Work on "Fast & Furious 7" screeched to a halt in Atlanta following the untimely death of star Paul Walker last fall, but things have resumed. The movie starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges had been filming for months when Walker died in a Nov. 30 crash in the Los Angeles area.
After a hiatus and some filming abroad, work has picked back up, and plans include extensive filming downtown.
According to a notice sent to downtown merchants and residents, the movie will be filming March 17-20 on numerous streets in the downtown area. “The work will include automotive stunts, simulated combat, and special effects (explosions and simulated munitions fire),” the notice said.
For the complete list of filming locations and affected streets, see www.accessatlanta.com/weblogs/buzz.
Biebs back for good?
Justin Bieber has sold his Los Angeles area estate to Khloe Kardashian for $7.2 million, "leaving him wide open for a permanent move to the ATL," reports the gossip site TMZ, which mused, "Atlanta, he's your problem now."
Oh, good.
The 20-year-old pop star has been in Atlanta for a while now working on a new recording project. While he does seem to be enjoying life here — he's staying in Dallas Austin's home and has been spotted at an ice rink, movie theater and other fun spots around town — he faces a May 5 trial date in Miami. Meanwhile, his bodyguard, Hugo Hesny, was arrested last month following a scuffle with a photographer. Yvette Jones, director of public affairs for the Fulton County district attorney's office, said there's been no indictment in that case. "This case is currently still under investigation," she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
In even weirder news, a woman was arrested at the home where Bieber has been staying and charged with criminal trespass; he wasn’t there at the time.
Bieber thrilled SXSW fans with a surprise performance the other day and later tweeted, that he'd "had fun the other night performing. Now that (guitarist) Dan Kanter is here maybe we should do another acoustic show. Maybe."
Or maybe he could move to Austin, Texas, permanently? Maybe.
Event benefits charity
Losing her son, Kile, in a 2012 watercraft accident broke Tameka Raymond's heart, but she is determined to honor the 11-year-old's kind spirit. The Kile's World Foundation was established in March 2013 "to offer comprehensive art education to children ranging from ages 10-17," and the organization plans a benefit 5K run and walk from 9 a.m. to noon March 29 at Chastain Park. "The first word to describe him would be angelic," said Raymond, the ex-wife of R&B artist Usher. "Since I've lost him, I've been able to reflect on the fact that I had an angel in my life for 11 years and I didn't know it." Registration is $35. See kilesworldfoundation.org for details.
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