Dish, Dirt and Drivel - Lip Service Guests

CELEB TALK: Sunday night, T.I. popped into P. Diddy’s Justin’s for Lip Service, the weekly music showcase hosted by Puffy’s girlfriend Kim Porter and her 3 Brown Girls clique. Despite pleas from the crowd, T.I. was reluctant to take the stage. After a lot of coaxing, he finally blessed the crowd with a freestyle. Bentley Fonzworth, Burger King’s latest pitchman, needed no coaxing.

Ludacris’ resident R&B crooner Bobby Valentino, who just released his self-titled debut, also hit the stage at Lip Service. He was joined by the hip-hop violinist Miri Ben-Ari. K-Ci and JoJo of Jodeci fame surprised guests by popping out to sing one of Valentino’s songs. Then all three performed favorites like “Lately,” “Forever My Lady” and “Stay.”

RESTAURANT TALK: The owners of Baraonda, the popular gourmet pizzeria just up Peachtree Street from the Fox, will be opening a wine bar next door. Constanza Astarita and Mario Maccarone are planning a late June debut for Enocata Carbonre, which in addition to an extensive wine list will also boast fine cheeses and other small dishes.

ANGEL TALK: While in Los Angeles en route to this past weekend’s Coachella Music Festival, I had the privilege of hanging out in one of those “hot spot” L.A. bars. You know the ones with the line of people that will never get in because they aren’t “somebody.” If you are a “someone,” the line is obsolete and the velvet rope is no obstacle.

I am a nobody but happened to be with a somebody that evening and was rushed to the front of the line and swept into the abyss of celebrity. I knew I had entered the elite club when I was overtaken by a cloud of thick smoke. We could smoke our brains out in here. (You can’t smoke anywhere in L.A.)

Let the fun begin. The chain of events gets sketchy from here on out, but through my vodka haze, Topher Grace is sitting next to me. Vincent Gallo saunters by. Maroon 5 (who aren’t that cute up close) is clustered in a corner, and Jesse Metcalfe of “Desperate Housewives” fame is so shit-plowed he manages to - not once, but twice - spill a cocktail all over me and then attempt to lick it off.

dirt@creativeloafing.com

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