Before They Were Housewives: LuAnn

[RHJunkie]

The main points that stuck out to me:

-Luann was stunning (she's still beautiful now) but looking at the old footage, I don't think she had to try too much to get the attention of the people she wanted.

-I thought her mother was so sweet that running back into a burning home, her most precious items were the photographs of her children. 

-Luann definitely had ideas of grandeur and she set her sights on making that a reality. While I would definitely say she's a social climber, I get the impression that the relationships that she made along the way have been genuine. She may have a criteria of man that she was looking for, but I don't think she saddled down with any one of her long term relationships for the sake of the riches and fanciness. I think she kept searching until she found men that she genuinely was attracted to and loved. Social climbing isn't necessarily used a flattering attribute but I'll at least give her credit for having real relationships in the process (only my opinion of course). 

-She has certainly lived an exciting and adventurous life. For all of the work that she put into having the lifestyle that she had (and still has), her curiosity and willingness to take risks take some credit for that as well. 

-Any woman that can be so candid about her life, even sharing details that she can be interpreted (or flat out obvious) that others can judge her negatively, that kind of woman has to have a lot of confidence in herself. Whether you like her for it or not. 

-I think most of the HW show good and bad attributes and given the nature of the show, you often get to see the bad attributes take centre stage - each season there has to be at least one that will be the target. I really like that they put together this show that shows a softer side of a HW (though the editing was odd). 

[Jextella]

I posted on another board that context is everything.

LuAnne's background explains a ton.  I was never quite sure if I liked her or didn't like her, but now it's offical. I'm a fan.  A big fan.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Jextella

[hoodooznoodooz]

No comments regarding the Count in drag?

I guess I still don't see what is or was so charming about her. Whenever she makes a "joke" and then laughs at her own joke, I never find the humor intelligent or original or interesting. 

[Umbelina]

Well, she squirts.

[ivygirl]

If anything I think Luann is prettier NOW.

[chewycandy]

Augh, the count in drag!! That was scaaary.

Yeah, her laughing at her own jokes always bugged, but I thought it was adorable when she cracked up at the part in her journal where she wrote "you always wanted to take a trip alone, so relax and enjoy it, you big stupid!" I want to hear that whole journal as a bedtime story :) 

[Almost 3000]

13 minutes ago, ivygirl said:

If anything I think Luann is prettier NOW.

I think its her teeth. She had nice work done. I always think its the first thing to fix in a beauty upgrade NOT boobs. Ramona do you hear me?

[jumper sage]

On 6/23/2016 at 1:11 AM, MinDC76 said:

 

If Luann had an ounce of self-awareness, she would not have been surprised that Honey Child "turned" on her!  They were clearly cut from the same cloth in terms of using people for their own gain.  Honey Child used Luann, just as Luann used her, but when push came to shove, HC showed her disdain for someone she felt was beneath her, just has Lu has done a multitude of times.

 

Wasn't it the Count who told her that Honey Child tried to stop the wedding and spoke poorly of her?  I wouldn't put that on Luann.  

 

5 hours ago, KFC said:

You reminded me of another reason why I enjoyed Lu's special. There's a level of candor there that I appreciated. I still want to see one on Sonja and LVP, but I fear Sonja might be too confused to separate fact from fiction, and Lisa Vanderpump is far too concerned with cultivating an image to ever be as forthcoming as Luann was last night.

I was surprised at how candid she was.  I really enjoyed her family.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I've previously said that LuAnn would be the one HoWife I'd like to have a beer with and that hasn't changed.  I still think she'd be the most fun to hang out with in real life.

[Gaily]

I watched this again last night (yes, I am a repeat Housewife episode watcher as I need to analyze the details) after Mr. Gaily went to bed and I was struck by the following:

1. She really, really loved the Count and called him the "love of her life."  A couple of people mentioned that for all of her social climbing, her relationships are genuine and I really believe that's true.  It must have hurt like hell when the Count left her but she kept it together and remained friends with him.

2.  I loved her mother and brother too -- at the end of the day, Luann comes from "good stock" which I find more impressive that her Countess title.

3.  She really loved being a mom.  I always thought that she never really liked parenting all that much based on the early episodes of RHNY when she would leave her kids with Rosie to go out to parties and benefits at night.  Rosie even commented that she should stay home more. But I think Luann needs a career and active social life to be happy -- she's very much a "on the go" type of person.  But I do think she is devoted to Noel and Victoria.

4.  When she talked about her modeling days, she freely admitted she had the bottom of the barrel type jobs of handing out flyers and going to trade shows.  That made me love her -- she has a sense of humor about herself -- something that some of the other prideful housewives are sorely lacking.

5.  Yup, she loves men and sex. She's a huge, accomplished flirt and relishes every minute of it.  

Sorry but this special episode really cemented my love for her.  I think she puts a lot of the other housewives to shame.

[FamilyVan]

Quote

it did sound odd and at the same time oddly encouraging to young women who aren't an "est".  At least she didn't add the youngest to the list of what Luann wasn't. To me, that s what makes Luann unsinkable.  If she could not earn money as a top notch model she would do the trade shows and pass out fliers.  That woman is probably more representative of Luann's true friends-not a RH friend.  I wanted to hear more from her journal and thought it interesting she journaled and saved them.

I don't even think this friend was giving her shade, I think Luanne would agree, she was not the prettiest.  And I agree with the message of just putting yourself out there and trying it.  She signed up for that pageant and competed with women who were probably doing pageants since their teens.  But she signed up and tried.  She would have never gotten the model contract if she did not show up for the contest.  She didn't worry or think no I'm not good enough, she went for it.  I don't really see her as social climbing, I really think she was just doing what she wanted and having fun.  She fought hard to make it work in Europe because she did not want the alternative, to go back home to CT.

I thought this special was fascinating.  And I agree with whoever mentioned earlier, she looks fantastic now and has aged really well vs. her friends. Loved seeing her kids as babies, Victoria was beautiful!

I know for myself personally, I never moved away, I never traveled abroad, I was close to my family and was scared to leave my comfort zone and venture out.  I did not even do a study abroad in college.  I wanted to stay in the little suburban town and live pretty much the same way I grew up.  She was not afraid and did not limit herself and therefore led a fabulous jet-set life.  It's not the path for everyone but good for her!

[biakbiak]

47 minutes ago, MyAimIsTrue said:

I've previously said that LuAnn would be the one HoWife I'd like to have a beer with and that hasn't changed.  I still think she'd be the most fun to hang out with in real life.

I will say for me it's been changed to a nice meal in the Alps with some great wines!

Edited June 24, 2016 by biakbiak

[zoeysmom]

Before Bethenny's appearance on WWHL, she was nice enough to tweet to Luann: "I love the @CountessLuann special.  Very endearing.

[Yours Truly]

15 hours ago, HumblePi said:

Maybe I'm just an old fashioned woman with some remnants of puritanical beliefs but I still have very little regard for any woman who uses her sex solely for wealth, power or social advancement. Sure, it's done all the time by both men and women, but I don't feel I have to condone Luann's past behavior and and hide my disapproval just because she's in a television reality show. When Luann said "I can't forget the men in my life that helped me get where I had to go", well that just validated all that I ever believed about Luann.

Luann boasted of her connections to profoundly rich, politically connected and world famous people like Silvio Burlisconi, (who I wouldn't brag about being 'connected' with). Yet she said to Heather; "I can't tell you how many women I've had to get rid of in my life who tried to back stab me and steal my husband". Luann was Alexandre's fourth wife. I guess his 3rd wife wasn't as good a getting rid of women who wanted her husband. But, what goes around comes around and in 2009 she split with Alexandre because he was having an affair with an Ethiopian princess Kemeria Abajobir Abajifar. Luann found out about their affair through an email that Alex sent her letting her know.

When I see a woman such as Luann talking about how glamorous her life was and is, and how many rich and distinguished men she's been with, and how many celebrities she has rubbed elbows. Then she tells a joke like this; "do you know why pubic hairs are curly? Because if they were straight, they'd poke you in the eye". It makes me wonder what Luann meant exactly when she recorded and videoed her (cough) song 'Money Can't Buy You Class'? Was she mocking herself or is she really that delusional to think she has any of it?

I think it might have been a little bit of both. Which is what I like about Lu. Plus, she's actually in a position to have a valid opinion since she was also from some small town in Conneticut so she knows that it wasn't money that brought her where she ended up since she didn't have any. And it wasn't just sex either. She worked on herself, learned from everything around her. She paid attention and she applied plenty of what she learned from others. She took all of her experiences and used everything she learned as a way to fit in, to network, to put herself out there. She wasn't just splayed spread eagle hoping the richest most connected man would run through, grab her hand and take her to the next level. Did it work out like that some of the time... Hey.... well it is what it is but I didn't think any of those moments were deliberate or contrived so there's that.

If it was just her banging people I could get on board with the whole "shameful" angle but she went there with very little and happened to come across opportunities. Did those opportunities come about because she's a beautiful woman. I would say so but she still did her best to deliver a product. She worked behind the scenes didn't shy away from bold opportunities (pretending to be Sharon Stone?) and went in front of the cameras with hastily learned Italian speaking about a sport she had little interest of. That takes guts and determination. Most people would be too self conscious or nervous or resistant to take such risks. I admire anyone who can take life by storm like that. Throw caution to the wind and just jump off  that high cliff. No I don't agree that all of her good fortune was delivered to her because she was ruthless and conniving. I think she got what she got because she was a risk taker, brave and thoughtful about how to utilize each learning experience and turning it into the next adventure. There's a difference between a women who uses her vagina for all these things and women who snatches up what is offered her all the while contributing to her own betterment along the way. I think Lu earned a big chunk of her lifestyle just as much as a lot of it was given to her. She doesn't seem to pretend that it all happened all through her own devices. Man I really loved this special. There are only specific housewives that I would like to see a Before they were housewives special.

[Almost 3000]

49 minutes ago, Yours Truly said:

There are only specific housewives that I would like to see a Before they were housewives special.

Who are they? I have a small handful that I've already mentioned and a few might surprise me.

[zoeysmom]

In the forever mentioned Luann situation with her telling Bethenny she would prefer to be introduced to the driver as Mrs. de Lesseps, Luann didn't say it was because of her Countess lifestyle, she said it was the way she was raised.  Although I am sure it was probably pretty wild at times with nine people sharing a bathroom, there had to be some semblance of manners that were taught to the Nadeau children early on.  So I never really understood why they hung Luann and her Countess' personality over her.  To me they were just pretty straightforward manners, apparently not taught by wolves.  In the special she gave a hint as to how the Queen of Spain led by example on how to greet her.  So essentially she was letting us know you let the Queen take the lead.

[zoeysmom]

6 minutes ago, Almost 3000 said:

Who are they? I have a small handful that I've already mentioned and a few might surprise me.

I think the "Before They Were Housewives" will probably be used as more of a contract negotiating tool.  Like the wedding specials and spin-offs. 

My guess who would be interesting:  Heather Dubrow, maybe Shannon OC, Sonja NY-if she is able to keep it non-fiction, LVP and most likely Kim and Kyle (they would have to do it together), Eileen, Rinna, no one from NJ is remotely interesting, Cynthia Bailey.  So I don't see everyone getting one as some of them had pretty unremarkable lives prior to their RH careers.  The problem with Rinna is she has pretty much been in front of the cameras forever.

[njbchlover]

14 minutes ago, zoeysmom said:

I think the "Before They Were Housewives" will probably be used as more of a contract negotiating tool.  Like the wedding specials and spin-offs. 

My guess who would be interesting:  Heather Dubrow, maybe Shannon OC, Sonja NY-if she is able to keep it non-fiction, LVP and most likely Kim and Kyle (they would have to do it together), Eileen, Rinna, no one from NJ is remotely interesting, Cynthia Bailey.  So I don't see everyone getting one as some of them had pretty unremarkable lives prior to their RH careers.  The problem with Rinna is she has pretty much been in front of the cameras forever.

Does anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, this special was a sticking point with Bethenny (and maybe Carole, too), with their ongoing vendetta against Luann this season?  

I get the whole Carole/Luann argument from last season, and their twitter wars or whatever, but could there also be an underlying jealousy that they were not considered for a "Before They Were Housewives" specials of their own?

Carole did have a pretty interesting life before the RHNY, with her news background and the Radziwill/Kennnedy connections, and Bethenny, well, I think she just thinks everyone, everywhere wants to know about how "she was raised by wolves", and she absolutely thinks she is the STAR of the show.  

I'm assuming that the other women knew that this special about Luann was being filmed, so I'm just wondering if anyone else thinks the way I do.   :-)

[NewDigs]

I'm not so sure that Bethy would want a BTWH special. Not unless she controls the narrative. 'Cuz I don't think she had it as badly off as she purports.

[zoeysmom]

39 minutes ago, njbchlover said:

Does anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, this special was a sticking point with Bethenny (and maybe Carole, too), with their ongoing vendetta against Luann this season?  

I get the whole Carole/Luann argument from last season, and their twitter wars or whatever, but could there also be an underlying jealousy that they were not considered for a "Before They Were Housewives" specials of their own?

Carole did have a pretty interesting life before the RHNY, with her news background and the Radziwill/Kennnedy connections, and Bethenny, well, I think she just thinks everyone, everywhere wants to know about how "she was raised by wolves", and she absolutely thinks she is the STAR of the show.  

I'm assuming that the other women knew that this special about Luann was being filmed, so I'm just wondering if anyone else thinks the way I do.   :-)

According to Luann's Vulture interview with Brian Moylan, Luann doesn't believe they knew. http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-city/season-2/videos/gov-patterson-and-ramona  I am going to say with the lack of commentary from the other RH they are a bit miffed.  Only Bethenny sent out a tweet and called the special "endearing" and I wonder if it had more to do with her appearing on WWHL, immediately following the show.  That is why when people assume Luann went crawling back after holding out, I believe she is busy negotiating a better deal unique to her. 

Bethenny has already had her bio on E!.  It was unremarkable just a lot of broken romances and her runaway bride persona.  Sadly, so much of Carole's past is tied to deceased people.  Carole has had her book and her pre-RHONY days have been pretty well documented on the show and it is so long ago.  It could not hurt though because she is incredibly boring.  I remember last year when Bethenny was cautioning Ramona about writing her book because it was a finished story (she was still back and forth with Mario), Carole is kind of in the same boat with her committed/uncommitted relationship with Adam and writing career on the back burner.

I think maybe the interesting one would be Dorinda.  She and her late husband knew a lot of important people.

[Natalie68]

14 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

No comments regarding the Count in drag?

I guess I still don't see what is or was so charming about her. Whenever she makes a "joke" and then laughs at her own joke, I never find the humor intelligent or original or interesting. 

What struck me is how she seemed to *me* to be a user of men to get what she wanted.  While one has to give her credit for playing that game well I respect women who do it on their own and not by sleeping with men to reach ones goals.  I guess those extra teeth came in handy!

[Umbelina]

Carole's might be interesting, she had a pretty interesting career and traveled to war zones, also I think she was a pretty average person, but married into the whole Kennedy dynamic.  I doubt she'd be comfortable sharing anything more than what she shared in her book, or the tidbits we've had about her step mother on the show though.

Not interested in Kyle or LVP at all, both married young and well and had kids.  We've heard Kyle's version of her sainted mommy, no thanks.  Meh.  I only watch BH and NY (and maybe not BH anymore after this past season...yawn,) so I can't really comment on other show wives.  Sticking to NY though?

Sonja's would be GREAT, if she isn't prohibited from much of it by legal crap.  She really traveled in the super wealthy circles, and her homes, OMG, talk about house porn! 

Bethenny?  nah, what don't we know about her past, pretty much nothing, since she's already been open about things.  Heather bored me, sorry, nice woman, but I have very little interest in watching an infomercial for Yummie, and we already know about her son, isn't her husband in some major lawsuit/scandal right now?  Jill Zarin wrote a book detailing how she made her money and earns her jewelry, blow jobs.  No thanks.  Jules' story with her various eating disorders might be interesting, but more of an after school special thing.  Ramona?  Maybe, she actually made her own life before marriage, I think she was good at her job, but really, an hour of Ramona?  Probably not.  Dorinda?  More talk of her brief marriage to the rich guy, or life with the dry cleaner?  Nah.

For me anyway, the only "wife" I can think of that might be interesting is Sonja? 

Would she talk about her adventures with crabs though?  I doubt it.

Edited June 24, 2016 by Umbelina

[Jextella]

I would also love to see Sonja's story.  Her days as a restaurant concierge (is that what her title was?!) and how she landed the husband she did would be fascinating.  Talk about NYC!

I'm not a Bethany fan but I would like to learn more about her mother and father - and how Bethany grew up and managed to meet the Richards.

I'm totally disinterested in Kyle in general but what I would love is for the 3 sisters to sit in private rooms and share their own version of growing up.  I'd bet we'd hear 3 drastically different experiences.  I would find it really interesting.  Would be good for them to talk about their careers too.  Again, I'll bet all 3 see things differently. Could be therapeutic for them.  

Edited June 24, 2016 by Jextella

[njbchlover]

52 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

Carole's might be interesting, she had a pretty interesting career and traveled to war zones, also I think she was a pretty average person, but married into the whole Kennedy dynamic.  I doubt she'd be comfortable sharing anything more than what she shared in her book, or the tidbits we've had about her step mother on the show though.

Not interested in Kyle or LVP at all, both married young and well and had kids.  We've heard Kyle's version of her sainted mommy, no thanks.  Meh.  I only watch BH and NY (and maybe not BH anymore after this past season...yawn,) so I can't really comment on other show wives.  Sticking to NY though?

Sonja's would be GREAT, if she isn't prohibited from much of it by legal crap.  She really traveled in the super wealthy circles, and her homes, OMG, talk about house porn! 

Bethenny?  nah, what don't we know about her past, pretty much nothing, since she's already been open about things.  Heather bored me, sorry, nice woman, but I have very little interest in watching an infomercial for Yummie, and we already know about her son, isn't her husband in some major lawsuit/scandal right now?  Jill Zarin wrote a book detailing how she made her money and earns her jewelry, blow jobs.  No thanks.  Jules' story with her various eating disorders might be interesting, but more of an after school special thing.  Ramona?  Maybe, she actually made her own life before marriage, I think she was good at her job, but really, an hour of Ramona?  Probably not.  Dorinda?  More talk of her brief marriage to the rich guy, or life with the dry cleaner?  Nah.

For me anyway, the only "wife" I can think of that might be interesting is Sonja? 

Would she talk about her adventures with crabs though?  I doubt it.

Well, she might, but she would preface it by saying that she got them while on the same yacht with P.Diddy or Madonna, or when she was skiing in Gstaad with the Sultan of Brunei.     ;-)

[ElDosEquis]

6 hours ago, MyAimIsTrue said:

I've previously said that LuAnn would be the one HoWife I'd like to have a beer with and that hasn't changed.  I still think she'd be the most fun to hang out with in real life.

I'd buy her a whole six pack, get her drunk and take her home and bang her.

Dressed as a pirate, of course.

[ElDosEquis]

5 hours ago, zoeysmom said:

Before Bethenny's appearance on WWHL, she was nice enough to tweet to Luann: "I love the @CountessLuann special.  Very endearing.

@thebitchfromhell, At least my uterus works. Fuck you.

[Umbelina]

The thing about Sonja is she really did all of those things, hobnobbed with the uber rich on the reg.  Hearing her talk about it now as if it's her current reality, as she's done on the show in the past is an issue, but hearing about it in that kind of special, as in past tense?  Could be really fascinating. 

https://www.halstead.com/sale/ct/stamford/140-wallacks-drive/house/99046191 

I think this was one of their island homes.

I wish I could find that article I saw years ago, showcasing some of the homes around the world, it was jaw dropping.

[zoeysmom]

8 minutes ago, Umbelina said:

The thing about Sonja is she really did all of those things, hobnobbed with the uber rich on the reg.  Hearing her talk about it now as if it's her current reality, as she's done on the show in the past is an issue, but hearing about it in that kind of special, as in past tense?  Could be really fascinating. 

https://www.halstead.com/sale/ct/stamford/140-wallacks-drive/house/99046191 

I think this was one of their island homes.

I wish I could find that article I saw years ago, showcasing some of the homes around the world, it was jaw dropping.

Thanks for the slide show-lovely home.  I was surprised at the price not much more than what Luann fetched for her house that was torn down.

I don't see where there would be any legal problems with Sonja discussing her life and former homes.  Where Luann had the advantage is she tells a good story.  That was half the charm of the special.  Of course the video of she and Count arriving at her brother's helped the story along.  Quincy is 16 or so now and has been photographed publicly with her mom on step and repeats.  http://allthingsrh.com/meet-sonja-morgans-daughter-quincy-adams/  She is a very cute girl.

[Umbelina]

I bet the old coot has something written into his daughter's inheritance that prevents Sonja from as much of his money as he can manage.  Maybe an allowance until Sonja dies or something, he really seems to hate her.  Still, he's 80 something now, so she should inherit soon.  Maybe she'll share with mommy?

[hoodooznoodooz]

The clip of Lu yelling into the phone, "Mrs. De Lesseps--Countess De Lesseps!" still makes me uncomfortable. 

[zoeysmom]

16 hours ago, Umbelina said:

I bet the old coot has something written into his daughter's inheritance that prevents Sonja from as much of his money as he can manage.  Maybe an allowance until Sonja dies or something, he really seems to hate her.  Still, he's 80 something now, so she should inherit soon.  Maybe she'll share with mommy?

The old coot is 86 and has one son born 1954 (age 62) and a daughter with Sonja, Quincy (age 16).  Most likely Quincy's inheritance is set up that she has a trust and inherits and certain ages, 25, 30 and 35 years old.  The old coot was claiming during Sonja's bankruptcy hearings he was "destitute" maybe he passed along his business interests to his son.  Hopefully, the daughter has a healthy relationship with her father and he doesn't exercise behavior that is punitive to his daughter to spite Sonja.

[Sheenieb]

Quote

Again, her life seems to be a whole lot of right time, right place and not some crude design (with a bit of determination thrown in). Actually there are more people out there who are considered "ambitious" when they shrewdly tackle the business world and that's admirable. Do it in a social setting, working with your strengths in a more intimate environment and it's frowned upon.  Although some parts did come across rather heavy handed I couldn't help but shrug it off cause that's how it went down. She also made it clear in a lot of her stories that she wasn't always the heavy hitter and that she was just lucky to be rolling with some cool people. She's even pretty matter a fact about not really doing anything too grand to have gotten a couple of her opportunities to begin with. It's not like she was embellishing trying to present it like she achieved some great feat. I mean you can tell that she's proud that her determination to just go for it brought her all of her good fortune but she doesn't try to package it as something genius or more clever than it actually was. Half the time she seemed amazed that all of that fell into her lap. LOL.

That's what I enjoyed about it, too. Lu not only had the benefit of being in the right place at the right time, but she was a quick study. That's how she was able to really move up in social circles. I don't think it was solely just about using sex. The people in that world are used to hanger-ons and social climbers who sex their way into the club, shit, they probably did it themselves, but that can't be enough. You have to have some type of smarts to have staying power.

I'm probably one of the few people who actually liked that Woody Allen movie Match Point. I'll always appreciate the line Chris Wilton said about luck: "The man who said 'I'd rather be lucky than good' saw deeply into life. People are afraid to face how great a part of life is dependent on luck. It's scary to think so much is out of one's control. There are moments in a match when the ball hits the top of the net, and for a split second, it can either go forward or fall back. With a little luck, it goes forward, and you win. Or maybe it doesn't, and you lose."

I like that she recognized that most of her good fortune did fall into her lap. However, her tenacity can't be ignored, either. She could've gave up after modeling in Milan didn't work out. Realize that the high life was over and go back home to her nursing duties, but because she's adventurous, she realized a good opportunity when she saw one in regards to the pageant. I'm usually very annoyed with pretentious people; especially when they come from humble beginnings and get some shine in their lives either through marriage or luck, but I could never stay mad at Luann. She's fun and interesting. Though she did lose me a bit with her Carole feud.

I'd like to see a before they were housewives special with Cynthia Bailey and Carole. Carole's might not happen since her story is well-known, but she's had an interesting life as well. Cynthia's I'd look more forward to seeing since I find the inner workings of the modeling/fashion scene fascinating as hell. I'd want to know how she'd got into the business, how in the hell she met Peter, and what happened with her and Leon.

[Aethera]

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