Even open heart surgery doesn’t seem to have slowed Robin Williams down.

The 58-year-old comedian stormed through a 90-minute show before a sold-out crowd at the Fox Theatre Friday, guzzling water frequently and pausing for breath seldom.

He had returned to make good on a date he postponed when he had his aortic valve replaced March 13.

“The last time I was here Lake Lanier was empty, Atlanta was on fire and I had a leaky heart. Now Lake Lanier is full, the fires are out and my heart is okay,” Williams said.

His delivery was pure machine-gun, and non-stop blue. (The F-bomb was the fifth word out of his mouth – and seemingly every fifth word after that.)

His best unprintable material was probably his extended improvisation on the battle between the heart and the penis when an open-heart-surgery patient takes Viagra.

But among the repeatable bits, some great lines:

Atlanta’s rain:

“The weather will continue to be moist and unstable. That sounds like a weekend with …

Continue reading Robin Williams in top form at the Fox Theatre »

Have you ever appeared on or auditioned for the Apollo Theater amateur night? If so, AJC reporter Nedra Rhone would like to hear from you.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the show is holding auditions in New York and Atlanta (details below). Rhone is hoping to see how auditions have gone for previous contestants, who faced the infamously vocal audience hoping for a shot at stardom.

If you were ever featured on the show or tried to audition, email Nedra Rhone (nrhone@ajc.com).

INFO

Apollo Theater Amateur Night Audition

10a-6p Saturday @ Rialto Center

www.apollotheater.org or 212-531-5370 for more details

RULES

• Arrive early, first 300 acts will be judged

• Each contestant has 90 seconds to perform

• Singers can bring track or sing a cappella

• Musicians must bring instruments

• Dancers should bring cassette or CD

• No profanity; comedians and spoken word artists must keep it clean

• Children under 18 must be with an adult

Continue reading Have you auditioned for Apollo Theater amateur night? »

This is a sampling of video from around the Web posted by people witnessing the destruction first hand. - See more recent videos for ‘Georgia flood’

I shot this video at 8:00 this morning in Buckhead where Peachtree Creek passes under Peachtree Road, near the intersection of Peachtree Hills Ave.

I shot this video while walking down to the back gate at my apartment complex around 4:00pm on Sept. 21, 2009. The back gate opens onto Azalea …

Our creek sits back about 80 feet from the grass line and down about 4 feet into the creek bed. You can’t even see the top of the creek from our …

The lake was just back to a great level then the unthinkable happened. The dam burst…again. This lake is draining like a big bath tub. It took a …

My downstairs after draining the water.

Late September we recieved 23″ of rain in 24 hours. It has rained for 7 days leading up to this event and it is forcasted to rain for the next 4 days.

This WAS NOT a fake video. There was no acting. I was …

Continue reading Georgia witnesses show the flooding in video »

From the exburbs to the Downtown Connector, metro Atlantans coped with floods of historical proportions. It’s impossible to document all the heroes and Good Samaritans who helped those in need, but we want to try.

We want to hear your tales of heroes — neighbors and neighborhoods coming together, rescue units going above and beyond, even strangers who lent a hand where it was needed. Post your stories and simple thanks below.

Continue reading Flood stories: Who are your heroes? »

Business is booming at the local library. In DeKalb County, the library system posted a 6 percent increase in circulation last year. Maybe it’s a sign of the economic times.

How often do you visit your local library? Are you more likely to buy books  than to check them out at the library?

Continue reading Library or book store? »

The odds of winning Tuesday’s 
 $252 million Mega Millions lottery drawing are slim. But if you do claim the prize, your dreams just might come true.

If you won the Big One, how would you spend the money? Would you divide it among the family? Give to charities? Buy a mansion? Get a super car? What else?

Continue reading What would you do if you won Mega Millions? »

A ticket in South Carolina matched the recent Powerball drawing for $260 million, and the MegaMillions drawing here Friday night is worth $207 million.

What would be your first big purchase if you won that kind of money? What charitable organizations would you donate to?

Do you have any out-of-this-world dreams that you’d make come true with that out-of-this-world money?

Continue reading What would you do with the money? »

What do you remember about the Atlanta child murders?

Continue reading Readers remember »

If you think your pooch has what it takes to take home first prize, enter a photo of him or her at the contest’s Web site, Cutest Dog Competition.

If you win, will you get your dog something special with all that loot?

Continue reading Is your dog cute? Enter the contest »

In the wake of high-profile crimes including the carjacking of a city councilman and the fatal shooting of a former boxing champ, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and police chief Richard Pennington announced Thursday they will add 139 more officers on the street to combat what has been seen as a surge in crime.

“Many people want to argue about crime,” Franklin said. “Is it up? Is it down? Is it happening in one area than in another?” She lists fighting crime among her accomplishments, including reducing violent crimes during her eight-year administration. The Police Department has redesigned beats for the first time in 30 years, including adding walking beats.

“One victim is one victim too many,” said Franklin. “Our strategy is straightforward. We will put more officers on the streets.”

While the high-profile cases have startled many Atlantans, police statistics show violent crime in the city has declined about 10 percent the first six months in 2009 …

Continue reading Is Atlanta doing enough to combat crime? »