Toni Braxton - “Libra” to “Sex & Cigarettes” Eras

[Kishi KCM]

Finally caught the show and WOW.

Toni and Towanda are the most level headed and likeable. Trina and Traci are crazy.

Tamar is way too much. Maybe watching three episodes back to back wasn't such a good idea.

And how much hair do they go through in a week?

[cjay]

May 13, 2011 11:51:18 GMT -5 Kishi KCM said:

Finally caught the show and WOW.

Toni and Towanda are the most level headed and likeable. Trina and Traci are crazy.

Tamar is way too much. Maybe watching three episodes back to back wasn't such a good idea.

And how much hair do they go through in a week?

just keep watching! ;)

[syrus]

One of Toni's legs looks like it's missing in that promo shot, lol.

[SHOOTER]

I think Toni looks great with the short cut; I don't know why she insists on wearing those lace fronts for her performances!

[$uperb@tDuDe]

I friggin' love the show, they crack me up!

[Rican@]

May 14, 2011 10:30:03 GMT -5 SHOOTER said:

I think Toni looks great with the short cut; I don't know why she insists on wearing those lace fronts for her performances!

[stunnedout]

Probably because she will sweat out the short cut faster since its her real hair. it looks like her natural hair doesnt hold curl for long.

[musicissalvation]

absolutely love Tamar, she needs her own spin-off

[George]

Lol, my cousins & I ended up watching the marathon on Saturday night (during my sister's graduation party) and they were surprised at how much they liked the show. I really wish her label would try releasing a single to radio, such as "Lookin' At Me" (which sounds so good in the commercials for the show).

[Ky]

It looks like in the previews for tonight's episode, they are going to talk about coming together as a 5-piece group again. I honestly don't think it'd be a bad move for Toni. If it does well, it could be a good launchpad for her getting her solo career back on track. If it flops, it won't be such a big hit to her.

That said, I'd rather see them do something like The Braxton's album from 96 or something like Brownstone type music, rather than a gospel album.

Either way, I hope SOME Braxton strikes the iron while it's hot with music.

[#LisaRinna]

I love the show

[George]

The Braxton sisters were on the Mo'Nique Show a few days ago:

[George]

The Sunday Conversation: Toni Braxton
The Grammy-winning singer and new reality show star ('Braxton Family Values') stays focused on the positive.


"I'm always trying to be positive," says singer Toni Braxton. (Erik S. Lesser, For The Times / May 22, 2011)
By Irene Lacher, Special to the Los Angeles Times
May 22, 2011

Multiple Grammy-winner Toni Braxton, 43, stars in the We TV reality show, "Braxton Family Values," which gives equal time to her four singing sisters, Tamar, Towanda, Trina and Traci.

Unlike reality shows where the drama is contrived, I get the sense that your family drama goes back years. At one point you and your sisters were all equals as members of the Braxtons. How did they react to your breakout as a star?

It was very challenging age-wise, because I'm 11 years older than my youngest sister and five years older than my next sister. So when I was 18 in the group, my next sister was 13. I remember when we first signed with Arista Records and Clive Davis said, "We have a family group, and we don't know how to market them because of age differences." We did a showcase in L.A. and [LaFace Records co-founder Kenneth] "Babyface" [Edmonds] signed me. They'd just signed TLC so they weren't looking for another girl group, and my sisters said, "You sign with Babyface and then you come and help us."

What a lot of people don't know is I got my sisters a record deal on LaFace Records two years after I signed, and the person who signed them went to Atlantic Records; he took them with him. My sisters had a record that came out a few years later. It didn't do so well here in the States, but it did pretty well abroad, especially in Asia.

Has the show changed the family dynamic?

Yes. When we first started shooting, it was challenging because we were at each other's throats more than usual, I think because things were being exposed and we found that we were much more vulnerable. Other people told me that that's something that happens [when you're in a reality show] that no one talks about. It's more challenging because we're family. If you don't know the other person and you go back home, you're by yourself, but we're enmeshed together.

Did the producers fan the flames of conflict?

No. We're very lucky. Every show is 100% real.

Why did you do the show?

Two reasons. At first I said no. But my sister Tamar said, "You should use this to tell your story." Because I had those financial issues. She said, "Stop letting other people tell your story. Use this show to tell what really happened."

The second reason is — this is a true story — we were playing Monopoly. She had Park Place and I lost. I owed her like $2,800. And she said, "If you do the show, I won't make you pay the money you owe." And she held me to it.

What do you want the public to know about your two bankruptcies?

What a lot of people don't know is my [2010] bankruptcy was because of illness. I have heart disease, but it's because I have lupus. So I had to cancel my Vegas show and all the upcoming concerts. The doctors said I'd probably never be able to perform like that again and do 10 shows in two weeks' time. It was too much for my body.

I canceled the show, and that happened in 2008. I couldn't work. I'm slowly getting my body ready. I went to Russia in the [reality] show, but I haven't been able to do five shows in one week. I also have chronic fatigue episodes, so I have to be very careful of recurring pericarditis. I read somewhere that I owed BMW. I don't own a BMW. If they really look at the ledger they'll see things like, she owes lighting companies, staging companies, set companies. Vegas shows are very expensive. I don't think people understand that the person headlining the show, that's your show. You pay for the lights, you pay for the stage, you pay the unions. So I had all these outstanding contracts when I canceled.

And everyone says, but this is your second bankruptcy, but they don't know. My royalty statement after "Unbreak My Heart" and that big album, "Secrets," was less than $2,000.

How is that possible?

It's just the way the music business is. Let's say you get 35 cents a record. The record company spent $20 million on your project. You have to pay all that money they invested, and what's left over, you get. Then they give you an advance on the future, which puts you further and further in debt. So I was forced to file bankruptcy, but I had to sign a gag order immediately.

But I'm very lucky. My case was a pioneering case for artists. [Bankruptcy law held that] if artist files for bankruptcy, all contracts will be null and void, except for your recording contract. And Congress [tossed out that exception in bankruptcy reform legislation]. So my case helped a lot of other artists. I was not trying to be a pioneer. Let me raise my hand to that. However, it worked out, it helped others.

The show followed you when you went public with your lupus in November. You said you were worried that it would hurt your career if people knew you had it. Did it?

Yeah, it did. When I found out I had lupus, everyone told me don't tell anyone because of my line of business. They knew I had heart disease, but they didn't know it was [caused by] lupus. Everyone is much more comfortable when you have heart disease. They're educated about that. But when I mentioned the word "lupus" to people, they were like "oh, my God." In my line of business, if a promoter is promoting me to do a show, I could have a flare[-up], and I'd have to cancel the show. I can get insurance, but it's incredibly expensive.

What are you going to do going forward?

I'm just taking it slow. I'm always trying to be positive. I talk about [lupus] because I'm trying to educate people, and it also helps me, but I don't want to be a victim. I have lupus, but it doesn't have me. I'm trying to live until my 80s or 90s and see my great-grandkids. I can't wait to go to the prom again. So it's OK.

[Caviar]

Amazing and I love her. Isn't it true that before THE HEAT came out she signed a new contract w/ Arista for a ton of money?

[SHOOTER]

May 22, 2011 23:07:48 GMT -5 Caviar said:

Amazing and I love her. Isn't it true that before THE HEAT came out she signed a new contract w/ Arista for a ton of money?

Yes, she did.

[syrus]

From what I'm hearing, Tamar's sophomore album will finally come out this year.

[rellevantmusic]

I wonder how much success Tamar will actually have with an album....
I definitely would like to see another Braxtons album, but i think they should do an rnb album and do maybe one or two inspirational/gospel cuts.

[George]

I finally got my copy of KONTROL magazine w/the Braxtons on the cover. It has a couple pretty nice solo shots of each sister plus a sizable article on them.

[taj]

Re: Tamar's solo album:

Based on her debut album, she definitely has the talent to pull it off but the poor material she had to work with hurt her chance to get a second opportunity - it's just that (and I HATE saying this being a woman over 30 myself) she cannot be a Beyonce or Rihanna type of pop/r&b hybrid artist @ this point in her career dancing & gyrating around to stay relevant.

I also think that Darkchild is the wrong producer for her to pin her hopes on - he might be good for 1 or 2 uptempo tracks but Tamar should focus on trying to capture the attention of the audience who loves an artist like Jill Scott - I believe that audience would appreciate the fact that she can "sang" and if she puts out solid material she could re-ignite her career.

She should try to work with Jermaine Dupri (I know, I know what you're thinking) but he did write "We Belong Together" and co-wrote Monica's big hit "Love All Over Me" so clearly he can still churn out hits for diva vocalists; Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis could also work well with her voice; James Poyser (who also worked with Mariah on the Emancipation album) & two Philly producers - Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias.

As someone who sees Tamar acting up for the cameras on this show BUT also being a talented vocalist I would definitely give her album a chance but I'm not sure that she's helping people who don't know her form a positive enough opinion to give her a chance as an artist.

[Deleted]

I've been having a Toni marathon tonight. God, I love her voice and her work is so consistently good.

[Ky]

May 27, 2011 14:16:33 GMT -5 taj said:

Re: Tamar's solo album:

I also think that Darkchild is the wrong producer for her to pin her hopes on - he might be good for 1 or 2 uptempo tracks

I totally understand what you mean, but I think if Rodney and Tamar are smart about it, they can totally make tracks that would be appropriate. The stuff that he did for Tamia on Between Friends is incredible, and a little more "grown" than some of his other work.

[esoteric76]

^ And everything Rodney did with Brandy on Human was quite mature and melodic.
I took out Tamar's 1st album and have been playing "If You Don't Wanna Love Me, nice ballad!"

[Musiq]

She could do r&b and dance/pop music, if she's gonna dance it's fine just as long as it isn't distasteful. She just needs great music, and a nice image that is her own.

[Deleted]

The Heat & Secrets >>>>

Oh, and yes, Tamar is amazing and a fellow Pisces (!), but I'm not too sure about her solo career. I don't see that going anywhere just like 10 years ago...

[George]

Wendy Williams Tapped to Host "Braxton Family Reunion"



Following the season finale of the popular reality series, the talk show diva will sit down with the ladies for the reunion special

By Michael Arceneaux
Posted: 06/02/2011 09:17 PM EDT

Now that it’s become a pop culture sensation, the sisters who make up Braxton Family Values are ready to wrap up their first season—and reunite to discuss all the drama. With the show already confirmed to return for a second season, WE TV has announced that a one-hour special entitled Braxton Family Reunion will air on Tuesday, June 14 at 10 pm ET/PT.

The Wendy Williams-hosted special will air directly after the season finale of the hit reality show. During the special, Wendy will ask the sisters about everything, including Toni Braxton’s lingering money woes, Trina’s DUI, Towanda’s shaky marriage, and anything related to the breakout star of the show, Tamar Braxton. Wendy will also talk to Traci about her continuing desire to sing with her sisters. And we know she'll get the low-down on who, besides mother Evelyn Braxton, has had plastic surgery.

[George]

She appeared on Lopez Tonight two nights ago and she was GORGEOUS!

[George]

The Braxtons (minus Toni) VIBE photo shoot:

[#LisaRinna]

Was the episode with Wendy the season finale?

[KingB]

yea that was the reunion.

the season finale was when mam Evelyn was reading Michael senior his rights at the dinner.

[#LisaRinna]

Jun 18, 2011 8:12:32 GMT -5 KingB said:

yea that was the reunion.

the season finale was when mam Evelyn was reading Michael senior his rights at the dinner.

LOVED IT!!