PEACH BUZZ: ATL gospel DJ, singer ready for life together

Cory Condrey, the Atlanta-based gospel DJ known to listeners from San Diego to Washington as CoCo Brother, is getting married.

Condrey let the news slip, then talked openly about his engagement to gospel singer Joann Rosario of Chicago.

“I’m getting married Dec. 31,” said the radio impresario whose syndicated show, “The Spirit of Hip Hop,” fuses urban sounds with heavenly lyrics.

The two had been orbiting each other for a couple of years, with Rosario working the gospel circuit and Condrey playing her music and even airing an interview with her that his producer had conducted. But they had never met face to face until this year.

She saw Condrey interviewing a mutual friend on a YouTube video and sent him an e-mail, thanking the DJ for his work in promoting good values and the gospel.

Condrey, who answers his e-mails personally, responded.

“He hit me back and said, ‘I’ve heard a lot about you. We need to catch up,’ ” Rosario said.

What happened next, the couple calls divine destiny.

Condrey was on the phone two weeks later with the man he had interviewed on the YouTube video. Rosario’s name came up, and the men rang her in on a conference call.

“And that was it,” Condrey said.

Over the next few weeks, more text messages led to phone conversations, which grew longer and longer as the months progressed. When Rosario came to Atlanta for a concert last July, the two met for dinner and both agreed to continue the relationship.

Condrey went to Chicago to meet Rosario’s family on Labor Day.

Rosario said they plan to live in Atlanta.

‘Inspiring others’

On Thursday night, a full house turned out for the third annual Taste of Ebony at the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery. About 25 Atlanta chefs, including TV One’s G. Garvin, gave guests a taste of their signature dishes. Among the guests were two of the stars of Bravo’s “Real Housewives Atlanta” —- Sheree Whitfield and Lisa Wu Hartwell. It appears the “Housewives” are becoming bona-fide celebrities as they spent a great part of the evening posing for photos for and with fans.

“We’ve gotten lots of love from Atlanta,” Hartwell told Buzz.

Whitfield agreed: “It’s been a blessing; we’re having so much fun.”

Still, both say they’ve been surprised by how negative and judgmental some people have been.

“There have been other ‘Housewives’ —- New York, Orange County —- and it’s like because we’re African-Americans, we’re being criticized for spending money,” said Hartwell, who was there with her husband, Ed.

So how are things between arch rivals Sheree and NeNe?

“We’re fine,” said Whitfield. “We’re all grown women, and at the end of the day, you have to get past your differences.”

And what’s been the best part about being on the show?

“That we get to inspire others,” said Whitfield, who noted that she gets many positive e-mails from young girls. “If we can do it, so can you,” she said.

Deen for Halloween

In case you ever doubted it, Savannah restaurateur Paula Deen officially arrived into the pop culture mainstream Friday when Kelly Ripa dressed up as the Food Network sensation for the annual Halloween edition of “Live With Regis & Kelly.” Sporting a silver wig and a blinged-out wedding band, Ripa adopted a Southern accent and assembled “the fixins” for butter kebabs during a cooking segment with Food Network host Guy Fieri. The cookbook author was on to make a seasonal specialty he called Bloody Mary Flank Steak.

Cooed Ripa-as-Deen when she got a gander of the finished product: “Do you know what would make that meat even more delicious? If we put this meat between two doughnuts, y’all!”

Proving that she’s a method actress at heart, Ripa then took a hunk of steak, wedged it between two glazed Krispy Kremes and chowed down on camera.

Celebrity birthdays

Today: Country singer Bill Anderson is 71. Country singer-mystery novelist Kinky Friedman is 64. Singer Lyle Lovett is 51. Singer Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers is 46. “American Idol” runner-up Bo Bice is 33. Actor-drummer Alex Wolff (Naked Brothers Band) is 11.

Sunday: Singer Jay Black (Jay and the Americans) is 70. Keyboardist Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is 64. Singer K.D. Lang is 47. Actor David Schwimmer (“Friends”) is 42. Rapper Nelly is 34. Guitarist Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie is 33.

HIGH FIVE

Music

The top-selling albums at Decatur CD this week:

1. Guitar Red, “Lightnin’ in a Bottle”

2. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, “Cardinology”

3. Lucinda Williams, “Little Honey”

4. TV on the Radio, “Dear Science”

5. AC/DC, “Black Ice”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I got rid of all my Colin Firth movies, in case they’re considered erotica.”

Prospective mom Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) explaining her vigorous housecleaning before a home visit from an adoption agency to Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) on the “30 Rock” season premiere Thursday.

Contributing: Tracy Brown, Christopher Quinn and news services

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