Tom D. Bell, from left, and Drs. Tamara R. Espinoza, Kenneth L. Wilson and Alfred W. Brann were honored at the White Coat Gala. Photos by Ninh Chau

The second annual White Coat Grady Gala raised $866,000 for the Grady Health Foundation and honored four local healthcare heroes.

The event, held in the Oceans Ballroom of the Georgia Aquarium, was co-chaired by Kelly Loeffler and Jeff Sprecher along with June and Michael Tompkins. Channel 2 anchor John Bachman was the emcee.

Long-time Atlanta businessman and developer Tom Bell, a founding member of Grady Memorial Hospital’s corporate board, who is credited with raising $320 million and keeping Grady’s doors open, received the Ada Lee and Pete Correll Healthcare Legacy Award.

“Everybody knows this award out to go to Pete but we couldn’t figure out a way for him to give it to himself so here I am,” said Bell, the retired CEO of development firm Cousins Properties Inc. “We have made a lot of progress but we have so much left. I …

Continue reading Gala honors heroes, raises nearly $900K for Grady Health Foundation »

Ask not what Oprah can do for you. (AP photo)

Things at Oprah Winfrey’s new network, OWN, aren’t that great. She recently discussed the channel’s challenges during an appearance on the CBS morning show.

“Had I known it was this difficult, I might have done something else,” she said during the appearance.

Low ratings axed a show with Rosie O’Donnell that had been featured on OWN, and about 30 people lost their jobs as a result of recent restructuring.

A recent Forbes article summed things up on thusly: “A joint venture between Winfrey’s company Harpo and Discovery Communications, OWN debuted on January 1, 2011, in approximately 77 million homes. It has been plagued by turnover at the top and ratings disappointments, and Discovery has yet to recoup its $300 million investment.”

But you and your mildly dysfunctional family can help turn things around. Casting folks are looking for Atlanta families with teens and tension at home.

“If you’re a mom or dad locked in a …

Continue reading Oprah Winfrey needs you: OWN show casting in Atlanta »

Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams have gone back to school. Their baseball-themed movie, “Trouble With the Curve,” is filming at Dunwoody High School today, taking advantage of the Spring Break lull.

We’re told that Eastwood and Adams have arrived and await word on whether their co-star Justin Timberlake will be joining them. The project has filmed at numerous area locations including Turner Field.

We’ll post more as we learn more details.  For now, here’s a photo of costumes being wheeled into the school that the Dunwoody Convention and Visitors Bureau posted.

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

Continue reading “Trouble With the Curve” filming in Dunwoody today »

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal's office: ready for its close-up. Photo by Chris Quinn

Now that legislators have scrammed for the year, camera crews have taken over the Georgia Capitol.

“Revolution,” a project described by The Wrap as a drama about “a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist,” is filming there.

My colleague Chris Quinn took this photo of Gov. Nathan Deal’s office, which has undergone quite a transformation for the filming.

The NBC pilot by J.J. Abrams stars Billy Burke, aka Bella’s Dad in the Twilight movies (who else is Team Charlie?) and Giancarlo Esposito of “Breaking Bad” fame. The guys were both spotted at Atlantic Station over the weekend.

It’s not the first time the Georgia Capitol has been used as a filming site. The television movie “The Lost Valentine” with Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt turned it into a train depot in 2010. It’s a pretty fitting place …

Continue reading TV show filming at the Georgia Capitol »

AP

Tyler Perry said in a message posted Sunday on his blog that he recently was pulled over by police officers, one of whom banged on his window and “badgered” him.

He did not specify which metro area police force was involved, but said he was pulled over on the way to the Atlanta airport.

After making a left turn from the right lane, Perry wrote, a police car pulled him over and an officer stated he had made an illegal turn.

“I signaled to get into the turning lane, then made the turn because I have to be sure I’m not being followed,” Perry said he told the officer. He wrote that he usually is escorted by his own private security forces in an unmarked car, and if not he constantly scans the rearview mirror to ensure he is not being followed. He said the officer asked why Perry might fear he was being followed.

“Before I could answer him, I heard a hard banging coming from the passenger window,” Perry wrote. He said the officer told him his window were tinted and then said, …

Continue reading Tyler Perry says he was pulled over, “badgered” by cops »

Kevin Bacon (second from right, in white -shirt and sunglasses) showed up to BaconFest this weekend.

Kevin Bacon at BaconFest. How perfect is that?

The actor, in town shooting a television pilot, stopped by the 12th annual event put on by Dad’s Garage Theatre this weekend.

“Never been to BaconFest in Alanta before,” he tweeted on Saturday. “What does one wear?”

Jeans and a t-shirt evidently. Or a bacon costume. Bacon posted this photo of himself on his blog and wrote, “Best BaconFest ever. Support Dad’s Garage.”

In other weekend sighting news, Justin Timberlake, Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams, in town filming “Trouble With the Curve,” headed to Fado in Buckhead Saturday night. A number of people tweeted photos but it was pretty dark in there. We’re working on finding a good one to post. This project has been shooting in numerous area locations, most recently at Turner Field last week.

Meanwhile at STK, Dallas Austin was serving as DJ for the evening and Jessica Alba stopped by …

Continue reading Weekend sightings: Kevin Bacon at Bacon Fest; Justin Timberlake at Fado »

AP photo

The late Whitney Houston’s daughter Bobbi Kristina will appear in some upcoming episodes of a Tyler Perry show, the New York Daily News reports.

Citing unnamed sources, the paper reports that Houston’s sole heir is to appear in a recurring role in “For Better or Worse.”

The site Straight from the A has details on the collaboration.

Perry has been a stalwart friend since Houston’s death, arranging for her remains to be transported from Los Angeles to her hometown for burial, and speaking at her memorial service.

Bobbi Kristina headed south shortly after her mother’s funeral, where Oprah Winfrey conducted an interview for the OWN channel.

In recent weeks news reports about the teen’s parents have been troubling: her father Bobby Brown was charged with DUI in Los Angeles, and TMZ reported that cocaine was discovered in the hotel room where Houston died. While Houston’s official cause of death was drowning, investigators stated that cocaine use was a contributing …

Continue reading Tyler Perry, Bobbi Kristina team up on sitcom »