My Day With Bethenny

Last week for work, I was asked to attend a taping of Bethenny Frankel's new talkshow, along with a meet & greet to learn about her new Skinny Girl wines.

My job is so hard.

Anyway, I like the Bethenny I've come to know on Bravo (home of my beloved Andy Cohen).  She comes across as a straight-shooter, no-nonsense, full of hustle, witty, smart business lady.  I didn't want to ruin the illusion!

I'm happy to report what you see is what you get. 

I've seen shows tape before.  My talkshow experience began waaaay back in college when my communications professor took us on an ultra-academic field trip to see Montel Williams.  It's not as sad as it seems, he was pretty popular then.  I also worked on Wedding Week at Who Wants to Be a Millionaire for 2 years, so I saw lots of that show too. (PS: Meredith Viera is lovely, inside and out.)

There was a great energy on the Bethenny set.  First, it's beautiful.  Second, they've got a DJ and the speakers are under your seats, so you can't help but shake your groove thing.  Third, they make you clap.  A lot.

Bethenny came out looking just like the girl on the bottle -- pretty and skinny (fitting!).  Two of the day's guests stood out most to me: Melissa Gorga and James Blunt.

I wouldn't think I have much in common with RHONJ Melissa except for the fact that we both lived in the same town (go Montville/Pine Brook, NJ!).  But in her segment, they were talking about disciplining kids and she mentioned when she was young, her mom would threaten them with a wooden spoon when they were acting up.  So did mine!  And my grandma!  They called it a cucchiata.  Must be an Italian thing.  Now, I feel we've bonded.

When James Blunt came on, my first thought was that he's short.  God, I'm superficial.  Next thought was, I wonder what that little fella's been up to since he sang You're Beautiful?  Truth is, I have no idea what he was saying because I was mesmerized by this pale British guy!  He was unbelievably charming.  And funny!  Later, Bethenny would tell us he "came to play," and those were her favorite kinds of guests.  He was game for everything, including an impromptu serenade.  Well, maybe not totally impromptu... his guitar was on set.

Anyway, the show was a blast, then we were ushered into the control room, and lined up one by one to take pics in her photo booth.  No music and no booze, but they wanted us to dance.  When in Rome...

Then, we went down a corridor and up an elevator to her Red Room.  This is much like a Green Room, except, well... it's red.  I remember really rich crimson wallpaper, white lacquer furniture, and a Skinny Girl surfboard on the wall, but mostly the scent in there sticks with me.  It smelled amazing -- like gardenias.

She came in after the show, looking lovely.  I noticed she switched her black spikey Louboutins for her everyday footwear (snakeskin pumps... duh).  There were about a dozen or so bloggers in the room, so she sat on the edge of a white club chair and answered a bunch of questions on her show, her businesses, the media, and her life.  She was totally candid and delightful.

Did I mention I'm Team Bethenny?

Eventually she told us about her new wines, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon (though I steered clear of that last one -- damn tannin allergy), and my personal fave, Prosecco.  In a blogger melee, that bottle was the first to go so if that's any indication, I'm sure it will fly off shelves too.

Our episode airs on Monday, the 18th.  I'm sitting in the audience on the left section, second row, third seat in from the aisle. 

If the pic below doesn't give you a seizure, tune in!

tags: entertainment, work