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December 2008
ATL is abuzz with resolve for new year
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New Year’s Day 2009. We made it! As the black-eyed peas bubble on the stove, take a gander at what some Buzz readers are resolving to do in the new year. Being kinder to the environment, to each other and to our wallets all make the list this year. And curiously, so did “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Read on, and happy new year!
Mary Kay Andrews (aka Kathy Trocheck), author, Avondale Estates: “To personally apologize to every really real housewife of Atlanta on behalf of every non pole-dancing, non back-stabbing, non-skank housewife everywhere in the ATL. And to get my roots touched up every six weeks. And go green. Except for the hair-color thing.”
Carla Conrad, East Atlanta: “My resolution for 2009 is to prove that 39 is the new 29.”
Melanie Brandt, Duluth: “To get birthday gifts to all of my nephews and nieces on time.”
Marylouise Fitzgibbon, W Buckhead general manager: “My personal goal is to teach my 3-year old twin boys to respect themselves, respect others, and respect the environment. My work goal is to ensure that our guests and talent-members know that W Buckhead does not plan on participating in the recession!”
Richard Blais, Flip burger boutique chef: “Besides losing 20 pounds, spending more time with my wife and little girl, I’d also like to find and run a restaurant run by young people, seeing if I can be more of an example for the community and inspiring kids to find their calling. And open a super-small hyper-creative joint in town !”
Jerry Schwartz, Alpharetta: “I’m going to follow the 80/20 rule in interpersonal relations this year, which shows that 20 percent of the people cause 80 percent of the problems. I’m going to do everything possible not to be part of that 20 percent.”
Lewis Perkins, Atlanta: “To reduce my carbon footprint by 25 percent. I am doing this through efficiencies in my home, purchasing made-in-USA and local produce only, switching to a Prius and investing in wind-energy offsets.”
Libby Morley, Roswell: “To give back to my husband the incredible love, devotion and support he has given me this entire year, as he stood steadfastly by my side through a long and very serious illness and recovery.”
Anne Barge, Buckhead: “My New Year’s resolution for 2009 is to live life just like my dog!”
John Lemley, WABE-FM: “During the past few months, I’ve taken up the rewarding project of tracing my family tree. This has not only given me a better sense of who I am but has also led to my reconnecting with some Conecuh County (Ala.) relatives that I hadn’t seen in well over two decades. My resolution is to keep family at the tippy-top of my priorities. These people serve as my foundation. The very least I can give them in return is an hour or two of my day.”
Jan Smith, owner, Jan Smith Studios: “To give more, to serve more, and to love more with a heart of full of humility and gratitude. And to make the world sound a little better one voice at a time!!!”
Jeff Dauler, Q100: “I resolve to have big dreams, like a ‘Real Housewife [of Atlanta].’ To live in a world where million-dollar fund-raisers and singing careers are possible, regardless of a tanking economy and being tone-deaf. I resolve to sometimes spell cat ‘k-a-t’ because I am individual like that. Oh, I’d also like to become a better cook. (Even though if I was a true ‘Real Housewife’ I would have a chef).”
Chris Schroder, Schroder Public Relations: ” That I will spend less time in 2009 looking for my wallet and keys.”
Tamela Francis, Atlanta: “To gain the ability to be able to tell someone off without raising my voice and using profanity.”
Jimi Rogers, Atlanta: “I actually have 12 but the things I want the most are to become a teacher, lose weight, and continue to grow in my relationship with the Lord.”
Condace Pressley, WSB Radio: “I want to talk less and listen more, reject diet and embrace healthier choices, and not allow a day to pass without family, friends or colleagues knowing how much they mean to me.”
Jon Arge, artist, Atlanta: “I resolve to tighten my belt. And not from the inside out this time like I did last year.”
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Oprah rewards Ron Clark Academy $365,000 Christmas present
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Ron Clark at his school soon after announcing the Oprah gift on New Year’s Eve 2008. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com
Oprah Winfrey gave the local Ron Clark Academy a surprise Christmas gift: $365,000.
Ron Clark, an enthusiastic, innovative educator featured in a 2006 TNT film starring Matthew Perry, said he got a Fedex package on Christmas Eve with no indication what it might be. Normally, he said he has an assistant vet his mail but he saw the package and decided to open it himself.
It was a personal note from Oprah herself. She had been tracking the school’s progress and was thinking about who to give a big present to this year. She decided Clark’s school was deserving and figured $1,000 a day, or $365,000, was apropos. His school, which needs about $2.4 million to operate per year, is in South Atlanta.
He said the extra money will enable him to provide 26 full scholarships for a year. This month, his academy also received $300,000 from Tony Cann, vice chairman of Promethean Ltd, the leading manufacturer of collaborative classrooms systems.
Here’s video of the announcement:
ABOVE: Ron Clark (right) has a laugh with Evonna Bruner, wife of his assistant Lazarus Bruner. That’s their son Jalen at bottom left.
ABOVE: Ron Clark confers with two sixth graders Jordan Jones (left) and Rashad Sherrell. “He brings so much energy to the school,” Jones said.
Currently, the school has 78 students from fifth to seventh grade. Next year, he plans to expand to 108. Since it opened in the fall of 2007, the school has also trained more than 4,800 educators from around the world on his teaching methods.
Clark has a history with Oprah. After he won Disney Teacher of the Year in 2001, Oprah brought him on her show. And after he wrote a book about his teaching philosophy, she brought him back in 2003. Since then, he has kept her informed through personal notes to her assistant. He said he had no clue if she ever read them but when she called him last week to talk to him personally, it was clear she had read his past notes and went on his Web site regularly.
He informed his kids to come to the school for a special surprise announcement on New Year’s Eve at 10 a.m. and gave them the news. He also taped a video of them doing their Barack Obama rap song/dance.
If all goes well, it’s fairly certain Oprah will invite Clark and the students up to her studios in Chicago to talk about the school and the dance./song.
ABOVE: Ron Clark gabs with parents Pamela Bryant (left) and Marva Merriweather (right). “”I’m still in shock,” Merriweather said over the Oprah gift.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Looking back, mostly fondly, on 2008 news
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New Year’s Eve 2008. A time to reflect on all the jaw-unhinging happenings that took us by surprise at Buzz Central this year. Read on.
Best reason to lie about where you live: Bravo’s reality wreck “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Little was real and none of the fame-hungry “housewives” ever washed a dish during the show’s first season. Our favorite “real” moment? Atlanta vocal coach Jan Smith’s delicate assessment of alleged singer Kim Zolciak’s talents: “You’re living in a very beautiful house. With a cracked foundation.”
Best chat with a country legend: Loretta Lynn’s phone call before her August date at the Cobb Energy Centre. Discussing her late husband Doo, who served as the inspiration for many of her hits, Lynn laughed and said: “Songs about cheatin’ have always done me right. Now Doo, he didn’t like some of those songs, but Doo ended up making us a lot of money over the years!”
Best-kept family secret: Martin Luther King III’s disclosure in January that he had been married for nearly two years to bride Andrea Waters. The son of MLK only publicly spilled the beans because the Rev. King’s first grandchild was on the way.
Best apology: This summer, “Colbert Report” host Stephen Colbert apologized to Canton after calling the Cherokee County city “crappy.” Colbert conceded: “I hear Canton is a beautiful place. It has so much to offer. Oxygen and paved roads. Why did I call your lovely city crappy? A simple mixup. I meant Canton, Kansas. That place is a real [expletive] hole!”
Worst Christmas present from future Chrysler CEOs: Suits from Niche Media Holdings flew in from New York this month to tell staffers at Atlanta Peach magazine they were unemployed while confiscating staff PDAs. That was after they invited publisher Elizabeth Schulte Roth and editor Drew Brown to lunch at Chops, ordered surf and turf, then fired them. We hear they also made off with the last can of Who Hash. …
Best book tour: The ever-incomparable Ted Turner went on a national media blitz to promote his memoir, “Call Me Ted,” this fall just as the country needed some no-nonsense financial advice from its favorite crazy uncle. “It’s simple,” Turner explained at the Atlanta Press Club. “You shouldn’t spend more money than you make.”
Best historic opening: Tyler Perry’s star-studded debut of the first African-American-owned film and TV studio facility in southwest Atlanta in October. Attendees included Will Smith, Hank Aaron and legends Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson and Ruby Dee, who had soundstages named after them. During an emotional ceremony, Oprah Winfrey cried her eyelashes off as Tyson told us: “I never dreamed I would witness this in my lifetime.”
Best new career: Former UN ambassador and Atlanta mayor Andrew Young teaming up with producer CB Hackworth to create a series of “Andrew Young Presents” documentaries, including his riveting doc with troubled rapper T.I., “Walking With Guns.”
Obit we hated having to contribute to: Soul man and former Atlantan Isaac Hayes, whose untimely exit came in August. In 2005, discussing “Hot Buttered Soul,” his 1969 album of pure baby-making music, Hayes told us: “Guys have come up to me and said, ‘Man, I’m so glad ‘Hot Buttered Soul’ is out on CD. Now, my lady doesn’t have to wait for me to flip the album over.’ “
Kookiest fund-raiser: In August, Atlanta playwright Topher Payne convinced actor pals Greg Morris, DeWayne Morgan and Joey Ellington to work for free and don drag for “Golden Girls Live!” at an Onstage Atlanta benefiting AID Atlanta. Said Payne: “The frightening thing is that in drag as Bea Arthur I’m more mannish than I am dressed as myself.”
Most recession-proof fund-raiser: Sir Elton John, who brought his annual Advanta World Team Tennis Smash Hits benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation to his U.S. hometown this fall. Of the sold-out VIP reception for 600, John told us: “All of the money raised here today will stay here in Atlanta and Georgia. Forty-six percent of AIDS cases are now being reported in the South.”
Interview of the year: Our September sit-down with Perry. We discovered a smart, funny, ambitious, sensitive guy who never forgets where he’s been in life. On why he’s just now getting around to writing white folks into his work, via “Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys,” he told us: “I never knew any white people! I grew up in New Orleans and moved to Atlanta and for 15 years I didn’t know any white people. Now I’m living in a world where I’m meeting all kinds of people. Now I look at a situation and say, ‘Oh, this is how this person lives.’ “
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Anthony Hopkins is 71. Rock musician Andy Summers is 66. Actor Ben Kingsley is 65. Singer Donna Summer is 60. Author Nicholas Sparks is 43. Pop singer Joe McIntyre is 36.
LAST CALL!
For Buzz reader resolutions. E-mail us your poignant, unique and funny New Year’s resolution today at buzz@ajc.com. Attach a photo of yourself too, if you like. We’ll publish the best Thursday.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Memories of Peach Drop and grandma for New Year’s Eve host
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For Nashville singer-songwriter Rissi Palmer, Underground Atlanta’s New Year’s Eve Peach Drop is as much a part of her childhood as her grandma’s pinto beans.
“My grandmother lived near the airport and we would spend New Year’s Eve as children at the Peach Drop drinking sparkling apple cider,” the 27-year-old country singer told Buzz on Monday.
Palmer will be there again Wednesday night, this time onstage. She’ll leave the singing duties to up-and-coming country singer and “Dancing With the Stars” hoofer Julianne Hough. Palmer, who’s had hits with “Country Girl” and a countrified version of “American Idol” performer Jordin Sparks’ hit “No Air,” will be hosting the festivities. She’s looking forward to a more relaxed evening than when she performed at the White House tree lighting ceremony this month, which included a peck on the cheek from President George W. Bush.
“It was surreal,” Rissi said. “Regardless of your politics, it was a very cool thing to be a part of. And the food was very good. They really know how to sear tuna perfectly at the White House. But it will be nice to have less Secret Service agents around in Atlanta!”
While she’s still outnumbered in Nashville by paler-hued country artists, Palmer says she sees improvement with African-Americans carving out a niche in country.
“As long as the music is real, it doesn’t matter if you’re green,” Palmer said. “Look at the success Darius Rucker has had this year. He put out a great record and I don’t think his success had anything to do with Hootie & the Blowfish or being African-American.”
Palmer’s proud grandma, Mamie Shropshire, will be tuned in from her Jonesboro home on New Year’s Eve.
“She’s in that ‘chill’ part of her life so she won’t be down there in that crowd,” Palmer explained. “It will be so good to see her and have some of her pinto beans. I always make sure to put my order in early!”
DOGGONE CUTE COVER
Think the Atlanta Falcons are having a great season without Michael Vick? You may want to read this week’s Sports Illustrated cover story update on Vick’s rescued pit bulls. Sweet Jasmine, one of the rescued pooches from Vick’s Virginia dog-fighting operation, serves as the issue’s cover girl. Inside, writer Jim Gorant spent time with some of the rescued dogs and provides an update for animal lovers.
Many of the abused pooches like Jasmine have had a rough transition. When she was recovered from the dog-fighting operation, Gorant reports, Jasmine cowered under a blanket.
He writes: “PETA wanted Jasmine dead. … ‘The cruelty they’ve suffered is such that they can’t lead what anyone who loves dogs would consider a normal life,’ says PETA spokesman Dan Shannon. ‘We feel it’s better that they have their suffering ended once and for all.’ If you’re a dog and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals suggests you be put down, you’ve got problems. Jasmine has problems.”
While Jasmine remains skittish around people, she’s on the road to recovery. Gorant also spent time with rescued Vick dogs Jonny Justice, who is slowly overcoming fears of running water and garbage trucks, and Leo, who has become a certified therapy dog.
The upbeat title of the story? “Happy New Year.”
‘FRESHMAN’ ORIENTATION
On her way to the “I Am Music” tour’s stop in Greensboro, N.C., Monday night, Atlanta singer-songwriter Keri Hilson rang Buzz before she caught some zzzzs.
“So far, so great,” Hilson said of the bill headlined by the biggest artist of 2008, rapper Lil Wayne, which stops at Philips Arena on New Year’s Eve. “The response has been growing with every city. Last night in Philly was amazing. They were singing every song — which means a lot to me, because I never expect that. I’m the scrub of this tour [which also includes Atlantans T-Pain and Keyshia Cole, along with Gym Class Heroes]. The freshman. And I feel like it. But it’s not a bad season opener at all. I’m very grateful!”
Hilson — whose latest single “Turnin Me On” is with the inescapable Wayne — said she expects a lot of surprise appearances on the Atlanta date. “It’s home for so many of us, so many stars, so I know it’s going to be the livest show,” she said. “And afterwards, I’m going to hang out and party it up. I’ve had a really great, great year as a new artist. Yeah, my [debut] album still hasn’t come out … and the release date is still unknown. … But this tour has reignited the performer in me. I’m living my dream every night.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Russ Tamblyn is 74 today. Folk singer Paul Stookey is 71. Singer-musician Michael Nesmith is 66. Singer Davy Jones is 63. Singer Patti Smith is 62. “Today” host Meredith Vieira is 55. “Today” host Matt Lauer is 51. Actress-comedian Tracey Ullman is 49. Radio-TV commentator Sean Hannity is 47. Golfer Tiger Woods is 33. TV personality-boxer Laila Ali is 31. Singer-actor Tyrese is 30.
BUZZ ALERT
Wanted: Your resolutions
As always, we need your thoughtful, unique, poignant and timely New Year’s resolutions for our annual reader-driven Jan. 1 Peach Buzz column. Send it along today with your full name, where you live and a daytime phone number to buzz@ajc.com. Also, if you have a photo of yourself, you can e-mail that as well (via a JPEG; it must be at least 300 DPI). Many thanks!
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.
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Station helps crime-fighting foundation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Duluth attorney Gary Martin Hays has a powerful new partner to get out the word about his new non-profit, Keep Georgia Safe.
Atlanta country radio station Kicks 101.5 FM is teaming up with the nonprofit to help keep you and your family safe in these uncertain times.
Cadillac Jack (left), Keep Georgia Safe executive director Mary Ellen Fulkus and Keep Georgia Safe founder Gary Martin Hays. (Kicks FM)
The Kicks Family Safe segment will air monthly on Cadillac Jack’s popular morning show. The idea behind the programming is to increase listener awareness on how to protect families from criminals.
Keep Georgia Safe is a private organization with the mission of providing safety education and crime-prevention training to Georgia’s families. It also operates the only wireless network that sends out all three Georgia emergency alerts for missing or dangerous people to subscribers’ cellphones.
Hays and Keep Georgia Safe Executive Director Mary Ellen Fulkus co-host the segment with Cadillac Jack.
Among the upcoming scheduled topics: tips on personal safety, Internet safety, travel and shopping safety — including what to do if your child wanders off, becomes lost or is abducted. Hays and Fulkus also will field call-in questions, which will be taped and uploaded as a podcast on the Kicks FM Web site. Kicks FM also will feature Keep Georgia Safe through public service announcements and on its public affairs show.
“We’ve gotten tremendous positive feedback from our listeners,” says Cadillac Jack. “Not only are parents calling in, but other caregivers, such as grandparents and nannies are finding these segments very beneficial.”
“We’ve been thrilled with our partnership with Keep Georgia Safe,” says Paul O’Malley, general manager of WKHX-FM. “The information shared with our audience is topical, pertinent and more importantly, helpful in saving lives. I am proud that I can be a part of a campaign which educates our audience about how to prevent a tragedy from taking place. I commend you for taking the initiative to make Georgia a safer place for all of us.”
For more information on Keep Georgia Safe or its alert network, visit www.keepgeorgiasafe.org or call 770-934-8000. The next Family Safe segment will air on Kicks FM in January.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 71. Actor Jon Voight is 70. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 62. Actor Ted Danson is 61. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 49. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 49. Actor Jude Law is 36. Actor Mekhi Phifer is 34. Actor Diego Luna is 29. Country singer Jessica Andrews is 25.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Kwanzaa block party stresses unity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta city councilman Kwanza Hall first got the inspiration for Friday night’s Old Fourth Ward Kwanzaa block party while growing up in Southwest Atlanta. His parents, civil rights activists Leon and Evelyn Hall, were among the first Atlantans to celebrate Kwanzaa, throwing holiday parties when the 37-year-old community activist was just a kid.
“Because of their work in civil and human rights, there was always a very diverse group of people in our home,” Hall told Buzz on Friday. “The Old Fourth Ward is equally one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Atlanta. Kwanzaa is all about unity. I thought this might be a great opportunity to bring people together.”
The block party was comprised of gatherings held at the adjacent businesses Denneman’s Cafe, the Corner Tavern and Cafe Cirque, all clustered around Edgewood and Boulevard avenues downtown.
The evening also served as a fund-raiser for the Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. A suggested $25 donation was graciously accepted at the door.
While Hall was looking to make Friday night’s event an annual tradition, he was also remembering the past even as he looked to the future.
“We’ve got a lot to celebrate with the election of Barack Obama, but we’ve also got to think about the current economic climate,” he explained. “This is a way for us all to celebrate our interconnectedness. My name in Swahili means ‘first.’ The first fruits of any harvest are meant to be given away. Those first Kwanzaa celebrations at my house growing up were very special. This is a way of extending that feeling to others.”
Evelyn Hall was helping her son accomplish that goal as well.
For Friday night’s Kwanzaa block party benefit, she lent her councilman son some special table linens first used at the family’s early Kwanzaa celebrations.
JEEZY GIVES GIFTS
Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy remembers many childhood Christmases when his family struggled to afford gifts.
“I never really looked forward to Christmas,” he tells The Associated Press. “I knew how it was to look forward to Christmas and not know if you’re getting a gift or not. But I always used to say if I was fortunate enough, I was going to help the less fortunate.”
This week, Young Jeezy delivered gifts door-to-door at a housing project in Atlanta. He said he showed up at about 50 homes, giving out gifts ranging from video game consoles to tennis shoes to bicycles.
The multiplatinum-selling artist said he wants his initiative, called Toyz N Da Hood, to lift the morale of children who thought they weren’t getting anything for Christmas.
“I’m just trying to be the person who they can count on when things get tough,” said Young Jeezy, 31, who also gave away new toys and clothes to kids in Macon, on Monday. “I don’t want them to look at this holiday as a bad thing like I did.”
OVERSCENE
“Private Practice” actor Chris Lowell browsing the after-Christmas sale at Neiman Marcus in Buckhead. The Atlanta International School grad is home for the holidays visiting his family. Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber hanging at Stats downtown. He sipped on Heineken Light while a friend noshed on the shrimp quesadillas.
Music mogul DeVyne Stephens welcomed more than 600 of his closest friends at a private black tie party at Aja in Buckhead. Guests included music producers Dallas Austin and Jermaine Dupri, plus artists Akon, Usher, Jazzy Pha, morning man Frank Ski and Santa. We’re told the party went until the wee hours. At midnight, Stephens made a dramatic entrance with Akon via a red Upfront Megatainment helicopter that landed on the restaurant’s front lawn.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Saturday: Rockabilly musician Scotty Moore is 77. Actor John Amos is 69. ABC News correspondent Cokie Roberts is 65. Actor Wilson Cruz is 35. Actress Emilie de Ravin is 27. Rock singer Hayley Williams (Paramore) is 20.
Sunday: Comic book creator Stan Lee is 86. Actress Nichelle Nichols is 76. Actress Maggie Smith is 74. Comedian Seth Meyers is 35. R&B singer John Legend is 30. Actress Sienna Miller is 27. Pop singer David Archuleta is 18.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“J.C. Penney Co. is offering free wake-up calls to rouse department-store shoppers at 5:30 a.m. Friday.” — From a post-Christmas story on the sorry state of retail in Friday’s Wall Street Journal.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Mayer to sing on special luxury cruise
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Buckhead-based singer-songwriter John Mayer has come a long way since those $5 cover nights at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur.
And we’re not just talking about those paparazzi photos of him clutching gal pal Jennifer Aniston’s doggy bag outside a posh New York eatery that popped up this week on “Entertainment Tonight,” either (the infotainment program incidentally speculated at length that the former “Friends” actress might be receiving a rock from the rocker for the holidays).
These days, if you want to see Mayer perform, you can use your American Express card and plunk down $1,298 to $1,498 per person for “Mayercraft Carrier 2,” a four-day concert cruise aboard the new Carnival Cruise Line ship Carnival Splendor.
In an e-mail sent to Buzz Central, we learned that Mayer and his fellow passengers on the March 27-31 trip will be jaunting from San Pedro, Calif., to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Included in the package: exclusive access to a Q&A with Mayer, a VIP cocktail party and gigs featuring Mayer, O.A.R., Guster and a dozen other acts on board.
On the off chance you’ve still got some post-Christmas cash, AmEx card members can make reservations for the cruise by calling 1-877-SIXTHMAN and refer to promotion code: SXMAE, or visit www.sixthman.net/americanexpress or www.mayercraftcarrier.com for additional information. The offer is good only through Jan. 31.
Overscene
Atlanta music mogul Jermaine Dupri and family members at Prime in Buckhead dining on sushi, including tuna tartar, jalapeno yellowtail, etc.
“American Idol” host and TV producer Ryan Seacrest celebrating his birthday and catching up with some old Dunwoody High School friends at Aja in Buckhead during his holiday trip home to see his family.
Coincidentally, Seacrest, now a Los Angeles resident, probably felt right at home when he arrived at the new Atlanta eatery. A red carpet had been unfurled out front, we’re told. Alas, it was for a private black-tie event the restaurant had scheduled this week.
Incidentally, you can catch the next episode of the Seacrest-produced reality series “Momma’s Boys” (featuring the occasional cameo by his real-life Atlanta mom Connie) at 10 p.m. Mondays on NBC.
One Legendary present
We hear it pays to be on Atlanta uber-caterer Tony Conway’s very “good” list this holiday season. The A Legendary Event owner, who oversaw the ultraluxe, million-dollar gala opening party for Tyler Perry’s new film and TV studio facility this fall, sent out some equally legendary holiday gifts this week.
Inside the posh red booklet: A coupon good for a three-course gourmet seated dinner for eight (complete with china, silver, floral design, servers and chef), passed hors d’oeuvres and a Scotch tasting in the privacy of your home.
Inside, the ever-tasteful Conway greeted the selected recipients with this salutation: “Please accept this gift as a small token of appreciation for your continued business and support. We hope you’ll enjoy the experience of divine, catered dining in the privacy of your own home.”
Oh, and did we mention that he throws in coffee and dessert as well?
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Holiday spirit registers with checkout clerk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For harried holiday Publix shoppers, it was a gesture straight out of a, well, a Publix TV commercial.
As shoppers rushed home with their foodstuff treasures from the Piedmont and North Avenue corner grocery store in Midtown this week, they discovered a sealed envelope in the bottom of their shopping bags.
At first, many thought their orders had gotten mistakenly mixed up. Instead, they opened a holiday greeting card from Publix cashier Rocky Rashada.
After checking with Publix store manager Spence Faucher, we discovered that Rashada was not obeying any set corporate edict.
Rather, the comical, quick cashier who’s been a customer favorite since she started with the company in 2004, took it upon herself to purchase, sign, seal and secretly slide them into her regulars’ parcels as a gesture of holiday good will.
“She just took the ball and ran with it,” Faucher told Buzz when we rang him to discuss Rashada’s good deeds. “That’s just Rocky. She’s got a really wonderful, bubbly personality. I’ve worked in about 20 stores in my career and she’s one of the top associates I’ve ever worked with. We’re consistently getting positive feedback about her from customers.”
Many of her regulars make a beeline for her register whenever she’s working.
For them, Rashada is a Publix TV ad come to life from a company that features warm and fuzzy commercials spotlighting actor associates stapling coloring book pictures to prescription sacks.
Rashada didn’t forget the boss this Christmas either.
“I got a card too!” Faucher said. “What can I say? Rocky’s a treasure. We’re lucky to have her.”
‘BRIDGING THE GAP’ FOR CHARITY
The folks who bottle the high-end ginger liqueur Domaine de Canton threw quite the holiday bash this week at Mason Murer Fine Art gallery. The hosts of the evening, titled “Bridging the Gap,” were pop stars T.I. and Big Boi. Former Atlanta mayor Andrew Young was greeted by T.I. as he strolled the black carpet into the dinner. In recent months, Young has served as a mentor to the troubled rapper who is facing a stint in prison next year. The two recently paired up to produce the public service documentary “Andrew Young Presents Walking With Guns” (to see some very powerful clips from the doc, go to andrewyoung.org).
While Young has encountered criticism about his unlikely friendship with the rapper, the former United Nations ambassador maintains that good inter-generational communication is a key to a non-violent future.
Inside, Big Boi greeted celebs, including Young Dro, Big Kuntry and others. As a souvenir of the evening, each guest was presented with a combination flask/humidor so they could “dip the tip” of a cigar in Domaine, a tradition that purportedly dates back to the cigar-and cognac favoring Winston Churchill. Guests were also treated to an impromptu performance by their hosts.
But the biggest winners of the evening? Hosea’s Feed the Hungry which netted $600 in holiday gift cards from attendees who were asked to make a donation to the donation-challenged charity.
‘MARLEY’ MADNESS
With as hard as they’re working the poor pooches who portray the title role in the Christmas flick “Marley & Me,” you might think that 20th Century Fox and Regency fear they have a real dog on their hands with the film out today, co-starring Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston.
One of the dogs was even dispatched to Buckhead to take a ride on the famous Macy’s Pink Pig ride recently. This week, the film’s PR reps dressed up one of the cinematic canines in a red scarf to hang with fans in Los Angeles and to purchase advance tickets (with the help of the ever-eager publicists, of course) to the four-legged flick.
For those of you who like to plan your holiday film outings (as opposed to say, standing slack-jawed in front of the multiplex box office holding up the line for the rest of us), you can score advance seats to “Marley” at Fandango.com or at your local Regal Cinema location.
The added plus in addition to consumer convenience? Your advance order might allow some cuticle-gnawing Hollywood studio exec a good night’s sleep.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Jimmy Buffett, above, is 62. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 60. Actress Sissy Spacek is 59. Actress CCH Pounder is 56. Singer Annie Lennox is 54. Singer Dido is 37. Rock singer Mac Powell (Third Day) is 36.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“By the time I got to ‘Will’ I was peeing all over myself!” — Savannah Lady & Sons owner and Food Network phenom Paula Deen to B98.5 FM’s Steve and Vikki on her now-husband Michael Groover’s Christmas marriage proposal where he put a single word of “Will you marry me?” inside a series of presents.
Contributing: News services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Air Jordans snapped up in no time
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was balmy outside Walter’s Clothing in downtown Atlanta last week when a line of shoe-lovers formed, all waiting for a chance to buy a $230 pair of Nike Air Jordans. (It was a special shoe, the 23rd release, in their 23rd year of sales and named for Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls’ famous No. 23, not to be sold until, natch, Dec. 23.)
When temperatures dropped into the 20s this week, the folks at Walter’s dismissed the line, promising that if those who’d camped out came back Tuesday morning, they’d be the priority buyers.
Indeed, the shoes were gone a few minutes after the store opened at 8:30 a.m. Antonio Chaney, a store manager, said that in reality, they were gone last Tuesday when the line formed.
Out of the two dozen people in line for the 23 pairs that Walter’s had to sell, maybe one or two wanted to wear the red and black sneaker, Chaney said. Most didn’t even care about the size; they just wanted to resell them.
It’s hardly the first line that’s formed outside Walter’s for a pair of shoes — it happens whenever there’s a limited-release sneaker. This one was special for its scarcity (only 23 stores got them); but as far as looks, it was just “OK,” Chaney said.
“Nothing like the old retros,” Chaney said. “It’s more a collector’s shoe.”
Z-SPREE HELPS KIDS IN TWO GEORGIAS
Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia became a very tall St. Nick Monday afternoon (the guy is 6 feet, 11 inches tall, after all) for 20 children from the Mothers Raising Sons organization. The occasion: a holiday shopping “Z-Spree” at Toys “R” Us in Buckhead. We’re told that after Pachulia helped the small fry select their toys, the kids in turn assisted Pachulia in purchasing holiday gifts for children in his home country of the Republic of Georgia. We’re told that the gifts will be distributed to children who lost fathers in the nation’s recent military conflict.
After a few days off to celebrate the holidays, Pachulia and his teammates will be back at work at Philips Arena on Saturday as they take on the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m.
A ‘CLASSIC’ GIFT FOR TV VIEWERS
For Wednesday night’s Christmas Eve viewing on Turner Classic Movies, Robert Osborne personally selected two of the presents waiting to be opened, starting at 8 p.m.
During a visit to his Atlanta set recently, Osborne told us that he personally lobbied for tonight’s TCM premieres of “The Cheaters” from 1945 and 1946’s “Cluny Brown.” Of “The Cheaters,” Osborne writes in this month’s TCM program guide that he selected it because he considers it “a delightful Christmas-oriented movie almost nobody has heard of with Oscar winner Joseph Schildkraut, Billie Burke and a wonderful cast.” And while “Cluny Brown” isn’t technically a Christmas flick, Osborne says “it’s one of those warm, witty comedies perfect for the holiday with the magnetic pairing of Jennifer Jones and Charles Boyer.”
It was left to TCM programming exec Charlie Tabesh to make the movie magic happen, however.
“Christmas Eve is really Robert’s baby,” Tabesh told Buzz. “And it wasn’t too difficult to make it happen since we already had good relationships with the studios who own the films. It’s a nice way for our viewers to relax and destress.”
And Osborne also oversaw this year’s scheduled New Year’s Eve marathon of “That’s Entertainment” films as well.
“We liked those because they’re easy for people to come in and out of if they’re busy doing other things,” said Tabesh.
So how difficult was it to get Osborne to part with his traditional New Year’s Eve lineup of Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers films?
Laughing, Tabesh conceded: “Robert would probably like to see Fred and Ginger every New Year’s Eve! We just decided to change it up a little this year.”
HIGH FIVE
Music
1. Neil Young, “Sugar Mountain (live)”
2. David Byrne and Brian Eno, “Everything that Happens Will Happen Today”
3. Pavement, “Brighten the Corners (reissue)”
4. Lucinda Williams, “Little Honey”
5. Blitzen Trapper, “Furr”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Author Mary Higgins Clark is 81. Rock singer-musician Lemmy (Motorhead) is 63. Singer Mary Ramsey (10,000 Maniacs) is 45. Actor Mark Valley is 44. Singer Ricky Martin is 37. “American Idol” host and Dunwoody High grad Ryan Seacrest (below) is 34.
Contributing: Jamie Gumbrecht and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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A whale of a marriage proposal at Aquarium
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you want to propose to your longtime sweetheart, telling her she’s going to swim with the fishes might not seem like the most romantic approach. But Monday afternoon at the Georgia Aquarium, Jon Barrere managed to make it work, successfully gaining girlfriend Dina Friedman’s very wet hand in promise of marriage.
Barrere, 30, of Decatur set up the surprise underwater proposal with the help of aquarium divers, who held up signs to help Barrere pop the question to a shocked Friedman as they dived among the whale sharks and rays in the facility’s massive main tank. The cagey Barrere had arranged the dive as a 28th birthday present for Friedman, a pre-k teacher at Drew Charter School in Atlanta and a longtime diver. Aquarium visitors watched the whole watery drama unfold through the viewing glass.
Friedman’s mother, Marsha, had tipped Buzz off to the scheme in an e-mail, which also noted that her adventurous son-in-law to be had first observed tradition by asking her and husband, Freddy, for their blessing. The happy couple has not yet set a date, but is thinking about a wedding in the tropics. It’s not known if the bride will be wearing taffeta and heels or a wetsuit and flippers.
BOOKISH FUND-RAISER
Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” reality show cast member DeShawn Snow (with husband Eric, left, and NFL veteran Willie Whitehead) mingled with real-life Dunwoody housewives at the Perimeter Barnes & Noble over the weekend as she hosted a holiday party and book drive with the upcoming Walt Disney Christmas flick “Bedtime Stories.”
We’re told that Snow strolled into the store toting the newest Louis Vuitton black bag and was stylishly dressed in a black and white print silk shirt and black wool pants. She and fellow fund-raisers from her charity, the DeShawn Snow Foundation Angels, read “A Visit From St. Nicholas” (aka ” ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas”) to a crowd of “Real Housewives” fans and seasonal shoppers. Snow also had some surprise celebs in tow, including New Orleans Saints player Willie Whitehead and her very own hubby, Eric Snow, of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The pro ballplayers also read to the crowd, and Snow playfully referred to himself as “Mr. DeShawn Snow.”
More than 700 books were collected last week during the “Bedtime Stories” tie-in promotion and fund-raiser.
Also, we hear that a certain suddenly camera-shy CNN anchor was in the crowd, clamoring for an autograph. Oddly, it wasn’t self-professed “Real Housewives” groupie Anderson Cooper but rather Heidi Collins, whose son is a major Cavaliers fan.
OVERSCENE
Boston Celtics basketball players Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell dining on lobster shanghai, whole snapper, sushi boats, Thai chicken curry and whole duck at Atlanta restaurateur Tom Catherall’s latest concept Aja in Buckhead. Later, they joined their teammates for additional partying across the street at Twist at Phipps Plaza. … The members of legendary metal band AC/DC at the Bar at Rosewood’s Mansion on Peachtree in Buckhead, spotted multiple times over the past week. We’re saddened to report that the middle-aged Australian rockers responsible for “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” and “Back in Black” were polite and cordial, and that their hotel rooms remained unscathed at checkout time. Darn it.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-comedian Harry Shearer is 65. Actress Susan Lucci is 62. Rock singer Eddie Vedder (below, Pearl Jam) is 44. Singer and first lady of France Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is 41. Actor Corey Haim is 37.
STORK REPORT
It’s a girl!
Angie Harmon and husband Jason Sehorn have welcomed their third daughter. Emery Hope Sehorn was born Thursday, said Harmon’s publicist, Nicole Perna.
The 36-year-old actress and 37-year-old former National Football League player were married in 2001 and have two daughters, 5-year-old Finley and 3-year-old Avery. Harmon’s TV credits include “Law & Order” and “Women’s Murder Club.” Sehorn played for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Rams.
CONTRIBUTING: Michael Gray and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Dupri says Janet not pregnant
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jermaine Dupri wants to clear up some misconceptions about his long-time girlfriend, Janet Jackson. In an entry on his blog, the Atlanta music producer says he and Jackson haven’t split up — and she isn’t pregnant.
Dupri writes: “As you all know Janet is a very private person. … The only reason you see her as much as you do on my YouTube blog is because of me. LOL. But I hear y’all and your questions. … No she is not pregnant and yes we’re still together.”
Jackson and Dupri have been dating for about four years.
Dupri also writes: “It baffles me how y’all let these blog and magazines control your lifes.”
FUND-RAISER NETS $30,000 FOR LIBERIA
Earlier this month, when Atlanta-based Spanx creator Sara Blakely hosted a premiere screening for the powerful documentary “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” she challenged her guests to donate money to help women in Liberia. And she made a deal: She would match every dollar.
So far, the guests have donated $15,000.
Blakely came through, and $30,000 is on its way to Liberia to build a new medical clinic.
” ‘Pray the Devil Back to Hell’ demonstrates that you can never underestimate the impact of a few people who come together to make a difference, and the 90 people who attended the screening took that to heart,” Blakely told Buzz in an e-mail over the weekend.
The guests at the premiere included Jane Fonda, Ryan Cameron, Frank Ski, Vikki Locke and Jeff Dauler.
The film tells about thousands of Liberian women who came together to pray for peace and then stage a silent protest outside the presidential palace.
“Pray the Devil Back to Hell” is scheduled to be featured at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema on Monroe Drive until Dec. 25, but the run date may be extended.
LATE SINGER UP FOR TWO BLUES AWARDS
The Blues Foundation has announced the nominees for the 30th annual Blues Music Awards, and they hold a bit of bittersweet news for local music fans.
The late Sean Costello, who died earlier this year just one day shy of his 29th birthday, is up for two awards. He’s among the five nominees for contemporary blues male artist of the year, along with Michael Burks, Elvin Bishop, Watermelon Slim and Buddy Guy. “We Can Get Together,” Costello’s last album, is up for contemporary blues album of the year.
Just after Costello’s death on April 15, Atlanta blues record producer and musician Bryan Cole compared the young guitarist and singer to one of the men he’ll compete against. “Sean was an immense talent. He had the fire of Buddy Guy,” Cole told the AJC. “He had his whole career way in front of him. He’ll be missed.”
The awards ceremony takes place May 7 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis. For a full list of the nominees for the Blues Music Awards, go to the Blues Foundation’s Web site: www.blues.org.
GIFT EXPERT FOCUSES ON CHARITIES NOW
Usually this time of year Atlanta gift guru Robyn Spizman is making the rounds with tips for fun, personalized and quirky gifts — everything from seven-layer brownies to monogrammed pet mats.
This holiday season, she’s been making the rounds — including a ringing of the Nasdaq opening bell — talking about her new book that focuses on charitable giving.
In “Do Your Giving While You are Living,” Spizman and co-author Edie Fraser interview dozens of leaders of nonprofits (including the American Cancer Society and the Jackie Robinson Foundation) as well as celebrities such as Dionne Warwick.
Her message: In these rough economic times, it’s critical to reach out to others.
“Whether you give time, talents or treasures, the time to give is now,” she told Buzz.
“Sometimes simply listening to someone can help lift their spirits. … Or maybe it’s helping a struggling business. Or you can go to a nonprofit and check out their wish list. They may need a file cabinet, you may have an old one you want to get rid of.”
Last Wednesday, she took the message to the Nasdaq, an American stock exchange, to ring the opening bell.
“You actually press a button,” Spizman tells Buzz.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Barbara Billingsley is 93. Former House Speaker Jim Wright is 86. ABC News correspondent Diane Sawyer is 63. Actor Ralph Fiennes is 46. Country singer Lori McKenna is 40. Singer Jordin Sparks (“American Idol”) is 19.
Contributing: Shane Harrison and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Casting Crowns treated like royalty
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you were among the millions who saw hometown Christian act Casting Crowns perform “I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day” on TNT’s “Christmas In Washington” special Wednesday night, be sure to stop Casting’s Mark Hall in the grocery store and tell him how they sounded. The youth pastor at Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church told Buzz he was planning to be in that sanctuary when the taped show aired.
“I hope they’ll send me a copy soon because it was a very positive experience,” Hall said. “I met a lot of neat people. Kristin Chenoweth. Julianne Hough from “Dancing With The Stars.” Darius Rucker — really cool getting to meet him. Raphael, Raphael … I can’t remember his last name. We got to meet the first lady backstage afterwards at a reception and she was very gracious. … Oh, and we met [co-host] Dr. Phil — now that was something! I mean, we live in Atlanta; and on the south side at that. Dr. Phil just doesn’t drop through McDonough very often!”
“And you know the thing about that experience,” Hall continued, “is when you get to meet those type of people you think: ‘Gosh, I hope they’re nice.’ And they really were. It was truly an honor to be included in something like that. Something where Christian music was recognized, and to represent that.”
BON APPETIT PRAISES SOUTHERN CUISINE
Well, it’s taken a while, but Southern chefs and food writers have finally gotten Southern cuisine back to its roots and front and center in national publications. January’s Bon Appetit, which will feature the mag’s predictions for 2009, touts “new Southern cuisine” as the cuisine to follow in 2009.
And to get folks in the mood, our own Linton Hopkins of Restaurant Eugene, Holeman & Finch and H & F Bread Co. is featured with recipes highlighting, in his words, “gussied up” beet salad with corn bread croutons and crispy ham, and brioche-crusted fish with Jerusalem artichoke puree and pickles. “You don’t need to go to New York or Chicago or Paris to be a great chef,” Hopkins is quoted as saying. “You can cook Southern food with the same passion and integrity.”
Also in the January issue, the editors choose their top picks for the new “gastro tavern,” and Cakes & Ale in Decatur (which just keeps getting better and better every time I visit — a winter broccoli salad was a welcome forkful on my last time in) is on the list. Bravo!
The magazine goes on sale Jan. 9.
SWEET TWOSOME’S EVEN SWEETER CAUSE
Millard and Linda Fuller, founders of Habitat for Humanity, are commemorating their golden anniversary with a honey sale for their new non-profit housing ministry. For each $50 pledge, donors receive a jar of honey made by North Georgia beekeepers Carl and Virginia Webb.
All proceeds go toward the Fuller Center for Housing of Greater Atlanta, which focuses on repairs and renovations for longtime homeowners in need. Fifty jars of honey were donated for the cause.
“It’s their 50th wedding anniversary, and it’s golden and it’s all very sweet,” Jackie Goodman, a volunteer and board member of Fuller Center, told Buzz. “We thought offering the very best honey in the world was in keeping with one of the finest marriages in the world — a love affair that has produced four children and more than 300,000 houses for working families in need.”
To get the jar of honey, call 404-966-9220.
BACKSTREET SINGER’S SON HOSPITALIZED
The 6-year-old son of Backstreet Boys singer Brian Littrell has been hospitalized for an undisclosed illness, according to the singer’s Web site, reported People.com
“Baylee Littrell has been in the hospital for the past few days,” says a message posted Thursday on brianlittrell.com. “He will be starting a treatment this afternoon and the Littrell family asks that all Backstreet Boys fans please remember him in prayer during this trying time.”
Littrell, 33, and his actress wife Leighanne, 39, met on the set of the Boys’ 1997 video “As Long as You Love Me.” The two were married in September 2000, and welcomed their son two years later.
HILTON’S HOME ROBBED OF JEWELS
A man wearing a hooded sweatshirt broke into Paris Hilton’s home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and reportedly made off with millions of dollars worth of jewels.
“At around 5 a.m. Friday, officers received a call from a security guard who reported that Paris Hilton’s residence had been broken into,” LAPD spokeswoman Julie Sohn tells People.com
“According to detectives, a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and gloves forced entry through the front door, ransacked her bedroom, took unknown property and fled,” Sohn added.
An estimated $2 million in jewelry was stolen, according to the LA Times, citing unnamed detectives investigating the case. An investigation is under way and Hilton was not at home at the time of robbery, Sohn said.
A rep for the heiress wasn’t immediately available for comment.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Comedian Charlie Callas is 81. Actor John Hillerman (“Magnum P.I.”) is 76. Drummer Bobby Colomby of Blood, Sweat and Tears is 64. Drummer Peter Criss (Kiss) is 63. Musician Alan Parsons is 60. Actress Jenny Agutter is 56. Actor Michael Badalucco (“The Practice”) is 54. Actress Blanche Baker (“Shakedown,” “Holocaust”) is 52. Singer Billy Bragg is 51. Singer-bassist Mike Watt (The Minutemen, fIREHOSE) is 51. Country singer Kris Tyler is 44. Singer Chris Robinson of Black Crowes is 42. Singer David Cook (“American Idol”) is 26. Actor Jonah Hill (“Accepted”) is 25. Singer JoJo is 18.
Contributing: Jamie Gumbrecht, Sonia Murray, Meridith Ford, Shane Harrison and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Dahlonega’s Kurt Thomas wins CMT’s ‘Music City Madness’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Stay-at-home Dahlonega dad Kurt Thomas has won the third annual Music City Madness contest, a nationwide search for the best unsigned country act. After 22 million votes were cast, Thomas, 33, beat out 16-year-old Maddie Georgi of Pennsylvania to win the top prize from CMT.com. The prize includes a trip to Nashville, an appearance on “Unplugged at Studio 330,” a private audition with Warner Bros. Records and a mentor session with country superstar Randy Travis.
Thomas, father of two boys, performs often at Vinings Inn and wrote the winning song, “Follow Your Lead,” about his mother, his wife of five years and their first-born son, Bo. He credits his friends, his family and members of Life Point Church in Smyrna for sealing the win, but says 2008 already was a standout year: His second son, Van, was born, and a radio contest prize had him opening for Kenny Chesney at Turner Field.
“I haven’t even touched the ground yet,” said Thomas, who has been playing “feel-good” country music for about 12 years. “They called me when I had my boys down for a nap and I was down for a nap — whenever your boys sleep, you sleep, too — and man, what a great way to wake up.”
More info: www.madness.cmt.com
A CHRISTMAS TALE
Here’s a little Christmas Buzz to brighten your day. A group of children have recorded a special play, Thomas E. Fuller’s “An Atlanta Christmas,” specifically for blind people. The kids are part of the Atlanta Radio Theater Company, and among the stories the play tells are one about the first Christmas tree in Atlanta in the 1850s and one on the challenges of being a modern-day mall Santa.
The recording was done for the Georgia Radio Reading Service, a nonprofit that uses volunteers to record newspapers and books and broadcasts them to special radios for the blind and sight-impaired throughout Georgia. It’s the first time in its 30 years that children have recorded for the service.
The seven children, ages 8 to 13, made the recording during the summer and cranked the studio air conditioning up to feel wintry. The only complaint, ARTC director William Allen Ritch said, came when some of the girls had to play boys.
If you’d like to volunteer to read for GARRS, call April Cline at 404-685-2822.
WILL THERE BE HELMETS?
On a very different note, here at Buzz Central, when we think of Christmas, we think of attractive women in lingerie tackling each other. What, you don’t? Well, you will if you attend the Saturday tryouts for the Atlanta Steam, a team in the new (as in currently nonexistent) Lingerie Football League. The 10-team league, which is supposed to launch in September, is a spinoff of the Lingerie Bowl, a stunt televised to counter-program against the Super Bowl. The plan is to have 10 teams (with names like the San Diego Seduction, the Chicago Bliss, etc.) playing 7-on-7 tackle football in lingerie. So if you’ve finished all your Christmas shopping and want to try out, head to Score Indoor, 1245 Oakley Industrial Blvd. West, Field 2, in Fairburn at 11 a.m. Saturday. Be prepared for a “series of offensive and defensive drills.” The winners will be introduced at a party Saturday night at Ten Pin Alley nightclub in Atlanta. More info: www.lflus.com.
BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH BRANDY
For a minute Wednesday evening, it felt like Atlanta Music Scene circa the late ’90s at 595 North.
In the audience for V-103’s Soul Session were Grammy winners Monica and Q and Daron from 112, Brandon from Jagged Edge and recent transplant Sunshine Anderson.
And on stage — after opening act Slim from 112 — was 1998 Grammy winner Brandy, back on the scene in support of her latest CD, “Human,” and welcomed by the listeners to the city’s top radio station like it hadn’t been six years since her last major hit.
An energetic and appreciative Brandy started the free mini-concert with “What About Us” and “Full Moon” (accompanied by a recording) in full, familiar voice. Midset, the R&B talent brought Monica on stage to sing “The Boy Is Mine.” And after inviting an extra-excited guy in the crowd up for a serenade — a favor he returned with a good version of her breakthrough 1994 single “I Wanna Be Down” — she closed with “Right Here.”
Minutes later, in the VIP area upstairs, a throng that included “Project Runway’s” Mychael Knight, former WSB anchor JaQuitta Williams and V-103 personalities Joyce Littel, Greg Street, Miss Sophia and Tangie waited to have their pictures taken with the multimillion seller. When Brandy heard Miss Sophia’s voice just outside the door, she peeked out and yelled: “Miss Sophia, I told everybody you have a big mouth!” To which the playful entertainment reporter replied: “Uh-huh — that’s why I’m gonna bust you in the face!”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Little Jimmy Dickens is 88. Actress Cicely Tyson is 75. Singer Maurice White of Earth, Wind and Fire is 67. Actor Tim Reid is 64. Actor Mike Lookinland (“The Brady Bunch”) is 48. Actress Jennifer Beals is 45. Magician Criss Angel is 41. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal (“Brokeback Mountain,” “October Sky”) is 28. Rapper Lady Sovereign is 23.
THIS DATE IN HISTORY
An unsinkable movie
Hard to remember now, but when the movie “Titantic” opened on Dec. 19, 1997, the buzz was that it had a lot of problems during production and was ridiculously long. No one had a clue it would become the top-grossing movie of all time.
ATLANTA’S OWN
Raising her stock
That was, indeed, Atlanta author Robyn Spizman ringing the opening bell Wednesday morning for NASDAQ. Spizman has been well-known as a “gift guru,” but her new book, co-authored with Edie Frasier, focuses on doing good. It’s called “Do Your Giving While You Are Living.”
Contributing: Jamie Gumbrecht, Sonia Murray, news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Monster goes home
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Fear not, monster-lovers: Scout, the playful kid creature put up for auction due to the overhaul of Six Flags Over Georgia’s Monster Plantation ride, will remain a local.
The winner of an eBay auction for the fiberglass-and-fuzz monster is 24-year-old Eric Korotkin, who grew up in the Atlanta area and is moving back next week from San Diego. He’s had a season pass to Six Flags for as long as he can remember, has ridden Monster Plantation more times than he can count and knows the theme song by heart. When he saw an online auction for a monster, he thought, “Why not?”
Sixty-four bids later, Korotkin won Scout for $2,850, which will be donated to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Korotkin’s father plans to fetch Scout and his adoption certificate from the Cobb County amusement park today.
“I don’t really have any big plans,” Korotkin said, although he’s definitely planning to hop on the ride when it reopens as Monster Mansion next year. “I have like park maps from all the places I’ve ever ridden. This is the first [artifact] — the start of a collection.”
INDIGO GIRLS LAUNCH LABEL ALL THEIR OWN
What started out as — and has long felt like — an independent movement is now officially one again.
Legendary Atlanta folk duo the Indigo Girls have established an imprint — IG Recordings — and its first release will be their own: a two-disc set they’ve already recorded titled “Poseidon and the Bitter Bug.” Emily Saliers and Amy Ray’s first studio CD in three years — actually a full-band version of the album and an acoustic version with a bonus track — is due in stores March 24.
“I am overwhelmingly excited to be independent because it really is where the heart of music sits for me,” Ray said in a news release. “I don’t have many regrets about the major-label life of the band because we certainly got a lot out of it. We were lucky enough to be on Epic when Pearl Jam and Rage Against the Machine were our label-mates and the company was developing bands with the intent of creating catalog artists. That has all changed, and it’s just not worth being on a major. It hasn’t felt worth it for a long time. Beyond that, it never fed my soul the way an independent career can.
“I feel a great sense of freedom in finally being rid of the major-label world,” Ray continued. “It’s been a burden for a while for me. I felt an honesty and sincerity making ‘Poseidon,’ because I fully believe in independence.” Saliers added: “It feels liberating and centering, even in the midst of change.”
GETTING SOME AIR
That line of two dozen or so folks camped outside Walter’s Clothing in downtown Atlanta aren’t waiting to see Santa. They’re hunkered down in camp chairs and blankets to await the sale of the latest limited-edition Air Jordan sneaker. That happens Tuesday — five days from today.
The line of those seeking the $230 Nike shoes — now in their 23rd year of sales, to be released Dec. 23 and named for Michael Jordan, the Chicago Bulls’ famous No. 23 — began to form Tuesday. “It’s crazy what we do for shoes,” said 17-year-old Miguel Perez of Marietta, the first in line. “We’re sneaker heads.”
“You could sell them on eBay for $2,000 or $3,000,” said No. 2, Perez’s friend Christian Aragon, 17.
Walter’s already has received its shipment — 23 pairs, of course — and says it won’t get any more when those are gone. Walter’s salesman DeAngelo Martin expected the shoes to spur a line outside the store on Decatur Street, but didn’t think it would start a full week early.
Some of those lined up said they won’t be waiting the whole time — they’ve been paid as placeholders by some well-heeled shoe enthusiasts and will be relieved when their “shift” is over.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Roger Smith is 76 years old today. Blues guitarist Lonnie Brooks is 75. Guitarist Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones is 65. Director Steven Spielberg is 62. Movie critic Leonard Maltin is 58. Guitarist Elliot Easton of The Cars is 55. Actor Ray Liotta is 53. Actor Brad Pitt is 45. Actress Rachel Griffiths (“Brothers and Sisters,” “Six Feet Under”) is 40. Country singer Cowboy Troy is 38. Rapper DMX is 38. DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit is 36. Actress Katie Holmes (“Dawson’s Creek”) is 30. Singer Christina Aguilera (below) is 28.
ATLANTA’S OWN
Ex-‘Idol’ Johns swings through
Former Buckhead resident, “American Idol” finalist and top teen tennis player Michael Johns was at the Infinite Energy Atlanta charity Tennis Slam at Gwinnett Arena last weekend to sing a tune, but didn’t pick up a racket. His indie album is set for release in March. And yeah, he misses Atlanta, but his career keeps him in Los Angeles for now.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Akon pleads, apologizes to fan
Hip-hop star Akon (right) pleaded guilty Wednesday to harassment for tossing a fan off stage at an upstate New York concert last year and agreed to perform 65 hours of community service and pay a $250 fine. The 35-year-old Atlantan threw a teenage boy off the stage during a June 2007 concert near Poughkeepsie. After the plea, Akon, born Aliaune Thiam, shook hands with Anthony Smith, the now-16-year-old fan, and apologized to him and his parents.
Contributing: Marcus Garner, Sonia Murray and news service
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Delgo’ tanks; creator plans sequel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The good news? No long lines at the theater and your kids won’t demand the movie tie-in toys. The bad news? “Delgo” might not be kicking off that local animation renaissance anytime soon.
The first feature-length animated film written, directed, produced and created by (mostly) Atlantans, was aiming for box office and artistic success that might kick-start Atlanta’s animation industry. But when it opened over the weekend on about 2,000 screens nationwide, the record it set was not the sort that creator Marc Adler was hoping for. According to Yahoo! Movies, “Delgo” became the worst-opening film ever in wide release.
Reached Tuesday, Adler, founder and CEO of Macquarium Intelligent Communications, a computer and video consulting firm on Peachtree Street, told Buzz he stands by “Delgo,” and blamed poor marketing and distribution for its meager box office. In fact, Adler said, he’s already contemplating a sequel.
SISTER: LATEST ‘SURVIVOR’ USED TO THE ISLANDS
“Survivor: Gabon” winner Bob Crowley, the 57-year-old physics teacher who outsmarted his competitors and landed the million-dollar prize Sunday, had great training for the challenge of finding food in the wilderness.
According to his sister, Jean Quade, a nurse who lives in Decatur, Crowley grew up spending summers on a 40-acre deserted island off the coast of Maine, where his family roughed it for weeks at a time, with no electricity or running water. “Mother was on a Euell Gibbons kick,” said Quade.
The children fished for shark, gathered cattails, sea oats and sea moss while their mother brewed tea out of bayberry plants, she said. Bob Crowley also was skilled at clamming and lobstering and could “build anything out of nothing,” which he demonstrated several times during the popular CBS show.
Quade calls her father, H. Gordon Crowley, “the original survivor,” and credits him with instilling self-sufficiency and integrity in his four children. The father died just two weeks after his son returned from Africa, but before the result of the contest was revealed. Contacted at her home in Portland, Maine, Crowley’s mother, Anna Crowley, said she was proudest of her son for maintaining his integrity during the show. “He is a gentleman, and that’s a great thing to accomplish in this day and age.”
IDOLS, EYELINER AND JÄGERBOMBS
Buzz caught up with “American Idol” winner David Cook before his appearance at Q100’s “Miracle on West Peachtree Street” concert at Center Stage on Monday — and before he put on his eyeliner. About that, Cook told Buzz: “The eyeliner is more out of necessity. I’m a pale man of Irish, English and German descent. Anything to make the eyes pop amid stage lights!”
The singer said he was psyched to “go off the grid” for two weeks following his Atlanta performance, his first bit of time off since he started on “Idol” early this year. But before he could, Cook’s brother Andrew, dressed as Santa, came on stage to present him with an early 26th birthday cake, then rocked out to his song “Bar-Ba-Sol.”
Local hairdresser Richie Arpino was hired to do Cook’s makeup and hair. It took him a mere 10 minutes. “Easiest money I’ve ever made!” joked Arpino, who later traded Jägerbombs with Cook and his band at the W Hotel in Midtown. His take: ” ‘Oh, Lord,’ I thought. ‘I better party like a rock star.’ And I did!”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
“Penthouse” publisher Bob Guccione (left) is 78 today. Actor George Lindsey (“The Andy Griffith Show”) is 73; keyboardist-singer Art Neville of the Neville Brothers is 71; singer Paul Rodgers is 59; actor Bill Pullman is 55; director-producer Peter Farrelly (“There’s Something About Mary”) is 52; bassist Mike Mills of R.E.M. is 50; singer Sarah Dallin of Bananarama is 47; actress Milla Jovovich (“The Fifth Element”) is 33; actor-singer Nat Wolff (“The Naked Brothers Band”) is 14.
ATLANTA’S OWN
Fishing for an answer?
Attention, solvers: The ATL gets a shout-out in the latest Sunday New York Times crossword puzzle (it will run this coming Sunday in the AJC). Specifically, the clue for 17 Down (seven letters) is “Home of world’s largest aquarium.” Said Georgia Aquarium spokesman Dave Santucci: “Thanks,” but added, “I never try crossword puzzles, nor am I into Sudoku.”
CELEBRITY DOCKET
T-Boz’s home is on the block
Singer Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC is facing foreclosure on her Duluth home, records show. The five-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot home in the gated Sugarloaf Country Club community will be put up for auction in January, according to a Gwinnett County foreclosure notice filed last week, unless Watkins can make good on $532,500 in defaulted payments.
Attempts to contact Watkins at telephone numbers listed in her name were unsuccessful. But the entertainer told essence.com recently she wasn’t aware of the filing, saying: “I’m not homeless. During my last marriage. … I had a bunch of things that were put in my name. If one of those properties is going into foreclosure then I don’t know.”
WHERE WE RANK
Time taps ‘Emperor’ show
Time has selected “The First Emperor: China’s Terracotta Army” as one of the Top 10 Museum Exhibits of 2008. The exhibition at Atlanta’s High Museum, which opened Nov. 16, already has drawn more than 70,000 visitors and drove a record one-day attendance of nearly 7,000 visitors the day after Thanksgiving.
Contributing: Jennifer Brett, Cathy Fox, Rodney Ho, Pierre Ruhe, Ben Smith and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Recession? Not at events to help kids
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite the economy, Frank Ski well exceeded his goal of raising $100,000 for his kids foundation Sunday at his Atlanta home with his fifth annual wine auction.
Attendees included the likes of rapper Young Jeezy, music producer Jazze Pha (pictured pointing at Ski), NBA legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving and actor Emmanuel Lewis (“Webster”). (Yes, Erving and Lewis were an amusing combo.)
“I think the kids sold it well, better than I could,” Ski told Buzz on Monday. Several students gave testimonials on the trips, scholarships and events Ski and his wife, Tonya, organized this year through the foundation.
Ski said things were so crazy at the party, he didn’t even get a chance to say hey to Dr. J., who was a surprise attendee. Erving told Buzz he moved to Atlanta in August and now owns a golf course. He came to the party with a friend and admitted he has yet to hear Ski’s show, but hopes to soon.
Two of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” popped by the party, too: DeShawn Snow (promoting a dinner she’s holding for underprivileged kids Wednesday) and Sheree Whitfield. Their Bravo network reality show was renewed for a second season Monday. Whitfield said that despite much negative press about the show, she has no qualms about doing another season because it’s an invaluable promotional tool for her upcoming clothing line.
Ski’s DJ colleague Bert Weiss told Buzz that he was heartened that his Q100 morning show was able to help raise $101,000 last week to defray travel costs for South Cobb High School’s marching band, which is set to perform at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration next month.
Others in the crowd: Dave FM jock Mara Davis, “Project Runway” designer Mychael Knight and “Good Day Atlanta” hosts Mark Hayes and Suchita Vadlamani.
NE-YO HELPS SAVE THE MUSIC
Students should have known it wasn’t going to be Monday as usual at M. Agnes Jones Elementary School when a convertible blue Bentley sedan pulled up in front of the auditorium. Followed by a high-end Mercedes-Benz with tinted windows. Followed by another bright blue SUV.
That’s how Atlanta R&B star Ne-Yo arrived to present director Arthur McClenton and his band students a $30,000 check for instruments, courtesy of VH1’s Save The Music Foundation and an anonymous donor.
“Music is not what I do, it’s who I am,” said Ne-Yo, a VH1 Save The Music ambassador and Atlanta’s leading Grammy nominee (with six) this year. “If you cut off my arm right now a song would probably fall out … and I know it may be cliché, but these kids are our future. And we are going to have some very smart, but very boring, very bland kids if we don’t keep programs like these in the schools.”
For the most part, the kids being helped were almost motionless and incredibly quiet. “I think they’re in shock, Ne-Yo,” principal Margul Retha Woolfolk told the music star.
‘STACHE PLUS BASH EQUALS CASH
The Atlanta chapter of Mustaches for Kids pulled out all the stops at the Stache Bash on Friday to boost its fund-raising efforts.
The charitable group of guys went into Manuel’s Tavern with thick mustaches — but only $900 in hand. But after a party that featured a wet mustache contest (determining which ‘stache could retain the most beer foam), a mustache beauty pageant (with men in swim trunks and other provocative attire) and even a ‘stache tug of war (involving binders and dental floss), by Monday the group had raised $10,937 for the Atlanta-based Cure Childhood Cancer, according to spokesman Ryan Carrabine.
“It was awesome,” said Tim Whelan, one of the organizers of the event and first runner-up to the man Stache Bash judges declared “king stache,” Robert Watkins. “Everyone brought their ‘A game’ and found their ‘stache persona.”
IN SHORT
Beloved WSB-AM newsman Mike Kavanagh’s funeral drew hundreds of friends and family members to Saint Brigid’s Catholic Church last week after his sudden passing Dec. 6. Friends want to help keep his legacy alive by launching the Mike Kavanagh Foundation to help three charities: Friends of Disabled Adults and Children; Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless; and Clark Howard’s Christmas Kids. For info: www.mikekavanaghfoundation.com … BET will honor Atlanta entertainment impresario Tyler Perry at its second annual BET Honors celebration in Washington on Jan. 17. The event is set to air on Jan. 20.
HIGH FIVE
Star 94 hits
Tunes most played the week of Dec. 8:
1. “Addicted,” Saving Abel
2. “Hot N Cold,” Katy Perry
3. “I’m Yours,” Jason Mraz
4. “Gotta Be Somebody,” Nickelback
5. “What About Now,” Daughtry
— Mediabase 24/7
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Journalist Lesley Stahl (“60 Minutes”) is 67. Writer-producer Steven Bochco is 65. Actor Benjamin Bratt (“Law and Order”) is 45. Actress Anna Popplewell (“The Chronicles of Narnia” films) is 20.
Contributing: Helena Oliviero, 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.
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Bush mission role leaves Casting Crowns’ Hall feeling like Jack Bauer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While casting about for a cover for President Bush’s secret visit to Baghdad over the weekend, his staff left Atlanta’s own Casting Crowns in the lurch.
The award-winning Christian band, which calls McDonough home, had expected to perform for the president on Sunday night in Washington, but members said they did not mind that the show would go on without him.
To keep Bush’s trip a secret, the White House put out a false schedule that said he would attend the taping of Turner Network Television’s annual “Christmas in Washington” benefit concert at the National Building Museum.
Mark Hall (second from right), lead singer of Casting Crowns, joked that he knew it all along.
“We were secretly a part of this whole thing. See, we’re the ruse for him to go on his mission. So I feel like, you know, a little Jack Bauer right now,” Hall said, referring to the counterterrorism agent on Fox TV drama “24.”
RYAN’S MOM: WRONG TIME FOR LOVE
Buzz tried in vain last week to get Dunwoody High School grad and busiest man in Hollywood Ryan Seacrest on the phone to talk about the new reality show he’s executive producing on NBC called “Momma’s Boys,” which debuts Tuesday at 10 p.m.
But alas, Seacrest was too busy. So Buzz buzzed his mom, Connie Seacrest, who still lives in Dunwoody, for insight into her son. The show itself features three “Momma’s Boys” mixing it up in a mansion with 32 single women (several from Georgia) and the three moms.
“I never considered him a ‘Momma’s Boy,’ ” said Connie, who flew out to Hollywood in the fall to shoot promos with Ryan. “But we have a great relationship. He likes to run things by me, and I’m happy to tell him what I think. I’m prejudiced, but the reason he survives out there is he still has some grounding and good ol’ Atlanta roots.”
Connie hears from her son frequently by e-mail and talks to him on weekends when she has time. Even when “Idol” is off season, she can listen to him online every morning while he does his Los Angeles morning show or see him at 7 p.m. on E!
“I can keep tabs on him, like if he lets his beard grow too long. You know — that scruff,” she said.
Naturally, she’d love for Ryan to settle down and find the right girl, but she’s patient. “We all want what’s best for our kids,” she said. “Sometimes it takes longer for some than others. For Ryan, it’s smart he knows what his time frame is. He wouldn’t be the best in relationships until he has more time to be a social person.
“He wants to be successful,” she continued. “I think he’s put blinders on about letting himself fall in love. For now, that’s on the back burner.”
And yes, Connie will have the fondue — a Seacrest Christmas tradition — ready for her son when he comes back to Atlanta next week.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-comedian Tim Conway is 75. Singer Cindy Birdsong of The Supremes is 69. Drummer Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five is 66. Bassist Paul Simonon of The Clash is 53. Actor Stuart Townsend (“Queen of the Damned”) is 36. Actor Adam Brody (“The O.C.”) is 29.
Contributing: News services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Atlanta acts heat up the music charts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Once again, local acts continue to clog the top spots on the Billboard music charts this week. For example, Atlanta rapper-actor T.I.’s single with Rihanna, “Live Your Life,” returned to the top of the pop charts — its sixth nonconsecutive week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 listing.
Locals joining T.I. in that Top 10 are Ne-Yo (at No. 9 with “Miss Independent”) and T.I., yet again (at No. 5, with “Whatever You Like”).
Over on Billboard’s pop album chart, only one Atlantan is in the Top 10 of the Top 200 — Akon, whose CD “Freedom” debuted at No. 7 in the country.
Montgomery Gentry’s “Roll With Me” knocked our Zac Brown Band’s “Chicken Fried” out of the No. 1 position on Hot Country Songs, to No. 2. But Atlanta duo Sugarland (at No. 4 with “Already Gone”) and Newnan’s Alan Jackson (at No. 7 with “Country Boy”) are keeping them company in the Top 10.
On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Atlantans are on seven of the Top 10 hits: “Live Your Life” (at No. 2); “Miss Independent” (No. 3); “Chopped ‘N’ Skrewed (T-Pain featuring Ludacris, No. 4); “Trading Places” (Usher, No. 6); “Green Light” (John Legend featuring André 3000); “Mrs. Officer” (Lil Wayne featuring Bobby Valentino and Kidd Kidd, No. 8); and “Whatever You Like.”
Six singles in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks also include local recording acts: “Live Your Life” (No. 1); “Whatever You Like” (No. 2); “Mrs. Officer”(No. 3);
“One More Drink” (Ludacris “co-starring” — that’s how it’s listed — T-Pain, No. 5);
“Swagga Like Us” (T.I. & Jay-Z featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne, No. 7); and “Got Money” (Lil Wayne featuring T-Pain, No. 10).
Casting Crowns (at No. 5 with “Slow Fade”) and Third Day (at No. 10 with “Revelation”) are the hometown bands on the Hot Christian Songs Top 10.
PUTTING PRESENTS ACROSS THE PLATE
Atlanta Braves coaches Roger McDowell and Brian Snitker, along with Braves alums like Brian Jordan, will be out today helping more than 600 Cobb County families in need. Oh, and Santa himself will be pinch-hitting at the festivities.
Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the trio, along with mascot Homer, will visit Jim Miller Park in Marietta and help distribute toys at the 46th annual Cobb Christmas distribution.
The Atlanta Braves Foundation has awarded a $3,000 grant to the Cobb Christmas charity to help purchase youth sporting equipment for families in need this holiday season. We’re told that this weekend, more than 1,450 families will be assisted with the help of more than 500 volunteers.
SINGING TO SAVE A RESTAURANT
Atlanta singer-songwriter Doria Roberts is pitching in to save one of her fave places to play this month. According to an e-mail sent to Buzz Central, this fall Roberts established a Friday night residence at Calavino’s in Decatur after skyrocketing gas prices grounded many independent musicians.
Roberts notes that Calavino’s has actually lowered prices to keep its neighborhood regulars coming in during these tough times. Like so many mom-and-pop establishments, the Oakhurst neighborhood restaurant will close permanently on Dec. 21 “if necessary operating funds are not raised.”
To prevent that from happening, Roberts is auctioning some private gigs and merchandise to help out the eatery.
For example, in exchange for a $1,000 donation, Roberts and Calavino’s chefs will show up at your door to cook and entertain you and 19 of your closest friends on selected days before Christmas.
For more info: Calavino’s, 350 Mead Road. Call 404-373-5220 or www.calavinosoakhurst.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Saturday: Actor Dick Van Dyke is 83. Actor Christopher Plummer is 79. Singer Ted Nugent is 60. Singer Morris Day of the Time is 52. Actor Steve Buscemi is 51. Country singer Taylor Swift is 19.
Sunday: Jazz trumpeter Clark Terry is 88. Actress Patty Duke is 62. Singer-guitarist Mike Scott of the Waterboys is 50. Actress Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”) is 20.
UNCOUPLING
“Private Practice” star Kate Walsh is getting divorced after a year of marriage.
The actress’s husband, Alex M. Young, filed for divorce Tuesday in Los Angeles. His petition cites “irreconcilable differences” but offers no further details. The pair married September 2007, and the documents say they separated Nov. 22. The couple have no children together.
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.
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Film party raises funds for Liberians
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not only did Spanx founder Sara Blakely’s bold-faced friends brave some not-so-nice weather Wednesday night to attend her advance private screening of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” they arrived with their check books in hand.
Blakely hosted a viewing party at the Buckhead estate of Atlanta real estate tycoon Lee Najjar and his wife, Kimberly. More than 100 guests crowded into the couple’s in-home theater to see the possible Oscar contender. The film, opening today at Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema, documents the efforts of thousands of Liberian women — ordinary mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters, both Christian and Muslim — who came together to pray for peace and then staged a silent protest outside the presidential palace as they took on the warlords and nonviolently forced a resolution during stalled peace talks.
Laura Turner Seydel, producer Abigail Disney, Liberian peace activist Asatu Bah Kenneth and Jane Fonda and Tulea attend a private screening of “Pray the Devil Back to Hell.” (Courtesy of Spanx)
Blakely recently saw the film in New York and was so moved she’s turned into an advocate for the documentary. Also inspired to donate large checks to help the Liberian women rebuild their country and their new outdoor market was Blakely’s new hubby, Marquis Jets co-founder Jesse Itzler; the documentary’s director Gini Reticker and the film’s producer Abigail Disney; Liberian peace demonstrator Asatu Bah Kenneth; G-CAPP founder and Poncey-Highland resident Jane Fonda (with adorable doggy Tulea) and daughter filmmaker and environmentalist Vanessa Vadim; Atlanta radio personalties Ryan Cameron, Frank Ski, Vikki Locke and Jeff Dauler; Pink magazine editor in chief Cynthia Good and her hubby, Bright House founder Joey Reiman; philanthropists Aida and Allan Flamm; Captain Planet Foundation chair Laura Turner Seydel; fund-raiser Michaeline Roland; Atlanta doctor and jewelry designer Lisa Stein and her husband, Bruce; fashionista Teresa Hebert; and attorney Gary Martin Hays.
The evening raised $10,000. Since the Sara Blakely Foundation matched every donation, Liberian women can anticipate a total of $20,000 from generous Atlantans to go toward a new clinic or nursery school.
Incidentally, the well-mannered crowd did not bring up those recent unsavory reports in the New York Post that pointed to Lee Najjar as “Big Poppa,” the mystery sugar daddy of the musically disinclined “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member/national punch line Kim Zolciak. (All parties concerned have denied the unsubstantiated innuendo.)
For more information on the movie, go to www.praythedevilbacktohell.com.
STORK REPORT
Atlanta pop star Usher has gotten an early holiday gift — a second son.
The 29-year-old singer and his wife, Tameka, are celebrating the birth of Naviyd Ely Raymond. The infant arrived early Wednesday, weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces.
A statement from the couple released Thursday read: “Tameka and the baby are doing fine.”
This is the second child for the couple, who were married in August 2007. Their first boy, Usher Raymond V, was born last November.
MUSIC TO TRAVEL BY
The folks at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport are seeking to soothe your stress this holiday season. On Thursday, airport rep Andy McDill sent Buzz Central the lineup for its impressive music series, set to run in the airport’s atrium 5-7 p.m. throughout the holidays. The schedule includes Super Choir (gospel) on Monday; D’vine (gospel) on Tuesday; and Twisted Royalty (funk/eclectic) on Wednesday.
Also: Thursday, Tri-Cities Chorus (school choir); Dec.19, Cherisse Stephens (gospel); Dec. 22, Kingsized (traditional jazz and holiday songs); Dec. 23, Monica Hargrave (harpist); and Dec. 24, Brian Clay (jazz). In other traveling music news, we’re told that strolling carolers in traditional Victorian garb will greet travelers on Dec. 19, 22 and 23 throughout the airport’s six concourses.
BOX, BOW BRAVES GIFT
Want to give the gift of the Atlanta Braves but concerned you won’t have enough paper and bows to adequately wrap Chipper Jones for under the tree? Then Buzz Central humbly suggests the team’s holiday six-game gift pack. Starting at $152, you can score two tickets to six Braves home games, including Opening Day, games against premier American League teams the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, plus three additional pre-selected games of your choosing, along with a gift box, Braves wrapping paper, a Braves holiday card and ball cap. If you want the gift pack to arrive for Christmas, you’ll need to order it by Monday.
More information: 404-577-9100, www.braves.com/holidays.
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top downloaded TV episodes Thursday on iTunes:
1. “Gossip Girl”: “O Brother, Where Bart Thou?” CW
2. “Heroes”: “Our Father,” NBC
3. “Desperate Housewives”: “A Vision’s Just a Vision,” ABC
4. “Chuck”: “Chuck vs. the DeLorean,” NBC
5. “The Office”: “The Surplus,” NBC
— Courtesy of iTunes
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Game show host Bob Barker (right) is 85. Singer Connie Francis is 70. Singer Dionne Warwick is 68. Singer-guitarist Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers) is 65. Singer-percussionist Sheila E. is 51. Actress Jennifer Connelly (left) is 38. Actress Mayim Bialik (“Blossom”) is 33.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Cobb singer in ‘Madness’ finals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cobb County’s Kurt Thomas is one of two finalists to win Country Music Television’s “Music City Madness” contest. The cable network taped Thomas in August at the Cobb Galleria performing his original song “Follow Your Lead,” and he’s survived a series of bracket-style competitions to get to the finals.
“It’s gonna be a surprise” whatever happens, he told Buzz. If he wins, he gets a special on CMT and mentoring from Randy Travis. The announcement will be made Thursday on CMT. Thomas, 33, also won a “Next Big Star” contest in July. In the meantime, he’s keeping his day job — being a stay-at-home dad — and his night job, playing at the Old Vinings Inn Wednesdays and Thursdays. You can vote for Thomas at www.cmt.com/interact/musiccitymadness.
ANOTHER GOIZUETA GRANT FOR THE ARTS
Georgia Shakespeare is getting the largest programming grant in its 23-year history: $536,802 from the Atlanta-based Goizueta Foundation. The money will be used to fund a new four-member educational group, the Will Power Ensemble, that can tour the Southeast year-round and play venues from elementary schools to colleges. Richard Garner, producing artistic director of Georgia Shakespeare, says the support is well timed. Given the economic downturn, Garner says the theater is looking at a 20 percent cut in next year’s budget. The grant will allow it to increase its outreach efforts and keep $75,000 as a “safety net.”
Earlier this week, the Atlanta Opera said it will receive a $1.5 million grant from the Goizueta Foundation. The philanthropy was established in 1992 by the late Roberto C. Goizueta, who ran the Coca-Cola Co. from the early 1980s until his death in 1997.
USHER CHECKS IN
It pays to have a city full of celebrities. Wednesday morning, V-103’s Frank Ski and Wanda Smith rang Usher for some help with their annual Christmas Wish List promotion, and the singer responded with a $20,000 check. “You can always rely on me, no question,” he told the duo. “Atlanta has always supported me and it’s unspoken for me to help.”
Shortly afterward, Mayor Shirley Franklin was on the air for her monthly V-103 visit and applauded the five-time Grammy winner for his efforts — calling him a great ambassador for Atlanta. “It really shows Usher’s compassion and makes me so proud of him. Atlanta is a great place because of people like Usher.”
Each year the morning show has people write in 2,000 words or less why someone they know of deserves to have a wish granted. The deadline to submit an entry is Dec. 17 at 5 p.m. at www.v103webmag.com
HIGH FIVE
Television
The Top Five On Demand programs for Dec. 1-7 as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. Beyonce: “Single Ladies,” Music Choice, Music Video
2. SpongeBob Squarepants “Christmas Special,” Nickelodeon, Kids
3. Dora the Explorer: “A Present for Santa,” Nickelodeon, Kids
4. Go Diego Go: “Diego Saves Christmas,” Nickelodeon, Kids
5. “This Christmas,” Starz, Movie
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Rita Moreno is 77. Singer David Gates of Bread is 68. Actress Donna Mills (“Knots Landing”) is 66. Singer Brenda Lee is 64. Actress Lynda Day George is 64. Actress Teri Garr is 60. Actress Bess Armstrong is 55. Singer Jermaine Jackson is 54. Bassist Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue is 50. Actor Gary Dourdan (“C.S.I.”) is 42. Actress-comedian Mo’Nique (“The Parkers”) is 40. Rapper-actor Mos Def is 35. Actor Rider Strong (“Boy Meets World”) is 29.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Tyler Perry has won in a Texas lawsuit brought by a woman who said he stole her material for his hit movie and play “Diary of a Mad Black Woman.” Jurors in the East Texas town of Marshall found Donna West did not present evidence that supported her claim of copyright infringement. In the lawsuit, filed in 2007, West argued that Perry used material from her play “Fantasy of a Black Woman.” Perry, who testified during the trial, insisted that his screenplay is an original work. The 2005 film made about $50 million. Attorneys for West said they plan to seek a new trial.
WHERE WE RANK
Eyelids feeling a bit heavy? It may not be the quality of prose in Buzz. Then again, it might. But the Centers for Disease Control just released a study that says 16 percent of Georgians — nearly 1 in 6 of us — have persistent problems staying awake during the day. Not only that, but 35 percent of Georgians wake up in the morning feeling unrefreshed.
Contributing: Wendell Brock, Richard Eldredge, 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.
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Pair’s plea: Keep Six Flags’ Scout in Atlanta
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With four days to go, a check of eBay at mid-afternoon Tuesday showed 61 bids, with a high offer of $2,650, had been made for Scout, a playful kiddie creature from Six Flags Over Georgia’s venerable Monster Plantation ride. The park is renovating the ride, renaming it Monster Mansion and donating proceeds from the monster auction to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
But two Atlanta residents say they’re worried about Scout’s post-ride retirement. Matt Berger, 30, and his creative partner, Rick Hill, 32, want Scout to stay here — go to Atlanta Braves games, nosh at the Varsity, see how much the city has changed since his fiberglass-and-fuzz body was built for the ride’s 1981 debut. Said Berger, without a hint of sarcasm: “It’s a whole new world out there for him. That’s why we want to protect him.”
The pair have launched SaveScout.org to share news and memories about the ride and its characters — and to raise some cash. (So far the coffers are low.) They bid $250 early in the eBay auction, but want to give it another shot. If they don’t win it — “and I say that with some pain,” Berger said — any money raised will still go to Children’s Healthcare.
Six Flags says it isn’t in on the SaveScout project. For now, Scout is safe inside spokeswoman Hela Sheth’s Six Flags office. Whoever wins him, she says, know this: He makes a good roomie. He’s cute, doesn’t talk much and, since 27 years of dust and water-ride stink was washed off, Sheth said, “he smells great.”
RAISING SPIRITS IN LITTLE 5 POINTS
The home invasion Dec. 3 at Little Five Points musician Chris Devoe’s apartment became a night of horror for Devoe and his girlfriend Rachael Spiewak of the SoPo Bicycle Cooperative. Devoe ended up in the hospital and both were traumatized. Area friends and musicians want to help them heal, and to raise neighborhood spirits at a time when such crimes seem more common. “This is happening way too often to all our friends in Little Five Points and East Atlanta,” said Suzy Moran, organizer of a benefit Thursday for Devoe and Spiewak at the Highland Inn Ballroom. The event will include performances by members of the Black Lips, Noot d’ Noot and others. “We want to make it fun, bring spirits up, and help our friends out,” said Moran. Information: http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/cribnotes/2008/12/08/chris-devoe-rachael-spiewak-benefit-at-highland-inn-thurs-dec-9th
PEARSON SHOWS HER ‘POWER’
Next month, the editors at Atlanta Woman magazine will be honoring WSB television news anchor Monica Pearson — she of the ever-changing hairstyle — for her dual career as a television personality and as a champion of good causes. She has worked tirelessly for the United Way, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Meals on Wheels, the American Cancer Society, Families First and the Northwest Georgia Girl Scouts, among others. During ceremonies Jan. 13 at the Georgia Aquarium, the magazine will bestow plaudits on Pearson as their 2009 Power Woman of the Year.
About 20 other women also will be honored that day as Women on the Way, said publisher Elisabeth Marchant, including engineers, lawyers, PTA moms and MBAs. “One speaks five languages. There is a three-time Emmy award winner, a 2008 World Series Poker player and a WNBA coach. The personal accomplishments of these 20 women run the gamut and take many different forms, but one common thread ties them together — they are on their way to the top.”
TUSH TAKES A BOW FOR ‘LIFE’
Bill Tush, veteran Atlanta broadcaster and one of Ted Turner’s early hires, will make a cameo appearance in the Dec. 13 matinee performance of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” produced by the Theatrical Outfit. Tush read the late-night news on Channel 17, ran his own comedy show called “Tush,” and hosted shows for CNN in Los Angeles and New York. He appears with the theater group at the Saturday performance as the Bridgekeeper who witnesses George Bailey’s plunge into the river. Information: www.theatricaloutfit.org
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Shakespearean actor Kenneth Branagh is 48 today. Rock drummer Meg White (The White Stripes) is 34; actress Summer Phoenix is 30; actor Patrick Flueger (“The 4400”) is 25; actress and musician Raven Symone “The Cheetah Girls”) is 23.
WHERE WE RANK
Among the pages of data in the U.S. Census Bureau’s new report on smaller Georgia cities and counties, a few quirky facts surfaced:
• At least a quarter of the residents in Hinesville in southeast Georgia are veterans, making it one of nine small cities nationwide with such a high percentage of vets.
• Jackson County experienced a 74 percent increase in service jobs — including firefighters and police officers, janitors, chefs, home health aids and waiters — since 2000. Jackson County, which at 59,254 people was No. 10 in the nation in growth rate last year, was growing at a 6.7 percent rate.
• In Douglasville, fewer of the city’s 24,174 residents (44.7 percent) were born in Georgia than were born in another state (47.6 percent). The rest were born abroad.
Contributing: Jamie Gumbrecht, Mary Lou Pickel, Jennifer Brett and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Gifts, vodka are generous at Toy Party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Judging by the jampacked parking garage, with cars tucked into every available nook and cranny, the sixth annual Toy Party at AmericasMart Building 3 was a huge success Sunday night. The annual toy drive, silent auction and holiday cocktail party is a benefit for 15 nonprofit organizations statewide that help children in need and their families, including Appalachian Children’s Emergency Shelter, Chris Rainbow Kids, Cobb Christmas Inc., Crossroads Foundation, Easter Seals North Georgia, the Housing Authority of DeKalb County and Youthpride.
Smiling in advance of Sunday’s Toy Party, Stephanie Keal (from left), Alison Hall, Jorge Esteban and For the Kid in All of Us president Frank Bragg enjoy a pre-party at the Bill Lowe Gallery. (Eric Bryant)
While he’s been on the board since the benefit’s inception, this was organizer Frank Bragg’s first year helming the event as board president.
As favorable reports filtered into his earpiece, Bragg looked relieved as 400 volunteers stacked small mountains of unwrapped presents on the stage below him. The event drew hundreds of attendees into the massive space.
“I’ve had a lot of sleepless nights,” Bragg told Buzz. “Due to the economy, we’ve had some sponsors pull out or scale back. It’s remarkable that we have any sponsorships at all, given the times right now. Everyone’s been amazingly generous.”
The evening’s presenting sponsor was Delta Air Lines, and major sponsor Metrotainment Cafes generously donated $50 gift cards to every one of its metro Atlanta eateries, including the ever-popular Einstein’s and Cowtippers.
Our favorite silent auction item of the evening? A 3.75-inch action figure to be created in the buyer’s likeness (a $500 value) donated by Toy Party patrons Todd Vierling and Adam May.
Thanks to donations from Smirnoff vodka, the Georgia Beverage Association and a small army of bartenders, last year’s long lines for cocktails were ancient history.
Still, Outwrite Books owner Philip Rafshoon, a Toy Party event partner, came prepared this year. At the check-out of his Midtown business, small silver flasks were being sold to prospective Toy Party attendees.
Sure enough, Rafshoon himself had one filled with vodka.
Joked Rafshoon: “I wasn’t taking any chances!”
Toy Party organizers remain optimistic about the future. On the opening page of the silent auction catalog was the following message to attendees: “Mark your calendars for next year’s event Sunday, December 6, 2009.”
FINNERAN: ‘DESTINY IS IN OUR HANDS’
Atlanta Falcon Brian Finneran was a mix of emotions when he called into Dave FM’s Mara Davis show Monday morning for his weekly report. He was bummed about the team’s disappointing loss to the New Orleans Saints Sunday but happy he scored a touchdown.
“It felt good,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
Finneran was more focused, however, on next Sunday’s anticipated tough matchup against Tampa Bay in the Georgia Dome. “It’s one of those games we must win to keep us in the playoff hunt,” he said. “Right now, our destiny’s in our own hands. We really need the fans to come out.”
Despite Sunday’s loss, the healthy-again wide receiver had a nice surprise awaiting him at home that night. His wife Erin had finished decorating the family’s Christmas tree and had left it lit for him.
SICK BAY UPDATE
Part-time Atlantan and former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Toni Braxton was MIA at last month’s finale of the popular ABC reality series. Tmz.com is reporting that it was due to yet another health scare for the singer. According to Tmz, “Braxton discovered a lump in her breast before she was set to appear on ‘DWTS’ and was told she had to have it removed immediately. Rather than have the surgery right away, Braxton chose to wait until after she was eliminated from the show.” The lump, Tmz reports, turned out to be benign. Braxton was said to be recuperating at the time of November’s two-night finale.
As Buzz readers will recall, earlier this year, Braxton was diagnosed with microvascular angina. The heart ailment prompted constant monitoring of the vocalist while she was on “DWTS,” and Braxton has said a cardiologist was on set whenever she performed.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Kirk Douglas, above, is 92. Actor Dick Van Patten (“Eight Is Enough”) is 80. Actor-writer Buck Henry is 78. Actress Judi Dench is 74. Singer Joan Armatrading is 58. Actor Michael Dorn (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 56. Actor John Malkovich is 55. Country singer Sylvia is 52. Singer Donny Osmond is 51. Actress Felicity Huffman (“Desperate Housewives”) is 46. Singer-guitarist Jakob Dylan of The Wallflowers is 39. Incoming “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi is 38. Actor Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”) is 30.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I’ve been called ‘a dumb broad.’ And when that happens I say, ‘Barbara, what’s your problem?!’ “
“The View’s” Joy Behar on Monday’s show, seeking to diffuse the tension after Elisabeth Hasselbeck criticized
the Rev. Jeremiah Wright for calling her a “dizzy blonde”
and “a dumb broad.” Barack Obama’s controversial former
pastor made the insults from the pulpit Sunday. “View”
den mother Barbara Walters gave Hasselbeck a
supportive hug as they went into a commercial break.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Canines strut stuff at Rein Dog Parade
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Braving brisk temperatures, hundreds of Atlantans and their festively attired canines turned out Saturday morning for the first Rein Dog Parade at the Atlanta Botanical Garden in Midtown.
If the traffic jam getting into the tourist attraction is any indication, the city’s pets have a new holiday tradition.
“Chicago has a similar event and I thought it was a wonderful idea, ” said Garden executive director Mary Pat Matheson, whose Scottish terrier, Sedona, accompanied her to the family outing. “This is the first time we’ve allowed dogs into the garden. We had to talk our horticulture staff into it though. They were a little concerned about the plants.”
More than 100 dressed-up doggies ended up entering the contest. Some had to be coaxed into their costumes.
Virginia-Highland whippet Bogey didn’t need any convincing to don his brown sweater to complete his Chick-fil-A cow outfit (although we’re thinking the surgical-glove udder required some treat-related convincing …).
“He gets cold easily, and he loves getting dressed up, ” owner Sheryl Goodman explained. “He has cow-like markings too.”
A tiny Tucker resident named Moon was debuting a design by her owner, Savannah College of Art & Design student Logann Fincher. Sporting a green onesie and fuzzy feet, Moon was masquerading as “The Grinch Who Stole Biscuits.”
“I just saw the Grinch on TV and got inspired, ” Fincher said. “Moon didn’t require any fittings either. It just worked. She’s actually a very nice dog, but she does steal biscuits a lot!”
Miniature chocolate dachshund Peanut from Canton was meanwhile making merry as a tiny frilly Christmas tree. Remarkably, her owners, Mary Mullins and Nicole Fischer, started the outfit Friday night and finished stringing the faux fuzzy lights on the outfit early Saturday.
“She likes to wear a sweater, and she was very patient with us, ” Mullins said, adjusting Peanut’s tree topper hat.
Peanut also hopped off with the very large Best in Show trophy post-parade.
Buzz attempted to speak with Peanut after her big win, but she was busy burrowing into her winnings: a cellophane-wrapped bucket of treats.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The runoff in the Georgia Senate race was won this week by Saxby Chambliss, who is the incumbent Republican senator and not, as I believed, an obscure font,” said “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update anchor Amy Poehler during this week’s live broadcast early Sunday. The episode marked Poehler’s return to the late-night show from her recent maternity leave.
NIGHTCLUB OPENS
These are tough times to open any business, much less a nightclub. The owners of the Vegas-style Primal Atlanta are giving it the old college try, taking over what used to be WetBar, a popular gay Midtown nightspot for several years, until it shut down in late summer.
Buzz checked Primal (at 960 Spring St. N.W.) Saturday night for its “soft opening” weekend and found a target audience far different from that of WetBar. With five bars and a patio (not used since it was too cold), the 1,200-person venue drew a few hundred hipster types, enough to keep the place buzzing but not enough to be considered packed. Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner’s ex from E! show “Girls Next Door, ” looked fab posing for pictures and schmoozing in a small V.I.P. area.
The music before midnight (including a live band) was pure rock, meaning Nine Inch Nails, Offspring and Lenny Kravitz. The Rihanna/Leona Lewis-type pop/dance came on after midnight.
The guitars hanging from one of the bars evoke a bit of that Hard Rock Cafe vibe. There’s even a small store selling rock-oriented shirts a la Hard Rock. The marketing material, playing off the “Got Milk” campaign, features a comely woman with a guitar covering her naked body and the tagline “Got Rock?”
Not surprisingly, general manager Flo Lee used to work at Hard Rock in Las Vegas. Lee told Buzz the club is for “everybody” and will be “fun and edgy.” While her descriptive powers were less than enthralling, it’s fair to say Primal is seeking an upscale rock crowd (as opposed to, say, the grungier aesthetic of the Masquerade) with far sleeker environs than the more modest digs at the Earl or Smith’s Olde Bar.
HIGH FIVE
B98.5
For the week of Nov. 30-Dec. 6
1. “Feliz Navidad” Jose Feliciano
2. “Little Saint Nick” Beach Boys
3. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” Brenda Lee
4. “Last Christmas” Wham!
5. “All I Want for Christmas” Mariah Carey
— Mediabase 24/7
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS Actor David Carradine is 72. Singer-keyboardist Gregg Allman of the Allman Brothers is 61. Actress Kim Basinger is 55. Actress Teri Hatcher is 44. Singer Sinead O’Connor is 42. Atlanta-based guitarist Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel is 36. Actor Dominic Monaghan (“Lost, ” “Lord of the Rings”) is 32.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Bit of Georgia ornaments nation’s capital
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia is gorgeously represented this year on the White House Christmas tree, thanks to Georgia artist Karron Denaple and Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.). The politician invited Denaple to create a one-of-a-kind ornament for first lady Laura Bush’s annual holiday tradition.
There was one small glitch: Denaple had never done an ornament before, preferring to create large colorful wood sculptures.
“It was quite an honor, especially since it was my first try,” Denaple told Buzz on Friday.
She and daughter Jessica Mackert arrived in Washington this week to see the finished product. And it didn’t take the artist long to recognize her work.
“I spotted it as soon as I walked into the room!” she said. “It was right in front, about three feet from the bottom. I was told that nobody else could find theirs. It was just perfect.”
Her Georgia ornament well represents Linder’s District 7, too. Denaple painted a Lady Liberty clutching a Georgia peach, sitting on the Georgia state seal surrounded by an oak tree with a yellow ribbon for Georgia troops overseas and accented with Cherokee roses, the state flower.
“I was going to include the state bird, a brown thrasher, too, but I thought it might be too much,” the artist said. “I decided to keep it light and airy.”
Unfortunately, Denaple and Mackert didn’t get any direct face time with Mrs. Bush, but Denaple did manage to capture a few images of the first lady via her camera phone.
What’s more, from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, at Lola Art Gallery & Gift Shop in Roswell, local fans can take a gander at the 12 prototype ornaments Denaple created before painting the final version for the White House.
The real one, you see, isn’t for sale.
Explained Denaple: “I had to sign a waiver saying I wouldn’t mass produce my White House ornament. It’s OK. I have a picture of it.”
‘MADE’ IN MADISON
Anthony Connally, the 32-year-old director of elite athlete development at Marietta’s Life University, usually trains highly motivated pro and college athletes. But he was intrigued when MTV was fishing around for a trainer to help out a kid named Avery Williams from Morgan County High School in Madison.
The show “Made” gives a high school kid a shot to do something they aren’t used to doing. In this case, Avery — with zero athletic experience — wanted to become a basketball player. Connally was given just six weeks.
Connally said they clashed at first, his tough-love training techniques a bit overwhelming for Avery, who was “a little soft.” But they bonded over time. MTV liked the episode so much, he said, the network moved it up from Jan. 11 to 4 p.m. today. And talk about fast turnaround time for this type of show: They finished taping last month.
“I think he’ll be able to stick with it,” Connally told Buzz. “He’s done it long enough, it’s become second nature.”
YULE LOG UPDATE
On Friday, we reported about the famed Yule Log and other wintry scenes available this holiday season via Comcast digital cable. Alas, a few faithful Buzz readers reported in to say it was a bit tricky, if not impossible, to locate. We reached out to New York cable spokeswoman Ellen Cooper, who e-mailed us to explain where to find it on local OnDemand listings: “Readers might have to page down within the category since Yule Log begins with a ‘y,’ it is at the bottom of the listing. On Comcast, they should look through the On Demand categories for ‘TV entertainment’ or ‘top picks’ (hi-def or standard-def). Then, open the folder that says ‘yule log & more’ and scroll down. It might be on page 2.”
Happy viewing!
WANTED: ALUMINUM TREE FANS
Remember back in the late 1950s and early 1960s when the mod Christmas decor was a sparkly aluminum Christmas tree?
Guess what? The kitschy trees, first manufactured by the Aluminum Speciality Co. in Manitowoc, Wis., in 1958, are suddenly fetching small forests of cash on eBay.
If you prefer to deck the halls with a vintage aluminum tree and its mandatory accessory, the rotating color wheel, we want to hear from you for an upcoming Living story on aluminum tree aficionados. E-mail us your story at buzz@ajc.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Saturday: Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck is 88. Singer Frankie Beverly of Maze is 62. Actress JoBeth Williams is 60. Actor Tom Hulce is 55. Actor Kin Shriner is 55. Guitarist Peter Buck of R.E.M. is 52. Guitarist Ben Watt of Everything but the Girl is 46.
Sunday: Actress Ellen Burstyn is 76. Singer Tom Waits is 59. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 42. Singer Sara Bareilles is 29. Singer Aaron Carter is 21.
EXPECTING
Anne Heche is having another baby.
Heche’s representative, Nicole Caruso, has confirmed that the actress is pregnant. The father is her boyfriend and former “Men in Trees” co-star James Tupper.
Heche has a 6-year-old son, Homer, from her marriage to cameraman Coleman Laffoon. The couple divorced in June after a protracted custody dispute.
The 39-year-old actress played a relationship guru who relocated to Alaska in the ABC drama.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Get the yule log without the splinters
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Digital cable subscribers have some freebie high-definition entertainment options this holiday season, courtesy of iN Demand Networks.
Well, if you consider watching a crackling yule log, snow gently falling in a forest or a snowman braving a wintry chill entertainment, that is. The blood-pressure-lowering, lazy snow scenes and the cozy fire were all shot with HD cameras and are presented in 1080i picture and 5.1 sound.
“And it’s actually very green,” iN Demand rep Ellen Cooper told Buzz Thursday. “Burning actual logs releases carbon emissions. Our yule log doesn’t.”
Plus, as the New Yorker points out, looking at even a virtual snowman here in the South is about as close as we usually come to the real thing.
And no, parents, this snowman doesn’t melt, unlike that small-fry traumatizing one in the classic animated “Frosty the Snowman” special.
“He just sits there and gets snowed on,” Cooper reassures.
The winter scenes are new additions to digital cable offerings this year, but broadcasts of burning yule logs date back to New York City television in 1966.
“It’s our way of offering a little whimsy in a difficult year,” Cooper said. “Our customers really seem to love it. You can stay home, keep warm and just pretend you’re in the snowy woods.”
The free service is available to Comcast and Cox Communications subscribers. It also comes in standard definition.
In addition, “The Holiday Yule Log” gift kit is also out in stores (Cider Mill Press, $14.95), which includes holiday carols, a gift book and lyrics to holiday carols.
But our favorite variation on the theme this year?
An extra on the new DVD release of the Comedy Central special, “A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All” featuring faux Fox News blowhard Stephen Colbert: A book-burning yule log that plays on a continuous loop. The hilarious highlight of the oh-so-wrong bonfire? When a weighty paperback copy of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” is hoisted atop the blaze.
‘GRITS’ hits ‘GMA
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, looking chic in a black pantsuit accented with a red bloom in her lapel, introduced a live New York audience to the theme of “From Southern Grits to Holiday Glitz” Thursday morning on “Good Morning America.”
That’s the theme of a holiday store window display representing Atlanta on the Times Square set of “GMA” this month.
Franklin unveiled the display live on the show.
Atlanta was one of three cities chosen this year to decorate a window on the “GMA” set. The others are Kansas City, Mo., and Denver.
Atlanta’s display features various city icons or traditions — the Georgia Aquarium, the state Capitol, the Fox Theatre, the New Year’s Eve Peach drop, the Pink Pig train ride, etc. — set on a dusting of snow-white grits. As a miniature Pink Pig train wound around the window, “GMA” cameras cut live to the real thing at Lenox Square mall as carolers from the Ron Clark Academy, dressed in their school uniforms and Santa hats, performed “Joy to the World” for the national audience.
When “GMA” anchors Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts asked Franklin why Santa was arriving via a Delta Air Lines jet in the window, herzzoner answered: “Because Atlanta has such a great airport.”
Apparently, there was some sort of run-in with gravity off-camera. As Franklin presented Sawyer and Roberts with a solitary Atlanta snow globe, Roberts cracked: “So how many of those did you drop?”
Answered Franklin sheepishly: “I only dropped one. Fortunately, I came prepared!”
A SPICE-Y GROUPE
Members of Atlanta’s fashion flock dined at the W Hotel’s Spice Market on Wednesday as guests of the Gilt Groupe, an invitation-only online sample sale that retails designer merchandise from brands such as Zac Posen and Jill Stuart at up to 70 percent off.
Attendees included actors Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker, designer Mychael Knight, recording artist David Banner and “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reality stars Lisa Wu-Hartwell and Sheree Whitfield. Hostess Bevy Smith, a New York-based style maven, kept the crowd entertained and encouraged everyone to check out the shopping site in order to keep themselves clad in the finest (discounted) designer duds.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Atlanta Peach magazine bites the dust
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Peach magazine, the high-end monthly glossy launched in 2006 and devoted to style, celebrities and the city’s social and arts scene, has shut down.
Human resource representatives from New York-based parent company Niche Media Holdings arrived at the publication’s Buckhead offices Tuesday and informed publisher Elizabeth Schulte Roth and her staff that the magazine was suspending publication, citing the current economy.
The company representatives then confiscated the staff’s corporate BlackBerrys. By early Wednesday morning, the Atlanta Peach magazine Web site already had been dismantled.
Buzz learned that Roth and editor Drew Brown were informed of the magazine’s shuttering when they were invited by company reps to lunch at Chops in Buckhead on Tuesday. According to one witness who observed the business lunch, Roth and Brown nervously picked at a bread basket while reps from Niche ordered up surf and turf entrees.
Atlanta Peach was the brainchild of Ocean Drive magazine president Jerry Powers, who wanted to replicate his trendy South Beach bible in Atlanta.
The glossy announced its arrival here in spring 2006 with a celebrity-drenched launch party at the InterContinental Buckhead. Attendees included music star Usher, actress Pamela Anderson and a mini-concert by hip-hop star Ludacris.
Last year, Ocean Drive Media announced a partnership with the New York-based Niche Media and the Las Vegas-based Greenspun Media Group to create what Powers at the time referred to as “the largest network of city-specific luxury publications in the country.”
The merger was created with the intention of allowing all three companies’ publications to tap into a total of 16 markets and an estimated 4.4 million readers.
Through a spokesperson, Roth said she could not discuss the matter. Niche Media Holdings CEO Jason Binn and Niche president Powers did not respond to an e-mailed request for comment. A rep for Niche Media chairman Brian Greenspun in Las Vegas told us he was not available for comment Wednesday.
‘Monster’ auction
Monster Plantation, a regular and unique fixture at Six Flags Over Georgia since 1981, is closing down for renovations.
The Cobb County amusement park is redesigning Monster Plantation, one of the park’s oldest attractions, and will be auctioning off one of the ride’s original monsters.
Proceeds from the eBay auction, which begins at 9 a.m. today, will be donated to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The monster being sold is named “Scout” and is one of the Boy Scouts in the ride’s “Little Monster Club.”
For the past 27 years, Monster Plantation has been located in the 25,000-square-foot building that originally housed the park’s Tales of the Okefenokee ride. It will reopen next May as Monster Mansion.
To bid on Scout, go to www.ebay.com and search for item number 180311122962. Bidding starts at $100.
Overscene
Actress Jasmine Guy ordering the fried green tomatoes sans goat cheese at South City Kitchen in Midtown.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Connections make football book special
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
One of the more tantalizing tales in Atlanta author Paul Hemphill’s new book, “A Tiger Walk Through History: The Complete Story of Auburn Football From 1892 to the Tuberville Era,” occurs right at the kickoff.
In the Alabama school’s very first game, played in Atlanta’s Piedmont Park against the University of Georgia, Auburn’s first touchdown was achieved when electrical engineering professor Foster McKissick handed his petite teammate Dutch Dorsey the ball.
And then promptly hurled him through the air and into the end zone.
“It was an ingenious play, as you might imagine,” Hemphill told Buzz on Tuesday. “But that particular maneuver was banned soon after.”
Hemphill will sign copies of the book Thursday night at Manuel’s Tavern before he heads back to his alma mater for a signing Dec. 10. And the former Atlanta Journal columnist had an inside advantage when trying to coax Vince Dooley into penning the tome’s foreword. Hemphill has known the legendary UGA football coach since 1956, when Dooley was an assistant football coach at his alma mater and Hemphill was a student reporter covering the team for The Plainsman.
He also got notable Auburn alum and author Anne Rivers Siddons to contribute her remembrances, and got a certain Pulitzer Prize-winning AJC editorial page editor to come clean about adorning Toomer’s Drug Store with bathroom tissue as an Auburn student in the early 1970s. (Claims our colleague Cynthia Tucker in “Tiger Walk”: “It’s hard to recall exactly how my friends and I ended up with toilet paper in our hands.”)
Said Hemphill, laughing: “I was delighted that Cynthia wrote about that. Especially, since she was a nice girl who wasn’t raised to deface public property!”
The veteran reporter concedes in the book’s intro that he allowed objectivity to fly out the window while writing “Tiger Walk,” but says some of his old work habits may have crept into his copy.
“I’ve been told that I may have been a little too admiring of [Alabama coach] Bear Bryant,” Hemphill said. “He was one of the greatest coaches there ever was, but he sure made life difficult for us for a lot of years!”
Hemphill’s signing at Manuel’s (602 N. Highland Ave. N.E.) is set for 6 to 8 p.m.
Britney is back
First, pop tart Britney Spears celebrated her 27th birthday Tuesday showing off some taut abs and lip synching her way through two numbers from her brand new album, “Circus,” on “Good Morning America.” Now, she’s headed out on the road with the Britney big top.
Moments after she left the Big Apple Circus stage in New York, Philips Arena reps alerted Buzz Central that Spears will perform here March 5 with opening act the Pussycat Dolls. Tickets will go on sale Monday at the Philips Arena box office, philipsarena.com, all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 1-800-745-3000 and at Ticketmaster Express (1-866-448-7849). They range from $39.50 to $129.
Thankful for
‘Fried’ at No. 1
The Atlanta-based Zac Brown Band has pulled off something fellow Georgia natives Alan Jackson and Sugarland couldn’t do: go No. 1 with its first single.
“Chicken Fried,” the exuberant ode to Southern life, hit No. 1 just in time for Thanksgiving, knocking out Taylor Swift’s crossover hit “Love Story” and staying ahead of Tim McGraw’s pesky “Let It Go.” The song is poised to stay No. 1 for a second week as well. It’s relatively rare for a new artist to go No. 1. The only other one this year is Darius Rucker, who actually had many a hit on the pop chart heading Hootie & the Blowfish back in the 1990s.
We called Wyatt Durrette, Brown’s songwriting partner who first came up with the skeleton of the song, to get his reaction.
“We’re really thankful,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll have a few more under our belt. We’re honored and blessed. We have a lot to be thankful for.”
He said the band got the news on Nov. 22 after a concert in Nashville at Exit In before 600 to 700 fans. The label people were there, and Durrette said he and the band celebrated with well-earned glasses of champagne.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Richard Petty a big hit as Santa’s chauffeur
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Each holiday season, the folks who turn up at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro secretly wonder how the resort’s annual Lighting of the Lodge celebration will top itself. In past years, Santa Claus has arrived via hang glider, hot air balloon and on the back of a seven-ton Marine Corps truck.
On Monday, folks were still discussing last week’s lighting ceremony when approximately 3,000 attendees watched as Santa arrived in a 1959 Chevy Impala convertible. His chauffeur? NASCAR legend Richard Petty.
So which celeb resulted in a bigger swarm of fans?
“The kids were trying to get closer to Santa and the adults were trying to get closer to Mr. Petty,” Lodge rep Liza Kubik told Buzz Monday. “I would say their legendary status is equal. It was a complete surprise for everyone.”
“A friend of a friend” got Petty to the participate in the 7th annual charitable event at the middle Georgia tourist attraction.
As for our obvious follow-up question, Kubik told us: “Yes, Mr. Petty and Santa cruised up within the legal speed limit.”
This holiday season, Pecan Pie Couture designer Clint Zeagler and Sandpiper boutique owner Melissa Murdock are collaborating for a good cause. The result: a timely, limited-edition hand-screened T-shirt with the saying: “Peace is Always in Fashion.”
One hundred percent of the proceeds from the $38 shirts will go to the nonprofit Soul Changers, a Marietta-based charity for women and children in need.
“Soul Changers is trying to raise money for a house, and that’s where we thought we could step in and help,” Murdock tells Buzz. The shirts are now on sale in both her Vinings Jubilee and City Walk shops and online at shopsandpiper.com.
“It was fun to collaborate with Melissa on something,” Zeagler said. “We wanted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the peace sign and create something fun for daughters to give their moms and vice-versa. Plus, we figured this year everyone needs a little peace!”
Since each shirt is made by hand individually, each one is slightly different.
Even though she’s donating retail space and resources for the 120 peace sign shirts in stock, Murdock remained upbeat even as word spread that we’re now officially in a recession.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she cracked. “There’s something wrong with the economy?! Let’s just say we’re all working a little harder this holiday.”
Elton, Billy back on road
Tickets go on sale this Saturday for the return of piano men Elton John and Billy Joel’s “Face 2 Face” tour, at Philips Arena March 14.
The announcement was made Monday during a press conference downtown. Philips Arena president Bob Williams said the duo’s first sold-out tour together back in 1994 included a stop at the Georgia Dome.
Remarkably, tickets this time around will range from $55.50 to $181 (at Live Nation and Ticketmaster outlets) — almost the same price range as the last time they were in town in 2002 (those tickets went for $47 to $177). Promoter Peter Conlon told Buzz that the music legends were very aware of the troubled economy in the pricing — even in a situation where a sellout is virtually guaranteed.
Putting the brakes on ‘Busted’
For the debut episode of the new Speed network series, “Busted Knuckles,” host Rich Ragains flew to Atlanta to get some dirt under his fingernails at Delta Air Lines. In the episode set to air on the all-mechanics, all-the-time network on Dec. 3, Ragains gets to help change the brakes on a Boeing 777 aircraft.
“Rich adds a colorful twist by using a witty mix of humor and curiosity as he experiences the grimy, passionate, and sometimes bloody world of the American gearhead,” explained producer Brad Kimmel in a statement sent to Buzz Central. “Rich puts himself in some very interesting situations.”
Still, Buzz would have rather that Ragains had tackled something a bit more arduous during his Delta outing. Perhaps taking a crowbar to all the carry-on luggage crammed into those overhead compartments by travelers who inexplicably need to haul every single one of their possessions on board?
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
