When Vanessa Williams was stripped of her 1984 Miss America title back in the day, she rose from the ashes and successfully reinvented herself as a pop songstress (with the help of then manager turned first husband Ramon Hervey). Her songs where both infectious (“The Right Stuff”) and smooth (“Comfort Zone” and “Save The Best To Last”). But then Broadway came calling and she wowed audiences in “Kiss Of The Spiderwoman” . That prompted Hollywood to offer our girl more meaty roles like “Eraser” and her unforgettable turn in “Soul Food”. As the years went on, singing sort of took a back seat because she was getting paid to act.
Well, there is good news for fans of Vanessa’s music. USA Today is reporting that our favorite dethroned beauty queen is back in the studio and her CD will hit the shelves June 2nd. “The Real Thing,” her first music project in four years, will be a mix of jazz, samba, salsa and pop. She was smart too because she went back to the people who created hits for her in the past plus she’ll cover some Babyface songs. These sound like good choices to me.
Anyway, things couldn’t be better for Vanessa these days. She’s still having a ball playing the over-the-top fashionista Wilhemina Slater on “Ugly Betty.” But although she is saying that her work on the show will keep her from touring beyond Atlantic City, I have got to say I am a little worried about the future of that show. The ratings have fallen dramatically and ABC was pulling the show from the lineup next week (for repeats of “Samantha Who” and the new Meghan Mullaley series “In The Motherhood.”). And the show may not be back until June (when people are answering the call to the beach and other outdoor pursuits and are less interested in television). Isn’t that when we get to see the remaining episodes of the series that got the heave-ho earlier in the year (“Pushing Daisies” and “Dirty, Sexy Money”)? If the answer is yes, that should make us a little more concerned about how many future seasons there may be of “Ugly Betty” (which of course I am partial to because I worked at the real Mode).
I hope that cancellation isn’t in the future for “Ugly Betty”. But if by some strange turn of events the plugged gets pulled, I think our girl Vanessa will continue to be just fine. She’s certainly weathered worse storms and she has come out on top.
For more about Vanessa click here.
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