DANCING WITH THE STARS – HINES WARD – A four-time Pro Bowler, three-time Super Bowl participant, two-time Super Bowl Champion and Super Bowl XL MVP, Hines Ward holds virtually every record in Steelers wide receiving history and will go down in the record books as the Steelers' all-time leading wide receiver. He teams up with Season 9 champion KYM JOHNSON, who returns for her ninth season. A star-studded cast filled with celebrities across a variety of genres are set to compete each week on the dance floor in the spectacular two-hour season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars," MONDAY, MARCH 21 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/BOB D'AMICO)For

At the University of Georgia and for 13 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Hines Ward has warded off cornerbacks and caught hundreds of passes on his way to become a decorated two-time Super Bowl champion.

But the wide receiver said prepping for ABC’s popular “Dancing With the Stars,” debuting Mondayfor its 12th …

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The recent documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work” showed that this 77-year-old comedienne is not even close to slowing down in her later years.

Through ups and downs in her career, work has been her life-long companion. Rivers has never been out of the spotlight, but she was not on the A list when Donald Trump came calling a couple of years ago for a slot on “Celebrity Apprentice.”

The reality program showcased her still sharp wit and her delightfully intense work ethic to a new generation. She won the competition. And she was back on the pop culture radar.

“It reminded people that I was still around,” Rivers said by phone from Los Angeles last week to promote her upcoming stand-up concert at Atlanta Symphony Hall March 25. “It was wonderful having people root for you. That was very touching. I wanted to win!”

She’s now hosting E!’s weekly “Fashion Police,” never afraid to throw out a scathingly funny line.

On the show, commenting on actress Jennifer Lawrence’s …

Continue reading Joan Rivers, coming to Atlanta Symphony Hall March 25, can’t stop the wit »

Minnie Driver. CREDIT: AP

Minnie Driver will be in Atlanta next week to shoot a CBS pilot for an hour-long drama currently named “Hail Mary.”

She will star as a suburban single mom who teams up with a street-smart hustler (played by Brandon T. Jackson)  to solve crimes.

Others who have gotten roles: “Without a Trace” star Enrique Murciano as her boyfriend and character actor Stephen Tobolowsky (who played the “Glee” music teacher before Will Schuester) as a private detective.

Though the pilot is based here, there is no guarantee it will stay here if it gets picked up. And odds of getting on air are tough since CBS is the top-rated  network and has the fewest holes to plug among the major networks.

Driver, 41,  was last seen on a regular TV series ini FX’s “The Riches,” which lasted two seasons in 2007 and 2008 and also starred Eddie Izzard. She received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for playing a Traveller pretending to be an upscale suburbanite.

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CREDIT: Syfy

On the reality show “Face Off” on Syfy, a competition for the best special effects make-up artist, Decatur commercial sculptor Samantha Cobb was not a favorite to win.

But she made it to the finals. “The whole time,” she said today, ” I thought, ‘If I make it past episode five, I’d be really happy.’ And I rolled into episode eight and thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m here!’ ”

Cobb had plenty of experience with sculpting and make-up but not the technical skills or deep interest required to create the elaborate horror/sci-fi costumes many of her competitors enjoyed doing.

“I’m not a gore person,” she said. “I’m not really a horror person. Those have not been my fascination. I love people and people’s faces.”

In the first episode, she was virtually invisible and that set a pattern. She was not a drama queen. She didn’t boast. She didn’t stand out.

Over the first six episodes, she was neither named at the top or the bottom of the heap.

“My work was in the middle,” Cobb …

Continue reading Decatur sculptor Sam Cobb makes finals of Syfy’s ‘Face Off’ »

Baton Rouge, LA USA: Baton Rouge Coca-Cola bottling company employee Leroy Jackson, Sr. displays a spool of labels that will be used to wrap around a plastic bottles containing the world-famous beverage. (Photo Credit: © NGT)

A Baton Rouge Coca-Cola factory gets the spotlight tonight on NGC’s “Ultimate Factories” at 10 p.m.

NGC focuses on a relatively new factory that opened in 2009. It operates 24 hours a day, five days a week. It can package 4.5 million servings a day.

“The volumes are staggering. The speeds are blinding,” the narrator said.

Coca Cola continues to perpetuate the trade secret, declining to reveal what its “natural flavors” are. And this special won’t’ reveal it either.

It shows how the concentrate turns into the drink, which is 90 percent water.  The sweetener is sugar in most parts of the world but its high fructose corn sweetener in the United States because it’s cheaper here.

We also see how plastic bottles are made using PET pellets at  a Mississippi …

Continue reading Coca Cola factory highlighted tonight on NGC’s ‘Ultimate Factories’ »

CREDIT: AP

Cee Lo Green’s unprintable song  euphemistically titled ‘Forget You” has leapt to the No. 1 slot on local radio the past week.

The Atlanta singer’s incredibly catchy song was getting very little airplay as recently as January but has found its legs recently, getting spins on Star 94 (21), V-103 (15), Wild (108!) and Q100 (94).  This is a rare song heard on Star and V-103 at the same time.

“Forget You” leapfrogged Nicki Minaj’s “Moment 4 Life,” which had held the top spot for two weeks, and Bruno Mars’ “Grenade.”

And the Chris Brown resurrection is nearly complete. He now has two songs in the Atlanta top 10 – both ironically just ahead of a song by Rihanna.

Top 10 songs
1. Cee Lo Green – Forget You 238 (+85)
2. Bruno Mars – Grenade 230 (+20)
3. Nicki Minaj – Moment 4 Life 228 (+5)
4. Enrique Iglesias – Tonight 187 (-4)
5. Lady Gaga – Born This Way 185 (-3)
6. Chris Brown – Yeah 3X 139 (+13)
7. Trey Songz – Love Face 138 (+6)
8. Kanye West – All of the Lights 135 …

Continue reading Cee Lo’s ‘Forget You’ leaps to No. 1 on Atlanta radio charts »

DANCING WITH THE STARS – WENDY WILLIAMS – Called a "breakthrough in daytime" by The New York Times, Wendy Williams burst onto the national talk show scene in July 2009 with the launch of her daily, syndicated program, "The Wendy Williams Show." Touted by People Magazine as one of the "best shows of 2009," the critically-acclaimed series now has the distinction of being "must-see TV." She joins TONY DOVOLANI, who is back for his eleventh season. A star-studded cast filled with celebrities across a variety of genres are set to compete each week on the dance floor in the spectacular two-hour season premiere of "Dancing with the Stars," MONDAY, MARCH 21 (8:00-10:01 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/LOU ROCCO) WENDY WILLIAMS, TONY DOVOLANI

Wendy Williams flew into Atlanta from New York yesterday for a day trip. Why? She is playing the role of a judge for an upcoming episode of Lifetime’s “Drop Dead Diva,” to air sometimes this summer for the series’ third season.

I …

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Ramona DeBreaux has been doing mid-days for V-103 continuously for weeks so this announcement should come as no surprise: she is now the official mid-day jock, replacing Elle Duncan.

The spot has been open since last summer when Duncan was moved to the Frank & Wanda morning show. V-103 tried out a few different people, including former mid-day host Osei the Dark Secret and even Al B Sure, the R&B singer. But DeBreaux, who had been doing traffic for Frank & Wanda since 2008, kept rising to the top of the list. She had already been the mid-day host at Hot 107.9 for several years before being let go in 2007.

“Ramona’s a veteran,” said V-103 Program Director Reggie Rouse. “She does great community appearances. She knows the market. She’s a great-sounding jock.”

In recent weeks, with DeBreaux exclusively handling mid-day duties, this announcement was …

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Chadd Scott, who does sports updates for 680/The Fan, said he was fired today for negative Tweets about Delta Air Lines, a major sponsor at the station.

In a text message this evening, he said he was informed about Delta’s unhappiness when he was dismissed by the Fan.

The Fan president David Dickey confirmed that Scott has been let go but declined to say why.  “He’s a good guy and we wish him well,” he said. I’ve also checked with Delta Air Lines and am awaiting a response. (As of 7:19 p.m. Tuesday, I had not heard back from Delta.)

Scott, who has worked at 790/The Zone, Colin Cowherd and Michael Savage in the past, complained about a Delta delay Monday in St. Louis on his Twitter page and the fact they didn’t have enough de-icing fluid. Within a few hours, he was let go from the Fan, where he does sports updates for the station’s afternoon shows and produces the Chuck & Chernoff show. Here’s a sample Tweet from yesterday: “the bean counter who saved delta a few bucks in st. …

Continue reading 680/The Fan’s Chadd Scott said he was fired for Tweets about Delta Air Lines »

Kyra Phillips and John Roberts earlier today with their new twins. CREDIT: CNN

CNN’s Kyra Phillips and Fox News’ John Roberts welcomed twins early this morning.

The names: Sage Ann, 5 pounds 15 ounces, and Kellan Clay, also 5 pounds, 15 ounces.

A statement from Kyra:

“Sage came out with her arms open wide ready for a hug. Kellan came out feisty – ready to conquer the world! It doesn’t get much better than that.
For John and me, we now have everything we could ask for.”

Roberts, a long-time CBS correspondent, spent five years with CNN, most recently at “American Morning” as a host in New York. In January, the 54-year-old Canadian native moved to Atlanta to be a correspondent for Fox News.

Phillips, 42, has been with CNN since 1999 and anchors the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. news program.

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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog

Continue reading CNN’s Kyra Phillips and Fox News’ John Roberts have twins »