Edd’s MANtra: The Greatest Show On Earth

Oh no, I’m not talking about something as lame as the circus.

My boy Keith Sweat has a reality show! From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Web site:

Recent Georgia Music Hall of Fame inductee Keith Sweat is known for begging in his contemporary R&B songs —- and in this particular situation, begging may come in handy.

Fans may remember Dru Hill as a group that rocketed out of Baltimore in 1996, had seven Top 40 hits, watched a member walk away and another have a solo summer smash, and then split altogether. But in “Keith Sweat’s Platinum House,” a one-hour special airing Monday on Peachtree TV in which Sweat tries to reunite the once-successful quartet in Atlanta, the members’ early confidence has turned into bitter arrogance.

I found this at work while instead of, you know, working. I was inserting random crap into search engines and what a find! It was like discovering a $200 Best Buy gift card in your Christmas stocking – in July!

Don’t ask why I was randomly searching for stuff involving Keith Sweat and Dru Hill.

Unfortunately, since I discovered this a week late the program had already aired. I couldn’t find any info on what happened and since I don’t live in ATL, I don’t have access to that channel anyway.

Still, what great idea for a show! Watching broke, bitter R&B stars be mean to each other on TV is like a dream come true! Check it out:

The “wealth of bitterness” —- as psychologist Tim Levitas phrases it —- that is on public display. Sisqo clearly resents being deemed a one-hit (solo) wonder. Nokio confides to Levitas that his mother is gay and his father is an ex-drug dealer and addict. And Jazz laments that he had to become an unlicensed cab driver —- after the group sold millions of records —- to support himself and his family.

“Tell Me” indeed! You KNOW you would watch that.

Although the show is a short term deal, Keith says he’s open to bringing it to Vh1, BET, or any other purveyor of trashy reality TV. In fact, that horrible Brotha show on BET started out as a Peachtree TV special as well, so it’s possible Keith could make it to the big time.

I think the show has legs. Each season, Keith could help disgruntled R&B relics mend fences. Or even better, he could reunite three or four groups and let ’em compete to put out an album. I doubt he’d have trouble finding willing participants. What’s H-Town doing these days? What about Brownstone? Changing Faces? Men of Vision? Az Yet? Shai? Even Jade would have a reason to throw those thick braids back on.

Oh yeah, I’m all for this.

If any of my ATL people have seen the show, let us know what happened.