Ira chats with Danny Pellegrino about his experience at BravoCon in Vegas. Countess Luann de Lesseps joins to discuss RHONY Legacy, Welcome to Crappie Lake, her cabaret show, and more.

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TRANSCRIPT

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Ira Madison III And we are back for another installment of Keep It Real. I have the wonderful Danny Pellegrino joining me again this week, twice this week on Keep It.

Danny Pellegrino My luck.

Ira Madison III And I need you now to first of all, fill me in because I was sick and I could not make Bravocon last weekend. How was it? Because you weren’t at the one last year? I was in the New York one and now you got to go to the Vegas one, which looked like it was giving like a blockbuster movie sequel. It was like, bigger sets, more bravolebrity.

Danny Pellegrino Yes. And I had only been to the. Well, hey, buddy, it’s so good to see you again. I just I, I had only been to the first year, so I missed the second year, but so I was only comparing it to that first year. But it did seem like Bravo kind of on steroids in the best way. It was, so much was going on. I liked that everything was in like one location, so it didn’t feel so spread out like it does often in New York, or at least I’ve heard from the last year in New York as well. And so I thought it was a great time. And the my only one complaint is that the lighting was kind of all over the place. And so it’s like with pictures, with the housewives and stuff, everybody looks so different in every different lighting. It’s like they need to work that out for maybe next year. But other than that, I thought everything was like so smooth. I thought the panels were great. I thought the access to Bravo celebrities was really fun. Just like walking around and seeing people walk around, whether it be even in the casinos or the hotels, you saw people walking around or at the actual convention center. A lot of people were walking around. So I thought it was so much fun and really well-organized. It didn’t seem to be any hiccups in tech or backstage or any of those kinds of things, at least that I noticed. So I thought it was so fun. I was disappointed you weren’t there because I was so excited to have some cocktails with you. But next year.

Ira Madison III I know I would have loved to hit the craps table too, with one of the housewives. But now tell me about. So you hosted the O.C. panel, right?

Danny Pellegrino Yeah, I did. The Orange County and the Miami panels. And those are really fun. And it was a challenge on stage. It is hard because the crowds are so loud and excited and wrestling. It is like.

Ira Madison III Those people are screaming constantly. It’s sort of like it’s very British reality TV. Like, I don’t know if it was like a lot of British stuff. I’m watching Big Brother UK right now and if you’ve seen like regular, even clips of regular Big Brother, it’s just like it’s just Julie Chen and it’s audience and you know, like Julie Chen will shoot you if you scream while she is talking. But for UK Big Brother, while they’re doing the show, while they’re doing live evictions, like the audience is screaming and they’re going like, get Paul out, get like they’re screaming things.

Danny Pellegrino Oh my God.

Ira Madison III At the contestants. And I feel like Bravo, can’t. It’s just that there’s people screaming at people. There’s people. I saw so many clips of people going up to the mic and asking Wild as Hell questions like, Where do you get So even like the balls to go up and ask like someone, like when asking Kyle, like, when are you going to get your head out of Teddy’s ass?

Danny Pellegrino I know people are so bold to an audience. I was very lucky for my two panels. The audience. The questions were great. I thought it was a tricky balance. I have to watch Big Brother now because that sounds amazing. But I Yeah, it was challenging on stage to hear because you have an earpiece in and then connected and then all of the housewives are there. And for both of my panels, it was like the housewives plus the friend obvs. So it was a very large group of people, plus a loud crowd. So it was hard to really hear it as well as I think it would have. I would have liked to all that was going on. But otherwise I thought everything went really well. And those questions from the audience, I kind of felt like moderating. The best idea was to like go into the panel and ask those questions that everyone wanted. So like for Orange County, the very first thing that I asked was about Shannon’s DUI, because it’s like the audience. That’s what they’re sitting there for. That’s what they’re most interested in hearing about. It’s like, Let’s get that out of the way. And then also, I it’s I think I thought the better strategy was for like the panel to address it right off the top. Otherwise those audience questions will come in and they’ll be asked in a much more aggressive laughter. Well, yeah, after people have been boozing and stuff. So but I felt like the other questions that people asked in mine and Miami too, I sort of went into the Miami panel thinking that it was going to be one thing, and then it turned out to be more of like a celebration of Geurdy announcing she’s cancer free. And it became a little more heartfelt and stuff. So I think it turned out great and in so many different ways. But yeah, I thought they were so fun.

Ira Madison III Yeah, I love that. I think the Miami was one of the best panels, so.

Danny Pellegrino Thank you. Thank you.

Ira Madison III I saw bits of that.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah, it went well. It was a good mix. And all of the women that we did have a little of the a tiny few moments of. The shade or the the infighting or whatever that fans, I think, tend to like from those things. But for the most part it was like really supportive and great. And I think the Miami women, I love that show and I think it’s so good. So I was excited about.

Ira Madison III Bravo’s Best Housewives franchise.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah. Ira, why aren’t people I don’t know if if people aren’t. Well, I mean, I guess people are watching it, but I just I don’t know if people embrace it in the way that they should, because it really is so consistently good.

Ira Madison III I know. I mean, it’s the same way that for a while Potomac was the best one and now Miami’s taken it over. And even then, when Potomac was the biggest one, like were people paying enough attention to it as they should have? So we’re in such like an interesting, fun renaissance for Bravo, and I just want the eyeballs to be on it.

Danny Pellegrino Totally. It was funny, too, too. I think Alexia had maybe a bad season last season, and now she’s like the peacemaker. Yeah. Yeah.

Ira Madison III She was very Teresa-like last year.

Danny Pellegrino I love her, but it was so funny.

Ira Madison III I love her, too.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah, it’s so funny. Now she’s. She’s become the peacemaker. And so even on the piano, it was funny to, like, see that side of her that was coming out. And, I don’t know, it was just all so funny to me.

Ira Madison III Yeah.

Danny Pellegrino And also talking to the women, like, backstage before I tried to introduce myself, because some of them I knew and some of them I didn’t know, but I was I was trying to, like, talk to them and and also just read the temperature of the group to see if there’s anything. Obviously, they have questions that they want us to ask. But, you know, I was trying to see like, oh, can I go grogu here? Like, what can I ask her what’s this relationship dynamic like? But it seemed like the Miami women really got along and even the Orange County women, too. I felt like backstage I was I was looking to see who’s fighting or whatever. And everyone seemed to be getting along, which was was good. But it also seemed like there was enough kind of juice in the tank for them all to have more stuff to come in the seasons ahead. But, yeah.

Ira Madison III That’s why I love Miami, because I feel like the best sort of recipe for housewives and this will lead me into Rhony the biggest thing coming out of Bravo kind of. I feel like the best sort of recipe for housewives is literally you want them to be able to fight with one another, have disagreements, but you also want them to still be able to have fun with each other when you set up, you know, like the sides at the reunion where and there’s one couch and another couch, you do not want it to literally be like two alliances fighting with each other, though, where they all hate each other, except for the people that are sitting next to, you know.

Danny Pellegrino I totally agree. I think those shows work best when there’s layers. So even though the couches on the reunion are going to be like usually one side and two side, I still want those other sides, one side to be friends with one woman from the other side. And you know what I mean? Like, I want those relationships. I think they work best when they overlap because I think when the housewives tend to be on one side or the other, then the show becomes kind of flat. And then also I feel like it takes us out of the show a little bit because it becomes less realistic. It feels like they’re they’re just picking the side that works best for them, right? I don’t know. I don’t know if.

Ira Madison III They make Potomac literally right now, it’s just like two factions, you know, It’s like you’re either Karen, Candice or Wendy or everyone else. And the only thing that’s really exciting to me about this current season is the fact that Karen and Gizelle are back to being friendly again. Even at Bravocon, when they were throwing shade at each other, Karen said something about desire, but then she followed it up with But see, that’s why I love her. So that’s why she and I work well together on the show. Like they get it?

Danny Pellegrino Yeah, I caught the.

Ira Madison III More than anyone else.

Danny Pellegrino I caught the second half of the Potomac panel. It was the best thing I had seen at Bravo. Rachel Lindsay, moderate. And she did such a great job of.

Ira Madison III She’s so fucking good.

Danny Pellegrino She’s the best. Yeah. And she just did a great job of balancing all of the things we want from that panel. And the women, too. I thought they just really did a good job. But one thing just quickly, going back to Miami I want to mention, is that I do think Adriana and Larsa have a kind of frenemy ship or whatever.

Ira Madison III I love it.

Danny Pellegrino Like it is so good. And I don’t know if people appreciate it in the way. Obviously we love Karen and Gizelle scenes together, but I love, like Adriana and Larsa communicating in any way, and I think they’re getting along right now. But I find that the two of them in a scene together just cracks me the fuck up.

Ira Madison III Yeah, I mean, Adriana is the one who she’s the friend of on Miami who serves sort of. Like she could be a main cast member. Still, I think I’m like, Andy. Do you not like her or something? Like.

Danny Pellegrino You know, like she was getting.

Ira Madison III A choreo video last season to her walking into the premiere with the white flag. I’m like, She is a star.

Danny Pellegrino So this is like, give her the vote. We chatted her, chanted on stage, like, give her a mojito at one point. But I agree. I don’t really understand, like, why they’re not Maybe it’s a I don’t know, a contract thing or I don’t know what it is, but yes, I agree.

Ira Madison III Yeah. Okay. So lastly, RHONY, this was so exciting and weird because obviously Ramona Singer wasn’t there.

Danny Pellegrino But Avery was. Did you hear that?

Ira Madison III Yes. I mean, Avery was there selling her stuff. She’s got to get the bag.

Danny Pellegrino Right. And also, I think we pay so much for those bizarre boots. I don’t know how much.

Ira Madison III She was like, I’m not missing it.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah, they prepaid that thing. So somebody had to show it was like going to be her or Ray from New York. Like one of somebody from New York was showing up for that. Bizarre.

Ira Madison III So they showed the RHONY legacy trailer. What was the reaction that weekend just from people like seeing it? Were people excited to see the Rhony women back? I know I’m excited to see them. And I didn’t hate the reboot. I liked at the end of it all, I would give it a C-plus as a season. And I think that that’s the A is for just for Jessel, Pavit, Jenna and everyone else gets like a D.

Danny Pellegrino So it’s balanced. So it’s pretty much a deal and it’s really. Yeah. Okay. See, plus, I do love Brynn. Like I’m sort of obsessed with Brynn.

Ira Madison III I do enjoy her, too. I think she had a very strong beginning of the season where we were learning about her identity and it made her interesting in a way we haven’t really seen on sort of like the White Housewives shows, like talking about race like that. But then. Her dad dead. She just sort of became sort of like comic relief towards the end and didn’t really have much storyline. I wanted sort of more from her and the Gideon person. I feel like these women, more so than any of the other housewives, are busy hiding relationships.

Danny Pellegrino Mm hmm.

Ira Madison III Her. Ubah. Like what? Like what? Truly, what is going on? And if you’re dating a man, I want to see him on camera.

Danny Pellegrino Exactly. If you’re doing it to this show, like we’re going to see it. I need to see Jenna, like, want to be there? Like, I thought, she’s interesting and I’m interested in her, but it doesn’t seem like she wants to be there. And so your.

Ira Madison III Girlfriend’s not Big Poppa. Okay, So.

Danny Pellegrino And I would almost love that. Like, if Jenna is going to hide the significant other than, like, let’s make it a funny thing, like, let’s make something. But yeah, and I thought the casting for the new New York was great, but it was too long. I always thought it was the season was so boring because it was all stretched out. But I love all the women and I think next season will be really good and I’m very excited about them coming together. But yeah, and I’m obsessed with Brynn. I thought Jessa was incredible and so I think all the ingredients are there. I just. And hopefully next season they’ll have a chance to really be cohesive. And also, I want more of, like, the dynamics between each other and not so much of what’s great. We’ve got the.

Ira Madison III Interpersonal dynamics you need now. They’re going to be reacting to how people react to them on camera. And I mean, you know, I’m not saying we need a gel on the show, but we definitely do need like little Kyle Richards or like a Kenya Moore, someone. Like someone has to be giving you, like I’m putting on my producer hat because if it’s not going to talk about who she’s dating.

Danny Pellegrino Then someone needs to messy.

Ira Madison III You need to be at lunch with the other girls and be like, so jealous dating this person. Why haven’t we seen that? You know, like bringing up Ubah’s thing when they got mad at her about it, I’m like, okay, someone should be talking about who you’re dating and Connecticut storyline.

Danny Pellegrino A Right. There was an element too. I felt like they were all a little hesitant to even confront Jenna about anything. And of course, Jenna fucking Lyons. I would be the same way. But it’s on a show like that. We need to know when to be afraid of anyone.

Ira Madison III You need another star. Like when? Like when Yolanda Hadid was not afraid of Lisa Vanderpump.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah. Yeah. That’s whenever they’re afraid of each other. Like, never works. But, yeah, I did meet Sai briefly, too, at Bravocon. I thought she was really nice and lovely.

Ira Madison III She’s nice in person and lovely. I interviewed her. I met her at a Marc Jacobs party like recently, and I think she’s fun in person. I hate her behavior on the show.

Danny Pellegrino She had a it was not a good season for her.

Ira Madison III Yeah. So RHONY legacy, the trailer.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah, the trailer was so good. But I also have to just say with the legacy women kind of going around, it’s particularly with like Luann and Sonja, those are the ones who I saw a lot. They are just superstars in that world. Like the fans love the two of them, and people go nuts. And Dorinda, too. It’s like they there’s an energy with them. And so I think people are really excited about the new Rhony. But then it was so thrilling to get to see. I thought the trailer was so good of Rhony legacy.

Ira Madison III It was. It was like pure, innocent fun, you know? Yeah, yeah. They were like, laughing with each other. You got some one liners, like it’s there are people with history actually think, you know, lastly just to say about this rowdy legacy and like future things with housewives is we’re in such an interesting place where they’re finally expanding the universe in a way that I feel like we’ve always wanted. And I think they were talking about shakeups with that land or something, right? You know, I think now we’re in a space where if you’re fired from when you were fired from Bravo, you were sort of fired and we never saw you again. And that was Bravocon and all this other stuff. If you’re fired from Bravo, you sort of get. Everything, you know?

Danny Pellegrino Yeah. Yeah. You still tell that to me? That actually, as if I was in the cast. That seems like the ideal scenario because they get paid a ton of money to go on that girl’s trip, and it’s like a week or two of filming. And then, of course, they have to do confessionals and stuff, but so I think it seems great. I was at the airport with Kristen Take Men before. I had never met her before, but we ended up chatting a little bit at the airport going to Bravocon and so I was trying to get like as much dirt as possible as I could. But even talking to Herb and then also talking to some other people like involved in the show, I do think that she’ll have a good season and it’ll be like, I don’t know, she seems like a loser and I don’t, at least from what I’ve heard, I think will end up liking her. But I could be wrong.

Ira Madison III For people like that, it’s very beneficial to go on girls trip because you can restart your entire Bravo career.

Danny Pellegrino Yeah. Yeah. And I think she kind of jokingly says they just ran out of people and so they lost her, which is probably true. I’m pretty sure that’s true. But I think it’ll be interesting to see. But all those women, I think that group of women has such a history together that no matter what they’re doing on screen, I love the crappy, crappy show. I would love it if they did a season two of that or even, you know, they could add in a Dorinda to that or something like that or I don’t know. I think it’s fine how they’re using the women in different ways. But at the girls strip trailer, I just thought like, Yeah, that’s what these shows. It seems great.

Ira Madison III That’s what we want to see.

Danny Pellegrino Dramatic and funny and, and Dorinda giving us an insane line about eagles and pigeons and bread crumbs, like it’s what I needed.

Ira Madison III Well, thank you for being here to talk Bravocon with me, Danny. And speaking of those women, coming up next, I have the Countess Luann joining me.

Danny Pellegrino She’s a superstar.

Ira Madison III We’re going to have a good time.

Danny Pellegrino Ira, she’s like the best.

Ira Madison III She’s a she’s a star. She’s she’s just icon.

Danny Pellegrino 100%.

Ira Madison III Yeah.

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Ira Madison III You know her as a countess, but we know her as a queen. Today on Keep It, we have a legendary Housewives alum. And not only is she a popular cabaret entertainer selling out shows all over the country, she’s been flexing her small town muscles on her new show, Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappy Lake. Please welcome the Keep It. The woman who puts the chic in c’est la vie, Luann de Lesseps.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Oh, what an intro. Thank you, Ira.

Ira Madison III It’s so lovely to have you here. And I guess I just have to ask, you know, what was it like, you know, doing this show with Sonja and having this sort of be a time away from, you know, the regular schedule of doing RHONY for years?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Right, Right. Well, I mean, it’s completely different, you know, Sunny and I think we were surprised when we got this call, you know, last year, which was would you girls like to do this, etc.. And, you know, we jumped on it. You know, we’re small town girls at heart. You know, we grew up in small towns. Of course, our life has changed since then, but we are small town girls at heart. And so when they asked us to do this, it was like, I mean, how great to be able to go into town, help people, you know, work with the mayor or to improve the town. You know, it’s produced by Russell and Jay and Jeff Jenkins, who produced The Simple Life originally, and they produced All the Kardashians. And so we got to work with a great production team. And so it’s kind of Simple Life meets Schitt’s Creek kind of show, and to be able to work with the mayor and improve the talent again and, you know, build to build a playground for children and help with the dog shelter and, you know, do a variety show, which is right up my alley. And Tom is an on and work with with the locals was really great. I mean I didn’t know what to expect. They didn’t know what to expect when we arrived. I bet I must say we really fell in love with these people. The the motel since then has added an additional wing. They were sold out for next year. They’re sold out much of next year. The Luann and Sonja’s suite is like hot. So. So it felt really great to be able to to shift from the houses to do something where, you know, it’s really about helping others and really not focused on us so much. And, you know, I love comedy, you know, it’s part of what I do in Cabaret, so and so on as well. And I think, you know, when they came to the network and said, Who do you have? They handpicked me and Sonya, you know, So people compare it to Laverne and Shirley, the Odd Couple, we even have the initials of Laverne and Shirley. We do. We do. Oh, And so so, you know, we jumped on it and it was just it was a dream job for me, you know, to be able to do comedy, help people at the same time and, you know, and use our jobs. You know what? We know what to do in life in terms of kind of being renaissance. I mean, like we can decorate, we can do, you know, crazy show. We can you know, we can build a playground. We can, you know, do all of these things. And so they pick the right team.

Ira Madison III So you got to flex some different muscles than you would usually on the show. And I saw that you got to meet at least Brynn Whitfield recently, sort of. What was your interaction with her and have you met any of the other women from the show? Yeah.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Well, you know, I met Brynn the other night at God’s Love, and and she was like, what did she say? You’re the Michael Jordan of the Year, which, you know, she was very gracious and very happy to meet me. And I haven’t really met her before. I think she was actually at the upfronts. I don’t know if she was there, but I met the girls at the upfronts. I had met any of them before. I don’t know them. But, you know, I think they’re great. I love Brand. She’s got a lot of energy and, you know, she’s got that sexy kitty cat, you know, appeal and. Yeah, yeah, she’s a she’s a hot girl. And anyway, so that was like the first time we really met and it was fun to meet her.

Ira Madison III Do you think that it would be fun for, you know, the women to mix with some of the women who used to be on the show? Or do you think that, you know, maybe you all should just continue to do something like Ultimate Girls Trip and maybe just be in your own universe?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Well, you know, listen, you never know. I think that, you know, the rhony. To see OG cast. You know, we have a show coming out now in December and it’s a different flavor. I think that. Never say never. I would love to see us on Family Feud, wouldn’t you? The OGs

Ira Madison III Yes, that would be fun

Countess Luann de Lesseps Versus the newbies. Wouldn’t that be amazing? So, you know, I think that there’s a universe where you know, that, you know, they might possibly, you know, mix us up. And I don’t know in what way, shape or form, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea. I think it’s genius. You’re a genius, Ira.

Ira Madison III Speaking of, I guess, the different flavor you said of interacting with the women on just a trip. Obviously, you’ve done trips before with all of these women, but how did this one feel different? Because I have to imagine usually when you’re going on a trip en route, it is you’re already filming the season and then issues come up and you’re already dealing with things as you’ve been filming, but you’ve been on a break from one another for the most part, and now it. Did it feel like a real vacation or not?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Well, you know, it really did, because we haven’t filmed in years together. And so to be able to take a trip and reconnect with the girls on one week holiday back to St Barts was fantastic. I think it’s really different from the first Ultimate Girls trip, which is I was on that one as well. So you have women from different franchises coming together, so it’s kind of a get to know you period as well. So it felt totally different. Our OG trip, because we know each other really well already. And so it feels, you know, it feels different in that way. And we get to talk about things from the past, from all the Rhony seasons, of course, is going to be Scary Island references. And you know, that fourth wall comes down. So you get to hear from Kelly what she heard the actor thought of all those years ago, because, I mean, it was like ten years ago. All right. So I think it’s really interesting. Of course there is. You know, we have our own drama. And but I got to say, we had a really fun time. And I think I think that’s a good shift. I think then some of the franchises tend to get a little dark and heavy. And I feel and I feel like this is really light and fun. You know, of course, there’s always drama when you put the Rhony girls together on, but it’s, you know, it was it was a good time. And I think people are going to really love this show in terms of, you know, that fourth wall that comes down. And you you get to hear, you know, kind of what happened in Chris and take man’s life and why she’s no longer on the show and etc.. So there’s there’s a lot to unpack with all of us. And and along the way, there’s a lot of comedy, as always.

Ira Madison III Did it feel, you know, sort of weird having you all there and then having, you know, the one missing elephant in the room, I guess, being Bethenny and, you know, with her sort of recent anti Bravo and Andy vibe, like, how have you dealt with all of that?

Countess Luann de Lesseps I forgot she wasn’t there.

Ira Madison III Exactly.

Countess Luann de Lesseps She wasn’t there and we did not miss her.

Ira Madison III I have to imagine now that no one did.

Countess Luann de Lesseps No. It didn’t come up, actually did not even come up.

Ira Madison III Oh, that’s that’s even better, you know, because, you know, she’ll be watching.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Of course.

Ira Madison III Yeah. I feel like one of the questions that people are always asking about you is how do you look so damn good? You’re still one of the hottest housewives. What is the skincare routine? What is going on Luann?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Oh, I’d say, you know, it’s funny because people are really loving the longer hair. And I feel like the warmer air really does make my face look thinner. And everybody’s going, Yeah, what did you do? What did you. I haven’t really done anything, you know, aside from, you know, a little injections of the Botox. But. But I really haven’t done anything except get a little thinner, grow my hair longer, and, like, bump up my style. You know, I’m working more. You know, I’ve always styled myself and, you know, and I’m lucky I have Giovanni.

Ira Madison III Oh, you’re looking great. Yeah. I mean, we love the Giovanni, so.

Countess Luann de Lesseps And, you know, I feel like I’m going to. You know, this is a part of my life where I feel like I’m really in the driver’s seat and I’m having a great time. I’m happy. I’m single, and I’m enjoying that. And I’m just, you know, I’m doing all kinds of things with, you know, television and, you know, cabaret and that being successful just I’m really living you know, I’m living my dream right now. And I think that shows as well. I think when someone’s happy, you can really see the difference. So.

Ira Madison III Oh, hey, that’s great that you’ve been, you know, single, I.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Think. Charlotte I have been through it like everybody else. You know, you have your ups, your downs and you’re not so. I’m kind of plateaued here, you know, So I feel really good. And, you know, my kids are good. And and like I said, you know, I’m enjoying being single and and just, you know, doing what I love to do, which is television and caberet.

Ira Madison III Yes. I mean, well, speaking of, you know, like television and cabaret as well, um, you also I feel like in 2019, there was the chance that you might have been doing Chicago, and then that didn’t happen. Sort of like what happened there? And is that something that’s still a dream of yours? Doing Broadway?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Well, doing Broadway? Yeah. I mean, I, I the time was on. I was touring with my own show and they asked me to play Mama Morton, and it just didn’t work out. It was like a timing issue, and I didn’t have enough time to rehearse. And, and so I kind of passed on it. But, but, you know, I love the idea of doing Broadway and, you know, who knows? Maybe they’ll circle back with Roxie.

Ira Madison III Yeah. I mean, that would be fun, too. So, you know, I think a better role for you.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Right.

Ira Madison III Something a little flashier.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Right. And and also, you know, other shows that are on Broadway, you know, making maybe little cameo appearances and stuff like that, You know, I do love Broadway. I do some some Broadway songs in my show and cabaret. So but I take them and I change them up like, you know, by saying, if I sing Big Spender, you know, it’s like, hey, big loser, you know, I change the lyrics, you know, to make it more me. And, you know, I don’t do a ton of Broadway. I do a lot of my own music and of course I do some covers that I love to sing because it’s really about my passion for music. And growing up I was singing for my friends and that’s how I started Cabaret. One of my best friends said, Lou, you love to host parties. You love to sing for your friends and you love to tell jokes. You don’t know me, Ira, but I do love to tell jokes. So you should be doing you should be doing cabaret. And I’m like, Oh, I never even thought about that. Anyway, So when I started in 2018, I didn’t really realize I was kind of filling a niche in cabaret that nobody’s really doing cabaret right now. It kind of turned into counting some friends to count as cabaret. And, you know, before I had a lot of guests and and now it’s my own show.

Ira Madison III Yeah, I saw one of the earlier shows, I think when you first started back when I used to live in Los Angeles. So I was. I was a while back. Yeah. So I saw the Wiltern. Yeah.

Countess Luann de Lesseps 2500 people. It was packed.

Ira Madison III Yeah.

Countess Luann de Lesseps You know, And I booked the Wiltern again. I’m going to be playing Valentine’s Day with a new show in 2024. Well, congrats on going back to the wonder.

Ira Madison III What’s some of the? I feel like, you know, doing the cabaret is so different from when you were just doing the show and then you’d be in New York and like a fan would stop you on the street. Now you are you have interactions with them every show, you know. What’s some of your favorite interactions that you might have had with the show and what some that you were sort of like? This is the wildest interaction I’ve ever had.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Well, okay, so my fans, I do a Q&A with my audience, and without a doubt somebody asks me, okay, how does Mary F kill? So So I get this question and she goes, okay, David Letterman, Brad Pitt or Andrew Dice Clay. And I was like, okay, well, I’m going to marry David Letterman because he’s funny and he’s rich. Am I never like Brad Pitt that much, So I would have to kill Brad Pitt. And I’m going to have to F Andrew Dice Clay. She goes, Good, because he’s sitting right behind me. It’s Andrew Dice Clay. I was that he said to me, He’s going to sit right here is my lipstick. I can’t get any shots. Fucking amazing. I love you ground as he was there. So you got dragged right here by his fiancee. And and that’s how he was in the audience. And I had no idea. And so that was like one of the funniest things that ever happened. And one of, like, craziest thing is that a fan projectile vomited on me. So that was.

Ira Madison III Oh, my God.

Countess Luann de Lesseps That was that was like, that doesn’t happen very often, thank God. Yeah. So, yeah, there’s some interesting things going on in my show, but it is a fun time. It’s a party.

Ira Madison III And as the fans were lit, you know, they were dressed up.

Countess Luann de Lesseps They party. They get dressed, they show up with their statement necklaces. They are out to see the Countess and they show up and and they and they turn it out, which, you know, such a huge nod to me, you know, And they become friends. They hang out together because they have the common thread of the housewives and something to talk about. So automatically they’re connected, which is so cool. But they’ll meet people and then they’ll go out together. You know, you don’t get that when. You go to some random concert, right? It’s like there’s no connection, you know, with with my fans and my audience, they’re totally connected. And then they’re sharing this experience together, and. And they have that common thread.

Ira Madison III Mm hmm. Yeah, of course. You know, I’m very close friends with Danny Pellegrino. And you told him that you were looking at venues once, like, sort of around Australia. So, like, have you had plans for the show to go international soon?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Totally. Totally. I am doing a big festival for Gay Pride in June in London, so I’m super excited about that. Yeah, so I’m getting over to London and we’re working on dates for Australia because we have a huge fan base or, you know, I do in Australia. So, so I’m really excited to get there because I’ll have fans, they come, you know, from Australia, from Europe, Ireland all the time and they have to come to New York because they can’t see my show otherwise. So I’d really like to bring my show overseas.

Ira Madison III Mm hmm. I really think that it’s been sort of a interesting era for sort of like Bravo right now. Just because I feel like so many of the housewives won have like podcasts right now not doing cabaret shows that are podcast. And they’re sort of revisiting a lot of the shows that they did or they’re talking about other shows. Um, have you ever really revisited actual episodes of the previous Rhony seasons? Is that something that sort of terrifies you or sort of how do you feel about looking at old seasons of Lou-Ann? I feel like you’ve had one of the most you’ve had one of the biggest journeys, I think, of anyone on Bravo from season one, Luann, to where you are now.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Right, Right. Yeah. No, I’m not a big reminisce or I just am not. I’m the kind of person that I always say the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror for a reason. You know, I’m not somebody who looks back a lot. I mean, this is the lot. I’m really somebody tries to live in the moment and live for, you know, what’s what’s next on. Although I like to see my house in the Hamptons that I had years ago when I started, you know, because it doesn’t it’s not there anymore because I’ve moved since then. So it’s so great to see the house that we had on to see the kids. And Rosie, you know, with the townhouse in New York, all the shopping I used to do with the kids, getting them in and out from the Hamptons to New York to school and back and all that stuff. But I don’t I don’t go there often.

Ira Madison III Mm hmm. I feel like, you know, you’re even without reminiscing, You know, I feel like you’re always just always been so open about discussing the past on the show, answering fan questions, you know? So, I mean, like, how do you even find, I guess, this resilience to be able to discuss everything, to roll with the punches on the show, too, and like, see yourself one season and then at the reunion, discuss it and then move on.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Right. Well, you know, you kind of have to and that being somebody like I just explained that I’m not a big reminisce or and I’m not thinking so much about like what happened before I I’m able to move on quicker, I think, than a lot of people are. You know, and over the years, I’ve become more resilient because life makes you resilient. You know, I’ve taken a lot of punches. I always compare myself to that. That day. I’ll remember that the big blow up doll that had the weighted bottom and you would hit it and would yeah, back and you can’t keep bouncing back. I’m like that weighted doll that, you know, bam and I keep coming back, you know, as long as I have that resilience and that flexibility in my life right now, I mean, I feel blessed and and the punches are getting easier as I go along. You know what I mean? It’s I don’t know. I try not to let like Jules there and you to get the episode to go, oh, let’s watch it. I can’t wait to watch it. Like at 9:00 at night. It would be like, Yeah, I want to sleep well tonight. I am not watching it because I’ll be thinking about it and I won’t be able to see, you know? So I’m always kind of, you know, my family always came first. I’ve always been very protective. My kids have been on the show, but not, not really a lot. It’s not their thing. And they didn’t sign up for it. So they have been supportive. They’ve been amazing through that throughout this journey and actually have grown up literally on television. And so, yeah, I just I just feel like, you know, I’m on to my next chapter of my life and, you know, and hopefully that includes, you know, a new husband three times the charm, right?

Ira Madison III I mean, yeah, absolutely. You know, we I think we need another Countess weddingr, you know, What’s the dating pool like in New York? I just deleted every app off my file this morning, like a friend did. I was like, I need to find people in the wild.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Yeah, you need to be in the wild. I think it’s a much better way of connecting. You know, during COVID, it was a great way to connect to people. But, you know, God bless and, you know, you know, knock on wood, that we don’t have to go back to that way of living. And I’d love to go out and meet people like, you know, I’m a people person, you know, that’s why I do cabaret. I love people and I love connecting to people, you know, in a real way. And I think, you know, you just have to get out and mingle if you’re single.

Ira Madison III Yeah. I guess lastly, Luann, you know, when can we expect some new music from you? Can we expect an album like what’s going on here?

Countess Luann de Lesseps Well, I am working on a new song actually, with Bruce Roberts, who wrote who wrote my new Christmas song with Billy Stritch. So I am working on a new song and the tone is Marry, F, Kill, because that’s really how I’m.

Ira Madison III Oh, of course.

Countess Luann de Lesseps The tour. The tour thats’s coming up. So it’s like, Who do I want to marry? So. So I’m having a lot of fun with that. So I do have new music coming up and, you know, really kind of geared towards my next tour and, and you know, and definitely talk about doing more music, for sure.

Ira Madison III Absolutely. Well, thank you so much for being here, Lou. I mean, I feel like you’ve been you’ve been through so much on Bravo and you’ve given us so much. And it’s been so fun to see your journey and you’re always on the top of everyone’s favorite housewives.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Oh, thank you. Thanks, Ira. I hope you’ll come to my new show.

Ira Madison III I’d love to. I’d love to.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Check out. Check out the dates. I don’t know where you are. You’re in the city?

Ira Madison III I’m in New York. Yeah.

Countess Luann de Lesseps Oh, okay. Awesome. Yeah, I’m playing New York. I’m doing some holiday shows at the end of December, so.

Ira Madison III Okay, great. I’ll absolutely be there. Thanks to the Countess Luann for joining me this week. Thank you to Danny Pellegrino for being on Keep It twice this week. And we’re going to take a tiny break from Keep It Real. But we will be back with more episodes, more interviews, more reality TV chat. And let us know who you want to see on the show. Who do you want me to talk to? I’m watching Big Brother UK right now. I’m watching Survivor UK. I’m watching House of Villains. Plenty of other people that I can talk to right now, so let me know. Keep It is a Crooked Media production. Our senior producer is Kendra James. Our producer is Chris Lord and our associate producer is Malcolm Whitfield. Our executive producers are Ira Madison, the third and Louis Virtel.

Louis Virtel This episode was recorded and mixed by Evan Sutton. Thank you to our digital team, Megan Patsel and Rachel Gaewski and to Matt DeGroot and David Toles for production support every week.

Ira Madison III And as always, Keep It as recorded in front of a live studio audience.

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