Thanks, but no thanks, Countess

Karen Waldkirch — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:09:57 GMT

A couple of weeks ago on The Real Housewives of New York City, LuAnn de Lesseps, a.k.a. The Countess, visited a Boys & Girls Club to meet with and mentor a group of “Smart Girls.” After watching this segment of the show, I immediately wanted to quote Bethenny and shout: “Oh no you di-in’t!”

I give The Countess credit for “giving back” to the community, although when giving back requires that you reach your destination in a chauffeured town car, perhaps your perspective is a bit askew.

The session started with the girls and LuAnn writing down what they like best about themselves. Rather than LuAnn further reinforcing the girls’ self-esteem, she merely reinforced her own by telling the girls that she’s likeable, funny and organized. Nothing terrible there.

Where it quickly went downhill was when LuAnn quizzed the girls on the importance of being a Countess, which was met with blank stares and such disinterest, I almost heard crickets chirping.

And then, the “piece de resistance,” as The Countess would say, was when the girls talked about what they wanted to do when they grew up. One girl, who was tall and somewhat heavyset (as my mother would say), said she wanted to be a model. Thankfully, LuAnn agreed that she had a pretty face. But then, as a throw-away aside to the co-mentor, she said “Losing weight is the easy part.” Wow, Countess, thanks for crushing that girl’s dreams. The girl never mentioned her weight but LuAnn just had to point out her flaws in a session aimed at building up. Funny, how it ended with her tearing someone down.

The scene ended with her playing basketball with the girls and feeling like the girls just couldn’t get enough of her time with them. I think that if these are truly the “smart girls,” they had more than enough Countess for one day.

Watch yourself and tell me if I'm wrong:

The Unreal "Real Housewives"

Karen Waldkirch — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 23:56:00 GMT

I’m a huge fan of the reality TV show The Real Housewives of New York City. It airs on Bravo TV on Tuesday nights at 9pm. I’m not telling you this because I’m endorsing or promoting this show. I'm not. For me, it’s truly just a guilty pleasure. In fact, the only time I watch it is when I’m folding laundry, which I think is incredibly ironic. I’m doing something “housewife-ish” while watching a show about women who are most definitely NOT housewives.

But there’s something about Jill, LuAnn, Alex, Bethenny, Ramona and Kelly that I find darkly fascinating. First let me clear one thing up: I don’t like most of these women. I cannot think of a time in my life when I could be their friend. We have absolutely ZERO in common. Still, I’m obsessed with watching them.

I watch The Real Housewives because, ironically, they’re NOT real housewives. (In fact, two of them aren’t even married.) They are most definitely NOT housewives, at least not the ones that I know. My housewife friends and I don’t spend $8,000 on a single shopping trip unless it involves a car, college tuition or a giant sectional couch. When we take our kids to camp, it’s in the back seat of our minivan, not in a private jet. I’ve never scolded someone for not calling me “Countess.” And I can’t think of the last time that I “summered” anywhere, let alone The Hamptons.

I think that’s why The Real Housewives is entertaining – because it’s a departure from everyday life. Imagine a reality show about my life. Yeah, YAWN, right?! Imagine watching me fold laundry or make a feeble attempt at cooking dinner or try to dig ANY information out of my high school daughter. My friends and I do this every day. Like so many others, we’d love to see our lives on steroids!

OK, so let’s dish a little about TRHONYC: Did you hear that LuAnn is separated from The Count?! Could it be that she looks at him differently ever since Ramona called him old? Do you like Kelly? I didn’t care for her negative attitude at Jill’s volunteer meeting but I also thought that Bethenny was VERY harsh. And is it possible for Ramona to ever make a tactful comment? I hope not – it’s so fun to watch! Why do I like Alex and Simon so much? Is it because, compared to the other Housewives, they live in a pretty crappy house but spend oodles of money on clothes? Yeah, that’s it.

So, who’s your favorite Unreal Real Housewife?

Driving Miss Cranky : Moms on TV

Thanks, but no thanks, Countess

The Unreal "Real Housewives"