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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > January > 25 > Entry
Seacrest at Super Bowl not a stretch
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ryan Seacrest being the red carpet host for the pre-Super Bowl show Feb. 3 is not surprising at all. What’s surprising is he was a starting football player at Dunwoody High School in the early 1990s.
“In junior high, I was short and stocky so I was an offensive guard,” he told the media during a news conference. “But by high school, I lost weight and gained speed, so I became a strong safety.” His team even played a team in Valdosta for a championship in 1992 — but lost.
We’d love to show you photos from Seacrest’s gridiron glory, but his mother, Connie, told Buzz she already had sent the incriminating shots to her son’s business office since Fox had requested them.
Connie said she always worried about her son getting hurt in high school and was relieved when he escaped unscathed. “I think he really gets a kick out of doing the Super Bowl,” she said. “He can talk the talk. He knows the lingo.”
Seacrest won’t say whether he’s favoring the Giants or the Patriots, but said his clearest childhood memory was rooting for the Chicago Bears wearing a William “Refrigerator” Perry jersey as an 11-year-old. Now that’s a photo we wish we had.
LOCALS ON BRAVO
The folks at Bravo are pretty tight-lipped about two new contestants appearing on Season 4 of the popular series “Top Chef,” but we know who they are: Atlanta chefs Richard Blais and Nimma Osman. The season, which doesn’t air until March 12, includes these two culinarians in a cook-off to the finish — though how both fare will have to remain a mystery since neither is able to comment until Bravo gives them the OK. Senior press manager for Bravo Communications, Victoria Brody, says the embargo for interviews will be lifted as the new season nears.
Blais, 35, became a force on the local dining scene back in 2004 when he created his infamous foie gras milkshake at his eponymous restaurant, Blais, which opened, then closed, in a half year’s span. It was long enough for devoted Atlanta foodies to take notice of his fresh take on molecular gastronomy, and stints at Bazarre, One Midtown Kitchen and most recently the lovely-but-short-lived Element in Midtown garnered Blais a devoted fan base. He’s described on the show’s Web site as a “culinary designer” — something he’s been doing at Elevation in Kennesaw by designing and consulting with the new restaurant’s menu, which includes his vanilla panna cotta with Coca-Cola rocks and Cracker Jacks.
Osman, 26, is less known — she worked as garde-manger for Repast in Midtown for “less than a year,” according to sous chef Mike Bacha (chef-owner Joe Truex was not available for comment). “She’s a young chef,” Bacha allowed. “We all wish her well.” According to Bravo’s Web site, Osman is from Peachtree City and is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. But she is no longer working at Repast, though the information released by Bravo claims she does. Ian Winslade, the new chef at soon-to-open Spice Market in Midtown, confirmed Wednesday that Osman “has been extended an offer of employment,” though he would not confirm if it was in the kitchen, or working as part of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten concept’s front-of-the-house staff.
RESCHEDULED
The Barry Manilow concert at Philips Arena that was postponed because of our Southern Snowbia has a new date — March 29. When it could never snow. Tickets purchased for the original show last week will be honored on the new date. Visit www.livenation.com for more information.
Bon Jovi will be back for an encore performance at Philips Arena.
Already on the local concert schedule for April 30, the band announced late Tuesday it will return to the arena one night later for a second show.
It will be a busy stretch for New Jersey rockers at Philips, which on April 25 will host Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Tickets to Bon Jovi’s May 1 performance go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at all Ticketmaster outlets or online at ticketmaster.com.
WINEHOUSE IN REHAB
Amy Winehouse, beset by allegations of substance abuse, entered a rehabilitation facility Thursday to battle drug addiction.
The announcement came just days after the 24-year-old singer was pictured in a British tabloid inhaling fumes from a small pipe. “Amy decided to enter the facility today after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors,” Universal Music Group said in a statement.
Winehouse has been nominated for six Grammy Awards for her “Back to Black” album. The statement indicated she still planned to attend and perform at the Grammys on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Dean Jones is 77. Country singer Claude Gray is 76. Blues singer Etta James is 70. Actress Dinah Manoff (“Empty Nest”) is 50. Country drummer Mike Burch of River Road is 42. Actress Ana Ortiz (“Ugly Betty”) is 37. Singer Alicia Keys is 27.
Contributing: Meridith Ford, Rodney Ho and news services
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