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Festival odd jobs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Singer Harry Connick Jr. wielded a paintbrush. R&B heartthrob John Legend did a little laundry.
The two were among the musicians performing at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and giving back to a region still trying to recover from Hurricane Katrina.
PHOTOS: John Legend at Chastain Park
“It’s not about guilt,” Connick said from the porch of a house in the Upper Ninth Ward. “I just don’t want to see it go away.”
Dozens of volunteers worked on homes Saturday, the penultimate day of the festival, in the Musicians’ Village that Connick started with saxophonist Branford Marsalis to help displaced musicians and keep the musical traditions of his hometown alive.
Connick said he envisioned a village made up not only of houses but also of cafes, jazz clubs, mom-and-pop-type businesses and a music center for children — a community where kids can ride their bikes down the streets “all the while hearing music.”
As Connick’s daughters pushed brooms across the floor of a home littered with construction debris, Connick trimmed a bedroom window with blue paint.
Legend washed clothes as part of a free mobile laundry service for families still living in federally issued trailers in hard-hit St. Bernard Parish.
Other Jazz Fest musicians also are giving back: Marcia Ball, Ivan Neville and Walter “Wolfman” Washington were among the performers who helped raise money for instruments in New Orleans area schools.
OVERSCENE
Disney’s “That’s So Raven” star Raven in the audience at Sugarhill in Underground Atlanta for a concert maybe best described as sadly cartoonish. Minutes into her Saturday show, mercurial R&B artist Meshell Ndegeocello turned and fell flat on her face. An announcer explained that it was a reaction to a flash. The singer returned shortly afterward, cursed the near sold-out audience and emptied a bottle of water on it. About three mostly instrumental songs in, she said, “That’s all folks!” But Ndegeocello came back again, only to occasionally mumble through a few more tunes with the stage completely dark.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
We know from personal experience that former Grant Park resident Ty Pennington enjoys an adult beverage on a sunny deck when he’s visiting his former hometown.
However, according to Los Angeles police, the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” star overindulged over the weekend.
Pennington was arrested early Saturday morning in Los Angeles on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol and drugs while driving.
The telegenic carpenter, who got his start on the TLC hit “Trading Spaces,” was arrested at 12:35 a.m. He was released two hours later after posting $5,000 bail.
On Monday, Pennington released a statement to TV’s “Extra” that read, in part: “I made an error in judgment. … I could have jeopardized the lives of others, and I am grateful there was no accident or harm done to anyone. This was my wake-up call. I also want to apologize to my fans, ABC Television and my design team for my lapse in judgment and the embarrassment I have caused.”
USHER’S MOM GIVES UP JOB AS HIS MANAGER
Usher’s mother has been his manager since he was a teen, but now the Alpharetta superstar says he wants her to be just “mom.”
The Grammy winner confirmed Monday that Jonnetta Patton is no longer in charge of his career but said the break was not due to any rift.
“She and I are on great terms and support each other in our life’s endeavors. We are both very happy but are now working in different areas of the business,” he said in a statement. “This is great for me, because it means I now get to have my mother strictly as my mother, with no added pressure.”
Usher said that ending his professional relationship with his mother would bring them closer.
“At this time in my life, I am simply more interested in building the strength of my family. And in order to do that, I feel it’s best to separate my business life from my personal life,” he said.
This is the second major change this year for Usher, 28. In March, he announced his engagement to his longtime girlfriend, stylist Tameka Foster. Rumors have swirled that Foster would replace Patton as Usher’s manager, but the singer said: “She has no aspirations of becoming my manager or any other artist’s manager.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Comedian Don Rickles is 81. Singer Toni Tennille is 67. Drummer Chris Frantz of Talking Heads is 56. Singer Philip Bailey (formerly of Earth, Wind & Fire) is 56. Actress Melissa Gilbert is 43. Singer Enrique Iglesias is 32.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I did say to my agent, ‘Wait, do I have to fly coach now?’ That’s the one thing I really don’t want to do.” —“Gilmore Girls” actress Lauren Graham in Newsweek on the looming end of the CW series this month after a seven-season run
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services
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