AP photo

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s new movie,”Ten,” is filming in Atlanta now.

A sign at the Workout Anytime Gym in the Vista Grove shopping center had alerted clients that the facility will close from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday so the movie can film there. We’ve since been updated that the filming has been pushed back until Friday.

The notice also notes that it’ll be a closed set, and warns people not to loiter. Other businesses in the area will be unaffected by the filming.

IMDB summarizes the plot of “Ten” thusly: “Members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house.” The movie has previously been known as “Breacher;” it’s not at all unusual for movie or television projects to try out different names before settling on one.

A team from the movie, including director David Ayer and actors Sam Worthington, Terrance Howard, Josh Holloway, Joe Manganiello, Olivia Williams, Mirelle Enos and Max Martini, dined at Del …

Continue reading Arnold Schwarzenegger movie filming in Atlanta »

AP

Mick Jagger and “The Help” director Tate Taylor will team up for a feature film about the life of James Brown, who died in Atlanta on Christmas Day 2006, Deadline reports.

“It’s a great honor to be involved with a project as rich as the story of the legendary James Brown,” Jagger told Deadline.

“My father’s music has been a beacon to people all over the world and now his life story will impact future generations,” his daughter Deanna Brown Thomas told the publication.

Brown, who died at age 73 of congestive heart failure, was born in South Carolina, but moved to Augusta when he was 6. He grew up in his great aunt’s brothel, shining shoes, and singing and dancing for tips on the city’s streets.

Brown maintained an active presence in Augusta, where a statue of his likeness now greets visitors on Broad Street, the city’s downtown boulevard. Brown would hand out turkeys at Thanksgiving and presents at Christmas. He ran into trouble with the law in Augusta, too, …

Continue reading Mick Jagger, “Help” director Tate Taylor, plan James Brown biopic »

Vikki Locke and Kim Zolciak team up for a fun event next month

“Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast member Kim Zolciak teams up with B 98.5 FM Morning Show host Vikki Locke for an exclusive lingerie event next month.

The “Big Bra Bash,” featuring stylish sips and nibbles, a mini fashion show and fun giveaways, is coming up from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 8 at the Intimacy shop at Phipps Plaza, an elegant boutique staffed with expert braristas who are trained to help ladies find the perfect fit. (Intimacy reports the alarming statistic that 85 percent of women do not wear the proper size).

“Over 10 years ago a friend told me about Intimacy,” Locke said. “I went and could not believe I could find a bra that I could sleep in. It felt like a second skin!”

Her event with Zolciak, who recently stopped by the morning show with husband Kroy Biermann and baby Kash, is not open to the public but we’ve got the details on how you can enter to win admission. First, tune into the B 98.5 FM Morning Show …

Continue reading “Housewife” Kim Zolciak to host private lingerie event »

Google “Tony Shalhoub” and the #2 suggested phrase that pops up is “Tony Shalhoub Catching Fire.” That’s the “Hunger Games” sequel filming now in Atlanta, where Shalhoub’s sister and nephew are actors.

“I have been congratulated many times on landing that role,” Shalhoub said, referring to industry reports that he had been cast in the movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland.

Alas, the chatter was just chatter.

“I don’t know where that report came from. A rumor gets planted and it just spreads,” Shalhoub said. “I never talked to anyone. I never met with anyone.”

Asked time and again about the supposed casting, Shalhoub was never tempted to portray it as more than unfounded talk.

“I could have said the material wasn’t worthy of me. It would have been a complete lie,” he said with a chuckle. “I would have loved to have had the opportunity.”

But he’s had other opportunities. While his sister, …

Continue reading Interview: Acting siblings Susan Larkin, Tony Shalhoub prepare to take stages »

Tyler Perry in a movie still from "Alex Cross"

When we interviewed Tyler Perry ahead of the release of his new movie “Alex Cross,” we asked if more movies based on James Patterson’s detective novels could be in his future.

“That’s going to depend on the audience,” he said.

The audience does not appear to be clamoring for more. The action thriller about a hard-charging detective on the hunt of a ruthless murderer did not have a killer weekend at the box office.

“‘Alex Cross’ is Perry’s lowest-grossing opener as an actor; it is the second-lowest debut of his career, after ‘Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls,’ which he wrote, directed and produced,” reported E Online.

Citing Friday-Sunday stats compiled by studios and Exhibitor Relations, E reported that “Paranormal Activity 4″ led the weekend box office with a $30.2 million haul. Ben Affleck’s superb “Argo,” based on the true story of how Americans escaped Iran after the siege on the Tehran embassy, was next with a $16.6 …

Continue reading Tyler Perry’s “Alex Cross” not killing at the box office »

Steak and Fry

Longtime Atlanta sports broadcaster Steak Shapiro is sinking his teeth into a new venture: a dining show. (We hear it’ll be filming at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Marietta’s Chicken and the Egg. The restaurant invites anyone who’d like to check out the filming to stop by!)

“I have two major passions – sports and food,” he said. “I think a lot of people intersect on those. The city is blowing up with restaurants, celebrity chefs, reality shows. We’re a huge dining-out town. People talk about it, blog about it.”

And now, he’s producing a show about it. “Atlanta Eats” launches this weekend and you have plenty of opportunities to check it out. The show will air at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays on Peachtree TV and at noon on CBS Atlanta. If you miss it on TV he’ll follow up with radio spots at 6:40 a.m. on Tuesdays on Star 94, and the content is also available online here.

“Tom Wolfe said restaurants are theater in Atlanta,” Shapiro said, referring to to the author of the …

Continue reading Steak Shapiro launches new dining show »

Rebecca Foust caught up with "Catching Fire" stars Josh Hutcherson, left and Liam Hemsworth

High school “Hunger Games” fan Rebecca Foust was out shopping the other day when opportunity knocked. Actually, it tweeted.

“I happened to refresh my Twitter feed at the best moment possible, because a tweet from Atlantic Station’s Twitter came up saying that Josh and Liam had been spotted at the movie theater,”she said.

Indeed, Atlantic Station Community and Social Media Manager Caleb J. Spivak had just dished via @AtlanticStation that Josh Hutcherson, who plays Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth, who plays Gale, were taking in a screening of “Seven Psychopaths,” starring their fellow Hunger Gamer Woody Harrelson, at the Regal Atlantic Station.

“At Atlantic Station, our philosophy is that social media is only truly effective when conversations happen in real time,” said Spivak, a savvy social media practitioner who also tweets updates from his restaurant/retail/real estate blog What Now …

Continue reading “Catching Fire” stars Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson at Atlantic Station »

Katie, Perry. Photo credit: Disney-ABC Domestic Television

Tyler Perry visited with Katie Couric this week to discuss his new movie “Alex Cross,” now in theaters.

The two also touched on his recent 30-pound weight loss, the rapper Lil Wayne, his friend Whitney Houston and her daughter Bobbi Kristina, among other topics.

Perry said Houston’s death occurred near his late mother’s birthday, making the loss even more heartbreaking.

“I’ve been dealing with my mother’s death since 2009,” Perry said during a Thursday appearance on “Katie,” which airs at 3 p.m. weekdays on Channel 2. “Feb. 12 was her birthday, and I got the call about Whitney right around that time.”

After the singer’s death at age 48 following a long battle with substance abuse, Perry arranged for her remains to be transported from Los Angeles to Newark on his private plane, and spoke at her memorial service.

It’s really tough to even talk about, even still, because she was such a wonderful, beautiful …

Continue reading Tyler Perry, Katie Couric discuss Whitney, weight loss, Lil Wayne during “Alex Cross” visit »

DAVE MARTIN / AP

Trey Anastasio of Phish fame rocked Atlanta Symphony Hall this February and left something behind: a signed guitar.

Want it?

The unique memorabilia is up for grabs this Friday night at the Casino Night fundraiser organized by Bravo, the Atlanta Symphony Associates’ young professionals group. More details here.

The event will be held from 8 p.m. to midnight at Mercedes Benz of Buckhead, 2799 Piedmont Rd. NE. Tickets start at $75 and are available here.

Other prizes include:

- A two-night luxury stay at the AAA Five Diamond Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami, including a one-hour couples’ massage experience in a VIP couples suite

- Two tickets to Manheim Steamroller at the Fox Theatre

- A one-night stay at the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, and a cottage suite at Barnsley Gardens

- And the grand prize: a one-week stay at Le Pechoir in the historic town of Cagnes sur Mer

Get your tickets here!

Continue reading Atlanta Symphony Orchestra + Phish rocker = creative fundraiser! »

B 98.5's Jessica Forkel will serve as the emcee for the upcoming For the Love of Dogs Festival.

Listen up, party animals! Here are a couple of fun events benefiting metro Atlanta’s finest four-legged friends.

First up, the Atlanta Humane Society’s Junior Board, known as the 1873 Society Club, holds its annual Humane Event tonight at Summerour Studio in West Midtown.

The event features an open bar, food from favorite restaurants including JCT Kitchen, The Optimist, Miso Izakaya, the Shed at Glenwood and Spice Market, along with live music by Ben Deignan and Kidd Koby Roc and a great silent auction.

The event benefits the AHS’ Howell Mill Animal Wellness Clinic. Tickets are $100 per person and available here.

Next, Dogma Dog Care will host the second annual “For The Love of Dogs Festival” on Nov. 3 at its facility, located at 4790 Wright Drive, S.E. in Smyrna. The event will feature a wide variety of products, guests and services for dogs and their people, including …

Continue reading Calling all party animals! Fun events benefit furry friends »