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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > March > 22 > Entry
R. Kelly shows different facets
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As Atlanta viewers watched R&B singer R. Kelly being honored as songwriter of the year on the pre-recorded Soul Train Awards last weekend, a group of students calling themselves Feminists of Color United were protesting his performance at the University of Texas because of the child pornography charges he faces.
Hence, the dichotomy that is R. Kelly. A dichotomy only Kelly seemed to be focused on during the first of his two sold-out shows at the Fox Theatre Monday. He opened his near two-hour concert with a medley of other artists’ songs he’d produced or contributed to, including “Gigolo,” by Nick Cannon, “Bump, Bump, Bump” by B2K and “I’m [Expletive] You Tonight,” by the late Notorious B.I.G. And when he left the stage for the first time, the audience could still hear him responding to someone: “What?” Kelly yelled. “Being too sexual?!” “You don’t hear my fans complaining!”
Then he walked back out and addressed the heavily female crowd: “Let me tell you what they just said: They said, ‘Robert, you’re only 15 minutes into your show, and you’re getting too freaky. … They said try to control yourself tonight … And no feeling myself around here,” he said, motioning to a portion of his anatomy. “Can I be myself?” he asked the 4,500-plus in attendance, who responded with a loud “Yes!”
Kelly egged them on: “Say, ‘Robert, do your show!’”
“Do your show!” screamed Tamera Brown, a cleaning service owner from Macon. And, ahem, what a show. It began with questions from Kelly like “Is there anyone over here that would like to go all the way with me tonight?” Midway through, he unveiled a new song he called “The Zoo” that included making a woman go “ooo-ooh-ooh-ah-ah” like a monkey. (Which the Fox crowd not only laughed at but loudly repeated.) And by the end he’d completed the full circle from carnal to wholesome and conscientious with a nod to Hurricane Katrina victims and many ticket holders dancing in the aisles to his closing, family-friendly tune, “Happy People.”
‘South Park’ returns with timely Chef show
Isaac Hayes might just want to go ahead and tune into “CSI: NY” tonight. Chances are excellent that the legendary soul man and former Atlantan won’t like what he sees on the 10th season premiere of “South Park” on Comedy Central at 10 p.m.
As Buzz readers will recall, last week Hayes resigned as the voice of Chef, the show’s legendary elementary school cafeteria toiler/advice dispenser/lover man. In a press statement e-mailed to Buzz Central and other news outlets, Hayes, a Scientologist, took issue with last fall’s “South Park” episode dedicated to lampooning Tom Cruise and his Scientology beliefs. Wrote Hayes: “There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins.”
It appears that “South Park” creators and chief imps Matt Stone and Trey Parker disagree with Hayes’ assessment.
Tonight’s episode, which has been whipped up by the pair since Hayes’ comments last week, will likely focus on the controversy.
The title? “The Return of Chef!”
In a release sent by Comedy Central to Buzz on Tuesday, the network describes the episode thusly: “The town is jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears. While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about Chef seems different. When Chef’s strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the boys pull out all the stops to save him.”
Uh-oh.
Reps at Comedy Central won’t confirm or deny whether Hayes’ voice will be used in the episode but do confirm that he is no longer associated with the satirical ‘toon.
Gala to target UNICEF efforts
UNICEF “Designs of Hope” gala chairwoman Sally Dorsey held a luncheon Tuesday at Strip to announce the details of the May 21 gala dinner and Saks Fifth Avenue and St. John fall collection fashion show to the assembled media and marketing types. The fund-raiser will be held at the InterContinental in Buckhead. Committee member Vicki Gordon told us they hope to raise $1.5 million this year, exceeding 2005’s $1.2 million record.
“People have asked me, ‘Why UNICEF? Why not something local?’ ” Dorsey recounted to the crowd. “Helping provide care and support for children made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in other countries should also be a priority for us here in Atlanta. We’re a global community. We’re all interconnected.” (For gala ticket info and details: www.designsofhope.org or 404-881-2700, Ext. 1.)
As Dorsey outlined plans for the event, Strip waiters dutifully delivered luscious strip steaks, tandoori salmon and turkey cobb salads. Strip marketing rep. Sari Bernstein confided to us that the Atlantic Station eatery, the latest culinary creation by Tom Catherall, has experienced a unique problem of late. Customers have been pilfering Strip’s pricey, gorgeous “Crocodile Dundee”-inspired Walco stainless steel steak knives. “In a couple of instances, the manager has been asked by servers to help retrieve them,” Bernstein told us. “The managers just politely ask if the customer would like the knife added to the bill. That usually takes care of the issue.”
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Karl Malden is 94. Mime Marcel Marceau is 83. Composer Stephen Sondheim is 76. Actor William Shatner is 75. Singer-guitarist George Benson is 63. News anchor Wolf Blitzer is 58. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is 58. Sportscaster Bob Costas is 54. Actor Matthew Modine is 47. Actress Reese Witherspoon is 30. Drummer John Otto of Limp Bizkit is 29.
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.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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