A celebrity update, Ashvegas style

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Andie stays
After all those reports earlier this week that starlet Andie MacDowell was thinking about moving to England, we can all rest easy – she’s staying put in Ashvegas.

The World Entertainment News Network, which is about as reliable as an Ashvegas water line, reported that Andie was ready to move. They quoted her as saying: “I could definitely live in England and I would like to try to work on the stage. It is so refreshing because no one has an attitude, no one is a ‘star’ and it is great to be challenged by people who really know their stuff.”

But a quick call to Andie’s publicist put those rumors to bed. Andie “loves this country; she loves her home,” Karen Samfilippo, MacDowell’s publicist, told Citizen-Times reporter John Boyle in a story earlier this week. “That someone would twist this to make it sound otherwise — it’s more than unfortunate. It’s unfair.”

Whew. But the real question that’s on everyone’s mind is – who is the man in Andie’s life these days? At the end of last year, Andie was engaged and looking to remarry. But there appears to be no talk of a wedding this days. So Andie, what gives?

Harry moves to Ashvegas
Syntax alerted us to this NY Times story, which reports that Harry Anderson has moved to Ashvegas.

Y’all know Harry – the Night Court star and guest star on Cheers. Harry is a New Orleans man. He loved the city, and owned Oswald’s Speakeasy in the French Quarter. But in the aftermath of Katrina, Harry said he’s been suffering depression. There have been financial difficulties, and there were fewer tourists coming to see his one-man show at Oswald’s.

Here’s a tidbit from the story:

At first, the Andersons told themselves they would visit (Asheville) just to see if they could find an “evacuation house.” They wanted, Ms. Anderson said, “some option or choice” that would give them a measure of control over their lives.

Late in April, they drove 11 hours to Asheville, looked at three houses on the same street and, the same day, bought the third one. “As soon as we had it, it was almost a given, before we expressed it, that we were leaving,” Mr. Anderson said.

Almost immediately, they decided to sell their New Orleans properties, and to their surprise found that the city is in the middle of a speculative real estate boomlet.

“We had no idea anybody was going to be buying anything,” Ms. Anderson said, adding that they were also ambivalent about trying to hold out for the best possible deal in a city where so many people were struggling.

They sold their home within a week for a bit more than they paid, but a deal to sell the club fell through, and it is back on the market.

Dookie DUI
Finally, we couldn’t let this pass without a mention:

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) – J.J. Redick intends to plead guilty to drunken driving charges, court records indicate.
The lawyer representing Redick, Donald Beskind of Raleigh, said in a letter to District Attorney Mike Nifong that the former Duke basketball star would plead guilty to charges of driving while impaired and unlawful use of the highways, The Herald-Sun of Durham reported Wednesday.
Redick’s court appearance to face those charges was scheduled for Tuesday but delayed until Oct. 24, when Beskind would be available.
Beskind did not return telephone messages Wednesday seeking comment.
Redick, the first-round draft pick of the Orlando Magic, was last season’s Associated Press player of the year.
He was arrested soon after 1 a.m. on June 13 when he turned around as he approached a license check point near the Duke campus, police said.