Although the “Three Stooges” movie isn’t officially set here (or anywhere), it’ll be clear to the audience that the movie was filmed in Atlanta.

The Farrelly Brothers comedy opens today and stars Sean Hayes, Will Sasso and Chris Diamantopoulos as Larry, Curly and Moe; along with Jennifer Hudson, Jane Lynch and Larry David as nuns and Sofía Vergara as the evil beauty who crosses paths with the Stooges.

Scenes at the orphanage where Larry, Curly and Moe grew up were filmed at a private estate in the Cartersville area, but many of the interior orphanage scenes actually were filmed on sets that were built at the Atlanta Civic Center. You’ll be able to spot the Equitable Building and the 191 Peachtree Building.

Some outdoor scenes were filmed at Piedmont Park, street scenes are obviously downtown Atlanta (with some super product placement for local beverage company Whynatte) and scenes set at a zoo were filmed at Stone Mountain Park. Party scenes were filmed at the Buckhead home …

Continue reading Look for Atlanta landmarks in “Stooges” movie, now playing »

“Bully” opens Friday in Atlanta at the AMC Phipps Plaza, Landmark Midtown, Lefont Sandy Springs, Regal Town Center and AMC Mansell Crossing theaters. It is rated PG-13.

Director Lee Hirsch has a simple goal for the documentary “Bully.”

“Change the world,” he said during an interview. “Nothing minor. The message here is everybody can be part of the movement. Everybody can be part of change. As creative as kids are at bullying, they can be as creative in intervening. I feel like the whole movie was an act of intervention.”

The film, which last week had its rating lowered from R to PG-13 after a campaign by supporters, shares the stories of bullied children in various parts of the country, including Murray County, Ga., where 17-year-old Tyler Long hanged himself in 2009. His parents have sued the school system, saying their son had been bullied by other students while school employees “acted with deliberate indifference,” according to the lawsuit. The school …

Continue reading “Bully” opens in Atlanta this Friday »

The City of Atlanta this morning cleared several tents from the Woodruff Park area in downtown Atlanta. A television show is filming in the area now. The two events are not connected, the Atlanta Police Department said.

In a statement, the department said that officers “conducted a successful operation this morning shortly after 6 a.m. to enforce an urban camping ordinance prohibiting tents on city sidewalks.”

Seven tents were removed.

“Officers assisted several individuals in seeking appropriate shelter in cooperation with United Way representatives who were also on hand. There were no arrests or incidents as a result of the action,” the statement read. “The action follows two days of warnings to sidewalk campers that they were in violation of an ordinance passed by the Atlanta City Council in March and approved by Mayor Kasim Reed.”

The ordinance, the statement explained, bans tents and the keeping of personal belongings on city sidewalks.

“Individuals were given the …

Continue reading “Necessary Roughness” filming downtown following tent sweep »

“Lift Every Voice & Sang,” a contest in which choirs from metro Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah, Athens, and Macon will compete for a $25,000 grand prize, will benefit the family of Trayvon Martin, the Florida teen shot in Sanford, Fla., by a neighborhood watch captain who said he acted in self defense.

The competition will be held May 19 at Philips Arena.

Gospel artist and radio personality Darlene McCoy will serve as host. Award-winning gospel artist Byron Cage, gospel comedian Jonathan Slocumb, and radio personality and voice of the Atlanta Falcons, KD Bowe, will serve as judges.

“A portion of the proceeds from ‘Lift Every Voice & Sang’ will be donated to the Trayvon Martin family, who are the special invited guests for the evening,” the event notice reads.

Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster.com, the Philips Arena Box Office, charge by phone (800) 745-3000, and any Ticketmaster outlet.

- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com

Continue reading Atlanta gospel choir contest to benefit Trayvon Martin family »

Jennifer Lawrence, who plays Katniss, in a movie still

Director Gary Ross and “The Hunger Games” movie franchise evidently have parted ways.

Ross said in a statement that his schedule would not permit him to work on the next movie, “Catching Fire,” to be released next year, although Entertainment Weekly noted speculation about disagreements between him and Lionsgate.

We’ve interviewed a number of cast members recently who all had positive things to say about Ross. Liam Hemsworth, who played Katniss‘ friend Gale, talked about Ross’ “positive energy.” Sharon Morris, who played a game master named Lucia, noted that her character didn’t officially have a name until Ross came up with “Lucia” because it sounded like something out of ancient Roman times.

“He’s a very excitable type director,” she said. “He came up with the name on the fly.”

Steve Coulter, who also plays a game master, said Ross’ enthusiasm sold him on the part. After he auditioned, he said, Ross opened his arms and …

Continue reading “Hunger Games” director steps aside »

AP photo

Newark, N.J. taxpayers are on the hook for $187,000 – 5 percent of the town’s annual police department budget – following singer Whitney Houston’s funeral, CBS  NY reports.

That figure represents the wages of the 200 or so officers who stood guard during the service, CBS reports.

“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous when you have people who are unemployed and homeless, people walking up and down the streets,” Newark resident Quincy Ruffin told CBS.

On the other hand, could the site of Houston’s home going service become a tourist attraction? The Northern Ohio News-Herald reported that Elvis Presley continues making money 35 years after his death.

“Graceland … has averaged more than 600,000 visitors a year, with more than 750,000 a couple of years,” the News-Herald reported, referring to Elvis’ estate in Memphis, which includes his gravesite. “With an average ticket price of $36, that works out to $21.6 million in annual ticket sales. Graceland spokesman Kevin …

Continue reading Whitney Houston’s funeral cost town $187K »

She might be hot enough for these casting calls.

UPDATE!!!!

Today must be “hot extras” day. “Drop Dead Diva,” the Lifetime show that is filmed in Peachtree City, needs “hot extras” in a hurry. If you can get your hot self down to Fayette County on the double, email diva4atl@gmail.com.

OK we now rejoin this blog post in progress…

The football-themed USA show “Necessary Roughness” needs “hot” extras with reporting experience for an upcoming scene.

“Please note if you have any experience being a reporter,” the casting notice reads, before adding helpfully: “We are looking for smoking hot!”

There is only one word to describe a show depicting smoking hot reporters: Documentary. Yet “Necessary Roughness” purports to be fictional. Hmm.

“Necessary Roughness” also needs “plus-sized women.” (Presumably to make the hotties seem even hotter in comparison?)

The show also needs guys to play cameramen and videographers, but hotness is apparently an option here. There were no further …

Continue reading “Necessary Roughness” and “Single Ladies” seek hot extras »

Filmmaker Peter Farrelly didn’t know much about Atlanta before he and his brother Bobby Farrelly started making movies here.

“I didn’t know Atlanta from a hole in the wall,” said Farrelly, who with his brother shot the comedy Owen Wilson-Jason Sudeikis buddy comedy “Hall Pass” here in 2010 and may return this fall for “Dumb and Dumber 2″ with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels (not to be confused with “Dumb and Dumberer).

”It’s still up in the air right now,” he said. “But I guarantee we’ll be back.”

For now, the Farrelly brothers are promoting their made-in-Atlanta “Three Stooges” movie, set for an April 13 release.

“It’s the most pressure I’ve had since my honeymoon,” Farrelly quipped, referring to the pressure of creating a modern version of the beloved comic trio. “There’s a lot of people saying it’s sacrilege to do a movie about the Three Stooges. Our take was it’s sacrilege that so many kids don’t know the Three …

Continue reading Atlantic Station to host Easter festival Saturday featuring “Three Stooges” game »

A.C.O.D., or “Adult Children of Divorce,” has been filming all over metro Atlanta lately.

Following a stint at the restaurant No. 246 in Decatur last week, we hear the project moved north to the Lake Lanier area, and is headed back to the Atlanta Botanical Garden.

A.C.O.D. already has done some filming there.

The movie, starring Jane Lynch, Jessica Alba, Amy Poehler and Adam Scott also filmed some at Brown & Company Jewelers in Buckhead the other day. The scenes filmed at the jewelry store featured Scott.

Thanks to Brown & Company for sending these great photos. Pictured in the photo at the left are, from left, Angel Tatum, Melissa Lee, Jade Connor, Scott and Jennifer Maxwell.

- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com

Continue reading A.C.O.D. films in Buckhead »

Mary Anne Crisci, from left, Julie Stubbs and their new BFF Amy Adams spent some quality time in the bathroom recently.

We make friends easily down here in the South.

Stand in line for more than five minutes at the Publix and chances are you’ll get to talking to the girl next to you and then it turns out y’all used to go to the same church and wouldn’t you know it, her mamma ‘nem are somehow related to your people.

Anyway.

Julie Stubbs and Mary Anne Crisci were at Fado in Buckhead Saturday night. When they went to powder their noses, look who they ran into: Amy Adams.

Adams, along with her co-stars Justin Timberlake and Clint Eastwood, is here filming “Trouble With the Curve.” They’re shooting this week at Dunwoody High School, handy timing seeing how it’s Spring Break.

She and Mary Anne and Julie must have hit it off because look at this sweet picture they took: In. The. Bathroom.

- Jennifer Brett/The Buzz/jbrett@ajc.com

Continue reading Amy Adams’ impromptu Buckhead photo shoot »