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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > February > 27 > Entry
Smyrna mom, daughter in latest ‘Amazing Race’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Phil Keoghan lost the “Survivor” host job to Jeff Probst six years ago. But he got a heckuva consolation prize: “The Amazing Race.”
“This show is more challenging logistically” than “Survivor,” he told Buzz in a phone news conference last week promoting the latest edition, which starts at 9 p.m. Tuesday on CBS with a two-hour special. It then goes to 10 p.m. Tuesdays.
Despite logging 400,000 miles on the program, Keoghan still loves to travel: “With the beauty of hindsight, I ended up getting the gig most suited to my skills.”
Keoghan, who Americanizes his New Zealand accent for our consumption, acknowledged that last fall’s “Family Edition” fell flat with four-person teams.
There is a local player in the new series: Wanda Lopez-Rochford, a corporate trainer from Smyrna, and her daughter, Desiree Cifre, a 24-year-old writer from New York.
“The daughter is the more conservative, levelheaded one,” Keoghan said. “The mom is just out to have a great time.”
Opera auditions
Atlanta’s Ryan Smith was one of the crowd favorites Sunday afternoon at the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions at Spivey Hall. But Smith, 29, wasn’t among the three winners who will be advancing to the national finals in New York City. Smith, a Morehouse graduate, received enthusiastic applause and shouts of “bravo” for his first aria, “E la solita storia del pastore” from Cilea’s “L’Arlesiana.”
After the auditions, judge Brad Woolbright, artistic administrator for the highly regarded Santa Fe Opera, said the group of young singers was one of the best he’d ever seen. In fact, the judges were so impressed with the contestants that they bent the rules and named three winners rather than the usual one. They were: Zulimar Lopez-Hernandez, 26, a soprano from Puerto Rico; Donovan Singletary, a 22-year-old bass-baritone from Florida; and Jonathan Beyer, 24, a baritone from Chicago who competed in the district finals in Puerto Rico.
Sick bay
Sheryl Crow underwent surgery for breast cancer last week and the prognosis for a full recovery is excellent, her publicist reported Friday. In a statement on her Web site, Crow said she would postpone a North American concert tour that was scheduled to begin in March, including an appearance at the Fox Theatre on March 9.
Batters up!
Mets fans still fuming over John Rocker’s many slights will get a chance to take a swing at the former Braves reliever. Nine lucky New Yorkers will have the opportunity to hit three pitches off Rocker when Spike TV brings the surly one to town for a promotional stunt to coincide with the premiere of “Pros vs. Joes” (airing at 10 p.m. March 6), in which regular guys get to compete with professional athletes. Rocker, with copious security in tow, will be at Bryant Park from 7 to 11 a.m. March 6. (Buzz, coincidentally, may be there to torture Rocker with questions.)
A fun TLC show
Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins of TLC and Paper City held a fund-raiser for the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia this weekend, with a heavy emphasis on fun. The singer’s daughter, Chase, was among many well-dressed little ones running around the Mercedes-Benz Buckhead dealership Friday night, as Mommy oversaw the trunk show of wares from her children’s clothing boutique, Chase’s Closet.
In between impromptu dances, Shaniah delivered a plate of catered goods from Nine Restaurant and Bar to her dad, music mogul Jermaine Dupri. Teen rapper-actor Bow Wow’s mom, Teresa Caldwell, a retailer in her own right, thumbed through onesies with statements printed on them like, “My grandpa’s a stud.” Meanwhile Dupri, fellow newly minted Grammy winner Johnta Austin, singer-songwriter Kandi Burruss, former Atlanta Falcon Ray Buchanan and others took looong glances at the luxury automobiles in the showroom.
“This is a lot of fun for me,” Watkins said. “[Chase’s Closet] was voted the best baby store in Houston the third month I was open, by H magazine. So I’m blessed. … Next I want to bring a store here called Grunge Girl. It’ll be for older kids. My daughter’s getting older, so pretty soon she’ll be growing out of Chase’s Closet. So I’m going to keep that in Houston and bring [Grunge Girl] to the A, where I really wanted to be in the first place.”
Celeb birthdays
Actress Joanne Woodward is 76. Actress Elizabeth Taylor is 74. Atlanta singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas of TLC 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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