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May 2008
W hotel unveiling draws movers and shakers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Peachtree Street and 14th is the best piece of real estate in the Southeast not on the water,” Noble Investment Group president and CEO Mitesh Shah told Buzz Thursday night.
That would explain the violet carpet and the thousands of people who packed in for the official unveiling of Shah’s W hotel in Midtown.
Whiskey Park nightclub co-owner Rande Gerber was holding court up the stairs in the high-end party playground while Spice Market French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten was welcoming attendees to his latest culinary creation.
Downstairs, hotel guests were sipping complimentary champagne and nibbling on tiny pork chops and scooping up passion fruit creme brulee.
“30 Rock” actress Katrina Bowden who plays Tina Fey’s assistant on the NBC sitcom was dazzled by the new Atlanta property.
“I had to come out because I love the W so much,” she told us.
OK, so down to business. What’s up next season for the Emmy-winning comedy?
“It’s going to be interesting with Jack [Donaghy played by Alec Baldwin] possibly not the head of G.E. anymore. The show has been such a great experience. We’ve learned so much from each other as an ensemble. I’ve learned a lot about timing.”
A few feet away, Atlanta chef Shaun Doty was taking the night off from his popular Inman Park eatery, Shaun’s.
“I came here for one reason,” Doty told us. “To pay homage to Jean-Georges. He’s been such an inspiration to me in my career. I just wanted to thank him and to invite him to Shaun’s for a meal. He’s a star.”
Speaking of which, “Sex and the City” actor Jason Lewis was mobbed by female fans when he turned up at the hotel opening. His character Smith Jerrod emerges in the new feature flick as Samantha’s one-time waiter boy toy turned successful TV doc actor on a “Grey’s Anatomy”-like series.
Of his premiere-filled few weeks here and abroad, Lewis told us: “It’s been so rewarding to be a part of all this. But I never really knew if I would get the call for the movie or not. I’m always amazed when any film gets made, to be honest. It’s been an amazing ride. And the opportunity to play out the evolution of this relationship in the movie is a real tribute to [writer-director] Michael Patrick King’s amazing gifts as a writer.”
Lewis couldn’t help smiling when we pointed out that female fans of the hit HBO show were already packing into movie theaters Thursday night to get their first glimpse of “Sex.”
“Isn’t that great? I love that people are so into it and that women have something great to go to the movies for. I learned from playing [Smith Jerrod] how to have an opinion without being judgmental. And it’s come in handy!”
Among the attendees spotted in the crowd: Tongue and Groove nightclub owner Michael Krohngold, Atlanta doctors Jeffrey and Nancy Gallups, A Legendary Event catering guru Tony Conway (who was hobbling around the soiree after experiencing a leg injury while zip-lining on vacation recently), salon owner Richie Arpino, Star 94 general manager Mark Kanov, jeweler Mark Edge, WSB-TV news anchor Jovita Moore and Action News reporter Manuel Bojorquez enjoying a rare evening off.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Sara Blakely lands Marquis Jet (co-founder)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spanx footless pantyhose founder Sara Blakely (below) probably isn’t footing those new baggage fees at the airport these days.
The Atlanta entrepreneur is sporting a new engagement ring from Marquis Jet co-founder Jesse Itzler, 39, who was recently selected as one of the “Forty Under 40” by biz bible Crain’s New York.
“Their lives have really been on a parallel track,” Blakely rep Misty Elliott tells Buzz. “They’re such an amazing match. We couldn’t be happier for them.”
At the dawn of the millennium, around the time Blakely’s revolutionary slimming pantyhose brand was shaping up, Itzler’s company, which “rents” jets to folks in pre-paid 25-hour increments, was taking off. According to Crain’s, Itzler’s company boasted revenues of more than $700 million in 2007.
The pair first got acquainted when Blakely became a Marquis client. When she launched her Sara Blakely Foundation here in Atlanta in 2006, Itzler was among the first donors to write her a check.
Blakely, 37, has built Spanx into a multimillion-dollar retail operation touted by Oscar-winning actresses and Oprah Winfrey.
We hear that an October island wedding is being planned in either the groom’s native New York or the bride’s birthplace of Florida.
Early last year, Blakely and Åtlanta businessman Lawton Ursrey amicably ended a brief engagement.
Oh, and if Blakely and Itzler should want to economize on the entertainment budget at their wedding reception this fall, Itzler could always pick up the microphone. In the early 1990s under the moniker Jesse Jaymes, Itzler’s white-boy rapper persona scored the MTV favorites “Shake It (Like a White Girl)” and “College Girls.”
Family night at Philips
The ticket may have said it was the Alicia Keys’ “As I Am” Tour, but it sure looked like Daughters Night Out. Everywhere you turned Wednesday night, there were moms and daughters, dads with daughters, families with daughters, all at Philips Arena to see one of the most talented and inspiring female artists in contemporary R&B music.
Let’s hope mom or dad covered their ears when “American Idol” Jordin Sparks got a little sad before she sang “Freeze,” and told the audience to cherish each other “because you guys, we don’t know how long we’re going to be here.”
Here’s hoping the little ones’ eyes were shielded as well, when one of Atlanta R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo’s dancers pranced in front of him, in lingerie, during “Mirror” and “Say It.”
And with all of that early use of their hands, maybe they didn’t mind only having sporadic things to applaud during the main attraction, like Cedric the Entertainer’s sermon in the opening video; Keys’ dynamic performance of Prince’s “How Come You Don’t Call Me” in the middle of the sometimes sleepy two-hour set; and whenever her piano was rolled out, and she stopped with the choreography.
Of course Buzz couldn’t let Ne-Yo go without asking him to discuss his one-time tour mate — R. Kelly. “Thankfully, there has been no R. Kelly craziness on this tour,” he said. “And at first I was getting kind of worried because the first two shows with Alicia didn’t happen because she got sick. And I only did two shows with R. Kelly, and I was gone. So I was like, ‘What is it with me touring and two shows?’ But the Alicia thing got going and it’s been good. Great.”
And what about Kelly finally going to trial on child pornography charges: “All I can say about that is, ‘Pray for that man.’ “
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Wynonna Judd is 44. Guitarist Tom Morello of Audioslave and Rage Against The Machine is 44. Singer-actress Idina Menzel is 37. Singer Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley is 34. Rapper Remy Ma is 28.
STORK REPORT
It’s a girl!
Home executive chef and “Top Chef” contestant Richard Blais (right) and his wife Jazmin Zepeda welcomed little Riley Maddox Thursday. We hear Riley weighed in at 7.9 pounds and 21 inches. The now-married Atlanta couple notably got engaged after Zepeda trained Blais for and he successfully completed the Peachtree Road Race in 2005.
Contributing: Sonia Murray, Adrianne Murchison 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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Ladies’ night out at ‘Sex and the City’ event
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hundreds of Atlanta’s “Sex and the City” fans broke out the designer frocks and heels for the hotly anticipated film’s advance screening at Atlantic Station Tuesday night. For two-plus hours at Regal Cinemas 16, the packed crowd laughed, cried and commiserated with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda, their four HBO friends who haven’t been seen on screen in four years.
Afterward, the party continued down the street at Dolce during a private party sponsored by VitaminWater and Q100.
As glamorous gals strolled the pink carpet, they were strongly advised to “Show us your best Carrie, ladies!”
Inside the chandeliered, seductively lit restaurant, specialty cocktails named “Single and Fabulous!” and “Get Carried Away!” were poured by muscular bartenders sporting “I’m Mr. Big” black T-shirts.
Author and former CNN-er Carolyn O’Neil artfully articulated what many of the ladies present were thinking: “Usually, when you watch ‘Sex and the City’ it’s late at night and alone. It was incredibly therapeutic to ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ together in a theater. I didn’t expect it to be so emotional. I would never give anything away, but I will say this to women planning to see this movie: You won’t be disappointed by the closet!”
A few feet away, Nani Salon and Spa workers were providing complimentary manicures as Magical Mystical Parties pros Karen Branch and Pat Lantz were reading your “Sex” tarot cards to determine which gal you most resembled (WSB-TV Action News anchor Jovita Moore “is a Carrie,” for example).
“[Legendary “Sex” costume designer] Patricia Field did a brilliant job,” summed up Atlanta style arbiter Kevin Knaus, the creative director of Material World. “She perfectly emphasized the personalities of each character but without the occasional overdramatization that sometimes occurred on the TV show. Tonight, during the film, you never said, ‘Now, who the hell would really wear that?’ She also did a lot of belting in this film, which is different for these characters.”
“Atlanta and Company” co-host Holly Firfer conceded that the film had a singular effect on her: “I need to go shopping!”
790 AM The Zone sportscaster Steak Shapiro popped in to check out the scene. And, no, he didn’t sit through the screening (as one of Shapiro’s associates told us when we asked the pivotal question: “Steak? Please! He can’t sit through a commercial, let alone an entire movie.”
Explained Shapiro: “There are 400 people in here. Eighty percent of them are gorgeous women, 10 percent are gay men and only five percent are straight guys. I’ve never received so much attention in my life!”
Gratefully, Mrs. Steak was also present at the party.
As each woman exited the “Sex” soiree Tuesday night, they were given a goodie bag according to which “Sex” gal they most identified with. Buzz graciously allowed the organizers to determine which bag we received.
Consequently, we’re a Samantha. Among the over “Sex-ed” Sam-centric goodies inside? A current issue of Jezebel magazine, a bottle of XXX-flavored VitaminWater and a Little Hooker purse hanger.
We hear …
That “Sex and the City” fans attending tonight’s grand opening bash for the W hotel at Colony Square in Midtown should be on the lookout for one of the show’s fave hunks who has just RSVP-ed for the invitation-only party.
While we promised not to reveal the gentleman’s identity just yet (we want an interview for Buzz readers, after all!), here’s one hint: He reprises his role in the new feature flick. … Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr also has confirmed for the A-lister event.
Uncoupling
Q100 “Bert Show” member Jenn Hobby had some sad news to deliver to listeners Wednesday: Her five-year marriage to Sister Hazel guitarist Ryan Newell is over.
Through tears, Hobby announced on air that the couple has filed for divorce. Upon hearing the news, Q100 listener and “Madea’s Family Reunion” director Tyler Perry called in to support Hobby.
“What a brave, brave soul,” Perry told Hobby. “You need to surrender to it. It may be God’s way of doing something better for you. Sometimes, life just blindsides you. It’s OK to get angry, but don’t get bitter.”
The couple had been together 11 years.
Apparently, the pair is taking Perry’s advice. While they list their current marital status on their individual Myspace.com pages as “single,” Newell, 35, assures his online friends to “Keep forward.”
Meanwhile, Hobby, 31, has posted this note to friends: “Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.”
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Ty Pennington, Kirstie Alley, more celebs spotted in ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Extreme Home Makeover” host Ty Pennington, (above) Time magazine writer and VH1 talking head Joel Stein and Pussycat Doll member Melanie Thornton at W hotel in Midtown. …
Actress Kirstie Alley cheering on Chipper Jones in the SunTrust Club section at the Braves/Diamondbacks game at Turner Field. …
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin brunching and sampling the brown bread ice cream at Tap in Midtown.
Couple alert? “American Idol” king David Cook says he’s dating an “American Idol” alum.
The newly crowned “Idol” winner said Tuesday on “Live With Regis and Kelly” that he recently had a dinner date with former “Idol” contestant Kimberly Caldwell.
Cook, 25, said he met Caldwell through the show. When asked if he had a good time, Cook replied: “I did. We’ll probably hang out again. So we’ll see.”
Caldwell, 26, appeared on the second season of the top-rated Fox singing competition.
Cook, from Blue Springs, Mo., defeated 17-year-old David Archuleta last week in a landslide victory. And according to Cook, the singing couple dined at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.
Badu show draws big names
Grammy-winning R&B singer Erykah Badu returned to what she called “my second home” over the holiday weekend.
And her rare performance drew many music notables. Spotted in the capacity Fox Theatre crowd were: film/video director Bryan Barber; Disturbing Tha Peace Records co-president Chaka Zulu; singers Anthony David, Gordon Chambers, Scar and Madame CJ.
Oh, and walking hand in hand with local drummer Lil John Roberts was none other than the million-selling artist he’s been playing with of late — Jill Scott. The vocalist— in town to promote the bra she designed with Ashley Stewart — actually was a surprise guest during the Roots opening set where she joined the hip-hop band in a rocked-out version of a song Badu originally recorded with them, “You Got Me.”
Badu had her audience entranced from the moment she started her two-hour set, playing a great deal from her new CD (“New Amerykah Part One — 4th World War”).
The somewhat eccentric artist also found time to tell presidential candidate Barack Obama to “Hold on!” and to discuss a documentary about government occupation.
Toward the end? The singer rolled around on large Pilates-like balls, wearing a leotard, and closed with “The Wiz” tune “Believe In Yourself.”
A ‘Light’ before ‘Jaws’
Our new favorite activity this week at Buzz Central? Eagerly awaiting the next Bulletin Space message on MySpace.com from Athens rockers Blue Flashing Light. The band has been booked as the warm-up entertainment Thursday prior to “Jaws,” the inaugural flick in the 2008 edition of Screen on the Green in Centennial Olympic Park.
Or as the act itself describes it in the online note to fans: “Blue Flashing Light to open for Richard Dreyfuss!!”
The band makes the best of being asked to gig for a group of chatty, cooler-carrying free movie fans who will no doubt still be grumbling about the relocation of the series from the lusher, now drought-ravaged Piedmont Park.
Still, BFL accurately notes of the classic 1975 Steven Spielberg-helmed beach thriller: “Yeah, we know that [stuff] at the end where the air tank explodes from the bullet is unrealistic, thanks, got it. We watch [Discovery Channel’s] ‘MythBusters’ too. But the meat hanging from the shark’s teeth is pretty raw.”
HIGH FIVE — Music
The top-selling albums at Decatur CD for the week ending May 24:
- Death Cab for Cutie, “Narrow Stairs”
- Portishead, “Third”
- The Roots, “Rising Down”
- She & Him, “Volume 1”
- R.E.M., “Accelerate” Courtesy: Decatur CD
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Gladys Knight is 64. Singer Billy Vera is 64. Singer John Fogerty is 63. Actor Brandon Cruz (“The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”) is 46. Singer Kylie Minogue is 40. Actor Justin Kirk (“Weeds”) is 39. “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 31. Singer Colbie Caillat is 23.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services
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.
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Lauper mixes styles, pushes fun, politics
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Perhaps only singer Cyndi Lauper could be equally inspired by “Into the Night Life” novelist Henry Miller, beat poetry and high-energy European club DJs. And somehow, the influences merge seamlessly on “Bring Ya to the Brink,” her latest album due out today. “It’s kinda crazy, huh?” Lauper laughs during a recent call to Buzz Central. “In my head it all works, though. When I go out at night, I want to dance with my friends. I want something great to listen to. This is the kind of record I’m always hoping to hear when I want to have a good time.” On June 17, the perky pop star is bringing the party back to Atlanta’s Chastain Park Amphitheatre via her “True Colors ‘08’ tour with pals The B-52s, Rosie O’Donnell and Tegan & Sara. “We had such fun last year that I wanted to do it again,” Lauper explains of the gay- and lesbian-friendly tour. At each stop on the tour, voter registration booths are set up to encourage attendees to take an active role in this year’s presidential election. “We’re not telling anybody who to vote for, just that it’s important to get yourself registered,” says Lauper. “I wasn’t registered but I am now. I can be a real knucklehead about stuff. I’m not great with all that paperwork, but this is just too important.” A pair of Lauper’s iconic red shoes (she kicked off a pair on the cover of her 1983 debut, “She’s So Unusual”) also turn up as cover art on “Brink.” Says the singer: “It’s about outsiders, being out of step. I wanted to use that red power tie color as well.” Like those favored by a certain conservative president occupying the White House when the “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” vocalist became a fixture on MTV? “Oooh, I like that!” Lauper coos. “I hadn’t thought of that but that’s good, too!” For tickets to “True Colors ‘08”: www.ticketmaster.com.
June 21 AARP show ‘not for older folks,’ says singer Adams Gospel singer Yolanda Adams says she was impressed by how her grandmother and mom benefited from receiving retirement funds and health insurance from AARP. “Everything was so up to date,” she told The Associated Press. “With all these changes over the last 10 years with Medicare, they were given a fair shot to know what was going on in taking care of their matters.” Now, Adams wants to help the nonprofit organization that advocates for people 50 and over. Adams plans to join Queen Latifah, Patti Austin, Shirley Caesar, Chaka Khan and CeCe Winans to perform at AARP’s 50th anniversary show on June 21 at Philips Arena downtown. Actress-choreographer Debbie Allen will direct the show. “The great thing about this event is that it’s not for the older folks,” said Fayetteville vocalist Ann Nesby. “This is something to connect young people with senior citizens.” The Grammy-winning former Sounds of Blackness singer will perform with granddaughter Paris Bennett, a former “American Idol” contestant. Jamia Simone Nash, who performed at the Academy Awards this year, also will participate. “It’ll be great for Paris to see what they do for people my age from all across the board,” Nesby said. Performers of the event will receive honorary memberships — even youngsters like 11-year-old Nash and Bennett, who is 19. “Jamia and Paris have fans who will come in and see the AARP stamps,” Adams said. “They’ll understand that over 39 million people are served. Young people will get a chance to see how this group is taking care of older folks in their family.”
Celebrity docket Former Phish frontman Trey Anastasio has received a reduced sentence of three years’ probation for a drug conviction after he completed a counseling and treatment program. The singer had pleaded guilty to a felony charge for possessing painkillers without a prescription during a traffic stop in December 2006. He faced up to three years in state prison if he failed the drug program, which he began in April 2007. The 43-year-old’s guilty plea was reduced to a misdemeanor Wednesday because he’ll graduate from the drug program next month and has completed community service. In January, he spent two days in jail for missing a scheduled drug counseling session. HIGH FIVE Television The Top Five On Demand programs for the week of May 12-18, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta: 1. Lil Wayne: “Lollipop,” Music Video, Music Choice 2. V.I.C. “Get Silly,” Music Video, Music Choice 3. “Evan Almighty,” HBO 4. “Family Guy,” Episode Number: 9, Season 2, TBS 5. “South Park,” “Professor Chaos” episode, Comedy Central — Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS Actor Christopher Lee is 86. Actress Lee Meriwether is 73. Musician Ramsey Lewis is 73. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 72. Singer Siouxsie Sioux of Siouxsie and the Banshees is 51. Comedian Adam Carolla is 44. Actor Todd Bridges (“Diff’rent Strokes”) is 43. Rapper Andre 3000 of OutKast is 33. Rapper Jadakiss is 33.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Zoo Atlanta gorillas - from primates to painters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The paintings newly on display at Stella Neighborhood Trattoria at 563 Memorial Drive might seem bold, primitive, even a little animalistic — with good reason. They were created by Willie B. Jr. and Ivan, two of the apes in residence at nearby Zoo Atlanta.
For the next six months, diners can purchase $2 raffle tickets for a shot at owning one of the primate painters’ works. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
We’re told that Willie B. Jr., the only male offspring of the late, lamented Willie B., “enjoys wide brush strokes, resulting in very whimsical and expressive pieces.” Ivan, who came to Zoo Atlanta in 1994, paints with a brush and his tongue, likes bright colors and “signs” each work with a fingerprint. Info: www.gorillafund.org, www.stellaatlanta.com.
Uptown girls … uh, women
Bloomingdale’s Lenox Square and Uptown Scoop.com saluted 26 local women for rocking their respective fields during “Women to Watch of Atlanta,” inspired by “Where’s Your WOW?” co-authored by Atlanta’s Robyn Spizman. Honorees at the May 8 event were Anne Barge Clegg of Anne Barge Bridal Gown Collection; Joyce Bone of MillionaireMom.com; Judi V. Bruce of Deloitte Tax; Kathleen Ciaramello of Coca-Cola; Debbie Gehricke of UPS; Karen Benjack Glatzer of GH Consulting Group; Spanx CEO Laurie Ann Goldman; 11 Alive’s Karyn Greer; Gail Grimmett of Delta Air Lines; Rhonda Harper of RTM&J; Ellen Hartman of Fitzgerald+CO PR; Cheri L. Husney of KPMG; Dr. Kimberly Jackson of the Kare Group; PR consultant Danita V. Knight; Britt Menzies of StinkyKids; Vikki Millender-Morrow of Girls Inc. of Atlanta; Star 94’s Shannon Murphy; Susan O’Farrell of Home Depot; HGTV’s Gail O’Neil; Atlanta Peach publisher Elizabeth Schulte Roth; Star 94’s Cindy Simmons (above); Beth Sneed of GE Capital Solutions; Deborah Storey of AT&T; Loretta Walker of Turner Broadcasting; Jacqueline M. Welch of Rock-Tenn Co. and Elizabeth K. Wilson of Ridgeworth Investments.
Miss Rap Supreme to you, hopefully
Ms. Cherry also would like to be named “Miss Rap Supreme,” courtesy of the VH1 reality show of the same name.
The 24-year-old Atlanta rapper will be seen Monday night vying for a spot in the Top Four. So far, she’s largely stayed out of the drama between some of the other women after clashing early on with the one contestant with a known name, Khia (“My Neck, My Back”). Ms. Cherry mocked Khia for blowing her chance the first time and kept chanting “one-hit wonder” until Khia got good and angry.
“She wasn’t all that, and she thought she was,” Ms. Cherry said. (Khia was disqualified in the second episode for recycling old rhymes.)
Cherry — who frequently wears white Atlanta Braves caps on the show and gleefully did the Soulja Boy dance with Atlanta’s Soulja Boy in last Monday’s episode — said she did the show because female rappers need all the exposure they can get in a male-dominated business.
So far, the judges have appreciated the personal nature of her rhymes but didn’t like how she wouldn’t always follow the assigned themes.
Though she spent most of the time in Los Angeles at the “Fembassy” suite where the show was filmed, she enjoyed the trip to rapper Too Short’s home. “We went to the Hollywood Hills,” she said. “They don’t have hills like that here.”
The show is a sequel to last year’s “The [White] Rapper Show,” won by Atlanta’s Shamrock. (Ms. Cherry has no clue who that is, which says a lot about Shamrock’s career trajectory.)
So far, she has no complaints about how the show is portraying her but is annoyed by the editing.
“A lot of times, they chop the verses up,” she said. “That kind of takes away from it. This is a rap show. Why would you show more of the drama and less of the rapping?”
Answer: Drama draws viewers.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor James Arness is 85. Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 69. Singer-drummer Levon Helm of the Band is 68. Steel guitar player Gates Nichols of Confederate Railroad is 64. Drummer Garry Peterson of the Guess Who is 63. Singer Stevie Nicks is 60. Actor Philip Michael Thomas (“Miami Vice”) is 59. Actress Pam Grier is 59. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 59. Actress Margaret Colin is 51. Country keyboardist Dave Robbins of BlackHawk is 49. Actress Genie Francis (“General Hospital”) is 46. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 46. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 44. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 42. Drummer Phillip Rhodes of the Gin Blossoms is 40. Actor Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare in Love”) is 38. Singer Joey Kibble of Take 6 is 37. “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone is 37. Bassist Nathan Cochran of MercyMe is 30.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I shouldn’t say we’re doing the Eliot Spitzer story. I should say we’re doing a story about a politician who gets into trouble because of sexual questions … involving prostitution.” — Sam Waterston, on the season finale of NBC’s “Law & Order,” known for its ripped-from-the-headlines plots
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
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.
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‘Idol’ winner Cook borrows Collective Soul hit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While David Cook reigned supreme on the seventh season of “American Idol” Wednesday night, Atlanta’s Collective Soul could take a tiny sliver of credit.
Cook picked one of the band’s early hits, “The World I Know,” to close out his set Tuesday night, a song he loved but had never sung in public.
Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul praised Cook as usual, but Simon Cowell thought it wasn’t the right song choice.
“He did great,” Collective Soul guitarist Dean Roland told Buzz before the results Wednesday. “He definitely put his own spin to it. I found that interesting.”
And since “Idol” condenses three- or four-minute songs in half, Roland noticed how Cook “had to cram in a lot. That song has a slow crescendo buildup and he had to get there fast.”
Roland, who is already buds with former Buckhead resident and “Idol” finalist Michael Johns, said he sees Cook going a long way in the business: “He’s got the talent, the personality and the demeanor.”
Related links: Photos and video from the finale; American Idol Buzz
FANS REMEMBER B.J.
Mike Farrell revels in his role as a human rights activist. And a few of the adoring fans who came to see him at his book signing/talk Wednesday at the Decatur Public Library indulged him.
They asked him his views on gun control (doesn’t mind people owning guns, wishes they didn’t have to), the death penalty (against it, big time, for moral reasons) and the presidential race (first for John Edwards, now for Barack Obama).
But most questions were about his time as B.J. Hunnicut on the classic show “MAS*H.” Now 69 and aging gracefully, he accepted the queries with grace, humor and warmth.
“The reality is the show wasn’t just about a war,” Farrell said. “It was about human beings being put in situations they’d rather not be in, but as a result of necessity, they were required to solve the problems at hand. People who have never been in war or a uniform understand that.”
He spun anecdotes about what an acting challenge it was to play Hunnicut finding out his own daughter didn’t recognize him and how the character almost cheated on his wife in a moment of weakness. As an actor, he appreciated that the “MAS*H” producers respected and welcomed his feedback.
“It became more than a television show,” he noted, “not only to people who watched it but within the industry. We’d get calls from actors and movie stars who thanked us for doing a show about something. That’s very heady stuff.”
Related links: Q&A with the actor-activist
WYNTER OFF THE AIR
Shelley Wynter likes to go against the tide, a moderate/conservative black talk-show host in a sea of liberals on WAOK-AM (1380). But he’s been let go from the station without explanation.
“I love WAOK and have nothing bad to say,” he told Buzz. “But this gives me plenty of new opportunities.”
Rob Redding, a former WAOK host who operates Redding News Review, intimated on his Web site that Wynter’s critical remarks against Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) may have contributed to his downfall.
Wynter also had accepted consulting payments from a Republican opponent of Scott’s.
A Scott spokeswoman declined to comment except to say the politician had never placed any pressure on the station to fire Wynter.
Rick Caffey, the station general manager, didn’t return a call by deadline.
Wynter said his marketing firm did provide services to Deborah Honeycutt, who is running against Scott. But he said he openly disclosed that info to the station and while he has been tough on Scott and other black leaders such as Rep. John Lewis, he’s never even had Honeycutt on his show.
RANDOM BITS
• Former WXIA meteorologist Flip Spiceland wanted to ease into life in the public relations world by taking on a low-key job at a place called the Facility Group in Smyrna. But within a week, a federal grand jury was going after the company for fraud.
Spiceland realized he was out of his element and the two sides parted ways. A believer in technical schools, he has quickly found a new job repping North Metro Technical College.
Spiceland’s former colleague and anchor Clarence Reynolds also has jumped over to PR, as the director of communications for nonprofit group AID Atlanta.
• Holly Firfer, formerly a CNN anchor and now host of WXIA’s “Atlanta & Company,” recently shot a small role on Lifetime’s “Army Wives” in Charleston, S.C., that wasn’t exactly outside her comfort zone. She played a news reporter.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Joan Collins is 75. Comedian Drew Carey is 50. Singer Maxwell is 35. Singer Jewel is 34.
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Ne-yo’s soap opera gig gives mom major bragging rights
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The man is responsible for writing the current No. 1 single in the country: Rihanna’s “Take A Bow.”
He also has his first Grammy on the shelf for best contemporary R&B album, thanks to the 2007 disc “Because of You.”
But what is Atlanta singer-songwriter Ne-Yo’s mom “really, really, I mean really excited about?”
His two-day guest stint on the venerable ABC soap “All My Children” Wednesday and Thursday, he tells Buzz.
Ne-Yo performed his new ballad “Stop This World” in the midst of all of the soaplah that is sudsing up around the recently reunited “AMC” super couple Jesse and Angie Hubbard’s long-awaited wedding. Today, he’ll do “Closer,” the first single from his upcoming CD, “The Year of the Gentleman,” during the broadcast at 1 p.m. on ABC (WSB).
But between Ne-Yo numbers, we’re hearing there’s a surprise guest appearance by the Hubbards’ old friend Greg Nelson (portrayed by actor Laurence Lau). Oh, and the bride gets kidnapped by villainous jewel thief Robert Gardner. And don’t be surprised if the show ends today with the groom dangling from a helicopter, thanks to some thrilling CGI work inserted into the sweeps storyline climax.
“My mom is the ‘All My Children’ fan,” Ne-Yo explained during some down time from his tour with Alicia Keys, due in Atlanta May 28.
“She lost her mind when she found out about that one. But you know, I think it’s a great look for me too. People that frequently watch that show, I mean, may not really know me yet. And I’m trying to get a hold of everybody!”
Bloody good freebie
On Wednesday, blood donors at the Red Cross on Monroe Drive scored more than orange juice and a cookie for their efforts — two free tickets to and a CD sampler of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” The new Broadway Across America production of the blood-splattered hit by Stephen Sondheim is sharpening its razors for next week’s run at the Fox Theatre, May 27 to June 1.
“We had a great flow of traffic before people went to work and at lunchtime,” show rep. Ashley Cameron told us. Forty donors had pre-registered and more walk-in donors were due after work Wednesday.
And FYI: According to the Fox Theatre Web site, latecomers next week will have to cool their heels in the lobby for the first 30 minutes of Act One. That’s due to a request from producers who are hoping to keep the musical’s foreboding first act free of giggling idiots who come in late and crawl over you while spilling their plastic cup of white zinfandel.
Not that we have any working knowledge of such individuals. Still, it’s better than the alternative, given the show’s tendency toward throat slitting and sliding corpses into the nether regions of the Fox Theatre basement … To purchase tickets: foxtheatre.org.
‘Witchu’ in Atlanta?
Budget-minded lovers of 1980-era pop divas will likely have some hard choices to make this fall.
First, Madonna and Tina Turner announced plans to tour this autumn. Now, part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson is hitting the road with “Rock Witchu,” touted as her first major tour in seven years.
The tour is scheduled to kick off in Vancouver Sept 10. And while an Atlanta date has not yet been specified, Buzz is betting Ms. Jackson (if you’re nasty) is not about to disappoint her local fans. Tickets go on sale June 7 via livenation.com.
Coupling
“Fantastic Four” thespian Jessica Alba quietly wed producer Cash Warren on Monday, her publicist, Brad Cafarelli confirms.
The pair became engaged in late December following the 27-year-old Alba’s announcement that she’s expecting a baby with Warren, 31. They met on the set of the 2005 film “The Fantastic Four.”
Her wedding, first reported by People.com, was such a quiet affair that even her brother, Josh Alba, was apparently caught off-guard. When reached by Us Weekly magazine with the news, he responded: “My sister!? I’m going to have to call her!”
Besides a baby, Alba is also expecting two films this summer: “Meet Bill” and “The Love Guru” with Mike Myers as a self-help weirdo trying to patch things up between a hockey star and his wife.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 70. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 58. Singer Morrissey is 49. Singer Johnny Gill is 42. Model Naomi Campbell is 38. Actress Anna Belknap (“CSI: NY”) is 36. Singer Donell Jones is 35.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “Without Don, we’d be Air Supply.” —Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey on bandmate Don Henley in the cover story of the May 29th Rolling Stone, titled “The Eagles: Bitter Feud, Big Comeback.” The rockers ended a four-night sold-out stint Tuesday at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park in Alpharetta.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services
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Barbara Walters flying high, enjoying view in ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Barbara Walters has been to Atlanta several times — after all, her “good friend” Elton John has “a lovely home here” — but she didn’t have time for social calls as her whirlwind book tour blew through the Peach State on Monday.
Buzz scored 25 minutes with the TV maven in the auditorium of the Decatur Library, just before she talked about her milestone career, family struggles — and, oh yeah, “The View” squabbles — to 850 fans who waited hours to see her at Agnes Scott College.
Of course, all of this came nearly two weeks to the day — and on the day of her beloved late sister’s birthday — after her best-selling memoir “Audition” began flying off the shelves.
Dressed in an elegant black pant suit accented by a Shirley Franklin-style white flower corsage, Walters, who admits only to being in her late 70s, discussed a range of topics with Buzz.
On Atlanta: “It’s a beautiful city, with so many lovely homes, especially in this area.” With little time to catch her breath between interviews and speeches, she had little time to eat. “I’m going to have a pulled pork sandwich on the plane tonight.”
On the success of “Audition,” which sold 250,000 in its first week: “I think the reason people bought this book is because they realized I was being candid. There’s no revenge in it.”
On career highs and lows: “A lot of people go through what I’ve gone through. That’s why I wanted to write this book. A lot of people go through failure. I hope my story helps others.”
Later, at Agnes Scott, she answered questions on stage from Channel 2 anchor Jovita Moore, then from the audience, before jetting off to Miami.
“What a life I’ve had,” she said at the end of the one-hour session. “Now I want to take a little time to enjoy my view.”
‘Stunna’ of an evening
Former NFL player Dorsey Levens, “Project Runway” contestant Mychael Knight, fellow Atlanta designer Cedric King of Dap Rugget, entertainment attorney Charles Mathis and local hairstylist to the stars Dee Dee Wales were among the notables Monday night at Justin’s restaurant in Buckhead, where event producer I’na Saulsberry was having a viewing party for the debut of MTV’s first “Stunna 16.”
Generally known as “My Super Sweet 16,” the cable program featured the birthday party that entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs threw in Atlanta back in December for Quincy Brown, the son of his on-and-off love Kim Porter (1980s era R&B singer Al B. Sure is Quincy’s biological father).
Brown’s “presents” included a tennis shoe spree on Combs’ black card; a date with model-actress Lauren London; performances by Fabo, Crime Mob, Omarion and Bow Wow at the Velvet Room; and the finale — a Range Rover for Quincy to have in Los Angeles, and a souped-up, old-school Lincoln to tool around in our fair city. But the extras didn’t stop there — not only did Saulsberry “choreograph” the “Stunna 16” viewing party, she also handed out fake $100 bills with Quincy’s picture on it, which could be used for a free glass of red or white wine.
Sorting out family tree.
What’s in a name? The UGA School of Law graduation Saturday was surely filled with family connections. Not only was Lucy Pope Dodd a fifth-generation graduate of UGA Law School, but U.S. Rep. John Barrow, the graduation speaker, also happens to be family.
His great-grandfather was Middleton Pope Barrow, a member of the first class to graduate from UGA law school in 1860.
And Middleton Pope Barrow is also Lucy’s great-great grandfather. Confused?
Well, truth be told, we also got a little mixed up.
“I was confused, too,” admitted Heidi Murphy of UGA School of Law, who started researching the family ties and connecting the dots on the eve of the graduation. So, here we go and raise our right hand (and cross our fingers) we get it right this time. The very sweet Lucy is indeed a fifth-generation graduate of the UGA Law School.
And Lucy’s other family members who have graduated from UGA law school include: Major Francis Percival McIntire, Lucy’s great-grandfather; Pope Barrow McIntire, Lucy’s grandfather; Sarah Ellen McIntire Love, Lucy’s aunt; and Elizabeth Palmour Dodd Kanne, Lucy’s sister (and also a fifth-generation graduate).
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Comedian Al Franken is 57. Actor Mr. T is 56. Actor Judge Reinhold is 51. Actress Lisa Edelstein (“House”) is 40. Actress Ashlie Brillault (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 21.
OVERSCENE
Before introducing Atlantans to their charitable brands of wines Monday, Atlanta Braves Chipper Jones and Brian McCann lunching at Stats downtown on Cobb salads and bacon-wrapped shrimp.
Contributing: Chandler Brown, Sonia Murray, Helena Oliviero 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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‘Law Dawg’ kept family’s UGA tradition
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE, left to right: Lucy Pope Dodd, Rep. John Barrow, UGA Law School’s 2008 graduation speaker, and Kathleen Flynn Parker. (UGA Law School photo)
Call it destiny or in her blood — Lucy Pope Dodd became a fifth-generation graduate of the University of Georgia Law School over the weekend.
For much of her life, Dodd wanted to be a third-grade teacher.
But that changed after one heated political argument with her grandpa, Pope Barrow McIntire, during her undergraduate years. She supported Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. He backed the Republican incumbent President Bush.
“That night I went to bed crying,” Dodd told Buzz in an e-mail. “In the morning, he gave me a big hug and said that I needed to go to law school. He said that anyone who could argue so passionately about something, especially when she was wrong, deserved to go to law school.”
Dodd’s grandfather, whom Dodd affectionately called “Hoho,” died shortly before she started law school.
“He knew I had gotten in,” said Dodd.
According to UGA school officials, Dodd’s great-great-grandfather Middleton Pope Barrow was a member of the first class to graduate from the law school in 1860. Dodd’s other family members who have graduated from the law school include her aunt Elizabeth Palmour Dodd Kane and her sister Elizabeth Kanne.
“I am proud of my family’s connection to law school,” said the 25-year-old graduate from Atlanta. “I love this state more than I can possibly say, and after three years here at UGA School of Law, I love this school. Even if I were the first generation, I would be so proud to call myself a ‘Law Dawg.’ “
‘Bachelorette’ ready for some romance
Newnan real estate agent DeAnna Pappas had her heart broken last year by Brad Womack in the fall edition of “The Bachelor.” ABC and the viewers loved her so much, the network quickly gave her a chance to reverse roles and pick from 25 hot guys for the summer edition of “The Bachelorette” debuting tonight.
Marietta-born Pappas, in an interview with Buzz, couldn’t say much about the outcome of the show, which just wrapped up. But she said she’s over Womack. “He’s a distant memory,” she said. “I’ve moved on.”
Despite the show’s dismal record as a matchmaker, Pappas remains a romantic at heart: “I completely believe in the show and the whole point behind it. I know it can happen. I was more than willing to put my heart out there and try again.”
And she feels she can beat the odds.: “I put 100 percent into any relationship I’m in. I don’t take this lightly. I tried very, very hard to make it work.”
Kennesaw State student spins wheel
While chatting with his fellow “Wheel of Fortune” contestants, Adam Kleg mentioned that he was a biochemistry major at Kennesaw State University. “I don’t know if it intimidated them,” he told Buzz.
See for yourself tonight at 7 p.m. on WATL. Kleg, 22, applied to the show nearly three years ago because he’s a big puzzle fan. The Alpharetta native auditioned last November in Buckhead, but had to turn down an invitation to spin the wheel in January because of a chemistry lab, exams and presentations.
“I was like, ‘Uh-oh, they’re never going to call me back,’ Kleg said. “When they contacted me in April, I had the same situation, but I told my teachers, ‘Look, I’m going. You can move my stuff for me and we’ll figure it out later.’ “
Kleg didn’t meet host Pat Sajak until the game began, but letter-turner Vanna White wished the contestants good luck.
“Vanna came in when we were getting the legalese spat at us,” Kleg said. “None of us recognized her at first. She was in street clothes, pajama pants, T-shirt and wet hair instead of being made up.”
Likewise, the contestant coordinator didn’t recognize Kleg. “When I auditioned,” he said, “I had a mohawk and a beard.”
He changed his look to interview for physicians’ assistant schools. “I thought it wouldn’t be the best idea to have that,” Kleg said. “But at the pediatrics office where I worked, they loved it.”
Buzz doesn’t want to spoil the suspense, but Kleg’s competitors had good reason to fear his intellect.
London in ‘Purple’ at Fox this summer
“American Idol” fans will see a familiar face in the cast of the first North American touring production of the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.” LaToya London, known simply as “London” to her fans, will play Nettie in the show, which will be at the Fox Theatre July 15 to Aug. 3. London was an early front-runner to win season three of “American Idol” before she ended up in fourth place.
Other cast members for the show include Stu James, an Atlanta native and Morehouse College grad. His acting credits including “Rent” on Broadway, the movie “Dreamgirls,” and appearances on the soap “General Hospital.”
The leading role of Celie will be played by Jeannette Bayardelle, who also played the part on Broadway. Felicia Fields, who plays the strong-willed Sofia, was nominated for a Tony Award for her portrayal of the role on Broadway.
Golden mom up for new golden award
Decatur mom Subrena Glenn-Everett is a national finalist in a “Gold Medal Mom” contest, one of 25 moms, narrowed down from a field of 2,500 nominations.
Nominated by her 20-year-old daughter Alexandria Taylor, who called her mom, “my backbone and best friend.” Taylor told Buzz her mom is always there to comfort and help her.
But one thing judges didn’t realize is Glenn-Everett is already a Gold medal mom — her son Angelo Taylor won gold in the 2000 Olympics in the 400 hurdles and 1,600 relay.
The top prize of the contest — sponsored by Tyson and judged by Mary Lou Retton — is an all-expense paid trip to the Olympic games in Beijing.
“I can’t explain how honored I am to have my daughter feel this way and to see it in writing, I am really honored. I just cried and cried,” said Glenn-Everett, who is a guidance counselor at Midway Elementary School.
From now to June 11, you can vote for Glenn-Everett at www.goldmedalmom.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS PBS newscaster Jim Lehrer is 74. Author-director Nora Ephron is 67. Musician Pete Townshend is 63. Singer-actress-model Grace Jones is 56.
Contributing: Karen Rosen, Rodney Ho, Sonia Murray, Kirsten Tagami 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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Benefit to raise funds for ailing DJ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friends and fans will gather Sunday to raise some much-needed cash for ailing Atlanta bartender and DJ David Seymour at Felix’s on the Square, 1510 Piedmont Ave. N.E. in Midtown. For the past month, the musical mixologist (who has memorably spun at clubs like Halo under the moniker Mellow D) has been on and off a respirator in ICU at Crawford Long hospital while being treated for pneumonia and most recently, congestive heart failure. Felix’s rep Gary Dean told Buzz Friday that Seymour’s many pals in the city’s hospitality industry have donated restaurant gift certificates, gift cards, spa treatments, bar tabs and cash for the benefit scheduled from 2 p.m. till close Sunday.
So exactly how beloved is Seymour?
His benefit is being hosted by duelling drag queens Ruby Redd of Amsterdam and Kitty LeClaw of Blake’s on the Park (ordinarily, these two would be trying to re-create that Patty Duke and Susan Hayward wig-flushing scene from “Valley of the Dolls” if caught in close proximity …).
“David’s a great friend and this is what friends do for each other,” explained LeClaw’s alter ego David Stark Friday.
For more info or to donate: 404-249-7899.
RAFFLE REDUX
There’s good news for the attendees of Monday night’s Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention benefit at the Woodruff Arts Center who forgot to snag a raffle ticket for the 2007 Maserati graciously donated by Maserati of Atlanta. The raffle has been extended through June 6, via gcapp.org where you can buy as many tickets as you’d like (G-CAPP founder Jane Fonda was keeping hers safe in her cleavage the other night). Possibly due to the growing economic skittishness, many of the fund-raiser’s innovative live auction items went at bargain basement prices. But when bidding inexplicably stalled on a New York shopping spree featuring tickets to “The View” and “The Martha Stewart Show” and a meet-and-greet with luxe jeweler David Yurman, Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne gallantly stepped on stage to assist. After the New Yorker donated dinner and unlimited movie conversation with himself, the price shot up to $18,000. A bowling party for 50 with Fonda at Ten Pin Alley at Atlantic Station went for $20,000 after a little enticement from the Oscar winner herself. Cracked Fonda of her bowling skills: “It’s easy to beat me!”
Related links: Fondas in hot seat at Alliance, Photos
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Saturday: Actor-director Dennis Hopper is 72. Singer Pervis Jackson of The Spinners is 70. Singer Taj Mahal is 66. Actor Craig Ferguson (“The Late Late Show”) is 46. Musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is 43. Singer Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block) is 38.
Sunday: Actor Bill Macy (“Maude”) is 86. Country singer George Strait is 56. Comedian Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) is 38. Musician Jack Johnson is 33.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Whiskey Park tries to capture city’s unique vibe
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Whiskey Park, the new nightclub at the W Atlanta Midtown hotel is being touted as equal parts rock ‘n’ roll and sophistication.
And since the swank space quietly opened last week inside the former Sheraton at Colony Square, the hipster haunt already has attracted former “Project Runway” contestant and Atlanta fashion designer Mychael Knight and Motley Crue skins smasher Tommy Lee, who was spotted quaffing a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne there with friends, including Gnarls Barkley vocalist Cee-Lo.
The nightspot is the latest offering by nightclub impresario brothers Rande and Scott Gerber.
On a recent tour of the space, the Gerber Group’s vice president of design Mark LaValle told us Atlanta’s ever-evolving nightlife scene was taken into consideration when choosing an address for their Atlanta debut.
“Midtown really offers everything we were looking for,” explained LaValle. “The fact that Atlanta is constantly re-inventing itself was a big plus for us. We’re hoping to add something fresh to the city.”
Whiskey Park is divided into a main bar area, a lounge area for crashing, cuddling or dancing, a patio bar with a bird’s eye view of the Mayfair towers across 14th Street and an ultra-exclusive V.V.I.P. area featuring black hardwood floors, red velvet cushions and an advance booking fee.
On the phone from Malibu, Rande Gerber told Buzz his company’s goal is to perfectly merge inventive, elegant concepts with each city’s unique vibe (unlike say, the owners of the now-defunct B.E.D. at The Glenn hotel downtown, who appeared bound and determined to shove South Beach elitism down Atlantan throats).
“I have friends in Atlanta and I listened to them about the kind of place they didn’t currently have but wanted to hang out at. Ultimately, our goal was to build a place for the people who live there. I want the business traveler to feel comfortable and I want the person who lives two blocks away to feel that this is their neighborhood place.”
Gerber is due in town for the W Atlanta’s official grand opening on May 29, but this weekend he’s sending an advance team of one to give him a progress report: his wife, supermodel Cindy Crawford, who’s in town for an appearance at Rooms to Go in Buford.
“Cindy told me she’s planning to drop by Whiskey Park with friends while she’s in Atlanta,” Gerber previewed. “I’m betting she’ll feel right at home.”
Gerber has one more challenge ahead of him this month: The Atlanta grand opening date doubles as his and Crawford’s 10-year wedding anniversary.
“I’ve got to step it up this year, especially since I’ll technically be working on our anniversary,” he conceded, laughing. “I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do yet, but it’s not going to be cheap, I can tell you that!”
RELATED LINKS: Cindy Crawford talks about her Atlanta visit;
Photos: Business models
Sick bay
B98.5 FM morning man Kelly Stevens, who’s been mysteriously off the air for more than five weeks, is in treatment for alcoholism. His on-air co-host Alpha Trivette has now informed listeners that his co-worker is at a rehab facility to grapple with the malady.
The announcement was an unusual admission for the show long known for its lightheartedness. We’re told that Stevens’ co-workers were not previously privy to his off-air struggles. It remained unclear Thursday when or if Stevens would return to the airwaves before July 1, when Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke take over.
Kelly & Alpha, who have had a successful run with B98.5 for nearly a decade, are under contract through the end of the year. Producer Will Gara, who will stay on with former Star 94 morning hosts Steve & Vikki, currently is filling in for Stevens.
Celebrity birthdays
Jazz drummer Billy Cobham is 64. Actor Pierce Brosnan is 55. Violinist Boyd Tinsley of The Dave Matthews Band is 44. Singer Janet Jackson is 42. Actor David Boreanaz (above) (“Bones”) is 39. Political correspondent Tucker Carlson is 39. Actress Tori Spelling is 35.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Chambliss unveils his official portrait
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Pulling back the curtain Tuesday evening on his official portrait in Washington, Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Moultrie confessed that as a student he had “never set foot in the library” at the University of Georgia. Now his likeness is destined to go to UGA’s Richard B. Russell Library.
But that won’t happen until 21 years after the Georgia Republican has left office.
Meantime, the portrait will hang in the hearing room of the Senate Agriculture Committee, which he chaired for two years before the Democrats recaptured the majority.
The painting is by a Bulgarian-born Atlanta artist known simply as Rossin. The privately funded project was headed by lobbyists Rob Leebern and Louie Perry, who raised $17,000 from an array of farm and agriculture interests.
The unveiling was — where else? — in the Russell Room of the Senate building named for the legendary Georgia senator.
OVERSCENE
At the grand opening of Straits, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and chef Chris Yeo’s Juniper Street eatery in Midtown Tuesday night: actress Vivica A. Fox; producer Jermaine Dupri; Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and the cast of “Battleground Earth,” Luda and Lee’s upcoming Discovery Channel reality show; V-103’s Frank Ski and Ryan Cameron; Atlanta Falcons Ovie Mughelli, David Irons and Jamaal Anderson; Ted’s Montana Grill co-founder George McKerrow Jr. and wife Ginair and CBS 46 “Restaurant Report Card” reporter Adam Murphy.
SICK BAY
CNN founder Ted Turner, one of the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention’s biggest supporters, was notably absent from Monday night’s festivities featuring the Fonda family at the Woodruff Arts Center. But it wasn’t because Turner’s support for G-CAPP or its founder (and his ex-wife) Jane Fonda is waning. Turner’s rep Phillip Evans tells Buzz the bison baron is recovering from back surgery.
“Ted is recovering well and bouncing back,” Evans explains.
The back ailment is the result of “degenerative problems accumulated over the years.”
And the most entertaining Turner story circulating at the benefit’s cocktail reception?
The Ted’s Montana Grill co-founder allegedly showed up at his downtown eatery recently clad in a hospital gown. In response to our logical follow-up question, the answer is yes, Turner was wearing pants, we’re told.
‘I DO’ ON ‘TODAY’?
Tossing privacy and control of their special day to the wind like a bridal bouquet, an Atlanta couple is battling four others for a free wedding, courtesy of “Today.”
Darnell Suggs and LaDonna Bradford, both engineers, were chosen to be in the final five. They started competing Wednesday morning and each week, someone gets eliminated by public vote. The video they submitted was a spoof on “Today.” Bradford played Meredith Vieira and Suggs played Matt Lauer.
Bradford, 24, said the couple got engaged in Egypt on New Year’s Day.
“We have a no-bounds relationship. There are no limits on what we could do. He’s everything I ever dreamed of,” Bradford said.
Suggs noted: “We inspire each other. She makes me want to go above and beyond for her.”
Suggs said they have a wedding set (budget $5,000 to $10,000) for April 2009. But they’re willing to let NBC and the “Today” show do it for them in Rockefeller Center June 25 if America votes accordingly.
To vote: www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24596237/.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 72. Country singer K.T. Oslin is 66. Musician Brian Eno is 60. Actor Chazz Palminteri is 56. Actor David Krumholtz (“Numbers”) is 30. Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (“The Sopranos”) is 27.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I am complex, contradictory and capable of great intelligence but also remarkable stupidity. In other words, I am a human being. To me, labels are for clothes, not people. So, please don’t try to define me; don’t try to categorize me; and most of all, don’t label me.”
— Al Reynolds in a message posted on his Myspace.com page in response to media reports on the dissolving of his marriage to Star Jones
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Julia Malone 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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Fondas in the hot seat at Alliance Theatre
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The evening was billed as “315 Films,” “66 Awards” and “Five Fondas.”
Right: Peter, Jane and Bridget Fonda and Troy Garity appeared at the Alliance Theatre Monday night.
(Jessica McGowan / AJC)
And for film fans and charitable supporters of founder Jane Fonda’s Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, the 13th annual G-CAPP fund-raiser held at the Woodruff Arts Center Monday night did not disappoint.
A capacity crowd turned out in the Alliance Theatre for a sometimes raucous, occasionally emotional two-hour program highlighted by film clips and a Q&A with the two-time Oscar winner, her brother Peter Fonda, her niece Bridget Fonda and son Troy Garity presided over by Turner Classic Movies host and film historian Robert Osborne.
Boxes of tissues were plentiful for the Fondas as Garity noted the family’s “inherent crying problem.”
Discussing growing up the son of an iconic Hollywood actor, Peter explained that the built-in comparisons only served to “raise the bar” in his own work in films like “Easy Rider.”
“I was picked on because I was Henry Fonda’s son,” Peter told Osborne. “But I learned how to fight and I also learned to run!”
Added Garity wryly: “But being the son of Henry Fonda is nothing compared to being the son of ‘Hanoi Jane.’ But in life, you take licks and ultimately, the positives outweigh the negatives.”
Explained Jane of the work behind her father’s critically acclaimed performances: “He didn’t like to talk about [the process of acting]. He couldn’t articulate it. He didn’t talk a lot. What we got from him, we learned through watching his movies.”
Bridget discussed discovering a passion for painting as a child, watching her “Grandpa Henry” paint watercolors. Of her extended vacation from filmmaking in recent years, the “Single White Female” actress, who’s now a mother and married to film composer Danny Elfman explained to Osborne: “Real life just took over. I have a three-year-old. I miss it sometimes, but I cherish what I have these days.”
Osborne also asked Jane about her own 15-year hiatus from Hollywood, pointing out that when her father “wasn’t doing films, he was doing plays on stage.”
Followed up Fonda: “I was doing [ex-husband] Ted [Turner]!”
Fonda, who’s shot “Monster-in-Law” and “Georgia Rule” in recent years, explained that at age 70, interesting roles don’t flood in.
“They’re all glum. I’d rather write books and hang out in Atlanta.”
The line drew enthusiastic applause from the crowd.
The evening ended with a final film TCM tribute to Henry Fonda narrated by his children and one last question for the iconic exercise queen from a fan in the audience.
Given the renewed interest in fitness, would Fonda, who helped to pioneer the home video fitness craze of the 1980s with “The Jane Fonda Workout” series consider a follow-up?
Cracked Jane: “Well, I could do one for people with new hips. I’m actually thinking of doing one called ‘The Work In.”
OVERSCENE
Spotted at Monday night’s G-CAPP benefit at the Woodruff Arts Center: Former U.N. ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and wife Carolyn; documentary filmmaker Vanessa Vadim; former Georgia Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor and wife Sacha; Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers co-owner and attorney Rutherford Seydel and wife/Captain Planet Foundation chair Laura Turner Seydel, along with Laura’s brothers Rhett and Beau Turner; Watershed chef Scott Peacock; rapper/restaurateur Ludacris and Motley Crue drummer/reality TV star/memoirist Tommy Lee; concert promoter Peter Conlon and actor/director Robert Townsend.
• Photos: Jane Fonda and family at the G-CAPP fundraiser
TIMBERLAKE ON TOP
Thanks to a “ruling” by Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears, there was finally a resolution Tuesday to the long-simmering “Who Do You Know?” radio contest on Q100. Sears visited “The Bert Show” Monday to help the morning show determine the parameters of precisely what defines a “celebrity.” For weeks, the show has taken random calls from the famous who were enlisted by local listeners. In exchange, the winner received $10,000 and the “biggest celebrity” scored a $5,000 check for their favorite charity. On Monday, Sears told Bert Weiss and company that the winner should be a global presence well-known to the station’s core listenership of 20-somethings to folks in their 40s. Among those who called in and thus in the running: Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Ali, Sean Connery, super couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner and Justin Timberlake. With a 7-2 vote, Timberlake, Q100 listener (and pal of the pop star) Lindsey Glueckert and Timberlake’s fave charity, the Cambodian Children’s Fund, emerged as the winners Tuesday. So how did Sears end up assisting? She had the misfortune of being seated next to “Bert Show” executive producer Jeff Dauler at a luncheon last week for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Governor’s Mansion on West Paces Ferry Road.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Movie producer George Lucas is 64. Musician David Byrne (Talking Heads) is 56. Director Robert Zemeckis is 56. Singer Ian Astbury of The Cult is 46. Actress Cate Blanchett (above) is 39. Singer Danny Wood of New Kids on the Block is 39. Director Sofia Coppola (“Lost In Translation”) is 37. Actress Amber Tamblyn (“Joan of Arcadia”) is 25.
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UGA grad gets tough, survives second shot
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After 16 cycles, CBS’ aging reality show “Survivor” Sunday finally crowned a winner with Atlanta ties: Parvati Shallow.
Known on the show as “Parv,” the 25-year-old won with a mix of smart, strategic play and social skills honed at Sprayberry High School (2000) and the University of Georgia (2004). She’s now running a charity to teach boxing to underprivileged kids in Los Angeles.
This edition of “Survivor” distinguished itself via a series of blindsides and stupid moves. In the end, Shallow beat Amanda Kimmel five votes to three. She swayed the jury, including all the women, with a more straightforward argument why she deserved the $1 million.
“I think those girls appreciated that I played a very aggressive game and I didn’t make any apologizes for the moves I made,” she told Buzz Monday. She thinks the ladies didn’t buy Kimmel’s tears when she chose to nix wily Cirie Fields. And after playing back-to-back “Survivor” games, Kimmel was just emotionally exhausted by that point, Shallow said.
After Shallow came in sixth on “Survivor: Cook Islands,” producers gave her a second shot as part of a group of 10 returning “fan favorites” competing against 10 fans. This time, Shallow decided to play tougher.
She made an alliance early on with Fields and Kimmel, then helped blindside the show’s biggest threat, Ozzy Lusth. She and the other women also guilted doe-eyed Erik Reichenbach into giving up his Immunity Idol last week. “Dumbest move in Idol history!” Shallow said to the cameras as she voted him off.
Shallow, who was in metro Atlanta last Thursday for her sister’s college graduation, watched the second-to-last show with her family and friends in Alpharetta.
She said Micronesia was much harsher than Cook Islands: “It rained all the time. There were bugs, bats, rats everywhere. My legs were full of bug bites. The cameras panned up my legs on Exile Island. It was so gross!” But those battle scars earned her a boatload of cash.
SICK BAY UPDATE
Toni Braxton’s return to the stage on the Las Vegas strip has been pushed back for at least another month.
A spokeswoman for Harrah’s Entertainment says the target date to resume “Toni Braxton: Revealed” at the Flamingo Las Vegas hotel is now June 6.
The part-time Alpharetta resident’s show has been dark since the singer was hospitalized overnight for chest pain on April 7.
The spokeswoman says she can’t comment about Braxton’s medical condition. The 40-year-old entertainer has been treated in the past for pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the heart.
Braxton’s two-year run at the Flamingo Las Vegas is scheduled to end in August.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Last we reported on Atlanta rapper Baby D, it was about him being in an Ohio jail — without bond — following his arrest for allegedly trafficking cocaine.
Well, he’s still there.
But at least now he sees a bit of daylight.
Baby D rang his mother, who in turn rang us, to let his Atlanta fans know, “I’m cool, cool. Just holding it down until my court date, May 20. Hopefully I can get a bond. … I will be exonerated on all charges.”
(D also has three pending assault charges in Tennessee, according to his Koch Records label).
“It’s just a little misconception,” he said. “We’ll be able to answer to that, and the other one. People just try to make you guilty by association. And it’s all about the facts.”
The member of Atlanta’s Big Oomp camp noted that he’s been reading a lot since he was locked up on March 26. “Sometimes if you disappear for a minute it makes people anticipate you’re coming back. So maybe this is a blessing in disguise.”
D also added that his latest CD, “A-Town Secret Weapon” — released this month — “is doing really well. … My fans stick by me and have stayed loyal.”
FALLON BACK UP ‘LATE’ ON NBC
Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Jimmy Fallon is succeeding Conan O’Brien as the host of NBC’s “Late Night” sometime next year.
“I’ve been doing a monologue in my living room the last three years and it was embarrassing,” Fallon joked at a news conference.
NBC’s plan is to have O’Brien move west to take over for Jay Leno at the “Tonight” show next year. After a break to refurbish the Rockefeller Center studio where O’Brien now works, the 33-year-old Fallon will take over.
The Fallon transition is being managed by his former “Saturday Night Live” boss, Lorne Michaels.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Bea Arthur is 86. Actor Harvey Keitel is 69. Singer Stevie Wonder is 58. Comedian Stephen Colbert “The Colbert Report”) is 44. Singer Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish is 42. Drummer Andy Williams of Casting Crowns is 36. Bassist Mickey Madden of Maroon 5 is 29.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
‘Now, he’ll be accused of elder abuse.’
— “View” co-host Joy Behar on Alec Baldwin’s sometimes fractious interview with Morley Safer on “60 Minutes” Sunday after the 76-year-old interviewer used a “judgmental tone” with the “30 Rock” actor while asking about his now-infamous voice mail message to his daughter Ireland in 2006.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Sonia Murray and news services
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