New url for Peach Buzz
Bookmark this new url for Peach Buzz.. We have moved to Wordpress!
Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > August
August 2008
Scent-centric dinner aids library group
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A critic from The New York Times was busy nosing around Decatur’s Sage on Sycamore restaurant Thursday night but executive chef Wayne Hamilton wasn’t breaking a sweat.
Hamilton was even a collaborator in arranging the evening.
The six-course, $200-per person scent-centric dinner, a benefit for the DeKalb Library Foundation, was hosted by New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr. The journalist is in town to conduct primers on gourmand perfumes.
“When we think about perfumes, most of us, for some reason, just think about it in terms of florals and woods,” Burr told Buzz Thursday. “But real food that we consume is a huge source of raw materials for perfume.”
Elements of pink peppercorns, for example, are utilized in Pleasures by Estee Lauder.
On his job as Scent Notes columnist for the Times, Burr allows: “It’s an extremely strange job.”
As far as Burr knows, he and biophysicist Luca Turin hold the world’s only two jobs as professional perfume critics.
But he says the fundamentals of perfume criticism are similar to any other arts critic’s job description.
“Perfume is a work of art just like a composition by Bach or a dish by Mario Batali,” explains Burr.
And NYT readers are no less ruthless when they disagree with a less-than-aromatic perfume review.
Take Burr’s recent assessment of Un Jardin Apres la Mousson by Hermes. Burr called it “a failure on every level … the olfactory equivalent of corn syrup.”
One online reader sniffed in response: “Perfume-making is not to be dissected like this. If you don’t like it, leave it at that. This reads like someone with his knickers in a twist.”
“You do have to endure some of the most stupid comments you’ve ever heard in your life,” Burr says laughing. “Essentially, I was just doing my job.”
Friday night and Saturday night at Sage, curious diners who missed Thursday’s Scent & Savor dinner can order a four-course version of it for $30 per person.
Burr will lecture and sign copies of his new book, “The Perfect Scent: A Year Inside the Perfume Industry in Paris and New York” Saturday at 1:45 p.m. at the AJC Decatur Book Festival.
For more info: decaturbookfestival.com. To donate to the DeKalb Library Foundation: www.dekalblibrary.org/support/.
‘RAISING THE BAR’ ON TOLLS
The fictional lawyers of Steven Bochco’s new TNT drama, “Raising the Bar,” are offering you a little, well, financial incentive to tune into the new series Labor Day night at 10.
And let’s just say, if an actual attorney tried this, he or she might be staring at disbarment.
Commuters who hit Ga. 400 today, in either the north- or south-bound lanes between 4 and 6 p.m., will have their tolls paid for them, courtesy of the Atlanta-based cable network.
“With so many people on the roads Labor Day weekend, it’s a perfect time to get our message out about the premiere of this outstanding new drama series,” says Tricia Melton, senior vice president of marketing for TNT. “We are literally raising the bar by paying tolls on Labor Day weekend.”
We’re told that drivers will be greeted at the toll plaza with TNT signs informing them about who paid their toll. And yes, the toll bars will be automatically raised for the two-hour stunt …
SUNDAY NIGHT ‘TAKEOVER’
NBA fans will want to be in the house Sunday night at Opera nightclub in Midtown for the NBA Takeover. The Labor Day Eve bash will be hosted by Seattle Supersonics Damien Wilkins, Kevin Durant, Chris Wilcox and Earl Watson, Boston Celtic Ray Allen, Atlanta Hawk Acie Law, Orlando Magic man Rashard Lewis, 76er Royal Ivey and Indiana Pacer Jarret Jack. Oh, and organizers are promising a surprise appearance by “The Greatest Basketball Player of All Time,” which, the last time we checked, was one Michael Jordan. But again, no exact names are being bandied about. Buyer beware. Tickets: $40 and $15. Info: www.nbatakeover.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-director Richard Attenborough is 85. Movie director William Friedkin is 73. Actor Elliott Gould is 70. Singer Michael Jackson is 50. Actress Rebecca De Mornay is 46. Bassist-singer Me’Shell NdegeOcello is 39. Guitarist Kyle Cook of Matchbox Twenty is 33. Actor John Hensley (“Nip/Tuck”) is 31. Bassist David Desrosiers of Simple Plan is 28.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Flags were waving and people shouting. It looked as if we had the whole city rocking. I hadn’t planned to start a revival meeting. They said later my singing seemed to bounce off the dome of the Capitol far down the Mall. I’ve always hoped it reached inside to where some of those congressmen were sitting!”
Late gospel great Mahalia Jackson reflecting in her 1966 autobiography on singing “I Been Buked” prior to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington 45 years ago Thursday.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Dragons finally get props at DragonCon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For years, Cartoon Network’s late-night Adult Swim animators have pleaded in vain with the organizers of the DragonCon convention to host one particular panel at the annual Labor Day weekend sci-fi/comics convention downtown.
A discussion about dragons.
“There has never been a shortage of superheroes or Star Trek characters at DragonCon,” Adult Swim senior vice-president Mike Lazzo (right) explained Wednesday as he busied himself SuperGlueing his tongue to the side of his face. “But we were always disappointed about the lack of attention being paid to actual dragons. We really wanted to help re-establish the purity of their brand.”
Hence, Friday at 5:30 p.m., Lazzo and Adult Swimmers, including Kim Manning, Jennifer Stephens, Dana Swanson, Vanessa Palacios, Eddie Ray, Drew Dominey, Merrill Hagan and Dana Snyder will conduct the first-ever DragonCon session on dragons at the convention.
They’ll also bring along clips from Adult Swim favorites like “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” and “Squidbillies” and dragon-related clips from the company’s vault of classic Hanna-Barbera animation.
And on the off-chance, the session doesn’t exactly catch fire?
“We’re also prepared to discuss Adult Swim content and golf,” Lazzo says.
The Cartoon Network crazies also have created dragon costumes to wear to the session.
“But I have to say, the men have made a pretty pathetic attempt at it so far,” relates Lazzo. “But the women are really hooked up with their dragon wardrobes.”
Over the weekend, Cartoon Network reps also will have a strong presence at the convention as they introduce their new hotly anticipated CGI weekly series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.”
So how iconic has the Williams Street Adult Swim production headquarters become over the years since the Williams Street logo flashes at the end of each late-night offering either on the air or via various boxed-set collections?
Explains Lazzo: “Every DragonCon weekend, we show up to work and invariably there will be convention attendees hanging outside. It’s actually pretty flattering that they seek us out.”
Oh, and as a public service to the Adult Swim staff, Buzz has graciously agreed to alternately describe their workplace as either a “fortress” or a “compound.”
For info: www.dragoncon.org.
COOKING UP ‘DINNER’
While Kenny Leon polishes August Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean” at the Alliance Theatre, Todd Kreidler, his True Colors associate artistic director, is cooking up Leon’s “Dinner.”
We’re talking, of course, about “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” Kreidler’s adaptation of the classic 1967 film that starred Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Kreidler has spent the past year toiling over his and Leon’s next Broadway project.
No “Dinner” date has been set for Broadway. “But we’re still aiming to go in the fall,” Kreidler says. “Right now, we’re planning to gather for a reading in New York after Labor Day, then hopefully begin rehearsals in October.”
Meanwhile, “Gem” starts previews Aug. 30 at the Alliance, and “Radio Golf,” the final installment of Wilson’s epic 10-play cycle, begins previews at the Woodruff Arts Center playhouse on Aug. 29. Alliance associate artistic director Kent Gash directs “Radio Golf.” The two-play repertory’s official opening is Sept. 6.
Kreidler, a close personal associate of Wilson, was dramaturg for both “Gem of the Ocean” and “Radio Golf,” which played regional theaters before eventually moving to Broadway under Leon’s direction. The Chicago-based artist will arrive in Atlanta in mid-September, presumably to check out the bookended dramas.
LUDA LOVES LATTA
Ludacris graciously is supplying Jarvis, his latest Disturbing Tha Peace record label R&B artist for this Friday night’s half-time performance at the WNBA Atlanta Dream/Connecticut Sun basketball game at Philips Arena downtown. And the Atlantan himself also will be present. The rapper-restaurateur is an admirer of Atlanta Dream point guard Ivory Latta.
“I have been a longtime fan and supporter of Ivory since she was at [University of] North Carolina,” Luda told us via an e-mail from the Atlanta Dream. “She is a little sister and family to me. It’s even greater that she plays for an Atlanta team. I want to be there to show my love and support.”
Late reports Wednesday indicated that 9,000 tickets already have been sold for the game, making it a near-sellout. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. www.atlantadream.net.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Shania Twain is 43. Actor Billy Boyd (“Lord of the Rings”) is 40. Actor-singer Jack Black of Tenacious D is 39. Actor Jason Priestley (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 39. Singer-bassist Max Collins of Eve 6 is 30. Actress Carly Pope (“Popular”) is 28. Country singer LeAnn Rimes is 26.
UNCOUPLING
They famously trekked to Atlanta to pay tribute to Coretta Scott King at the civil rights matriarch’s 2006 memorial service. Now, “Desperate Housewives” actress Nicollette Sheridan and singer Michael Bolton quietly have ended their engagement.
The split was amicable, said Nicole Perna, a publicist for the pair.
The 44-year-old actress and 55-year-old singer have been engaged since March 2006. They first started dating in 1992 and spent five years together, Perna said, then rekindled their romance in 2005.
The couple’s split was first reported by People.com.
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Eco activist models for green cause
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Captain Planet Foundation chairwoman Laura Turner Seydel is brushing up on her catwalk skills as she preps for next week’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York. The eco activist will be among the celebrity runway models participating in the “Be EcoChic” fashion show at the Milstein Hall of Oceans at the American Museum of Natural History.
The other strutting celebs include: Lauren Hutton, “Ugly Betty” actor Mark Indelicato, “Desperate Housewives” actress Joy Lauren and singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin.
Turner Seydel is set to wear a wood and sea shell embellished gown created by Carmen Marc Valvo. Other participating fashion icons include “Sex and the City” costumer Patricia Field, Perry Ellis and Calvin Klein.
“I’m very excited,” Turner Seydel told us Tuesday via cellphone from Denver, where she’s attending the Democratic National Convention. “I’ve seen a sketch of the dress. It looks gorgeous. I’m happy to do anything that helps to get the word out about alternative, sustainable and organic fashions and designs.”
Still, the nonprofit fund-raiser asked her old pal Atlanta runway model and Catwalk Productions owner Randi Layne to pass along a few runway tips.
“I’ve learned you have to put one leg in front of the other like you’re walking a balance beam,” Turner Seydel shared. “Also, your arms have to move and your fingers have to gently brush your legs when you move while standing very erect.”
Her husband, Atlanta attorney and Hawks and Thrashers co-owner Rutherford Seydel, has been helpful during his wife’s practice sessions.
“He’s very curious about what it is that I’m doing!” she said laughing. “I told him, ‘Rutherford, you need to know about this. You could be next!’ “
‘NAKED’ LUNCH
There may just be an uptick in noontime shoppers today at Lush, the health and beauty boutique at Lenox Square mall. As a way of promoting the shop’s new “naked” line of products, the clerks at Lush will be wearing nothing beneath specially designed “Ask Me Why I’m Naked” aprons sent in for the promotion.
“It’s a way for us to call attention to our efforts to reduce excess packaging and a way to produce less waste,” Lush assistant manager Aly Rabinowitz told us. “Many of our other stores have already held successful promotions with the theme.” As of Tuesday afternoon, Rabinowitz still was awaiting delivery of a crucial part of the promotion: The aprons.
‘AMERICA’S GOT’ KAZUAL QUARTET
Although NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” hosted auditions at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in March, not a single Atlanta act made it to the final 40 from those sessions.
One Atlanta singing quartet has made the cut, but the group actually applied through a special MySpace audition. Kazual, three brothers and a cousin, moved to Atlanta four years ago from Columbus but had yet to get a big break until now.
The group impressed the show’s producers with an a capella version of the Backstreet Boys’ “Inconsolable,” which also can be seen on YouTube.
Unlike many other acts, Kazual will have to compete for votes tonight with almost no airtime up to this point, a major disadvantage to get to the next round.
“It’s going to be pretty important to actually knock it out of the park because people haven’t seen us,” EJay (real name: Eugene Burt) said to Buzz.
SING-ALONG WITH ABBA AND STREEP
Finally, someone has devised a way to drown out Pierce Brosnan’s vocal performances in the hit musical “Mamma Mia!”
Starting Friday, fans of the Meryl Streep, Abba-infused flick can partake of “Mamma Mia!: The Sing Along Version.” Yes, a new lyrically enhanced edition of the film will screen this holiday weekend, enabling fans to belt out “Dancing Queen” en masse. Participating theaters? Regal Mall of Georgia in Buford, Regal Medlock Crossing in Duluth, AMC Parkway Pointe in Atlanta and AMC Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.
You’ve been warned.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top OnDemand programs for the week of Aug. 18-24, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. Lil Wayne, “A Milli,” music video, Music Choice
2. “SpongeBob Squarepants,” “Patty Hype” episode, Nickelodeon
3. “The Benchwarmers” movie, Disney Channel
4. Yung Berg, “The Business” music video, Music Choice
5. “South Park” Cartoon Wars (2)” episode, Comedy Central
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Musician Daryl Dragon of the Captain and Tennille is 66. Actress Tuesday Weld is 65. Actor Paul Reubens (Pee-Wee Herman) is 56. Gospel singer Yolanda Adams is 46. Actress Chandra Wilson (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 39. Actress Sarah Chalke (“Scrubs”) is 32. Rapper Mase (below) is 31. Singer Mario is 22. Actress Alexa Vega (“Spy Kids”) is 20.
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Road crews, drivers get no holiday break
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The plays being run on the field this weekend at the inaugural Chick-fil-A College Kickoff game between Clemson and Alabama likely will lack the attention to detail being given the impressive downtown traffic plan devised for Saturday’s event. The Georgia Department of Transportation, you see, is continuing its interstate construction projects over Labor Day weekend.
“The last thing we wanted was that caravan coming down I-20 from Birmingham to encounter a mess,” Atlanta Sports Council communications vice president Eric Oberman told Buzz on Monday. “We’re hoping that this game becomes an annual event in Atlanta. We want people to have fun and enjoy themselves while they’re here.”
Translation: “Fun” does not equal spending the weekend idling in an interstate parking lot.
Fans are being urged to leave early for the 8 p.m. kickoff (game day activities will run all day downtown) or take MARTA into the downtown area. Locals who know alternative routes are being urged to use their vehicular inventiveness to get to the game as well.
Also, thanks to modern technology, each person who purchased a ticket for the sold-out legendary matchup should receive an e-mail advisory about the traffic conditions as well. Similar outreach is being performed in South Carolina and Alabama.
The DOT also has aided the effort by posting updates and advisories on its interstate message boards this week. Adding to the potential for gridlock: This weekend’s Atlanta Falcons game and the annual DragonCon comics convention booked for the very busy downtown area. Personally? Buzz tries to avoid ticking off those people who annually dress as Klingons and walk around downtown with large battle weapons.
TUESDAY NIGHT’S KICKOFF AT MANUEL’S DELAYED
Atlanta author Paul Hemphill is postponing Tuesday night’s much-anticipated Manuel’s Tavern launch party for his fascinating new history of the Auburn University football program, “A Tiger Walk Through History: The Complete Story of Auburn Football From 1892 to the Tuberville Era” ($39.95, Pebble Hill Books).
Hemphill has been recently undergoing chemotherapy treatments as he battles cancer. The former Atlanta Journal columnist was admitted to the hospital over the weekend after he experienced a strong reaction following his latest treatment.
But Hemphill assures us that once he’s up to it, the signing and launch party with his many admirers will be rescheduled.
We’re also pleased to report that Hemphill hasn’t lost his trademark sense of humor. When asked for comment, Hemphill had the Alabama school’s famous battle cry, “War Eagle,” e-mailed to Buzz Central.
‘GOLDEN GIRLS LIVE!’
This could be the kookiest fund-raiser of the year. Tonight, Atlanta playwright and actor Topher Payne and his thespian friends will present “The Golden Girls Live!” at Onstage Atlanta at 2597 North Decatur Road in Decatur. Did we mention that Payne, Greg Morris, DeWayne Morgan and Joey Ellington will all be in wigs, heels and painstakingly recreated frocks from the 1980s NBC sitcom, stitched by Atlanta costume designer Jane Kroessig? Payne has adapted two scripts for the stage originally penned by “Golden Girls” creator Susan Harris.
One hundred percent of the proceeds from tonight and Wednesday’s 8 p.m. performances will go to Atlanta Cotillion, an annual fund-raiser for AID Atlanta. Which means everyone involved is working for free.
“For years, I’ve been told that I’m the Bea Arthur in my group of friends,” Payne told us Monday. “I thought, ‘Let’s make some money off that!’ The frightening thing is that in drag as Bea Arthur I’m more mannish than I am dressed as myself.”
So how did Payne’s pal and Atlanta actor Morris land Rue McClannahan’s coveted signature role of Blanche Devereaux? Replied Payne: “How do you not cast Greg Morris as Blanche? The only major difference is now he’s acting trampy and wearing sling backs.”
Tickets: 404-289-2673.
BRAXTON ADDED TO ‘DANCING’
Part-time Alpharetta resident Toni Braxton will be among the gyrating celebs in the next edition of the inexplicably popular ABC reality show “Dancing With the Stars,” set to premiere Sept. 22. Other participants booked for the show include daytime diva Susan Lucci, former N’Sync member Lance Bass, celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito, retired NFL star Warren Sapp and 82-year-old former “Mary Tyler Moore Show” actress Cloris Leachman. Here’s hoping viewers aren’t inadvertently treated to a nationally televised hip fracture.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Valerie Simpson of Ashford and Simpson is 62. Jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis (right) is 48. Drummer Adrian Young of No Doubt is 39. Actress Melissa McCarthy (“Samantha Who?”) is 38. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 28.
OVERSCENE
One-time MTV “Laguna Beach” reality TV fixture Kristin Cavallari and an unidentified gentleman dining on sushi and snapper at Shout in Midtown. We’re told the pair did not imbibe during the visit. Sigh.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Country queen rules fans’ hearts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few songs into her set Saturday night at the Cobb Energy Centre, country legend Loretta Lynn confessed to the capacity crowd: “I don’t know if I did all of that song or not! It’s my age.”
In the back of the theater a fan yelled out to her: “It don’t matter, Loretta. We love you!”
In a shimmering pink-hued gown (“She looks like Glenda the Good Witch,” whispered one attendee), Lynn, 73, replied: “I love you too, sweetheart.”
For about 70 minutes, whether she was sitting or standing and whether she sang all the verses to her extensive country catalog or not, the decades-long love affair continued between the performer and her loyal fans.
In the parking garage, one supporter even painted their car windows with a “Hey Loretta!” salutation to the singer.
And while Lynn performed all of her biggest hits for the crowd, she also dug deep into her songbook and delighted fans with fresh renditions of “When the Tingle Becomes a Chill,” her classic duets with Conway Twitty, including “Feelin’s” and “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” and her gospel hit “If God is Dead (Who’s This Living in My Soul).”
When she belted out “How Great Thou Art” a cappella, the singer received her first standing ovation.
She even cleverly combined two of her biggest 1970s hits into a medley: “One’s on the Way,” her ode to exhausted mothers everywhere, and “The Pill,” her pro-birth control ditty that once got her banned from country radio.
Tugging on her dress and calling for a chair, Lynn instantly endeared herself to the audience when she told them: “I ate five big pieces of peanut butter fudge before I come out here tonight. I oughta have my head examined. … I’m too dang full to stand up.”
Reflecting on her life with her late husband and muse, Doo Lynn, country’s reigning queen said: “He’s been gone 12 years now. But he gave me a lot to write about. Where do you think I got all those songs from? That was the one way I had to tell ole Doo off!”
NO POST-‘IDOL’ FADE FOR BUSY FANTASIA
Fantasia has carved out a successful post-“Idol” career since she won in 2004. Sure, she doesn’t have an Oscar like Jennifer Hudson or the chart success of Carrie Underwood. But she’s had two hit albums, a Lifetime biopic, a best-selling book and an acclaimed stint on “The Color Purple” on Broadway.
On Saturday night co-headlining a show with comic Rickey Smiley at the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center, she proved what made her so appealing to a broad audience on TV. While she’d revert to “screech” mode on her vocals on occasion, the inspired, energetic Fantasia turned the center into her very own church, capped by a tour de force version of “Free Yourself.”
And showing how connected she was with the audience, she spent almost as much time in the crowd as she did on the stage. She danced and laughed it up with the folks in the first few rows, who got their $94 worth. She even evoked a bit of “Idol” by doing a medley of old classics including “Tell Me Something Good” and a rousing “Purple Rain” that would have impressed the Purple One himself.
PLANET MUTOMBO
If you ever need your faith restored in professional athletes, Buzz heartily recommends a Merlin’s Planet Living smoothie with former Atlanta Hawk Dikembe Mutombo. The 7-foot, 2-inch Atlantan greeted fans Saturday at the grand opening of his latest business venture, the Planet Smoothie at Ansley Mall in Midtown.
“I made mistakes earlier in business when my hands were far away,” Mutombo told us. “I’ve learned to keep my hands closer to the business now.”
The businessman also has Smoothie locations set for Vinings and Dunwoody.
Mutombo even has his kids drinking down his favorite Merlin’s beverage since it comes chock-full of two fruits and a protein packet.
The basketball player, clad in a dress shirt and pants and flanked by two bottles of Gatorade, happily posed for pictures with fans and graciously urged two visiting neighbors to “ring the doorbell the next time.”
Eyeing the line of kids waiting out on the sidewalk with their Atlanta Hawks jerseys for him to sign, the current Houston Rockets center smiled and told us: “I’m having flashbacks of Philips Arena. It is wonderful to see the people who have loved you and appreciated you. It is a gift I can give back.”
As for whether the 19-year pro has one more season in him or not, Mutombo, 42, said: “I’m going back and forth about it. I think about it every day when I go to the gym. It’s all about how my body is responding. We’ll have to see.”
HIGH FIVE
Project 9-6-1
Top five songs, week of Aug. 18
1. “Inside the Fire” Disturbed
2. “Psycho” Puddle of Mudd
3. “Addicted” Saving Abel
4. “It’s Not My Time” 3 Doors Down
5. “Life is Beautiful” Sixx: A.M.
— Yes.com
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Game show host Monty Hall is 87. Actor Sean Connery (right) is 78. Talk show host Regis Philbin is 77. Gene Simmons of Kiss is 59. Singer Rob Halford of Judas Priest is 57. Musician Elvis Costello is 54. Director Tim Burton is 50. Country singer Billy Ray Cyrus is 47. TV chef Rachael Ray is 40. Actress Rachel Bilson (“The O.C.”) 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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Putting Georgia (music) on state visitors’ minds
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, travelers pulling into nine of the state’s visitor information centers are getting an earful.
Of Georgia music.
When visitors get out of their vehicles, freshly installed speakers outside rest stops serenade tourists with Ray Charles, Akon, Jason Aldean, Otis Redding, Trisha Yearwood, Sugarland, the Allman Brothers Band, R.E.M., Collective Soul, Ciara, Sleepy Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Sonia Leigh, James Brown, Bill Anderson, Johnny Mercer, the Tams, Raven Symone, Indigo Girls and Brenda Lee, among others.
The salute to the state’s varied and lengthy musical heritage is a partnership between the GDED and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon. The Hall of Fame folks are also planning a companion set of CDs titled “The Soundtrack of Your Life.”
Among the included visitor centers are locations in Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, Tallapoosa, Valdosta, Lavonia and Ringgold.
“We’ve gotten a ton of feedback since we launched last week,” GDED rep. Stefanie Paupeck told Buzz on Friday. “Visitors are loving it.”
Intros before the tunes tip listeners to who they’re hearing.
So has a Michael Stipe or a Fred Schneider shown up at a visitors center to stretch their legs as yet?
Said Paupeck: “Not so far, but that’s a photo op just waiting to occur, don’t you think? With 13 million annual visitors each year, it’s bound to happen.”
CHERNOFF JOINS SPORTS TALK THE FAN
Sports talk host Matt Chernoff, let go from 790/the Zone last December, has found a new home at rival 680/the Fan.
For the first time, Chernoff gets to work mornings, joining Christopher Rude and Perry Laurentino, starting Sept. 2.
“I’m happy they’ve given me this opportunity” Chernoff told Buzz. “They’re in a great position already. Hopefully, I can complement Perry and Chris.”
Chernoff, an Atlanta native, brings plenty of football expertise to the table and will continue to co-host “SportsNite” at 6 p.m. on CSS.
DEBATE THE DEBATES
Attention John McCain and Barack Obama: Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr is ready to rumble. A new Zogby International poll shows that 55 percent of voters surveyed want the former U.S. House representative from Georgia’s 7th District to be included in the upcoming presidential debates. The snag? The Commission on Presidential Debates requires candidates to be tracking at least 15 percent in the national polls.
In an e-mail to Buzz Central, Barr campaign manager Russell Verney, who served in the same capacity for former candidate Ross Perot, points out that in 1992, Perot was included in all the debates while tracking at 7 percent nationally, about where Barr is tracking.
“There are actually a lot of similarities,” Barr campaign spokesman Steve Sinton told Buzz on Friday. “The problem is that Perot did so well that the CPD went back, changed the rules and slammed the doors shut. But we’re fighting [for inclusion in the debates] because we feel there are a lot of disenfranchised Americans out there who want real change.”
So, like the rest of the nation, was Sinton eagerly anticipating Friday’s impending announcement regarding Obama’s veep pick? Cracked Sinton: “Who?”
EARLY SEASON FOR DEERHUNTER
For fans of Atlanta psych-pop act Deerhunter, Christmas came two months early this week. At least on iTunes, where the band’s new album, “Microcastle,” unexpectedly popped up. One ongoing issue that may have prompted the advance sale? Leaked files from the album had already surfaced.
Even the band’s frontman, Bradford Cox, isn’t immune to such technological boo-boos. He inadvertently gave visitors to the band’s blog access to a file of works in progress and tracks planned for a bonus disc to accompany “Microcastle.” The files started to spread in other forums before the mistake was corrected.
Cox initially posted an angry diatribe that he now seems to regret. It’s been removed and replaced by a new statement. “I accept my mistake,” he wrote. “I apologize for my reaction, especially since it was misinterpreted so widely to be directed at fans. I appreciate and am very grateful for the fact that people want to hear my music and the music we make with Deerhunter.”
He ends the post with this: “I am seriously ending all bad vibes here.”
“Microcastle” will be available in stores Oct. 28 or currently at iTunes.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Actress Vera Miles is 78. Satirist Mark Russell is 76. Singer Linda Thompson is 61. Actor Jay Mohr is 38. Singer Julian Casablancas of the Strokes is 30.
Sunday: Actor Kenny Baker (R2-D2 in “Star Wars”) is 74. Actress Marlee Matlin is 43. Actor-comedian Dave Chappelle is 35. Actor Chad Michael Murray (“One Tree Hill”) is 27. Actor Rupert Grint (“Harry Potter”) is 20.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You’d best be careful. That mistake got me married!”
Country legend Loretta Lynn to Buzz after we told her when we bake her infamous chocolate pie, we always take care not to confuse the salt with the sugar. The singer’s disastrous pie-baking (humorously re-created in “Coal Miner’s Daughter”) landed her future husband, Doo Lynn. She performs tonight at the Cobb Energy Centre.
Contributing: Shane Harrison, 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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
A chill in air for hotel’s party preview possibilities
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The asphalt may have been radiating 90-degree heat after work on Wednesday, but on the Altitude penthouse level of the W Midtown hotel, the 27th floor had been transformed into a holiday wonderland.
Heavy drapes blocked out views of the humidity hanging over Piedmont Park. Icy blasts of air conditioning, flutes of Veuve Clicquot champagne and the scent of roasted turkey greeted the hotel’s elite business clients invited to the private event.
The W’s Winter Wonderlust cocktail party was designed to tempt attendees into booking the brand-new hotel’s lavish meeting spaces and its other amenities for holiday parties this season.
“We wanted to create a whimsical experience tonight in order to showcase a little of what we can do here at the W,” sales and marketing director George Fleck told us as executive chef Mauro Gomez plated a fall risotto with peas, acorn squash, mushrooms and asparagus for guests.
“Atlanta is a very competitive hotel town, but this city will be our second-largest market behind New York City with our four planned properties here,” Fleck explained. “Tonight, we wanted our corporate clients, tastemakers and friends from the neighborhood to have their sensories refreshed.”
We asked Gomez how easy it was to find acorn squash in the middle of August.
“Actually, that was one of the easiest ingredients to locate,” he said. “And it’s always fun to see people react to roasted turkey. It’s something that people just equate with the holidays.”
DJ Tim DeGroot provided some Latin-infused techno glam to the party as attractive Elite models coolly sipped champagne in holiday party frocks while perched beside crates of Veuve (yes, apparently, that is an occupation…).
As for our obvious follow-up question, Fleck laughed and replied, “Yes, they are allowed to drink on the job tonight. We wanted them to be relaxed and to have fun.”
Alas, we couldn’t pry loose the closely guarded details about the W Midtown’s big New Year’s Eve party. Fleck promises to spill all this fall.
HERZZONER’S COUGH
It’s been a few weeks since Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin met the press. On Thursday, at a news conference to talk about the city’s reading program, Franklin explained why.
Franklin said she’s had a severe case of bronchitis. After weeks of ignoring a pesky cough that was getting worse, the mayor’s staff took action last week.
“They kidnapped me and took me to the doctor,” Franklin said.
The mayor, whose voice was still hoarse Thursday, said she couldn’t remember the medicine prescribed to her. Franklin fielded questions about the program Atlanta Reads and the city’s shaky finances before ending the news conference.
Next week, Franklin will really need her voice. The mayor is off to Denver for the Democratic National Convention, where she is a convention co-chair.
TRIBUTE TO THEATER’S MOORE ON MONDAY
A memorial service for Gene-Gabriel Moore has been scheduled for Monday at the Alliance Theatre’s Hertz Stage. The program begins at 6:30, but folks are invited to begin gathering at 6 p.m.
Moore, founder of the Suzi Bass Awards and one of the most admired men in Atlanta theater, died peacefully at his Lutheran Towers apartment on July 26. He was 72.
Originally, a service was set for 7 Stages Theatre in Little Five Points (Moore had an office there for years, where he served as artistic director of Not Merely Players, the professional ensemble he founded for disabled artists).
“Even though it was Gene-Gabriel’s theater home, 7 Stages is in production, so the good folks at the Alliance have offered the Hertz Stage for our gathering,” said Deadra Moore, a local stage manager who worked with Moore on the Suzi Bass Awards from the very beginning (the two were not related).
“We plan on a simple informal event, and anyone who would like to say a few words or share a memory will be welcome,” the Suzi Bass Awards chair said in an e-mail. Alicia Quirk, who looked after Moore in his final years and considered herself his “adopted granddaughter,” is planning the event with Moore.
The two have requested photos and memories to be shared at the celebration. Anyone who would like to share but can’t attend can send e-mail to Suziawards@comcast.net.
Meanwhile, the Suzi Bass Awards is seeking contributions in Moore’s honor and plans to use the funds to endow its playwriting award, already named for Moore. Anyone wanting to make a donation in his memory can contact the Suzis at the above e-mail address.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Author Ray Bradbury is 88. Correspondent Steve Kroft (“60 Minutes”) is 63. Actress Regina Taylor (“The Unit,” “I’ll Fly Away”) is 48. Singer Tori Amos is 45. Singer Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys is 35.
OVERSCENE
Country singer Taylor Swift dancing and singing along in the control booth in the 200 section of Lakewood Amphitheatre as the Jonas Brothers entertained a screaming, sold-out crowd Wednesday. When recognized, Swift, 18, wearing a dark blue tank dress and ballet flats, waved and blew kisses to fans. We’re told that during the concert, recent grad Joe Jonas donned a cap and gown to receive his high school diploma live onstage. It took patient parents upward of an hour to brave the brothers’ T-shirt merch tables.
Contributing: Eric Strigus, 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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Jeezy up for ‘hollering’ at Phelps, too
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
First, there was a mention. Now, there just might be a meeting.
History-making Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has told a number of media outlets that Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy is in heavy rotation in his iPod.
In fact, in a New York Times article Monday, Jeezy is cited as one of the eight influences for his record-breaking eight gold medals Phelps won in Beijing. (The Jeezy single “Go Getta” — with R&B singer R. Kelly — in particular.)
“Phelps and his American rival Ryan Lochte, who is also a fan of Jeezy, greet each other by saying ‘Juh,’ in homage to the rapper, a.k.a. Jay Jenkins,” the Times’ Karen Crouse writes.
Now Jeezy tells us that Phelps’ “people” have been in touch with his “people” about the two being officially introduced.
“It would be great if I could holler at Phelps,” Jeezy said during a break from his nationwide promotional tour for his upcoming CD, “The Recession.” “And it’s a compliment that the man found inspiration in the music I do for the streets over here, over there in Beijing.”
Buzz can almost visualize it now: Phelps, pride of the red, white and blue, standing next to Jeezy, whose new “Recession” promotional materials include a black-and-white striped flag and T-shirts proclaiming “My President is Black.”
OPEN THE DOOR, IT’S … A SANDWICH?
Georgia Domino’s Pizza franchisee Mike Orcutt got his first feedback on his new, nontraditional product line Tuesday night when the phones at his 79 stores started blowing up. As odd as it sounds, the pizza chain is poised to become the biggest sandwich delivery company in the country this month. On Tuesday night, a soft rollout began for the menu items.
So what gives? Well, the economy for starters.
“High-end restaurants are currently down 74 percent in sales,” Orcutt told Buzz. “Your middle-priced restaurants are down as well. Our price point is being the least affected right now. People are still eating but as consumers, we’re putting different priorities on food now.”
Hence, the introduction of $4.99 Domino’s Oven-Baked Sandwiches in varieties like Philly Cheesesteak and Chicken Bacon Ranch. So how do Domino’s delivery folks keep said oven-baked sandwich warm on the way to your door?
According to Orcutt, there’s a contraption called the Heatwave Bag that keeps the meals at 170 degrees. The bags are plugged into chargers between runs.
And it’s no coincidence the sandwiches are being sampled in the third week of August.
Explains Orcutt, a 35-year vet of the industry: “We traditionally see a dip in business when school starts back up. Families usually try and get organized and assemble schedules.
“Then about two weeks in, the schedules start to crash. That’s when our phones really start ringing.”
LEGAL-LY OPEN
Legal Sea Foods, the Boston restaurant that will be one of the anchors of the new Luckie-Marietta district, has quietly opened.
The chain opened the location, in the Hilton Garden Inn hotel next to the Georgia Aquarium, on Friday and Saturday to family and friends.
But it couldn’t open fully until it received its liquor license Tuesday morning, said Richard Bogusz, the general manager.
The Luckie-Marietta District is the brainchild of builder David Marvin, who wants to create a destination of hotels, attractions and restaurants stretching from the aquarium to the Georgia World Congress Center.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-filmmaker-writer Melvin Van Peebles is 76. Singer Kenny Rogers is 70. Singer Jackie DeShannon is 64. Actress Loretta Devine (“Eli Stone”) is 59. Newsman Harry Smith is 57. Actress Kim Cattrall (“Sex and the City”) is 52. Singer Kelis is 29. Actor Cody Kasch (“Desperate Housewives”) is 21. Actress Hayden Panettiere (“Heroes”) is 19.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The Top OnDemand programs for the week of Aug. 11-17, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “SpongeBob Squarepants,” “The Fry Cook Games,” Nickelodeon,
2. “Transformers,” HBO
3. “House of Payne,” “Party Over Here!” episode, TBS,
4. “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Jellyfish Hunter” episode, Nickelodeon
5. “House of Payne,” “We’ve Come This Far by Faith, Pt 2,” episode, TBS
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
OVERSCENE
“Anchorman” actor Luke Wilson and a female friend sipping cocktails at Strip at Atlantic Station. “He was pretty incognito,” beverage manager Elvis Soto told us. “He kept his sunglasses on and people pretty much left him alone. The bartender told me, ‘I think that’s somebody.’ I said, ‘Yes, that is.’ “
Contributing: Sonia Murray, Leon Stafford and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Not-too-big arts fest set in Piedmont Park
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This news ought to set off a fresh round of teeth gnashing among the organizers of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival and Atlanta Pride Festival. The second annual Atlanta Arts Festival has been given the green light to set up shop in Piedmont Park on Sept. 12, 13 and 14.
As most Atlantans will recall, the city announced early this year that all Class A festivals (events that attract more than 50,000 attendees) had to be relocated away from Piedmont Park, due to the drought restrictions. As a result, both the Dogwood Festival and Pride celebration suffered significant financial losses when they moved to other locations this year. Last month, Pride’s executive director and festival director resigned as a result.
“We’re a high-end art show,” Atlanta Arts Festival founder Julie Tepp explained Tuesday. “We’re not out to be all things to all people.”
Another thing working in the festival’s favor? Like the annual AIDS Walk Atlanta, set to step off from the park Oct. 19, the festival’s scheduled 200 participating artists are setting up on the park’s hardscape areas. According to Tepp, last year’s arts festival drew “significantly less than 20,000 attendees.”
Still, Tepp is sympathetic to the ousted festivals jettisoned from the grounds this year.
“It’s tragic for them,” she says. “Hopefully, the city will be able to review the drought restrictions so that next year everyone can return to the space.”
Buckhead Coalition president Sam Massell was encouraged by the announcement. Longtime Atlantans will remember that Massell was so pro-public parks during his term as Atlanta mayor that he ordered all “Stay Off The Grass” signs removed from the public spaces in 1970.
“The current situation is unfortunate to be sure,” Massell told us. “Our parks should not be exclusive to any one group or limited in use in any way. If you’ve got to dig a well, do it. Find a way. Hopefully, the rain will return and we can move forward. But there’s a higher power who controls that!”
JOHNS: FRIENDS AND FINGERS
Former Buckhead resident Michael Johns turned the Gwinnett Arena stop of the “Pop Tarts American Idols Live” tour into a big homecoming. After the concert Monday, he invited more than 100 of his Atlanta friends backstage to toast his success.
In his brief sojourn in metro Atlanta, he had a few hours to spare Monday morning to hang out with his old buddies from his CJ’s Landing days, taking in a lunch at Zaxby’s. “I love those chicken fingers!” he said.
Johns, who hopes to have an album out early next year, said he’s working with the likes of Diane Warren and Andrew Farriss of INXS. “I can’t believe producers of this caliber are returning my calls!” he told Buzz.
He hopes to migrate back to Atlanta from Los Angeles within two years. “I love the South!” he said. “I can’t wait to move back here.”
After the tour is over, he’ll be visiting, possibly twice in one month. He’s already committed to singing at the Pep Boys 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway Oct. 25 and is hoping to get involved with Elton John’s tennis charity event at Kennesaw State Oct. 12.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
News anchor Connie Chung (right) is 62. Singer Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin is 60. Singer Doug Fieger of The Knack is 56. Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 56. “Today” show weatherman Al Roker is 54. Guitarist Brad Avery of Third Day is 37.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Part of my life is kept to myself. I’m able to relax and be with my friends. Those pretty much are the only people who really know the answer to that question.”
Eight-time Beijing Olympics gold medalist Michael Phelps on whether he’s currently single during an interview with “Extra.”
Contributing: Meridith Ford, 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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Generous Sir Elton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The winning bid for a collection of goodies donated by Sir Elton John hit $10,000 Monday on air during the Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke morning show on B98.5 FM.
The money goes toward this year’s Fashion Cares fund-raiser for the city’s breast cancer and AIDS charities set for Aug. 25.
The generous Sir Elton donated several items, including a pair of tickets to his “Red Piano” concert in Las Vegas and a two-night stay at Caesar’s Palace.
McCoy told Buzz they opened the phone lines to bidding at 8 a.m. and got the $10,000-bid just before 9 a.m. Pat Tylka of Alpharetta secured the winning bid, McCoy said.
McCoy said Tylka was going to surprise his wife who is “a huge Elton John fan.”
“It’s astounding in this economy, people were able to open their hearts and check-books. It’s for worthwhile charities and certainly for memorabilia collectors and Elton John fans, it was a great prize.”
GOLDEN BOY GETS HYPNOTIC WITH HIP-HOP
The ties between hip-hop music and competitive swimming at its highest level aren’t as tenuous as one might expect.
Thirty years ago, after all, the original smash rap single, “Rapper’s Delight,” referenced water sports in the lyric, “After school I take a dip in the pool.’ And eight-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has let it be known that he habitually listened to hip-hop while psyching himself up to race.
The explicitly hip-hop single ‘A Milli’ by New Orleans rapper Lil’ Wayne helped fuel the fire in Phelps, the Olympic swimming sensation.
When Phelps sought motivation en route to winning eight Olympic gold medals, he tuned his iPod to a variety of hip-hop artists who hail from the “Dirty South.”
According to a recent New York Times profile: “The music transforms him. His goofy grin dissolves into a glower, his eyes turn cold as ice. The hip-hop beats have a hypnotic effect on Phelps, who sometimes, after a race, is unable to recall the songs that locked him into his groove.”
Phelps has referenced the Miami-based rapper Rick Ross and New York’s preeminent hip-hop artist Jay-Z as two of the artists he prefers for motivation.
But, of course, no self-respecting rap fan could go without shouting out rappers with ties to the “Dirty South” in general and Atlanta in particular. OutKast, Young Jeezy and Lil’ Wayne are on heavy rotation on Phelps’ iPod as well.
The play list that Phelps provided to Yahoo.com during his historic Olympic turn reads as follows:
1. “Overnight Celebrity” — Twista
2. “Burn” — Usher
3. “Roses” — OutKast
4. “Till I Collapse” — Eminem
5. “Smile” — G Unit
6. “A Milli” — Lil’ Wayne
7. “Hustlin” — Rick Ross
8. “Hello Brooklyn 2.0” — Jay-Z (featuring Lil’ Wayne)
9. “I Got What It Takes” — Young Jeezy
SOAP SEEKS VETERAN
An open casting call for “All My Children” is far from business as usual: The soap opera is seeking an Iraq war veteran to play an injured veteran.
The ABC daytime show has created a romantic story line to combine entertainment and a window into the challenges faced after combat, said executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers.
“All My Children” has launched a broad search to fill the role, inviting veterans to contact the show’s New York casting director (You can e-mail Judy Wilson at judy.wilson@ABC.com). The series also is working with a veterans’ support group, USA Cares, as well as the military.
“It will make it such a heightened experience for the audience and for us … to cast a real-life soldier, a veteran, and bring him into our created drama,” Carruthers said.
The veteran-turned-actor will play the character of Brot, a key figure in a plot that’s already under way and involves a visitor to fictional Pine Valley, Army Lt. Taylor Thompson (Beth Ehlers).
Taylor, who was stationed in Iraq and is on medical leave, has come to town to deliver medals to fellow soldier Dr. Frankie Hubbard (Cornelius Smith Jr.). But it’s Brot, the soldier and lover she believes died in combat, who’s on her mind.
Brot, however, survived. Unwilling to involve Taylor in his suffering, he’s allowed her to think he’s dead.
Their story will begin unfolding when the right veteran is found for the part, Carruthers said. The casting call isn’t limited to those who were wounded in the war, an ABC spokesman said.
But the role will be shaped around a veteran’s experience, possibly including a war-caused disability, Carruthers said.
CSI: FISHBURNE
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” has solved the mystery of who will replace departing CBS series star William Petersen: It’s Laurence Fishburne.
Fishburne, an Emmy and Tony winner, will be introduced in the ninth episode of the upcoming 10th season, the network told The Associated Press Monday. He’ll play a forensics scientist with a secret.
“I am elated and delighted to be joining the cast of ‘CSI,’” Fishburne said in a statement, adding that he looked forward to a “wonderful collaboration” with those involved in the series.
Fishburne plays a college lecturer and former pathologist focused on why people commit acts of violence.
The air date for Petersen’s final episode has yet to be determined but will be early next year. Petersen has been with the series since it debuted in fall 2000 and will remain a “CSI” executive producer, the network said.
Fishburne’s character has a deep connection to his work: His genetic profile has been identified in serial killers, CBS programming chief Nina Tassler said before Fishburne’s casting was announced.
“This gentleman knows this about himself and is … in this journey to discover who his true character will ultimately become,” Tassler said last month — but he’s keeping the crucial information to himself.
The character meets members of the “CSI” team during a murder investigation and ends up joining them.
Fishburne, 47, received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Ike Turner in 1993’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and a Tony in 1992 for “Two Trains Running.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-turned-U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson is 66. Bassist John Deacon of Queen is 57. Actor Peter Gallagher is 53. Actor Adam Arkin is 52. Singer-songwriter Gary Chapman is 51. Singer Ivan Neville is 49. Actor John Stamos is 45. Actress Kyra Sedgwick is 43. Country singer Lee Ann Womack is 42. Actor Matthew Perry (“Friends”) is 39. Rapper Romeo (formerly Lil’ Romeo) is 19.
Contributing: Scott Walton and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Zuffy’s resurrecting memory of Fuzzy’s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Starting Monday night, a slightly dyslexic version of a 40-year-old Atlanta favorite re-opens. And the hugs are on the house.
Zuffy’s Place, the rebirth of the old Fuzzy’s Place on North Druid Hills Road, will debut around the corner from the old location at its new space at 1860 Corporate Blvd. The original joint closed last year after the untimely death of namesake and owner Fuzzy Cawthon.
Buzz was invited to pop in during a soft opening for old Fuzzy’s regulars last week. And the hugs were as plentiful as Cajun chef Joe Dale’s classic shrimp and grits.
Yup, co-owners and former Fuzzy’s staffers Keirsten Alexander and Montie Henderson have retained the use of Dale’s old Fuzzy’s favorites at the new location. Alas, something looked amiss.
The shrimp is now fresh, not frozen, and the grits are stone-ground, not instant.
“We wanted to raise the bar a bit with Joe’s classic recipes,” Alexander told us. “They’re such great dishes. They deserved ingredients that are top-notch. People always came to Fuzzy’s for the music, the drinks and to see their friends. We wanted to highlight Joe’s menu a bit more.”
The late chef’s son Paul Dale is on hand to oversee the cuisine as well. And while the family has graciously allowed Zuffy’s to continue spotlighting Dale’s dishes, Paul still comes in himself to create the Dale salad dressing and the secret ingredients in the seafood patsy appetizer.
Pointing to her temple, Alexander laughed and said: “They’re up here and Paul’s not telling.”
As for the fanciful take on the Fuzzy’s name (various legal hurdles were involved in using the old name for the new business), Alexander says she doesn’t quite recall who came up with it. For months, she’s been too busy squaring away permits and licenses with DeKalb County. Oh, and delivering her now 7-week-old daughter Lily.
Pointing to the infamous strip club across the street, Alexander cracked, “I didn’t care if we called it ‘The Place Across From The Pink Pony’ just as long as people come and bring their wallets!”
The owners were also able to lure back 11 former Fuzzy’s wait staffers, bartenders and kitchen employees.
On hand to celebrate the business’ rebirth tonight: two of Fuzzy’s main-stay musical acts, The Mike Veal Band and Java Monkey.
CLASSY EVENING OF CLASSIC FILM MUSIC
Movie film scores haven’t always gotten a lot of respect. But they still resonate decades later.
The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Turner Classic Movies stitched live music and the magic of film together on a mild Saturday evening at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, playing clips from classics such as “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “North By Northwest” and (of course) “Gone With the Wind.”
The always impeccable TCM film guru Robert Osborne provided the commentary, and Hollywood music supervisor Richard Kaufman conducted.
Osborne noted that films provide separate tracks for dialogue and music so the dialogue can be dubbed in foreign countries. By happenstance, that enabled the symphony to play the soundtracks live while the audience could hear the dialogue while watching the film on a huge screen above the orchestra.
This platform also gave Osborne a chance to appreciate how integral music can be in capturing the mood of a scene, especially in a film such as Alfred Hitchcock’s spy thriller “North By Northwest.”
“You don’t recognize the music,” he told the audience, “but the music gets you caught up in the story.”
Osborne salted in amusing trivia before each song, noting for instance that MGM burned down the set of “King Kong” to portray the burning of the Atlanta Depot during “Gone With the Wind.” And dance genius Gene Kelly, self conscious of his relatively short height, made sure clever choreography with dancer Cyd Charisse during “Singing in the Rain” disguised the fact she was taller than he was in heels.
“I had a wonderful time,” Osborne told Buzz after the concert. “It’s definitely a change of pace from what I normally do.”
MAYER’S, ANISTON’S ‘CHEMISTRY’ ISSUES
Though former Atlanta resident John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston were decidedly mum about their romance, the singer is opening up about their breakup.
“There’s no lying, there’s no cheating, there’s no nothing,” Mayer told reporters Saturday about his split with Aniston after working out at an Equinox Gym in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.
If anything, Mayer had only praise for his ex, saying: “Jennifer Aniston is the smartest, most sophisticated person I think I have ever met.” So what went wrong?
“People are different, people have different chemistry,” said Mayer, who appeared emotional, nervous and sad.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Movie director Roman Polanski is 75. Actor Robert Redford is 71. Actor Patrick Swayze is 56. Comedian-actor Denis Leary is 51. ABC News reporter Bob Woodruff is 47. Actor Christian Slater is 39. Actor Edward Norton is 39. Actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner is 38. Comedian Andy Samberg (“Saturday Night Live”) is 30.
COUPLING
Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi tied the knot Saturday in a small ceremony at their Los Angeles home, a spokeswoman confirmed to People.com on Saturday.
The couple have been dating since December 2004. DeGeneres announced her plans to wed de Rossi during a taping of her talk show in May after California’s Supreme Court ruled a previous ban on gay marriage to be unconstitutional.
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Va-Hi’s Sala getting new name, Shaun help
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fifth Group Restaurants has penned a deal with chef Shaun Doty of Shaun’s in Inman Park to turn Sala, its hip space in Virginia-Highland, into the Original El Taco, to open in mid-October.
Doty is developing recipes for funky Mexican fare, including tacos and tortas. He will work with an as yet unnamed chef de cuisine.
So was the single-dad chef getting too much shut-eye these days?
“You know me, man,” Doty told Buzz Friday while taking a break from slicing fish. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead. I adore the people at Fifth Group. They’ve been friends and clients for years. When the opportunity happened to do a fresh, healthy, affordable-but -chef-driven Mexican concept with them, I took it. The creative part is just so much fun for me.”
But don’t fret, Shaun’s fanatics, Doty will remain the executive chef and owner at his namesake.
“I’ll be in my own kitchen every night,” he assured us. “I know what’s important.”
Interior designer William Peace of Peace Design has been hired, meanwhile, to change the look and feel of the restaurant.
“The Original El Taco will be lively, bright, open and — most of all — fun,” Fifth Group co-owner Robby Kukler said. “We have known Shaun for years, and when we found out he had been thinking about doing Mexican, too, we knew it was a great partnership.”
“I love Mexican food and have wanted to do a restaurant like this for a while,” Doty said. “To have this opportunity to work with the pros at Fifth Group Restaurants is great.”
“We are going to create an easy, approachable destination for great Mexican food,” Kukler added.
Doty will work with a chef de cuisine at El Taco when the restaurant opens, while remaining executive chef at Shaun’s.
The Original El Taco will be located at 1186 N. Highland Ave. N.E. and will be open for dinner nightly.
Jurrjens hits Jezebel
More than a few single ladies were no doubt disappointed Friday night when they learned that Jair Jurrjens was the starting pitcher as the Braves took on the Giants at Turner Field. The 22-year-old native of Curacao is one of the sexy singles saluted in the 2008 Most Eligible Bachelors and Bachelorettes issue of Jezebel magazine. This year’s inductees were feted at a party in their honor Friday night at Tongue & Groove in Buckhead. When he’s not pitching, Jurrjens tells Jez that he hits the PlayStation pretty hard. Oh, and ladies, he routinely calls his parents back home to catch up on family matters.
But don’t expect an express trip to the Shane Co.
Said Jurrjens: “I’m just trying to date right now. I’m 22. I’m not trying to settle down right now. My dad would kill me!”
Prize-winning periwinkle
A Legendary Event owner Tony Conway needed some extra space on his recent flight home from Philadelphia. Conway’s catering company scored two prestigious industry awards presented by the National Association of Catering Executives in Philly. The NACE has about 800 members worldwide, and Conway and company were up against the likes of high-end caterers from New York and Los Angeles. Legendary scored the award for “Best Catered Off-Premise Event of the Year” for the wine-inspired menu created for the High Museum Wine Auction Gala. It also won “Best Table Presentation of the Year,” which was awarded to Legendary creative director Steve Welsh, who dreamed up the winning “Periwinkle Fantasy” table top design. There was one minor hiccup: The NACE unintentionally put Legendary publicist Dawn Brewer’s name on the award since she sent in the paperwork during the nomination process. “Dawn was mortified,” Conway told us Friday. “But it’s been fun to give Steve a hard time about. Plus, the entire team did earn those awards, and Dawn’s a part of that effort. I was so happy that the entire Legendary team got recognized.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Actor Fess Parker is 84. Sportscaster Frank Gifford is 78. Singer Eydie Gorme is 77. Actress Julie Newmar is 75. Director James Cameron (“Titanic,” “The Terminator”) is 54. Actress Angela Bassett is 50. Singer Madonna is 50. Actor Steve Carell is 45. Country singer Emily Robison of The Dixie Chicks is 36. Actor Shawn Pyfrom (“Desperate Housewives”) is 22.
Sunday: Actress Maureen O’Hara is 88. Actor Robert DeNiro is 65. Actor Sean Penn is 48. Singer Donnie Wahlberg of New Kids on the Block is 39.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Rapper DMX was arrested this week in Miami on a warrant for failing to attend a Phoenix court hearing. Lawyer Charles Kozelka says DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, checked into a Miami hospital the day he was to appear in Phoenix and was planning on entering a rehab facility afterward. Kozelka says the warrant stopped those plans, and that he had been trying to arrange for DMX to turn himself in at the airport. A Phoenix judge issued the warrant for DMX on Tuesday after he didn’t appear for a pretrial conference on four counts of possessing drug paraphernalia and one count of possession of marijuana. The case is one of several Simmons is facing in Phoenix, including several animal cruelty and drug possession counts.
Contributing: News services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Anchor’s new gig back home significant one
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brand new Action News reporter and anchor Justin Farmer had a doozy of a first assignment this week: covering legendary Braves announcer Skip Caray’s funeral. And while he had to hit the ground running during a live shot outside 103 West in Buckhead, Farmer had his research firmly committed to memory.
The late broadcaster was college roommates with his dad, former WSB anchor Don Farmer, when the pair studied journalism at the University of Missouri. And dad turned out to be Justin’s first on-air interview. The elder Farmer retired from WSB in 1997.
“He said, ‘Is it OK if I interview my father for the
story?’ ” WSB news director Marian Pittman told Buzz laughing. “I said, ‘Sure, since Don is able to provide such unique perspective on Skip for our viewers. Plus, it was just wonderful to see Don back on the airwaves here.”
“What are the odds, right?” Justin said. “It’s been a rough week for my dad and so I approached the interview with some sensitivity. He had just lost a good friend. But I also think it was kind of special for Dad to see me back in Atlanta and working at a station he loved.”
Pittman has tracked Justin Farmer’s on-air work for years and signed him last December while he was still working out a contract in Dallas.
“Justin is a Georgia native and knows the area and the people here well,” explains Pittman. “Whenever you can hire a reporter with that kind of intelligence and who knows Georgia’s history as well as he does, it does a lot to enhance WSB’s legacy.”
“In this business, you tend to bounce around a lot,” Justin says. “It’s very satisfying to be back home. I’ve even been getting e-mails this week from my old seventh-grade classmates in Alpharetta.”
Plus, the Atlanta Falcons have a returning fan at the Georgia Dome this season. Farmer graduated from rookie quarterback Matt Ryan’s alma mater, Boston College.
Said Farmer: “You can be sure I’ll be out there watching as Matt experiences his first bruises and bumps here in Atlanta this season.”
Texting tutorial
East Cobb County grandmother Betty Smith was among the first in line at Thursday’s “Cell Phones For Seniors” session at Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta. She turned up to learn how to text message her 12-year-old grandson Tommy Woodyard of Cumming. “It’s really the most effective way to communicate with him,” Smith, 74, told us. “I wanted to increase my confidence.” Smith and her husband, Joe, were among 50 seniors who attended the free tutoring sessions set up by AT&T, OASIS and the Atlanta Regional Commission/Area Agency on Aging.
“Most people wanted to increase their comfort level,” AT&T trainer Cedric Washington explained. “A lot of folks wanted to know how to retrieve a text message, how to send one and how to set up their speed dials.” Washington said Smith caught on right away.
Said Cedric: “Miss Betty could end up in the national texting championship if she keeps this up.” Smith also selected a new ring tone during the session. “I don’t know the name of it, but it’s pretty,” she said. “But I have to keep it on the loud setting these days if I’m being honest with you.”
Bid on Sir Elton’s jacket, Vegas show
The auction is more than 72 hours away, but bids already are coming in from as far away as Arkansas and New York. A certain Peachtree Road resident once again is flinging open his closet door to benefit this year’s Fashion Cares fund-raiser for the city’s breast cancer and AIDS charities set for Aug. 25. Sir Elton John has donated a hound’s tooth jacket from his wardrobe to be auctioned off live on the air Monday on the Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke morning show on B98.5 FM. Helping the duo to start the bidding? This year’s Fashion Cares’ celeb designer attendee Isaac Mizrahi. As usual, Sir Elton is feeling generous: In addition to the jacket, the Elton John AIDS Foundation is throwing in a pair of tickets to his “Red Piano” concert in Las Vegas, first-class Delta airfare and a two-night stay at Caesar’s Palace.
The bidding starts at 8 a.m.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Rose-Marie (“The Dick Van Dyke Show”) is 85. Actress Pat Priest (“The Munsters”) is 72. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 64. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 62. Actress Debi Mazar (“Entourage”) is 44. Actress Debra Messing (“Will and Grace”) is 40. Actor Anthony Anderson (“Barbershop”) is 38. Actor Ben Affleck is 36. Singer Joe Jonas (below) of The Jonas Brothers is 19.
HARRY’S ON HOLD
Hold onto your wizard’s hat. The next Harry Potter movie just got bumped to 2009.
Warner Bros. officially has moved “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” from Nov. 11, 2008, to July 17, 2009.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the studio is blaming the move in part on the writers’ strike, which created a limited number of big releases, especially for summer 2009.
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Ty chooses Oprah over Decatur fest
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Oh, Tygert Burton Pennington, how could you? That’s the reaction at the Decatur Book Festival when news broke that one of their big draws, Ty Pennington — host of TV’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” and hammer-swinger-made-good — is going back on his agreement to appear at the festival.
Pennington’s people have informed festival organizers via e-mail that Pennington has made another commitment for the same weekend — Aug. 29-31 — and is pulling out of the book bash. That other commitment is Oprah Winfrey, who wants Pennington to tape a segment for her TV show.
So just like that, Pennington dropped the Decatur Book Fest like a high school boy who scored a hotter prom date at the last moment. And this from an Atlanta native and Sprayberry High School grad in Cobb County, no less.
The last-minute snub is an unwelcome surprise for the festival, as organizers already had printed thousands of posters and programs with Pennington’s name on them. He had committed to promote his upcoming book “Good Design Can Change Your Life.”
“This is obviously very disappointing for us and for his fans here in Atlanta,” Daren Wang, the festival’s executive director wrote in an e-mail. “The publisher understands the hardship this places on a young festival, even one as successful as ours. We are working with them to bring somebody even bigger and better.”
Alexis Welby, Pennington’s publicist at Simon & Schuster told us in an e-mail: “Due to a change in a TV project Ty is involved in, he regrettably had to cancel his appearance at the Decatur Book Festival. But he hopes to be able to reschedule sometime in the future.”
‘Tropic’-al storm
On Wednesday afternoon, Betty Hasan-Amin arrived first at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema on a MARTA mobility bus for the disabled that she had reserved 24 hours in advance and ridden from her Stone Mountain home.
Hasan-Amin, 42, who has been disabled since a spinal cord injury when she was 17 and uses a wheelchair, immediately began speaking out against language used in the new Ben Stiller war comedy “Tropic Thunder.” The film contains frequent use of the word “retard” to describe Stiller’s character who made a movie called “Simple Jack.”
“It creates barriers,” Hasan-Amin says of the use of what she and others refer to as the R-word. Hasan-Amin was one of at least four protesters who showed up at the first of nine statewide protests planned for Wednesday in connection to the film. Other metro Atlanta protests were set at the Perimeter Pointe in Dunwoody, the North Point Market in Alpharetta and the Southlake Pavilion in Morrow.
Advocates for people with disabilities from the Arc of Georgia, disABILITY Link and the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities were involved. Kate Gainer, 59, who organized the Midtown protest, said by phone. “When you use the word ‘retard,’ that is hate language.”
Late Wednesday afternoon, DreamWorks Studios issued a statement through spokesperson Chip Sullivan, saying “Tropic Thunder” satirizes Hollywood and its excesses, and is in no way meant to disparage individuals with disabilities.
“We have had productive discussions with representatives of disability advocacy organizations and look forward to working with them closely in the future,” Sullivan said. “However, no changes or cuts to the film will be made.”
Carter under fire
Occasionally, we’ll begin to suspect that some ajc.com bloggers are, well, less than kind. But the New York magazine bloggers commenting on “Who’s Afraid of Jimmy Carter?” — reporter Amy Wilentz’s recent reported-in-Atlanta profile of the former president — are lobbing verbal Molotov cocktails online this week.
Says blogger Robmac: “Jimmy Carter is what you get when you tie colossal ego to unfettered sanctimony.”
Too kind you say? Get a load of what blogger Quercus has to say: “Carter was a dismal president, the greatest failure in the job in my lifetime until W came along. But he has set a sort of standard for the behavior of ex-presidents, devoting what prestige he has retained to causes he believes in, public opinion be damned.”
Helping to create a balance of opinions was this posting by Rubyduby, however: “Jimmy Carter is far too much of a gentleman to say ‘I told you so’ but you can’t escape the truth. If the policies his administration put in place had been allowed to continue, the U.S. would be energy independent today … It takes a true leader to always do what is right, not necessarily what is popular and that is exactly what Jimmy Carter did.”
Celebrity birthdays
Singer David Crosby is 67. Actor-comedian Steve Martin is 63. Romance novelist Danielle Steel is 61. Cartoonist Gary Larson (“The Far Side”) is 58. Film composer James Horner (“Titanic”) is 55. Singer Sarah Brightman is 48. Actress Susan Olsen (“The Brady Bunch”) is 47. Actress Halle Berry is 42. Actor Christopher Gorham (“Ugly Betty”) is 34. Actress Mila Kunis (“That ’70s Show”) is 25.
OVERSCENE
Congressman John Lewis, former Atlanta Mayors Sam Massell and Andy Young, Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts, Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall and U.S. Senate candidate Jim Martin extending birthday wishes to politico and upcoming author Tom Houck at the new Vita, an Italian restaurant at 2110 Peachtree Road in Buckhead.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The Top OnDemand programs for the week of Aug. 4-10, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. Jonas Brothers, “Burnin’ Up,” music video, Music Choice
2. House of Payne, “Father’s Day” episode, TBS
3. Miley Cyrus, “7 Things,” music video, Music Choice
4. “House of Payne,” “Whose Wedding Is It Anyway?” episode, TBS
5. “House of Payne,” “All Is Not Lost,” episode, TBS
Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
Contributing: Phil Kloer, 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.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Post your comment |
Actor sold by Downey in blackface
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even before mental disability groups started threatening to protest Wednesday’s opening of writer-actor-director Ben Stiller’s new action-comedy “Tropic Thunder,” actor Brandon T. Jackson knew the film would be pushing some societal buttons.
For starters, his co-star Robert Downey Jr. plays a spoiled Oscar-winning Australian actor who dons blackface for his role in “Thunder’s” faux action flick. Oh, and Downey creepily stayed in character and make-up throughout most of the lengthy outdoors shoot in Hawaii.
“I started believing that Robert really was black,” Jackson, 24, told us over lunch recently at Spice Market in Midtown. “It was weird when I saw ‘Iron Man’ and Robert was white. My mom came to visit me on the set and thought I was shooting a movie with Don Cheadle.”
Jackson plays an aspiring actor / hip-hop performer and “Scarface” devotee named Alpha Chino (who’s also a spokesperson for an energy drink named Booty Sweat). He got used to Downey with dark skin but other things were more jarring for the newcomer.
“He started showing up late to the set to prove that he was black,” Jackson says. “That tripped me out. Robert said to me, ‘Well, you know, how we are.’ I said, ‘No, I don’t know how we are. I’m here on time!’ “
Jackson says he researched the history of blackface in Hollywood films before the “Thunder” shoot and emerged from the experience with mixed feelings about how Downey’s character will be received at the local multiplex.
He says that Stiller did come to him at the start of the shoot to make sure the use of blackface wasn’t offensive to Jackson. The young actor only put his foot down when it came to one scene — the script originally called for Downey’s character to utter the N-word.
“I told them, ‘You all are going too far with all that. That won’t fly with me.’ ” Instead, Stiller opted to shoot Jackson’s suggestion to have his character utter the ugly epithet and have Downey’s character correct him.
Said Jackson: “Now that was funny to me.”
The film hits theaters today.
‘Digital exploitation’?
You can bet a lot of catalog-heavy recording artists will be watching this case as it winds through court. The Allman Brothers Band is suing its record company to demand a bigger cut of recordings sold through third parties such as Apple’s iTunes music service.
The Macon-birthed rock band filed its lawsuit against UMG Recordings Inc. in federal court in Manhattan this week, saying it’s a victim of “digital exploitation.”
The band wants at least $13 million and additional royalties from the sales of newly configured compact disc sets and digital downloads for use on telephone ring tones.
The Allmans were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1998.
A telephone message left with a lawyer for UMG wasn’t immediately returned.
Norwood on tour: ‘Call me!’
Within hours of Atlanta City Council president Lisa Borders’ surprise announcement that she’s withdrawing from the city’s mayoral race Monday, at large councilwoman and mayoral candidate Mary Norwood had an e-mail out to voters. And to Buzz Central.
To be honest, just reading the exhaustive five-page missive announcing Norwood’s ambitious upcoming “neighborhood conversations” with voters had us reaching for a Red Bull. In the coming weeks, Norwood has scheduled 24 different neighborhood meetings with residents. As Norwood explains in the e-mail: “You can tell a lot about the kind of mayor I will be by the way I ask for your vote. Hearing from you directly, face to face, with no in-betweens, is on top of my ‘to do list.’ No one knows your neighborhood better than you.” At the end of the e-mail, Norwood lists her home phone number. So natch, Buzz rang it to see if it was legit. Sure enough, a chipper Norwood answers the voice-mail recording and encourages voters “to leave a message of any length.” In other words, the Norwood campaign already has some really dedicated volunteers.
Celebrity birthdays
Aug. 13: Actor Pat Harrington (“One Day At A Time”) is 79. Actor Kevin Tighe (“Emergency,” “Murder One”) is 64. Actress Gretchen Corbett (“The Rockford Files”) is 61. Actress Dawnn Lewis (“Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper”) is 47. Actor John Slattery (“Desperate Housewives”) is 46. Actress Quinn Cummings (“Family”) is 41. Country singer Andy Griggs is 35. Country drummer Mike Melancon is 30.
OVERSCENE
Current Atlanta Brave Chipper Jones and former Brave Ron Gant dining separately at Morton’s The Steakhouse in Buckhead Tuesday night, following Braves announcer Skip Caray’s memorial service. Chipper was with his wife Sharon. We’re told that the couple drank Aqua Panna Water, Crown Royal and a thyme lemon drop Mortini and ordered two iceberg wedge salads, filet mignon, hash brown potatoes and sautéed mushrooms.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“[WXIA news anchor ] Brenda Wood is doing a great job covering the Olympics in Beijing but apparently, she didn’t get to bring a hairstylist with her.”
— Dave FM’s Mara Davis, in between songs during her Olympics-themed “Radio Free Lunch” Tuesday
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Coldplay adds second ATL show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Monday, Live Nation announced that a second Atlanta Coldplay show has been added to the British act’s “Viva La Vida” U.S. tour. The new show is booked for Nov. 5 at Philips Arena at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $49.50 to $97.50. Tickets go on sale Saturday at noon.
Clothes must be just right for HGTV
As school starts for many metro Atlanta kids this week, Duluth real estate agent Angie Holcomb is accustomed to parents anxious to finalize their housing arrangements.
Normally, she does her job without TV cameras trained on her.
But when Wisconsin’s Czerwinksi family phoned her back in June and asked the Keller-Williams Atlanta Partners agent to help them find a house here, the clients came complete with an HGTV “House Hunters” film crew.
“Even with the cameras, the family was a joy to work with,” Holcomb tells Buzz. Unlike some buyers who remain convinced the right house is the one they haven’t yet been shown, Holcomb says the mom and dad, Sharon and John Czerwinksi, were low maintenance. Among the family’s modest requests: a house with four bedrooms and a basement in Gwinnett County’s Peachtree Ridge school district.
Holcomb also was mindful of the couple’s children, Hannah, 14, and Jack, 11, who had some anxiety about leaving their friends back home.
The kids scored Atlanta Braves tickets and a trip to Stone Mountain Park.
“It’s always important to make the kids feel welcome,” says Holcomb. “I wanted them to fall in love with this area the way I have. By the end, the kids were more excited than anybody.”
Holcomb also had to select five camera-ready wardrobes for the three-day shoot.
Says Holcomb: “I probably drove my husband [WXIA meteorologist Chris Holcomb] crazy trying to find the perfect outfits.”
And while the agent says she can normally show 10 houses to clients in a day, the “House Hunters” production schedule allowed for only one home a day.
Viewers will find out which home the Atlanta transplants selected this fall on HGTV.
Sugarland suit on the sour side
A lawyer representing Atlanta country duo Sugarland responded on Monday to the $1.5 million lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court last month by founding member Kristen Hall. In the suit, Hall contends that she was to get a cut of the group’s profits even after she left in 2005 for a solo career. The lawsuit says Hall, who founded the band in 2002, has an agreement with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush to equally share profits and losses.
On Monday, via a statement from the group’s label, Universal Music Group in Nashville, Sugarland attorney Gary Gilbert told us: “This lawsuit is totally baseless and without merit. Among other factual inaccuracies suggested in the complaint, it is indisputable that Ms. Hall left the group voluntarily and on her own accord. We are absolutely confident that this matter will be resolved in favor of Jennifer and Kristian.”
Separating the crimson, orange
Aug. 30’s instant sell-out Chick-fil-A College Kickoff event at the Georgia Dome features the first football matchup between the University of Alabama and Clemson University since 1975. Before the 8 p.m. kick-off? The pregame fan parties, the Tiger Tailgate event and the Bama Bash. Interestingly, the $55 per person parties are both being held from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the Georgia World Congress Center downtown. So how will organizers avoid any pre-kickoff dustups between the two passionate sets of fans?
“The gatherings are going to be held in very different locations of the Georgia World Congress Center,” Chick-fil-A College Kickoff communications veep Matt Garvey told us.
While tickets remain for the parties, every single $70 RV parking space at the Georgia Dome vaporized a week ago. Explained Garvey: “For Alabama fans, there’s a whole RV culture attached to the team.”
For info: www.chick-fil-abowl.com.
Classy exit
After Burrell Ellis’ decisive win in last week’s run-off election for the DeKalb County CEO job, Ellis’ opponent, state Rep. Stan Watson quietly conceded and avoided the media. Privately, however, Watson has proven to be a class act. The following thank you note was e-mailed to Watson supporters over the weekend (a copy was awaiting Buzz on Monday): “On August 5, our campaign for DeKalb CEO did not turn out the way we had hoped, but I want to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me until the end. Your support has meant the world to me. … Although I am taking time to enjoy my family, I want you to know that my career in politics is far from over. There is a calling on my life to serve and that is what I must continue to do. … Thank you again and may God bless you and yours. Your friend, Stan Watson.”
In the often not-so-nice blood sport of politics, perhaps Watson could consider teaching an etiquette course …
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer-guitarist Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits is 59. Singer Kid Creole is 58. Jazz guitarist Pat Metheny is 54. Rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot is 45. Actor Peter Krause (“Dirty Sexy Money”) is 43. Actor Michael Ian Black (“Ed”) is 37. Actor Casey Affleck is 33. Actress Maggie Lawson (“Psych”) is 28. Actress Imani Hakim (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 15.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Spiff’s fifth station in six years — 106.7
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Spiff Carner, best known for his 14 years with the Randy & Spiff show on Fox 97, will be joining True Oldies 106.7 Monday with Freddie Brooks from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays.
Carner has been rather peripatetic since Fox 97 died in early 2003. He and Randy Cook moved to Cool 105.7 for two years, followed by 18 months at Lite 94.9, then nine months at WGST-AM. This will be his fifth radio station in six years.
True Oldies general manager Paul O’Malley said hiring Spiff was a no brainer.
“It’s pretty simple math,” he told Buzz. “He’s a recognizable name in the market. There are two things we look for: ratings and revenue. He has the opportunity to bring in both.”
Spiff is just glad to be able to talk to his fans again and get a regular paycheck: “And I don’t have to move!”
Asked how he got the job, he cracked: “They finally spotted me at the end of Barrett Parkway with my ‘Will tell jokes for food’ sign.”
Woodfire Grill sold
Woodfire Grill, chef Michael Tuohy’s iconoclastic California-inspired restaurant on Cheshire Bridge Road, has been sold. The proud new owners are Nicolas Quinones and Bernard Moussa, under the name Five Senses Restaurants. Quinones and Moussa have worked together as manager and assistant manager, respectively, at Midtown’s Loca Luna for four years. Tuohy’s last day as chef-owner will be Tuesday.
Tuohy, a San Francisco Bay-area native, has been at the forefront of the farm-to-table movement in Georgia. Before he opened Woodfire Grill six years ago, he chef-owned acclaimed Chefs’ Café on Piedmont.
Quinones and Moussa will keep Tuohy’s existing kitchen team intact, and chef de cuisine Kevin Gillespie has been promoted to executive chef. The partners plan to continue with Tuohy’s concept of using locally sourced, sustainable and organic ingredients, and the name will remain the same.
“My hope is that Kevin will remain in the Woodfire Kitchen,” Tuohy said in a recent interview. “He knows the vision we’ve all had for the restaurant and will be able to keep it alive.”
Tuohy leaves the kitchen on the lauded restaurant’s sixth anniversary, cooking a special dinner for guests before leaving to helm the kitchen at the Grange restaurant in Sacramento’s boutique Citizen Hotel. For info about the event: 404-347-9055 or woodfiregrill.com.
Sporty Girls swim
In the 1990s, Hot 107.9 morning host Rashan Ali got a full scholarship at Florida A&M University for swimming, uncommon for African-American women.
She held her first big fund-raiser Saturday in Atlanta for her new nonprofit, Sporty Girls, which targets girls who might not otherwise join in sports such as swimming, golf, tennis and soccer. “I really want to encourage girls to try sports that could help them later,” Ali said after the charity swim meet, in which she emceed and swam a 50-yard freestyle round.
Her morning team (Emperor Searcy, Griff, Akini and Beyonce Alowishus) and former morning co-host C.J. Simpson (95.5/The Beat) came by, too.
HIGH FIVE
Music
Top selling albums at Decatur CD for the week ending Aug. 9:
1. Conor Oberst, “Conor Oberst”
2. Randy Newman, “Harps and Angels”
3. Amy Ray, “Didn’t it Feel Kinder”
4. Gentleman Jesse, “Gentleman Jesse”
5. Nas, untitled
— Courtesy: Decatur CD
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress-TV personality Arlene Dahl is 80. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan (above) is 55. Singer Joe Jackson is 54. Actor Joe Rogan (“Fear Factor”) is 41. Rapper Chris Kelly of Kris Kross is 30. Singer J-Boog (B2K) is 23.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, 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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Urban Chic benefit heats up runway with record $100K night
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In its third year, Urban Chic, the annual fashionably minded benefit for AID Atlanta finally hit its stride on and off the runway. (SEE RUNWAY PHOTOS)
Not to mention a record $100,000 raised in a single evening for the charity. In past years, looking good in the month of August in hipster overheated nightclubs had been an ongoing challenge for the glittering moneyed crowd. Thursday night’s event was held in the larger, lavishly air-conditioned Egyptian Ballroom at the Fox Theatre in Midtown.
Eyeing a nearly naked, leggy blonde model graciously submitting to body paint applications from attendees, co-chair Ken Goldwasser told Buzz: “This year, the only body heat in here is being generated by the models. And it doesn’t appear that anyone minds that!”
Still, the always-outrageous co-chair Richie Arpino (pictured left with co-hosts Tom Sullivan and Karyn Greer) dressed for the occasion, sporting a red tartan kilt and black combat boots.
“These people have seen me in everything else,” Arpino claimed. “Now I know why women wear dresses. They’re very comfortable. Especially when you go commando.”
Considerably more refined was host committee member Darlene Trigg, who turned up in Armani Black Label with sexy candy apple red Valentino shoes.
Discussing her distress at recent spikes in HIV infection among African-American women, Trigg told us: “I’m delighted with the diversity here tonight. I’m thrilled that this year’s event is bigger and that more people are embracing this cause.”
Providing the evening’s emotional center was former Clinton administration AIDS advisor Denise Stokes, who’s been living with HIV for 25 years. A spoken word artist, Stokes silenced the crowd as she rapped about being raped as a teenager and her later substance abuse struggles after being diagnosed.
“I took the wrong path and fell a few times,” Stokes told the crowd. “But I’m telling it like it t-i-s. I’m going to keep on keeping on.” Stokes received a standing ovation as emcee Greer observed: “That’s why we’re here folks.”
A fashion show, creatively conceived by catwalk expert Randi Layne, wowed the crowd with the latest threads from Atlanta boutiques, including Luxe, Tootsies, Kaleidoscope, Sage, Threadhouse, Bill Hallman and Festivity.
Opening the evening, was rising Atlanta singer-songwriter Ben Deignan, whose noisy quartet rocked arrivals at the VIP party. Deignan’s impressive set took us back to the days when we piled into Eddie’s Attic to watch a young John Mayer trying out his latest compositions. Only the scrappier Deignan and mates might well wipe the floor with Mayer’s band in a bar fight.
Deignan wasn’t fazed that most of the crowd was ignoring his set. The singer told us: “It’s like being that cool band that has a cameo in a cocktail party scene on an episode of ‘Sex and the City.’ It’s early, people are drinking and finding their hook up. We’re just excited to be here.”
Ready for football?
Preparing for tonight’s Atlanta Falcons pre-season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars? You may want to visit the team’s online store or its retail locations at Perimeter or Lenox Square malls. Among the products that tempted Buzz on Friday: the all-wood Falcons cheese board, the team’s official hammock, a black-and-red bed comforter (“the perfect addition to your Atlanta Falcons sheet set!” as the Web site tells us) and a snack helmet with a detachable top perfect for chips. But the biggest bargains we found? Dog tags from former Falcons Warrick Dunn and DeAngelo Hall were going for just 93 cents a set. Current Falcon Keith Brooking’s will run you $5.56, however. Perhaps not unexpectedly, there was no sign of Michael Vick dog tags to be found anywhere on the site. For info: Falcons365.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Youth grasp energy alarm, writer says
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta author Jay Hakes is drawing standing-room-only crowds this week. But his new book doesn’t bother with brooding vampires or boy wizards.
The Carter Presidential Center Library and Museum executive director’s new offering is “A Declaration of Energy Independence: How Freedom From Foreign Oil Can Improve National Security, Our Economy and the Environment.”
“I feel a bit like a fireman who’s only needed when something is on fire,” Hakes joked to us via cellphone Thursday from a tour stop in Raleigh. “Initially I had a little trouble getting a publisher interested. When I signed the deal last September, gas was $2.75 a gallon.”
Hakes will appear at Margaret Mitchell House’s Literary Center Aug. 14 at 7 p.m. for a talk and signing. He’s also set to address the National Press Club in Washington next week.
One big surprise in “Declaration”? From 1977 to 1982 — motivated by record prices and lines for gas that plagued motorists — the U.S. actually cut its foreign oil imports in half.
Explains Hakes: “Presidents Ford and Carter both put forth initiatives that had us on the right track but then we got complacent again. In order to solve this thing, the grandparents, the children and grandchildren have to get around the table and talk about what the world is going to be like in 30 years.”
Consequently, Hakes will be speaking on many college campuses.
“The younger generation is more willing to take on the tougher behavioral changes needed to make a difference.”
The former head of the Energy Information Administration at the U.S. Department of Energy also is doing his part.
Says Hakes: “I live in a Midtown condo. I have a three-mile commute to work and I can walk to 30 great restaurants and about seven playhouses. I can often go for a month on a single tank of gasoline.”
For info: www.gwtw.org.
Doc shocker
The new documentary “Chris & Don: A Love Story,” playing at Midtown Art Cinema through Tuesday, offers plenty of surprises as it explores the 30-year relationship of “Berlin Stories” author Christopher Isherwood and artist Don Bachardy. For starters, there was a three-decade age difference between the two men. But directors Guido Santi and Tina Mascara leave the biggest shocker for the film’s emotional finale.
On camera, the now-70-something artist sifts through a drawer full of drawings of the dying Isherwood as he reflects on the author’s 1986 death from prostate cancer.
In Isherwood’s final months, Bachardy chronicled him in daily drawings. In the harrowing final batch, the anguish on Isherwood’s gaunt features has resulted in squirming at some screenings.
On the day he died, the writer and artist were alone in their home. Bachardy describes “spending the rest of the day drawing Chris’ corpse.”
The final work depicts Isherwood dead with his eyes and mouth open.
“I always know that scene is going to get to audiences,” Mascara told Buzz. “But in the film, we also illuminate why Don did it.”
Choking back tears in the film, Bachardy explains: “One of the things that spurred me on was that this is what an artist would do. And that’s what an artist did do. Chris would have been proud of me.”
Caray tribute set
Skip Caray fans will want to set their TiVos for this: Turner Sports and Peachtree TV will pay tribute to the late beloved Atlanta Braves broadcaster with a special video presentation that will air Aug. 12 before the Braves/Chicago Cubs game. The special is being produced by Glenn Diamond, who worked with Caray for 23 years. For the game, Caray’s son Chip will be in the booth, calling the game with Joe Simpson. The tribute will air on what would have been Caray’s 69th birthday.
New chef at Serenbe
The Farmhouse at Serenbe has announced a replacement for chef Nicolas Bour, who left just weeks ago to head for the Willard Intercontinental in Washington. The Farmhouse is noted for a farm-to-table approach that starts in Serenbe’s own backyard (and the sequestered community’s own organic farm). In is chef Nick Melvin, a New Orleans native whose most recent activity behind the kitchen line has been as sous chef for Concentrics Hospitality’s Tap in Midtown. (He also worked for that group’s Room at Twelve and Murphy’s.) “I can’t wait to create the menu each week while literally walking through the farm, checking to see what’s ripe,” the chef said via press release. Aug. 28 will be his first night in the Farmhouse’s kitchen.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Producer Dino DeLaurentiis is 89. Actress Esther Williams, below, is 87. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 71. News anchor Deborah Norville is 50. Guitarist The Edge of U2 is 47. Singer J.C. Chasez of ‘N Sync is 32. Singer Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees is 32.
RE-COUPLING
Usher’s mother is back as his manager.
The 29-year-old Atlantan announced Thursday that he has ended his partnership with manager Benny Medina and has rehired Jonnetta Patton.
Patton had managed her son’s career since he was a teen star. But the performer broke with his mother in 2007, saying he just wanted her to focus on being his mom.
Usher has said their relationship has improved since their professional union ended.
“I had a great time and we parted ways amicably,” Medina said.
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
TV anchor dishes with Paula Deen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When we asked “Action News” anchor Monica Pearson to describe the subject of Thursday night’s “Monica’s Close Ups,” she laughed uproariously and said: “She is one hot mess!”
Naturally, Pearson is talking about Savannah restaurateur and Food Network sensation Paula Deen, who is interviewed along with her sons Jamie and Bobby Deen for Pearson’s latest primetime special at 8 p.m.
“Most of the people I’ve interviewed over the years appear a certain way on camera and another off camera. But Paula is exactly as she appears on television!”
When Pearson rolled up to Deen’s hotel for the interview, she caught her outside sucking on one of her trademark Virginia Slims ciggies. Deen also dishes about the many odd jobs she’s held over the years, including a stint mopping floors at Kroger.
And of course, the conversation eventually turned to hair (Pearson recently has allowed her natural gray to creep into her current distinguished short style).
“We talked about our gray hair, and I mentioned to her that I was wanting a little more length in mine these days,” Pearson said. That’s when Deen removed her hair extension and clipped in onto Pearson’s head. “Most people would never even admit they were wearing extensions, let alone take it off and let you borrow it!” Pearson said. Deen later slipped the anchor the name and digits of her hair connection.
So what’s that one dish that Deen can’t cook that Pearson’s been teasing to in promos this week?
Said Pearson playfully: “I’m not gonna tell you. You’ll just have to watch!”
‘Single’ scores for Peachtree TV
Pearson isn’t the only local Monica known for scoring impressive ratings. Atlanta Grammy winner Monica and a feisty gal named Madea managed to beat out Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares” and “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” on ABC with the premiere of “The Single: Monica” on Peachtree TV on Tuesday night. According to overnight ratings, the show pulled in an estimated 3.6 household rating and ranked as the No. 1 program in primetime among adults 18-34.
“We’re very thrilled,” Peachtree TV rep. Sarah Schmitz. “It’s nice to know that people gravitated to a special about a woman making her mark instead of watching people breaking limbs.”
The show also had help from Atlantan Tyler Perry, whose hit flick “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” provided the lead in to “The Single: Monica.” Peachtree TV execs are contemplating turning “The Single” into an ongoing series featuring a variety of recording artists.
Young Jeezy: ‘I’m for Obama’
Forget those complimentary comments about Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Vibe magazine this month. Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy tells us he’s firmly behind Barack Obama.
“Despite what people may have misinterpreted from that Vibe story, I’m for Obama,” he told Buzz. Then he tugged at his Obama shirt and added: “This is the answer right here. The answer to all of our problems. Or at least we hope so.”
Last weekend, Young Jeezy and a small fleet of black SUVs rolled up at Metro Lanes bowling facility to surprise 200 kids from the Boys & Girls Clubs to distribute school supplies.
Problems are a big focus of Jeezy’s upcoming CD, “The Recession,” due in stores Sept. 2. “But today I’m about the solutions,” he said as he handed out bags stuffed with Nike bookbags, crayons, pencils and notebooks. “I’m always about helping the people. The youth. And I have to start at home first.”
Celebrity birthdays
Writer-producer-humorist Stan Freberg is 82. Humorist Garrison Keillor is 66. Country singer Rodney Crowell is 58. Actor David Duchovny (“The X-Files”) is 48. Actor Harold Perrineau (“Lost,” “Oz”) is 45. Actress Charlize Theron is 33.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top OnDemand programs for the week of July 27 through Aug. 4, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “New York Goes to Hollywood,” VH1
2 “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Bossy Boots” episode, Nickelodeon
3, Yung Berg, “The Business,” music video, Music Choice
4. “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “Something Smells” episode, Nickelodeon
5. Miley Cyrus, “7 Things,” music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
BABIES ON BOARD
Lisa Marie Presley is expecting twins, her spokeswoman, Cindy Guagenti, said Wednesday.
The babies are expected to arrive in the fall.
Presley — daughter of Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley — announced her pregnancy on her MySpace page in March.
Presley married music producer Michael Lockwood in January 2006.
“It’s her time to celebrate with her husband,” Priscilla Presley said Tuesday in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight.” She said twins run in the family “on Elvis’ side and on my side, too. I have twin brothers, and then, of course, Elvis had a twin brother [who died at birth].”
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
After much hype, Hilton doesn’t show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After weeks of hype, the promised Paris Hilton appearance at Pure Atlanta nightclub last weekend was a little light on the promised celebrity sightings.
For a while last month, Buzz Central was receiving practically hourly e-mails touting the appearance, breathlessly referring to Hilton as a “pop icon.” Tables near the hotel-heiress-reality-TV punch line were going for up to $3,000. VIP access was $150. Hilton’s boyfriend, Good Charlotte rocker Benji Madden, was likewise booked for a DJ stint at the club.
The pair never made it to Atlanta.
So what exactly happened?
A Pure manager Buzz spoke with Tuesday gently referred us to the event’s promoter, Tucker K Entertainment. On the nightspot’s MySpace.com page, the following blog entry was posted to night crawlers: “From Representatives Of Tucker K Entertainment: ‘We are very sad to announce that, unfortunately, the event that was supposed to happen Saturday with Paris Hilton at Pure Atlanta is not going to happen for reasons out of our control. These reasons have nothing to do with Paris or her management. All tickets purchased will be refunded by www.TicketAlternative.com.”
According to Tucker K Entertainment rep. Chris Baker, the company still hopes to work out an Atlanta appearance with Hilton in the near future and his client did indeed receive his Paris deposit back.
Nightclub promoter Tucker Kroll himself did not return a call by deadline Tuesday.
Our theory? Someone must have tipped Hilton that Atlanta lacks a horde of paparazzi with nothing better to do than loiter outside nightclubs, waiting to see if she remembered to wear undergarments or not.
‘Stinky’ goes ‘Big’
Self-described “mompreneur” Britt Menzies got a big chunk of screen time Monday night on CNBC’s “The Big Idea With Donny Deutsch.” CNBC cameras were sent to Atlanta to roll about 10 hours of film with the Morningside businesswoman and creator of StinkyKids.com, a kid-centric line of specialty clothing she operates from her home.
“I hope that I was able to help other working moms and let them know that they’re not alone,” Menzies told us while awaiting her bags in New York City on Tuesday.
In addition, Deutsch hooked Menzies up with her own personal organizer, who will fly down to get her life with Max, 9, and Emma, 5, and her home-based business in order for a follow-up show in two weeks.
“My bedroom is the worst!” Menzies said laughing.
“It’s my office, my stockroom and my order center. I describe my dining room table as my artist studio. If, at the end of this, we can actually eat dinner at the dining room table, I’ll be thrilled.”
‘Braves win … Braves win!’
Braves fans were having a tough time Tuesday grappling with legendary announcer Skip Caray’s death and absorbing the fact that the team is 10 1/2 games back in the National League East standings.
Our advice?
Buzz heartily recommends a little time travel via iTunes. Yes, the Apple company has partnered with Major League Baseball to create something called “Baseball’s Best.”
For a measly $1.99, you can now download onto your iPod, say, the now-historic Game 7 of the 1992 National League Championship Series that launched the Braves into the World Series after beating the Pittsburgh Pirates. In other words, see Sid Bream slide! See John Smoltz with a full head of hair! See gin fly everywhere! (Wait, maybe that was just at our house.) And yes, we found ourselves getting a little misty while watching fan and former President Jimmy Carter throw out the first pitch (“with a little hop on it!”) at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to start Game 6 of the 1995 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, the night the team won it all.
And to think we had almost completely forgotten about Jane Fonda’s black-and-white buffalo print coat.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Jazz bassist Charlie Haden is 71. Actor-director Peter Bonerz is 70. Country singers Peggy and Patsy Lynn of the Lynns are 44. Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan (“The Sixth Sense”) is 38. Singer Geri Halliwell (Spice Girls) is 36. Singer Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes is 27. Bassist Eric Roberts of Gym Class Heroes is 24.
OVERSCENE
Among the 300 attendees at the Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2008 Patron Party at the Buckhead home of Kimberly and Lee Najjar: entertainment attorney Joel Katz; music producer Dallas Austin; Rutherford Seydel, co-owner of the pro sports franchise Atlanta Spirit, and eco-friendly wife, Laura Turner Seydel; wedding gown designer Anne Barge; philanthropist Angela Karatassos; Dr. Randy Rudderman and his wife, Jennifer Jiunta; jewelry designer Lisa Stein and husband, Dr. Bruce Stein; and restaurateur Hal Nowak. To make it onto the guest list, attendees donated at least $1,250 to support the Atlanta AIDS Partnership Fund and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Contributing: News services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Parting wishes from Skip Caray to a friend
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta politico Tom Houck was cherishing a final e-mail from his old drinking buddy and Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray Monday. Caray received an invitation to Houck’s legendary annual Aug. 11 birthday party with Temi Silver, set this year at the brand new Vita Italian restaurant. On Saturday morning, Caray fired the following response across Houck’s homeplate: “I cannot allow your 105th birthday celebration to interfere with another exciting night of Braves baseball! Be kind to the restaurant owner. Don’t take all his money. By the way, Happy Birthday. — Caray.”
Caray died Sunday at home at age 68. Reflected Houck: “I’ll miss him, especially his acerbic and caustic e-mails as of late. Vintage Caray.”
Electrifying debut
Lightning strikes, airborne foliage and torrential downpours did nothing to dampen the Esperanza fashion show late Saturday on the Maxim Prime roof of the Glenn Hotel downtown.
And the 2008 edition of the hipster clothing line co-founded by native Atlantans Daniel Barbalho, Bart Sasso and Eric Kelly is as deliciously Atlanta-centric as ever. T-shirts are dedicated to sweet tea, the drought, Buford Highway and even a tribute to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. As high school students at Marist and St. Pius, Barbalho and Kelly used to lunch along Buford Highway, soaking up the diversity of the scene. Hence their new Our Lady of Buford Highway shirt designed to resemble a religious candle. Esperanza’s What Drought? tee had a similarly entertaining birth. Said Barbalho: “We were sitting at the Pink Pony and Bart just started sketching it out. I think I was complaining about not being able to wakeboard at Lake Lanier.”
Of the trio’s talent for zapping into the city’s cool center, Barbalho told us: “We just love Atlanta, and we don’t want to create dumb airport shirts.” Online: esperanza-atl.com.
Warm reception where it all started
Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson fondly recalled her history with the ATL backstage at Sugar Hill in Underground Atlanta over the weekend. “This is where I got my start,” she told us. “This is where my audition was for ‘American Idol,’ so I feel like this is where my star, I guess, was first conceived.” Hudson was likewise warmly received by a capacity crowd during her 40-minute set. Included (believe it or not): Mac Davis’ “I Believe in Music”; “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going,” and her current Ne-Yo-penned single, “Spotlight.”
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting on,” she told the crowd of V-103 listeners. “When y’all sing my song back to me!”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Cammie King (Bonnie Blue Butler in “Gone With the Wind”) is 74. Actress Erika Slezak (“One Life to Live”) is 62. Singer Rick Derringer is 61. Actress Maureen McCormick (“The Brady Bunch”) is 52. Rapper Adam Yauch (MCA) of the Beastie Boys is 44. Country singer Terri Clark is 40.
OVERSCENE
P-Diddy and Dallas Austin drinking Patron Platinum tequila at Whiskey Park in Midtown. Jennifer Hudson dining at Two Urban Licks.
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.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
‘Wicked’ fans show up early to get tickets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The line outside the Fox Theatre, stretching down Peachtree Street to Ponce de Leon Avenue to West Peachtree Street early Saturday morning was, well, “Wicked.”
Hundreds of fans of the hit Broadway musical began lining up as early as 1:30 a.m. to snag advance tickets to this fall’s 3 1/2-week run at the Fox Theatre.
Bouquets of black and green balloons, free coffee and two uniformed cops greeted the early-bird buyers. At the box office, fans happily parted with $127 apiece for the best seats.
About 30 minutes before tickets went on sale at 10 a.m. to the general public at Ticketmaster, sisters Stacy Shanley and Lauren Kehrli nervously eyed the box-office window.
“I’m holding my breath,” Shanley told Buzz. The two Atlanta mothers were pushing their newborns in strollers. Both babies were fast asleep.
“We had a strategy,” explained Kehrli. “If one of the babies starts to melt down, there’s one of us to take care of it without losing our place in line. It’s a tag-team effort.”
The tickets are a gift for “Wicked” fan and grandma Susan George of Lilburn.
“She’s worth it,” said Shanley.
A few feet away, Cheryl Miller, her daughter Amber and Amber’s boyfriend Chris Manning already were taking a victory lap in the muggy heat.
Their tickets were in Cheryl’s purse. The trio hadn’t slept since Friday. They started off the weekend standing in line at a Snellville Borders to grab copies of “Breaking Dawn,” author Stephenie Meyer’s latest vampire romance novel. Then they drove to Atlanta to spend the night on Peachtree Street. The fans passed the time by listening to the “Wicked” cast album on their iPods and staging group singalongs with other fans.
“It’s really all about the music for us,” explained Cheryl Miller. “It’s just wonderful.”
None of them have yet seen the actual production.
“It was something fun to do together,” explained Manning.
“And look at this,” Cheryl Miller said confidentially, showing us images on her digital camera. “I took pictures of the two of them standing in front of the Georgian Terrace over there just in case they get married some day. Aren’t they adorable?”
Added Amber: “Mom!”
Back to School rally draws crowd
Sacramento Kings forward and Marietta native Shareef Abdur-Rahim returned home over the weekend — with a small warehouse of free school supplies for local kids.
“Reef,” a former Atlanta Hawk, distributed 500 bookbags of school stuff at Greenbriar Mall on Saturday as part of his annual Back to School Rally 2008: Taking Back Our Community.
In 2001, “Reef” formed the East Point-based nonprofit organization that “provides positive academic, social, cultural and recreational programs” for kids.
“Is everybody ready to go back to school?” Abdur-Rahim asked the crowd of 800.
And no, there were no audible groans.
“Most of the kids were really excited to be going back,” event rep Tenisha Mercer told us Sunday. “But I don’t think he anticipated 800 people. There really wasn’t that much advertising for it aside from the mall’s marquee. It’s grown steadily every year.”
Attendees were also able to partake in parenting workshops, raffles and a teen summit at the mall gathering.
Earlier this year, Reef was in town to pick up a 2008 Trumpet Award honoring his community outreach efforts.
Applegate treated for breast cancer
Christina Applegate is undergoing treatment for breast cancer, but the disease was caught early and the actress is expected to fully recover, her publicist said.
The Emmy winner’s cancer was detected through an MRI ordered by a doctor and is not life-threatening, publicist Ame Van Iden said in a statement Saturday.
Applegate is scheduled to appear on a one-hour television special, “Stand Up to Cancer,” to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.
The 36-year-old actress has been nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the show “Samantha Who?” in which she plays a woman who wakes from a coma with no memory of who she is.
The show, which debuted last October, marked a return to series television for Applegate, who helped establish the Fox network in 1987 as ditzy teenager Kelly Bundy on “Married … With Children.” The raunchy comedy ran 11 seasons and has been airing in syndication since.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-comedian Richard Belzer (“Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 64. Actor Billy Bob Thornton is 53. Producer Michael Gelman (“Live with Regis and Kelly”) is 47. Actor Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”) is 40. Rapper Yo-Yo (“Miss Rap Supreme”) is 37.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment |
Colbert airs ‘rare apology’ to our Canton
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Canton may need to hire additional tour guides after Wednesday night’s typically trippy episode of “The Colbert Report.” After hyperventilating into a brown paper bag, Comedy Central host Stephen Colbert issued a “rare apology” to the Cherokee County city after calling it “crappy” on national television last month.
The tossed off barb originated when Colbert was describing presidential candidate John McCain’s travel schedule, saying “And Canton, and not the crappy Canton in Georgia. I’m talking about Canton, Ohio!”
On Wednesday’s episode, Colbert told viewers: “Evidently, I offended some people because two days later, I saw this in The Atlanta Journal Constitution,” holding aloft our “Colbert’s ‘Crappy Canton’ Comment Puzzles Mayor” story written by AJC reporter Jamie Gumbrecht.
“Seems the mayor of Canton, Georgia, was none too happy with me,” he continued.
“It’s clear to me he has not been to Canton, Georgia,” Mayor Gene Hobgood says in a video clip via WXIA.
“You’re absolutely right, Mayor Hobgood” Colbert said, to laughs. “I haven’t. But I hear it’s a beautiful place. Nestled in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, Canton is the fastest-growing city in Georgia. It has so much to offer, like the Canton Historical Theatre and the Hickory Creek Log Dam. Not to mention oxygen and paved roads.”
“Yes, Canton, Georgia, a wonderful place to live. So again, Mayor Hobgood. I apologize.”
“Why did I call your lovely city crappy? A simple mix-up. I meant Canton, Kansas. That place is a real [expletive] hole!”
A Souper vacation
While most of the city’s eatery owners are nervously eyeing their sales figures these days, Buckhead’s Souper Jenny is set to shutter her popular Buckhead soup shop for a month today.
Since the lunch destination’s bow in 1998, owner Jenny Levison always has given herself and her employees the month of August off.
“I’m either fearless or crazy,” Levison told Buzz Thursday. “I know that the economy is not great right now. But with our price point, we’re thankfully not being as affected.”
While they’re temporarily taking leave of their day jobs, expect to see Levison and her co-workers Wendy Melkonian and Rachel Miller begin working nights this month. The three have been cast in the musical “Damn Yankees” at Lawrenceville’s Aurora Theatre, running Aug. 7 to Sept. 7.
And expect that lunchtime line to be even crazier today.
“There is total hoarding going on!” Levison says. “People have been coming in and buying as many as 20 quarts of soup to freeze for the month. These last three days are always the busiest of the year for us.”
Next year’s summer break might be easier to swallow for the shop’s regulars. Levison is putting the final touches on her “Souper Jenny Cooks” cookbook, due out in time for the upcoming holiday season.
A loss for Turner
CNN founder and Montana bison rancher Ted Turner has lost two dozen of his herd at his Flying D Ranch in Helena, Mont. The Billings Gazette is reporting that the animals died because of “naturally occurring anthrax” that lives in the soil in Montana. Outbreaks in the area are not uncommon.
In a statement sent to Buzz Central, the Ted’s Montana Grill entrepreneur told us: “We are fully cooperating with the Montana Department of Livestock and following their protocol guidelines to control the disease. I’m not the first rancher to deal with an Anthrax outbreak, and certainly not the last. Other outbreaks have been successfully managed throughout the U.S. and Canada, and I am confident we will do the same.”
A final field goal
University of Georgia star wide receiver turned Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward caused some local eyes to mist over this week during the ABC News special “The Last Lecture: A Love Story for Your Life.” Ward was a huge fan of “Last Lecture” co-author Randy Pausch, the computer science professor who left his job and inspired a nation after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Pausch died last month.
In the special, Ward surprised Pausch when the lecturer showed up on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice field this spring. Wearing an autographed No. 86 Steelers jersey, Pausch is seen in slow-motion successfully catching Ward’s passes as “The Theme From Chariots of Fire” plays. After Ward and teammates suggested that Pausch try kicking a field goal, Ward advised the teacher: “Better to be a used-to-be than a never was!” Pausch’s kick soared cleanly into the end zone.
Ward’s fave line from “The Last Lecture?” — “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Cartoonist Tom Wilson (“Ziggy”) is 77. Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard is 49. Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy is 48. Singer Adam Duritz of Counting Crows is 44. Actress Tempestt Bledsoe (“The Cosby Show”) is 35. Singer Ashley Parker Angel (O-Town) is 27.
‘RAINBOW’ PENDING
Stone Mountain songstress India Arie (left) will have to wait a little longer to make her Broadway debut.
A revival of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf,” which was to have starred the Grammy-winning singer, has been postponed.
The delay occurred because of the loss of one of the production’s backers, producers Whoopi Goldberg and DreamTeam Entertainment Group announced. No word on when the show would be rescheduled.
The play was to have opened Sept. 8 at New York’s Circle in the Square.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
