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SUBMITTED BY LISA
:How the heck did I get lucky enough to pull recap duty on BOTH giving back episodes which air less than a month apart?
Let’s start with the phraseology count shall we?
/>AMAZING——-2
AWESOME——3
INGENIOUS—–2
And the winning phraseology of tonight’s episode?
IT’S BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE——-6!
I got it the first couple of times but I believe Kate needed to keep reminding herself exactly what it was she was doing, this giving back being new and all. The actual phrase was used 6 times but the number of times giving or the importance of giving was mentioned were just too numerous to keep track of AND pay attention to the episode for the recap.
She did seem to stumble right out of the gate when she tried to explain what all 10 of them were doing in Memphis. This year we are giving………….not receiving………..explaining to the kids……….. She goes onto say that in years past they have made cookies and caroled but this year they are giving back. And they have chosen St. Jude’s Children Hospital.
Now, I have no doubts whatsoever that their names were used to give back. They were the faces of give back. But was their cash outlay on their part for the give back?
Somehow I doubt it.
And how do I come to this conclusion? Probably the same way the rest of you did. Kate is a paid spokesperson for Kmart. Kmart is a contributor to St. Jude’s. I am guessing that Kmart’s PR people, having been made aware of Kate’s earlier mention of supporting pediatric cancer research, put two and two together and came up with 10. As in 10 Gosselins in Memphis. You can mix in a couple of Figure 8 people as well. Stir it all together and viola’. You have an episode!
I think St. Jude’s does a wonderful job. I have supported them in years past. I am in no way knocking St. Jude’s in any of this because they at least benefited which in turn benefited the children.
What I have a problem with is the premise of the Gosselin’s giving back. Because to me, it seems forced.
Unnatural.
No camera, no give back.
It was the same with that goofy supposed annual yard sale. The proceeds they donated were a teeny fraction of what they made for themselves with that episode. They have said for over 4 years that because of all the help they received when the tups came along that they would give back We also know, by looking up archived web pages that items they were given to them were sold, not donated to someone else. We know things were consigned, not donated to another needy family. Kate actually uses the word hammering, as in, we’ve been hammering on the kids that it is better to give than to receive. I am sorry, but if you live the words you don’t need to be hammering on your children. Hammering is something you do with a foreign concept that you need to get them to accept rather quickly so they don’t say something damaging to the image during the filming of an upcoming episode.
I can only go by what I know to be historical data. It seems the history of the Gosselin’s giving back is relatively new, like maybe back to when it became the talk of many of the blogs. The blogs they don’t read.
The Gosselin 8 were generally cute this episode. Was that Colin who was trying to get Beverly to give him something that his mom had said he couldn’t have? Flashback to GumGate!!! I was yelling at the television: No Beverly, don’t give in. It’s a trick! They’ve pulled this before!!!! Lucky for her, she was able to send him off to ask his mom. Hannah did hit Alexis for no apparent reason other than she sees her mom do it to her dad, so if someone says something that ticks you off, you can hit them. There was an issue with inappropriate hotel room behavior. The kids screaming like banshees during the gift wrapping.
I have been involved in the hotel business for the past 14 years. People in hotel rooms have generally paid good money for their rooms. At the Peabody, average room rates run between 220 and 400 dollars a night. Suites start at around $700. The Gosselins occupied a suite, most probably located on the concierge level of the hotel, which means there are extras afforded those guests that others are not privy to. There is nothing worse than being in a hotel room and being able to hear screaming banshees next door, above you or down the hall. Parents, please do not allow your children to behave like this. And Jon & Kate, if you happen to read this (as you will most certainly be involved in more hotel stays) take a moment and discipline your children. Ignoring bad behavior does not put an end to the behavior.
It was nice to see Beverly and her husband, who recently moved back to Tennessee. She showed up as the kids were watching the daily duck march through the lobby of the famed Peabody Hotel and as Kate said about the timing of their arrival, We couldn’t have orchestrated it any better. Orchestrated, as in how you seem to be living your lives on a daily basis?
Beverly, speaking to the camera, says it really surprised her that they made it down to Memphis before she could get back up to Pennsylvania. I’m sorry Bev, but do you not watch the show? These people travel more than 99% of people with 2 kids!
Kate does one of her rambling monologues about Beverly which she finally sums up by saying she doesn’t have experience with what we handle everyday. Huh?? You mean seriously? This woman was only in your house a couple days a week to fold your laundry? She never came over to check in, say hi, have a friendly cup of coffee, maybe come for a BBQ? She was merely the laundry folder?
I did think it was funny when Kate and Jon were on the couch and Kate went on and on about those damn ducks and the life of luxury they lead. Marble baths and private elevators. I thought maybe I saw a glint of the old green eyed monster while she sat there and then of course, when she made the comment to the duck tender, I wish I were a duck, I knew it, she was jealous of a duck!
(Quack, quack, QUUUUAAAAAKKKKKK)
The Gosselins head off on their trip to Kmart to shop for gifts for the kids at St. Jude’s. Each child is allowed to pick out three gifts. Which they all seem to do relatively easily except for the fact the tups seem slightly confused about being in a store AND getting to pick stuff out for themselves. But Kate reminds them again that it’s better to give than receive, which I still think went over their heads. Alexis had a mini fit about having to have an Elmo toy and instead of being the parent and saying NO Alexis, this isn’t about us, Kate gives in and buys the damn toy. I figure it’s just one more thing for the next annual yard sale and besides, Kate wasn’t paying for it anyway.
Kate did hand each child a dollar bill at the check out counter so they could make their own donation to the charity . Nice gesture. She is worried though that they might forget this trip and the reasoning behind it. I want to call her bluff. This season will be out on video soon enough. They can watch it over and over and over until it isn’t a real memory but more like a learned memory. An implanted memory.
Kate and the twins return to the store to pick up some things for Beverly, her husband and the dog. Treats for the dog, candles for Beverly but the twins insist on dragging Kate to the tool section the least favorite section in my whole life, she moans. Is that perhaps because Jon is such a tool?
It’s back to the Peabody to wrap those gifts.
Cut quickly to the couch. Kate is saying something about how stressful it was wrapping all the gifts in the hotel room. There were so many gifts to wrap, at which point Jon says 30 gifts. Whoa Nelly! I would have pulled a muscle in my neck if I’d whipped my head around as fast as Kate did hers. When did 8×3 equal 30? Jon says he chose three items, didn’t she? Well, ah, gee, ah, no, I was watching the kids. Excuse me? You were standing in the toy section of Kmart lady. You could have reached out in front of you and grabbed three of the same item, just so some pediatric cancer patients might have a more pleasant holiday, because after all, the whole show was about teaching your children the importance of
Now, I did think it curious that when they cut back to the hotel room, Kate is heard saying that there were SIXTY gifts to wrap. I can do simple math. 9×3=27 (because remember Kate was too busy to pick three gifts). 27 + 6 (gifts for Beverly, husband and dog) =33. I am trying to figure out where the other 27 gifts came from. Was it just another attempt on Kate’s part to make her life seem more overwhelming and exhausting than it is? Trying to garner sympathy?
The kids helped with tape and ribbons. Mady was making a valiant attempt at wrapping her gifts, but as is usually the case, her mother, her protector, lets us all know that Mady wrapped some, oh my, special packages—-but I let them go. I have a sneaking suspicion that Mady is very much like Kate was at that age and now that Kate is older and sees it actually played out in front of her, she finds it distasteful and therefore comments on it all the time. And being Kate, she doesn’t take into account the effect that hearing these things later on will have on her daughter. And Mady and Kate will have the same type relationship Kate has with her parents now.
It seemed to me that while the Gosselins were all ensconced in the gift wrapping bedroom of their suite, Beverly and Terry were sitting in the living room by themselves, which I hope was not the case. It was funny the way you never really saw Beverly and Terry again that evening. I hope that wasn’t the case and was simply due to editing.
This is where the subtitle of this recap comes into play. Now, right before tonight’s episode began we were treated to a brief clip of the new animated movie The Tale of Despereaux, set to open Dec. 19th. It looks like a cute movie.We were also informed that Kate would be reading (yes, can you believe it!) from the accompanying book. That was enough to set my BS meter ticking. Kate Gosselin reading to her kids? Have we seen that actually happen in the 4 seasons plus two specials we’ve seen over the years? Yes, I know, we’ve heard Jon say that the kids destroy books, which, Mr. Stupido, is something you can teach them NOT to do. But in all that time I don’t recall ever seeing any sort of bedtime ritual that involved more than tucking them in, turning on the television, turning out the light and shutting the door (because, as Kate is prone to say, It’s the best time of the day!)
But, next thing you know, there is the entire family, snuggled into bed with Kate reading……….while the kids all held on to their Despereaux plush toys. Well, at that point my BS meter goes into sleep mode as I understand all too clearly that if you pay Kate to read to her kids AND give the kids any and all accompanying product, she will read. So, while I was pleased that St. Jude’s was getting an hours worth of time on national television I found the insertion of the movie crap as well as the Kmart tie in to be utterly unnecessary, but par for the course.
The trip to St. Jude’s was inspiring. You could have removed the entire Gosselin part of it and it still would have been inspiring. Those kids are so strong, so determined to get better. And their families so supportive and when they say they are blessed, I believe them. Because they know how important everyday with your child is and how much that should be treasured. The young lady that met the Gosselins, Lauren, was a cancer survivor herself. Lauren was treated at St. Jude’s years ago and knew she would come back to give back so that she could help children go through the experience just as she had been helped years ago. Pretty amazing stuff! Hopefully some of it made it through the high altitude fog Jon & Kate seem to have surrounded their brains with in the past couple of years. It was a lesson ripe to be learned.
The Gosselin kids were not old enough to be allowed into the hospital section of St. Jude’s so they were entertained by Jennifer, a child life expert and also had the opportunity to watch what was going on via a closed circuit television they had set up between the hospital and the area the Gosselin kids were waiting in. The Gosselin kids could speak back and forth with the cancer patients. Kate thought the closed circuit TV set up was the most awesome and amazing thing. HUH?? Is it just me? Is it the silicone or the hair color affecting her brain?
The donated gifts would not actually be passed out that day. The patient’s parents actually choose gifts and then the child has something to open on Christmas morning. But never fear, they didn’t come empty handed! Jon and Kate met with the parents and children and handed out signed copies of Multiple Blessings, self promote wherever, whenever. There was also a Tales of Despareaux coloring book and a CD of the very same music Kate listened to in the hospital when she was on bed rest for 2 and a half months while pregnant with the tups. She found it inspirational and soothing. And depending on where she is or what day of the week it is, she listened to it either 3 times a day (said on the couch) or 10 times a day (said in the hospital).
I found it interesting that Kate commented on Ellen, the 4 year old patient whose birthday was in March, just a few days before Kate’s. Kate said she seemed ‘old’ for her age. Which I don’t doubt. I do think what Kate was picking up on was perhaps the child’s language skills were quite advanced compared to her own four year olds. Since this has been one of the few times we, the viewing audience, has seen Kate actually mingling with anyone outside her immediate family and definitely don’t see her interacting with other children, perhaps it is one of the few times recently that she has been around children in the same age range as her own to be able to make the comparision.
At the beginning of the episode, the part that is known as the set-up, Kate is talking about St. Jude’s and the work it does and she says: Their goal is to fix & make better as many children as they can. Vocabulary-wise perhaps the way a second grader might have described it. I wouldn’t think a nurse wouldn’t describe it that way. She and Jon go on to say how expensive it is to run the hospital, that one day costs St. Jude’s …..(wait for it)………1.3 million dollars. About the same price of a 5000+ square foot home in eastern PA. Kate grabs her chest and sighs, and says, Amazing while Jon looks dumbfounded and says, That’s crazy!!
HELLLOOOO!! JON & KATE!!!! Anybody home???? DO you two NOT hear what comes out of your mouths?
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