Hollywood Secrets: Reality Show Edition

I always love demystifying Hollywood whether it is from the "days of yore" (Guess which show that quote is from) or taking current accepted practices in the entertainment industry and revealing the truth. Today's edition of Hollywood secrets is telling you the truth about reality shows.......they aren't real.  Here are three things to think about:

1. The Kardashian House:  Yes, I try to keep this site as Kardashian-free as possible, but this fact irks me.  The house that they show in Keeping Up With The Kardashians is not even in Calabasas.  It is in Studio City on a heavily-traveled street that not only counts George Clooney as a neighbor, but it is also the exit of a well-trafficked canyon and hiking trail in LA.  This house is so recognizable, I have no idea why the producers tried to pretend that it is their home. (I know the Kardashians want privacy, but this home is SO well-known.)  In fact, they need to figure out what they are going to do for next season because the house is for sale. I hope the new owners negotiate a fat fee to pass their home off as a Kardashian home.  Below are a few photos I took on my recent hike and check out a recent real estate article about this farce.

2.  Housewives:  Let's all just admit it, most of us watch one franchise or the other.  I am a huge fan of the Beverly Hills edition because it is so close to home.  The stories that have evolved from this series are dramatic and often tragic, but they are real.  It's is sometimes hard to remember that what we are watching on camera is a person's real life.  This fact hit me on Friday when I was at the GBK Productions MTV Movie Awards gifting suite when I interviewed Taylor Armstrong who has had a tough year.  In my mind, she is always crying, breaking down, and fighting demons in her life because that is what I have watched on the show the last two seasons.  Well, it was refreshing to see her happy and full of joy during our interview.  She couldn't confirm that they were currently filming the next season, but I can confirm they are.  Let's hope her story takes a turn towards happiness:



If you want to see the Chagoury Couture dress we both wore and mentioned in this interview, click here.


3.  The Bachelor:  This is probably one of the most fake shows on TV.  I used to watch it for the cheese factor, but it is amazing to me how many people buy into this fantasy. If you don't believe me, go visit my friend, Reality Steve.  He will give you the inside scoop on the smoke and mirrors of this franchise.  I honestly think this show needs to fade away, but y'all keep watching.  Stop it!  Anyway, here's a 2010 interview with Vienna Girardi, "winner" of Jake Pavelka's season.  She debunks the fancy food and timeline of the show.  You can see her comments at the 1:14 mark:



What do you think about the "reality" of reality television and why do you keep watching The Bachelor?

My Top 3 Interviews of 2011

With 10 days left in the year, I am going to start doing a few "Best of 2011" posts to highlight some of my favorite moments of the year.  Today's feature is my favorite Top 3 interviews of 2011.  This was a hard one to whittle down since I had everything from the Oscars to the Tonys to countless other red carpets and gifting suites to choose from.  The interviews were chosen for particular reasons, whether they were funny or poignant, they just resonated with me this year.  Here are the Top 3:

1.  Joel Grey from Anything Goes at the Tony Awards:  I spoke about this interview at length in this post, but nothing was ever better than having the opportunity to speak to someone who was one of your childhood heroes.  I know, I know, I was a musical theatre geek, so I wasn't looking up to Molly Ringwald, it was Joel Grey.  Here is the unedited footage so you can see how it all went down at the Tony Awards while I was working for Starpulse:



2.  Josh Sussman from Glee at GBK Productions MTV Movie Awards Gifting Suite:  I think this was easily my funniest interview of the year, no one made me laugh more on camera than Josh.  He's just quick with a quip and he and his super cute girlfriend, Tess, are incredibly nice......even though he still owes me a Justin Bieber movie viewing! You can see it all here on Red Carpet Report:



3.  Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds at the press junket for The Change-Up:  I don't know if your day can get any better when you walk into a room and two really good-looking guys are waiting for you to sit down.  I thought my heart was going to belong to Ryan that day, but Jason was a big flirt who won me over.  I should have known better, I loved him on Silver Spoons. Here's my interview for iVillage:



So, there you have it, my Top 3 Interviews for 2011!  Who was your favorite out of my Top 3 or is there another interview I missed?  I would love to hear from you, so don't forget to leave a comment below.

Where in the World is.....?

I am all over the place this week.  I thought I was going to have a nice, relaxing week and then I was suddenly thrust into prepping for the 65th Annual Tony Awards!  So here's where you can find me popping up this week:

1.  Today at 12PM PT/3PM ET:  I will be a guest on The Final Cut with host, Matthew Robinson talking about all of the fun at the MTV Movie Awards.  I hope to slip in a few tidbits about the GBK Gifting Suite too.  You can listen or call into the show here.

2.  It's Meredith Vieira's last day on The Today Show.  She's one of my broadcast heros, so I salute her with a fond farewell.  I was lucky enough to interview her at The Gracie Awards last month.  My mornings won't be there same without you, Meredith.



3.  I will be on the red carpet for Starpulse covering the 65th Annual Tony Awards.  For a musical theatre geek like me.....holy cow!  This is exciting!  If you have any questions you want me to ask on the red carpet, feel free to leave your questions in the comment section.

4. After the red carpet, I am heading to the Broadway Space Tony party.  The party is hosted by Rachel Potter and Adam Riegler who play Wednesday and Pugsley in The Addams Family.  There are still tickets available, so come join me for all of the fun.

5.  Finally, I was asked to guest blog over at Elle Sees this week. You will find some of my online shopping tips and some of my recent deals.  So, stop over and say "hi" to Elle.  I think you will enjoy her blog as much as I do.

GBK Productions Gifting Suites: MTV Movie Awards

I hit the GBK Productions Gifting Suite on Friday in honor of the MTV Movie Awards for Red Carpet Report on Mingle Media TV.  I arrived with a bit of a margarita hangover, so I wasn't sure how the day was going to go.  Luckily, I ran into some friendly celebs who made my job easy and the day extremely fun.  I kicked off the afternoon with an interview with Ross Matthews from The Tonight Show ("Ross the Intern") and Chelsea Lately.  I just love him. He's fun, he's cute, and you just want to hug him.  Other notables included Layla Kayleigh from America's Best Dance Crew (ABDC) who made me bust a move on camera which was only slightly embarrassing.  Finally, be sure to check out my interview with Josh Sussman from Glee.  He's my newest and unexpected crush and he asked me out on camera.....in front of his adorable girlfriend, so I guess it was scripted reality. Sigh.

Here's a short highlight video of all of the interviews where I dance, utter the word "poo", and find out whom everyone was rooting for at the show. For individual interviews, see the captions under each photo and click on the celeb's name.  Let me know what you thought of last night's MTV Movie Awards--a total hit or a total miss?

Layla Kayleigh liked my moves.  She's expecting me to join ABDC next season with my geriatric crew. 

Ernie Hudson had me at Ghostbusters.  He was so kind and lovely.

Steve-O.  Uh....he staples his balls to his thigh.  Yep, I said balls.  

I can't get enough of Glimmer Body Art.  I am never getting a real tattoo, so I am happy with my glittery stars.  Thanks for the kit, ladies! 

Frankie Muniz and I talked Indy Light racing where I managed to drop the Toyota name.  I'm a good spokesperson.  

Josh Sussman from Glee has a lot of hardcore fans on Twitter.  They started chatting with me en masse yesterday and they adore Josh as much as I do.

Amber Stevens from Greek was on trend with her color blocking orange and green.  I'm not sure I could get away with that outfit, but it looked great with her tall, long legs. 

Tyler Blackburn from Pretty Little Liars on ABC Family.  Are you ready for Season 2? 

Caption This Photo

I spent yesterday at the SLS Hotel at the GBK Productions Gifting Suites in honor of the MTV Movie Awards. Yes, it's an awards show, let's give away free stuff to rich celebs!  You've seen my coverage of this A-List gifting suite for the 2010 Emmys, 2011 Academy Awards, and the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards.  I will share my coverage on Monday, but for now, caption this hilarious photo. What is going on between me and Frankie Muniz from Malcolm in the Middle?   Ready, set, go!