Well, the first episode of Season 3 of The Real Housewives of New York City did not disappoint.We opened with 50 something Ramona Singer on a yacht, awaiting the arrival of Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, Jill Zarin and Alex McCord, sans Simon.
Ramona was wearing a midriff baring bikini like thing that Jill let be known she thought inappropriate for someone of Ramona's advanced age. Of course, Jill did not share this opinion with Ramona, just with the audience, so Ramona got to hear it with the rest of us, obvious future fight fodder at the reunion show.
These girls really hold on to grudges. LuAnn seems to be oozing with issues. On the boat she confronted Ramona about Ramona's husband Mario's remark at some photo shoot, where the photographer asked for the Countess, to which Mario said something like "you mean Countless?"
This did not seem to me to be something worth taking umbrage over, it was sort of funny. But LuAnn was all sorts of hurt over it. Jill opined in. Pretty soon Ramona went into drunken Ramona brittle mode and we had the first fight of the new season.
Previous to that we learned, from Jill, that she and Bethenny were no long BFF's, due to Bethenny committing the unpardonable horror of suggesting, on the phone, that Jill get a hobby.
These people really need some real problems.
Then we saw Bethenny get naked on a New York City rooftop, posing for PETA's I'd Rather Be Naked Than Wear Fur campaign. We pretty much saw Bethenny's bare butt, which later upset the latest love of her life, I think the name was Jason. He seemed normal. How is he going to fit in with these nutcases?
We first saw Crazy Kelly Bensimon when LuAnn and Jill showed up for drinks at Kelly's invitation. Kelly seems to have been re-invented as a chastised ex-boy friend beating chagrined ex-convict. There was some dissing of Bethenny. Well, a lot of dissing. By this time we'd heard Bethenny's version of the problem with Jill. Per the norm, Bethenny's version seems far more elevated and sensible than Jill's.
Then we saw Bethenny and boyfriend out in, I think, the Hamptons, then the boyfriend dropping Bethenny off for a drink meet with LuAnn. Bethenny had driven 2 hours for this drink meet. LuAnn started it off awkward by asking for it to be made clear who was paying for the drinks. Bethenny had a totally appropriate WTF expression on her face. She may also have said the words represented by WTF.
Like I said, LuAnn can hold a grudge. Apparently Bethenny had invited LuAnn to go take surfing lessons, years ago. Bethenny got hit with the bill. Bethenny remarked to the camera how is it that I, the poorest of these people, always gets hit with the bill?
Apparently LuAnn did not see the humor, held onto this, and then hit Bethenny with it at the drink encounter. It was bizarre. I agree with those who say LuAnn really needs to read an etiquette book. Etiquette Rule #1 is always make people feel comfortable. I've been on the receiving end of LuAnn sorts. They are very difficult to deal with.
Funniest part was Bethenny promising never to say bad stuff behind LuAnn's back and then cut to talking to the audience, ending whatever Bethenny was saying with "You nutcase Drag Queen" or something like that. Drag Queen was part of it, I don't exactly remember the preceding phrase. I suspect the Drag Queen remark will be heard again.
I'm sure I'm forgetting things. Oh, Jill's husband went through a cancer episode. Bethenny did not show sufficient concern. LuAnn's divorce was troubling. Bethenny did not show sufficient concern.
Previews showed a lot of good fighting, including the scene you see in the picture at the top, of Kelly's face looking in pain, with Bethenny yelling at her. Can't wait.
In the meantime I learned last night that I need to see the March issue of Playboy. I was channel chasing and came upon the Joy Behar Show on one of the cable news stations, CNN, FOX or MSNBC. I suspect it was the latter.
Anyway, new best friends, Jill, LuAnn and Kelly were getting grilled by Joy. During this grilling is when I learned that Kelly has taken her clothes off for Playboy and was on the cover. Kelly's ex-husband, Gilles Bensimon, took the photos.
Joy asked, what about the children, how can you forget about the children? Kelly responded that she talked it over with her kids for their input about mommy getting naked for a magazine. The kids were fine with it and very proud that Hugh Hefner wanted to see their 40 something mommy naked.
What struck me as odd, among many odd things striking me, was last season, on Halloween, we saw Kelly walking the streets of New York in her skimpy Jane outfit, next to Max being Tarzan. Kelly remarked that she was costumed conservatively, due to, you know, she has kids.
And, now, a short time later, the kids can take mommy to show and tell at school to show off her magazine spread. A couple weeks ago Bart Simpson went through similar humiliation when his mom, Marge, posed scantily for a charity calendar. But, not as skimpily as Kelly in Playboy.
Looking forward to next week's fights on The Real Housewives of New York City. I wonder how Ramona is going to react to Kelly getting naked in Playboy?
