BY RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com, originally filed March 5, 2011
Bethenny Frankel would have no shot on “America’s Got Talent.” She can’t sing. She can’t dance. She can’t play basketball on a unicycle.
But she’s got a concert date March 11 at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre.
What is she going to actually do? What she does best: Talk.
She’ll tell funny anecdotes about her new husband Jason and baby Bryn, plus her long-time issues with food. She’ll gossip. She’ll candidly answer questions. She is going to be Brand Bethenny, the brassy woman fans embraced on “The Real Housewives of New York City” and two Bravo spin-off shows “Bethenny Getting Married?” and the new “Bethenny Ever After,” which debuted Feb. 28.
“I absolutely love” the tour, said Frankel in a phone interview from a beach in Miami late last month while taking a break from her nine-city run. She cradled her baby daughter, who is nine months old. “I love talking about women’s issues.”
The interview was interrupted by the consequences of her fame: paparazzi. “They come like vultures,” she griped. “It’s very annoying!”
Frankel, who landed on the cover of Us magazine that week, then told hotel staff: “Can you please get those camera guys away? Yah… that bald guy. I really want some privacy. I have my baby here!”
Okay, back to business: she does not script her show, though she has particular stories she likes to tell. “Every night is different,” she said. “I just kind of wing it. I’m not a script kind of girl.”
In fact, back in the 1990s, Frankel actually tried to become an actress, garnering roles in low-budget films such “Hollywood Hills 90028.” But in 2005, she realized her home was reality TV when she came in second on “Apprentice: Martha Stewart.” Three years later, she landed on “Real Housewives of New York City,” quickly becoming the most memorable, most likable personality.
Though the reality show gave her a major headache, she has no regrets because it led to her husband and a raft of new career opportunities such as her two books, an exercise DVD and Skinnygirl Margaritas. She even tried ABC’s “Skating With the Stars” last fall, finishing second thanks more to her fan base votes than her skills.
“Real Housewives was not one of the best experiences of my life,” Franel said, “but it was one of the best decisions in my life.”
And despite her incredibly busy life, she said her baby keeps her sane. “She’s just pure. Everything about her is just good,” she said. And her husband Jason grounds her: “He’s patient. He comes from truth. He has all the right priorities.”
Do you want two free tickets? My colleague Jennifer Brett has them available if you comment on her blog entry about Bethenny by Thursday, March 3, at noon!
IF YOU GO
Bethenny Frankel
Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
8 p.m., March 11
$36.50 to $84.40 after fees
www.ticketmaster.com
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