8/27 Peach Buzz: Chef avoids earthquake but is ready to rumble

Buckhead Ritz-Carlton Chef Todd Richards, a past contestant on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America," was supposed to appear on "The Today Show" the day after a freak earthquake on the east coast this week. A last-minute, unrelated schedule change pushed his appearance to September. "I'm very fortunate. The only thing is, I didn't play the lottery," Richards quipped. Assuming Hurricane Irene leaves New York intact, he'll appear on NBC's morning show, aired locally on WXIA, at 9:50 a.m. on Sept. 15. For now he's ready to rumble -- in the kitchen. He and sommelier Linda Torres Alarcon will duke it out tableside on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings from Sept. 8 through Thanksgiving. Diners chose a wine dinner, in which Alarcon picks wines that Richards must match culinarily, or the chef's dinner, in which Alarcon must hustle to pair wines with Richards' menu. Neither will know what the other is planning until it's go-time. They're officially competing for a set of chef's knives or wine decanters, to be awarded at the end of the competition after the kitchen tallies each night's winners. Mainly they're playing for glory. "There's going to be some smack talk," promised Alarcon, who purports to be weary of Richards' "Iron Chef" war stories (he lost by two points to Iron Chef Cat Cora just two weeks after having his gall bladder removed). Retorted Richards: "I don't play fair!" The four-course dinner with paired wines is $89 per person, and you need to call to reserve your ringside table: 404-240-7035.

Casting call today for Cameron Diaz/J-Lo movie

"What to Expect When You're Expecting," the movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz, is holding an open-casting call for extras from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center. The address is 3181 Rainbow Dr., Decatur. The notice said the casting folks "are looking for individuals, male or female interested in working as an extra in a feature film" and said "all ages are needed." So basically if you have a pulse, you're in. (Past casting calls for the film, also starring Chris Rock, Chace Crawford and Anna Kendrick, have been more specific, seeking new moms and their babies and moms-to-be.) If you're interested, call Christopher Gray Casting at 678-894-3863 extension 410; or email your picture and contact information to cgcastingatlanta@gmail.com (put CALL in the subject line.)