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Access Atlanta > Blog > Archives > 2007 > June
June 2007
July 4 parade a good break for soap star
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Between scenes this week, “General Hospital” actress Julie Berman jokes that she’s been practicing her “parade wave.” The Emmy-nominated 24-year-old is headed here next week to appear in WSB-TV’s annual “Salute 2 America Parade” on July 4.
She’s looking forward to a break from the drama her character Lesley “Lulu” Spencer (the spitfire offspring of soap supercouple Luke and Laura) has been immersed in this summer. Lulu recently discovered, for example, that the father she idolizes raped her mother back during the disco era. Now, Luke’s bolted town with her catatonic mom. Oh, and there was that painstaking decision to have an abortion last year after sleeping with her stepbrother.
“It can get pretty crazy on our show!” Berman concedes, laughing. Still, Berman says a highlight for her was having her long-lost TV mom (played by soap icon Genie Francis) return to the show for a month last year. The guest stint earned Francis her first-ever Emmy win this month.
“We were too busy for me to spend time being scared about working with her,” she says. “I’ve learned so much from Genie and [Luke portrayer] Tony [Geary]. Mostly, they’ve given me great advice about being young in this business and not letting people take advantage of you. They’ve both encouraged me to stand up for myself.”
Berman says she’s pleased with Lulu’s development as an independent, gutsy gal.
“So many female characters this age wait around and cry over boys,” she explains. “It’s great to be able to play a strong young woman who makes mistakes but learns from them.”
WSB’s “Salute 2 America Parade” coverage officially kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Take a break with ‘The Simpsons’
We’ve already witnessed fans going nuts over this display at various movie theater lobbies around town. And on July 4, participants in the Peachtree Road Race also will have an opportunity to take a load off with TV’s most animated dysfunctional family. Yup, the folks at Fox have reserved space for a “doh!”-nut break in Piedmont Park for runners after enduring Heart Attack Hill on Wednesday morning. There’s an empty cushion waiting for runners at the end of “The Simpsons” couch with Homer, Marge, Bart, Maggie and Lisa perched next to you. Runners will be encouraged to pose for photo ops. The promotion is designed to get fans geared to spend money to watch the family in “The Simpsons Movie.” The big-screen ‘toon debuts in theaters July 27.
‘Mob’ heads South
Oscar winner Ray McKinnon’s filmed-in-Georgia comedy “Randy and the Mob” will open exclusively in Atlanta on Sept. 21. Plans are also in the works for a possible premiere here earlier that week. “Mob,” which won the audience award at this year’s Nashville Film Festival, stars McKinnon and his Hollywood-based Ginny Mule Pictures team of Walton Goggins (TV’s “The Shield”) and Lisa Blount. After its Atlanta debut, the film is expected to open in select Southern theaters in late September and October, then be screened nationally in November.
The comedy features McKinnon, a native of Adel, in a dual role as a man who owes money to low-level Italian mobsters and the man’s gay twin brother. “Mob” was filmed two years ago in various parts of North Georgia, including Douglasville, Covington and Decatur.
In 2002, McKinnon, Goggins and Blount’s made-in-Georgia “The Accountant” won the live-action short film Oscar. In 2004 the team released the stark Southern drama “Chrystal,” which co-starred the three and Billy Bob Thornton.
High five
Digital albums this week
1. “Icky Thump,” The White Stripes
2. “Lost Highway,” Bon Jovi
3. “5th Gear,” Brad Paisley
4. “Who We Are,” Lifehouse
5. “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse
Source: Billboard Online
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Singer Lena Horne is 90. Jazz bassist Stanley Clarke is 56. Actor David Alan Grier is 52. Actor Vincent D’Onofrio is 48. “American Idol” winner Fantasia Barrino is 23.
Sunday: Actress Olivia de Havilland is 91. Movie director Sydney Pollack is 73. Actor Jamie Farr is 73. Gospel singer-choir leader Andrae Crouch is 65. Singer Deborah Harry of Blondie is 62. Singer Fred Schneider of the B-52’s is 56. Actor Dan Aykroyd is 55. Actor Andre Braugher (“Homicide”) is 45. Actress Pamela Anderson is 40. Actor Henry Simmons (“NYPD Blue”) is 37. Rapper Missy Elliott is 36. Actress Liv Tyler is 30. Actress Hilarie Burton (“One Tree Hill”) is 25.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Album cover shoot allows band to preen
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the cover shoot of Stockbridge-birthed Collective Soul’s upcoming album, “Afterwords,” band pal and Buckhead salon owner Richie Arpino assisted with hair and makeup.
Oh, and he shot the cover.
Arpino, who in recent years has taken up photography, producing annual calendars for charity (his upcoming 2008 concept, “Body and Art” combines nudes posing in front of paintings), was recently commissioned to do the shoot by pal and Soul lead singer Ed Roland.
“Out of the blue, Ed says to me, ‘We should probably discuss a concept for the album cover because you’re shooting it,” Arpino told us Thursday. “It’s my first album shoot, so I did a lot of research.”
Thumbing through old Collective Soul CD covers, Arpino discovered something unusual about the photogenic gents — Roland, his younger guitarist brother, Dean Roland, bassist Will Turpin, guitarist Joel Kosche and drummer Ryan Hoyle had never been prominently featured on any of their album artwork.
“We fixed that pretty fast,” Arpino says. “I just told them, ‘You’re a good- looking band. Let’s get you guys out there.’ “
Dressed in chic rocker black, the band and Arpino fired off frames at Ed Roland’s home studio, late Atlanta artist Paul Chelko’s gallery and finally in front of soup bowls at Metrofresh in Midtown.
As for “Afterwords,” Arpino, who’s heard it, says it has a more acoustic feel and that fans should look out for the single, “Hollywood.” The disc should arrive in stores next month.
FADING SIGNAL
“Radio Golf,” the final installment of August Wilson’s 10-play cycle on African-American life in the 20th century, is ending its Broadway run Sunday. Staged by Atlanta director Kenny Leon, Wilson’s last work ran for only 64 performances and 17 previews, but it was nominated for numerous honors, including the Tony Award for best new play.
“This year was a crowded season for straight plays,” Leon said of the short engagement at the Cort Theatre. “You had a lot of plays that were fighting for that same audience.”
“Radio Golf” failed to surpass the 72 performances of Wilson’s “Gem of the Ocean,” also directed by Leon on Broadway in early 2005.
But Leon said, “I’m very excited and proud of the accomplishments of ‘Radio Golf.’ The fact that it was voted best new American play by the New York Drama Critics Circle, the four Tony nominations, the fact that we played to four cities across the country to sold-out houses.” Leon and Wilson dramaturg Todd Kreidler helped shepherd the play into its final form as Wilson was dying of liver cancer in 2005.
Leon, director of Atlanta’s True Colors Theatre Company, is in rehearsals for his theater’s National Black Arts Festival production of Lonnie Elder III’s “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men,” which begins previews at the Alliance Theatre on July 8 (Tickets: 404-733-5000).
OVERSCENE
MTV’s most memorable “Real World Denver” castmates/frienemies Brooke LaBarbera and Davis Mallory at Tap gastropub on Peachtree Street in Midtown, enjoying cocktails on the bustling patio. Alas, there were no immediate reports of LaBarbera’s trademark bottled water spraying meltdowns or any teary drunken angst involving Mallory’s seemingly fluid sexuality. Perhaps Tap owners Bob Amick and Todd Rushing should consider installing cameras. … Bruce Springsteen once again discreetly browsing the aisles at Acapella Books in Little Five Points … We hear The Boss dropped close to $300 on the shop’s hipster stock.
COUPLING UPDATE
As NBA champion Tony Parker’s wedding date to “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria potentially inches closer next week, he’s staying coy about plans for the event.
Speaking to reporters Thursday in Paris, the San Antonio Spurs point guard shrugged off questions about the wedding date and venue, believed to be July 7 at a French chateau.
“I don’t care where I’m going to get married,” he said. “It’s a girls’ thing.” To other queries, he replied: “That’s a question you should ask Eva.”
He dismissed one rumor: that the wedding cake would be flown in from the United States.
“Why take a cake from the United States … if it is France that makes the best cakes?” he asked.
While Longoria picked the wedding site — believed to be the luxurious chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte — Parker said he was taking charge of the food and music. And that’s all he would say.
With Longoria due back on the “Desperate Housewives” set in a matter of days, expect nups sooner than later.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Gary Busey is 63. Comedian Richard Lewis is 60. Singer Colin Hay of Men at Work is 54. Singer Evelyn “Champagne” King is 47. Actress Sharon Lawrence (“NYPD Blue”) is 46. Actress Melora Hardin (“The Office”) is 40. Rapper DJ Shadow is 35. Country guitarist Todd Sansom of Marshall Dyllon is 29. Singer Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls is 29.
STORK REPORT
“I Know Who Killed Me” actress Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon is pregnant with twin boys.
The 40-year-old actress and her husband, talent agent Mike Nilon, expect to welcome their first children in November, confirms her publicist, Carri McClure.
The pregnancy was first reported by syndicated entertainment TV show “The Insider.”
Beauvais-Nilon’s credits include “NYPD Blue,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and the aforementioned upcoming flick also starring Lindsay Lohan.
Contributing: Wendell Brock, news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Fans fill store for Maupin’s tales from ’70s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As he read the opening passage of his latest novel, “Michael Tolliver Lives” Wednesday night at Outwrite Books in Midtown, author Armistead Maupin was able to bring story hour to the intersection of Piedmont Avenue and 10th Street.
Inside, hundreds packed into the store while other fans lined up, arms folded on the railing outside, clutching copies of the book while listening intently underneath exterior speakers.
The fact that Maupin was detailing the joys of 1970s group sex aloud was evidenced only by the uncomfortable looks of a few passers-by in the intersection.
The “Tales of the City” writer was happily introducing engrossed readers to his “unofficial” seventh book in the 30-year old series.
“I’ve been very lucky on this tour,” Maupin told Buzz. “The readers have been enthusiastic, and they’ve really welcomed these characters back.”
Readers David Kerr, Terry Bird and Winston Johnson were seated up front. Bird has been a fan of the series since happening upon the original newspaper installments in the San Francisco Chronicle while on a trip west in 1977.
Kerr read all six of the sprawling novels a decade later in a single summer. “To me they were magical,” Kerr explained.
Said fan Sheri Mann Stewart, who finished “Tolliver” Tuesday night: “It was very emotional for me. It was like catching up with friends that I had missed terribly.”
PHOTOS: Armistead Maupin at Outwrite
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Going from depositions to diapers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Fulton County prosecutor Nancy Grace supplied some details to her viewers Tuesday night on her new dual role of wife and expectant mom.
“Being a mother did not seem part of God’s plan for me,” she told CNN viewers. “My life has been, for 20 years, representing crime victims in and out of court. I’m happy to report the plan for my life has made a U-turn. This past April I married David [Linch] and tonight we announce I’m expecting twins.” Of her secrecy, Grace added on “Access Hollywood”: “I didn’t want to jinx it. I come from rural Georgia, and we believe in hexes and all that. I did not want to [announce] it until I was further along. But, I can’t hide it anymore. I’ve made enough excuses on why I’m sick, and [people] are going to find out.”
In this week’s US Weekly out today, Grace, 47, discloses that her cravings are, indeed, Southern-fried: “Watermelon, peaches and my mother’s southern fried chicken!
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT WITH LARRY KING
Associated Press
CNN’s Larry King bungled his interview with the surviving Beatles on Tuesday night. As he was asking a timely question about where Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were when John Lennon was murdered in 1980, King referred to Starr as “George.”
As in George Harrison, the Beatle who succumbed to cancer in 2001.
McCartney and Harrison played off the gaffe with banter that could have been lifted from one of the band’s 1964 U.S. press conferences.
“I was getting to George,” King stammered, trying to explain away the slip.
“No, you weren’t, Larry,” McCartney playfully scolded. “You said his name wrong.”
Interjected Starr to McCartney: “Shut up, it’s my turn.”
Replied McCartney: “I know, but he got your name wrong, Ringo, on national television. We can’t cut it. It’s live.”
Sighed Starr: “I know. Give him a break.”
The pair’s sibling-like sparring saved the segment. Alas, King’s creaky credibility wasn’t as fortunate.
VEGGIES, PLEASE
Carrie Underwood and Kevin Eubanks have been named the “world’s sexiest vegetarians” in PETA’s annual contest.
Results were released this week by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Underwood, 24, a Grammy-winning country singer, won the title in 2005. Eubanks, 49, leader of NBC’s “Tonight Show” band, is a newcomer to the winner’s circle.
Eubanks leapt ahead of his competitors with help from Jay Leno, who encouraged viewers to vote for Eubanks and “bring honor” to the late-night NBC talk show.
“I’m gonna keep this campaign going,” Leno said during a recent show after sharing a photo of a shirtless Eubanks with his audience. Leno said the shot, in which Eubanks is holding a backpack and posing against a woodsy backdrop, wasn’t doctored.
Runners-up in the contest, which the animal rights group said drew more than 110,000 votes on its Web site, included Joaquin Phoenix, Milo Ventimiglia, Kristen Bell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jared Leto and Lisa Edelstein.
Last year, Prince and Bell, who starred on the “Veronica Mars” TV series, were picked as the two sexiest vegetarians. Previous winners also include Natalie Portman, Andre 3000, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Shania Twain, Tobey Maguire, Lauren Bush, Josh Hartnett and Alicia Silverstone.
CELEBRITY DOCKET UPDATE
“Saving Private Ryan” actor Tom Sizemore’s 16-month prison sentence for violating probation in a drug case has been dramatically reduced.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cynthia Rayvis gave the actor 213 days of credit for time he has already spent in jail and two live-in drug programs, leaving him with about nine months in state prison.
Sizemore will likely serve about 41/2 months of that, said Deputy District Attorney Sean Carney.
The 45-year-old actor, who has been in jail without bail since June 5, wasn’t in court this week. An after-hours call to his lawyer, Fay Arfa, wasn’t immediately returned.
The judge originally ordered the steeper sentence Monday after authorities said they discovered methamphetamine in the actor’s car and arrested him in Bakersfield, Calif., last month. Sizemore was charged with seven drug-related counts, including transportation and possession of methamphetamines.
HIGH FIVE
Comcast on Demand programs in the metro area (for the week of June 20-27):
1. Lil Boosie, “Wipe Me Down” video, Music Choice
2. “Entourage,” “Welcome to the Jungle” Episode 43, HBO
3. “Ice Age: The Meltdown,” HBO
4. “Dora the Explorer,” “To the Treehouse,” Nickelodeon
5. T-Pain, “Buy You a Drink” video, Music Choice
— Source: Comcast
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Comedian-director Mel Brooks is 81. Actress Kathy Bates is 59. Actress Alice Krige is 53. Actor John Cusack is 41. Actress Tichina Arnold (“Everybody Hates Chris”) is 36. Country singer and former “American Idol” contestant Kellie Pickler is 21.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Singer Reed busy with tour, new CD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s own Francine Reed rang into Buzz Central on Tuesday from Columbus, Ohio, to slide us an update on her annual summer tour with Lyle Lovett and His Large Band as it treks its way across a 55-show itinerary with singer K.D. Lang.
Reflecting on the tour’s June 15 stop at Chastain, where the act has been traditionally greeted with a concert-halting electrical storm, Reed told us: “This was actually the first year when I was praying for some rain since my hometown needs it so badly.”
After 23 years with Lovett, Reed’s signature solo number “Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues” occupies a special place in the show this summer.
“I lead off the set, baby!” Reed said, laughing. “I come out with a remote microphone and sing ‘Women’ and people think it’s the Francine Reed show. They’re probably wondering if Mr. Lovett is coming out at all!”
When Reed returns to her adopted city in August, she has two weeks here before heading to San Francisco for bookings through Halloween. Local fans can expect gigs at Fuzzy’s Place (dates to be announced) and an Aug. 11 date at Blind Willie’s.
Reed and the members of Java Monkey are also working on a new CD. It’s being culled from 15 live shows together, recorded over the last few years, including a tour of Australia and her Atlanta gigs opening Chastain dates for soul men James Brown and Al Green.
When we offered Reed our BuzzBerry line for updates, Reed cracked: “Oh, baby, you know me. I don’t want a thing to do with a BlackBerry unless I can eat it.”
A MOB FOR MAUPIN?
The police barricades from Gay Pride weekend hadn’t even been removed from outside his store Tuesday when Outwrite Books owner Philip Rafshoon was contemplating needing them for tonight’s signing. As many as 500 “Tales of the City” fans could show up for author Armistead Maupin’s first-ever signing at the Midtown store.
Over lunch at the shop’s counter Tuesday, Rafshoon told us the store has already sold 250 copies of Maupin’s new novel, “Michael Tolliver Lives” (the writer’s unofficial seventh “Tales” book). While Rafshoon still had 350 copies in reserve, he was busy hunting up more books. Starting six weeks ago, eager readers were assigned numbers for the in-store event. That will continue today. Starting at 6 p.m., the first 100 ticketed folks will be admitted to the line to the scheduled 8 p.m. event, Rafshoon says. The remainder of Maupin’s readers will likely trail out the door onto Piedmont Avenue and wind around onto 10th Street, Rafshoon predicts.
“He’s the best-known out author who has never appeared at Outwrite in our 14-year history,” Rafshoon explains of the response. “And this is the first new ‘Tales’ book he’s published during our existence. Everyone is incredibly excited.”
OVERSCENE: LEFT COAST EDITION
Atlanta celebrity shutterbug Ben Rose checked in with us Tuesday to say that the Atlanta music scene had temporarily relocated to Los Angeles, the site of Tuesday night’s BET Awards. Of the influx of ATL A-listers, Rose e-mailed: “When I woke up this morning at my hotel, I couldn’t remember if I had spent the last 24 hours in Atlanta or L.A.” Leaving his hotel Monday, Rose reported seeing Ludacris on his way into a VIP reception. Later, Rose found himself shooting Atlanta’s own Jermaine Dupri and Bow Wow at the Producers Ball, sharing their private booth with Atlanta singer-songwriter Johnta Austin. Alas, Rose eventually realized where he was when he got the bill for a 4 a.m. room service order of a Caesar salad and a freshly squeezed glass of grapefruit juice. Price tag: $38.
HOOTIE ON HOLD
Hootie & the Blowfish has announced that the band is postponing the first 13 shows on their summer tour, including the act’s July 6 date here, scheduled as part of the Delta Classic Chastain series. The gig has been rescheduled for 8 p.m. Aug. 31. Previously purchased tickets for the July 6 performance will be honored Aug. 31.
We’re told that the postponed dates stem from a lingering staph infection in singer Darius Rucker’s left knee. “Rucker has undergone three surgeries to clear the infection and will be in post-operative rehabilitation through mid-July, which will prevent him from performing,” a Classic Chastain rep said via e-mail.
The band released this statement: “This is our first time canceling or postponing shows on a tour and it’s not something we take lightly. We hope our fans understand that nothing is more important to us than Darius’ health, and we will see you all later this summer.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys is 65. Country singer Lorrie Morgan is 48. Actor Tobey Maguire (“Spider-Man”) is 32. Singer Leigh Nash (Sixpence None the Richer) is 31. Actor Drake Bell (“Drake and Josh”) is 21. Actress Madylin Sweeten (“Everybody Loves Raymond”) is 16.
STORK REPORT
Former Fulton County prosecutor and much-lampooned CNN talk show host Nancy Grace was secretly married in April and is expecting twins, according to a report in the New York Post.
Grace, 47, reportedly married a longtime friend from Atlanta in a quiet April ceremony in Macon.
“I’m finally not keeping it a secret anymore,” she told the Post. According to the report, Grace is married to David Linch, an Atlanta investment banker. The two attended Mercer together in the 1970s and have stayed in touch, the Post story said.
Grace told the Post their marriage was a “spur of the moment decision” and that the pair had a simple ceremony in Macon, Grace’s hometown.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Book festival fare: Kinky, authors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Cold Mountain” author and National Book Award winner Charles Frazier along with mystery writer, songwriter, salsa salesman, Jewish cowboy and failed Texas gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman have been selected as the keynote speakers for the second Atlanta Journal-Constitution Decatur Book Festival on Labor Day weekend.
During a Monday luncheon at Watershed in Decatur, festival organizers unveiled their ambitious plans for the literary festival, which drew an estimated 50,000 attendees in its inaugural year. This year’s event will feature 300 authors, including fantasy/sci-fi writer Terry Brooks, humorist Roy Blount Jr., 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry winner Natasha Trethewey and music journalist Chuck Klosterman.
According to programming director Tom Bell, the new Decatur tradition that started “as a harebrained scheme among friends sitting at a table at Java Monkey” will feature Friday field trip opportunities for elementary and high school readers; meet-and-greets with author/musicians John Wesley Harding and Peter Case and chefs/cookbook authors Marvin Woods and Scott Peacock; a youth poetry slam final; a teen literary salon; and a Mardi Gras-inspired parade through Decatur’s square, featuring area book club members.
“We like to think of ourselves as the city too busy to hate and the city not too busy to sit down and read a great book,” said AJC DBF executive director Daren Wang.
During the weekend, former AJC book editor and incoming Atlanta magazine book editor Teresa Weaver will interview Frazier onstage about his latest book, “Thirteen Moons,” which has been translated into Cherokee. The session will also feature Myrtle Driver, translator of Cherokee.
For info: www.decaturbookfestival.com.
PEACH-Y MERGER FOR LUXURY GLOSSY
Atlanta Peach magazine’s reach just got a lot longer. On Monday, it was announced that Ocean Drive Media Group, the owners of the Atlanta glossy, has entered into a partnership with Greenspun Media Group and Niche Media to create “the largest network of city-specific luxury publications in the country,” according to Ocean Drive head Jerry Powers. Greenspun Media owns various titles in Las Vegas and is the owner of the Las Vegas Sun daily newspaper; Niche’s holdings include publications in Aspen, Colo.; Boston; and Los Angeles. The merger will allow all three companies’ publications to tap into a total of 16 markets and an estimated 4.4 million readers.
A WHOLE LOT OF DIMES FOR DIMES
The final numbers have been crunched from this month’s citywide 23rd annual March of Dimes Dining Out fund-raiser. The event — featuring eateries that included Aria, Emeril’s Atlanta, the Capital Grille, Bluepointe, Nikolai’s Roof, Shaun’s, Taurus, Thrive, Trois and Wisteria and after-party venue Lotus Lounge nightclub — raised more than $100,000 for Georgia’s babies. Said event chair and Q100 morning man Bert Weiss: “The generosity of this community never ceases to amaze me.”
OVERSCENE
Rapper/actor Ludacris dining and sampling a bottle of 2000 Andrew Jeffries Sauvignon Blanc at Two Urban Licks. …
“Will & Grace” Emmy winner Leslie Jordan (currently co-starring in the CW summer series “Hidden Palms”) taking a break from his countless Gay Pride appearances over the weekend for a lunch of grilled chicken panini and a glass of iced tea at Lobby at Twelve.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
“Saving Private Ryan” actor Tom Sizemore was sentenced Monday to 16 months in prison for violating his probation in a drug case.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Cynthia Rayvis ordered the sentence after authorities said they found methamphetamine in the actor’s car on May 8 in Bakersfield, Calif.
Sizemore, 45, was on probation for a previous drug conviction.
He was arrested in Bakersfield for investigation of seven drug-related charges, including methamphetamine possession.
He has been in jail without bail since June 5, when he surrendered on a warrant alleging he had violated his probation.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Billy Davis Jr. of the Fifth Dimension is 67. Musician Mick Jones of the Clash is 52. Actor Gedde Watanabe (“ER,” “Sixteen Candles”) is 52. Singer Chris Isaak is 51. Singer Terri Nunn of Berlin is 46. Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Magnolia,” “Boogie Nights”) is 37. Actor Sean Hayes (“Will and Grace”) is 37. Actor Matt Letscher (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”) is 37. Actor Chris O’Donnell is 37. Country singer Gretchen Wilson is 33. Actor Jason Schwartzman (“Slackers,” “Rushmore”) is 27.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Monica’s new husband ‘hates reporters’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Southeastern Emmy Awards on Saturday night bestowed its top Governors Award to Monica Pearson for 32 years of service on Atlanta TV airwaves. And yes, her on-air name change from Monica Kaufman last year after she married John Pearson Sr. is still a topic of conversation.
“Some thought management was crazy” to change her name, WSB-TV news director Marian Pittman said on the dais at the Grand Hyatt hotel in Buckhead. “We got e-mails. We got phone calls. ‘What are you thinking?’ Well, if you’re in my chair or the GM’s chair, it’s easy. All we need is Monica. Some people don’t need a last name. And if you met her husband, you know why she changed it!”
The camera jumped to John Pearson, a DeKalb County police captain, and he sat stone-faced for several seconds before (barely) cracking a smile.
Rodney Ho/AJC staff
Longtime WSB-TV anchorwoman Monica Pearson (formerly Kaufman) chats with WGCL-TV’s Adam Murphy.
The anchorwoman, in an elegant white dress and cropped hair, thanked WSB and Karyn Greer of WXIA-TV for nominating her. Then she thanked her hubby for breaking a rule about media types.
“He hates reporters,” Pearson said. “Literally hates reporters. It took him a year for a girlfriend to talk him into going out with me!”
Many of the top awards went to stations outside Atlanta. (The Southeastern Emmys cover Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and Asheville, N.C.) Fox affiliate WAGA-TV won for top daily newscast in a Top 25 market. Turner Broadcasting took home 16 awards, while NBC’s WXIA-TV grabbed 11 and Fox Sports South nabbed eight. Blair Meeks of WXIA won as best live on-camera reporter for the second year in a row.
NEW KITCHEN AHEAD FOR CELEBRITY CHEF
Buzz ran into charismatic chef Marvin Woods, who hosted the popular Turner South show “Home Plate,” which ended its run last year when the network was sold to Fox. He was nominated for best non-news on-camera talent but didn’t win.
Woods, who moved to Atlanta from South Florida last year, still has ties with Turner: He has a development deal with Cartoon Network. And he’s also working with Atlanta Public Schools on a nutritional education program he calls “Droppin’ Knowledge.”
After his short-lived stint at Midtown’s now-defunct Spice, Woods said he now has a chance to run his own restaurant in a downtown space about a block from the Ritz-Carlton, which he hopes to open in the fall. He doesn’t have the name pinned down yet, but it will seat about 180.
“It’s going to be eclectic ethnic,” Woods said. “Caribbean, African, Southern.”
ANOTHER ATLANTAN GETS RAMSAY BOOT
For the second week in a row, “Hell’s Kitchen” hellion Gordon Ramsay booted a metro Atlantan off the Fox reality show. In last Monday’s episode, it was Joanna Dunn, 22, of Roswell, the youngest contestant.
Ramsay tossed her for not smelling bad crab and almost serving it to the customers. “He said to make sure you check and double-check and taste the food,” Dunn told Buzz. “That one incident, I didn’t.”
Dunn now teaches at the Publix Apron’s Cooking School in Alpharetta. The Detroit native moved here from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina but enjoys it here, noting that it’s a good place to become a chef and perhaps break into TV.
One more Atlantan remains: former Waffle House cook Julia Williams. “She’s an amazing person,” Dunn said. “The world is going to see a lot of her.”
RANDOM BITS
After all the brouhaha over NBC and ABC trying to pay Paris Hilton for a sit-down interview, CNN’s Larry King is getting her for free Wednesday, the day after she leaves jail. The hotel heiress is serving a 45-day sentence for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case… . Rapper Foxy Brown, who’s on probation for assault and facing a battery charge in a separate case, had another brush with violence over the weekend. But this time she was the victim, police said. Four people teamed up to rob the racy rapper of a Louis Vuitton bag, $500 in cash and credit cards around 5:30 a.m. Saturday in Brooklyn, police said.
HIGH FIVE
Dave FM
The rock station swapped out program directors Friday. Here are the five most played songs in the past week.
- “What Light,” Wilco
2. “How to Save a Life,” the Fray
3. “9 Crimes,” Damian Rice
4. “You Know I’m No Good,” Amy Winehouse (below)
5. “Thinking About You,” Norah Jones
— Mediabase 24/7
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Carly Simon is 62. Actor Jimmie Walker is 60. Actor Ricky Gervais (above) is 46. Singer George Michael is 44. Actress Angela Kinsey (“The Office”) is 36.
LATE NIGHT JOKES
“There’s a video of Kobe Bryant trashing his fellow Lakers. The good news? This is the first evidence that Kobe’s even aware there’s other members on the team.”
— Jay Leno, June 21
“This week, Ozzy Osbourne sold his mansion in Los Angeles. Ozzy said he had to sell the house because, he said, ‘I could never find it.’ ”
— Conan O’Brien (right), June 21
“Great day for Hillary Clinton. She chose the song for her campaign, a song by Celine Dion. Is it wise choosing a Celine Dion song? She’s a singer best known for doing a song based on a sinking ship.”
— Craig Ferguson, June 19
Contributing: news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
The Boss steers clear of headliner’s spotlight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Nightwatchman, the folkie-political songwriting alter ego of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello, had a couple of notable guests during his gig Thursday night at Smith’s Olde Bar in Midtown.
Bruce Springsteen, who’s in town recording with producer Brendan O’Brien, was spotted at a side table in the venue with O’Brien, who also produced Morello’s recently released album, “One Man Revolution.”
“We brought them in the back door,” Nolen Reeves Music rep Melanie Blake told Buzz on Friday. “It was all very low-key. He wasn’t a rock star at all. He was just there to hang out and catch Tom’s set. Everyone was hoping he would get onstage but he seemed really content watching Tom do his material.”
Amazingly, Springsteen, sporting a ball cap, went largely unnoticed in the jam-packed club. The Boss was also spotted backstage in a small room having a chat with the evening’s headliner.
As for the obvious, Blake said: “Every one of the Smith’s staff who got to shake his hand was completely thrilled!”
Cybill set to get ‘Curvy’ at Alliance
The Alliance Theatre is set to add some celebrity star power to its stage this fall. In November, the Tony Award-winning theater (and no, it never gets old typing that…) will host the world premiere of Bobby Goldman’s “Curvy Widow” starring Cybill Shepherd. According to info provided to us Friday, “the tour de force one-woman comedy is about love, sex and the adventures of a widow who finds the world of dating to be most interesting when she looks in the least expected places.” Or as we’re referring to it: “Cybill in Cyberspace.”
Opening night is Nov. 25, 7.30. Tickets are available to Alliance subscribers now by calling the Woodruff Arts Center box office at 404-733-5000. Tickets will be available to nonsubscribers this summer. Broadway director Scott Schwartz (“Jane Eyre” and “Golda’s Balcony”) will direct, with set and costumes designed by David Woolard and in association with Raoulfilm, Inc. Tickets will cost $50.
Girls gone wild: Fur Bus version
There’s always that one moment during the annual Fur Bus Media Night each year when we question reality, our judgment and the laws of physics. On Thursday night, that moment arrived when we were flashed twice by two separate female media types at Haven in Brookhaven. This year, the 40-some radio, TV and glossy mag correspondents were also shuttled to hotspots Mix in Brookhaven, Posh in Buckhead, Tap in Midtown and Thrive downtown to sample cocktails and signature menu items. As you may have gathered, some attendees overlooked the foodstuffs in favor of the booze. As usual, Fur Bus co-owners Rick Butgereit and Trey Humphreys played chaperone and tolerated — no, encouraged — outrageous behavior. When quizzed about the aftereffects of last year’s outing (which, incidentally, ended with a normally posh local magazine editor reflecting on her dinner choices in the parking lot) Butgereit told us: “We’re really out to set a new record this year. We’re going for a sweep.” As usual, by the time patrons were safely deposited home via Zingo designated drivers late Thursday, Butgereit had achieved the lofty goal.
Atlanta authors have D.C. date
The Library of Congress announced Friday that Atlanta authors Carmen Agra Deedy, Shelia P. Moses and Sanjay Gupta are among the 70 writers selected to participate in the seventh annual National Book Festival in Washington.
The festival “welcomes all Americans to the National Mall to celebrate reading and meet with some of America’s most-loved authors from across the country,” said first lady Laura Bush, a former librarian who founded the event.
The event will also feature best-selling authors Joyce Carol Oates and David Baldacci, historians David Kennedy and Ken Burns and the Food Network’s Cat Cora.
Festival author coordinator John Cole said he expects the Atlanta authors to be big draws.
“For Carmen, it will be her third appearance,” he said. “She is a wonderful speaker.”
Four authors are selected to speak at a black-tie dinner the night before the festival.
Bush and husband George W. attend.
“Carmen was a speaker at the black-tie dinner before our second festival,” Cole said.
Moses was so popular last year that she was invited back, he said.
“Shelia had such a good time and really wanted to come back,” he said. “She said she would come back on her own if she wasn’t selected, but she didn’t have to worry about that.”
This is Gupta’s first appearance, Cole said.
The free festival will be 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sept. 29 on the National Mall between Seventh and 14th streets.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Let her come here and co-host for a week. That’ll set her straight.”
— “Evan Almighty” actress Wanda Sykes on Friday, on celebrity inmate Paris Hilton on “The View.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: “The Young and the Restless” actor Ted Shackelford is 61. “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson is 51. Actress Frances McDormand is 50. Singer KT Tunstall is 32. Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz is 30.
Sunday: Actor Al Molinaro (“Happy Days”) is 88. Actress Michele Lee is 65. Drummer Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac is 65. Bassist Curt Smith of Tears for Fears is 46. Actress Danielle Spencer (“What’s Happening”) is 42. Actress Sherry Stringfield (“ER”) is 40.
Contributing: Bob Dart, David O’Brien and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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See Rock City do goofy stuff for publicity
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Note to local public relations types: Want to get noticed in this space? Gather a state treasure, a proclamation-presenting politician and a mascot resembling an escapee from the North Pole.
Oh, and then persuade the company CEO to wear a birdhouse on his head to the state Capitol.
Such was the scene this week as State Sen. Jeff Mullis (whose 53rd District encompasses Lookout Mountain, Ga.) awarded a proclamation to Rock City Gardens roadside attraction owner Bill Chapin inside the state Capitol, noting the tourist stop’s 75th anniversary.
Along for the ride into the big city: Rocky, Rock City’s head elf mascot (who, incidentally, did dash up the Capitol steps, we’re told). Rock City Garden’s 75 Days of Summer celebration commenced Thursday.
In addition to the state honor, Rock City Gardens officials are asking folks with fond memories of their visits to contribute their memories of taking in Lover’s Leap, Fat Man’s Squeeze and Swing-a-Long Bridge at www.seerockcity.com/75.
Local fans may also want to tune in to “Today” this morning on WXIA-TV starting at 7. Chapin, clad in his birdhouse hat, and Rocky will be outside Rockefeller Plaza, vying for the attention of weatherman Al Roker. They were scheduled to be in line by 5 a.m.
“And we’ve got personalized hats for Al, Matt [Lauer] and Meredith [Vieira] as well,” rep Nicholas Wolaver told Buzz from NYC Thursday. “It’s been a really unique visit so far. As we’ve walked the streets of New York City, people keep stopping Bill to tell them that they’ve seen Rock City.”
And perhaps the coolest thing about seerockcity.com?
You can score one of its famous birdhouses for $22.99 if you don’t have time or $200 in gas money for a road trip.
JUST IN AT BUZZ CENTRAL …
Criminal Records in Little Five Points has snagged former Drive-By Truckers member Jason Isbell for one of his first solo in-store signings and performance at 7 p.m. July 10. Fans of the Athens act will recall that those dreaded band-related “personal issues” led to the guitarist/singer-songwriter’s departure from the act in April.
Isbell’s solo debut, “Sirens of the Ditch,” will be released on the same day via New West Records.
Interestingly, “Sirens” was co-produced by Isbell and his former Truckers bandmate Patterson Hood and recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Ala. That night, Isbell will also play a gig at the EARL in East Atlanta.
FIL-A FANATICISM
About 115 Chick-fil-A campers, (some complete with tents and one group of gals hauling a couch), waited outside all night for the public debut of the fast food eatery on South Cobb Drive in Smyrna on Thursday. Many had been there since noon Wednesday. The first 100 folks in line, you see, were awarded 52 coupons good for weekly fixes of the food staple over the next year. “We had one gentleman who told us that this was his 20th Chick-fil-A store opening,” rep Julie Bowcutt told us Thursday, still trying to shake the surprise out of her voice. “Since school’s out, we even had families who spent the night outside together.” For security purposes, Chick-fil-A reps stay overnight as well. The store officially opened at 6:30 a.m. Thursday.
“Everything was broken down pretty fast,” observed Bowcutt. “Using the drive-through is difficult with a tent in the parking lot.”
OVERSCENE
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan and guests supping on a lobster and crab duo, hanger steak, and oxtail (sans cheese) at Trois. The party — sigh — drank sparkling water. After a couple of autograph-seeking fans made their way inside the Midtown eatery, a manager hastily apologized to the rocker. We’re told Corgan happily signed more autographs on the way out. The band starts a sold-out nine-gig residency at the Orange Peel in Asheville, N.C., this weekend.
ON MY iPOD
Andruw Jones, center fielder, Atlanta Braves
With 6,800 songs on his iPod, Jones says his current favorite artist is Atlanta’s own T.I., and the rapper/actor’s “Top Back” remains tops with Jones. Among his most recent downloads? “I can’t remember exactly. Some salsa, some country and some rap.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Ralph Waite (“The Waltons”) is 79. Singer-actor Kris Kristofferson is 71. Journalist Brit Hume is 64. Actor David L. Lander (Squiggy on “Laverne and Shirley”) is 60. Singer Todd Rundgren is 59. Singer Alan Osmond of the Osmonds is 58. Actress Meryl Streep is 58. Actress Lindsay Wagner is 58. Singer Cyndi Lauper is 54. Actress Mary Lynn Rajskub (“24”) is 36. TV personality Carson Daly is 34. Actor Donald Faison (“Scrubs”) is 33.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Not even Evan, exactly — but, hey, we got rain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If your lawn and garden finally got a proper watering Tuesday night, you may want to thank the guy running around town dressed as Noah. All day and night Tuesday, the biblical ark builder was spotted dashing about town to promote the upcoming big-screen comedy “Evan Almighty”; the film’s star, Steve Carell — who goes the flowing-beard-and-boat route in the flick after Morgan Freeman as God instructs him to — was being utilized for bigger press engagements like “Live with Regis & Kelly.”
Atlanta model and actor Joel Darby donned a robe, hilariously cheesy facial hair and matching eyebrows and good-naturedly greeted visitors at the Georgia Aquarium, Centennial Olympic Park, CNN Center, the World of Coke and Turner Field.
By the way, non-biblical celebs spotted in the stands this week for the Boston/Atlanta series included: OutKast member/actor Andre “3000” Benjamin, R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, Atlanta Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall and country singer Josh Turner. We’re told that Turner and Hall, both devoted fans, even turned up early to watch the Braves take batting practice before the game.
SIDELINED SINGER TELLS HER STORY
When singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter canceled her summer tour, she no doubt disappointed the dozens of dancing glow-in-the dark plastic flamingos who traditionally turn up (to her delight) for her annual outing at Chastain Park Amphitheater. But her reasons were sound. In her “This I Believe” essay recorded for Sunday’s edition of National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition Sunday,” the singer details her recent health scare. After a concert tour this spring, Carpenter was hospitalized after suffering a pulmonary embolism. “Everyone told me how lucky I was,” she says in the radio essay. “A pulmonary embolism can take your life in an instant.” As she recovered, Carpenter says she experienced disappointment and depression, until a chance encounter at the grocery store: “One morning, the young man who rang up my groceries … told me to enjoy the rest of my day. I looked at him, and I knew he meant it. … What I want, more than ever, is to appreciate that I have this day and tomorrow and hopefully days beyond that. I am experiencing the learning curve of gratitude.”
The singer should be back on the road in 2008. “Weekend Edition Sunday” airs locally 8 to 10 a.m. on WABE-FM, 90.1.
OVERSCENE
Artist Dale Chihuly dining at South City Kitchen in Midtown with his wife and son. The Chihulys ordered the South City pimento cheese with house pickles, celery and grilled buttermilk bread appetizer and smoked pork shoulder, served with a short stack of jalapeño-corn griddle cakes with barbecue sauces and the buttermilk fried chicken.
NBA great Charles Barkley was also spotted in the eatery, with a female dining companion, dining on the buttermilk fried chicken while his guest had the grilled marinated ribeye.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Jane Russell is 86. Actor Bernie Kopell (“The Love Boat”) is 74. Musician Ray Davies of the Kinks is 63. Actress Meredith Baxter (“Family Ties”) is 60. Actor Michael Gross (“Family Ties”) is 60. Country singer Kathy Mattea is 48. Actor Doug Savant is 43. Actress Juliette Lewis is 34.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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‘Price is Right’ casting director: Rosie not a stunt
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Billy Kemp, who is casting to replace Bob Barker on “The Price is Right,” was in Atlanta Wednesday to promote an upcoming “how to get on a reality show” seminar August 4 at Philips Arena. Kemp, who also casts for shows such as “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” told Buzz that talking to Rosie O’Donnell today as a potential host is not a publicity stunt.
“We’re taking it seriously,” he said. “She’s obviously hugely passionate about it. We’ll see how it goes.”
He said this has been one of the toughest casting decisions he’s ever had to do in his career. “Whoever gets the job is going to be scrutinized and compared to Bob. You can’t win. The best thing is hope the host grows over time and the audience wants to stay with them.”
CBS technically has until August to replace him since the network is airing reruns over the summer. But Kemp said Barker is willing to cover for himself if the casting folks fail to find a new host by then. “We don’t want to pick someone just because we’re running out of time,” he said.
He is aware Barker has said kind words about O’Donnell and he hopes whoever they find gets Barker’s stamp of approval. “The hardcore fans, they want to know Bob approves. You don’t want to put in Kato Kaelin and everybody says, ‘No way!’ “
If you’re interested in the seminar, you can find info at www.DreamsN2Reality.net.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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TCM presenting films exploring lesbian and gay themes
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
No one is more shocked by Turner Classic Movies’ month-long commitment to gay and lesbian images in film than “Screened Out” author Richard Barrios.
“I’m honestly beside myself in gratitude,” he says about the Atlanta-based cable channel’s film festival selections, which begin running at 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday nights all month. The dozens of films in the series encompass everything from the fascinating 1912 silent short “Algie the Miner,” about a westward-bound effete city boy, to the gritty 1950 women-in-prison flick “Caged,” to tonight’s 1935 drama “Sylvia Scarlett” featuring a cross-dressing Katharine Hepburn.
Barrios, whose 2003 book forms the basis for the festival, helped to select the films in the series and co-hosts with esteemed TCM film historian Robert Osborne. Throughout the pair’s intros for each selection, it’s sometimes obvious they don’t share the same opinion regarding a character’s sexual orientation. On Monday night’s intro for the 1944 horror film “The Uninvited,” for example, the co-hosts debated whether Miss Holloway, the film’s sinister rest-home head mistress, was indeed a lesbian.
“In the end, it was a good discussion,” Barrios explains. “Regardless, it’s been documented that when the film came out, groups of similarly dressed women would show up at theaters at odd hours. They obviously responded to this character, and this grapevine-like word had spread about it within the lesbian community.”
Still, Barrios concedes that some selections in the series, like next Monday’s seldom-seem 1969 camp fest “Staircase” starring Rex Harrison and Richard Burton, aren’t exactly stellar films.
” ‘Staircase’ on almost every level is a terrible movie,” Barrios says, laughing. “But the fact that here were these two huge actors doing a mainstream film playing homosexuals in 1969 is worth noting.”
“Still,” Barrios notes, “it’s a jaw-dropper. You might want to have a drink beforehand!”
VERN, SHIRLEY DEBUT
Leave it to Zoo Atlanta to organize a vine-cutting ceremony for a mob. And for once, we’re not referring to those digital camera-clutching Mei Lan fans who dutifully turn up each morning. At 9:30 a.m. today, Zoo Atlanta President Dennis Kelly and Georgia Power customer-service executive vice president Mickey Brown will introduce zoo- goers to the tourist attraction’s newest residents: a mob of nine meerkats from southern Africa and a pair of warthogs named Vern (pictured) and Shirley from the same region. The animals will reside in the zoo’s new Kalahari Connections habitat, made possible by Georgia Power. We’re told that while Vern and Shirley could have a future romantic coupling, the meerkats have been far more high maintenance. Apparently, during the journey to Atlanta, two of the meerkats in the mob (headed by sister-brother team Scurry and Big Flinch) acted up and had to be transported separately. Perhaps inspired by this, the zoo has enlisted Constance Babbleon, a fictional gossip columnist, to contribute a weekly blog on the new critters at zooatlanta.org. Zoo reps tell us that efforts are under way to restore peace in the mob. There was no immediate word if Jerry Springer had, as yet, been called in to assist. …
‘SWAMP ROMP’ BREAKS RECORD
Fernbank Museum of Natural History reps informed us Tuesday that the facility’s recent “Swamp Romp: Lost Oasis” netted a record-breaking $138,000 this month. The 13th annual fund-raiser, attended by nearly 600 revelers, will benefit BONES for Kids (Building on Experiences in Science), a fund established by the Artemis Guild to enrich children’s programming at Fernbank.
HIGH FIVE
Television
Top downloaded TV shows:
1. “Hour Four,” “The Starter Wife,” USA Network
2. “Dominion,” “Stargate SG-1,” SciFi
3. “Iraq/First Kiss,” “Lil Bush,” Comedy Central
4. “The Job,” “The Office,” NBC
5. “K+R, Part 2,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” NBC
Source: iTunes
STORK REPORT
It’s a boy!
It’s a girl!
“Waitress” actress Keri Russell is a mom. The 31-year-old actress welcomed her first child, a boy named River Russell Deary, on June 9 in New York, says her publicist, Jill Fritzo. Russell is married to Shane Deary.
Russell stars as a woman grappling with an unexpected pregnancy in the independent romantic comedy “Waitress.”
And it’s another girl for “The King of Queens” star Kevin James and his wife.
Shea Joelle James was born last week in Los Angeles, says the actor’s publicist, Jennifer Allen. James and his wife, Steffiana, also have an older child, Sienna, who was born in 2005.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Olympia Dukakis is 76. Actor Danny Aiello is 74. Actor John Mahoney (“Frasier”) is 67. Musician Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys is 65. Home repair show host Bob Vila is 61. Singer Lionel Richie is 58. Actor John Goodman is 55. Bassist Michael Anthony of Van Halen is 53. Bassist John Taylor of Duran Duran is 47. Actress Nicole Kidman is 40. Actor Josh Lucas (“Sweet Home Alabama”) is 36.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Paula cooks with two Emmys
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Savannah restaurateur-Food Network icon-ham hawker-magazine namesake-author Paula Deen can add another title to her ever-growing résumé: Emmy winner.
Yup, at last week’s 34th annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards presented at Hollywood & Highland Ballroom in Hollywood, Deen’s Food Network show “Paula’s Home Cooking” snagged Emmys for outstanding lifestyle host and for outstanding lifestyle program. Said Deen in a statement: “This has clearly been the most surreal week for me. I am grateful for this honor and for everyone on my team who worked so hard to make this possible. I feel truly blessed.”
Paula’s Home Cooking” executive producers Gordon Elliott, Jessica Shweky and Mark Schneider, along with producer Aimee Rosen, were also honored.
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A (ALMOST) DAME
Christiane Amanpour has spent years reporting from the world’s worst hotspots and coaxing meaningful talk from combative world leaders as the chief international correspondent for Atlanta-based CNN. So it’s hard to imagine anything throwing her for a loop. But that’s apparently what happened over the weekend when she found out Queen Elizabeth II had named her a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
“I am stunned and delighted to be recognized in this wonderful way for my work,” said Amanpour, born of British/Iranian parentage. “And, of course, for being a true Brit.”
According to the list released on the occasion of the queen’s official birthday, Amanpour was selected “for services to journalism.” Established in June 1917 by King George V, the CBE is one of five medals that make up the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In order of seniority, it’s one level below the “knight”/ “dame” designations. Amanpour is one of the few journalists ever to be awarded the CBE.
Still, Buzz was more impressed when the globe-trotting journalist finally appeared, playing herself as the long-talked-about heroine of fictional aspiring reporter Rory Gilmore, in the series finale of “Gilmore Girls” on CW this spring …
SKIRT!, SHOTS, CIGS AND NOSTALGIA
The first-year anniversary bash for Skirt! magazine had a decided vintage vibe to it the other night at Trois in Midtown. Pretend airline stewardesses from the glamorous (albeit smoke-filled) age of air travel greeted the soiree’s approximately 375 guests who were there to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Skirt! magazine in Atlanta. The 1960s-attired attendants attempted to ply guests with cigarette trays, filled with varieties of smokes, and kept busy snapping old-school Polaroids of the partyers. Concentrics Restaurants’ Todd Rushing offered glasses of champagne and spiked watermelon gazpacho shooters, compliments of chef Jeremy Lieb. The party was so popular, Rushing ended up keeping the bar open an extra hour. Guests included WSB anchor Jovita Moore, Q100’s Jessica and Jeff Dauler, Star 94’s Vikki Locke and jewelry designer Mark Edge, Dave FM’s Will Davis, CNN’s Betty Nguyen and Brianne Davis, Skirt! editor Stephanie Davis’ actress sister whose visit to Atlanta was suddenly cut short. While here, Brianne received a call back for the soon-to-be-cast role of Supergirl on the CW’s “Smallville.” We’re told that the character is slated to appear in up to half of next season’s episodes of the CW superhero drama.
(Skirt! operates under an Atlanta licensing agreement with Cox Newspapers, which owns the AJC.)
OVERSCENE
“As the World Turns” actress Robin Mattson dining with a friend at Watershed Restaurant in Decatur over the weekend. We’re told that the daytime vet, who’s also had stints on “General Hospital,” “All My Children” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” enjoyed chef Scott Peacock’s sweet corn soup and fresh Florida grouper.
STORK REPORT: IT’S A BOY!
Smyrna-reared Oscar winner Julia Roberts welcomed her third child, a boy named Henry Daniel Moder, on Monday.
Henry, born in Los Angeles, weighed 8 1/2 pounds, said Roberts’ publicist, Marcy Engelman.
“All of the Moders are doing great,” Engelman said in a statement.
Roberts, 39, and her husband, 38-year-old cinematographer Danny Moder, have 2-year-old twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus.
Roberts voiced the wise spider in the 2006 film adaptation of “Charlotte’s Web.” She’ll next be seen in the drama “Charlie Wilson’s War,” directed by Mike Nichols, which is scheduled for release later this year.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Gena Rowlands is 77. Actress Phylicia Rashad is 59. Singer Ann Wilson of Heart is 57. Actress Kathleen Turner is 53. Country singer Doug Stone is 51. Singer-dancer-choreographer-“American Idol” judge Paula Abdul is 45. Actress Robin Tunney is 35. Actor Paul Dano (“Little Miss Sunshine”) is 23.
Contributing: Jill Vejnoska and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Bye-bye to Buckhead’s boozy nights
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
More than 11,000 people bade the Buckhead party scene a final farewell Saturday, according to Steak Shapiro, a morning host for organizer radio station 790/The Zone, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Sure, most of the clubs and bars are already closed to make way for future high-end development. But when Buzz visited the crossroads of Bolling Way and Buckhead Avenue on Saturday night, the streets were packed with 30-somethings waxing nostalgic about their club-hopping days. Or at least trying to.
“They’re all kind of fuzzy memories,” said Christi Peterson, 33, of Peachtree City. But she did appreciate how “you could float around and not be confined to one club.” She also recalled consuming mucho alcohol out of Lulu’s Bait Shack’s infamous but now long-gone fishbowls.
Mark Callachan, a 39-year-old teacher who lives in Tucker, said that when he first moved to Atlanta from Boston in the mid-1990s, he hit the Buckhead clubs and his actions would have made Colin Farrell blush.
“As a bachelor, I lived the high life here,” said Callachan, who resided in Buckhead until, now hitched, he moved to the burbs two months ago.
As he gabbed, his wife, Shannon, walked up and overheard his claims of studly glory. She rolled her eyes and chuckled. “You know, I don’t want to hear this!”
Bye-Bye Buckhead photos | 10 years of 790/The Zone
OPERA’S NEW NOTES
Nightclubs are also disappearing in Midtown. But the former Eleven50 club has just reopened as Opera, an homage to its roots as an opera house.
The owners spent a whopping $2.5 million to renovate the space to better evoke its past. The new club features a more open dance floor, elegant chandeliers, more bars and expanded VIP areas on the second floor. Theater capacity is 1,700, up from 900. Cool features include VIP opera booths, a DJ booth above the stage and the entrance, which allows visitors a bird’s-eye view of the entire club the minute the door opens.
“It’s a lot more open now,” said Jason Leung, 28, a former Eleven50 regular. “The VIP area used to be really cramped. There was no point going up there. But now it looks great!”
Already, companies ranging from MTV to IBM have set dates for private events there.
Robb Cohen/robbsphotos.com More JoJo photos
“We are an events facility first, a nightclub second,” co-owner Terry Barbu noted Saturday after an early-evening Q100 concert featuring teen popster JoJo (“Too Little Too Late”) and rap-rock band Gym Class Heroes (“Cupid’s Chokehold”).
OUT OF ‘KITCHEN’
When Julia Williams, an ex-Waffle House cook from College Park vying to win Fox’s deliciously fun “Hell’s Kitchen,” told Buzz a couple of weeks ago that she didn’t even know fellow contestant Eddie Langley was also from metro Atlanta, we figured one of them wasn’t going to be around long.
Surprisingly, Langley was the one ousted last week, despite far stronger cooking credentials, including stints at the Ritz-Carlton and Grand Hyatt. His sins? Messing up spaghetti and risotto and not speaking up enough.
While Langley sounded suitably sorry on the air, he told Buzz that he was “pretty sure” his cooking was sabotaged by fellow contestants: “They were moving around me really fast and supposedly trying to help me out.”
Langley also had mixed feelings when he found out that chef Gordon Ramsay had mocked Langley’s small stature behind his back, even naming a fish after him. “He has some insecurity issues,” Langley said, stating the obvious.
POST-BUBBLE CD
Atlanta pop-punk band Cartel escaped from 20 days in the Dr Pepper “Band in a Bubble” structure on a New York pier with a new CD and without killing one another.
“If anything, we left even better friends,” lead singer Will Pugh told Buzz on Saturday, four days after leaving the bubble. If sponsor MTV, which aired four episodes on the experience, wanted more drama among band members, “they should have gotten Metallica,” Pugh joked.
Highlights, he said, included producing a song with Wyclef Jean and the main window shattering during a storm, allowing the band to briefly breathe fresh air.
Pugh hopes fans turned off by the gimmick will give the CD a chance when it comes out July 24. “We want to sell a jillion records!” he said.
WALK THIS WAY?
In a noble but possibly futile effort — along the lines of telling Americans to lose weight or watch less TV — radio and TV consumer guru Clark Howard is asking Atlantans to ditch their cars for one day this week in a clean air campaign called “Give Your Car a Day Off.” The plea: walk, bicycle, take public transportation or work from home. To set an example, Howard recently commuted six miles (each way) by foot to and from work at WSB radio. “The walking thing is kind of idiotic,” Howard admitted to Buzz. “But I love doing it.” The walk takes more than three hours back and forth, so he
gabs on his cellphone the whole time.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Musician Paul McCartney is 65. Movie critic Roger Ebert is 65. Actress Isabella Rossellini is 55. Country singer Blake Shelton is 31.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Jessica Alba’s Spanx plug is priceless
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As it turns out, even a smokin’ in-shape superhero needs a little support.
During an interview Friday on “The View,” “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” actress Jessica Alba discussed that clinging Lycra “FF” dark blue outfit she wore while portraying Sue Storm, the Invisible Woman, in the sequel out this weekend. “It’s really unforgiving, especially if it’s that time of month,” Alba conceded to “The View” crew. “I wore Spanx [underneath].”
Of Atlanta businesswoman Sara Blakely’s climb to the top trying to convince businessman of the virtues Spanx (control-top footless pantyhose), Alba gushed: “The tenacity that woman has. I really can appreciate that.”
At press time Friday, Buzz was still trying to calculate what ABC could have charged for the plug on the network’s daytime hen party had it come during an actual commercial break.
Present, absent
Two Jermaine Dupri-related events happened this week, but Atlanta’s music mogul only showed for one: the second anniversary celebration of his Buckhead restaurant, Cafe Dupri. Curiously, Dupri chose to hold it at Halo, the Midtown nightclub. And there wasn’t a turkey burger, Tomatoes Dupri (fried green tomatoes with blackened crawfish) or any other food in sight as he welcomed his parents, Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “L.A.” Reid, rapper Da Brat, producer-songwriters Dallas Austin, Johnta Austin and LRoc, 95.5 The Beat’s CJ, V-103’s Tangi, Shamari DeVoe of the R&B group Blaque and BET’s “Black Carpet” crew. (Omnipresent photographer Jimi Flix captured it all.)
Dupri didn’t exactly say why he was a no-show at the media preview of Studio 72 nightclub Tuesday in Tucker. And when asked if he would be at the grand opening Saturday night, he just smiled.
Boortz enshrined
WSB-AM yakker Neal Boortz is now in the Georgia Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame. The GAB convention held this month at Callaway Gardens presented Boortz with two GABBY Awards (as they’re nicknamed) for best air personality and best radio program. Boortz is the 53rd person elected into the hall of fame housed at the University of Georgia.
Book learning
“I thought I was a really good father until I read the book,” R&B legend Eddie Levert of the O’Jays told an audience at the Shrine of the Black Madonna this week.
He was referring to “I Got Your Back: A Father and Son Keep It Real About Love, Fatherhood, Family and Friendship,” which he co-wrote with his late son Gerald, also an R&B singer, and Lyah Beth LeFlore.
Levert went on to explain that he didn’t know that things like missing his son Sean’s wedding or not knowing how to tell his children that he was getting remarried to a younger woman had affected them so. But he concluded, “It is never too late, as long as you’ve got a breath, to redo these things.”
Quote of the day
“There are some things that we’ve been able to discuss that we weren’t able to discuss with Rosie, like heterosexual sex.”
“The View” creator Barbara Walters on Dunwoody High grad Ryan Seacrest’s KISS-FM radio show this week in Los Angeles, speaking about the post-Rosie O’Donnell era of “The View.” The program’s ratings were bolstered by O’Donnell’s feud-fueled tenure.
High five
Television: This week’s top OnDemand programs selected by metro Atlanta Comcast subscribers
1. “The Sopranos,” “The Blue Comet” (Episode 85)
2. Lil Mama, “Lipgloss” music video
3. “SpongeBob Square-pants, “Camping” episode
4. Beyonce, “Get Me Bodied” music video
5. “South Park,” “The Losing Edge” (Episode 905)
Source: Comcast OnDemand
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Songwriter Lamont Dozier is 66. R&B singer Eddie Levert is 65. Actress Joan Van Ark is 64. Actor Eddie Cibrian (“Invasion”) is 34. “American Idol” runner-up Diana DeGarmo is 20.
Sunday: Actor Peter Lupus (TV’s “Mission: Impossible”) is 75. Singer Barry Manilow is 61. Director Bobby Farrelly (“There’s Something About Mary”) is 49. Actor Thomas Haden Church (“Spider-Man 3”) is 46. Actor Greg Kinnear is 44.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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‘Turned Funny’ … again
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As the entire original “Turned Funny” cast and crew re-assembles at Theatre in the Square in Marietta this week for final rehearsals, actors Linda Stephens, Ric Reitz, Jill Jane Clements and director Fred Chappell are getting some special assistance. As readers will recall, the world premiere play based on our late AJC colleague Celestine Sibley’s memoir sold out its entire run when it was originally staged last year. For fans who couldn’t get in to see the first production, the show is back for an encore, starting Sunday through July 29. To aid in the summoning of Celestine, Sibley’s daughter Susan Bazemore has loaned the cast a pair of her mama’s trademark horn-rimmed glasses.
“In all my years of doing theater, I’ve never had the opportunity to restage a show with the exact same cast,” Chappell marveled to us Thursday. “Like Celestine’s writing, it’s a tremendous gift. And the audiences for this show have really become an additional character for us. They know Celestine on such an intimate level, it never fails to amaze us. Everyone has a story to share.”
Chappell, a former artistic director at the Alliance Theatre in the 1970s and 1980s, had a few stories of his own as well. Chappell, who heads the master of fine arts directing program at Florida State University, was delighted when the Alliance scored its Tony on Sunday. An added bonus? Actress Jane Alexander served as the award’s presenter. “I directed Jane in the title role of [‘Antony and Cleopatra’] at the Alliance and when she mentioned that as she presented the Tony to the Alliance, I couldn’t believe it!” Chappell said. “I’m absolutely thrilled for them.” For “Turned Funny” tickets, go to www.theatreinthesquare.com or call 770-422-8369.
CLARKSON CANCELS TOUR, GWINNETT STOP
The nation’s first “American Idol,” Kelly Clarkson, has suffered a setback as she gears up for the release of her adventurous new album, “My December,” on June 26. Her arena tour, including an Aug. 28 gig at Gwinnett Arena, has been scrapped. “Ticket sales have not been what we anticipated,” LiveNation CEO Michael Rapino said via a statement sent to Buzz on Thursday. On her Web site, Clarkson added: “The fact is, touring is just too much too soon … but I promise you that we’re going to get back out there as soon as humanly possible.” Refunds are available at point of purchase.
PAISLEY DAYS: IN THE AIR, ON THE AIR PAISLEY
To promote a CD and fuel sales, musicians will often crisscross the nation, hitting as many radio stations as possible in a week or two. Country star Brad Paisley is cutting out the actual radio station visit by doing his promotional concerts at airplane hangars around the country. On Wednesday he was at the airport in Peachtree City for Kicks 101.5.
“It’s quicker and easier than getting a limo service to go to the radio station,” he told about 100 lucky Kicks listeners who won tickets. “And I’ll never forget this!” From his private jet, he was taxied to the hangar in the back of a vintage World War II SBD-5 Douglas Dauntless Dive Bomber. “This isn’t Kenny Chesney’s plane, but it’ll do,” he cracked.
Over the next hour, Paisley played several of his greatest hits intermingled with new cuts from his latest CD, “5th Gear,” out next Tuesday. While some of his tunes are sweet and sentimental, he’s probably best known for his wittier songs, including “Celebrity,” a mockery of pop culture stars, with a video starring the likes of Jason Alexander and William Shatner, and his latest top 5 hit called “Ticks.” (Believe it or not, it’s a love song.)
Paisley, who’s married to actress Kimberly Williams, just shot another video with Alexander and Shatner for his next single, “Online.” “With computers,” he said, “it’s a fantasy world. The slogan of this song is ‘Be all that you can be.’ ” In other words, he noted, “you can get on a chat room and be anybody you want to be.”
Kicks 101.5 co-host Bill Celler then requested “He Didn’t Have to Be,” a ballad Paisley hadn’t sung for awhile. Midway through the song, he stopped, looked up and asked the crowd, “What’s the second verse?” As fans laughed, a couple of diehards helped him fill in the blanks.
Paisley, whose upward career trajectory has rewarded him headliner status the past couple of years, will be at HiFi Buys Amphitheatre Sept. 20.
OVERSCENE
Tool lead singer Maynard James Keenan dining at One Midtown Kitchen. We’re told that the rocker even arrived with his own brand of wine from his Arizona-based business, Merkin Vineyards and Caduceus Cellars, for staffers to taste. There was no immediate word whether One Midtown staffers added a corkage charge to Keenan’s bill. …
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Jim Belushi is 53. Actress Helen Hunt is 44. Actress Courteney Cox Arquette (“Friends”) is 43. Rapper-actor Ice Cube is 38. Actress Leah Remini (“King of Queens”) is 37. Actor Neil Patrick Harris (“Doogie Howser, M.D.”) is 34. Guitarist Billy Martin of Good Charlotte is 26.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Cat Power power wins award
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“The Greatest,” the 2006 album by Atlanta’s Cat Power, has been awarded the latest Shortlist Music Prize. The Shortlist Organization was founded in 2001 to honor artistic achievement, or, as the group’s mission statement puts it, “the most creative and adventurous albums of the year.”
Cat Power, aka Chan Marshall, was a finalist in 2003 for her album “You Are Free.” She was chosen for the peer-selected award by listmakers including Sufjan Stevens, Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips, KT Tunstall, Rolling Stone contributing editor and author Touré as well as members of Snow Patrol, the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. Marshall is the first woman to win the prize, which has previously gone to Stevens, Sigur Ros, Damien Rice, NERD and TV on the Radio.
Tunstall, in a press release issued by Shortlist, says “Cat Power’s album quickly got under my skin. She has one of the most beguiling voices around. ‘The Greatest’ is an immediate classic that will never age.” AP story
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Actually, the good sport is my husband who didn’t mind me speaking publicly about my love for Liev Schreiber!”
Alliance Theatre artistic director Susan Booth to us Wednesday when we thanked her for her lively Buzz fodder prior to meeting fellow Tony winner Schreiber in New York Sunday
AJC APPRENTICESHIP TO ‘THE APPRENTICE’
With drag queens like the Lady Chablis, Ruby Redd and Kitty LeClaw in the joint, we happily took a seat next to former “Apprentice” star Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth at Blake’s on the Park for an interview late Tuesday night. The testy TV reality star was on hand, along with former “Apprentice” contestant Carey Sherrell and “America’s Next Top Model” competitor Anna Bradfield to judge something called the third annual Miss Blake’s Pageant. Of her post-“Apprentice” career, Manigault-Stallworth told us: “There are three facets of Omarosa. The entertainment side, the lecturing circuit and a lot of corporate training.” On what she tells women seeking her counsel, Manigault-Stallworth explained: “Women have been trained very differently than men in the workplace. If you don’t play the baby doll, you encounter issues. You have to be ready for the corporate jungle and be aggressive about what you want. I call it ‘the [female canine] niche.’ ” Interestingly, Manigault-Stallworth informed us that she served a summer apprenticeship in our very own AJC photo department during the 1996 Olympics. She reflected: “My fondest moment was working in the middle of the night when some big-time editor popped in, pointed at me and said ‘Hey you, go get me some coffee!’ I just pretended not to hear him.” Oh, Omarosa, we know the feeling well. For more info: www.omarosa.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Gene Barry is 88. Actress Marla Gibbs is 76. Businessman-TV personality Donald Trump is 61. Singer Boy George is 46. Actor Daryl Sabara (“Spy Kids”) is 15.
Contributing: Meridith Ford, David Graves, Shane Harrison and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Delayed Rain postpones Philips concert
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The forecast for pan-Asian pop heartthrob Rain’s concert scheduled Tuesday at Philips Arena? High and dry.
The show’s promoter, Revolution Entertainment, informed us Wednesday that “The Korean Usher’s” date has been postponed until this fall “due to a lawsuit over the name ‘Rain.’” The performer, who acts under the name Jung Ji Hoon, uses the stage name Rain when he performs as a singer.
Buzz could not immediately confirm WSB chief meteorologist Glenn Burns’ involvement in the suit …
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Alliance’s Tony makes ATL debut
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alliance Theatre fans who only got to see the Midtown arts institution’s prized Tony Award during an all too brief appearance on the Sunday night telecast on CBS will get a better gander Wednesday. At 10 a.m., the Tony Award will make its local debut with an official arrival ceremony at the Woodruff Arts Center.
Alliance reps tell us that “local residents are encouraged to join the celebration.” The award’s arrival in the Main Galleria, with a reception to follow in the Memorial Arts Building, is free and open to the public.
Our big question? Will Alliance artistic director Susan Booth grace us all with an in-person glimpse of her fab Tony frock furnished by Celebrity on Paces in Buckhead?
AUTHOR OATES ON THE WAY TO ATL
Anticipating an onslaught of author Joyce Carol Oates’ loyal readers, organizers at the Margaret Mitchell House have wisely scheduled her lecture and book-signing Monday night at the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead. Oates is on tour promoting her intriguing new novel, “The Gravedigger’s Daughter,” which details an immigrant family desperate to escape the Nazis in 1936 Germany. We’re told that some seats remain for the event, but fans must reserve a spot.
- THE 411: Map and details
HIGH FIVE
Top downloaded albums
1. “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse
2. “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long,” Maroon 5
3. “Good Girl Gone Bad,” Rihanna (above)
4. “Spring Awakening,” Original Broadway cast recording
5. “Daughtry,” Daughtry
— Source: iTunes
COUPLING: PRETTY WEDDING IN PUERTO RICO
Actress Ana Ortiz (right), who plays the older sister of the title character in ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” married musician Noah Lebenzon in a weekend ceremony.
Ortiz, 36, wore a white lace gown at Saturday’s ceremony, which took place in an ocean-view dining room of the Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on the island’s west coast, said manager Wilhelm Sack.
Among the 80 guests were Ortiz’s colleagues in the “Ugly Betty” cast, including star America Ferrera.
“I would call it a mixture between Hollywood and Puerto Rico,” Sack said. “It was very glamorous.”
Ortiz was honored for her role in the series with the best supporting actress award at the 2007 ALMA Awards, dedicated to achievements by Hispanic artists. Lebenzon, 37, is a guitarist for the rock group Everything Is Energy.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Magician Siegfried of Siegfried and Roy is 68. Actor Malcolm McDowell is 64. Actor Richard Thomas is 56. Comedian Tim Allen (“Home Improvement”) is 54. Actress Ally Sheedy is 45. Singer David Gray is 39. Actor-singer Jamie Walters is 38. Singer Rivers Cuomo of Weezer is 37. Actor Steve-O (“Jackass”) is 33. Singer Raz B (B2K) is 22. Actresses Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen are 21.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Overscene: NYC post-Tonys edition
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At a post Tonys celebration Sunday night/Monday morning, a couple of notable Tony winners were finally introduced. Yes, Alliance Theatre artistic director Susan Booth finally got to meet her celebrity crush, “Glengarry Glen Ross” Tony winner Liev Schreiber.
Buzz readers will recall that prior to collecting the Alliance’s Tony Award Sunday night, she playfully told us: “I will knock down anyone who stands between me and Liev Schreiber! He is just the most beautiful man in the world.” Thankfully, for Booth’s co-minglers, no one was standing between her and Schreiber at the time of the meeting (somehow, the actor had been told — warned? — that Booth might be interested in meeting him). We’re told that Schreiber happily posed with Booth for a photo keepsake.
Booth and other Atlantans, including Alliance managing director Thomas Pechar, associate artistic director Kent Gash, associate producer Jody Feldman and husband Michael danced into the wee hours at Rockefeller Center. Michael Feldman later found Tonys presenter and “Scrubs” star Zach Braff and mentioned that his wife is a big fan. We’re told that Braff then proceeded to walk around the soiree “calling out Jody’s name until he found her.” The pair also had a photo taken together.
WHILE IT’S STILL OPEN
Michele Rhea Caplinger, the senior executive director of the Recording Academy’s Atlanta chapter, celebrated her 50th birthday Sunday night at Tongue & Groove, the nightpot whose owners announced this week they will be closing the week of July 4. In addition to Caplinger’s husband Blair, daughter Sarah and mother Jessie Rae were guests that included: 99X’s Leslie Fram; guitarist Johnny Colt; hair salon owner/vintage video game head-butt artist Richie Arpino; Michaeline Roland; the wife of Collective Soul rocker Ed Roland; publicist Liz Lapidus; PennHouse Productions’ Suzanne Shaw; and vocal coach Jan Smith. We’re told that the Metalsome Monday karaoke band, on loan from 10 High in Virginia-Highland, provided the entertainment. Of the more memorable duets with the birthday Grammy girl: a cover of the Kink’s “You Really Got Me,” performed by 12-year-old Morgan Krohngold (who, apparently, has an in with the owners).
PARIS REPORT
Objectivity be dashed. While Barbara Walters was busy chatting up her bestest gal pal Kathy Hilton on Sunday, Paris was calling her mother collect from jail. Moments later, Paris called Walters collect to chat about life in the big house after a judge ordered her back there Friday. According to Walters, Hilton told her: “I was not eating or sleeping. I was severely depressed and felt as if I was in a cage. It was a horrible experience. I used to act dumb. That act is no longer cute.” Perhaps not, but it’s sure to boost ratings of a daytime talk show after its brash, headlines-grabbing lesbian co-host has left the building.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Vic Damone is 79. Jazz musician Chick Corea is 66. Sports announcer Marv Albert is 66. Actor Timothy Busfield (right) is 50. Singer Meredith Brooks is 49. Rock musician John Linnell (They Might Be Giants) is 48. Rapper Grandmaster Dee of Whodini is 45. Blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 30. Singer Robyn is 28.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
Tongue and Groove nightclub to close
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After giving their staff a 30-day notice, Tongue and Groove owners Michael Krohngold and Scott Strumalus reached out to Buzz Central Monday to give us the official word: the week of July 4 will be the 13-year-old Buckhead nightclub’s final week of business.
Developer Ben Carter, who’s been busy buying up real estate in Buckhead Village, has finally come to a financial agreement with Krohngold and Strumalus. The new vision for the village is a pedestrian-friendly Rodeo Drive-esque series of high-end retail, coffee shops and boutique hotels.
“Ben bought us out of the eight years remaining on our lease,” Krohngold explained Monday. “And we reluctantly agreed. We didn’t want to hamper the progress of the development.”
When Tongue and Groove opened in 1994, Buckhead Village was a bustling nightclub mecca for the city’s singles. But a post-Super Bowl double homicide near the Cobalt lounge in January 2000 signaled last call for the area as a night crawler destination. Noise, crime, Peachtree Road cruisers, early-morning drunk revelers and concerned neighbors with an eye on their property values have clashed for years.
Krohngold and Strumalus are hoping to relocate Tongue and Groove in the Buckhead vicinity and are eyeing Midtown for a second nightspot concept.
Buckhead Coalition president Sam Massell had nothing but praise for the club owners Monday.
“They were among the better operators,” Massell told Buzz. “And certainly, restaurants and night life will be among the mix of the new village. Tongue and Groove might well be one of the businesses that return to the area. The community welcomes a mixture of nightspots to co-exist with the retailers.”
Massell says plans to raze the now-shuttered village nightclubs is set to commence this September.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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TV ‘roaster’ flings a few local zingers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Greg Giraldo — a New York observational stand-up comic best known for being a resident “roaster” on Comedy Central’s annual roasts of big celebs such as William Shatner and Alpharetta’s Jeff Foxworthy — admits to being a bit burnt out from being on the road so much.
“Lately, it’s been particularly dark,” Giraldo told Buzz after his late show Saturday night at the Funny Farm in Roswell.
Rodney Ho / AJC
Giraldo, even in his fatigued state, has a knack for being mean in a funny way, as opposed to just being mean. And he threw in a few local jokes, including Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee” (“It’s definitely hotter here than a hoochie-coochie.”), Whitney Houston’s drug problems (“Who cares about athletes and steroids? Just entertain us! Nobody is taking away Whitney Houston’s gold records because of crack cocaine!”) and even an oldie-but-goody about how hostage Ashley Smith calmed courthouse shooting suspect Brian Nichols with pancakes. (“There’s a lesson there, ladies. Learn your way around the kitchen!”)
When he noted that Rolling Stone recently called George W. Bush “the worst president ever,” the crowd reaction was modest.
“Most crowds cheer that line,” Giraldo said. “Look, I don’t think he’s the worst president ever. Maybe the worst American president. … The president of the Selena fan club? Now she was the worst president! She shot Selena! That’s not president-type behavior. That’s more like vice president-type behavior.”
Check Giraldo out in August at the next Comedy Central roast, featuring Flavor Flav. “That one,” he cracked, “will get good and racist early!”
DROPPED DIGITS
The Top 10 song by one-hit-wonder band Tommy Tutone, “867-5309/Jenny,” may be a musty quarter-century old this spring, but the infamous phone number is still considered numero non grata locally. The 678 version is disconnected, 404 bounces into a generic voice mail, and 770 rings endlessly.
Five years ago, for the song’s 20th anniversary, Buzz got ahold of Tucker resident Angela Morton, a mortgage banker who took the 404 version partly as an homage to a cousin named Jenny who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City.
At the time, Morton enjoyed the spotlight of having the number, generating business from random callers who would check it out. She’d even pretend to be Jenny. But Morton said that, as cellphone minutes became cheaper and cellphones ubiquitous, crank calls escalated in 2003 and 2004. People even began text-messaging her incessantly. Her monthly phone bills grew from $130 to an unwieldy $400 a month.
“After 8:30 p.m., my phone would go nuclear,” Morton said recently. “I’d get calls from all over the country because the song would be playing in some bar.”
In 2004, she reluctantly gave up 404-867-5309. A few months ago, she tried the number again and a poor schlub answered. “He said he got assigned the number, didn’t ask for it,” she said. “He’d had it for eight months and was about to get rid of it. ‘It’s driving me crazy!’ he said.”
ON MY iPOD
Sara Blakely
Atlanta owner of Spanx, judge on ABC’s “American Inventor”
Blakely hates to fly, and she plays a good-luck song every time she’s on a plane: “What It Is” by Mark Knopfler. “I have to fly at least three times a week,” she said. “If I don’t play that song, I freak out.”
PARIS UPDATE
Yes, we’re sick of Paris Hilton, too, so we’ll keep this ultra-brief: She said she won’t appeal her jail sentence. “While I greatly appreciate the sheriff’s concern for my health and welfare, I intend to serve my time at L.A. County Jail,” she (or her publicist) wrote in a release. Over the weekend, Hilton was at a maximum-security detention center, where she was believed to be undergoing medical and psychiatric evaluations to determine the best jail to keep her in as she serves the rest of her sentence.
RANDOM BITS
Wes Sarginson supposedly has “retired” from WXIA-TV, but you may have seen him covering for his replacement, Ted Hall, whose father died of a heart attack in Minnesota last week. Hall wrote in an e-mail to Buzz that he will be out again later this week for the service… . Jennifer Bowman and Tracy Haskins, Realtors for Decatur’s Success Realty, made their TV debut Sunday night on HGTV’s “My First Place,” a show featuring new home buyers… . Busta Rhymes popped in for Verge Lounge’s first-anniversary party Friday night, said publicist Tiffany Patterson… . At last week’s bris, former 99X radio host Jimmy Baron and wife Lisa officially named their son Micah Alexander Baron. And Baron has already bestowed on Micah a Gmail account. Spammers, get ready, get set … .
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Gene Wilder is 74. Actor Hugh Laurie (above) is 48. Atlanta rock musician Tai Anderson (Third Day) is 31. Actor Joshua Jackson (“Dawson’s Creek”) is 29. Actor Shia LaBeouf (“Holes,” “Transformers”) is 21.
Contributing: news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Complication for Hilton’s simple life
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Even Buzz Central’s jaw unhinged Friday when both CNN and Fox News cut away from breaking news out of the Pentagon (where Defense Secretary Robert Gates was busy unloading Gen. Peter Pace as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman) so the cable news channels could follow Paris Hilton’s court appearance.
Yes, life once again became a touch complicated for “The Simple Life” reality star as news choppers tracked her travels O.J. Simpson-style to a command performance in a Los Angeles courtroom.
Screaming and crying, Hilton was escorted out of a courtroom and back to jail after a judge ruled that she must serve her 45-day sentence behind bars rather than in her Hollywood Hills home.
“It’s not right!” shouted the weeping Hilton, who violated her parole in a reckless driving case. “Mom!” she called out to her mother in the audience.
Hilton, who was brought to court in handcuffs in a sheriff’s car, came into the courtroom weeping, hair askew and sans makeup.
Former Atlantan Darren Scott, who lives three blocks from Hilton’s home, was, for a time Friday, smack in the middle of the media melee.
“I couldn’t figure out what all the racket was,” Scott told Buzz. “There were news helicopters hovering over my place for about 2 1/2 hours. I thought somebody was on the loose. Then I eventually realized it was just Paris. I would have preferred her home remain anonymous, actually.”
Hilton cried throughout the hearing, her body shook, and she dabbed at her eyes.
Superior Court Judge Michael T. Sauer was calm but apparently irked by the morning’s developments.
“I at no time condoned the actions of the sheriff and at no time told him I approved the actions,” he said of the decision to release Hilton after three days.
Assistant City Attorney Dan F. Jeffries argued that Hilton should be returned to jail. “Her release after only three days erodes confidence in the judicial system,” Jeffries said.
All together now: That’s hot.
Diversity festival
The theme for this year’s Multicultural Festival on Sunday at the Grant Park Pavilion will be “Atlanta: Celebrating Our Beloved Community.”
As always, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) will be on hand at the annual event. Lewis and other dignitaries gather each year “to recognize and celebrate the strength of ethnic diversity within Atlanta and neighboring communities.”
The event is free and open to the public. WXIA news anchor Clarence Reynolds will be masters of ceremonies.
Said Lewis in a statement sent to Buzz: “You and I must help build an all-inclusive world community based on simple justice; an all-encompassing community that values the dignity of every individual.”
The festival will include the presentation of the Congressional Award Bronze Medal to Katharine Schwartz, a volunteer at the Northside Shepherd’s Center and Meals on Wheels.
The festival will feature food and entertainment from Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Ethiopia, India, China, Mexico, Africa, the Caribbean and the United States.
More crooning
As he continues in his quest to aim a wrecking ball at all the tunes from the Great American Songbook that Rod Stewart has yet to mangle, singer Michael Buble can chalk up another night here in town. The Frank Sinatra CD-challenged have already made the singer’s scheduled Aug. 13 show at the Fox Theatre a sell-out in record time. So a show has been added for Aug. 14. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday via Ticketmaster and the Fox box office.
Here’s hoping he does his positively riveting interpretation of the “Spider-Man” cartoon theme. We only wish we were kidding. …
Overscene
Atlanta singer-producer Akon, Universal Records exec Sylvia Rhone, producers Dallas Austin, Jazze Pha and Tab and radio powers Reggie Rouse and Cagle all at Silk on Wednesday hanging with entertainment mogul Devyne Stephens. Afterward, the caravan of Rolls-Royce Phantoms, Ferraris and Mercedeses headed to Vino Libro, where local songwriter-producer Tricky Stewart was toasting his No. 1 single in the country, “Umbrella” by Rihanna. … WSB anchor Monica Kauf-, er, Pearson and her husband, John E. Pearson Sr., dining at Six Feet Under in Grant Park. … Ludacris and his daughter eating nachos while watching a special screening of “Surf’s Up” at AMC Mansell Crossing along with kids invited by the Ludacris Foundation.
Quote of the day
“Yeah, it’s come to that!”
Former Beatle Paul McCartney, 64, on phoning actress Natalie Portman, 25, and identifying himself as fashion designer Stella McCartney’s father. He called to ask if Portman would appear in the video to his new single, “Dance Tonight,” and made the comment on “Good Morning America.”
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Actor Michael J. Fox is 46. Actor Johnny Depp is 44. Actress Gloria Reuben is 43. Actress Natalie Portman is 26.
Sunday: Model-actress Elizabeth Hurley is 42. Singer Faith Evans is 34. Actor DJ Qualls (“Hustle & Flow”) is 29. Actor Shane West (“ER” ) is 29.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Midtown pub knows how to keep its cool
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The city’s barbacks should be lining up to score a position at Tap: A Gastropub, Midtown’s latest concept by restaurateurs Bob Amick and Todd Rushing located on the busy corner of Peachtree and 14th streets. The British-styled red leather and dark walnut accented eatery’s centerpiece is a glass-encased 16-ton keg cooler dangling over the main bar.
During a guided tour inside the state-of-the-art cooling system Wednesday night, Amick showed us how a dumbwaiter ingeniously feeds the 72-keg monstrosity while the temperature-specific cooler modifies the chilly air, warmer at one end for wine and cooler at the other to accommodate Chimay beer, a pricey brew crafted by Cistercian Trappist monks in Belgium.
Aside from the employee-friendly, expensive refrigeration, Amick and Rushing, the businessmen behind One Midtown Kitchen, Two Urban Licks, Lobby, Piebar and Trois wanted to provide the busy intersection with a casual neighborhood joint with a variety of suds and elevated pub grub.
Among the menu items available for sampling Wednesday night by Tap chef Todd Ginsberg: Buffalo fried calamari with Irish cashel blue cheese and celery, Alaskan halibut with creamed peas and spatzle and stuffed mushrooms with braised beef. Outside, large candles flickered as a preview crowd lingered over lagers while overlooking the scene on Peachtree. Upstairs, a private room for 12 with a flat-screen and a magnificent view of the city sat ready for bookings.
In researching the current gastropub craze abroad, Amick and Rushing visited similar public houses in London and Dublin. Even the restroom facilities reflect U.K. terminology. In a tongue-in-cheek play on the eatery’s logo and name, patrons encounter bathroom signs reading “Toilet: A Mens Room” and “Toilet: A Ladies Room.”
One word of caution: Please be sure and read the fine print on the signs.
Tap officially opens for dinner today, brunch this weekend and beginning on Monday, lunch and dinner. For info: www.tapat1180.com.
MORE CONCERT CHAOS FOR R&B STAR AKON
Police in Fishkill, N.Y., are looking into a clash between Atlanta singer Akon and a concertgoer that ended with the R&B star tossing the teen off the stage and onto another spectator who said she suffered a concussion.
Audience members said the trouble started when a spectator lobbed something at Akon during a concert Sunday at Dutchess Stadium, and the 34-year-old singer asked the crowd to point out the culprit. A security guard picked out a 15-year-old and sent him up to the stage, where Akon hoisted him onto his shoulders and flung him back into the audience, The Poughkeepsie Journal reported Thursday.
The boy landed on Abby Rosa, who told the newspaper she quickly felt a headache and blurry vision and was later diagnosed with a concussion. She said she has hired a lawyer and spoke to Fishkill police about the incident, and that she wants an apology from Akon.
Fishkill police Detective Lt. John Berlingieri said no criminal charges had been filed against Akon.
Inexplicably, Sunday’s scuffle marked the second recent concert controversy for the platinum-selling Akon. Earlier this year, the singer did a sexually explicit onstage dance with a girl from the audience who was later revealed to be 14.
FILM CREW SHOOTS BOTANICAL GARDEN
On Thursday, Atlanta interior designer, architect and former “Trading Spaces” fixture Vern Yip and a film crew turned up at the Atlanta Botanical Garden to shoot footage for his upcoming new show, “Deserving Design.” We’re told the crew assembled a 30-foot jib and mounted a camera to capture sweeping panoramas of the Midtown tourist attraction. Garden rep Geri Laufer says she was pleased with the quality of the unedited high-def footage: “You could see each petal and each leaf. It felt like I was viewing the rose garden through 3-D glasses.” Producers shot footage of the Parterre garden, rose garden and Japanese garden, along with intros for the new show on the Great Lawn. According to producer Jason Piccolo, the show will premiere in September.
HILTON IS HOME, BUT WILL IT LAST?
After a measly three days in the cooler, the most important human who has ever breathed air, Paris Hilton, traded a 12-by-8-foot cell for her 2,700-square-foot Hollywood Hills home when she was released at 2 a.m. Thursday because of an unspecified medical condition. A judge had ordered home confinement for the remaining 40 days of her sentence for violating probation in a reckless driving case. Even though Hilton is wearing a new bit of bling — an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet — the city attorney didn’t like the leniency one bit. He filed a petition questioning if Sheriff Lee Baca should be held in contempt of court for releasing his pouty prisoner, and she’s due back in court for a hearing bright and early this morning, said Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Comedian Jerry Stiller is 80. Comedian-talk show host Joan Rivers is 74. Singer Nancy Sinatra is 67. “Dilbert” cartoonist Scott Adams is 50. Actress Julianna Margulies is 40. Rapper Kanye West is 29. Fiddler Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek is 26.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“That’s unbelievable. Who comes here and kills the state bird? Only me.”
— “Brothers & Sisters” actor Rob Lowe to the Des Moines Register after his golf ball inadvertently struck and killed a goldfinch in midflight Wednesday during a celebrity golf game in Iowa.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Alliance will accept Tony Award in style
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Alone among those vying for Tony Awards this year, Alliance Theatre artistic director Susan Booth will go to Sunday’s event knowing she’s won. Since it’s already been announced that the Alliance is the 2007 regional theatre Tony winner, Booth has been able to concentrate on the important things this week: her acceptance speech and selecting a fabulous frock to wear.
Celebrity on Paces boutique owners Pam Somers and Janet Wilfong in Buckhead alleviated the gown guesswork by presenting Booth with a gift from their Celebrity lapel: a sleek strapless number accented with lace and an asymmetrical bow. Sue Sandalon Jewelry Design is loaning Booth some bling to wear in New York, while Rex Weston has signed on as Booth’s personal stylist for the affair.
“I’m living someone else’s life right now,” Booth concedes, laughing. “I have a stylist. Anyone who knows me can understand the deep irony of that.”
As soon as she slipped on the gown, Booth says Weston knew they had found her Tonys attire.
Recalls Booth: “He just told me, ‘Now, all we need to do is change the color of your skin.’ So now, I’ve been professionally tanned!”
To accept the prestigious award for the Alliance, Booth says she’s only too happy to play dress up.
“It’s one thing for us to tell people about what we’re doing at the Alliance, but this is like getting the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Suddenly, it’s not just your mother bragging on you anymore.”
And Booth promises to phone us immediately on the BuzzBerry line Sunday night if she manages to meet “Glengarry Glen Ross” Tony winner Liev Schreiber.
“And I will knock down anyone who stands between me and Liev Schreiber!” she promises playfully. “He is just the most beautiful man in the world. And yes, my husband has been informed of this.”
(For an in-depth conversation with Booth and what the Tony Award win may mean for the Alliance, check out this Sunday’s Arts & Books section.)
‘GWTW’ AND ‘DREW’
“Nancy Drew” actress Emma Roberts (and the daughter of Eric and the niece of a certain Academy Award-winning former Smyrna resident) popped into the Margaret Mitchell House on her way to Hartsfield-Jackson on Tuesday. We’re told that the big screen’s latest incarnation of the teen sleuth met with the Lit Center’s “Mystery in the City” writing campers who had already gotten an advance peek at the film.
While touring Mitchell’s teeny-tiny apartment Roberts told MMH reps that the house and apartment felt like something that belonged in a Nancy Drew story. She loved the old-fashioned feel and said you “could just tell a writer lived here.”
She was also aware of the petite author’s tragic end, adding: “And the writer who lived here was killed. It’s a perfect theme for a Nancy Drew mystery.” Upon inspecting Mitchell’s antique three-quarter bed, the equally tiny actress noted that it was “just my size.”
Alas, we’re told that Emma, 16, has — gasp — never read the book or seen the movie. However, she planned to rectify that and purchased both a hardback of the hefty tome and a DVD of the film at the museum gift shop on her way out.
TALENT SEARCH
Atlanta R&B singer-songwriter Ne-Yo may have been the hardest working man in the local music business Tuesday. He spent the first half of his day at the final round of a talent competition where the top prize was a deal with his songwriting and production company, Compound Entertainment. The judges saw about 400 acts at the Sam Ash Music Store on Cobb Parkway between Saturday and Monday. About 200 were turned away, organizers told Buzz. (And if it says anything about the quality of the turnout, Frank Hagans of Think Big Entertainment pulled up in front of the store in a silver Rolls-Royce Phantom during the finals, to “scoop up some of this talent Ne-Yo doesn’t want” as he described it.) In the end, Ne-Yo and music power brokers Chaka Zulu, Taiye “Tai Boogie” Samuels and Ron Hurd chose 22-year-old David Brown of Marietta. And coincidentally enough, he said he had also made it to the final rounds of the tryouts for Season 4 of “American Idol.” “I’ve dedicated myself to this business,” Brown said. “So I’ve been writing songs, performing, doing whatever to make this happen. Make it to where Ne-Yo is.”
Later Tuesday night, Ne-Yo was at Center Stage headlining a near-capacity show. After R&B singer Trey Songz opened for the predominantly female crowd and a guest appearance by Ne-Yo signee Paula Campbell, the main attraction wrapped up his sweaty set with a dedication to the fans who’ve bought millions of his two CDs — the single “Because of You.”
OVERSCENE
Our fave “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” actor Ludacris lunching Wednesday on a chicken Caesar salad and a California roll at Thrive downtown. Bruce Springsteen was spotted working out Tuesday night at the Four Seasons hotel in Midtown. MTV “Real World Denver” castmate Davis Mallory and friends soaking in Kitty LeClaw’s “Drag Gone Wild!” show at Blake’s on the Park in Midtown late Tuesday.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Tom Jones is 67. Actor Ken Osmond (Eddie Haskell on “Leave It to Beaver”) is 64. Actor Liam Neeson is 55. Record producer L.A. Reid is 51. Musician Prince is 49. Rapper Ecstacy of Whodini is 43. Guitarist Dave Navarro is 40. Guitarist-keyboardist Eric Johnson of the Shins is 30. Actor Michael Cera (“Arrested Development”) is 19.
Contributing: Sonia Murray and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Opening of Studio 72 delayed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As it turns out, we’ll all have to wait a bit longer to check out Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri’s new nightclub venture at 3965 Lawrenceville Highway in Tucker. Buzz Central has been informed that Dupri’s spacious Studio 72 will not open as planned this week. Organizers are hoping to offer a media preview next week, followed by a silver carpeted opening to the public June 16. The delay actually suits us swell (we’ve been having a dickens of a time trying to color coordinate a cummerbund with Dupri main squeeze Janet Jackson’s planned footwear…).
OVERSCENE
Black Eyed Peas member-turned-solo performer Fergie checking out of the Glenn hotel’s luxury “dream suite” downtown on her way to the MTV Movie Awards. We’re told that Fergie’s luxe suite came complete with a living room and a bathroom featuring a circular shower, a rain-flowing shower head and a peek-a-boo shower window “so that guests can view the plasma television in the bedroom.” Well, natch. Fergie was in town for a concert at the Tabernacle.
Veteran Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks dining on halibut and a hearts of palm salad at the Palm in Buckhead before a two-night stint with Chris Isaak at Chastain which concluded Tuesday night.
NEW FRIENDS
The mother of missing teenager Natalee Holloway and the father of slain child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey have become friends, the attorney they share reports.
Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood declines to describe their relationship as romantic, however.
“I would describe them as friends who have a great deal of admiration for each other,” Wood said of Beth Twitty and John Ramsey.
Wood told The Associated Press the two “share common interests and concerns related to their children, particularly with respect to the actions of law enforcement and the media in response to those tragic losses.”
Twitty and Ramsey met last year through an organization that arranges speaking engagements, Wood said.
Twitty has been married twice, separating from George Twitty on Dec. 15. Ramsey’s wife, Patsy, died in June 2006 of ovarian cancer.
Both the Holloway and Ramsey cases remain unsolved.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) is 58. Playwright-actor Harvey Fierstein is 53. Actress-comedian Sandra Bernhard is 52. Record producer Jimmy Jam is 48. Actor Paul Giamatti is 40. Singer Uncle Kracker is 33.
HIGH FIVE
Most downloaded TV episodes
1. “The Job,” “The Office”
2. “Human Error,” “House”
3. “Through a Looking Glass,” “Lost”
4. “Breaking News,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”
5. “How to Stop an Exploding Man,” Heroes”
— Source: iTunes
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Game’s game ends in charges
In an alleged incident that could potentially redefine unsportsman-like conduct, rapper the Game (above) has been charged with making a criminal threat and possessing a firearm in a school zone, authorities said.
The felony charges against the 27-year-old stemmed from a fight during a Feb. 24 pickup basketball game in South Los Angeles, the district attorney’s office said.
Taylor pulled a gun from his Cadillac Escalade after punching a player on the opposing team and threatened to shoot him, police said.
He faces more than five years in state prison if convicted.
Contributing: Rodney Ho and news services.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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“Are You Smarter” auditions in the ATL
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Foxworthy didn’t make it to the “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” auditions in downtown Atlanta’s AmericasMart, but a few savvy fifth graders auditioning to be cast on the surprise hit Fox show donned Foxworthy-like fake mustaches Tuesday morning.
One gal dressed up in a Crayola crayon box. Another dressed in his baseball uniform. Some brought science experiments, others had songs and jokes ready while another was ready to go in on his unicycle. “I’ve already been interviewed for TV” because of the unicycle, said Nicholas Rowland of Acworth, who has already skipped a couple of grades and is only eight years old.
But executive producer Roy Bank told Buzz gimmicks will get you only so far. “I don’t want actors. I don’t want super geniuses,” he said. “I want average kids.” Of course, it goes without saying that he wants “average” kids with vibrant personalities and TV-friendly faces, too.
Before the official audition, the students in groups of 20 or so were shepherded into a waiting room with 60 other students. A couple of Fox employeees amused and psyched up the kids by gathering them together to sing the theme to the TV show for cameras, tell jokes (yes, one boy actually asked “Why did the chicken cross t he road?”) and scream “Pick me! Pick me!” and “Welcome to Atlanta!”
Although Fox publicity wouldn’t allow Buzz to view the auditions, Bank said they give each child a chance to answer some personal questions, perhaps role play show questions and even pretend to be the host. He expects to bring up to five of the hundreds of rising fifth graders to Los Angeles for a callback.
And because Foxworthy is from Atlanta, he would love to find a great Southerner for the host to play off of.
For folks unfamiliar with the show, adult contestants answer questions ranging from first-grade grammar to fifth-grade science and can win up to $1 million. The five fifth graders can help out the adult through various “cheats” and provide comic relief with host Foxworthy.
Zack Hosseini (above, with his mom Joyce) of Northwood Elementary in Roswell wore fake, dorky glasses and several of his science, Boy Scout and wrestling medals. “I call myself the nerd with the bling bling!” he said.
Leka Gopal, 10, of Woodward Academy has never actually seen the show. She and her mom Shalini heard about the casting from Leka’s dad the night before and on a whim, came over to the auditions. She wore a Cheesehead prop in homage to her Green Bay Packer roots in Wisconson. (She moved to Atlanta last year.)
Then there’s Rae Grant, who at 5 foot 9, would qualify for the “Are You Taller Than This 5th Grader?” competition. She’s so tall, in fact, that people think she’s 13 or 14, making her a likely tough sell for the casting directors seeking convincing fifth graders. “They’ll probably think I won’t fit in the desk,” she mused.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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TV wiseguys play nice guys at ATL party
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A mere 24 hours before his character got snuffed on HBO, “Sopranos” actor Steven Schirripa was living it up at Fever nightclub on Cheshire Bridge Road in Atlanta. He and his Emmy-winning co-star Michael Imperioli hosted a fan party at the nightspot to celebrate the looming end of the mob drama June 10. As Saturday transformed into Sunday, the actors were still happily posing for pictures and chatting with fans in the club’s ultra-VIP section, finally exiting around 3 a.m.
Carlos Morales
“Sopranos” actors Steven Schirripa (at far left) and Michael Imperioli (at right in photo at right) chatted with fans and posed for pictures Saturday night at Fever nightclub during a celebration marking the upcoming end of the HBO series.
“They were by far the nicest celebrities I’ve ever worked with,” Flavourset Promotions publicist Chris Baker told Buzz on Monday. “I mean, we paid a lot of money for Kevin Federline, but he was a total dud. Didn’t talk to anybody. These guys could have bolted at 1 a.m., but they stayed late just to hang.”
Of course, the bottles of Patron tequila, bottles of bubbly and a couple of cases of Heineken were possible incentives.
Alas, all that booze didn’t loosen the actors’ lips on the fate next week of their former TV boss Tony Soprano, who was seen at the end of Sunday’s episode cradling a rifle in his bed and fearing for his life.
“Nah, we couldn’t get it out of them,” Baker conceded. “Steven Schirripa just told us, ‘Don’t miss it. It’s going to be intense.’ “
Before their nightclub appearance, the actors were treated to dinner at old-school Atlanta Italian eatery Alfredo’s, down the street. And according to Baker, Schirripa might have a future working security for the InterContinental Hotel in Buckhead as well.
“When he was checking in, some couple came up to the desk to complain about there not being any toilet paper in their room,” Baker related. “Steven just looked at them and asked, ‘What do you think this is, the Ritz-Carlton?!’ Scared the hell out of them!”
MEI LAN AT 8
Mei Lan, Zoo Atlanta’s stellar attraction, is the star of her own TV special. Tonight WSB-TV is airing “Mei Lan: Atlanta’s Baby Panda.” The half-hour special debuts at 8.
Anchor Pam Martin, no stranger to pandas, is the host. “I’m so excited that we can share this jewel of a story with Atlanta,” she said in a statement.
The show begins with the cub’s birth, when she emerged with about as much hair as a doorknob, and proceeds to the present. For the record, Mei Lan is 8 months old and as healthy as a horse — but rounder.
IT WAS A BIG DAY
According to 99X’s Leslie Fram, there were plenty of goose bump-inducing moments at the radio station’s Big Day Out at HiFi Buys Amphitheatre over the weekend. According to an e-mail we received Monday, Fram was particularly blown away because headliner Chris Cornell “reached back into his legendary career to perform Temple of the Dog and Soundgarden songs, everything from ‘Spoonman’ to ‘Black Hole Sun.’ ” Said Fram: “The crowd went crazy. Chris hasn’t performed those songs in years, so it was definitely a rock ‘n’ roll moment.” We hear that Cornell and Jane’s Addiction rock god Perry Ferrell were signing CDs simultaneously in the merch tent afterward. We’re told that the duo “stayed until everyone got an autograph, and then Perry got up and went over and hugged Chris.”
NAME THAT BABY
Fram’s former 99X co-worker Jimmy Baron, meanwhile, sent us a first on Monday: an e-mail invitation to the bris of his and wife Lisa Baron’s new arrival this Wednesday. Sort of.
Notes Baron: “Also, at the time of the bris, the baby’s name is officially revealed. Then, as with most things Jewish, we eat!”
But as Baron explains, one does not technically get “invited” to a bris. “A simple announcement of the time and location is made, and the ritual is open to all friends and family to attend. Therefore, there is no need to RSVP.”
Whew. (Initially, we were concerned that Miss Manners would not receive our letter of inquiry in time.)
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Don Reid of the Statler Brothers is 62. Guitarist Fred Stone of Sly and the Family Stone is 61. Singer Laurie Anderson is 60. Saxophonist Kenny G is 51. Singer Richard Butler of Psychedelic Furs is 51. Actor Ron Livingston (“The Practice,” “Band of Brothers,” “The Office”) is 40. Singer Brian McKnight is 38. Actor-singer Mark Wahlberg is 36. Actor Chad Allen (“Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman”) is 33. Actress Navi Rawat (“Numbers”) is 30. Actress Liza Weil (“Gilmore Girls”) is 30. Bassist Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy is 28. Guitarist Seb Lefebvre of Simple Plan is 26.
CELEBRITY DOCKET
Paris Hilton completed the first night of her probation sentence Monday in her new surroundings, a Los Angeles County jail cell that will be her home for much of this month.
The 26-year-old hotel heiress worked the red carpet at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday, then traded her strapless designer gown for a jail-issue jumpsuit and a solitary cell. Hilton entered the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood just after 11:30 p.m. to serve 23 days for violating her probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. She is due out on June 26.
Sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said Hilton was easy to work with. “Her demeanor was helpful. She was focused, she was cooperative,” he said.
But gasp — no cellphones or BlackBerrys are permitted in the facility. In other words, unlike fellow model Naomi Campbell, Hilton did not have the opportunity to brain anyone with a hand-held electronic device.
Contributing: Mark Davis and news services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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The trouble with bubbles: A bored band
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In a ploy stolen from the David Blaine playbook, Atlanta pop-punk band Cartel has passed the halfway point in a 20-day self-imposed exile to record the band’s latest CD in a specially built 1,600-square-foot fiberglass “bubble” on Pier 54 in New York City.
They haven’t gone totally stir crazy. Yet.
RODNEY HO / AJC
“There aren’t a ton of distractions, but we’re literally 30 feet from the control room at all times,” said lead singer Will Pugh, taking a break from recording to talk to Buzz. “There’s an air of focus of having to get things done.” Pugh said that, after selling about 200,000 copies of their first CD “Chroma,” given the current state of the music business, the band members were willing to torture themselves for the sake of publicity.
Trailed by MTV cameras, Buzz got to hang out in the bubble Friday and learned that the creative process isn’t always pretty — or interesting. For more than 30 minutes, guitarist Joseph Pepper played the same riff dozens of times, which echoed loudly throughout the main room, while the other guitarist, Nic Hudson, aimlessly shot a blue Nerf ball into a tiny plastic basket.
Drummer Kevin Sanders became so restless that he piled mattresses and cushions on the floor and jumped onto them from the bedroom upstairs. “I got my heartbeat going, then immediately got bored again,” he said.
Though this stunt is sponsored by Dr Pepper, Cartel did sneak in a liter of hometown Coca-Cola — with the label off, of course.
In the end, with 23 Web cams, they can’t even hide in the shower (though you see them only from the chest up).
To encourage the band, fans have dropped off gifts, from an inflatable doll to golf clubs to sweet tea. “They all love sweet tea,” said Ashley Rehnblom, a St. Louis gal with Cartel lyrics tattooed on her right side.
She and her bud Alex Keeton rushed to the window (yes, fans can see in) when they spied Hudson reading, impressed that it was Anderson Cooper’s memoir, not a comic book. Soon, he was napping.
“He sleeps in the fetal position at night,” Rehnblom noted from watching a Web cam the night before.
“Wow,” Keeton said with a chuckle. “That really sounds creepy, doesn’t it?”
HEATING IT UP
Gordon Ramsay’s hilarious summer series “Hell’s Kitchen,” which starts Season 3 tonight, has finally recruited two Atlantans. And both are memorable.
Julia Williams, a sassy, emotional College Park resident, spent five years as a short-order cook at a local Waffle House, smothering and covering mountains of potatoes. Her pro cooking résumé is otherwise slim.
As a result, her other team members in tonight’s episode ignore her. “A lot of people tended to underestimate me,” Williams told Buzz.
Eddie Langley’s background is more impressive. A graduate of Le Cordon Bleu School of Culinary Arts, the grill cook has worked at the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead, the Hotel Marriott and the Crowne Plaza. He’s now at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. He also runs his own personal chef business at www.pizzazzatlanta.com. His favorite restaurants in town are Bacchanalia and Jöel, and he’d love to open up a high-end restaurant someday. (“Atlanta needs more great chefs,” he said.)
Because Langley has had two kidney transplants, the youthful-looking 28-year-old Alpharetta resident emphasizes healthy, yet classy, food.
CASTING CALL
Do you have a rising fifth-grader itching to get on TV who also happens to excel in academics? Fox’s hit reality show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” (hosted by Alpharetta’s Jeff Foxworthy, right) is seeking candidates at AmericasMart starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Get more info at www.fox.com/areyousmarter.
DEPP WINS
Captain Jack Sparrow was the big winner at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday as “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” was named best movie and its star, Johnny Depp, won for best performance.
Other winners during the broadcast from the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles included Mike Myers, who won the MTV Generation Award, and Sacha Baron Cohen, who collected two trophies for comedy and best kiss, which he shared with Will Ferrell in “Talladega Nights: The Battle of Ricky Bobby.”
The movie prizes were almost upstaged by a star who wasn’t nominated for any: Paris Hilton.
The heiress, who must report to Los Angeles County Jail by midnight Tuesday, caused a commotion when she arrived on the ruby carpet outside the amphitheater.
“I’m really scared but I’m ready to face my sentence,” she said.
MTV’s irreverent mix of honors includes prizes for best fight and best villain, plus awards for aspiring filmmakers.
Jack Nicholson was the winning villain, capturing the Golden Popcorn trophy for his mobster role in “The Departed.” The fight prize went to Gerard Butler in the epic “300.”
The breakthrough performance prize went to 9-year-old Jaden Smith, who starred opposite his father, Will Smith, in “The Pursuit of Happyness.”
HIGH FIVE
Top VH1 ‘Softsational’ songs
1. Christopher Cross, “Sailing”
2. Styx, “Babe”
3. Rupert Holmes, “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)”
4. Barry Manilow, “Mandy”
5. Chicago, “If You Leave Me Now”
— VH1
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Parker Stevenson is 55. Singer El DeBarge is 46. Actor Scott Wolf is 39. Actor Noah Wyle is 36. Comedian Horatio Sanz is 38. Actress Angelina Jolie is 32.
Contributing: News services
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Show in park offers double the pleasure
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
When word spread this week about the Sept. 8 Dave Matthews Band benefit concert to raise funds for the multimillion-dollar expansion of Piedmont Park, we found ourselves smiling.
Sure, a big chunk of today’s music fans will happily plunk down $45 for general admission tickets and $250 for VIP passes to see the Dave Matthews Band in what promises to be the jam band’s largest concert on its 2007 summer tour.
Park officials tell us as many as 50,000 attendees are expected. But it’s the inclusion of the concert’s opening act, the Allman Brothers Band, that will make the occasion truly historic for Atlanta music fans.
After all, Piedmont Park was the venue for the Macon-birthed band’s first, um, well, impromptu concert way back in 1969.
It’s been the longtime wish of vocalist Gregg Allman to return to the legendary band’s grassy roots.
“I’d love to do one more gig at Piedmont Park,” Allman told us wistfully in 2001.
“We ran an extension cord to somebody’s apartment nearby and just played,” the Savannah resident recalled in the interview. “It would be so great to do that again for our fans in Atlanta.”
In 2001, Allman admitted that trying to re-create the past on a patch of green dominated by eco-friendly watchdog groups and politicians would be difficult.
Said Allman at the time: “We tried it a few years ago, and the city fathers wanted a million-dollar cash bond from us in case anything got tore up.
“Things have changed just a little bit, man. Maybe somewhere there’s a politician out there who’s also an Allman fan.”
And it looks like Allman finally found one in the unlikely guise of Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. Said herzzoner in a press statement sent to Buzz Central this week: “With this concert, we can help to expand 53 acres of additional parkland, something that is essential to our future quality of life.”
For info: www.piedmontpark.org.
‘Payne’ stars at mall
The stars of “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” sitcom will be greeting fans at Stonecrest Mall from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.
Cast members, including Allen Payne, Lance Gross, LaVan Davis, China Anne McClain and Larramie “Doc” Shaw will be on hand to sign autographs and oversee a Hula-Hoop contest, mom karaoke contest, a bubble gum-blowing contest and a dad dance-off. We’re told the fun will take place on the lower level near Sears.
The sitcom will premiere on TBS at 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Scouts honor Cathy
On Friday night, the Boy Scouts of America were setting up camp downtown at the Hyatt Regency in order to honor Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy with the organization’s coveted Silver Buffalo Award at Scouting’s national annual meeting.
The award is the BSA’s highest commendation for service to youth and has been awarded annually since 1925.
In selecting the businessman for the award, the BSA cited Cathy’s WinShape Foundation, a nonprofit that awards up to 30 scholarships annually to Berry College in Rome and his Leadership Scholarship Program that has has awarded over $22 million in scholarships to over 20,000 employees over the last three-plus decades.
(From our perspective, Cathy should be given an award just for coming up with that whole dill pickle chips on a chicken sandwich thing …)
We’re told that Cathy’s latest award will join other honors, including the Norman Vincent and Ruth Stafford Peale Humanitarian Award and the Horatio Alger Award, on his mantel at home.
Stork report
It’s a girl!
Continuing this week’s nonstop births featuring Atlanta radio-related dads comes word that 790 The Zone personality Steak Shapiro (below) and wife Kimberly are welcoming new daughter, Nola James. We’re told that the couple’s affinity for New Orleans inspired their second child’s name.
Celebrity birthdays
Saturday: Actress Sally Kellerman is 70. Actor Stacy Keach is 66. Singer William Guest with Gladys Knight and the Pips is 66. Drummer Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones is 66. Actor Jerry Mathers (“Leave It to Beaver”) is 59. Actor Dennis Haysbert (right, “24”) is 53. Comedian Wayne Brady is 35. Keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley of Keane is 31. Drummer Fabrizio Moretti of the Strokes is 27.
Sunday: Actor Tony Curtis is 82. Game-show host Chuck Barris (“The Gong Show”) is 78. Keyboardist Billy Powell of Lynyrd Skynyrd is 55. Newsman Anderson Cooper is 40. Country singer Jamie O’Neal is 39. Actress Lalaine (“Lizzie McGuire”) is 20.
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