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February 2008
Spike Lee hangs out at Morehouse
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CREDIT: Rodney Ho
Acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee stopped his alma mater Morehouse College Friday to support the new sports and journalism program he helped launch.
Lee said Nike donated $250,000 to the program and Lee, whose relationship with Nike goes back 22 years, was only happy to show up to thank the sneaker company. Lee himself donated $325,000 to seed the program. (Oddly, Nike never referenced giving $250,000 during the actual press conference, just a couple of small scholarships and internships at the local Nike office.)
He recounted how he was a huge Nike fan as a teenager where wearing “mo’s” or imitations were uncool. When he became a filmmaker and shot his breakout film “She’s Gotta Have It,” his character Mars Blackmon naturally wore a pair. A couple of ad men from the agency repping Nike saw the film and offered him the chance to direct and star in his own Nike ads with rising basketball star Michael Jordan. Lee said yes, of course. And he did dozens of ads over eight or nine years.
“It was mutually beneficial,” he said. He helped propel Nike to the next stratosphere as a brand and he himself was able to build his own career. He recently came out with a Spik’eze special Nike sneaker, which he called a “best of” past Air Jordan sneaker designs. “It’s flying off the shelves,” he said.
Lee is in postproduction on his next film, a World War II drama “Miracle at St. Anna” about black American soldiers fighting Germans in Italy starring John Turturro, James Gandolfini, Derek Luke, Michael Ealy and Laz Alonso. I noted that this sounds like a big budget film. “It looks like $100 million,” he said. It comes out in October.
During a talk on stage, he talked about how the movie landscape for African Americans has changed in 20 years. “There was only one black director when I got out of film school. Every time a black film came out, it was an event. Today, Tyler Perry has a film out every week.”
He also said Morehouse graduates too many business majors, too many people taking jobs simply for the money, not for the love of the job. “This is a liberal arts college,” he said. “We need to be more well rounded… I hope we start more entrepreneurial programs.” As for his sports journalism program, he hopes to generate more minority sports writers. “The press box is still a mostly segregated area while on the field, the brothers are running up and down the field.”
Lee spent moments of downtime at the event scanning his Blackberry for basketball game start times. (He left the presentation moments after he showed a trailer for his film, probably to see his beloved New York Knicks lose to the Hawks at Philips Arena. Sorry, Spike!)
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Seinfeld brings his act to Atlanta in May
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 7 for the comedian’s May 2 appearance
at the Fox Theatre.
Tickets, priced from $47 to $77, go on sale at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 404-817-8700.
RELATED LINK:
• Month of March full of comedy acts
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Hit woman for ‘The Wire’ charms crowd
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Buzz stopped by the Margaret Mitchell House and Museum on Wednesday night for the book chat with actress/author Felicia “Snoop” Pearson.
The TV hit woman for the HBO show “The Wire” was in town this week to promote her memoir, “Grace After Midnight.”
The hit series is down to its final two episodes. And Baltimore’s drug king-pins and soldiers have started to fall.
Contrary to her murderous TV character, Pearson, sporting her trademark braids, charmed a packed crowd with humor and frankness in a coffee table chat with moderator Michelle Gipson. Buzz got a glimpse of her life as a youngster on the Baltimore streets and time served in a women’s penitentiary.
Ironically, strong-willed Pearson always had loved ones who tried to set her straight. But “A hard head makes a soft behind,” she loves to say.
Pearson, 27, is now using her celebrity to help at-risk children in after-school projects and prison deterrence programs.
The openly gay actress says fans can expect to see her shed her guyish persona and show a feminine side in upcoming film roles. “I’m gonna switch it up. It ain’t nothin’ but acting,” Pearson said.
‘PANAMA’ BACK ON
Van Halen fans can safely break out the bandannas and parachute pants once again. This week’s postponed concert featuring Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth, etc. at the Arena at Gwinnett Center has been rescheduled for Wednesday March 19. According to Live Nation reps, tickets purchased for the original Feb. 25 date will be honored on March 19.
Ticket refunds also will be available at the original point of purchase.
Additionally, tickets are on sale now at www.livenation.com, the venue box office or Ticketmaster charge by phone at 404-249-6400. Deep-pocketed fans can enjoy what is being touted as “the ultimate Van Halen experience” by purchasing access to concert preshow parties, backstage access and premium seating by going to www.iloveallaccess.com.
Fans can receive tour updates via www.van-halen.com.
‘ONCE’ NOT ENOUGH FOR MUSICIANS
Want to catch some freshly minted Oscar winners live? Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the adorable co-stars of “Once” who won the little gold guy Sunday night for “Falling Slowly” as “Best Original Song,” are touring with their band, The Swell Season. Tickets go on sale today at 10 a.m. for a May 13 show at the Cobb Energy Centre. Unlike the Oscars producers, we’re assuming that the folks behind the sound board on this tour will actually allow Irglova to speak on stage without Jon Stewart’s assistance …
For details: www.ticketmaster.com.
A BIT OF ‘BETRAYED’
Because of our staunch, unwavering commitment to public service, we reluctantly resisted placing our copy of “Betrayed: The True Life Story of Lisa Lynette Clark” on eBay Thursday after it was pulled from store shelves by Phoenix Publishing. We’re poring over the extremely explicit tell-all (written by Jennifer Grant, the former pokey pal of the Douglasville 37-year-old who married her teenage lover and later gave birth to their child), so you won’t have to. Today’s excerpt is from Page 39: “Saturday night came, the big night. I would pick him up and we would be together alone for the first time. I wore all black with a short black leather studded jacket. He told me he loved it. For once, he wasn’t high. As we drove, I noticed he smelled different. He had used some Old Spice body wash. It made me nauseated as it reminded me of my dad.”
HIGH FIVE
Television
The top OnDemand programs for the week of Feb. 18-24, 2008, as determined by Comcast customers in metro Atlanta:
1. “The Wire,” Episode 58, “Clarifications” HBO
2. “Fairly Odd Parents” Season 7: Episode 78: “Fairly Odd Baby,” Nickelodeon
3. Pop it Off Boyz, “Crank Dat Batman” music video, Music Choice
4. “Family Guy: Season 4: Episode 51: “North by North Quahog” TBS, Series
5. Chris Brown, “With You,” music video, Music Choice
— Courtesy: Rentrak’s OnDemand Essentials
ON MY iPOD
James Blunt, pop singer-songwriter who will perform at the Tabernacle: “I’ve been listening to Fleetwood Mac, Elliott Smith, Cat Power — I love the simplicity of her music — and Elton John. I was so lucky to get [John’s] support early on. I haven’t spoken to him in a couple of weeks, though. We both have the great fortune of being busy, working artists.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Feb. 29: Leap year birthdays: Actor Alex Rocco is 18 (born 1936). Actor Dennis Farina is 16 (born 1944). Actor Antonio Sabato Jr. is 9 (born 1972). Rapper Ja Rule is 8 (born 1976).
Contributing: Adrianne Murchison, 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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‘Raisin’ ratings help make ABC No. 1 for evening
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“A Raisin in the Sun,” Atlantan Kenny Leon’s TV film directorial debut, delivered a very respectable 12.7 million viewers, Nielsen is reporting. The Monday broadcast with Sean Combs, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald helped propel ABC to the No. 1 position for the evening. The three-hour event handily won every hour of prime time except the 8 p.m. slot, when it trailed NBC’s dreaded Howie Mandell-hosted game show “Deal or No Deal” (15.3 million).
Locally, the show did about 37 percent better than the national average, bringing in about 450,000 viewers, among those 18 to 49 years old. We’re told the film in metro Atlanta nearly doubled the national audience share. Leon sent an e-mail to the subscribers of his True Colors Theatre, telling them: “I am very proud of this film, and even more proud of the over-the-top effort of the team who came together to make it happen. Nothing happens by itself. I have always known that, but with this, my first film experience, I saw it in action in a very big way. From the Broadway play [which Leon also directed], to the shooting of the film, to the editing, to the music composition, to Sundance, to the premiere here in Atlanta a couple weeks ago… well, to say it’s been humbling is the understatement of the year.”
A BIT OF ‘BETRAYED’
In the grand tradition of Star Jones Reynolds’ “Shine,” we valiantly picked up a copy of “Betrayed: The True Life Story of Lisa Lynette Clark” (Phoenix Publishing, $14.99) Wednesday so you wouldn’t have to. The salacious story of Clark, the Douglasville 37-year-old who married her teenage lover and later gave birth to their child, is certainly, well, a page-turner. The extremely explicit “as-told-to” tell-all, written by Jennifer Grant, hit stores just as Clark was exiting prison last week.
The tawdry tome sheds much light on the pair’s unconventional — not to mention illegal — coupling. For example, here’s a glimpse into their courtship, via Page 39: “I put in Marilyn Manson and turned it up loud. I left him in the car as I walked into the Kroger. When I came back to the car, he told me he was without a doubt in love with me. We went to Krystal to eat. We went through the drive thru and ate in the parking lot. We talked and laughed a lot. We had mint chocolate chip ice cream.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Charles Durning is 85. Actor Gavin MacLeod (“The Love Boat”) is 77. Actress Kelly Bishop (“Gilmore Girls”) is 64. Atlanta singer Cindy Wilson of The B-52’s is 51. Singer Pat Monahan of Train is 39.
OVERSCENE
Forbes Inc. CEO and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes lunching at McKendrick’s Steakhouse on Ashford Dunwoody Road.
Contributing: Meridith Ford 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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Ne-Yo back behind the wheel
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta Grammy winner and alleged leadfoot Ne-Yo pulled up at Rick Ross’ listening party in a convertible Bentley on Monday night — properly licensed, Buzz presumes. The ever-smiling R&B singer said “everything is going to work out fine” with his traffic charges in Cobb County. He was arrested last week for reckless driving — reportedly over 100 mph — and driving without a license. Ne-Yo was released the same day from the county jail on a $1,300 bond. His case is scheduled to be heard in State Court March 25.
“I’m good, good, good,” Ne-Yo added as he joined Ross (whose “Trilla” CD is in stores March 11), fellow rappers Gorilla Zoe and Big Kuntry King, DJs Don Cannon, Trauma and Blak, and former Atlanta Falcon Bob Whitfield at Whitfield’s Patchwerk Studios in Midtown.
Mableton’s Ne-Yo should be good, at least professionally — he has three songs on part-time Atlantan Janet Jackson’s new CD “Discipline,” and he’s preparing to tour with R&B superstar Alicia Keys, he told us.
By the way, to our friends in TV land who had Ne-Yo’s mugshot on the air with “Rapper Arrested” underneath — the singer-songwriter behind a contender for Grammy’s record of the year (“Irreplaceable,” by Beyoncé), hasn’t rapped on any record we’ve heard lately. (Even when the crooner recorded under his given name, Shaffer Smith). And one local TV news outlet even erroneously reported last weekend that the singer had been locked up on DUI charges.
AT CHASTAIN, IT’S TICKET TIME AGAIN
Unlike many of the city’s summertime traditions, Chastain Park Amphitheatre isn’t exactly prone to drought conditions (we’re fairly certain that we still have downpour-deluged damp undergarments from a 2003 Tony Bennett show, for example …). Thusly, tickets to Live Nation’s 2008 Summer Concert Series A will go on sale as usual this Sunday at 10 a.m. via Ticketmaster.
Among the hot shows announced in the lineup sent to Buzz Central on Tuesday: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are booked for the venue July 10 and Cyndi Lauper’s gay-friendly “True Colors” tour returns this summer on June 16 with Lauper, The B-52’s, Rosie O’Donnell and Tegan & Sara.
Other shows on the schedule include The Moody Blues on April 19; Santana on April 25; Sheryl Crow on May 3; Duran Duran on May 17; James Taylor does two nights May 24 and 25; ZZ Top on June 7; Chicago and The Doobie Brothers on June 24; REO Speedwagon with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts on June 29; Donna Summer on July 1; Earth Wind & Fire returns on July 14; and Mark Knopfler whips out his guitar on July 29.
Bear in mind, only series and mini-series tickets go on sale this week. Individual tickets will become available later. Oh, and the Crow and Plant-Krauss concerts are “No Tables” affairs (translation: don’t bother hauling the candelabra, china cabinet, the case of chardonnay and the wine steward from home).
One last thing, according to the news release: “Please note buying both James Taylor performances does not constitute a mini-series package.”
For more info: call Chastain Tickets at 404-233-2227 or visit www.chastainseries.com or www.livenation.com.
OVERSCENE
Author and new age guru Deepak Chopra enjoying the salad a la mode and beef oxtail and sipping on a Perrier at Trois in Midtown. Mychael Knight of “Project Runway” and Jai McGee of “Make Me a Supermodel” lunching on a pepperoni pizza at Lobby at Twelve at Atlantic Station.
Rolling Stones keyboardist Chuck Leavell and daughter Amy checking out Chuck’s sister, local actress Judy Leavell, appearing as Ann Landers in ART Station Theatre’s production of “The Lady with All the Answers” in Stone Mountain.
Lightweight boxing champ Floyd “Money” Mayweather celebrating his 31st birthday at a private party at Lobster Bar in Buckhead. The dinner party of 30 guests was hosted by Mayweather’s pals, including TLC member Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. We’re told that everyone enjoyed signature steaks (the birthday boy nibbled on filet mignon) and seafood. The guest of honor also scored lots of high-end birthday presents. There were apparently gifts all around, with many of the guests bringing high-end loot for the guest of honor.
Apparently, wanting to test the alertness of his six bodyguards, we hear that at one point during the evening, Mayweather sprinted toward the door to see if his security detail would follow. They did.
Still, Buzz is left to ponder why a boxer would require six bodyguards …
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Joanne Woodward is 78. Actress Elizabeth Taylor is 76. Singer Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd is 48. Singer Chilli of TLC is 37. Keyboardist Jeremy Dean of Nine Days is 36. Singer Josh Groban (below) is 27.
ON MY iPOD
Chaka Khan, legendary R&B, funk and jazz singer: “Of course I have an iPod! I listen to it when I get in my car — a little Johnny “Guitar” Watson. Joni Mitchell. A few other artists. Mostly older artists. And some jazz. That’s good driving music!”
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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Kevin Rathbun, brother win on ‘Iron Chef’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At Kevin Rathbun Steak on Sunday night, the “Iron Chef America” viewing party was busy toasting the owner and his brother Kent, a chef in Dallas. The pair managed to beat Iron Chef Bobby Flay on the latest episode of the Food Network series. The secret ingredient the Rathbuns had to work with?
Elk.
The Rathbun boys dazzled the judges with their dishes, including elk carpaccio, seared chili rubbed tenderloin, elk meatballs, fajita marinated elk loin, and manchego gougeres stuffed elk liver. The benefit screening raised $11,000 for the Atlanta Community Food Bank.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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LL Cool J will dress you like a star
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ladies still Love Cool James, judging from the crowd gathered at Macy’s Lenox Square on Saturday afternoon, where LL Cool J —- aka James Todd Smith —- launched his new Todd Smith Collection for men.
The lip-licking, ChapStick toting rapper and actor told Buzz it was a lifelong dream to have his own clothing line, and it didn’t come easy. It took 5 1/2 years to get it right, he said.
“I didn’t want it to be some sort of glorified T-shirt deal,” said Smith, who has been involved in fashion in some capacity since the beginning of his career. “When I woke up in the morning and knew I had a clothing line, I wanted to feel great, and that takes time to achieve.”
Smith said he put his heart and soul into developing the brand, which is designed for “a person who wants to feel like a star.”
The company logo, based on one of Smith’s tattoos, represents bravery and fearlessness, he said. Some of the other designs on the rhinestone- and stud-embellished denim, tanks, T-shirts, hoodies and jackets also mimic his personal body art. Prices range from about $39 to $159.
A Todd Smith Collection for women is scheduled to debut in July, Smith said. That may make it a little easier for fan Diane Geddings, 37, of Cartersville, to get Smith’s signature on her chest. When asked what else she might have Smith sign if he declined to touch pen to skin on Saturday, Geddings was quick with a backup plan. “I want him to sign my checkbook,” she said.
Jill keeps it ‘Real’
“The Real Thing,” the song, has “got a little highs…got a little lows,” according to R&B singer Jill Scott’s lyrics. But “The Real Thing,” the tour that Scott brought to the Fox Theatre on Friday and Saturday, had little in the low department. For two hours each night, the three-time Grammy winner entertained capacity crowds that included WSB-TV’s JaQuitta Williams and V-103’s Porsche Foxx and Miss Sophia. (Williams, by the way, had her last dose of chemotherapy for breast cancer Wednesday. Two nights later, the closely cropped anchor and reporter was on her feet at the Fox in one of the first rows, singing along to Scott’s “Golden.”) Meanwhile, Scott’s opener, Raheem DeVaughn, took full advantage of his weekend in metro Atlanta, holding post-show parties each night at Sugar Hill in Underground Atlanta. “Atlanta, Chicago and D.C. are some of my top markets,” said DeVaughn, recently nominated for a Grammy for his uplifting R&B single “Woman.” “And Atlanta has been there, like, from the start. Appreciate you, Atlanta!” (For pictures of the show see the gallery on ajc.com).
PHOTO CREDIT: RODNEY HO/Staff
‘Hell’s Kitchen’ fave stays mum
Julia Williams (right) is no longer in the scattered, smothered and covered business.
The former local Waffle House cook was a favorite on Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen” last summer. Lacking in experience but full of heart, she surprised everyone by making it to the final five and melting the ice-cold heart of Gordon Ramsay. Ramsay liked her so much, he offered her a return visit to the show once she got more cooking chops.
Buzz caught up with Williams at a Chamblee Wal-Mart cooking demonstration Saturday where she handed out free samples of tasty, healthy turkey burgers with a special mayo concoction featuring roasted bell peppers and garlic.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t tell us anything yet about the fourth season of “Hell’s Kitchen,” which has already taped and debuts in April. But she’s kept busy over the past year as a chef at Ocean’s 66 Sports Cafe in College Park, a step up from Waffle House. She recently added a day job working the kitchen at the trendy West Egg Cafe on Howell Mill Road in the west side.
She also looks much thinner than she did on the show. “When they say the camera adds 10 pounds, that happened to me!” she told Buzz.
A-Team to the rescue
Buzz is so proud. Hot-107.9’s A-Team morning show held a donation drive for families burned out of their homes not once, but twice, this past week at The Park apartments on Candler Road. Listeners responded by filling two 27-foot trucks with everything from bedroom sets to “the shoes they had on,” said Hot-107.9’s Beyonce. She and her fellow A-Team members Rashan Ali, Emperor Searcy, Griff and Akini broadcast from the site of the fires (2751 Candler Road) from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday. And more than 40 families were assisted by the effort, done in conjunction with Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless.
If you want to donate clothing, nonperishable food items and toiletries call Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless, 404-755-3353, or go to hoseafeedthehungry.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Country singer Ralph Stanley is 81. CBS newsman Bob Schieffer is 71. Actress Tea Leoni is 42. Comedian Carrot Top is 41. Actor Sean Astin is 37. Actress Rashida Jones (“Boston Public”) is 32.
OVERSCENE
Usher, wife feather their nest
Usher and his wife, Tameka, were seen Saturday shopping on Howell Mill Road. Their final stop in the Westside Urban Market was Bungalow Classic, where accent pillows and a rawhide stool were among the items the couple purchased, presumably for their new Roswell digs.
—-Contributing: Rodney Ho, Katie Leslie, 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.
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Sir Elton hosts big bash, raises big bucks
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks in part to the writers’ strike-related cancellation of the celebrity-sucking Vanity Fair magazine party, Sir Elton John’s 16th annual Oscar party was also its most successful.
The evening raised more than $5 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
Even Atlanta EJAF board member Barron Segar — who’s attended every one of the Oscar night soirees with the singer — was stunned.
“We’re a million dollars over our projected goal,” Segar told us early Monday morning. “We’ve been worried about the recession and how the strike might affect Oscar night. But this is just amazing. Elton is incredibly happy tonight. I’ve never seen so many Oscars floating around.”
Among those celebrating: “La Vie en Rose” “Best Actress” winner Marion Cotillard working her fish scale-inspired gown at the party. Other celebrities spotted included: Stevie Wonder, Minnie Driver, Lionel Richie, Sean Penn, Ellen DeGeneres, Portia DeRossi, Simon Cowell, Al Roker, Larry King, T.R. Knight, Mary J. Blige, Billy Joel and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears.
Inside a massive white tent at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, guests dined on a dinner of fillet of sole with lobster mousse, beef tenderloin with red wine sauce, risotto with saffron and salsa, a seasonal salad with pear, white celery and mustard vinaigrette, and a bitter chocolate mousse with raspberry ragout.
At last August’s Fashion Cares benefit, Intimacy undergarments founder Susan Nethero bid $23,000 for the opportunity to walk the red carpet at the bash with about two dozen fellow Atlantans.
The self-described “bra whisperer” businesswoman was demonstrating her wares as well, with a cleavage-enhancing push-up undergarment.
“This was worth every penny,” Nethero told us. “Plus, I managed to help someone out in the ladies room with her bustline too! I’m not going to say who. But it was fun to use what we do at Intimacy in Atlanta out here in Hollywood.”
While on the left coast, Nethero told us she’s looking for retail space in Los Angeles for a potential Intimacy expansion as well.
Buckhead resident Lynn Guyton attended the bash with her mother Sandy Smith.
“I’m on the moon right now,” Guyton gushed. She was seated at a table next to Blige’s. “I had to go up to Ellen to tell her that I TiVo her everyday.”
The evening’s live auction alone raised $2 million for the charity, thanks to a pricey Helmut Newton photograph and a surprise item, courtesy of Sir Elton’s old friend Sharon Stone. The actress donated a vintage 1974 Corvette Stingray.
The bidding soared to $1 million after the auctioneer told the crowd: “Sharon will take a ride in it with you.”
Elton and his band also performed a mini-concert for the first time at the fund-raiser Sunday night.
Wearing basic black with a gray tie, the singer cracked to cameras on the red carpet about what he was looking forward to: “Hopefully some great music because I’m performing.”
Traditionally, the singer has asked performers he admires to supply the tunes for the party. But feedback from EJAF donors encouraged the singer to perch behind the piano this year.
Lending vocal assist during the pop star’s set: Blige and Shears.
And as always, the charity’s namesake paid a visit to every table during the Oscar telecast. Unfortunately, nature was calling Guyton when John called on her table. Said Smith to Sir Elton: “My daughter is going to die if you don’t come back!”
True to his word, Sir Elton later returned to the table to greet a refreshed Guyton.
A STYLISH DELIVERY
Back in Atlanta, the Oscars arrived in a stretch limo at the Shepherd Center, courtesy of Southeastern Domino’s Pizza franchisee Mike Orcutt. Wanting to bring the Academy Awards experience to a group of folks who might have otherwise missed out, Orcutt and staff surprised about 200 patients at the spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital with a pizza party. With red carpet in tow, Domino’s delivered 40 large pizzas and 24 orders of Buffalo Chicken Kickers to the patients, who happily munched away while watching the telecast. In the pizza biz, Oscar night has begun to rank right up there with the Super Bowl in terms of business.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Fats Domino is 80. Singer Michael Bolton is 55. Singer Erykah Badu is 37. Singer Kyle Norman of Jagged Edge is 33. Singer Corinne Bailey Rae is 29.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Red carpet secrets? Spanx!”
ACTOR STEVE CARELL with wife Nancy Wall, giving a shout out to Atlanta businesswoman Sara Blakely’s company to “Good Morning America” reps on the Oscars red carpet Sunday.
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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Rathbun up to challenge of ‘Iron Chef’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Not only does Inman Park chef Kevin Rathbun have to battle Bobby Flay during his debut on “Iron Chef America” at 10 p.m. Sunday on Food Network, he’s also up against a little guy named Oscar.
Still, the Rathbun’s and Kevin Rathbun Steak namesake isn’t too concerned. The Atlanta Food Bank benefit screening party for the episode at Steak is already completely sold out.
“For some reason, 350 generous people have paid to come see a schmuck like me on TV,” cracked Rathbun on a call to Buzz on Friday from Miami, where he’s attending the South Beach Wine & Food Festival. On Sunday’s telecast, Rathbun and his Dallas chef brother Kent team up to try and unseat Flay by whipping up five delectable dishes in 60 minutes.
“It’s a pressure-cooker situation, no doubt about it,” Rathbun told us of the experience taped last year in New York. “We just tried not to embarrass ourselves. But I was sweating a lot, which I’m sure will look great on TV. I also caught myself running to the refrigerator a couple of times and not remembering what I needed.”
Alas, working any local connections with fellow Atlantan and “Iron Chef America” commentator Alton Brown wasn’t to be. “I know him a little bit, but he was complaining to me about how he can never get a table at one of my restaurants. I told him, ‘Dude, just call me and I’ll take care of it.’ The Atlanta connection didn’t really have an impact.”
Flay, meanwhile, is an old pal who describes Kevin Rathbun as a mentor on Sunday night’s telecast.
“That was very kind of him to say on national television,” Rathbun recalled. “We go way back together to when he was cooking at a place called the Miracle Grill in New York doing Southwestern food. He credited me a couple of times in his first book, too, which was nice. He’s been a good friend.”
Still, the Rathbun brothers wanted to fillet Flay during the competition.
“It was a long day,” Kevin said. “It was about eight hours of filming. I can’t tell you much, but we did get all five of our plates up and nobody fell down rushing to grab vegetables. Oh, and I got to cross my arms while all that Iron Chef smoke swirled around us, too! How cool is that?”
VAN HALEN ON HOLD
Well, we can scratch “Run to QuikTrip to pick up disposable lighters” off our weekend to-do list. Veteran rockers Van Halen have postponed their scheduled concert Monday night at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. According to the release sent to Buzz on Friday: “The concert will be rescheduled and the new date will be announced shortly. Please look for updated information on www.van-halen.com and www.gwinnettcenter.com. Tickets for the Feb. 25 event will be honored for the rescheduled event. Ticket refunds will be available at the original point of purchase.”
We can’t help but wonder whether Eddie Van Halen was feeling unwell after getting a glimpse of ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli’s interview with Oprah Winfrey scheduled to air Monday. In the over-sharing interview, she tells the talk show queen that both she and the 1970s rock god broke their marriage vows and also attempts to explain to a clearly cocaine lingo-challenged Oprah what “doing a bump” means (Sheesh, doesn’t Gayle “My best friend” King teach her anything? ) …
STORK REPORT
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez gave birth to twins early Friday, making the singer and husband Marc Anthony the parents of a boy and a girl after one of pop music’s most closely watched pregnancies.
Lopez representative Simon Fields told People magazine the babies were born shortly after midnight on New York’s Long Island, with the 5-pound, 7-ounce girl arriving first, followed by her 6-pound brother minutes later. The location was not identified.
“Jennifer and Marc are delighted, thrilled and over the moon,” Fields told the magazine.
Lopez’s publicists and agent did not return telephone calls from The Associated Press early Friday.
At a Miami concert in November, Lopez ended months of speculation by confirming her pregnancy. Her father, David Lopez, told Telefutura’s “Escandalo TV” this month that the 39-year-old singer was expecting twins.
Lopez and Anthony, 38, married in 2004. The twins are her first children, and his third and fourth.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Today: Actor-director Peter Fonda is 68. Musician Johnny Winter is 64. Actress Patricia Richardson (“Home Improvement”) is 57. Actress Kristin Davis (“Sex and the City”) is 43. Actress Dakota Fanning (“Charlotte’s Web,” “I Am Sam”) is 14.
Sunday: Actor Abe Vigoda is 87. Actor Dominic Chianese (“The Sopranos”) is 77. News correspondent Paula Zahn is 52. Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 50. R&B singer Brandon Brown of Mista is 25.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“He was obsessed. He had the entire set built in his apartment. So after we would get done, he would go home and rehearse by himself.”
“A Raisin in the Sun” actress Audra McDonald on “The View” describing co-star Sean “Diddy” Combs’ approach to taking over a role made famous by Sidney Poitier. The new TV film adaptation directed by Atlantan Kenny Leon airs Monday night on ABC.
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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Baseball bar mitzvah Little Leaguer’s dream
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dunwoody Little Leaguer Justin Franco knew he wanted a baseball theme for his bar mitzvah last weekend. And for his good-deed mitzvah project, the 13-year-old also knew he wanted to find 13 generous donors to raise money for the Murphey Candler Challenger Team. The charity is a division of Little League designed for kids with physical and mental disabilities. Justin, dad Paul and little brother Max have served as “buddy helpers” in the nonprofit for several seasons now.
True to his word, Justin secured the 13 donors and a total of $4,680 for his friends.
But during his party last weekend at Turner Field’s 755 Club, Justin and his friends, all decked out in the appropriate dress of baseball jerseys and jeans, were shocked when a 14th unexpected donor came forward.
Veteran Atlanta Brave and Justin’s baseball hero Julio Franco (Justin even wears the player’s famed No. 14) suddenly appeared on the club’s big screen TV, via a video greeting to say hello and donate to the charity.
There was just one problem: holding aloft a large cardboard check made out to Murphey Candler, Julio told Justin: “I don’t know how many stamps to put on a check this large. Why don’t you turn around and I’ll give it to you?”
Justin whirled around where Julio Franco was standing just a few feet away. The 25-year major league vet had been flown in from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and stashed in 755 Club’s kitchen as a surprise.
“He was in complete shock,” Paul Franco told Buzz Thursday. “When he could finally say something, he told everybody, ‘I can’t believe my parents pulled this off.’ “
Julio Franco, a deeply spiritual individual himself, then went off with Justin to quietly discuss the rituals of Justin’s bar mitzvah and later returned to sign “at least 200” autographs for party guests.
When he got home from school Thursday, Justin had another surprise awaiting him: an anonymous donor had contacted his father and quietly matched the original 13 donations, bringing in a total of $9,360 for Murphey Candler.
“I get to tell him when he gets out of baseball practice,” Paul Franco told us. “I know he’s going to be thrilled.”
Paul Franco says the 49-year-old free agent didn’t disclose where he might be swinging this season.
Admitted Paul: “Honestly, I forgot to ask him any questions about baseball at all!”
As for the obvious, Paul Franco says he doesn’t quite know yet how he’ll top this when 10-year-old Max’s bar mitzvah rolls around.
“He’s a very different kid so it’ll be something completely different,” says dad. “I’m just glad I have a little time in between to recover!”
OVERSCENE
R&B singer John Legend at Sugar Hill’s weekly Tuesday Jam. He road tested three songs from his upcoming third studio CD. (And of course he couldn’t leave the popular improv session without doing “Ordinary People.”) Legend’s been working on his new material in Atlanta and already has created something with fellow Grammy winner Ne-Yo, new producer Malay and industry vet K.P. Plus, we hear that he’s also scored a rhyme for the project from rapper-actor Andre Benjamin of OutKast.
BUDGET ‘BLUE DOOR’
Interested in checking out some live theater, but on a budget? Good news, Buzz Central received an e-mail Thursday informing us that Theatre in the Square’s Alley Stage production of playwright Tanya Barfield’s “Blue Door” in Marietta is offering two-for-one tickets to the play Friday night only. That’s $15 for a pair of tickets. Meanwhile, “Room Service,” the hit comedy on the venue’s main stage (yes, the Marx Brothers made a movie out of the farcical material as well), has been extended through March 2. For tickets: 770-422-8369.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Announcer Don Pardo is 90. Director Jonathan Demme is 64. Actress Julie Walters (“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” “Billy Elliot”) is 58. Actress Ellen Greene (“Pushing Daisies”) is 57. Actor Kyle MacLachlan is 49. Comedian Rachel Dratch (“30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live”) is 42. Actress Jeri Ryan (“Boston Public,” “Star Trek: Voyager”) is 40. Actress Drew Barrymore is 33. Singer James Blunt is 31.
ON MY iPOD & TiVo
Chris Daughtry, lead singer-songwriter of the rock band Daughtry: “Let me just begin by saying I have ‘i’ everything: iCal. I’ve got iPhone. I just don’t have eyeglasses. That was soooo cheesy, I know. But OK, I just bought Dwight Yoakam’s “Greatest Hits” on iTunes. Favorite song? ‘Ain’t That Lonely Yet.’
“I TiVo all of the time. ‘TMZ.’ ‘Extra.’ ‘Access Hollywood.’ My wife tapes these shows and I’m never on them. But I’m always looking. I don’t want to be on TMZ, though. I just like to watch everybody else. It’s so funny — I always talk about people who read tabloids so much, and I am one of those guys. I ended up becoming one of those guys.”
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“They’ve been saying he’s too old. Well, now he’s got a new lease on life.”
“The View” co-host Joy Behar on Thursday’s front page New York Times story alleging that presidential candidate John McCain got a little too friendly with a leggy lobbyist. McCain held a news conference Thursday to dispute the article.
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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Madea reportedly will become a cartoon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
We personally didn’t think it possible, but Atlanta director-writer-actor-producer Tyler Perry’s Mabel “Madea” Simmons character is about to get even more animated.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Perry has inked a deal with the animation company Exodus Film Group to adapt his popular “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” matriarch into a ‘toon.
Albeit, a more kid-friendly character. Think more like “SpongeBob SquarePants” and less “Family Guy”-like.
The half-hour series could eventually be shopped to network television, DVD or both. Explains Perry in the trade: “A lot of the plays were not kid-friendly. … I wanted to do something more appropriate and this seems to be it.”
Translation: The animated Madea will likely not be a pistol-packing, butt-whooping heck-raiser.
PECAN PIE’S DESIGNS GOING FULL BLOOMIE
Pecan Pie Couture founder Clint Zeagler had so much exciting news to share over lunch Wednesday, the meal threatened to infringe on the dinner hour.
For starters? Selections from the Atlanta fashion designer’s Summer 2008 line of sassy, Southern-fried T-shirts will debut next month at Bloomingdale’s stores at Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall.
“I’m just superexcited,” the 28-year-old Sylvania native told Buzz. “If you had told me even a year ago that any of my designs would be in Bloomie’s, I wouldn’t have believed you.”
New Yorkers are also now getting their first look at Zeagler’s latest designs via Orange Domino, a New York City showroom that introduces up-and-coming designers’ samples to their influential boutique and Fashion Week clients.
“It’s a little scary and nerve-wracking,” Zeagler allowed. “But my main goal right now is to get those clothes flying off the racks at Bloomingdale’s.”
As it often happens in the complicated world of clothes, a New York buyer for the posh department store chain actually made the decision for the two Southern stores to stock Pecan Pie Couture.
Zeagler will be on hand introducing Bloomie’s shoppers to his work with in-store appearances from 1 to 4 p.m. scheduled for March 14 at Lenox and March 15 at Perimeter.
“I’ll have a chance to meet shoppers and offer them some sweet tea and some pecan pie tarts,” Zeagler previewed. “It should be fun.”
Zeagler’s late nana, Theola Hurst Treado, who for decades operated the Town House restaurant and its adjoining pie factory in Sylvania with her husband Charles, remains the inspiration for the fledgling fashion house.
The Castleberry-based designer says Treado would be proud of the upcoming Pecan Pie Couture “Revival” benefit fashion show, set for April 6 at Opera nightclub in Midtown. The $25 tickets will benefit Seeds of Nutrition Atlanta, a new nonprofit that teaches schoolkids about proper nutrition and where food comes from.
“The kids will actually grow vegetables like lettuce in a garden and are taught about where their meals originate,” Zeagler said. “My granddaddy always had a garden and Nana always worried about us kids eating well.”
The evening will be hosted by Dave FM’s Mara Davis and feature live performances by Francine Reed, Dames Aflame and Big Mike Geier and the Thin White Clouds.
For info: www.pecanpiecouture.com.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actress Rue McClanahan is 73. Record company executive David Geffen is 65. Actress Tyne Daly is 62. Actor Anthony Daniels (C3P0 in “Star Wars” films) is 62. Actor William Petersen (“C.S.I.”) is 55. Actor Kelsey Grammer is 53. Singer Mary Chapin Carpenter is 50. Actor Christopher Atkins is 47. Actor William Baldwin is 45. Country singer Eric Heatherly is 38. Actress Jennifer Love Hewitt is 29. Opera singer Charlotte Church is 22. Actress Ellen Page (“Juno”) is 21. Actor Corbin Bleu (“High School Musical,” “Jump In!”) is 19.
ON MY iPOD (AND TiVo)
John Legend, Grammy-winning R&B singer: “Recently I downloaded the Bravery for some reason. I saw them do one song on ‘Jimmy Kimmel’ — and I was, like, compelled. I bought the album [‘The Sun and the Moon’]. I haven’t listened to it yet, though.
“I TiVo a lot! ‘The Daily Show,’ ‘The Office,’ ‘South Park.’ I do a lot of comedy. ‘The Colbert Report,’ ‘Family Guy,’ ‘Seinfeld.’ ‘The Chris Rock Show,’ because they still show it on HBO every once in a while. Oh, yeah, and ‘Meet The Press.’ “
OVERSCENE
At New York Times best-selling author Charla Krupp’s book party for “How Not to Look Old” at Stan Milton Oasis in Buckhead: Spanx founder Sara Blakely; Michaelene Roland, the philanthropic wife of Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland; charitable fund-raisers Aida Flamm, Marilyn Krone, Jada Loveless and Cinda Boomershine; journalists Carolyn O’Neil, Stephanie Davis and Eleanor Ringel-Cater; and Dr. Pradeep Sinha.
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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Chuck D: Vote local
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Red Bull Music Academy’s stop in Atlanta is over, but thanks to some fiery participation from Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Professor Griff, the buzz lingers.
The Atlanta-based members of the seminal hip-hop group, along with DJ Lord, were the guest speakers at the energy drink’s globe-trotting gathering of DJs and music producers, brought together to learn about the music industry.
Here’s what D and Griff had to say at the Luckie Food Lounge:
On Public Enemy’s music being sampled: “To hell with hip-hop if it doesn’t respect black people first,” said D, clearly bothered by “Shut Em Down” being used in the late Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments.”
On Public Enemy member Flavor Flav and his reality show: “At the end of the day, he’s family,” D said. “Nothing he does on that thing [‘Flavor of Love’] surprises me. … Remember we knew him way before VH1.”
On how far hip-hop has come: “When people say that, I’m like ‘Really?!’ ” D replied. “After Salt ‘N Pepa, name a female rap group. … How about more than one top female producer?”
On the upcoming presidential election: “No comment,” began D, with a smirk. “Do you really think you pick the president?” added Griff. “You’d be better off voting for your local school board members, or judges or something. … Those are the people you’re going to see if your [expletive] goes to jail,” D continued. “That’s where you can really have an impact — locally.”
FORECAST: CLOUDY
Buzz has heard the man with the most memorable name in Atlanta broadcasting, Flip Spiceland, is leaving WXIA after seven years at the TV station. No details yet from his boss or Spiceland himself about why he’s out, but the veteran meteorologist has been a popular fixture at the NBC affiliate. Before WXIA, he spent 21 years at CNN.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Sidney Poitier is 81. Jazz and soul singer Nancy Wilson is 71. Actress Brenda Blethyn is 62. Model Cindy Crawford is 42. Actor Andrew Shue (“Melrose Place”) is 41. Singer Brian Littrell (Backstreet Boys) is 33. Singer Rihanna is 20.
UNCOUPLING
Pink, husband just friends
Singer Pink and motocross racer Carey Hart (above) have separated after two years of marriage.
“This decision was made by best friends with a huge amount of love and respect for one another,” Pink’s representative, Michele Schweitzer, said Tuesday in a statement. “While the marriage is over, their friendship has never been stronger.”
Pink met Hart at the 2001 X Games in Las Vegas and proposed to him four years later during a race in Mammoth Lakes, Calif. They were married Jan. 7, 2006.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You can stop at Mary Mac’s [Tea Room] and get something to eat.”
WSB Action News anchor Monica Pearson offering a post-Atlanta Journal-Constitution Peachtree Road Race nosh suggestion to runners after sports director Chuck Dowdle announced this year’s race will end waaay down at the intersection of Juniper Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue.
Contributing: Rodney Ho, 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.
Fonda family to reunite for fund-raiser
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For this year’s 13th annual Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention fund-raiser, the focus will be on three generations of filmmaking by Henry, Jane, Peter and Bridget Fonda, along with Troy Garity.
In an exclusive for Buzz readers, we’ve been informed that G-CAPP founder Jane Fonda is planning a family reunion of sorts for this year’s event, set for May 12 at the Woodruff Arts Center. Poncey-Highland’s only two-time Oscar winner has invited brother Peter Fonda (“Easy Rider,” “Ulee’s Gold”); niece Bridget Fonda (“Singles,” “Single White Female”); and son Troy Garity (“Barbershop, “Soldier’s Girl”) to share the stage with her as they discuss their films and the films of Henry Fonda with Turner Classic Movies host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne.
“Every year, we find ourselves asking, ‘How do we top last year’s event?’ ” G-CAPP president Michele Ozumba tells Buzz. “Once again, thanks to Jane’s efforts, we have another unique, historic event to celebrate here in Atlanta.”
We’re told that in addition to red carpet arrivals, a celeb-filled pre-event cocktail party and a live and silent auction, the evening will end with a screening of a classic Henry Fonda film that has not yet been finalized. Tickets are $1,500 per couple.
This year’s fund-raising goal for the evening: $1.1 million.
“We’re excited to bring a one-of-a-kind event to our many supporters here in Jane’s hometown,” Ozumba explains. “It’s also an opportunity to hear some amazing stories. Jane doesn’t often get a chance to talk about her craft in a setting like this.”
For more information, sponsorship opportunities or to purchase tickets, visit: www.gcapp.org or call 404-475-6051.
A SOLD-OUT WEEKEND
What started out as a one-show stop at Sugar Hill ended up being a two-night stand — with a bonus private show thrown in — over the weekend for Grammy-nominated R&B singer Chrisette Michele. A week before the Grammy nominee’s anticipated Saturday performance in Underground Atlanta, the venue sold out, so organizers booked her for the following night. (Which sold out in two days). And before that was a Sunday night concert where Michele played a more intimate, invitation-only set at Shout restaurant for jeweler Tous, which she endorses. (Surely you noticed the miles-long banner in Lenox Square mall). “I love Georgia, I love Atlanta,” the newly shorn singer beamed during the first show, which included VH1 favorites “Best of Me,” “If I Have My Way,” “Be OK” and “Love Is You,” currently featured in a Nivea commercial.
Clearly, Atlanta and Georgia loved her back. PHOTOS from the Saturday show.
GRINNING THROUGH THE GRIDLOCK
Guests at this year’s Buckhead Coalition annual luncheon were treated to a limited edition keepsake: a hardback copy of “The Buckhead Coalition’s Car Companion: A Collection of Traffic Experiences Featuring Cartoons from The New Yorker.” The volume is dedicated to former Atlanta Traffic Engineer Karl Bevins.
“Unfortunately, traffic is not a new urban development,” Buckhead Coalition president Sam Massell told us. “I think the earliest cartoon in the book dates back to 1928. As we work on our ongoing traffic issues in Buckhead, we decided it might be nice to give folks a little something to smile at.” In the book’s introduction, the coalition’s efforts to reduce congestion are noted, including the creation of shuttles and van pools, along with proposals for dedicated left turn lanes and rush hour traffic cops.
But does Massell actually recommend utilizing the “Companion” in the car?
“Well, I suppose it would depend on exactly how bad the gridlock is,” Massell says. “There have been occasions when I could have gotten through a very high percentage of those 88 cartoons while sitting in my car. We’re hoping to provide an alternative to road rage.”
HIGH FIVE
Top-selling albums at Criminal Records in Little Five Points for the week ending Feb. 9:
1. Vampire Weekend, “Vampire Weekend”
2. Selmanaires, “Air Salesmen”
3. Anna Kramer & The Lost Cause, “Rustic Contemporary Sounds Of”
4. Hot Chip, “Made in the Dark”
5. Black Mountain, “In the Future”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Singer Smokey Robinson is 68. Guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath is 60. Actor Jeff Daniels is 53. Singer-guitarist Dave Wakeling (General Public, English Beat) is 52. Singer Seal is 45. Actress Justine Bateman is 42. Actor Benicio Del Toro (“Traffic”) is 41. Singer-actress Haylie Duff is 23.
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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18 couples tie knot at Tybee on Tybee pier
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While many couples might have experienced a post-Valentine’s Day lovey dovey crash over the weekend, almost 20 couples were honeymooning Sunday after a group wedding at Tybee Island.
The second annual “Tie the Knot on Tybee” drew 18 couples who got hitched on the Tybee pier, along with 20 couples who renewed their vows. The ceremonies took place on Valentine’s Day and the couples stayed at Tybee through the weekend.
This was a wedding for couples who don’t mind sharing the spotlight on a wedding day and whose idea of romance is the more the merrier.
“You know it’s not for everyone,” Stephen Palmer, a wedding planner and organizer of the event, told Buzz. “But halfway through the ceremony, all eyes were on these couples and weddings are so emotional and when you multiply that by 18, it’s really, really cool.”
And Palmer, married himself about 11 years, surprised his wife, Jennifer, with renewing their vows.
“It really took us back to the day we got married on the beach in Hawaii, and we’ve had a very cuddly weekend ever since.”
Plans are already on their way for the next event.
They will call it “Tie the Knot on Tybee 3 —Third Time’s a Charm.”
Heidi Klum opens arms to Britney
Heidi Klum wants to help Britney Spears. The 34-year-old model says she’d be willing to open her home to Spears while the troubled pop singer puts her life back together.
“She can call me and come live in our house with us for a couple of months,” said Klum, a mother of three who is married to the singer Seal and lives in Beverly Hills, Calif. “I would help set her straight.”
“I am sorry when a young person gets thrown so off track,” Klum said, according to a transcript of an interview that will be aired Monday by the German broadcaster ARD. “She has, of course, lived an extremely wild life.”
After more than a year of bizarre behavior and two stints in a psychiatric hospital this year, Spears was placed under a conservatorship by the Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner at the beginning of February.
Conservatorships are established when a court determines that someone cannot take care of themselves or their affairs.
To hear Klum, the host of Bravo’s “Project Runway,” describe it, her own life seems like a fairy tale.
“I have never been as happy as I am today,” Klum said. “I have found the man of my life and we have three great kids. They are all so different and fantastic that it really can’t get better than this.”
If you wondered who Todd Smith is
If you are looking for a fashion fix, here are some opportunities. Tuesday at 11 a.m., Charla Krupp, author of “How Not to Look Old,” hits Bloomingdale’s (Level 2 cosmetics) at Lenox Square mall to share insider tips for looking 10 years younger, 10 pounds lighter, and 10 times better.
And on Saturday at 2 p.m., rapper LL Cool J launches his Todd Smith (part of his real name) sportswear collection at Macy’s Lenox Square.
It’s official: Jamia at Oscars
As expected, Gwinnett County’s 11-year-old Jamia Simone Nash will be on her way this week to Los Angeles where she will sing during Sunday’s Oscars telecast.
As in the film, she’ll perform the gospel song with IMPACT Repertory Theatre of Harlem.
Other best song performers were announced late last week by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
“Enchanted” actress Amy Adams will sing “Happy Working Song,” one of three song nominees from her film.
Tony winner Kristin Chenoweth and Marlon Saunders, who appeared in “Enchanted” as a calypso singer, will perform “That’s How You Know.”
Rock singer Jon McLaughlin will sing “So Close.”
The fifth nominated song is “Falling Slowly” from the indie drama “Once.” It will be sung by the film’s co-stars and songwriters, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS Author Toni Morrison is 77. Yoko Ono is 75. Actress Cybill Shepherd is 58. Actor John Travolta is 54. Game show hostess Vanna White (“Wheel of Fortune”) is 51. Actor Matt Dillon is 44. Rapper Dr. Dre is 43. Actress Molly Ringwald is 40.
Contributing: News services, Bob Longino
If you have a tip, call 404-526-2749. Or fax 404-526-5509. Or e-mail: buzz@ajc.com.
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Water crisis moves Screen on the Green
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia’s drought won’t stop Atlanta’s popular, free outdoor film series Screen on the Green, which this year will temporarily move to Centennial Olympic Park.
Turner Broadcasting plans to announce next week that Screen on the Green, which attracts hundreds of thousands of movie fans to Piedmont Park each summer, will be held at Centennial and will begin May 29. Films will be screened each Thursday through June 26.
The movie lineup will be named later. But one thing is for sure: presentation of the series will switch from Turner Classic Movies to Peachtree TV.
Moviegoers can bring picnic baskets and food to Centennial for the series, and vendors will be selling food and drinks. Items not allowed: glass containers, alcoholic beverages and grills of any kind. Participants are asked not to bring pets and to avoid umbrellas and high-backed chairs.
Once the drought situation is over, plans are for Screen on the Green to return to Piedmont Park.
BE MINE AND MINE AND MINE?
Kelly Stevens, the unmarried half of B98’s Kelly & Alpha morning team didn’t have a single date for Valentine’s Day.
He had 98.
The station threw Stevens into the center of “98 Dates With Kelly Stevens Valentine’s Day Luncheon” at Ray’s on the River on Thursday. Reported producer Will Gara to Buzz Central: “Usually when you have a luncheon of some sort, there are always no-shows. However, all 98 winners came to the 98 Dates luncheon.”
Overheard at the restaurant’s bar? Two lady listeners, sizing up the competition, said they “were ready to rumble” to get Stevens alone.
In addition to lunch, the Stevens’ 98 valentines received “Becoming Jane” DVDs, Spa Sydell gift certificates and a heart-shaped box of chocolate.
At deadline Friday, it still wasn’t clear whether any of the single women would enjoy a second, less-crowded date with Stevens.
DIVORCE DOCKET
The divorce hearing between Paul McCartney and Heather Mills looks set to stretch into a second week after a judge allotted extra time for the couple’s court case.
The hearing had been scheduled to end Friday, but officials at London’s Royal Courts of Justice said the case before Justice Hugh Bennett would continue Monday.
Mills and McCartney separated in 2006 after four years of marriage and have since traded blows in the media while trying, and failing, to agree on divorce terms.
The hearing was called to decide on Mills’ share of the former Beatle’s fortune, estimated at as much as $1.6 billion. Media reports suggest that McCartney has offered his wife about $50 million and that she is seeking at least double that amount.
The couple have squared off every day this week, but few details have emerged. Unlike most British court cases, divorce proceedings are heard in private, and the courtroom is closed to journalists and the public.
Mills, 40, and McCartney, 65, have made no comment to the reporters and photographers who have gathered outside court each day.
McCartney has hired lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who represented Prince Charles in his 1996 divorce from Princess Diana. Mills, who fired her legal team late last year, is representing herself.
After the hearing ends, Bennett is expected to take several weeks to consider his settlement. The terms will not become public unless it is challenged in the Court of Appeal, or either of the parties chooses to reveal details.
CELEBRITY
BIRTHDAYS
Today: Actor LeVar Burton is 51. Rapper-actor Ice-T (below) is 50. Drummer Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters is 36.
Sunday: Actor Hal Holbrook is 83. Comedian Larry the Cable Guy is 45. Actor Dominic Purcell (“Prison Break”) is 38. Actress Denise Richards is 37. Singer-guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is 36. Actor Jerry O’Connell is 34. Country singer Bryan White is 34. Actor Jason Ritter (“Joan of Arcadia”) is 28. Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (“3rd Rock from the Sun”) is 27.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“My garbagemen are so used to me running after them because I’ve forgotten that my garbage cans need to be out. Literally, with my Afro out to here, no bra on, in a muumuu, in my bedroom slippers, I’m going, ‘Wait! Wait!’ If there were paparazzi, I would never work again.”
—“Raisin in the Sun” and “Private Practice” actress Audra McDonald in Entertainment Weekly on the upside of living in upstate New York.
Contributing: Bob Longino 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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Boortz hopes for hit with 2nd tax book
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Syndicated Atlanta talker Neal Boortz admits he’s vain, even though he isn’t as “pretty” as Sean Hannity.
The self-described “talk master” wore a big black cowboy hat to a Wednesday book signing at a Borders near Perimeter Mall to cover up stitches he recently got to remove a bit of skin cancer on his bald scalp.
“Am I hot or what?” he said to more than 180 admirers. “I’m from Texas, so I can get away with this.” He then swapped the hat for a red “Fair Tax” baseball cap.
“Fair Tax: The Truth” is his second book on the topic. His first one in 2005 was a surprise No. 1 New York Times best-seller and helped propel the subject into the national spotlight. Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee read the book a few months back and became an active proponent.
“He might be the vice presidential nominee to bring that Southern vote” for John McCain, Boortz told Buzz before the signing. “If so, we have the Fair Tax in the White House.” And McCain, he noted, is not against the idea.
Boortz wrote this paperback to provide fodder for supporters to defend themselves against skeptics. And he’s, of course, hoping for another No. 1 spot on the best-seller list. “The problem is ‘Eat Pray Puke,’” he said, twisting the name of the runaway hit “Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert. “I don’t think Oprah is going to get her sewing circle to recommend a tax book.” (He’s No. 6 on Amazon.com, the last we checked, right behind — you guessed it — “Eat Pray Love.”)
MORNING ‘MONOLOGUE’
Behold, the power of words. The Internet imploded temporarily Thursday after Poncey-Highland resident Jane Fonda appeared on a live interview segment with pal and “Vagina Monologues” playwright Eve Ensler on NBC’s “Today.”
The pair had been booked to discuss the 10th anniversary of Ensler’s much-staged, empowerment play with “Today” co-host Meredith Vieira. During the chat, Vieira asked Fonda about her history with “Monologues,” suggesting that Fonda had not initially been a fan of the work.
Responded Fonda: “It wasn’t that I wasn’t a big fan. I hadn’t seen the play. I live in Georgia, OK? I was asked to do a monologue called [a slang term for vagina]. And I said, ‘I don’t think so. I have enough problems!”
While the comment no doubt jarred awake a few folks in the “Today” control room, the interview proceeded on track without any acknowledgement that Fonda had uttered the controversial “c-word.” About 10 minutes later, however, Vieira told viewers that both “Today” and the 70-year-old, two-time Oscar winner had apologized for the remark.
While the word is not traditionally bandied about on morning television — and the appropriateness of using such a word on morning TV can no doubt be argued — it was used within the context of a discussion of Ensler’s explicit “Monologues.” Much of the feminist writer’s work is intended to be frank and thought-provoking. And any Atlantan who has attended one of the many public stagings of “Monologues” over the years can tell you that, yes, Fonda correctly referenced the exact title of the piece.
LOCAL DOVE NOMS
McDonough’s Mark Hall of the band Casting Crowns led the field when the nominations for the Gospel Music Association’s Dove Awards were announced on Thursday. The songwriter and vocalist is up for six on his own — including song of the year and male vocalist of the year — and his band Casting Crowns is in the running for four — including group and artist of the year.
They aren’t the only nominees from Georgia, though. Recent Grammy nominees Karen Peck & New River of Dahlonega scored three nods and Duluth’s Aaron Shust is competing against Casting Crowns in the pop/contemporary album category. Atlanta’s Darlene McCoy is nominated for urban album, for her self-titled debut, and urban recorded song.
Atlanta rock quintet Family Force 5 gets recognized in the short form music video category and Columbus native Bebo Norman is among the nominees for Christmas album.
We reached Hall in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Casting Crowns will play tonight, and asked him if being a perennial nominee ever becomes old hat. “It never gets old, because it’s new music,” the hard-working youth minister from Eagle’s Landing First Baptist Church says. “Can’t coast on what you did in the past. The thing I like about the Doves is that it’s your peers, those people that do what you do recognizing you, telling you, ‘Hey, you’re doing a good job, keep it up.’ To me, that’s pretty cool.”
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Actor Kevin McCarthy is 94. Cartoonist Matt Groening (“The Simpsons”) is 54. Model Janice Dickinson (“America’s Next Top Model”) is 53. Actress Sarah Wynter (“24”) is 35. Singer Brandon Boyd of Incubus is 32. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci of The Killers is 32.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I can’t lie: It’s easier to get reservations when I want to take my wife out to dinner.”
Barack Obama on the perks of running for president in this week’s People magazine, out today.
Contributing: Shane Harrison, 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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Janet’s into ‘Discipline’ — if you are
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Thanks to his Valentine’s juicy interview on “Extra” Wednesday, we now have a new moniker for Jermaine Dupri, in addition to label president, author, producer, songwriter, impresario and rapper (we recently came into possession of a mint-condition 45 single of “Sweetheart,” Dupri’s 1988 collaboration with Mariah Carey, after all).
The next time you see the owner of Buckhead’s Cafe Dupri or the proprietor of Studio 72 nightclub in Tucker, why not walk up, extend your hand and say, “Hello, my little Tasmanian devil.”
That’s how part-time Atlantan and Dupri’s gal pal Janet Jackson referred to him in her interview with “Extra” while out promoting her upcoming album “Discipline,” due Feb. 26.
Jackson revealed in the interview she wasn’t looking for love when she first met Dupri. Contemplating a potential future as a single parent, Jackson says she considered “probably having a baby or something out of wedlock. I was down with that. Adopt a couple of kids. I was cool with that and then here comes Jermaine … my little Tasmanian devil.”
Alas, Jackson tells “Extra” that a secret wedding to Dupri might be difficult to pull off.
Explains Jackson: “If I were to get married, Jermaine is going to let the entire world know!”
Married or not, Jackson tackles some interesting lyrical territory on “Discipline,” including slipping between the sheets with multiple lovers.
When “Extra” asked about the pop star’s own boundaries, Ms. Jackson (if you’re nasty) responded, “I think whatever you’re into, as long as you both are into it, it’s cool.”
In other words, Happy Valentine’s Day, Atlanta.
COUPLING AT KRYSTAL
Not to be outdone by the Waffle House in Johns Creek offering Valentine’s Day reservations tonight, the fine folks at Krystal are honoring three Georgia couples with the offer of a candlelit romantic dinner at the burger emporium for being selected as having the most romantic, Krystal-inclusive love stories.
Joyce Jordan of Columbus, for example, met her future husband Parks, a truck-driving daily customer, when she waitressed at a Krystal in 1954. We’re told the couple celebrated many wedding anniversaries with Chili Cheese Pups afterward. Cash-strapped college kids in the late 1960s, Michael and Mary Beth Watkins of Lilburn pooled their money in order to afford dates at Krystal. Now, after 34 years of marriage, the couple still holds hands over a No. 1 Combo. Even more frugal was Rome Romeo Wayne Masters, who ended up proposing to his future wife Judy more than 50 years ago at the Krystal Drive-In on Shorter Avenue. Masters explains that after the purchase of the engagement ring, he had just “enough money for lunch” at Krystal. Best of all, Masters still has the receipt from the day his wife said “yes.” Hoping to inspire other sack-full-seeking future couples, Krystal is offering a limited-edition chocolate-covered cherry MilkQuake today. …
LEE: ‘UNAFRAID TO PROVOKE’
Morehouse grad Spike Lee has been awarded the $50,000 Wexner Prize, which recognizes innovation, quality and integrity among artists.
The silver hammer sculpture was presented to the 50-year-old filmmaker by Abigail Wexner, wife of Les Wexner, founder, chairman and chief executive of Columbus, Ohio-based clothing and specialty products retailer Limited Brands Inc.
“Spike Lee exemplifies what the Wexner Prize was created to celebrate: a bold creative spirit who is unafraid to provoke and challenge us. He tests the American mind, and its attitudes, assumptions and values, and in doing so, he has advanced American cinema in remarkable ways,” Les Wexner said in a statement.
A selection of Lee’s films, including a free showing of “Malcolm X,” will be presented at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus this month.
His documentary on Hurricane Katrina, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” will screen continuously in the center’s video space throughout the month.
Lee is the 13th artist to receive the award, funded by the Wexner Center Foundation. It was presented this week at a ceremony at the Wexner home in the Columbus suburb of New Albany.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
TV personality Hugh Downs (“20/20”) is 87. Actress Florence Henderson is 74. Jazz saxophonist Maceo Parker is 65. “The Insider” host Pat O’Brien is 60. Magician Teller of Penn and Teller is 60. Actor Enrico Colantoni (“Veronica Mars”) is 45. Singer Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty is 36. Actor Freddie Highmore (“August Rush,” “Finding Neverland”) is 16.
OVERSCENE
Former New Kids on the Block member and “Saw II,” “Saw III” and “Saw IV” actor Donnie Wahlberg having dinner at Thrive downtown as the nightclub and eatery celebrated its first anniversary Tuesday night.
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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A heart-shaped waffle for two?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On the occasion of Valentine’s Eve, Buzz would like a word with the procrastinating guys out there. Guess what? Unless you’ve got a wad of cash that could temporarily stifle the likes of Kanye West to tip restaurant reservations workers with, chances are slim you’re going to find a table at most eateries on Valentine’s night right about now.
As you let that information sink in, why not take the open palm of your hand and clock yourself a good shot on the forehead. Done?
OK.
Since Buzz Central is all about public service, we’ll pass a long a tip we received Tuesday. On Thursday night from 6 to 11 p.m., the Waffle House at 10792 Jones Bridge Road in Johns Creek will be dimming the lights and springing for white tablecloths, candlelight and romantic music for you last-minute Romeos in search of a unique way to avoid having your reputation as a lover scattered, smothered, covered and chunked.
Between now and 2 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, you can make reservations by phoning 770-569-0056 until they vaporize like a bowl of Bert’s Chili.
“Last year, we noticed that there were a few couples who came in to celebrate Valentine’s Day with us,” Waffle House rep Pat Warner told Buzz Tuesday. “This year, we thought we might offer our customers a few romantic additions at the Johns Creek Waffle House to help folks celebrate.”
As for the obvious, Warner added: “I’m sure there are going to be those guys who wake up on Feb. 14 and have yet to make plans. Hopefully, we can help out those guys who don’t have immediate access to a calendar.”
But bear in mind, it’s still Waffle House, which are traditionally beehives of, er, activity, what with the shouting of orders and what not.
Lovers may want to hold hands while playing “Bert” on the jukebox as well. It’s an ode to legendary Waffle House chili recipe creator Bert Thornton, written by Atlanta singer-songwriter Jason Phelps.
In keeping with the holiday, the ditty details a love triangle between a guy, his girl and a seductive bowl of chili that threatens to get between the couple. In the hilarious video posted at