Let's say you built a giant brand based on how perfect and skinny and fab your life has been, and then let's say assume that a sperm donor the fairy tale marriage and a beautiful baby would be the cherry on top of said perfect life.  You know what would really suck?  If, due to your desire to become even more of an empire, you find yourself in a bitter divorce while you're in the middle of penning yet another lifestyle book.

Apparently, that is what is happening with the polarizing reality star Bethenny Frankel.  In the midst of writing Skinnygirl Solutions, she now finds herself in a custody (and closet) battle with soon to be ex-husband Jason Hoppy.  What's a girl to do?

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According to In Touch Weekly, Bethenny was penning her book when her marriage took a turn for the worse.  Described as a "modern woman's guide" to juggling family, career, romance and love, the Bethenny Ever After star is going to have to really revamp her editing process.

Several sections of the book are going to need to be rewritten.  A source close to Bethenny shares that advice including “sexing up a relationship” and “making time for relationships, family and yourself” is going to have to be axed or greatly tweaked in light of the demise of her marriage.

Skinnygirl Solutions features a collection of Bethenny's personal anecdotes, some in which Jason were featured.  The insider reveals to the site, “It won’t be a divorce tell-all or anything like that, but Bethenny will be updating the stories that included him [Jason].”  It should be very interesting (and extremely telling) as to how she chooses to handle this situation!

TELL US-HOW DO YOU THINK BETHENNY WILL REWRITE HER BOOK?

[Photo Credit: TNYF/WENN.com]

It's like a Bravo break-up…or is it?  There is a lot of gossip swirling about a feud between a neurotic former non-housewife from Real Housewives of New York and a certain Bravo front man who has basically made said woman into what she is today—with multiple spin-offs.  Jill Zarin knows what I'm talking about, right?

There is news that Bethenny Ever After star Bethenny Frankel is biting the hand that once fed her.  And that hand is attached to a man who will one day be my biffle for life.  Ride or die.  Perhaps when he stops engaging in housewives of past drama, he'll have more time to cultivate a friendship with me.  A girl can dream, can't she? 

So according to the interwebs, Bravo main man Andy Cohen isn't feeling the love from the woman–and empire–he had a hand in creating.  That has to hurt!  Many media outlets are reporting that Bethenny is turning her back on the network and the man who made her into the ultra-skinny multi-millionaire she is today.  Again, somewhere Jill is laughing her butt off…while trying to secure a new contract for the upcoming season.  Heather who?  Holla!

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Radar Online is reporting that a rift has formed between former Bravo besties Andy and Bethenny.  A source tells the site, "Bethenny has basically completely snubbed Andy. He has asked her to do his show multiple times over the past year and she has refused because she wants to distance herself from the housewives franchise. Andy is very hurt by Bethenny's actions because he made her a star by badgering Bravo to give her a spin-off which was enormously popular. Once Bethenny formally signed the deal for her own talk show with Telepictures, she kicked Andy to the curb, never to look back. Andy thought Bethenny would always be loyal to him, but he realizes he got used by her."

Ouch!  I'll never leave you, Andy!  In fact, I've got 90 pages left in you memoir.  I've laughed, I've cried, I've been inspired…perhaps I should take ol' Beth's place on your speed dial?  The same insider continues, "He has done so much for her, and not just TV wise. During the launch of Skinnygirl Andy proudly promoted it by featuring it as a prop on his show for over two years! Yes, Bethenny is extremely talented but for her to turn her back on Andy is just disgusting. What goes around comes around, Bethenny is on top of the world right now but that might not last. Andy won't be able to forget how quickly she ditched him once she got her own show."

Gahh!  The drama!  The cut-throat nature of it all!  We're seeing the seedy underworld of Bravo that I wasn't quite sure existed!  Of course, Andy is quick to debunk these rumors.  WHY?  I'd like to think the chatter is true.  It's not that I don't like Bethenny.  I have no thoughts about her one way or the other.  However, for the sake of good television, I'd like to think Bethenny would throw Andy under the bus for her own personal gain.  Mainly, I'm hoping her bitchiness would open up Andy for a glorious relationship with yours truly.

Alas, even if discord exists, Andy won't admit it.  He tweeted last night, "Sorry folks, @Bethenny DID invite me on her show & she's coming on mine in a week. What else you got?"  Well, if nothing else, these events should make crossover talk show history!  Personally, I think that Andy and Bethenny are tighter than ever…and that's okay.  Andy has a big heart.  There's totally room for me!

TELL US-DO YOU THINK ANDY AND BETHENNY ARE FEUDING?

[Photo Credit: Twtitter}

Stop the presses and pour me a Skinnygirl margarita!  On second thought, don't…I prefer my cocktails to taste good and go straight to my hips. 

I have some wonderful news that will excite the masses.  Whether you're a diehard Bethenneedy fan, a Bethennybody-else-but-her hater, or a passive and neutral Frankel, my dear, I don't give a damn, you are going to like what I have to say!  Well, that third group probably couldn't care less, but the others–oh, the others!–will be thrilled!  P.S. I'm working on a trademark for my newly coined phrases, so use at your own risk.  TM, Ms. Frankel, TM!   

Anyhoo, can you guess who this post is about?  Anyone? Real Housewives of New York veteran and purveyor of Hoppylicious spin-offs and diet liquor concoctions Bethenny Frankel made an announcement earlier Monday on her website.  The post was aptly titled "My Big Announcement."  You have to give her credit, Bethenny always has been a straight shooter!

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What is said announcement?  Her talk show will be returning!  Those of you who love her–set your DVRs!  Those of you who hate her–set your DVRs but tell anyone who will listen that you only watch so you can make fun of her!  To be truly honest, I have made no secret that I fall in the Frankel, my dear, I don't give a damn category, but even I can't be complacent about something that involves the amazing Ellen DeGeneres.  I am human after all.

Bethenny took to her website to share the following:

For those of you who missed me on The Ellen Show today, I'm so excited to announce that I'll be back on the air soon!!!  I cannot wait for you all to see how much fun we have every day and how much YOU really drive the conversation.  Thank you all for the support this summer.  I could not have done it without the help and support of YOU or Ellen DeGeneres.  

I’ll bring you more details as soon as I can! 

The reality star/beverage maven/best selling author/talk show host then asked commenters to share what guests and content they would like to see showcased on upcoming episodes.  I, of course, have some ideas, but I doubt Bethenny would want to interview Troy Landry from Swamp People.  How amazing would that exchange be though?  Choot 'em!

TELL US-ARE YOU HAPPY THAT BETHENNY'S TALK SHOW WILL BE RETURNING?  ARE YOU A BETHENNY FAN OR FOE?

[Photo Credit: Bethenny.com]

Well, you win some; you lose some apparently. This week BeamGlobal, the company that now owns Skinnygirl Cocktails and its affiliates (they now offer wine and vodkas) unleashed its new ad campaign. The campaign tells us to “Drink Like A Lady,” and curiously absent is a person who is hardly ladylike at all – Bethenny Frankel!

“Bethenny started this brand in an amazing way,” says Kevin George, Beam’s SVP & Global CMO told Forbes. “But as we look to consumer research of what women are looking for in terms of calorie-consciousness and convenience, we found there’s a huge group of people who are into that but actually don’t know who Bethenny is yet.” Imagine that?!

Perhaps once her new talk show debuts, her fans may increase, but as Beam seeks to take the Skinnygirl line global, Bethenny Ever After isn’t a well-known show. Although I have to wonder if BeamGlobal feels the weekly meltdowns featured on BEA may be hurting the brand…

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The company isn’t firing Bethenny, per se, they’re just diminishing her association with the brand. “The core values of what Bethenny represents and build the brand around resound through the new campaign,” says Deb Boyda, the general manager of venture business teams. And Beam is hoping their new campaign will speak to women like Bethenny, women they dub “social ringleaders.”

AKA, women between the ages of 30 and 40 who are the “it girls” in their social circle. <<Excuse me while I burst out laughing.>> Beam continues, “The leaders, the entrepreneurs, the party planners, the tastemakers who want to have all the cocktails that they want but are health-conscious, and will share the news with their friends.” Are these really the people drinking pre-bottled cocktails?

“The whole idea of the ‘Drink like a Lady’ campaign is meant to help women redefine cocktailing,” Deb Boyda adds. “But also to redefine what it means to be a lady.” And apparently what it girls and ladies have in common is a desire for low-cal bottled beverages – well, according to Beam. A sample of their new ad is below!

“There used to be a narrow definition of what it means to be a lady, and nowadays there’s a much more empowered view of young women, something Bethenny has definitely played a hand in,” she says. In order to redefine lady drinkers, Beam’s Skinnygirl team is comprised completely of women and Bethenny is their goddess. “We’re upholding Frankel’s irreverent spirit and strong feminine values,” Boyda says. “Those things that Bethenny represents, Skinnygirl represents as well.” Using Bethenny to define ladies is a real stretch – like English Channel wide.

“There’s a lot more to come from Skinnygirl,” Beam President Bill Newlands stresses. “It stands for something: an empowered, strong, fun woman. But it also stands for balanced health.” Which is why the company is now doing vodka and wine. Because getting trashed is healthy. Good to know my college binge drinking years were healthy!

In other news, this week Bethenny’s first “novel” Skinnydipping eked its way onto the NY Times Bestseller list where it plopped into 15th place. Bethenny’s semi-autographical memovel (that’s memior novel) was apparently a success amongst her legions of fans – although the reviews on Amazon leave much to be desired, but we’ll get to that later on today.

Bethenny, of course, credits all of us for shelling out our hard-earned dollars on yet another one of her endless products. “THANK YOU ALL!!!!! #SKINNYDIPPING is a @nytimes BESTSELLER!!!! This is because of you & only you-the best fans in the world!,” she announced on Twitter. A video of Bethenny congratulating herself and all of you is below!

DO IT GIRLS DRINK SKINNYGIRL COCKTAILS? DID YOU BUY SKINNYDIPPING?

Bethenny Frankel’s new book Skinnydipping debuts on Tuesday, May 1st, and it looks like she might have a hit on her hands.

This is Bethenny’s first attempt at fiction and the early reviews are positive. The Hollywood Reporter gushed:

Skinnydipping is a totally fun, dishy read, especially for fans of reality TV. Clearly, Frankel has drawn inspiration from her own life to construct the plot of the novel and half the fun is trying to figure which characters and events might be drawn from her real life and which are entirely made up.

Love her or hate her, you can’t deny she’s doing something right when it comes to branding and business ventures. And apparently she can write novels, too.

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In other “Bethenny’s having a great week” news: It looks like marital woes are reeling in the viewers for Bethenny Ever After, as the show’s ratings have been on the rise. The April 3rd episode saw just 972,000 fans tuning in, but that number has continued to climb over the past four weeks. This week’s show debuted at 1.29 million viewers.

It’s hard to say if those numbers will keep the network and Bethenny interested enough to do another season, it seems to early to tell. Just recently she swore she was done with reality television!

Bethenny’s new talk show debuts in less than two months. If you’re wondering how to find the local station you need to tune into, Bethenny posted a guide on her website.

TELL US – ARE YOU GOING TO PICK UP A COPY OF HER NEW NOVEL? HAVE YOU READ HER NON-FICTION BOOKS? WILL YOU TUNE IN FOR THE NEW TALK SHOW?

It looks like Bethenny Frankel should go ahead and treat herself to that $35,000 furniture. Reports show that the sales of her Skinnygirl cocktails have rocketed over the past year.

A market research firm estimates that Bethenny’s Skinnygirl drinks have had an increase in sales of almost 400%! Alcohol sales in general have seen an increase, but Skinnygirl’s sales have risen approximately 388%!

While Bethenny sold the rights to the drinks to Beam Global in a lucrative deal, she continues to work with them to promote the line and reportedly receives a cut of the profits.  And promote them she does – and successfully, it looks like!

Back in 2011, she said that she created the cocktails after realizing how impossible it was to find a low-calorie drink. “I created a sub-category that never existed. I wasn’t an expert — I was just another person bothered by a 700-calorie margarita.”

Bethenny is laughing all the way to the bank as she continues to branch out her Skinnygirl brand to shapewear, cleanses, and who knows what’ll be next!? Roller skates? Budget furniture? $10 glass bowls for holding phone chargers.

In other Bethenny-is-taking-over-the-world news, she shared on Facebook yesterday that her new talk show is set to premiere on June 11th!

She shared: “I’m so excited to announce that my talk show premieres on June 11th on Fox! Want to be in my audience? Get tickets here.”

That’s just two months away, so start planning your L.A. vacays now.

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TELL US – ARE YOU GOING TO TUNE IN FOR BETHENNY’S NEW TALK SHOW? CAN YOU HANDLE DAILY DOSES OF BETHENNY? DO YOU BUY HER DRINKS? WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER PRODUCTS SHE HAS LAUNCHED?

Photo credit: WENN

Hi RT readers! Introducing our newest writer Maria Diaz to you all today! Some of you might be familiar with Maria as she has been blogging about Bravo shows for a while now. You will be able to read more about Maria tomorrow when we publish her bio! Please give her a great RT welcome! Thanks – RT

Our long national nightmare may be coming to an end; Us Weekly reports this weekend that Bethenny Ever After, former housewife and current Skinnygirl mogul Bethenny Frankel‘s hit reality show, will be coming to an end after its third season premieres on February 20.

Before you put your monogrammed tinfoil hats on and blame this on Jill Zarin, do not fear: the source tells Us Weekly that this was a decision Bethenny came to on her own, wanting to end the show on a “high note” and instead she “is going to concentrate on her many business ventures.”

“The door is open for other projects with Bravo,” the source adds. “But as far as Bethenny Ever After goes, she feels that ending the show on a high note and ending it after this season would be best for her family. She doesn’t want her [20-month-old] daughter [Bryn] to grow up on TV.”

This was a year of almost endless bad press for Bethenny, who for a while seemed virtually untouchable, as viewers watched her go from the sad singleton begging her detached boyfriend to move in with her on Real Housewives of New York City’s first season, to happily married, with a baby and a fat bank account after she successfully sold her line of Skinnygirl cocktails to Jim Beam for a highly disputed amount of money. However, then came some lawsuits, an accusation that she faked being lost at sea for her reality show and lastly her talk show got dropped.

In any case, if there’s one thing Bethenny is good at it’s spinning just about anything in her favor (it’s why they pay her the big bucks!) and she did just that at this weekend’s Television Critics Association press junket (this is when the networks roll out previews of all the new shows, along with forcing the actors and other stars to talk to an army of members of the media).

She says all the stories are just making her stronger and it’s a testament to just how popular she is, telling E! Online: “I’m also a little bit flattered because it means I must’ve really made something out of myself, because there are that many that that want to tear me down. A lot of people want to tear me down, and if I were them, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that to happen.”

Bethenny also spoke out about her former BFF Jill Zarin. When asked if she had any advice for the now fired Jill, she stated, “Jill Zarin is definitely a survivor. She is definitely well-to-do and I don’t think she’s worried about finding a job.”

Bethenny doesn’t end there going on to give Jill a not so subtle diss. “She was on the show for years, and in many of the cities people are only on for one or two seasons,” Bethenny explains. “It just happens that they make it a little fresher. I’m sure she’ll find exactly what she’s looking for. It probably just stings a little bit. It’s a little bit difficult. She has her own way of dealing with it. I’m sure it’s difficult for her a little bit to watch what’s going on with me. Maybe if I were in her position, that’d be difficult for me, too. She handles it the way she knows how.”

As for what we can expect on the third and reportedly final season of her reality show, Bethenny states we will get to see some marital issues between her and hubby Jason Hoppy. Though she says her marriage has “amazing ups,” it also has struggles: “I just turned 41, and I unintentionally crammed everything in,” said Bethenny. “I got pregnant, I got married, I sold part of my business, and now we’re settling into what married life really is.”

Bethenny notes that she’s still “in therapy,” and despite problems between Jason and herself, she did not request that the cameras be turned off. “We’re going there,” she added.

Regarding her future on Bravo, they are naturally tight-lipped about whether or not the third season of BEA will be her last (I’d like to suggest a follow-up entitled Everybody Hates Bethenny, where she will just deal with all her haters) and the network tells Us Weekly that: “They haven’t even finished shooting this season so no decision has been made about another one yet.”

Whatever the decision is, love her or hate her, no doubt folks will be watching Bethenny, whether to laugh, cry or just speculate on how much plastic surgery she’s truly had done.

[Photo Credit: WENN]

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON BETHENNY CHOOSING TO END HER SHOW? SMART? ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT SEASON 3? THOUGHTS ON HER COMMENTS ABOUT JILL & HER MARRIAGE?

Bethenny has always been on the teeny side causing fans to wonder about her weight and lifestyle choices for years — particularly because of some controversial statements regarding losing and maintaining weight in her book Naturally Thin.

Life & Style is reporting that the itty-bitty former Housewife has insiders “concerned” about Bethenny over-doing it, despite claims that she doesn’t do anything “extreme”, and preaches “everything in moderation.” Reality Tea has reported that Bethenny’s weight has dropped severely in recent years.

According to the mag all the upheaval surrounding the brand and image she has worked so hard to cultivate is taking a toll on Bethenny, who an observer notes looked “very thin” at a recent appearance. “Her arms were particularly tiny and frail. She looked almost sickly.” Another eyewitness confirms: “Bethenny is scary skinny in person. She looks emaciated and ill.”

An insider speculates that with Bethenny losing control of her “world” she is taking it out on her diet and has become “obsessive” about portion size and has taken to eating snacks, like small bags of pretzels, instead of a meal or she claims she forgot to eat. “Because I’m so busy, I’m not always hungry,” she confessed to the mag. Bethenny has made no secret of her struggles with her weight, telling anyone who would listen that her mother, Bernadette Birk, sent her to weight-loss camp as a child and that her classmates called her a “whale.”

Additionally, Bethenny is desperate to regain the public’s positive image of her as the “rags to riches, little girl lost who made it big” and is apparently using her weight to gain acceptance from the media and fans.”Bethenny’s in a panic,” an insider reveals. “She’s being attacked left and right for not being real.”

Indeed, Bethenny’s fear of public rejection has left her so worried she’s hired help! “She’s so frantic to improve her image, she’ s hired image consultants to guide her through 2012.” Well, I say she needs it with all the nonsense she’s been embroiled in lately!

While insiders are claiming Bethenny’s life is falling apart the Bethenny Ever After star recently blogged about all she has to be thankful for. After imparting her advice for a healthy and simple holiday meal, Bethenny noted her appreciation for her amazingly patient husband Jason Hoppy, her daughter Bryn and dog Cookie.

“I’m most thankful for my family, and in particular my beautiful baby girl Bryn. She has changed my perspective on life. She has made me more grateful and aware, and has given me different purpose than I had before,” Bethenny wrote.

“I’m grateful for a loving and supportive husband who is a great father to Bryn and a good friend to me,” she added. “I’m especially grateful to Cookie who has been with me through the most difficult and influential stages of my life. She is woman’s best friend and I love her as much as a child.”

I’m glad Bethenny is recognizing all the people who put up with her cray-cray and still love her for the wack-a-doo she sometimes is! Hopefully 2012 will be a more positive year for Team Frankel or I’m predicting she may go the crash and burn route of the Kardashians with too many negatives and too many scandals overshadowing the positives! Best of luck Bethenny in getting things on track and remember: eat some holiday cookies!

THOUGHTS ON THE ARTICLE – DO YOU BELIEVE BETHENNY IS TOO THIN? IS SHE JUST REACTING TO STRESS OR DOES SHE HAVE A PROBLEM? DO YOU THINK 2012 WILL IMPROVE FOR BETHENNY OR ARE FANS TIRING OF HER CONSTANT DRAMA?

Bethenny Frankel’s dreams of breaking into the talk show market may officially be dashed.

The New York Post is reporting that after Bethenny’s talk show “failed to sell into syndication” it has been dropped by its producer Telepictures! “Several stations expressed interest, but there’s probably not room for Bethenny’s show this year,” a source close to Telepictures revealed. Warner Bros (which owns Telepictures) declined to comment on the state of Bethenny’s show.

Unfortunately Bethenny’s blunt, abrasive manner failed to attract the attention of major networks (despite receiving some help from a so-called “nice coach”) and was then overshadowed when several other celebrities with more cred, such as Katie Couric, Steve Harvey, and Anderson Cooper were snapped up for syndication.

As we previously reported, Bethenny was hoping her “advice-based” show would land a spot on NBC, the network that owns Bravo, but was bumped in favor of Survivor host Jeff Probst’s new show, which did well in test markets.

While the Bethenny Ever After star’s show was being test-marketed hoping to gain “traction” (or interest from networks) she found herself in the midst of a series of PR Blunders including a couple of Skinnygirl-related lawsuits and that whole lost-at-sea fiasco where she claimed she was forced to get a “gag order” against the captain of a rescue boat who disputed her version of events. These instances could have been explanations for Bethenny not getting the green-light from networks.

Yet all is not lost for Bethenny as she has supposedly received a few opportunities for other “TV types” now that the syndication deal is over. An insider is reporting she’s received offers from both cable stations and other networks.

Personally, I believe cable is a much better market for the over-the-top Bethenny who may not be able to taper her personality down enough for mainstream markets. I also believe she would do better in a panel-format show like The View.

Bethenny has not commented on the latest bad news – YET!

In other Bethenny news, Skinnygirl is now launching another product no one needs — Skinnygirl Face & Body. Bethenny Tweeted the exciting news: “Proud to announce: Skinnygirl Face & Body gift sets are @Walmart! A perfect holiday gift for Skinnygirls of all ages!”

Yes, just perfect! Named for her “famous” cocktails, fans can choose from a Sangria set or a Margarita set each of which contains a body wash, lotion and a body scrub. A picture is below. Oh, gee – I hope I get one for Christmas.

[Photo Credit: Josiah True / WENN.com]

THOUGHTS ON BETHENNY’S LATEST TALK SHOW DILEMNA? DO YOU THINK SHE SHOULD ATTEMPT ANOTHER TV PROJECT OR SHOULD SHE STICK TO REALITY TV? WOULD YOU TRY HER NEW BODY CARE LINE?

Days after the Huffington Post reported Bethenny Frankel only received $8.1 million for the sale of her Skinnygirl drink line, and not the widely reported $120 million, both Bethenny and Forbes are now firing back!

First Forbes is stating they stand by the $100 million figure. If you recall, the Bethenny Ever After star graced the cover of Forbes back in May during which they declared she sold the drink line for $100 mil — $20 mil less than the amount originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

So what exactly was the $8.1 mil figure about? Well according to a financial analyst, the $8.1 million is merely the value of the goodwill attributed to the brand.

“The $8.1 million was just the amount of intangible assets purchased in the Skinnygirl transaction, essentially the amount Beam paid for the Skinnygirl brand rights—not the total purchase price,” said analyst R.J. Hottovy to Forbes.

So how did Huffington Post’s Rob Shuter get it wrong? Well for starters the actual price Beam paid for Skinnygirl is missing from the 10-Q statement and Bethenny cannot publicly disclose the amount due to a confidential agreement. Beam is also refusing to disclose the amount and they can actually get away with doing that under accounting rules.

“We will continue to disclose accounting data as required to be included in financial filings,” said Beam Global spokeswoman Paula Erickson, “but do not expect that a black-and-white lump sum ‘purchase price’ figure will be made available. Suffice to say, this was not an $8.1 million acquisition.”

So the BIG question now is how much did Bethenny really receive for the sale of her drink line? According to Forbes, that figure is at least $39 million. See Beam listed $39 million in their financial disclosures for acquisitions made in the second quarter of 2011. And as financial analyst R.J. points out, the only acquisition the company made during that period was for the Skinnygirl Drinkline.

“The only deal they announced over that period was Skinnygirl,” said R.J. “This means [Beam] paid at least that much for Skinnygirl [during that period].” He goes on to add that there may be additional elements to the deal not accounted for or visible in company filings, including stock options that could yield Bethenny additional long-term returns.

In addition to the $39 million Bethenny likely received upfront, she also stands to earn up to an additional $25 million. The company’s financial statement revealed “the Company may be required to record contingent consideration in an amount not in excess of approximately $25 million.” That basically means Bethenny stands to earn up to an additional $25 million based on future sales, incentives, meeting high targets etc.

Bethenny herself confirmed this to Forbes stating she’d get “on-going back end”—payments based on how well Skinnygirl’s cocktails sold after Beam took control. Experts say Bethenny should be getting that $25 million as “sales of Skinnygirl have exceeded expectations for 2011 and that threshold will be met this year.”

According to Forbes, this brings “the value of the deal to at least $64 million in this year alone, without accounting for any further payments or other compensation for Frankel.” Bethenny adds, “The acquisition was structured with various potential payout levels based on sales of Skinnygirl products.”

Bethenny of course also fired back at critics. When asked about the reported $8.1 million figure, Bethenny said laughing: “Come on. That it could be the fastest growing booze brand on the market and have sold for that little is just preposterous… I’m going to be paying a hell of a lot more than $8.1 million in taxes.”

As for the Huffington Post, they have since retracted their original errornous report stating they “regret” it.

However, some things are still not adding up. For example, where did the $100 million figure come from? It appears Forbes can only put a $64 million figure on the deal and cannot account for the remaining $36 million. Yes, it’s clear Bethenny potentially stands to earn more, according to her, but it would have been nice if Forbes could further explain how exactly they were able to put a $36 mil figure on that potential income.

Other things that make you scratch your head is the fact that immediately following the Huffington Post’s report, Bethenny quickly removed the Forbes $100 million cover story from her website. Why remove the article if it’s accurate?

Also more odd, Forbes released the statement below to the Huffington Post before they ultimately decided to back Bethenny and themselves on the issue -

“We’re taking this very seriously. We based our numbers at the time of reporting on solid sources. We’re aware of the new information and we’re looking into it right now,” Dan Bigman, Forbes executive editor stated. “We’re going to review all the information thoroughly and talk to Ms. Frankel before taking any steps. If there are any inaccuracies, we’ll correct them. If clarification is required, we’ll do so.”

As for Bethenny, she also tweeted: “Most people are morons. Stay tuned.” She later added, “Only listen to sources you trust. Irresponsible journalism is a waste of your time.” Bethenny also changed her Twitter profile picture to her Forbes cover. That cover is below.

Must say Bethenny should be giving thanks that this Huffington Post report came out just in time to distract the public from Lost-at-sea-gate!

Photo credit: Roger Wong/INFEvents.com

TELL US – THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST? SOMETHING FISHY ABOUT THE $100 MILLION FIGURE OR MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING?