Kandi at a party last year at Shout to promote her Bedroom Kandi toy line. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Kandi Burruss in 2000 received a Grammy co-writing TLC’s hit “No Scrubs.”

Earlier this week, the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” entrepreneur won an award of a different sort: “Best Overall Sex Toy” by Adult Video News. Apparently, this is considered a high honor in the adult entertainment world.

Credit her “Bedroom Kandi” line, featured on “Real Housewives of Atlanta.”

(And yes, this item comes on the heels of that Kim Kardashian item yesterday. I’m digging deep in the dirt!)

Burruss will make appearances this weekend in Oakland (at the Good Vibrations store) and West Hollywood (at The Pleasure Chest.)

She worked with OhMiBod to create a vibrator that moves to the beat of music through an Ipod. The products include toys designed for “discreet travel” as well as special massagers and lubricants.

Burruss’ music career isn’t making her oodles of cash right now. …

Continue reading Kandi Burruss wins an award but not quite a Grammy »

That look is a threat that she will NOT go away. AP photo.

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I’ve tried ardently in the past to make this blog a Kim Kardashian-free zone.

Up to this point, I’ve been fairly successful.

But promises are made to be broken. This item is about (ulp!) Kim Kardashian. (Feel free to click away if this offends you.)

A few months ago, she came here to shoot a role in Tyler Perry’s “The Marriage Counselor,” an event that was covered by my colleague Jennifer Brett in Buzz.

Kardashian will be returning to metro Atlanta (more specifically, Peachtree City) to shoot a multi-episode role on Lifetime’s fourth season of “Drop Dead Diva.” The dramedy begins production in February for airing in the summer.

Though ratings dipped a bit last season, averaging 2.3 million viewers, “Drop Dead Diva” remains a very strong performer for the network.

According to a press release, Kardashian …

Continue reading Kim Kardashian coming back to Atlanta to shoot multi-episode arc on Lifetime’s ‘Drop Dead Diva’ »

AMERICAN IDOL: Texas contestant Skylar Laine performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Thursday, Jan. 26 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. CR: Michael becker / FOX.

“Idol” is kickin’ it old school, y’all, in Galveston, Texas!

Fifty four people made it through, comparable to San Diego’s 53.  But in this case, we only actually heard five of them!

Instead, for the first time in five episodes, “Idol” producers decided to give us several bad auditions circa 2003. There were two deeply deluded fellas, one evoking William Hung and another requiring a guard to shove him out the door. “Idol” tortures us with seven other bad singers.

And another novelty for 2012: split decisions among the judges! Four times, we see Randy and Steven disagree with Jennifer. To date, we’ve rarely seen any disagreement, much less cogent critiques, from the judges.

So compared to Aspen, the Galveston episode was far more entertaining, if not nearly as pretty.  And we may actually have some real …

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ recap: season 11, audition city #5 Houston/Galveston, TX »

Over the years, Ted Turner has been scrutinized in multiple biographies, autobiographies and documentaries. There really aren’t many secrets left about him.

But if you want a quick, selective overview of the Atlanta mogul, Turner’s offering a “Master Class” Sunday at 10 p.m. on the OWN Network. It’s part of a series created and hosted by Oprah Winfrey in which celebrities, in their own words, offer life lessons.

“Ted has gone with his gut but has always done his homework,” Winfrey said on the show, which I previewed today. “That combination never let him down.”

While the 72-yaer-old’s story is fascinating, his life lessons are not too surprising. Work harder. Then work harder. Bounce back even after you’ve been knocked down. On his desk, he has the saying: “Either lead, follow or get out of the way.

Do research and seek holes in the market. That’s why he created TBS Superstation, bought the Atlanta Braves for $10 million to fill TBS with content, then started CNN in 1980.

“If …

Continue reading Ted Turner provides ‘Master Class’ on OWN Sunday, Jan. 29 »

AMERICAN IDOL: Thousands line up at Invesco Field in Denver, CO for the chance to become the next AMERICAN IDOL on Friday, July 29. CR: Soren McCarthy / FOX The repeat last night of the Sunday San Diego episode of "Idol" did better than a "Glee" repeat originally set for that spot: nearly 10 million viewers and a 3.3 rating 18-49. All the buzz about Jim Carrey's daughter (or Bikini Girl #2) may have helped.

Aspen is a beautiful, scenic town. The talent? Not so beautiful. At least for us viewers.

Sure, we heard nine folks who made it through but I’m not sure if any of them will make it to the final 24.  (Thirty one got Hollywood tickets, the fewest so far of the four cities we’ve seen.) Nobody really impressed me though I wouldn’t mind hearing more of Jenni Schick and Devan Jones.

The producers decided to upend the formula from the first three episodes. They actually showed some really bad singers for a change. The judges for a moment almost disagreed! And the final singer …

Continue reading ‘American Idol’ recap: season 11, audition city #4 Denver/Aspen »

Coy Wire, a former Atlanta Falcons linebacker, spoke about concussions after a screening of Sanjay Gupta's news special on the topic "Big Hits, Broken Dreams," airing Sunday on CNN. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/rho@ajc.com

Football concussions are a hot topic. Former pro football players are suing the NFL, alleging officials knew more than they were letting on. Medical advances are better showing the specific impact of multiple concussions. CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta a year ago began exploring the topic after talking to a neighbor.

The result: an hour-long special airing Sunday at 8 p.m. on the subject called “Big Hits, Broken Dreams.” He screened it before athletic directors and health practitioners at Midtown Art Cinema Tuesday night.

“As a neurosurgeon, I’ve treated this issue,” he told me after the screening. “We’re still learning about the long-term ramifications.”

Originally, he thought the hour would be heavily science based. But the special took on a more personal feel after …

Continue reading Sanjay Gupta hosts CNN special on football concussions Sunday, Jan. 29 »

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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk

Continue reading Video: talking ‘American Idol,’ Paul Ossmann, Jeff Dunham »

Clearly, there are people on the web who like to “mash up” TV shows, taking TV theme songs for disparate shows and pairing them with another show. In this case, some enterprising live human being took the “Growing Pains” theme song and created a special, chipper, inspirational opener for “The Walking Dead,” shot here in special, chipper, inspirational metro Atlanta:

Why didn’t Frank Darabont think of this?

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Continue reading If ‘The Walking Dead’ had a ‘Growing Pains’ opener »

Katharine McPhee is up for a role in a Broadway production of Marilyn Monroe in the upcoming NBC show "Smash" CREDIT: NBC

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Earlier this month, I spoke with Katharine McPhee, season five runner up on “American Idol,” about her journey to what could be a career-changing role on NBC’s “Smash.”

The risky Broadway-themed drama debuts Feb. 6, the day after the Super Bowl and paired with the second season launch of surprise hit “The Voice.”

(Before we move on, in other “Idol” news, Kellie Pickler releases her new album “100 Proof” today to good reviews. Scotty McCreery is set to play a guest role in CW’s “Hart of Dixie.” Astro from “X Factor” will appear on “Person of Interest.”)

In case you haven’t yet seen the pilot, which is already available on Xfinity on Demand, McPhee plays Karen, a Midwest waitress in New York City trying to get her big break on Broadway. McPhee is part of an ensemble TV …

Continue reading Katharine McPhee starring in NBC’s ‘Smash,’ debuting Feb. 6, calling her journey packed with ‘heartbreak’ and ‘frustration’ »

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Pandora Internet Radio doubled its younger listeners in Atlanta over the past year, according to data compiled by Edison Research on behalf of the company.

In any given 15-minute period, the data suggests,, one percent of 18 to 34 year olds were using Pandora from 6 a.m. to midnight. That’s up from 0.5 percent in January, 2011.

This aggregate 1.0 rating suggests a comparable total audience in that demographic to that of V-103, Atlanta’s No. 1 station.

But is this a fair comparison?

Arbitron, which measures traditional AM/FM radio listening (along with individual station online listening), said this is not necessarily …

Continue reading Pandora keeps getting bigger in Atlanta among 18 to 34 year olds »