Wendy Williams...
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AUDREY'S WHIRL: Wendy Williams pens outrageous tome:
'Wendy's Got the Heat'
by Audrey J. Bernard
(Sep. 30, 2003) New York, New York -- A few weeks back,
shock jock Wendy Williams put her big mouth aside and was as glamorous as
any of those Hollywood dolls as she entered her official book launch party
for her top selling tome, Wendy's Got the Heat (Atria Books/Simon &
Schuster, Inc., NY, 272 pages, $24), held at the Metropolitan Pavilion in
tony Chelsea.
Escorted by her husband and manager Kevin Hunter, the mouth that roars
everyday on WBLS-FM where she's the reigning, self-proclaimed Queen of
Radio, flitted about the party in a believable knockoff (designed by Misu)
of a (Wendy called it a not Versace) Versace dress ("I refuse to pay
designer's prices.") previously worn by Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez,
and stiletto heels, giving her tall and curvaceous frame a towering effect.
Just call her a towering inferno. She was tall, hot and spewing sex. Her
mane was as golden as her tanned skin and as wild as the photographers who
snapped her picture.
The invitational only party asked guests to come and luxuriate with Williams
and offered an up close and personal opportunity with the sensational
deejay. Now that's a big deal because most folks are afraid to get too close
to Wendy who has an intimidating demeanor. But on this balmy summer night,
everything was so serene with the Wendynator leading one fearless guest to
ask out loud, "Is she on medication."
Sponsored by WBLS, Arista Records, Full Surface Records, Jive Records, Koch
Records, Laze Communications, Question Mark Entertainment, Remy Martin X-O,
Warner Brothers and Steve Manning & Associates, the book bash was somewhat
surreal as Wendy was a far cry from the foul mouth person in the book and on
the airwaves. She was actually demure and quite soft-spoken. Everyone knows
that Wendy is not one to put on airs so I guess that this was the other side
of the highest paid lady in radio.
As guests imbibed Remy Red and Remy X-O and other premium drinks, Wendy
thanked them for coming and encouraged them to purchase her book of which
she would autograph. Girlfriend ain't playin' with this first effort, which
is already a top seller on the New York Times' Best Seller's list.
This is her story and it's filled with sex, drugs and Rhythm & Blues. In
this bares all tome, Wendy is honest, candid and leaves nothing out! This
book is not for the squeamish or the prim and proper types but then again,
these folks are not her fan base. Die-hard Wendy fans that live for her
abrasive way with guests and her shoot from the hip advice she dishes out on
The Wendy Williams Experience will not be disappointed. Girlfriend delivers
all the dirt and nit and gritty of her meteoric rise to fame.
Co-penned by the Daily News' Karen Hunter, Wendy's Got the Heat puts all of
the pieces together -- bits and pieces of information that Wendy has at one
time or another shared with her enormous listening audience. Her fans know
about her pain because she has shared so much of it with them from her date
rape, her failed pregnancies, her failed love affairs, her privileged
upbringing, her family and the sibling rivalry and her professional
failures, which she turned around into a big, phat success story.
The frank beyond belief book contains sixteen chapters and what would a
Wendy experience be without a chapter devoted to advice. In a take off of
her long-standing feature on her radio show aptly called "Advice Hour,"
Wendy shares advice on some of her favorite topics - dating, the other
woman, maintaining your attractiveness, family & children, spending time
apart, school, picking your battles, relationships, knowing your place and
having a big sense of humor.
In the last chapter, Wendy elaborates on the infamous interview she had with
superstar Whitney Houston. "And from the very first question, I knew we were
in for a real show. I thought she might use my show as an opportunity to
squelch the criticism she was getting from the Diane Sawyer interview. But
she jumped off from the first question by getting in my face verbally and
cursing. I knew she would be defensive because I had said things about her
in the past on the air that she did not like.
I was one of the most difficult interviews I have ever done and it turned
out to be one of the best. In fact, I love a difficult interview where the
guest is defensive or nasty because that means the audience will get a
treat.
I expected Whitney to be cursing and name calling and carrying on. I
prepared for that. Instead of doing my normal scintillating live interview,
I taped it - something I never do. When a guest doesn't want to continue
with an interview they usually will start cursing. They know that one the
radio that's a big no-no and cursing will usually result in the end of the
interview. But by taping it (unbeknownst to her), I was able to have my
engineer edit all of that out without ending the interview, and we were able
to play it the next day in all its glory.
So while expecting the worst I was prepared to give my best, and people are
still talking about that interview I had with Whitney Houston."
What can I say about The Wendy Williams Experience that has not already been
said? Absolutely nothing! The Northeastern University graduate is truly
driven. This is her second time around in the hot New York radio market
having left it for a stint in Philly. Now on WBLS (brought back by WBLS
program director and one of her biggest fans, Vinny Brown), ain't no stoppin'
her! But this time, if she leaves, it will be on her own doing - 'cause,
Wendy's Got the Heat!
NEWSFILE:
30 SEPTEMBER 2003
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