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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > May > 17 > Entry
Morehouse breaking ground for Ray Charles center
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Morehouse College will have considerable star power on hand — and from up above — this weekend as the historic school breaks ground at 11 a.m. Friday for the new Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and celebrates its 123rd commencement ceremony Sunday.
The ceremony for the $20 million, 75,000-square-foot facility that will house both the arts center and the Morehouse Music Education Building at the corner of Joseph Lowery Blvd. and West End Drive will be one of Morehouse president Walter E. Massey’s final official acts prior to his retirement.
And on hand to help turn the topsoil? None other than Grammy-winning music icon (and Charles arranger and pal) Quincy Jones. Buzz readers will recall that prior to his death, Charles made two $1 million donations to the school and donated his historic tour bus to the institution. The singer also lent his name to a 2004 Los Angeles benefit for the school; stars like Stevie Wonder, Travis Tritt and Brian McKnight gathered to pay tribute to the pioneering pianist and his dedication to Morehouse.
On Sunday morning at Morehouse’s Century Campus, Massey will present honorary degrees to Jones, legendary boxing promoter and businessman Butch Lewis and Oscar winner Denzel Washington, another generous Morehouse donor whose son John David graduated from the school in 2006.
HANNITY HELPS OUT
Former WGST yakker Sean Hannity will return to Atlanta this summer to share his annual Freedom Concert with local listeners. The syndicated radio and TV talk show host (heard locally on WSB-AM) is expanding the benefit, which provides scholarships to children of U.S. military personnel who died or were disabled in the line of duty, to five cities, including Gwinnett Arena on July 10 and shows in Texas, California, Ohio and New Jersey.
This year, country acts Montgomery Gentry and Lee “God Bless the USA” Greenwood will perform, along with appearances by Lt. Col. Oliver North and Hannity’s WSB broadcast brethren Neal Boortz and Clark Howard. At press time Thursday, Buzz could not confirm reports that Boortz was planning to dazzle the crowd with a vocal rendition of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Oh, my boobs? I don’t care. You know what? The most important thing is you’re happy with what you see when you look in the mirror. Your real friends are gonna love you regardless of what you look like, whether you’re a negative A cup or a triple D.”
— Former “American Idol” contestant Kellie Pickler addressing pesky rumors regarding whether she has surgically enhanced her chest.
CELEBRITY DOCKET UPDATE
No doubt about it, in our next life, we definitely want the simple — and obviously charmed — life of Paris Hilton. The hotel heiress will now be jailed for a scant 23 days of a 45-day sentence for violating probation and will be separated from the general inmate population, authorities decided after reviewing her case.
The shorter sentence reflects — wait for it — an expectation that Hilton will actually behave behind bars.
“All inmates get credit for good behavior,” Los Angeles County sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said Thursday. “The inmate knows that if they behave and follow the rules, that’s something to shoot for.”
She will be held in a “special needs housing unit” at the Century Regional Detention Center in suburban Lynwood, Calif., Whitmore said. Hilton will stay in a unit that contains 12 two-person cells reserved for police officers, public officials, celebrities and other high-profile inmates, he said.
But the 26-year-old socialite could — gasp — have a cellmate.
Like everyone else in the 2,200-inmate facility, Hilton will get at least an hour outside her cell each day to shower, watch television, participate in outdoor recreation or talk on the telephone, he said. Hilton was sentenced to jail this month for violating the terms of her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. A judge ordered her to report to jail by June 5.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Bill Macy (“Maude”) is 85. Actor Dwayne Hickman (“The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis”) is 73. Keyboardist Rick Wakeman of Yes is 58. Country singer George Strait is 55. Actor Chow Yun-Fat (“Anna and the King,” “The Replacement Killers”) is 52. Singer-actress Martika is 38. Comedian Tina Fey (“Saturday Night Live”) is 37. Musician Jack Johnson is 32.
BUZZ ROUNDUP
On Thursday, we received the final numbers from the city’s 17th annual Komen Atlanta Race for the Cure. Komen rep Amanda Marsden tells us that last weekend’s event at Atlantic Station attracted more than 13,000 participants and raised a record $1.3 million for the Susan G. Komen breast cancer benefit.
Contributing: 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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