Sunday, September 14, 2008 | News, Sports, A+E, Food, Life, In this Issue..., Style, Nightlife
The SP 100

Presenting the fourth annual SP 100: The Sunday Paper staff’s thoroughly researched, hotly debated and extremely opinionated list of Atlanta’s finest entertainers, restaurants, philanthropists, nightspots and more.

Courtesy of Nick Parsons
English Nick


Spark St. Jude
Tiffany Davis


Courtesy of WGCL-TV
Dagmar Midcap


Jonathan Harper
Steak Shapiro, Nick Cellini, Sandra Golden and Chris Dimino of “Mayhem in the A.M.”


Courtesy of the Atlanta Braves
Pete Van Wieren

RODNEY HO

WHY: Ho’s Radio & TV Talk blog on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Web site is required daily reading for those of us who, thanks to some yet-unnamed medical ailment, are addicted to news items on the comings, goings and behind-the-scenes shenanigans of our local TV and radio personalities. Ho, who once worked at the Wall Street Journal, splits the difference between the casual writing style of the average fan (with occasionally snarky comments) and just-the-facts entertainment journalism. He also populates the AJC’s “American Idol” blog, which presumably reaches a wider audience.
WHERE: www.accessatlanta.com.

DAGMAR MIDCAP

WHY: Because the CBS 46 weather forecaster has taken Atlanta by storm (pun intended). Average-guy Atlantans and local bloggers are captivated by her looks, her playful, tomboy persona and even her vaguely exotic name. The motorcycle enthusiast seems like the kind of celebrity you could have a beer with; her smooth complexion and auburn hair are just the icing on the cake.
WHERE: Weeknights at 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., WGCL-TV/CBS 46.

ENGLISH NICK

WHY: Nick Parsons, an Atlanta radio fixture, broke his hip in a bad car accident earlier this year, so we’re glad he’s landed a full-time job with health insurance. That job—as nighttime jock for classic rock station Rock 100.5—means his longtime gig as host for the live hard-rock karaoke band Metalsome is reduced to Saturday nights. But that’s a fair price to pay to be able to hear the British native spin deep cuts (love those obscure Van Halen tracks!) and show off his impressive grasp of rock ’n’ roll trivia.
WHERE: Weeknights, WNNX-FM (Rock 100.5). www.atlantasrockstation.com.

PETE VAN WIEREN

WHY: Because as much as we miss the late Skip Caray’s acerbic wit, we’ve always admired his partner’s calming counterbalance, his head for statistics and his seemingly endless trove of baseball lore. Although he’s covered basketball, football and hockey and worked on both radio and television throughout his career, his current gig anchoring the Atlanta Braves’ radio broadcasts finds “the Professor” right where he belongs, in the medium best suited to calling baseball games. We’ll never forget Skip, but we couldn’t be happier to have Van Wieren step into his role as the voice of the Braves. 
WHERE: WGST-AM; WUBL-FM (94.9 the Bull).

MAYHEM IN THE A.M.

WHY: Both of Atlanta’s sports-talk stations are stocked with capable and entertaining personalities. But we’re partial to the current incarnation of 790 the Zone’s morning show, in no small part because its principals remind us of “The Sopranos.” Food-obsessed Steak Shapiro, the show’s polarizing, love-him-or-hate-him lightning rod, is the Tony Soprano of the bunch; co-host Nick Cellini shares a few antisocial tendencies with Paulie Walnuts; guy’s guy Chris Dimino often provides the voice of reason, not unlike consigliere Silvio Dante—although without the terrible ‘do. Last but not least, Sandra Golden summons Carmela-like reserves of strength and endurance to keep her sanity in a testosterone-soaked boys’ clubhouse. 
WHERE: Weekday mornings 6 a.m.-11 a.m., WQXI-AM (790 the Zone). www.790thezone.com.

TODD LEOPOLD

WHY: Leopold, entertainment producer for CNN.com, showcases an encyclopedic knowledge of various aspects of popular culture—from obscure factoids about Jerry Reed’s impact on Elvis Presley’s career to musings on the late Anton Furst’s production design for Tim Burton’s “Batman” films—on the site’s informative and thoughtful Marquee Blog. And on Sunday nights, Leopold hosts Team Trivia at noted media hangout Manuel’s Tavern, where he shows off his iPod’s deep musical library in between trivia questions.
WHERE: www.cnn.com.

TIFFANY DAVIS 

WHY: Davis, the Atlanta editor for Daily Candy, makes sure you rise and shine each morning to a daily dose of fabulousness—direct from your e-mail inbox. She works hard to dig up trendy and interesting items, places and events in the arenas of shopping, dining and entertainment, so you can browse happily in your PJs for the hottest of the hot.
WHERE: www.dailycandy.com/atlanta.

AMY FLURRY

WHY: Hard as it may be to believe, one of the city’s foremost authorities on style lives in Athens. But don’t worry: Flurry, the Style editor for Atlanta Peach magazine and  a contributor to Lucky magazine, brings good taste to town when snooping around local shops and mingling with celebs to find the best Atlanta has to offer. 
WHERE: www.atlantapeach.com, www.luckymag.com.