10 Questions...July, 2010

Fans got questions...I have answers.  


Do u have any projects in the works? We miss you!  
- Well, I just finished my new book that will be published next spring (2011).  It is my first work of fiction and it will be a fun and dishy look inside the world of a daytime talk show.  I'm also developing several new TV and internet projects as both talent & producer for 2011.  It's going to be a good year!

Why did you leave the View? I loved you on there!
I loved being on the show...for the first 8 years. The last year...not so much. In a nut shell...They decided to move in another direction with other hosts and not renew my contract. I didn't like the way they were planning to handle it so I handled it myself...on my own terms.

What are your favorite NYC restaurants for lunch and dinner?
For lunch, I love Le Bilboquet, Le Caprice (Pierre Hotel), Fred's (at Barneys) and The Monkey Bar...
For Dinner...Per Se is my favorite restaurant in the world. Otherwise, anything my significant other is cooking b/c nobody does it better...

What do you think about Ocho's (Chad Ochocinco) show? Only 3 black women!
I don't watch "reality tv" because it is neither real, nor good tv.  Give me re-runs of Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy & The Practice....that's good TV!

Who dead or alive would you love to have dinner with or interview?
The Honorable Justice Thurgood Marshall. He's the reason I'm a lawyer. He personified intelligence, justice & fairness...and he was a black man. 

Have you ever been star struck? 
Oh yeah...three times...The first was when Derek Jeter showed me how to hold a bat and hit a ball...in Yankee stadium. It was a dream come true.  The second time was when I hosted a formal charity event for Barbara Walters and General Colin Powell was my seat mate.  Being ever so the gentleman, he asked me to dance and when he spun me around, I felt like Annette Benning in The American President with Michael Douglas.  And the 3rd was the first time I met former President Bill Clinton. We've become friends now...but the first time was magical.  You meet him and although you are only with him 5-10 minutes...he is so charismatic he makes you feel like you're the only one in the room.

Looking back at your life, what one experience changed your outlook the most?
Gaining and losing weight in front of the whole world...and having everyone "weigh" in on my decision to save my own life.  It took years of therapy to come to grips with all the emotions, forgive myself and embrace the new me with NO regrets.

Did you know you have a huge gay following? My friend just said he "read" someone like he was Star Jones!
Oh yeah!  I once interviewed Elton Jon & he said "inside the heart of every gay may is a black woman screaming to get out!"


Why did u choose AKA (Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.) over the other greek letter organizations?
An AKA is what a Delta isn't. What a Zeta couldn’t. What a SGRho wishes. What Qs likes, What Kappas love& What Alpha's can’t get enough of!  I'm sorry...I just became 18 all over again! Skee Wee Sorors.   Seriously, Alpha Kappa Alpha taught me confidence & commitment...life lessons that I have used for over 30 years now.

Of all your various accomplishments, which are you the most proud of?
I'm proudest of my law degree (because I earned it...and no one can take it away from me)...it's the ultimate trump card: EDUCATION!


And a bonus question...Would go on "The View" to promote your book when It comes out next spring?
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.  Gotta give the tabloids something to speculate on for the next 9 months! Why take all the fun out of it.