Brooklyn Decker in a scene from "What To Expect When You're Expecting" that filmed at Chops.

Back when Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez were an item last year they had a date night at Chops Lobster Bar.

Billy Bob Thornton, Kevin Bacon, John Hurt, Robert Patrick, Robert Duvall and Ron White also dined there last year, when Thornton’s movie “Jayne Mansfield’s Car” was filming here.

And when “What To Expect When You’re Expecting,” starring Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Anna Kendrick, Matthew Morrison, Dennis Quaid, Elizabeth Banks, Brooklyn Decker, Chace Crawford, Chris Rock and Rodrigo Santoro was released earlier this year, Chops appeared on the big screen. A dinner scene was filmed there.

This week Chops is back in action. We hear the Lifetime movie about Anna Nicole Smith and the BET show “The Game” both will film there (on different days). We’re working to find out more about this week’s activities. For now – if you drive by and see camera crews or equipment trucks, you can …

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T.I. adds “NBA commentator” to his list of accomplishments tonight, joining SportSouth commentator Bob Rathbun and former Atlanta Hawk Duane Ferrell as contributing sports analyst during tonight’s game at Philips Arena against the Miami Heat .

The rapper and actor now starring in the VH1 reality show “T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle,” and the Starz political comedy “Boss,” will chime in during SportSouth’s coveraage during the first two quarters of the game, airing at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets for the game are still available  here or at the box office.

Continue reading T.I. to join Hawks broadcasting team tonight »

Susan and Don Dutson attended the Atlanta Speech School Gala's patron party. Photos by Jim Fitts

The Atlanta Speech School Guild’s 39th annual Language and Literacy Gala will be held Sunday at the Capital City Club in Brookhaven. Co-chaired by Chambless Kalka and Jennifer Ansley, the event features entertainment by the Bradley Cole Smith Band and a live and silent auction, including pieces created by local artists and Atlanta Speech School students.

The event’s presenting sponsor is Pediatric Ear, Nose & Throat of Atlanta, P.C.

Russ Richards, chairman of the Atlanta Speech School board, from left, Melanie Richards, Carmen Nunez, and Ricardo Nunez attended the Atlanta Speech School's patron party. Photos by Jim Fitts

Celebrating started Oct. 25 with a patron party at the home of Patty and Doug Reid; the patron party was chaired by Liza Jancik. Patty Reid was the school’s board chairman during the 2011-12 year.

The longest continually running holiday event in Atlanta, the …

Continue reading Language and Literacy Gala benefits Atlanta Speech School »

There’s still time to enter this weekend’s Yogli Mogli 5K, a new race benefiting the Make-A-Wish Georgia Chapter.

The event, scheduled for Saturday and stepping off from the Yogli Mogli in Emory Village (1403 Oxford Road/678-382-6222), will be executed and timed by Zulu Racing. Organizers hope to raise $8,000, the amount needed to grant one wish for a Make-A-Wish recipient. The entry fee is $30.

The event’s specific recipient is a 6-year-old named Megan who has mitochondrial disease. That’s her on the right!

Prizes will be awarded after the race and every runner receives a T-shirt and a free cup of frozen yogurt at that Yogli Mogli location. Park at the Fishburne Visitor Parking Deck on the Emory campus. Q100’s Jeff Dauler will serve as event host.

Races of all ages, and strollers and wheelchairs welcome.

Registration starts at 6:30 a.m. and the race steps off at 8 a.m. The awards ceremony starts at 9 a.m.

Runners can pick up their race packets early at Big Peach Running …

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If you’re jogging or walking your dog in Piedmont Park this Saturday and the guy next to you seems to be a little, well, dead, never fear. A movie called “Zombie Crush,” and billed as a “a teenage zomedy” is filming.

The director of the flick is 13-year-old Tendal Mann, who has appeared on stage at the Alliance Theatre and whose screen credits include “Who Do You Love,” honored as the best narrative film at the 2010 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.

Lawayne and Dewayne Bontrager, owners of Twiin Media, LLC and Bontrager Twins Production, are serving as executive producers, production managers, editors, special effects artists and mentors to the young director. Here’s the movie web site for more information. Here’s the trailer, below.

Zombie Crush Trailer Oct/2012 from Dewayne Bontrager on Vimeo.

Continue reading Teen zombie flick to film in Piedmont Park on Saturday »

The Ice Cube movie “Ride Along” is filming in Castleberry Hill today. A notice from the production’s location manager said they’d be filming at and around the Elliott Street Deli & Pub at 51 Elliott Street Southwest. Elliott Street between Mitchell and Chapel streets will be closed during the filming, and there will be motorcycles involved in this scene.

A feature film called “Addicted” also is filming in Castleberry Hill. A note from its location manager says it’ll be there through Sunday. Haynes, Peters and Fair streets will be affected, the notice says.

“The Vampire Diaries” is filming in Covington, as it often does.

The film “Ten” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger is filming in Social Circle this week.

Lifetime’s movie about Anna Nicole Smith will film in Riverdale on Thursday.

BET’s “The Game” is filming in Atlanta tomorrow. The scene will be “exterior New York street scenes.” My guess is they’ll film downtown, which sometimes approximates NYC for filming …

Continue reading What’s filming in Atlanta? »

“Walking Dead” star Andrew Lincoln is the latest local notable to check out the Cirque du Soleil show “Totem,” which will be at Atlantic Station through the end of the year.

A slew of stars packed the tent on opening night. Details here. Lincoln, who plays Sheriff Rick Grimes, was there this week. Here he is with one of the performers.

Here’s my colleague Rodney Ho’s latest Walking Dead recap by the way. Lots of spoilers so read at your own risk.

In other Atlantic Station news, Josh Hutcherson was there this week at the movie theater. He plays Peeta in the Hunger Games sequel “Catching Fire,” which has been filming around Atlanta. He also stars in the “Red Dawn” remake, which will be released Nov. 21. I saw the press screening yesterday. Wolverines!

Continue reading Walking Dead, Hunger Games stars at Atlantic Station »

In this undated photo on the left, Elvis is wearing the ring shown on the right.

Two pieces of jewelry once owned by Elvis Presley have made their way into an Atlanta jeweler’s vault.

The items include a 4.5 carat tourmaline ring with 4 carats of diamonds, and an 81-gram gold bracelet adorned with diamonds. The story of their origin and how they ended up in Atlanta is a tale fit for a King.

Lamar Fike, a member of Elvis’ entourage known as the “Memphis Mafia,” had possession of the ring and bracelet before Presley died. A local businessman ended up with them several years ago as a result of a business transaction with Fike, who died last year. The businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has enlisted Buckhead jeweler Jonathan Shapero to appraise and then sell the jewelry.

“Private jewelers do not get a lot of famous people’s stuff. It’s really rare,” said Shapero, who estimates the ring could fetch up to $30,000 and the bracelet up to $20,000. “It becomes a great …

Continue reading The King’s bling: Elvis’ jewelry for sale in Atlanta »

Actress Holly Robinson Peete is known for her roles on television shows including “21 Jump Street” and “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper” (along with a short-lived stint on “The Talk”).

Her appearance in Atlanta this Thursday has little to do with showbiz, though. She’ll be at the Four Seasons Hotel in Midtown for a talk and book signing hosted by the Foundation for Mitochondrial Medicine, drawing on her experiences as the daughter of a Parkinson’s patient and the mother of a son with autism.

“When our son was diagnosed with autism in 2000, I didn’t really see anyone talking about this,” she said. “I had been dealing with my father with Parkinson’s and was like, what now? What next?”

Her father, actor Matt Robinson, died in 2002. Her son R.J. is 15 and exceeding doctors’ early expectations.

“They told me he would never have any meaningful conversation,” she said. “The other day he told me, ‘Hey, Mom, I’m glad you got your workout in!’ We feel extremely blessed. We never thought he …

Continue reading Holly Robinson Peete coming to Atlanta for educational health event »