My Money's On the End of Summer

According to my sharp-eyed blog commenter GeorgiaMom, one of the tabloids reported that Kate has had her assistant checking out schools in LA and for guest spots on sitcoms for the kids.

It's been looking like Kate has a hankering to move to L.A. ever since her DWTS experience. When (not if) that happens, Wernersville will breathe a sigh of relief and go back to being the quiet small town we locals have always known and loved. I think Kate would be a lot happier living in the Hollywood area and she'd have a much better chance of finding the kind of man she'd like to spend the rest of her life with. It saddens me that the Gosselin children might continue in entertainment because they've grown up with cameras and never had a chance to experience their childhoods with the privacy that most of us take for granted and without self-consciousness. The good news is if they move to California and continue to perform they will live in a state where their rights are better protected than they were here, thanks to better laws and child advocacy organizations such a A Minor Consideration. And in the long run the whole situation will have done some good here because we now will have improved child lablor laws and the authorities will be more likely to confirm they have been abided by. When this happens I will stop writing my blog because my perspective has been from living in the same small town as them. It's been fun but ending it would give me more time for other things. My bet is they'll be gone from Wernersville by the end of the summer, and Jon will follow them out there to be near the children.

Thansk GM, and if you send me the link to that report I'll add it here.

Greetings From Ghettoville, Pennsylvania

One of my most fervent commenters, "anonymous," pointed out that it is hypocritical of me to express concern about what the children might read on the Internet, while simultaneously writing things that might be upsetting to them to read. In this case it would be nice if you could blame the messenger, but you can't because the kids apparently witness this mentality all the time.

Yup, Ghettoville is the name Kate calls this little Pennsylvania town that originally welcomed her with open arms. As a neighbor told my friend, “They always say they live in Wernersville, but they never even drive through town. Kate never comes near us. She always goes the other way, down State Hill Road. That’s more high society, I guess. She calls Wernersville ‘Ghettoville.’ She thinks she’s better than the rest of us.”

If you've read my blog long enough you know that our quiet little town of Wernersville is no Ghettoville. Werny is about four blocks long and our main street, Penn Avenue (or Route 422W,) is lined with old row homes, with a smattering of locally owned businesses mixed in for good measure. We have a couple of pizza shops, one gas station/convenience store, a small bakery, an ice cream shop, a bike shop, and a really great gift shop. The post office, police station and public library are set back about a block off Penn Avenue. Our population is under 2,500. It's not a ritzy place but there are lots of nice people here, like the neighbors who took freshly baked goods to Casa Gosselin when they first moved in, and were screamed at by Kate to get off her property and not tell anyone where she lived, or she would sue them.

The word "Ghettoville" strikes me as not only racist but elitist. Elitist, just because Werny isn't all matchy-matchy and perfect, like a brand new Barbie doll with new fake blonde hair and fake white teeth.
It struck me as rather odd that a Caucasian woman who was married and had children with someone who is half Korean would make a racist comment, but then I read further and found this bon mot: A source revealed that Jon hired the main nanny, but Kate also likes her a lot because “she’s Asian and she works 24/7 and she knows how to do hair and nails. Kate loves having Asians working for her. That’s why she frequents Planet Nails. It’s owned by Asians and she thinks they don’t get involved in other people’s business and they won’t gossip to reporters about her.”

Just love those Christian family values.

Well, gotta go y'all. Gonna go hang with my homies now. Down in the 'hood.

Let's Enjoy The Sound of Crickets...

A reader asked me if the dogs are back. I did hear they were back, about a week ago. Otherwise all is quiet. Today when I passed the house I once again searched for the hoards of paps Kate described as being outside her door every day when she was on DWTS, and there was not a soul in sight. No paps, no fans, no nothing. Now Kate is off DWTS and the paps will no doubt lay off until she or Jon do something new to draw attention to themselves. The only "sign" suggesting that anyone even vaguely resembling anything like a star might be anywhere near the vicinity of Wernersville was this weatherworn momento, laying forlorn in the grass in front of Casa Gosselin.

Good News For The Gosselin Kids, We Hope

Jon is moving into a large apartment in Reading, the hub of Berks County in which Wernersville is located, according to this report. Now let's hope he can get that original custody agreement revised. Since Kate now owns the home and has primary custody, what's to keep her from moving the kids out of the home they love and into a whole new state and lifestyle, not to mention more cameras and media attention?

How Kate Can Win DWTS

Kate got a reprieve on tonight's DWTS, coming in third instead of being voted off. She's been pretty stiff on the first three episodes, so maybe it would help if they chose a dance that comes more naturally to her. (Move your curser to start the video at 30 seconds to see the guy in the red shirt.) Imagine how much easier this would make Tony's job.

You're welcome, Tony.

Oh, That Obnoxious Papparazi!

On DWTS tonight Kate said the Lady Gaga song Papparazi speaks to her because there are papparazi waiting for her outside her door every day. I don't know what door she's talking about but I live in Wernersville and hoards of papparazi outside her door hasn't been the case for some time. And what little paps do show up from time to time would go away if she would stop going on TV and talking about how awful it is to be in the press all the time. It's been said before and no doubt will be again: Stop feeding the sharks and they'll stop circling.

I also love how she talked about having to wear a happy mask because of the events of the past year. Obviously the past year has been hard on everyone in the family, but get a clue! The events of the past year were not the problem, they were the symptom. A family that pretends to be happy so the show can go on in order to make more money, while the parents have not actually been in a relationship for some time, has to be psychological hell on not only the adults but the kids. The healthiest thing that happened to this family in the past year was Jon coming out about the marriage and show being a sham and him pulling the kids out of the big phony mess. He had the kahoonies to tell the truth no matter how unpopular it made him.

One last note about Kate's hair and makeup on tonight's DWTS. Remember that old movie Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? Well, tonight we found our answer. . .

What Kate Could Get Paid If She Learns To Dance

My blog reader mocha brought up the discussion of what the "stars" make on Dancing With The Stars. The general idea is the same with most reality TV shows: The longer you stay on, the more you make. On some shows, like the bachelor/bachelorette franchises, you only get paid if you're one of the final three or four (some reports state they don't get paid at all.) That means all those 15 - 20 single guys and gals who didn't find true love spent a lot of money of their own for nothing (imagine the clothes alone, not to mention travel, lost work time or even lost jobs, and more.) Meanwhile the producers make millions of dollars on these shows. So keep that in mind when you hear these salaries. These figures are just a drop in the bucket compared to the huge paydays generated by ad revenue for these shows.

This report from The Insider online says each DWTS star gets $200,000 for being on the show no matter how soon they're voted off, with bonuses if they stay in the show to the end, with the longest stayer getting the highest bonus.

WikiAnswers says all the professional dancers get paid $5,200 a week. The celebrities get paid about $250,000 if they stay all nine weeks.

Here's WikiAnswers statement on what Jon and Kate made per episode of J&K+8. If it's true (and I'm sure it's not) that they as a family made $22,500 per episdoe, TLC got one hell of a deal. J&K+8 was TLC's highest rated show ever, which means they made more commercial revenue during that show than any other. Considering the high commercial revenue and Kate's financial savvy and insistence on only the best, $50,000 - $75,000 per episide is a much more realistic figure. Hopefully the kids had their own salaries and that money has been put into trust for their futures. After all, without them there would have been no show.

This link to Extra Online tells the salaries of several reality TV show stars. They report Jon and Kate made $75,000 per episode, which I believe to be accurate. J&K+8 became so popular that season three had 31 and season four had 41 episodes. When you compare the J&K+8 salaries of a half hour show taped in and around the convenience of your home (generating a total of anywhere from $400,000* to $3,075,000** per season) to an entire DWTS season of having to practice dancing for hours a day and the hassle and exhaustion of traveling 3,000 miles for weekly tapings for a grand total of $200,000 and maybe if you're lucky $250,000, which is really the better pay?

*based on minimum salary of 8 episodes at $50,000 per episode for season one

**based on maximum salary of 41 episodes at $75,000 episode in season four

Dancing With Klutzes

I worked late tonight and haven't had time to see the tape of tonight's episode of Dancing With The Stars, but this article from US Magazine online from 40 minutes ago doesn't have much good to say about Kate's second performance. It's got to be very hard on can-do-Kate to receive reviews like this, and it once again proves that those who appear the most confident and in control of their lives can really be the most insecure. It's one thing to go on national talk shows and smile pretty and say you plan to win (not that it's easy to do even that) but to have to then actually live up to that kind of self-promotion has got to be incredibly stressful. Talk about setting yourself up to fail. As my readers know I'm not a huge Kate fan but on the other hand I don't like to see anyone humiliated in public either. I hope she is able to let go of her self-consciousness and let her partner lead her instead of having to be in control, and I hope she can start to have fun and not take it all too seriously. Sometimes you just have to say "screw it" and go with the flow.

Small Town Shopping Cart

As the world knows by now, Kate didn't do very well her first night on DWTS. She got the third lowest score, ahead of only the actor Aiden Turner (hubba hubba) and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who is this season's oldest contestant.

I have to admit to feeling sorry for Kate after weeks of hearing her brag about how she was in it to win it. The humble fall hard, but the narcissistic crash and burn the hardest. IMO she appeared defensive and uncomfortable in the clips shown of her getting feedback from her partner during the practice sessions, and doubly so during the live feedback. Maybe it was the editing, but I didn't get the sense that she's been practicing as much as former "stars" on the show, which surprised me because she's such a perfectionist. And speaking of stars, it was noted on the show that she was the only contestant in history who isn't officially one. (Bet that was news to her. :) But Melissa Rycroft isn't a star and I'm sure there have been others too.

The star performer was Pamela Anderson, whose picture is next to the phrase Red Hot Sexy Babe in the dictionary. Whooeee, she had me hot and I'm straight and not even looking for love. To me she epitimized what good entertainment dancing is about, technically correct or not ~ letting loose and having fun. Looking that damn good doesn't hurt either. I hope she lasts 'til the end and I look forward to seeing what tricks she'll be up to as the season goes on.

In an unrelated vein, what was it with Brooke Burke's girls? Her implants were so torturous that their vertical edges could clearly be seen cutting ridges inside her chest. Girlfriend, you were beautiful to begin with. You don't need fake tatas to look pretty and you sure don't need them to appear intelligent. I suggest taking those superficial man pleasers out and using them for floatation devices in your Hollywood swimming pool, where they'll serve some purpose other than distracting from your lovely face.

Lastly, kudos to Jon for wishing Kate the best on the show. Maybe he meant it or maybe it was spin control, but either way it was a gracious gesture.

Kate's Plan to Conquer The World

Kate has a plan for winning DWTS. The kind of plan a narcissist needs when she can't dance.

Can't you just hear her excuse once she flunks out? "A certain someone who I bullied into continuing our phony marriage for months on end because I wanted fame and money more than I wanted to be a healthy and honest role model for my children who will remain unnamed because I am too much of a class act to publicly throw my children's father under the bus made me lose."

This couldn't possibly be about wanting that DWTS winner bonus, could it?

Here's a novel idea, Kate: How about just practicing as hard as you can, performing to the best of your ability during the live shows, and then either being thankful you're safe for another week or accepting it gracefully if you're voted off, the way any reasonable, and mature adult would do?

Because if you win by soliciting oodles of telephone votes instead of actually winning by fair and honest competition, you haven't really won, just like we as honest and responsible role models teach our children, right?

Kate's New Man

No Drama Mama has kindly graced us with this link about Kate's new love.

Time will only tell, but this story strikes me as true because this man seems exactly like the type Kate would be attracted to. He's energetic, manly, and a big fish in a little bowl (although personally he looks to me like he'd fit right in with the guys from Jersey Shore.)

Wonder if he would be attracted to her if she didn't have a new show coming up on TLC? A woman recently divorced with eight children is not exactly a hot commodity here in Berks County. Sure hope he likes kids.

More "Reality" To Look Forward To

Confirmed.

So much for spending time with the kids, not drawing media attention to yourself, and staying close to home rather than traveling all over the country.

And on top of that, ewwww, the article refers to her as a "reality superstar." Talk about an oxymoron.

Kate's New Look

Kate's new look. Vote ~ pro or con?

Kate on Leno Tonight

Kate will be on Jay Leno tonight at 10 PM, EST. Be there or be squa...er...home with your kids caring about them first, foremost and always, like you said you are.

Kate~A Most Fascinating Person~One of Ten!

Kate Gosselin is one of Barbara Walter's Ten Most Fascinating People of 2009 on her annual special, tonight at 10PM EST on ABC-TV. Will this be another example of how Kate says she's taking the high road rather than embarrassing herself "like a certain someone" while she's embarrassing herself and taking the low road by making not-so-subtle stabs at her husband on national television? Or will this be another example of Kate being on national television like she was on the Ellen Degeneres Show taped in California, talking about how she's being a regular mom at home with her kids instead of jet-setting all over being on national television like a certain someone? Or will this be another calculated foot in the door toward her own talk show on national television, which if she gets she will have to do from the humble town of Wernersville PA if she plans to do it without jet setting all over the world while her children are home again with the nannies? One thing's for sure, Kate - if you want the attention to stop, stop feeding the beast. It will be interesting to see tonight's display of good mothering and taking the high road. Watch it and then come back to discuss.

Faster Than a Speeding Kate Gosselin

The story I heard was last Thursday night Jon was "flirting it up" with a server at Wyomissing's Viva, and then after the bar closed he took two (implied hot) girls out to breakfast at 2:30 AM. The following morning he was in Phila at 9 AM for a walk on autism. Then that afternoon he was back in the Reading area, where he "eyed up" the waitresses while having lunch at Hooters.

Here's what bothers me about these reports. What is "flirting it up?" What is "eyeing up?" What's wrong with meeting new people and going out to eat with them after the bars close? And although I am certainly far from a fan of Hooters, let's face it, it ain't about owls.

At this point I really question if Jon can go anywhere without people looking to see if he's trying to stick Mr. Happy somewhere it shouldn't be.

Here's what really offends me: Kate's driver going over 100 MPH to lose photogs the other day, with Kate and the kids in the vehicle. Guess what, Kate? You can't promote yourself all over America and then come home - even to little Wernersville PA - and expect to be invisible. What do you want? Do you want to be a brand, with the photographers and lack of privacy that lifestyle entails? Or do you want to be a regular citizen who can go places without being followed? By now you surely know you can't have it both ways. But whichever way you want it, don't endanger your kids' lives and the life of their mother by playing stupid games with your children inside four tons of steel hurtling at 105 miles per hour.