Heidi Klum’s promise of something “a little bit out there” was fresh from the farm. Literally. The remaining 15 designers had to create a party look out of burlap potato sacks, which are “as old as Moses” Emilio said.

The other hitch: Models chose designers and were “clients,” meaning their thoughts actually mattered.

As usual designers did not like giving up control of the design or of the models. Period. Mila seemed very defensive when her model flipped the script and went with Atlanta resident Anthony instead. I’m thinking so what? Isn’t just like dating – who commits after just one date, or in this case one challenge?

Still she took it to heart – and then to the work room by making side swipes at Anthony (“It’s her loss”). And while she tried to clean it up by telling Anthony it wasn’t about him, Anthony had some choice words of his own (read below, if you dare).

All in all, there were some pretty solid designs this week. Jonathan had a sexy lace-trimmed halter. Seth’s …

Continue reading Project Runway: Season 7, Episode 2: Day of the derriere »

By JENNIFER BRETT

It appears Joyce Littel and radio station V103 may have parted ways, although she and her nighttime show, called “The Quiet Storm,” are still listed on the station’s Web site.

The AJC has contacted both Littel and station management for comment but have not heard back yet.

Still, the radio host’s Twitter followers seem to be mourning a departure.

“I love you Aunt Joyce, keep your head up,” one wrote Tuesday. “Twenty years on V103. Most radio personalities don’t make it a year.”

“Is really true???” another posted asked. “Is there no more ‘Quiet Storm?’”

One of Littel’s own recent Tweets says, “I am celebrating my release,” but there’s no explanation what she’s celebrating a release from.

Check back for more updates.

Join my Facebook fan page and Twitter.

Continue reading Joyce Littel leaves V103? »

CREDIT: Jorge Rios

Yes, Steven Wright does talk the same way off stage. That slow, deliberate, deadpan, almost somnolent way. Long pauses after questions. Laconic answers.

On the phone last week from his home in Boston, Wright is perfectly friendly and patient. But he doesn’t volunteer much information or provide lengthy anecdotes. Wasted words? Rambling is not in his vocabulary.

He said it’s probably been six years since he made his last trip to Atlanta. He has no idea where he performed. This time, he’s going to be at the Variety Playhouse January 21.

He doesn’t tour much anymore, maybe just six or seven weeks out of the year. “I’ve cut it way down lately,” he said. “I’ve been doing it 30 years.” Wright said he mostly stays in the U.S. and Canada though he’ll occasionally do dates in Australia and England.

Does he need to perform to pay the bills? I’m not clear on that one. “I perform the amount that I like to perform,” he said. “I like doing the show. I enjoy doing the …

Continue reading Standup comic Steven Wright at Variety Playhouse January 21 »

While Atlanta R&B singer  Monica can emote with the best of them when she sings, she’s no drama queen on TV.

“I didn’t want a show filled with a lot of drama,” she explained over a burger and fries at the Glenn Hotel downtown last week to promote the finale of her BET show “Monica: Still Standing.” “I wanted a show to remind a lot of young people that you can make it through anything if you believe first in yourself.”

At age 29, she comes across as level-headed and shrewd, with a supportive family.

Her mom, for instance, has a hard time accepting anything from Monica and hated being on camera. “I bought her a Benz once,” she said. “She bought a Honda, never drives the Benz. She’s not a flashy person.”

The show focused mostly on her efforts to put together a new album. The big debate was over a first singe: a dance tune or a ballad. Monica wanted a ballad, her bread and butter. The label preferred something more upbeat because radio tends to embrace those songs more, …

Continue reading Monica promotes finale of her BET show, sympathizes with Chris Brown, Mike Vick »

NOTE: I’m on my honeymoon this week so there won’t be any breaking TV/radio news this week. I’ll catch up when I get back January 25.

Scifi fans who are missing “Battlestar Galactica” should be psyched about Friday’s debut of “Caprica,” which sets up what happened decades earlier when Cylon was a new concept. The first episode features a terrorist attack, whether a soul can live on in an alternative word and two families in turmoil.

And speaking of a strange world, bid farewell to the first season of MTV’s addictive “Jersey Shore” Thursday. But don’t worry: they’ll certainly be on talk shows and tabloid magazines for months to come until MTV carts out season two. We should all have nicknames this bizarre! Right, JWoww?

MONDAY
“Chuck” 8 p.m. NBC — Brandon Routh (“Superman”) plays a CIA superagent who trains Chuck but may not be all that he appears.
“How I Met Your Mother” 8 p.m. CBS — Amanda Peet plays a gal who kisses Marshall. Lily will not be pleased.
“24” 8 p.m. Fox (two …

Continue reading TV best bets with ‘Battlestar Galactica’ prequel and season finales of ‘Jersey Shore’ »

A last bit of news before I go on my honeymoon:

Conan O’Brien is close to settling with NBC so he can leave. The dollar amount is huge: in the range of $30 to $40 million, according to the New York Times. He may be able to start a new show on another network as early as September. The report said O’Brien will probably tape one more week’s worth of shows.

Fox is the most likely future home for Conan though affiliates may balk at giving up the local ad time. ABC and CBS are happy with what they have. At 11 p.m., Comedy Central  is home to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. E! has Chelsea Handler. TNT has George Lopez. It’s a crowded  field. Conan may have to be flexible as he ponders his next move.

Continue reading Reports: Conan O’Brien close to settling, will leave NBC »

(Photos: myLifetime.com)

At least that’s what Atlanta resident Anthony Williams (bottom right) said as Lifetime’s “Project Runway” made its grand return to New York City with the debut of Season 7 (Jan. 14).

We were praying something would help us forget dismal Season 6 (may it R.I.P.). And then there was Anthony, who is hi-lar-i-ous. I know, I know. The strong Southern accent (rooted in his hometown Birmingham) is so stereotypical. I’m a native Atlantan – and therefore used to twang – but it even makes me cringe sometimes.

Plus anyone living in Atlanta knows this city is no stranger to flamboyant personalities – and Anthony just screams it from the Stone Mountain-top. But I say let’s fan those flames because I am officially entertained!

That was until we got to the runway show. Is it just me, or did many of the designs seem drab? Considering the first challenge was to represent personal design style, I expected more haute couture from all of the costume and comic book …

Continue reading Project Runway: Season 7, Episode 1 – Prayer changes things »

Grid-iron fans were hot for both NFL and college football last week. The BCS championship was up 9 percent over a year ago with 30.8 million viewers. The NFL wild-card game pulled in even more viewers on Saturday at 32.1 million.

Overall, the cold weather definitely kept people at home. Twenty-six shows broached 10 million viewers. “The Bachelor” and “Biggest Loser” openers were better than average. ABC’s silly “Conveyer Belt of Love” only held 2/3 of “The Bachelor” crowd. Moving to Wednesday didn’t help ABC’s “Ugly Betty” much. The show drew just 5 million viewers. Cancellation is just around the corner. ABC also should have retired “Scrubs” last year. It brought in barely 3 million viewers last week.

On cable, ABC Family drew a big number for “Secret Life of the American Teenager” of 4.5 million (tops for a scripted cable show last week) but “Make it or Break It’ only held 60 percent of their crowd January 4.

Other big shows: E!’s “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” (3.7 …

Continue reading Football draws big-time viewership on TV; Trey Songz dominates Atlanta radio »

Atlanta-based TNT has given Ray Romano’s midlife crisis drama “Men of a Certain Age” a second season of 10 more episodes.

The show has aired six so far since it debuted last month. The show opened at a promising 5.4 million viewers and received mostly positive reviews. But the January 4 episode, the most recent one I have numbers for, only drew 3.1 million viewers. Clearly, TNT has confidence the show won’t drop any further.

The drama features three friends in their late 40s struggling to deal with lives that aren’t quite what they expected. The breakout star is Andre Braugher, who plays a paunchy car salesman chafing under the heat of his boss and dad.

Less surprisingly, CBS hits “NCIS: Los Angeles” and “The Good Wife” were given early nods for second seasons. The “NCIS” spinoff has held more than 75% of the “NCIS” lead in Tuesday, averaging more than 16 million viewers. “The Good Wife” has also held steady in its ratings, averaging about 13 million viewers at 10 p.m. on …

Continue reading TNT renews ‘Men of a Certain Age,’ CBS reups ‘Good Wife,’ ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ »

I grew up in New York with John Stossel, first on WCBS-TV, then on “Good Morning America,” before he moved on to “20/20.” I always enjoyed his ability to challenge conventional wisdom with logic and facts. He has also managed to wear a mustache with dignity, a rare feat.

Last fall, he joined Fox Business, which airs his weekly one-hour show Thursdays at 8 p.m.. He also shows up frequently on other Fox News shows, such as “The O’Reilly Factor.” And he plans to do occasional specials along the lines of what he did for ABC.

Stossel is fundamentally a journalist with common sense, a consumer advocate who became a Libertarian. Ultimately, he finds most, if not all, government regulation incompetent, inefficient and/or pointless.

“You need government for pollution control rules, keep us safe from foreign enemies and keep me from hurting you or stealing your stuff,” Stossel said. “That’s about it.”

When I asked him if there was any government agency that operated well, he couldn’t …

Continue reading Interview with John Stossel (’20/20′), now on Fox Business »