When Kim Zolciak performed her single “Tardy for the Party” on Bravo’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion this week, she exclaimed that her dreams had come true. Her castmates may agree to disagree. For many reality television stars, fame on the small screen is just the beginning. Like Kim, their dreams often take them into the music world. Now, PopEater takes a look at other celebrities who made the leap from reality television to singing ... some with more success than others.
Season two of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” started off a little rocky for Sheree Whitfield. First, she launched a screaming match with Kim Zolciak inside a restaurant and tugged Kim’s famous wig on the streets of Atlanta. Then, Sheree had a rather hostile (although entertaining) altercation with a party planner. She seemed determined to have a really angry second season, and she stole the Drama Queen title from NeNe Leakes.
Kim Zolciak has split from mystery man “Big Poppa” again, and supposedly there’s no chance of a reconciliation. [Us Weekly]—Yeah, no chance of them getting back together unless she can’t find another rich man to foot her bills.
OK! supposedly has an exclusive look into Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart‘s Vancouver apartment. [OK! Magazine]—Wait, I’m confused. Have these two actually admitted they’re together? Because the other day Rob was saying he couldn’t get a date.
Real-life couple Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin have signed on to star in a big screen thriller, “Open House,” written and directed by Anna’s brother Andrew. [Starpulse]—Hopefully, this thriller will give us a sex scene between these two.
The fiance of Kandi Burruss, A.J. Jewell, was killed Friday during a brawl at an Atlanta strip club, The Body Tap. [Dlisted]—This must be so devastating for her.
Chris Noth has confirmed that he will marry his longtime girlfriend Tara Wilson. [Starpulse]—What took him so long to propose? They already have a 20-month-old son together.
Kim Zolciak‘s song “Don’t Be Tardy for the Party,” which was recorded during an episode of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” has been removed from iTunes because producer Don Vito still owns the copyright to the song and hasn’t been paid yet for Kim’s studio time. The song was number three on iTunes for four days last week, according to a source who spoke with E! Online. Kim’s rep had no comment, but Don Vito (he doesn’t have one of those first names that sounds right without the last name) only had pleasant things to say about Kim (unlike that other producer Dallas Austin): “I think [Kim] is a good person and it was fun working in the studio with her. We made a great record and I look forward to working with her on the album again.” [E! Online]
All weekend, I’ve been humming “Don’t Be Tardy To The Party.” This is the ultimate sign that I am a “Real Housewives of Atlanta” addict. So I was excited to see that BravoTV.com has posted the images of the ladies that photographer Derek Blanks shot a few weeks back. NeNe Leakes creative director for the shoot, picked a pair of alter egos for each woman to embody. Originally, she wanted Kim Zolciak to pose as a black woman, but Kim wasn’t so into that idea. “It would have required me to be painted black, which is SO insensitive,” Kim wrote on her blog. “And NeNe is mad that I won’t do something that would not only disrespect her but an entire race of people?! Not happening.” Instead, Kim posed for the photo above as a Stepford Wife and a rich wife. Only, Kim was surprised to see the words “rich wife” replaced with “mistress” and swears on her blog that she never agreed to that. “Who in the hell would agree to be a mistress??” she wrote. “I wish these ladies would stop acting like I am the only one who has dated someone in a dissolving marriage.”
Amelia was right to dub She by Sheree “S**t by Sheree” last year because the line, which debuted this past weekend during New York Fashion Week, really is crappy. Notice how the “audience” keeps walking by the bored models wearing the ho-hum beige pants and lace dresses that appear to have rumpled seams. None of Sheree Whitfield‘s fellow “Real Housewives of Atlanta” cast members were in attendance because “It’s just a working relationship,” Sheree explained to E!. “We all have our different things that we’re doing. We’re not friends, but we are cordial,” she added. But there were at least two heavy hitters: Michael Patrick King, director of ““Sex and the City,” and Adam Glassman, creative director of O, the Oprah Magazine. I suspect they only went for the laughs and to meet NeNe Leakes, who wasn’t there anyway. If you’d like to torture yourself by looking at more of this line, then click here for more photos, including one with Sheena who competed on “America’s Next Top Model.” [E! Online]
NeNe Leakes shouted “I’m the director” all over Buckhead as she prepared “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” for the alter-ego photo shoot by photographer Derek Banks. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The episode opened with the social director of the crew (NeNe) inviting Kandi and Sheree for Minx Nails manicures. They really over-shared about their pubic hair while getting primped. Kandi got rid of hers with electrolysis. And Sheree is completely bald, and I don’t know why. Brazilians? Alopecia? Who knows.
The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star is one of the celebrities showing her support for marriage equality by posing for the NOH8 campaign, which seeks to overturn Proposition 8 in California. [via DListed]
Kim has latched onto Kandi like I predicted she would. Really, I can’t blame Kim for wanting to become close to Kandi because it’s difficult to be on a show if you’re not friends with any of the other four women. Kim visited Kandi at her studio and actually convinced Kandi to produce “Tardy for the Party,” the song she and NeNe created last season, but Kim refused to sing the song in front of Kandi. Chances are, Kim, if you’re too shy to sing with others around, then you’re not a singer. Meanwhile, Lisa and NeNe were in L.A. visiting Lisa’s family. Please tell me NeNe and I weren’t the only ones shocked to find out Lisa’s mom is black and her father is Asian—I thought it’d be the other way around. NeNe met a great part of Lisa’s Asian family members because it was her grandmother’s 92nd birthday. The best advice of the night was when Lisa’s grandmother said she slathered Vaseline all over her face throughout her life to keep wrinkles at bay. And it really works. Grandma didn’t have one wrinkle on her face. I’m too scared of acne to try it, though. As it turns out, Lisa did visit the grave site of her older brother Meho, but I still don’t get why that was such a priority for her other brother. If she didn’t want to go, she shouldn’t have been forced. Sad, sad Sheree didn’t have a big part in last night’s episode. She’s planning another Sh*t by Sheree fashion show, but for some reason Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss look-alike models aren’t showing up for her auditions. I wonder why.
The producers, er, I mean NeNe has the brilliant idea to organize an alter-ego photo shoot for all the housewives. But Kim might have the biggest transformation because NeNe has decided to turn her into a black woman named Kina. We won’t meet Kina until tonight’s episode, but you know I’ll have the deets in tomorrow’s recap. Until then, feel free to ponder whether NeNe came up with these ideas herself this season or if she had a chat with the producers on a regular basis.
Awkward. In this random clip, Bravo’s Andy Cohen and Jeff Lewis of “Flipping Out” talk to Kim Zolciak of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” about her wig. The best moment: when Andy leans in close to try to determine where her real hair ends and the wig begins, and looks kind of like a monkey checking a buddy for ticks. Another highlight: Jeff calling her wig a “Halloween mask,” and Kim getting a bit testy. Apparently, for all of us dying to see what she looks like sans Barbie hair, she often goes wigless at the beach. I can already hear the sound of the paparazzi setting up their long-range cameras now.
Kim Zolciak from “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” stopped by “The Today Show” this morning to talk shop with Ann Curry. Among some choice comments about her show, Kim revealed she’s really “not into all the drama” and that she’s “definitely embarrassed ... at times” (like, when she hears herself singing, maybe?). She also says that the way she and her cast mates behave on the show is setting a “poor example.” That’s all fine and whatever, but, you guys, what is going on with Kim’s face? Did she have her lips done? Her eyes? An entire face-lift? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but girl’s looking even stranger than usual. Check out the clip above.
During last season’s “Real Housewives of Atlanta” reunion show, when Andy Cohen asked NeNe Leakes if she was a stripper in the past, she played coy and said, “Yes. I strip for my husband.” But she’s totally come clean in her memoir, Never Make the Same Mistake Twice. She was a stripper, in an upscale Atlanta club. She danced using the stage name Silk and says, “I could make $500 off one guy just by turning him on.” NeNe doesn’t regret her decision to gyrate on a pole for money. Read on for some other choice quotes from her book.
TMZ is reporting that the guy in this photo, walking with “The Real Housewives of Atlanta”‘s Kim Zolciak, is “Big Poppa,” the guy who had previously been identified as Lee Najjar, a prominent rich dude in the ATL. The picture was allegedly taken in November, but I’m just happy to see that my suspicions have been confirmed—I knew Kim was the type of chick that wore high heels with her swimwear! [TMZ]
There were some highs and some lows on the season premiere of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” last night. The absolute best part was the neck-rolling, arm-swinging catfight, altercation, ruckus, or whatever you want to call it between Sheree and her party planner, Anthony. You see, Sheree had the not-so unique idea to throw an “independence party” since her ex-husband got her home foreclosed, and she finally has to stand on her own two feet. Basically, she wanted Atlanta’s elite to fawn over her once again and realize that she might have a smaller house, but she’s still “fabulous.”
It is not Halloween; therefore, it is not appropriate to be dressed as a middle-aged Rihanna. [“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” Premiere Party, Atlanta, GA, 7/28/09]
Our girl NeNe Leakes, aka the hottest housewife in Atlanta, helped Hoda host the fourth hour of “The Today Show” this morning. Her new haircut is rather fierce. Not so fierce? NeNe’s assertion that having a child out of wedlock is a mistake and that having friendships with women is hard these days. NeNe, we think you’re hanging out with the wrong crew.
Given the drama of “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” and the deer-in-headlights-spectacle of “Orange County,” the NYC version is the most tepid and ho-hum of Bravo’s franchise. That’s not to say, however, that some of their cast members aren’t as heinous. While I kind of respect damaged and opinionated Bethenny, adore blabbermouth Jill, and find Alex&Simon’s (they’re one entity, you know) nerdy pretentiousness entertaining, Ramona and LuAnn drive me about as crazy as Sheree and Vicki. Ramona is one marble away from the insane asylum and LuAnn lost any chance with me when she chastised Bethenny for introducing her to a lowly commoner by her first name. Mental case versus classist bitch, who to hate more?! Last night I made up my mind—C(o)untess LuAnn de Lesseps, you are THE WORST.
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