The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Celebs gather for Captain Planet Foundation gala
The stars aligned for the annual Captain Planet Foundation gala, held Friday at the Inter-Continental Buckhead. Co-chaired by WebMD founders Jeff and Meg Arnold ,CNN host Dr. Sanjay Gupta and wife Rebecca Gupta, a lawyer and venture capitalist active in various Atlanta organizations, and global philanthropist Cara Isdell Lee and husband, technology leader Zak Lee, the enviro-friendly fete celebrated the foundation’s 25th anniversary and raised money for environmental and educational projects.
Famous faces in the crowd included Winona Ryder, who’s been in Atlanta for Netflix’s bingeworthy “Stranger Things.” The show was just nominated for Best Television Series: Drama and Ryder received a nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series: Drama during Monday’s Golden Globes announcement. Season 2 is filming now.
Others at the Captain Planet gala included actress and activist Jane Fonda, recording artists CeeLo Green and Zac Brown, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, Captain Planet Foundation chair Laura Turner Seydel and her son, John R. Seydel III, the newly announced director of sustainability for the city of Atlanta.
Among the evening’s highlights: the happy moment when “The Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder ,who attended with his wife, actress Nikki Reed, learned he’d be sitting next to media mogul and environmentalist and Captain Planet founder Ted Turner. As a bonus, Somerhalder received the Superhero for Earth award.
During the event, foundation leaders announced the launch of the Project Hero national species/ecosystem initiative, which will help students in Georgia, Colorado, California and Texas work on habitat and ecosystem restoration projects.
Award recipients included biologist, researcher, naturalist and author E.O. Wilson and teen environmental activists Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, 16, and Hannah Testa, 14. Oh, and and His Royal Highness Charles, Prince of Wales. Charles couldn’t make it, so environmentalist Tony Juniper accepted the honor on his behalf.
Key sponsors included Delta Air Lines and the Isdell Family Foundation, Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, the Jane Smith Turner Foundation, Pratt Industries, the Turner Foundation, Meg and Jeff Arnold, the Coca-Cola Co., Dole Packaged Foods, Drummond, Eventologie, Great Range Brand Bison, Level Growth, Parking Company of America, the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Scana Energy, Spanx, Ted’s Montana Grill and Voya Financial.
‘Baywatch’ reboot coming ashore in May 2017
The film adaptation of the venerable “Baywatch” television series will be in theaters May 26. The project pairs Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Zac Efron as rival lifeguards who join forces for a greater good. (“Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay,” Paramount Pictures’ publicity information reads.) Look fora David Hasselhoff cameo, too. It filmed on the Georgia coast, so you might spot Tybee Island, where Efron’s earlier picture, “Dirty Grandpa,” with Robert De Niro, was filmed.