Gov.-Elect's Gal Pal Sandra Lee Plans Quiet Christmas With Cuomo And Girls
Gov.-elect Andrew Cuomo's girlfriend and TV chef Sandra Lee dished to Niteside about her holiday plans with Cuomo and his two girls: “We're normal people” she said at the UNICEF Snowflake Ball Tuesday night. Although only Sandra Lee can handle putting up seven Christmas trees.
Jayson Williams' Estranged Wife: I Hope He Gets the Help He Needs
Scandal-ridden NBA star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison for the 2002 shooting death of his limo driver, but his estranged wife Tanya Young WIlliams has big plans and has already penned a self-help book drawn from her broken marriage. Family (including her and Jayson's two little daughters) and friends gathered at the Juliet Supper Club in Chelsea for the launch of "I'm Tired! Carry Your Own S#!t (Oops, I Mean Bags)" where she talked about her relationship with her ex and how she's moving on.
Singer and reality star Norwood Young has always admired bubbly television host Wendy Williams, but he told Niteside ahead of his appearance on her show that many others found her intimidating during her radio days.
“Wendy on the radio was much more abrasive,” said Young, who was also interviewed by Williams three and a half years ago while he was on the E! reality show, “High Maintenance 90210.". “Radio allowed her to dig a little deeper in her gossip and it was less censored. So a lot of people were intimidated by Wendy.”
The Hollywood recording artist dished on the daytime talk show mogul at celeb hangout Sugar Bar just a few weeks before he launches his new memoir, “Getting Back to My Me,” on the Wendy Williams Show January 27th.
Young, brother of convicted NBA-star Jayson Williams' estranged wife Tanya, is known for his stellar Hollywood parties and being lead singer of smooth Jazz group Pieces of A Dream in the 80s and 90s. He was bestowed the title “King of Hancock Park” by L.A. Beat Magazine in 2008 after real estate drama in the neighborhood and during the ceremony, long-time friend Natalie Cole affectionately described him “crazy. He does his own thing and he's his own person. That's why we like him. And he throws great parties.”
The recording artist looked over his peppermint tea to continue describing his impression of the shock jock, who was often criticized for her on-air spats with celebrities.
“She was an in-your-face kind of a gossip person. If there was any rumor or speculation no matter how personal – she and Whitney Houston had a huge falling out on air because Wendy went right for, 'are you on crack?” Young said, referring to the January 2003 interview that left Whitney steamed for years and Williams disappointed. “[Williams] has enough balls or enough guts to do that... anything that could be true or not true, she approached it. With great Wendyism.”
Currently, Young is less known for his music and more for Hollywood shenanigans that stemmed from an abusive past he opens up about in his new book.
“I was not [intimidated by Williams]” said Young. “I knew that I was fair game, dealing with plastic surgeries, dealing with a lot of issues.”
Like Williams, Young has also been criticized in the media. The recording artist struggled through a dark five-year period after traumatic childhood sexual abuse that led him to “self-mutilate” his face with plastic surgery, dabble in drugs and abandon music. To bloggers, he was that troubled Hollywood reality star with 20 replicas of Michelangelo's David lining his driveway (it's symbolic, think David & Goliath), an odd plastic face and eccentric style.
Hurt by gossip about him and motivated to change, Young has since had the plastic surgery undone, returned to singing, and written a memoir to help abuse victims or other struggling to find their way..
“I was tired of the drugs, I had been through hell and back-- there has to be more to life than this... I got back to my 'me' internally, I got back to my 'me' externally,” he said.
