Monthly Archives: July 2011
Big Rich Texas, Episode 2- EXCLUSIVE Interview w/Leslie Birkland
- BIG RICH TEXAS– Pictured: (l-r) Melissa Poe, Maddie Poe, Connie Dieb, Grace Dieb, Bonny Myer, Whitney Whatley, Leslie Birkland, Kalyn Niccole Braun, Hannah Gelbert Martin, Pamela Martin Duarte — Photo by: Kwaku Alston/The Style Network
That’s right, I went back for more…And this week, now that the pleasant introductions are over, we can get down to business. I knew this show would be more than , hair, boobs, and money. They would dig deep into the social issues that are present in our society. This week: Beauty Pageants. Finally, we can address something major. Oh, and Whitney (Bonnie’s 22 year old daughter) wants bigger boobs. Girl! I will get to you in a minute.
Here is the story: Leslie (‘BQ’), offered to train Grace, Maddie, and Kailyn for a Beauty Pageant. Now, one rule I live by is : Never do a Pageant with your friends. Will explain later. These girls were generally pleasant. I understand Kailyn (Leslie’s god-daughter) being more focused, because this is her life. I’ve been there. But, believe me, you can’t go there with friends. You have to remind yourself, there is only ONE crown. Per category, in this episode. Grace (Connie’s daughter) won the Princess Division, and Kailyn won the Supreme Category. Dang, that crown was big! They could have eased up on that.
Of course there was some criticism. Pam (‘Badass Boss Blonde or BBB’) and Hannah pointed out that being a Debutante is ‘different’ from being a Beauty Queen. You are correct, there are a dozen Debs, but only ‘One is chosen to wear the crown, and the title.’ MWAH, ladies and kiss kiss! ‘Cute Connie’ jumped right on board, as I knew she would. She and Grace have that ‘competitive’ spirit and drive necessary to maneuver in the cut throat world of Pageantry. No Guts, No Glory!
Now, ‘Nicey Nice’ Melissa surprised me a little in this episode. I was not expecting her to allow Maddie to compete and then not sure why she was so angry with Leslie. It was Maddie who backed out at the last minute, and I am all for standing by your daughter, but I will say, not staying to at least support Grace and Kailyn…Well…I may follow up with you on that.
Bonnie (Dr. Hottie), I ‘m not giving you much print today, until you agree to turn over that pink top, skirt and shoes. Girl, that outfit was FIERCE! But, I hope you stand your ground when it comes to ’BreastGate’. Whitney, size D stands for ‘Done’. And, take your a$$ to class!
I had a chance to have a long and fun chat with Leslie Birkland (Known As ‘BQ’ for Beauty Queen) and after the first 2 minutes, it was like talking to a college roommate:
Leslie Birkland-Big Rich Texas
Tell us about your pageant history
I was Ms. Washington United States, and went on to win Ms. United States of America. Actually, did not start in pageants until after I married and had children.
What did you do before that?
I began modeling in my teens and by the time I was 17, I was living in Paris. (Leslie met John Casablanca, and that was a major stepping stone). I went on to start a Teen Modeling Agency, which I ran for years.
Tell us a little about your childhood
My parents divorced when I was 8. Mom was now single with two kids, so we went on food stamps. When the school year began, I had a choice between a pair of pants or shoes. That was it. I never knew the joy of ‘school shopping.’ When we did not have electricity, my little brother and I got dressed in front of the oven. We never took vacations, and sometimes my friends would ‘feel sorry for poor Leslie’, so they would take me on their family vacations. That made me feel poor.
On this weeks episode, you offered to train Kailyn, Maddie, and Grace for the same pageant. Did you really think that was wise?
I saw nothing wrong with it, because friends compete in the same pageant all the time where we are from.
***Allow me (Nicole) to interject. They are from CALIFORNIA! There is no way,I would have competed with friends. It’s like swimming with sharks. You don’t think they will bite..until you see the teeth. Now, back to Leslie:
Were you surprised when Maddie decided not to compete?
I was BLINDSIDED. She seemed really excited.
What about asking the girls to lose weight? You have been criticized for that.
Let me clarify. I advised them on eating healthy. And, suggested they lose a little. I never wanted them to be super thin. Pageant girls are not that skinny. That is more in the modeling world.
You were also on Millionaire Matchmaker. What was that like?
I had a great time. Although, my date and I did not secure a match, he did have another date on the show. And, she turned out to be a MAN!
Don’t you love Reality Television?
‘Big Rich Texas’ Part 2-EXCLUSIVE interview w/Pamela Duarte
BIG RICH TEXAS-- Pictured: (l-r) Melissa Poe, Maddie Poe, Connie Dieb, Grace Dieb, Dr. Bonnie Blossman, Whitney Whatley, Leslie Birkland, Kalyn Niccole Braun, Hannah Gelbert Martin, Pamela Martin Duarte -- Photo by: Kwaku Alston/Style Network
Surely, you did’nt think I was finished ? There was no way that I could stop with just ONE. Before I get to my interview with Pamela Martin Duarte, allow me to dig a little deeper into the reason I like this show. I grew up in a middle class community in North Dallas. Throughout the course of my life, I became more ‘acquainted’ with the Social Set. Being a Teen and then Adult Beauty Queen, in Texas, may have helped. But, honestly these ladies remind me of…some of my friends. There. I said it. No shame in it at all. There is a REASON for the running joke that Texas should be a seperate country. We ARE different. Accept it, or reject it, but you can’t change it. With the exception of New York (Broadway, Ellis Island, Historical Landmarks), and California( HOLLYWOOD), why has TEXAS been so talked about ? So scrutinized? And, in many ways, so envied ? Certainly not just because of November 1963. It is because whether we wear Pearls with our Blue Jeans, there is a pistol in the glove box, insist there be Macoroni and Cheese at the Holiday Table, or refuse to wear white shoes AFTER Labor Day, we send the world a joint perception: WHO CARES WHAT YOU THINK ? WE’RE FROM TEXAS!
As I said in yesterdays blog, the two who really caught my attention were ’Pannie’. That is short for, Pamela+Bonnie=Pannie. I had to do it. Not sure how they feel about that term, but, hey this is my blog. Please continue reading.
Now, that brings us to my interview w/Pamela Martin Duarte (Badass Boss Blonde or BBB is how she will be known in this blog), one of the stars of ‘Big Rich Texas’. My Twitter and Facebook are clear to receive the ‘Hater Messages’, which this lady is NO stranger too. First on Dallas Divas And Daughters (Reality Show last year) it was no suprise that she was brought back for another show. Just one little thing: Not EVERYONE likes her. GASP! Pamela is part of ‘Pannie” (refer to yesterdays blog with Bonnie.) a nickname I gave her and Bonnie, because they have the type of honest, pure, understandably real dislike for each other that I crave. Get it out, ladies…Put it all on the table ! Pamela made quite an impression on Dallas Diva’s and Daughters, with her ‘tell it like it is’ crystal clear approach. No, of course she may not alway use the ‘gentleness’ that some people prefer(in a nutshell, she will put you on BLAST) but I would rather know UP FRONT where I stand with someone, at the starting gate, and not after I’ve been left in a cloud of dust. Come on, you want to watch someone be fake? That’s Real Housewives of Orange County, dear. The Texas women I know, can sweet or ‘less than sweet’, and still never lose their fancy. A little ‘hair pulling in the pasture’ does not make you any less lady like, or any less Southern. It will get you a Reality Show! I don’t think I would tune in to watch 5 women gardening, kniting sweaters (do any of you knit?), or bonding every week in some quest for Supreme Sisterhood. For the $ 89.95 I pay in Cable each month…I want some ACTION! Oh, yeah, and quality, thought provoking programming. Yeah. That too.
Today, it’s Pamela’s turn. In the words of the BBB herself:
Pamela Martin-Duarte, Big Rich Texas
Well, alrighty then…I will be tuning in each week, to watch my neighbors do it ‘BIG’. As I end , please take with you once piece of valuable advice, that you should carry with you throughout life: Don’t mess with Pam.
That’s The View from ‘A Real American Girl’
‘Big Rich Texas’- What Did You Expect?
This is so BIG, I have to do it in two parts! In this blog (Part 1) an EXCLUSIVE Post-premiere interview with one of the stars of ‘Big Rich Texas’: Dr. Bonnie Blossman !
BIG RICH TEXAS-- Pictured: (l-r) Melissa Poe, Maddie Poe, Connie Dieb, Grace Dieb, Bonnie Blossman, Whitney Whatley, Leslie Birkland, Kalyn Niccole Braun, Hannah Gelbert Martin, Pamela Martin Duarte -- Photo by: Kwaku Alston/Style Network
Finally! Something close to home. Something I can really get into. A show that gives me all of the material I could possible need to last around the watercooler ALL week! Actually, we don’t have a watercooler at my Worldwide Headquarters ( home office of my condo), my cooler is Twitter, but you get my point. For those of you who missed it ( and I can’t imagine anyone who did), the Style Network scooped Bravo by creating ‘Big Rich Texas’. An alternative to being swallowed into the abyss of a..Dare I say it ? A Franchise ?! The Real Housewives of Dallas ? I don’t think so. We are better than that. We are BIGGER than that! And, original. Thank you, Style Network. Thank you. Five women (Connie, Pamela, Leslie, Melissa, and Bonnie) with money and time, sharing the challenges of being fabulous. Living, working, socializing,and doing what they do on Reality Shows. Being real…entertaining. Oh, yes, they had my FULL attention. And, apparently some of yours. The internet was buzzing with Blog after Blog and Blah after Blah about the ‘embarrassment’. Oh, and my favorite,‘Texas women are NOT like that.‘ Really ? Well, I just met 5 women who are. I saw another 5 at Cafe Pacific last week (yeah, I’m name dropping the locales), and pretty much all over the metroplex, depending on the circle you’re in. So, I have to ask my fellow viewers. In the town that was ‘redeemed’ from the Kennedy assassination in ’63, by giving the world JR EWING (shout out to the Casting Directors of the new Dallas, I need an audition!); a town that holds the most famous football team in history; a state that has more Pageant winners than any other (go ahead smarty pants, look it up); the center of the phrase, ‘Bigger, Better, Best’…Just curiuos, WHAT DID YOU EXPECT? I guess the title, ‘BIG RICH TEXAS’ could have been confusing.
Here are the key points from the first episode: Will BQ (‘Beauty Queen’)Leslie be accepted into the Woohaven Country Club ? Major nail biter…YES! She got in..I know, I know..I was on the edge of my seat too. Thank goodness, it all worked out. Now, Bonnie (Dr. ‘Hottie’, a SCIENTIST) has a daughter with an interesting tatoo (that seemed Taboo). I admit, I too was shocked to see ‘CU**’ in writing (blurred of course), but, well…look, you know I can’t explain that. I’m just glad she had it removed. Your FABULOUS Whitney! Melissa (‘Nicey Nice’) joined the club to meet a man. M, I checked out the crowd at the gala….Why don’t you just meet me for drinks at Al’s instead ?… Pam (‘Badass Boss Blonde‘-what did you think I would say?), shall we say, ‘doesn’t hold back’. I will tell you now, I LIKE that chick!..’Cute Connie’ dares to sell ‘consigned’ clothes for a living. By the way, I shop at her store, and I don’t care who wore the clothes first, dead or alive, they were never as fabulous as me in them. Check mate.
Now what would a Reality Show be without a little friction. Enter: Pamela and Bonnie, or as they will be known in this blog, “Pannie“. Since I like them both, I have decided to stay neutral, but real. So keep being yourselves ladies, and I ‘got your backs.’ In this corner, a ‘bubbly free spirit who aims to dis-please’(Bonnie)..In that corner, ‘a take no prisoners, tell it like it is, Southern Dame’(Pamela)…Ding! Round One..These two make it no secret that they are ‘less than fond of each other’, and honestly, it is a joy to watch! Goodbye, ‘So nice to see you’, behind that fake smile, and Hello, ‘ I don’t know whether to greet you, or dance under you!’ (Pam to Bonnie)…No longer are we confined to , ‘May I have a word with you?’..The phrase of the moment is, ‘Take the corn cob out of your A$$!’ (Bonnie to Pam)..So, refreshing!
Here are a few of the criticisms, I have heard so far:
The Country Club ‘thing’: Well, of course. Where else can ladies gossip in private? On the phone? How common. Someone even said, for the sake of accuracy, that they should have used the Dallas Country Club. You know: Very exclusive, Very upscale, Very rich, etc..Not sure if it would suit me. Or, if I would suit them. I just prefer a place a little more colorful. If you need to think about that, you must not be from here. The Botox: DUH?! Did we forget after they rolled the credits, just where in the Sam Houston we are ?! The Pageants: OK, I am a Pageant Girl, so shut your mouth. I have nothing but love for BQ Leslie.
And, somewhere in between, someone was said to look like a hooker and there were some teenagers with condoms. That’s how it goes down at Woodhaven. Now, what did I do with that membership application?
Now, all of this did pique my curiosity! And,being the curious kitty that I am, I immediately got on the horn and tracked down, not one, but TWO of the stars, and was granted an interview from each! Oh, surely you’re not surprised. Who am I again? Well, O.K maybe you will know after this blog ! The ‘free spirited’ Dr. Blossman was the first to agree to my request.
Here is what Dr. ‘Hottie’ (as she will be known in this blog) had to say:
Dr. Bonnie Blossman (standing) and daughter Whitney (seated)
How did you get on the show?
The Producers knew me from other projects and I was also a finalist for Big Brother 7.
You are a Biology Professor, correct ?
Yes, I have my degree from University of North Texas. But, it is really a hobby. I am actually an Author. (You know, I was thinking of becoming an Astronaut-as a hobby. WOW!)
There seems to be a big deal about the country club being in Ft. Worth. Can you explain?
It is called BIG RICH TEXAS. Not Big Rich ‘Dallas’. We are from all over the metroplex. (Excellent point. I see why she is a Professor.)
Did you know the other cast members prior to filming ?
Yes. We are ALL members of Woodhaven. Leslie and I are best friends now!
Are you concerned about negative stereotypes ? Or viewers who say that Texas Women are not ‘like that?’
Obviously some of us are! I really don’t care what anyone thinks. You only live once!
Can we expect more fireworks between you and Pam?
What do you think ? (laughs) Whitney will have some lively interactions as well. It will be interesting.
I kept it short, and Dr. Hottie is just as sweet as she seems on the show. Believe me, I would tell you if she wasn’t. Wink. We will talk more throughout the season. I have a feeling there will be ALOT to talk about!
Sorry to disappoint, by not ‘bashing’ these ladies like so many others. Not that I wouldn’t if needed, but I just don’t feel like it. The truth is- I LIKE THEM! Right now, I am on board and looking forward to next week. But, if that changes in any way, I will let you know. Of course, those of you who have formed negative opinions already, are not expected to change your mind as the season goes. Just go ahead, and stir the negativity if that is what you need to do…Bless your heart.
**tomorrow PART 2 with an EXCLUSIVE interview with Pamela Martin-Duarte. Oh, it’s on !
That’s the view from ‘A Real American Girl’
Reasonable Doubt
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| Caylee Marie Anthony |
Unless you live in a cave, you already know the history of this case, so I will start with where we are now- NOT GUILTY. That is according to the Florida jury. Now, several questions remain. The first: ‘Why did they acquit ? Could they not see ?’ See what, exactly ? That she was irresponsible..we got that. Had little regard for human life..absolutely. She was a compulsive liar..you betcha ! Took tacky photos while drinking…confirmed ! Did the prosecution prove she committed murder…Let’s talk about that. Before you get in an uproar, please understand that I do not work for the defense. I, like anyone else, was on the side of justice. But, unlike some people, I need facts when it comes to sending someone to the Death chamber. Hard to believe I’m from Texas, right ?
Now, here are the facts: A child is dead. She was buried in the woods by someone. That concludes our facts. The rest of this case, rested on theories. And, if we relied on theory to send people to Death Row-people, we would REALLY be in trouble. Yet, that is what the Florida DA wanted from 12 citizens who came from all walks of life. This was not a simple case. Not Andrea Yates, who admitted to drowning her children. Or Susan Smith, who was flat out caught in her web of lies. This case was like an empty well that they tried desperately (and it is desperate when you call in ‘odor experts’) to fill it up. At first, it seemed like it might work. The DA’s wheel was spinning hard, and spinning fast. As long as nothing happened to throw a wrench in it.
And, then, there was Jose Baez. The guy with the wrench. Born in Puerto Rico, raised in the Bronx and South Florida. A high school DROPOUT, who later got his GED, went to community college, and then Florida State. After years of a mediocre career (including ethical violations, yeah, I know), he stepped into the courtroom over a month ago, and announced to the court that ‘Caylee Marie Anthony accidentally DROWNED in her pool.’ And, so it begins. The WORLD’S jaw dropped. Some call it a lie. Some call it brilliant. And, every sin known to Man that could occur in one family, occurred within the Anthony home-according to Baez. When you add up-smells, partying, lies, and a tattoo…That still, does not equal Murder. Beyond a reasonable doubt.
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| Pariah |
And, for the record, although they still have my sympathy, George and Cindy Anthony have a share of responsibility in this as well. You can only do so much for Adult children until you have to make them take responsibility for their own actions.
There has also been criticism for the Prosecution: Maybe they should NOT have sought the Death Penalty with such limited evidence. Maybe. There has been criticism for Nancy Grace and her bulldog, biased, sensationalized approach to this case. Casey was convicted in the court of public opinion 3 yeas ago via an 8pm cable show, by a former Prosecutor who certainly makes more money ‘talking’ about Justice, than actually seeking it. I don’t want to add to the criticism, therefore, I have nothing to say.
I’m not sure what happend to Caylee. But, I am willing to bet that she may still be alive if she had not had Casey as a mother. The possible profit that this woman stands to gain is unlimited. But, as my favorite book states, ‘What profit a man to gain the whole world, only to lose his soul.’ She has no idea the Hell she faces ‘outside’ of prison walls. At the age of 25, when she could be a model, a businesswoman, or anything she wanted to be..Instead, she is a Pariah, ostricized,hated, what company will hire her ? What neighborhood wants her ? Friends, her Life Sentence has BEGUN. And, instead of the safety of prison, among other sociopaths, she will have to serve it in the Real World. And, we are ALL her Wardens. Believe me, there is some justice in that.
In the end, this is a very sad tale. No winners. No heroes. I’m not sure what the lesson is, but maybe that will come in time. But, please don’t let the lesson be that we should not believe in the Justice system. It is because our system is based on evidence and not imagination that our system is still the best in the world. Look, those jurors had nothing to gain by setting her free.
Except the ability to sleep at night.
Nicole Barrett
