It was just another ordinary week for the Real Housewives of New York City. Ramona cried into a bottomless glass of pinot grigio about the death of her abusive father. Alex planned a Brooklyn fashion event that no one cared about. Bethenny dropped three snappy three pop culture references ("I didn't have to be Angela Lansbury to figure that out!"). Jill became an overbearing pageant mom at her daughter's Seventeen shoot before reducing Bethenny to tears over speaker phone. And Kelly, poor Kelly, was confused to discover that she was attracted to her Playboy interviewer. After the jump, Movieline examines the truest and fakest moments of last night's episode, 'Hot Off the Press.'
TRUE: Kelly Really Was Flustered By a "Totally Handsome" Playboy Writer
Skeptical viewers might have assumed that the Sam Rockwell-look-alike journalist that Kelly sat down with in last night's episode was cast by Housewives producers to give the show a remotely interesting romance arc, but I really believe that Mike was a genuine Playboy journalist that ensnared Kelly in his web of Swedish novel references and interest in her favorite topic of conversation: herself. Just look at her responses during the interview -- these could not have been scripted.
· "You're like the most handsome journalist I've ever met in my life. I'm so nervous now!"
· "This is an organic experience. This is like a breakthrough in journalism right now."
· (Responding to whether or not she does yoga) "I'm more of an 'Oh yeah' person than an 'Om' person."
· "The Giving Tree is probably one of my favorite books of all time."
· "I don't have any tattoos."
· "I'm going to tell everybody from now on that I want to be interviewed by you."
· "You're like, 'Stop flirting with me and let me interview you.'"
· "I'm nervous!"
And then, like a Bravo fairytale, the journalist clumsily asked for Kelly's number on the street. Fifteen minutes into the episode later, the housewife realized that she was too good for a journalist. The End.
FALSE: Bethenny Hates That Her Name Is Mentioned In a Gossip Column
Ahhh, the hypocrisy of another reality star complaining about being overexposed as cameras tape the mock-outrage for a reality show. Last night, the criminal was Bethenny Frankel, who was disappointed to find out that the Daily News had printed a gossip item about her and even worse, it had Jill's fingerprints all over it. Bethenny's complaint, verbatim:
"Because of the success of Naturally Thin and the whole Skinny Girl brand, I've been in the press too much and the last thing I need is my mug on one of those bloggers' sites."
But by the end of the episode, Bethenny had reclaimed some sympathy when Jill viciously attacked her over speakerphone and Miss Frankel was reduced to sobs against her town car.