"Now pause for that Kodak/You hot, girl/You know that"

Now that Being Bobby Brown is nothing short of a distant memory in pop culture, and Paula Abdul's tribute to denial, delusions, and depression on Bravo is over, I've had to search for a new show to make my guilty pleasure. Thankfully, that void in my life has been filled by Keyshia Cole, and specifically, her mother, Frankie.

Frankie has gone from the penitentiary to the pinnacle of reality of television. She may have smoked rocks, gone bald, and lost her teeth, but she is a bona fide star. Thankfully, the sales of Keyshia Cole’s debut album helped pay for her veneers and a few packs of wet and wavy so she could start anew. I bought Keyshia’s first album, so a part of me feels as though I’ve made a small but meaningful contribution to Frankie’s transformation. It’s just like donating to the Make a Wish Foundation, only for D-listers.

You can’t really tell in this pic, or the one above, but Frankie has been looking a lot better since her first appearance on Keyshia Cole: The Way It Is. On the first season's finale she spoke as if she had an order of mashed potatoes stuck in her mouth, but new teeth has given her better diction. Somewhat.

I will say that Frankie needs to stop leeching off the daughter she abandoned (but don't bring that up -- she hates it) and put her new hair and teeth to use at someone’s temp agency. If Neffie can get a job, so can Frankie. Sometimes I worry that season four of this show might chronicle Keyshia’s new found struggles in the poor house after spending too much money on her kinfolk. Coattail riding aside, Frankie is engaging.

She’s loud. She’s angry. She’s spontaneous. She sometimes makes you want to dip your head in shame, because you realize the world is watching this, partially molding their perception of all who look like you. But then you pick your head back up long enough to see what she does next.

And if you missed it the first time it was posted:

Need I say more? She's battled her addiction and found a new lease on life, which includes providing me with my latest fix. She’s an entertainer. I might even be down for a spin off. As Frankie would say, Holla!