PEACH BUZZ: ‘High Rise’ Web series ready to film

Steve Barnes, former 99X and Dave FM morning host and actor-producer, is about to start production on a new local TV series called “High Rise,” which he said will be a bit like “Melrose Place” but less campy. “Think ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ ” he said.

The show will be available online at www.highrisethe series.com twice a week, starting March 31 for 10 weeks. It also will be available at Comcast on Demand. It will air in five-minute segments adding up to a total of 100 minutes.

The cast will feature local actors, including Bryan Brendle, Leland Jones, Kaira Akita, Greg Corbett, Heather Smith, Rob Pralgo and Cynthia Evans. Barnes will have a recurring role as an entertainment attorney (think something akin to Emmy-winner Jeremy Piven’s Ari Gold on “Entourage”). He said his former Dave FM host and current “Atlanta & Company” co-host Holly Firfer has netted a small role as well. He invited former 99X host Jimmy Baron to play a record executive, but he said Baron was out of town on the scheduled shooting day.

The show’s two writers are Mike Stiles, a former Star 94 morning show producer for Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke and currently a part of the Atlanta sketch comedy ensemble Sketchworks, and Charles Van Eman, a former actor who was on “All My Children.”

Barnes also got local rock singer Shawn Mullins (“Lullaby”) to play a bartender-singer, and Mullins will be performing some tunes for the show.

Production starts Jan. 25 in Buckhead at the Terminus building.

Barnes has lined up plenty of advertisers to help finance the production, including AirTran, Kraft and Hennessy, Jaguar and Land Rover. People who watch the show online will be eligible to win prizes such as AirTran tickets. There is also a social networking setup on the Web site.

“I had this idea a year ago,” Barnes said. “I wanted to do this ‘Melrose Place’ in a high rise. I saw this beautiful building, Terminus. I thought, ‘Man, that’s a perfect place to do a drama.’”

Pasta at ‘69 prices

Spaghetti Factory general manager Patrick Kirkland was bracing for a saucy tsunami Tuesday night as the Ponce de Leon Avenue institution prepped for the national pasta chain’s 40th anniversary. You see, Spaghetti Factory president Chris Dussin opted to honor his mother and father’s iconic business by rolling back the dinner menu to 1969 prices.

Consequently, a complete meal, including a salad, dessert, bread and a classic entree like spaghetti with mizithra cheese, was going for about $3 a head (kids ate for $2) Tuesday night. In these tough economic times, diners circled the date in marinara.

The chain’s sole metro Atlanta location was expecting 800 diners (Tuesday nights normally generate about 200 patrons). Reservations weren’t taken, and dinner was being served on a first-come, first-serve basis. On Monday and Tuesday nights this month, diners will enjoy 40 percent-off dinner discounts as well.

“Today is a mandatory work day,” Kirkland told Buzz on Tuesday. “We’re going to be turning and burning. We’ve got cooler after cooler after cooler of sauce ready to go.”

At staff lineup Tuesday just before the eatery opened those heavy wooden doors to the public, Kirkland had one piece of advice: “The most important thing is to keep a smile on your face. You can completely change someone’s dining experience just by doing that. For us, it’s a top priority.”

Let’s just hope all those lucky pasta-slurping patrons remembered to tip like it was 2009.

Adjusting its Halo

Emotions were mixed Monday night as Halo Lounge hosted its final industry night celebration before a renovation project. Promoting the evening on its MySpace page, Halo reps invited nightcrawlers to “come say goodbye to Halo as you know it.”

Never fear, we’re told. The 7-year-old beloved club housed in the Biltmore building at 817 W. Peachtree St. isn’t going off the grid for long.

The club is promoting its next industry night (Monday nights that are traditionally reserved for those in the service industry who have worked through the weekend) on Jan. 12.

Sotto Sotto restaurant owner Riccardo Ullio was on hand Monday night to mark the occasion.

“It’s a small, casual place where it’s easy to end up knowing everyone,” he explained of the club’s appeal. “It’s a club where you always feel comfortable.”

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Singer Kenny Loggins is 61. “CSI: Miami” actor David Caruso is 53. “CBS Evening News” anchor Katie Couric is 52. Actor Nicolas Cage is 45. Country singer John Rich of Big and Rich is 35. Actor Dustin Diamond (below) of “Saved by the Bell” is 32.

COUPLING

“Late Late Show” host Craig Ferguson’s ring finger had some fresh bling adorning it when he returned to his CBS show from his holiday break.

Ferguson held his left hand up to the camera and announced that he’d gotten married. The 46-year-old talk-show host said he’d tied the knot with art dealer Megan Wallace Cunningham.

He suggested that he and Megan be referred to as “Cragan.” This is Ferguson’s third marriage. He has a 7-year-old son, Milo, from his second marriage.

Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services