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December 11, 2009

'Real Housewives' minus NeNe and Kim?

Posted: 04:21 PM ET

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Might the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" be losing two of its Georgia peaches?

The New York Daily News is reporting that best frenemies NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak may not be returning for the reality show's third season.

Sources are claiming the woman are demanding pay increases for their appearances on the top rated show and that producers are balking.

Both were the center of plenty of drama last season and have been fan favorites, but it's not as if Bravo hasn't recast its popular franchise before.

Just this season, the "Real Housewives of Orange County" bid farewell to original cast member Jeana Keough and over the years the show has seen other (often blonde) cast members come and go.

Would you want to watch the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" without the bombastic NeNe and the musically challenged Kim? And if they do leave, who do you think should take their place?

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Filed under: Real Housewives of Atlanta • television


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December 10, 2009

'Glee' finale sings

Posted: 12:04 PM ET

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Say what you want about “Glee,” but the show knows what fans want.

In the season finale, we got some cheer-out-loud performances mixed in with a few it’s-about-time moments.

Who could resist Mercedes (Amber Riley) belting out “And I’m Telling You” along with Rachel (Lea Michele) singing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” like her life depended on it?

The trip to the sectionals came out exactly how I expected, with the kids of McKinley High triumphing, but their getting there was so enjoyable that I didn’t mind the lack of a twist. I especially loved the peek inside the judges room and their decision-making process which was not only hilarious, but I suspect, also pretty spot on.

Watching Jane Lynch get her comeuppance as the deliciously evil cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester was not only satisfying for her banishment (have fun at your condo in Boca while you brown up Sue!), but also for her show down with teacher Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison.)

Lynch’s character has some of the best lines on the show (“You are about to board the Sue Sylvester Express. Destination: Horror”) I was reminded as to why I love to hate Sue so much.

Thank God the wrong baby daddy/fake pregnancy plot line was resolved. And who didn’t want to see Will and Emma Pillsbury end up together? When he ran down the hall to stop her from leaving and finally kiss her I yelled “Yes!”

Some of my friends have been lamenting that the lack of any overt cliff hangers might portend that Glee is over, but with all of the buzz and the ton of cash the show is making via iTunes downloads I have no fear of that happening.

Rather, I believe the powers behind the show realize that with a long hiatus until Glee returns in April viewers needed something to tide them over and leave that warm and fuzzy feeling.

Now we can look forward to a possible appearance of Broadway star Idina Menzel who The Hollywood Reporter writes is in negotiations to guest star, the reported return on my personal favorite Kristin Chenoweth and the further machinations of Sue Sylvester.

Four months and counting….

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Filed under: Glee • television


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December 3, 2009

Do the Grammys need a fix?

Posted: 01:57 PM ET

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Every year around Grammy nomination time the argument begins anew: Are the Grammys out of touch?

Often it seems that the artists rewarded for their talent are not in step with who is really popular among fans and music lovers. How many times have you watched the show only to groan “How in the world did (fill in the blank) beat out (fill in the blank)?” Remember the “what just happened” response last year two years ago to Herbie Hancock’s win for Album of the Year? (Editor's note: Last year Robert Plant and Alison Krauss won Album of the Year for "Raising Sand.")

Thanks to nods this year for popular artists like Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Kings of Leon, there may be less discussion about whether or not the nominating committee gets it, but that doesn’t mean everyone is still happy.

Now there’s a bit of discussion over the fact that singer Lady GaGa could not be nominated in the Best New Artist category because her single "Just Dance" was nominated last year in the Best Dance Recording category.

With so much buzz and all of the accolades surrounding the Lady (not to mention the more than 1.5 million copies of her album she has sold) her being left off the list even had People magazine questioning whether her exclusion might lead to a change in the rules.

Also not in the running this year is the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as his "This Is It" soundtrack missed the September 1 deadline for nominees.

So is it time for the Grammys to take a long hard look at themselves and revamp? Or are fans beyond caring?

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Filed under: Lady Gaga • television


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November 25, 2009

'Glee' leaving fans for four months

Posted: 03:01 PM ET

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“Glee” hasn’t gone on hiatus yet, but I am already starting to feel withdrawal symptoms.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the hit Fox show is headed for a four-month hiatus after it burns through this season’s remaining episodes.

That means the gleeks will have to wait until April 13 to enjoy the quirky shenanigans at McKinley High School.

FOUR MONTHS?!?!?

That’s an eternity when it comes to waiting for your favorite show to return. I still haven’t gotten over the almost twenty-month long hiatus of “24.” I have to admit, that show lost me after I had to wait to find out what happened to Jack Bauer.

But I had been watching “24” for many seasons and “Glee” is only in its first year. And even though I absolutely love, love, love it who knows how I’ll feel months from now and what will be vying for my attention then?

Is it a little risky to leave fans now for so long, or is Fox crazy like one in anticipating that the wait will stir up even more “Glee” mania?

After all, the gamble to air a sneek peak episode months before the season even premiered certainly paid off with tremendous buzz. And Glee won’t be at all hurt by having the juggernaut “American Idol” as its lead-in when it returns – even though the show’s return on Tuesdays starting in April will pit it against the final season of “Lost.”

What do you think? Will “Glee” be worth the wait?

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Filed under: Glee • television


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November 20, 2009

I remember Oprah

Posted: 01:59 PM ET

It seems ironic to me that it was this time of the year more than 30 years ago that I had my first “encounter” with Oprah Winfrey.

I was a little girl whose legs dangled off the pew when Winfrey appeared as a featured speaker on Sunday at my grandmother’s church in West Baltimore, Maryland. I immediately recognized her as an anchor on the local news station, WJZ, and I couldn’t believe that such a star would be standing in the pulpit of Whitestone Baptist Church.

Ordinarily church meant suffering through a sermon I didn’t understand and staring in awe at the women who – in their exuberance at being in the presence of the Holy Spirit – seemed to shout, sweat and dance the walls down.

But this Sunday I was mesmerized by Oprah.

Like any good storyteller, she started out slow, sharing tales of growing up first in Mississippi, then in Milwaukee and Tennessee. Like me, she loved to read and I felt like she was walking up and down my street when she recounted the many church plays and programs in which she had been called to perform.

I literally slid to the edge of the pew as Oprah told the tragic story of a slave woman who upon being revived from a vicious beating from her master thought she was seeing stars, only to realize it was salt on the ground which had been thrown on her lacerated back. The congregation moaned their pain and understanding of the hardships of life.

Then, just as smoothly as she had plunged us into the depths of despair, she raised us up again with the words of an ex-slave, Sojourner Truth, who at a Women’s Convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851 asked “Ain’t I a woman?”

"If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right-side up again. And now that they are asking to do it, the men better let them,” Oprah said, reciting Truth’s words. It was the mid 1970s, and with the civil rights and women’s rights movements so fresh in everyone’s minds, the words seemed to ring with poignancy.

She encouraged us all to never let hardship sway us from our paths. I left the church that day amazed by what I had heard - and by Winfrey who, even then, seemed larger than life. My 8-year-old mind desired to further the connection I felt with the woman who was now my new hero.

I got it into my head that with her being so far away from her home in Tennessee, surely she would want to join my family for Thanksgiving dinner. So I waited until my grandmother drifted off to sleep one afternoon, and I looked up the phone number for WJZ-TV in the phone book.

Trying to sound as grown up as possible, I asked the station’s operator to connect me with Oprah Winfrey, planning to offer the invitation to the secretary such a celebrity must surely have working for her.

I was shocked when Oprah answered the phone.

My prepared words failed me and I instead stuttered out how much I had enjoyed her speech at Whitestone. “Awww, thank you honey,” Oprah replied, before I promptly hung up on her in my nervousness.

Years later, as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun, I shared that story with a colleague who was interviewing Oprah about her film “Beloved.” I explained how much the now hugely influential talk show host had inspired me as both a woman of color and a journalist.

When my friend later told me she had shared the story with Oprah during the interview and that Ms. Winfrey had expressed her delight at my words, I felt like I was once again that little girl, basking in the glow of my idol.

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November 12, 2009

Britney Spears' Twitter account hacked

Posted: 12:09 PM ET
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Britney Spears and the devil? If you'd logged on to her Twitter account recently, that might have been the impression.

Hackers appear to have struck the singer’s Twitter account on Thursday, altering her wallpaper and posting the following tweets:

“I give myself to Lucifer every day for it to arrive as quickly as possible. Glory to Satan!”

“i hope that the new world order will arrive as soon as possible! -Britney”

The Illuminati wallpaper and offending tweets were quickly removed. #DontHackBritneySpears later appeared as a popular trending topic on Twitter.

Such occurrences are not rare in the celebrity twitterverse and it’s not the first time @BritneySpears has been targeted by hackers. In June, a tweet was posted claiming that the pop star had died.

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Filed under: Britney Spears • celebrities • music


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November 6, 2009

Dwight grabs attention on 'Real Housewives of Atlanta'

Posted: 12:07 PM ET

Thank you Dwight!

The “sixth housewife” said what so many were thinking Thursday night on part two of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion when he remarked on the ladies' decidedly low-key manner.

After quipping that he felt like he was in church, he called the peaches out for their new it’s-all-love-spiel. Now while I don’t necessarily want to see the women at each other’s throats constantly, I agree with Dwight that they seemed to be almost suppressing their natural personalities to keep the peace.

The only time things got even mildly spicy was when Lisa took on Dwight and Sheree for their comments about her fashion show, which she insisted was not a runway show (despite the presence of a runway).

The only redeeming moment came for me when the camera caught Dwight’s face as Kim casually mentioned his new penile implant. I love that he shrugged it off, but for a minute there I thought he was going to leap over and test her new “can’t be pulled off” wig!

At the very least I would have liked to have seen him come out and pull a Kanye West-type interruption while Kim sang “Tardy for the Party.”

Did you like the show or did you fly above it?

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Filed under: Real Housewives of Atlanta • television


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October 30, 2009

Atlanta 'Housewives' reunion bored me

Posted: 01:22 PM ET

Was I the only one bored to tears with Part 1 of the "Real Housewives of Atlanta" reunion Thursday night?

Other than having the opportunity to hear from Kandi about how she's doing in the wake of A.J.'s death, the event was rather dull for me.

Perhaps it's because the "Housewives" so often bring the drama, that this season's sit down of the Georgia peaches came across as almost staid.

Kim and NeNe are cool again after Kim accused her of choking her at the mall? Really? Like reunion host Andy Cohen said, I'm not buying it.

I've gotten into it with frenemies before – though not to the extent of an alleged almost beat-down – and I can't see that all it takes is a two-and-a-half hour phone call to "clear the air" and now we are chums again.  If two people are that reasonable to start with, there never would have been that type of beef in the first place.

I know Kim and NeNe often break up to make up, but this latest incident is a tad suspect to me.

Everyone seemed like they were just so over it and couldn't be bothered to rise to  the occasion, not even when it appeared as if Cohen was baiting them.

And what's up with Big Poppa just "dropping by" during the commercial break?

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Filed under: Real Housewives of Atlanta • television


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October 23, 2009

'Housewives' NeNe rubs in finale

Posted: 11:58 AM ET

I used to be a die-hard NeNe fan, but after Thursday night’s finale of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” I may be looking for a new team.

Not that I am completely buying Kim’s story about NeNe randomly choking her at Atlantic Station (an upscale Atlanta development). Do I believe they got into it? Yes. Do I think NeNe was the only aggressor? No.

However, I keep coming back to the fact that NeNe is starting to become the common denominator in lots of arguments and drama. About the only woman she hasn’t had it out with yet is Lisa (and kudos to her for reportedly getting her Closet Freak fashion line into stores before “She by Sheree,” given all the smack that Sheree has talked about her).

I definitely didn’t agree with her decision to demand an apology from Kandi. Who in their right mind believes a person is going to apologize for believing reports that you were bad-mouthing them when you are standing in their face bad-mouthing them?

Speaking of Kandi, how sad was it to watch her mother apparently begin to warm towards AJ? It was a tender moment and one I am glad he was able to enjoy before his untimely death.

So what did you think of this season? Are you looking forward to a return of the Georgia peaches next season or are you over it?

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Filed under: Real Housewives of Atlanta • television


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October 20, 2009

Wheaton takes on 'Big Bang Theory'

Posted: 10:58 AM ET

Full disclosure: I am not a " Star Trek" fan.

But even I have seen “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and that made Monday night’s “Big Bang Theory” all the funnier to me.

Watching the character of Sheldon plot out and enact his revenge against guest star Wil Wheaton (playing a slightly devious version of himself) was hilarious. I remember Wheaton as young Wesley Crusher on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and I imagined geeks everywhere were enraptured. (Editor's note: Given Crusher's wimpy reputation, maybe they were infuriated.)

I am a huge fan of this show and witnessing the usually unflappable and coldly rational Sheldon become positively unglued at the prospect of facing Wheaton – whose failure to show up at a Mississippi "Star Trek" convention in 1995 devastated a young Sheldon – had me howling with laughter.

When Sheldon stared daggers at Wheaton across the room during a card game competition and uttered a phrase which caused Wheaton to turn to his companion and ask “Did he just say 'revenge is a dish best served cold' in Klingon?” I was reminded of just how genius the show can be.

That plotline, coupled with great moments like the revelation that hottie neighbor Penny had a childhood crush on Ernie from "Sesame Street" (“The heart wants what it wants”) along with Wolowitz’s sort-of-kinda-new girlfriend, makes me want to say this was one of the show’s best episodes ever.

What did you think? Are you loving this show as much as I am? Do you hope the producers bring Wheaton back, especially after his dirty trick of playing the “MeMaw” card?

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Filed under: Big Bang Theory • Pop culture cheat sheet • television


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