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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > July > 30
Sunday, July 30, 2006
‘Idol’ finalists meet Bush
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Helena Oliviero - Staff
No more worries for Mr. President. Katharine McPhee was well enough to make her Oval Office appointment.
The “American Idol” runner-up recovered from a nasty bout of bronchitis and laryngitis just in time for her audience with President Bush on Friday, says Eric Green, a publicist with the Fox network program.
McPhee, champion Taylor Hicks and the rest of last season’s top 10 were the first contestants from the hit show to be invited to the White House, which said Bush is “aware of the show.”
Hicks handed Bush a harmonica. Third-place finisher Elliott Yamin overslept and showed up five minutes late at the White House. McPhee, who missed the first 18 dates of the “Idols Live” tour, made her first concert appearance later that day at the Verizon Center, singing “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and “Over the Rainbow” before joining the group for a finale of “Living in America.”
Garden concerts in bloom
Speaking of “Idol” … If you need a little fix, you can catch alum George Huff —- the nice, earnest contestant from Season 3 —- at the Atlanta Botanical Garden concert series next month.
Huff will open for the Atlanta-based Blind Boys of Alabama at 8 p.m. Aug. 9. It’s part of the garden’s annual “SunTrust Concerts in the Garden.”
Gates open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $33, with a 10 percent discount for garden members. Order tickets online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 404-249-6400. On Aug. 18, you can catch Taylor Dayne and Naked Eyes.
Gibson accused of DUI
Mel Gibson was arrested early Friday on suspicion of driving under the influence, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.
Gibson’s vehicle was speeding eastbound on the Pacific Coast Highway when officers stopped him at 2:36 a.m., sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said. The vehicle was a Lexus, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Gibson, 50, was booked at the Lost Hills sheriff’s station at 4:06 a.m., according to department records. The actor-director was cited and released, Whitmore said. Bail was set at $5,000.
According to the Washington Post Sunday, after Gibson was stopped, handcuffed and put into a police cruiser, Gibson reportedly launched into an anti-Semitic tirade punctuated by obscenities, threats and sexually abusive language, according to the celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.com, which on Saturday posted four pages of a handwritten report from the arresting officer. In the report, which appears to be a chronology of the arrest, Gibson boasted that he “owns Malibu” and ranted about “[expletive] Jews” and how “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department would not comment Saturday on the release of the arrest narrative by TMZ, but sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore earlier promised that “nothing will be sanitized. There is absolutely no favoritism shown for the suspect.” The case is still being investigated, and the Web site said Gibson’s encounter with officers once he reached the sheriff’s station was videotaped by the police.
The alleged anti-Semitic rant could prove especially damaging for the Oscar-winning director of “Braveheart,” who also made the religious blockbuster “The Passion of the Christ,” a movie about the Crucifixion. The film was controversial in part because some feared it would incite anti-Semitism and also because it was revealed that director’s father, Hutton Gibson, had made statements denying the Holocaust, calling it “mostly” fiction.
On Saturday, before the details of his tirade became widely known, Gibson issued a statement through his publicist in which he apologized for his “despicable” behavior and confessed that he has been struggling with alcoholism for most of his adult life.
“After drinking alcohol on Thursday night, I did a number of things that were very wrong and for which I am ashamed,” Gibson said in his statement. “The arresting officer was just doing his job and I feel fortunate that I was apprehended before I caused injury to any other person. I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested, and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable.”
Gibson went on: “I am deeply ashamed of everything I said. Also, I take this opportunity to apologize to the deputies involved for my belligerent behavior. They have always been there for me in my community and indeed probably saved me from myself. I disgraced myself and my family with my behavior and for that I am truly sorry. I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse. I apologize for any behavior unbecoming of me in my inebriated state and have already taken necessary steps to ensure my return to health.”
Wacky TV summer drags on
In TV news, ABC is having a sluggish summer. After cutting short runs of “How to Get a Girl” and “Master of Champions” because of terrible ratings, the network pulled the plug on its blatant “American Idol” copycat, “The One: Making a Music Star.” The show last week debuted at a minuscule 3.1 million viewers, the worst debut in ABC recorded history, and things got no better this week.
Elsewhere, a metro Atlanta trivia trio is well-positioned to win $250,000 in VH1’s new show “The World Series of Pop Culture.” On Thursday night, the cable network aired the semifinals featuring El Chupacabra —- Smyrna’s Mason Spencer, 34, his neighbor Alexandra Clark, 33, and Chamblee’s Jodi Roth, 33 —- vs. a team called Almost Perfect Strangers.
With the score tied after Clark aced a category about the show “Friends,” VH1 ran out of time and left a cliffhanger for next Thursday’s episode at 10 p.m.
But moments later, the network aired a promo revealing which team made it into the finals, immediately ruining said cliffhanger. (We won’t spoil it if you missed the promo.)
Also, the show’s graphics informed viewers that Spencer and Clark live in a place called “Smyma.”
Kitchen pals reunite
Klaus Fritsch, co-founder of Morton’s steakhouse chain, caught up with an old friend Thursday night —- Pano Karatassos, founder and CEO of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. In town to tout his new book, “Morton’s Steak Bible” (Random House, $30), Fritsch hosted a book signing party at Morton’s Buckhead location attended by his longtime pal, plus 100 other guests. “I was chef at the Beef and Bird restaurant in Washington, D.C., in ‘68, and Pano was my sous chef,” Fritsch said. “He was excellent. I always call him ‘the golden Greek’ because he looks like [Aristotle] Onassis,” referring to the late Greek shipping magnate. In turn, Karatassos, who attended the party with his son Niko, said, “Klaus is truly one of the most generous and open people I’ve ever met. I feel fortunate to have worked side by side with him.” Before Karatassos and his son left, they enjoyed smoked salmon, and Pano asked Fritsch for his source of the tasty fish. Fritsch promised to get back to Karatassos with a name. Don’t be surprised if that particular salmon pops up at the Fish Market or Bluepointe in the near future.
Celebrity birthdays
Today: Documentary maker Ken Burns is 53. Actress Alexandra Paul (“Baywatch”) is 43. Singer Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men is 33. Country singer Martina McBride is 40.
Sunday: Actor Dick Wilson (Mr. Whipple) is 90. Movie director Peter Bogdanovich is 67. Singer Paul Anka is 65. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is 59. Actress Delta Burke is 50. Actor Laurence Fishburne is 45. Actress Lisa Kudrow is 43. Actress Hilary Swank is 32.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Marylin Johnson 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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