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Posted by: The Evil One Jan 14, 2008 @ 11:32 am

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2008/01/14/2008-01-14_bravo_spinoff_real_housewives_of_new_yor-1.html

Debuting on March 4th, the next gluttons for punishment will be:

Let the cries of "bad editing" begin!

Posted by: hereshecomes Jan 14, 2008 @ 11:43 am

A quick Googling shows that some of these women appear to be the real thing as far as socialites go (like, they actually appear in photos from NY Social Diary, as opposed to the RHOC chicks who seem to be big in their own minds only). Also, Bethenny Frankel was the runner-up on Martha Stewart's apprentice show, so she has some reality show experience. Bethenny probably knows all about the editing, LOL.

Posted by: superfille Jan 14, 2008 @ 12:47 pm

I think this will be an interesting contrast to the OC women. Everyone seems to have their own career (and a career that is not necessarily what's easy at the moment). I'm guessing they will be social climbing paraiahs, but they will be much more savvy and less tacky about it. We'll see though...

Posted by: jellywager Jan 14, 2008 @ 1:05 pm

Did anyone see Quinn's picture on Laurie's Myspace? For someone who doesn't need any work done, her photo is really airbrushed.

Posted by: SunBun Jan 14, 2008 @ 4:33 pm

Finally, a look at the true life of an Upper East side society wife!
I've always been surpremely envious/intrigued by that specific lifestyle, and after the tacky theatrics of the overtanned and overstyled OC society-wannabe's, it'll be nice to take a peek at the lifestyles of actual New York society women climbing up the corporate/social ladder.
Hopefully they'll display a bit more class and tact about their own lives, as opposed to the OC gals.
Obviously they won't be as whiney, pickled and bleached, which is always a bonus.

Posted by: LemurCat Jan 14, 2008 @ 4:34 pm

Am I the only one hoping, wishing, and praying for a Real Housewives Thunderdome?

TEN HOUSEWIVES ENTER! ONE LEAVES!

Posted by: MizSurguri Jan 14, 2008 @ 4:41 pm

This show looks interesting. But today the Upper East Side is not really as posh as it once was. I've never been in an apartment as fancy as many apartments on Central Park West, especially the Eldorado and the Dakota. But it is true that penthouses on Park Avenue are to die for and the views are breathtaking.

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 14, 2008 @ 4:46 pm

Should be good but I remain skeptical... everything on the RHOOC seems staged and I bet this show will be no different.

Posted by: Peppermintpatty Jan 14, 2008 @ 6:33 pm

Let the competitive pre-school application bachenalia begin!
I have a feeling that these women are going to be more self-absorbed than their OC counterparts (if that's possible).

Posted by: murphsully Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:00 pm

I've been on house tours sponsored by the Junior League and the apartments I saw were very impressive - the Upper East Side is still holding its own. I think this show will be a nice contrast to the OC housewives although I still question why anyone would invite cameras into their lives.

Posted by: TV Tourist Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:06 pm

Enh - same famewhores, colder climate. I refuse to believe they will be even an ounce classier or more intelligent simply because they live in New York City, drape themselves in fur, and marry men with meaningless "aristocratic" titles. Give me a break. Donald Trump lives in New York City. Zsa Zsa Gabor is married to a "prince." It's not as if they dug up Jackie Kennedy Onassis to put her on the show. Google Alex McCord and you find out she is simply an unsuccesful actress. They look equally starved, pinched and plucked. Only they are pasty white instead of orange and - is just me - or are they all pretty ugly? Maybe they don't photograph well? A couple of them can give Whori a run for her money in the tranny department. I will be tuning in of course. I enjoy bicoastal train wrecks.

Posted by: murphsully Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:11 pm

Was Alex McCord the original host of Trading Spaces?

Never mind, I was thinking of Alex McLeod

Posted by: TV Tourist Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:16 pm

Close! It was Alex McLeod. Funny, when I saw the name Alex McCord in the above post, I thought it sounded familiar, so I googled her name, but I didn't recognize her when I saw her website. I must have been thinking of Alex McCleod too!

Posted by: chainey Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:18 pm

Me too! I looked it up to see if it was the same Alex...

Posted by: TV Tourist Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:31 pm

Here is a rather "informative" article about the NY "housewives": http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2008/01/the_ladies_of_the_real_housewi.html

Ok, back to work - so I can "party hard" like the housewives.

Posted by: nikitakitty Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:39 pm

I would totally pay to watch that. My god, somebody help me please!! LOL

I don't think anyone could be worse than the RHOOC witches. (I mean no disrespect to witches) I love that they are doing New York. I'd also love to see a North Carolina or Georgia one too. No Florida, though. Florida would be as much of a tranny trainwreck as OC and just as bleached and orangey.

Posted by: gingernuts Jan 14, 2008 @ 7:46 pm

The brilliance of the RHOC is that they're obviously NOT that rich or fabulous and there's no end to the entertainment value of their lack of self-awareness. I have a feeling this show won't be as enjoyable because these women are pretty much rolling in dough. But that's not to say they won't be ridiculous -- I'll still be watching.

Posted by: beezer Jan 14, 2008 @ 8:00 pm

Oh my gah, Bethany!!! From the Martha Stewart Apprentice. Anyone remember her? She's ugly as sin, weighs like 11lbs soaking wet in a desperate attempt to compensate for the horror of her face, and speaks like she was hit in the face, then had to mouth marbles, while on downers. She's just awful. This show doesn't sound any fun at all.

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 14, 2008 @ 8:11 pm

http://www.bravotv.com/blog/thedish/2008/01/real_housewives_of_ny.php

Posted by: toocuteshoes Jan 14, 2008 @ 8:41 pm

Well at least we'll get to see better clothes this time around. Cuz I'm quite sure a rich broad in NY can outdress the hell outta some wanna be from OC.

What is up with the Bethenny girl? She's not a housewife, she's not even a divorcee. It hasn't even started yet and I can tell her story will be the dumbest.

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 14, 2008 @ 8:47 pm

She sounds like another HoJo.

Posted by: mitzib Jan 14, 2008 @ 8:52 pm

Please tell me we won't be seeing any skanky Sky tops or feet o' cleavage on these "housewives."

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 14, 2008 @ 8:53 pm

It will be all Michael Korrs and Project Runway rejects. LOL

Posted by: beeblebrox Jan 14, 2008 @ 9:20 pm

From that picture even far away, they look like they've been botoxed and surgically altered heavily.

Posted by: Kayden Klassic Jan 15, 2008 @ 1:33 am

Huh? None of those housewives are very good looking, and none of them sound very rich either. Colour me disappointed.

Posted by: heebiejeebie Jan 15, 2008 @ 5:50 am

Boy do I remember her. A screeching shrill harpy that brought the ass to crass. Totally skill-less. She bragged about running her own food business but when they showed clips of her doing her "bizness" it was out of her own very tiny, very unprofessional and very very meagerly appointed galley kitchen. And baking only four cupcakes at a time. Business was simply thriving. Apparently she is still desperately trying to sell herself as a professional because I'll bet the smal but adequate inheritance grandad left her required her to be employed. And now I have to hope that a bumpy morning commute and several cups of coffee will drive out the "hey hey, ho ho, it time for Tide to Go" (if you can find this on YouTube it is a must for anyone venturing into watching this show).

Crap this better not mean cameos by Jim Ultimate Douchebag of Horrifically Bad Marketing Skills.

Posted by: RHofNY Jan 15, 2008 @ 7:52 am

I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude about this one. But considering my mind goes into shock at the end of each RHOOC season, I really do need some kind of substitute.

Looks like I might want to change my screen name. ;)

Posted by: MizSurguri Jan 15, 2008 @ 11:00 am

I can't wait to see this show at least none of these women look like bleached blonde trannies.

Most of the really nice houses I've been to on the Upper East Side have been on Sutton Place, still nothing beats Central Park West for me. At least in the Dakota you can see the Macys parade up close.

Posted by: TTyT321 Jan 15, 2008 @ 11:28 am

True but like someone said before those pictures really do not help any of them. Whoof!

IMO this show will probably only be half as good as the original because after the snarky outrageous RHOC girls, the show will probably pail in comparison.

Posted by: morganstern77 Jan 15, 2008 @ 11:38 am

Especially the tall one in the middle... man her face must be hurt to be pulled that tight.

Posted by: hereshecomes Jan 16, 2008 @ 8:08 am

During the introductions to the NY housewives that aired during last night's RHOC, it was somewhat heartening to hear one of the ladies with small children assert that education is very important. Perhaps this show will be less of a celebration of willful idiocy than RHOC, which would be refreshing.

Posted by: The Evil One Jan 16, 2008 @ 11:25 pm

Well, as a NYC resident, I hope they represent well, but ack, "new money" is new money (spoken by someone with nonne!).

Conceptually, I agree. I do fear it may extend to the other end of the spectrum, as there is competitive jockeying for pre-schools shortly after a child emerges from the birth canal. I do believe the words "Put the Baby Einstein DOWN" may be uttered while I watch this season. It goes to some vile degrees, including my former boss that told me she went to my church, 20 blocks out of her way so that her 3 year old daughter could become part of the "right" playgroup. Ick.

I did enjoy when the child told her mother that she was embarassing. Indeed.

Posted by: behindme Jan 16, 2008 @ 11:43 pm

I really don't understand why women won't let themselves age. Honestly, a 45 year old still living with the delusion that she can look 25 if she Botoxes herself to the point where she looks like a mannequin and gets numerous breast lifts and tummy tucks is so much less attractive than a 45 year old who embraces her age and realizes that she can look good without surgery. Take my mother, for example--she's in her fifties and looks it, but she doesn't look BAD. She realizes what she can wear with her age, embraces the few age lines that have appeared on her face, and looks good doing it. People can be beautiful without looking young. Young does not equal beauty.

Posted by: tvallthetime Jan 17, 2008 @ 12:57 am

Based on the previews, I think these are women I will dislike. With the RHOOC, I find them fun to watch, these women look like they will just be annoying to watch. But, I may be a little biased living on the West Coast. :)

Posted by: SunBun Jan 17, 2008 @ 9:12 am

I'm just surprised they couldn't find better looking women to represent the show in NYC...what a bunch of woofers!!
Seriously, several of them could pass for trannies with those squarish, manly features they're rocking in that pic.
I guess it all just depends on one's personal preference of mature beauty---orange, bleached and botoxed versus pasty, tailored and botoxed. Or stupid and annoying versus slightly educated and annoying.
At any rate, this should be an interesting celebration of new money!

Posted by: Insomniac Jan 17, 2008 @ 11:52 am

I'm not the least bit surprised. Here's why: If Bethenny is on a show called Real Housewives of NYC and she's not married and not a housewife, they were scraping the bottom of the barrel.

If the idea is to show socially prominent women (socialites), I don't know anyone who would be willing to subject themselves, their families, their business or their husband's business to the kind of scrutiny that comes with reality programming. Nouveau riche is a dime a dozen on the Upper East Side (they could have filmed in my building!), but people who want to project a certain image are savvy enough to know that editing is a bitch.

Posted by: saywhat07 Jan 17, 2008 @ 3:06 pm

the woman on the right, wow, she looks horrible.

Posted by: SunBun Jan 17, 2008 @ 3:20 pm

If you're talking about the gal on the end/far right, I totally agree---she's definitely the manliest of the bunch! And would you believe the accompanying article states that she's supposedly the youngest of them all? She looks like she eats babies, y'all.
I know it's not fair to pick on these gals for their looks alone, but for some women put on the reality show pedestal as megasuccessful and glam NYC housewives, the producers must've scraped the bottom of the barrel to find these women.

I agree with the other poster who mentioned that actual old money rich NYC housewives would likely never stoop low enough to appear on a show like this: talk about a bad for image/new money social move!
Pickings must've been slim, to say the least...

Posted by: Jaime in OC FL Jan 19, 2008 @ 6:27 am

Here's hoping The RHoNY will bring as much snark material as it's predecessor.

[Edited for topic. Please stick to discussing the show, not personal experiences. Thanks. -- TWoP Tennison]

Posted by: savvysearch Jan 20, 2008 @ 6:12 pm

Oh god. They're wearing full-length furs, which shows that even the new money in NYC also dress like hookers. But cold winter hookers! Get ready for east coast version of tack social climbing. The difference between this show and OC is that in OC, the women didn't really doing anything. They were true housewives. The NY women in this show seem to have actual jobs. But at the same time, I don't see these women as insanely rich to be living on the Upper east side (graphic designer/model/fashion line), so maybe they'll bring a lot of insecurity and fakiness to the show to make it interesting. BUt I'll be watching. We'll all finally see how shallow pointless and tasteless twits are like on the east coast.

One of the women prefers to be called "Countess," never mind that France hasn't had a titled class since the french revolution. This is going to be fun.

Posted by: destinydriven Jan 20, 2008 @ 6:58 pm

You know what I don't understand? Bravo couldn't find one housewife in NYC who is a minority?? Asian? Black? Hispanic? Hindu? Anyone? There are PLENTY well-off minorities living in the NYC area....instead, they put Bethany Frankel in the mix? I mean damn, Bravo.

Then again, they may have asked but have been declined. Or, maybe I am naieve. Don't think I won't be watching, though.... :)

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 21, 2008 @ 10:00 pm

You know-- I kind of thought that too. But then I remembered, New York is simply not multicultural enough to find anything but bloated, freshly skinned, plasticine white-looking women. [/scarcasm]

Posted by: buster0001 Jan 21, 2008 @ 10:02 pm

This is going to be very different from Orange County. Now, they should have
one about some other big cities. It's interesting to see the difference.

Posted by: Avalon Jan 22, 2008 @ 7:44 pm

Anyone watching the preview on Bravo? (thanks for the reminder on the RHOC board) Anyway, so far I'm bored.....yawn..... oh and they have that same dumb music as RHOC....

Posted by: mitzib Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:02 pm

Ugh...most of these ho's annoyed me already from the few minutes I watched. I found Alex the most grating as well as the most homely. You would think with all her husband's cash she could buy some new chicklette teeth or do something with that ragged rat's nest of hair. She looks like she has been opening bottles with her teeth. I could have done without the scene of her in a thong or her husband in a banana hammock. I can't remember the names of the other ho's, but the countess needs to be bitch-slapped. I don't think this show will be as good as the RHOC.

Posted by: ubiquitous Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:09 pm

I just saw the preview and I'm on the fence about this group of gals. As obnoxious as they were, they seem rather dull. The only ones I can remember now are the self-proclaimed Cuntess and the one who married an effeminate man she met on some sort of international Match.com. Well, it's not like I have anything better to do...

Posted by: fuddymeers Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:12 pm

Gawd, I hope she doesn't demand a curtsey.
Bravo has yet to receive the memo. Dipshits.

And word to everyone who's already given a big blech to Bethany! I couldn't stand her on the Apprentice and I just know I'm going to love to hate her on this show.

I wonder if the RHOOC are going to join the snarkfest. Paybacks are a bitch.



ETA: I caught that comment and spewed diet coke.

Posted by: seasquared Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:12 pm

Don't even remember which of the housewives said this but one of them claimed her occupation as "visualized marketing"
What the heck is that? The only thing I could think it meant was that she dresses mannequins!?!?!

Posted by: Avalon Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:14 pm

Yeah, I guess I'll watch if there's nothing else on. Agreed the match.com guy seemed gay....and who was the one who named her kids French names, was it that same lady or one of the other ones....I think the New Yawk accents are going to annoy me....oh, how about the BF who wanted to "talk about it later" (moving in together)....you just KNOW he wanted to say "without the cameras"....dude, that's the whole POINT....

Posted by: destinydriven Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:14 pm

Bwah! Me either. They are boring, aren't they? And those housewives should just admit they go to the Hamptons every summer to escape from the poor locals.

Posted by: Vivacious J Jan 22, 2008 @ 8:18 pm

Hey Avalon! I just watched it. Since I live here I might find it more interesting than most. What do you think of it so far?

I can already tell that Alex is gonna bug! Her husband is super creepy and she seems way too attached to him. Bethenny is also annoying as all hell. I don't think her boyfriend wants to commit. I love how direct and 'not having it' he was when she brought up marriage/moving in together.

The other three are fun in their own ways and I can probably tolerate: Ramona will be super snark-worthy...she's a fiesty little go-getter for sure. The Countess will be quick with the bitchy comments a la Jeana....and Jill is the Long Island Jenny from the block gone Upper East Side with a sugar daddy husband who her own daughter seems very afraid/uncomfortable around. Interesting.

One thing I found super-odd was when they gave the salary for (Alex's au pair), it was only $30 K. That's low. I am a NYC nanny and I just interviewed for an upper east side position for 60K and it's live-in, so no living/food expenses. I am not some "extra special status symbol French au pair" or anything either...that nanny needs to find a more generous family! ;)

Posted by: blondie69 Jan 22, 2008 @ 10:06 pm

Foreals.

Posted by: ubiquitous Jan 22, 2008 @ 10:30 pm

Didn't they all do exactly that?

Posted by: murphsully Jan 22, 2008 @ 11:20 pm

I thought people went to the Hamptons for the beaches and to escape the heat.

Posted by: Insomniac Jan 23, 2008 @ 12:05 am

*I* go to East Hampton for sun, surf, barbecues, outdoor dining without car fumes and everything else associated with summer.

I'm certain that some of these women have social agendas for the summer. Traveling the right circuit to make the right connections so they get invited to the next party to meet the people that might enhance their business, etc.

Posted by: toocuteshoes Jan 23, 2008 @ 12:14 am

What an effin snooze-fest. I don't think I even watched till the end. I can't even remember.

Posted by: vampdeath Jan 23, 2008 @ 1:25 am

Its funny how schluby and uncaring about their wives the Coto husbands are compared to the New York guys.

Posted by: winerydoor Jan 23, 2008 @ 1:27 am

Okay... odd little group of people for sure.

The healthy one (haven't figured out all of their names yet) is drunk before her boyfriend gets home from work. That's real healthy. A real updated, healthy Martha Stewart.

Luanne, The *Countess* thank goodness his family gave us the Statue of Liberty and built the canals. Otherwise they wouldn't be considered *royalty*.

The visual merchandiser hangs her pictures in the livingroom entirely too high - so much for knowing how to merchandise things. Plus, her hair is a horrible rats nest, except when she's doing her talking head shots. ick. It is also a shame her husband seems to be gay. But he has an impressive credit card, so.....

That's all so far, but I'm sure they'll be more.

I don't hate the show. I'm glad it's starting at the end of the RHOOC season so my withdrawl will be somewhat less.

Posted by: nohwheregirl Jan 23, 2008 @ 1:37 am

Ooookay. The one thing I can say that this incarnation has over the OC version is that some of these women seem to have real money. Here are my predictions...

Most Snarkworthy: The blonde with the gay-speedo-wearing hubby and faux-French children

Best Approximation of a Greek Chorus: Ramona's rightfully embarassed daughter.

Biggest Trainwreck: Chef Bethany

Posted by: txvoodoo Jan 23, 2008 @ 1:39 am

Avalon said

I'll take those any day over the mushmouth speech of the OC gals. At least I haven't heard any egregious grammar errors yet. Of course, it was just a half hour - I'm sure there will be some! But it does convince me that it's not the botox or plastic surgery that creates those OC speech patterns, since these NYC ladies seems to be equally injected.

That one husband (I haven't paired up faces with names yet - I'm slow that way) really does take metrosexual to a new level. At least they seem happy, in their peculiar way - I buy it more than I do Lauri and George's sickening lovefest.

Ah well, I'll be watching. I'm Bravo's bitch!

Posted by: as1504 Jan 23, 2008 @ 7:54 am

Hey! Native and resident New Yawker here! Where's the love? Just kidding.

With the exception of that Betthanay character, these women are much closer to being socialites than the OC broads.

I will admit that I am a little scared to see my own city on this show. Yes, they have money. Yes, they are actually women who are in high demand socially, especially Jill Zeiger and the "Countess." This just comes off as undignified and has been the subject of much eye rolling and snarking in NY. What they are doing is SO un-New York. It comes as no surprise that there does not seem to be one native Manhattanite in the bunch. We are an aloof breed who do not like cameras and like to laugh at reality shows, not be on one. The reason why stars can live in New York and blend in without traveling with a phalanx of body guards is because New Yorkers are not star struck, the hostile environment New Yorkers create for cameras and paparazzi (and tourists, we really hate them). These women drew fire for bringing cameras in places they did not belong. I live in Soho. My neighbors and I, in addition to the restaurateurs and merchants, were pissed about the tourists and media vultures who flooded the area to gawk at Heath Ledger's corpse. Of course it was gross because they were being ghouls, but we HATE tourists and cameras no matter what the occasion, so I do not understand why these women would have brought them to places where people do not like them. Cameras are a big no-no in restaurants, cafes, and the trendy/exclusive clubs.

That couple from Brooklyn was downright ugly and I rarely call someone ugly. Sadly, there's no two ways about it when it comes to these two. They just look bad and that string bikini he was sporting did not serve anyone well, least of all those of us who had to look at it. His hair was bad and her face looks like what Whori would look like if her face if her botox collapsed. Okay, I am going to have my caffeine because I am on a mean streak.

Posted by: runcible spoon Jan 23, 2008 @ 9:22 am

I caught the preview and rolled my eyes at the woman who had to have a French nanny. Was that the Countess, I don't remember. As for going to the Hamptons to "escape the heat," I'd love to see these women spend a day at Orchard Beach. This will be a huge train wreck but I don't intend to miss an episode.

I usually turn the channel when anything related to wrestling appears but I would definitely watch a Real Housewives Thunderdome.

Posted by: stubadingdong Jan 23, 2008 @ 11:17 am

Well, I watched most of this. Even at a measly half hour I couldn't watch the entire thing. These women are just as needy and famewhorish as the OC ones. And yet they bugged me ten times more. Maybe because I'm not as familiar with them yet. So far, they don't seem to be living on credit like their CA counterparts. However, the show is young.

As for the women, they're all kinda blending in together right now. Except the Countess (wtf?) who I kept thinking was Allison Janney playing the part.

Can any of them talk about themselves without bragging about how much stuff they have, how much money they make, how much royalty they've married? For real? I'm really not impressed. Then again, they've signed up for a reality show. Of course they're gonna brag. I guess I answered my own question.

Posted by: ObstinantGirl Jan 23, 2008 @ 11:40 am

Tacky and Classless is Tacky and Classless whether it's in NYC or OC.
These women made me cringe, and I tuned out after about 15 minutes....they weren't even all that interesting.

Posted by: boogums Jan 23, 2008 @ 11:59 am

Man, did that show suck. And Bethenny's boyfriend looked like an alien. Not that she could do any better though. An alien who won't commit! How low can you sink?

Posted by: vampdeath Jan 23, 2008 @ 12:52 pm

The Zarins seem the most normal, but maybe thats just because I come from a Jewish family. The husband looks 20 years older than his wife but some couples are good like that.

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 23, 2008 @ 1:00 pm

Doesn't Ashley from the RHOOC have the last name Zarin?

Posted by: MirandaX Jan 23, 2008 @ 2:40 pm

Regarding the au pair's salary, au pairs usually make far less than a professional nanny. Au Pairs typically are inexperienced compared to professional nannies, and they work as au pairs partially in exchange for the experience of living in another country. They usually work for an year, so it isn't a long term relationship and they usually don't get any raises. Au Pairs who are live-in often only get "pocket money, " not a real salary. Au-Pairs who don't live-in usually just get enough to cover living expenses.

The "NEW YAWK" accent isn't that pronounced in Manhattanites. The real New Yawk accent is usually someone who grew up in Staten Island, or parts of Brooklyn and Queens (although there are many people from Brooklyn and Queens who don't have the accent).

Posted by: heebiejeebie Jan 23, 2008 @ 3:07 pm

When I told my aunt (who runs in the circles these women do or want us to believe they do) about the show, she claimed to not have heard about it but she also sniffed, raised a brow and said "at least they'll be able to lunch with Melania Trump after this". Then I watched the preview and the one was gushing about a luncheon that Ivanka was going to be at. Ivanka is Grey Goose-Maxim party. Ivanka is Page Six. And that is pretty much what I think all these women aspire to be. They have realized the extent of their social glory in the Establishment Crowd and now hope to attach themselves to the fame crowd that flits and flirts with the West Coast show business culture that manages to invade NYC again and again but always ends up defeated in the end.



The forced hug though skeeved me out. Especially as it was done for the cameras. You don't browbeat a teenage girl into huggingnew step daddy (or at least still working on it in terms of relationship step daddy). That was so creepy and seemed unhealthy. Not in a perverted sense on the step father's part but rather the mother thinking that incredibly and obviously fake performances were more important than something actually sincere. I can see telling her to make sure she took a moment to truly thank the man. And to be sincere when she did and make sure she told him in a way that showed her gratitude and how much it meant to her. But to tell her to go hug him and make such a production about it was painful to say the least. I felt bad for the girl and bad for the step father.

Posted by: islandgal Jan 23, 2008 @ 3:12 pm

I haven't watched TV or listened to the news in two days, so I had no idea what you were talking about. I thought this was referring to maybe paparazzi stalking a thin, pale drugged out looking Heath Ledger. Had no ide dude was actually Dead, DEAD!! I am shocked. I also need to tune to the news and happenings in the world more and not just the celeb stuff. DAMN! Sorry for the off topic but that throw away statment put me in a tailspin.

Posted by: winerydoor Jan 23, 2008 @ 3:29 pm

I agree about the forced hug to step-sugardaddy... and he seemed as uncomfortable about it as the 14 year old. Notice as soon as it was over, he turns his attention towards the little girl standing there and proceeds to tell her how pretty she is. Weird and ick.

Posted by: Kittenrescue Jan 23, 2008 @ 6:44 pm

I thought the same thing when I saw the promos. BFD. But I'll watch - just for the snark factor.

The Countess trumps Lauri's return to the 'OC Lifestyle'. I bet Lauri wishes she'd held out for some European yahoo with a minor title - but, alas, she's stuck with Not-A-Count George.

Posted by: as1504 Jan 23, 2008 @ 7:12 pm

I think it is beyond unhealthy to showcase a young girl's struggles with her weight and the need to send her to the Vineyard to fix it. Couple that with FORCING her to hug that creepy stepfather. I needed to take a shower after I saw that one.

Yeah, though the Countess (and no one calls her that other than people at charity events who are calling her up to accept an award) and others have older money they are not REAL Manhattan society, though they are on Page Six and on the New York Social Diary web site. They are newer money socialites. Technically, old money has got to be at least 8 generations old, so these people come closer than the OC broads but you can see them hanging with the Hiltons or the Trumps, not the Astors (maybe Brooke Astor's bum of a son).

Another dead give away is where they live, or better put, where they DON'T live. Anyone with enough money can buy a townhouse, but almost nobody can get into certain co-ops for reasons such as having or wanting too much fame. The residents at 820 Park, the most coveted address, have rejected billionaires and other celebrities for fear their gauche lifestyle will infringe upon their way of life. Stars are routinely rejected by co-op boards because of a fear that they will have parties, because they will attract photographers, and because they will attract tourists. Townhouses and the Time Warner building are for people who cannot get past co-op boards who will make you sign written agreements promising not to wear a jogging outfit in the lobby or have overnight guests or cook fish after 8 pm. Someone upthread mentioned how her aunt commented that now the women on this show "will be able to lunch with Ivana Trump" and that is dead on. If the person whose aunt said that is reading this, I am sending her the bill for my dry cleaning because I spat coffee everywhere when I read it. Comedy gold.

The parties these women go to in the Hamptons (which is referred to as "the country" by people who have been going there since before Sex and the City came on) are exactly what the more genteel families in Manhattan want to avoid. Again, these women live in Manhattan, but like the OC broads, they are pretenders to the throne.

I do not think this will be as fun to watch. That just might be my own aversion to seeing my beloved city being placed in the same light as those awful OC women.

Posted by: HeavenLy Jan 23, 2008 @ 10:44 pm

I watched the Martha Stewart Apprentice. Wasn't Bethenny acquainted with one of the judges' children? I thought she went to the same prep school as Alexis Stewart. Anyhoo she's no more of a housewife than the women on the original show.

I hate reality show retreads. In all of NY, they couldn't find someone else?

Posted by: nohwheregirl Jan 24, 2008 @ 12:37 am

I would agree with this characterization. Not that I know anything about real money or real society, but I do understand that no one with old money would ever even talk about money, much less touch this show with a 50 foot pole. When I say that some of these women have real money, I mean that they can probably buy and sell the Whoris, Vickis, and Tammis of the OC.

Posted by: Avalon Jan 24, 2008 @ 1:13 am

Hey, as15, I'm a Philly native so I have the worst accent EVER! (LOL) But I think that's why I'm not so excited about this show....East Coast, urban sophisticated city, ladies who probably have fashion sense and don't wear the passe squared-off French manicures that are an OC "signature"....ladies who for the most part don't look like hookers....ladies who may have "real jobs" and work for their bucks....I mean, what fun is THAT??!! I just LOVE the Calif. scenery and the fact that the RHOC ladies (and guys) are in their own little world....Quinn thinking she's a "cougar" with those jowls and big ole' hangin' boobs....stuff like that....

Though, I do see lots of snark potential in the NY version....the one who names her kids French names....the clearly gay husband....the one who's sending her kid to "rehab" (did she say the girl had ARTHRITIS and hence was going to rehab???)....so despite my whining, I'll probably be tuned in....

Posted by: winerydoor Jan 24, 2008 @ 1:35 am

Yeah, I thought I heard arthritis about the 14 year old also, but she quickly added something about her weight, and then said she was going to detox to see if it would help her. Detox? Never heard of that to help either condition. Martha's Vineyard must have miracle workers.

Posted by: deltagamma Jan 25, 2008 @ 11:36 am

I just watched the preview show, and so far I find these women even more unlikable than the OC women. I'll give it some time, but based on that half hour, I'm not sure I will be watching because I don't think I can take a full hour of them.

Posted by: southernbella Jan 25, 2008 @ 1:52 pm

Yes. It's a little more than that though and if you can get in with a "lifestyle" type brand like Ralph Lauren who basically creates a home within a shop (like Ralph Lauren flagship "the mansion" in NY) you are paid VERY well for essentially decorating and traveling to decorate other stores, department store within a store, etc. Like this:

http://www.fashionwindows.com/windows3/default.asp

Posted by: pickledeedee Jan 25, 2008 @ 2:09 pm

Avalon:

I thought the children were "internationally" named with one being a French name (can't remember it but it was tres pretentious) and the other Johannes (isn't that German?)

As for the husband in the speedo. In defense of British hubbies everywhere, the Brit's do NOT normally wear speedos (it was more of a European thing if it is at all still in style even there) What about the anaemic wife in the string thong bikini? How is it that they drop $$$ on couture clothing and the woman clearly has not seen a hair stylist in years?



You picked up on it exactly, yes, she has JOWLS. And a wide ass.

Posted by: albertj Jan 25, 2008 @ 2:23 pm

Ouch Bethany! I know she wasn't much to look at during the Martha Stewart Apprentice season, but this year she's really bringing the fug. And it hasn't been that long.

I'm a little confused though. And granted my only frame of reference is the original RHWOOC. But I thought all classy, sophisticated, rich housewives sold real estate and insurance.

Posted by: Mothership Jan 25, 2008 @ 2:23 pm

This show is a trainwreck and the worst part is the title: "real" housewives.
Nope, Bravo, they're "reality" housewives. It doesn't matter if they old money, new money, NY society or midwest townies. Anyone who agrees to be on reality television isn't real. Go back to the Loud families in the '70's--putting cameras in someone's life changes that life and therefore changes the reality.
Pay someone to be real and you influence their reality even more.

Although, thanks for giving us something more to snark at!

Posted by: Malapert Jan 25, 2008 @ 5:26 pm

About the 14 year old and detox? The impression I got was that it was something like chelation therapy.

I thought the reference to her weight was in terms of helping with her arthritis symptoms.

Posted by: lovelinus Jan 25, 2008 @ 7:29 pm

So what are the next two going to be named? Pedro and Jawarhalal?

Posted by: Kittenrescue Jan 25, 2008 @ 9:03 pm

That's the most coveted address? Because it looks and sounds hideous.

http://www.thecityreview.com/ues/parkave/park820.htm

Posted by: suburbfabulous Jan 26, 2008 @ 11:29 am

Agreed, very much. Also, for me, part of the fun of RHOC was the annoying, bratty, lazy, *adult* offspring, like Asslee, Fryan, Shane, Lindsey, etc that we could snark on. The new Housewives mostly have very young kids, so not much snark fodder there.

Damn, I never thought I would develop a soft spot for the RHOC and their families. I miss them already. I hope they do more seasons.

Posted by: Lillith Jan 26, 2008 @ 4:15 pm

As someone who was born and raised in NYC (I did go to high school in PA however) these women make me hang my head in shame. THIS is who is representing the city. I know plenty of women who are actually real housewives with families, careers and are attractive without being botoxed to death. Oh wait, they wouldn't agree to actually be on a show like this so thats your difference. Oh and I'll back up that many of us don't have what is considered a New York accent. And in this socio economic group there should be fairly few people who do, even those who are born and bred in the city.

I love they way the one chick is from Kansas (no offence to any Kansans out there) and shudders at the thought of living in the suburbs. Many native New Yorkers often say that its the people who come here to live that give us our bad name by trying to be what they think a New Yorker is and take it way overboard. She is a prime example. And her husband may be one of the gayest men I've ever seen, and trust me that's pretty gay.

The "countess" *snicker* was fairly attractive in a "real" way I thought but boy was she overly impressed with herself.

I never watched the OC version of this but what with this damn strike I may tune in to this if nothing else is on.

Posted by: paradig_m Jan 26, 2008 @ 4:33 pm

Yes, Francois and Johannes. Francois sounds particularly pretentious to me for someone who isn't French and/or doesn't reside in a French-speaking country.

LOL! And each of the kids' Saint Barts vacation Speedos can represent a different nation's flag.

Posted by: PittsburghDiva Jan 27, 2008 @ 12:24 pm

Finally saw the preview. How is Bethany on this show? Talk about "one of these things is not like the other". I was less than impressed with her apt. and don't get how she is supposedly so "monied".

Oh, and Simon is gay as the day is long.

Posted by: AliceTinker Jan 27, 2008 @ 2:49 pm

Was it my imagination, or did the woman whose husband picked out her clothes look like she was going bald? I thought of George Costanza and his bald blind date - "She's BALD, Jerry; she's BALD!" My husband would rather walk across burning coals than take me to a tacky boutique and choose my outfits, including the accessories. IMO, this show will be more of a trainwreck than the OC housewives, but it has potential for humor.

Posted by: avast wasteland Jan 27, 2008 @ 4:54 pm

The Countess needs a history lesson from someone other than her husband.
True: the de Lesseps family was made nobility by Napoleon, during the Second Empire.
Ferdinand de Lesseps was President of the Suez Canal Company.
False : Ferdinand de Lesseps did NOT build the Panama Canal. The de Lesseps company FAILED at a Panama Canal, because the engineering was more difficult, and their medical staff could not control yellow fever. The project went bankrupt, and de Lesseps was convicted of financial fraud in the activities of the Panama Canal Company. Ever hear of Teddy Roosevelt, Countess? Walter Reed??

The point is, that her husband's title is generally recognized, and his ancestor did one important thing. But LuAnn either has to embellish the truth, or is dumb and/or uneducated.

Posted by: buyitnow Jan 27, 2008 @ 7:08 pm

Boy, am I glad I don't have to live these women's lives, what pointless and vapid existences. The former model who says "the Count travels quite a bit" (not her husband), and she "manages the children": Bravo scored a home run with this bitch. Although none of them actually take care of their children, that's all managed by housekeepers and au pairs while these women are busy living their own lives, like Laura Bennett in Project Runway. Why have kids then?

The kids show the pain of dealing with these parents and living this lifestyle. The twelve year old embarrassed at her mom clowning for the camera, the fourteen year old who didn't seem pudgy but whose mom claims she has a weight problem. She's still growing for crying out loud, although the arthritis may be real, who can tell with the endless cover stories?

Posted by: lambie Jan 27, 2008 @ 7:34 pm

I, for one, am definitely going to enjoy this show.

I'm already wondering about Jill/Bobby. Can a fabric warehouse do that well to pay for a nice house in the Hamptons and the NYC lifestyle? And word to the squickiness between her daughter and husband. She seems incredibly awkward, to have to be forced to hug her stepdad for sending her to a fancy-schmancy fat farm is SOOOOO painful to watch. BTW, I wonder if this detox place is the same one from the famed "Martha's Vineyard Detox Diet." Robin Quivers is a devotee of the plan and it sounds like a total scam.

From what I can tell so far:

Alex = Whori (girl from the midwest who supposedly is madly in love with her effeminate husband)
LuAnn = Jeana (former model who believes she is the pinnacle of good taste and class)
Roxanne = Tamra (party girl who proclaims her hotness at every opportunity and likes to dance slutty)

Posted by: nikitakitty Jan 27, 2008 @ 8:17 pm

This is what I've been saying about the people who now represent Los Angeles on tv and otherwise. Transplants that flood the area and act like they THINK people in LA should act and change the very city they transplant to, and not for the better. It's infuriating. I'm glad someone else can see what I've been talking about when it comes to their own city. Sucks, doesn't it? I just want to bitch slap the lot of them.

I kinda liked this version of the show, though. The women and the children seemed more 'real' to me even though they obviously have their own issues etc. I really liked Avery, poor child. All twelve year olds are embarrassed by their parents, it's especially hard when your mom goes out of her way to be embarrassing.

I am sick of these forty-something women acting like they are seventeen with the grinding and the over the top flirting. You don't have to dry up and be all serious but please start acting a little more mature and graceful. This forced 'youthfulness' is not becoming.

And a gayer group of husbands I've not seen in a while. It must be cultural thing in NY for a man to be so effeminate when he's not actually gay. Assuming they aren't actually gay. The Kansas transplant woman and her husband have deep psychological issues IMO. They make me want to cross the street if I saw them walking toward me. Ugh.

Posted by: Auntie Anxiety Jan 27, 2008 @ 9:31 pm

I thought the Kansas transplant and her husband go shopping together because he has a vested interest in the clothing she picks out; he wants to make sure her wardrobe will look good on him.

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 27, 2008 @ 10:05 pm

avast wastland:

You may be the reason I watch this show- good catch!

Posted by: Mothership Jan 28, 2008 @ 12:06 am

So what was with the obvious shot of the husband's black AMEX card? (I think it was the husband helping to pick out clothes).
Sorry, Bravo, you can't try to impress us with that--even Slade Slimey on RHOOC had a black AMEX and where is he today?

Posted by: Noddy Jan 28, 2008 @ 2:19 am

I think this show is going to be much more interesting than the second season of Housewives of O.C. turned out to be.

The child with arthritis is heavy set, no two ways about it. But, weight issues aside, I didn't think it was such a great idea to coax her into giving Bobby a hug. This appeared uncomfortable for her, and Bobby gave the impression that a genuine "Thank you, Bobby," minus the forced hug would have been an adequate expression of gratitude.

The other young girl - the blonde - had a look of embarrassment, but also looked as though she wanted to be inside the circle of her mother's zany but privileged social life. She seemed to enjoy being the progeny of a V.I.P. (very important parent).

The characters I found the most fascinating were the pretentious husband and wife who do everything together, including shopping. They named one of their kids, "Francois," and hired a French au pair so their children would be fluent in French. How curious it was to hear the woman half of this two bodies/one brain phenom profess her disdain for the suburbs and her obvious love for the Big Apple. From her words one might have gotten the impression she grew up in a culture-rich city in Europe - Paris, for instance. Instead we hear that she hails from "a small town in Kansas." Woah, Nellie. This show is gonna be a hoot.

Posted by: Emerald Eyes Jan 28, 2008 @ 7:02 am

Here's a link to a story about that young girl and the detox center:
http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/Here

Posted by: boogums Jan 28, 2008 @ 12:01 pm

ITA with all the posters roasting Alex for her suburb comments. Meanwhile Alex has the most suburban hairdo I've ever seen.

Posted by: lambie Jan 28, 2008 @ 12:07 pm

I was struck that I don't think any of these women have extensions. Definitely not LuAnn and probably not the rest of them. Can that be? Is that more of a SoCal thing? It made me wonder what Whori would look like without her mountains of fake blond hair.

Posted by: Lillith Jan 28, 2008 @ 12:14 pm

Yeah extentions are not big here except among African American women. I don't know anyone actually who has them, same with the fake tans(a few during summer but its not huge). But porno nails and botox? Oh plenty of NY women are all over that shit. I've actually gotten scared being in Bloomingdale's or Bergdorf's on a Saturday and seeing what some of the "Ladies who Lunch" (new money edition) do to themselves.

Posted by: MizSurguri Jan 28, 2008 @ 12:25 pm

I think some of those women had extensions, they probably got them because they lost their real hair from all the hair bleaching, pleanty of non black women have hair extensions, if it's done well, you'd never notice.

I agree, I don't think anyone who's really in NYC society would want to go on a show like this, they'd consider it tacky. These women are famewhores, and that one whose husband seemed gay looked like a tranny herself.

I also don't know what was wrong with the girl having to hug her step father, when I was a kid, I always had to kiss my older relatives on the cheek, no problem.

Posted by: beezer Jan 28, 2008 @ 1:19 pm

She didn't want to, which to me makes forcing her a problem in any instance. And she really, clearly didn't want to. And the larger problem, to me, was the housekeeper saying the stepfather wasn't warm to her either. She's what, nine? If your husband can't even fake being warm to your nine-year-old (and she was presumably younger when they married), you don't get or stay married to him, imo. I think that's just fucked up. It's not like she was a 17-yr-old with some history of problems that had hurt him in some way.

That scene creeped me out.

Posted by: Mothership Jan 28, 2008 @ 1:55 pm

I'm not sure I would go quite that far. I agree that forcing the hug was uncomfortable and unnecessary. However, there are a lot of good step parents out there (especially when there is a large age difference between them and the biological parent), who truly aren't warm kid lovers. BUT, they do care about the kid, care for the kid, provide for the kid and most importanly don't keep the biological parent from showing affection and making the kid a priority. This may the situation here. He certainly didn't begrudge the child, he just doesn't know what to do with one and maybe never has. Even his turning to the toddler and commenting on her seemed a forced way to look child friendly like he knew he should behave differently, but didn't know how. My own father was a much more hands on and affectionate father than he is a grandfather. I think as he aged, he just isn't comfortable around kids.
I'd rather have a guy like that who is a little distant then one who is creepy and expecting hugs.

Posted by: rhys7 Jan 28, 2008 @ 2:37 pm

I live in KS, so now you have gotten me interested in this show. I'm quite curious as to where the Kansan grew up. [raising fist in the air]Now I'll have to watch[lowers fist].

Posted by: Mothership Jan 28, 2008 @ 4:03 pm

me too rhys7! I even live in the maligned 'burbs!
Which leads me to the biggest complaint of show like this and RHOOC: Contrary to the way we are often portrayed on television/movies, Kansas and other midwest states do have just as much culture, education, refinement and gifts to offer. (Sure, we have our wackos, but don't judge us by them) We may have been filmed in black and white for the WIzard of Oz, but we're a technicolor state.
To all you wonderful snarkers on the board, in the same way that you resent Californians and New Yorkers being judged by these women, please remember that those of us from the heartland resent the slams we frequently receive.
The bottom line is that "reality tv stars" often do not represent the people they are identified with.

Posted by: winerydoor Jan 28, 2008 @ 4:11 pm

I think they said she's now 14.

I don't think there's anything wrong with actually going over to the step-dad and thanking him personally, but the hug was done for the cameras. And I agree, he didn't seem comfortable with it either, so why push it?

Posted by: Lillith Jan 28, 2008 @ 4:32 pm

Amen. Sadly more than a few people won't know any better. I've never been to Kansas but people do live there for a reason, its silly to think it has nothing to offer. Just like its silly to think if you try to walk to the corner in NYC you will be mugged. But stereotypes work, especially in this type of TV format. I hope you ladies from Kansas keep on posting, I will enjoy getting a "non coastal" perspective on this show!

Posted by: heebiejeebie Jan 28, 2008 @ 6:37 pm

While I too was given the dictate of "give your ______ a kiss", I still have a big, huge honking, screaming kicking problem with forcing a pre-teen or teenage girl to be physically demonstrative with a man she clearly did not want to be. Forget for a moment that nothing says thanks like strong-arming it out of your kids. Granted, surly teens can be a pill and courtesy was something we ere never given a choice as children. And even forget the fact that the man is her step father and there might be gigantic familial poltical issues involved as to figuring exactly where each stands in the other's life and what role each serves and is expected to serve. Forget that the kid pretty much had no choice in her parents divorce and no choice in who her mother re-married. For me it gets down to one single thing. The girl was uncomfortable expressing herself physically with a man she was not related to nor seemed to really even know all that well. The mother certainly wouldn't expcet a female friend who might not know her husband to hug him thanks for some favor no matter how big. And ironically, the daughter having baggage of any kind makes it even worse.

And at some point if a child that age doesn't have the manners to say thank you and mean it, going though the whole "hug him in thanks and you'd better swallow that vomit as you do young lady" is actually more of an insult in my eyes to the man than her not feeling comfortable enough to engage him even with a smile and a thanks, let alone the creepiest and most awkward moment on the show -- that with that shopping trip and Bethenny's dinner, that says a lot.

Is the bizarre shopping duo a Green Card marriage that now prevails simply due to habit and the fact that they both know no one else would want them? Both have gotten so used to overlooking th eother's flaws that they can't be bothered to even look outside of what looks like a really sterile and rather forced affection marriage. It seemed rather odd that they seemed to go to such lengths to establish their marriage as a happy one based on their inability to not shop without the other. Plus I only saw him shopping with her and telling her what to buy and wear (including some truly hideous unflattering outfits that the only way she should have been allowed to wear them was if she was in season for some kind of game hunting). Did we see her have the same dictatorial direction on his fashion choices and purchases? He pretends that she is a stunning, elegant sophisticated woman and in return she follows ten steps behind and does whatever he tells her.

Posted by: bugsy Jan 29, 2008 @ 3:02 am

Same goes for the Deep South. I am from LA and am ashamed that Britney is as well. We are also not a bunch of illiterate inbreds, unlike someone I have just metioned. I must say that Mrs. "I'll Never Live in the 'Burbs" is another example of how to embarass yourself on national tv. She also looks like she's straight out of the low-rent area (in League speak it's called "common"). Just sayin'

Posted by: Mothership Jan 29, 2008 @ 4:56 pm

Wow, I got that vibe too. Strange relationship--they seemed really wrapped up in some strange role playing. He seems to have a great deal of control and she sucks it all up, just to be free of the 'burbs.
On the flip side, she's his "beard" and I'm not sure that I would trust her style sense to pick out clothes for him (although, would like to know who chose the swimming thongs!).

Posted by: GigiG3 Jan 29, 2008 @ 5:40 pm

Kansan Alex and Sharpei-faced husband are going to be a hoot. And likely to be horrible, too. They seem like fragile and strange hothouse flowers. Their kids are props for some fantasy about themselves. They bring pretentious to a whole 'nother level.

The boyfriend of the chef seemed uptight and angry.

Posted by: Malapert Jan 30, 2008 @ 2:21 am

Watching the teasers for the show tonight, I was struck again by Alex's "I'd never live in the suburbs" and the horrible face she then makes. How unattractive.

Posted by: bugsy Jan 30, 2008 @ 2:41 am

She looks, acts, and makes the same faces like my ex-business partner's wife (both come from the country, too). Maybe that's why I dislike her. I was raised in the country and may never move back, but I don't condescend when someone asks why. I tell them that I enjoy the country but I just like the idea that my fast food will still be hot when I get home.

The biggest lesson I've learned in life is saying "I will never" usually means that the opposite will come true.

Posted by: KWittman Jan 30, 2008 @ 8:39 am

This is exactly what I was thinking. Something at Bravo totally disconnected in the concept phase here. I understand that the show is trying to ride the wave of Manhattan chick-lit society confessionals (Devil Wears Prada, Admissions, Nanny Diaries, Bergdorf Blondes, Botox Diaries, The Playgroup, etc. etc. etc.) - but there is a paradox in that the show is purporting to "reveal" a world that would, on the other hand, never in a million years let a show like this past the doorman.

They really may as well have just called this "The Real Housewives of Westchester County" and set the whole thing in Rye, NY. I'm sure Bravo could have landed any number of country club cliques who would be perfectly happy to show off their cute tennis outfits, their nice cars, their Tudor mansions.

I guess just the lure of being able to call it the "RH of NYC" eclipsed any other questions of logic.

Posted by: geistmadl Jan 30, 2008 @ 7:33 pm

Now that RHOOC is over for now, I've started watching more of the commercials for RHONY.... That woman (Alex?) who is whinging on about her kids and the best education and doing a disservice if they don't know 2 languages--- she's going to be as pissy as Vicki, as annoying as VaJeana in her "I'm just great"-ness, and as high and mighty as Whori thinks she is.

Posted by: mitzib Jan 30, 2008 @ 9:29 pm

Yeah, that Kansas transplant woman really bugs already. Why can't she afford a good dentist and hairdresser with all that cash? Seriously, does the woman own a mirror?

Posted by: LLalltheway Jan 30, 2008 @ 9:48 pm

The inside joke on the RHoOC was, to me, that these women didn't really have all that much money. And frankly, didn't live in the best part of OC anyway (hello, Newport!), but in a planned subdivision in the inland.

For RHoNYC, the inside joke is that these women, while having money, are *not* part of the Manhattan elite. Sure, throw enough money at some causes and you'll get invites to benefits... but that does not make you important. Pay enough money, and you can buy a condo or a townhouse... but not a co-op (the peculiarities of the NYC housing market.) I live in Manhattan. Women like this are a dime a dozen. There really isn't anything special about them, except the fact they are willing to show the country their illusions of grandeur.

These people are nouveau-riche Donald Trump wanna-bes. And that really is not a compliment. Think bad hair, copious amounts of marble, and the misperception that a gilded faucet equates class.

Oh, and Bethanny? If your boyfriend says he wants to talk about commitment later? Pushing him to talk about it on national television probably won't get you the answer you want. Given the look on his face, you're not going to get the answer you want anyway, but at least he's trying to spare you the humiliation of telling you in front of millions of strangers.

While I'm nitpicking, let me also add that an au pair is nowhere near the price they quoted. An au pair, who is in essence an European twenty-something who lives with you, gets about $160 per week according to the US State Department.

Posted by: TxanGoddess Jan 31, 2008 @ 1:44 am

Word to the "stereotype" comments on certain regions of the country.

That said, I totally understand someone who wouldn't ever want to live in the suburbs either. That's not a diss, there's just some of us that are city folks. I wouldn't want to ever live anywhere rural either, though I'm familiar with both lifestyles because my family lived in a part of Houston that was rural for most my childhood until the city started growing out towards it.

I hope no one thinks that was a "way for me to embarrass myself to the whole board."

Posted by: FranBacAero Jan 31, 2008 @ 8:58 am

So THAT'S why she seemed so familiar to me, and I haven't been to NYC since 1983! I thought I was having some sort of scary deja vu or something.

What were the circumstances of her firing on Martha's "Apprentice?"

Posted by: beezer Jan 31, 2008 @ 9:34 am

She made it to the end iirc, and the other woman, that little pinched-faced unpleasant blonde, was chosen instead. I think.

I noticed on the Bravo site that Barfany's bf has three kids, the youngest of whom is 4. So first, they've been dating since that kid was very small, which means he broke up with the kid's mother either 10 seconds before he glommed onto Little Miss MeltyFace, or 10 seconds after they had just had a third baby. Neither of which option makes him seem like a particular catch to me, and neither of which option would seem to make him eager to commit to something again so quickly.

That may be the case averaged across the country or something but I'm also in NYC and while I'm sure there are people paying less even here, it's often easily $500 or more a week here, plus room and board, plus amenities. I've seen ads offering an own apartment in the same building, etc.

Posted by: Malapert Jan 31, 2008 @ 4:39 pm

Not at all, TxanGoddess, because you didn't immediately make a most peculiar hideous face like you were smelling something from Jeffrey Dahmer's basement.

Or at least we didn't see you.

Posted by: TWoP Barnes Jan 31, 2008 @ 8:30 pm

NOTE: Please bring the thread back on topic. It's okay to use a line about yourself to discuss the show. It's not okay to use a line about the show to discuss yourself (your friends, your friends' au pairs, your au pair friends, etc.).

Posted by: chelseabelle Feb 1, 2008 @ 12:04 am

Agreed. There's a fug going on there for sure.

I do not want my husband "okay-ing" my clothes and "pieces". I want my husband to not care what I wear at all. Seems like they just enjoy being shopping partners.

Posted by: blondie69 Feb 2, 2008 @ 12:56 am

Each time I have caught this show it has been Alex. She is an unattractive woman. Her hair is horrible. I'm stunned that she really doesn't do anything with it. Just looks very unkempt to me. She is incredibly pretentious and I hate the way she says Francois...ok I hate the way she says everything. Watching those two shopping was stupid. They never shop alone? They have horrible taste.

Posted by: Green Ajah Feb 3, 2008 @ 1:03 am

Hehe, this will be fabulous. I actually think these chicks may annoy me more, if that is possible, than the RHOOC. They were almost cartoonish in their behavior (and appearance, no doubt), but I wouldn't be surprised if one of these hos is up in their apartment putting hexes on people when no one is around. I can already tell they're gonna play the "we're educated" card, and that is probably gonna piss me off more than a forty year old laughing at "balls". These women are just as backward and ridiculous as their West Coast counterparts, but will try like hell to pretend they aren't.

I mean, the countess thing is enough to laugh about for the next six months! Maybe she's the Countess of Monte Cristo, and like Edmund Dantes, simply assumed this identity upon escaping a correctional facility. I mean, bitch could have at least given herself a title that isn't three hundred years out of style, like Duchess, and the name LuAnn ain't so royal either honey.

In all, East Coast Hos will probably be more boring, but more despised - it's a whole new brand of idiocy. I live in a certain part of Virginia, where your lawnmower costs more than your car, chickens wake you up at 4am, and at least one Darwin Award is given each year during "Race Weekend". However, there is an imaginary line, and the people on the other side seem to think they are as Metropolitan as Londoners. I want to scream: You're as backwoods as the rest of us! This is gonna be ten times worse, and I'm sure true hustling New Yorkers watching will be torn between insane laughter and uncontrollable anger.

Posted by: destinydriven Feb 3, 2008 @ 12:51 pm

Green Ajah, you hit the nail firmly on the head. :) I already hate these bitches. :)

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 5, 2008 @ 6:06 am

I honestly thought the Euros were more into going nude than wearing bikinis.
That's putting it mildly! The Cuntess sure loved to name-drop, particularly if she had anything close to a tertiary involvement. I wasn't particularly impressed or curious about any of these gals after watching the preview, but I'm a sucker for Bravo programming, so I'm sure I'll end up watching it.

Bwah! Why does that not come as a surprise to me?
That's what is called in modern ergo as "metrosexual", right?
Apparently a not-so-subtle case of product placement; They did the same thing with Blowhard's show during the first season, between the times he announced he was putting on his Lenscrafter ™ glasses and recommending the latest lines of a particular brand of make-up.

Posted by: geistmadl Feb 5, 2008 @ 10:10 am

Depends where you are. Europeans in general (not all) don't make such a big deal about body imperfections and if you want to show it, go for it.

However, these people shock the hell out of me. Can anyone really be this stupid and unassuming, especially in NY or is this just another BravHo scripting issue? I swear Alex is going to be the one I really dislike-- like the Whori of NY.

Posted by: southernbella Feb 5, 2008 @ 1:17 pm

They probably just wanted to show that it was a black Amex. They're seen as hard to get and for people that spend a certain amount every year, in reality they are not that difficult to obtain (and they do have a limit). You do recieve better service with them though (for a 2500 a year fee). The general public thinks they are reserved for high rollers or celebrities though. My fiancee has one and yes, there are perks like upgraded hotels or rooms becoming available if you use the AMEX conciegre, but the only really cool thing about it (imo) is that its made out of titanium.

Posted by: MsLawDawg Feb 5, 2008 @ 1:46 pm

To me, Alex looks like what I would call trailer trash. My apologies to trashy people and trailer-dwellers everywhere. That sallow complexion, that stringy, out-of-date hair, that dour expression just screams "Would you like fries with that?" to me, not urbane sophisticate. And they keep running that commercial of her wrinkling her face at the mere mention of <gasp> the suburbs. Yep, she will annoy me as much as Whori does.

Posted by: avast wasteland Feb 5, 2008 @ 1:47 pm

quote]a black Amex. They're seen as hard to get [/quote]
Access to credit isn't that impressive. I want to see someone buy a car with a Citibank debit card.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 5, 2008 @ 1:49 pm

MsLawDawg, I got the same impression from that woman but just figured it was me, since I am out here in the middle of Amish country, which clearly is an even lower level of hell than the suburbs. As we say around here, she looks "rough".

Posted by: fuddymeers Feb 6, 2008 @ 4:01 pm

I finally saw the preview, and if I hadn't had my contacts in (often a better way to view), I'd have thought it was the RHOOCies. Alex (?) in that ugly undergarment of a dress dancing like a Ho could have been Titra.

Indeedy, we have another certifiable freak show on our hands. When I was a kid, growing up in the same house for 18 years, I swore as an adult, I'd move around and see the country. Be careful what you wish for. I've moved so damn many times I can't count. East coast, west coast and stops in between. I only say that because people are people wherever you go. You will always attract what you are. There are shallow vapid famewhores in every socio-economic level, etc., etc. Greed is greed and whether you're coveting your neighbor's indoor plumbing or Villa in South France, it all looks and smells the same. Funny, everyone *hates* tourists, but unless we sit home, aren't we all tourists sometimes? When we lived in Hawaii, my ex husband gagged every time I took out the camera and shamed me for looking like a tourist. Guess what he wanted when we divorced? The pictures.

I don't know their names, but I wanted to kick the one that put air quotes around "ME". Who does that? Sophisticated, indeed. These ladies are going to be oh-so tray sheek.

Posted by: Nocturne Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:12 pm

I'm curious to see how this show will turn out, or will do ratings-wise. I may be in the minority, but I have a feeling that I'll find the OC wives to posses more "likeable" characteristics than these women. That may be a bit of a stretch considering, but I just get the sense from them that it'll turn out that way. Perhaps it could be the perception of rich NYC women and nanny stories my sisters/friends have had, who either are or were nannies at one time on the East Coast. My twin sister was a nanny for only a few days to a family in the Hamptons and that woman (who was diagnosed OCD and bipolar) was so fucked up that my sister took the first flight out of NY and went to therapy over it. She was with the best nanny agency in the nation at the time, and in their history, that was the worst case they've ever encountered. So yeah, perhaps I've heard enough horror stories to pre-scare me of those women.

Bethany made me cringe with her "I have to get married or I'll die!" mentality. I take it she's never read Why Men Marry Bitches (or its counterpart Why Men Love Bitches). Because having that kind of attitude and giving her boyfriend the Spanish Inquisition as to why he won't move in with her or marry her is a surefire way to run him (or any other man) off.

As for Alex and her French au-pair, I'm a bit surprised she doesn't cost more than that. Perhaps it could be due to experience and it's only her first year as a nanny. My little sister is a nanny and makes twice what she makes. She's a college grad with only one year of previous nanny experience.

Posted by: xerinahsss Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:15 pm

When is this show on? Did it start already, or is everyone just talking about the previews that they saw?

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:38 pm

As far as I know, the show hasn't started yet.

Posted by: Refresh Feb 6, 2008 @ 6:58 pm

Bethenny was one of the final two of MS Apprentice. IIRC she didn't blow it, she just wasn't as much of a Good Thing as the other woman. The http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/Shows/The-Apprentice-Martha if anyone wants to revisit that lovely show. In the recap of Episode one they address the issue of http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/Shows/The-Apprentice-Martha/Stories/Once-Upon-A-Time?currentPage=3 from school. But she also mentions to the other Apprenti that http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/Shows/The-Apprentice-Martha/Stories/Once-Upon-A-Time?currentPage=5.

Posted by: geistmadl Feb 6, 2008 @ 7:21 pm

Show starts March 4th.

Posted by: murphsully Feb 6, 2008 @ 7:25 pm

It hasn't but Bravo aired a preview episode - I believe that it was a half hour long.

Posted by: Insomniac Feb 12, 2008 @ 10:54 pm

"I don't ever want to live in the suburbs. <scary face>"

Honey, unless and until you fix your snaggle teeth, we don't want you in the suburbs. After all, we have our standards.

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 13, 2008 @ 5:57 am

You are correct. I'm still on the fence about this one, but watching The Cuntess putting on airs might be good for a few laughs

Posted by: RHofNY Feb 13, 2008 @ 9:05 am

One of those NY Hos resembles Streisand.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 13, 2008 @ 9:11 am

Really. I was floored when I saw that close-up. Among people who apparently will want us to think money is no object to them, why would someone go without needed cosmetic dentistry?

Posted by: geistmadl Feb 13, 2008 @ 2:27 pm

I will be damned if I am not looking forward to this show after all. I want to see if the "damn the suburbs" broad is as annoying as she seems. All hail March 4th!

Posted by: Mothership Feb 14, 2008 @ 2:30 pm

And please don't come back to Kansas--we don't want you or the Bravo film crew!

Posted by: Avalon Feb 14, 2008 @ 2:52 pm

I

Sadly, I feel the same. I am going through quite the withdrawal without RHOC. Geistl, did you see the preview? IIRC, "damn the suburbs" IS as annoying as she seems. I thought she was the one married to the obvious-to-everyone-but-her gay guy.

Posted by: KUchick Feb 14, 2008 @ 2:52 pm

Does any one happen to know where in Kansas she is from?

Posted by: geistmadl Feb 14, 2008 @ 3:35 pm

You know-- maybe she says no to the 'burbs because she loves NYC so much... I doubt it though. Maybe she's had her substitute for her husband on high speed for too long and she's addled her brains.

Posted by: Insomniac Feb 14, 2008 @ 4:05 pm

It's amazing to me how many NYers cop the 'tude that Manhattan is the ONLY place to live. Shut up. Most of you were brought up in the surrounding 'burbs. If you're sooooo sophisticated, where did you learn it all?

I've got nothing against NYC, but nothing beats a backyard for kids to play. Screw the museums. You can always bring kids in for day trips. Ditto for ballet and Broadway.

To each their own, but the 'tude that comes along with it, as evidenced by Kansas-Snaggle, ticks me off to no end.

Posted by: OhReally Feb 14, 2008 @ 6:35 pm

Capitalizing on America's fascination with the lives of the rich and the...um... attention whores.

Posted by: Hellzapoppin Feb 14, 2008 @ 7:41 pm

Personally, I think I'm going to like this show even more than RHOOC - I've never been to NYC, and so it's way out of my reference range....
I think my favorite housewife will be Jill Zarin. I like her. She's full of personality and seems to be a good Mom.

I don't think there's anything wrong with Alex's (is that her name?) husband shopping with her - they are close
and appear to have a great marriage. Noticed she said they met on an international dating site. I imagine a lot
of people would be jealous of their relationship.

Posted by: register Feb 14, 2008 @ 9:36 pm

I don't think it's the fact that he shopped with her so much as...the WAY he shopped with her. God that scene where he's showing her the bag and telling her what it would go with....gay, gay, gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But not usually what one looks for in a husband.

They come off like desperate social climbers. With really, really bad hair.

Posted by: foodie100 Feb 14, 2008 @ 10:55 pm

Word. I was just coming on to post about how utterly distrurbing Snaggle Tooth appears on previews ("I don't EVER want to live in the suburbs"). The overly dramatic snarl she throws out (exposing hideously yellowed, crooked teeth) literally makes me cringe. THAT, Bravo, was the best you could do? An Ann Coulter look-alike with stringy hair and disgusting hick teeth? Oh wait ... maybe that's the joke.

Hatefest. Already.

eta re: grammar

Posted by: rkeley Feb 15, 2008 @ 1:00 am

Yeah, they are all serious social climbers, my god! Grown women and moms who are trying to be Paris Hilton, which is a sad thing for anyone to want to be, but especially sad when you think being wives/moms/career women/real socialites, they would know better.

It is amazing though how Bravo has managed to find the worst, most cliched women in CA and now the worst, most cliched women in NY. How do they do that?

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 15, 2008 @ 1:13 pm

Oh, my! Too silly. Is this a record for having a nickname before the show officially begins?

Posted by: Mothership Feb 15, 2008 @ 1:47 pm

I like the nickname, may I suggest that we abbreviate it to KSnaggle.

Posted by: FranBacAero Feb 15, 2008 @ 2:32 pm

I'd like to see a TV show called The Real Housewives of TWoP! Wonder if I could be selected to be one of the wives, lol? But oh my, what fun it would be!

Posted by: ADidion Feb 17, 2008 @ 2:16 pm

Then you're probably better off watching the Travel Channel. If how they depicted Orange County and surrounding areas is any indication, you're going to see less of NY than a single episode of Sex and the City shows.

Gross! On that freak couple shopping together. Yeah, he's way gay and she's just a KSnaggle and it appears they have a nice, convenient marriage of codependence. Blech on them right out of the gate. They are going to be so snarkable.

Bunch of wannabees from another coast. It does seem they have a bit more money than the OC gang, but what's a decimal point? If you're an idiot without money, you get money and you're still an idiot. Ah, great viewing. Bring the SkankFest on!

Posted by: beezer Feb 17, 2008 @ 2:41 pm

Oh, I have to vote for K-Snag. In the grand tradition of wanna bees.

This show looks so annoying, especially with the inclusion of BananaFace Bethany and her bf - who has the three young kids, with his wife - whom she's pressuring to commit to her. I just cannot abide her, and she's that particular type of bitch that pisses me off.

K-Snag just makes me roll my eyes. Because honestly -

I think there's a big difference there. She has the attitude and wasn't raised here. I - along with most of my friends growing up and currently - was actually raised right here (and we have the best backyard in the world, it's got playgrounds and waterfall streams and a carousel and horses and you can walk through it to get to the museum ... ;) and in my experience, yes, the suburbs are quite looked down upon. Not that many nice members of my extended family didn't live in them but yeah, I wouldn't live in the 'burbs and neither would my parents have and etc. But it's far, far more irritating when a K-Snag type cops the attitude, because not only did she not grow up in the City, bitch didn't even grow up in the vicinity of the damn state!

Posted by: Green Ajah Feb 17, 2008 @ 9:15 pm

Hehe, KSnaggle. Good call on the hubby, he's like a low-rent George Michael. What a backwoods douche she is, babbling about a French au pair, and how it's doing your kids a disservice to not teach them a second language! I still struggle with my Spanish, confusing the word for "gentlemen" with "horses", but hoface, I learned to read out of National Geographic, so suck it. Hehe.

Oh, the countess, the "countess". She scored a real winner with that husband of hers - he's unattractive, outta style, bald, and chunky. But don't forget, he comes with an imaginary title as well! Don't get me wrong though, there's nothing at all wrong with being unattractive, outta style, bald and chunky (I am at least two of those)- it's just when you're all that and prancing around calling yourself a "count", looking down on the "common folk" that I make fun of such. When the show starts, I will refuse to call this woman "countess", as it is a figment of her imagination, arcane, pointless, and vain. I'm certain a nickname of sorts will be in order, but for now, she'll be reminded of her "common roots" with the West-Virginia-sounding LuAnn. Makes me think of King of the Hill, hehe.

The nanny forcing the daughter to hug the creepy senior citizen stepdad was gross. I'd rather be forced to clean the food out of Michael McDonald's beard! And it was thanks for what? Sending her to Fat Camp? Wow. Ballet, guitar lessons, gymnastics, I can understand, but this? Since when is this little girl's weight considered "fat"? She looked totally normal to me! These people are fucking creepy.

I was loving the party where it was revealed that hubby isn't wearing a wedding ring! The chick he was flirting with totally deserved a high five for giving it right back to the jealous howife when she horned in. Bitch, it ain't my problem he removed his tracking device. I can also see alcohol has it's own area in the Food Pyramid, just like it did with our O.C. Howives. No wonder these kids are embarrassed of their parents.

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 18, 2008 @ 9:03 pm

Hear, hear. You nailed it.

This is truly a power couple. Hubby Simon van Kempen runs the http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2004_4th/Oct04_ChandlerNYC.html, formerly an SRO (Single Room Occupancy) hotel that in its heyday was known as http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE2DB1730F935A15753C1A965958260. Simple Simon might just have rubbed body parts with Le Marquis' most famous guest, hotelier Leona Helmsley, who enjoyed a stay at the cozy inn-cum-halfway house during a post-prison rehab stint.

The speedo-sporting Aussie ex-pat also fancies himself quite the astute political observer, as evidenced in this http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?article=5665#75117. (Scroll down to bottom of page.)

I think this two-fer will provide many hours of viewing pleasure.

Posted by: Malapert Feb 18, 2008 @ 10:41 pm

Hmmm. Not a stretch to guess how this particular couple was "recruited".

Posted by: ghertigirl Feb 20, 2008 @ 12:19 am

Seriously, is no one going to comment on Ksnag's g-string bathing suit and her gay husband's Speedo when they were on the beach with their kids,'cause THAT.WAS.GROSS.

As Mr. Ghertigirl said, they just need to go live in Europe.

Posted by: Green Ajah Feb 20, 2008 @ 10:39 pm

Sad as I think it is, they'd probably get eaten alive there. So I'm all for it. I'd rather see them try to make it in eastern Europe, specifically.

Posted by: PRWins Feb 23, 2008 @ 10:09 am

Shucks, I missed this preview. Anyone know when this might be shown again? (Probably just before the show begins... but when is that?)

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 23, 2008 @ 10:19 am

Sun 2/24 1:00am
Sun 2/24 3:30am
Mon 2/25 11:30am
Tue 2/25 11:00am
Tue 2/25 4:30pm

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 23, 2008 @ 10:42 am

Where were they, St Barts or something, which they said is the "most European" of the islands? If they are into being soooo European, I'd advise them not to head to Germany. The Germans I know would pick up the "ugly materialistic American" vibe at 100 paces. Maybe they actually meant St Barts is so much like their fantasy of Europe is.

Posted by: Lillith Feb 23, 2008 @ 10:47 am

You know why they were in St. Bart's instead of the Hamptons? He is the GM of a boutique hotel in a upscale-ish hotel chain and they were there during hurricane season. Whatever they got as far as accommodations they either got dirt cheap or free. If they could afford the Hamptons I promise you they'd be there for the "scene".

Granted the thongs wouldn't go over so well there... Ew.

Posted by: Nouvelle Fille Feb 23, 2008 @ 4:21 pm

Having seen part of the preview episode and caught the most recent promo a few times, I'm convinced that the show--and Bravo--are satirizing these women and their lifestyle. It's no coincidence that the preview and the promos show the shot of The Countess's housekeeper (?) slumped on the stairs after the family has finally gotten out of her hair, or that they freeze-frame on on the most unflattering shot possible of Ms. "I don't ever want to live in the suburbs."

I think TPTB have almost as much contempt for these women as we do.

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 23, 2008 @ 5:08 pm

I wouldn't call it satirizing them as much as Bravo know well how to go all out and gain an audience. If the previews and promos were all sweetness and light (er.... I mean Charity balls and endless shopping) then I don't think any of us would be planning on tuning in. As it is I can't wait.

Posted by: rhys7 Feb 23, 2008 @ 7:49 pm

I'm with KUchick above. I'm dying to know what city in KS that "blond" is from.

Posted by: murphsully Feb 23, 2008 @ 10:02 pm

Thank you now I'm off to set my TiVO!


Well.....maybe the Hampton Bays....

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 23, 2008 @ 10:38 pm

Probably it's somewhere so rural and hokey that she's overcompensating with the "suburbs hate".

Posted by: Insomniac Feb 24, 2008 @ 4:04 am

Oh, K-Snag, you've got to be kidding. If "appearance is everything," get a better colorist, a better cut, have someone blow it out and ditch the husband. Of course, the teeth need an overhaul. Just pull 'em all and start again. It's a start. And don't EVER wear that gold bag in public. EVER.

With no offense to anyone who lives in Brooklyn, it doesn't make a great "appearance" for a self-proclaimed socialite. Maybe you moved there because it's cheaper? You only paid, I think, $2 million. In NYC, you get a mere 2 bedroom for that amount. And try a decorator. Your home looks a bit college-like.

Ramona, if you're gonna' show your stuff on the dance floor, make sure it's worth seeing. Your moves weren't, unless you consider that they were laughable. I thank you for that. If I were your kid, Avery, I would have called 911. Definite emergency.

There's so much more I have to say, but even insomniacs need their sleep.

Posted by: Emerald Eyes Feb 24, 2008 @ 6:45 am

sorry...have no desire to watch them. The Oc Howeaves were the originals. What these fugly chicks do is for cameratime....I'll pass!

Posted by: murphsully Feb 24, 2008 @ 8:42 am

I caught the preview and wow. What a group. I forget the one woman's name but she was the one who was upset in the preview for not being invited to the other's cooking party. Anyway, she said she was from Woodmere which she called the "Jewish Ghetto". http://www.longislandexchange.com/towns/woodmere.html and the rest of the "Five Towns" is a pretty nice place to live.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 24, 2008 @ 10:01 am

Yes, from the looks of the place on the link murphsully gave, the place looks positively Warsaw, circa 1940.

Posted by: PittsburghDiva Feb 24, 2008 @ 11:43 am

Yes Ramoma, Elaine fron "Seinfeld" would like her moves back.

I was also suprised that K-Snag lives in Brooklyn. Can't afford Manhatten?

Ramona and K-Snag look like they get their hair done at Supercuts.

Bethany, your man is Just Not That Into You. You are a self proclaimed "runaway bride" so it sucks when they shoe is on the other foot, huh? You have had three chances for "having a family".

Posted by: brini Feb 24, 2008 @ 12:10 pm

So true. Did you see that look in her BF's eyes when she brought up "I have someone to sublet my place - when are we moving in together ?"
The man gave her a hard direct stare right into her eyes, and a curt 'we'll talk about it later' - obviously trying to keep that discussion from being in front of a TV audience.
But does 'ol Beth take the hint ?
Twice he tries to give her the eye signal (a non verbal nuance that it would be best not to discuss this in front of the camera's but wait + discuss when they were alone - a clue the rest of the world could pick up on). Still Bethany pushes on, re-words and asks a 3rd time - something along the same line 'you don't think its time we moved along to the next stage in our relationship ?'
He is so not that into you.

Isn't this BF recently divorced (like 6 months ago when this was filmed) and has 2-3 young babies ?

Posted by: Is it just me Feb 24, 2008 @ 1:46 pm

Hmm, anyone else think that The Real Housekeepers [of the Real Housewives] of New York City would make for just as (if not more) entertaining reality tv?

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 24, 2008 @ 1:51 pm

Good idea! It would be interesting also to have "confessionals" giving the housekeepers' perspectives on what the Housewives are shown doing. Dirty laundry indeed.

Posted by: lovelinus Feb 24, 2008 @ 3:52 pm

I would sooooo watch that! Bravo execs, take note!

Posted by: heebiejeebie Feb 24, 2008 @ 4:10 pm

I could practically read the guy's thought bubble at that moment: "you are so pathetically obvious thinking to use the cameras as a means of trapping me in a conversation we. are. not. having. Oh yeah and we are so through when the show's run is over or I've worn out my famewhore cravings"

As for the suburb sneerer. I do get a bit of a over affectation as a way to deny the fact that she is neither NYC born and bred. Or even Metro born and bred. Definitely a case of the fiercest fanatic being the convert as it were. But I also get a really strong over compensation from her. As a means of justifying the situation she is in. I think she is well aware that her situation is no where near the bragfest she wants us to believe. And so we're going to get her going way over the top as to how she is exactly where she wants to be. And how anything else is gross and yucky and flawed. Definitely a case of overactive denial and spin. As already noted, she is so the Whori Wharing-Wharing-Whorn of the show.

Posted by: foodie100 Feb 24, 2008 @ 7:06 pm

Aw shucks - it's already been shown? Gotta go run to my TiVo ...

Seriously.

Posted by: n0n Feb 24, 2008 @ 9:37 pm

I was watching the Chinese New Year Parade on tv and Dennis Richmond (KTVU News Anchor) was a grand marshal or something because he is retiring. He was wife his wife and he said she is filming a pilot for something called The Real Housewives of Vineyard Place?

Her name is Deborah, and it doesn't look like she's in this series, so is there anyone spinoff?

Posted by: Is it just me Feb 25, 2008 @ 12:14 pm

Probably not. Hard to comment when there are no words. None.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 25, 2008 @ 12:21 pm

Ew. I finally saw the preview episode, and it was even worse than I'd imagined it would be. At least the Orange County chicks weren't drama on hyperdrive.

The husbands are weird, unattractive, or both.

The count looks strangely like the Count from Sesame Street.

The chick who was fussing about her husband not wearing his wedding ring should realize that merely wearing a ring is about as likely to make a man act like he is married as wearing a giant cross with a bikini is likely to make her act like a nun.

Aubrey seems like a sweet, intelligent kid, and it's no wonder she is embarrassed by her mother's undignified behavior.

If you are really a socialite, do you refer to yourself as a socialite?

Ew, and it's hardly a shock that KSnags met her Prince Charming on an international dating site. The two of them are like something from a SNL sketch. And, in case you are too dumb to know when you're in the presence of greatness, he will be sure to remind you that his credit card is titanium. [insert "never in the suburbs" sneer here]

Posted by: MsLawDawg Feb 25, 2008 @ 12:35 pm

K-Snag (love that!) and her poseur husband are NY's equivalent of Whori and Whorge. I can hardly wait!

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 25, 2008 @ 12:38 pm

For all my fellow KSnags fans, here is my gift to you:

http://www.alexmccord.com/

Has anyone ever heard of those movies in which she acted?

Posted by: Vetasimmons Feb 25, 2008 @ 1:05 pm

I just watched the show. I think almost everything has been covered, but there was one tiny little detail that struck me. The supposedly French au-pair, who was hired specifically so the children would learn another language, wasn't actually speaking French to the children. Instead, she was sorta, kinda "teaching" it to them but speaking in English to them. "How do you say 'the one' in French?" (Not a very useful word, either.) Then she spent a lot of time telling the child, "No, you got it wrong," (in English) giving him several chances to guess.

They were little tiny kids, at good ages to easily pick up another language if they were simply hearing French constantly being spoken to them, along with body language and tone of voice to help them understand.

French used to be the language of diplomacy, something useful for educated people to know. I'd say that in America today, fluency in Spanish would be far more practical. Oh, I forgot. They speak French on St. Bart's.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 25, 2008 @ 1:11 pm

Vetasimmons, I noticed that myself. If all the au pair did was speak French to the kids, they would pick up pretty quickly. They seemed a little turned-off by the teaching and quizzing approach--no one really learns to speak a language that way. And I assume the parents who claim to value education so much are fluent in French, no? Or maybe naming the one kid "Francois" is the extent of their French.

Posted by: Green Ajah Feb 25, 2008 @ 3:16 pm

ITA with the comments about the kids learning French. When you have a nanny half-assedly saying "Now, how do we say 'one' in French?" and the kids ignoring her going about their normal "kid business", they aren't learning jack. I'm with the idea that speaking it fluently around the kids quite a bit would be far more helpful. You know what else helps kids learn these things? If their actual blasted parents taught them, instead of some random girl. As a child, (and even now) I would eat up anything my parents taught me. My dad has always been very athletic, and he had me busting my ass with sports, and you'd better believe I made every all-star team because of it. Same with academics. It just made me feel special that my parents took so much time to teach me on their own, about sports, history, geography, life, and everything in between. These kids won't get that, at least not from mom and dad.

And lady, you know what also does your kids a disservice? When you act like a ten year old and grimace about the very lifestyle you fucking came from. You should be proud of wherever you come from, and let your kids know that this life they're living isn't the be-all end-all. I remember being shitty about where I'm from... when I was maybe 13. But for a long time now, I've been proud of it. Proud to be from the oldest mountains in the world, where people are stubborn and tough as old oak roots, and where gathering eggs from the hen house at the crack of dawn is a soothing task. Denying and hating where you come from speaks volumes about you. So does being married to a man who is more likely to day dream about Brad Pitt instead of Angelina Jolie. Also, hell, since age ten I've been obsessed with living in the UK, but that doesn't mean I'll name my kids Nigel, Liam, and Tennyson, while shoving earl gray tea, Guiness, and biscuits down their throats.

Edited to add: When you check out KSnaggle's sham of a website, in her resume under "training and skills", she lists a number of dialects she can supposedly speak in. Straight from the site, here they are: Standard British, Cockney, Russian, Italian, Australian, U.S. Southern, U.S. Rural Midwestern, Brooklyn. Wow, what made her learn that Midwestern Rural dialect? Oh yeah, she's fucking from there. What an idiot.

Posted by: Malapert Feb 25, 2008 @ 5:22 pm

I loved this from her resume:

Posted by: sej208 Feb 25, 2008 @ 5:27 pm

Yes, that struck me as so immature and well, also really showed her insecurity too, in addition to the physical ugliness of the sneer. It would have been so much better to just say, I love living in the city - it really works for me and my family right now. It just goes to show how un-gracious she is and if she were truly secure about her choices, she wouldn't have to front so much.

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 25, 2008 @ 6:12 pm

Bravo has set its sights firmly on Alex in this target-shooting competition. In the last lines of the preview, Ramona (I believe that's her name) comments about KSnaggle: "His life is her life. She has no life."

And Simon Speedo is not only a social clawer (not merely a climber: "I wasn't sure about moving to Brooklyn -- I was worried about what people might think"), but not exactly pleasant scenery either. If KSnaggle thinks Speedo boy is handsome, then her "visual merchandising" skills must involve rearranging the contents of garbage dumps. And that soul patch was passé on Williamsburg hipsters 10 years ago, much less a past-his-prime gay-about-town.

Posted by: chainey Feb 25, 2008 @ 9:01 pm

Of the several dubious credits this one just has to be highlighted: SUPERSIZE ME (Music Video for theme song) Lead Toothpick , dir. Heiko Nemmert

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 25, 2008 @ 10:13 pm

Has anyone ever heard of those movies in which she acted?


Her IMDB page has more info I think http://imdb.com/name/nm0566363/

Posted by: Enola Feb 26, 2008 @ 3:08 am

What exactly would the circumstances be where a person would have the opportunity to learn a television theme song in Latin? Why would she think it would ever come in handy? The Gong Show hasn't been on in decades.

Posted by: beezer Feb 26, 2008 @ 6:29 am

Well, it's an amazing rendition dontcha know? And uhm, what the hell is a "sharp" target shooter? Does she mean sharp as an adjective? For target, or shooter, dear? 'Most familiar with 9mm' also busts her ass as a lying dolt. Most familiar with... the caliber? Because if she means semi-automatic, 9mm pistols, she could say that.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 26, 2008 @ 9:09 am

Maybe she sings at traditional Mass.

Now, something that seems a little funny for someone who values education as much as KSnags claims, the resume is a little sketchy. Something about the Northwestern U Theatre program is there, but where's the Phi Beta Kappa? The Rhodes Scholarship? The doctoral dissertation? Do I smell overcompensation again?

Posted by: MsLawDawg Feb 26, 2008 @ 9:23 am

Oh, K-Snag, snarking on you is going to be like shooting fish in a barrel, with a 9 mm, of course.

Posted by: islandgal Feb 26, 2008 @ 11:34 am

Looks like we already have a front-runner for most annoying Housewive of NYC- KSnag (love the nickname)

Posted by: Normalgirl Feb 26, 2008 @ 12:27 pm

Okay this show is great for my self esteem. I look better in my dress from Target than all these creatures. Oh and my humble math teacher husband is 10x hotter than any of their creepy sugar daddies. Maybe there is something to be said for suburbia?!

Posted by: rhys7 Feb 26, 2008 @ 1:30 pm

I viewed the resume' but didn't see her hometown. Did I miss it?

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 26, 2008 @ 1:51 pm

According to the http://imdb.com/name/nm0566363/, she was born in Washington, D.C. But in the preview I think she mentions living in Kansas for 12 years.
And while we're at it, Speedo Boy's http://imdb.com/name/nm1820944/#miscellaneousX20crew is coming soon!

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 26, 2008 @ 3:01 pm

So does that explain the Speedos - he's an Aussie fish (Pisces)

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 26, 2008 @ 3:20 pm

Yes, but in what year of the 1900s was she born? If you really were relatively young, you wouldn't feel the need to obscure the year of your birth, would you?

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 26, 2008 @ 3:30 pm

According to http://www.celebritybirthdaylist.com/name/14831 she was born in 1973.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 26, 2008 @ 3:31 pm

Thanks, RealityJunkie99. Who knew there WAS a celebrity birthday list? I bet KSnag is relieved to be on it--she's truly arrived.

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 26, 2008 @ 3:36 pm

You're welcome - the Google is such a great tool! ;-)

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 26, 2008 @ 4:44 pm

Nothing can explain (or justify) the Speedo except execrable taste. I've usually only seen strippers on TV wearing a bottom that droopy.
But major props to the poster upthread who called it a "banana hammock." Now there's truth in packaging (er, the name of the packaging, not necessarily the contents -- could be a baby carrot).

Posted by: RealityJunkie99 Feb 26, 2008 @ 5:23 pm

I am not sure you're right - Isn't it really one of the differences between Nth America and the rest of the world? According to http://www.askmen.com/fashion/fashiontip/tip3.html "Generally, Speedos are more acceptable in Europe since that's what most of the natives wear. In North America however fine-looking fitted shorts rule."

Weren't they in St Barts when this was filmed and so isn't it a case of "When in Rome......"?

Posted by: rhys7 Feb 26, 2008 @ 7:05 pm

Finally got to watch it today. Hurrah! Alex never said which small town in KS. I'm shocked that she's just around 34. I would have pegged her 40. She really does need to get her teeth attended to. Honest, we not only have dentists in KS, we also have orthodontists. I wonder if she owns a hair brush. She was pretty unruly looking.

Poor Avery. I think I want to adopt her. She's more attentive to human behavior than her mom and the mom's friends.

I didn't understand the cooking party. Someone was left out and got miffed? Why would a bunch of "socialites" get together for a cooking party? Sounds declasse' to moi.

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 26, 2008 @ 7:09 pm

Yes, the men's bathing suits I saw in Europe were usually Speedos, but I don't consider myself an expert on the subject, so I opted for the snark. And just because something is is fashion somewhere sometime, I still feel free to deem it unattractive.

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 26, 2008 @ 8:46 pm

May I recommend The Cuntess? I think that sums her up nicely.

Posted by: notsarahlee Feb 26, 2008 @ 9:03 pm

Personally, I think the term "Cuntess" is too offensive to be a funny nickname. Is there a rank below Countess? Could we just demote her, or call her the Pretender or something?

The name "LuAnn" does enough on its own to neutralize the word "Countess." Countess LuAnn sounds ridiculous.

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 26, 2008 @ 9:40 pm

I was amused by Snarla and Simon bragging about how they've risen in social circles after getting the new apartment in Brooklyn. Really?

Remember that recurring sketch on SNL in the 1980's, "Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich and Famous"?

Didn't he say his card was MADE of titanium?

Posted by: murphsully Feb 26, 2008 @ 11:09 pm

Agreed.


That's what I thought too - the card was a Black Amex, wasn't it?

Seriously, hate to break it to you Miss-I-don't-want-to-live-in-the-suburbs, but as far as the other socialites are concerned, by living in Brooklyn, you do live in the suburbs. Of course, I don't think there's anything wrong with living in the outer boroughs, but then again, I live in the suburbs.

Posted by: chelsea grrl Feb 26, 2008 @ 11:35 pm

I thought Bethany was the youngest and she's 35/6 IIRC.

I swear to god she said she met Speedo Boy in 1989 through the foreign dating place. It must have been '99, but I KNOW I heard '89 (memory is fresh; I caught the re-air today).

Posted by: Helter Skelter Feb 27, 2008 @ 12:50 am

Some people say that there's a formula to successful television shows. An example that comes to mind is how the four "Sex and the City" characters compare to the four characters in the "Golden Girls" series. Even though we've only just seen a preview of TRHONYC, can we draw any comparisons to the women on RHOOC yet?

Jo = Bethenny (famewhore wannabe)
Lauri = Alex McCord (attached to her husband, desperate social climber)
Vicki = Ramona (shrill, bitchy shrew who embarrasses her children)
Jeana = LuAnn (self-important, self-centered)
Tammy = Jill (subtle gold-digger)

Posted by: Insomniac Feb 27, 2008 @ 4:05 am

K-Snag said, "We're each other's stylist." Ummm, fire your stylist.

I think it's Jill who has the daughter who didn't want to thank the stepfather. Geez, leave the kid alone. Why not just speak the truth? Go suck up to my sugar daddy, dear. He's coughing up the bucks, I'll blow him later, but just give him a hug now. If you don't hug him, I might have to swallow.

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 27, 2008 @ 5:07 am

That gold dress with the black radiating pattern reminded me of an obscure old Marvel comics supervillain whose name escapes me at the moment.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 27, 2008 @ 8:58 am

I originally posted "his card is titanium". I meant, of course, that it was MADE of titanium--it's one of those Amex cards that is. Did I say something wrong? Am I hopelessly gauche? Can you tell I am not even from the dreaded suburbs?

Posted by: kimmmy Feb 27, 2008 @ 9:09 am

I am de-lurking to add a link. If someone else has already posted this I apologize for missing it.. But in case someone has not...
I just stumbled upon this link http://www.mccordvankempen.com/.

Posted by: Lillith Feb 27, 2008 @ 9:27 am

Well thank heavens I didn't eat breakfast yet, because I would have lost it. Could they be more obnoxious, self important, and SELF DELUDED? My eyes rolled so much while reading this it probably looked like I was possessed.

Posted by: Erie42 Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:05 am

Thank you for the link to the family website, which nicely ends speculation about where he is from. Australia of all places! Cricky, descendants of convicts (mostly debtors) and Crocodile Dundee oh my! I'm no expert but Australia in many respects struck me as the most American of the British Commonwealth countries. I love how the preview tried so hard to make him seem European and that was nearly completely false. And the parents probably don't speak French very well either. I feel bad for the kids though since they deliberately stuck them with those names to make the family seem more "sophisticated". I wonder how much the kids are accessories and vehicles of their class aspirations. They have the potential to be the best family on the show in terms of delusions and pretentiousness. Which is kind of impressive considering they're up against quasi-pseudo-royalty.

Posted by: MizSurguri Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:31 am

Alex is completely deluded! People were Internet dating in 1994, I know because I, and several of my friends were doing that WAY before 1999.

Posted by: mitzib Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:39 am

Wow, there is enough snark-worthy marterial on that site to keep me laughing hysterically, while being slightly nauseated at the same time. I actually feel sorry for the psuedo-French kids, as they are innocent and can't pick their parents. The two hideous parents certaintly produced some homely children...perhaps they will grow out of their awkward looks, but I doubt it. Are we supposed to be impressed that the kids are "world" travelers and started being jet-setters at 13 days old? I also noticed how KSnag of course mentioned the prestigious preschools the kids attend-how pretentious!! I almost loathe these two as much as I despise Whori and The Chinless Wonder!!

And with all their cash, why oh why can't KSnag go to a cosmetic dentist and buy some chicklette veneers? Or go to the salon or hire someone to brush her scraggly mop?

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 27, 2008 @ 10:50 am

Oh, Lord...the Mccord-Van Kempens write as poorly as anyone from RHOC.

mitzib, you forgot to prepare me for the photo of the little wading pool in the Brooklyn back yard and the aside that the yard is "one of the reasons we don't live in an apartment". Oh, OK, makes perfect sense.

Posted by: MiMiCubed Feb 27, 2008 @ 11:15 am

An apartment? As "rich" as they are they couldn't even swing a brownstone? I smell shenanigans!

Posted by: Insomniac Feb 27, 2008 @ 12:05 pm

Thanks for the link. Why am I treated to a travel itinerary for her children? Will this appear on their resumes upon graduating from college? Is this of any interest? So you shoved your kids in planes when they were young. So?

Posted by: MsLawDawg Feb 27, 2008 @ 12:47 pm

Francois and Johan. The French equivalent of Frank and and the German (Austrian??) equivalent of John. K-Snag, you are unique and tray sheek indeed. I'm surprised she didn't name one of them Jean-Luc from the old International Coffee commercial.

Posted by: Lillith Feb 27, 2008 @ 1:24 pm

I swear I just stumbled on that preview episode and hadn't been planning on watching the series. But let's face it, if the snark is this good already, it will be a snarkocopia when the show actually begins to air.

Posted by: blondie69 Feb 27, 2008 @ 3:50 pm

Oh my goodness. Alex looks like quite a man/alien under her "section". She has a very unfortunate looking face and husband.

Posted by: southernbella Feb 27, 2008 @ 4:06 pm

At least both the children are named after family and not (as I suspected) after Danielle Steele characters.

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 27, 2008 @ 6:57 pm

I assumed that Simon was trying to impress the sales clerk and flubbed it as "made of titanium". Are they REALLY?

Posted by: cek125 Feb 27, 2008 @ 7:26 pm

Just a few observations-mostly about Simon and Alex because they seemed to bother me the most

-First off there is something wrong when your husband is going clothing shopping with you.

-Both of them need to look into other swimsuit options-speedo and thong aren't good looks for them. The only people that should be wearing speedos are in the Olympics

-Simon seems like a cheesey soap opera or lifetime movie villian

-As my grandfather would say-Alex is a two bagger. Yikes

-The Count is kinda reminding me of Jerry Springer.

-Ramona-start saving for the therapist because your kid is going to need it

-Oh Bethany your boyfriend isn't going to be walking down the asisle with you anytime soon.

-I just hope that they don't try to make this Sex and the City the senior years.

Posted by: ubiquitous Feb 27, 2008 @ 7:45 pm

Oh my! They certainly are full of themselves, are they not?

Posted by: hatefake Feb 27, 2008 @ 7:47 pm

Most of these women are blue collar new york chicks that married "up".

Come on, Johan and Francois?? I wonder how that goes well when you're mother sounds like she comes from Ozone Park, Queens? She looks it too.

Real upper crust society (other than Donald Trump) would never lower themselves to do a show like this (at least not YET anyway).

I won't be watching this, the same way I don't watch the Real Housewives of OC.

I'll keep up to date reading this forum.

LOL! I love the snark!

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 27, 2008 @ 7:47 pm

All right. That website. 10 days ago or so it just had the name tabs at the top and the home page was greeked. So I'm not sure if I'm glad that it's up now because it is just too fricking much. I need to go and read about Mother Teresa and Gandhi just to counteract the trauma of having viewed it.

Poor kids.

Posted by: Mothership Feb 27, 2008 @ 7:53 pm

Just read the above link to the McCord/Van Kempen site.
Let me tell you Fort Scott, Kansas is not a suburb of any thing. In fact, it is pretty close to being the armpit of Kansas.
I'll still defend the midwest against her snobbery, but she can't complain about the Kansas 'burbs-she didn't live there.

Posted by: notsarahlee Feb 27, 2008 @ 9:55 pm

That's how the site looked when I first came across it as well. Google had a cached version - the images were all broken, but it appeared to be more of a straight-up picture site. A pretentious picture site ("We're some or all of American, Australian and Dutch") but reasonable enough, since the family has faraway relatives.

The fact that this family will now be on display in front of a national audience has not improved them.

Posted by: Avalon Feb 28, 2008 @ 12:41 am

I am still voraciously catching up on the Von Kemperer website, but one burning question: Do you think Alex's father ever finished the book? The one where he compares the shallowest oil wells in Kansas to the deepest wells in the Persian Gulf??? How many times have we all wondered about that......

OK, back to the website....

Oh my GAWDDDD, just finished reading all four pages of their pretentious blather. Could that have BEEN any more boring! Not to mention obnoxious....the one kid's picture's caption says it's "his FIRST trip to Cannes". Anyway, that is one unattractive family. It's pretty bad when the photo you post on your website (theoretically should be the most flattering, right?) makes you look like a horse-face. And the gay husband -- is that shoe polish on his hair, or just a bad toop?

They should make EXCELLENT snarking material.

Posted by: blondie69 Feb 28, 2008 @ 2:25 am

Why?

Posted by: TxanGoddess Feb 28, 2008 @ 4:51 am

Referring to Black Amex cards:

I don't know if it's titanium, but it's certainly a hard metal. They're kind of thick and heavy ... makes it hard to fit them into cc imprint machines sometimes.

They also make a sound just like a Jedi Light Saber as soon as they are pulled from someone's wallet lol.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 28, 2008 @ 8:45 am

Avalon, IIRC, the site said her father developed Alzheimer's a few years after the move to Kansas and died when Alex was 11 ( I actually did feel sad for her about the whole terrible mess that would have been)...I kind of assumed he didn't finish the book. If he did, it doesn't sound like something you'd run into at your local library...

Here's an http://http://www.sybarites.org/2006/02/28/american-express-to-make-new-centurion-card-out-of-titanium/on a site about "the finer things". Supposedly, it's made of pure titanium. How "hey, look at me! I'm really rich, eh?"

Posted by: notsarahlee Feb 28, 2008 @ 9:27 am

I don't think that it's wrong for a husband and wife to shop together, but the Van Kempens (ahem, the McCord-Van Kempens ) gave off a very weird vibe. Alex didn't say, "my husband and I always shop together because we like to." Instead, she emphasized that they "never shop alone" because they are "one person in two bodies" and believe that their clothing is "wearable art."

It sounds like she's trying to rationalize a relationship in which her husband is very invested in how she looks, and to make it sound enviable and sophisticated. To be honest, that seems to be Alex's entire life ... is there anyone who really wants to take a newborn infant (or worse, multiple toddlers) on international flights?

Simon is not necessarily a control freak who wants to dictate every aspect of Alex's life, but she makes it seem that way on their family website and in her interviews on the show. She appears to think that he brings more to the relationship than she does, merely because he's not from Kansas City. And yet she insists that they have an equanimous relationship.

Also, are the kinds of clothes they were buying really a good investment? It didn't seem like they went for vintage items that have appreciated in value, or current designer pieces that are expected to. Their taste was not very original (suburban, even)

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 28, 2008 @ 9:36 am

I bet it also has to do with the fact that HE has to tote the titanium around. Did you know his Amex is made of titanium? No, seriously, did you know?

Posted by: KWittman Feb 28, 2008 @ 11:11 am

OMG, thank you for that link to the "Family Website" ... that was too funny. One can only imagine the trainwreck of self-importance that is their annual holiday letter to their family and "friends", if this is what they think is appropriate to put out there for total strangers.

The poor kids, to have such ridiculous parents. Bravo scored big when they signed this family up ....

Posted by: weaselbaby Feb 28, 2008 @ 12:45 pm

I can think of at least ten things wrong with Alex, & this is without even launching any barbs at her appearance.

As a mom, I can't imagine living in a world where you'd brag about taking a baby who is not even 2 weeks old on a plane. My husband is from France, but my in-laws over there had to wait a couple months, you know? My pediatrician said it wasn't good for mini-Weasel's ears.

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 28, 2008 @ 12:53 pm

I've watched the preview (too many times) and I totally forgot!
Just like I forgot that T2 from OC was turning 40.

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 28, 2008 @ 2:24 pm

You don't say! 40?!?



I immediately thought about the ear situation when a baby flies...well, his, and probably those of the people around him, having to listen to his crying. Now I am sure the McCord-Van Kempens fly first class, but does that mean the surrounding passengers would be more or less tolerant than the hoi polloi of the fussing of an infant, even a faux-European baby?

It will be interesting to see in the upcoming shows if these kids are reasonably behaved or if they are little monsters. I am hoping we will see them being kids in between their lessons and sports and art classes and..

Posted by: IvySpice Feb 28, 2008 @ 2:56 pm

Real upper crust society would not DREAM of being seen with Donald Trump.

He and his wives are the embodiment of the rule that money cannot buy class. (Or taste.)

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 28, 2008 @ 4:47 pm

What is it about characters on the "Real Housewives" series that induces dementia in viewers?

By the way, I'm thrilled beyond belief that somebody just stumbled across this website and thus we found out that we could view Surreal Housewife Alex's family website just in time to familiarize ourselves with this unforgettable family of world travelers before the first episode next week.

Posted by: screamapiller Feb 28, 2008 @ 6:08 pm

I don't believe for a second that Alex is 6 years younger than me, unless she spent the time before her marriage doing some hard living in a van down by the river.



Yeah, but depending on who's wearing the suit, it stops being a Speedo and becomes a Speedon't.

Posted by: Dinzie Feb 28, 2008 @ 8:26 pm

I love KSnag husband's Bee Gee's coiffure, facial hair, and finger point on their McFamily van Family website! (Ah Ah Ah Ah Staylin' Alive!)

What is up with her ratty hair and those teeth? Maybe she can't afford a flattening iron and chicklets, or a comb and Crest Whitestrips, but wouldn't someone as technically edgy with the intraweb dating (gasp!) and her graphics arts background (cough) have rudimentary Photoshop skills?

ETA: More snarkiness and clarity

Posted by: Camy1234 Feb 29, 2008 @ 3:53 am

I think K-Snag looks the way she does because she is anorexic/bulimic. If you look up Alex McCord on imdb.com and look at her old photos her teeth and hair look nice and healthy. In the show she is so skeletal and her teeth are messed up. Her hair looks horrible most likely from malnutrition. Just a thought.

Also, awhile back in a thread someone mentioned the nicest residence in NYC was on 820 Park Ave (maybe should be 820 Fifth Ave)? Also 740 Park Ave - there is even a book about the building.
No respected socialite would live in Brooklyn.

Posted by: HerkyPig Feb 29, 2008 @ 1:16 pm

Not neccesarily true. I live in Brooklyn and let me tell you, the whole downtown area is becoming one of the trendiest places to live. Its got an amazing view to the city, is only about 5 minutes by train to the city and at this point the number of celebs that live there is quickly on the rise. Its becoming "the" place to rent.

I live further up. Im not trendy :)

Posted by: OhReally Feb 29, 2008 @ 1:21 pm

I agree. The first time I saw her in the previews, I immediately took notice of how sickly she looked. She looks painfully thin in an unnatural way, with many physical traits that are common with people with eating disorders.


Anyways. Wow, is this show gearing up to be a disaster or what? I have a feeling that this show may garner even more backlash and unfavorable press than the RHOOC. Although Orange County has become some sort of a cultural phenomenon (the O.C., Laguna Beach genre, etc), New York is without a doubt one of the most iconic place in the U.S., if not the world. I can't imagine that this show will fare well with New Yorkers, who are notorious for (rightfully) having deep sense of pride in being residents of the city. I mean, I live in Newport and well, we didn't really care about Vicki and co.

And I'm not familiar with the NYC real estate...except I know that it is ridiculously expensive. From the preview... aside from the Hampton properties, the housewives city adobes looked rather small and tight. I don't know. Just a thought.

Couple other thoughts...
-A woman named LuAnn (come on!! Lu-Ann!)...! The Count looked like he had about 20 years on her, too. I feel like she's going to be the 'ring-leader' of the pack...
-Bethany, isn't a housewife. Why is she on the show? Perhaps she's hoping to expand her career with the publicity... beware, Bravo reality shows aren't exactly the ideal move for a business-savvy...
-I can't even remember her name. Remuda? Ramonda? Make a therapist appointment for your daughter...and yourself. If you want to dress like a Barbie doll and dance around wildly, more power to you... except... you look stupid.
-Alex. No comment, I am appalled by her in general.
-The woman who sends her young, growing daughter to a week-long DETOX (aka starvation induced weight loss) center. I'll have more coming for you later...
-

Posted by: hereshecomes Feb 29, 2008 @ 1:24 pm

Word. And the way she acted in the preview didn't do much to lessen the association with "King of the Hill", IMO.

Posted by: Tunia Feb 29, 2008 @ 2:51 pm

Perhaps he was crying in French???

ETA: This show is going to be a HOOT!

Posted by: Helter Skelter Feb 29, 2008 @ 4:29 pm

I respectfully disagree--Bloomberg lives in Brooklyn, and even though he isn't a socialite per se, he is a billionaire and the mayor of NYC. Good enough for me.

Posted by: HausFrauNow Feb 29, 2008 @ 9:02 pm

Nope -- Mayor Mike lives at 17 East 79th Street between Fifth and Madison, just around the corner from the Met. It is his private home; he uses the official mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion, only for civic events. He also owns homes in Britain and Bermuda.

The New York media -- print, broadcast, and electronic -- is going to be all over this like stripes on a zebra. And I look forward to the embarrassment of riches.

Posted by: Selma04 Mar 1, 2008 @ 11:43 am

I fiiiiinalllllllly got to see this preview show, and I cannot wait for the actual episodes to air. So much snark potential in just a half an hour. The fashion victimhood (although at least it's real fashion and not Skye tops), the constant blather about how in demand they are, the delusion that photographers really care about taking their picture, the embarrassed kids--So! Much! Awesome-ness!

Well, she did spend time acting as lead toothpick in a music video; that can't be good for the looks.

That poor, poor girl that had to hug sugar-stepdaddy, tray uncomfortable. Was it me, or did he seem repulsed by the "fat" girl and had to immediately mention how cute the biological kid was? And the way the wife had to grovel when asking her hubby for money made me so uncomfortable. Oy!

The housekeeper in that house with the weird hair and glasses, what was up with her? She's either going to be someone who will be fun to laugh at or she'll be laughing right along with us. I can't wait to find out.

Although I generally disapprove of mouthy kids, Avery is my new TV BFF.

They should really come up with a name for famewhore-disorder, cause Bethanny's got it. She needs some serious therapy if she seriously thinks this show is going to launch her into a brilliant career as the modern, healthy Martha Stewart. And don't even get me started on bringing up marriage to non-commital boyfriend on camera. Ugh!

One thing I couldn't help notice is that the way these women talk sounds so coarse and low-class. If they're hob-nogging with the upper crust, they might notice that they generally don't talk so freaking loud; they need to learn voice modulation or something. Of course, the flaunting of their money and the constant talk of money and spending couldn't be more crass and out of line with the crowd they aspire too.

Ahh delusionoids -- they make for such great television.

Posted by: BlueHerons Mar 1, 2008 @ 2:44 pm

as1501, no offense but that is a rather harsh statement considering Guliani and Bloomberg were asking tourists to return to NYC after the September 2001 attacks. Also, Manhattan has the highest hotel occupancy and ADR in the country. Tourism supports a lot of people in NYC.

Back to the show, I really liked these women a lot more than the hags from the OC.

I do have socialite old moneyed girlfriends who have grown up and still live in Manhattan are married and they are nothing like these women. Two who are very well connected and very wealthy are nothing like these women and would never spend five minutes in The Hamptons.

Posted by: HausFrauNow Mar 1, 2008 @ 3:47 pm

Yes, it's the poseurs and the social clawers and the classless who do these things: Lizzie Grubman (following on the heels of the incident when she backed her SUV over an employee and knocked down the front entry of a bar in the Hamptons); Tommy Hilfiger's daughter and her pals; a show that featured young celebutards on a cattle drive in Colorado, I believe; a mother-daughter duo who floated between NYC and LA to spread their vacuousness to both coasts (so unforgettable that I can't remember their names).

I think I just need to watch more reality TV in order to block out the memory of these bottom-of-the-barrel shows.

Posted by: simon920 Mar 1, 2008 @ 4:16 pm

Alex--is that the lanky blonde with the Aussie husband? The one who's so proud of being in 'fashion merchandising'? I had that same job a couple of decades ago. Nothing wrong with the job, mind you but...

Fashion merc (usually)= display work in a department store.

It could also mean working in a supply house which sells props or mannequins. It might mean she's an exec (as opposed to working on the floor actually dressing the dummys), it might mean she owns a display company. It could mean a lot of things but I never met anyone who got rich doing it. You might--might--make $100K/year if you're really a top grade, in demand whiz kid. Maybe.

Okay, maybe the head of Fashion merc for Gucci or Lauren is doing pretty well, but I doubt our girl is on that level.

Most of the people I knew were reasonably comfortable in a middle class, paying their bills kind of way and a few who did slightly better but living the high life? With kids to support? Doubt it. She doesn't impress me as being either that creative, type-A ( a necessity to rise to the top--it's a time consuming job) or ballsy. On top of that, with budget cutbacks to save money in department stores and the like, staffs were being cut to the bone when last I spoke to old friends still working and many were leaving the business because of crappy pay and long hours.

She may well work in Fashion merc but top tier? Doubtful.

And does she have any background in art or design? A degree or two, maybe? The comment she made about how she and the hub collect clothing because they don't buy things like Picassos was pretty telling. I love clothes as much as anyone, but to denigrate collecting recognized fine art (which will likely appreciate) and spend your bucks on current dresses is a crap shoot, at best.

My money would be on the Sergeants and the Monets, if I had the money for such things.

Absolutely, she can spend her money on whatever she wants, but she impresses me as a pretentious clod.

Posted by: blondie69 Mar 1, 2008 @ 4:34 pm

I'm pretty sure she said visual merchandising.

Posted by: brini Mar 1, 2008 @ 5:12 pm

"Visual Merchandising" is just a fancy way of saying she dresses mannequins and does display work in department stores as Simon920 described.

Visual merchandising is creating visual displays and arranging merchandise assortments within a store to improve the layout and presentation and to increase traffic and sales.
As an example, mannequins are commonly used as a way to promote products relating to appearance, such as clothing or accessories.

Posted by: simon920 Mar 1, 2008 @ 7:20 pm

Same diff. Dressing dummys and ditzing pots and pans in the housewares department.

Posted by: BabyFishMouth Mar 1, 2008 @ 7:27 pm

CLuInn (clue in), maybe? I don't know.

Also, not that I'm a big fan of Alex so far, but after reading her website (tee hee), I felt kind of bad for having thought her kids' names were so pretentious. Maybe they are, but both kids were named after Alex and Simon's own dads, both of whom died when Alex and Simon were young children. I thought it was actually very sweet. So I give them a pass on that. Although it is interesting that the kids' first names belonged to Simon's dad (Francois Johan), and only Francois' middle name came from her dad (Robert). Maybe Robert wasn't "international" enough to be a first name? Or is it just another case of Alex being a few paces behind Simon at all times?

Posted by: HausFrauNow Mar 1, 2008 @ 7:29 pm

Get ready, everybody, because many snarkable sources are already available:
http://brooklynenthusiast.blogspot.com/2008/01/cobbile-hills-alex-mccord-to-star-in.html
So that could be Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Home Depot or Target. Keep your eyes peeled for those gorgeous blonde tresses and pearly whites when you're shopping at Sears and Penney's, too. All those retailers could help her achieve "tool" status.

Ksnaggle and Countess LuAnn spill some in http://smallscreen.monstersandcritics.com/features/article_1392687.php/A_Chat_with_Bravos_The_Real_Housewives_of_New_York_
Ksnaggle and Simon Spee-don't (please!) are quite the francophiles -- "And the area that we live in actually, they’re actually starting to call it Little France, which I didn’t even realize until I read it recently just because of the people that are moving into the neighborhood."

The http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/2256 will have the neighborly point of view, of course. One calls her the "Cobble Hillbilly." This nic is even better than Ksnaggle!

Posted by: Lillith Mar 1, 2008 @ 8:26 pm

The live in Cobble Hill? Now I've lived most of my life in either Queens or Manhattan so I'm not 100% Brooklyn fluent, but I wouldn't think Cobble Hill would be quite "elite" enough for these two poseurs. Its a very nice area that I know has been up and coming but perhaps some of the Brooklynites on the board could clue me in if it in fact that "in" enough for these two. I figured for sure they'd have moved to DUMBO (yes that's a real area, NY real estate agents love them acronyms like TriBeCa and SoHo).

Posted by: rhys7 Mar 1, 2008 @ 8:45 pm

Boy, that "countess" is pretentious. Forgive my all American upbringing, but I thought a title was bestowed, earned, granted or somesuch. Simply because she married a "count," does that = her being a countess?

Also she sure says tons of "you knows." Urg.

Posted by: cissyboo Mar 1, 2008 @ 9:09 pm

Yes, it does. Hereditary titles are passed through the generations (unless the patent of nobility is yanked), and marrying a count makes her a countess. And his mum becomes the dowager countess, if she's still alive. Knighthoods, however, are not hereditary, IIRC.
Luann is one example of an individual that gives models a name as being stupid.

Posted by: majenta Mar 1, 2008 @ 9:15 pm

Cobble Hill is a nice, upper middle class neighborhood. While there are quite a few rich people in Downtown Brooklyn and the surrounding neighborhoods, they tend to keep a lower profile. If you really want to be a mover and shaker in New York society, you live in Manhattan. If you want to find your face in the New York Social Diary, you live on the Upper East Side.

Frankly, these women are b-list socialites at best. Nouveau Riche. A real socialite would never deign to do reality tv. Even Tinsley Mortimer is too good for this.

Posted by: simon920 Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:04 pm

And, believe me on this--at some point every display person puts in time at Macy's. Or so it seems.



Okay, okay--I'll accept that Paris Hilton is the black sheep in the socialite family. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone who'd argue that one...

Posted by: notsarahlee Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:09 pm

Hausfrau, thanks for posting the interview. I liked this exchange:

BabyFishMouth, I agree that the fact that Johan and Francois are family names makes them slightly less annoying. But both of the boys' first names are from Simon's side of the family - Alex's father's name is thrown in like an afterthought. I guess "pedigreed" names take precedence.

Posted by: loser Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:16 pm

Wow. Just finished reading the interview with LuAnn and Alex and I'm surprised to write that I didn't find Alex to be nearly as annoying as LuAnn.

I think my favorite responses from LuAnn stemmed from the questions regarding fur and Darfur.

She doesn't seem to be able to articulate her thoughts very well. Every response seemed disconnected and not well-considered. It sounds like she wants to be more aware and intelligent than she actually is.

Basically, she's okay with wearing fur, but instead of just owning it she blusters on about how important fur was/is(?) to Native Americans and she is sensitive to this custom because she is 'American Indian' (I thought that term had become seriously outdated...) herself. Hello? I'm guessing Native Americans used fur out of necessity, not quite the same thing as a modern-day fashion statement (if you want to call it that). Here's the thing: If you are okay with fur, then own it. Stop half-assing your answers to sound as though it's some cultural directive you're following. Ugh.

Then she tries to field the, admittedly, hardball question about Spielberg pulling out of the Chinese Olympics. I will admit, I have no idea how Spielberg is involved in the Beijing Olympics, but I know how the Sudan, Darfur and China are connected and it's clear that LuAnn has no idea about the former or the latter. Oy. Of course, she attempts to answer the question as though she's given the matter some heavy thought. Whatever.

It's okay not to know everything. It's not okay to act as if you do.

Posted by: icecreamlvr Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:30 pm

Just read the Simon Van Kempen web site. This is all kinds of pretentious. These two are definitely full of themselves. Can someone tell me what "obstreperous" means? It's from Johan's tab. "Johan is as obstreperous as Francois....." Are you kidding me with that??? And I agree with everyone who is of the opinion that Bethenny has no business on this show. Just like Jo had no business on RHOC. They must really have a hard time casting these shows.

Also, way off topic on this, but can anyone tell me what YMMV means? I've seen it on several posts now and I can't figure it out. THANKS!

Posted by: loser Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:33 pm

YMMV. Your Mileage May Vary. I had to look it up on Urban Dictionary last year.

Posted by: icecreamlvr Mar 1, 2008 @ 10:42 pm

Thanks, loser! I didn't mean that the way it sounds....:-)

Posted by: GoBlue Mar 2, 2008 @ 12:21 am

Just too much to snark on in that article. I especially love the part where LuAnn says she's "Indian". The Countess is like Christmas come early. New Yorkers are going to eat them alive come next week. Thanks BRAVO!

Posted by: notsarahlee Mar 2, 2008 @ 12:57 am

I think LuAnn had some basis for using the term Indian instead of Native American, since there isn't a strong consensus one way or another. In a 1995 survey of various tribes, 49% of the individuals surveyed preferred the term "American Indian," and 37% "Native American." So LuAnn may have made a conscious choice to use the term she did, based on her thoughts about her heritage.

Given LuAnn's insightful, informed answers on other topics, however, it's likely she just flashed back to Saturday morning westerns.

Posted by: loser Mar 2, 2008 @ 7:29 am

Awesome.

Thanks for the information about the 'terms' preferred by tribes. I wonder if this preference has changed since 1995? I would be interested to know.

Posted by: OhReally Mar 2, 2008 @ 8:39 am

Hausfrau, thanks also for the link to the interview. Haha, the show hasn't even started and these ladies are already giving us so much ammunition and snark materials. Excellent.

It's going to be so amusing and satisfying when the press begin to full-on rip and destroy this show.

I applaud whoever conducted the interview. The questions were ever-so snarky and patronizing. (Example: Your husband has a long family history and I’m just wondering if you feel there’s a special responsibility that comes with such regalness?) HAHA!

Let's see... some things I observed from the interview (aka laughed at)...other than LuAnn's overuse of run-on sentences and Alex's downright pathetic personality.

-Alex states that her and Simon's relationship 'took off' when they decided to go shopping together for an event. Haha.
-Alex dismissing notions that she is 'noveau riche' and fervently defending her status as 'old money' because she's from Texas Republican 'Oil' family. Wasn't her father an engineer or something? Well, if that's the case, surely half of Texas is 'old money'. She may have led comfortable lifestyle growing up, so why not just say that? Instead of going on with the well, I'm this and that hoo-ha.

-LuAnn's shananigan quote #1: "I’m an American Indian. I’m from the Algonquin tribe. And so, you know, the Indians used fur and animal skins to stay warm. And I, you know, I can relate to that. And so I feel, you know, a very strong connection to animals and I don’t believe that there should be, of course, animal suffering. And I don’t think it’s about that. I think it can be about that. But like I said, I - you know, being an Indian I don’t see that - okay, I’ve answered. I’m not going to go further into that"

Haha... <siren noise> DAMAGE CONTROL! DAMAGE CONTROL!

-LuAnn's shananigan quote #2: (her answer to reasons for doing the show) "And also, to make people aware that, you know, women like to shop. Women like to have manicures. Women do Botox, whatever they do. There’s more to be done and I think that you’ll see on the show there’s a lot more going on than just shopping."

Umm... okay. Um... what?

-The Heath Ledger comment... I felt like it was very insulting to his memory. Was this interview done prior to his death? Because if it was after, then LuAnn is a dipwat.


And I shall end my post here... to ponder about another great LuAnn quote: "We really want to do Season 2, because I think people are really going to love the show and I think that they’re really going to want a Season 2."

Hey LuAnn... wait a week or two... and we'll see about how people are going to really love the show.

Posted by: murphsully Mar 2, 2008 @ 8:48 am

Oh, I think people are really going to love this show, but not for the reasons she thinks.

Posted by: hereshecomes Mar 2, 2008 @ 9:29 am

I found a page a few days ago about LuAnn's talk show where it says she is an LPN by training. Being an LPN is a noble profession, certainly, but it's not exactly a course of study offered at the Ivies or anything... Frankly, I was surprised she admitted it. Maybe she forgot she threw that out there long ago.

Oh, here's the page...

http://www.luanndelesseps.com/bio.htm



Hmmm, I thought that was just me, having flashbacks from freshman year, when 80% of the girls on my floor were very loud, noveau riche, "I shop therefore I am" types from Nassau County. *shudder*

Posted by: Funnyuntil Mar 2, 2008 @ 10:50 am

Wow. Since I'm of Swedish and Belgian descent, then I guess it's okay for me to start each day with a chocolate filled croissant followed by a few shots of aquavit. I might even start wearing my granny's Belgian lace tablecloth. Helan går!

Posted by: BlueHerons Mar 2, 2008 @ 1:08 pm

Forgive me if this has already been posted.

Snarky and funny review from the New York Post

http://www.nypost.com/seven/02132008/tv/wife_support_97381.htm

Posted by: HausFrauNow Mar 2, 2008 @ 2:36 pm

Just to pile on:

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/44479/ magazine:

and from the New York Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2008/01/14/2008-01-14_bravo_spinoff_real_housewives_of_new_yor-1.html?page=0 including this, from the Comments section:

(Note the ad for a teeth-whitening product at the bottom of one of the pages -- a Bravo hint to the talent to shape up?)

More goodies later.

And I'll start with potatoes, Black Forest cake, and fondue, after I've donned my Aran sweater and lederhosen.

Posted by: Insomniac Mar 2, 2008 @ 3:18 pm

From the New York Magazine link above, I'm loving that the columnist acknowledges that Ramona's daughter vocalizes what the audience is thinking. She's like the Greek Chorus of this Shakespearean tragedy.

Poor LuAnn. She's thankful that she wakes up next to the Count every day. Maybe the reason she can't string together a coherent sentence (y'know) is because she's spent a night with him. Someone might suggest that she count the number of "you know's" and pay a certain amount to the till when she utters it. When the till is full, whe could invest in elocution lessons for her castmates and herself. Y'know, just something fun they could do together.

Posted by: Selma04 Mar 2, 2008 @ 4:23 pm

Thanks all for the fabulous links. I cannot wait for Tuesday.

From her bio:
"LuAnn is hosting her own show on WVVH Hamptons TV called “The Countess Report” and was featured on WCBS during the Hampton Classic. She continues doing "The Countess Report" segments with WCBS on a regular basis, recently with Simon Doonan and the "Royal Windows at Barneys".
"The Countess Culture", newest of her shows is airing on FOX5 Good Day New York twice a week. FOX5 recently recieved the Emmy award of "Best Morning Show" for Good Day New York. "

Sweet merciful crap, the Countess Culture???? WTF?

I would sell my first born to see a segment with the Countess and Simon Doonan. He can't possibly take her pretentions seriously, cause he's such a snarky bitch. And I mean that as a complement.

Posted by: blondie69 Mar 2, 2008 @ 4:45 pm

I should have elaborated that that was just what she called herself, not that the job is any different than the other. I should just put my suburban self back under the rock.

Posted by: ADidion Mar 2, 2008 @ 4:49 pm

Thanks all for the great links. What fun! I could barely get through the interview with Alex and LuAss. You know, LuAss, I don't think that people really, you know, think that you're very, you know, impressive. You know, I think I could really you know, hate her the most. Condescending bitch - and I don't like Alex KSnag either. Lead toothpick. Pipecleaner with eyes and a creepy homo husband.

The water is too cold in the Hamptons! No, your hubby works for a hotel and you stay at the sister properties for free, you know!

I also love the small references to the OC wives and the mini comparisons. Heh, heh. They think they are so much better, you know. Well, they may have a bit more loot, but they lack the same basic gene. Idiots! Love it.

I hope they all know about twop, we wouldn't want them to miss reading about themselves, you know?

Posted by: HausFrauNow Mar 2, 2008 @ 5:17 pm

ADidion:

See:
Hmm...how very helpful...and timely

Posted by: brini Mar 2, 2008 @ 5:35 pm

Great links people - thanks !
So much to snark on, and the show hasn't even really started yet. This is going to be a feast of epic proportions. - almost seems like shooting fish in a barrel. hee

This caught my eye in the NY Daily News link above:
"Frankel had just started dating a man with three children of his own in the months before filming. The kicker: He wanted to be on TV."

Bethany is going on in the interview about how she wasn't sure at first if she wanted to do this show (yeah, right.) Who knew that her BF actually WANTS to be included in this disaster of a show.

Posted by: simon920 Mar 2, 2008 @ 7:07 pm

Don't you dare, BLondi! We need your snark, darlin'.