Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is no stranger to the celebrity set. He hosted Jay-Z earlier this year when the artist atop Forbes' list of top-earning rappers came to town, possibly to talk about opening a club at the airport. Just the other day, Reed appeared with entertainment mogul Tyler Perry at the Atlanta Urban Entrepreneurship Forum, presenting Perry with a proclamation and floating the idea of renaming Greenbriar Parkway as Tyler Perry Parkway. So along with notice of his appearance at a back-to-school rally at Jean Childs Young Middle School in southwest Atlanta on Friday came a call for star power. "The Mayor's Office is looking for any celebs/artists to stand with Mayor Kasim Reed," read the bulletin. The request apparently summoned rapper Diamond, who gave a short speech ("Make sure you stay focused!") and drew a raffle prize winner. R&B artist Tiffani Tyree also drew a raffle winner, and Hot 107.9's Jazzy McBee presided over a brief dance-off where students Ashley Powell, Taje' Nelloms and Roderick Harris, all, 12; Larry Miller, 11; and Jarod Willis, 13, demonstrated The Dougie. The mayor, appearing toward the end of the event, gave a pep talk full of lines like "All your dreams are literally within your grasp," and "We need you to be excellent." What really raised the roof, though, wasn't stars or politicians. The kids made the most racket when the school's cheerleaders, led by coach Breverly Littles bounded out into the gym. With less than a week to get a new routine down the squad stomped, jumped and shouted in perfect harmony. "They've worked hard," Littles said. Their classmates noticed. The headliners were great, but the students cheered loudest for each other.
Celebrity birthdays
Actress Rose Marie is 88. Actor Mike Connors is 86. Game show host Jim Lange is 79. Actress Lori Nelson is 78. Actor Jim Dale is 76. Actress Pat Priest is 75. Musician Pete York (Spencer Davis Group) is 69. Author-journalist Linda Ellerbee is 67. Songwriter Jimmy Webb is 65. Rock singer-musician Tom Johnston (The Doobie Brothers) is 63. Actress Phyllis Smith ("The Office") is 62. Britain's Princess Anne is 61. Actress Tess Harper is 61. Actor Larry Mathews is 56. Actor Zeljko Ivanek is 54. Actor-comedian Rondell Sheridan is 53. Rock singer-musician Matt Johnson (The The) is 50. Movie director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is 48. Country singer Angela Rae (Wild Horses) is 45. Actor Peter Hermann is 44. Actress Debra Messing is 43. Actor Anthony Anderson is 41. Actor Ben Affleck is 39. Singer Mikey Graham (Boyzone) is 39. Actress Natasha Henstridge is 37. Actress Nicole Paggi is 34. Figure skater Jennifer Kirk is 27. Rock singer Joe Jonas (The Jonas Brothers) is 22. Actor-singer Carlos Pena is 22. Actress Jennifer Lawrence ("The Bill Engvall Show") is 21.
Contributing: news services
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