Fans of author John Grisham will have a rare opportunity to meet the master of the modern legal thriller April 7 at Pace Academy Fine Arts Center in Buckhead.

What’s more, readers will be supporting the work of the Georgia Innocence Project and Eagle Eye Book Shop, an independent book shop in Decatur.

Grisham will be in town discussing his latest novel, “The Associate.”

All ticket sales will serve as tax-deductible donations to the Georgia Innocence Project. General admission tickets are $50, $30 for students and, for $250, you also score admission to a VIP party with Grisham and Calvin C. Johnson Jr., the first Georgia man ever exonerated by DNA evidence.

Not only will Johnson be on hand to speak (he celebrates his 10th year of freedom this June), but he was the guy who got Grisham to agree to the rare appearance/fund-raiser. They know each other, you see.

As most fervent Grisham followers know, his only foray into non-fiction was 2006’s “The Innocent Man,” based on the Ron Williamson Oklahoma court case. Williamson spent a decade on death row for a crime he didn’t commit.

“This is just gigantic for us,” Georgia Innocence Project communications director Lisa George told Buzz Wednesday. “We do most of our work behind the scenes. This provides us an opportunity to get our work out there for John Grisham readers who might not be familiar with us.”

The evening also furthers the work of Eagle Eye Book Shop, which is supplying the books Grisham will sign in advance.

“John Grisham just doesn’t sign anymore,” Eagle Eye’s George Scott told us. “The last book may have been ‘The Firm’ when it first came out. We’re extremely excited.”

For more info: eageeyebooks.com.

Too Many Tweets?

If the surname of a liberal Minnesotan is to be believed, then Linton Hopkins of Atlanta’s Restaurant Eugene has been selected as one of the 10 Best New Chefs in 2009 by Food & Wine magazine. Prior to the announcement at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night, Food & Wine editor Dana Cowin began dropping clues on her Twitter feed as to the identities of the 10 chefs, who had all been informed of the honor and flown to New York. Clue #9? “Minnesota McCarthy’s restaurant in Atlanta.” It doesn’t take a political historian to find the former Midwestern Senator, Eugene McCarthy, on Wikipedia. (If she had mistakenly said “Wisconsin McCarthy’s restaurant in Atlanta,” we might well be feting the chef at Moe’s and Joe’s.) While some Atlantans may not think of Hopkins — a leader in the local restaurant scene — as a new chef, he does fit the magazine’s main criterion: He has been in charge of a kitchen for fewer than five years. Food & Wine editors select the chefs after an intensive national search and a whole lot of anonymous dining. (Previous local winners are Anne Quatrano and Clifford Harrison (Bacchanalia), Sotohiro Kosugi (Soto Japanese Restaurant) and Athens’ Hugh Acheson (Five and Ten). By press time, Hopkins (mysteriously out of town) had not return a call on his cell phone.
Second Season For “Free Radio”

Former Atlantan and Whole World Theatre alum Lance Krall admits he was surprised VH1 gave his show

Whole World Theatre alum Lance Krall

“Free Radio” a second season renewal after his freshman year garnered relatively tepid ratings.
“I think that the fact we got picked up had more to do with VH1’s faith in the show than ratings,” Krall said.
The show, which airs Thursdays at 11 p.m., is a far cry from the “Rock of Love”-type shows that dominate VH1. Lance plays a doofus intern on a fictional rock station K-BOM who landed the morning show host job (”Moron in the Morning”) when his boss Rip Rebel jumped to satellite radio.
The second season will include celebrities such as Cheech & Chong, Hank Azaria and Kathy Griffin. Krall’s specialty is saying ignorant, insulting things . The only celeb who got mad? Corey Feldman, when Krall mocks his music career. Then again, Krall wasn’t sure if Feldman’s anger was actually an act. (Perhaps Feldman is that good!)
Krall’s character also gets interviewed by CNN’s Robin Meade on the show, an excuse for him to again visit Atlanta, where he usually tries to catch a Whole World show for nostalgia’s sake.
He said the cast has completely turned over since he was there — which is a good thing. “For the first time in years,” Krall said, “I went to a show and it felt completely fresh.”

Celebrity Birthdays

Singer Leon Russell is 67. Actress Linda Hunt is 64. Singer Emmylou Harris is 62. Actor Christopher Meloni (”Law and Order: Special Victims Unit”) is 48. Actor Adam Rodriguez (”CSI: Miami”) is 34. Keyboardist Jesse Carmichael of Maroon 5 is 30. Actress Bethany Joy Galeotti (”One Tree Hill”) is 28.

Contributing: Rodney Ho, John Kessler and news services.

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