Sept. 4, 2006

Frankly Speaking

Nationally- syndicated radio talent Wendy Williams doesn't call herself the "Queen of All Media" for nothing. In addition to her top-rated afternoon radio gig, which is based at New York's WBLS radio station and carried in nearly a dozen markets, Williams has released three bestselling books ('Wendy's Got the Heat'/'The Wendy Williams Experience'/ 'Drama is Her Middle Name: The Ritz Harper Chronicles Vol. 1') and pens a weekly column in Life & Style magazine. Also the spokesperson for Alize and co-owner of the Georges Vesselle champagne brand, she hosts red carpet specials for VH1 ('Wendy Williams is on Fire') and even dropped a CD on Virgin Records called 'Brings The Heat Vol. 1.'

If that's not enough, the 42-year-old Ocean Township, N.J. native has a movie in development with Fuqaan Films called 'Queen of Media' that is based on her life; a new Howard Stern-like in-studio show on VH1 called 'The Wendy Williams Experience' launching this fall; and she's the new face of the partnership between Hangtags for Humanity (HTFH) and Nelly's Apple Bottoms clothing called Smart Girls, an initiative to get young girls to practice safe sex.

Though Williams said she is excited about all of her recent accomplishments, she is particularly proud of her affiliation with Smart Girls. "Oh my God, I love the idea of helping out girls between the age of 16 and 24. That's such a crucial time in a young woman's life. There are a lot of girls who don't necessarily have the best support system as they get brought up. Women are the backbone of society and you got to get them while they're young. It's very important that she understands how to protect her health. If she's going to have sex, she must realize that sex complicates the lives of young girls and if you're going to have sex, do it smart," Williams said to me, before pausing to pick up a prescription for her son at a New York City pharmacy.

As a part of the campaign, Apple Bottoms has released the 'Wendy Williams Contribution Smart T' t-shirt. "The t-shirts are a part of a bigger effort. Madonna, Halle Berry and Steven Tyler have all done these very, very high-quality t-shirts, I might add, for the benefit of the Smart Girls campaign," she added. The shirts will be available at Macy's and other locations carrying Apple Bottoms clothing. Ten percent of the proceeds from the shirts' gross sales will go to the "What Smart Girls Know" award campaign.

Clearly, I wasn't letting Williams off the line without getting her to do what she does best: weighing in on some of entertainment's hottest topics and most notorious personalities.

Eddie Murphy's rumored engagement to Melanie Brown (Scary Spice of the Spice Girls): "You mean that beard? Um, next."

Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kim Porter expecting a baby: "Well, Puffy's a sloppy dude, and I don't care how rich he is. He's sloppy and a real special dude. This is his third child by his third baby's mother, 'cause you know that woman Sara [Chatman] just had his child, a daughter. I think this is all out of quick publicity deflection. [Kim] might not be pregnant yet. That's probably what they are working on now to quickly give her another child so they could lock down more money. I don't know. Let them keep that bulls@#% right over there! No, he'll never marry Kim. And if he does, it's not real. It's one of those It's-cheaper-to-keep-her deals or whatever. Some real slimy s@#%."

Rosie O'Donnell joining 'The View': "The who? The what? I don't watch that show! I don't even know what you are talking about. I have no idea what you are talking about."

Method Man's accusation that Williams disclosed his wife has cancer: "You know what, I wish Method Man well. I'm sorry to hear about his wife. I said nothing of the sort. I got medical records and alluded that she was sick. I never said the 'C' word. I don't play around with things like that. I got the medical minute on my own show and I'm a bit of a hypochondriac myself. I would never play around with things like that or expose something like that. It's funny how this happened approximately eight months ago now, but this man chooses to use this as a platform to promote his own CD, which will probably come out and God only knows how it'll do. I'll watch it from the sideline. It's absolutely preposterous. I wish them strength as a couple and as individuals."

On Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown: "I don't know whether they're going to split, but I think what they need is a divorce. There's too much hurtful water under the bridge. You know what I am saying? It's one thing to have an addiction, and God only knows I know, but to have a man to promise 'til death do us part,' and doesn't appear to have done anything to help his wife. In the true sense of marriage, he's supposed to drop everything and be right there with her. And yet, as legend has it, he was right there with her getting high. They should be going through this healing together. I say that with no laughter! I don't want to talk about that Whitney Houston interview I had with her or anything like that, because my heart is speaking to you right now. As a woman caught up in that matrix for 10 years, I am over it! Yeah, I love Bobby in my own way and Bobby has been a guest on my radio show and Bobby hosted my Dons & Divas [party], but Bobby ain't no good! He's no good. And now supposedly he's moved in with [Karrine] "Superhead" [Steffans]. People think that I enjoy tearing Whitney down. That I enjoy making fun of her. Yes, it does benefit my ratings on the radio, but I am also a human being. There's nothing funny about what's going on with Whitney. There's something very disgusting about Bobby's behavior in not helping his wife through this. Either you get a divorce so we all understand that you're free to do what you want and move in with "Superhead," or you get by your wife's side. I understand what goes on with a couple is private, but this is not going on just as a couple. They have a daughter now who is virtually who I am talking to with this Hangtags for Humanity campaign."

On The Record

'Girlfriends' star Tracee Ellis Ross addressed Jill Marie Jones' departure from the Kelsey Grammar-produced sitcom in the Fall 2006 issue of Vibe Vixen. In her first major cover feature since her April 2002 Upscale magazine cover, Ross sets the record straight on Jones' decision to leave the show.

"In order for the show to come back, the cast was not going to get the huge raise we dreamed of. So when the calls went out about the new contracts, Jill gave a quick 'no.' It was her decision. Clearly, we all wanted to come back to 'Girlfriends' as we know it. However, like anything, the show is bigger than one person. The show is called 'Girlfriends,' not 'Jill and Friends,'" Ross said, before adding, "I think I was mostly sad that after six years, the call didn't come to me that said, 'Hey, I've decided to leave and this is what it's about.' But the show will go on."

Ross's co-stars Golden Brooks and Persia White will return when the seventh season of 'Girlfriends' premieres on the new CW Network on Oct. 1.

Buzzworthy

Boris Kodjoe will make his stage debut in Angela Barrow-Dunlap's touring production of 'Mama's Sweet Potato Pie.' The play centers around a tight-knit family held together by its matriarch, Beulah Mae Jenkins, and the gooey, delicious pies she serves at her diner. Their lives goes into a tailspin when a music star's tour bus breaks down in front of Beulah's diner and after one bite of that lip-smacking pie, he never wants to leave. Singer Ginuwine, Sherman Hemsley ('The Jeffersons'/'Amen'), comedienne Laura "Miss Laura" Hayes and Tammy Townsend ('Rock Me Baby') round out the cast. Brownstone singer Nicci Gilbert is a writer, director and producer for the play. 'Mama's Sweet Potato Pie' kicks off in Chicago on Sept. 12, with dates to follow in Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Miami and Houston.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation granted a Georgia teenager, Christian Perry, the opportunity to take a trip to Southampton, Bermuda to meet his favorite gospel singer Deitrick Haddon. Perry, who suffers from adolescent diabetes, traveled with his mother and best friend to meet Haddon, who was performing at the Bermuda Sonfest Conference. Haddon even surprised Perry by bringing him onstage and allowed him to sing with him and his wife Damita Haddon.

Speaking of the Bermuda Sonfest, yours truly had the pleasure of facilitating a panel discussion on The Importance of the Media in Music. Also participating in the workshops were a bevy of music big wigs including radio-record executive Neily Dickerson (the ND co./Church Howse Music), A&R executive Joseph Burney (Zomba Gospel), Promotions V.P. Benita Bellamy (Light Records), singer-author Angie Winans, producer Cedric Caldwell, BET's Gerard Henry ('Lift Every Voice') and radio talent Arvetra Jones (North Carolina Gospel Announcer Guild). There were nightly concerts hosted by David "Mr. Brown" Mann featuring performances by Haddon, Judith Christie-McAllister, Israel Haughton & New Breed, Sherwin Gardner, Vicki Yohe, Tamela Mann and Richard Smallwood & Vision. Bermuda Sonfest was organized by Veryl Howard (Faith Management), Leroy Simmons Jr. (Love Alive Ministries) and the Bermuda Department of Tourism.

Tyscot Recording artist Lucinda Moore wowed the large crowd who attended her release concert for her debut self-titled CD at the Highpoint Christian Tabernacle in Smyrna, Ga. I almost didn't make it to the release, thanks to the muffler falling off of the fairly new Chrysler Pacifica rental car from Thrifty, but I did, and it was worth the "adventure." Moore's Tyscot label-mate Vashawn Mitchell hosted the release, and Dr. Leonard Scott, Evangelist Carolyn Vinson & the Highpoint Women's Choir and singer Regina sang as well. Others in attendance included Ted Winn of Ted & Sheri, Malcolm Williams, B. Chase Williams, Bridget Campbell, newcomers V3, Johnny Sanders, The Anointed Pace Sisters, Keshia McFarland, Christopher Lewis and columnist William "Obnoxious" McCray. Moore received a bouquet of flowers from her new manager,Neily Dickerson, and kept asking, "I wonder if they'll let me take these on the plane?" The release concert will air as a special on The Word network sometime this fall.

BET 'College Hill' personality Ray Cunningham and comedienne Cocoa Brown are gearing up for the 'Laugh Out Loud' comedy series at B.B. King's in Los Angeles. It'll kick off on Sept. 7 and run through Oct. 5. Comics Kevin Hart, Sheryl Underwood and Rodney Perry are among those already lined up for the series.

Can't Say Names…

Uh oh. I hear that a certain R&B singer just found out he was the father of a child in Washington, D.C. Sources tell me that the chocolate crooner knocked up a woman in Chocolate City and now has a five-month old chocolate chip that he initially didn't think was his. The women had a paternity test and, lo and behold, the ballad belter is the baby's daddy! Last week, the singer was in town meeting the child for the first time.

Second Strike

So you want to play that game with me, huh? I'm going to take the high road and not fully 'smash' a certain television medical professional, who was featured in this very column back at the top of the year for some back-biting, underhanded remarks he made about a Hollywood celebrity he had been nice to in person. Now, said medical professional has struck again, but this time I'm the culprit of the curmudgeon's catty comments.

Recently a colleague ran into this character at a national conference and said medical man had some acrimonious things to say about yours truly. He griped about the story I wrote about him previously, claiming it was unfair and biased. Never once, did he mention that I offered him an opportunity to respond, and he didn't. Never once, did he mention that I met him on Tom Joyner's Fantastic Voyage, and he was very pleasant to me and actually told me that the reason he didn't respond was because, "I was told to just leave it alone." Apparently he only wants to "leave it alone" when I approach him in person, but still has plenty to say about me when I'm not around.

Now I could have done like the New York papers and reported about his rumored down-low dealings with his same-sex sports star best bud. But I didn't! I could have reported the info an insider at a prominent network morning show sent me about his unceremonious departure. But I didn't. So let's hope this TV medical expert stops being casually obsessed with me and keeps my name out of his mouth! Consider yourself warned, sir!