'The City' finale: Whitney gets a big break, and Erin gives an ultimatum

In “The City” season finale, the conflicts reached a crescendo. In both situations, the women had to ask themselves whether they could (or should) work together.

Whitney Port survived last week’s “look book” shoot, and this week Kelly Cutrone’s “Fashion School of Hard Knocks” served up yet another test. Kelly arranged a sales presentation for Bergdorf Goodman officials. We all remember the last time Whitney went to them (with Roxy Olin’s encouragement) only to look like an under-prepared novice with a portfolio full of pencil sketches that didn’t even amount to a full line. This time around, Kelly was giving her blessing. She only had one request: Do not bring Roxy.

When Whitney told Roxy, Roxy came back with the craziest “no, she didn’t” expression and stood up to confront Kelly. My eyes were as big as pinwheels as I watched Crazy, uh, Roxy, walk toward Kelly’s office. What is wrong with her? Does she know Kelly could snap her in half and send her upper portion down a runway in Milan? As soon as Roxy began playing the “we are similar” card, Kelly had had enough. She said that if Whitney wanted her there, then she should go. I could see her washing her hands of it already.

It wasn’t a surprise that Kelly didn’t show up for the actual presentation. Whitney once again went against her advice, and Roxy had insulted her. It was a little disappointing, because it was such a big deal for Whitney. Then again, she made her bed and Kelly was going to let her lie in it. I just could have done without Roxy feeling justified in calling Kelly a hypocrite. That’s when I thought, “No, she didn’t.”

I loved how MTV shot the Bergdorf “glamazons” getting out of their cars for the meeting. They were like the fashion mafia. Whitney had no idea what she was in for. Turned out Kelly was right and there were some instances when her presence could have saved Whitney some embarrassment. Kelly may not have been able to change the Bergdorf women’s opinion of Whitney’s crooked hemlines and “cheap” fabric choices, but she could have had a better comeback than Whitney’s “I’m learning.” Did anyone else want to strangle Roxy when she countered Whitney’s statement about people not wearing black in L.A. with “I wear black in L.A.”? Time and place, Roxy. Wow. That only galvanized my faith in Kelly’s judgment. Should Whitney and Roxy work together? My opinion? Not until Roxy learns to check her ego at the door and when it’s appropriate to shut her mouth.

Despite her disappointment...

Whitney Port on the girl drama, the guy rumors and what it takes to survive 'The City'

Even when she was on “The Hills,” Whitney Port was an unlikely reality star. And in “The City,” she still seems a bit misplaced among her fellow castmates: the impulsive Roxy Olin, the ambitious Erin Kaplan and the mutinous Olivia Palermo.

“I was a normal 20-year-old student,” says Whitney Port, now 24. “Being on television definitely wasn’t impressive or a goal of mine. I went into it thinking this will help my fashion career, basically. I didn’t want my personal life on camera. I was very reserved and shy.”

Yet, despite her rather undramatic personality, Port shined even when conflict-prone Lauren Conrad was in the room and still does now among her rambunctious ‘City’ castmates. It’s in her own quiet way that she has gotten pretty much everything she ever wanted while, at the same time, inspiring those around her to help her do so. That’s what’s impressive about Whitney Port.

Recently, I spoke with Whitney about what it was like to work on her dream fashion line on-camera, what she thought about the other women on the show and the guys she encountered along the way.

In tonight’s finale, you get this huge opportunity to show your new line at Bergdorf Goodman, how’d that go?

Exclusive first look: Is the gig up for Olivia on 'The City' finale?

On this season of “The City," Olivia Palermo has made working at Elle magazine look easy. That’s really because she has continually performed at the bare minimum. As a result, Erin Kaplan has had to clean up Olivia's mess.

Last week, we watched as Olivia prepped a “Today” show segment that would feature Joe Zee as Elle’s on-air talent. You think she would want to impress the guy who hired her and has had her back all season. Instead, she pulled another Olivia and, once again, left Erin (and a hapless intern) to pick up the slack.

In this week’s exclusive clip from "The City" season finale, we finally see the aftermath of the "Today"  segment. Did it take Olivia’s bad work ethic affecting him personally for Joe Zee to see the light? And has Erin finally had enough?

Do you think Olivia was to blame for her lack of preparation? Or could Erin have set her up?

Tuesday: Check back here for my interview with “The City’s” love-stunted, yet fashion-forward Whitney Port!

-- Jethro Nededog (Follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

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Photo: Olivia Palermo in "The City." Credit: MTV

Video: Joe Zee vents and Erin Kaplan calls for Olivia's job on "The City." Credit: MTV

'The City': You should be stressed

Watching this week’s episode of “The City,” I was sure someone was going to get clipped. Thankfully, the only casualties were one of Whitney’s dresses and an Elle intern’s innocence.

As we all know, Whitney Port’s fashion line Whitney Eve has been out for a while. In September, she showed her line at New York Fashion Week. Nevertheless, I find it fascinating to watch her as she finally completes her journey from serial intern on “The Hills” to a full-fledged fashion designer in “The City.”

So if Whitney, Kelly Cutrone and we the viewers know that realizing her fashion line is a big deal, then how’s it possible that Roxy Olin doesn’t? I give Whitney a lot of credit for giving her friend the chance to take part in this important event, but at what point will she realize that it could be at the expense of her own career?

This week, Whitney’s designs have come to life. They’re actually sitting on a rack at People’s Revolution, and even the typically critical Kelly believes they’re ready to go out into the world. The next step is Whitney’s “look book.” From what I understand, “look books” are sent to the fashion media and retailers, who are either too far or too busy to come see the actual samples themselves. A good one can get your designs in editorial shoots or actually get your clothes in stores. With all that riding on Whitney’s book, it was crazy how Roxy handled the model casting and behaved during the photo shoot. Whitney is so lucky to have a bulldog like Kelly in her corner. While Whitney sat speechless at her friend’s behavior, Kelly put Roxy in her place.

After Fackelmayer-gate...

'The City's' Kelly Cutrone: Deprogramming girls one intern at a time

You may know Kelly Cutrone as the harsh (sometimes brutal), all-black-wearing, straight-talking boss lady from “The Hills” and “The City.” She's all those things.

She’s also the former wife of Andy Warhol protégé Ronnie Cutrone, the mother of a young girl named Ava, and she used to run with Anthony Haden-Guest, the writer who would later be immortalized in “The Bonfire of the Vanities.” With such a packed autobiography already, what could have convinced her to take part in a reality show?

“I really thought a lot about it,” remembers Kelly Cutrone, who heads the PR and branding company People’s Revolution. “Then, I decided it was an interesting way to talk about what I wanted to talk about. Also, I thought it would be an interesting way to brand and work with my clients. And I think I was right.”

Cutrone, 44, has built her success from a series of similarly correct hunches. At 21, she moved to New York City from suburban Syracuse with $2,000 from her father, who according to Cutrone, said: “This is the only money I’ll ever give you if you want to move to that hellhole. Call me anytime to pick you up and bring you back home. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”

Evicted from her apartment after six months, because she couldn’t pay the rent, it was Hayden-Guest who suggested that she should become a publicist. Cutrone says that when she asked him what a publicist did, he answered, “Oh, it’s nothing. It’s what you do anyway. You just talk all day and introduce people to eachother.” That’s when Cutrone decided to go into publicity – another decision that has paid off for her.

And when the publishing company, HarperOne, called to offer her a book deal, she jumped on it. “If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You” (co-written with Meredith Bryan) will be out next February. The book contains her trademark “Kelly-isms,” as she calls them, on life and gaining success.

Recently, I got to speak with Cutrone about life in “The City” and her thoughts on her infamous interns and assistants: Whitney Port, Roxy Olin and, of course, Lauren Conrad.

Are you comfortable with how you’ve been portrayed in "The Hills" and “The City”?
Yeah, I am. When I started, I already knew myself and I already liked myself and I already didn’t care what people thought of me. So I was pretty thick-skinned. I wasn’t a young woman who was in the middle of trying to figure out what I was about. I was aware of the negativity that is placed on women who are seen as powerful. That doesn’t seem to actually apply to men, as much, and certainly not Caucasian men. I wasn’t aware of it to the extent that I actually went through it, but I think I did a really good job of not running away and sticking to the fact that almost everything I said was coming from a place of truth.

Have you always seen something in Whitney?

Exclusive first look: Can Whitney trust Roxy on 'The City'?

Awww! After years of watching Whitney Port work toward her dream of designing her own fashion line on “The Hills” and now “The City,” she’s finally ready to share it with the world. On the show, the perpetual fashion intern and assistant is about to become a full-fledged clothing designer! Of course, that’s only if mentor and fashion PR maven Kelly Cutrone gives Whitney her blessings.

In this week’s exclusive video from “The City,” Whitney shares her completed designs with Kelly, only to find out that there’s still much more to do before the world gets to see the results of all her hard work.

Can Roxy Olin be trusted with Whitney’s model casting? Or is Whitney, once again, letting her friendship get in the way of her common sense?

Later: Check back here for my interview with the boss lady herself, Kelly Cutrone!

– Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

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Photo: Whitney Port is working on her own fashion line in 'The City.' Credit: MTV

Video: Whitney Port and Kelly Cutrone on 'The City' Credit: MTV

'The City': You have to know your tribe

New York City can be a lonely (and intimidating) place if you haven’t found your niche. Sure, it’s a relatively small city, but the truth is that someone who lives on the Upper East Side is culturally worlds apart from someone who lives in the East Village, which is less than five miles south of it. In this week’s episode of “The City,” the women all seemed to be struggling with the inevitable pitfalls of trying to belong.

Whitney Port is back on the prowl this week as we watched her go on a blind date with quite possibly the biggest idiot in New York City. It’s so L.A. of Whitney to go out on a date with someone who is way beneath her. Here in Los Angeles, one can barely avoid it. The city attracts jerks from every corner of the world with dreams of Hollywood stardom. It must be in the water, because even accountants think they’re celebrities here. In New York, though, the shelves are better stacked. There’s no reason for Whitney to settle for some scrub who can’t even pick up the dinner bill and forces his crazy retail-working jargon on someone like her, who actually has a real fashion career. Whitney, this week Kelly Cutrone said what we all feel – your friends are kooks. Don’t let them pick boys for you either. How is it that each new guy in Whitney’s life leaves us thinking the last one wasn’t that bad?

I felt for Roxy in this episode, because I know that being the new girl in a town that eats up and spits out dozens like her before lunch isn’t fun. The secret to making it in a big city, though, is to listen to your instincts. She already felt that there was a tinge of jerk in this guy she was dating, but she has yet to learn that those types of thoughts will save her a lot of heartache in a city like New York. Of course, I don’t know the guy, but as soon as he said that line about not liking blonds, his cover was blown. I don’t know one guy who’d turn down a hot blond gal if she came knocking at his door. And if he does turn her away, he didn’t really want to, or he’s gay.

On the other hand...

Exclusive first look: Olivia and Erin square off on 'The City'

In this exclusive clip from this week’s episode of “The City,” we drop in on Olivia Palermo, Erin Kaplan and Joe Zee as they meet with the head honcho, Elle editor in chief Robbie Myers.

Myers has a big event coming up and she asks Olivia (whose style seems to be her biggest asset) to help her pick a look for it, but Joe Zee amps up the drama when he suggests that Erin could help out, too.

This clip rocks because it boils down to what I consider each of the cast members' most awesome mannerisms. Joe is running at the mouth. Erin is shooting the dirtiest stares. And, of course, Olivia’s catty asides. Love it.

Take a look at the exclusive video and leave a comment letting us know who you side with: Olivia or Erin?

Also this week: After a photo shoot during which Olivia gets preferential treatment, Erin lets us know exactly why she has issues with the socialite-turned-journalist. And after Fackelmayer-gate, Whitney is back on the dating circuit, with nightmarish results. Don’t forget to catch my thoughts on the episode right here on Wednesday!

-- Jethro Nededog (Follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

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Photo: Olivia Palermo on “The City.” Credit: MTV
Video: Olivia Palermo and Erin Kaplan are at it again on “The City.” Credit: MTV

'The City': Mixed signals in Miami

When I’m watching "The City,” I often feel as if I’m watching beings from another planet. It’s just that the ladies ignore social cues that any human being would pick up on. This episode was doubly extraterrestrial to me, because it partially took place in Miami. My take on Miami is that it’s full of beautiful people, no one admits to being over 40 and they’ll take any chance to be naked. In fact, it’s a lot like L.A. times two.

Kelly Cutrone was on a rampage this episode. We’re used to her honest, brash personality, but this week she was super-sized. Even though the Miami team was already chosen, Kelly thought that Whitney Port and Roxy Olin could learn something on the trip. Whitney was to shadow Mara Hoffman, a designer and People’s Revolution client, but what was Roxy supposed to do in Miami? I’m still not sure. I guess you can never have too many helping hands.

The night before the show, Whitney introduces Roxy to her friend, Nick (both apparently went to Harvard) at the Florida Room. This is where things start to unravel. Whitney excused herself, but said she’d be right back. Apparently Roxy didn’t hear her, since she was too into shaking her groove thing to pay attention. But Whitney told Nick, as well. In an MTV second, Nick was laying it on Roxy thick. She suggested they go somewhere else and they went. Poor Whitney returned to find they were gone.

First of all, Whitney has horrible judgment when it comes to picking friends. Second, everyone knows you don’t leave your friend at a club alone, especially not for some guy. Now, I don’t know how close Whitney is with Nick, but he surely should have suggested waiting for her, but he didn’t. What a pal! I have a feeling Nick’s thoughts were not originating from his upper half.…

The next day, at the show, Roxy shows up and it seems that it’s the first time Whitney has seen her since the Florida Room. Draw your own conclusions. All I have to say is, “Well played, Nick.” The ladies get into a huge “she said, she said” argument. Roxy claims that not only did she not hear Whitney, but she lost her cellphone as well. What she should have said is that she lost her senses. After the best montage of “people looking over at the argument” I’ve seen in a while, the gals grab Kelly’s attention. Of course she squashes the argument, then delivers the best line of the episode. “If you have a problem,” says Kelly. “Take it outside. This isn’t group therapy.” Yes!
 
Back in New York City…

Exclusive first look: It's a melee in Miami on 'The City'

This week's episode proves you can take the girls out of “The City,” but you can’t take the drama out of the girls. Last week, it was the Hamptons. This week, Whitney Port and Roxy Olin are working Fashion Week in Miami. After last week’s Fackelmayer debacle (when Whitney learned that Freddie had a girlfriend), it might do her some good to get out of the city. Or will it?

Turns out Roxy and Whitney had quite a misunderstanding while they were out on the town, and it exploded into a full-scale catfight backstage at the People’s Revolution show.

In this exclusive first look from this week’s episode, Boss Lady Kelly Cutrone schools the girls on their less-than-stellar professional behavior.

-- Jethro Nededog (follow me on Twitter @TheRealJethro)

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