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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 05 > Entry
Emeril in the soup over Orleans comment
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Controversial comments attributed to New Orleans and Atlanta restaurateur Emeril Lagasse in gossip maven Cindy Adams’ New York Post column this week have landed the celebrity chef on the front burner in his hometown.
Adams quotes Lagasse discussing what’s currently happening in New Orleans thusly: “Nothing. The mayor’s a clunk. The governor is also a clunk. They don’t know their [posteriors] from a hole in the ground. All three of my restaurants got hit. I’ve reopened Emeril’s, but only a few locals come. There’s no tourists. No visitors. No spenders. No money. No future. No people. It’s lost. It’ll never come back.”
Not unexpectedly, Times-Picayune journalist Chris Rose had a few problems with Lagasse’s assessment. Wrote Rose in Friday’s newspaper: “Like the weather’s not bad enough, we need THIS?”
In an attempt to explain the quote, Lagasse’s reps released the following statement from him to the New Orleans newspaper Thursday: “The article is not an accurate representation of the way I feel about New Orleans. I completely support the city, which is the reason I have based both my family and my business operations here for over 20 years. I did, however, express my concerns about the leadership in our city and the state. I have absolutely not lost hope in our city. I just sometimes lose patience, as I feel that things should be moving forward much faster than they are at this time.”
At press time Friday, Buzz was still perfecting using the word “clunk” correctly in a sentence…
It’s Elton – the sitcom
Former “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” actor Anthony Stewart Head, who is British, will portray a Sir Elton-inspired rock star on “Him & Us,” a situation comedy being considered by ABC for the fall. John is producing the show, loosely based on his experiences over his nearly four decades in the music business.
Coupling
Comic Jay Mohr and actress Nikki Cox are engaged, Cox’s publicist announced Friday.
The couple plan to marry next winter, publicist Alisha Mahon said.
Cox plays Mary Connell on the NBC series “Las Vegas.” She and Mohr, host of “Last Comic Standing,” met when Mohr guest-starred on the Sin City drama, Mahon said.
Cox, 27, was previously engaged to comedian Bob Goldthwait.
Mohr, 35, was married to model Nicole Chamberlain for six years. They had one child together before divorcing in 2004.
Work to begin on ‘Harry’ 5
A veteran Academy Award nominee and a 14-year-old unknown will join the cast of J.K. Rowling’s epic Harry Potter series as filming begins next week on the latest movie, producers said.
Millions of fans across the world are awaiting the adaptation of Rowling’s fifth book — “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” — which sees the return of young actor Daniel Radcliffe in the title role.
Filming will begin Monday in Hertfordshire, a county in southern England. The movie is slated for release next year.
The plot centers on the arrival of Dolores Umbridge, an unpopular new professor at wizard academy Hogwarts. She will be played by actress Imelda Staunton, nominated for an Oscar for her performance in 2004’s “Vera Drake.”
Potter also wrestles with his attraction to new character Luna Lovegood, a role taken by 14-year-old newcomer Evanna Lynch.
Lynch beat out 15,000 young rivals in an open casting for the part in Britain.
The last film in the series, an adaptation of the fourth book, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” was directed by Mike Newell and has grossed over $285 million.
“The Order of the Phoenix” will be helmed by British director David Yates, who made the HBO movie “The Girl in the Cafe.”
‘Interview’ was a hoax
An item in Friday’s Peach Buzz about “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest storming out of a radio interview was incorrect. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, the original source of the information, New Jersey 101.5 did an interview with a man pretending to be Seacrest as a hoax.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actor Conrad Bain (“Diff’rent Strokes”) is 83. Country singer Clint Black is 44. Singer Gavin DeGraw is 29.
Sunday: Comedian-actor Red Buttons is 87. Actress Barbara Hershey is 58. Actor-director-comedian Christopher Guest is 58. Singer Bobby Brown is 37. Country singer Sara Evans is 35.
Contributing: news services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-5688 or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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