Atlantafi.com is bringing you the latest on the coronavirus pandemic, which has the state of Georgia and the city of Atlanta under a state of emergency.
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Atlanta is a well-known lair of rappers. Like, they all live here. So the fact that one rapper from the West Coast will be performing in The A for the new year shouldn’t be a big deal. But it is.
Kendrick Lamar is just that legendary. Despite only having a handful of albums, Lamar has quickly emerged as the best rapper alive today.
Lamar will perform at halftime during the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 8. While the game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the free concert will be in Centennial Olympic Park one hour before kickoff, according to the Georgia World Congress Center.
The concert is a free and non-ticketed event so no age restrictions are expected.
“Having the opportunity to perform at halftime of what will surely be the best game of the year between two deserving universities is truly an honor,” said Kendrick Lamar. “Thank you, ESPN, for having me be the first halftime performer ever at the College Football Playoff National Championship.”
The game will televise the concert to millions of TV fans while on the ground, the non-ticketed event will be likely attended by thousands.
College Football Playoff National Championship
Monday, January 8, 2018
Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Atlanta, Georgia -
If Atlanta trap is your thing, you’ll want to be at Midtown’s Center Stage this weekend. That’s where an ensemble cast — Sonny Digital, Reese La Flare, Black Boe and DJ Fresco — will all be performing.
The music starts at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 29 2017. $20 is the cost. Sonny Digital is best known as the producer behind YC’s hit single “Racks” in 2011and ILoveMakonnen’s “I Dont Sell Molly No More.”
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When Arthur Blank, the local billionaire and sports team owner, committed to building the $1.5 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he also took the challenge of uplifting the downtrodden Westside neighborhood it borders.
Vine City, and parts along English Avenue were well known to ATL residents for being a tough neighborhood as well as a crack den. Many of the residents that could flee have fled, while those still there have had to ride out some tough times, but times, as they do, are a-changing.
Some of the city’s most biggest entities are throwing their weight behind an effort to make sure that people in the community profit from the new stadium and the rich ecosystem it will bring.
Atlanta’s YMCA has moved it, relocating its headquarters to the Westside, according to CBS News. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation has already spent $37 million in the area and encouraged other local businesses (like Chick-fil-A) to invest in the Westside.
“And they’re going to employ 80 people from the community at this store,” Frank Fernandez, the AMB Foundation’s community liaison for the Westside project, told CBS.”All of our corporate partners, all 13 of them, have committed to working with us in the Westside and have committed nearly $15 million towards revitalization.”
The newly gained traction is building on the groundwork left by Invest Atlanta, which began cultivating relationships with members of the community in 2012 in a plan to increase development. Five years later, those efforts are paying off.
Atlanta’s redevelopment of downtown has also caught the eye of Amazon, who is eyeing the city as a second world headquarters. As attractive as the city is business-wise, it also has to show companies like Amazon that it is made up of a thriving and strident culture, something that can’t be built with brick and mortar.
“We’ve been on a roll with announcements lately. The heart of Atlanta is bigger than just a site,” Georgia Power CEO Paul Bowers told the AJC.
Blank said that the key is that businesses have to believe in the area.
“They have to buy into it,” he told CBS. “The end of the day, the answer can’t be what we’re imposing on them. We want them to say, ‘these two make sense for us. And these two don’t make sense for us.’ So we’ll do the two that makes sense for them.”
Read more: Atlanta leads among cities for Amazon’s HQ2
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The Atlanta Falcons are fighting for their playoff lives with one game to go in the regular-season. The finale, Sunday Dec. 41 against the Carolina Panthers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, has been moved to 4:25 p.m., the National Football League said this weekend.
The Falcons are coming off an ugly 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints at the Super Dome. Atlanta (9-6) must beat the 11-4 Panthers to earn the last playoff berth in the NFC. The Seattle Seahawks (9-6) are rooting for the Falcons to loss, as they would get the nod if they defeat the Arizona Cardinals (7-8) at home.
The Falcons are winless this season (0-6) when held under 20 points, as they were on Sunday. The 13 points against the Saints was the second-lowest scoring output of the season for Atlanta, which only put up 7 against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the New England Patriots.
Matt Ryan, talking to reporters after the game, said that he is ready to focus on Carolina in a must-win game Sunday. ““We are going to have to put that behind us and get ourselves back to work this week to see if we can find a way to get the job done next week. For us, it’s pretty clear what’s in front of us. We have to play better than we did today.”
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Are you a “business-type” worker looking for your big break on a big budget flick? If you’re in the Atlanta area, then you might be just what the superheroes ordered. Producers for the new Marvel superhero movie “Avengers: Infinity War” are looking for fresh faces to do some scenes in the coming days.
Filming will shoot in Atlanta on January 9 through the 11. “Avengers: Infinity War” is expected to wrap later this summer and hit theaters in May 2018. While the plot has been super-secret we know that it centers around super villain Thanos and picks up where “Avengers: Age of Ultron” left off.
Movie buffs can expect stars such as Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Brolin to be at their best. According to the casting call, this is what they’re looking for:
Business Workers: Looking for upscale men and women, appear African-American, who appear to be in their 40s-50s to portray Business Types in this action-packed scene! Must be comfortable with fake blood & dirt. A moderate amount of running may be required, so you should be in good physical shape.
Feature Film- Mary Lou
Work: THREE DAY CALL! Tues 1/9 + Wed 1/10 + Thurs 1/11
Location: Atlanta, GA
Rate: $68/8
NEW FACES ONLY!Business Workers: Looking for upscale men and women, appear African-American, who appear to be in their 40s-50s to portray Business Types in this action-packed scene! Must be comfortable with fake blood & dirt. A moderate amount of running may be required, so you should be in good physical shape. We are looking for people who own a suit/professional attire, so please specify if you own this in your email submission. This is a THREE DAY call working Jan 9 + Jan 10 + Jan 11- must be available for ALL 3 DAYS.
>> A fitting will be required in College Park on Tuesday 1/4, you MUST be available for both fitting & filming. This is for NEW FACES ONLY!
To submit, send an email to MaryLou@CentralCasting.com and include: your name, phone number, height, weight, sizes, & current photos- 1 Head Shot, 1 Full Length. Please put “JANUARY BUSINESS” in the subject line.
The pay rate will be Rate: $68/8 + $25 for your automobile. The only stipulation regarding autos is no red, white or black vehicles. They are looking for an assortment of SUVs, sedans and minivans in good condition.
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Atlanta singer Brenda Nicole Moorer will grace the stage at Twisted Soul Cookhouse & Pours Thursday, December 21, 2017. She will be part of a performance by Brandon A. Thomas.
The show begins at 8 p.m. at 1133 Huff Road in West Midtown. Twisted Soul Cookhouse has quickly become the cool spot de jour for those looking for fine dining and entertainment.
Thomas is a self-taught guitarist who has made a name for himself locallly by working with such Atlanta stars as India Arie, T.I., Outkast and others.
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IKEA, one of the leading home furnishings retailers in the world, will open a second location in the Atlanta-area, this time in Cobb County, the company said Wednesday. The store has signed on to open a store in Marietta on 28 acres on Franklin Gateway.
The $9 million project is being hauled by Marietta officials as the biggest retail development in the city’s history. It is not known yet when the location will open.
“The city has worked very diligently on the redevelopment of the Franklin corridor and ikea would like to be part of that redevelopment,” Jim Anastos, an IKEA real estate manager, told the AJC.
IKEA opened at Atlantic Station in Midtown in 2005, its first imprint in the Southeast.
The city has some good restaurants in each quadrant of the city: East, West, North, South. All you need to do is think about what you have a taste for. Italian? Soul food? Tex-Mex? Atlanta has it all.
For the latest in metro Atlanta’s food and drink scene, stay with Atlantafi.com.
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In an effort to reach the city’s most underserved residents and communities, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on Wednesday announced a program to help them with financial education and banking. The “Bank On Atlanta” initiative will “allow our underbanked and unbanked residents access to personal and business accounts and the opportunity to experience financial dignity,” Reed said in a tweet.
The program has its origins in California, launching in San Francisco in 2006. Since then, the Bank On program has spread to Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Savannah and Washington D.C.
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The 2017 The UNCF Atlanta Mayors Masked Ball rolled upon us last weekend, and, from the pictures on social media, was a total blast. The event took place at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in downtown Atlanta and featured a who’s who of the city and region.
Mayor Kasim Reed, as usual held court, but this time he was joined by the heir-apparent, Mayor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. Guests were decked out at the black-tie event, which is perennially one of the biggest parties of the year.
Here are some candid shots of the event shared on social media, for those of you (like us) who didn’t get to attend.
Candid shots from last nights spectacular event. Atlanta's Mayor elect @KeishaBottoms speaks on being a graduate from @FAMU_1887. She vows to carry on the legacy of the Mayors Ball. ❤️ #MMBATL #UNCFMMB pic.twitter.com/9RrlVKF1JI
— UNCF Atlanta (@UNCFAtl) December 17, 2017
Candid shots from last nights spectacular event. Long time UNCF Atlanta supporter @christuckerreal. #MMBATL #UNCFMMB pic.twitter.com/eX9TqOQ9kj
— UNCF Atlanta (@UNCFAtl) December 17, 2017
Candid shots from last nights spectacular event. STAR studded with supporters Young Jezzy @KeishaBottoms @PhaedraParks #MMBATL #UNCFMMB pic.twitter.com/9udowoVrrU
— UNCF Atlanta (@UNCFAtl) December 17, 2017
#ChangingOfTheGuard #59 #60 pic.twitter.com/Fwb4tjopp8
— Keisha Lance Bottoms (@KeishaBottoms) December 17, 2017
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Hundreds of people are expected to converge upon Greenbriar Mall in February for the Atlanta Black Women in History Expo, billed as “a celebration of Black women and their achievements.”
The event, slated for Feb. 3 at 2841 Greenbriar Pkwy SW Atlanta, GA 30331, will trace women’s path through history as nurturers yet leaders. All are welcome to attend.
A Nielsen report in September saluted the rising influence of black women and lauded their power in consumer behavior. The analysis found that women of color were an independently-minded demographic that embraced digital technologies on par on quicker than other groups.
“Black women are using their reclaimed time, money and voices to enrich their families, communities and each other,” the report said.