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competitors like powerhouse Katie Couric and hometown favorite Steve Harvey. But she thinks she has figured out the secret to syndicated success. "It's important to have a point of view," says Frankel. Fans of her Bravo show, Bethenny Ever After, can testify that she's brimming with that. What would she bring to daytime? "Being honest, being relatable, having fun… being me," she says. It doesn't hurt that Bethenny has Ellen Degeneres as an executive pro- ducer. "Bethenny is a rare personality," says Hilary Estey McLoughlin, president of Telepictures, which produces Ellen and now Bethenny. Her "sense of humor, relatability, honesty, and rags-to- riches success story" make her a natural talk-show host, says McLoughlin. F rankel's show will be different from Degeneres's, though. "Ellen is not remotely as inappropriate as I am," Frankel says. She is planning to fea- ture guests with whom she has history, so that the show will feel more conversational and less like a typical interview show. Frankel's wish list includes Lea Michele (a Twitter pal), Denis Leary (a client from her personal-chef days), Bobby Flay (she almost interned with him), and Charles Barkley (they had been to a "boot camp spa" together). There's always the chance that some of her more surprising fans may pop up, too. On that list: Mike Tyson and Snoop Dogg. She would also love to host the ultimate hostess, Martha Stewart—despite the fact that Stewart fired Frankel during the finals of 2005's The Apprentice spin-off. There are no hard feelings, although Frankel is not exactly friends with her former role model. "I definitely never got close with her," says Frankel. "But she's a woman whom I respect greatly. I think Martha likes being intimidating; she likes being powerful. She didn't get where she is by being warm and fuzzy. She runs an empire. I know it can make you a little grouchy." Want more details on Frankel's life? On May 1, she released Skinnydipping: Another of Frankel's rules is "always be branding." The book is fictionalized, but seems awfully familiar. Like Frankel, the main char- acter, Faith Brightstone, moves to Los Angeles in her early 20s to become an actress and patch up her disastrous relationship with her father. Housewives, Frankel tried to visit her estranged father, champion horse trainer Bobby Frankel, before he died of leukemia. He refused to see her.) starter. Mirroring her creator, Faith's career in LA is a non- (You may have missed Frankel in 1994's Hollywood Hills 90028. The tagline: "She's popular… She's a killer." Frankel found more steady work as a nanny for teenaged Paris and Nicky Hilton and as an assistant for Jerry Bruckheimer.) The dishiest part of Fitness DVDs Body by Bethenny and Bethenny's Skinnygirl Workout the book, though, is when Faith is recruited for a reality show hosted by an ice-cold lifestyle goddess. (The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, anyone?) "A good percentage of the book is autobiographical," admits Frankel. There's not much fiction that can compete with Frankel's reality for pure entertainment value. She let the cameras roll during her honeymoon with new husband Jason Hoppy—even when she talked him into waxing her pregnant belly. Bethenny of All Trades Cocktails The Skinnygirl Margarita line now includes sangria, white cranberry cosmo, white peach margarita, piña colada, wine, and vodka. She sold the brand to Beam Global for a reported $100 million. Self-help books Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting; The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life; and A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life Shapewear Her Smoothers n' Shapers line includes "glamouflage," suck-in technology with boudoir flair Cleanses Skinnygirl Daily Cleanse & (On Real Restore is an all-natural green lemonade packet. Skincare Margarita Bath Collection, Cool Your Feet Spray, and more Does she have any boundaries? "Not really," Frankel says. The cameras are with her on vacation with her toddler, Bryn, during fights with her hus- band, and even in her therapy sessions. She won't talk about Hoppy's business or confirm her own profits, but that's about it—with one small exception. "The interaction with the baby on camera is very limited," says Frankel. "That's just not a choice that she is old enough to make." Since 2008 Frankel has lived a televised existence. On the few occasions that she finds herself with a little privacy: "Something really funny will happen, and I'll think, 'Oh my God, where are the cameras now?'" The novelty wore off a long time ago, though. "Have I gone too far with it? You can't put the cork back in the bottle," she says. "I went on reality TV to be truthful." Frankel was Her fans know that she'll give it to them straight. in Chicago recently to promote Skinnygirl at Binny's in the South Loop. "This is nice!" she marveled at Frankel may be a fixture on the red carpet, but she still can appreciate a good Binny's. The crowd was young, bright, and well dressed. They see Frankel as the ultimate girlfriend, with the added bonus that she provides her own liquor. These budding perfectionists are well on their way to fulfill- ing one of Frankel's favorite rules: You can have it all—just not all at once. With her sprawling interests, after all, something's got to give—like her mental health. "I am not sane," confesses Frankel. More shockingly, she's carved out extra "Bryn time" from her workout schedule. "I haven't exer- cised in weeks," she says. She considers being there for Bryn her "biggest success." If Frankel is traveling somewhere for more than a day, she brings her daughter along. "I'm able to be with her for every meal, every bath. I'm there when she wakes up from every nap," says Frankel. "I think that's definitely what my definition of success is." She's hinted that her reality-show days are numbered, but her empire is growing large enough that it's just a matter of time before it might rival Martha Stewart's. However, money is no longer the main motivator, insists Frankel. "It's amazing how inspiring my fans are," she says. "They're the reason I do everything." MA michiganavemag.com 117 the bar setup and buffet.