Attention, parents of screaming 'tweens. Sometimes Atlanta resident Justin Bieber will perform for his sort-of hometown crowd next month. The event isn't a concert but rather the 33rd annual Georgia Music Hall of Fame Awards, planned for Sept. 17 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. This year's honorees include Bieber's vocal coach and music mentor Jan Smith, and his performance will be a tribute to his professional companion.
“He’s working on a new record that’s going to be a benchmark for him,” Smith told us during a recent interview. “His fans are certainly waiting to see what he’s going to do next.”
Known in the industry as "Mama Jan" because of her firm but supportive approach, Smith is glad that Bieber can enjoy time in Atlanta in relative peace. He and gal pal Selena Gomez showed up at Chops not long ago, and dined without anyone bothering them. In Jerusalem this spring, in contrast, Bieber was so beset by paparazzi that he and his crew were unable to visit holy sites until a private nighttime tour was arranged.
“It is tough,” Smith said of the pressures facing her young charge. “On the tour, the paparazzi are pretty relentless.”
R&B star Usher, another of Smith's clients and an early Bieber promoter, will be on hand as well to share in the Music Hall of Fame festivities. It's unclear if he'll perform or merely lend his support. Other Hall of Fame inductees will include actor-director Kenny Leon and singer-turned-reality star Toni Braxton, whose WE channel show "Braxton Family Values" has been renewed for another season. The event is planned for 8 p.m. at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. It will air live on Georgia Public Broadcasting. Tickets start at $50. See www.cobbenergycentre.com or www.ticketmaster.com or call 1-800-745-3000.
Former Roswell resident rated best of the best
Former Roswellian Pauley Perrette is the most popular cast member on CBS' most popular drama. The actress who plays the quirky Abby Sciuto on CBS' top-rated "NCIS," was rated viewers' favorite primetime television star, according to the most recent Q Ratings report. The survey, administered a few times a year, gauges actors' popularity. "Considering the fact that I studied sociology, psychology, and criminal science in college, and figured I'd be either an FBI agent or a cop, it's a bit surreal," the former Valdosta State University scholar told us. "As a student of human behavior as a science, I think it gave me an advantage as an actor. I watch and learn from everyone, at all times."
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Pat Harrington is 82. Actor Kevin Tighe is 67. Actress Gretchen Corbett is 64. Opera singer Kathleen Battle is 63. High-wire aerialist Philippe Petit is 62. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke is 62. Comedian-writer Tom Davis is 59. Golf Hall of Famer Betsy King is 56. Movie director Paul Greengrass is 56. Actor Danny Bonaduce is 52. TV host/weatherman Sam Champion is 50. Actress DawnnLewis is 50. Actor John Slattery is 49. Actress Debi Mazar is 47. Actress Quinn Cummings is 44. Actress Seana Kofoed is 41. Country singer Andy Griggs is 38. Country musician Mike Melancon (Emerson Drive) is 33. Actress Kathryn Fiore is 32. Pop-rock singer James Morrison is 27.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, news services
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