“Face it, reality TV is what got soaps cancelled. Who needs a soap opera when you can get real life train wrecks on TV all day and night?”

I recently had a chance to chat with one of the biggest names in celebrity journalism: Flo Anthony. If you don’t know, Flo is everywhere covering celebrities and reporting on their lives whether it’s on entertainment television shows such as “ET,” in newspapers for gossip columns in New York’s Daily News, or The New York Post, or over the airwaves for her syndicated radio show on all things celebrity.

It struck me during our conversation that she had a lot of keen insights into the world of celebrity journalism in the digital age, and particularly when anyone can call themselves a “celebrity blogger.” Flo is actually one of those rare people today who has long-standing relationships with celebrities of all kinds, and solid sources to back up her reporting. Here’s what she has to say about Celebrities, PR, Social Media and Reality TV:

TM: You are one of the most widely known and respected celebrity journalists. I see you everywhere, and you always have the inside, credible, scoop on all things celebrity — whether it was the death of Michael Jackson in ’09 to the recent passing of another icon, Whitney Houston. What has changed in the last 5 years in the world of celebrity journalism?

Flo: Thanks for the compliment. Bloggers have changed everything. Now, anyone with a computer can report on a story, make up a story, post photos and the world goes along with it before checking anything out. You don’t need an education, writing skills, just sit down at a computer and go for it. No one establishes real contacts anymore. Everybody is just buck wild. It’s crazy to me. TMZ also took the world of gossip to a whole other level. But, I love it because at least they are actually talking to celebrities and as an attorney, Harvey has great police sources.

Who are some of your favorite celebs to cover and why?

Well, Michael Jackson was always my favorite, but now he’s left us. Right now I like Beyonce’. I think she is the ultimate celebrity. She has it all, talent, beauty, incredible style and great family, and she’s always smiling. I also like covering Rihanna. I like her funkiness, and I like Puffy, yes, I still call him Puffy. He has it going on, a swagger that is so cool. I also like Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Samuel L. Jackson, Tyler Perry, Jennifer Lopez, Gabrielle Union, Will Smith, Madonna, and believe it or not, my favorite celebrity couple is Kyra Sedgewick and Kevin Bacon. I see them around town and they are just so cool and down to earth. I also like Eddie Murphy a lot and John Stamos. They are class acts. I tend to like celebs that are approachable and aren’t afraid of cameras.

How has social media impacted your profession?

Well, that’s a loaded question. In one hand, it helps it a lot because you can just punch in keys and get information that you need. One the other hand, it is impossible to keep a story exclusive for more than 5 minutes, so I don’t feel as valuable in 2012 as I was in 1993.

If you could give one bit of advice to celebrity publicists, what would it be?

Once in awhile, just tell the truth.

What are some of your pet peeves when publicists contact you?

I don’t get the kind of complaints from publicists like back in the day when I worked on Page Six. I’m pretty celebrity friendly in my coverage these days, so, I don’t really have any pet peeves regarding publicists. I even do a little bit of publicity for select clients myself.

With the soaring popularity of reality TV shows — whether we like it or not — they are now part of the pop culture mainstream. What’s your take on this? Are these shows here to stay?

Well, I will go on record and say I hate the Kardashians, but I’m not mad at them that they have been able to make millions. If audiences are that dumb, why not take advantage of it? I do think reality shows are here to stay. Face it, reality TV is what got soaps cancelled. Who needs a soap opera when you can get real life train wrecks on TV all day and night? However, I wish that certain shows wouldn’t depict African-American women in such a bad light. It’s so sad that we as African-Americans have evolved into having a class act like Michelle Obama in the White House and then we have to look at women brawling on TV.

Here’s a clip of Flo who is credited with breaking important information regarding the recent death of Whitney Houston:

As we know, we see you all over the news providing expert celebrity commentary, but where else can people catch you?

My daily radio shows “Gossip On The Go With Flo” and “Big Apple Buzz” are syndicated by Superadio. My weekly column “Go With The Flo” appears in several African-American newspapers including the New York Amsterdam News, and I publish Black Noir Magazine. www.florenceanthonysblacknoir.com.

Oh, how I love a good pro! And Flo is one of the best.