Here is a recent pic of Cocktail, the winner of For The Love Of Ray-J (season 1) and was a contestant ont he canceled season of I Love Money 3 with singer Chris Brown!
Bret Michaels is planning to sue the The Tony Awards which he performed in 2009 over his brain hemorrhage a year ago. While he was performing at the award show, he was struck in the head by piece of scenery. At the time he said he was not going to sue but now he is saying that his brain hemorrhage is related to the incident.
Hello Vh1ccess.net Readers Its VH1iNFO Here With an Exclusive interview With Basketball Wives Newest Cast Member Tami Roman. Who was On The Real World In the 90's. Here she Dishes About the Season 2. and Little Details of Season 3 Coming this June.
Hi Tami Im so H=happy to finally interview you. I Listen to your interviews, and Radio Hosts pointed out that you were approached for season 1. Why didnt you, and what made the second season your time?
My manager told me that VH1 contacted him about the show and I didn’t really want to do it at the time because I didn’t want to be associated with reality TV. I have spent almost 10 years trying to establish myself as an actor in the industry and felt it wasn’t the right move for me. However by the time season 2 came around, I had experienced so much hardship and trials (which I overcame) that I wanted to use the platform as a medium to reach people with the hopes that they would learn from my experiences.
For MTV fans- Your were initially on the real world. What are some differences on the Tami Back then, and the Tami Roman Now?
I’m a mother of 2 girls-I’ve been married-divorced-rich-poor-up, down and up again. I am a completely different person with how I approach life. I live a faith based life and have made God the ruler of my house. However, just because I’m a Christian doesn’t mean I’m a punk.
The Fans Absolutely Love you. The reactions were phenomonal. Did you think you get that reaction, maybe the one everyone would Gossip about?
Never really thought about “reactions”. I simply wanted to come on the show and tell the truth about my story. I didn’t plan anything out or try to be something that I am not. I came as myself – some people like me and others don’t – but they have to respect the fact that I’ve been real since the first day on the show.
Honestly, I can say that you were my favorite this season. Your were Real, and brought alot to the table. You gave alot of advice. Do you consider being a Life coach sometime Like Tionna ( What Chilli Wants) Or Laura Baron ( Your Cut Off)?
Absolutely! I would love that – that is why I am writing my book. It’s an inspirational memoir to which I hope people will learn about my life’s journey and not just the 1hr they see on TV. I believe that my experiences and coming out on the other side of them – still standing – will serve as encouragement, inspiration and motivation for the reader. Several people have said that I should do a show to help people find the “real” inside of them- that would be fun. “Get Real w/Tami Roman” LOL, I like the sound of that.
We all felt bad about the Situation With your daughters, and Kenny Anderson. How are the relationships between them different since production?
If I do Season 3, you will find out
.Everyone Loves to have a good time, and Drink. And there were a few moments on the show where a different side of you came out. Whats Her name?(LOL)
I always joke and say that side is T-Ro LOL, but the truth of the matter is that there is no alter ego necessary. I’m me all the time – good, bad or indifferent. I’m progressing towards positive changes and thus going thru a learning phase. That’s a part of life.
As Evelyn and Suzie Beefed, you suddenly became involved. Suzie was also talking smack about you. At that point, were you like "Yes this girl is phony."
Regarding Suzie, I just felt that I wasn’t given the proper introduction LOL – she didn’t allow people to make their own assessment of me as a person. I understand that she was looking out for Royce, but she should have let things play out and then if she felt what she heard was true, she could have stepped in and “warned” Royce. The way that she did it, she caused Royce to put her guards up about me without merit.
The Ratings were sky high on the finale. This finale concluded with the biggest fight all of season 2. Even Evelyns Boobs were About to Play "Peek a Boob."What Was the actual reason behind it all?
In all honesty, I liked Evelyn and thought we were cool. Not saying BFF’s or anything but she is fun to be around, keeps you laughing and is so full of spunk. I liked her energy and thought we were progressing towards a potential friendship. I really thought we were building. Finding out she slept with Kenny was a “non-motherfucking factor” as far as I was concerned, but what did matter was the fact that she didn’t tell me. I was under the assumption that we were close enough for her to have told me long before the big blow up. I also didn’t like the fact that she called me out of my name and disrespected me on so many levels…none of which revolved around her sleeping with Kenny. It was more about our relationship or lack thereof that hurt me the most.
After that the reunion clearly showed that use were still not cool. How are things with Evelyn now?
I honestly haven’t spoken to Evelyn. I heard rumors that she wasn’t coming back to the show and I reached out to her to find out. It would be weird for me without Evelyn-whether we get along or not, she is a staple for this show. That’s like All My Children without Erica Kane – she is an important piece of the puzzle that makes the show work. Just as we all are – we all bring something special but the beauty is it really only works if all the pieces are there…that’s just the truth of how I feel. Regarding us being cool or not – we were fine with our lives and our own friends before BBW and I’m sure if we never spoke again, we would still be fine.
Throughout the season you had few confrontations with Jennifer, and Evelyn. Which Fight was Your favorite?
Odd question – don’t really condone my behavior in either incident. It’s just something that happened the way it did – I don’t have a favorite – sorry.
There were reports from TMZ About you girls gettin paid $7,500 Per episode. Is this true?
I don’t know how much anybody is getting paid. Contracts are kept confidential.
Another report is that you have founs love. Will we know who it is anytime soon?
Oh God I hope not. I’d like to keep that aspect of my life to myself. He is not camera hungry – more of a behind the scenes guy and he’d like to keep it that way – so do I.
We Want to know what you think of The Cast Now In One word.
Shaunie savvy
Evelyn shady
Jennifer meek
Royce spitfire
Gloria feisty
Tami..... B.I.T.C.H.
Ashley sweet
Eric Williams?.... no comment
Speaking of Eric Williams he was the most hated on the show. what is some advice you have for him on how to be a man to marry?
No comment – he has to take his experiences and apply them to the future. Each man has to complete his own journey.
Looking back on the show what are some things that you want everyone to be clear about?
I would have to say that I am not a one dimensional person. No person walking is one dimensional. Don’t believe that what you see on TV is the only aspect to me as an individual. There is more to me in my entirety. I’m not saying that what you saw was fabricated, because it wasn’t. That was me and those were my actions – good, bad or indifferent. I’m just saying that what you saw is not all I am.
Now that Season 3 was Picked up, and premiering in June. If you do return. What are some things you want to be different?
I would have to say for my particular story – season 2 was about me “getting my groove back”, so to speak. Season 3 should be about what I plan to do with it LOL. I’d like for people to see the things I’m working on to show my growth and the growth of my daughters. I definitely don’t want to see so much confrontation, but with too many women, that may be inevitable. Still debating on what I can bring to Season 3 that will be of value – I always want people to continue learning from my experiences.
Will you be returning?
Not sure
There are rumors that filming started. But it seems to me that everyones in different states. Not all filming in Miami. Any confirmation on this?
I know that I am still in NYC – not sure on the other ladies’ locations.
I heard your working on a pilot. What is that about?
The network will not allow me to speak on the pilot at this stage.
What are some Projects that your working on as to Keep yourself going in the industry and not just another Reality star who we wont hear about in 2 years?
I am still actively auditioning when I can which keeps me sane LOL. This year, I booked a role on a USA pilot – I’m writing my book – I produced a short film called THE TOMBS - I am creating an inspirational jewelry line for designers YvoneChrista – I’ll be working as a guest DJ for WEDR 99 Jamz in Miami and I am developing a phenomenal website that I will give the details on later.
Well Tami Roman thank You so much for your time. I wish Best of luck. Thank you for supporting me as well. Any last words?
Yes, Les Moonves -Tyler Perry – Dick Wolf – Jerry Bruckheimer – Johnathan Littman – Nick Santora what’s the hold up? Give me a shot, you won’t regret it! Oh and Chris Abrego, how about Charm School “The Get Real Edition”? Let me whip the “realness” into these chicks. J
Also contacts for everyone to keep updated with you?
Twitter @tamiroman or via my website tamiroman.com
Mona Scott-Young has been behind the scenes effortlessly crafting the careers of Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott and 50 Cent. she teamed with VH1 for ‘Love and Hip Hop,’which uncovers the lives of the women behind some of the most famous rap stars out.BlackVoices.com got the scoop from mrs. Scott-Young.
BlackVoices.com: So, you used to be a background dancer back in the day and wore catsuits?
Mona Scott-Young: You want to go back to the catsuits? to be honest to you, the dancing and choreography and artist development was something that came to me because it was something that I enjoyed. I walked into a dance studio one day and saw this class Stage Moves, and they worked with artists on their stage presence and how to hold the mic. I thought, “That looks really interesting. I can do that.” I really enjoyed it, and it led to me doing artist development and choreography and eventually a couple of the acts I was working with asked me to appear in their videos. I did it because it was part of getting their show together.
BV: For people who don’t know your history, can you tell us who some of the artists are that did background dancer for?
MSY: You should make that a trivia question. Make that a trivia question.
BV: how did you transition into becoming a manager?
MSY: It’s not a natural progression for most people, but for me, what I did in management wasn’t something I studied or sought but once I started working with Trackmasters, who came to me and said, “We want you to manage us as producers,” I didn’t want to have them subject to my trial and error. But they believed in me, and that was the start of my management company.
BV: and when did you start working with Violator Management?
MSY: I met Chris Lightly who, at the time, was still at Rush Management, and I worked with Black Sheep and that’s how he and I connected. he was one of the doors I knocked on. when I hooked up with Chris, he was on the verge of a big change himself because he was going onto Def Jam with Lyor Cohen and being A&R with Def Jam and said, “We haven’t figured out what we are going to do with these guys.” So what started out as a request [to assist with finding out what to do with these artists] turned into a 20-year business relationship.
BV: were you the only female manager back then in hip hop?
MSY: I don’t know if there were others. I know there were other women that were around and doing it, but, for the most, part I think that I probably was one of the few females at a management company and especially in the hip hop game.
BV: was that difficult for you running the careers of big-name people and calling the shots as one of the few women around?
MSY: The thing for me — and the one thing I’ve had to rely on not having degrees or experience of working at a company and having to figure it out on my own — I always had confidence in my skill set and went through it with blinders on. I’d be on the bus with a bunch of dudes and I gained a certain amount of control and respect, but also [I demanded] basic things like everybody is sharing rooms, I’m not. my clients respected the grind, and I always had their support. when I took on Missy as a client, I had both a client and an ally in terms of a woman battling her way in a male-dominated industry and not looking like a female pop star or a female rap star of that time. But, there is a camaraderie that exists amongst the men in terms of how they look out for and take care of each other.
BV: how did you not fall for a guy in the business?
MSY: It’s a double-edged sword with not getting involved with clients, but I actually met my husband on the road. he was doing personal protection for Busta, so I broke my own cardinal rule.
BV: some people will remember you from Missy’s reality television show. was that the first time you envisioned ‘Love & Hip Hop’ on television?
MSY: I conceptualized and produced that series for UPN. this started out as a show about Jim Jones, and when we did the pilot for that, it was centered around Jim. But, from the time that we shot the pilot, the VH1 audience had changed and we found out that Chrissy, his girlfriend, and his mom were incredibly strong characters. We reshaped what started out as a show about Jim Jones and expanded the cast to make it an ensemble series. That’s how the concept for ‘Love and Hip Hop’ came about.
BV: Initially, knowing the type of reality shows that the network has, how did you keep this series different from ‘Basketball Wives’ or ‘Football Wives’?
MSY: They cut the trailers so that they are salacious and so that people tune in, but the feedback that I’ve been getting is “Wow, you really coupled these girls in an honest way, and we feel like we’re in a conversation and we get it.” even if you see them arguing, it isn’t an argument for the sake of good television. I kept telling the girls, “We are committed to this and to make a good show, and in order to do that, you girls have to show up for the party and can’t have any walls up or preconceived notions of what you want to share. you are going to spread the truth about how you are really feeling.” I think that is the challenge with reality television. People say they are going to be real, but they automatically want to project a certain image of how they want people to see them.
BV: A lot of viewers think that with Emily and Chrissy, people assume that those women know what they are getting into. do you think that there are any monogamous rappers out there?
MSY: It was very important for me that I didn’t judge them. in order to get them to be honest, they couldn’t be judged. my opinion wasn’t important. I was just trying to capture where they were and what were they feeling. as far as anybody’s ability to be monogamous, I think that’s a function of that person and not that person’s industry.
BV: seriously, Mona, you’ve been in the business forever and have seen these famous people’s careers rise and also the behind-the-scenes happenings. do you really think they will be monogamous?
MSY: I’ve been married to my husband for 15 years. he was in the business. So, I’m telling you as honestly as I can. I am a walking and living example. I am married to a dude that came from hip hop. I’m not feeding you any bulls**t. if a dude is going to do what he is going to do, he’s going to do it whether he’s a rapper or an accountant. That’s who he is. It has nothing to do with the industry he’s in. I’m not pessimistic to the extent that I’m going to loop every rapper in one bowl. It’s not something that I believe honestly. when you look at their lives, here’s another side to the story, with Fabolous, in his mind, he rationalizes it by saying what I do publicly is my public life and you are my personal life. That’s the way it is, and Emily chooses to do this show because she felt like she wanted to be out there.
BV: do you think they have a good relationship or that he will say he cheats on her?
MSY: If he wants to come on the show and say he’s doing some s**t, by all means, do that on season two but that’s definitely not what I got out of it. I thought, “Wow this is a woman who has been in a relationship for a very long time. they have a child together and he has a certain way he wants to live his life.” But, she wants a more public life.
BV: We also saw Swizz Beats’ ex-wife, Mashonda, in the first episode. Is she a main character or will she just pop up every now and then?
MSY: Mashonda came out because her and Emily are good friends. she appears in the episode mainly as a friend. We talk a little bit about her story. she puts herself out there as a cautionary tale to Emily saying, “You’ve got to figure out what makes you happy, baby girl, and how you want to live your life. You’ve seen what I’ve just gone through. you need to make the decision that’s right for you.” It grew a little bit beyond that because she was great about opening up herself.
BV: Does Mashonda have a gag order, like the one that Dwight Howard put on Royce [from 'Basketball Wives'] that says she cannot mention Swizz Beats’ name on the show?
MSY: I can’t speak for what the legal arrangement is. I do know they have a working relationship and are raising a son together, but I’m not sure about what the legalities are on what she can and cannot say. she talks about being married to the rapper but maybe it was her comfort level for not saying [his name]. We don’t pressure them to do anything they aren’t comfortable with. We wanted to get them at their best.
BV: how do you feel about Chrissy proposing to Jim Jones? do you think she should have waited until he proposed?
MSY: I definitely do not sit around and wait for anything to happen in life. if there’s a situation where a woman is in love with a man and, for whatever reason, she feels confident that the love is reciprocated and she wants to take it to the next step, why shouldn’t she reciprocate it? I have liberated views on relationships based on my own life. I have reverse roles in my own life, and I have the company that I’m running and he’s running our family and our household. Chrissy is the same kind of woman. when she felt that the time was there, she didn’t see any issues.
BV: do you think Chrissy and Jim can stand the test of time if she isn’t getting along with his mom?
MSY: my personal thoughts on that are, you’re not just marrying the man, you’re marrying the man and his family. that can be difficult. I think that it does present a challenge and it’s something that Chrissy is going to have to navigate her way through because she and Nancy are two strong, really vocal and opinionated women. It makes for some good television.
BV: some critics have made jokes that there’s a lack of love on ‘Love and Hip Hop’; what do you say to them?
MSY: I think that’s absurd. A lot of the other shows that are out there, you don’t even see the guys. you hear about them, but you don’t see the guys. you don’t see love. I think the scene with Chrissy and Jim and you see them together and they are talking about their lives. I don’t know how much more love you can see besides that. We choose the title because I thought it was important to show love in this genre because hip-hop songs usually talk about sex and hitting that, but rarely do you hear people talk about being in love. even Emily has love for her man and I don’t know what says love more than that. when she says, “I don’t want to give up on my family,” I think that this show depicts love and relationships in a way that no other reality show does.
BV: in terms of Olivia and Somaya, do you think they can make a career without flaunting their asses in this day and age?
MSY: I don’t want to make any statements about what their viability is, but as far as their ability, desire and determination, and their commitment to wanting to make this, I think, they have as good of a shot as any other female trying to make it in the game. I supported Missy who defied convention. I think with Olivia, I wanted her to break down the visage and give people a different opportunity to get to know her. I think Somaya has determination and is admirable in a way that anybody would respect. I think their music should speak for itself, and I hope this show gives them a platform to leverage that and give people an opportunity to get to know them, so that they give them a shot.
BV: Is there some type of woman who works in hip hop who you think should be added to a second season?
MSY: I think a manager who is young and coming up in the game would be good because when we talk about ‘Love and Hip Hop’ it’s almost like a love for hip hop. some women are in love with the game and with their careers in the game. I think that applies to a manager or a publicist or anyone trying to break into this male-dominated business. For me, I really wanted the focus to be that these are women with goals and aspirations and not riding off of someone else’s coattails.
BV: Why do you think people should tune into ‘Love and Hip Hop’?
MSY: I’m doing what I’m excited and passionate about. I think that the show has so much to offer in terms of really being honest, entertaining and sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes funny. It’s about these women navigating their lives. Loving men, loving a career and loving a genre of music. I think these girls are really entertaining. they are fun and are really relatable. I know that we have an uphill battle because people are programmed in terms of what they think these shows should be about, but the feedback that I’ve gotten has been that we were really able to capture something more. VH1′s ‘Love and Hip Hop’ airs on Mondays at 10:30 pm EST.