Atlanta, GA

David Cross refuses to sit down

Published

1 year ago

October 14, 2024

Press Room

The now-legendary comedian did his first stand-up gig at The Punchline in north Atlanta.

Photograph by Timothy M. Schmidt

David Cross was walking home late one Friday night when he got a call with a job opportunity. The Roswell-born actor and comedian was being offered the role of Sy Grossman in the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy, the Netflix smash hit about a family of quirky superhero siblings. There was just one problem.

“I wasn’t familiar with the show,” Cross says. “I knew of it as a cultural thing that people loved, and I’d heard great things. But I’d never watched an episode.”

He spent that weekend addressing the issue, binge-watching and falling in love with the show. That Monday morning, he flew to Toronto to join the ensemble. Cross was such a fan that, during filming, he asked the cast and crew not to reveal spoilers for scenes he wasn’t involved in. “I didn’t want to have the story ruined for me when I watched it,” he says. “I just made sure I knew what I needed to know. Because I was so excited to see the rest of it.”

When he wasn’t on set for The Umbrella Academy, Cross was on the road, touring his stand-up show Worst Daddy in the World. Did you miss it? Not to worry. Cross is so prolific that he’s already on to another tour: The End of the Beginning of the End comes to Atlanta on October 16.

Atlanta is where Cross’s love of comedy first blossomed. Years before he rose to fame with the screwball sketch comedy series Mr. Show with Bob and David, and as Tobias Fünke in Arrested Development, Cross was a student at the former Northside High School. He calls its specialist performance arts program, now defunct, “a lifesaver.” He’d spend his nights watching Monty Python and reading National Lampoon, then write his own skits for class.

When he was 17, he worked up the courage to make his debut onstage. “It was at The Punchline on Roswell Road,” Cross says. After that night, he was hooked. At 19, he left for Boston to attend Emerson College, and later honed his skills in that city’s burgeoning comedy scene. He now lives in Brooklyn with his daughter and wife, the actress Amber Tamblyn, though he visits family in Atlanta several times a year.

Since Arrested Development, Cross has stayed busy. He created, wrote, and starred in the show The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, while popping up in Modern Family and the Kung Fu Panda franchise. In 2023, he succumbed to the urging of his manager and joined the herd of comedians hosting podcasts. He admits he’s “having a blast” hosting Senses Working Overtime with David Cross, which featured his Mr. Show collaborator Bob Odenkirk as the first guest.

Looking back at both Mr. Show and Arrested Development, Cross can’t help but feel proud, especially when he compares it to what’s on the air now. “Everything on television now feels familiar,” he says. “The writing, acting, pacing, and editing are all good. But they’re not great. It’s like there’s something missing. Like there’s no soul to it. But those two shows in particular—they were so new and risky.”

Cross continues to split his time between acting and stand-up, but there’s no doubting his true creative passion. “I could stop acting, directing, or producing and I’d miss it, but I need to do stand-up,” he says. “I just crave it. Sometimes I’ll think of an idea or joke and I can’t wait to work it out onstage.” Cross is showing no signs of slowing down: He will take The End of the Beginning of the End to 46 cities this fall, before his next special is released next year.

“Touring gets harder the older I get,” says Cross. “But I love it. I just don’t feel that way about any other thing I do.”

This article appears in our October 2024 issue.

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Atlanta, GA

Blazers Outclassed in Every Aspect By Atlanta

Published

9 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Blazers Outclassed in Every Aspect By Atlanta

The Portland Trail Blazers put up an absolute stinker on Sunday, getting destroyed by the .500 Atlanta Hawks, 135-101. It was a soul-destroying loss. Jrue Holiday and Donovan Clingan have at least some reason to hold their heads high, with Holiday putting up 23 points on 56.3% shooting and Clingan getting a 15 point/15 rebound double-double. Otherwise you have to squint pretty hard to take away anything positive for the Blazers.

Here are a few observations from the game:

First Quarter Disaster Class

Not a whole lot went right for the Blazers in the first quarter other than Jrue Holiday’s 14 points in the frame. No other Blazer could manage more than three points. At the other end of the court, the Hawks were getting to the free throw line with ease, taking 15 freebies against only two for the Blazers. Atlanta found it easy to get wide-open shots too. Simple penetrate-and-kick was the order of the day, and it was shockingly successful. Five turnovers for Portland didn’t help either. With everything going wrong, the refs added to the misery, ignoring some laughably physical play for a steal at one end, while whistling Vit Krejci for a block on a clear charge on the other. Poor whistles led to frustration, with Clingan losing the plot a bit and picking up his third foul in the quarter out of frustration. Finishing down 19 at the end of the first quarter is no way to win a basketball game, yet somehow it could have been worse. With a bit over a minute to go, the Blazers had been down 24. Credit for not giving up I guess, but… yeesh.

Okongwu was terrific. At one point in the 2nd quarter, he had 20 points on 77.8% shooting from the field and 75% shooting from deep. Not bad for a 6’10” center. He was always open in the corner. Every time down the court. If Atlanta had wanted to make feeding him a priority, Okongwu might have finished with 60. Instead, they ignored the obvious and gave every Hawk who took the court plenty of touches and shots. It’s hard to argue with a 34-point win, but it really should have been a 40-point lead at halftime if the Hawks had pressed their advantage.

Henderson’s Three-Point Shot

It’s still early days for Henderson’s 25-26 season, but he’s shown good things coming back from injury. His strength and first step are encouraging. His three-point shooting, however, has been a real problem. For a team that was already at or around the worst three-point percentage in the NBA before Henderson took the court, the last thing they needed was him to come in and shoot 24% for the season. In this game he attempted 4 of them, making one. Two of his misses were so ugly that Atlanta fans were embarrassed for him. Without a functional shot from range, he’s just not showing enough to win the starting job.

Three Quarters of Garbage Time

One way to look at this game is to give the Blazers credit for keeping it pretty even for most of the game after the soul-crushing first quarter. You could also give Portland credit for finding their way to the arena today. This game was decided early and nothing the Blazers did the rest of the way gave anybody a sense that they could mount a comeback. That’s pretty discouraging.

Nice Shooting Percentage From Krejci, But…

75% shooting from the field and 66% from three for Krejci? Yes, please! Three total shots from deep and five overall in a game when they needed points? No, no, no. Krejci seemed like a brilliant pickup for the Blazers, what with him shooting over 40% from three the last three season in Atlanta. He just hasn’t had the kind of impact we all imagined so far. It’s still early in his Blazer career, but the 31.7% that Krejci is shooting from beyond the arc for the Blazers isn’t what anyone had in mind. Today he made his first three shots, with two of them from deep. Would this be the game that could get him on track? Unfortunately he’d only take one more three-pointer the rest of the game. It’s incredible that they wouldn’t at least try to lean into him a bit more when he looked like he might be poised to break out of his Blazers’ shooting slump.

The Blazers will get two days off before taking on the apparently lottery-bound Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. A Portland win would probably suit both clubs just fine.

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Atlanta, GA

Drama mars finish of half-marathon national championships in Atlanta

Published

21 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Drama mars finish of half-marathon national championships in Atlanta

The 2026 Publix Atlanta Marathon, which served as the USA Track & Field Half Marathon Championships, met chaos Sunday in the women’s half marathon event.

Three runners — Jess McClain, Emma Grace Hurley and Ednah Kurgat — were led off course by an official race vehicle with less than 2 miles to go. The nearly-half-mile error, according to data from Hurley’s Strava account, cost the runners their top-three finishes.

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Atlanta, GA

Police increase presence across metro Atlanta amid teen takeover rumors

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Police increase presence across metro Atlanta amid teen takeover rumors

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — Popular gathering spots across metro Atlanta saw heightened law enforcement presence Saturday night following rumors of potential “teen takeovers.”

Authorities say a similar event last weekend led to more than a dozen teenagers and adults being taken into custody. In response, agencies across the metro area are stepping up patrols in several high-traffic areas, including the Beltline and the Cumberland Mall and Battery districts.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 9 juveniles, 8 adults charged after weekend ‘takeover’ event at The Battery

Along the Atlanta Beltline, Atlanta police confirmed they increased staffing levels as a precaution. An APD officer on scene told Atlanta News First that officers are maintaining an enhanced presence due to the takeover rumors. An Atlanta News First crew observed multiple people put in handcuffs and an APD officer at the Beltline said four guns had been confiscated.

Multiple patrol units were visible along the Beltline, with officers monitoring foot traffic and briefly detaining several individuals. Police said the show of force is intended to deter large, disruptive gatherings before they begin.

Cumberland Mall to have teen curfew Saturday after ‘takeover’ at The Battery

In Cobb County, law enforcement agencies are coordinating efforts around Cumberland Mall and The Battery Atlanta. The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office deployed its mounted patrol unit, with four deputies on horseback circling the mall. Units from the Cobb County Police Department, Marietta Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol were also seen monitoring traffic and pedestrian activity in the area.

Electronic message boards and posted signage between Cumberland and The Battery warned visitors of the increased law enforcement presence. Officers said the goal is to prevent a repeat of last weekend’s arrests and ensure public safety.

For now, officials say the evening remains calm, but they are prepared to respond quickly if large crowds begin to form.

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