Barefoot Contessa or "Heartless Contessa"

Read this in the Los Angeles Times: "Barefoot Contessa" Ina Garten has a new nickname -- "Heartless Contessa" -- in the wake of news that she repeatedly refused to meet with a 6-year-old boy named Enzo who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The boy, who would watch Garten from his sick bed, told the Make-A-Wish Foundation that he wanted to meet the Food Network celebrity. When told that her schedule was too busy, Enzo opted to wait. When the request was made once more, Garten's representatives replied with a "definite no," according to the online blog that the family kept about the boy's illness.

Do you think this is really true??????

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydi ... 8661c8970b

Looks like things sorted itself out

Thanks pacent, I was hoping that wasn't true. Here is part of the response:

"It was only this weekend that Food Network star Ina Garten, a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa, learned that a young boy named Enzo had a long-standing request to meet her through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, according to a spokesman. Garten gets about 100 requests per month, and wasn't aware that the request had been made or rejected. Touched by the young fan's desire to meet her, Garten is calling Enzo today to speak with him and invite him to join her at the Food Network studios, according to a statement released on Garten's behalf".

Jim_Shorts wrote:Do you think this is really true??????

Absolutely true! Not only that, but I read, or did I hear from my cousin's friend's colorist, that Ina said "she would beat the little bastard to a bloody pulp if he did not stop bugging her" Talk about heartless. Geeeeesh.

HI,

I'm glad I am not a celebrity. Someone's disappointment is blasted on a blog, picked up by the national media and made to look like crap. Maybe she has other demands of her time like family, elderly parents or friends she hasn't seen in ages.

Regards,

I agree - I read the original blog post and, while I can't put myself in the shoes of someone who's child is dying, I had a really difficult time understanding why a parent would set up such a frustrating situation for themselves (maybe Make-A-Wish didn't make the system clear enough?) I'm guessing that the kids waiting for wishes number in the thousands - the website says the foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes.

That's just for that one single charity. Now add on all the other charity requests celebrities must get, and at some point, you need to make sure you carve out time for a private life. Plus, presumably, you still have the job that earned your celebrity status.

Mhays wrote:I agree - I read the original blog post and, while I can't put myself in the shoes of someone who's child is dying, I had a really difficult time understanding why a parent would set up such a frustrating situation for themselves (maybe Make-A-Wish didn't make the system clear enough?) I'm guessing that the kids waiting for wishes number in the thousands - the website says the foundation grants a wish every 40 minutes.

That's just for that one single charity. Now add on all the other charity requests celebrities must get, and at some point, you need to make sure you carve out time for a private life. Plus, presumably, you still have the job that earned your celebrity status.

She needs to fire her publicist, or the folks who go through her requests ( it's fewer than 4 a day). If her staff can't figure out what things you best say yes to, then things like this will kill her golden goose.

Cathy2 wrote:I'm glad I am not a celebrity. Someone's disappointment is blasted on a blog, picked up by the national media and made to look like crap. Maybe she has other demands of her time like family, elderly parents or friends she hasn't seen in ages.

Agree with you.

While I am sympathetic with the parents, why should anyone be expected to drop everything to make an appearance?

It is just another misuse of the internet.

jlawrence01 wrote: misuse of the internet.

HA! Funny phrase. When I was 12 in 1972 we had one telephone in the house, a Western Electric rotary dial phone. Girls would call and I'd spend hours upon hours talking on the phone. My dad would get irritated. He called my times spent talking to girls on that phone "misuse of the phone".

HA! Funny phrase. When I was 12 in 1972 we had one telephone in the house, a Western Electric rotary dial phone. Girls would call and I'd spend hours upon hours talking on the phone. My dad would get irritated. He called my times spent talking to girls on that phone "misuse of the phone".

I can so relate to this...the times they are achanging.

Wait, what?
The dying wish of a 6 year old boy is to meet Ina Garten?

RAB wrote:Wait, what?
The dying wish of a 6 year old boy is to meet Ina Garten?

Yeah, that was my first reaction too.

RAB wrote:Wait, what?
The dying wish of a 6 year old boy is to meet Ina Garten?

My guess was tv in hospitals/treatment areas and it wasn't put on Nickelodeon.

pairs4life wrote:

RAB wrote:Wait, what?
The dying wish of a 6 year old boy is to meet Ina Garten?

My guess was tv in hospitals/treatment areas and it wasn't put on Nickelodeon.

Actually, I read that he watched in bed when he was recovering--his mom was a fan of the show and they'd watch it together.

HI,

Subsequent reports state the child is very ill and responding to treatment, but not dying.

I'm very glad for the child.

Regards,

IMHO, if a person makes his/her living off of the public (fans, viewers, etc) - they really should make an effort to pay attention to those who "pay his/her bills". How many Make a Wish requests do you think she receives a month? If I was making the money she makes and a dying child, who watches my show faithfully, wants to meet me - guess what? I'm there!! To me it seems like a no brainer.

I disagree strongly. Everyone has a right to a private life, even if they have a job in public. I'd also imagine that charity requests for celebrity chefs number in the thousands.

Our school's PTA makes charity/donation requests at the local level: most LOCAL businesses have a per-month limit of a certain number of donations because of the staggering number of requests they receive - imagine that multiplied to an international viewership level.

In addition, it appears that the original story was taken out of context and somewhat exaggerated for effect (the child is recovering from a non terminal cancer.)

1) Ina Garten receives approximately 100 requests per month, as per her people.

2) While leukemia is more treatable than it used to be, based on my personal family experience, it certainly is life-threatening.

Waitaminute... I knew I could use my leukemia to make my family do things for me; I can use it to make celebrities do things for me, too?!

Dammit; why do I always learn this stuff after the fact?!

Food Network’s ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten Advocates Day Drinking As A Way To Beat Quarantine Blues

at deadline.com, Bruce Haring wrote:Food Network host Ina Garten is navigating the pandemic quarantine in a unique way. At 9:30 AM earlier this week, she posted a video of herself whipping up a pitcher of Cosmopolitans.

“You need a big pitcher, because I like to make a lot of cosmos,” Garten said. “You never who’s gonna stop by…. wait a minute, nobody’s stopping by!”

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:Food Network’s ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten Advocates Day Drinking As A Way To Beat Quarantine Blues

at deadline.com, Bruce Haring wrote:Food Network host Ina Garten is navigating the pandemic quarantine in a unique way. At 9:30 AM earlier this week, she posted a video of herself whipping up a pitcher of Cosmopolitans.

“You need a big pitcher, because I like to make a lot of cosmos,” Garten said. “You never who’s gonna stop by…. wait a minute, nobody’s stopping by!”

=R=

you forgot to mention that her cosmo glass was the size of a pitcher...personally, i thought it was rather in poor taste.

justjoan wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:Food Network’s ‘Barefoot Contessa’ Ina Garten Advocates Day Drinking As A Way To Beat Quarantine Blues

at deadline.com, Bruce Haring wrote:Food Network host Ina Garten is navigating the pandemic quarantine in a unique way. At 9:30 AM earlier this week, she posted a video of herself whipping up a pitcher of Cosmopolitans.

“You need a big pitcher, because I like to make a lot of cosmos,” Garten said. “You never who’s gonna stop by…. wait a minute, nobody’s stopping by!”

=R=

you forgot to mention that her cosmo glass was the size of a pitcher...personally, i thought it was rather in poor taste.

Eh, everyone's just doing their best to get through a horrible situation. She's not hurting anyone or making the situation worse.

=R=