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Actor gets motor running in Braselton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ian Ziering, best known as smooth-talking Steve Sanders on “Beverly Hills 90210” during the 1990s, has joined the ranks of fellow actors Frankie Muniz and Patrick Dempsey and taken on auto racing as a hobby.
You’ll be able to hang out with him today at Road Atlanta in Braselton, where he’ll be competing at 1:30 p.m. in the SCAA Pro Racing Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup. (That rolls off the tongue. …)
“I’ve loved motorsports since I was a kid, but I just went pro last year,” Ziering told Buzz this week.
He took a racing school class at Road Atlanta five years ago and deemed it an “awesome track.”
This is not a cheap hobby. Besides the vehicle itself, staffing a pit crew and maintaining the vehicle can go into six figures per year. As a “complete newbie,” Ziering said he’s seeking more sponsors. Interested? He gave Buzz a contact number at Hale Motorsports: 860-399-4603. Psst, ask for Randy.
Ziering’s profile went up a year ago when he finished a solid fourth on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” This led to hosting duties of Lifetime’s recent reality show “Your Mama Don’t Dance.” He fended off assertions that the show is creepy because it features parents dancing with their sons and daughters, often in sexy outfits.
“The dancers were not sensual,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything more beautiful than a parent having fun with their kids.”
Ziering isn’t involved with efforts to create a “90210” spinoff, but he’s not against the idea. “It’s great if they capture the spirit” of the original, he said. “I’m like anybody else. I want to be entertained!”
MONEY FOR CENTER
If Georgia Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and his co-chairman, Dr. Jeffrey Gallups, want to put their feet up today, they should be indulged. After all, when the final numbers were crunched this week, the pair and some deep-pocketed pals helped raise $106,000 via the first Murphy-Harpst Golf Classic at St. Ives Country Club. The outing generated necessary funds to go toward the planned Murphy-Harpst Children’s Center. Gallups told us a live auction featuring a trip to New York City with tickets to see “Live With Regis and Kelly” and “Late Show With David Letterman” and a stay at the Intercontinental-Barclay were among the signature items.
“This may have been my first and last time as a co-chair,” Gallups joked. “I had no idea exactly how much work goes into creating a successful fund-raiser.” Gallups conceded that his wife, Dr. Nancy Gallups, is usually the charitable co-chair in the family.
Despite Jeffrey’s protestations, we’re wagering that after raising $106 grand his first time out, the Atlanta doc is already being considered for an encore.
COUPLING?
When she was making the media rounds on Atlanta radio last week, pop diva Mariah Carey declined to discuss her relationship with comic and actor Nick Cannon.
But according to several published reports, Carey, 38, married Cannon, 27, on Wednesday. Neither Carey’s publicist nor Cannon’s manager returned requests from The Associated Press for comment.
If the pair did indeed wed, it would be a whirlwind romance. Word that the two were seeing each other first surfaced in the past few weeks. Last Saturday, Carey was seen sporting a huge diamond ring on her finger at the Tribeca Film Festival premiere of her movie “Tennessee,” in which she plays a waitress. Cannon was at her side at the party. Speculation swirled that the couple were engaged.
Latina.com was first to report that the two got married, at Carey’s home in the Bahamas. Friday’s New York Post also reported that the pair had wed, and E! Online quoted a relative of Cannon’s as saying that Cannon called his family and confirmed the news.
“He called us and told us all about it. We are happy for him. If that is what he wants, then we are happy for him,” Linda Cannon, identified simply as a family member, was quoted telling E!
People magazine’s Web site reported Friday that Carey had obtained a marriage license on the island of Eleuthera, in the Bahamas, where she has an estate.
Cannon is best known for his role in the movie “Drumline” that was shot in Atlanta.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top On Demand programs for the week of April 28, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. Lil Wayne, “Lollipop,” music video, Music Choice
2. “House of Payne,” “Cheers” episode, TBS
3. “Family Guy,” “Airport 07” episode, TBS
4. Lil Wil, “My Dougie,” music video
5. “Family Guy,” “Dammit Janet” episode, TBS
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
OVERSCENE
The Boston Celtics’ starting lineup, including Kevin Garnett, Sam Cassell, Rajon Rondo and Paul Pierce fueling up on burgers, oysters, sushi and tapas at Twist in Buckhead before the team’s Friday night playoff game against the Hawks at Philips Arena.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Saturday: Folk singer Pete Seeger is 89. Actress Ann B. Davis (“The Brady Bunch”) is 82. Singer Frankie Valli is 73. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 62. Actor Dulé Hill (“The West Wing”) is 33. Dancer Cheryl Burke (“Dancing With the Stars”) is 24.
Sunday: Surf guitarist Dick Dale is 71. Country singer Randy Travis is 49. Comedian Ana Gasteyer (“Saturday Night Live”) is 41. Actor Will Arnett (“Arrested Development,” “Blades of Glory”) is 38. Bassist Mike Dirnt of Green Day is 36. Singer Lance Bass of ‘N Sync is 29.
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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