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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 18
Saturday, February 18, 2006
Soap opera stars give help to Katrina victims
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Local Hurricane Katrina evacuees are getting some very real help from the fictional folks who reside in the ABC soap cities of Pine Valley and Llanview.
Georgia native Bobbie Eakes, who portrays Krystal Carey, the sexy, Southern-fried mama on “All My Children,” and her castmates have been attending Erica Kane’s Mardi Gras New Orleans benefit ball on the show during February sweeps. In what is perhaps a first on daytime, the show is also running public service announcements in between the soapy plot twists to raise money for the effort.
“I’m so proud of this, especially being from the South,” Eakes told Buzz. “People forget that people are still in need there.” Eakes’ relatives in Texas volunteered at the Astrodome after the disaster last year. She says their stories helped to bring the tragedy home for her.
“To combine the ball on the show with a real time fund-raiser was a brilliant idea,” she says. Several ABC soap stars plan to be on hand for Tuesday’s Mardi Gras events in New Orleans while “Good Morning America” plans a live remote.
Over at “One Life To Live,” actress Robin Strasser, who normally stays busy playing busybody Dorian Lord, has another priority off-screen.
She recruited more than 20 of her co-stars to sing or record spoken-word selections for “One Life: Many Voices for Hurricane Relief,” a benefit CD being sold at Barnes & Noble stores nationwide.
Strasser says she watched, like many Americans, the hurricane devastation on TV. A few days into the relief effort, she decided to oversee the benefit project.
“At work, every day people would hand me CDs of their contributions for the project,” she recalls.
“I have a CD player in my dressing room. On some days, I needed to lock the door and have a little boohoo session. Everyone’s response and their dedication to this was just so extremely touching. I’m so darn proud of this CD. But this isn’t going to be over any time soon. People have had their entire homes and histories wiped away. We can’t forget that.”
To order online: www.onelifemanyvoices.com.
Getting into B.E.D.
More than 400 attendees tucked into B.E.D. together at the opening party of downtown’s chic new restaurant and lounge Thursday night.
Guests sipped on lemon-accented martinis and noshed bite-size beef Wellingtons as owners Oliver Hoyos, Dirk van Stockum, Parnell Delcham and Richard Silverman greeted boldfaced Atlantans.
Among those Buzz spotted beyond the velvet rope: singer Usher, musicians Dean Roland and Cary Franklin of Collective Soul, former Falcon Ray Buchanan and wife Sheree, fashionistas Bill and Cindy Hallman, restaurateur George McKerrow and wife Ginair, nightclub owner Michael Krohngold and party promoters Nicole Johnson, Eboni Elektra and Kim Porter. More than one sleek server did a double upon seeing WGCL-TV “Restaurant Report Card” consumer reporter Adam Murphy in the crowd. Fortunately, Murphy was off the clock.
A hungry ‘Shine’-ing Star
In the end, Star Jones Reynolds came, signed and sampled some pork shoulder and macaroni and cheese Thursday night during her “Shine” book tour stop in Atlanta.
Showing up about 20 minutes late to her scheduled signing at the Barnes & Noble store off Moreland Avenue, “The View” co-host surprised fans by bringing along her husband, Al Reynolds. After signing copies of “Shine,” the self-help author, Reynolds and former Atlanta Mayor Bill Campbell tucked into some menu favorites at Two Urban Licks.
R&B singer to tour again
Except for Broadway musicals and a few select appearances, part-time Alpharetta resident Toni Braxton hasn’t done many live performances in the past decade. But that’s about to change.
The R&B diva is embarking on her first tour in 10 years to support her latest album, “Libra.” The tour will kick off March 10 in Atlantic City, N.J., and end July 3 in Houston at the Essence Music Festival.
“I’m thrilled to be going out on the road again,” Braxton said Friday in a statement to The Associated Press. “I can’t wait to bring not only the hits that people know and love but to share the new music from ‘Libra’ with the audience.”
No word yet on an Atlanta date.
Quote of the day
“I would say to you, ‘I have a little job for you, too’ and then I would show you one of my fingers.” — Kelly Ripa to guest co-host and “American Idol” judge Simon Cowell on Friday’s “Live With Regis & Kelly”
Cowell had just informed Ripa that one of his current girlfriend’s “little jobs” in their relationship is to schlep his luggage through airports for him.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Jack Palance is 85. Actor George Kennedy is 81. Toni Morrison is 75. Movie director Milos Forman is 74. Yoko Ono is 73. John Travolta is 52. Vanna White is 49. Matt Dillon is 42. Dr. Dre is 41. Molly Ringwald is 38.
Sunday: Singer Smokey Robinson is 66. Singer Bobby Rogers of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles is 66. Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is 58. Actor Jeff Daniels is 51. Singer Seal is 43. Actress Justine Bateman is 40. Actor Benicio Del Toro is 39. Singer-actress Haylie Duff is 21.
Contributing: News services. If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. 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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