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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2006 > September > 18 > Entry
President Bush interrupts Boortz vacation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta-based syndicated radio gabber Neal Boortz was on vacation last Wednesday in Tuscon, Ariz., with his wife when he got a call on his cellphone from his White House contact. President Bush wanted to meet with Boortz on Friday. Could he make it?
“I value my vacation time,” Boortz told Buzz on Saturday, “but how could you say no to that?”
Since he had no business attire with him, he bought a gray suit that afternoon and drove 120 miles to Phoenix on Thursday to catch a flight to D.C. On Friday afternoon, Boortz arrived at the White House to meet Bush. He joined four other radio talkers — Sean Hannity, heard (like Boortz) on 750/WSB-AM, and Michael Medved, Laura Ingraham and Mike Gallagher, all heard on 920/WGKA-AM. (Where was Al Franken?)
The off-the-record talk, set for 30 minutes, ended up lasting 90. Among the subjects reportedly discussed were interrogation rules for suspected terrorists, immigration and Bush’s thoughts on various foreign leaders. Boortz said that Bush gave them a short tour of his private dining room and showed them the pistol Saddam Hussein had when he was captured.
Boortz then flew back to Tucson. Having lost two days of vacation, he delayed his return to the airwaves until Wednesday, instead of this morning, but he plans to call WSB-AM morning host Scott Slade at 8:45 this morning to offer details of his trip. And he’ll post comments on his Web site, www.boortz.com.
Could anybody else have persuaded Boortz to interrupt his vacation? “Amanda Peet!” he cracked.
Wedding bells
Holly Firfer, morning host for Dave FM radio and co-host of WXIA-TV’s “Atlanta & Company,” got married Saturday night, at Barnsley Gardens in Adairsville, to Shawn Arnold. Her guests included her former co-host Steve Barnes, former “Apprentice” contestant Wes Moss and former CNN colleagues Sanjay Gupta and Thomas Roberts.
Some new designs
Atlanta interior designer Vern Yip for years has been recognized for his stint with TLC’s “Trading Spaces,” a show he left two years ago. Now people are stopping him to talk about HGTV’s “Design Star,” which became the network’s biggest hit in its 12-year history when the show drew 3 million viewers for its Sept. 10 finale, triple the number for its debut in July.
Yip, as a judge, has been a major contributor to “Star’s” success, providing some of the more colorful commentary — basically an interior designer version of “Project Runway.”
“Design is my life,” Yip told Buzz last week. “When you ask me my opinion, I’m going to give it honestly.”
Yip, who’s also working on his own show for HGTV, said the winner, David Bromstad of Miami Beach, was a worthy one: “He’s able to visualize the end product before it’s completed.”
Old dog, new tricks
Many folks start in stand-up comedy, then move to TV or movies. “Saturday Night Live” vet Jon Lovitz has gone in reverse, launching his stand-up career just two years ago at age 47. His first appearance at the Funny Farm in Roswell showed that he’s comfortable onstage, his quirky mannerisms and self-deprecating comments transferring well in a more intimate setting.
Lovitz’s material, though, occasionally veered on the stale side. He actually did a “Clinton didn’t inhale” joke, sifted through the dusty “Bush says dopey things” file cabinet and attempted to mine yet another laugh out of the Dick Cheney hunting accident in February. Lovitz ended his late set with a seemingly endless array of “Bob Saget is gay” jokes and song parodies.
Celeb birthdays
Actor Robert Blake is 73. Singer-actor Frankie Avalon is 66. Actor James Gandolfini is 45. Actress Jada Pinkett Smith is 35.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services. 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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