We hear Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller are coming to town soon to shoot a movie called "Neighborhood Watch." Filming is expected to crank up in the fall; their folks are already here poking around, scouting locations. This project, billed as a "science-fiction comedy," seems aimed at guys or at least date night. The two comic actors play dads who hang out in their suburban subdivisions just reveling in being dudes, but then they stumble onto some sort of nefarious plot. A perfect made-in-Atlanta movie, no?
Famous voice coming to town
Attention fans of "Pinky and the Brain," "Animaniacs," Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles" and "The Tick": Pinky, Yakko Warner, Raphael and Arthur are coming to town. And by that we mean Rob Paulsen, who has voiced these and many other animated characters. He'll meet and greet fans from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Westin Peachtree Plaza, 210 Peachtree St.
During a phone conversation with the oratorically nimble Paulsen, he said this is his first time taking his show on the road and he is a bit nervous. "We might have 11 people show up," he chuckled, "but we're going to have a great time." He first hit Los Angeles decades ago, intent on becoming an actor, when he started getting jobs with his voice. His wife persuaded him to run with it. "It's a great way to make a living," he said. "I get paid for what used to get me in trouble in seventh grade."
We asked if he'd ever used his gift for voicing cartoon characters to pull pranks. Are you kidding? Of course! "Let's have some fun," he once told his son when a fast-food chain restaurant was offering Animaniacs toys in their kiddie meals. Pulling up to the drive-through lane, Paulsen ordered in Yakko's voice, flummoxing the poor cashier.
We also asked about Pinky, one of two super-intelligent lab mice who dream of taking over the world. It was Paulsen's idea for Pinky to talk in a clipped cockney accent, but Pinky's nonsensical trademark saying, "NARF!" is rooted in reality. "One of the writers talked like that," Paulsen said. Who knew? For tickets and other information about his Saturday appearances see www.robpaulsenlive.com.
Celebrity birthdays
Television producer Norman Lear is 89. Actor Jerry Van Dyke is 80. Sportscaster Irv Cross is 72. Actor John Pleshette is 69. Singer Bobbie Gentry is 67. Actress-director Betty Thomas is 63. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 63. Singer Maureen McGovern is 62. Actress Janet Eilber is 60. Actress Roxanne Hart is 57. Country musician Duncan Cameron is 55. Comedian-actress-writer Carol Leifer is 55. Comedian Bill Engvall is 54. Jazz singer Karrin Allyson is 49. Country singer Stacy Dean Campbell is 44. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 44. Actor Julian McMahon is 43. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 39. Rock musician Abe Cunningham is 38. Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 37. MLB player Alex Rodriguez is 36. Actor Seamus Dever is 35. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 34. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 21.
Contributing: news services
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