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Saloon shoots for own piece of the action
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lowe’s will often place a store by a Home Depot. Burger King will plant itself catty-corner to McDonald’s.
Kennesaw’s Saddle Rack Saloon, which opened Friday, is taking the theory to nightclubbing: It parked itself in a former Just for Feet store at Town Center at Cobb, just 2.9 miles from the most established country music club in metro Atlanta, Cowboys.
Saddle Rack, with faux-burnt pine and cedar and a big dance floor, is smaller than Cowboys, fitting 1,500 people compared with 3,000-plus. But general manager Bob Hearn hopes to draw corporate support via VIP memberships and a more upscale audience. (All new nightclubs like to throw around that term, “upscale,” don’t they?).
Rodney Ho / AJC
Rhett Akins performs
“We can’t be bigger than Cowboys but we can be better,” said Hearn, who used to promote Coors beer and said he’s friends with the folks at Cowboys.
On opening night, the club drew more than 1,400 people, a solid crowd considering the relatively low-star wattage of the headliner, Rhett Akins, who had two big country hits in the mid-’90s but nothing much since. (“A washed-up has been,” sneered 23-year-old Matt Rhodes of Kennesaw, who visited the club but wasn’t impressed.)
Marietta’s Carolyn Phillips, 39, didn’t like the “flow” of the club’s layout and blanched at the $100 a month fee for individual VIP access. “They better serve free sushi and beer for that price!” she said. They don’t, but one-time entry to the VIP area upstairs was only $8 Friday.
Others were more enthused.
“It’s a cool new place to go,” said Michael Christie, 23, of Warner Robins, in the area to visit his girlfriend. “It beats Cowboys. It’s cleaner and a nicer environment.”
Teddy Lucas, 33, of Kennesaw agreed: “Great service! I brought 14 people here, and they got my tab exactly right,” he said. “I’ll be back!”
IDOL APPEARANCE SUITED TO A T
Rodney Ho / AJC
“American Idol” finalist Lisa Tucker (Season 5) promoted “Idol” T-shirts at Macy’s at North Point Mall in Alpharetta Saturday and took time to chat it up with Ashley Lombres, 5, of Charlotte.
BEATS IN A BUBBLE
Atlanta rock band Cartel is pulling a David Blaine: the band will sit in a huge transparent bubble on a public pier in New York City, where the act will record its next album from May 24 to June 12.
Cartel, which had a modest hit (“Honestly”), is using this shameless gimmick to get attention in this era of declining CD sales, MySpace pages and Bob Dylan allowing Victoria’s Secret to use one of his songs for an ad.
Fans will be able to watch Cartel 24/7 via a Web cam (sponsored by Dr Pepper.) MTV will also air four 30-minute episodes of the recording process.
MAKING HISTORY
James Fitts
Honorary chairs Nancy (from left) and Dan Carithers join Swan House Ball co-chair Elizabeth Allen for the annual black-tie gala.
The 430 guests who attended the 22nd annual Swan House Ball on Saturday made history while celebrating it. For the first time, the black-tie party raised more than $1 million — $1,044,000 to be exact — for the Atlanta History Center.
The four chairs who pulled off this feat were Elizabeth Allen, Eileen DuBose, Cindy Fowler and Rebecca Smith. Well-known Atlanta interior designer Dan Carithers and his wife, Nancy, were the ball’s honorary chairs. When Buzz asked Dan Carithers what it meant to be an honorary chair, he said with chuckle, “It means I’m not yet out to pasture. I’m overwhelmed by the honor, and the history center along with the Swan House are among my pet projects.”
After cocktails at the 1928 Swan House, a Philip Shutze-designed Italianate mansion, guests were shuttled to dinner at the history center’s Grand Overlook ballroom. Wolfgang Puck Catering, a ball sponsor, served an organic mix salad, an artful arrangement of smoked salmon with accouterments, lamb and a white and dark chocolate mousse bombe.
LUDACRIS WON’T BITE
Hip-hop legend Russell Simmons created a bit of a stir last week when he called for rappers to stop using words such as “ho” and the n-word. During a conference call to promote his return appearance next month for the season finale of “Law & Order: SVU,” Atlanta’s Chris “Ludacris” Bridges punted when asked about Simmons’ comments. “There’s a time and place for everything,” he said last week. “But I feel like this is about ‘Law & Order: SVU.’ “ Coincidentally or not, Ludacris once recorded a song titled “Ho.”
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Actress Cloris Leachman is 81. Singer Willie Nelson is 74. Actor Adrian Pasdar (“Heroes”) is 42. Singer Akon is 34. Actress Kirsten Dunst is 25.
Q100’S TOP 5
Covering April 22-28
1. “It’s Not Over” Daughtry
2. “Sweet Escape” Gwen Stefani
3. “Glamorous” Fergie
4. “What Goes Around” Justin Timberlake
5. “Don’t Matter” Akon
— MediaBase 24/7
Contributing: 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.
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