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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > July > 11 > Entry
Before church, a Cristal toast for Austin and friends
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before his carefully choreographed, prayerful pew-perching Sunday morning at Word of Faith Family Worship Center in Austell, Dallas Austin engaged in some behavior, well, a bit more in line with that of a music mogul — he partied like a rock star at Pano’s & Paul’s Saturday night.
Buzz Central was brimming over with tips Monday morning about the recently pardoned 35-year-old record producer’s Buckhead bash, celebrating his freedom after being held in custody on drug charges for nearly eight weeks in Dubai.
With approximately 25 friends and family members, including A-listers “Madea’s Family Reunion” creator/actor/producer/director Tyler Perry and “Remember the Titans” actor Denzel Washington, Austin and company dined on chef Gary Donlick’s batter-fried lobster tails and wine.
And to toast his successful return home to Atlanta? A 3-liter bottle of Cristal champagne.
Oops.
Yes, the recently boycotted bubbly was the table’s drink of choice. In his defense, Austin was locked up in a sketchy foreign country in recent weeks as rapper Jay-Z labeled the fermented foreign grape juice’s makers “racist,” and called for hip-hop enthusiasts everywhere to order alternative brands of bubbly.
Naturally, Austin’s newest appendage, Atlanta attorney Joel Katz — the man, who along with an assist from client U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), natch, is widely credited with helping to secure Austin’s release — accompanied the producer to the dinner.
We’re told that fans waited outside until late into the evening to grab autographs and photos as the celebrity crowd departed. Inside the eatery, well-wishers welcomed Austin home and congratulated him on his government pardon.
There was no immediate word on whether Katz would translate the celebratory homecoming bash into billable hours.
It could also not be determined at press time Monday when exactly Austin would begin producing Hatch’s (also a musician and songwriter) next CD project.
Eat your heart out, Jessica
Now that Nick Lachey’s new solo album is a hit, he’s ready to go on the road.
Lachey, 32, will tour this fall in support of “What’s Left of Me,” which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s album chart in May and has sold more than 500,000 copies, Jive Records announced Monday.
The 26-city tour opens Sept. 20 in Albany, N.Y., with stops including Washington, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Indianapolis. The tour will end Oct. 26 in St. Louis.
The pop star is booked at Atlanta’s Tabernacle downtown on Oct. 20. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday via Ticketmaster.
“These shows will be performed in a series of smaller theaters, allowing intimate concerts with fans,” the record label said in a statement.
In his best-selling ballad “What’s Left of Me,” Lachey publicly presents the pain of his bitter breakup with his former “Newlyweds” MTV reality series co-star/wife/tuna fish consumer Jessica Simpson. The couple recently divorced after three years of marriage.
Keith Richards’ brain OK
On the eve of the relaunching of the Rolling Stones’ European tour, Keith Richards finally elaborated on one of the wackier celebrity Sick Bay installments we’ve chronicled this year. The grizzled guitarist says he’s now recovered completely from the head injury he suffered falling out of a coconut tree.
“I feel great. I can’t wait to get back on the stage again. Basically everything is cool,” Richards said Monday. The 62-year-old guitarist fell from a tree April 27 while vacationing in Fiji, forcing the Stones to postpone their European tour.
He later had surgery in New Zealand to relieve pressure on his brain.
“Of course they put me out like a light. I was surprised myself. … I had total comfort,” Richards said.
The Stones resume their “A Bigger Bang” tour tonight at San Siro stadium in Milan, Italy. The 21-date tour wraps up Sept. 3 in Denmark.
Asked what he’s been doing since the fall, Richards responded, “I recovered. … Six weeks, I mean not bad for a brain job.”
The Stones were in a jovial mood during the press conference, and when the inevitable question came — what the heck was Richards doing up in a coconut tree and did he find what he wanted? — everyone was ready to set the record straight.
“If you saw the tree, you’d realize the joke. Fiji is not just made of coconut trees. It was a little tree,” Richards said.
Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood were eager to illustrate the point, indicating a height less than half of Richards’.
Richards also confirmed his role in the third installment of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, saying he’d be filming for a week or so in September. Richards is to have a cameo role as the father of the flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp.
“Now I know why [Depp] paid for all those lunches,” Richards deadpanned.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Brett Somers (“Match Game,” “The Odd Couple”) is 82. Actor Tab Hunter is 75. Actress Sela Ward is 50. Guitarist Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi is 47. Singer Suzanne Vega is 47. Actress Lisa Rinna (“Dancing With the Stars,” “Days of Our Lives”) is 43. Actor Justin Chambers (“Grey’s Anatomy”) is 36. Actor Michael Rosenbaum (“Smallville”) is 34. Rapper Lil Kim is 31.
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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