The woman formerly known as Mrs. Prince
Manuela Testolini Nelson won’t let splitsville from the Purple One derail her soy-based candle gravy train

* * * * Shinan Govani, National Post
Published: Monday, July 31, 2006
What's next for the Prince-ess? Manuela Testolini Nelson — the 29-year-old mysterious Torontonian who’s filed for divorce from her Purple Rain pop-star hubby, and stands to come away with millions — has plans to launch a home fragrance line. And, according to the Web site associated with her company, Gamillah, the launch is scheduled to go ahead, as scheduled, in the fall of 2006.

That’s right: First comes the splitsville; then come the soy-based candles!

The line, which is called Altru — short for altruism, I think — will be made up of an initial 16 pieces. This includes fragrance oils, incense sticks and, yup, allnatural candles. Divided into six, goodwill theme groups, they’ll be based on different qualities such as harmony (tanenashi persimmon), integrity (Persian lilac and bamboo), artistry (masala chai), remembrance (grapefruit and Italian rosemary), wellness (white clove and wild ginger) and appreciation (tiare and white freesia).

What, no Little Red Corvette bath balm? I’m ’fraid not. One suggestion, though, to Ms. Manuela: It might be a good idea to use the colour purple in your packaging!

According to a recent report in Women’s Wear Daily, the prices for the products will range from US$15 to $65, and they’ll be available exclusively at Nordstrom and Manhattan’s ABC Carpet & Home. And, because charity begins at home, more than half the proceeds are expected to go the In a Perfect World Foundation, a non-profit group that the Prince’s missus has started to “inspire children.”

The divorce, by the way, was first filed on May 24 at Minnesota’s Hennepin County District Court. First reported by the Star Tribune in that city, Prince’s personal lawyer later confirmed to People that his client isn’t countersuing. “He is just trying to get it resolved,” he said.

Here, then are a few more bits and bites, both past and present, about the Manuela-Prince sacred union:

The demure wife-to-be grew up in a two-bedroom in Don Mills here in Toronto and has been a gung-ho fan of Prince for as long as anybody can remember. As a friend of hers who knew her at York University told The Mirror in England some years ago, “Mani was always very quiet a college. She didn’t go in for parties and stuff like that. She was only ever interested in her art and in Prince. She was obsessed with him. It’s all she ever talked about.” Inevitably, then, perhaps, it wasn’t long before she was working at his Paisley Park recording studios, and not longer after, became his wife.

The Internet chit-chat is clear: If Prince and Manuela have been married, they certainly haven’t been acting like it much lately. Last photographed — some say — at the 2005 Oscars, one person wrote this on a fan message board: “How did they go from being seen everywhere together, to not being seen together for over a year? It makes no sense.” Page Six in the New York Post went further on Friday when the column snarled, “Prince has been spending an inordinate amount of time with his new protegé, Tamar.”
(That’s Toni Braxton’s young sister, for those who like those kind of details!)

Can you actually get divorced if you’re a Jehovah’s Witness — as Prince famously is, as is Manuela? That’s the subject of much message-board conversation, but as far as I can see, the religion does frown upon it and, according to one of many such interpretations I found of the faith, “Divorce is permitted under certain circumstance, but Jehovah hates remarriage unless the divorce occurred as a result of adultery.” (For the record: This is Prince’s second stab at divorce.)

Any disconnect between these two has certainly spilled over to Prince’s evident disconnect with Toronto. It is, perhaps, even the end of a mutual love affair. The paisley-lovin’ pop star, who shares a place with his Canadian bride on the Bridal Path, once raved about Toronto’s “cosmopolitan” vibe to journalists, dropped into places like C Lounge on Wellington and even featured a gleaming CN Tower on the jacket of his last CD. From what I’ve discerned, nobody has seen the music legend in these parts in a long, long time, and according to one source, a movie seemed to be shooting in his house early last week. A spy actually reports seeing film trucks outside of it! Guess he’s more than happy to rent it now.
http://www.canada.com/nat...690a2066dd

When are they gonna get it right?
People keep cofusing this Tamar w/ Tamar Braxton.

shagsgrl said:

Is she really???

Justin1972UK said:

No-they're two different people .

if she takes one red cent more than she is genuinely entitled to ..

Jehovah Gunna Be Mad .. like Chaka Mad .

shagsgrl said:

They could have at least said which site they lifted that quote from!

Wonder if it was one of MY posts?!