For the past 11 years, Souper Jenny, the quirky little soup shop in Buckhead, has closed for vacation during the month of August, causing throngs of soup fans to crowd the place right beforehand, stocking up for the hiatus.

This year, owner Jenny Levison is shutting down for the month of July instead, so if you want some soup, get over there to-DAY.

She’ll be doling out free ice cream from West Side Creamery. During the break, Levison and staffers Marcie Millard, Sharon Litzky and Rachel Miller are performing in the musical “Company” at Stage Door Players in Dunwoody.

Information: www.stagedoorplayers.net.

Continue reading Souper Jenny to close today! (For a month) »

Carrie Prejean, who caused a bit of controversy when she said she believed marriage “should be between a man and a woman,” is getting married.

To a guy, naturally.

The former Miss California and NFL quarterback Kyle Boller are tying the knot at The Grand Del Mar hotel in San Diego, according to a TMZ report.

In 2009, Preajean, 23, drew criticism with her response to peagant judge Perez Hilton’s question about same-sex marriage. She said that she thought marriage should be between men and women, adding, “No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

She ended up first runner up and was later stripped of the title of Miss California. Donald Trump, the owner of the Miss USA competition, said “continued breach of contract issues” were to blame.

Prejean sued – and then withdrew the lawsuit when a sex tape surfaced.

Continue reading Former Miss California Carrie Prejean to wed »

Buzz is going to an advance screening of “Eclipse,” the latest “Twilight” flick tonight (we’ve promised not to spill any secrets!) and got a few minutes over the weekend with Daniel Cudmore, who plays a Volturi vampire named Felix.

You might recongize the hunktacular Cudmore from his role as Colossus in the X-Men movies. While he was in town he participated in a Braves charity softball game and greeted fans at the Atlantic Station screening of “New Moon,” the previous “Twilight” movie.

“It’s exciting,” Cudmore said of the most recent installment of the vampire series. “It’s a different take, a different director. This book is about revenge and double crossing. It’s darker, a lot more action. Stephanie Meyer did a great job with the book and the movie stays true to the book.”

“It’s romantic,” he added. “It’s the ultimate forbidden love. Vampires were never sexy before. They were these pale, dark, creepy things in the corner.”

So, what is it with the ever-brooding star Kristen …

Continue reading Interview with a vampire »

She has already collected Oscar and Golden Globe statues but Saturday’s tribute from the Atlanta Urban League made actress-comedienne-talk show host Mo’Nique emotional nonetheless.

“When you get your community to say, ‘we honor you,’ it’s a privilege,” she told us during a short interview ahead of time. “It’s humbling.”

Mo’Nique won best supporting actress awards for her role in the Tyler Perry-Oprah Winfrey presented film “Precious,” and hosts “The Mo’Nique Show” on BET. The show’s positive nature explains its success, she said.

“There are a lot of amazing talk shows, but we’re a celebration of live and love,” she said. “When you’re ready to talk about life and love, you’ll come see us.”

So, who does she want to work with next? “I don’t consider this work,” she said. “I would love to play with Don Cheadle. Don, if you’re reading this, dammit, I’ve said it too many times. You haven’t called me!”

Mo'Nique took time to …

Continue reading Mo’Nique honored by Atlanta Urban League »

Well here’s a power trio for you.

R&B artist Usher and teen sensation Justin Bieber will take the stage of the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on Aug. 6 for the World Leadership Awards, a fundraiser concert benefiting Usher’s charity, the New Look Foundation. Joining them: former President Bill Clinton.

Information posted on Usher’s Web site says that the event supports the foundation’s ”mission to mentor youth as global leaders,” and promises an evening of special surprises.

World Leadership Awards chairs are Cammie R. Rice, who sits on the New Look Foundation’s board of directors, and her husband GE Vice Chairman John Rice.

The host committee includes a number of Atlanta’s philanthropic power hitters along with business, civic and political leaders: Gov. Sonny Perdue and wife Mary, former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn and wife Colleen, former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, political pundit Phil Kent, Roger and Kathy Penske of the Penske Automotive Group; …

Continue reading Usher, Justin Bieber, Bill Clinton to rock Atlanta »

Here’s some updated information on author Karin Slaughter’s upcoming book signing.

She’ll be at the Georgia Center for the Book, which is located at Dekalb Public Library, 215 Sycamore St. in Decatur, at 7:15 p.m. July 1. The visit is coordinated in partnership with Outwrite Bookstore & Coffeehouse.

Here’s the spine-tingling tease for “Broken,” Slaughter’s latest book:

“When the body of a young woman is discovered deep beneath the icy waters of Lake Grant, a note left under a rock by the shore points to suicide. But within minutes, it becomes clear that this is no suicide. It’s a brutal, cold-blooded murder. All too soon former Grant County medical examiner Sara Linton – home for Thanksgiving after a long absence – finds herself unwittingly drawn into the case. The chief suspect is desperate to see her, but when she arrives at the local police station she is met with a horrifying sight – he lies dead in his cell, the words ‘Not me’ scrawled across the walls.

Something …

Continue reading Karin Slaughter at GA Center for the Book on July 1 »

Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Janet Jackson and Tyler Perry are in Gwinnett County as I type, working on scenes for the film adaptation of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.”

The cast of Perry’s latest project has been filming scenes up there for a couple of days and should wrap up late tonight. Then, it’s on to Tyler Perry Studios for some interior scenes. The production has been filming in Midtown and Buckhead, and plans to do some shooting at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, too.

Co-producer Joe Genier told Buzz that things are going well. The film is set to wrap up on July 9 and should be released in January 2011.

“So far, so good,” he said during a break in the action this afternoon. Perry and the cast members – including Loretta Devine, Anika Noni Rose and Thandie Newton, who has taken the place of Mariah Carey – were all ensconced in their trailers during our brief visit to the set.

Genier, who has worked on a number of …

Continue reading Gwinnett is Great…for a Tyler Perry film »

I took this picture of Kevin a while ago in his kitchen

“Top Chef” finalist Kevin Gillespie still plans to open a barbecue joint in Atlanta, but plans are on hold for the moment.

The executive chef of Woodfire Grill told us he and his partners had identified a possible location, had plans drawn up and everything, but then he decided it was too big.

“I would have had to do 800 (meals) a day to make it work,” he said. “The whole point was to keep it small. We really want to focus on Woodfire, and make it great.”

So, stay tuned.

The affable Gillespie mixed and mingled at the bar of the Midtown W Wednesday night at a slightly kooky event billed as the “Fans of Kevin Gillespie’s Beard” bash. Enjoying cocktails and proudly brandishing unique party favors – paper beards – were Krista Miller and Zachary Smith. The two set up the “Fans of Kevin Gillespie’s Beard” Facebook page during the “Top Chef” season, undoubtedly helping Gillespie clinch viewers’ choice honors at the end. Smith …

Continue reading Kevin Gillespie’s BBQ plans on hold »

Don’t feel bad, Tyler Perry. Mariah Carey had a good reason to drop out of your film project.

The Radaronline.com site reports the that actress-singer and husband Nick Cannon are expecting.

Carey, who also appeared in “Precious,” presented by Perry and Oprah Winfrey, was to have played a role in Perry’s adaptation of “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.”

Scenes for the film will be shot in metro Atlanta, sources have told Buzz.

Sources have told Radar that Carey and Cannon, who renewed their vows to celebrate their second anniversary in May, are “both very excited and very happy.”

Carey’s rep, Cindi Berger, wouldn’t confirm or deny the artist’s gestational state.

In other preggo news, Radar says reality star Khloe Kardashian and her husband, Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom, also are expecting.

“Lamar is happy and ecstatic,” their insider reports.

“Khloe is having cravings of fruit and ice …

Continue reading Celeb stork report: Mariah, Khloe Kardashian expecting »

Roscoe Dash tweets and gets a touch-up before a video shoot last week with T-Pain

Rap and social media converged here in our music and tech-savvy town last week.

We stopped by a southwest Atlanta studio to check out a video shoot that T-Pain and Roscoe Dash were working on in conjunction with the summer dance flick “Step it Up 3-D.”

The studio was full of extras — limber young women in spandex and skinny jeans — and in a back room we found Dash getting his hair cut and tweeting furiously on his apple-green Apple laptop.

“I just like the interaction with people, ” he said as barber-to-the-stars Bobby Henderson carved curves into his noggin. Follow him at @RoscoeDash. T-pain keeps fans updated on his every move at @NBTPain, but didn’t have a lot of time to gab before getting ready for the shoot. “I’m like two hours late, ” he said with a sheepish grin.

Meanwhile, the Yaarab Shrine Temple hosted a surprise concert starring Big Boi, Yelawolf and Jay Electronica (@Therealbigboi, …

Continue reading Hip hop meets social media »