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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > May > 29
Monday, May 29, 2006
No one will mistake Jim Belushi for Dr. Phil
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jim Belushi, star of ABC’s “According to Jim,” readily admitted to a packed house at Barnes & Noble in Vinings on Friday evening that he was promoting a book for one reason: “I thought it would be easy money.”
In the end, Belushi said, “I’m going to make about 27 cents an hour.” The book, “Real Men Don’t Apologize” (Hyperion, $21.95), features his observations about life, love and relationships. He’s on his third marriage and realizes now why he failed the first two times: “Men need three things — a sense of humor, a sense of compassion and a sense of strength. I didn’t have enough of the third.”
The actor gabbed for nearly an hour before he signed books, touching on everything from his Blues Brothers gigs to his children to his late, great brother John, who died of a drug overdose in 1982. “People still stay, ‘I’m sorry about your brother,’ ” Belushi said. “Most people can hide from that, but because of who I am, I could never hide.”
On a brighter note, he said he’s happy to have his sitcom back for a sixth season this fall — moved to a time slot away from “American Idol.” “You’re going to get a lot more of me,” he said, “whether you like it or not.”
Speaking of funny guys …
Brian Regan is one of the few stand-up comics who can sell out 2,000-seat theaters without the benefit of movie roles or a TV series, à la Ray Romano or George Lopez. And as Buzz watched Regan work the sold-out Tabernacle crowd Saturday in a loose-fitting Tommy Bahama shirt, it was clear why: He’s gut-busting funny.
Like many solid stand-ups, his humor derives as much from his energizing delivery as his jokes, which touch upon familiar staples such as food, family life and gender differences. Of cooking shows, Regan noted that of course they make it look easy: “Everything is already in pre-measured bowls!”
Plus, he does a local joke about I-285, which can be used in virtually any major city. “People are either going 3 miles per hour or 119. There really is nothing in between!”
And when it comes to Pop-Tarts, he’s bemused by the instructions on the box: “Why is there more than one step?”
Stork report
Joining Brangelina in parenthood, pop star Gwen Stefani birthed Kingston James McGregor Rossdale by Caesarean section at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on Friday, according to Stefani spokesman Dave Tomberlin. The baby weighed 7 1/2 pounds. “Both mother and child are doing well,” Tomberlin said in a statement. It’s the first child for Stefani, 36, and rocker Gavin Rossdale, 38, who were married in 2002.
‘Georgia’ on Idol’s mind
“American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks told Buzz during a news conference Friday that he wanted to sing his hero Ray Charles’ signature song, “Georgia on My Mind,” on the show but never got the opportunity.
“That would have been a tough fit” with the themes “Idol” gave him, Hicks said. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll sing it on tour.”
He said he also wanted to sing “Try a Little Tenderness” during “love song” week but had to do “Easy” instead. He also requested songs by Van Morrison and Paul Simon but couldn’t get clearance on certain songs.
As for his worst performance, Hicks said John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” didn’t click. “I think I was flat the whole song. I should have sung ‘Country Boy Can Survive’ ” by Hank Williams Jr.
If you’re interested in going to the “Idols Live” tour at Gwinnett Arena on Aug. 3 or Sept. 12, the dates are sold out, so you’ll have to try eBay or ticket brokers. And speculators have had a field day. Buzz checked several broker sites, and there are hundreds of seats available at prices from $110 to $250.
Alley Cat gets a second life
Last week, we reported that Charlie Brown’s Cabaret is leaving the struggling entertainment district at Underground Atlanta. Another original concept there has shut down as well: the Alley Cat, a rock club with exposed brick and a cool vibe. But operator Andy Adler said he couldn’t draw enough of the rock crowd and is moving to more compatible East Atlanta in late summer. “It just wasn’t the right place for our genre,” Adler said. “If nothing else, we got a lot of notoriety. We have a built-in customer base. It’s not like starting a whole new business.”
Celebrity birthdays
Singer LaToya Jackson is 50. Actress Annette Bening is 48. Actor Rupert Everett is 47. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 45. Guitarist Noel Gallagher of Oasis is 39. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder (“Boondocks”) is 32. Singer Melanie Brown (“Scary Spice”) of the Spice Girls is 31.
Contributing: news services. 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.
Foxy Brown has a rap, one she’d like to beat
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Rapper Foxy Brown, accused of assaulting two nail salon workers in a fight over payment for a manicure, will go on trial in July, a judge said Friday.
Brown, 26, whose real name is— shut up! — Inga Marchand, is charged with misdemeanor assault in the Aug. 29, 2004, incident. New York City prosecutors allege she kicked one worker and hit the other in the face.
During her last court appearance in December, Brown was to have entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor. But the session was derailed when Judge Melissa Jackson accused the rapper of disrespect and making faces at her.
“I don’t like her attitude,” Jackson then told Brown’s lawyer Joseph Fleming.
A ruckus also developed when Brown was handcuffed during the December session. She shouted at a female court officer that her numerous bracelets were “in the way” and allegedly struck the officer.
Jackson said Brown could either apologize or serve up to 30 days in jail. Brown apologized but did not enter the plea. Assistant District Attorney Gary Galperin had said the statement was legally and factually flawed and indicated that Brown had not accepted enough blame for the nail salon fracas.
On Friday, Brown appeared before Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Gerald Harris, without incident. She arrived in court wearing her hair in two long pigtails, brown knee-length pants, stiletto heels and a clinging T-shirt with a tiger image.
Harris set a hearing and trial date for July 17 and extended orders of protection for the nail salon workers.
She knows the wine list
Chantelle Grilhot, the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead’s sommelier, who was pictured here Friday, has a busy summer ahead.
Not only did she just pass the Advanced Sommelier Certificate test — which included questions on everything you want to know about wines, spirits and beers — but her drinkable concoction, Siren’s Call, was named the signature cocktail for the Georgia Aquarium.
The cocktail contest — recently judged by movers and shakers in the city — was held to celebrate the hotel’s exclusive partnership with the big tank. The winning drink is being offered in the hotel’s Lobby Lounge for $15. It features rooibos red tea, coconut Malibu rum, grenadine cointreau, orange juice and fresh plum.
At 24, Grilhot is one of the youngest sommeliers in the country to be invited to take the final test for the Master Sommelier Diploma, which is like getting a master’s degree in wine knowledge.
And how will she prepare for this grueling, weeklong event? “I will either be drinking wine, reading about wine or dreaming about wine all the time,” Grilhot said.
Stork report
Actor Kevin Dillon has a new addition to his personal entourage.
The 41-year-old star of the HBO show “Entourage” became a first-time father last week when his wife, 28-year-old model and actress Jane Stuart, gave birth to a daughter, Us Weekly magazine reported on its Web site Thursday. Ava Dillon was born in a Los Angeles-area hospital, the magazine said.
Uncoupling
Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank will file for divorce from actor-husband Chad Lowe, People magazine reports. “Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe have jointly decided to divorce,” an attorney for the couple, Jeffrey A. Bernstein, told the magazine in a story posted on its Web site Friday. “They continue to be friends and have the utmost respect for one another.”
The female side of Dylan
Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, who has portrayed Queen Elizabeth and Katharine Hepburn, will add another legend to her résumé: Bob Dylan. The 37-year-old Australian actress is one of seven actors to play Dylan at various stages of his career in the biopic, “I’m Not There,” tentatively scheduled for release next year. She’ll portray a specific aspect of Dylan’s personality, embodied by an androgynous singer-songwriter character named Jude, according to Killer Films, the movie’s production company.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Actor Christopher Lee is 84. Actress Lee Meriwether is 71. Musician Ramsey Lewis is 71. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 70. Actor Richard Schiff (“The West Wing”) is 51. Actor Todd Bridges (“Diff’rent Strokes”) is 41. Rapper Andre 3000 of OutKast is 31. Rapper Jadakiss is 31.
Sunday: Singer Gladys Knight is 62. Singer John Fogerty is 61. Actor Brandon Cruz (“The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”) is 44. Actress Christa Miller is 42.
Contributing: Marylin Johnson and news services. If you have a tip, 404-526-2749. 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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