New url for Peach Buzz
Bookmark this new url for Peach Buzz.. We have moved to Wordpress!
Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > July > 06
Friday, July 6, 2007
Bye for now; see you soon on Peachtree
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buckhead nightclub aficionados shouldn’t shed too many tears for Tongue & Groove tonight as the 13-year-old nightspot throws its final party. Co-owner Michael Krohngold told Buzz Friday that he’s just inked a deal to transport Tongue & Groove down the street to 3089 Peachtree Road, the site of the old Sofas & Chairs location. “Tongue & Groove 2.0,” as Krohngold refers to it, will debut this fall. “We wanted Tongue & Groove to remain in Buckhead,” Krohngold told us. “We felt like we had carved out a niche here. [Tonight’s closing] would have been a lot sadder for us if this deal hadn’t come through this week.” As Buzz reported in June, Buckhead Village developer Ben Carter bought out the remaining eight years on Krohngold and business partner Scott Strumlauf’s lease. This fall, the area will be razed, with an eye toward turning the former nightlife zone into the “Rodeo Drive of the South” (as planners have dubbed it), with high-end shops, eateries and boutique hotels. Art Mix, the company headed by Krohngold’s wife, interior designer Patti Krohngold, will handle the new space’s design. As regulars and old employees gather tonight to toast the old Tongue one final time, Krohngold has a living, breathing reference point to the club’s legacy: the couple’s son, Morgan, was born a few weeks before Tongue & Groove’s debut in the fall of 1994. “Having a teenager puts it all into perspective for us,” Krohngold notes. “When we opened, we had to prop him up for the picture. Now he’s nearly as tall as I am!” Tongue & Groove’s closing festivities — open to the public — begin at 7.
Your Luckie day, and time to party
With a nod to its name (not to mention its prime downtown location across the street from the Georgia Aquarium), Luckie Food Lounge owner Mike Boles is throwing an opening bash for the restaurant/nightclub tonight (on 7/7/07, natch). We poked our head in Friday for an advance look-see. Boles, the former owner of Compound, has created a 350-seat retro-vibed space that’s equally welcoming to families looking for a post-aquarium nosh and hipster white-collar types in search of an after-work libation. Executive chef Alaska Dzameshie has included plenty of non-threatening American fare on the menu, like a freshly crafted pimento cheese and cracker starter, a fresh fish sandwich of the day (Friday’s catch was halibut) and an extensive sushi menu. The sushi bar area is accented by hanging flower light fixtures whose petal-shaped shades open magically when you sit beneath them. The eatery’s kids menu, meanwhile, arrives on blue View-Masters that small fry can click through to see pizza and burger options.
The highlight of lunch happened, however, when former MidCity Cuisine pastry chef Nicholas Crawford turned up tableside with samples of his new Luckie Lounge dessert menu, including a triple chocolate pyramid (accented with a pinch of chipotle powder) and a temperature-defying Nuts About Ya confection, combining frozen gelato, mousse and a crunchy crust. Strawberry rhubarb pot pie is also a featured item. “My mother grew [rhubarb] at our home in Northern California where I grew up,” Crawford explained. “It’s just always been around for me.” Oh, and the kid’s talents extend to skillfully operating the eatery’s impressive banks of televisions to tune in a requested breaking car chase on CNN. Luckie Food Lounge’s bash is open to the public starting at 10 p.m. Info: 404-525-LUCK (404-525-5825) or www.luckiefoodlounge.com.
Pizza-flavored ‘Ratatouille’
If you’re checking out Pixar’s latest crowd pleaser “Ratatouille” this weekend (or like us, snorting in your Sour Patch Kids a second time through it), fans of the computer animation company will want to keep an eye peeled for some inside gags. Watch for Pixar’s venerable Pizza Planet Truck, seen in the company’s first flick, 1995’s “Toy Story,” and “Finding Nemo,” among others. The truck makes a cameo as Remy, the flick’s rodent restaurant chef, is being chased through the streets of Paris. The studio’s “Incredibles” character Bomb Voyage, meanwhile, pops up twice, as a mime and as the focus of a front-page newspaper story. There was no word Friday on a forthcoming blooper reel.
OVERSCENE: OutKast’s Andre 3000 and a lady friend purchasing a Chastain-ready stylish Murval insulated bag with retractable handle from 4Bags at Pink Lemonade boutique in Buckhead. We’re told the meals-on-wheels tote retails for $50.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS: Today: Bandleader Doc Severinsen is 80. Drummer Ringo Starr is 67. Actor Billy Campbell (“The 4400”) is 48. Actress Jorja Fox (“C.S.I.”) is 39. Actor Troy Garity is 34. Sunday: Singer Steve Lawrence is 72. Actor Jeffrey Tambor (“Arrested Development”) is 63. Actor Kevin Bacon is 49. Singer Beck is 37. Actor Milo Ventimiglia (“Heroes” ) is 30. Guitarist Jamie Cook of Arctic Monkeys is 22.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | |
R.E.M. treating fans to taste of old, new
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Over in Dublin, Ireland, R.E.M. continues road-testing some tunes for the Athens-birthed act’s next album. Front man Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, touring guitarist Scott McCaughey and drummer Bill Rieflin’s public “rehearsals” at Olympia Theatre — a 19th-century music hall with a capacity of about 1300 — attracted sold-out lines of fans who have waited hours this week in miserable rain for day-of-show tickets.
Spin magazine reports that the band had flown in from Vancouver “where they’ve been working with producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee (U2, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party) on their follow-up to 2004’s “Around the Sun.” Following this week’s gigs, “the band will relocate to Grouse Lodge residential studios in the Irish midlands to finish the LP.”
Lead singer Stipe went as far as to apologize for wearing sneakers on stage, saying he wouldn’t do so at a “real” concert. Stipe sang while reading lyrics from a laptop set atop a steamer trunk onstage. Occasionally, he would scowl as he sang a verse. Sometimes he would rewrite the lyric on the fly and the band reworked previously performed sets as well.
The songs only have working titles so far, such as “Mr. Richards,” “Accelerate,” or “Until the Day Is Done.” Interspersed with the untested music, R.E.M. played some songs from their back catalog as “an olive branch” to fans, Stipe told the crowd.
But none were familiar hits. Instead, the band played rarely performed numbers such as “Harborcoat” from their 1984 release “Reckoning.”
But for a few hundred screaming fans, the rare songs added to the unique experience.
Locals in Dublin say that an R.E.M. concert at such a small venue is unheard of, particularly in a city where the band could sell out the local sports stadium. The old concert hall was packed full of die-hard followers marvelling at the sheer wonder of the moment. No one in the room was more than 30 yards or so from the stage.
We’re told that’s part of the reason the band came to Dublin, a band rep said after their July 4 concert. Dublin is familiar to R.E.M. and R.E.M. is familiar to Dublin. Dublin, however, allows the band to perform in a small venue without worrying about stepping on toes back home in Athens, excluding friends, or friends-of-friends.
A GROUP EFFORT TO BENEFIT CHARITY
In an unprecedented cooperative effort, virtually every major radio station in Atlanta will simultaneously raise money for the March of Dimes the morning of July 24. In an event dubbed “Breakfast for Babies,” each station will promote the charity event in their own special way using a common 1-800 number.
Many are currently finding breakfast spots to place their morning personalities. Star 94’s Tom Sullivan, for instance, will be at the White House restaurant that day collecting money.
“I think all of us put our individual agendas aside for the greater cause of the March of Dimes,” said Rick Caffey, general manager of V-103, WAOK-AM and Dave FM.
The only major metro station not on the press announcement is 680/The Fan. David Dickey, president and GM for the Fan, told Buzz Thursday the station will likely participate but needed more details.
RAY’S SET TO REOPEN
For Ray’s on the River enthusiasts who have been hankering for the eatery’s signature New Orleans barbecued shrimp and thick steaks, some appetizing news trickled into Buzz Central on Thursday. After a six-month renovation project, the longtime Sandy Springs eatery is set to reopen July 23. When the restaurant resumes operations this month, we’re told that diners can expect new water features at the restaurant’s interior and exterior entries, travertine flooring with mosaic accents, a temperature-controlled wood-clad wine wall, a dramatic liquor display at the back bar and custom iron chandeliers.
Oversize leather banquettes and vibrantly colored draperies will add a sense of intimacy. The restaurant overlooking the Chattahoochee River has also undergone extensive new landscaping outside.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“He was peaceful and kept to himself.” — Wrestler-turned-VH1 reality star Hulk Hogan in US Weekly on Chris Benoit, the WWE wrestler suspected of killing his wife and son before hanging himself last month.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Talk-show host Merv Griffin is 82. Actress-singer Della Reese is 76. Actor Ned Beatty is 70. Actor Burt Ward (“Batman”) is 61. Actor Sylvester Stallone is 61. Singer Nanci Griffith is 54. Rapper 50 Cent (right) is 31. Actresses Tia and Tamera Mowry (“Sister, Sister”) are 29.
Contributing: George Chidi, 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.
Permalink | |
Elton upset guards made him walk
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Despite terrorist bombs becoming reality in Britain, Elton John apparently had a meltdown at Sunday’s Concert for Diana over a security matter.
As London’s Evening Standard put it days after the event that reached 500 million TV viewers, “As a member of rock ‘n’ roll royalty, Sir Elton John does not take kindly to being outranked. Not even by Princes William and Harry.”
The 60-year-old entertainer opened and closed the marathon concert at Wembley Stadium. But approaching the after-concert party at a nearby arena, site of the stars’ dressing rooms, his limo was stopped by police 50 feet from the VIP backstage entrance. Anticipating the young princes’ arrival, the area had been sealed off.
The part-time Atlantan threw one of his famous tantrums. Here’s the family-friendly version: “Don’t you know who I am?” he screamed at a policeman. “I’ve been working all day and I need to get to my dressing room.”
Police remained unimpressed. In his striped pants and extravagant tails, with a lily-motif on the sleeve, Sir Elton had to trudge by foot, like a commoner. According to the Evening Standard’s report, he eventually leapt from the car and pushed through the paparazzi, shouting, “Get out of my way!”
PIZZA PARADISO
Who knew that pizza could be certifiable? Fritti, the Inman Park restaurant, has just been awarded certification by the Verace Pizza Napolentana — a worldwide organization of pizzerias, that decides who does and doesn’t serve true Neapolitan pizza. It is one of only 18 pie slingers in America to have met all the guidelines — including a wood-burning oven and special “Tipo 00” flour among other acceptable ingredients. It is the only such designated restaurant in the Southeast. Scores of restaurants in Italy carry the designation, as do 23 in Japan.
BIG-SCREEN BUFFALOES
Spike Lee was in Rome, Italy, to announce his latest movie project, highlighting the contribution of black American soldiers in the struggle against the Nazis in Italy during World War II.
“We have black people who are fighting for democracy who at the same time are classified as second-class citizens,” the 50-year-old filmmaker said. “That is why I’d like to do a film to show how these brave black men, despite all the hardship they were going through, still pushed that aside and fought for the greater good.”
Based on the novel “Miracle at St. Anna” by James McBride, the movie will tell the story of the Army’s all-black 92nd “Buffalo Soldier” Division, which is trapped behind enemy lines in a village in Tuscany in 1944. Shooting is expected to start early next year. Budget: $45 million.
GLASS CEILING?
With a few exceptions, men still wield the baton as orchestral conductors across the country. But increasingly, it’s women CEOs who are calling the shots — and pulling down whopping salaries.
Among U.S. orchestral executives, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra president and CEO Allison Vulgamore ranked sixth, earning $443,812 in compensation, according to the ASO’s IRS form 990 for the 2004-05 season, the most recent available. Two other top earners were women: the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Deborah Borda ranked first at $1,325,542; Chicago Symphony CEO Deborah Card was seventh at $423,300.
ASO music director Robert Spano’s 2004-05 salary seemed modest at $494,547 — especially when compared to New York Philharmonic’s champion fat-cat Lorin Maazel, who brought home $2,638,940.
“The Atlanta Symphony’s CEO/music director comparison is closer to parity than its peer orchestras in Cincinnati, Dallas and Minnesota,” says Drew Mc-
Manus, who tracks classical-music management issues on his Adaptistration blog. “That might help account for [the ASO’s] sound financial health: the conductor isn’t eating up the budget and the front office is carrying a lot of the load, and getting paid for it.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Shirley Knight is 71. Musician Robbie Robertson is 64. Singer Huey Lewis is 57. Singer Marc Cohn is 48. Actress Edie Falco (“The Sopranos”) is 44. Actress Kathryn Erbe (“Law and Order: Criminal Intent”) is 42. Rapper RZA is 38. Singer Joe is 34. Rapper Bizarre of D12 is 31. Singer Jason Wade of Lifehouse is 27.
Contributing: John Kessler and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Permalink | |
