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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > September > 13 > Entry
Guests had Cokes, smiles for Kelly Clarkson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After you shell out $4.1 billion for Glaceau, the makers of Vitaminwater, hiring one of the product’s spokespeople to perform at your celebration soiree is simply spare change under the sofa cushions. So on Tuesday night, Coca-Cola executives, who acquired the energy drink company earlier this year, surprised attendees at a private gathering at Opera nightclub in Midtown with a performance by Kelly Clarkson.
The nation’s inaugural “American Idol” performed two of her biggest hits, “Since U Been Gone” and “Because of You” at the intimate early evening gathering.
Q100’s Bert Weiss served as the event’s emcee.
“She’s just totally and completely unaffected by celebrity,” Weiss praised. “We interview a lot of folks like Kelly, but talking to her was really refreshing. I think maybe she made some mistakes when she put out her new album [Clarkson notably criticized her label chief and music icon Clive Davis in several interviews] but she’s clearly learning from it.”
Interestingly, selections from the singer’s latest album, “My December” were not on the set list. Along with equally high-profile celebs like rapper and actor 50 Cent, Clarkson serves as a pitchperson for the vitamin-enhanced beverage.
For non-Coke employees, Clarkson will return to the metro area this fall when she performs at the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Nov. 27.
Sick bay
Brent Hinds, guitarist for Atlanta’s ruling metal quartet Mastodon, is being treated in a Las Vegas hospital after he suffered what the band’s management calls a “severe head injury.”
There are few details yet, but the statement from management does say that it happened “after his performance on Sunday night’s MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas” and that “he remains hospitalized.”
Although there’s still no word on what led to Hinds’ injuries, MTV.com has a report from the band’s manager Nick John, who confirmed that the incident happened about 3 a.m. Monday.
“Thankfully, it seems he’s going to [make a full recovery],” John said. “All I know is he had a bad head injury, broken nose and blacked-out eyes. He doesn’t recall much.”
Second chance to get arrested
Given that tickets to The Police’s first Philips Arena show immediately vaporized when they went on sale, the legendary rock trio has added a second show at the downtown venue for Nov. 18. Tickets ranging from $52 to $227 go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. Sure, that sounds a bit pricey until you consider this: On Wednesday, tickets to the band’s Nov. 17 sold-out show here were fetching $1,049 a pair on eBay.
Clicks for Midnight Clear
The band Midnight Clear and its supporters are trying to hit the big-time the old-fashioned way — by repeatedly clicking on a mouse. The Georgia band, participating in a battle of the bands on CBS’ “Early Show,” will find out on this morning’s broadcast if it has made the cut to the final round. Midnight Clear is competing against bands from Boston and New York in an online vote.
Voting began after band videos were shown on the program Monday and ended Wednesday, but Midnight Clear fans were crushed when CBS mistakenly showed a band called Midnight Sun instead of Midnight Clear. The correct video was aired Tuesday. Drummer Rory Knapton of Dahlonega said he was online voting for about 35 of a possible 51 hours.
“I’m hoping everyone gets mad enough [because of the gaffe] to vote a little harder,” said Knapton’s daughter, Jodie Talley of Decatur. Talley estimated she voted for about four hours.
Lunch at Westin — and Wiffle ball
Atlanta Braves fans will have a unique opportunity to reacquaint themselves with our city’s former beloved pitcher Tom Glavine this fall — if their credit card successfully clears during a luncheon Sept. 29 at the Westin Buckhead hotel. The current New York Mets player and his wife, Chris, will be on hand to pay tribute to metro area mothers of children with cancer via the annual “Quiet Heroes” luncheon. The afternoon will benefit the Aflac Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. More than 100 mothers will be honored at the event. Baseball fans, meanwhile, will be most interested in the event’s live auction item: an opportunity for you and nine family members or friends to have lunch with the Glavines at their Country Club of the South home. Afterward? Everyone will head out to Glavine’s regulation-size baseball field in the backyard for a game of Wiffle ball. For obvious reasons, the date will be arranged for after the 2007 World Series (New York is currently in first place in the National League East, after all). Tickets to the “Quiet Heroes” luncheon are $125 per person. Info: www.quietheroes.org.
OVERSCENE
HGTV “Deserving Design” host Vern Yip shooting footage for the show in the High Museum’s gift shop. We’re told that Yip also shot footage at the Midtown tourist attraction earlier this summer.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 63. Radio and TV personality Tavis Smiley is 43. Atlanta actor-director Tyler Perry is 38. Actress Louise Lombard (“CSI”) is 37. Singer Fiona Apple is 30. Rome-based guitarist Hector Cervantes of Casting Crowns is 27. Actor Ben Savage (“Boy Meets World”) is 27.
Contributing: Shane Harrison, Rodney Ho, Ken Sugiura 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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