Saturday, August 25, 2007

Keeping It Real for D.C.

Washington has been striking reality TV gold lately. First, there was Rahman "Rock" Harper, the associate chef at B. Smith's who beat 11 other culinary experts to win Season 3 of Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" earlier this month. Now there's 22-year-old DeAngelo Redman, who this Sunday will square off with nine other wannabe pop stars on the live season finale of MTV's "Making the Band 4."

Redman, who grew up in D.C. and attended Duke Ellington School of the Arts before graduating from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, won a radio contest that allowed him to bypass the line at a "Making the Band 4" audition in February at Platinum nightclub. After advancing through two more rounds, Redman earned the approval of Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, who helped producers choose the cast. Combs will also make the final decisions about which four contestants will win the show's prize: becoming part of a pop-R&B group with a record contract on his label, Bad Boy Records.

Redman says he's been working with personal trainers (now he has his own) and the show's vocal coaches to enhance his stage presence. He also changed his look on Combs's advice, getting a haircut and losing his braces along the way.

The cast has been whittled down to 10 hopefuls from the original 20. Redman says it's anyone's guess as to who makes the final cut when the finale airs Sunday at 10 p.m. What if he doesn't, well, make the band?

"I'm not going to stop," Redman says. "My foot's in the door and I've come this close, so I know it's gonna happen. I feel this is my time for my career to evolve all around."

It's been a rough month for actor Austin Nichols, 27. HBO last week announced his season-old show, "John From Cincinnati," would not be returning for a second season, and Nichols was arrested early yesterday morning in Jackson, Mich., on suspicion of drunken driving.

Police pulled Nichols over around 2:40 a.m. after spotting his vehicle going the wrong way on a one-way street, Jackson police Lt. John Holda told the Associated Press. An officer smelled alcohol and, after conducting sobriety tests, took Nichols into custody.

A breath test later indicated Nichols had a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 percent, Holda said. The legal limit for drivers in Michigan is 0.08 percent.

Nichols was held at the Jackson County Jail and released about 8:40 a.m. He wasn't arraigned and was expected to appear in court at a later date, the Sheriff's Department told the AP.

If convicted of drunken driving, Nichols could face up to 93 days in jail, a $500 fine and community service.

For sale: The cast worn by Comedy Central personality Stephen Colbert while he nursed a broken wrist this month. Before having it removed, Colbert had the cast autographed by CBS News anchor Katie Couric, Fox News's Bill O'Reilly, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House press secretary Tony Snow, among others. An ongoing eBay auction for the cast will last through Sept. 10. Proceeds will go to the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which assists injured soldiers receiving treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.

Quoted: "Look, Barney is kind of standoffish, but he's got personality. He's got a little bit of sass. You know, I don't think -- he doesn't let people get too close to him."

-- White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino, defending White House pet Barney after senior White House aide Karl Rove called the pooch "a lump." Perino was a call-in guest on this week's episode of NPR's news quiz show, "Wait Wait . . . Don't Tell Me!," which airs today.

-- Marissa Newhall, from staff and wire reports