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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > May
May 2007
Dupri opening nightclub
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta entertainment mogul Jermaine Dupri just keeps adding the hyphenates. The Grammy-winning record label president, rapper, producer, songwriter and restaurateur will as of next week also officially be a nightclub owner. On June 12, Dupri is set to give the media and his celebrity friends a preview of Studio 72, the 12,000-square-foot club he reportedly dropped $1 million rehabbing on Lawrenceville Highway. (3965 Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker, to be exact.) Then on June 16, a silver carpet grand opening is planned.
We also hear that Studio 72 is planned as “a modern day version of famed New York nightclub Studio 54,” featuring a 600-gallon aquarium filled with exotic fish and hues of brown, silver and champagne. There was no immediate word on Liza Minnelli and Grace Jones had yet been hired as professional party guests to complete the Studio 54 vibe …
BRUUUCE BACK BUYING, MAYBE MAKING MUSIC
We’re going to venture out on a fairly sturdy limb here and theorize that Bruce Springsteen is back in Atlanta and potentially recording a new album project.
The facts that support this?
Well specifically, Wax ‘N Facts, the iconic record emporium in Little Five Points reported a visit by the equally iconic rocker this week. His tour guide? None other than Swimming Pool Q’s rock legend Jeff Calder who doubles as a veteran knob twister at Southern Tracks recording studios where Springsteen and producer Brendan O’Brien holed up back in 2002 to record “The Rising,” Springsteen’s critically acclaimed musical response to September 11.
Calder brought Bruuuce in to buy some music for his kids, manager Sean Bourne told Buzz. Among the purchases: The Dropkick Murphys CD and a Jimi Hendrix DVD (days earlier, incidentally, R&B singer-songwriter India Arie was hanging out in the store, looking for the soundtrack to “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf”).
Later, Springsteen and Calder were spotted checking out tomes at the nearby A Cappella Books. While owner Frank Reiss confirmed Thursday that Springsteen “bought a nice stack of books,” Reiss was careful to maintain the privacy of his A-list customer. Reiss would say only that most of his purchases were about music and that he “ventured into our history section.” The only title Reiss would specifically namedrop was the well-reviewed Clash bio “Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer” by Chris Salewicz that first hit stores last month.
STORK REPORT
It’s a boy!
Former 99X Morning X personality Jimmy Baron and his Sunday Paper columnist wife Lisa are parents of a 7-pound, 13-ounce boy. And according to an e-mail the Barons circulated Thursday, the baby’s bris already has been scheduled for next week when his name will be officially unveiled.
NE-YO SETS UP SHOP
Recent Atlanta transplant Ne-Yo is staking claim to even more metro area territory. On Wednesday night, the R&B singer-songwriter cut the ribbon on his 6,000-square-foot downtown studio, Carrington House. (Named after the daughter of Ne-Yo’s manager). Among the wide assortment of guests were — take a deep breath here: Snellville’s “American Idol” runner-up Diana DeGarmo, sporting a new copper hairstyle; BET’s Melyssa Ford; V-103’s Frank Ski and Nina Brown; Hot-107.9’s Miss Shynekia, Beyoncé and LaToya Dixson; R&B singer Scar; party co-sponsor and Rolling Out publisher Munson Steed; and the Elegant Experience’s Ashley, who miraculously oversaw everything from the blackberry mojitos and skewered shrimp to the models walking around in silver body paint to the purchase and placement of the new furniture from Horizon Home.
On Thursday night, the multiplatinum artist was set to begin his “One Night With Ne-Yo” tour in Virginia. He’s due back home to judge a local talent search for a new R&B act, for his songwriting and production company, Compound Entertainment. (Auditions are being held June 2-4 at Sam Ash Music, 2999 Cobb Parkway. For more information go to www.v-103.com). On June 5, he’s scheduled to perform at Center Stage. “I’m really pleased with how Atlanta’s welcoming me,” Ne-Yo said at the studio opening. Then he smiled as he looked around: “Especially all of these beautiful Atlanta women.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Andy Griffith is 81. Actor Edward Woodward (“The Equalizer”) is 77. Singer Pat Boone is 73. Actor Morgan Freeman is 70. Actor Rene Auberjonois (“Boston Legal”) is 67. Guitarist Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones is 60. Actor Powers Boothe is 58. Country singer Ronnie Dunn of Brooks and Dunn is 54. Actress Teri Polo (“Meet The Parents”) is 38. Model Heidi Klum is 34. Singer Alanis Morissette is 33. TV host Damien Fahey (MTV’s “Total Request Live”) is 27.
Contributing: Sonia Murray 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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‘View’ cast gets Spanxing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Given the Rosie O’Donnell-related fireworks last week, Spanx founder Sara Blakely didn’t exactly know what to expect when she turned up backstage for an appearance on “The View” in New York on Wednesday. The Atlanta footless-pantyhose founder was instantly relieved, however.
“The energy was higher backstage than any other show Sara’s ever been booked on,” Spanx rep Misty Elliott told us via cellphone as she and Blakely were departing the ABC studios Wednesday. “It appears that everyone is moving forward.”
On air, Blakely was part of a special edition of the daytime talk show that focused on “Women & Money.” Financial guru Suze Orman served as the guest co-host.
To properly greet Blakely, Orman and “View” co-host Joy Behar showed off their Spanx under their clothes to the audience. Alas, Barbara Walters then admitted to not wearing the slimming garment and inexplicably got up to demonstrate her panty lines to America.
Elliott told us that Walters wasn’t perhaps being completely on the level.
“It was maybe a case of panty lines for TV ratings,” Elliott joked. “Barbara told us backstage that she had just bought a lot of Spanx at retail and that she loved the product,”Elliott dished. “Plus, we gave her a big gift bag full. Barbara’s good for a while now!”
During the broadcast, Orman, a strong proponent for women publicly disclosing their salaries, chastised Blakely for not discussing dough (last year, Spanx rang up $150 million in retail sales …). Cracked Orman: “She’ll talk to you about her panties, but she won’t tell you what’s in her bank account!”
Backstage, Blakely ran into actress Jane Seymour, who was taping an episode of the show to air this week. It just so happens that “Somewhere in Time” is one of Blakely’s fave movies. Seymour, likewise, is a huge fan of Blakely’s control-top hosiery.
“Sara was freaked when she saw Jane,” Elliott told us. As a result, Seymour took home a generous supply of the product as well.
PAGES OF POSITIVITY
The book’s not even written yet, but it already qualifies as a happy ending.
Former CNN anchor-turned-
Web-site-entrepreneur Daryn Kagan has signed a publishing agreement with Meredith Books that includes a book to be released next spring. “What’s Possible! Creating Possibilities Beyond Life’s Five Biggest Obstacles” will be in keeping with darynkagan.com, her 6-month-old Web site that spotlights positive and hopeful news stories.
The content “will be almost all original,” Kagan said Wednesday, although the book will feature some of her favorite stories from the Web site. Otherwise, “It would be kind of like telling Jimmy Buffett he couldn’t put his favorites on a greatest-hits CD!”
Chapter 1 will detail Kagan’s “reinvention” from a 12-year CNN vet whose contract wasn’t renewed to head of “my own media company.” Kagan narrates an upcoming public television documentary about a Peachtree Corners woman’s nonprofit agency for leprosy sufferers in India. “Breaking the Curse” airs here on PBA on June 11.
All well and good, but Buzz had to ask the loyal fan of a certain popular reality show: If “Dancing With the Stars” came calling, would she waltz on out to L.A. and compete?
“My official answer is ‘Sure,’ ” Kagan said. She laughed heartily, then revealed that she’s taken ballroom dancing classes here. “The theme of the Web site is ‘Anything’s possible.’ ”
NEW ‘HOUSE’ RULES
Since we originally wrote about the TBS “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” promotion that will present one lucky church with $25,000 for upgrades, the cable channel has tweaked some of the particulars.
According to Turner rep. Michelle Sisco, the “Building Onto a House of Faith” contest will now be more Web-oriented.
The promotion is connected to the June launch of the new TBS sitcom. According to the updated info, entries should still be a paragraph (no more than 200 words) about why you think your church deserves to win. But now, “The top five entries will be featured on tbs.com/houseofpayne on June 11. Viewers can then vote for their favorite entry, and the winner will be announced on tbs.com/houseofpayne on June 20. For info.: www.tbs.com/contests.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-director Clint Eastwood is 77. Singer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary is 69. Actress Sharon Gless (“Cagney and Lacey”) is 64. Actor Gregory Harrison is 57. Actor Tom Berenger is 57. Comedian Chris Elliott is 47. Singer Corey Hart is 45. Rapper DMC of Run-DMC is 43. Actress Brooke Shields is 42. Actor Colin Farrell is 31. Drummer Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy is 27.
COUPLING
Lisa Ling, a correspondent for National Geographic Channel and for “Oprah,” married Dr. Paul Song over the weekend.
Ling and Song, a Chicago-based radiation oncologist, were wed Saturday in an Asian-themed ceremony in Los Angeles, said Chris Albert, a representative for National Geographic Channel, in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Song, 41, proposed to the 33-year-old Ling in December.
“They plan to spend time with friends in Los Angeles and Chicago in lieu of a honeymoon,” Albert said.
Contributing: Jill Vejnoska 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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Morrissey demands meatless Chastain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Each summer, the folks who book Chastain Park Amphitheater usually encounter a few acts who request the more formal, less distracting “no tables” policy at the chardonnay and candelabra concert venue. But Classic Chastain concert series organizers got an interesting request via former Smiths vocalist Morrissey’s artist contract rider for his scheduled July 20 gig.
The noted vegetarian and animal-rights activist has it in his contract that no meat products will be sold at Chastain at his performance. The venue routinely sells hot dogs and hamburgers at concession stands, but far more people pack their own goodies and haul them in before each performance.
According to Internet blogs on the mysterious musician, the singer doesn’t enjoy the scent of cooking meat. He is apparently so committed to animal rights that he shops for artificial leather footwear as well.
Classic Chastain rep Caren West told Buzz on Tuesday that the venue is taking the request “in stride” and that Morrissey’s management routinely works with each venue he plays to work out the request in advance.
Still, there’s no predicting what might happen if concertgoers suddenly pull Renaissance Festival-esque turkey legs from coolers during the show.
Regardless, we’re told that tickets for the show and the other concerts in the 34th annual Classic Chastain series have been brisk. (Single-ticket sales began Friday. For details: classicchastain.com.)
WALLOWING IN BARBECUE SUCCESS
It’s safe to assume that Morrissey was nowhere near Memphis over the weekend. That’s where Atlanta musician and Breadwinner baked goods company co-owner Geoff Melkonian emerged as a winner in the “Super Bowl of swine.” Melkonian and his grilling team, Barefoot in the Pork, scored a first place trophy at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in the Patio Porkers non-professional category for their rib recipe.
When we, um, grilled Melkonian about his winning recipe, he would only say: “Barbecue is all about the amount of love you put into it. It’s all about the love.”
We’re told that Melkonian and pals were merely in Memphis seeking to “test their grilling skills, have a little fun in the sun and sample some of the best barbecue in the country.” They actually never anticipated winning an award. Kinda like us and the Pulitzer. …
BABY MAKES EARLY DEBUT
Over the long weekend, Q100’s Bert Weiss and wife Stacey delivered their second son. Hollis Lee Weiss weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces. He was born more than a month earlier than expected. After a few briefly scary complications, mother and son are doing fine, according to dad.
OVERSCENE
Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock dining at Ecco during a champagne post-concert reception at the Midtown eatery. Among the all-star crowd of musicians from the 30th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival: Terri Lyne Carrington, Patrice Rushen, Everette Harp, Chris Walker, Jef Lee Johnson and Munyungo Jackson and the Robert Irving III Trio featuring Buster Williams and Ernie Adams.
‘THE VIEW,’ WITHOUT ROSIE
Even though ex-co-host Rosie O’Donnell has been removed from the ABC daytime gabfest’s opening credits, she remained a significant source of discussion for Barbara Walters and company on Tuesday’s live telecast, the first after O’Donnell resigned last week after an on-air dust-up with Elisabeth Hasselbeck. “It’s been quite a week,” Walters acknowledged. “A week that makes us, in many ways, very sad.” Walters told viewers that she and O’Donnell exchanged “very affectionate” e-mails over the weekend and that “we will always be grateful to Rosie.” Walters acknowledged that O’Donnell had indeed been displeased by the use of a split screen during her prolonged battle with Hasselbeck over comments about the war in Iraq. Hasselbeck said that she and O’Donnell had also been in touch and are learning about “the power of forgiveness.” Us? We’ve learned the power of Aleve.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Colm Meaney (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) is 54. Actor Ted McGinley (“Hope and Faith”) is 49. Country singer Wynonna is 43. Guitarist Tom Morello of Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine is 43. Singer Cee-Lo of Gnarls Barkley is 33.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We had a test screening in Arizona, and I’m thinking, ‘This movie [expletive]. It’s stupid.’ But then we get our highest [audience response] numbers ever.”
— “Transformers” director Michael Bay in the June/July issue of Details, on why we should all plunk down dough for a ticket to his latest explosion-filled, robot-riddled epic due in theaters July 4.
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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Well-seasoned rustic mood spices rib-eyes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Positive signs abounded as we poked our head inside Inman Park chef Kevin Rathbun’s latest restaurant, Kevin Rathbun Steak, recently for an advance peek.
For one thing, we arrived just as the liquor was being unpacked. Also, co-owner Cliff Bramble proudly pointed out that Rathbun has opted to keep the pre-existing graffiti on the building’s exterior. After contractors finished cutting away a section for the restaurant’s front entrance, they discovered the remaining letters spelled: “M-O-O.”
Explained Bramble: “How could we alter that ?” Earlier, Rathbun and workers had unearthed an ancient steak sauce bottle hidden in the floor of the former cotton warehouse. (Signed photos of the relic are now being sold for a $100 donation to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.)
The high-end lodge vibe inside was created by the Bill Johnson Studio. The interior contains hand-cut and hand-stacked walnut wood walls and a custom-built, 20-foot brush-aluminum-tree-branch chandelier in the dining room. Large pillar candles will be utilized for added atmosphere. Just before our arrival, a colorful, commissioned portrait of Rathbun painted by Atlanta artist Steve Penley made it up onto the wall.
Nestled up against the city’s beltline, a sofa-strewn lounge area greets those wanting a casual cocktail outside. Inside at the bar, Rathbun has created and had installed two train “destination scrolls,” signs with neighborhood stops like “Old Fourth Ward” and “Federal Penitentiary” detailed on them.
In addition to the joint’s trademark dry-aged steaks, the inaugural menu includes sweet corn risotto, chilled seafood towers, beltline chowder, pork porterhouse, elbow mac and cheese tart and a daily deep dish pie.
The eatery at 154 Krog St. officially opens for dinner Wednesday.
“We’re only taking 100 reservations for Wednesday,” Bramble told us. (More than half are already taken.) “Kevin begged us to start off slow so we didn’t make him completely crazy back there in the kitchen!”
Star to share wealth
Could your house of worship benefit from a $25,000 boost in the bank account? Thanks to TBS and Atlanta director/writer Tyler Perry, you can enter the “Building Onto a House of Faith” contest. The promotion is connected to the June 6 launch of the new TBS sitcom “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.” According to the info supplied to Buzz, entries should be a paragraph (no more than 200 words) about why you think your church deserves to win. The top five entries will be featured on TBS June 8. Viewers can then vote for the winning entry, which will be announced during a June 20 “House of Payne” marathon. For info: www.tbs.com/contests.
From Times to CNN
Starting today, look for former New York Times culture reporter Lola Ogunnaike to join CNN’s “American Morning” program. We’re told that Ogunnaike will report on pop culture and entertainment news. “Her years of experience doing sharp, insightful entertainment coverage will make her a great addition to our team,” gushed “AM” executive producer Ed Litvak. Well, at least until that ever-revolving CNN door rotates again, or until Fox finds a talking giraffe to deliver reports on Paris Hilton’s exploits …
Contributing: news services
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Kevin Conway (“Gods and Generals”) is 65. “General Hospital” actor Anthony Geary is 60. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 57. Composer Danny Elfman is 54. Singer La Toya Jackson is 51. Actress Annette Bening is 49. Actor Rupert Everett is 48. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 46. Actress Lisa Whelchel (“The Facts of Life”) is 44. Guitarist Noel Gallagher of Oasis is 40. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder (creator of “Boondocks”) is 33. Singer Melanie Brown (“Scary Spice”) of the Spice Girls is 32.
IN COMING
Former 96 rock Regular Guys producer and writer (they had writers??) Tim Andrews has moved down the dial to join Sean, Leslie and Jenners on the New Morning X program at 99X. According to info received at Buzz Central, Andrews has been in Atlanta since 1996, and “coincidentally, that’s how long he’s been bugging [99X program director] Leslie Fram for a job.”
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Marla Maples bringing post-Trump lessons to reality TV
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dalton native Marla Maples, best known as Donald Trump’s ex-wife, has decided to give reality TV a whirl with “The Ex-Wives Club,” a show about helping divorcées put their lives back together.
The show name is a bit of a misnomer. Of the three experts, Shar Jackson (Kevin Federline’s ex) has never been married and Angie Everhart was married just four months to Ashley Hamilton (and briefly engaged to Sly Stallone.)
That makes Maples, who was married for six years to Trump, the true expert, relatively speaking. In the sample show Buzz viewed, Maples looks fabulous and comes across as nurturing and caring.
“You have to share what you’ve learned,” said Maples, who is single. “I’m in a happy place in my life. People always say I have a smile on my face. For a long time, I was hiding the pain. Now, it’s a more authentic smile.”
In the shadow of the Donald, Maples said, “it was a constant job to hold on to who I was.” Daughter Tiffany and a teacher in Israel, she said, helped her move beyond the marriage itself.
A decade after leaving Trump (who the New York Post once quoted her as saying gave her the “best sex I’ve ever had”) Maples said she gets along fine with the real estate mogul and has even been to “The Apprentice” set a few times.
However, she didn’t think the show worked as well when it moved to Los Angeles this past season. “He represents New York,” she said. (NBC didn’t put Trump’s show on the fall schedule, and its future is in doubt.)
Whether “Ex-Wives Club” propels Maples to bigger and better things is hardly a guarantee. ABC is debuting the show tonight on a holiday when many people are out of the house. And Maples said the five episodes were taped a year ago, meaning ABC sat on the show until now.
WHAT’S ON MY TIVO
Marla Maples
“The View” — “I truly love the controversy, the mix of opinions.”
“Grey’s Anatomy” — “We [she and her daughter Tiffany] were frustrated by the finale.”
“Ugly Betty” — “That’s just a lot of fun.”
“Gilmore Girls” — “We’re sad to see it go. We always related to the show. I couldn’t believe it was the finale. I can’t believe Rory didn’t marry Logan!’”
ESPN LURES LOCAL SPORTS TALKERS
The 2 Live Stews’ rabid fan base, known as “doggs” and “poodles,” can bark up a storm over this news: Ryan and Doug Stewart, heard locally on 790/The Zone and syndicated in 20 markets, are returning to ESPN2 starting June 4 as guest commentators for the daily talk show “First Look.”
They’ll appear Mondays and Tuesdays for the next 20 weeks from 10 a.m. to noon. (The pair’s radio show was simulcast on ESPN2 briefly in 2005.)
Ryan told Buzz they will fly up every week to Bristol, Conn., home of ESPN, to do “First Look.”
For them, the chance to appear on ESPN is a way to “brand our name and give us some incredible recognition.”
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND TO PLAY PARK
The Piedmont Park Conservancy has snared the Dave Matthews Band, one of the world’s most popular touring acts, for a benefit concert at the park on Sept. 8.
Michael W. Tyler, a vice chairman of the conservancy board, confirmed the headliner Sunday.
Live Nation, the nation’s biggest concert promoter, scheduled a news conference at the Meadow part of the park Wednesday to announce details about the concert, such as prices and when tickets go on sale.
LINDSAY LOHAN CHARGED IN DUI
Lindsay Lohan was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence Saturday after her convertible struck a curb on Sunset Boulevard, and investigators found “a usable amount” of what they believe is cocaine at the scene, Beverly Hills, Calif., police said.
Lohan, 20, and two other people were in her 2005 Mercedes SL-65 when it crashed around 5:30 a.m., Sgt. Mike Foxen said. It appeared the actress was speeding, Lt. Mitch McCann said at an news conference.
Lohan, who spent time at a rehabilitation center this year, was driven in another car to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries, McCann said. The two other people in her car were not hurt.
Officers arrested Lohan at the hospital for investigation of misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, McCann said. He said the case will be presented to the District Attorney’s Office where Lohan could face more charges, including felonies.
HIGH FIVE
Eagle 106.7 Week of May 18-24
1. Brad Paisley “Ticks”
2. Toby Keith “High Maintenance Woman”
3. Blake Shelton “Don’t Make Me”
4. Billy Currington “Good Directions”
5. Sugarland “Settlin’”
SOURCE: Mediabase 24/7
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Georgia native and singer Gladys Knight is 63. Singer John Fogerty is 62. Country singer Phil Vassar is 45. Singer Roland Gift (Fine Young Cannibals) is 45. Singer Kylie Minogue is 39. “The View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck is 30. Actress Monica Keena (“Dawson’s Creek,” “Undeclared”) is 28.
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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A Watershed moment for domestic diva
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Watershed chef and freshly minted James Beard Award winner Scott Peacock added yet another significant feat to his resume Friday. His two-part “The Martha Stewart Show” cooking segment in front of a live audience aired. When the lifestyle guru popped into Atlanta this past January to hawk her new line of rugs, she loved her dining experience at the Decatur eatery.
“It was delicious!” Stewart raved to Peacock and her studio audience during the segment. “We came there not really hungry, but we ate and ate and ate.”
Peacock and Stewart then collaborated to whip up Peacock’s recipe of crispy soft-shelled crabs over a bean salad with heirloom tomatoes and homemade garlic mayonnaise. Between the assembling of ingredients, Stewart praised Watershed and Peacock’s cookbook with late mentor Edna Lewis, “The Gift of Southern Cooking.” Stewart threw Peacock a curve ball, however, when she inquired about the origins of the recipe’s crowder peas.
“A lot of people even in the South don’t know what they are,” Peacock told us Friday, laughing. “As you saw, I honestly didn’t know what to tell her. In the South, one man’s butter bean is another man’s lima. It’s really almost a colloquialism.”
Summing up his impression of the domestic diva, Peacock said: “My experience couldn’t have been better.”
Coke floats
Just in case nobody noticed that the World of Coca-Cola opened a new museum, Coke folk made the world’s largest ice cream soda Friday. Out in front of the ticket windows, they led an audience in cheers as they backed up a tanker truck and pumped 3,000 gallons of Vanilla Coke into a 15-foot-tall Coke “glass” made out of fiberglass and acrylic by an aquarium manufacturer. Then a bucket brigade of helpers passed 45 gallons of Edy’s Grand Vanilla ice cream up a ladder and tossed it into the brimming pool of brown.
Derek Musso, a representative from Guinness World Records, validated the record-breaking confection. (The largest ice cream soda until Friday was 2,085 gallons, also created by Coca-Cola.) After the resulting 4.5 million-calorie treat (enough calories to provide your basic needs for six years) was admired, it was to be disposed of in an ecologically sound way, said Coke spokesman Scott Williamson.
Rosie puts ‘View’ in rear mirror
There’s a reason that feuding “The View” co-workers Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck appeared completely cordial on Friday’s edition on the ABC Daytime talk show. It was on tape. Friday’s episode was actually recorded Wednesday prior to the 10-minute bloodfest over Iraq that got plenty personal. Behind the scenes Friday, O’Donnell and the network were parting company three weeks before the end of O’Donnell’s one-year contract with the show. In a statement, Brian Frons, president of ABC Daytime, said: “We had hoped that Rosie would be with us until the end of her contract three weeks from now, but Rosie has informed us that she would like an early leave. Therefore, we part ways, thank her for her tremendous contribution to ‘The View’ and wish her well.”
“View” den mother Barbara Walters added: “I brought Rosie to the show. Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at ‘The View.’ I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change.”
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Ty Pennington, host of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” pleaded no contest Friday in a misdemeanor drunken driving case.
The former Grant Park resident, 42, had been charged with two misdemeanor counts — driving with a blood-alcohol level above the 0.08 percent limit and driving under the influence of alcohol.
He pleaded no contest to the first count, and the other count was dismissed, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office. Mateljan said it was a normal disposition for a first offense.
A judge placed Pennington on three years’ probation, restricted his driving privileges for 90 days and ordered him to participate in a 90-day alcohol program and attend a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers meeting, Mateljan said.
He faced six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the charges by a Superior Court jury.
Pennington was arrested May 5 and released after posting $5,000 bail.
“I’m happy to bring closure to my recent court proceedings,” Pennington said in a statement. “Drinking and driving is never acceptable. I have pleaded no contest and will abide by the court’s ruling.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Singer Stevie Nicks is 59. Actress Pam Grier is 58. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 58. Singer Lenny Kravitz (left) is 43. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 41. Actor Joseph Fiennes is 37. “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone is 36.
Sunday: Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 71. Actor Todd Bridges (“Diff’rent Strokes”) is 42. Atlanta actor/rapper Andre 3000 of OutKast is 32.
— 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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Band to create album in NYC in big bubble
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s a good thing the members of the Atlanta emo act Cartel are accustomed to cohabitation. The emotionally available rockers are spending the next 20 days inside a Dr Pepper-sponsored bubble where they’ll live, eat, sleep, get gawked at by fans and record a new album as part of an MTV reality series “Band in a Bubble.”
On Thursday, front man Will Pugh and his bandmates Nic Hudson, Kevin Sanders, Joseph Pepper and Jeff Lett were sealed inside a large transparent bubble on Hudson River Park’s Pier 54 in New York City. Twenty-three live Webcams will chronicle the band’s every activity over the next three weeks.
Fans are invited not only to come and visit Cartel for an interactive experience, but they can also go online at www.drpepperbubble.com for a look-see. MTV is also planning four 30-minute episodes of “Band in a Bubble” for broadcast as well as live streams on Mtv.com.
On a Dr Pepper MySpace page, Pugh relates: “This is huge for us. Making an album is a very personal and emotional experience, and in the past we’ve never wanted anyone around when writing or recording.
“But given that this is probably the biggest opportunity we’ll ever have to show the world what we’re made of, we can’t wait to invite the fans into both the studio and our lives.”
The band will finish the experiment with a June 12 concert performing songs that are created during the 20 days. The music will presumably be used as the follow-up to the band’s debut full-length album, “Chroma.”
Some Cartel fans posting Thursday on the act’s MySpace page are already crying “Sellouts!” But, reasoned a fan who goes by Dan X Core on the site: “It is not selling out to make money making music.”
Let’s just hope that daily Dr Pepper consumption isn’t mandatory …
OVERSCENE
Actress Vivica A. Fox once again lunching at Atlantic Station’s Lobby at Twelve. She ordered the Tuna Nicoise salad with tuna tartare croutons, green beans, hard-boiled eggs and olives.
BEER BELLY FOR BREAKFAST?
Those with sensitive constitutions may want to avoid Peachtree Road in Buckhead this morning. 99X’s New Morning X program has conjured up something called the Beer Belly Brigade for a parade. We’re told that the radio stunt was inspired by a recent episode of “The Tyra Banks Show,” in which the model talk show host encouraged average-size women to walk through the streets of Los Angeles chanting “My thighs rub together when I walk, so what?!” At least 20 gentlemen with ample bellies will participate in the event that will begin at Locos Grill and Pub in Buckhead. Labeled “The Massive Man March,” the group will proceed toward Lenox Square fueled by doughnuts and Mountain Dew before heading back to Locos for a Memorial Day kickoff weekend cookout from 9 a.m. to noon. Buzz was supplied with explicit photos of the participants but in a rare demonstration of taste, we opted not to publish them …
CARTER CENTER’S HEALTH GOAL REACHED
The Carter Center has something to celebrate. The institution e-mailed Buzz to announce that its Guinea worm eradication campaign challenge by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been completed in just two years. The Gateses gave the center $5 million outright and pledged to match one-to-one all funds the campaign raised up to $20 million. The goal has been accomplished with $45 million now in the till. Said Jimmy Carter in a statement: “We have come so close to our eradication goal. People in rural forgotten communities are counting on a permanent end to their suffering.” The center estimates that an additional $35 million will be needed to completely eliminate the parasitic pest.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Elisabeth is not a very smart person. She’s one of the dumber people in television.”
— The always tactful Donald Trump weighing in on Wednesday’s on-air meltdown between co-workers Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck on “The View.” Trump has been feuding with O’Donnell for months. Thankfully, the show was pre-empted Thursday for a presidential press conference.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Songwriter Hal David is 86. Actor Ian McKellen (“Lord of the Rings”) is 68. Actress Dixie Carter is 68. Actress-singer Leslie Uggams is 64. Director-Muppetteer Frank Oz is 63. Actor-comedian Mike Myers is 44. Actress Anne Heche is 38. Actor Jamie Kennedy (“Scream”) is 37. Actor Justin Henry (“Kramer Vs. Kramer”) is 36. Singer Lauryn Hill is 32. Actor Ethan Suplee (“My Name Is Earl”) is 31.
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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Jackson slips up sometimes while dieting
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson sounds acutely aware of what those nights out at Atlantic Station eventually cost her in the gym. In the “Hot Bodies” issue of US Weekly that hits stands today, the pop star (who recently shed 60 pounds) tells the mag: “It’s about control and a balanced diet. Of course I have cheat days! Especially with my dancers, who love to eat. And after a hard day of work, they want to unwind and grab a drink, and alcohol is not good for my diet with all the extra calories. I try to have a glass of wine, but then somebody comes with a lemon drop and it’s so good. You feel like you’re drinking cough syrup or candy, and before you know it, the next day comes and you feel it. I make up for it with a few more reps when I lift weights.”
The performer has kept busy of late with a starring role in director-writer Tyler Perry’s locally shot film “Why Did I Get Married?”
Also included in the issue that celebrates shrinking celebs: Snellville resident and former “American Idol” runner-up Diana DeGarmo, who has gone from a size 10 to a size 4 in the past year. “I was a chunky kid,” she explains. “I was as round as I was tall. … I no longer live to eat. Hey, it’s bathing suit season. Check me out.”
ANIMAL ADVENTURES
Molly Mednikow, a former Atlanta jeweler turned Amazon animal rescuer, sent us a surprise e-mail from Peru Wednesday to tell us about a unique birthday gift she recently received from her parents, Bob and Betty Mednikow. Her family surprised Molly with a boat to help keep her animal nonprofit Amazon CARES afloat. Writes Molly: “Iquitos is surrounded by water. There are few cars. [My parents] both stepped up to the plate to give me a gift that will truly keep on giving for many, many years.” To keep track of Mednikow’s Amazon adventures, you can check her blog at www.mednikowgifts.bravejournal.com.
OVERSCENE
Spotted in the crowd at the “Stars of the Century” show at Jungle nightclub this week: “America’s Next Top Model” contestant, actress and former Clark Atlanta University student Eva Pigford.
MONUMENTAL TASK
Atlanta architectural designer Rodney M. Cook Jr. has been named to coordinate the design of a Washington D.C. memorial for former Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams and their wives.
It likely will consist of a “modest library in a garden,” said Benjamin Adams, a New York investment banker and descendant of John Adams, the nation’s first vice president and second president.
“We feel tremendously fortunate to have Rodney Cook involved in this project,” said Adams, who is president of the Adams Memorial Foundation, designated by Congress to build the memorial.
Adams said the foundation’s board of directors had been “tremendously impressed” by Cook’s work on the Olympics monument and the millennium monument here.
Cook’s role will be to coordinate a competition among architects to come up with a concept that carries out the foundation’s ideas, Adams said. Although the foundation has not formally chosen a site, the memorial likely will be on Pennsylvania Avenue between the Capitol and the White House.
The 49-year-old Cook says he abhors the designs of most modern buildings, and his work, including the Olympics monument, is sometimes controversial.
“If I had studied architecture, having a teacher tell me that what I regarded as beautiful was of no significance to Western culture any longer would mean I would not have done well in that class,” he said in a telephone interview. “Designing buildings I abhor would be a very difficult intellectual pursuit for me,” he added.
ROSIE DUKES STILL UP
The pot finally boiled over on Wednesday’s live edition of “The View.” Sure, co-workers Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck routinely disagree on politics on the ABC daytime program. However, on Wednesday things got heated and deeply personal when O’Donnell griped on-air to Hasselbeck that she hasn’t defended her against Republican pundits who maintain that O’Donnell has characterized U.S. troops in Iraq as “terrorists.” Screeched O’Donnell at Hasselbeck: “I asked you if you believed what the pundits were saying and you said nothing and that’s cowardly!” Hissed Hasselbeck: “Do not call me a coward, Rosie! Defend your own thoughts!” Co-host Joy Behar spoke for perhaps millions of uncomfortable viewers when she pleaded: “Are there no commercials in this show?!” It remained unclear at press time exactly how long ABC has been operating without a human resources department …
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-comedian Tommy Chong is 69. Musician Bob Dylan is 66. Singer Patti Labelle is 63. Actress Priscilla Presley is 62. Singer Rosanne Cash is 52. Actor John C. Reilly (“Chicago,” “Gangs of New York”) is 42. Actor Eric Close (“Without A Trace”) is 40. Rapper Heavy D is 40. Guitarist Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes is 38. Actor-rapper Big Tyme is 24. Country singer Billy Gilman is 19.
Contributing: Jeff Nesmith 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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Young crews to reap hip music rewards
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hard work is paying off this week in hip-hop concerts, an appearance by an R&B star and all kinds of brushes with celebrity.
Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy will join Boost Mobile RockCorps, a national youth volunteer organization, in cleaning up a portion of Atlanta’s Reynoldstown area Wednesday afternoon. In exchange for four hours of community service, each volunteer will get one ticket to the Boost Mobile RockCorps concert June 9 at the Fox Theatre, featuring Jeezy, Busta Rhymes and Rick Ross; actor-rapper Nick Cannon will be the host. (To participate, you must register by calling 1-888-762-5889 or go to www.boostmobilerockcorps.com.)
On Friday, BMI Vice President Catherine Brewton and Teach for America plan to make the last day of school for Benjamin S. Carson Prep School students even better than it simply being the last day of school. “I promised the kids that I would reward them if they had perfect attendance and did well in school,” Brewton said of the sixth-grade Carson class she visited in February. “They kept their end of the bargain, and I couldn’t be happier to introduce my music-industry friends to such a great group of kids.”
Among Brewton’s expected friends: local producers Dallas Austin and Teddy Bishop, Atlanta R&B singer Lloyd, Hot-107.9’s Griff, entertainment attorney Phaedra Parks and Grand Hustle and Sho Nuff general managers Hannah Kang and Laura Giles.
Photos: Video shoot for Yung Joc
AQUARIUM MILESTONE
Waking up with the fishes will pay off for one lucky visitor this morning. At 10:30 a.m., the Georgia Aquarium is expecting guest number 5 million since opening in November 2005.
As a show of appreciation, the 18-month-old venue will offer 50-cent tickets to everyone for “Deepo’s Undersea 3-D Wondershow” in the 4-D Theater. (That is, after you pay regular admission to get into the aquarium.)
But that five-millionth visitor will get “a number of prizes” — as the press release states — presented by the aquarium’s billionaire benefactor himself, Bernie Marcus.
CLUB NEEDS HOME
After 28 years and four locations, Club 112 is seeking a fifth place to call home. Its final night in Midtown at 1055 Peachtree St. is June 9.
The popular hip-hop nightclub, which has hosted everyone from T.I. to P. Diddy, has been in this space for three years, a locale that once housed Club Anytime and Club Riviera.
General manager Thomas Williams, in a press release, blamed the area’s high growth and development for the club’s departure. He couldn’t be reached for comment.
“They don’t know where they’re going yet,” said Frank Ski, a V-103 morning host who DJs at Club 112 every Saturday. “Property owners used to lease out space nobody else wanted to clubs. Now that property values have gone up, they’re cashing in and building condos.”
Club Vision, formerly across the street from Club 112, shut down last year for the same reason.
OVERSCENE
R&B singer-actress Macy Gray stopped in Monday evening at Cafe 102 to perform a couple of songs from her new CD, “Big,” for Grown Folks Radio 102.5 announcer Silas “SiMan Baby” Alexander and guests.
JOLIE CUTTING BACK
On Tuesday, Buzz reported how overwhelmed Angelina Jolie was by the strength of Mariane Pearl, the widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Now, perhaps, we’re finding out how much. Jolie — who portrays the widow in “A Mighty Heart” — told The Associated Press she’s planning to take a year off from filmmaking to spend more time with her partner, actor Brad Pitt, and their children.
“We’re getting work out of the way at the moment,” said the 31-year-old Oscar winner, who has been shooting a thriller titled “Wanted” in Prague, Czech Republic.
Jolie and Pitt, 43, have four children: 5-year-old Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia; Pax Thien, 3, from Vietnam; 2-year-old Zahara, from Ethiopia; and daughter Shiloh, who was born to the couple last May 27.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Joan Collins is 74. Country singer Judy Rodman is 56. Comedian Drew Carey is 49. Drummer Matt Flynn of Maroon 5 is 37. R&B singer Maxwell is 34.
STORK REPORT
Twins on the way
Actor Dennis Quaid and his wife, Kimberly, are expecting twins by a surrogate mother. The couple are the biological parents, Quaid’s publicist Lisa Kasteler told The Associated Press on Monday. Quaid also has a teenage son, Jack Henry Quaid, with his former wife, actress Meg Ryan. The “Great Balls of Fire!” star and his wife were married in July 2004.
Contributing: Mark Davis, Rodney Ho 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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Singer gets lyrical over body image
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Like John Mayer’s song “Daughters” and James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful,” Indiana singer-songwriter Jon McLaughlin’s debut single, “Beautiful Disaster,” already has female listeners weak in the knees.
The piano-and-string-laden ballad lyrically tackles the issues of self-worth and body image among young women. Before he took the stage to play a mini-set of songs from his debut album, “Indiana,” for folks at Star 94’s Petapalooza in Suwanee over the weekend, McLaughlin explained the song’s origins.
“I was flying from Indiana to Los Angeles for a songwriting session, and I stopped in one of those airport candy stores for a Rolling Stone,” McLaughlin, 25, told us. “Suddenly, I’m staring at this stick-thin model on the cover of this women’s magazine, and I did a double take. I thought the photo was connected to a story about models being too thin. But there was no story. This image was being presented as the norm.”
The single is also featured in the film “Georgia Rule.”
“Everyone has a girlfriend or a sister who has these issues of feeling inadequate, compared to these insane magazine covers,” he says. “And you end up feeling totally helpless. You can tell them, ‘You look beautiful’ and all that, but they’re not listening. They don’t believe you. Those other images out there are way more prevalent.”
McLaughlin says that his own self-esteem issues also played a part in the song’s creation. “I think everybody has them. For me, it was struggles with wanting to be Brad Pitt or wanting to be taller.” (We’re assuming that Wal-Mart has banned the sales of mirrors in Indiana … .)
The recently shot video for “Beautiful Disaster” re-creates that horror show commonly referred to as school picture day. “It’s relatable because everybody dreads it,” he says. “I was in the retake line every year!”
Later, onstage with a piano, McLaughlin introduced an enthusiastic crowd of families and pets to material from “Indiana,” including a song titled “Human.” Introducing the tune, McLaughlin surveyed the dogs playing fetch in the grass in front of him and cracked, “Um, no offense to those of you out there who aren’t.”
JOLIE’S ADMIRATION
Angelina Jolie, who plays the widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter and former Atlantan Daniel Pearl in “A Mighty Heart,” said she was overwhelmed by Mariane Pearl’s inner strength and her ability to let go of hatred.
“For me, so much of why this film was important to do is because I highly doubt there is anybody in this room who has more reason to hold hate inside herself than Mariane, and she doesn’t,” Jolie told reporters Monday at the Cannes Film Festival in France.
“She is a very compassionate, thoughtful person who looks to dialogue to change things, to make things better. … That is, I think, a lesson for all of us,” the 31-year-old actress said.
“A Mighty Heart,” directed by Michael Winterbottom, is based on Mariane Pearl’s memoir of the same name.
Jolie’s character breaks down only once in the movie — near the end — when she learns of her husband’s death.
“I was very, very nervous to get it right,” Jolie said of her role.
Jolie’s partner, Brad Pitt, the movie’s co-producer, was also at Cannes for the premiere.
Pitt said everyone involved “felt great responsibility” for the film.
Pearl said her friendship with Jolie grew over the course of the project.
“I think about the fact that my son will see the film one day, and this is a great moment of pain for me,” Pearl said. “And this role was played by somebody who loves me, and it means a lot to me.”
ATLANTA’S OWN
Fish fans, click on this: www.georgiaaquarium.org/
exploretheaquarium/webcams.aspx.
The link takes you to some wiggly little zebra sharks hatched this year at the Georgia Aquarium. They’re living in a tank apart from the big fishes that live in Ocean Voyager, where the youngsters began life in seed pods deposited by a female zebra shark. The baby sharks— pups, they’re called — are in good health. When they get bigger, some may join their older peers in Ocean Voyager, or get sent to other aquariums.
For more information about the Georgia Aquarium, visit www.georgiaaquarium.org.
BAD GUY ALERT
Since he got whacked on “The Sopranos,” actor Michael Imperioli has time to attend this Saturday’s “Sopranos Party” at Atlanta’s Fever nightclub. Promoters sent us details Monday on the party, to be hosted by the Emmy winner tied to the looming end of the HBO mob drama. Fellow “Sopranos” actor Steven Schirripa will join Imperioli for the evening. VIP reservations are strongly encouraged. Info: feveratl.com.
UNCLE BUBBA’S COMIN’, Y’ALL
If you’re related to Savannah restaurateur Paula Deen, chances are excellent that you have a book to promote. Hence, the Food Network phenom’s baby brother Earl “Uncle Bubba” Hiers’ event June 5. Hiers will sign copies of “Uncle Bubba’s Savannah Seafood: More Than 100 Down-Home Southern Recipes for Good Food and Good Times” (Simon & Schuster, $24) at Borders in Buckhead at 7:30 p.m. And, yes, we checked. Those chargrilled oysters Hiers has prepared on his sister’s show? The recipe is included in the tome, along with childhood photos, family stories and a back cover portrait of Bubba and his famous sibling.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-director Richard Benjamin is 69. Actress Barbara Parkins (“Peyton Place,” “Valley of the Dolls”) is 65. Songwriter Bernie Taupin is 57. Singer Morrissey is 48. Singer Johnny Gill is 41. Model Naomi Campbell is 37. Actress Anna Belknap (“CSI: NY”) is 35. Singer Donell Jones is 34.
Contributing: Mark Davis 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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Straight-ahead country’s got its woman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Unlike many of her current chart-topping female peers, Gretchen Wilson isn’t a polite blonde who could easily “cross over” to Top 40 radio, à la Faith Hill or LeAnn Rimes.
And thank goodness for that. She brought her brunet sass and “Redneck Woman” ways to HiFi Buys Amphitheatre on Saturday night as part of the sold-out, two-day Country Fair, sponsored by Kicks 101.5 and Eagle 106.7 radio. (In fact, Wilson was the lone female on the main stage, which also featured Trace “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk” Adkins.)
JENNI GIRTMAN / Staff
With her tight jeans, impish grin and guitar strap with the word “redneck” emblazoned on it, Wilson could be that sexy bartender who’d happily trade whiskey shots with the guys after closing time.
Her 13-song set sampled her biggest hits (“All Jacked Up,” Here for the Party”), mixing rousing bar anthems with a few heartfelt ballads, including a lovely acoustic version of “I Don’t Feel Like Lovin’ You Today.”
She threw in five cuts from her new, third CD, “One for the Boys.” None of the songs quite reached the zenith that is “Redneck Woman,” one of those “hell yeah!” instant classics that she’ll have to play forever. The closest was “You Don’t Have to Go Home.” Wilson split the crowd in two, half singing “You don’t have to go home” and the other yelping back, “But you can’t stay here!”
A REAL ISLAND HOP
Frank Ski of V-103 radio may be known as a DJ who rubs shoulders with hip-hop stars and hotshot politicians, but when he was 10 years old, he was a science geek who loved watching “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom” and raised turtles and lizards.
“I was a Discovery Channel kid before there was a Discovery Channel,” he told Buzz.
So it’s only natural that he’s sending 10 kids, through his Frank Ski Kids Foundation, on a weeklong trip to the Galapagos Islands, an isolated array of islands in the Pacific Ocean near the equator.
As a child, Ski read a book about the place and fell in love. A couple of years ago, he finally got to visit the islands and the Charles Darwin Research Foundation, where scientists told him that they’ve never hosted a class of American students before. So Ski is making that happen.
To apply, students ages 13 to 15 must write a speech about the environment and energy conservation. The best 20 will give their speeches at the Georgia Aquarium on May 31, and 10 will get to go to the islands late next month with Ski and reps from the aquarium and Zoo Atlanta. For more info: www.frankskikids.org.
CNN, INK
RODNEY HO / Staff
Anchorman-reporter Anderson Cooper signed copies of his memoir, “Dispatches From the Edge,” at the Buckhead Barnes & Noble on Saturday afternoon.
FAREWELL TO A SCENE
Remember when the Buckhead Village party scene was all that in the late 1990s?
That’s long gone, thanks to a noxious combination of crime, traffic, politics and economics. Most of the clubs and bars such as Lulu’s Bait Shack and the Buckhead Saloon are closed, with many of the spaces awaiting demolition. Soon the area will be filled with condos, restaurants and high-end retail stores.
But before that happens, Coors Light is sponsoring a farewell pub crawl of the surviving bars from 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Among those participating are Fado Irish Pub, Park Bench, the Jack Rabbit Lounge, CJ’s Landing and the Elbow Room. More details are at www.atlantabartours.com.
And on June 15-16, 790/The Zone radio will hold a “Bye Bye Buckhead Block Party,” which coincides with its 10th anniversary as a sports/men’s lifestyle station. Athletes who were big at the time will be stopping by, and ’90s rock band the Gin Blossoms is scheduled to perform.
RANDOM BITS
Reuters has reported that Donald Trump has quit the fading “The Apprentice” franchise before NBC had a chance to say, “You’re fired!” The real estate mogul issued a statement Friday saying he has informed NBC that he is “moving on from ‘The Apprentice’ to a major new TV venture,” though he declined to elaborate. There was no immediate comment from NBC, which didn’t place the show in its fall lineup but didn’t say it had been killed permanently …
Season five “American Idol” finalist Paris Bennett, who briefly lived in Fayetteville, released her first CD, “Princess P,” last week. Hardly anybody noticed. She sold just 6,300 copies, debuting at 133 on the Billboard Top 200, by far the worst performance among “Idol” contestants from her year so far. Six others debuted in the top 10 …
Georgian Billy Currington bumped fellow Georgians Sugarland off the top of the Billboard country chart this week with his second No. 1 single, “Good Directions.”
HIGH FIVE
99X For May 13-19
1. Sick Puppies, “All the Same”
2. Silversun Pickups, “Lazy Eye”
3. Muse, “Starlight”
4. Linkin Park, “What I’ve Done”
5. Plain White T’s, “Hey There Delilah”
— Mediabase 24/7
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Singer Ron Isley of the Isley Brothers is 66. Actor Richard Hatch (“Battlestar Galactica”) is 62. Comedian Al Franken is 56. Actor Mr. T (left) is 55. Actor Judge Reinhold is 50.
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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Quincy Jones values ATL pals
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buzz swung by Morehouse College on Friday for the groundbreaking of the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Morehouse Music Education Building, a 76,000-square-foot structure scheduled to open on the campus’s edge in 14 months. The facility will cost $20 million. It’ll have practice rooms, a 600-capacity concert hall and a 200-capacity amphitheater described by RL Brown & Associates architect William A. Stanfield as a miniature Chastain.
The groundbreaking featured a performance by the Morehouse Glee Club, remarks from outgoing President Walter E. Massey and appearances by two music biz luminaries, Quincy Jones (the legendary producer, who’s still rocking an earring into his 70s) and Joe Adams (who managed the late Brother Ray, the man whose two $1 million donations kick-started the building’s capital campaign).
Adams, who wore an immaculate tan suit and matching polka-dot accessories, has an honorary degree from Morehouse. Jones is set to receive his own honorary degree Sunday, joining about 600 graduates at the college’s commencement ceremony.
He took a moment after the ceremony to discuss his pals in the ATL music and film scene.
“They’re all my real close friends, and all come to my house,” Jones said. “Usher stays at my house, and Ludacris and Jermaine [Dupri], Dallas [Austin]. Chris Tucker goes all over the world with us. We were all just in the Bahamas two days ago. They’re like my family.”
‘Luda-Crest’ inspires smiles
The aforementioned Ludacris will also make a cartoon cameo in the 400th episode of “The Simpsons” this Sunday on Fox as a tube of toothpaste that raps, of all things.
The 29-year-old rapper-actor, whose real name is Chris Bridges, portrays “Luda-Crest” in an informational video that brainy Lisa watches during the Simpsons’ annual dental checkup.
The central storyline, though, features the family taking in a dejected news anchor who was fired for using a shocking expletive while interviewing Homer on his nightly program. Lisa helps him devise a scheme to stage a comeback.
As Buzz readers well know, Luda already has many acting highlights on his résumé, including performances in the films “Crash” and “Hustle & Flow” and his guest star turns on NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
An attention-getter
San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas has a secret: The Godfather of Soul was a major influence on him.
Of the first time he heard Augusta’s favorite son on the radio as a music student, the San Francisco Symphony music director says, “I was so struck by it that I actually had to pull to the side of the road, because I thought, ‘I can’t concentrate on my driving and listen to this.’ “
This weekend’s broadcast of Thomas’ “The MTT Files” radio show is appropriately titled “We Were Playing Boulez, But We Were Listening to James Brown.” The program includes an interview Thomas conducted with Brown in April 2006, eight months before Brown’s death last December.
“From the first day I heard James Brown’s music, I waited anxiously for each new song he would release. He became a hero of mine,” Thomas, 62, tells the audience.
Thomas asks Brown whether he realized what power he wielded over his audiences because of his intensity.
“Well, I think more like Moses. Moses didn’t have power, he had influence. Only God’s got power. What I tried to do was make them listen to me,” Brown replied. “That’s a hard thing, to get people’s attention.”
Uncoupling
Apparently that cozy dinner they recently shared at Bluepointe was a fleeting thing: “Extra” reported Friday that ex-Buckhead boy John Mayer and that ex-Daisy Duke, Jessica Simpson, are a pair no more. The syndicated TV show reports that Simpson is enjoying the party scene in Cannes, France, while Mayer was spotted partying this week at a club in New York.
Quote of the day
“The label was like, ‘It’s just too negative.’ I’m like, ‘Well, I’m sorry I’ve inconvenienced you with my life.’ No, it doesn’t say, ‘I’m happy, I’m with a boy and having so much fun.’ But it’s reality. We all go through situations for certain reasons, and I think we should share that.”
The first “American Idol,” Kelly Clarkson, on the initial reaction of her record company, Sony BMG, to the self-penned, personal tracks on her upcoming album, “My December,” from this week’s Entertainment Weekly interview with the singer.
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: PBS newscaster Jim Lehrer is 73. TV personality David Hartman is 72. Author-director Nora Ephron is 66. Actor Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca in “Star Wars”) is 63. Musician Pete Townshend is 62. Singer-actress-model Grace Jones is 55.
Sunday: Singer Joe Cocker is 63. Singer-actress Cher is 61. Guitarist Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s is 49. Singer Nick Heyward of Haircut 100 is 46. Actress Mindy Cohn (“Facts of Life”) is 41. Rapper Busta Rhymes is 35. Actor Matt Czuchry (“Gilmore Girls”) is 30. Singer Naturi Naughton (3LW) is 23.
Contributing: Nick Marino 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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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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Pair makes selves at home on strip circuit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Yes, we were relieved when those Barbie Bandits came along,” Duluth resident Lisa Ann Taylor conceded to Buzz Wednesday, laughing. After all, Taylor, aka the alleged “Mansion Madam” and her friend Nicole “Naughty Nikki” Probert got knocked off media radar screens earlier this year after teens Ashley Miller and Heather Johnston allegedly knocked over a Bank of America inside a Cobb County Kroger and took off to get makeovers at Carter-Barnes Hair Artisans at Phipps Plaza.
In January, Taylor, a former Penthouse Pet, and fellow adult entertainer Probert were arrested and accused of running a high-end prostitution business out of Taylor’s pricey Sugarloaf Country Club home. The women, who have yet to be indicted on the charges, were back on the radar Wednesday, booked as the star attractions at Atlanta strip club Tattletales Wednesday night.
Prior to their appearance, Taylor and Probert, who both previously worked as Realtors, talked to Buzz about their lives. As the AT&T Classic tees up outside her house this week, Taylor, who says she could have fetched $4,000 renting out the home this week to golfers, hasn’t had any takers. However, the pair has become a hit on the national strip circuit. At Tattletales, the pair had worked up two themed routines as vampires and race car enthusiasts.
“The fans have been absolutely wonderful and very supportive,” said Probert. “I’m a veteran in the commercial real estate business, but this is how we’re earning a living right now.”
Cracked Taylor: “Nobody really wants their husband driving around with me to look at homes right now!”
DOOLITTLE, TOO LATE FOR FINAL ‘IDOL’ TWO
Despite consistently solid vocal performances throughout the contest, Nashville backup singer Melinda Doolittle just missed making the finals of “American Idol” Wednesday night.
The modest Doolittle, 29, fell just short in the charisma department. Nonetheless, she should take comfort that judge Simon Cowell embraced her, telling her early on that she was no longer a backup singer. He heaped even more praise on her Tuesday night, believing she deserved a spot in the final two.
But that wasn’t to be. Instead, it will be a showdown next week between Seattle’s plaid-wearing beatboxer Blake Lewis and Glendale, Ariz., teen Jordin Sparks. While neither were as vocally talented as Doolittle, Lewis has a more contemporary feel and Sparks possesses potential to be even better. Host Ryan Seacrest gave a total vote count from Tuesday night (60 million), but didn’t indicate how close it was.
A NEW MORNING TV MAN AT WSB
WSB-TV has hired Fred Blankenship, the third male morning co-anchor in the past two years for veteran co-host Pam Martin. A Los Angeles native with stops in Kansas, San Francisco and San Diego, Blankenship will co-helm the top-rated 5 a.m. and noon telecasts starting June 25. He replaces Collins Spencer, who was let go last month after only about 18 months on the job .
FIRST LOOK AT THE ‘07 FALCONS
Season ticket holders will get their first look at the 2007 Atlanta Falcons team and cheerleaders at a swanky soiree set for Monday night at the Fox Theatre. Falcons owner Arthur Blank and new head coach Bobby Petrino will be among those on hand to debut the 2007 Falcon draft class and will also premiere the team’s 2006 highlight film. Falcons rep LaRhonda Jackson told Buzz Wednesday that they’re expecting 1,500 fans at the event (and yes, you may still attend if you become a season ticket holder this week. Details: www.atlantafalcons.com).
At presstime, there was no word on whether a special off-field Michael Vick highlight reel was also being readied …
PARIS’ MOM SPEAKS
In a beautiful bit of May sweeps synergy, Kathy Hilton publicly traded on her friendship with Barbara Walters to release a statement to young people who will hopefully learn from her 26-year-old socialite daughter, Paris, who is facing 45 days in jail for violating her probation.
“We can only hope that something positive will come from all of this. Hopefully, young people who look up to people like Paris will learn from this,” Hilton said in a statement read Wednesday on ABC’s “The View” by the show’s founder.
Kathy Hilton called her Tuesday night and offered the statement, Walters said.
“She didn’t say ‘my child didn’t do it’ or ‘this is terrible,’” said Walters. “She’s saying, ‘You have to take responsibility.’ I thought it was a very strong and very good statement.”
Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck disagreed.
“You want to discipline your children before the criminal system does,” she said.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor-director Dennis Hopper is 71. Singer Taj Mahal is 65. Actor Bill Paxton is 52. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 51. Singer Enya is 46. Actor Craig Ferguson (“The Late Late Show,” “The Drew Carey Show”) is 45. Musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is 42. Singer Jordan Knight (New Kids on the Block) is 37.
OVERSCENE
Actress Vivica A. Fox enjoying the chicken and watercress soup with mini matzo balls and truffle oil at the Lobby at Twelve at Atlantic Station.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“My favorite thing to do is eat, and I do not think I could date someone who does not eat more than one course. I need a two-course girl.”
— “American Idol” host and Dunwoody High School grad Ryan Seacrest in US Weekly on why he may potentially never date again while residing in Los Angeles.
Contributing: Rodney Ho 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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‘Makeover’ host opens up as mag debuts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just when you’d like to duck the media for the foreseeable future, you need the press to promote your glossy new magazine. Such was the predicament former Grant Park resident and “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” host Ty Pennington found himself in as his new mag Ty Pennington at Home debuted on newsstands Tuesday.
Pennington was pulled over this month in Los Angeles and charged with driving under the influence. As part of a trade-off with “Entertainment Tonight” in exchange for publicizing his new publication, Pexnnington sat down to discuss the incident.
“I made an error in judgment; I made a mistake,” Pennington told the syndicated entertainment program. “I don’t condone what I did. I could have jeopardized everything, including my job, which is the best job in the world.”
Pennington used the opportunity to refute one aspect of the media coverage of his arrest: He says no drugs (alcohol not withstanding) were involved.
When asked what he would have done differently, a repentant Pennington said: “I probably would take a cab.”
Of the new publication that gets a trial run prior to becoming a quarterly in 2008, the handyman explained its title is a bit misleading “because I’m never home! [The magazine] shows you how to bring your personality into your home with your own hands.”
A CONCERT FOR KING
The Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation Inc. announced Tuesday that Tommy Hilfiger, Russell Simmons and Quincy Jones will be among the A-listers spearheading an all-star concert Sept. 18 at Radio City Music Hall in New York to benefit the building of the King Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. We’re told that “The Dream Concert” will also benefit from record producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis coming on board as artistic directors, while Muhammad Ali, Angela Bassett, Jamie Foxx, Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kerry Washington and former New York City Mayor David Dinkins have all signed onto the concert’s host committee.
In a press release e-mailed to Buzz, we were informed that the concert “will embody the ideals of hope, love, democracy, and justice for which Dr. King stood. The concert will capture the essence of his lasting teaching by joining together musicians from across genre lines, featuring unique musical combinations not usually found on the same stage. The Memorial Foundation has already raised $79 million of the $100 million needed to complete and maintain the memorial, and this event will help secure the additional funds.” The memorial is due to be completed next year.
Buzz was told Tuesday that the all-star lineup for the concert will be announced this month.
OVERSCENE
An MTV video crew filming a North Atlanta High School student being surprised by her unexpected prom date — Atlanta R&B singer Bobby Valentino for an upcoming MTV doc, “Once Upon a Prom.” We’re told that the as-yet-unidentified student (the special airs at 2 p.m. Saturday) had originally planned on dining with her girlfriends at Two Urban Licks until Valentino turned up (with a black Bentley, natch) to escort her to the dance.
A CHANCE TO GLOW ON BROADWAY
Horizon Theatre in Little Five Points had to do some last-minute recasting of its upcoming production of “Charm School,” set to open May 25. It seems that actor David de Vries got a call from the Great White Way, asking if he’d like to play the last Lumiere on Broadway’s “Beauty and the Beast” before the Disney show closes on July 29. Horizon reps tell us that de Vries begins rehearsals this week and will debut in the role next week. Thankfully, he’ll have some company from home in NYC. Georgia native Glenn Rainey is set to play Cogsworth in the musical for the same remainder of the run. Atlanta audiences will recall Rainey from his role as the junk-food-eating psychopath Otto Woodnick in Horizon’s production of Nicky Silver’s black comedy “The Food Chain.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Jazz musician Billy Cobham is 63. Actor Pierce Brosnan is 54. Actress Debra Winger is 52. Actress Mare Winningham is 48. Violinist Boyd Tinsley of the Dave Matthews Band is 43. Singer Janet Jackson is 41. Singer Ralph Tresvant is 39. Actor David Boreanaz (“Bones”) is 38. Actress Tracey Gold is 38. Actress Tori Spelling is 34.
ON MY TIVO
Garry Marshall, “Georgia Rule” director and “Happy Days” creator: “I have a wonderful wife of 44 years who knows how to work all the contraptions in our home. She records things for me. I watch ‘Brothers and Sisters,’ which is my favorite show right now. It skillfully blends comedy and drama, which is sometimes a tricky thing to do. I watch a lot of sports, too. I’m also interested to see [the upcoming Steven Spielberg/Mark Burnett film reality show] ‘On the Lot.’ I’m actually on it with Carrie Fisher. If you live long enough in this business, someone asks you to be a judge.”
HIGH FIVE
TOP DOWNLOADED RINGTONES THIS WEEK
1. “What Hurts the Most,” Rascal Flatts
2. “2 Step,” Unk
3. “Super Mario Brothers Theme,” Koji Kondo
4. “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’),” T-Pain featuring Yung Joc
5. “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé
Source: Billboard
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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Tickets on sale Saturday for Beyonce visit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you want to experience “The Beyoncé Experience” tour this summer, you may want to pick up some overtime this week. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday for the July 20 concert at Philips Arena, featuring the Destiny’s Child diva and R&B singer Robin Thicke. Reserved tickets for the all ages show are priced at $99.75, $79.75 and $49.75 before that lovely processing charge gets tacked on. All tickets are for reserved seating and all ages are welcome. Tickets will be available at www.livenation.com, the Philips Arena Box Office, or charge by phone through Ticketmaster at 404-249-6400. For more information, call Philips Arena at 404-878-3000 or visit www.beyonce.com.
DYLAN SHALL BE FREE TO ROAM THE OCEANS
Dylan, the loggerhead sea turtle that’s been flapping his flippers at visitors to the Georgia Aquarium, is about to wave goodbye. He’s heading to coastal Georgia, and from there to his natural home in the deep.
The turtle, about 7 years old, is scheduled to leave the aquarium this morning for the George Sea Turtle Center at Jekyll Island. He’ll be the first turtle at the center to be prepared for life in the Atlantic Ocean, his native habitat.
Dylan’s return to the coast marks a full circle for the Caretta caretta. He was a hatchling, a straggler rescued on Jekyll Island seven years ago. He stayed at the Tidelands Nature Center, but soon outgrew its tanks. The Georgia Aquarium offered him some temporary digs at its Georgia Explorer exhibit.
Now, the turtle is about 20 inches long, meaning he’s ready to go back to Jekyll Island. The center hopes to release the turtle sometime this summer. He’ll be equipped with a transmitter so center employees can chart his movements.
The center officially opens its doors June 16.
A GREAT ‘DEBATE’ FOR ‘BATTLE’ ACTOR
“Peachtree Battle” reps tell us that the actor Justice Leak, who portrays Holcombe Habersham in the never-ending, er, long-running show will leave the production in June for another gig. Leak has been cast in the upcoming big-screen flick “The Great Debaters,” starring Academy Award winners Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker. Filming will take place in Boston.
According to “Battle” rep Kyle Barnette, the film, also directed by Washington, “is a drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College in Texas. In 1935, he inspired students to form the school’s first debate team, which went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship. The film, being produced by Oprah Winfrey’s production company, Harpo Films, is scheduled for a 2008 release.”
“Peachtree Battle” creators John Gibson and Anthony Morris in a statement told us: “We are thrilled for Justice. This is a well-deserved opportunity.”
OVERSCENE
Reality TV two-fer J.P. Calderon of “Survivor: Cook Islands” and “the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency” dining and raving about the macaroni and cheese and Jack Daniels ice cream at TWO Urban Licks. The male model was in town for a nightclub appearance/public ogling session at WETbar. It could not immediately be determined whether Calderon managed to patronize any other local businesses with a portion of their names in all CAPITAL LETTERS while in the ATL.
USA Today reports that Atlantans Jermaine Dupri, Janet Jackson, Usher and Whitney Houston were among the celebs at the launch of Paradise Island, the latest Atlantis resort in the Bahamas over the weekend.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Eddy Arnold is 89. Counterculture icon Wavy Gravy is 71. Singer Trini Lopez is 70. Actress-singer Lainie Kazan is 67. Country singer K.T. Oslin is 65. Musician Brian Eno is 59. Actor Chazz Palminteri is 56. Musician Mike Oldfield is 54. Rock musician Ahmet Zappa is 33. Actor David Krumholtz (“Numb3rs”) is 29. Actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler (“The Sopranos”) is 26.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“That’s the most important thing that I took away from this: my friendship with Amy. I will always do whatever I can to help her. Like I told her, ‘Not only would I hide a body for you, I would chop one up as well.’ — “Gilmore Girls” actor Scott Patterson to Tvguide.com on his relationship with series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino as the show ends its seven-year run tonight on CW.
STORK REPORT
It’s a girl!
Trump Towers Atlanta developer Donald Trump became a grandfather over the weekend, 14 months after he became a dad all over again.
The baby girl, Kai Madison, was born to Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Vanessa, both 29, on Saturday in New York, according to published reports. She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces, the reports said.
Donald Trump Jr. told People magazine from the hospital that he is getting used to the idea of being a father. “Everyone’s great,” he said.
He said the girl’s name comes from her maternal grandfather, a Danish musician.
Oddly, little Kai will get to grow up alongside her uncle Barron, born to her grandfather and his third wife, Melania, in 2006.
The elder Trump told the New York Post that being a granddad was “terrific.”
“Well, it’s not something I had necessarily in mind, but it feels very nice,” he said.
At presstime Monday, Rosie O’Donnell’s gift had yet to arrive …
Contributing: Mark Davis 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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Dallas Bad Roads trump Buckhead Bettyz at HBO
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two local Atlantans last year sold a comedy concept to HBO called “Buckhead Bettyz” about life among the upper-crust society women in Atlanta.
But it’s been placed on hold because HBO decided to move forward with a similar concept about a wealthy real-estate family in Dallas. Called “12 Miles of Bad Road,” it’s created by Harry Thomason and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason and stars Lily Tomlin. No air date has been set yet for that show. (The husband-and-wife team also created ’80s sitcom “Designing Women,” set in Atlanta.)
“We got placed on the back burner,” said Alex Sapot, director of development for the production company set to make “Buckhead Bettyz.”
The show creators, Lisa Senters (left) and Tenessa Singleton (right), said the initial script, penned by award-winning writer Beth Henley, didn’t click. “She changed it quite a bit from the original concept,” Senters said.
Senters said she’s not sure what the future of the show will be, especially after the person who championed it, Chris Albrecht, resigned last week as HBO president after he allegedly assaulted a female companion.
HBO spokesman Tobe Becker said the network’s policy is not to discuss shows in development.
RANDOM BITS
Third-place “American Idol” finalist Elliott Yamin postponed his first solo tour, set to open Tuesday in Atlanta at the Loft in Midtown. Promoter Josh Antenucci said the concert was selling just fine. Rather, “Idol” producers at the last second asked Yamin to sing his hit song “Wait for You” on Wednesday’s results show. Hmm … 600 people at the Loft or 28 million people on “Idol”? Can’t blame him for picking the latter …
Characters die fairly frequently on NBC’s “Heroes,” which concludes its freshman year next Monday, but it appears that morally gray politician Nathan Petrelli (played by Adrian Pasdar) won’t be one of them — at least this season. “When I signed on to ‘Heroes,’ ” he told Buzz last week during a conference call, “I didn’t realize I’d signed on for ‘Survivor.’ ” He did say his character will be isolated in a new location next year because of choices he makes in the final three minutes of the season finale.
HIGH FIVE
Songs for Kids
For his charity event at Smith’s Olde Bar, Josh Rifkind used Rolling Stone’s Top 500 songs of all time. Here are the Top 5:
1. Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone”
2. The Rolling Stones, “Satisfaction”
3. John Lennon, “Imagine”
4. Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”
5. Aretha Franklin, “Respect”
— Rolling Stone magazine
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Movie producer George Lucas is 63. Musician David Byrne (Talking Heads) is 55. Director Robert Zemeckis is 55. Guitarist C.C. DeVille of Poison is 45. Fabrice Morvan of Milli Vanilli is 41. Actress Cate Blanchett is 38. Director Sofia Coppola (“Lost in Translation”) is 36.
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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Even a queen can look a lot like her mother
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Photographer Annie Leibovitz had just a half-hour to take her fairytale-like portrait of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, which was commissioned for Her Majesty’s May 3-8 visit to the United States. Leibovitz told reporters Friday about the shoot during a walk-through of her retrospective show opening today at the High Museum of Art.
The portrait isn’t included in the show, which features some of her most famous photos of celebrities from 1990-2005 (remember the nude shot of Demi Moore in late pregnancy?).
Leibovitz said she went through the queen’s wardrobe and looked at books about her jewelry to decide what the monarch should wear. The portrait shows the queen sitting in an opulent, unlit room in Buckingham Palace, gazing wistfully through an open window at the palace gardens as storm clouds gather. She is wearing a pale gold brocade dress, fur stole and magnificent diamond necklace.
The queen’s silvery, other-worldly quality in the photo was helped by the fact that “she is an 81-year-old woman with gray hair and very pale skin,” said Leibovitz, who enhanced the natural light with a small strobe.
Critics have noted the similarity to formal portraits of the queen’s mother by the late English fashion photographer Cecil Beaton. Leibovitz said that was deliberate: She studied Beaton’s old photos before her session with the queen in March.
Hoping to be heard
At first glance, Saturday night’s “Boys Night Out” songwriters concert at Red Light Cafe in Midtown featuring Mike Rickard, Wayne Fishell, Lucas Mire and Sean Kagalis, with opener Richard Solomon, appears much like any other booking at the music venue.
The boys in question, however, all happen to be gay.
“There’s definitely that stereotype out there that all gay men ever listen to is club music,” Rickard told us Friday. “But I don’t play to backing tracks. I perform with an acoustic guitar. A big part of this for us is letting people know that our music is out there. We’re going to just be up there, talking about our lives.”
By singing openly about same-sex relationships, Fishell says he’s under no illusion that commercial radio is suddenly going to embrace his songs. “No one is ever going to tell me how to write a song,” he says. For him to avoid writing about men in his love songs “would be dishonest. The whole point is that human emotion is human emotion.”
Mire says he is just looking for the opportunity to play in a venue where people actually listen to the performers and for the chance to “cross-pollinate our audiences.”
“It’s tough out there to spread the word as an independent artist, gay or straight,” Mire says. “Believe me, I’ve played lots of events where no one listens to you. This promises to be a terrific experience.”
Mire, Rickard and Fishell have all recently produced well-received indie CDs as well.
Doors open at 7 p.m. Solomon opens at 7:30 p.m., and Rickard, Fishell, Miré and Kagalis go on at 8 p.m.
My, what big bugs!
We’ll concede that “Big Bugs and Killer Plants” aren’t the typical elements present at a media cocktail party. However, since it was a gorgeous spring evening Thursday at the Atlanta Botanical Garden (with a complete absence of pesky publicists), we happily took in New York sculptor David Rogers’ zany wooden bugs perched around the grounds, while they vaguely threatened the Midtown skyline. Patrons especially gravitated to Rogers’ menacing praying mantis sculpture with razor-sharp claws and the odd insect-eating pitcher-shaped killer plants from the Philippines. Our faves? — the tiny bright blue poison frogs from northern South America. Until the miniature things hopped from leaf to leaf (behind a thick pane of glass, mind you), they appeared to be ceramic.
For info: www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org
Coupling
Actor/comic Nick Cannon and Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks are engaged.
Cannon proposed on bent knee this week in New York’s Times Square as the words, “Selita will you marry me?” flashed on a giant TV screen, Cannon’s publicist, Tracy Nguyen, said.
Ebanks, 24, said yes. Cannon then presented her with a 15-carat diamond ring that he helped design.
The couple met at a Super Bowl party in Miami in February.
In the past, the 26-year-old rapper and host of MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out” has been romantically linked with socialite Kim Kardashian and singer-actress Christina Milian.
Cannon’s screen roles include the shot-in-Atlanta “Drumline.”
High five
Top downloaded TV episodes this week
1. “Heroes,” “The Hard Part”
2. “The Office,” “Women’s Appreciation”
3. “24,” “2-3 a.m.”
4. “Lost,” “The Brig”
5. “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Other Side of This Life”
— Source: iTunes
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Composer Burt Bacharach is 79. Talk show host Tom Snyder is 71. Comedian George Carlin is 70. Singer Steve Winwood is 59. Singer Billy Squier is 57. Country singer Kix Brooks of Brooks and Dunn is 52. Actor Ving Rhames is 46. Actor Emilio Estevez is 45. Actress Vanessa Williams (TV’s “Soul Food,” “Melrose Place”) is 44. Actor Stephen Baldwin is 41. Actress Kim Fields is 38. Actor Jason Biggs (“American Pie”) is 29. Actor Malcolm David Kelley (“Lost”) is 15.
Sunday: Actress Bea Arthur is 85. Actor Harvey Keitel is 68. Singer Stevie Wonder is 57. Comedian Stephen Colbert (“The Colbert Report”) is 43. Singer Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish is 41. Bassist Mickey Madden of Maroon 5 is 28.
Contributing: Kirsten Tagami 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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Actor puts up dukes after car bid goes unpaid
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When we got word this week that North Springs High School grad and former “Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schneider had successfully unloaded his vintage General Lee from the classic series for $10 million on eBay, we were skeptical. As it turns out, the winning bid was either a joke or fraudulent.
AP Photo/Mark Humphrey
The iconic car from the TV show that was initially shot in Georgia is back up on the blocks as the actor ponders legal action. In a statement sent to TMZ.com, Schneider said: “As the week has progressed, it appears more and more evident that the winning bidder from my ‘Bo’s General Lee’ auction has no intention of coming up with the promised funds. The deadline for deposit was missed on Monday and nobody is more upset or disappointed than I am. I have been on the phone with my lawyer in Century City [Calif.] all week and am taking steps to force compliance of the winning bidder to the rules and regulations of the auction. This may have been the most publicly viewed auction ever! People’s word should be their bond.” Meanwhile, eBay recorded more than half a million hits during the bidding on the car.
We’ve heard that several auction houses have contacted the actor about unloading the vehicle for him, while other “Dukes”-related autos continue to pop up on eBay, including a 1993 Ford Escort wagon painted red with a 01 on it currently fetching $510 and a 1978 Plymouth Fury “Dukes” cop car going for $910. A 1969 Dodge Charger General Lee used in the big screen remake had a bid of $6,102 at deadline Thursday. One potential drawback: the vehicle lacks an engine.
FONDA FILE
Jane Fonda’s television media tour rolled on late Wednesday with an outrageous appearance on Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report.” Introducing the “Georgia Rule” star, Stephen Colbert cracked, “And I’ll ask about her years on ‘The Flying Nun.’ ” However, the fake newscaster dissolved into a puddle of goo when the Atlantan plopped down on his lap, kissed him full on the lips and didn’t move for the duration of the segment. “Are we doing ‘Klute’?” Colbert inquired (Fonda had smooched the host on a prior visit when she notably baked a pie with pal and fellow feminist Gloria Steinem). “I’m Georgia and I have rules,” Fonda informed Colbert as she nibbled on his ear. The “Report” host retorted: “I have rules, too, and you’re breaking several of them right now!”
LINDSAY, A STRIPPER?
Lindsay Lohan made David Letterman’s heart beat faster when she told him she plays a stripper in her next film, “I Know Who Killed Me.”
“You’re just gonna kill me, you know I have a heart condition. You’re just gonna kill me,” the CBS “Late Show” host said Wednesday night.
The 20-year-old actress said the audience will be seeing “a lot” of her in the “really dark, scary film.”
Lohan also said she took lessons for the role.
“It’s really difficult to get yourself up there,” she said.
Lohan was at a loss for words when Letterman talked about her “Georgia Rule” co-star Jane Fonda.
“You’re 20, Jane Fonda is 70 for god’s sakes and looks just tremendous, and more than looks great, has this palpable sense of vitality,” Letterman said. “It radiates.”
Lohan was silent for a moment, then replied: “She does; no, she’s amazing.”
“Georgia Rule,” also starring Felicity Huffman, was to open in theaters Friday.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Eric Burdon (the Animals, War) is 66. Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (“24”) is 55. Former MTV VJ Martha Quinn is 48. Actress Natasha Richardson is 44. Country singer Tim Raybon of the Raybon Brothers is 44. Bassist Keith West of Heartland is 39. Actor Coby Bell (“Third Watch”) is 32. Actor Jonathan Jackson (“Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” “Tuck Everlasting”) is 25.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We want a woman president, we want a black president, and we want a Mormon president. I say, let’s get Gladys Knight.”
—“The View” guest co-host Marie Osmond on the ABC daytime hen party Thursday, suggesting that the Atlanta native be elected over presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
SICK BAY
Former televangelist Tammy Faye Messner’s doctors have stopped treating her cancer, and her weight has dropped to 65 pounds.
In a letter posted this week on her Web site, Messner thanked her “faithful friends” for sending her flowers, cards and gifts as she battles cancer. The 65-year-old Charlotte resident was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 1996, and she announced in 2004 that the disease had spread to her lungs.
“The doctors have stopped trying to treat the cancer, and so now it’s up to God and my faith. And that’s enough!” she wrote.
Until her son Jay Bakker moved his ministry to New York City last year (an Atlanta branch remains), Messner was often a notable celeb sighting in the ATL. Our fave? When she popped into Moe’s on Ponce in 2004 and immediately received a comped burrito when management recognized her.
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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Church packed for concert honoring Connie Flint
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It was as if one of the gospel superstars Connie Flint played on the radio had snuck into a neighborhood church for a full-on concert. Fifteen minutes after the scheduled start time Thursday night authorites were turning cars away from the main parking lot. Inside, the sanctuary was full.
Just past the two exit signs in the back, in the hallway, folding chairs were set up, and they were full. And past those hallways, in the one, two, three back rooms — all full too. Then back in the sanctuary, the front rows were lined with current and one-time radio personalities — Joyce Littel, Larry Tinsley, Larry Young, Juandolyn Stokes, even Chasity “C-Jay” Gathers who’d made her way up from Savannah.
All of them were at Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church for a tribute concert to Flint, the 57-year-old Atlanta radio personality who died May 3 of cardiac arrest. In her three decades on the air and as one of the first female program directors of an FM station in this city, the gospel radio giant had extensive stints at WAOK-AM and Praise 97.5 FM. “It’s interesting how personalities affect so many lives,” noted Odell Lewis from the pulpit, in between performances from one of 10 choirs expected Thursday night. “I tell you, to see people love you like this, that’s when you’ve done something with your life!”
Flint’s funeral will be May 11 at 11 a.m. at St. Philip AME Church.
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Akon sorry for windin’ and grindin’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here at Buzz Central, we’ve dubbed it the Elton John/Dallas Austin Rule: whenever famous Atlantans leave the comfy environs of our city limits, trouble somehow seems to attach itself to our celebs like that creepy black goo in “Spider-Man 3.”
Case in point: Atlanta-based singer Akon is currently under fire for performing a sexually explicit dance onstage with a 14-year-old girl. The performer is offering an apology to the teen and anyone else who was offended by the display.
Akon, who is in the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 with his radio hit “Don’t Matter,” was videotaped simulating sex with a girl invited onstage as part of his act during an April 12 concert in Trinidad. After the video was circulated on the Internet, it was revealed that she was 14.
Whoops.
Since the incident, Verizon has pulled out as a sponsor of his tour with Gwen Stefani, for whom he wrote the hit “The Sweet Escape.” The tour comes to HiFi Buys Amphitheatre this Friday.
In a statement released Wednesday to The Associated Press, Akon, 34, said he was sorry for the incident but also said he didn’t know the girl was underage.
“I want to sincerely apologize for the embarrassment and any pain I’ve caused to the young woman who joined me onstage, her family and the Trinidad community for the events at my concert,” Akon said.
“It was never my intention to embarrass or take advantage of my fans in any way, especially those under the age of 18. That is why we tried to make sure that the club did not admit anyone under 18 in the audience,” he said. “Somehow, that standard was not met.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday TMZ.com was busy displaying video of Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri sitting in the back of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s vehicle this week after a traffic stop in Los Angeles. The video on the celebrity Web site shows Dupri’s Lamborghini near the squad car with its doors ajar. The boyfriend of Janet Jackson was eventually allowed to leave seemingly without incident. There was no immediate statement regarding the stop issued from Dupri’s camp here or from L.A. law enforcement officials.
FONDA FILE
During her Tuesday night appearance on “The Late Show With David Letterman,” Atlantan Jane Fonda dished on her personal life to a clearly smitten Letterman. In her 2005 appearance on the show, Fonda mentioned meeting a mystery man at her NYC book signing. After losing his business card, she invited him on-air to call her business office in Atlanta. On Tuesday, he was in the show’s green room. “I’m in love with him,” Fonda told Letterman. She failed, however, to identify the New Yorker. Fonda did say she’s taken her boyfriend to her ranch but he hasn’t as yet received any fly-fishing lessons from her. Explained the actress: “We didn’t spend a lot of time outside.”
WEDDING PITCH
Look for Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson and his wife Kim on this Sunday’s edition of “Get Married” at 9:30 a.m. on the basic cable channel WE (as in Women’s Entertainment). According to press info, Braves fans will “see the softer side of star pitcher” on the weekly wedding series. The Peachtree City couple will “discuss how they met at Auburn University and reveal how nervous Tim was when he proposed. Kim also recounts sticking to tried-and-true wedding traditions when Tim’s mother gave her something old. Turns out, it was Tim’s baby bonnet, which she wrapped around her bridal bouquet.” Hopefully, someone will be thoughtful enough to send along video footage to us of the reception Hudson will undoubtedly receive from teammates when he shows up in the locker room Sunday afternoon prior to the game in Pittsburgh. …
SICK BAY
Those glow-in-the-dark dancing pink flamingos that greet Mary Chapin Carpenter here each summer will surely be bowing their heads today. The perennial Chastain Park Amphitheatre fave has canceled her June 30 appearance here, along with her entire “The Calling” summer tour. According to the singer-songwriter’s Web site, she recently finished her spring tour, “during which time she experienced pain from a recent back injury. She was subsequently hospitalized for a pulmonary embolism, possibly as a result of her limited movement during the spring tour.” After a brief stay in the hospital, Carpenter is now recovering at home. She hopes to resume touring next year.
BUTTERING UP MOM
Proud mama Paula Deen sent out an e-mail Wednesday informing us that her baby boys, Jamie and Bobby Deen, will pop in to visit for the Mother’s Day edition of “The Rachael Ray Show” Friday (seen locally on WXIA-TV at 3 p.m.).
According to the Savannah restaurateur, the Food Network hosts of “Road Tasted” will be on to share Mom’s Day memories and to promote their new tome, “The Deen Bros. Cookbook: Recipes from the Road.” In the e-mail, the elder Deen says that in advance of the looming holiday, the boys have already dutifully delivered a copy of the book to their maternal figure.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Donovan is 61. Singer Bono of U2 is 47. Rapper Young MC is 40. Actor Kenan Thompson (“Kenan and Kel”) is 29.
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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Red-carpet rumor gets rise out of actress
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We had a front-row, red-carpet vantage point Monday night to witness the current state of celebrity journalism, during the world premiere of “Georgia Rule” at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown.
And it has us seriously reconsidering that career as a dental hygienist.
As actress Felicity Huffman started down the carpet, she was repeatedly pummeled with increasingly more inane questions about a recent interview she gave to Parade magazine where she made a joke about boozing it up on the set of the Jane Fonda/Lindsay Lohan film, due in theaters Friday.
Thanks to the Internet, by the time Huffman hit the carpet Monday, the humorous aside had mutated into a story posted on the celebrity blog site dlisted.com as “Somebody Was Drunk on the ‘Georgia Rule’ Set: Felicity Huffman has confessed that she was the drunk one on the set of ‘Georgia Rule.’ “
While Buzz took the apparently outdated approach of actually attending a press screening of the film (Huffman plays an alcoholic, you see), poring over production notes and doing advance interviews with star Jane Fonda and director Garry Marshall before the premiere, we can only assume our fellow working journalists spent five minutes on Google before getting their hair blown out at a local salon.
After Huffman calmly debunked the story for a second time on the carpet, and then was asked yet another uninformed follow-up question by our broadcast journalism brethren (bless their hearts), the exasperated Oscar nominee finally let fly with “I guess that I just [expletive] up your whole line of questioning, didn’t I?”
Thankfully, the local reporter then had the good sense to be embarrassed.
Inside at the live auction, Huffman appeared fully recovered. As she helped Fonda auction off a “Desperate Housewives” walk-on role for $65,000, the actress cracked: “You can come to the set in your pajamas. I do it all the time. They’ll turn you into a movie star. Plus, I have a full bar in my trailer.”
Photos: Jane Fonda movie premiere
SPARKS STILL FLY
Later, things got downright flirtatious at the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention benefit, when Fonda helped auction off a weeklong trip to ex-hubby Ted Turner’s ranch in Argentina. When bidding temporarily stalled, Fonda herself placed the winning bid of $100,000 before telling Turner and the sold-out crowd inside Symphony Hall: “See what I’ll do to keep other people out of your bed?! ” Turner then graciously handed over another week’s stay at the ranch that raised an additional $60,000 as reps from Delta tossed in complimentary airfare.
Fonda told the winning bidder as the entire room erupted in laughter: “And you get to stay in a really nice house that I decorated, [expletive]!”
ADVICE FOR LOHAN
While “Georgia Rule” actress Lindsay Lohan didn’t make the trip to Atlanta, on Monday afternoon director Garry Marshall recounted a notable conversation he had with the troubled actress.
“We just talked together,” explained Marshall, who has previously helped introduce the world to Julia Roberts and Anne Hathaway, directing them in “Pretty Woman” and “The Princess Diaries,” respectively. “I said, ‘Lindsay, your father’s in jail, and your mother, well, she’s not calling so much, young lady. Right now, I’m your best shot. I’m too old to be your father. So think of me as a grandfather figure. Let’s get down to work here.”
Of the gag reel he created from outtakes from the shoot, Marshall told us: “Jane was difficult to get in there because she doesn’t make many mistakes. But she has this little dog, Tulea, that popped up unexpectedly a couple of times. We had a good time.” Marshall says the gag reel may well be included on the film’s DVD release.
USHER MOVES ON
Apparently the “U” in Usher stands for unions on one hand — and untyings on the other.
First the Atlanta R&B superstar, 28, announced he was engaged to longtime stylist Tameka Foster. Then on Monday he issued a statement affirming his mother, Jonnetta Patton, is no longer his manager. Now, after nine years, publicist Simone Smalls has announced that she, too, has parted ways with the singer.
“Change is good!” the vice president of Susan Blond Inc. said in a statement. “I’m just moving in a direction professionally that will not allow me to dedicate the same undivided attention I gave him for nearly a decade.”
“Usher and I still remain friends,” said Smalls, who still counts Atlanta talents Lil Jon, Keyshia Cole and Ne-Yo among her clients. Meanwhile, Patton was reached Tuesday by the AJC, but said she had no comment.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
CBS News correspondent Mike Wallace is 89. Actor Albert Finney is 71. Producer-director James L. Brooks is 67. Actress Candice Bergen is 61. Singer Billy Joel is 58. Actor John Corbett (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”) is 46. Singer David Gahan of Depeche Mode is 45. Rapper Ghostface Killah of Wu-Tang Clan is 37. Actress Rosario Dawson (“Grindhouse,” “Rent”) is 28.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It’s the third one, and you’re in it. How good could it be?”
David Letterman, explaining to guest Regis Philbin why he didn’t see “Shrek the Third” prior to interviewing Philbin Monday night on “The Late Show With David Letterman”
Contributing: Sonia Murray 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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Stars turn out for Fonda film premiere
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Blue skies and cool temperatures provided a postcard-worthy backdrop for the slew of celebrities walking the red carpet at the “world premiere” of “Georgia Rule” at the Woodruff Arts Center in Midtown on Monday night. (Click here to view photos.)
The Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention benefit hosted by “Georgia” star Jane Fonda attracted the Oscar winner’s co-star Felicity Huffman, the film’s hilarious director Garry Marshall, Fonda’s “favorite ex-husband” Ted Turner, actress Vivica A. Fox, producer Dallas Austin, OutKast’s Big Boi, and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young and his wife, Carolyn.
“I’m Georgia and I’ve got rules,” Fonda told the assembled media on the red carpet. Having fun with the lingering talk about the now-inframous memo issued to co-star Lindsay Lohan during the shoot, Fonda standing near Huffman, cracked: “Felicity was late a few times, so I had to yell at her!”
Commenting on Fonda’s sexy blue jean clad Idaho grandmother in the film, Turner told Buzz; “Jane’s always looked great to me. Why do you think I married her?”
Of meeting and working with Fonda, Huffman told us: “I must have gone through five outfits before I met her the first time. I’m not in her league. She’s an icon and I was completely intimidated but she made me feel comfortable immediately.”
During the event’s live auction, Huffman’s “Desperate Housewives” walk on role went for a jaw-dropping 65,000. The actresses ran off the stage to hug and kiss the unidentified gentleman who won the auction item.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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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
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Ne-Yo excites female fans in Wal-Mart visit
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s singer/songwriter Ne-Yo rolled into the College Park Wal-Mart at 11:55 a.m. on Saturday for a noon autograph-signing session and hung out an hour later than his scheduled 2 p.m. departure to accommodate the hundreds of (mostly female) fans.
Rodney Ho / AJC
Sitting on a dais created for him in the Wal-Mart garden section, he grinned for the BET cameras, signed copies of his second album “Because of You,” while answering questions from V-103’s Elle Duncan, and hugged every woman who extended her arms to him.
Riverdale’s Nabia Kanu, 18, became overcome by tears — and she hadn’t even met him yet. “I love everything about him,” she burbled.
The man behind Beyoncé’s irrepressibly catchy No. 1 hit “Irreplaceable,” Rihanna’s “Unfaithful” and Mario’s “Let Me Love You” has good reason to be happy: “Because of You” is slated to bump Avril Lavigne off the top of the Billboard sales charts this week. Based on www.hitsdailydouble.com, first-day sales reports last week estimate he will sell more than 250,000 copies.
ENTERTAINER’S RETURN MAKES ALL FEEL LUCKY
Buzz, a regular visitor to the monthly “Lucky Yates Talk Show” at Dad’s Garage until it ended in late 2003, was delighted to see the puppeteer and entertainer resurrect the show Saturday night in the martini-lounge atmospherics of the Laughing Skull Lounge next to the Vortex in Midtown.
A mix of camp and snarky homages to the talk-show genre, Yates’ re-opening night show featured free tater tots for the sold-out crowd of 100-plus, dancing from the sinfully sexy Luna Luxx (part of the burlesque group Dames Aflame) and a silly game show called “Who Likes Hamburgers?”
Yates also brought back his goofy monologue with jokes mostly too dirty for Buzz to print, his witty sidekick Mr. Magnificent (real name: Bart Hansard) and a couple of guests. Best-selling author and Creative Loafing columnist Hollis Gillespie told the crowd that actress Laura Dern had purchased the TV and movie rights to her two books. The former Delta flight attendant has also started a “Shocking Real-Life Writing Academy.”
Rodney Ho / AJC
Paolo Dalla Zorza of Paolo’s Gelato in Virginia-Highland (left) dishes out some of his frozen treat to entertainer Lucky Yates.
In the meantime, Paolo Dalla Zorza, owner of Paolo’s Gelato in Virginia-Highland, dished about how he got into gelato and then dished out free gelato, including a yummy flavor colored like the Viagra pill.
And actor Hansard — who created a World War II diorama out of pretzel sticks, pimento cheese spread and peanuts — had good news: He had gotten a gig as a fireman on Tyler Perry’s “House of Payne” sitcom, which makes its official debut next month on TBS.
In the audience, Eric Von Haessler, a friend of Yates and former co-host of 96rock’s defunct Regular Guys show, told Buzz he had dropped his brief gig overseeing the Sunday Paper’s Web site. “It was too much work,” he said. “I wasn’t getting any sleep. But I’m still great friends with them.” So radio station execs, take note: Von Haessler is available!
COMEDY NOT SO EASY FOR CAVEMEN TO DO
ABC has turned those Geico cavemen into a sitcom — and they’re based in Atlanta.
But according to Derek Flint, who saw the pilot episode, it’s “astoundingly awful.” He wrote in www.aintitcoolnews.com that “they draw astoundingly leaden parallels to every minority group in the world without a laugh in sight.” Worse, one of the actors (none of whom appears to be from the original ads) “actually reminded me a little bit of Sanjaya.”
RANDOM BITS
An Australian 21-year-old who harassed Snellville “American Idol” finalist Diana DeGarmo received 150 hours of community service last week after being convicted of stalking and blackmail. Tanya Maree Quattrocchi over the past 18 months has flooded DeGarmo with e-mails and text messages, stolen her identity and harassed her friends and family. Diana’s mom Brenda told Buzz recently that Quattrocchi has continued to do so even after the conviction…
Verizon ended its partnership with Atlanta rapper-singer Akon after he allegedly simulated sex onstage with an underaged teen in Trinidad…
HIGH FIVE
Fish 104.7 For the week of April 29 to May 5
1. Jeremy Camp, “Give You Glory”
2. Lincoln Brewster, “Everlasting God”
3. Casting Crowns, “You Alone”
4. Adam Cunningham, “You Are My God”
5. Mark Harris, “Wish You Were Here”
— Mediabase 24/7
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Singer Thelma Houston is 61. News correspondent Tim Russert (“Meet the Press”) is 57. Actress Traci Lords is 38. Actor Breckin Meyer (“Herbie: Fully Loaded,” “Road Trip”) is 33.
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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Singer eager to bring gay pride tour to ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Oh, my gaawwd, I love Atlanta!” shrieked Cyndi Lauper this week as she hopped on the phone to promote her upcoming True Colors Tour, which rolls through Chastain Park Amphitheater on June 21. “Atlanta is one of my favorite cities,” the singer continued. “You have really good drag queens there.”
The gal behind “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” has assembled a 15-city tour to celebrate Gay and Lesbian Pride month. Lauper and acts including Debbie Harry, Erasure and tour hostess/comic Margaret Cho put on a five-hour show to benefit the Human Rights Campaign.
“We’ve got to beat this discrimination, support gay rights and talk about solidarity,” she explains. “The [gay and lesbian] community has always been there for me throughout my career. This is my way of giving back some of that love. I’ve always been an outsider and a bit of an oddball. I think that’s why I’m so relatable for so many people.”
Lauper says that the tour will also feature information from nonprofits like Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, which assist the parents of gay, lesbian and sexuality-questioning children. Logo, the gay- and lesbian-focused cable channel from MTV Networks, is the sponsor for the cross-country trek.
Lauper is especially proud of the free purple bracelets that will be handed out to each concert attendee, courtesy of Judy Shepard and the Shepard Foundation that read: “Erase Hate.”
States Lauper: “Kind of says it all, doesn’t it?”
For tickets: www.truecolorstour.com.
Dinner … with critic
Emeril Lagasse and his old pal, Rathbun’s executive chef and owner Kevin Rathbun, paired up to drive north the bidding on the live auction items Thursday night at the Share Our Strength hunger benefit at the Georgia Aquarium. Lagasse told us the two have been good friends and go back together to the beginning at Commander’s Palace in New Orleans. At the event, student chefs from Chattahoochee Tech and Le Cordon Bleu flocked around the Food Network celeb chef all night for photos. Lagasse was only too happy to oblige and talk turkey (presumably both roasted and deep-fried) with them. And to offer proof that he’s a good sport, Lagasse had his reps circle one particular silent auction item all evening.
Sure enough, in exchange for a check for $325, Lagasse won the future dinner for two with AJC dining critic Meridith Ford. It should be quite an interesting evening since Ford’s review of Emeril’s Atlanta this week was less than glowing… .
Getting web-headed at ‘Spidey 3’
At presstime Friday, the 95.5 the Beat morning team of Murph Dawg and C.J. were holding up all right at their 48-hour nonstop “Spider-Man 3” viewing marathon at the Atlantic Station Regal Cinema 16. The pair, clad in appropriate Spidey apparel, began viewing the film at midnight Thursday. They’re due to finish at 11:59 p.m. today. Just before the 3 p.m. screening Friday, Murph Dawg rang up the BuzzBerry to tell us: “Just checkin’ in, man. We’re a little delirious right now. C.J., how many times have we seen it now?” C.J.’s groggy response: “I have no idea.” Added Murph Dawg: “We may have had one too many orders of nachos and hot dogs at this point but it’s all good. The movie is great. Well, maybe not ‘Let’s see it 50 times!’ great, but still. …”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Saturday: Comedian-actor Michael Palin (Monty Python) is 64. MTV News correspondent Kurt Loder is 62. Singer Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen is 48. Newsman Brian Williams is 48. Actress Tina Yothers (“Family Ties”) is 34. Singer Craig David is 26. Singer Chris Brown is 18. Sunday: Singer Bob Seger is 62. Host Tom Bergeron (“Dancing With the Stars”) is 52. Actress Roma Downey (“Touched by an Angel”) is 47. Actor George Clooney is 46.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Emeril plans Mississippi restaurant
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Given the nature of this gig, things can occasionally get awkward. Take, for example, our chat with celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse before his participation Thursday night at the Taste of the Nation fund-raiser at the Georgia Aquarium. Just as AJC dining critic Meridith Ford’s lukewarm review of Emeril’s Atlanta (Read it) was making the rounds, we interviewed the man himself at his Buckhead restaurant.
To our relief, Lagasse was warm, outgoing and extremely generous with his time. He acknowledged that his Atlanta eatery is a work in progress (one factor: His head chef is hospitalized), but Lagasse said he was thrilled to be back here cooking and raising money for the hunger charity he’s worked with for close to two decades.
“I gotta be honest,” he confided in his trademark accent, “my schedule hasn’t been as consistent as it could be since we’re still so busy rebuilding things in New Orleans. It remains a local problem, a state problem and a national problem. And you can’t finger any one person either. We’ve all got to work together.”
While Lagasse’s tourist-friendly restaurants are all back open in New Orleans, he estimates that “40 percent of the city is still heavily damaged. There’s a shortage of housing, so there’s a shortage of labor. It’s a Catch-22. But we’re pushing, pushing forward.”
Among the TV personality’s many upcoming plans: to open a new restaurant in Mississippi on the Gulf Coast hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina.
While the Food Network elder statesman uses his prominent place in the media to keep New Orleans and the affected Gulf Coast area on the nation’s radar screen, he also assists the newer members of his Food Network family in becoming accustomed to sudden fame as a rock star chef.
“It can get scary out there,” he allows. “There are some real nuts running around.” (Consequently, Lagasse and his family travel with two members of a security team.) Likewise, he also helped pave the way for Savannah cook Paula Deen when she started at the network.
“Not everybody understands people from the South right off the bat,” he says. “But she does great TV and has an audience who loves her. Her honesty comes through. You can’t fool the viewer. You might be able to [expletive] them for a couple of shows, but not for long. The audience is too savvy. “
‘BACHELOR’ IS BACK
Here’s encouraging news for those who haven’t yet humiliated their entire family by appearing on a TV reality show. ABC’s infamous “The Bachelor” returns to town this month seeking new contestants. According to “Bachelor” associate casting producer John Perez, the show is looking for women between the ages of 23 to 35 who have graduated college, who are career-motivated and wish to get married. Best of all, you won’t immediately be asked to degrade yourself by scratching out the eyes of the other contestants when you turn up for the audition. “Um, yes, well, the catfights are optional,” Perez told us. “The casting calls are actually pretty laid back.”
On May 19, an open call will be held 9 a.m.-noon at Tongue & Groove in Buckhead, 5-11 p.m. May 21 at Ten Pin Alley in Midtown and 3-8 p.m. May 22 at Buckhead Crunch Fitness.
MORE METRO BISCUITS
Q100 “Bert Show” producer Jeff Dauler announced on air Thursday that he’s entering into a partnership with Raving Brands (the folks who brought you Moe’s Southwest Grill, Mama Fu’s and Planet Smoothie Cafe) to open five new metro franchises of the Flying Biscuit Cafe.
Dauler is going into the restaurant business with Raving Brands and investors, including pal and Longhorn Steakhouse and Ted’s Montana Grill co-founder George McKerrow Jr. and Slocum’s namesake John Slocum.
“[My wife] Jessica and I have established roots here and this is a way for us expand on that,” Dauler explained. While the formerly nomadic radio personality is signed to remain with “The Bert Show” through the end of 2009, the Daulers wanted to cement another business venture here.
Dauler indicated that the deal had been in the works since February.
The next Flying Biscuit Cafe location is due to open May 14 at the West Paces Plaza shopping center at West Paces Ferry Road and I-75.
The eatery concept emphasizing more whole foods and a whole grains-centered approach to breakfast dishes was created by founder Delia Champion 15 years ago in Candler Park. A second location is in Midtown at Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street.
Champion was on hand (with a small mountain of biscuits, eggs, turkey bacon and potatoes) for the announcement.
“I’m starting to get a little old,” Champion cracked to Buzz off air. “I didn’t want the Biscuit to go away. Every neighborhood deserves a great restaurant. For years, I’ve been approached by people who either wanted to buy the Biscuit or expand it. Raving Brands were the first people who understood completely what the restaurant stands for and who didn’t want to change a thing.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Surf guitarist Dick Dale is 70. Singer-songwriter Nick Ashford of Ashford and Simpson is 65. Country singer Stella Parton is 58. Singer Jackie Jackson of the Jacksons is 56. Singer Oleta Adams is 54. Country singer Randy Travis is 48. Actress Mary McDonough (“The Waltons”) is 46. Comedian Ana Gasteyer (“Saturday Night Live”) is 40. Bassist Mike Dirnt of Green Day is 35. Singer Lance Bass of ‘N Sync is 28.
OVERSCENE
Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (left) was among the capacity crowd for WWE Wrestling Backlash at Philips Arena. Atlanta Thrashers head coach Bob Hartley taking in the Braves and Phillies at Turner Field.
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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Bert Show producer joins restaurant venture
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Q100 “Bert Show” producer Jeff Dauler may tense up the next time CBS 46 “Restaurant Report Card” reporter Adam Murphy pays a visit to the popular radio morning show.
On Thursday, Dauler announced on air that he’s entering into a partnership with Raving Brands (the folks who brought you Moe’s Southwest Grill, Mama Fu’s and Planet Smoothie Cafe) to open five new metro-area franchises of the Flying Biscuit Cafe.
Dauler is going into the restaurant business with Raving Brands and investors, including pal and Longhorn Steakhouse and Ted’s Montana Grill co-founder George McKerrow, Jr. and Slocum’s namesake John Slocum.
“[My wife] Jessica and I have established roots here, and this is a way for us expand on that,” Dauler explained. While the formerly nomadic radio personality is signed to remain with “The Bert Show” through the end of 2009, the Daulers wanted to cement another business venture here.
Dauler indicated that the deal had been in the works since February.
The next Flying Biscuit Cafe location is due to open May 15 at the West Paces Plaza shopping center at West Paces Ferry Road and I-75.
The eatery concept emphasizing a healthier and more whole foods and whole grains-centered approach to breakfast dishes was created by founder Delia Champion 15 years ago in Candler Park. A second location is now based in Midtown at Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street.
Champion was on hand (with a small mountain of biscuits, eggs, turkey bacon and potatoes) for the announcement.
“I’m starting to get a little old,” Champion cracked to Buzz off air. “I didn’t want the Biscuit to go away. Every neighborhood deserves a great restaurant. For years, I’ve been approached by people who either wanted to buy the Biscuit or expand it. Raving Brands were the first people who understood completely what the restaurant stands for and who didn’t want to change a thing.”
In addition to overseeing her two current locations, Champion is also spending this month training the West Paces location’s staff.
“We’ve always had a reputation for hiring a staff that might not fit in elsewhere,” she explained. “I’m terribly proud of that. I’m here to ensure that a corporate culture does not over ride the Flying Biscuit culture.”
Naturally, Dauler’s radio co-workers only had one remaining question for the budding restaurateur about the eateries that routinely attract busloads of waiting customers each weekend for brunch.
Asked co-host Jenn Hobby: “Does this mean we can now by-pass those lines?!”
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Hip-hop icon’s a picky swearer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hip-hop godfather Russell Simmons has a problem with the n-word, the b-word and that h-word Don Imus spewed over the airwaves last month. But the s-expletive and the f-bomb? Simmons seemed to have no issue dropping a few of those Tuesday night at a Literate Nation discussion and book signing at Emory University — where most of the attendees were metro area high school students.
“This book is a culmination of all I’ve learned,” Simmons said of his new publication, “Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success.” Then the 49-year-old shook his head and muttered, “Man, I’m old as [expletive].”
He went on to tell the audience that he sent an early version of “Do You!” to cultural tastemaker Oprah Winfrey, when it was titled “The Hip-Hop Laws of Success.” She told him he should change the name. “I thought it was funny,” Simmons recalled. “Oprah told me my [expletive] was corny.”
Over the past month, Simmons has practically been a fixture in Atlanta. “This is called Hotlanta for a reason,” the Def Jam co-founder explained after his talk. “And if what you’re doing doesn’t work here, how hot is it, really?”
COMIC MAKES TIME FOR A PAL IN NEED
Last week Fayetteville native and comedic actor Gary Anthony Williams finished production playing a cross-dressing lawyer on ABC’s “Boston Legal.” He arrived in Atlanta this week with a full agenda: attend a family wedding; check out a play he wrote spoofing “Rocky” for Agatha’s — A Taste of Mystery theater; and help his college buddy Donna Blair raise money for her daughter Maggi, who suffers from a rare chromosome disease.
Williams, who also voices Uncle Ruckus on Adult Swim’s award-winning “The Boondocks” cartoon, helped put together a fund-raiser at Manuel’s Tavern tonight for Maggi featuring Laughing Matters, an improv group both Blair and Williams used to be a part of. He also procured a “Boston Legal” script signed by castmates James Spader, William Shatner and Candice Bergen for auction.
Blair said her 2-year-old daughter suffers from Trisomy 9 Mosaic, which causes problems with the heart, kidneys and immune system. She’s hoping to raise up to $7,500 to help pay for Maggi’s education at Joseph Sams, a special needs school in Fayetteville. Kids with this disorder seldom live past age 4. “We’re hoping that won’t happen to Maggi,” Blair said. Show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets are $20 at the door. More info at 404-225-5000.
THEY’RE REALLY STUCK ON NEW SPIDEY FLICK
Morning show duo Murph Dawg and C.J. from 95.5 The Beat will be easy to pick out at the around-the-clock screenings for “Spider-Man 3” tonight at the Atlantic Station Regal Cinema 16. They’ll be the folks in Spidey PJs and carrying pillowcases. As a stunt, the pair have signed up to watch the comic book flick for 48 hours straight tonight and through Saturday. They’re broadcasting Friday’s morning show from the venue as well. “Murph Dawg is such a sci-fi comic book geek he would probably be doing this even if it didn’t involve work!” 95.5 The Beat program director Lee Cagle told Buzz on Wednesday.
‘GREEN’ MAG PARTY JUST AN ILLUSION
Longtime Rolling Stones keyboardist and environmentalist Chuck Leavell let some scoop fly while guesting on Mara Davis’ lunchtime show Wednesday on Dave FM. The Georgia tree farmer disclosed that the recent two-page spread in Vanity Fair magazine’s “Green Issue,” which featured Leavell and other green-minded musicians, was largely Photoshopped. It seems that the only other folks present at Leavell’s sitting were Jack Johnson and Alanis Morissette …
LOUNGE LEGENDS JOIN COBB VENUE DEBUT
Cocktail lounge icons Michael Feinstein and Linda Eder will headline opening-night festivities at the new $145 million Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Sept. 15. Ticket details will be released later. Info about the gala, which includes the show, is available at cobbenergycentre.com or by calling 770-989-5120.
TWO OUSTED ON ‘IDOL’
With “American Idol” skipping an elimination last week because of its big charity event, the voters Wednesday got rid of two contestants instead of the usual one: former Hooters manager and Justin Timberlake copycat Chris Richardson and Navy petty officer Phil Stacey. Four remain. Results were based on what host Ryan Seacrest said was 135 million votes over two weeks.
Neither departure was a terrible shock though some “Idol” bloggers were predicting LaKisha Jones. Fortunately for her, she made up for a few shaky weeks with a powerful “This Ain’t a Love Song” Tuesday. It was so good, judge Simon Cowell said he could kiss her. She obliged.
Stacey had picked up the pace recently, capped by a strong rendition of “Blaze of Glory” Tuesday, but the bald dad from Jacksonville fell short in the voting department. Richardson, of Chesapeake, Va., was criticized for his nasal delivery and boy-band vocal runs.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“He told me, ‘You have to be Jackie Kennedy today.’ And I’m thinking, ‘Jackie Kennedy? Her husband was murdered. You lied and cheated on me. And now I have to be Jackie Kennedy?!’ ”
— Former New Jersey first lady Dina McGreevey, on “Oprah” this week, recalling what former hubby James McGreevey told her the day the self-proclaimed “Gay American” resigned from office in 2004
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Folk singer Pete Seeger is 88. Actress Ann B. Davis (“The Brady Bunch”) is 81. Singer Frankie Valli is 73. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 61. Actor Dulé Hill (“The West Wing,” “Psych”) is 32.
Contributing: Sonia Murray, Rodney Ho, Tom Sabulis, 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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Ludacris adds more Spice to his life
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
That paper note taped to the front door of Midtown’s Spice restaurant is informing regulars of the worst this week: The trailblazing neighborhood eatery is temporarily shuttered.
Owner Bruce Patterson confirmed Tuesday to Buzz that he has sold the restaurant and the land at 793 Juniper St. Seven years ago, Spice opened on the eve of the new millennium, back when the neighborhood more closely resembled a shooting gallery than its current mecca for pedestrian-friendly mom-and-pop shops and eateries.
“It was a big green crack house,” Patterson recalled Tuesday with a laugh. “You were afraid to go in there by yourself when I was looking at it originally. I like to think that with Spice, we helped to set the tone for Midtown’s advancement. Maybe we were a little ahead of our time.”
Almost from the time it opened, the eatery lived up to its name. Mere months after its debut, Spice famously gave its chef, general manager, sous chef and three assistant managers the heave-ho. In the kitchen, Spice also notably hired and later lost Pano’s & Paul’s legend Paul Albrecht and Turner South “Home Plate” celebrity chef Marvin Woods.
And in true soap opera fashion, one particular Spice manager famously gave us the silent treatment for years, complaining that we had once quoted him too accurately in this space.
According to paperwork filed in Fulton County, rapper/actor/producer/entrepreneur Ludacris and his mother, Roberta Shields, purchased the business on April 12 for $2.7 million. The rapper’s rep Chaka Zulu indicated to Buzz this year that Luda was indeed considering the purchase (if Luda and Zulu wish to disclose their plans for the popular Midtown restaurant, we’ll be happy to pass them along).
And Patterson’s future endeavors?
“I’m considering investing in the planned film version of something called ‘Peachtree Battle.’ “
Of the city’s longest-running play, Patterson quipped, “Have you heard of it?”
CELEBRITY DOCTOR OFFERS GUIDE TO LIFE
CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta had a room full of the cable news network’s high rollers and well-wishers at the launch party for “Chasing Life” Tuesday night at Mason Murer Fine Art in Midtown. His new book is a guide to longevity.
“In our culture, we actually plan for bad health and not the opposite,” Gupta, clad in a black suit with white pinstripes told us. “We need to reverse that. In Japan, a person’s sense of purpose actually increases as they age.”
Perhaps the prettiest couple in the room? CNN anchor T.J. Holmes and TLC singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. And the gorgeous petite pop star’s tips for good health? Working out with weights (her handshake is no-nonsense) and jogging through Stone Mountain. Oh, and abstaining from alcohol. “I don’t drink at all,” she whispered to us. “It just tastes nasty to me.”
THEATER AWARD FOR ATLANTA’S MANOS
Broadway got a taste of the Chris Manos charm the other day. In New York City for the League of American Theatres and Producers’ spring powwow, the Theatre of the Stars chief picked up the league’s Distinguished Lifetime Service Award for his 47 years in showbiz. Manos, 76, has presented more than 700 shows during his Atlanta career. Joking about receiving the award at his age, he said, “If you stumble going down the stairs, they say, ‘Hurry, we better do something.’ ” (Two years ago, he received the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts’ first Georgia Arts & Entertainment Legacy Award at the Fox Theatre, and Broadway diva Jennifer Holliday flew in to belt her trademark song “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls.”) The award from Broadway’s national trade group would have been a surprise, Manos said, but he knew something was cooking when his three children showed up. His new crystal-star sculpture with the league logo is “pretty,” he said, but he was especially thrilled to get to try out his legendary arsenal of jokes on a fresh crowd.
“My baseball stuff went over big,” said the unsinkable Braves fan. Previous recipients include “Hello, Dolly!” author Jerry Herman, Carol Channing and “Chicago” producers Barry and Fran Weissler. That, quipped Manos, is “high cotton.”
GEORGIA REVIEW WINS IN BIG APPLE
The Georgia Review, the Athens-based literary journal, took home a prestigious National Magazine Award at ceremonies held in New York City Tuesday night. The Review’s winner, an essay by writer
Michael Donohue in which the author reconstructs the long lives of two characters using an abandoned box of papers, beat out work from such mags as The New Yorker and Smithsonian.
Editor Stephen Corey and his staff probably would have celebrated even if they’d lost. In recent days, the Review, which is marking its 60th year, won a boatload of awards from the Magazine Association of the Southeast. And win or lose, the Review was the magazine of honor at a post-awards party thrown at the Manhattan apartment of “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” author John Berendt.
HIGH FIVE
Top cellphone ringtones For the week of May 5
1. “What Hurts the Most,” Rascal Flatts
2. “Irreplaceable,” Beyoncé
3. “Poppin,’ ” Chris Brown featuring Jay Biz
4. “Two Step,” Unk
5. “Crazy [expletive],” Buckcherry
Courtesy: Billboard
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Engelbert Humperdinck is 71. Singer Lesley Gore is 61. Country singer Larry Gatlin is 59. Singer Lou Gramm of Foreigner is 57. Actress Christine Baranski is 55. R&B singer Angela Bofill is 53. Country singer Ty Herndon is 45. Wrestler-actor the Rock is 35.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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