Kim Kardashian Compared to Kate Gosselin & the Red Cross is Not Amused

Mickey McKean sent over this link to an article comparing Kim Kardashian to Kate Gosselin, in which the author opines that both reality TV participants thought their stars would never fall. 

According to the author, the family that captivated reality television and built the house of E! is coping with a vertiginous reversal of fortune in the same way that Kate, who helped build the house of TLC, has.  "She thought she was Teflon and she's being proved wrong," publicist is quoted as saying about Kim kardashian.  "She's the new Kate Gosselin."

Last weekend's "Saturday Night Live" offered an acid parody that portrayed the Kardashians as airheads who prattle on about anal bleaching.  In the sketch, mom Kris Jenner is played by Kristin Wiig as an attention-seeking, plastic-surgery addict, while soon-to-be ex-husband Kris Humphries was rendered a monosyllabic simpleton.

"The only way people are going to stop hating her is if she goes away for awhile," the publicist stated about Kim, although he could have just as easily been describing Kate Gosselin.  "But I doubt this woman will ever do that. She'd go nuts to be away for even five minutes."

In this article Kim andKate are both portrayed as entitled divas who don't care who they trample on the way to stardom.  Kim's ruthlessness in her quest for fame is evidenced by her brief marriage to Kris Humphries while Kate's is evidenced by her choosing her reality TV life over her ex-husband Jon.  Jon has stated that he would have been perfectly happy to have never done reality TV and his attempts to get his children out of the public eye and back into having normal childhoods are well documented.

One thing is clear when it comes to either reality TV star, or anyone else in reality TV, for that matter.  The public doesn't like being tricked, condescended to, or treated like idiots, and they WILL tune out.

In unrelated news, the Red Cross has been receiving complaints about Kate insinuating herself into being affiliated with them by draping herself psuedo-seductively in a Red Cross flag in a picture on her personal web site.  According to the Red Cross, they have had no communication with Kate and they did not give her permission to affiliate herself with them.  Looks like kate's using the Red Cross to continue trying to build her new everywoman-goodmom-solidcitizen image (since the Hollywood A-List and sexbomb images sunk like the Titanic.)  This is rather ironic given her local notoriety for endangering herself, her children and others by parking in fire lanes. 

Well, there's one difference between Kate and kim Kardashian, anyway.  Kardashian never would have done this kind of endorsement without ample renumeration.

Guest Blog: Is Keeping Up With The Kardashians Just A Big A$$ Scam?

by Mickey McKean 

If you watch television you may be under the belief that if you become a reality TV star who is willing to have your everyday life filmed for the entertainment of complete strangers in TV Land you will become rich and famous.  If your only focus in life is seeking fame and fortune because you think that money will buy you happiness so you believe that it is OK to sell your privacy to the highest bidder, you probably are not paying attention to the problems that reality TV stars face on a daily basis.  Problems such as being the butt of jokes on late night TV, seeing headlines in the gossip magazines that may or may not be true, strained relationships with your family -- spouse, kids, parents, siblings -- that may result in an irreparable rift, stalking by fans or haters, and yes, even suicide.

Even if as a general rule you do not watch reality TV, there is still a good chance that you know the name Kardashian and are aware that Kim Kardashian married NBA star Kris Humphries in a very lavish and expensive wedding on August 20th that was supposed to rival last April's royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

But 72 days later, on October 31st, Kim filed for divorce and then left for Australia to market her handbags or whatever Down Under.  I found it interesting that E!, the network that films her show, did NOT tag along with Kim and her sister Khloe on this trip that had been scheduled for some time.  Could it be that the network was blindsided with this divorce announcement just like everyone else, including Kim's husband Kris Humphries?

As luck would have it, Kim's mother and manager Kris Jenner was scheduled to be on a book tour in New York this week promoting her new book but has found herself talking more about her daughter's divorce than her new book.  This is not necessarily a surprise since the words "scam" and "publicity stunt" have been used repeatedly on various shows, newspapers, etc.  Three polls done by various shows/web sites and all polls show that over 90% of the viewers believe this was all done just for a reality TV show, so of course any Kardashian is going to be approached with the obvious questions. 

The Kardashian family has certainly proven to the world that there is money to be made in reality TV.  One cannot deny that they have blazed a trail on how to build one's brand, but now that Kim has filed for divorce after only 72 days, the questions are coming fast and furious:  Is this divorce so soon after her wedding going to hurt her/their brand?  Will this impact the Kardashian empire?  Was this all done just for a storyline for their TV show?

It has been reported that the wedding cost around $10 million but with the selling of the wedding photos and the exclusive filming Kim made $18 million in the process.  Not surprisingly a lot of people have been analyzing how much money Kim made off the wedding (product placement, free comps) compared to how many days she and her husband were together.  Bottom line, the question is:  Did Kim do this over-the-top fairy tale wedding just for the money?

This all boils down to just how upset the TV viewers are.  One article written by a legal expert asks the question as to whether or not the vendors from the wedding could sue Kim, since "forever" only lasted 72 days (most people define forever as being just a tad longer.)  No matter what services or products Kim received for free or at discounted prices in exchange for product placement in her lavish televised wedding, these business owners were given the impression (as were the viewers) that this was the real deal and would last longer than 72 days.  Now these vendors may feel they are part of this national joke rather than them having received the expensive advertising they paid for.

There is also the issue of the wedding gifts.  What would Emily Post advise in regards to returning them after a 72 day long marriage?  This is a hot topic since Kim and Kris Humphries registered for very expensive gifts at a high-end store in Beverly Hills.  Now it seems that Kim has decided that instead of returning the wedding gifts she could instead just write a check for $200,000 made payable to a charity of her choice.  Can anyone say tax write off?

Last but not least, there is the 20 carat $2 million diamond engagement ring that Kris gave his fiance Kim.  My understanding is that the general rule of thumb is if you do not get married you have to return the ring since it was given as a gift in anticipation of a marriage, however, if you get married you get to keep the ring.  In this particular case though I think it will come down to the 72 days and the price tag of the ring, and if this was in fact nothing more than a big a$$ scam, should Kim return the ring even if she got married?  If she keeps the ring, how will it impact future ratings?

It is going to be interesting to see whether or not TV viewers are going to give a rip about the Kardashians after this divorce announcement.  There is no question that a lot of viewers are becoming more savvy when it comes to reality TV;  that they now know it is not reality and is in fact scripted.  When viewers feel that they have been lied to -- that their intelligence has been insulted -- they know they have the option of turning the channel and watching something else on TV.

Only time will tell after this big a$$ scam how many viewers will still be interested in Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

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Note from Polly:

Readers, be sure to read the comments for this entry because Mickey's left some excellent follow-up info there. :)

Come to Author Meet & Greet Oct 15, 2011

The Wernersville Public Library has invited me to participate in a local author Meet & Greet event, on Saturday, October 15 from noon until 2 PM.  I'll be there signing copies of my book, Jon & Kate Plus Eight:  "Reality" TV & the Selling of the Gosselins, along with three other local authors.  It's supposed to rain later this week but it should clear up by Friday night and the weekend promises to offer another gorgeous early fall day in Berks County, PA.  Hope you'll stop by, say hello to our lovely Wernersville Library and enjoy the refreshments!

New Hope for Reality TV Addicts

Divorces, suicides, and other negative repercussions have shown us that while being on reality TV can be fun and financially beneficial, it can also be psychologically harmful to families and children.  Sudden fame and fortune often cause reality TV participants to think that they're actually stars, despite their lack of any actual talent.  Thanks to their senses of entitlement and narcissistic illusions that their fame will last forever, most reality TV participants have no Plan B.  Then suddenly, when their shows are over, they're propelled back into true reality where they have to give up their fancy homes, go back to regular jobs, and start living mundane lives again.  Depression and other symptoms of PTSD can result from having to integrate back into the mediocre lifestyles they recently thought were permanently behind them. 

But wait! Now there's help for former reality TV stars with no Plan B.  The Twelve Steps of AA have been modified to fit many addictions:  alcoholism, drug addictions, gambling, overeating, codependency, and more.  And now the list includes an addiction to being on reality TV.  Here are twelve recovery steps for former reality TV participants whose lights have flickered, dimmed and then inevitably sputtered out.

               The Twelve Steps of Reality TV Addiction Recovery

1. We admitted that although we thought we'd always be stars, we were ultimately powerless over the fleeting nature of fame.

2. We came to believe that powers greater than ourselves could restore us to a normal life without fame:  Cutthroat networks, declining ratings and lack of public interest.

3. Made a decision to turn our lives back over to normal pre-fame living including working a regular job, no longer expecting to be treated as though we are entitled, and ceasing pimping out our families' and children's privacy for money.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves and realized our lives, and especially our children's lives, were better without being in a reality TV show.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to other human beings the exact nature of our wrongs, specifically our previous misconceptions that infamy equals fame and that money and fame buy happiness.

6. Were entirely ready for our television networks and production companies to end our contracts.

7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings, or at the very least help us appreciate the depth of our superficiality and loss of basic human values.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all, including ourselves.  (In some cases this step is expected to take the longest.)

9. Made direct amends to such people without exception, because to do so would heal our relationships with them. 

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.  (This step is lifelong and ongoing, particularly in some cases.)

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to educate ourselves about the realities of “reality” TV and the entertainment business, praying only for knowledge of how it has harmed our loved ones and how we may recover and heal together. 

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others exploited by reality TV and to practice these principles in all our personal and professional affairs.

God, grant them the serenity to accept that they are not, never have been and never will be "stahs," the courage to go back to living as normal citizens, and the humble and gracious wisdom to know the difference.   

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Article first published as The 12 Steps of Reality TV Addiction Recovery on Technorati.

 Thanks to friend and Internet neighbor Mickey Mckean for the idea for this entry.

 Follow Polly as WernyGal on Twitter.

Kate Gosselin's Driving Violations Catching Up With Her?

     Kate Gosselin's pleaded guilty by mail and paid her August 9th speeding ticket fine of $174.00. In that offense she was charged by state police in Brecknock Township, Lancaster County, with driving 88 miles per hour in a 65 mile per hour zone.
     Gosselin has a history of traffic violations.
     On Oct. 30, 2009, she was cited for a similar incident in Adams County, PA in which she was reportedly doing 70 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. Her eight children were in the SUV at the time. She pleaded guilty and paid another fine.
     On Feb. 26, 2010, Kate was pulled over by state police based in Gettysburg after she was speeding at 73 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone. That case was also settled with a fine of about $155.
     Then there's that blind item regarding a certain reality TV star's hit and run.   Not only does the blind item describe Kate to a T, but locals wouldn't be at all surprised if it was true.  

Kate parked illegally in a fire lane. 

     Kate's driving has long been a point of local discussion. Several incidents of her unsafe driving are recounted in former US Magazine reporter and Berks County local Al Walentis's book The Secret World of Jon and Kate: The Stupidest Story in the History of the World and the People Who Covered It: Kate weaving in and out of traffic lanes at high speeds to outrun the paparazzi; Kate driving as fast as 95 MPH; and Kate driving at high speeds with her lights off at night to evade the paps, not to mention all the illegal parking.   My book, Jon & Kate Plus Eight: “Reality” TV & the Selling of the Gosselins recounts similar stories of locals who have been subjected to her bad driving. In fact earlier this year a local friend of mine was almost run off the road after Kate drove up very fast behind her, tailgated her at a dangerously close distance, and then passed her in a no-passing zone.

Kate parked illegally in another fire lane. 

     Kate's excuse for her August 2011 violation was that she was hurrying home to be with her children. Apparently she hasn't heard that most kids would rather have their parents arrive home slowly, safe and sound, than quickly in a casket. And how tacky is it for her to blame her children for her speeding? Does every parent who wants to get home to their kids have carte blanche to speed? And what a flimsy excuse anyway, considering she does nothing to curtail her inconsiderate and dangerous driving even when her kids are in the vehicle.

Didn't she ever hear of shopping carts (no pun intended)? 
     How many times will Kate have to endanger herself, her children and others before she learns that she doesn't own the road? Court dockets show Gosselin, cited under her legal name Katie I. Gosselin, was pulled over again and given a traffic citation by Pennsylvania state police on Sept. 11, 2011 in South Londonderry Township in Lebanon County. That case is still pending.

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This entry was first posted on Technorati as "Kate Gosselin Driven to Distraction?"

The two photos are from INF and RadarOnline.

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