Celebrity Mound

Press mobbed the four Braxton sisters on the red carpet last night at WEtv’s celebration of the November 10 premiere of their hit series, “Braxton Family Values.” But there was one notable absence at the Tribeca Grand soiree: fifth sister and Grammy Award-winning recording artist Toni Braxton.

During a Q&A session following the screening with Tamar, Trina, Traci, Towanda and Braxton matriarch Evelyn, TV & Radio personality Egypt Sherrod asked the question that was on everyone’s mind: “Where’s Toni??” The audience erupted with grumbles and claps, and after a hesitant pause by the Braxton panel, one audience member shouted out in support “Everyone is thinking the same thing!” Tamar was first to chime in, with the sass in her voice that has made her the Braxton-to-watch, “I don’t know.”

Traci came to Toni’s defense, “If it weren’t for Toni, there wouldn’t be Braxton (Family Values). She is a star unto herself.” Evelyn said that Toni was en route to NYC, and added “Toni is the reason we are here. She is an icon.”

Braxton Family Values premieres Thursday, November 10 at 9pm ET/PT on WE tv.

Gearing up for the anticipated second season of WE tv’s hit show BRAXTON FAMILY VALUES, the Braxtons made several appearances in Atlanta this week that included a stop at Spelman College’s Homecoming and an intimate dinner with local press. On Wed, Tamar, Trina, Towanda and Traci (Toni was in LA filming) screened the new season’s premiere episode for 300 Spelman students and participated in a lively Q&A that ended in a brief a capella song by the Braxtons.

New ATL hotspot Frank Ski’s Restaurant played host to a private dinner with the Braxtons which included an episode screening and Q&A. Attendees – which included everyone from CNN, Associated Press, CBS Radio, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 11Alive, Bossip to Jezebel/The Atlantan, JUICY, StraightfromtheA and many more – enjoyed calamari, fish tacos, short ribs and red velvet cupcakes. The Braxton sisters along with Mom Evelyn (aka “Miss E”) were all smiles and laughs as they dished on life after the first season, their love lives, upcoming album projects and that feisty Tamar! As Miss E put it, “You’ll have to watch and see what happens!”

The new season of BRAXTON FAMILY VALUES premieres Thurs, Nov. 10 at 9pm ET/PT on WE tv. Visit the show at http://www.wetv.com/shows/braxton-family-values

Photos: James Pray

Toni Braxton, the Grammy-winning singer of “Un-Break My Heart” and “You’re Makin’ Me High,” will appear in “Braxton Family Values” on the WE network starting in April. Braxton’s sisters – Traci, Towanda, Trina and Tamar – are all aspiring singers.

The WE network appeals chiefly to women, and with Oprah Winfrey’s new OWN network going on the air last weekend, it is looking to sharpen its focus for viewers. The network said it will emphasize programs that feature families.

WE executives said they will also renew the series “Downsized,” about a family struggling through tough economic times. “Staten Island Cakes,” which is repetitive of other cable reality programs about high-end bakers, will debut this summer. The show is about a 21-year-old baker whose mother and sister work for him – and who is bossed by them at home.

The dynamic of four women trying to follow the 43-year-old Braxton into show business – with varying levels of success – appealed to WE executives. The network’s research indicated that programs about families, often with a humorous touch, is a niche worth exploring.

On Jan. 25, WE is debuting a series about Joan Rivers and daughter, Melissa, along with “A Stand Up Mother,” about comedian Tammy Pescatelli trying to balance family and career.

“Our goal is to put on families that are big personalities, who are interesting, entertaining, full of drama and conflict and you can’t wait to tune in next week,” Kim Martin, the network’s president and general manager, said recently.

WE believes family members who are emotionally invested in one another will make for situations that ring truer than reality fare where strangers are forced together in contrived circumstances, said John Miller, the network’s programming chief.

“Our goal is not to look at family viewing,” Martin said. “Our goal is to show families, because women define themselves by the relationships in their lives.”

Viewers relate to the family in “Downsized,” particularly the boy who sold his baseball mitt to raise money, Martin said. The show’s audience was about twice the size of what WE had previously aired on Saturday nights, she said.

Soul star Toni Braxton will have to rely on medications for the rest of her life to control her ongoing heart problems.

The Unbreak My Heart hitmaker was hospitalized in April 2008 after experiencing complications relating to microvascular angina – a condition which causes inadequate blood flow through the cardiac blood vessels.

Braxton has refused to let her health issues affect her work – she’s set to release a new album and go on tour later this year.

But the singer reveals she is dependent on medication to help her lead a normal life.

She says, “I was diagnosed with a congenital heart disease and the doctor told me the cure was a a heart transplant, so we had to go over donors to see if I qualified. I never knew so much detail went into getting a transplant of any type. It’s a good thing I (got a second opinion), because they misdiagnosed me. They told me I’d had a petite heart attack instead, so I was like, ‘OK, wahoo!’

“It can just happen for no reason. People can have perfectly good blood pressure but all of a sudden they complain of chest pains and they find that they have this angina. I’ll be on some medications for the rest of my life but I can live a normal life. It hasn’t stopped me.”