Lori Wilson – Newscaster, Philadelphia
 Lori Willson, left, with art fennell, and BernNadette Stanis and Ralph Carter of Good Times
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Lori Wilson glowed like a soft set of dinner candles during a celebrity panel at the Philadelphia International Arts Expo at Temple University. The pride was evident as actors such as BernNadette Stanis and Ralph Cater of the timeless “Good Times” opined over President-elect Barack Obama’s victory and discussed the role of African Americans in Hollywood.
“This was an incredible panel assembled here tonight. We had old school, new school and there was a good energy coming off the win of Barack Obama,” says Wilson an Indiana University graduate and host for Philly’s entertainment/lifestyle program, “10 Show”, Mon.-Fri. “Everybody’s feeling good. And just to quote Ralph Carter who played Michael on “Good Times”, ‘it just feels good just for a black person to win in this country.’”
The former Atlanta morning show reporter enjoyed inventorying the differences between the two dynamic metropolises. “Atlanta is kind of the new school; Philly is definitely the old school. There is so much history here in Philly. People have been here forever. The buildings definitely have been here forever,” she laughs appreciatively. “And it’s one of those cities where you come in and people will come in and tell you whether they like you or not, right off the rip. So they have been really, really kind and receptive.”
Getting acclimated to the brutal Pennsylvania winters has been her biggest lifestyle challenge, but Wilson is still in love with the business she first became smitten over as a teenager back in her Indiana hometown. “I started as a kid doing commercials. And then when I was in high school. Getting into the business … I loved it as a child. My first celebrity interview was Jamie Foxx before he was Jamie Foxx. He came to the Indiana Black Expo in Indianapolis. He had a little album out which called “Peep This”. And I fell in love with the business and telling people’s stories whether they were famous or not.” – terry shropshire
