Happy Ides of March, y’all! Time for another edition of Only in Jersey!
If it’s filming in Jersey, takes place in Jersey, or is about celebs from Jersey, you will find it here.
So, as expected last night, in the wake of revelations that contestant Jermaine Jones had a violent criminal past and several outstanding warrants for his arrest, “American Idol” kicked the Pine Hill native to the curb. During a sit-down with producers Nigel Lythgoe and Ken Warwick in the episode, Jermaine said he had a reason why he didn’t divulge his run-ins with the law. “I just was scared, nervous,” he revealed. “I didn’t want to get judged, I didn’t want to get penalized for anything that happened in the past.” And while the producers said they would’ve worked with him had he been honest from the get-go, to find out about it after the fact was unacceptable. “We are not allowed to have anybody that has an outstanding warrant against them on the program and you’ve got four of them against you,” Nigel told Jermaine. The segment concluded with a rehearsal clip of Jermaine singing “Somewhere Out There.” It was a sad finish to a promising start. But perhaps Jermaine will find that New Jersey is the “somewhere out there, out where dreams come true.”
If it’s filming in Jersey, takes place in Jersey, or is about celebs from Jersey, you will find it here.
Chaz Brown: Hope he's good at juggling.
Jerseyans and reality shows go together like, well, peas and carrots. Case in point: A “Top Chef: Texas” contestant (who was eliminated in the qualifying rounds) from Voorhees will compete in Bravo’s latest food-based competition, “Around the World in 80 Plates,” beginning Wednesday, May 9. Chaz Brown, the chef de cuisine at New York’s Fatty Crab, will battle against 11 experienced cooks in culinary challenges across the globe. The show, which is hosted by Curtis Stone and Cat Cora, sounds like a combination of “Top Chef” and CBS’ “The Amazing Race.” Here’s hoping the French Culinary Institute grad never hears the unfortunate words, “I’m sorry to tell you, but you’ve been eliminated from the race.”
Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another edition of Only in Jersey!
If it’s filming in Jersey, takes place in Jersey, or is about celebs from Jersey, you will find it here.
Whitney Houston: We will always love you JUST LIKE THIS.
Another day, more Whitney Houston drama. In addition to the pop star’s Westfield cemetery plot being indefinitely closed to the public, tabloid rag The National Enquirer has made the tacky, tasteless decision to publish – on its front page, no less – an unauthorized photo of the Newark/East Orange native in her casket. The photo was apparently taken by someone who attended the visitation at Newark’s Whigham Funeral Home last week, and the natural assumption is that that same someone made beau coup bucks by selling it to the Enquirer. I don’t know about you, but I prefer to remember Whitney alive – and obviously her family wants us to, as well, otherwise they would’ve opened the casket during the televised funeral on Saturday. The sight of her lifeless body (even if the funeral home’s restorative artist did a beautiful job) is the lastthing I want to see as I’m checking out at the grocery store.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Guess what? It’s time for another edition of Only in Jersey!
If it’s filming in Jersey, takes place in Jersey, or is about celebs from Jersey, you will find it here.
Whitney Houston: "One Moment in Time" was all too brief.
Singer Whitney Houston returned home to the Garden State for the final time last night. The Newark-born, East Orange-raised, former Mendham resident’s body was flown to Teterboro Airport aboard Tyler Perry’s jet, according to People. From there it was transferred, via gold hearse, to Whigham Funeral Home in Newark. Whitney, who sadly died at 48 on February 11 from what all accounts appears to be a fatal mixture of alcohol and prescription drugs, will be eulogized in a private ceremony Saturday at Newark’s New Hope Baptist Church, adds People, where she and her mother, gospel singer Cissy Houston, sang in the choir. There is also talk of a public memorial, possibly at Newark’s Prudential Center, as well. On Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Jennifer Hudson paid beautiful tribute to Whitney. Watch:
And if you’d like to listen to Whitney’s greatest hits, you can, thanks to her website.
Ava Gacser is a freelance writer in Central New Jersey. She is a former television columnist and features writer for several Gannett-owned daily newspapers in New Jersey.
Ava is an avid couch potato with a special affinity for reality TV, and she can't believe how many shows feature New Jersey residents!
She was a member of the Television Critics Association from 2005 to 2010.
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