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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2008 > September > 17
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Port Arthur’s needs close to Falcon’s heart
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As his hometown of Port Arthur, Texas, struggled to get back on its feet Tuesday after Hurricane Ike, Atlanta Falcons player Jonathan Babineaux was busy doing his part.
The defensive tackle was signing autographs for fans who showed up to support Soles 4 Souls at the Shoe Carnival in Duluth. The gently worn or new shoes were going to those in need here and to folks affected by Ike.
“For the most part, everyone’s all right,” Babineaux told Buzz. “But there’s a lot of wind damage and the power is still out. My mom is actually staying here with me until it’s safe to go home.”
His commitment to Port Arthur doesn’t end there. After Babineaux and his brother, Seattle Seahawks player Jordan Babineaux, noticed a spike in lupus cases in their hometown, the siblings formed the Babineaux Brothers Foundation.
On Monday, the pair will co-host the inaugural Drive for Lupus Now golf tournament at Towne Lake Hills Golf Club in Woodstock with the PGA Tour’s Jason Bohn and Mark Strickland. The event benefits the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia chapter.
“Our goal is to raise money but also awareness,” Babineaux explained. “Until we saw the number of cases go up in Port Arthur, we didn’t know much about the disease. We realized a lot of other people needed to be educated about it as well.”
So which brother is the better golfer?
“If I’m being honest, I have to say Jordan is right now!” he conceded, laughing. “But things can change.”
On the subject of football, Babineaux says leadership changes in the Falcons organization have re-energized the team this season.
“A lot of new doors have opened with a new general manager and a new head coach,” he explained. “We’ve really bonded as a team. We’re young but we’re ready to fight. We even feel it from the fans this season. They’re excited, too.”
So when Babineaux kicks back after work, what’s waiting for him on the TiVo?
“General Hospital.”
“[Port Charles mob kingpin] Sonny Corinthos is my favorite character,” he said. “Having the mob in there brings a lot of men into the show.” And it doesn’t hurt that former Playboy centerfold Kelly Monaco plays mob moll Samantha McCall on the soap, either.
Said Babineaux: “Let’s just say she’s very entertaining and, um, energetic!”
For more info on Drive for Lupus: Go online to www.lfaga.org, call 770-333-5930, or e-mail info@lfaga.org.
GOSPEL MUSIC AT CITY HALL
Anyone visiting Atlanta City Hall may have thought they were in the wrong place Monday.
Instead of hearing politicians arguing with each other, the sounds of gospel music echoed in the atrium and inside the City Council Chamber.
“Victory is mine. Victory is mine,” sang gospel music legend Dorothy Norwood.
Norwood, Stellar Award winner Dottie Peoples and other gospel singers were at City Hall to recognize September as Gospel Music Heritage Month in Atlanta. The idea came after the Atlanta-based Gospel Music Channel worked with members of Congress to pass federal legislation that recognized September as National Gospel Music Heritage Month.
“As my grandfather would say, let the council say, ‘Amen,’ ” remarked City Council President Lisa Borders.
OVERSCENE
Former heavyweight champ and “Dancing With the Stars” contestant Evander Holyfield sharing some tapas and mini burgers with friends at Shout in Midtown. We’re told that Holyfield later retired upstairs to the dance floor.
BET HIP-HOP AWARDS RETURN
We experienced a “No bang, no flash” flashback at Buzz Central on Tuesday. Yes, the third annual BET Hip-Hop Awards will return once again to the city and the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center on Oct. 18. At last year’s festivities, Atlantans were treated to a star-studded awards show and an international headline-grabbing federal weapons bust co-starring main nominee T.I. and a Walgreens parking lot. The nominees include Lil Wayne with 12 nominations, Kanye West with seven and Jay-Z with six. Atlantans up for awards are Big Boi, Ludacris, T-Pain, Ne-Yo, Nas, Akon, Shawty Lo, Rocko, Yung Berg, V-103’s Greg Street, DJ Drama, DJ Toomp, Bangladesh, Young Jeezy and Yung Joc. And yes, T.I. is a nominee, for best live performance, best lyricist and MVP of the year.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Fee Waybill of the Tubes is 58. Director Baz Luhrmann (“Moulin Rouge”) is 46. Singer BeBe Winans is 46. Actor Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights”) is 43. Rapper Doug E. Fresh is 42. Actor Matthew Settle (“Gossip Girl”) is 39. Bassist Jon Walker of Panic at the Disco is 23.
BY THE NUMBERS
Atlanta-based TNT on Tuesday renewed its drama “Raising the Bar” for a sophomore year after just three episodes despite some warning signs it might not end up being the network’s next “Closer.” TNT was initially buoyed by the show’s Labor Day opening, which drew 7.7 million viewers, the biggest debut in basic cable history. But numbers have dropped off sharply for the past two episodes, with the show losing nearly half its audience by the third week.
Perhaps Mark-Paul Gosselaar’s stringy hair — or the pedestrian characters and plots — turned people off.
Meanwhile, NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” featuring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin pulled in its biggest season-opening numbers since its emotional post-9/11 season debut in 2001. The show didn’t do as well in Atlanta as in most other major cities, but still drew a respectable 180,000 viewers.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We had some extra money lying around.”
“American Idol” host and Dunwoody High School grad Ryan Seacrest joking with Ellen DeGeneres on “Ellen” about “Idol” adding a fourth judge this season
Contributing: Rodney Ho, Sonia Murray, Eric Stirgus and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
