Comments on: WDYTYA Season 2 Conference Call with Lisa Kudrow

By: Janice Sellers

Janice Sellers — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:24:17 +0000

“Kudrow said that the episodes are really not about the celebrity per se and their family story and family history is actually very similar to that of many people. The focus is on history and what one’s ancestors went through.” — While this is a great PR statement, we know that really these shows are about the celebrities. If they weren’t focused on a famous person, how many people would watch?
I’m surprised Vanessa Williams was wearing white gloves. That is generally now a deprecated practice with documents unless they are in extremely fragile condition, in which case they probably shouldn’t be handled at all.

By: Nadine

Nadine — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 02:33:02 +0000

I loved the Spike Lee episode. He’s a great person.

As a black person with relatives on one side who resemble Vanessa Williams, I grew up viewing her as a black woman. Some, especially in the online realm, argue that her parents are (were) biracial, and thus she is biracial. I feel like an idiot arguing that she’s black in lieu of that info, until i saw a YouTube video of her self-identifying as black.

Will this series reveal anything about her multi-generational mixture and racial identification as a result of new findings?

By: Caroline Gurney

Caroline Gurney — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:53:23 +0000

My experience with several series of WDYTYA in the UK is that it is a good idea to put away preconceptions about celebrities. They almost always surprise you. Some of the best programmes have been about celebrities I wasn’t keen on (e.g. Jerry Springer) whilst some of my favourite people disappointed me with their attitudes and responses to their unfolding family history.

By: Lowcountry Africana

Lowcountry Africana — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:38:03 +0000

RT @geneabloggers: My phone call with Lisa Kudrow and Vanessa Williams of Who Do You Think You Are? http://su.pr/4LYSPV #genealogy #wdytya

By: geneabloggers

geneabloggers — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 01:32:09 +0000

My phone call with Lisa Kudrow and Vanessa Williams of Who Do You Think You Are? http://su.pr/4LYSPV #genealogy #wdytya

By: Susan Petersen

Susan Petersen — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:45:36 +0000

Very glad to read that you asked some very thought-provoking questions. I’ll bet they weren’t expecting those. Good job, Thomas!

By: Tennlady

Tennlady — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:18:22 +0000

I have to say the Spike Lee episode is the only one I wanted to skip. I actually found it very interesting and he wasn’t as obnoxious as I thought he would be.

The one with the most important message I felt was the Emmitt Smith episode. That African children are still being sold into slavery.