Thursday, July 26, 2007
Quick
Radar
COOL SUMMER
Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def Summerfest rocked Atlanta for five whole days recently, boasting a roster of hip-hop happenings that included a pool party, a celebrity basketball game and a “Streets on Lock” blowout with Kanye West. We dropped by the exclusive opening party at Shop SCAD Atlanta, where J.D. clowned around with his co-host (and proud papa) Michael Mauldin (above) and we got to hang out with Da Brat (top right) and NASCAR driver Bill Lester (bottom right, with Mauldin). Turning Atlanta into your own personal summer playground—must be nice.
KEEPIN’ IT CIVIL
On July 22, 1864, Confederate forces fought ferociously to defend Atlanta from Union invaders in the Battle of Atlanta. A mere 143 years later, the various neighborhoods of Atlanta’s 5th City Council District (where the Civil War skirmish was fought) banded together for a commemorative weekend of events cleverly christened “B*ATL.” Attendees enjoyed a gala dinner, a 5K run and a “history encampment,” with historians and re-enactors offering a glimpse of life on the front lines (above). But our favorite part would have to be Doug Lothes (right), who served up a hilarious 20-minute one-man “Gone With the Wind.” Hey, Doug, we’ve already seen the movie. How about a 10-minute rundown of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”? That is one long book.