This afternoon at 4 on WRAZ Fox 50 the so-called "Queen of All Media" Wendy Williams premieres her talk show.
If you're not familiar, this is no Oprah show.
Typically described as brash, over-the-top, bewigged, much-boobed, Wendy's been a hit on NY radio air waves for a while, and is known for
her gossipy, will-ask-anything style.
Maybe you find the Real Housewives of New York too Yankee. But you also find the Real Housewives of Atlanta too bourgie.
SoapNet's "Southern Belles: Louisville" might be just the right fit for you. Premiering tonight at 10, the show has been called a "docu-soap" which seems to mean that there's more narrative, more of a story line than just women moving from one deliciously superficial event to another. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
So I'm driving home and decide to tune in to WAUG's (AM 750) broadcast of "The Wendy Williams Experience" and who is Wendy interviewing?
Sheree!
She says she was in town (New York) working on her clothing line She by Sheree. She claims she doesn't know anything about Big Poppa moving in with Kim, although Kim is supposed to be her "sister."
In fact, she claims she doesn't know anything.
Wendy asks her about her divorce settlement, and in fact, reads it! She asks Sheree whether she's dating. And she tells Sheree she is mean and hard. And finally, boring.
You can listen here.
As much as we love to tease the scrappy Atlanta ladies and all their screamed threats, wig-snatching, and restraining orders, it's actually a Real Housewife of New York who has chalked up the first arrest.
Kelly Killoren Bensimon, a NY Post society columnist and the newest member of Bravo's RHoNY reality show, was arrested last week for assaulting her boyfriend. The New York Daily News reports that 40-year-old Bensimon punched 30-year-old Nicholas Stefanov in the face, causing lacerations under his eye.
It seems every few weeks, we read another tale of money woes about "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" (to be fair, there's some questions about the OC housewives too).
This time, or once again, this story from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution involves Sheree, she who is the one who was married to the NFL player and in search of a seven-figure settlement.
Um, not so fast Ms. Thang.
Not only is she not getting seven figures, she might not be getting any figures. And she's apparently being sued by a law firm.
Dang. It's hard out there for a princess.
No matter, though. Bravo is diligently filming season 2 as we speak. And producers are probably weeping with joy by all this drama.
Can't wait to see how this is all handled.
Bravo dismissed DeShawn Snow from Real Housewives of Atlanta earlier this year because she was "too human for a circus show." So now the drama pressure is on for the newest Atlanta diva, R&B singer-songwriter Kandi Burruss (left).
Burruss was a member of the 90s group Xscape and has had success as a solo singer. Read EW's exclusive report here.
Like several other "housewives" from the Bravo franchise, Burruss is not married. She has a daughter from a previous relationship, and a boyfriend.
"The Real Housewives of New York" begins its second season on Bravo tonight at 11pm and that got me thinking this article on Essence.com. In it, DeShawn Snow tells how she was dumped from the show because she didn't bring enough drama.
I'll just say it: On first read it made me feel like Bravo was going
for the stereotype. After all, the breakout star of the show is Nene, who is all attitude; she's the one who keeps it real by wielding truth like a blunt instrument, the one who wasn't too chichi to threaten to throw Kim over the couch.
That's not Deshawn. Sure, she's a bit much with that whole needing a staff to run her house thing, but she was the peace keeper, the one with a little class, a little Christian dignity. Can't there be one like her? Why, does the show about black women have to be "a circus show"? (That's how DeShawn quoted a Bravo producer.)
Don't roll your eyes. Bravo made race an issue first. It's pretty clear that as they were expanding the Housewives brand they went to Atlanta because it's a hub of black wealth and they knew showing this slice of African-American life would be interesting.
I know we don't watch shows like these for edification. They are what they are, fun brain candy. But they are produced, put together by editors, writers, a crew that shapes characters and images and stories.
Bonnie Hunt, who absolutely killed with her Real Housewives of Atlanta skit with Niecy Nash back in November, was at it again this week taking "Kim" to audition for American Idol. Here's a sneak preview, but for the full version, check out The Bonnie Hunt Show website. It's pretty funny, but I was missing Nash's NeNe.
Real Housewife of Atlanta DeShawn Snow, aka "The Only Sane One," has been advised by producers that she will not be asked back for season two of the hit Bravo series.
In an interview with Essence Magazine, DeShawn says a Bravo producer told her she was "too human for a circus show." She said the decision hurt her, but we think she should take the dismissal as a compliment. Personally, I think the show needed an ounce of sweetness in the midst of all that insanity. I will miss DeShawn.
Apparently, Bravo asked Usher's wife, Tameka Foster Raymond, to join the show, but it doesn't look like that's happening.
The ladies were hinting around at the reunion show that we hadn't seen the last of them, but now we know for sure. Bravo has renewed its highly rated Real Housewives of Atlanta for a second season.
No word yet on when we'll see new episodes, but at least by that time we'll all have Bravo and not have to rely on scraps from Oxygen (not that we aren't grateful, Oxygen). And now, I'm not so interested in whether Lisa or NeNe try to fight with Kim (who is bound to be a major country music superstar by then), but how NeNe will manage to keep up with her big spending buddies now that she and Greg have fallen on hard times.
