When I grow up, I want to be just like Kim. Not! Kim Kardashian (KimK), in fact her entire family, has taught the world that big money can be made from pulling endless publicity stunts. And who can blame them? Obviously astute business persons, they looked around and saw a niche in the celebrity-gawking suite and went for it. They made themselves into celebrities (they are famous for being famous) and the rest as they say is history.
Prior to 2007, no one really knew the Kardashians. Google the name today and it would take at least a year to go through all of the results that belch up. The reality show ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ or one of its spinoffs has been on E! Network consistently since 2007; clearly they have a following.
But back to KimK; she has masterfully surpassed her entire family over the past few months in becoming quite a household name for all the wrong reasons, but reportedly is making tons of money doing it.
On August 20, this year, KimK, 31, married Kris Humphries, 26, a basketball player with the New Jersey Nets in a huge ceremony before some 500 guests. According to reports—various sums quoted in various media—the wedding cost somewhere between US$10 million and US$20 million. It was KimK’s second marriage and Kris’s first.
Usually a wedding the size of KimK’s costs an arm and a leg and would send the average person into bankruptcy. Not KimK though; she reeled in free invitations, free wedding gown, free champagne, free catering and goodness knows what else.
E! Network, had the exclusive rights to the ‘show’ – ‘Kim’s Fairytale Wedding’— which we’re 100% sure KimK did not give for free, and began airing it as soon after the nuptials were completed. According to reports, millions around the world tuned in, gawking on their televisions, their computers and their phones.
Seventy-two days later on October 31, while E! was still airing her fairy tale wedding Kim filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. She timed it just right. The last big story had been the death of Gaddafi. People were looking for the next one. Masterstroke!
Will E! also have the exclusive on the divorce? We wonder.
Seriously though, if the divorce goes through, KimK and Kris would have dated for longer than they have been married, since they reportedly started dating in October 2010.
We can’t help but wonder too, how many of the 72 days they were together KimK and Kris would have spent trying to reconcile their differences, which marriage counsellor they saw and how many sessions they had. In their fake reality lives the Kardashians trivialize everything;\, marriage is just the latest casualty.
Kim Kardashian may be able to pull her rehearsed sad and serious look in front of the cameras and pretend she’s not hearing the chi-ching from this latest manoeuvre, but just who is she kidding? Oh yes, Kris Humphries. He looks like he doesn’t know what hit him. But he’s got at least one reason to be thankful to Kim. Her mother told interviewers on ABC’s ‘The View’ talk show, that Kim is keeping the US$2 million engagement ring Kris gave her, because it was a gift and no one returns a gift. But that’s not the real reason; we know why Kim’s keeping it. Even with all their differences she still loves Kris and is trying to spare him a cat boil! (thescene@stabroeknews.com)
