July 2009 News Archive

It's no secret that NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak don't get along.

But these The Real Housewives of Atlanta castmates were friends at one time. As a result, "now that they're enemies, [NeNe is] ready to dish some dirt," an insider said of Leakes' upcoming book, "Never Make the Same Mistake Twice."

The book, which is being published by Simon & Schuster, supposedly focuses on on Nene's life as a single mother, but it saves room for a couple digs at Zolciak.

Most notably, NeNe exposes her former's pal's shady past: she worked as a stripper named "Barbie" in New Jersey's Atlantic City.

Hey, at least you have company, Danielle Staub.

"Never Make the Same Mistake Twice" will come out later this year.

On August 20, the new season of Project Runway will premiere on Lifetime.

Until that date, we'll be previewing each aspiring designer that will compete on the popular reality show. Earlier this week, for example, we profiled Qristyl Frazier.

Today, it's time to meet Ari Fish.

The 26-year old hails from Kansas City, Missouri and cites Lucy Orta as her favorite designer. Said Tim Gunn of this aspiring designer:

"She's deeply conceptual."

Fish doesn't sketch or drape her designs. She just sews quickly. Her influences include geometry, ergonomics, nomadic tribal wear and athletic apparel.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta premieres on Bravo tonight.

But two of the show's stars are already involved in a heated exchanged of words as veteran cast member NeNe Leakes says she doesn't get along with newbie Kandi Burruss.

“I did not know her before the show and I still don’t know her now,” Leakes said. “I think she was hearing negativity from somewhere else because she does not know me well enough to treat me the way that she does. But, it’s okay. I find that women who are very weak cannot stand up to a strong woman like me.”

Leakes was responding to Kandi's assertion that the former "called me ghetto at one point. She has a lot of nerve. Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black?”

Burruss added:

“Her mouth is just way too much. I cannot take the loud talking and the waving of the finger in your face. If you do that to me, I am ready to go after you.”

Ding! Ding! It's already on between Kandi Burruss and NeNe Leakes!

Earlier this week, Megan Hauserman stopped the VH1 offices to preview her new dating show, Megan Wants a Millionaire.

It premiere this Sunday, August 2.

Follow this article's jump now to watch and listen as Megan dishes on the genesis of a series based on her dating men with lots of money.

Continue Reading...

While Paula Abdul's status on American Idol is still up in the air, we can now confirm that Kara DioGuardi is coming back for season nine of the show.

"Her deal is done. There are no ifs, ands or buts," a source told E! News. "Done. She will be back."

There you have it.

DioGuardi will start shooting a new set of American Idol auditions in the next week or so. Are you glad she's returning?

As the newest member of The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Kandi Burruss says she's afraid of how she'll come across on screen.

"It's very interesting," she told Us Weekly. "I'm very nervous of how people will respond. We don't get to see how it's edited. We only get the episodes a week in advance. I don't know how it's going to come off. But I'm looking forward to it."

As for what fans can expect on season two of the series, which premieres tomorrow night, Burruss stated the obvious:

"Multiple blowups. Lots of clashing."

We'd be disappointed by anything else.

Karina Smirnoff is engaged to Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

But she has her sights set on another man.

Asked over the weekend who she'd love to see on Dancing with the Stars, the professional dancer cited a certain Matrix actor.

"I have always wanted to meet Keanu Reeves," Smirnoff told Us Weekly at the Paws for Style Fashion Show in NYC Monday.

Has she had any luck making her plea for him? Not exactly.

"I've said it for, like, eight seasons, and it doesn't seem that he's gotten the message. He hasn't responded, so I'm starting to give up."

Come on, Keanu. What the heck else do you have to do? We doubt studios are calling too often with movie offers.

Following her pathetic attempt at a music career, and her shady relationship with a man known as Big Poppa, Kim Zolciak faced a lot of heat on season one of The Real Housewives of Atlanta.

So, why is she back for a second season, which premiere on July 30?

“I figured in the second season you couldn’t make me look any worse, so I might as well do it," Kim said in a recent interview.

What else did Zolciak touch on in the interview? A lot! Here are a few excerpts:

On Britney Spears: “I look at her and I’m like they just tear up one side and down the other! Then the next month, she’s doing so great. She’s lost weight. She’s a great mom all of a sudden. I kind of sympathize with her because I take a lot of that heat myself.”

On Michael Jackson: “I understand the fame. My life changed in such a short period of time, I can’t imagine what he dealt with. Sometimes, emotionally, it’s taken its toll on me, never mind him who is far bigger worldwide.”

On negative press: “People write ‘Kim Zolciak sucks, Kim Zolciak is this.' It’s like, really? Thank you for that comment. At least you’re putting my name out there.”

On NeNe Leakes: “I would love to get a hold of her ass, but I don’t have time for her. I don’t want to waste any kind of energy on her and what’s she doing."

She may not be the youngest contestant on season six of Project Runway, but Qristyl Frazier has the most unique first name.

And that's saying a lot, considering the fact that Malvin Vien is one of her competitors!

Frazier is 42 years old and was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She considers Halle Berry, Whitney Houston and Gwyneth Paltrow to be among her style icons.

"Qristyl is a hoot," said Tim Gunn. "She likes a lot of color, and print. She's entertaining to watch."

The sixth season of Project Runway premieres on August 20.

A few weeks ago, life was perfect for Bethenny Frankel.

She was engaged to Jason Hoppy. She was branching off into her own reality show. It was all a talentless, spoiled, rich, supposedly real housewife could ask for.

But sources now say both of the aforementioned developments are in question. For starters, she not actually engaged!

"The engagement is fake," a source said to Fox News, implying that Bethenny's rep invented the story to create buzz for his client's new reality series.

But that may also never happen.

[Photo: PacificCoastNewsOnline.com]

Frankel had planned on titling her spin-off The Skinny and the City. But Tanya Zuckerbrot is a dietitian and author that runs the weight loss website www.skinnyandthecity.com. She isn't pleased with the trademark infringement.

"While I am obviously surprised by this news, I have always felt imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. That being said, we are taking the protection of our brand and trademark extremely seriously," Zuckerbrot said.

So, to recap: Bethenny Frankel's breasts aren't the only thing fake about her.