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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > November > 24 > Entry
Lights, legs and Soul at tree event
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So how did a couple of nice Jewish girls like “Atlanta & Company” co-host Holly Firfer and Dave FM’s Mara Davis end up co-hosting Saturday night’s Christmas tree lighting at Atlantic Station?
“I know, right!” Davis laughed Sunday when we posed the question.
“Holly’s a bit more mysterious, though. She’s blond and blue-eyed. She flies under the radar. Me? Not so much.”
Jahmal Harris of Atlanta takes a digital picture of the Christmas tree during the lighting ceremony at Atlantic Station. (Sara Hopkins / AJC special)
Still, Davis says the annual outdoor event broadcast live on WXIA-TV was great fun. Hundreds of attendees braved the chill to attend the holiday kickoff. Atlanta’s own Collective Soul banged through renditions of “Blue Christmas” and “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” for the enthusiastic crowd. Davis told us lead singer Ed Roland wore shorts to the drafty dress rehearsal.
“That’s the sign of a true rock star,” she praised. “When you’re so hot, you can show up in shorts in 34-degree weather, you’re officially a rock star.”
Roland did change into pants for the actual telecast.
On Thanksgiving night, as always, Atlantans also get to watch the Macy’s Great Tree light up as well at 7 p.m. on WSB-TV. The Lenox Square tradition will mark a homecoming of sorts for one performer this year. Tony Award-winning actress Heather Headley returns to Atlanta for the occasion.
Alliance Theatre-goers will recall Headley debuted the title role in Disney’s “Aida” here before taking the Elton John-Tim Rice musical to Broadway.
OVERSCENE
Three tables of Bacchanalia diners being relocated to the five-star restaurant’s quieter Quinones room Saturday night. It seems one disorderly private party/family reunion was intent on taking the restaurant’s name literally, resulting in the restaurant resembling the Georgia Dome on a Sunday afternoon with two minutes to go on the clock and the Atlanta Falcons down by a field goal.
The sights and sounds were rare at the $75 per person prix fixe white tablecloth jewel helmed by Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison.
We silently marveled at how expertly manager Frances Quatrano and her staff handled the situation, however. Embarrassingly, the din got so excessive Quatrano finally had to speak to the party about the noise level, to no avail, natch.
On the up side? The three tables of displaced diners bonded over cheese courses downstairs in Quinones as waiters from Bacchanalia dashed back and forth from the frigid outdoors to continue their impeccable table service.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Former Beatles drummer Pete Best is 67. Actor Stanley Livingston (“My Three Sons”) is 58. Record producer Terry Lewis is 52. Actor Colin Hanks (“Mad Men”) is 31. Actress Katherine Heigl (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 30.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ makes ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ look like ‘The McLaughlin Group.’ ” — New York magazine’s The Approval Matrix, placing the Bravo reality stars in the lower left-hand “Lowbrow and despicable” section of the weekly’s pop culture guide.
Contributing: News services
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