Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk
11/21: Frank & Wanda celebrate 10 years on air
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Afternoon host Ryan Cameron makes a cameo on the Frank & Wanda 10th anniversary show Friday at Justin’s in Buckhead.
Past anniversaries have been big soirees, often with major music acts such as L.L. Cool J. For the 10th, Frank Ski and Wanda Smith went for a relatively modest affair at Diddy’s restaurant Justin’s this morning.
They also took a cue from Oprah and gave 10 lucky listeners 10 of their “favorite things.” The 10 gifts included a $100 Kroger gift certificate, a Verizon Blackberry, a Ralph Lauren/Polo goosedown comfortable and trips to both Las Vegas and New York City (to see “Wicked”).
“They inspire me so much,” said one of the winners, Dewanda Owens, a 38-year-old unemployed former postal worker from Atlanta who has been listening all 10 years. “They do so much for the community. You can be crying on your way to work and they make your day better.”
The only big name I saw come by was Young Jeezy, though Ryan Cameron and their boss Rick Caffey bestowed high-quality wine to them as well.
Ski said they chose to minimize the celebrity quotient to focus on thanking the listeners. “This time, it was because we wanted to give back,” he said.
Going back 10 years, he said it didn’t take long for him to be comfortable in Atlanta, that within two years, he felt like this was truly home. And he was impressed with the intellectual level of the market, enabling him to balance entertainment, inspiration and information. And he appreciates Wanda for being able to take any issue and run with it, be it silly or serious.
As for the gifts, Ski wished he could allow the winners to take a spouse or friend or other family member, but they couldn’t get that many freebies from the sponsors (which included Treasure Island in Vegas and Airtran Airlines.) So those 10 people better like each other because they’ll spending quite a bit of time together.
Frank & Wanda are also holding a big Kaya reunion party at the Velvet Room tonight. (Frank used to spin at the now-defuncct Kaya many years ago.)
-My colleague Pierre Ruhe heard that Wanda Yang Temko’s “Afternoon Classics” show on WABE-FM from noon to 3 is no longer. John Lemley will take over and provide more chatter and interviews. Temko has been at the station for three years.
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11/20: “Real Housewives of Atlanta” finale hits 2.21 million viewers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” is the biggest debut series on the Bravo network since “Queer Eye For the Straight Guy” many years ago. It was also the biggest series in the franchise except for the third season of “The Real Housewives of Orange County.”
The finale brought in 2.21 million, 1.68 million of them in the coveted 18 to 49 year old demographic. That’s the most of any “Real Housewives” episode ever. The series over seven episodes averaged 1.31 million viewers.
Though Bravo hasn’t said it, it’s fair to say season two is coming whether you want it to or not.
-Atlanta actor/rapper Ludacris is performing on “Saturday Night Live” this Saturday. Tim McGraw (who had a crossover hit with Nelly a few years back “Over and Over”) is the host. He is set to perform “Chopped & Skrewed” (with T-Pain) and “One More Drink.” The first performance will come on after midnight.
-If you heard 790/The Zone’s Chris Dimino Wednesday saying he was going to WGST-AM, he was just joking.
-Star 94 has a new program director J.R. Ammons, who happens to be the station’s former music director, according to Radio and Records.. He takes over Dec. 15 for Dan Bowen, who left in August soon after his boss Mark Kanov retired.
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11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the episode where NeNe and Kim supposedly bury the hatchet.
Lisa and DeShawn created a gathering at a restaurant to reconcile the pair. NeNe had made fun of Kim’s country aspiration in a drunken limo ride. Lisa told Sheree, who told Kim. Kim, without talking to NeNe, sent her a nasty text message telling her she was never going to talk to her. Sheree became close buds with Kim, which NeNe didn’t like either.
“NeNe’s a drag queen,” Kim said to Sheree. “You’re beautiful.”
“NeNe’s fun,” Lisa said.
“At everyone else’s expense,” Sheree said.
But they agree to go to the dinner though Kim says, “NeNe better than to me,” Kim says. “She’ll get her ass beat first.” NeNe to the cameras: “I don’t plan on apologizing… and we will never be friends.” Smack! At the Pacific Kitchen restaurant, the Arctic chill lingers. NeNe finally asks the question why Kim didn’t come to NeNe to clear the air.
“How small of you! You’ve known me for years. If you had a problem with me, you should have come to me,” NeNe said. “To me, you look ridiculous!”
After many closeup looks of intensity from the folks at the table (with dramatic music to boot), Gregg, NeNe’s husband, plays Jimmy Carter and tells them to move on, that life is too short to be so hateful. “This is not worth it,” he said. “If certain individuals can take the time away from everything to really sit down and have meaningful dialogue, you will see 99% of this stuff you were fed didn’t emanate from the source… Take this stumbling block and turn it into a stepping stone.”
Kim admits to the camera that she should have called NeNe but does not say so directly to NeNe.
NeNe and Kim agree to have coffee. Everyone hugs and the end of the episode is a “happy” ending. (In the “afterward,” it’s noted the pair never have coffee though NeNe told me she did apologize and they did clear the air.)
Earlier in the episode, in a phone call, Dallas Austin told Kim the hard truth about her country dreams. He said she really had to work hard, focus and stop smoking. “What the hell is that?” Kim said afterwards. “Music is my passion,” she said. “My voice- it’s a God given talent and I’m destroying it.” Yup. It’s her smoking that is why her singing is so poor! Though she goes into a “country music boot camp,” her attempts to stop smoking eventually fail. (Strange parenting 101: her gals, who are 8 and 11, still sleep in her bed with her. Really???)
In other storylines, Lisa expresses worries about Ed Hartwell joining the Oakland Raiders. (After a 30th birthday party at Luda’s restaurant Straits, he ultimately gets dropped before the season starts.) Sheree meets with Michael Knight from “Project Runway” to give her advice on her fashion and critiques what she had done wrong. (She actually took the advice well.) DeShawn attempts to cook while her hubby talks about retiring due to injury. And NeNe doesn’t pursue who her real daddy is and she gets a tricked out F150 for her son as a high school graduation gift.
Next week’s reunion features a surprise showdown between Kim and Lisa. Here’s a tease. Lisa is peeved!
And here’s a bit of NeNe getting in Kim’s face, too:
So what did you think? Is this worth a second season?
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11/18: “Family Guy” parodies WAGA-TV grape lady fall from the mid-1990s
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” lives on in the Web as YouTube. There, you can find pratfalls and shots to the groin galore. And no matter how much of a sophisticate you are, it’s funny. Former WAGA-TV reporter Doug Richards at his Live Apartment Fire blog recently posted a classic 1990s-era video someone posted from his former station. It shows reporter Melissa Sander at Chateau Elan crushing grapes Lucille Ball style. Then she oddly slips off the platform and starts screaming in pain. Check it out here:
What’s even more extraordinary is “Family Guy” this past Sunday parodied it almost to a tee, immortalizing her pain forever. Compare and contrast (and giggle, too if you must):
I just spoke with Gus Valdes, the photographer who shot the video back in the fall of 1998. He said Sander wasn’t seriously hurt. She ended up with some bruised ribs and “a bruised ego” but nothing worse. She was back on the air soon after. He only momentarily panned down to Sander after she fell, he said, because he didn’t feel it would be respectful to keep the camera on her. Instead, he keeps her out of view while she writhes in agony. But that ultimately made the video even more amusing. “It’s funny,” he said, “Tragically funny.”
He said he was at home and his wife had just put away the baby when he ran across the “Family Guy” this past Sunday. He started screaming, which freaked out his wife until she found out why he was screaming.
Apparently, “Saturday Night Live” mocked it two years ago as well in this Scarlett Johansson clip, where Johansson plays Sander:
If anybody knows what Melissa Sander is up to nowadays, please email me at rho@ajc.com. She worked as a weekend meteorologist at an Albany, N.Y. TV station at one point. Last Valdes heard, he said he thinks she’s working in North Carolina. The last time he had contact with her was five years ago when the clip appeared on the Web and Howard Stern mocked it. He said he emailed her and she blamed him for leaking it. He said he had no access to the video. In fact, he said by the time he got back to the studio from Chateau Elan, the bosses had erased the video from the archives. Obviously, some enterprising editor at WAGA-TV at the time did save a copy.
He noted that the video, which has been seen millions of times on YouTube, has been parodied as well by others. “There’s a cult from this grape lady thing,” he noted.
Bud McEntee, the WAGA-TV news director, has been at the station for 26 years. This was not an incident that really stuck in his brain at the time. He just recalls he was glad Sander was not seriously injured. He hasn’t seen the parodies either. As for the cult-like nature of the grape-stomping fall, he had no comment.
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11/18: Star 94 raises $825K for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta; unhappy people watch more TV
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is probably the toughest period in decades to raise money (much less make money). Star 94 pulled in $825,284 in pledges over the weekend for Chlidren’s Healthcare.
That’s down about 30 percent from a year ago, when the station drew $1,212,437. In 2006, the figure was $1,215,834. In 2005, it was $1.2 million. In 2004, 1.167 million. The station has raised $6.6 million in total so far.
Cynics might say the absence of Steve & Vikki and subsequent lower ratings for the pair’s replacement the Morning Mess may have contributed to the dropoff but it probably is more the economy than anything else.
Shawnessy Rennegar, Star’s marketing gal, said Ne-Yo (below) stopped by on Friday, passed out some stuffed animals, sang to a young girl with Leukemia, and donated $5,000. Plus, more than 340 people volunteered to answer phones and help out.
-Obama’s appearance on “60 Minutes” Sunday drew almost 25 million viewers, the most for the venerable CBS show in almost a decade.
-Here’s good fodder for Leno jokes: happier people watch less TV (and socialize and read more) while unhappy people spend more time in front of the boob tube. Here’s the study.
“TV doesn’t really seem to satisfy people over the long haul the way that social involvement or reading a newspaper does,” says University of Maryland sociologist John P. Robinson, the study co-author and a pioneer in time use studies. “It’s more passive and may provide escape - especially when the news is as depressing as the economy itself. The data suggest to us that the TV habit may offer short-run pleasure at the expense of long-term malaise.”
What do you think? Does this make sense?
-As a radio market, we are now ranked #7, based on Arbitron population estimates, overtaking Philadelphia. Over the past decade, fast-growing Atlanta has swept past Boston, D.C. and Detroit. We are now only behind New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Houston. As a radio revenue market, Atlanta has been top 5 for awhile, exceeding its population size.
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11/17: Real Housewives interviews with DeShawn, NeNe and Sheree
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A charity event that goes awry. A party invite that conveniently disappears. A fashion show with no fashion show. Over-the-top spending. Underhanded comments. Nasty text messages. Fake boobs. Real boobs. And some mysterious dude who goes by the name “Big Poppa.”
Even as the nation has been riveted by a presidential election and horrified by woeful economic news, fans and foes of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” have found a diversion from true reality. Old school Atlanta socialites reacted with disdain. Loyalists have reveled in the excesses of the women’s statements and spending habits from a pure entertainment standpoint.
One of the women, NeNe Leakes, has already been highlighted in Entertainment Weekly’s year-end top entertainers of the year.
For Bravo, a hit is a hit. Ratings are stronger than first season numbers for earlier versions in Orange County and New York. During the week of November 3, Bravo aired the different episodes of the show a whopping 25 times, seen by a collective 9.3 million viewers. Those numbers virtually guarantees a second season in 2009 though the network has yet to publicly commit.
And alas, the finale is already upon us tonight after just seven episodes. And check out an already taped reunion episode next Tuesday in which seemingly grounded Lisa Wu Hartwell unexpectedly clashes with the blonde, Botox-loving Kim Zolciak. Bravo made three of the women available for phone interviews last Friday.
Unfortunately, Lisa and Kim were not in town to tell the AJC why they came to blows on said reunion show and who the heck “Big Poppa” is (though rumored are all over the Web.)
DeShawn Snow
On the charity event that didn’t raise 1 million dollars: “On the show, it made it seem like I lost money but we actually broke even in the end. I could have planned more. I could have charged at the door. The auction was awful.
That’s all they showed. But the party went great. More than 400 people learned about the foundation.”
On her foundation to help raise teen girls’ self esteem: “My goal to go national will be realized faster. A lot of people have been donating money. I’ve done summer camps for three years. We had 180 girls the first year, 250 the second and a little more than 300 this past summer. I want to do four camps in metro Atlanta next year.”
On Kim and Sheree bagging on her barbecue, the one she hoped would help reconcile Kim and NeNe: “I’m not mad about them not coming. I don’t care. I was just surprised. I was trying to help.”
On NeNe: “NeNe and I were very close during and after the taping. They didn’t show much of that. I respect her. She’ll say what she thinks to your face, not behind your back. I don’t hang out much with the other girls [except for the show.]”
On NeNe’s mockery of Kim in the limo that led to Kim cutting ties with NeNe: “She wasn’t trying to hurt Kim’s feelings. I was cracking up. There was no harm. It wasn’t something she hadn’t said to Kim’s face. [Then again,] it should not have left the limo.”
On the rough treatment in blogland to the show and to her: “Eric [her husband and captain of the Cleveland Cavaliers] warned me that people would have opinions. I said, ‘Okay, okay, I’ll be fine.’ But my skin wasn’t thick enough. It bothered me. People who know me know I’m a great person. At the end of the day, all that matters to me is Eric and the boys. I can’t control what people say. The show is just a snapshot of who I am.”
On rumors she is in a rented house: “If these people knew the battles I’ve gone through with the builders, they know I wouldn’t do this with a rented house. You can’t believe what you hear.”
On the newfound fame: “I eat it up. I love the glitz and glamour and people recognizing me. It’s all exciting.”
Taking advantage of said fame: “I’m going to be selling online hats and T-shirts, plus crystal cell phone cases. The shirts will have things I said people have run with such as “She didn’t even Google me!” and what Eric called me: ‘Boss lady.’A portion of the proceeds goes to my girls. [meaning, her foundation.]”
Sheree Whitfield
On how she comes across on TV: “I’ve always been strong and confident. It comes across as a little cold.”
On whether her confidence masks insecurity: “Are you kidding me? I am the most secure person on Earth. Anyone who knows me knows I’m comfortable in my own skin.”
On her divorce with Bob Whitfield and whether that desired seven-figure settlement is forthcoming: “I can’t go into that because of my attorneys… we’re at the tail end [of the divorce proceedings.]”
On her finances: “Financially, I’m fine. When I start asking people for money, then you can say, ‘What’s going on with Sheree?’ Of course with the economy, everyone include me is limiting some of my spending. If I don’t truly love it, I’m not making the purchase.”
On what hasn’t been shown on TV: “I’m a great mom. I’m very active in my kids’ lives. I am that soccer mom, that football mom that is not shown.”
On how people think the five of them represent (or misrepresent) housewives of Atlanta: “It’s very comical. We can’t represent a lot of Atlanta. I can only do Sheree well. We’re five strong women with five strong personalities. Someone can relate to any one of us.”
On her clothing line She by Sheree: “I’m looking to have it ready for fall of 2009. I’ll have samples ready for trade shows in February.”
On why she got her clothing samples so late before her fashion line intro party: “I had different seamstresses fall through. It’s hard to find good people. The clothing was supposed to be ready two weeks earlier. She didn’t finish in time. I put so much time and money into that viewing. It was never a fashion show. It was a viewing. I showed fabrics and sketches.”
On her boutique Bella Azul, which closed two years ago: “It was open at Howell Mill and 8th for about four years. I was a pioneer going into that area. The owner kept promising new businesses. It wasn’t hapepning. It’s booming now.”
On blogs where people slag her: “I don’t want to hear that. I don’t read it although I blog myself. And it’s weird because in person, people are so loving and positive.”
On NeNe: “We weren’t friends going in. I didn’t have a lot of interaction with her on camera.”
On NeNe’s mockery of Kim: “It was very mean. To someone I consider a friend, I would have never sung that song. We’re adults. You’re responsible for what you say, whether you’re drunk, high or sober.”
NeNe Leakes
On the newfound fame: “I can’t leave the house without people knowing who I am. I love it. I have great fans!”
On drunkenly mocking Kim’s country singing aspirations: “I didn’t want to hurt Kim’s feelings. I didn’t mean to hurt Kim’s feelings. It was blown out of proportion. That was really a turning point in our relationship. She stopped talking to me. Since then, we’ve had a chance to talk a bit. I apologized.”
But really, how is Kim’s singing? “I had never heard her sing. When she had me listen to her music. I thought, ‘Wow! The music is horrible!’ And I didn’t think Kim could sing. I didn’t mean to say it harsh. I guess I’m really a Simon Cowell!”
On her domestic violence foundation Twisted Hearts: “Porsche Foxx [of V-103] called me and wants to be part of it. Frank Ski has offered to help. Wendy Williams reached out to me. I’ve reached out to Jennifer Hudson because we share the same hairstylist. I have Chili from TLC on board. Keyshia Cole is interested.”.
On who her real daddy is: “It isn’t addressed this season but we may do something assuming there’s a second season. I may have a celebrity sister. That’s my tease!”
On creating drama: “I like to separate from people who bring drama to my life. Every new year, I go through my cell phone and look at my contacts. I delete everybody’s names who bring stress to my life. I do like having girlfriends. I don’t want to have drama with girlfriends.”
On being wealthy [thanks to her hubby Gregg.]: “I live this great fabulous life. I’m blessed. But I’m not going to brag about it. I never talk about designers. I don’t need to die in Dior. I just want to be comfortable.”
On her breasts: “I’m surprised that everyone is talking about my boobs. I don’t think I’m going to put them totally away, just do it a different way.”
On renting or owning her home and other rumors: “Whether you’re renting or purchasing, either way, it’s money coming out of your own pocket. What’s the big deal? It’s nobody’s business if I filed bankruptcy 10 or 20 years ago. What difference does it make? Will it change Bravo’s opinion about me? Absolutely not. I’m a real housewife of Atlanta. That’s the way it’s going to stay.”
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11/15: Savannah gal Ruby starts at 477 pounds on Style and it’s all downhill from here..
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ruby Gettinger is a sweet, rambunctious Savannah gal with a big support system of friends and family.
Not long ago, she was also tipping the scales at 477 pounds.
The Style Network decided to train cameras on Gettinger this year and chronicle her personal “Biggest Loser”-style journey.
“I want to fix the problem; I want to find a cure,” Gettinger said earlier this week over lunch at McCormick & Schmick’s at CNN Center where she nibbled at a low-carb meal of sockeye salmon with mixed vegetables and a mixed green salad. “Is it mental, physical or emotional? Or is it all three? I’m learning eating for me is like an addiction, like alcoholism.”
Last Sunday’s first episode of “Ruby” introduced the world to Gettinger and her efforts to change her life as she begins work with a dietician, a fitness trainer and a psychiatrist. The show drew 565,000 viewers, the biggest debut for an original series in Style Network’s nine-year history.
“I was shocked how big I was,” Gettinger said after watching herself on TV. “I look in the mirror and see myself as big but not that big. I didn’t know when I walk, I wobble. What is that?”
“Ruby” is a departure from the network’s more standard fare such as “Clean House” and “Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane.”
But Sarah Weidman, executive producer of development at Style, said “Ruby” fits the network’s theme of “transformation.”
“It’s a big makeover show,” she said. “Instead of doing it in one show, this is a much deeper experience over multiple episodes.” (The first season has nine episodes.)
And unlike documentaries Weidman has seen about super-obese folks, “Ruby” features a woman who projects light, not darkness. She’s social, she’s faithful and she’s uplifting, Weidman notes.
“I consider her a motivator,” she said. “Many women lose and gain weight in 10-pound increments. She does it in hundreds. She’s an extreme situation, but she’s very relatable.”
A military brat who eventually settled in Savannah, Gettinger said she began gaining weight at age 10. “I never ate meals,” she said. “I ate snacks. Pop Tarts for breakfast. Sweet rolls. Milky Ways. Love Milky Ways!”
Gettinger, who won’t reveal her age, said that as an adult, her weight fluctuated over the years between 350 and 716 pounds. Whenever she dropped to about 350, she said, she’d “sabotage” and spiral upwards again.
In the mid-1990s, she met a fitness trainer and fell in love. They moved to Los Angeles. She lost 150 pounds. But that wasn’t enough. She’d feel self-conscious when people would say, “How in the world did you get him? He’s got to be your brother!”
In the end, he ultimately couldn’t marry her, she said, because of her weight. About that time, she saw an “Oprah” episode on fat women and decided to do a documentary about herself. “I told my friends to follow me around with a videocamera,” she said. The idea never quite congealed.
She moved back to Savannah around 2001. Over the years, she worked as a pharmacy technician and helped burn victims with stocking fittings. But a couple of years ago she had heart issues and had to go on disability.
At the time, Gettinger still had this idea of documenting her life in some way. She used a connection: her friend Brittany Daniel, an actress on the UPN show “The Game.” Daniel hooked Gettinger up with a producer friend, who sold the concept to Style Network. Thus, the show was born.
Gettinger said she now wants to lose weight for herself, not just for others. She wants to be able to sit on someone’s lap. She wants to be able to take a bubble bath. She wants to fit in chairs with arms.
Seven months after that initial episode, she said she’s down to 364 pounds. She’s learning to break bad habits such as skipping breakfast and only eating when she’s truly hungry. Now she’s eating on a schedule, whether her stomach is growling or not. The biggest downside? “I miss spaghetti like crazy.”
And since the show aired Sunday, the Style Network message boards have been flooded by an outpouring of support. Overnight. Gettinger said she’s being recognized on the streets. Though Style has yet to commit, a second season is a virtual guarantee after solid first-episode ratings.
“My goal is to reach a healthy weight in two years,” Gettinger said, though she’s not sure exactly what that might be. As for “Ruby,” the TV series, “I don’t see it as a show. This is my life, a life I’m trying to fix. And I hope I can help others, too.”
TV SUNDAY
“Ruby,” 9 p.m. Style Network
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11/13; Frank & Wanda to celebrate 10 years at V-103 next week; “MadTV,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Lipstick Jungle” cancelled
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
-Frank Ski and Wanda Smith announced their own version of Oprah’s “Favorite Things,” a live party on November 21 featuring their own favorite things. Those 10 items, yet to be announced, will also be awarded to 10 lucky V-103 fans who sign up online. The live party from 6 to 10 a.m. will be at Justin’s.
-Falcons player Jonathan Babineaux will be a weekly correspondent on the Murph Dawg & CJ morning show on 95.5/The Beat.
According to the press release: In his segment titled “In the Know with Babineaux,” Jonathan will give sports analysis, share his thoughts on current events and give his views on what’s hot in music and entertainment news with Murph and CJ on Monday mornings at 7:55AM.
-NBC, which is having a horrendous TV season outside of “Saturday Night Live,” has nixed two relatively new shows, the Brooke Shield vehicle “Lipstick Jungle” and Christian Slater’s spy caper “My Own Worst Enemy.” Both were struggling to draw 5 million viewers a night.
Fox has also decided to retire “MAD tv” after 14 seasons and being overshadowed by “SNL.” But the sketch show is being shopped to cable networks. The show will finish out its run in May, 2009. It averages 2.6 million viewers, less than half that of “SNL.”
The show features an Atlanta gal Erica Ash:
Meanwhile, ABC’s “Pushing Daisies” has struggled in the ratings and is currently straddling the fence in terms of survival.
-And when the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion airs November 25, Lisa Wu Hartwell almost comes to blows with Kim Zolciak. That is unexpected given how diplomatic Lisa was on the show.
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11/12: “Real Housewives of Atlanta” episode #6 recap
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ABOVE: Sheree Whitfield poses with her ex-husband Bob Whitfield at her fashion show intro party.
Let’s call this episode “The One Where the Fashion Show Had No Fashion.”
While poor DeShawn Snow a couple episodes of ago had the Charity Event That Lost Money, this time Sheree Whitfield found herself introducing a fashion line where the fashion samples were so bad, she couldn’t actually hold the fashion show.
Sheree wants to be her own woman by creating her own fashion line She by Sheree. But the money clearly is coming from her ex husband and NFL player Bob Whitfield, something along the lines of $100,000. She has designs made and we see her talking with her “lifestyle consultant” or something like that. How do you get a job like that? She also hires a “body paint” specialist and picks a couple of hottie guys to be at her party where her “She by Sheree” name is emblazoned on them. Poor guys!
The day before the party, she finds fashion samples in plastic on her door. (Good question; why is she only getting her samples the day before?) She is upset by the clothing in plastic instead of garment bags. She is upset that the designer didn’t wait for Sheree and left it at her door. She is then upset by the quality of the designs that don’t look quite like what she had expected. She is upset that the designer doesn’t immediately answer the phone. She finally gets the designer on the phone and lectures her sternly about the crap she got. She decides not to show the samples at the party the next day.
So she has to tell guests she didn’t have the fashion line ready for the party itself. While we see nobody mocking her at the party, NeNe’s gay friend Dwight does so after the fact while getting a pedicure. “What’s a fashion show without fashion?” he says snidely. At least Bob shows up to be supportive (though his comments about her “finally” doing something was faint praise at best). In fact, this is the first time we really see Bob (besides the back of his head in the first episode.)
NeNe had quite an eventful hour, too. First off, her first Twisted Hearts Foundation to help victims of domestic abuse went off without a hitch, a luncheon where women wore big hats. She raised $19,200 and told an emotional story about her own problems with an abusive man.
At the end, we find out her paternity test. Is Curtis her daddy? Sadly, no, he is not. She is emotionally wrought, understandably so.
And Lisa finally had a real storyline or two. She and DeShawn tried to reconcile NeNe and Kim with a sunset barbecue at DeShawn’s place. Naturally, Kim and Sheree bag on the event without even calling. Kim’s excuse: she didn’t feel like going. Sheree’s excuse? Too busy. Kind of rude to not bother telling them in advance and making DeShawn, Lisa and NeNe sit around for a couple of hours waiting in vain. Naturally, NeNe isn’t surprised and says you “reap what you sow.”
In early May, Lisa also finds out her hubby Ed Hartwell gets a job with the Oakland Raiders. She wants him to retire and isn’t pleased to see him have to work so far away from Atlanta. (He ended up getting released in August, never getting to actually play a game.)
Next week in what is already the final episode of season one (and believe me, season two is coming thanks to good ratings): in what is still considered a network crossover promotion, Atlanta “Project Runway” alum Mykael Knight pops by and Kim and NeNe confront each other over past issues.
By the way, ratings for “Real Housewives” last Tuesday during the middle of the presidential election results took a hit. The show just broke 1 million viewers, down from 1.27 million the week before. But considering how many folks were watching CNN and ABC (the most popular networks of the night), that is surprisingly good. But the repeat lost far more viewers at 11 p.m. when Barack Obama’s victory was announced. “Real Housewives” at 11 p.m. drew 388K compared to 667K a week earlier.
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11/11: Steve Barnes in David Duchovny, Demi Moore film, more “Real Housewives” stuff
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Steve Barnes, former 99X morning host, got a speaking role in the current big-budget film shooting in Atlanta, “The Jones.”
On Friday, he had a speaking role with David Duchovny, whose character tries to sell him electronics. Demi Moore and Gary Cole were in the scene as well.
“I spent about eight hours knee to knee with him on the couch, and every woman I know is fighting for details,” Barnes wrote in an e-mail to me. “He was very ‘loose,’ which made it easy to work with him. No attitude and very professional.”
Barnes also hit it off with Moore, who he says looks about 30 although she turns 46 today. “She is the type of ‘A list’ star that you would think would be jaded,” he wrote. “She is NOT.”
The ubiquitous Sheree Whitfield and Kim Zolciak from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” were also on set that day. Zolciak, in an e-mail, wrote, “I am in 2 parts of the film, Demi was incredible she was so sweet and David was great. Demi and I talked outside for quite sometime she loves the Real Housewives.”
Sheree, in an email, noted, “I was on the set of the movie and did get in a few scenes. It was a lot of fun, met some wonderful contacts and Demi Moore was awesome! She was so down to earth, had a great personality and was very sweet. We even talked about our show and how she has been watching it and likes it. How incredible!”
Barnes noted, “they had a man servant in tow that constantly changed out their shoes [heels to flats] like a NASCAR pit crew tire changer!”
While in town, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were over scene at the Falcons-Saints game Sunday at the Georgia Dome.
Tonight’s episode will feature Sheree and her clothing line, plus NeNe finds out about who her daddy is.
Essence.com posted part of an interview they did with Lisa Wu-Hartwell. Here are excerpts sent to me by email:
On Co-Star Kim: Let’s just say, Kim [Zolciak] pushed the wrong and the last button, which takes me there. Normally, I conduct myself professionally and I prefer to turn the other cheek, but you can’t allow people to continue to play with you because they’ll think they can do that all day, every day. So I’d say that people will be surprised because I was surprised and somewhat embarrassed myself, but I’m human and you have to let people know that they can’t just say whatever they want to you.
On Relationship with Keith Sweat: I’ll just say it was a very tumultuous relationship. I was very young and impressionable-20-when I married him. So it was a difficult marriage but it made me stronger and wiser. When you’re young and impressionable, you have to know who you are and love yourself, so you don’t accept anything less than love and respect. I don’t believe that I didn’t love myself, but I lacked confidence.
On Losing Custody of her Children: Until this day I still can’t believe I lost custody because they were convinced that because I was an aspiring actress and Keith [Sweat] was more stable and settled in his career than I was. So because I’m a working mother that means I’m a bad parent? I still don’t get it. It was an unfortunate ruling that was handed to me. It was devastating and if it can happen to me it can happen to Mary Poppins, because there was no [behavioral] misconduct on my part. I’ve never done drugs, I don’t party and I helped raise his kids. How do you take my kids when I’m raising yours?
Latest comments
Don’t you have to be married to be a house wife? Kim is supported by a married man (classy way to raise your daughters), and Sheree is getting divorced from her husband. Lisa is so fake trying to be the peacemaker but being two faced to... read the full comment by A Few Thoughts | Comment on 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale Read 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale
I think the only true housewive is Kim, (again only my opinion) and NeNe is the one that looks like a dragqueen and is too loud. Lisa is just a trailer house trash that could never reach to sheree’s level.... read the full comment by Grandma | Comment on 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale Read 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale
I am surprised by the show. I think it should be a second season with true Housewives from Atlanta. I’m really disappointed in Lisa. She is beautiful, but a troublemaker (she may not realize it). Sheree looks like a drag queen to me (just my opinion).... read the full comment by Grandma | Comment on 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale Read 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale
I am surprised by the show. I think it should be a second season with true Housewives from Atlanta. I’m really disappointed in Lisa. She is beautiful, but a troublemaker (she may not realize it). Sheree looks like a drag queen to me (just my opinion).... read the full comment by Grandma | Comment on 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale Read 11/19: Real Housewives of Atlanta recap, season finale