I love classic Christmas music. My favorite thing to listen to this time of year now is the “Charlie Brown Christmas” station on Pandora.  Lots of Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole along with the Vince Guaraldi Trio. Delightful!

But eventually you need to spike the eggnog, if you get me. When I’m about to overdose on sweet sentimentality I turn to Dwight Yoakam and this positively brilliant song, “Santa Can’t Stay.” I wish there was an official video for it. If there is I can’t find it.

What’s your favorite snarky Christmas song? (Besides that idiotic Grandma/reindeer song.) Post your entry below and I’ll draw one at random. The winner gets something deeelicous from my colleague, food writer John Kessler’s desk. Y’all should have seen the awesome spray frosting he got in the mail last year. Mmmm.

Continue reading Your favorite snarky Christmas song? »

Are you ready for some … lunch? AJC staff photo by Curtis Compton

Atlanta Falcons player Roddy White is teaming up with Boost Mobile to serve lunch for free from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday out of the Sweet Auburn BBQ truck at Atlanta’s Food Truck Park, 1850 Howell Mill Road (Howell Mill at I-75).

For every resident who shows up for the event, Boost Mobile will donate a meal to the Atlanta Community Food Bank.

Boost Mobile also will make a donation in the amount of $8,400 to White’s Keep the Faith Foundation in his honor. (White’s jersey number is 84, get it?) The gift will aid the foundation’s Rockstar Program, which provides scholarships.

The event features giveaways of phones and autographed footballs, too. See you there!

Continue reading Falcons player Roddy White to serve free lunch at Atlanta’s Food Truck Park »

If you were raised in the South you probably start conversations the way we do: “How’s your mama?”

Usually this is code for “I have three minutes to kill here in the Kroger check-out line.” Not when you’re talking with Davy Rothbart. In his case we were wondering if his mom, who mysteriously turned deaf years ago at age 29, is still channeling an ancient Buddhist monk named Aaron and is still leading tours to a miracle healer in Brazil. (Yes and yes).

In other words Rothbart, an author, filmmaker and frequent contributor to the radio show “This American Life,” is an unusually interesting guy. His rampant curiosity has made him more so. The co-creator and editor of “Found” magazine, he collects random yet compelling scraps of letters, lists and receipts and is now out with a riveting collection of essays titled “My Heart is an Idiot.”

He’ll discuss it all during the Atlanta installment of his nationwide tour, at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Dad’s Garage, 280 Elizabeth Street. (Tickets are …

Continue reading Author, filmmaker, “This American Life” contributor Davy Rothbart to appear at Dad’s Garage »

Morgan Freeman and Haley the bartender pose next to the Clermont Lounge's "no cameras" sign.

The movie “Last Vegas,” with Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline, is about four lifelong buddies who get together in Vegas for a fun weekend.

After shooting some exterior shots in Las Vegas the project has moved to tax-friendly Georgia, and is now filming at Mailing Avenue StageWorks in Atlanta’s Grant Park.

In their downtime the A-list stars are enjoying Atlanta! First, De Niro and Kline were spotted during a recent Atlanta Falcons game at the famous (infamous?) Clermont Lounge. They must have spread the word because Morgan showed up there Wednesday night. He posed for this picture with Haley the bartender.

On Thursday, Douglas had lunch at Davio’s in Phipps Plaza – on Freeman’s recommendation, we’re told. If you’re hoping for a glimpse at the four gents our money’s on 10 Degrees South. We were able to watch the guys rehearse, then film a scene on Monday. …

Continue reading “Last Vegas” star sightings »

B 98.5's Jessica Forkel and new BFF Courtney Cox

B 98.5 FM Morning Show producer Jessica Forkel is just back Napa, where she met up with “Cougar Town” cast members Courtney Cox, Christa Miller, Busy Philipps, Dan Byrd, Josh Hopkins, Ian Gomez, and Brian Van Holt.

Forkel has signed on as an official endorser of the TBS show, which kicks off its next season Jan. 8.

“You can tell the cast is tight on and off the set,” Forkel said. “They goofed off the majority of the time during the interview as well as throughout the rest of our time together.”

Forkel and Cox hit it off especially well.

“We talked about her relationship with (ex-husband) David Arquette these days,” Forkel said. “She said they are as close as ever and they are both obsessed with their daughter Coco.”

Hanging out with the "Cougar Town" cast

Forkel also enjoyed spending time with Dan Byrd, who is from Marietta.

“I can only imagine what happens on set from day to day,” Forkel said. “One of the cast members did tell …

Continue reading Win an autographed “Cougar Town” sign from B 98.5’s Jessica Forkel! »

The Aurora Theatre’s 17th annual Christmas Canteen season kicked off with a bit of improv.

Following the show’s Nov. 23 launch, producing artistic director Anthony Rodriguez took to the stage where he thanked the audience for being part of the Aurora’s special opening night. Little did guests know just how special.

An unexpected video all about cast member Kathryn Berrong rolled, after which her beau Bradford “Quick” Chadwick dropped to one knee. Their parents were all in the audience. So….

Before we give away the ending, let’s tell you a little about about the leading lady of this impromptu romantic comedy.

Berrong graduated from Parkview High School in Snellville in 2000 and from the University of Mississippi in 2005 with a degree in theater. She performed on stages all over metro Atlanta and lived for a time in New York, heading back in 2010. Along the way she met Chadwick.

So, did she accept?

Well …

First let’s tell you that Canteen is known for bringing couples together. …

Continue reading A romantic “Improv Night” at the Aurora Theatre! »

Channel 2 anchor Jovita Moore is teaming up with Genesis Shelter on Thursday to collect needed supplies as part of Georgia Gives Day.

Genesis serves homeless newborns and their families. Donors may bring items to the WSB studios starting at 9:30 a.m. Thursday.

Visitors should come to the 24-hour security entrance, which is the second gate at the studios located at 1601 W. Peachtree Street. Moore will help collect donations and meet viewers at 11 a.m. Donations will be accepted throughout the day.

“I’m on the board at Genesis and I know this has been a tough year for the staff,” Moore said. “They’ve had to make difficult decisions for months because of cuts from funding sources. The idea to do this just came to me a couple of weeks ago. We use social media for so many things – why not use it to galvanize people for a very special reason: newborn babies who are just absolutely precious.”

Here’s what the shelter needs, in order of preference. Donors are asked bring only these …

Continue reading WSB’s Jovita Moore teams up with Genesis Shelter »

CBS Films publicity photo

“Is this my mark?” Morgan Freeman asked. “Is this where I say my first line?”

“On the second mark,” answered a voice from afar.

“That’s not a mark. That’s a nick,” a second voice offered, and a crew member attacked the smudge to clear things up.

“I have a birthmark,” quipped Kevin Kline.

Freeman and Kline were rehearsing a scene from “Last Vegas,” with their co-stars Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas, and the production team was helping make sure everyone was in the right place.

Director Jon Turteltaub monitored the progress, having stamped out any number of fires earlier. The curtains wouldn’t operate correctly at first, and it took an hour to work out the kinks. That sort of thing.

“The difference between a $150 million movie and our movie is we have six sets of people opening curtains,” Turteltaub mused. “People say, ‘Why does it take so long? Why is it so expensive?’ This is why.”

Eventually the curtains …

Continue reading On the set with Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas and Kevin Kline »

AP photo

Zac Brown, the Zac Brown Band and other business entities associated with the Grammy-winning country rocker have been named in a lawsuit that alleges copyright infringement and other violations.

The AJC is seeking comment from Zac Brown Band management.

The lawsuit was filed Nov. 30 in U.S. District Court by plaintiff Kyle Landas, described in court documents as a leather artist who lives in Iowa.

The lawsuit claims that the Zac Brown Band has used Landas’ “Unity Tree” design as album art and on merchandise including concert T-shirts, keychains and promotional postcards without properly compensating him.

“As a way to increase his profile among musicians, Landas began producing custom leather guitar straps and presenting them to artists as gifts,” the lawsuit reads. “On June 15, 2010, Landas embossed Unity Tree onto a custom leather guitar strap, and on June 17, 2010, presented it to Brown backstage at a Zac Brown Band concert in Burlington, Iowa.”

Landas then went …

Continue reading Zac Brown, Zac Brown Band named in lawsuit »

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