PEACH BUZZ: Celebs come out for W hotel opening

The downtown W just opened —- and didn’t waste time in snagging a celeb-studded party to celebrate.

The new hotel (not to be confused with its sister properties, the W Midtown and W Buckhead) hosted a Thursday night bash honoring Georgia’s Grammy Award-nominated artists.

Strolling the red carpet was OutKast member Big Boi, who said he’d love to add another Grammy to his collection. He also said he’s taking his innovative hip-hop ballet, “Big,” on the road.

“We’re always trying new things,” said the artist also known as Antwan Patton.

The nicest guys there had to be Sugarland’s Kristian Bush and brother Brandon, who shook hands and introduced themselves like they were greeters at church.

Brandon Bush, a member of the band Train, says the country’s troubled times have people yearning for music with a hopeful and genuine sound.

“There’s a new search for authenticity,” he said.

Dallas Austin, too, predicts troubled times are going to result in a clean new sound coming from the music industry, particularly Atlanta artists.

“We’re going to revert back to where we came from, a very organic sound,” he said. “Everyone needs to humble down. A lot of junk is going to go away.”

Which brings us to our next question. Austin was filmed during the past season of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” trying to coax a recordable sound out of aspiring songbird Kim Zolciak.

So we asked if Austin anticipates seeing the leggy blonde stroll down the carpet with next year’s nominees.

“I wouldn’t think so,” he said with a chuckle.

Don’t misunderstand. Dallas isn’t talking bad about poor Kim.

“I’m not the kind of person to slam anybody,” he said.

A taste of BLT

The New York restaurateurs-come-to-Atlanta culinary ride continued this week when Big Apple chef Laurent Tourondel entertained foodies and Buzz at his BLT Steak eatery at the downtown W Hotel. Tourondel said having his New York chef colleagues Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Tom Colicchio and Jeffrey Chodorow in Atlanta made it easy to commit to the city.

“It’s a good feeling for me that I am not alone and there are good people around me,” he said. “We opened last night, and I was so happy to see how many people there were. We were very busy.”

The challenge is to keep it up. The recession is hitting restaurants hard, though publicists for the big New York restaurants assure Buzz they are packed.

New gig at midday for V-103’s Duncan

V-103 has picked Ryan Cameron’s sidekick Elle Duncan as the new mid-day host, replacing Porsche Foxx.

“This is a good opportunity for me to branch out and do this thing on my own,” Duncan told Buzz on Friday. She starts Monday.

Duncan, 25, started her radio career working with the “2 Live Stews” on 790/the Zone before segueing a couple of years ago to Cameron’s afternoon show.

Cameron has a history of nurturing talent, including current Hot 107.9’s Rashan Ali and 95.5/the Beat’s morning co-host C.J. Simpson. “Another birdie,” Duncan said, “has left the nest.”

Ramona DeBreaux had been subbing for awhile and will continue to do traffic and weekends.

Foxx, who left under murky circumstances in November, recently told Buzz she was not let go over drugs or alcohol, issues she has grappled with in the past.

She said she was not clear why management let her go, and V-103 honchos won’t comment either.

Foxx had seven months to go on her two-year contract.

CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS

Today: Actress Carol Channing (above) is 88. Actress Jessica Walter (“Arrested Development,” “90210”) is 68. Singer Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols is 53. Actor Anthony LaPaglia (“Without a Trace”) is 50. Actress Portia de Rossi (“Arrested Development”) is 36. Singer Justin Timberlake is 28.

Sunday: Singer Don Everly of the Everly Brothers is 72. Actor Sherman Hemsley is 71. Jazz pianist Joe Sample is 70. Actor-writer-director Terry Jones (Monty Python) is 67. Actor-writer-producer Billy Mumy (“Lost in Space”) is 55. Singer Exene Cervenka of X is 53. Singer Lisa Marie Presley (below) is 41. Actor Michael C. Hall (“Dexter” ) is 38. Rapper Big Boi of OutKast is 34. TV personality Lauren Conrad (“The Hills”) is 23.

CELEBRITY DOCKET

Attorneys involved in the legal battle over James Brown’s estate say they’ll ask a South Carolina judge to OK a settlement that spells out how to divvy up the singer’s wealth.

Lawyers for the late soul singer’s family gathered in an Aiken County courtroom Friday along with those opposed to the settlement. The plan would give 50 percent to Brown’s charitable trust to educate needy students; 25 percent to Brown’s surviving spouse; and 25 percent to some of Brown’s adult children.

Brown died at Emory Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta on Christmas Day 2006. For more than two years, claims of unpaid debts, inadequate accounting and misappropriated funds have thrown the soul singer’s estate into turmoil.

Contributing: Jennifer Brett, Rodney Ho, Leon Stafford and news services.