What’s Poppin’™

*Fox has announced that "The Wendy Williams Show" will follow up its six-week, four-market trial run with a nationwide launch via the Fox Television Stations group in mid-2009.

The daily one-hour talk show, distributed by Debmar-Mercury, will end its preview run Friday in the cities of Los Angeles (KTTV), New York (WNYW), Dallas (KDFW) and Detroit (WJBK).

Ordering 30 episodes of "Wendy Williams" and airing it on a cross-section of stations allowed Fox to test the waters on an expensive national launch before committing millions of dollars on a 52-week order. Since the show's July 15 debut in those four key markets, "Wendy Williams" boosted key time period ratings significantly over comparable May sweeps performances. Average viewership was up 80% in the target demo of women 25-54, for example, and 200% among femmes 18-34, reports Variety.

Broadcast live from New York, "Wendy Williams" features the shock jock's commentary on celebrity gossip and news events, interviews, and fashion and advice segments.

In other Wendy Williams news, Danity Kane singer Aubrey O'Day was recently on the show and lamented about how "people tend to focus on certain things about my character." Williams said, "Yeah, the plastic surgery, the blond hair and the black men." O'Day shot back, "No plastic surgery. Definitely the black men and the blond hair. I've had no plastic surgery at all."

Are Ya Feeling The Wendy Williams Show