Skinnydipping: An Evening with Bethenny Frankel
Bethenny Frankel is at the top of her game. Her talk show is set to premiere Friday, June 11th, her Skinnygirl Cocktails line has expanded to include vodka, wine and even a new cocktail flavor: Pina Colada, and in most recent news, her latest book, Skinnydipping is on the New York Times Best Seller List. Frankel visited Bookends, in Ridgewood, NJ last night as part of her Skinnydipping book tour and was accompanied by her entourage that included Dwayne Callender, her driver, Jackie Lagratta, her assistant, and “RaRa,” her friend and the woman she asked to be Bryn’s caretaker should anything happen to her and Jason.
Frankel arrived at Bookends promptly at 7PM. Dwayne circled the store in a black Mercedes as she waved at eager fans waiting on line. Dressed in jeans, a blazer in her signature red, and white shirt, accented with navy blue Brian Atwood maniac pumps (which she later displayed on her signing table), Frankel stretched her arms in the air and cheered at fans, showing the bold personality we have all come to know and love. The line gradually moved inside and soon we were in the basement room where Frankel signed autographs alongside her pumps, her assistant Jackie, and an unfamiliar face (possibly a new assistant and member of the Skinnygirl team?)
After watching Frankel on three seasons of Bethenny Ever After, I felt like I had known her for years as I introduced myself. Never one to hold back, I explained to her that Skinnydipping had big shoes to fill since it is the first book I am reading after the Fifty Shades trilogy, which we Renegade Chicks love, but that it was definitely doing it for me, as I have loved every second of what I have read so far. I was able to share with her some of my favorite parts including the dedication, which we tweeted about here, and a line from the novel that I even had to flag because I can’t get enough of. In the novel, protagonist Faith Brightstone describes her uncomfortable thong during a date by saying: “Can someone please tell me why we spend our entire childhoods trying to dig our underwear out of our asses, and our entire adulthoods trying to put it back in there?” This line is absolutely hysterical and as I read it, I could almost hear Bethenny’s voice. Her animated response to my comment was exactly what I was thinking when I first read that line, “Isn’t it so true though?”
My brief meeting with Frankel is yet another confirmation of why we love her brutal honesty, and her no holds barred attitude. It is also the reason why her novel, Skinnydipping is so outrageously funny and entertaining to read. If you haven’t picked it up, we strongly suggest it as it is 100% Renegade Recommended. The story is Frankel’s fiction debut, and chronicles the life of Faith Brightstone, an aspiring actress that moves to L.A. determined to have it all, but soon realizes that life in L.A. is not as glamorous as she expected. Faith moves back to New York, where things begin to look up and she lands a spot on a reality TV show hosted by her idol. Through it all, Faith faces the highs and lows of the dating world, and fans will be eager to learn how Faith’s personal and professional life unfolds.
If you want more of Frankel like us Renegade Chicks, don’t forget to watch Bethenny’s new talk show which premieres June 11th. Find out on what channel and when it’s on here. We can’t wait!
Avid Bravo fan? If you’re in the New Jersey area, catch Andy Cohen at Bookends in Ridgewood, NJ tonight at 7PM. He will be signing his new book, Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture.
