There’s no denying it: Denzel Washington is a good looking bald man. Especially with a goatee. The Mount Vernon native returned to his hometown this morning to present two research scholarships—the, ahem, Pauletta and Denzel Washington Family Scholar in Neuroscience Awards—to med students Lindsey B. Ross and Debi M. Thomas.

Many thanks to honorary Suburbarazzo Nicole Neroulias for sending a cell phone pic of the event (the first one in the series below). All of the other photos are by Carucha L. Meuse.

“Denzel Washington presents scholarships at Mount Vernon High” [LoHud]

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Why would a celebrity choose North Salem as a place to live and open a restaurant? What’s a downside to living with Clay Aiken? And what does it feel like to know you’ll be singing your new song on the “American Idol” stage during this week’s results show?

These questions in an exclusive Suburbarazzi interview with “Idol” contestant Kimberley Locke were the ones to make the cut for tonight’s extra-special segment on RNN. Later this week, we’ll post my uncut interview, including a reference to Kim’s stint on “Celebrity Fit Club.” (Although that version will be uncut, don’t exactly expect a Jerry Springer routine from Kim and me, though. We’re not like that. On camera, anyway.)

“American Idol” alum Kimberley Locke is wasting no time getting herself acclimated to New York City’s northern suburbs.

While chatting with Suburbarazzi last week, she revealed that the nicest A-lister in the music industry was the one and only Patti LaBelle. But it seems Locke won’t be on her own when it comes to planning regional charity events.

Not only is she hoping for LaBelle to appear at an upcoming event at Katonah’s Caramoor to raise money for Camp Heartland, but it appears that “Don’t Forget The Lyrics” host and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” mainstay Wayne Brady will provide hosting duties. Camp Heartland, which Locke said recently purchased the Birch Family Camp in Carmel, caters to children living with AIDS.

We love the charity work, of course, but we also love her dedication to bringing more celebs to the Lower Hudson Valley. It keeps us busy in the best way possible.

Find out how why Locke lists LaBelle as her favorite music industry icon and more about Locke’s charitable works in the following clip:

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In case you missed any of the other audio clips of my interview with Locke, here’s what you might have missed on Suburbarazzi and sister blog Remote Access:

If you want to hear why Locke moved to the region, click here. If you want to know who her one-to-watch pick is for “Idol” Season 7, click here. Hear about her love of motorcycles here, her decision to audition for “Idol” here and her approach to losing 42 pounds here. And you know you want to know what’s on Locke’s iPod.

(Photo by Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Don’t let the sweet demeanor of “American Idol” alumna Kimberley Locke lull you into thinking she’s intimidated by a motorcycle. She’s got a small fleet of them, and it’s one of the reasons she was disappointed to see biker-slash-nurse Amanda Overmyer eliminated from “Idol” this week.

In this clip from my interview of Locke yesterday, she reveals her plans to buy a Harley in the near future and love for ridin’ hogs through the Lower Hudson Valley and her native Tennessee:

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More clips from Locke will appear here and on Remote Access until my story about her appears Tuesday in the Life & Style section of The Journal News, but I’ve posted a few already.

If you want to hear why Locke moved to the region, click here. If you want to know who her one-to-watch pick is for “Idol” Season 7, click here.

(Photo of Locke by Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Today, Ted Mann and I sat down with Kimberley Locke, the third-place finisher from the second season of “American Idol” and the newest celebrity to settle down in the Lower Hudson Valley. She’s one of the owners of Croton Creek restaurant in Croton Falls.

Oh, and by the way, she’s performing her new single, “Fall,” on the “Idol” results show this Wednesday.

I have to say, I was impressed all the way around. Classy, funny, sophisticated and beautiful, Locke was a charming and honest interview. As someone who regularly covers “Idol” for sister blog Remote Access, I was a fan of her before, but I like her even more now.

Here’s a clip of Locke discussing why a girl from Tennessee decided to move to North Salem this week; the “Jim and Liam” she references are two of her restaurant partners, Jim Stake and Liam Harvey:

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I’ll post more clips on here and on Remote Access until my story about her appears Tuesday in the Life & Style section of The Journal News.

(Photo by Tania Savayan/The Journal News)

Because I needed some time to figure out how to use the audio software on my computer, I’m a little late in posting these clips of Suburbarazzi mentions on Howard Stern’s radio show. (OK, six weeks late.) But better late than never! Still seems appropriate, considering Stern’s sound effects master, Fred Norris, performed with his band in Yonkers on Saturday night.

First up, although neither the blog nor my name is mentioned in this clip from the Jan. 2 Howard Stern show, here’s the first on-air reference to Suburbarazzi’s exclusive interview with Norris in Eastchester:

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Later that day, Howard 100 News reporter Steve Langford interviewed me for a Howard 100 News brief that first aired at 5:37 p.m. Jan. 3:

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Hooray for technology!

(AP Photo/Richard Drew)

After working last night’s 2-10 shift for The Journal News, I headed down to Burke’s Bar in Yonkers to catch the first set of King Norris, the band fronted by and named after Howard Stern’s sound effects guru, Fred Norris.

Near the end of their set of classic and standard rock, Norris picked a bespectacled me out of the crowd and said something to the effect of “Hey, that looks like the Verizon Guy.”

I shouted back, “I can hear you now.”

He replied with something like “Well, if any of you need help with your phone service, go see him.” He threw in another joke that I found funny but will choose not to post on a family-friendly blog.

During King Norris’ intermission, I was reintroduced to Norris through his drummer, Frank Fallon, who helped me secure my December interview with him in Eastchester. Norris offered a firm handshake and was as kind as he was at our last meeting. After a brief and casual conversation, I was on my way.

For what it’s worth: Despite the fact I sometimes wear thick-rimmed black frames, I don’t see much of a resemblance to Verizon Guy beyond that. But Norris has a Don Rickles-like quality about him; most of the time, it’s an honor to be tweaked by the guy.

(AP Photo/Stuart Ramson)

Among the multitude of celebrities in our myriad People of the Year lists—in InTown, Rockland Mag, Suburbarazzi, and The Journal News—nobody generated quite as much controversy as a certain New City rapper. Yes, we’re talking about Stephen Redmond—henceforth to be know, at his request, as only Lucky Me.

We received a deluge of letters from Clarkstown parents complaining about Rockland Magazine’s decision to feature the artist, best known for his YouTube hit “I Love New City,” as No. 20 in our countdown. One wrote, “Why would you highlight to dregs of the county???” Another alleged, “Your magazine added to the hype of a drug dealer and an adult male who is known to frequent school events and exchange phone numbers with 14 year old girls, perhaps to add to his customer base.” And yet another said, “Does he [the author of said article] realize that he featured a drug dealer next to people who have tried to bring threater and movies back to Riverspace? What a disgrace!!”

Of course, all of the letters arrived unsigned and on the same paper—looking an awful lot like they came off an identical printer. Still, the Clarkstown parent(s) wasn’t the only Lucky Me hater out there. Another person, posting as Tiffany Spencer, had this to say on the blog back on December 5: “i have heard another rapper by the name of Fire who’s music is way more realistic and perfected he is also from Nyack juast as Lucky me.”

Naturally, when Lucky Me himself caught wind of this, it set off a heated comment war. And when we interviewed Fire shortly before Christmas—if only to give give equal time to all Nyack (or former Nyack) rappers—Lucky Me was one of the first people to sound off on the post: “ARE SERIOUS YALL GIVE THIS BUM SOME LIGHT / NO ONE KNOWS THIS GUY / HELL WILL NEVA BE AS GOOD AS ME / I WAS STAYED QUIET UNTIL I SAW THIS.” Lucky was also good enough to share his AIM handle in that comment, and—well, we couldn’t help but take the bait.

An extensive interview soon followed. The full text is after the break, in its full instant-messenger glory …

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to sit down and bust out the transcript from my exclusive interview with Howard Stern sidekick Fred Norris, but it’s not something I wanted to merely gloss over.

As you might recall, Norris was in Eastchester on Dec. 8 with his rock trio, King Norris, to perform at Mickey Spillane’s. In between sets, Norris (far right in photo) checked out a couple of rounds of the Mayweather-Hatton boxing match with drummer Frank Fallon on the second floor of the restaurant and chatted with fans and bandmates.

The same night, Norris was missing out on Howard 100 News correspondent Lisa G’s cookie party, which was being broadcast live on Sirius channel 100—seriously!—while he was prepping for his show. Norris said he didn’t regret missing it.

You know what? As long as Lisa G. doesn’t miss me too badly, I think I made the better choice of coming up to Eastchester. It seemed like the right thing to do.

Check out the rest of my exclusive interview with Norris after the break. In it, he discusses his 28-year working relationship with Howard Stern, his ideal guest for the show, and the chances of the “Win Fred’s Money” trivia contest returning.

Over the summer, the Nyack-based rapper Lucky Me drew attention to his music by talking about drugs, Uggs, and slices of pizza in New City. When we included Lucky Me as one of our People of the Year, several readers informed us of another incendiary act from Nyack—Fire.

The 23-year-old, raspy voiced artist (Gregory Dubuisson on the dotted line) has been penning rhymes since he was 12-years-old and started passing out demo CDs back in his days at Nyack High School. He launched a MySpace page last year, which connected him to several promoters who got him gigs in Manhattan and Atlantic City, opening for Saigon at one point (Entourage fans will remember Saigon, who lives in Nanuet, as Turtle’s protégé). Fire has a deliberate, confident flow, and a gravelly voice that exudes character, but a few of the themes that pop up in his songs—sex, violence, contempt for the law—are bound to cause a stir among some Nyack residents. Especially nettlesome is a song where Fire slams the police, repeating a refrain that talks about proffering an insolent middle finger and a gesturing with his crotch. But more on that after the jump.

These days it might seem like Martha Stewart and Katonah couldn’t be any cozier if they were cuddling in a color-coordinated pillow and duvet set, but Katonah resident Bill Tisherman is still taking a few more jabs at the business magnate/ baking queen via YouTube. Tisherman (“Tish” to anyone but Martha) recently posted several video clips from “The Martha Stewart Roast,â€? an amateur comedy show and wine tasting sponsored by his company, Wine For All.

Fred Norris’ band, King Norris, rocked Mickey Spillane’s bar in Eastchester on Saturday night.

Howard Stern’s sound effects guru and King Norris’ guitar player was kind and conversational with fans and told jokes between songs, referencing new power couple Robin Quivers and Jim Florentine; frequent caller and New Rochelle resident Irish John, who was in the audience; and Jackie “The Jokeman” Martling.

The set list drew from classic, punk and current rock legends, including Lenny Kravitz, Jet, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Ramones and Green Day.

In the week ahead, I’ll post some quotes from my exclusive interviews with Norris, conducted before and after his sets. In the meantime, hooray for Fred!

(Photo by Chris Serico/The Journal News)