees, including manager Vivian Wynn, chef John Fendell and grill cook Peggy Mack. Bless her heart, Peggy Hubbard, the Grill’s 74-year-old waitress, who’s been dutifully delivering collards, corn bread and sweet tea to tables for nearly 50 years, also has returned.
Former regular Michael Thomason drove past the shuttered Silver Grill back in June and met the new owners, who were working on the space. He persuaded the pair, who wanted originally to open a similar eatery, to rebirth the Grill. Thomason then got on the horn to Hubbard and company and coaxed them back as well.
“The Silver Grill was such a community thing, it was difficult to let that go,” Thomason told Buzz Thursday. “I still can’t believe it’s back. Seeing that neon lit up again is just incredible.”
While Thomason says that some upgrades were needed to bring the old building up to code, regulars shouldn’t be too concerned about the upgraded aesthetics.
“It’s not too fancy,” he assures. “It still looks like a diner.”
The Silver Midtown Grill also eventually will open for breakfast as well as weekend brunch. Its new owners hope to make the Grill a 24-hour operation at some point, too.
So has legendary “Silver Grill Blues” songstress Diamond Lil popped back into the eatery since its reopening this week?
“No, but we’ve got to find her,” Thomason told us.
Buzz has a hunch that’s now no longer an issue …
‘Bandit’ ‘07
Braselton custom muscle car shop YearOne is honoring the 30th anniversary of the locally filmed “Smokey & the Bandit” by building 50 updated versions of the classy 1977 Trans Am from the film and recently gave the first one to Burt Reynolds himself.
They delivered the Trans Am to Reynolds in Los Angeles last month, a moment captured on film by cable network DIY for its show “Celebrity Rides,” which airs Friday night at 10. After more than 1,000 man-hours of work, YearOne pieced together vintage Trans Am parts to create a version with a different paint scheme, wheels and interior (plus modern-day power) that still looks basically like the original.
During an earlier episode, Reynolds consulted with YearOne and accepted most of the modifications but held firm on the distinctive hood bird. YearOne wanted to modify it, but Reynolds pooh-poohed the changes as “whitewashing” and insisted the bird stay the same. “That’s the most important thing about it,” said Reynolds, who still owns a couple of original “Bandit” Trans Ams from the film.
“I’m not going to argue with Burt Reynolds,” said designer Phil Brewer on camera.
“We compromised on a few things,” YearOne President Kevin King told Buzz. “But for the most part, he was a jewel to work with. And he was thrilled to see the results.”
If you want one yourself, it will set you back anywhere from $130,000 for a basic version to $205,000 for a totally tricked out edition. Check it out at www.yearone.com.
Quote of the day
“It was embarrassing. ‘Hey Chong, what are you in for?’ … ‘A bong.’ … ‘A bomb?’ … ‘No, a bong.’ “
Tommy Chong, one half of the 1970s stoner comedy duo Cheech & Chong, on his recent real-life stint behind bars for selling drug paraphernalia during an interview with Dave FM’s Mara Davis Thursday. Chong is in town for a weekend of shows at the Funny Farm.
Sick bay
New York singer-songwriter Regina Spektor postponed Thursday night’s scheduled show at the Tabernacle downtown. According to Atlanta radio station Dave FM, the vocalist, currently out on the road promoting her new album “Begin to Hope,” collapsed onstage at the Ryman Auditorium during a performance in Nashville Wednesday night. Spektor has rescheduled her Atlanta show for Dec. 5 at the Tabernacle. Tickets for Thursday’s show will be honored at the Dec. 5 date.
OVERSCENE
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox dining at Kevin Rathbun Steak in Inman Park.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Marg Helgenberger (“CSI”) is 49. Country singer-guitarist Keith Burns of Trick Pony is 44. Jazz singer Diana Krall is 43. Actress Lisa Bonet is 40. Actress Martha Plimpton is 37. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal (right) (“World Trade Center,” “Secretary”) is 30. Actor Noah Gray-Cabey (“Heroes,” “My Wife and Kids”) is 12.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Nancy Grace out of the hospital (UPDATED)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CNN Headline News talk-show host Nancy Grace is doing well and left an Atlanta hospital Thursday following postpartum complications stemming from her delivery of twins Nov. 4, according to her publicist.
“Nancy is definitely feeling better,” said Grace’s publicist Patty Caruso Thursday afternoon. “The babies will be there for a couple more weeks so they can get fat and sassy.”
Grace, after her baby delivery last weekend, had fluid in her lungs but was released. This past Sunday, she had trouble breathing and her husband David Linch rushed her to a local hospital. (The Atlanta hospital name was not released for privacy reasons, Caruso said.)
Grace, who is 48 years old, had blood clots in her lungs, which is dangerous, especially older women.
“Twenty percent of women that die as a complication of pregnancy is directly attributable to blood clots,” Dr. Lauren F. Streicher, a professor of obstetrics/gynecology at Northwestern University, told ABC News..
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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After yearlong absence, Silver Grill returns
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No, that’s not a fried chicken and turkey and dressing-deprived mirage on Monroe Drive this week as drivers do double-takes in front of the old Silver Grill. The legendary eatery’s neon sign is lit once again and the diner is back open, nearly a year after it famously closed up shop, following a successful 58-year run.
Say hello to the Silver Midtown Grill, courtesy of its new owners Stephan Barrani and Sam Scott.
The duo have completely refurbished the outdated space (think new marble counters, hardwood floors, light fixtures and finally credit card machines) while retaining the Silver Grill’s crowd-pleasing menu and somehow luring back signature employees, including manager Vivian Wynn, chef John Fendell, and grill cook Peggy Mack. And — bless her heart — Peggy Hubbard, the Grill’s 74-year-old waitress, who’s been dutifully delivering collards, cornbread and sweet tea to tables for nearly 50 years, has also returned.
Former regular Michael Thomason drove past the shuttered Silver Grill back in June and met the new owners who were working on the space. He persuaded the pair, who wanted originally to open a similar eatery, to re-birth the Grill. Thomason then got on the horn to Hubbard and company and coaxed them back as well.
“The Silver Grill was such a community thing, it was difficult to let that go,” Thomason told Buzz Thursday. “I still can’t believe it’s back. Seeing that neon lit up again is just incredible.”
While Thomason says that some upgrades were needed to bring the old building up to code, regulars shouldn’t be too concerned about the upgraded aesthetics.
“It’s not too fancy,” he assures. “It still looks like a diner.”
The Silver Midtown Grill will also eventually open for breakfast as well as weekend brunch. Its new owners hope to make the Grill a 24-hour operation at some point too.
So has legendary “Silver Grill Blues” songstress Diamond Lil popped back into the eatery since its reopening this week?
“No, but we’ve got to find her,” Thomason told us. Buzz has a hunch that’s now no longer an issue …
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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The truth about T.I. … pillows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks to Huff Furniture’s Julie Huff, we can now confidently report that T.I.’s sofa pillows are indeed orange. Huff e-mailed Buzz Central Wednesday after we wrote about the rapper-actor’s new video message posted on Streetcred.com.
The performer, as you may recall, is under house arrest awaiting trial on federal weapons charges. In the Internet video, T.I.’s pillows on his orange couch appeared, well, pink. Huff tells us that the 50-year-old Buckhead business has decorated two homes for the embattled rapper and that his basement family room where he taped the message is designed “in the colors of fire … shades of reds, oranges and yellows.”
This must come as a relief to the PR folks at the rapper’s record label. After all, in the world of rap, “no flash, no bang” can be effectively spun. Owning pink pillows? Not so much.
Scoring a record
Atlanta Brave Tim Hudson and Atlanta Falcon Keith Brooking were on hand this week to salute the efforts of the U.S. Marines, sponsor Federal Express and the Atlantans who ended up helping to a break a world record for a toy drive. The athletes served as the official witnesses at a FedEx distribution facility as Atlanta ended up donating 3,328 pounds of toys for Toys For Tots. The 10-city toy drive — a charitable tie-in to the holiday family flick “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” — raised a record 28,000 pounds of toys across the country. The gifts will be donated to needy kids. For their efforts, Hudson and Brooking both get 100 toys to distribute to their respective charities, the Keith Brooking Children’s Foundation, the Make-a-Wish Foundation and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta this holiday season.
Wanted: Reader thanks
The window is closing to get your poignant and/or humorous “What I’m thankful for” reflections into Buzz Central for our annual reader-driven Turkey Day column. Send them today along with your full name, where you live, a daytime phone number and a photo if you wish to buzz@ajc.com.
Buy a bowl today
If you dine at Murphy’s today for lunch, you’ll get to keep your bowl and help Open Hand, the city’s meal-on-wheels program for folks living with and affected by AIDS and other illnesses or disabilities. Since September, Murphy’s customers have been dropping by the neighborhood Wired & Fired pottery shop on Virginia Avenue to create soup bowls for the charitable effort. Today, starting at 11 a.m., diners can order a special bowl-centric lunch entree from Murphy’s executive chef Gregg McCarthy and, for a $20 donation, guests will get to take their freshly washed bowl with them when they depart. Among the celebs contributing their artistic touches to bowls in the fund-raiser: WXIA “Atlanta and Company” co-hosts Holly Firfer and Tom Sullivan and CBS 46 “Better Mornings” entertainment reporter Corinna Allen.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
“People’s Court” judge Joseph Wapner is 88. Actor Ed Asner is 78. Singer Petula Clark is 75. Actor Sam Waterston (“Law and Order”) is 67. Bandleader Kevin Eubanks (“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”) is 50. Singer Chad Kroeger of Nickelback is 33. Drummer Jesse Sandoval of The Shins is 33.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The next president could make some profound changes in the first 10 minutes.”
— Former president Jimmy Carter, eliciting laughs Wednesday, on how America’s reputation for respecting human rights could be restored, during a speech at the American Society of Criminology annual meeting at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.
Contributing: David Simpson 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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Karatassos, McKerrow honored with GRACE awards
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ted’s Montana Grill President George McKerrow Jr. and Buckhead Life Restaurant Group founder Pano Karatassos both received Lifetime Achievement Awards on Sunday night at the city’s inaugural GRACE Awards (the Georgia Restaurant Association’s Crystal of Excellence Awards) at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead.
Hosted by the Georgia Restaurant Association, or GRA, McKerrow’s business partner Ted Turner served as the keynote speaker. Awards were nominated by GRA membership.
Cracked McKerrow in a voice mail to Buzz on Tuesday: “It was a honor to be recognized but I’m not sure I deserved it!”
Overscene
Atlanta Falcons Michael Boley, Alge Crumpler, Warrick Dunn, DeAngelo Hall, Michael Jenkins, Byron Leftwich and Lawyer Milloy, along with team owner Arthur Blank, hosting the Atlanta Falcons Celebrity FootBowl Tournament benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta on Monday night at Ten Pin Alley at Atlantic Station. Other bowling celebs in attendance included rapper Ne-Yo, former “Webster” actor Emmanuel Lewis, and Big Boi of Outkast.
We’re told that Hall helped emcee the evening and somehow cajoled Boley, Jenkins and Lewis into a “dance off” against the Falcons cheerleaders to “Soulja Boy” as a crowd of 300 cheered.
Hanging out at home, T.I. gives fans a shout-out
Sporting a fluffy robe, a stogie and sitting on an orange couch accented with what appear to be fuchsia (?!) pillows, T.I. issued his first public statement to fans this week since his arrest on federal weapons charges last month via the Web site Streetcred.com. The rapper and actor said he was spending his days writing songs for a new CD, expressed confidence that he will be found not guilty, and declared, “the king ain’t dead.”
T.I., whose real name is Clifford Harris Jr., spoke out in a 2 1/2-minute video message posted on the social networking Web site that he started.
“You know, it’s a very trying time right now, but I want to let everybody know that I plead not guilty and I gotta stress my innocence, you know, to everyone out there who’s listening,” he says in the clip.
Harris, 27, added that he had faith in the system and looked forward to being exonerated.
“God will never take you to what he can’t take you through,” he says in his message.
Harris said he was spending his free time reading, writing and working on his new CD, “Paper Trail.”
Harris has gone most of his career without writing down any of his rhymes, emulating peers such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Ja Rule, according to MTV. The title of his new CD comes from the fact that he once again has put ink to pad, the network reported.
The network, quoting Harris’ publicist, also said that an engineer was cleared to visit Harris a week and a half ago, and the two began working on songs.
“I’m getting a lot of work done, man. A lot of music, man, being recorded,” Harris adds in his message. “But, my main message is, it’s not over. And the king ain’t dead.”
Harris, who was arrested Oct. 13 in a Midtown parking lot and accused of trying to buy machine guns illegally, is out on a $3 million bond under strict conditions.
He can continue to live in his Jonesboro home with his girlfriend and his children. He cannot consume alcohol. He can only have up to three visitors at a time, all of whom have to undergo a background check. And his movements are confined to his property.
Still, Harris appears to be taking his bond conditions well.
“And thank you to the judge,” he says in the video, in a shout-out to U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Baverman, “for even allowing me the privilege of being on house arrest and being here — instead of, you know, the clear alternative.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis is 73. Zydeco singer-accordionist Buckwheat Zydeco is 60. Actress Laura San Giacomo (above) (“Saving Grace”) is 46. Atlanta singer and record producer Butch Walker is 38. Actor Josh Duhamel (“Las Vegas”) is 35. Drummer Travis Barker of Plus-44 (and Blink-182) is 32.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It seems like the heads of the studios like to come to Wall Street and say how much money they’re making online. Right now, no one has to be Nostradamus to know that in three years, everyone’s going to be watching television in a totally different way.”
— SETH MEYERS, head writer on “Saturday Night Live” and co-anchor of SNL’s “Weekend Update” speaking in an Associated Press story on the writer’s strike where writers say they’re not getting a fair share of profits from online content
Contributing: Saeed Ahmed 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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Thanksgiving assortment at Lenox show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For us, Thanksgiving’s rapid approach didn’t really become reality until our Publix pilgrim salt and pepper shakers brained Buzz as we were reaching up into the dark recesses of a seldom-used kitchen cabinet during a search for snifters the other night.
Other people are more organized, however.
For example, the folks at Lenox Square tell us that they’ve booked honking huge country act Big & Rich to headline the Macy’s Great Tree Lighting on Thanksgiving night, along with R&B faves Take 6, the Macy’s All Star Holiday Choir and Santa Claus. “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Jann Carl is set to perform the hosting duties.
The folks at Underground Atlanta, meanwhile, have booked country superstar Miranda Lambert for the 19th annual Peach Drop on New Year’s Eve downtown.
Oh, and Athens-birthed jam band Widespread Panic will ring in the new year with two nights of concerts at Philips Arena on Dec. 30 and 31. Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on Friday at 10 a.m.
If you’re more of a homebody, Dunwoody High School grad Ryan Seacrest will be back co-hosting the 36th annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” on ABC with the legendary Clark himself.
The Boss is back
While on the subject of advance planning, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band fans will want to set aside April 25. That’s when The Boss and company will bring their “Magic” tour to Philips Arena, featuring the new songs the band recorded here with producer Brendan O’Brien. Tickets are $97 and $67 and go on sale Saturday at noon. VH1 is bringing its “You Oughta Know” tour with James Blunt (James “You’re Beautiful” Blunt? “You Oughta Know” tour? Perhaps there’s a rip in the VH1 time/space continuum?) along with Sara Bareilles to the Tabernacle downtown March 4. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Save the date for Celine
Radio stations The River and B98.5 FM, meanwhile, are apparently in a competition to see who can offer its listeners tickets to a concert requiring a time machine. All this week, The River’s Lexie Kaye and Kate McCarthy are giving away advance tickets to the Springsteen show in April. B98’s Kelly & Alpha, however, are hooking listeners up with tickets to the upcoming Celine Dion show here — set for Jan. 19, 2009.
Still wanted: Reader thanks
Want to share what you’re thankful for this year with millions of Buzz readers?
It’s as easy as sending your thoroughly original, poignant and/or hilarious offerings to us, along with your full name, where you live and a daytime phone number via an e-mail to Buzz Central this week at buzz@ajc.com.
Also, we’re looking for reader photos to include with the column. We’ll publish the very best offerings on Turkey Day.
But don’t delay. The holiday Buzz column needs to be compiled well in advance (and the bosses of Buzz are already impatiently tapping their feet all Larry Craig-like outside Buzz Central …).
‘Drumroll’ for Dallas Austin
Peachtree TV and hip-hop impresario Dallas Austin have changed the name of the new network’s first series from “Drumline: SWD” to “Drumroll: SWD.”
Austin told Buzz on Monday that Peachtree TV already was airing his shot-in-Atlanta 2002 Nick Cannon film “Drumline,” and they didn’t want to cause confusion between the film and the reality series about the Southwest DeKalb High School marching band.
They also pushed back the launch date from Nov. 20 to Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. And instead of eight half-hour episodes, they are opting for four one-hour episodes.
“We pushed it back a week to put up billboards and get more press and promotion,” Austin said.
OVERSCENE
Actress Cybill Shepherd sitting at the counter, enjoying scrambled egg whites with bacon, rosemary moon-dust potatoes and a biscuit Monday at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Midtown (she’s a good tipper, we’re told). The Golden Globe winner is rehearsing this week for the world premiere of “Curvy Widow” at the Alliance Theatre, which begins previews Nov. 16.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Producer-director-actor Garry Marshall is 73. Actor Joe Mantegna is 60. Actress Sheila Frazier (“Superfly”) is 59. Actress Frances Conroy (“Six Feet Under”) is 54. Actress Whoopi Goldberg is 52. Actor Chris Noth (“Law and Order: Criminal Intent,” “Sex and the City”) is 51. Actor Neil Flynn (“Scrubs”) is 47. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel is 40. Nikolai Fraiture of the Strokes is 29. Actress Monique Coleman (“High School Musical”) is 27.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Celebrating with dancers, dollar bills
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When Buzz entered the Atrium in Stone Mountain on Saturday night, we caught exotic dancers dangling ladies in some erotic positions. There was whipped cream, dollar bills being doled out, and the type of sultry moves only trained experts should ever attempt.
It was all part of V-103’s Porsche Foxx’s much-hyped “Leather & Lace” Scorpio birthday celebration. So we couldn’t help but ask which Zodiac sign she thinks is best behind closed doors.
“I’m offended by that question,” Foxx says. “The type of person I am, you don’t ask a question like that.”
Gasp.
Sorry Porsche, but this scene is far from what you’d find on an episode of “Gidget.” Things kind of went downhill from there.
Porsche, as you might recall, was fired from V-103 in 2004 after being arrested for DUI. This year, she went back on-air. So we asked her thoughts about Don Imus coming back to radio in December after being fired.
“He made a mistake. Should he be punished for the rest of his career? I don’t have a comment.”
Geez, Porsche, you’re rougher than a pit bull on a pork chop. Calm down.
Anyway, as for the party people, it was a festive bunch of women — and plenty of guys, too — who rocked to DJ Herb, took in a few laughs from comedic host Lightfoot, and watched lots of greased-up bods with names like Bodacious, Midnight, Romeo, Luscious and Candyman.
Muscle stud Black Scorpion, aka Marcus Sterling, a personal trainer by day, says. “Our main goal is to give women an experience they only dream of.”
And if these screaming, hyperactive ladies are dreaming, by all means let them sleep.
Empowering entrepreneurs
Buzz got ahold of “The Apprentice 4” winner Randal Pinkett Friday morning about his book, “Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur’s Guide to Launching a Multimillion-Dollar Business,” which brings him to Lobby at Twelve in Atlantic Station at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday for a meet-and-greet.
“I want to empower and equip the next generation of entrepreneurs,” he says. Pinkett, who runs BCT Partners in New Jersey, in January completed his apprenticeship with Donald Trump as part of his prize, overseeing a $110 million renovation project in Atlantic City.
Buzz explained there are two African-Americans who stand out from “The Apprentice” — himself (the sinfully attractive professional whose Oxford, MIT and Rutgers degrees shined in every challenge).
Then there’s the infamous Omarosa from Season 1.
“Omarosa has done a remarkable job at using this reality medium to advance her own agenda. She has her critics of how she portrayed herself, but what she did was flip the script.” Um, OK.
The 36-year-old Pinkett says he loves coming back to A-town. And where did the man with impeccable suits choose to host a party just before his life-altering, “You’re hired!” grand finale? Right here at Harlem Bar.
You gotta give it to him, the man is smart.
No nice-guy act for ex-bodyguard
Steve Wilkos isn’t nearly as big or imposing in person as he is on his talk show, which airs at 2 p.m. weekdays on WATL.
In fact, while Buzz lunched with Wilkos last week, he charmed the Georgia Tech waitress at the Vortex, signed autographs and ate only half his cheeseburger (“I have to watch my weight.”)
The former Chicago cop who parlayed a decade-plus stint as the main bodyguard for “The Jerry Springer Show” has found a niche as a tough-guy version of Dr. Phil, giving deadbeat dads, child molesters, drug addicts and basic moral scum the beatdown in hopes they’ll change their tune.
“There are no sitdowns, no nice conversations,” he said with an amiable grin. “We yell at people. I did so much yelling yesterday, I got a migraine.”
As for his appeal, “I think people relate to me. I’m a cop, not some comedian or actor.”
Interestingly, the only new syndicated show beating “Wilkos” in the ratings is a show about celebrity worship, “TMZ on TV.” Wilkos draws about 1 million viewers a day.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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DJ Melissa Carter starts fund for patients
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Somehow, five years have elapsed since we stood in a waiting area at Piedmont Hospital scribbling down the scene as anxious friends and family awaited word on Q100 DJ Melissa Carter’s successful kidney transplant surgery for an AJC Sunday Living feature.
On Thursday night, many of those same folks gathered at The Warren City Club in Virginia-Highland to celebrate the occasion and to hand over funds for the brand-new Melissa Carter Transplant Fund at Piedmont Hospital, which was formally launched earlier in the day.
For Carter, the emotional high point of the evening arrived when her Piedmont nephrologist Dr. Eda Hochgelerent and her transplant surgeon Dr. John Whelchel turned up to congratulate her.
“For me, having them there was my connection back to what the evening was all about,” Carter said.
The foundation is being set up to assist underinsured and uninsured transplant recipients so they can afford the necessary post-surgery meds and post-transplant care. A portion of the fund will also go toward financing additional training and seminar costs for transplant nurses to further their education in the field.
“Because of my benefits at Q100, I’m one of the lucky ones,” Carter explained. “I could afford to save my life. But so many people who are waiting for a transplant aren’t as fortunate. And a lot of times, a transplant can’t be authorized if you can’t afford the post-op meds, which can cost $3,000 a month.”
Carter’s co-workers Bert Weiss, Jeff Dauler and Jenn Hobby also turned out to support the effort. Carter is hopeful that the foundation will cut its first check in 2008. For more info, go to the Bert Show page at allthehitsQ100.com.
Overscene
New Edition member (and local real estate agent) Ron DeVoe, one-time WXIA-TV reporter Alicia Barnes, current WGCL anchor Cari Champion, 95.5 The Beat morning co-host CJ and Hot-107.9 morning co-host Griff all were at the launch of Griff’s fellow “A Team” member Rashan Ali’s nonprofit organization, Sporty Girls Inc. Media, music, business and sports notables, including Ali’s dad Buck Godfrey, crowded Vino Libro Thursday evening to hear why the founder and others thought it was important for black girls to participate in such “nontraditional sports” as soccer and golf. (And of course, hopefully, write a check.)
Turns out, Ali was part of a record-breaking swim team growing up in Atlanta, earning her a full scholarship to Florida A&M University. “I know a lot of black girls don’t get into swimming because [they’re like], ‘What am I going to do about my hair?’ ” she said with a laugh. “But we did it, and our hair is fine.”
For proof, one needs to only pick up the new coffee table book just hitting stores titled “Daughters of Men: Portraits of African-American Women and their Fathers,” by Rachel Vassel. Ali and Godfrey share pages with actresses Sanaa Lathan and Aisha Tyler, Georgia State Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears and evangelist Juanita Bynum. Pages 81 to 83, to be exact.
Wanted: Your thanks
Yes, dear Buzz reader, it is that time of year again. We need you to e-mail us your thoroughly original, poignant and/or humorous contribution to this year’s Turkey Day Buzz column. Tell us what you’re thankful for this year, along with your full name, where you live and a daytime phone number. The best of the bunch will be published on Thanksgiving Day as the scent of turkey wafts through your home and Aunt Peggy and Uncle Earl get into that annual arg, er, debate about giblets. E-mail your contributions to buzz@ajc.com.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actor Russell Johnson (“Gilligan’s Island”) is 83. Actor Roy Scheider is 75. Lyricist Tim Rice is 63. Comedian Tracy Morgan (“30 Rock”) is 39. Actress Ellen Pompeo (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 38. Rapper Eve is 29. Country singer Miranda Lambert is 24. Actor Josh Peck (“Drake and Josh”) is 21.
Sunday: Comedian Jonathan Winters is 82. Jazz singer-pianist Mose Allison is 80. Singer-keyboardist Paul Cowsill of the Cowsills is 55. Actor Stanley Tucci is 47. Actress Demi Moore is 45. Actress Calista Flockhart (“Brothers and Sisters,” “Ally McBeal”) is 43. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio is 33.
HIGH FIVE
Music
Top-five-selling albums at Decatur CD. The indie store celebrates its fourth anniversary this weekend with discounts, a sidewalk sale and in-store performances from Romantica (today at 2) and Silver Lakes (Sunday at 4).
1. Robert Plant/Alison Krauss, “Raising Sand”
2. Bruce Springsteen, “Magic”
3. Neil Young, “Chrome Dreams II”
4. “I’m Not There” soundtrack
5. Joy Division, “Closer” (deluxe reissue)
ON MY iPOD and TiVO
Trisha Yearwood, country singer and Monticello native:
“I’m not that computer-savvy. My management has to send me my username and password every other week just to get on the thing. I do have an iPod though; mostly for downloading songs for the tour. I’ve also got everything from George Jones to Prince on there, depending on what mood I’m in.”
“We don’t TiVo. We’re not big TV watchers in our house. And if we are, ESPN is the channel of choice during football and baseball season.”
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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B-52 wants dancing on Bazzaar tables
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Maybe it was all those pink feather boas on display at Dave FM’s hysterical “Diva for a Day” competition upstairs at Shout in Midtown on Wednesday night that attracted an unexpected pop music icon to the proceedings — B-52’s frontman Fred Schneider, who was in town party-hopping.
Since Schneider and friends took us up on an impromptu dinner invitation downstairs, Buzz was able to pry a few details out of the vocalist about his second stint as guest DJ tonight at Bazzaar in Midtown.
“I’m just going to be winging it and flinging it,” Schneider said. “I’m scrounging around for some wild and weird uptempo stuff, but I’ll also cater to the people who want background music. It’ll just be very strange background music!”
Schneider also had big news about the new locally recorded B’s album. The vocalist says the new disc, “Funplex” — the act’s first in 16 years — has been snapped up by Astralwerks for a Feb. 26 release.
“For us, it was fortuitous that we signed the deal on Halloween,” he cracked. The Athens-birthed act previewed six songs from the project last summer during a concert at Chastain.
Tonight, Schneider promises to unveil two of the new tunes for Bazzaar patrons if certain conditions are met: “I want people dancing on those tables!”
Alas, the New York resident wasn’t at home this week when fellow legendary Athens act Pylon hit the stage for a reunion gig in NYC. Oh, and Schneider says fans of “Party Out of Bounds,” his Friday night Sirius First Wave satellite radio show, should still come out to see him live in Atlanta.
“They can bring their headphones and their portable radios and get a double dose of me,” he suggested, laughing.
And while Schneider made note of Shout’s B52 sushi roll on the menu, the vegetarian instead opted to nibble on California rolls filled with cucumber and extra avocado.
Schneider’s set begins tonight at 10.
Celebrity docket
Sure, the Godfather of Soul’s been gone practically a year now, but the legal maneuvering for a piece of the singer’s estate continues. A Georgia woman who claims to have married James Brown in 1953 now says via court papers they never divorced and she wants to be part of his estate.
Velma Warren Brown, 73, filed a sworn statement in an Aiken County, S.C., court Wednesday contending the entertainer never served her with any divorce papers and she didn’t sign any agreement that would have severed their union.
However, at least two attorneys involved in disputes over the singer’s estate and trust discounted her claim, and said she had remarried.
“If Ms. Brown believed that she was not divorced, she’s admitting to having herself committed bigamy,” said Louis Levenson, an attorney representing several of the singer’s children.
The Augusta Chronicle also reported Thursday on its Web site that it had obtained court documents showing a judge granted the divorce in 1969.
A message left for the woman’s attorney, David Bell, was not immediately returned Thursday afternoon to talk about the documents.
However, Bell previously said his client married the singer, had three children and lived together for 17 years.
“There was never a formal separation or a divorce,” Bell said. “They kind of went their separate ways, but he always kept in touch with her.” The attorney said the two last saw each other in December at Brown’s home in South Carolina, just weeks before he died at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta on Christmas Day.
Hawks help kids
If the kids cheering under the banners inscribed with J. Smoove’s Stars, J. Chill’s Fro Zone, Marvin’s MVPs, Lue’s Lounge, The Landlord’s Tenants and Al’s Amigos seem happy during the Hawks-Wizards game Sunday at Philips Arena, there’s a reason.
Thanks to Atlanta Hawks players Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, Tyronn Lue, Shelden Williams and Al Horford, the small fry are there for free. The special sections have been named for the players participating in the Hawks’ Tickets for Kids Program, in which each player has purchased a block of seats to every 2007-08 home game.
We’re told that the goodwill gestures are being donated through the Hawks’ Community Development Department to youth groups and nonprofit organizations throughout metro Atlanta. According to the numbers crunchers in the Hawks’ front office, that translates into more than 6,000 seats for potential young fans.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary is 71. Actor Robert David Hall (“CSI”) is 59. Actor Lou Ferrigno (“The Incredible Hulk”) is 55. Rapper Pepa of Salt-N-Pepa is 38. Actor Eric Dane (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 35. Singer Nick Lachey is 34. Actress Nikki Blonsky (“Hairspray”) is 19.
SAVE THE DATE
The famously arm-flapping R&B veteran Patti LaBelle (right) will headline Hands on Atlanta’s first Community Benefit Concert — with the far less animated John Legend — Nov. 25 at Philips Arena. Tickets go on sale today at Ticketmaster (404-249-6400 or www.ticketmaster.com), ranging from $50 to $500. Proceeds from the concert, the finale to Hands On Atlanta’s annual giving campaign, will go toward the volunteer service organization’s ongoing programming.
For more information, call 404-979-2800 or go to HandsOnAtlanta.org.
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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Ailing Keys rocks the Tabernacle
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill, WSB’s JaQuitta Williams, legal eagle Vincent Dimmock, top hip-hop producer Swizz Beatz’s mother (who introduced herself to us as “Mama Swizz”), music mogul Jermaine Dupri’s exec father Michael Mauldin, and yes, tucked neatly under that black tam, even Dupri’s girlfriend and pop icon Janet Jackson, were spotted among the diverse crowd assembled at the Tabernacle Tuesday night.
Those notables and more packed the downtown Atlanta venue for V-103’s top-rated “Frank and Wanda Morning Show’s” ninth anniversary concert, headlined by nine-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys.
Though Keys was clearly ailing (even asking the audience at one point if it was OK for her to blow her nose), she and her eight-member accompaniment powered through her hourlong set, much of which previewed her new CD “As I Am,” in stores next Tuesday.
“Before anybody else gets to hear it, you do,” Keys told the crowd, most of which had won the free, general admission tickets by listening to V-103. “So I must be really feeling Atlanta.”
A sneak of ‘Sex’ in our city
New Yorkers currently are getting an around-the-clock fix of “Sex and the City” as the former HBO signature show’s feature-film debut shoots there. Tonight, an advance peek comes to Atlanta, courtesy of Festivity boutique client Kayrita Anderson, who just happens to be pals with legendary “Sex” costumer Patricia Field. The style icon (who also clothed Meryl Streep for “The Devil Wears Prada”) has given her friend a Timmy Woods Eiffel Tower handbag used by Sarah Jessica Parker in the new flick. The bag, autographed by Field, natch, will be on display tonight at the grand-opening soiree for the new Festivity shop at 5145 Peachtree Parkway in Norcross.
The stylish movie prop will then be auctioned off at the Nov. 29 “No Sex in this City” event at Festivity at Peachtree Battle in Buckhead, an evening benefitting the Atlanta Women’s Foundation No Tolerance Campaign, the local crusade to eliminate child prostitution.
We hear that an opening bid hasn’t yet been established for the one-of-a-kind item, due to all the “Sex”-crazed Atlanta fans of the show who already are gearing up to throw Cosmos at each other as they ready their black Am Ex cards …
From Eddie’s to ‘Elizabethtown’
You may have yet to hear of them, but Carmen Keigans feels like she and her Atlanta pop-rock group I Nine “have won like the band lottery or something.” A mere three years ago, the foursome packed up their belongings in Columbia and moved west to Atlanta. “We heard that John Mayer played this place called Eddie’s Attic, so we went looking for it, and started playing the acoustic challenges and just hanging out,” recalled Keigans, just waking up in a Charlotte hotel Wednesday. One night, they decided to take the Decatur venue up on the offer to record their live performance for $20. That demo wound up on a computer that just happened to be playing when director Cameron Crowe was around. Crowe called and asked I Nine to record “Same in Any Language,” a song for his movie “Elizabethtown,” which ended up being featured in the film and on the soundtrack. And now Billboard magazine is hailing them as “one of 2007’s brightest lights,” their debut album “Heavy Weighs The King” is due in stores in early 2008 and tonight they’re opening for Train vocalist Pat Monahan, whose solo show is booked at the Variety Playhouse.
“A lot of times, you only get one shot in this business,” Keigans says. “And to have a live demo … take us this far, I mean, wow!”
Transitions
Travis Ward, the inaugural editor of The Atlantan, is departing the Modern Luxury glossy on Nov. 15. Ward is being replaced by the former Atlanta editor of PaperCity. After the shopping and society mag folded here, Nancy Staab served as deputy editor of PaperCity magazine’s Houston and Dallas editions. Staab’s work at The Atlantan begins with the January 2008 issue. Fun fact: Staab also has a Ph.D. in Renaissance and 19th-century literature from the University of North Carolina.
“I’m elated about an Atlanta homecoming and look forward to renewing the many professional and personal friendships I made in this hospitable city,” Staab says.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer Patti Page is 80. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 58. “Entertainment Tonight” host Mary Hart is 57. Actress Alfre Woodard is 54. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 53. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 46. Actress Parker Posey is 39. Singer Bucky Covington (“American Idol”) is 30. TV personality Jack Osbourne (“The Osbournes”) is 22.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Fuzzy’s Place closes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
An ominous piece of signage is greeting the regulars trying to get into veteran Atlanta watering hole Fuzzy’s Place this week: “Closed for Reorganization.” The 30-year-old bar and longtime nightclub home to bands 
Java Monkey and the Breeze Kings with Tommy Brown has closed after the death of owner Fuzzy Cawthon a year ago this month. The shuttering has left about two dozen staffers without a paycheck. There was no immediate word Tuesday whether current owner Chris Cawthon intends to reopen the club. Atlanta musician and Fuzzy’s fixture Bryan Cole told us Tuesday: “I’m hopeful that the people who dedicated themselves to Fuzzy’s success will find a way to re-open it. In the club business, three years is now considered a good run. But 30 years is just unheard of.” No one answered at the club when we rang Tuesday.
Actor thought of ATL for ‘Nighttiming’ help
When “The Darjeeling Limited” actor Jason Schwartzman needed someone to mix “Nighttiming,” his new Coconut Records low-fi indie pop album, he was somehow able to persuade A-list Atlanta producer Brendan O’Brien to fly across the country for an afternoon.
“I couldn’t believe we were able to get him,” Schwartzman told us recently during a visit to Atlanta. “This guy is usually busy producing Bruce Springsteen, and he made the trip for us. It was a little intimidating to speak up and say, ‘Ur, Brendan, could that kick drum be a little louder?’ But he just made everything sound better.”
While the resulting pop/rock record was written and performed largely by Schwartzman — a founding member of the power pop combo Phantom Planet — in a friend’s home studio, the actor did have some notable names drop by to contribute vocals for the album. Hollywood starlets Kirsten Dunst and Zooey Deschanel both lent their voices to the disc that has gotten a recent boost, thanks to mentions on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Schwartzman’s guerrilla marketing campaign includes sending a souvenir Polaroid of himself to each buyer (so far, he’s snapped about 2,000).
As he goes city to city to promote the new Wes Anderson flick, he carries a bag of “Nighttiming” albums with him to hand-distribute to radio and press types (after buying music by his brother Robert Carmine’s band Rooney and his Aussie pal Ben Lee, iTunes thoughtfully suggested that we download the disc, but we had to sheepishly admit to Schwartzman that we happily listened to it for months before being clued in that he was its mastermind).
Cracked the actor/musician: “That’s the trouble with iTunes. You can fall into what I call ‘The iHole.’ You know you’re in it when your girlfriend comes in from work and she asks you what you did all day and you realize that you just downloaded 433 albums that no one’s ever heard of.’ “
For info: www.youngbabyrecords.com or myspace.com/coconutrecords.
Repairing ‘Christmas’
The Theater of the Stars production of “White Christmas” has gotten off to a slippery start. According to the show’s rep, Karen Hatchett, the set had a rough sleigh ride from its previous engagement in Savannah. When the trucks arrived at the Fox Theatre on Monday morning, the crew “realized that there are one or two pieces of the set that are damaged,” Hatchett reported. The scenery is being repaired, but questions remained about whether snowy sets would be ready in time for Tuesday night’s first performance. Theater of the Stars has requested that reviewers wait until tonight to see this all-new production, based on the 1954 film featuring the music of Irving Berlin. The AJC review of “White Christmas” will be posted online Thursday and run in Friday’s newspaper.
Overscene
Singer Francine Reed and her singing siblings Michael, Margo, Mellody and Lavergne Reed, along with mama Miss Girley sampling the chicken, catfish, turkey, macaroni and cheese, and greens at Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Midtown. Margo was so impressed with the eatery’s signature rolls, she got some to take on the plane back to Phoenix.
Stork report
This ought to do wonders for the cleavage cam on “Everyday Italian.” Food Network personality Giada De Laurentiis has a bun in the oven.
The TV chef says she is expecting her first child, a baby girl, in April.
De Laurentiis, 37, announced her pregnancy on NBC’s “Today” show. She is a contributing correspondent on the morning show.
So, how is her husband, clothing designer Todd Thompson, dealing with impending parenthood?
“He’s freaked out and he’s excited, all in one,” De Laurentiis said.
Celebrity birthdays
Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell is 64. Actor Christopher Knight (“The Brady Bunch”) is 50. Actress Yunjin Kim (“Lost”) is 33.
Contributing: Wendell Brock 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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Blais ends ‘culinary sabbatical’ — now what?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Molecular gastro guru Richard Blais is pretty tight-lipped about where he’s been for the past five weeks; let’s just say the chef isn’t talking while the flavor lasts.
Meanwhile, Element, the Midtown restaurant where he was executive chef, closed Oct. 4. But as we all speculate as to his whereabouts (“Top Chef?” “Iron Chef?” The official term he’s using for his absence is “culinary sabbatical”) he’s speculating as to where to get his next paycheck.
“I just got back into town late last week to find out that the restaurant had closed,” the chef told us by phone. Blais and his bad-boy take on molecular gastronomy took over the failed restaurant’s kitchen last spring, immediately developing a small but passionate group of followers.
Emmy for East Lake ‘Miracle’?
East Lake’s enviable transformation from a crack den shooting gallery to an expanding revitalized neighborhood that’s become a national model for urban redevelopment now has another distinction — it’s up for an Emmy. Last week, “Miracle at East Lake,” a TV magazine piece produced by Candler Park resident David Lewis for CNBC’s “Business Nation,” was nominated for a Business and Financial Reporting Emmy Award.
“I normally do stories about terrorism in Beirut, so this was a nice change and an opportunity to work eight minutes from home,” Lewis told Buzz on Monday. “My family was very happy.” Lewis said that the story of East Lake’s two unlikely allies, community-minded veteran Atlanta developer Tom Cousins and long-time community activist Eva Davis provided “two incredibly strong central characters” for the piece. The story is nominated in the Emmy category of “Outstanding Interpretation or Analysis of a Business News Story: News Magazines and Long Form.” Lewis expects to be in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Plaza in New York next month when the Business Emmys are announced.
Julia wants to stay home and garden
As Julia Roberts begins the media rounds for her new film, “Charlie Wilson’s War” coming to theaters Christmas Day, the former Smyrna resident indicates that she may be considering a career change.
“My dream is to be a highly fulfilled and productive stay-at-home mom and wife,” the Oscar-winning actress tells Vanity Fair magazine in its upcoming December issue. “The highest high would be growing our food that I then make, and then composting and growing more — that kind of circle.”
Roberts, 40, says that life would involve having “my own creative outlet, even if it’s silly needlework and stuff like that.”
She and her husband, cinematographer Danny Moder, have 2-year-old twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, and a son, Henry, born in June.
When asked whether she wants more children, Robert says: “No, I don’t think so, because at this point I’m having so much fun with them. You only have so much energy and you want to put so much energy into each child. … And they’re a really good trio, these three.”
Robert says marrying Moder in 2002 was the right thing to do.
“It’s the most correct decision I’ve ever made in my life — not that it was even a decision, because it just overtakes you. My whole body knew: ‘Yes.’ He’s just my favorite guy,” Roberts says in the mag due out Nov. 13.
Buzz is now attempting to visualize Roberts composting and needlepointing.
Nope, not happening.
Seinfeld: ‘Is this still CNN?’
Larry King fascinates us. Not only does the guy practice journalism about as well as we calculate algebraic fractions, but CNN pays him a gazillion dollars to be globally inept nightly, all while he enjoys a succession of increasingly younger, blonder wives who allow him to sire children with them. Leave it to comic and “Bee Movie” brainchild Jerry Seinfeld to finally tell the talk show that the emperor has no suspenders. During an interview last week, King actually quizzed Seinfeld on whether his ultra-successful NBC sitcom had been canceled or if he opted to end it. “You’re not aware of this!?” a slack-jawed Seinfeld asked.
“Are you under the impression that I got canceled, Larry? Seventy-five million viewers watched the last episode. I was the No. 1 show on television, Larry. Is this still CNN? There’s a big difference between being canceled and being No. 1.”
As King — clad in a “Bee Movie” necktie (journalistic objectivity, anyone?) —stammered and tried to get to a commercial break, Seinfeld continued, saying “Can we get a résume in here for me that Larry can go over?”
What’s even more curious, CNN.com has posted the video online so viewers can watch one of their highest paid employees crash and burn over and over and over. We’re almost certain that Larry would be livid — if he knew the Internet existed.
Overscene
Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and NFL legend Roger Staubach dining on filets and potatoes with a friend at Morton’s The Steakhouse downtown. Some fans recognized the ball player and sidled up to the table to ask for autographs, and Staubach “graciously complied,” we’re told.
Celebrity birthdays
Director Mike Nichols is 76. Actress Sally Field is 61. Singer Glenn Frey is 59. Actor Ethan Hawke is 37. Actress Thandie Newton is 35. Model-actress Rebecca Romijn is 35.
Contributing: Meridith Ford 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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Nancy Grace has twins
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“CNN Headline News” talk show maven Nancy Grace had twins Sunday named Lucy Elizabeth and John David, CNN reported this morning.
John David was born first at 1:55 p.m. and weighed 5 pounds. Lucy Elizabeth came next and weighed 2 pounds 15 ounces. Her husband is David Linch, an Atlanta investment banker. She secretly married him last spring.
Grace, 48, who was due in January, had recently developed a pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), and her physician determined it would be best for Nancy, and for the twins, to deliver them Sunday, CNN said.
Janine Iamunno, CNN spokeswoman, said Grace is doing fine and will get back on air as soon as she can. For now, a rotating trio of hosts will substitute on her show including Mike Brooks, Jane Velez-Mitchell and Pat Lalama
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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The party ain’t over in Buckhead
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
These three places spread a lot of jam, y’all.
And we’re not talking Smucker’s, either. With this whole theory that Buckhead is sobering up — going through some sort of nightclub cleansing — we decided to check out the scene. The verdict?
The party continues. “There’s this perception Buckhead is closing down. That’s not the case,” says Brent Burbett, general manager of Hole in the Wall on Peachtree Road. “We’ve been here 12 years and have a lease for another eight. This is a landmark at this point.”
Inside, DJ Mike Hendrix rolls from Eddie Grant’s “Electric Avenue” to Britney Spears’ “Gimme More” to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” to Notorious B.I.G.’s “Hypnotize” in a cosmic medley of rock, pop, old-school and hip-hop. Absolutely wonderful.
Partyers ate it up.
Next door at Moon Dogs, it was much of the same. A packed house drinking, shooting pool, throwing darts and puffing cigarettes till that icky haze irritates the eyeballs. When we first arrived, Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was the anthem as drunken souls grooved on the dance floor and in the aisles. Totally festive and fun. Peachtree Tavern is the area’s rock mecca. The ’80s cover band Velcro Pygmies had the wildly energetic head-bangers screaming along to the likes of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive” and REO Speedwagon’s “Take It on the Run.” It took us back to the cool days of “Casey Kasem’s American Top 40” video countdown.
Doing a little Buckhead club hopping reveals two things. One: There’s an Atlanta spark that will darken if feel-good, let-loose jam spots like these go away. Two: Black people aren’t the only ones who can do the “Cupid Shuffle” with deft precision.
Happy-hour mixer will nosh no more
Buzz ventured out to Joe’s Crab Shack on Cobb Parkway in Smyrna Friday for Shawn Joyner’s final monthly happy-hour mixer. We knew we’d be hitting the Buckhead party scene hard Saturday, so we just chilled away from the jet-setting hustle and bustle for the night.
Guests noshed on hors d’oeuvres of crab dip, chicken fingers, burgers and other goodies. They also sipped exotic drinks from the Buttery Twist and Royal Flush to the Pomegranate martini and, our favorite, Titanic Tea.
“I enjoy seeing people have a good time,” says Joyner, who’s been holding the event to get people together outside the club setting since January. “Sometimes it’s not about dancing. It’s about unwinding and having a good time.”
We must say, the highlight had to be chatting it up with our sports-loving buddy Mary Jones and watching all-too-happy-to-help Ed Bradley and Brantley Bruton work their magic behind the bar.
Hate this worthwhile event is gone. But the saving grace is Rodolfo Price is kicking off his own monthly mixer Nov. 18 from 6 to midnight at Utopia Lounge in downtown Atlanta for those who wish to mingle outside the club scene.
Hmmm … wonder if the lounge features the Titanic Tea.
Stats has sports bar, lounge vibes Stats, located near Philips Arena and the Georgia Dome, by its very name sounds like a sports bar and restaurant and in some ways, it is. The 15,000-square-foot space is partly financed by sports station 790/The Zone, boasts 70 flat-screen TVs and features personal beer taps that charge by the ounce. It even has a ground-floor radio studio with a two-way glass window overlooking Marietta Street that the Zone will use several times a week.
But parts of Stats exude a Midtown nightclub/lounge feel with mood lighting, leather seats, private VIP rooms, wood floors galore and a rooftop bar area with a retractable roof. Plus, Bob Amick’s Concentrics Restaurant Group (which also includes Trois, One Midtown Kitchen and Two Urban Licks) is involved.
Among the notables who popped by the opening party after the Hawks victory opener Friday: chef Kevin Rathbun, CEO of the Atlanta Spirit Bernie Mullen, Hawks NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins and several current Hawks players including Solomon Jones and Tyrone Lue.
UNCOUPLING Carlos and Deborah Santana Deborah Santana filed for divorce Oct. 19 in California, citing irreconcilable difference, according The Associated Press. The couple has been married 34 years.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS Singer-songwriter Ike Turner is 76. Singer Art Garfunkel is 66. Actor Nestor Serrano (“24”) is 52. Singer Bryan Adams is 48. Actress-singer Andrea McArdle is 44. Actress Tatum O’Neal is 44. Country singers Jennifer and Heather Kinley of the Kinleys are 37.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Stevie keeps it real in Wonder-ville
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Stevie Wonder’s second concert in Atlanta this year — held at Philips Arena on Thursday night — only underscored how much the country could use the peace-and-love advocate on stage currently.
The relaxed, reflective, story-filled two-plus-hour show was distinguished early on when the singer improvised some pointed words into the conclusion of “Visions.”
“I can’t believe in 2007 that we have bull [expletive] like Jena Six!” the singer, seated at the keyboards shouted. “I can’t believe that with all the leaders we have in the world, there’s not one strong enough to stand up and say, ‘War is not the answer.’ I can’t believe we’re still dealing with starvation … Stop the crime.” The singer then encouraged the packed house to shout “Stop it!”
Wonder followed the rant with a slew of his ’70s classics, including “Living for the City,” “Master Blaster (Jammin’),” “Higher Ground,” “Golden Lady” and “Don’t You Worry ‘Bout a Thing.”
And as she did a few months back at Chastain, Stone Mountain songstress India Arie once again joined Wonder on stage for an extended duet of “Ribbon in the Sky,” where the singers divided up the audience according to gender to sing along.
The playful sexual banter seemed to have Arie on the verge of blushing at points as she knelt barefoot on a piano stool next to Wonder.
Encouraging the women in the crowd to respond as boisterously as the men were singing along, Wonder grinned and advised: “Let’s keep it real in Wonder-ville!”
Steve & Vikki sign off at Star 94
Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke offered a poignant, low-key farewell on their final Star 94 morning show Friday after 17 years. “We’ve had this unwritten rule of being professional on and off the air,” McCoy said. And that meant there would be no bitterness, no angry words.
Orchestrated by their soon-to-be-former boss Mark Kanov, more than 20 staffers surprised the two radio vets in the middle of the show by entering the studio and holding signs saying “Star 94 will always love Steve & Vikki.”
While Locke is leaving for health reasons, Star chose not to keep McCoy, who is not going on his own terms. “This is not the way I envisioned leaving,” McCoy said to listeners. “I have no plans to retire.”
“We’re going to be greeters at the Wal-Mart in Roswell,” Locke joked. “You have made me a better person for knowing you,” McCoy then said to Locke, his voice getting shaky. “You are family.”
He ended the show at 9:45 a.m. with a version of “Your Song” Elton John sang at Star a few years ago and after hugging staff, the pair left the studio for the final time.
McCoy and Locke declined to be interviewed for now, citing their contracts, which are in effect until the end of the year and include a six-month noncompete clause. Locke said their contracts note if they say anything disparaging about Star, they could potentially void their contracts, a chance they weren’t willing to take. “I don’t want to lose my benefits,” she said.
From Llanview to the ATL
This Sunday, in exchange for a $25 donation to the Ganter Family Foundation benefitting the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, “One Life to Live” fans will get an opportunity to chat with fan fave Hillary B. Smith during a cocktail reception at The Grape at Phipps Plaza from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The 15-year cast member who plays alliterative attorney Nora Hanen Gannon Buchanan rang us up this week to chat about the worthy cause bringing her to the ATL and some November sweeps dish.
“It’s really an amazing organization and I’m only too glad to help out,” Smith told Buzz. This month, Nora and much of fictional Llanview, Pa., heads to Texas for the reading of late prickly patriarch Asa Buchanan’s will. The storyline features a guest appearance by Asa’s longtime portrayer, veteran Hollywood cowboy Phil Carey, who recently hung up his spurs after decades of work.
“There’s a twist coming that’s just brilliant,” says Smith. “Your jaw will be on the floor.” But Smith says viewers shouldn’t get too used to Carey.
“He’s done this a long time and he’s in his 80s and he’s battled cancer,” Smith explained. “I adore Phil and miss him, but I think he wants to stay retired.”
Back on the road
Bon Jovi’s “Lost Highway” tour will stop at Philips Arena on April 30, the band announced. Tickets to the Atlanta show go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. on Nov. 10. American Express cardmembers are eligible to purchase advance tickets via www.ticketmaster.com between 10 a.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. on Nov. 9.
HIGH FIVE
Television The top OnDemand programs for the week of Oct. 22-28 as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1.”Crank Dat Soulja Boy” Soulja Boy, music video, Music Choice 2. “Hypnotized” Plies featuring Akon, music video, Music Choice 3. “Kiss Kiss” Chris Brown, music video, Music Choice 4. “Pop Bottles” Birdman, music video, Music Choice 5. “Shawty is a Ten” The Dream, music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Composer John Barry is 74. Singer Lulu is 59. Actress-comedian Roseanne Barr is 55.
Sunday: Walter Cronkite is 91. Actress Doris Roberts (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 77. Actress Kathy Griffin is 47. “Survivor” host Jeff Probst is 46. Actor Matthew McConaughey is 38. Rapper-producer Sean “Diddy” Combs is 38.
Got a tip for Peach Buzz? 404-526-2749 or buzz@ajc.com
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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First lady Laura Bush intrigued by Atlanta icons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was good enough for Margaret Mitchell, so why not Laura Bush? The first lady of the United States made an unexpectedly long literary pit stop Thursday for a reverse visit to the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum.
The motorcade pulled up to the Peachtree Street landmark about 10:45 a.m. and Bush — in town for a school dropout prevention program luncheon and a fund-raiser for Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss — entered through the “GWTW” movie museum, then proceeded to work her way back to the place where it all started: The apartment where former Atlanta Journal reporter Mitchell wrote her fictional masterpiece.
“We gave her the sort of backwards tour, starting with the Martin Luther King Jr. photo exhibit, then on to the exhibit of the round-robin letter exchange involving Margaret Mitchell and her family,” said Mitchell House communications director Anne Stanford, explaining that Bush had personally asked to have this stop put in her itinerary and then extended her visit to 45 minutes. “She was very intrigued, especially by the King photos, and she asked a ton of questions.”
Speaking of backward, Mitchell wrote the last chapter of “Wind” first — something the ex-librarian first lady hadn’t known until informed of it by visitor services manager Russell Caldwell.
“She said, ‘This makes me want to read the book again, to read it backwards to see how it was written,’ ” Stanford reported about the visit, which was closed to the press.
The Bush appearance was the first of two big events this week for the Mitchell House, which will hold the official launch party for “Rhett Butler’s People” Saturday night. Copies of the authorized sequel weren’t in the house yet Thursday morning (the scheduled delivery of 1,000 books was purposely delayed so it wouldn’t interrupt the first lady’s visit), but Stanford said Bush has been promised the first copy to be autographed by author Donald McCaig during the party.
Tickets for the event, which includes an autographed copy of “Rhett Butler’s People,” are still available. Call: 770-578-3502.
Reed family back in town for ‘Blues for Bread’ benefit
We couldn’t help smiling when the 415 area code unexpectedly popped up on our phone this week. Sure enough, it was Atlanta’s own Francine Reed, calling in to report that her latest run as a featured performer in San Francisco’s Teatro ZinZanni show is done.
“Georgia is calling my name, baby!” the singer said. Her singing siblings Michael, Margo, Mellody, LaVergne and the family matriarch, Miss Girley, are winging their way here as well. The Reed family is headlining “Blues for Bread,” a benefit for the Buckhead Christian Ministry on Saturday night at CenterStage on West Peachtree Street. The nonprofit helps families and individuals in need.
And while Reed has become a fixture with Lyle Lovett on “The Tonight Show,” routinely sings for mayors and receives standing ovations at Chastain now, she says she will never forget the years she spent as a single mother, raising four children while working the assembly line at a Gaines Burgers dog food factory.
“I wish that an organization like the Buckhead Christian Ministry had been around in the 1970s [in the Midwest] where I was living. I would get in line at 1 a.m. for food stamps that would start to be given out at 7:30 in the morning.”
And yes, the Reeds will be performing some holiday selections as a thank-you to local fans who supported their seasonal shows at the now-closed Libby’s Cabaret.
If you want to hang with the Reeds at a private pre-show cocktail party (we heartily recommend the experience, just for the family recipes they might divulge to you), tickets are $100. For just the 8 p.m. show, tickets are $45. For info: www.buckheadchristianministry.org or 404-239-0058, Ext. 127.
Pat and Betty to the rescue
Just as we were pondering what to do with all the leftover Halloween treats at Buzz Central Thursday (oddly, small fry aren’t all that partial to vermouth-soaked martini olives), Patricia Schweitzer and Betty T. Morton (as in “Pat and Betty” from the Reynolds Wrap TV commercials) were waiting for us in the lobby.
Our fave home economists were in town to introduce folks in Centennial Olympic Park to the new ultra-cool Reynolds Handi-Vac vacuum sealer that removes and locks out air from the company’s new Handi-Vac freezer bags.
Alas, our old pals had their trademark white and blue lab coats in garment bags. The duo’s latest TV spot features the gizmo helping a frazzled mom who’s only got unidentifiable, ice crystal-laden blobs from the freezer to feed the family.
“It’s really changed the way I shop,” Schweitzer told us. “I do a lot more buying in bulk now.”
Added Morton: “Plus, you can buy more family packs of meat without worrying about freezer burn.”
The pair say their eight-city tour to introduce the $9.99 sealer has instantly converted some fans. “One woman was reaching for her wallet at one appearance,” Morton said.
“We had to explain that we weren’t actually selling them,” added Schweitzer.
The 12-year TV commercial icons say they get recognized more often when they’re together.
“We just got recognized on the train going to baggage claim at the airport,” said Schweitzer. “But that’s probably because I got off the train, Betty stayed on and then I fell back into the train next to her. That’s when we heard, ‘Aren’t you the Reynolds Wrap ladies? I didn’t recognize you without the lab coats.’ “
For info: www.handivac.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS Keyboardist Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is 63. Singer K.D. Lang is 46. Actor David Schwimmer (“Friends”) is 41. Rapper Nelly is 33.
OVERSCENE NASCAR drivers Elliott Sadler, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer (right) and Juan Pablo Montoya road-testing the “more meat please!” green discs at Fogo de Chao in Buckhead. We’re told that the drivers came in separately to partake of Fogo’s continuous service of 15 unique cuts of meat and ordered up lots of beer.
Got a tip for Peach Buzz? 404-526-2749 or buzz@ajc.com
Contributing: 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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