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August 2008
8/30: Radio station Labor Day theme weekends
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While Praise, Smooth Jazz and Hot used Labor Day weekend to cut some actual labor costs, a few stations are dabbling in theme weekends on Labor Day weekend. It’s the theory of just throwing out a lot of “oh wow!” songs. Great stuff!
-B98.5 is doing an alphabetical song list, including many songs that have not been on their regular playlist in ages. In the “B’s as I’m writing this, I’ve heard Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” and “Born in the U.S.A,” Supertramp’s “Breakfast in America,” Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings” and Rolling Stones’ “Brown Sugar.”
-Star 94, which has been skewing a bit younger since Steve & Vikki left, is doing something odd: playing songs from the 80s and 90s. I’ve heard some songs that were hits at the time but haven’t been played in ages, which I guess is the point. As I was driving home from the Human Regeneration tour with Naked Eyes, Flock of Seagulls, ABC, Belinda Carlisle and Human League, I heard ABC’s “Poison Arrow,” Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n Roll,” OMC’s “How Bizarre,” Lou Gramm’s “Say You Will” and Madonna’s “Causing a Commotion,” and Arrested Development’s “Mr. Wendel.”
-Rock 100.5 is playing the top 500 rock songs of all time. It’s all over the map, which is the point, I fathom. The midnight hour includes Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters,” Better than Ezra’s “Good,” Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak,” the Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” Def Leppard’s “Rock! Rock! Till You Drop!” 3 Doors Down’s “It’s Not My Time,” Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever,” Van Halen’s “Top of the World,” Creed’s “My Own Prison,” Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me.”
-I also got the final count for WSB-AM’s Care-a-thon for the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.: $1.23 million. That’s comparable to the past two years, impressive given the current economic downturn.
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8/29: Rickey Smiley deal not final, cuts at Praise & Smooth Jazz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Today, I got a hold of Kevin Watson, Rickey Smiley’s manager. He said any deal between Smiley and Hot 107.9 is not final and still in negotiations. Still no word from the bosses at Hot in Atlanta. So what I thought was definitive yesterday was not. But it makes total financial sense.
Smiley for the past year has had a syndicated show now heard in 20 markets including Dallas and Miami and is owned by Radio One, which owns Hot and Smiley’s syndication deal. So the company has a major incentive to leverage a major asset (being Smiley) and add him in another top 10 market.
So until the deal is set, Hot will keep the “A Team” in the mornings with Beyonce, Rashan Ali and Emperor Searcy but minus Griff and Akini. Since Hot got rid of Maria More in mid-days and E4Real in afternoons (keeping Mizz Shyneka), this leaves openings that could be filled by Rashan from 10 to 2 and Searcy from 2 to 6 with Mizz Shyneka.
Radio One, which also owns Smooth Jazz and Praise, cut a couple of jocks from those station as well: Rene Miller, long-time jock at Smooth Jazz who had been doing afternoons, and Sonja Hamm, mid-day jock at Praise.
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8/28: Hot 107.9 dropping the A Team, possibly replaced by Rickey Smiley
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I just heard that Hot 107.9 today got rid of the morning show, the A Team, consisting of Rashan Ali, Griff, Beyonce, Akini and Emperor Searcy. (From two sources, I hear Rashan will do mid-days and Searcy will go back to late afternoons, but I’m not sure what happens to Beyonce and Akini. Griff’s publicist confirmed that he is out.)
UPDATE: The Web site was updated in the evening to show Beyonce still having a shift on the weekends. That bodes well for her. And Mizz Shyneka and Durrty Boyz seem fine for now. But no sign of E4Real. Temporarily, it appears Rashan and Searcy will do the mornings without Griff for now.
Here’s Griff’s official statement: “The last 3 years and 6 months at Radio One have been a life changing experience. I thank my spiritual Father for the friends that I’ve met and worked with because I’ve learned so much and have grown as a person here in Atlanta. I’m excited about my future, I have a strong team of people helping to take me to new heights, and I will continue to make people laugh all over Atlanta at events and comedy clubs, while serving the community through my foundation, Positive Vibes. When I got home today, I read a book that said: ‘On this day the will of God is done in my life.’ That was all the closure I needed.”
Hot is expected to replace them with a syndicated show led by Rickey Smiley, the comic who was just in town at the Civic Center on Saturday. Ironically, I interviewed him a few days back and joked with him about entering the Atlanta market. At the time, he said he felt he had enough of a following to take on Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner here. He didn’t betray any sense he knew this was coming but maybe he did.
Smiley is in 20 markets including Dallas and Miami with a big push earlier this year. And if you like prank calls on the Morning Mess, just wait til Smiley comes in. He loves them!
Maria More, the mid-day host for six months, said she was let go but couldn’t comment further. The person who answered the phone at Hot 107.9 said he couldn’t talk about it either. I left a message with the Hot boss Bruce Demps, who was in a meeting. I also haven’t reached Steve Hegwood, the operations manager. I left voicemail messages with Rashan, Griff, Akini and Searcy but no answers back.
The station, ratings wise, seems to be doing fine, finishing regularly top 3 among 18 to 34 year olds. But revenues in radio (as well as other media) have been dropping sharply this year and perhaps Radio One, the station owners, is looking to cut budget. It doesn’t hurt that Radio One’s syndication arm just happens to own the Rickey Smiley show. That fact alone actually has fueled rumors over the past year that the A Team would be replaced but given the A team’s performance and its local bent, nobody quite believed Radio One would pull the trigger.
Hot doesn’t beat V-103 but has been a solid No. 2 or 3 among younger listeners. It managed to survive the loss of Ryan Cameron in late 2004 although the A Team, while solid, has never achieved his best ratings.
Ultimately, syndication is almost always cheaper than a local show. And Steve Harvey and Tom Joyner have proved that the African-American audience is willing to take a national show. (The rock crowd has been tougher. Witness the local demise of Bob & Tom, the Greaseman and the like.)
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8/28: How did Atlanta’s Kazual stack up on “America’s Got Talent”?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta quartet Kazual performed tonight with nine other groups on TV’s biggest summer show ‘America’s Got Talent.” We hadn’t seen much of them so far so they had to kill it. And up to this point, I’ve only heard them a capella and they sound great together.
But I didn’t quite “feel it” tonight when they sang “Can You Feel It.” The foursome looked and danced like pros. The problem: the solo vocals didn’t stand out. Another problem: nobody was ID’ed as the lead singer. Only one of the four (EJay) really carried the charisma and vocals to be the lead. The other solos were weak, one getting swallowed up by the backing tracks. Again, when the four of them sang together, Kazual sounded solid. That may not be good enough for them to survive into the next round. We’ll learn their fate on Tuesday.
Piers Morgan echoed my sentiments exactly, as did Sharon Osborne. “You were nervous,” said David Hasselhoff. “But you pulled it together in the end… I hope America gives you a second chance.” David said to make EJay the lead. True that!
I enjoyed quite a few of the acts including the finale singers both nights. Neal E. Boyd, the insurance salesman, did a solid job on “Somewhere” and *Queen Emily&* did a solid job with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” But my problem is both songs are so cliched an dtired. I wasn’t nearly as wowed by either of them. And honestly, I think LaKisha Jones was better than Queen Emily but she has a great back story. So does Boyd. The judges are hyping both to high heaven. Both are guaranteed slots in the top 20.
Night one was stronger than night two. My favorites that first night (besides Boys) were the Extreme Dance FX cloggers (big improvement), the James Gang (very unusual!), the gal who fights her dad in the group Elite (daddy issues? She just missed the top 5), Ronnie B. (this year’s Boy Shakira, who didn’t make it to the top 20), and the magician Shimshi with the card trick (more fun than it sounds but he missed the top 5 as well). The drummers didn’t do it for me and the cowboys were middling talent goofballs.
My night two favorites were Paul Salos, the Sinatra impersonator; Zooperstars (good for pot smokers, I fathom), the Wright Kids (more adorable than great singers); trombonist Jonathan Arons (simply fun, even if his trombone playing sucked). I agreed with Piers—the Slippery Kittens were a bore and Jason the Giant was a joke.
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Project Runway: Recycling Saturn
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The high: Could someone really be named Ratbones?
The low: We felt guilty choosing fashion over politics.
OK, I absolutely hated the idea of this automotive challenge, but I thought it really showed the innovation that these designers are capable of. None of the designs, except for one or two, looked like it was even made from Saturn parts. The only thing that was uninteresting was the complete lack of color; maybe somebody could have experimented with brights in some way. Then again, maybe Banana Republic will buy some of those designs as is.
Right: Leanne’s leather: Would you drive this dress? (Photo: Bravotv.com)
In a way, recycling Saturn also reminded me of the grocery store challenge, where everybody used tablecloths and the designs ended up looking kind of similar. Seat belts, in this case, are the new tablecloth.
The winner: Leanne. An overdue win, though I thought she borrowed the silhouette from Kenley’s Episode 3 dress (the turquoise nightmare with the hip pouf, which, by the way, also won).
The loser: Keith. He lost because he tried to manipulate the competition by playing to what he thought the judges wanted. The back of the dress was messy, and what’s the point of a skirt if you can’t move around in it?
Plus, Keith’s little runway rant probably cemented his exit. Still, it was a close call for Stella, who may be on borrowed time, entertaining though she is.
Anybody been to the Michael Kors Lifestyle store in Lenox Square? It opened Aug. 21 with his clean-looking, very American, MILF-y designs.
The last word: Wackadoodle.
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8/27: Atlantan and Emory med school grad on upcoming “Survivor”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Parvati Shallow, a former Atlantan, won “Survivor” this past spring.
Could 28-year-old Marcus Lehman make it two for two? Lehman, a doctor in Jacksonville, hails from Atlanta and graduated Emory med school. “Survivor: Gabon,” the show’s 17th edition, starts Sept. 25 at 8 p.m.
The bio online is fairly amusing.. He looks like quite a catch for any of you single women out there:
Recognized as the state of Georgia’s hottest bachelor by Cosmopolitan Magazine in 2006, Lehman strives to achieve the highest levels in all areas of life.
A rower and graduate of Harvard University, Marcus went on to finish medical school at Emory University while developing his interest in triathlons. The single resident physician of Cuban-American descent will eventually work as an anesthesiologist after he completes specialty training, but also continues to develop his interest in medical reporting and acts as a spokesman for preventative medicine.
Marcus describes himself as a romantic who enjoys exercising, playing music, cooking and fine wine, not to mention doing some flirting on his way to finding the perfect girl. Marcus hopes he will be able to use his charm and physical prowess to make it far in the game.
“Marcus, the doctor from Georgia — one of the most arrogant guys that we’ve had on the show — he at one point had three people after him. And not only women.”
Later, Probst says:
”Marcus is a physician, as he likes to remind people. And he is a true leader, an extremely bright guy. He’s a hero. He is a huge threat to win the game, for sure. He has looks, he’s got smarts, he’s probably the fittest guy out there, so he’s got a lot of things going for him.”
If anybody out there knows him personally, email me at rho@ajc.com. Marcus is not allowed to talk to the media right now but I’d love to get some insight into the man while he was here.
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8/27: Atlanta group Kazual competing tonight in “America’s Got Talent”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Although NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” hosted auditions at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in March, not a single Atlanta act made it to the final 40 from those sessions.
One Atlanta singing quartet has made the cut, but the group actually applied through a special MySpace audition. Kazual, three brothers and a cousin, moved to Atlanta four years ago from Columbus, GA but had yet to get a big break until now.
The group impressed the show’s producers with an a capella version of the Backstreet Boys’ “Inconsolable,” which can also be seen on YouTube.
So what do you think? Are they worth the $1 million prize?
Unlike many other acts, Kazual will have to compete for votes Wednesday night (8 to 10 p.m.) with almost no airtime up to this point, a major disadvantage to get to the next round.
“It’s going to be pretty important to actually knock it out of the park because people haven’t seen us,” said EJay (real name: Eugene Burt). The other three are DMac, Playboi, and Lil Gabe.
Here are the few seconds they got on the show itself doing “In the Still of the Night.”
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8/26: TBS orders up new series “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TBS has ordered a new sitcom “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns” after the success of 100 episodes of “House of Payne.”
The station is a bit more cautious this time, ordering just 10 episodes for January 2009. Then again, the release implies that this 10-episode run of “Meet the Browns” could mean more episodes forthcoming if it does well.
According to a press release:
“Meet the Browns” stars David Mann as Leroy Brown, a character who earlier this year was featured in Perry’s hit film of the same name. He has also appeared in several episodes of “House of Payne” on TBS. Perry’s new series begins after Brown inherits a dilapidated house from his deceased father.
Angela Bassett, who was in the original film, won’t be joining the new crew.
“House of Payne” has 26 new episodes set starting in December with production beginning in September.
-97.1/The River is testing four veteran DJs to replace Lexie Kaye in mornings: former 96rock/Eagle 106.7 jock Steve Mitchell, traffic gal Paula Phillips, former 96rock/Z93 jock Kaedy Kiely, and former 96rocker Tim Rhodes.
Mitchell does voiceover and production work since he was ousted from Eagle when Citadel blew up the country station in February in favor of oldies.
Phillips used to be a jock in Athens and other cities but has spent several years doing traffic for the River and other Cox stations.
Kaely, who worked for more than 20 years in Atlanta radio until Z93 was killed for Dave FM in 2004, has done other ventures including a soft-drink company and a board game version of her “Rock Riddles.”
Rhodes, who was let go from 96rock when that station died at the end of 2006 after more than a decade there, works at Bulldog 103.7, an Athens rock station also owned by Cox Radio.
Chris Miller, program director, said management will make a decision next week on who will get the job.
Who would you think would work best?
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8/25: Former Atlantan Toni Braxton joins “Dancing With the Stars” with Susan Lucci, Kim Kardashian, Lance Bass
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Atlanta R&B singer Toni Braxton is joining the fall season 7 cast of “Dancing With the Stars,” which begins on ABC Sept. 22.
She’s best known for hits in the ’90s such as “Breathe Again.” “You Mean the World To Me” and “Un-Break My Heart.” She had been doing a show at the Flamingo in Las Vegas. She clearly has graceful dancing skills and could do quite well. She’ll be dancing with Alec Mazo, who won the first season with Kelly Monaco.
Here’s a clip from that Flamingo show:
Among the others this season:
-Lance Bass. This ‘N Sync singer has been rumored to be on the show for ages and there was even talk about him having a male partner. But that isn’t going to happen. He’ll be dancing with Lacey Schwimmer from “So You Think You Can Dance.” He has a dancing background from his boy band days so he should do well and voters will give much love.
-Brooke Burke - She’s a big lad’s magazine cover gal who also hosted “Rock Star” for two seasons on CBS. She looks pretty athletic but she is going to have to be truly amazing to stick around awhile given she has relatively modest name recognition. Her partner: Derek Hough.
-Rocco Dispirito Met this guy at the Taste of Atlanta festival at Atlantic Station last year. He definitely thinks highly of himself though I think he’s more humble than his days on the Fox reality show “The Restaurant.” He has next own reality show on A&E starting in October called “Rocco Gets real.” No clue if he has any hoofing skills whatsoever. His partner: Karina Smirnoff
-Maurice Green They need athletes. This time, we have a track star who won two gold medals in Sydney in 2000. We’ll see if he can transfer that speed into the quick step. His partner: Cheryl Burke, who won with Emmitt Smith and Drew Lachey in past seasons.
-Kim Kardashian Hoping to draw that 18-34 demo, the show brought in this somewhat useless reality show star. Is she coordinated? Who knows? Who cares? Her partner: Mark Ballas.
-Cloris Leachman This “Last Picture Show”/”Mary Tyler Moore” star is the token “old person.” I just recently saw this Oscar/Emmy winner on the “Comedy Central Roast for Bob Saget” and she can take it as well as she can give it. At age 82, she is easily the oldest person ever to attempt this show. Wow! She gets a new partner who has never been on the show: Corky Ballas (presumably Mark’s bro.) I bet she’ll get votes if she manages not to fall.
-Cody Linley is yet another Disney actor to join the show. He is the youngest ever to compete at age 18. He is part of some obscure show named “Hannah Montana.” Most Disney actors need to know how to dance. We’ll see. He joins Julianne Hough, who has won the show twice with Apolo Anton Ohno and Helio Castroneves.
-Susan Lucci She must be glad Cloris Leachman is on the show because that means Lucci is not the oldest person on the show by any stretch at age 61. The “All My Children” star went decades before finally winning an Emmy and that streak became a running joke. She seems elegant and coordinated. We’ll see if she can hang in there given the competition. Her partner: Tony Dovolani
-Misty May-Treanor. Straight from a gold medal from Beijing in beach volleyball, she jumps into dancing. Most athletes rock on this show. She probably will look great in a dress! Her partner: Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Ted McGinley He’s that random has-been star kind of like Steve Guttenberg last season. He was known as the killer of many a TV show from “Happy Days” to “Love Boat” but actually did just fine in “Hope & Faith” and “Married.. With Children.” I’ll have to see if he has any steps at all. I can’t imagine he’ll stick around long.
Jeffrey Ross This is the pure comedy addition, along the lines of Adam Carolla last season. He’s get Edyta Sliwinska, the only dancer to be on every season. But he has zero chance to win and probably won’t even last as long as Adam.
Warren Sapp Recently retired defensive tackle and Super Bowl champ continues in a line of NFL players who have tried their hand at dance. Think Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice. He might surprise, too. He gets the adorable Kym Johnson as his partner.
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8/23: Two Michael Vick dog specials coming up
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Two cable networks are airing Michael Vick dog specials in the next couple of weeks.
The first one is this Sunday on Animal Planet at 10 p.m.
I didn’t receive an advance copy but this is how the network describes it:
The investigative report gives an in-depth report on Michael Vick, the law enforcement officers who broke the case and the dogs who were traumatized in the horrific dog fighting scenario and their miraculous recovery.
Viewers will witness rare underground dog fighting videos and also see interviews with two of Vick’s boyhood mentors.
Then there’s National Geographic’s “Dogtown: Saving the Michael Vick Dogs.” This special airs Sept. 5 at 9 p.m.
This is what this network says: Follow the journey of four of the most challenging Vick dogs as DogTown helps rehabilitate them. DogTown is the Best Friends animal sanctuary in Utah.
I’ve watched a few minutes of the special and it’s sad, very sad, to watch.
Here are the four dogs:
CHERRY
Cherry, who may have been used as bait to train more aggressive fighters, is terrified of people. It will take a lot of love and support to help him gain confidence. When he arrives at Dogtown, Cherry flattens himself to the ground and refuses to walk on a leash. By slowly introducing him to new faces and experiences — including a recording of dogs “laughing” — Cherry’s trainers begin to draw him out of his shell. Can Cherry overcome his extreme fear and possibly become ready for adoption?
MERYL
Meryl is seriously aggressive and was ordered by the court to stay permanently at Dogtown. Trainer Ann Allums loves a challenge and believes that a patient approach can help calm Meryl’s dangerous impulses. After she gains Meryl’s trust, Allums starts the dog on obedience training — always focusing on rewards instead of punishments. Meryl proves a quick study and moves on to agility training, seeming to gain confidence and self-control from her new skills. Although this unpredictable pit bull can never be adopted, she now has a chance for a happy life in Dogtown.
DENZEL
Denzel arrives with a potentially life-threatening illness, and Dogtown’s medical team must determine what’s making him so sick. He is diagnosed with a tick-borne parasite sometimes found in fighting dogs, which may mean the other pit bulls rescued with him are at risk as well. At first he seems to respond to treatment, but he soon relapses. Can a new medication help Denzel recover?
GEORGIA
Georgia’s body tells the story of her hard life. She has the scars of a prize-winning fighter, shows signs of having had many litters and had all her teeth pulled at some point in her past, possibly so she could be forcibly bred. Can this traumatized pooch learn to interact with humans and other dogs? To break Georgia of the bad and potentially dangerous habit of guarding her food, trainer John Garcia tries feeding her by hand — a risky maneuver. Even with no teeth, the dog’s powerful jaw could still do serious damage. Soon Georgia is making great progress and easily mastering basic commands. If she can pass Dogtown’s Canine Good Citizen Test, Georgia has a chance at a better life in a loving home.
And people. Please play nice. The topic of Vick tends to raise people’s hackles.
-And how about this for strange? Steve & Vikki are on right now doing the WSB-AM Care-a-thon for the AFLAC Cancer Center. The pair, well known for doing Star 94 telethons, are now at B98.5.
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8/22: Matt Chernoff joins the Rude Awakening on the Fan
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Matt Chernoff, long-time 790/the Zone guy until December 2007, has joined rival 680/the Fan with Christopher Rude and Perry Laurentino.
He did a tryout in June, then another recently. Obviously, it worked out well for him.
Chernoff starts Sept. 2.
He still does Sports Night with Comcast in the evenings. “He knows the local teams well,” said Fan General Manager David Dickey. “He’s a well known very capable addition to the Rude Awakening. What he brings is additional local presence and sports expertise to the show. He’s all about sports and he’s a hard-working guy. He fits in the 680 culture.”
“This beats work doing TV and radio,” Chernoff said. “I’m happy they’ve given me this opportunity. They’re in a great position already. Hopefully, I can complement Perry and Chris.”
He said his selling point is not only his football expertise but his local ties. He’s a true native.
As soon as his noncompete expired in late spring, the Fan has been chasing him. Will working for his former rival be an issue for him? “No. I was never in that mindset. There was never any ill will toward them from me”
-Rick Mack, a former GM for V-103 and sales manager for Kicks/True Oldies, has been named the new general manager at Star 94, taking over for Mark Kanov, who was at the station for 40 years until last month.
Project Runway: If they only made 44D!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The high: Drag queen — Acid Betty? — offers to crack a rib to fit into her designer’s bodice.
The low: Poor tear-stained Daniel. You knew it was coming, though.
We are very pleased. We actually knew one of the drag queens in question! How … um … dragalicious?
I know, I know, last week I implied that a drag queen challenge could be demeaning and stereotypical, but I sort of changed my mind when I recognized Varla Jean Merman (right), frequent performer in my hometown of New Orleans. Go Varla Jean! And to think that no-frills, uber-bland Joe Faris would win the drag challenge with Varla Jean. Go figure.
Random thoughts from Wednesday’s episode:
• It never ceases to amaze me how clever editing can fool you into thinking that all four judges magically agree on everything. Will we ever see some real dissent?
• Terri is starting to look right vexed every week as she racks up accolades but never pulls off the win. Her drag outfit was the absolute hot tranny mess, and in an excellent David Bowie/Hedwig sort of way, too.
• Homegrown celeb RuPaul is looking thin. You taking vitamins, Ru?
• Every week Kenley talks about “old Hollywood glamour” like a light bulb has gone off over her head. She’s talented, but she thinks she’s also innovative, which is funny.
The last word: If you think your own design talents deserve recognition, put ‘em to the test. High school seniors, The Art Institute of Atlanta wants your bright fashion-design and fashion-marketing ideas, before Nov. 21, to win a scholarship and a trip to New York City for Fashion Week. Details: www.artinstitutes.edu/atlanta. For over-21s, Ecco Domani (yes, the winemaker) has a fashion foundation and is accepting applications through Oct. 3 for its grant program. Zac Posen was one of Ecco Domani’s winners, and you can be, too. Details: Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation.
Go on now, make it work.
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8/20: Kathy Cox to join Foxworthy at “Are You Smarter..,” big Fish “Freedom” event August 30
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox will be competing for the season three debut of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” hosted by Alpharetta’s Jeff Foxworthy. It airs Friday, Sept. 5 from 8 to 10 p.m. So expect a few Georgia education jokes thrown in.
Supermodel Kathy Ireland will be on that episode as well. Later in the season, Foxwrothy will be cutting up with Gene Simmons, Dean Cain, Jennie Garth, Sugar Ray Leonard, Jack hanna, Star Jones and Ken Jennings.
-Check out this big free concert sponsored by the Fish and Ford called “Celebrate Freedom” on August 30 at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers. You can pick up tix at Kroger, Chick Fil-A and Brusters. Acts include MercyMe, Aarron Shust, Jaci Velasquez, Chris Sligh, Salvador and Hawk Nelson. More info here.
-TBS has tapped Valerie Bertinellli (“One Day At a Time”) for a TBS sitcom. Not a lot of details but she’ll be playing a single mom.
-CNN last week announced it was moving solo staffers to smaller cities. The cities are Columbus, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Raleigh-Durham and Seattle. They will be culled from existing bureaus in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. As a result, CNN is shrinking staff selectively in some existing cities, including Chicago.
As the New York Times notes here:
Though the style of reporting has existed for years, it is being adopted more widely as these reporters act as their own producer, cameraman and editor, and sometimes even transmit live video.
-Newnan’s DeAnna Pappas was rejected by “Bachelor 12.” She rejected Jason Mesnick during the latest “Bachelorette.” So he’s now “Bachelor 13.” I found him incredibly boring. I’m surprised ABC is going to center a show around him.
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8/19: Most memorable TV moments
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As a gimmick to fuel “viewer interaction online,” the Emmys are asking you to vote for the top comedy and drama moments of all time. Yes, all time, people!
You get to pick from 20 in comedy and 20 in drama selected by the Emmy folks. I presume the winners will be shown on Sept. 21 on ABC.
Inevitably, this is an exercise of near pointlessness. Unlike debating entire TV shows, which is difficult enough, moments are even more challenging to isolate and compare. In the comedy category, for instance, there are many moments that aren’t funny at all. And there are moments in the drama arena that are actually laughable.
And the picks seem oddly arbitrary. Sure, the Ed Sullivan Beatles moment is here but why not Elvis? The “Carol Burnett Show” moment seems to have been plucked out of thin air and is hardly the most memorably funny one in that show’s illustrious history. Ditto with “Saturday Night Live.” And that horribly unfunny “Mork & Mindy” bit wouldn’t even make my top 100,000 TV moments, much less my top 20.
I guess they had no idea where to put a reality show moment so “American Idol” is stuck in the comedy category. They picked the moment like this when Kelly Clarkson won. A more notable moment was when Ruben beat Clay. And the funniest “Idol” moment could arguably be either William Hung or Sanjaya’s faux hawk and the “crying” gal.
And a truly dramatic moment when Radar in “MAS*H” reports Henry Blake’s surprise death is lumped into “comedy” because the show itself was known as a comedy with dramatic elements. Oh, well…
My top 5 so-called “comedy” moments from the 20 choices:
1- Sammy Davis Jr. kissing Archie Bunker back in the 1970s was shockingly apropos and remains so to this day. (I’ve included embedded video from YouTube where I can find it. The clips on the Emmy site are usually much shorter.)
2- The last Newhart in 1990 where Newhart wakes up in his previous show “The Bob Newhart Show” and explains to his wife Emily how “Newhart” was a bad dream. It’s still a classic in its self-referential wink-wink way.
3- The “Seinfeld” episode where the foursome set up the “master of my domain” contest. This moment itself isn’t the funniest in the series by any means but the episode is certainly up there in terms of classics.
4- Call me shallow but the “Tonight Show” moment when the tomahawk thrower hits the board in a very private spot and Johnny Carson utters, “I didn’t even know you were Jewish!” is still hilarious even though I’ve seen that moment numerous times.
5-There are so many “I Love Lucy” bits that are downright hilarious. But this one definitely fits the bill — or the blouse. It’s the scene at the candy assembly line where Lucy and Ethel inevitably fall behind wrapping candies and take a few shortcuts including stuffing candies down their shirts.
The drama side for me is much tougher because many of the shows I never saw in their time and many of the shows are seldom repeated nowadays. Plus, it’s even harder to gain context when there is none for some of these clips, usually a minute to 90 seconds in length. For instance, having not watched “Buffy,” her death in “The Gift” is dramatic for sure but I have no clue what is really going on there in isolation.
Then there are truly questionable scenes from classic shows. The choice for “The Sopranos” should have been the very last scene, not the random one given which is more amusing than dramatic. And the “Dynasty” fight scene between Alexis and Krystal is more over the top funny than dramatic. The “Twilight Zone” kicker is even funnier: “It’s a cookbook!” the woman screams as the poor schlub gets shoved into an alien airplane.
“Lost” is my favorite show but the moment they picked (Desmond blowing up the hatch) isn’t the one I would have chosen. I might have simply opted for the first episode plane crash. That was gracefully dramatic. I do have to say the “Waltons” multiple goodnights is legendary in its simplicity and ties to family. Best dramatic moment? Can’t quite get there.
Here’s my top 5, not exactly in any order per se but since we like rankings, I’m numbering them anyway:
1- J.R. gets shot. This is such an iconic moment. I was only 10 years old at the time and it was all people talked about that summer of 1980. I think it even made the cover of Time. This encouraged show producers to create even more cliffhangers, none that ever quite matched up to this one in terms of buzz. The reveal later that fall, I feel, is probably even more dramatic.
2- Roots. Again, I may be basing this more on the fact that this was the most popular miniseries of all time and remains so to this day. But the regal opening featuring the baby Kunta Kinte is quite elegant and dramatic.
3- Little House on the Prairie. This is more schmaltz than drama, but it’s a great moment in a solid series. Michael Landon’s character Charles Ingalls has to tell his daughter Mary she is going blind permanently. This was quite a step for the producers, but it gave the actress Melissa Sue Anderson more grist and enabled her to deepen her role rather than always play second fiddle to Melissa Gilbert.
4-Grey’s Anatomy. This is definitely one of my favorite moments in “Grey’s” because it’s so unexpected when Kyle Chandler’s bomb squad guy just blows up in front of Ellen Pompei’s Meredith Grey. I remember freeze-framing it to see the actual explosion, which is pretty realistic and shocking. Yet somehow, Meredith barely gets injured.
5-The final moments of “The Fugitive.” This show aired before I was born but I am aware how huge this was back in 1967, a multi-season arc of a show with a mondo climactic ending. It was ahead of its time that way and though the dialogue in this moment feels very dated, it strikes me as a very satisfying ending. My generation, though, will always remember the Harrison Ford film version.
You can vote here for comedy.. For drama, go here.
The clips are often annoying given no context and you don’t have an option to watch them straight through. Instead, you have to click on each one to see them. It’s not user friendly at all.
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8/18: Top Chef, America’s Best Dance Crew tours, Mara Davis gets contract extension
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the success of the “Idols Live” (tonight at Gwinnett Arena) and “So You Think You Can Dance” (Nov. 13 at Gwinnett Arena) tours, several other shows are following suit.
“Top Chef” reps (including Casey Thompson from season three and Richard Blais) are coming next month to Atlanta but details are still sketchy. This is what Bravo provides.. I’ll update when I get some more details in terms of location and date.
MTV series “Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew” is also touring and will be coming to the Atlanta Civic Center September 20. You can get tix here. Prices range from $39.50 to $56.50. Last year’s winner JabbaWockeeZ (below) will be part of the tour. Not sure if any of this year’s crews will be part of it as well. I hope to see Fanny Pak!
“Last Comic Standing” is doing a tour but there’s no stop in Atlanta though I’m sure some of the individual participants will be stopping by various comedy clubs in the coming months.
-Mara Davis of Dave FM has gotten a long-term extended contract, her agent Norm Schrutt said today. But he wouldn’t say how long. Most contracts of this sort range from three to five years so she should be around while, assuming Dave FM lasts. Davis has been at the station for more than 12 years, both on Z93 and Dave and has the station’s top-rated show in mid days.
-Speaking of Dave FM, the station has a guest morning host this week subbing out for vacationing Zakk Tyler and Jane Monzures: Denny Schaffer, formerly of WGST-AM, is on air this week. Yvonne Monet, who is already a fill-in jock at Dave FM, joins him. I caught him briefly this morning interviewing Sister Hazel.
Schaffer, who came from Toledo as a political talk-show host, was on WGST briefly in 2006 but was blown out with Tom Hughes and Kim “The Kimmer” Peterson right before Christmas of that year.
Denny is doing an online show right now here.
Last month, the station brought in Jimmy Baron as a sub.
-Last week, Michael Ausiello of EW.com reports that Atlanta-based Adult Swim’s “Robot Chicken” executive producer and actor Seth Green is close to agreeing to a multi-arc guest role on NBC’s “Heroes.” He joins bud Breckin Meyer as Atlanta-based comic book nerds afficionados who cross paths with (and perhaps serve as advisors to) one of the Heroes, Ausiello wrote.
-Laurence Fishburne is joining the cast of “CSI.” According to the CBS press release:
His character will debut in this season’s ninth episode.
Fishburne will play a former pathologist who is now working as an itinerant college lecturer, teaching a course in criminalistics. His focus is on understanding criminal behavior, how and why people commit acts of violence - tendencies he disturbingly sees within himself. In the course of a murder investigation, he comes into contact with the CSI team and ultimately joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level-1 CSI.
He will fill the gap by departing star William Petersen.
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8/15: Pseudo reality with Bobby Brown
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
All reality shows are contrived to varying degrees. Some can offer the illusion of documentary-type truth better than others “The Hills” can sometimes pull this off to the point that it looks downright cinematic. Competition shows such as “Idol” and “The Amazing Race” use the competitive device to get “real” reactions. It’s hard to say what “Outsiders Inn” on CMT (10 p.m. Fridays) exactly is.
There is very little set up for this show when you watch it. Maureen McCormick leases an inn in the Smoky Mountains in Newport, Tenn. (population: 7,000). She recruits former Atlantan Bobby Brown and Carnie Wilson (fellow alums from “Gone Country”) to join her. Wilson is the chef and Brown is the “entertainment director.” Sure, that really happened spontaneously, right?
Well, no.
This is basically an idea contrived by executives at CMT to try to recapture the magic of the trio’s chemistry from “Gone Country.” (It’s a spinoff! Reality does it just like scripted TV. See Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav, which started on”Surreal Life” and ended up on “Strange Love.” New York got multiple spinoffs from “Flavor of Love.” And how can we forget Christopher Knight and Adrianna Curry, who went from “Surreal Life” to “My Fair Brady.” Thanks VH1!)
It’s not even an original idea in reality land. Tori Spelling did the inn thang a couple of years ago.
But face it: all three need a paycheck. So why not?
Bobby himself explains the “Outsiders Inn” concept in this blog on the CMT Web site. I have my doubts he actually wrote this blog. I suspect he told it to some CMT staffer, who dutifully taped it and transcribed:
Me, Carnie Wilson and Maureen McCormick became really close on Gone Country, and we decided we wanted to work together again. CMT was wanting us to be a part of the CMT family and we graciously accepted. Outsiders Inn was an idea that was brought to our attention, and we worked on it and we had a lot of fun.
Is the show actually entertaining? Somewhat. But the fresh chemistry formed during “Gone Country” feels more calculated now because it’s done simply for TV’s sake.
In the first episode, Maureen and Carnie go shopping. Bobby buys a piano for $300 and free meals at a spa place that doubles as a liquor store in a dry county. (Okay…). Three locals join Bobby back at his pad, where they drink what Bobby thinks tastes like rubbing alcohol that burns his throat. Yet he keeps drinking it. An older couple cools their heels waiting for Maureen and Carnie to return. Maureen struggles with a pen, then an elevator. Carnie cooks. The three men show up to eat dinner unannounced, catching Carnie and Maureen unawares. Bobby is shown sleeping off the liquor.
Carnie has to cook extra food and is annoyed. Maureen gets in Bobby’s face when he wakes up but no fisticuffs. The men are demanding (but not in an overly mean way.) Everyone eventually gets a meal. After dinner, the local guys play some music for the old couple, who later “do it” in the roof. Carnie, Bobby and Maureen laugh off day one on the front porch.
I interviewed Carnie, former singer for Wilson Phillips and “Celebrity Fit Club” alum, since Bobby isn’t exactly easy to get on the phone.
“I thought the idea was really fun,” Carnie said. “And truthfully, any time I get to cook, I’m happy.” Heck, she was cooking butternut squash soup as we did the interview.
She said this was actually more relaxing than “Gone Country.” “That was a competition. We got no sleep. There were cameras 24 hours a day. This was more fun and more mellow although it was crazy at times.” She said she’d be willing to do it again.
Wilson said she liked Tennessee so much, she’s considering moving there, though she’d choose Nashville. (Other options: Palm Springs or Pennsylvania, where her husband is from). “Newport is in the middle of nowhere,” she said. But this 2,000 square foot Georgian colonial mansion was quite lovely as a bed and breakfast.
“We had weird guests. Awkward requests. S**t that you wouldn’t expect to happen. There was a huge goat who came by eating my pickles. I was really angry. We had an animal courtship convention come by.” (I didn’t even want to know what that was about!) She noted that the locals made the show funnier. One guy who played the banjo (Leroy) was so funny, he became a regular.
She said she cooked a lot of comfort food such as meatloaf, bread pudding and mac and cheese. “I did some really nice turkey chili. I did a lot of baking,” she said. She not only fed the guests but the crew and staff picked off her food, too. “I went nuts making multiple dishes!” she said.
Her take on Maureen: “She’s extremely passionate. I usually need an earplug.” Carnie’s verbal style is more like the seven words we can’t use here while Maureen is “like dandelions and sunshine. She loves it. Are you kidding? There’s a twisted gal in there.” She said it took her six months to get past the fact Maureen was NOT Marcia Brady. “It’s so ingrained in our brains, her look, her voice.” Yet she loves Maureen, too: “We talk three times a week. We got very close during both shows.” They’d stay up late at night after the cameras were off (usually around 10 or 11) and share life experiences. “We went through similar inner struggles,” she said.
Her take on Bobby Brown: “He behaved surprisingly well.” (Oh, bummer!) He went deer hunting and played lots of music, of course. She said off camera, “Bobby was more private. He secludes and does his own thing. And he was with his girlfriend [who is not seen on the show.] He stayed in this guest house on the property.”
She said she related to Bobby and “that crazy addictive unpredictable thing. He loves to cook. He loves children. He’s really emotional and sensitive.” He was also weird about food. He loved fried food and would prepare stuff himself and not eat her healthier fare.
The shoot lasted 26 days with only three days off. One quirk that drove her nuts about the South: “The people talk so *ing slow! ‘Hi. My name is Leroy’ takes five minutes. When we first met Leroy, the banjo player, we had to keep reshooting it. My mouth would drop to the floor. I couldn’t believe this person was real. He was just the most absolutely pure person I’ve ever met.”
She said the dialogue was improvised but the producers would tell them to do stuff. “There’d be a scene in which you guys go in a store and you’ll encounter something there. Now go!” “It was very organic,” she said. “It was true natural reactions.”
If you visit Newport, Tenn., check out the inn, which is actually called The Christopher Place.. The show called it Pigeon Manor. “I didn’t like the name,” Carnie said. “It’s like ‘Welcome to bird **it inn.’ I hate pigeons!”
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8/14: Former WSB-AM talker Chris Krok lands morning gig in Macon
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chris Krok, who worked for two years as the late-night host at WSB-AM until last December, has landed a new job at a news/talk station in Macon, WMAC-AM.
He starts Monday.
Krok was let go days after he won an Achievement in Radio award from his peers at the station. The young brash talk-show host, who made a name for himself in town by loudly protesting illegal immigration, was brought in as a potential replacement for Clark Howard or Neal Boortz whenever either chooses to retire. But for reasons never quite made clear, WSB-AM management decided after two years he wasn’t going to work out. For now, WSB is using Herman Cain, who is older than Boortz.
Krok, 35, himself isn’t sure what happened. But he kept looking for a job and did a tryout last month in Macon, which obviously worked out for him. Here’s what the MaconTelegraph reported:
Krok stirred up some controversy when he got into an on-air argument with longtime Macon City Councilwoman Elaine Lucas during his tryout with the station in late July. Lucas became so exasperated that she hung up the phone on Krok during the interview.
“I’m going to hold every politician accountable,” said Krok, who was formerly a late-night, conservative radio talk-show host with Atlanta’s WSB radio. “I’m going to right the wrongs. I’m putting every politician on notice - their days of getting away with murder and having carte blanche are over.”
Her response? Her enemies “sic some carpetbagger on me,” she said, calling the action “cowardly.”
Krok will be replacing former morning host Shayne McBride, who was fired in late June after after being arrested by Macon police and charged with possession of marijuana.
{More info here.](http://www.macon.com/198/story/431793.html)
-Speaking of WSB-AM, Sean Hannity and Neal Boortz will share the stage at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre Sept.5 , the day after the Republican National Convention. Show starts at 6 p.m. Tix range from $7.50 to $50 for VIP seats. You can buy them here at Ticketmaster.
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Project Runway: Lipstick, bungled
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The high: Watching Blayne and Daniel live to see another round. Those are two overly sensitive, well-meaning young designers. They looked crushed to not have Brooke Shields’ approval.
The low: Seeing clips of next week’s drag queen challenge. Can you say “stereotype”?
The lower low: Hearing Terri’s vulgar potty mouth.
A random thought on the “Project Runway” models: Does anyone really care about them? Every week Heidi makes a big production out of which model stays and which model goes, but I honestly can’t tell one from the other because I just don’t pay close attention.
One suggestion would be to skip the model portion (even though it’s only worth a few seconds of airtime) since the winning designer tends to stick with his/her same model anyway.
Moving on, then: “Cashmere Mafia” may have Patricia Field, but “Lipstick Jungle” needs Tim Gunn and gang to inject some pizazz into its costume design. Winner Keith was the designer that tapped into Wendy’s (played by Brooke Shields) fashion psyche. But I thought his feathery dress with convertible sleeves (right) was not fashion-forward, even though the judges (and Tim Gunn) clearly loved it. It looked old-fashioned; the high waist and loud print would not flatter 6-foot-tall Brooke Shields.
A better choice for Wendy, IMHO, would have been Korto’s sweet-potato ensemble, which needs a tall, broad-shouldered woman to carry it off. Plus, the color would have looked good with Shields’ chestnut hair.
On Tim Gunn’s blog, he remained dubious, but I thought it was unusual and very striking.
To make an apples-to-oranges comparison, in my head I recast Sarah Jessica Parker as “Lipstick Jungle’s” Wendy Healy and immediately dressed her in Jerell’s bias-cut dress. There’s no question there as to what TV’s fashion icon emeritus would have worn on her female-friends-in-New-York TV show.
Photo: www.bravotv.com
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8/13: Atlanta radio personalities work the video
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m on the road today so I don’t have time to fish around for any real news so here’s some video from radio land for you to enjoy in the interim:
The Regular Guys have “Southside” Steve Rickman doing several bits a week, probably the most of any personality in town:
Here’s the one he did back in March with WGCL-TV’s Dagmar Midcap because well, this is just an excuse to show Dagmar Midcap:
Star 94’s Morning Mess last week posted a “behind the scenes” video on YouTube:
WSB-TV online did a “behind the scenes” piece about Kevin & Taylor of 104.7/The Fish:
And here’s video of Kevin Avery in high heels:
The “A Team’s” Beyonce at Hot 107.9 posts video, too. Here’s a bit she did with Chris Brown skateboarding:
Q100’s Bert Show only occasionally puts up video for big events, such as Jenn Hobby skydiving a couple months back:
V-103’s Nina Brown, the Frank and Wanda producer, occasionally does some video, too. Here are some post-show shenanigans:
And if you want to know what Mara Davis looks like on Dave FM, here’s some video of her on YouTube though most of her videos are here on edave.fm.:
Jane Monsures, part of the morning show at Dave, does video here. but I can’t embed it. You have to scroll down. On August 6, she did a piece with a mixologist at Twist.
And Adam Bomb emailed me to note he does some videos. Here’s the latest:
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8/12: Olympics ratings huge locally and nationally, Isaac Hayes memories, Star 94 PD Dan Bowen out
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Beijing Olympics are pulling in some of the best non-U.S.-based Olympics ratings ever.
Opening ceremonies averaged about 34.2 million viewers last Friday, comparable to early “American Idol” audition ratings or the Academy Awards. About one-third of homes with TVs on caught the show. Locally, Atlanta was about average, ranking 35th out of 54 large cities, with 34 percent of homes watching the ceremonies. That’s more than 650,000 people. This is significantly higher than Athens in 2004.
On Saturday night, another 500,000 Atlantans caught the games, followed by 670,000 people on Sunday. Nationally, the numbers were about 24 million, then 32 million, respectively.
-Jay Dixon, the program director for Kiss 104.1, has held warm on-air remembrances for the late great Isaac Hayes. He was the morning producer for Hayes in the late 1990s in New York’s Kiss station. Here’s an email he sent about Hayes:
He brought me to a studio with him when he was working on a project for Alicia Keys. It was exciting to watch him arrange strings on one of her songs. But my “fondest” isn’t musically related:
One day we were in a studio talking about “relationships.” He knew my wife as well - and told me I had a good thing - and how important family is. When my daughter was born in 1996 - he made the announcement on the air. It was a special thing to him watching a young family grow together. He was always happy to see me with my family - and even did a special “50th birthday shout out CD” for my wife’s Uncle Sylvester who was also from Memphis (and passed away last week). He never complained about the work he was asked to do - and the staff at Kiss in New York loved being around him.
Isaac came by the station here in Atlanta in 2006 to do an interview for his cook book. We were happy to see each other and talked a lot about the “New York Days.” It was like seeing an old friend. A very honest, warm and spiritual person. My prayers are with the family, friends and fans.
“It’s worth it if you can afford it,” says Wachs, who has attended several similar camps. “I’ve found them pretty well populated despite the prices. I’ve been to ones that are more expensive and they’re pretty full every time.”
Wachs is a drummer, and he’s most looking forward to hearing what fellow beat-keeper Chris Slade of AC/DC has to say.
“It’ll be fun to listen and hear why he chose certain things,” Wachs says. “When you talk to the guys about their music, they’re very specific as to why they designed the song a certain way and why it sounds better when they play it on the record than when people cover it, because they miss out on certain points.”
It’s not just a frivolous day of indulgence, Wachs asserts. Campers might actually learn some nonmusical lessons.
“A lot of amateur musicians, such as myself, we play at home in our basements and pretend there’s a crowd out there and you’re showing off,” he says. “You’re now, for real, in the spotlight, and if you’ve never experienced that, there’s no way all the pretending in the world can prepare you for that. So, it teaches you how to focus and relax and it carries over into other areas of life.”
-I did a piece on that “Seinfeld” bus coming to the Braves game and Criminal Records tomorrow. Details here. I’ll try to stop by later today and check it out. There are “Seinfeld” games and memorabilia such as the “bro” (or “manzier”) and the puffy shirt.
-“I’m too freakin’ dumb to run a radio show.” - Neal Boortz, syndicated talk show host on WSB-AM at 11:20 a.m. today, after he accidentally mistook Georgia, the state, with Georgia, the country. A caller had asked him if he had heard that Georgia might have nuclear weapons stored away. Boortz said he had never heard such a thing, but he knew that they were in Alberquerque. Producer Royal Marshall gently told him the caller probably meant the country. Then the ever-amusing Boortz began castigating himself. It was deeply amusing.
-Dan Bowen is out as program director of Star 94 just two weeks after his long-time boss Mark Kanov stepped down after 40 years at the station. Curious timing. Bowen was there for more than a decade, a long time for a program director. In fact, he had been by far the longest-running program director in Atlanta of any music station in town. (Program director jobs are notoriously unstable.)
John Dimick, vice president of programming for Star’s owner Lincoln Financial, will cover for Bowen until a new GM and PD are found. He said the station doesn’t comment on why they change personnel. “The guy was a class act from the beginning, the middle and the end. We needed to make a change in the direction of the station.”
Bowen, Dimick noted, was there when Star hit its ratings heights in 1998-2000.
When I asked about the future of the Morning Mess minus Bowen and Kanov, he chuckled and said he and the president Don Benson signed off on the Mess and support them.
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8/9: Hot’s Rashan Ali starts nonprofit to get girls in sports
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Hot 107.9 morning host Rashan Ali got a full scholarship at Florida A&M in swimming, a fairly uncommon sport for African American women.
So she has created a nonprofit called Sporty Girls where she nurtures minority girls in sports such as soccer, tennis, golf and her sport swimming.
On Saturday, she held a charity swim meet to raise funds for her group. She joins other jocks with nonprofit groups, including Bert Weiss of Q100, Ryan Cameron of V-103 (Ali served on his organization’s board) and Frank Ski.
“I really want to encourage girls to try sports they may not think could help them later,” Ali said after the meet, which was held at the natatorium at Washington Park not far from Morehouse College. Still dripping from water, she had just finished winning her own 50-yard freestyle.
She just held a camp for 18 girls, ages 9 to 14. She’d love to raise enough cash one day to build her own sports academy instead of renting or borrowing space. “I like to think big,” she said.
Her morning team helped her out, including Griff, Akini and Emperor Searcy. (I got there a bit late and caught Beyonce Alowishus going to another Hot event.). Ali’s former morning mate and Sporty Girls board member C.J. Simpson came by, too. C.J. is now on the morning show at rival 95.5/The Beat.
*Above: Rashan Ali with fellow Hot 107.9er DJ Trauma.
Griff’s swim team (l-r) “Team Real Trill:” Tony Glover, Quincy Eagle, Jalen Robinson, Marcus Griffin, Griff, Beth Williams, Jullian Blanding, Branden Griffin.
Emperor Searcy with Griff’s assistant Michele Hale.
Griff with his daughter Jamisen, who was 445 days old.
C.J., with Thaddeus McAdams, head of www.exclusiveaccess.net.,