Did you see C.J.'s article on Christmas day? Andrew was in it, right next to Adrian Peterson!

‘Open Book” Brundidge tells all (as usual)
by Caroline Joseph
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 12/5/2007

She’s won an Emmy, executive produces/anchors her own television program, and writes two nationally syndicated columns titled “As the Down Low Brother Turns” and “A Funny Thing Happened.” Her renowned accomplishments and critically acclaimed work have produced legions of dedicated fans and morphed this witty stay-at-home mother and wife into a virtual overnight success.

Did I mention she’s funny? So riddle me this: What do you call a triple-threat comedian with charming dimples and a sweet Southern drawl to match? You call her Mrs. Sheletta Brundidge.

This week marks the 100th episode of “As the Down Low Brotha Turns.” To commemorate the event, the Spokesman-Recorder sat down with its author, the lovely and oh-so-funny Mrs. Brundidge (SB), for an afternoon of laughs and to get the inside scoop on what’s next for the hit series.


MSR: Congratulations on reaching the 100th episode of “Down Low Brotha.” How does that make you feel?

SB: I look back on the first episode and think, “Wow, like Virginia Slims cigarettes: We’ve come a long way, baby.” It was a challenging, bumpy road — but I’m ready for 100 more.
MSR: So take me back to the beginning. How did the “Down Low Brotha” get started?

SB: Well, I was good friends with [former MSR Managing Editor] Shannon Gibney, and she got me to writing a monthly column called “A Funny Thing Happened” where I told stories that had happened in my life — good and bad — and added a comedic touch to them to make the readers laugh. I ain’t never been one to keep a secret, so I’d tell exactly what was going on at the time, and all of the Twin Cities knew my business.

I’m an open book. That’s why I think people like my columns, because they know they’re getting the true essence of who I am. Anyway, so my husband — who was my boyfriend at the time a few years back when these articles first started jumping off — we were going through some “relationship drama.” Women were chasing him, and he wasn’t running too hard, so I was doing the ghetto girlfriend thing — going up to the girls’ jobs, threatening folks, getting restraining orders slapped on me. And I was writing about it. And people loved it.

So one day, Tracey [Williams], the president of the Spokesman, called me in her office and said that she wanted me to start a soap opera. I had never done anything like that, and there wasn’t a prototype to follow. I said no at first, but she didn’t take no for an answer, so “As the Down Low Brotha Turns” was born.

MSR: Are any of these characters based off of anyone in real life?

SB: By their request, I have a few friends that I snuck in here and there, but I use “Down Low” as my creative outlet. I make a lot of this stuff up.

I grew up watching soap operas. Wasn’t no reading books or playing with educational developmental games — my grandmother babysat us in the summer while Momma worked, and she parked our butts in front of the television while she watched her “stories.” So, at the age of four, I could pick Victor Newman out of a photo lineup, but I couldn’t spell my own name.

I remember it clearly: At 11 o’clock, it was Young and Restless; at noon, we watched All My Children; we had lunch, then a nap, and we woke up watching General Hospital. And people wonder why I am such a drama queen today. Ha!

But, watching those soap operas all those year ago helped me develop the characters that are in the “Down Low Brotha.” It also helps me with story lines and plot development. If you think about it, nobody in soap operas are really happy. It’s always something going on — hence the name “drama,” as in “daytime drama.”

MSR: Who is your favorite character?

SB: Duranchon, because she’s actually my voice in the story. She says stuff I would say, and she does stuff that I would do. She’s ghetto fabulous just like me.

MSR: Do you have a favorite episode?

SB: I’d have to say the first episode. It’s like the first child that you have, if you have more than one. That one is going to be more special than any of the others because it’s the first.

MSR: How do you come up with the story line?

SB: My husband and I sit around [and] we talk about everything — who is doing what, who should die, who should be killed off, who is interesting enough to develop their character in the story, when to add new characters. Shawn, he’s my partner in crime, and this soap opera is very much a partnership between the two of us. Us and Jerry [Freeman], the editor of the series.

Jerry keeps me on my toes — he is the conscience of “Down Low Brotha.” He’ll tell me, “Okay, move on with this plot — I’m sick of the story line already!” Or, he’ll ask, “Where is John Bruce? We haven’t heard from him. Bring him back.”

So, Jerry keeps me on task and helps me develop as a writer. And that’s the job of any good editor, to challenge the writer, and he does that week after week. If something ain’t fresh or funny, he’ll throw it back at me and say, “Girlfriend, try again!” At the time he does it, I wanna put his tires on flat. But in the end, I’m grateful for his candor.

MSR: Considering the weather, I must ask how this Southern girl found her way to Minnesota.
SB: I was living in Louisiana, and my boyfriend — who is my husband now, Shawn — was living in Texas. We had been dating for several years when he up and moved here for a new job. I wasn’t about to let that man with that good credit and that good-paying job get away from me.

He tried to break up with me, but I wasn’t hearing it! I came up here for a visit, interviewed at every television station in the city, and KSTP was the only one foolish enough to actually hire me. A few weeks later, we were living together. Now, like Al Bundy, he’s married with children. And like Al Bundy, he couldn’t be happier.

MSR: Not only do you work for KSTP, but you produce and anchor your own show.

SB: Yes, I have a show called “CrossRoads.” It’s a weekly community affairs program that airs Sundays at 7:30 am on KSTP Channel 45. It focuses on issues important to people of color — not just African Americans, but Africans, Asians, American Indians, Latinos, and women (of all color).

We talk about everything from crime and education to cooking and comedy. It’s serious, it’s funny, it’s fun — I love it. I’ve had an opportunity to sit down and talk to Maya Angelou and Mari Wilson and Ruben “The Hurricane” Carter. That would have never happened had it not been for this show, another one of God’s many blessings in my life.

I’ve gotten to meet so many good people here in the Twin Cities as well with this program: The Steele Family, Ellen Hebert (North High School principal), Don Hudson (first African American head football coach at a White university) — the list is endless. Some of these people don’t get a chance to be on “regular” news or in the papers, so my television show gives them a voice and an opportunity to tell their stories.

MSR: And, it’s the hilarious personal stories on your blog that landed you an Emmy for “Best Independent Blog.”

SB: The Emmy was all a part of God’s divine plan. Back in February, one of my best friends, Justin Piehowski, approached Shawn and I about doing a blog. I had no idea what a freaking blog was. But it’s a website — a web diary, actually — where you log on the computer every day and talk about what it is that is going on in your life — observations, whatever you want to discuss.

And you know me, I’m always joking about something, so that’s what mine is all about. I call myself “The Funniest Woman in the Twin Cities,” so the blog has gotta be funny. The first day it started off, February 18, 2007, we had 37 viewers. Now we get 50,000 viewers a month.

Ain’t God good? Next thing I know, we get nominated for an Emmy — and we win!
MSR: What’s this “we”?

SB: I say “we” because it’s a partnership. Everything I do. It’s me and my husband! I can’t do anything with out him. I’m a stay-at-home mom — he allows me to take the time to do the blog and the “Down Low” and stay at home to raise my baby, our baby, while he works and pays all the bills. Then he comes home and cooks!

You see why I was fighting those women off? Girl, I’ll slice a smile in somebody’s neck about that man... He’s good to me and good for me. He makes me a better woman.

MSR: You worked a while as a stand-up comedian before settling in on the blog and columns.

SB: You know, I was doing stand-up comedy all over, going to Denver, Houston, doing clubs here in the Twin Cities — all before I had Andrew. Then, after my son was born, I didn’t so much like being in smoke-filled clubs at night or on the road, missing playtime and mealtime. So, I cut back on the comedy completely and concentrated on raising my baby.

But as a mother, I decided to reinvent myself because I didn’t want to give up comedy completely, so I took my stage act online and http://sheletta.com was born. All the stuff you read on there daily — stories of love, life and laughter — that’s what would be in my stage act if I was still performing. But instead of going to nightclubs and performing for 400 people, I’m writing about it — and more than 50,000 people a month are reading it.

MSR: God has been good to you. Have you found a home church?

SB: We attend Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in North Minneapolis. We are deeply spiritual folks and believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I am a firm believer that God has a great plan for each of us, and it’s up to us to find it. We pray every day as a family for God’s favor and his blessings, and we have both.

People don’t understand; it’s all about Him no matter what you are doing. You can’t succeed unless the favor of God is on your life. And we’re glad that He is blessing us — not just me, but my husband and my son.We are so blessed as a family.

MSR: What’s next for the “Down Low Brotha”?

SB: The soap opera is going interactive. We’re taking it to the web. Readers and loyal “Down Low” fans can log on to http://sheletta.com and decide the fate of characters.

Folks can vote and decide if Christopher is going to live or die, ’cause I can’t make up my mind. People can have a say in what happens next. That’ll be fun, because that presents me with another challenge — then I have to write what they’ve decided. So, that’ll be fun.

We’re also merchandising. We’ve got “Down Low” hats and coffee mugs and t-shirts celebrating the 100th episode, so people can log on to the website and order them. They make great stocking stuffers!


Aside from the many faces she wears as a successful comedian, Sheletta Brundidge is also a regular guest on Almanac (Twin Cities Public Television) and a dedicated mentor of Twin Cities youth through her partnerships with Big Brother/Big Sister and Project for Pride in Living. A Houston native, Brundidge currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota, with her husband Shawn and baby son Andrew.

Caroline Joseph is a Hamline student interning with the Spokesman-Recorder; she welcomes reader responses to caroline.joseph@hotmail.com.

Talented photographer Vance Gellert came over last week and took some pictures of me, Shawn, Andrew, my web master Justin and his wife Susie for an article in Minneapolis St Paul Magazine.  Of course, the white folks gonna use the one where I got a crab stuck to my chin and make me look like a total doofus!  But we had a good time...

with my girlfriend Colleen Cruz from 11 a.m. (CST) to 1 in the afternoon.  They called last night and asked if I could join her to talk about whatever it is women talk about when they get together. Last time FM 107 had me on the air--I said the word "nigger"--talking about that damn Dog The Bounty Hunter. I'm so tired of people saying "the N word"--that ain't what that racist bastard said--he said NIGGER!  And that's what I said.  They must be a glutton for punishment--cause they done invited me back.  You can listen to a live stream of the show by clicking here.

and turn up the speakers on your computer--or pull out your boom box.  I'll be a special guest on FM 107's Laura & Julia show this afternoon at 3:30 (CST).  They're gonna chat with me about being one of the only black women in Minnesota--and how my skin done lightened up four shades since I got here three years ago.  I got two more winters until I am looking more and more like Brooke Shields.  If you wanna stream the show and hear it live, click here.  I'm sure I'll cut up so bad they'll never invite me back!

C.J.: Sheletta's extremely funny, but her husband wasn't laughing

By C.J., Star Tribune

Last update: October 22, 2007 – 10:19 PM

The husband joke that Sheletta Brundidge told at Graves 601 on Saturday while accepting her Emmy absolutely killed, as comedians say.

So did the look on her husband's face.

The KSTP-TV assignment editor, host of Channel 45's "CrossRoads" and self-proclaimed "Funniest Woman in the Twin Cities," won an Upper Midwest Emmy for her independent blog.

"I want to thank my family over at Hubbard Broadcasting for employing me even though I'm not living up to my résumé. Thank you, Mr. Hubbard. I want to thank my webmasters Justin and Susan Piehowski for having the idea to do sheletta.com.

"I want to say thank you to my husband, who's here, who allowed me to tell all our business on the blog. I can't believe that I won with all the competition - Flak Radio, HealthEast. You know they're doing surgeries online," she said, "I did remove my husband's spine when we got married. The video is on my website at sheletta.com."

Laughter rolled.

"Girl, I looked out into the audience and everybody was laughing but him. He was wearing that look that said, Hey, that wasn't all that funny. Seeing that expression on his face I thought, 'I'm going to need a ride home.'"

Asked what he thought of the joke, Shawn Brundidge said: "I told her about that. I told her I didn't like it. But it's cool."

When KSTP's turn to handle the regional Emmys rolls around, Sheletta should host and KSTP-TV reporter Bob McNaney should not be allowed on stage unless he's winning another award.

Boo-worthy behavior

After McNaney's turn at the mike as a presenter, along with unfortunate colleague Beth Jett, he had a couple of new nicknames. One was McNasty, which could very easily be spelled with an extra "s"; another was McLamey.

Without name-calling, Teresa Vickery, exec director of this Emmys chapter, called out McNaney on Monday: "I guess I would have to say I was less than pleased with some of his off-the-cuff remarks."

McNaney, who did not return my call Monday, must think he's funny.

"He can't hold a candle to Sheletta, who's just absolutely the cutest thing ever," said Vickery. "I was talking to the darling Jason Matheson [of Fox 9], who I thought did a terrific job [as host]; he was very upset. [McNaney's] colleagues in the industry didn't find the comments appropriate. And in front of the guy who owns the company? Stanley and Karen Hubbard were there to honor Harold [Crump, a Hubbard exec, who received a Gold Circle Award]. I guess I would have played it a little straighter in front of my boss."

Where to begin with the idiocy from Mr. McNaney ...

Taking a bite out of the chocolate dessert, he averred: "Let's thank the servers, not the chef."

There were boos from the audience, because the dessert was great.

"I had the banquet staff down at the fabulous Graves asking me, after the fact, if everything had been OK," said Vickery. "They heard the comment as well. I have to say it's very difficult to prepare and serve a meal for 380 people, all at once. I could not say enough nice things about Graves."

McNaney also took a shot at the woman running the TelePrompTer. "I would call it an inappropriate shot," said Vickery. "I can tell you at the end of the evening when I was helping her pack up, she was very upset about it.

"You know, being a presenter is invitation only. You don't call me up and say 'I want to be a presenter.' We ask people to," said Vickery, who finished that sentence with a soft laugh.

Check out video by clicking here.

"The Funniest Woman in the Twin Cities" was verklemped to a Supreme degree.

By C.J., Star Tribune

Last update: October 17, 2007 – 11:03 AM

The Funniest Woman in the Twin Cities" was verklemped to a Supreme degree.

While here at The Dakota, Mary Wilson, who has apparently decided that Diana Ross just doesn't exist, went to Hubbard Broadcasting for an interview with Sheletta Brundidge, host of Channel 45's "CrossRoads," an assignment editor at KSTP-TV and a comedian.

"And I never had this happen before, but when she walked into the station, I was tearing up," said Brundidge. "As black girls, we grew up watching the Supremes on TV. It just did something to me. I was like, 'I'm tripping,' I do NOT cry. I can count on two fingers the times I have cried -- one was labor and the other was a death! Girl, that woman made me cry. I was like, 'Excuse me for one moment.' I had to compose myself, I was meeting somebody larger than life. I didn't cry, cry; tears weren't meeting under my chin but my eyes watered up. "

After her eyes dried, could Brundidge discern whether it looks as if Wilson has had any work done?

"No, she has not had any plastic surgery. And I looked for work," said Brundidge. "She is as beautiful now as she was then. And so gracious, kind and gentle. She behaved like I was doing her a favor when I felt she was doing me one. She has a beautiful spirit. Maybe that's why she has aged very well."

Age and time have not, however, healed Wilson's relationship with Diana Ross.

"I asked her what she was comfortable talking about and she said her new show at The Dakota, her activism," said Brundidge. Wilson speaks out against those unaffiliated with the Supremes and Temptations, touring and performing as if they were.

"I said 'What about Diana Ross?' and she just gave me this look. It was that You're-about-to-catch-a-whuppin'-look. I was like, 'OK, she DOES NOT want to talk about Diana Ross, so I'm not asking.' As a matter of fact during the interview, I believe when asked about forming the Supremes, she said 'Florence and I' as if Diana Ross was a ghost, wasn't even there."

Ross was not there, from the start.

She didn't even mention Diana Ross's name."

In the book "Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme," Wilson gave the world a different take on the image Ross has carefully cultivated. Miss Ross was looking out for herself and reveled in being treated better than Wilson and the late Florence Ballard. Ross got the Supreme treatment because she was fooling around with their Motown boss, Berry Gordy, who, ever the Svengali, also recognized that Diana was more marketable than the others.

To put it in terms young kids can appreciate: Diana Ross was the original Beyoncé.

However, Beyoncé has a much better voice than Ross, who had more natural sophistication.

"Beyoncé is super-duper country," said Brundidge. "You know Beyoncé is from my hometown, Houston, Texas, so I can talk about her and why she acts the way she acts. Giirrl, she is really country. We call that ghetry, a little ghetto and a little country."

Beyoncé and Ross are also the kind of divas who would not have condescended to use other people's makeup.

"Mary Wilson came in and said, I need some makeup; I didn't put my rouge on. I was like, 'Do you need me to go buy you something?' She said: No, this will be fine. She put on guest makeup. I was thinking, 'Mary Wilson is using the guest makeup. I can't believe this!'"

Brundidge's interview with Wilson is scheduled to air Nov. 4 at 7:30 a.m. on Channel 45.

By then, Brundidge hopes to be an Emmy winner. Her blog, sheletta.com, has been nominated for a regional Emmy; the awards are being passed out Saturday.

"I will not be in the audience because I cannot afford two of those $150 tickets," she said. "If I do that my son's going to have to be potty trained by Thursday because that's my Pampers money for the rest of the year."

I woke up EARLY this morning, packed up Andrew and headed to South Minneapolis to hang out with my new best buddy Colleen Kruse, from FM 107's The Andrew Zimmerman Show (weekdays from 1 PM to 3 PM).  She had me on as a guest for this morning's Friday Wake Up Call video blog.   We talked about everything from Paris Hilton to Halle Berry's baby's daddy.

I swear, Colleen could be the white version of me.  Girlfriend is hillarious--she does comedy--has two wonderful kids--and a husband that is a dead ringer for George Clooney (he is a hottie)!

To check out our early morning laugh fest, click here.

Justin, my webmaster sent me a little "ditty" that another sister wrote about me on Honey Magazine's website!  I am so flattered... the magazine's website, called Honeymag.com has black entertainment news to the 4-1-1 on anything that has everything to do with black women.  The blog is currently  nominated for the 2008 Blackweb Awards. 

The one part of this site that I absolutely love is that the site has a Honey of the Week salute--where they shines a spotlight on sisters who are doing amazing things!  As black women--we should compliment one another and show each other as much love as possible... and that's what Honeymag.com and Honey magazine are all about.

Insight News--a weekly black publication in Minneapolis did a feature article on the CrossRoads television show that I produce!  The columnist who came out to do the interviews, Maya Beechum was the sweetest and nicest person I ever met.  She took her time--did all her interviews--made herself at home--and really tapped into what CrossRoads is all about.  She is my new best girlfriend now--we going shoe shopping at Pay Less on Friday when my food stamp check comes in.  You can read the article by clicking here. 

The Pioneer Press called me to find out what I thought about all the recalled toys, I told 'em: Read the article. Or see the entire text below:

Kerry O'Connor bought her 3-year-old son a toy jeep as a reward for potty training. He's been dry all week. But she's not giving it to him.

It is covered in lead paint.

"It just boggles my mind that this toy I bought at Target five days ago is painted with lead," said the Roseville mom. "I just assumed the government is protecting us and these toys are getting tested before they come into the country. I mean, it wasn't some crazy toy from a vending machine!"

Mattel recalled more than 250,000 toy jeeps based on the character Sarge from the movie "Cars" this week, along with many magnetic toys considered potentially dangerous to children, including Polly Pocket play sets and Batman action figures.

The announcement is the latest in a string of recalls involving toys made in China. And it has some parents questioning whether any toy is safe.

"It makes me really leery," said Sheletta Brundidge, a St. Paul mom with a 1-year-old son. "We're being very careful. We're looking for 'made in China' labels, and we're not buying any Mattel products. I don't want my son to be part of some lead study in three years."

The most recent recalls have shaken some parents because they involve trusted brands. A massive toy recall announced earlier this month involves nearly 1 million of Mattel's Fisher-Price toys, including Sesame Street and Dora the Explorer characters. That follows the recall two months ago of 1.5 million RC2 Corp.'s Thomas & Friends wooden railway products.

All of the toys were manufactured in China and covered in paint containing lead, which can flake or rub off and be ingested by young children who like to put things in their mouths. Even small amounts of lead in children can cause neurological damage.

"It makes me think I should be buying those natural wooden toys that I always wanted to anyway," said mom Darcy McKenzie, of Mendota Heights.

McKenzie, like many parents, has been exchanging e-mails with friends about the recalls. They are wondering how far they should go to safeguard their kids. Should they ask day cares to purge their toy bins? Should they steer their children away from the train sets that retailers set out to entertain children while their parents shop? What about birthday parties?

"What are you going to say?" asked McKenzie. "No plastic toys allowed? No painted toys allowed? No toys from China?"

Some parents also are wondering if they should get their child tested for lead. O'Connor's 3-year-old-son has played with Thomas trains for a couple of years. She's pretty sure none of the hundred or so train cars in their house is on the recall list, but she still worries.

"He used to have a habit of sucking on the train cars," she said. "It's like a peace of mind thing. I'm going to ask the doctor about it."

While some parents see every toy as potentially tainted, others are willing to trust that Mattel is containing the problem.

"It sounds like they're putting in place some steps to ensure this won't happen again," said Jessica Henry, a Mendota Heights mom who recently threw out a few recalled Thomas pieces and a Sarge jeep. "As a consumer, that makes me feel more confident."

Jeff Ellerd, whose son also had a Sarge jeep, said he is frustrated at Mattel's failure to adequately monitor its subcontractors. But he isn't surprised.

"This is what happens when businesses try to get a cheaper product made overseas," he said. Ellerd and his wife used a different explanation when they had to tell their 5-year-old son why they were taking away a favorite toy.

"We told him this is made from something that's not good to get in your body," Ellerd said. His son asked why someone would put something in a toy that could hurt you. They told him that sometimes people make bad choices.

Maja Beckstrom can be reached at 651-228-5295 or mbeckstrom@pioneerpress.com.

It's not every day—or every decade—that a local TV station adds a public affairs program. And a public affairs program devoted to the multicultural experience in the Twin Cities? You might as well look through a telescope for a show like that to arrive on the Kuiper belt.

Granted, Channel 45 isn't far from the outer reaches of the television universe. KSTC is the kooky sister to KSTP-TV (Channel 5)—a place for monster movies and Matthew Lesko infomercials to run wild—and it's there that Hubbard Broadcasting has installed Crossroads. Since its kick-off a month ago, the program has examined mission work in Haiti, domestic violence, stand-out dads, and "Mocha Moms" (a support group for stay-at-home women of color).

Hosting the show each week is Sheletta Brundidge, who describes herself on her blog as a part-time assignment editor at KSTP news, a "full-time mom," a regular guest on KTCA's Almanac, a columnist for the Spokesman-Recorder (whew...take a deep breath; we're almost done), and a semifinalist in Nick at Night's Funniest Mom in America competition.

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“Crossroads is a weekly program that highlights the issues in the minority community – whether they are good or bad.” Sheletta Brundidge, host, comedienne, and 5 Eyewitness News Assignment Editor, explains the idea behind her new 30-minute television show on Twin Cities’ KSTC.TV Channel 45. For the past three years, Brundidge has been pushing the station to consider her programming ideas. And all of her pushing has finally paid off.

“They [KSTC.TV] had a program where they allowed the NAACP and Urban League to talk about their issues” – but these issues only reached out to the African-American community and “we really could do more…Women have a story to tell. Africans have a story to tell. And the mainstream news doesn’t necessarily cover their issues.” Brundidge hopes that Crossroads will shed light on the issues that affect the local communities of color as well as women.

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