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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > July > 17
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Janet Jackson hops to Island
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On Monday, Billboard Online confirmed what’s been rumored for a while now: Part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson is following the lead of her boyfriend Jermaine Dupri over to the Island Def Jam record company empire.
“She’s on Island, but it’s more or less L.A.’s [Def Jam CEO and former Atlantan Antonio Reid] project,” Dupri told the music industry publication. “I let him deal with that on a day-to-day basis. He’s going to A&R that project, too. Janet’s record is one that he’s wanted to do for a long time. He’s very passionate about it.”
Jackson and Dupri were both under contract to the Virgin label when the pair collaborated on last year’s Jackson disc “20 Y.O.” Even after doing a grass-roots promotional campaign for the album, which featured Jackson doing a rare series of small group interviews with journalists in various cities, the album never caught fire on the charts or on MTV.
Jackson’s exit from Virgin had been expected after a dissed-Dupri quit the company after “20 Y.O.’s” disappointing release. He now serves as Island Urban president.
As for the direction of the new album, Dupri tells Billboard: “I don’t really know what [Reid’s] got in mind. His past record isn’t shabby so I’m going to let him do what he’s going to do. I’m going to do [the new] Mariah [Carey album], and we’re going to make it seem like we’re in competition to see who’s going to have the biggest album of the year.”
Billboard reports there is currently no release date yet for the Jackson album.
It also reports that Dupri will release his autobiography, “Young, Rich and Dangerous: My Life in Music,” on Oct. 16 from Simon & Schuster. The book was written with Samantha Marshall.
For more on Dupri’s plans for Island Urban, see the full profile in this week’s issue of Billboard.
WE HEAR THAT …
Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank surprised his charitable fund-raiser wife, Stephanie, with quite the 40th birthday present. The Blanks, along with 35 other couples, currently are enjoying a two-week African safari. While Buzz hasn’t as yet received the entire guest list of friends invited on the excursion, former Falcons quarterback and current Falcons board of directors member Steve Bartkowski and his wife, Sandee, are among the attendees.
“From what I understand, everyone had to provide documentation in regard to getting the necessary vaccinations for the trip,” the Bartkowskis’ son, Phil, told us. “As yet, I haven’t gotten a postcard or an e-mail from them. I’m hoping that means that they’re just having too much fun and not that they’ve all been eaten by a lion.”
We’re hoping to get all the details (and hopefully a snapshot or two) when the birthday gal returns home. In the interim, we’ll try to figure out how Arthur was able to get Stephanie fully vaccinated for a such a trip without her knowing about it.
WILDO THE WIZARD RETURNS
It’s always good copy for us whenever B98.5 FM’s “Kelly & Alpha” sidekick Will Gara has to pull overtime duty. At midnight Saturday morning, Gara will be at the Ansley Mall Kroger in his Wildo the Wizard outfit stocking up his B98.5-mobile with 25 copies of the hotly anticipated “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” All night, like a summertime Santa, Gara will deliver copies of the hefty tome and breakfast to snoozing small fry who are selected as winners in the station’s contest. Listeners can sign up to win through Wednesday by going to www.B985.com. Two summers ago, Gara delivered 10 tomes but was out until 8 a.m., trekking across metro Atlanta. “We’re working on securing a GPS system which should help out a lot this time,” Gara told Buzz on Monday. Still, Gara reminds us, the contest is only open to children. Explained Gara: “Yeah, we had this one lady who called in to ask if I would visit her in my wizard outfit at three in the morning. We kinda had to decline that.”
HOMER TO GUEST ON LENO
Logic would dictate that trotting out the stars of the upcoming “The Simpsons Movie” for the obligatory couch time on late-night talk shows might be a tad difficult. However, Fox and producers of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” have apparently overcome the technical obstacles. On July 24, “The Tonight Show” will welcome animated father and Duff Beer quaffer Homer Simpson on the show to promote the flick during the opening minutes of the show.
Of his “Tonight” debut, Simpson told Buzz via a publicist: “I understand I’m doing a monologue, I hope it doesn’t involve talking.”
“The Simpsons Movie” debuts in theaters July 27.
STORK REPORT
It’s a boy!
On Monday, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue and first lady Mary Perdue announced the arrival of their seventh grandchild.
Perdue daughter Leigh Brown and husband Jim of Clarkesville have adopted a son, James “J” Philip Brown Jr. from Guatemala. He arrived in the United States with his new parents and proud new sisters, Sunni and Mary Kate, on July 10, and became a citizen upon arrival. The Perdues celebrated J’s first birthday on Saturday.
“Mary and I are excited to have another beautiful grandchild,” said Perdue. “We are blessed to have such a wonderful family and we are eager to share our love with its newest member.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
TV personality Art Linkletter is 95. Comedian Phyllis Diller is 90. Actor Donald Sutherland is 72. Actress-singer Diahann Carroll is 72. Singer Phoebe Snow is 55. Singer Regina Belle is 44. Actress Bitty Schram (“Monk”) is 39.
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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