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JT at the Hilton

Justin Timberlake was spotted at the Hilton Capitol Center downtown. He took Italian Valium shots and drank Frog’s Leap, a cabernet with a price tag of about $40. According to sources, Timberlake stayed at the bar for about 30 minutes before heading out with his posse.

Local sales organization loses international charter

The Sales & Marketing Executives of Greater Baton Rouge, a business organization representing about 100 local professionals, lost its charter for affiliation with the international organization recently and is striking out on its own. According to a letter to the local members obtained by 225, local chapter officers had a list of grievances and disputes with International over dues, requirements for attending conferences and declined invitations for officials at the international level to visit the Baton Rouge chapter. So International pulled the local chapter’s charter, issued in 1982. But local chapter officials apparently tried to keep that fact from its membership until after it could host its annual awards dinner at Boudreaux’s in March. Only when word got out about the pulled charter did local officers notify the membership. “We are now … Sales & Marketing Executives of Greater Baton Rouge,” reads the official local letter from chapter officers Jason Landry, Robert Blanchard and Nancy Carter.

Extreme Home Makeover

Extreme Home Makeover was in New Orleans recently filming an episode on the rebuilding of the Noah’s Ark Missionary Baptist Church and a new home for pastor Willy Walker in the Ninth Ward. The show’s crew used the planks from old shrimp boats ruined during Hurricane Katrina, and transformed remains into small crosses that were distributed to the families affected by the hurricane.

Brady chows down as Tigers bow out

Fired LSU Coach John Brady was spotted enjoying a leisurely lunch at Christina’s downtown at the precise time the men’s basketball team flamed out against South Carolina (77-73) in the SEC tournament, bringing their losing season to an end.

Crunk and disorderly

Explicit lyrics penned by Baton Rouge rapper Lil’ Boosie landed a 19-year-old Brooksville, Fla., teen in the slammer. Christopher Holder was arrested by Hernando County sheriff’s deputies for yelling profanities while walking with two juveniles. Amy Churchill, the mother of the two children, reported the incident. Holder explained to responding authorities he was actually singing the words to a Lil’ Boosie track, but was still arrested for disorderly conduct.

Jackson a no-show on his own album

Paula Abdul’s recent single, “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow,” is her first hit in a decade, thanks in part to Baton Rouge native and American Idol judge Randy Jackson. His recent compilation album, Randy Jackson’s Music Club, Vol. One, released March 11, features Abdul and a variety of artists from Joss Stone to Richie Sambora. There’s even a duet by AI alums Katharine McPhee and Elliott Yamin. After 25 years in the music biz this is Jackson’s first album, though he doesn’t actually sing a single track.