Oscar and Emmy award-winning actress Jane Fonda and Oscar-nominated actress Gabby Sidibe attended the screening of Fonda's least-favorite movie on Sunday evening. The film, a documentary called "Jane," was made when Fonda was 25 and on the verge of a nervous breakdown following her short run in the ill-fated play "The Fun Couple." "You can't know how painful this is to me," Fonda said after the screening. But she thought discussing her journey from frightened young thing too scared to say "no," to the strong-willed woman she is today would make for a powerful fundraiser for her charity, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention. (The event raised nearly $70,000). "It's unusual that we have concrete proof of how far we've come," she said. "You can get your voice back. You can become something. You can become yourself." Inviting Sidibe to join her just made sense, Fonda said, given her starring role in the film "Precious." Sidibe now appears in a Showtime series, "The Big C," despite those who doubted she'd work again. "By all accounts I am not supposed to be an actress," Sidibe said. "I am not a size 0. I am not blond. I don't have ivory skin. Stepping into this career means making a lot of people wrong and I love that."
Buzz in our ear
"Top Chef All Stars" champ Richard Blais served as honorary team captain at Sunday's home Braves game against the New York Mets. Blais assisted manager Fredi Gonzalez in serving the lineup card to the umpires, then enjoyed the game with his family.
Tweet of the day
"Press-Pass! After turning down all mainstream media, I sat down with Sam Wohns of the Harvard Crimson for an in-depth print interview!"
Actor-turned-trainwreck Charlie Sheen, whose "Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Tour" arrives Thursday at the Fox Theatre. We suggest he consider talking to the Emory Wheel while he's here, if he's seeking another student-run media outlet. As college newspapers go, this one's truly epic.
Food fight!
"Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family," the latest from the prolific actor-director-playwright, is hosting a promotion called "Restaurant Wars" in conjunction with the film's Friday release. Fans can vote for their favorite family restaurant through Thursday at www.madeasrestaurantwars.com. The Atlanta contenders are Busy Bee Café, Gladys Knight & Ron Winan's Chicken and Waffles, Kenley's Restaurant and Soul Vegetarian II. Winners will be announced Friday, and one voter will be selected at random for each restaurant that wins. That lucky voter wins a $500 restaurant gift certificate.
Celebrity birthdays
Actor Hugh O'Brian is 86. Actress Elinor Donahue is 74. Rock musician Alan Price (The Animals) is 69. Actor Tim Curry is 65. Pop singer Mark "Flo" Volman (The Turtles; Flo and Eddie) is 64. Actor Tony Plana ("Ugly Betty") is 59. Former tennis player Sue Barker is 55. Former race car driver Al Unser Jr. is 49. Recording executive Suge Knight is 46. Singer-songwriter Dar Williams is 44. Actress Ashley Judd is 43. Singer Bekka Bramlett is 43. Latin pop singer Luis Miguel is 41. Actress Jennifer Esposito is 39. Actress Jennifer Taylor is 39. Jazz singer Madeleine Peyroux is 37. Actor James Franco is 33. Actress Kate Hudson is 32. Actor Hayden Christensen is 30. Actress Catalina Sandino Moreno is 30. Actor Courtland Mead is 24. Tennis player Maria Sharapova is 24.
Contributing: news services
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