Once again, we present the always-outspoken Poprah’s take on the latest episode of I Want To Work for Diddy. In this special, from-the-heart installment of Poprah Keeps It Real, she discusses Laverne’s elimination and her team’s unwillingness to listen to her. She also fleshes out what she said on the episode about gaining weight so as to appear less attractive to music-industry predators.

Hey you guys, I’m just gonna keep this one short and to the point, because I feel this episode spoke for itself for the most part.  But I do want to school you on some things that you did not see. And I’m just gonna break this down as simple as I can cuz I don’t want you guys to miss a beat, you deserve the real.

The drama in the suite at the show opening was about the fact that our team, Uptown, was shocked that no one from the Downtown team was sent home after they lost the last challenge.  Everyone on Uptown, including Laverne was upset about it, but of course I vocalized it straight out, “this is f***ed up that they are still here.” I think they were all scared to say they didn’t think the decision was fair since it was Diddy’s decision.But I thought it should be pointed out because I was really hurt by it. And I don’t think Diddy wants more kiss-asses and yes-man.

Worse yet, if we had gotten a pass on elimination, Downtown would have had a freaking fit and said it was a pity move since they kept winning. Anyway, Mike starts poppin off, and I guess he thought I was gonna back down, because he was loud, but I didn’t, and then Kendra joined in to have her man’s back.  Stephanie was upset with me because I pointed out she is fake as hell, just like Kendra said. Even though I don’t like Suzanne, she had been injured by a window at one of the hotels and Stephanie was partially at fault and I helped take care of Suzanne. Stephanie acted like she felt so guilty about it but then went right back to business as usual, and my point was she’s a self-centered fake bitch who didn’t even call the hospital to check on Suzanne. That’s why I knew she couldn’t understand my feelings about our team, because she really doesn’t care about anything but herself.

My concept for the challenge was to put Laverne in the window as a living mannequin, because she likes to be the center of attention and people would be intrigued by her in the window.  It’s called a “draw.” If you want to have a special sale, you need a special event. That’s why new businesses pay thousands, for tents, balloons; new clubs even use huge spotlights that light up the sky. The point is to tell the world, we’re here and you need to come over here and see what’s going on. Downtown did just that and won. Our dumb team fought me every step of the way and wanted to depend on walk-in traffic off the street, which is always unpredictable. And that’s why we didn’t have enough customers to sell to. In sales you’re lucky to have a 1 percent conversion rate of people you pitch becoming customers, so you need more people to pitch to sell more. They just didn’t freaking get it, and they didn’t even consider it because it came from me, no matter how nicely I put it. They were in fear of me winning, they even told me so. Suzanne told me I was the most phenomenal businesswoman she ever met, and would be honored to lose to me. Yet she and the team fought me every step of the way even if it meant us losing.

I knew people might be taken aback by Laverne, that’s why I thought she’d be better as an inaccessible mannequin in the window. But no, my team says that it would mean she couldn’t sell. And see what happened? We had no draw to the store and Laverne didn’t sell jack. I even suggested that we have a velvet rope and free champagne (nonalcoholic of course) and those expensive little cookies like we were having a reception (since Laverne didn’t want to be in the window) and give people VIP cards to come in and buy then get a free shirt. People like free food and special treatment. My team shot that down too.

Okay, Downtown won and I have to give them their props. They had a sexy uniformed look with the all black and they did have the balloons to bring attention to the store. I’m not mad at them for using Mike’s charm and the girl’s sex appeal to sell. Too bad my team didn’t understand that we could have used Laverne similarly. But do note that, Mike is a hype man and that charm, flirting with the customers, is the same thing that pissed off Norma in the initial interview. Remember the “wink?” And honestly that’s all he’s got. He’d be a good street promoter to pass out flyers for a event, but when it comes to business decisions and intelligent conversation in a boardroom, he’s a joke, and flirting won’t get the contract signed and deals closed. Did you hear his tag line for Unforgiveable? It was something like “Smell me.” He’s not a businessman, just a hype man.

So as you saw, we lose, and Laverne is having a meltdown. She actually had three meltdowns during the challenge. Meltdown 1) She got upset and freaked out the night before the sale, because she didn’t like what she was going to wear. She wanted to wear a little mini dress but Red and Suzanne said it looked stripper-ish. I didn’t think it was that bad but maybe inappropriate for daytime in New York. I recommended she wear the white sequined jacket she borrowed from Suzanne, which was glamorous but unrevealing. Meltdown 2) When we got to the office to prepare the morning of the sale, she went in the bathroom and wouldn’t come out, crying and all, making us late to set up because she still wanted to wear the dress even though she conceded to wear the jacket the night before. Meltdown 3) She freaked out before we started the sale, saying she didn’t know how to sell, she was afraid, and didn’t know what to say even though we were versed on the product and how to market it by the manager of Sephora the day before. And she failed, miserably.

Elimination was a travesty to me because by now I was really tired of being attacked and just drained emotionally. Also Phil Robinson looks like my Dad who died when I was young and every time he speaks to me and scolds me, it feels like my dad is speaking to me through him. At that vulnerable point it was just too much, that’s why I was breaking down in tears. I realized my team was working against me no matter how obvious it was that someone else was at fault. I called Laverne a liar, because she actually said we worked well together then changed up at elimination. She even wrote a note to me after she was eliminated, apologizing. And that’s the kind of crap that was killing me. People smiling in your face, and then stabbing you in the back at elimination, then I being ridiculed for defending myself. Can you believe Red had the nerve to vote against me, saying Laverne didn’t have the chance to sell? Are you kidding? She had the chance to sell like the rest of us, but that didn’t matter because it was all about finding someone to blame, me, no matter how stupid and ridiculous it sounds. She says I have emotional baggage. Maybe so. I think we all do. But come on, she’s contemplating getting her penis removed. I think her issues are a lot deeper.

I feel Laverne is a spectacle in general, not because she’s transgender, but because she always does things to be the center of attention. She wore a shirt to the Estee Lauder meeting that should have been worn at a nightclub, boobs all out. She could have worn something business appropriate. She also does things in public places, dancing full out, walking around like she’s on the catwalk for no reason, and worse, she constantly makes sexual comments that some people find offensive, in front of anyone. What would his kids thinks if she had to pick them up from school? Diddy wants a business person, not a clown. I’m sorry but it’s true. I really liked Laverne as a person, but this was just not the job for her. She was there to be seen and she admitted it. It just finally came to light when she couldn’t deliver.

Lastly, my speech about why I’m fat was very edited, and so for clarification, I’ll say this: Lots of women are constantly approached and harassed by men sexually in business, in the music business it’s rampant.  So yes, I really thought after over 10 years of dealing with that crap, that I could make myself sexually unattractive to men and then they would listen to me rather than look at me. It was maddddd stupid, I ruined a pretty damn good figure, but sometimes when you’re desperate you make dumb decisions. Now I attract men who like big girls, and jerks in the business are still jerks.  Hey, you live and you learn.

See ya next week. Be sure to check out my video at famousvh1friends.com, where I raise hell on a Fox TV Show, it’s kinda funny actually.

Your girl, Poprah

www.Myspace.com/therealpoprah
www.Fatabulousclothing.com

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