Vanessa Williams is promoting her new memoir, co-written with her mother, called You Have No Idea: A Famous Daughter, Her No-nonsense Mother, and How They Survived Pageants, Hollywood, Love, Loss (and Each Other). We’ve heard some painful details of Williams’ past that she reveals in the memoir, including the fact that she had an abortion in high school and was sexually abused by an 18 year-old girl when she was just 10.

Vanessa and her mom were interviewed on Anderson Cooper’s show, in an episode to air today. Vanessa explained that she didn’t get involved in pageants until she was a sophomore in college and the opportunity kind of fell in her lap. Anderson asked her about Toddlers & Tiaras, and what she thought about children being pushed into pageants at such a young age, and she didn’t mince words:

Vanessa on Why She Wrote Her Memoir, “You Have No Idea” Now
Anderson: When you see these shows now like “Toddlers & Tiaras” what do you think?
Vanessa: Well that’s why I wrote the book. I have been asked many times to write a memoir but there were so many people who know me now from “Ugly Betty” and “Desperate Housewives” that didn’t even know I could sing, didn’t even know about my recording career. That assumed, ‘Oh, tell me about your pageant days. What are your tricks? You must have some tricks.’ And I said, ‘I’m not one of those girls, I don’t have tricks.’

Vanessa & Her Mom Helen on “Toddlers & Tiaras”
Anderson:Do you think these girls are being pushed into it too soon?
Vanessa: I think they don’t know what they are doing. When the child is screaming and saying, ‘I don’t want to do this. I don’t feel like doing it.’ When they are using special juice to get them hyped.
Anderson: GoGo Juice. I actually have tasted GoGoJuice. It’s Mountain Dew & 7Up.
Vanessa: Yeah, that’s not my world and I would never have my kids do that.
Anderson: Do you think it’s more about the parents?
Helen: Oh yeah I think so.

[From The Anderson Cooper show, received via e-mail]

I agree with her, when your kid is telling you “no” and crying because they’ve just had to endure an eyebrow wax or getting their teeth bleached, it’s a no brainer that you’ve gone too far. When you’re dressing your preschooler like a prostitute to perform for an audience, that’s wrong.

Well a Toddlers & Tiaras mom has shot back at Vanessa, and of course she’s going for the jugular. This comes from Wendy Dickey, the mom who dressed her then three year-old, Paisley, like Julia Roberts’ hooker character in Pretty Woman and created a whole set that made it look like her daughter was walking the ‘ho stroll. Wendy personally attacks Vanessa, since she can’t defend what she’s doing to her child she’s going for ad hominem argument. I’m surprised she didn’t add “she’s just jealous!”

The comments didn’t fly with “Tiaras” star Wendy Dickey — aka Paisley’s mom — who says she was personally offended … and lashed back:

“Posing nude and having an abortion is ‘not my world’ and I would never have my kids do that … so easy on the judging Vanessa!”

Dickey is clearly referring to the revelations Williams makes in her new book — in which she admits she got an abortion in high school … and explains how she appeared in P3nthouse.

We reached out to Williams … but so far, no response.

[From TMZ]

That’s just low. Vanessa explained those nude photos in her memoir. She was taken advantage of and she regrets it. Of course that’s not the most offensive thing in this woman’s statement. Bringing up someone’s abortion as a way to try and discount their opinion is just low and despicable. But we knew that about this woman way before she opened her mouth.

Here are Paisley and Wendy. Note that Anderson Cooper’s show had just given the moms “pageant makeovers” so that they might have some sympathy for their daughters. It didn’t work.

And here’s a clip from Anderson’s show where Vanessa discusses Toddlers & Tiaras.

Vanessa is shown at the Desperate Housewives finale with her mom on 4-29-12. What the hell is she thinking with that sparkly peasant blouse over a satin skirt? I don’t watch the show so it might be a weird homage to her character. None of the other Housewives are dressed like that. Credit: WENN.com

Vanessa Williams, famous Ugly Betty actress, formerly disgraced Miss America, and singer of that one song in the early nineties, is finally getting her college degree. In 1983 Williams dropped out of Syracuse University after two years. She won the Miss America crown shortly after, and had to give it back after naked photos of her were published in Penthouse. Luckily Ms. Williams didn’t let some boobs keep her down, and she’s gone on to have a pretty successful career. Now, 25 years later, she’s getting her college degree, thanks in part to credit earned on the stage and screen.

Nearly 25 years after leaving Syracuse University, Vanessa Williams will get her bachelor of fine arts degree this weekend. The 45-year-old actress-singer, who stars in ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” will also deliver the convocation address Saturday to graduates of Syracuse’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.

Williams attended Syracuse’s drama department as a musical theater major from 1981-1983. She earned the remaining credits for her degree through industry experience and performances on stage and screen.

In 1983, Williams became the first black Miss America. She surrendered the title in July 1984 after Penthouse magazine published nude, sexually explicit photographs of her taken several years earlier.

Over her career, Williams has sold more than 4 million albums, won critical praise for her performances on Broadway, made dozens of TV appearances and starred in several movies. She has won a Tony, received two NAACP Image Awards and nine Grammy nominations. In 1996, Williams received the George Arents Pioneer Medal, the university’s most prestigious alumni award.

[From the Huffington Post]

I think that’s pretty cool. I really love it when celebrities actually go back to classes to finish their degrees – but it certainly seems fair to give a BFA to an actress, since theater work would have been a requirement for her anyway. I always think it’s a little unfair when universities give honorary degrees. It seems unjust that the rest of us had to work so hard for the same thing. Many schools do it in order to get someone famous to speak at their commencement, which I think cheapens the degree and the school’s reputation. But it seems to be a pretty common thing anymore.

Regardless, Vanessa Williams attended classes for two years and worked in the field of her major, so the university gave her actual credits, and her degree isn’t honorary. Congratulations to her and the rest of this year’s graduates.

Here’s Vanessa Williams with Michael Bolton and Jane Krakowski at the2008 Lincoln Center Annual Spring Gala in New York City on April 9th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

The word on the street is that Vanessa Williams has snagged herself a new man. The new man in question is Vince Vaughn. The two have reportedly been stealth dating to avoid press.

“According to one of our most trusted Hollywood snitches, Vanessa and Vince have been sneaking around Los Angeles together – all in an attempt to avoid the paparazzi. The insider tells, “Vanessa’s really trying to keep this a secret … She feels that the press helped ruin her relationship with Rick [Fox], so she’s trying to keep what she has with Vince private.”

[Media Take-Out]

Vince was also spotted out and about with Jennifer Aniston again. Also, a few nights ago he enjoyed the company of a group of ladies that couldn’t keep their hands off of him. However, Vanessa is rumored to be a steady date for Vaughn as they have been reportedly seen out and about in LA. There may only be a 7 year difference between the two, but the rumored couple alert may ruin their private rendezvous.

Note by Celebitchy: The source is Media Take Out, which is pretty notorious for making up shit wholesale, so I doubt this is true. Plus, can you imagine Vince Vaughn being able to land Vanessa Williams? It doesn’t seem likely to me.

Vince Vaughn is shown at the CMJ Festival on 10/19/07 with Justin Long. Vanessa Williams is shown at the Primetime Emmy awards on 9/16/07. Thanks to PRPhotos.