Public eye gets less private parts

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While some people are famous for being famous, Kim Kardashian, truth be told, is legendary for her sex tape with |Ray J first … then E! Entertainment’s hit reality series Keeping Up With the Kardashians. After the fiasco concerning her failed 72-day marriage to Kris Humphries, she has shrugged off the controversy and moved on – with Kanye West. While certain topics remain off limits with Kim, she accommodated questions on season seven of KUWTK, writes Debashine Thangevelo

 

KIM Kardashian agreed to interviews provided the media refrained from asking questions about her personal life, Kanye West, her marriage(s), her divorce(s), her sex tape, Kim Kardashian: Superstar, and posing for Playboy.

Of course, the irony of the details of her life exposed on Keeping Up With the Kardashians (KUWTK) – not to mention the plethora of reports in tabloids and on the Net as well her Tweets – wasn’t lost on me. Her manager and her? Definitely.

While Kris Humphries had a key role in the previous season, with the build-up to her fairy-tale wedding – its ridiculously short lifespan that saw the media have a field day – Kim sheds light on what viewers can expect from her and her family (mom Kris, sisters Kourtney and Khloè, brother Robert, stepbrothers Burton and Brandon, stepsisters Casey, Kendall and Kylie and stepdad Bruce). This time, though, don’t expect much screen time monopolised by her personal life.

On being a part of a close-knit and, at times, meddlesome family, Kim says: “I love having a big family. But there’s a big dynamic and when we’re filming, they capture real life and all the stuff that goes on, so you definitely see what a big family is like on the show.”

Her love affair with the camera on the red carpet ensures Kim is always on the paparazzi’s radar – and if she isn’t, I’m sure mom will remedy the “oversight”. However, sometimes Kim needs time out.

She explains: “We know we’ve signed up to live our lives on a reality show. So I’m okay with it most of the time. There are certain things I won’t really film or get into because I think it’s too personal and you have to set boundaries. But, as I’ve aged, I think I’ve learnt to set up different boundaries. You know, just to have some days off; keep that separation sometimes, so that you can keep some things private.”

Does that mean a clampdown on your dating life?

“I don’t think you’ll really see any love stuff or my relationship stuff. I think you’ll see I’m happy again and going through new experiences. But you’ll also see I’m still dealing with my last relationship, and that it is hard. And I think that from the past of sharing so much, people wanted to see that. But when it didn’t work out the way everyone wanted, when I realised I had made the wrong decision, that was a problem for the people and the media. So many people just flipped it into so many things that I think I’m just more guarded this time around.”

Now mama Kris tends to have the final say – whether her family agree or not. And sometimes she puts her foot in it.

Kim admits: “I think there was a time during my wedding when someone had asked her how much my ring cost and she only knew what she’d heard in the tabloids. So she’d said one thing when it was another. It’s so crazy to me when all these ridiculous numbers get out there and none of it is true. I get mad at her for stuff like that.”

On the surprises from her family, she shares: “That would be Kourtney’s mood swings (when she was pregnant). I never thought she would be so hormonal. And when Khloè and Lamar had their big move to Dallas – and how she handled it.”

On the downside of stardom, she offers: “It’s a bit different than being an actor or a singer because that’s a character you play and then go away from. But I film my everyday life, so a loss of privacy is probably the one thing you wish you could have back. But I’m still having a good time.”

Any regrets so far?

“I’ve experienced both sides of life – as a normal person and a celebrity. I think it’s a worse move, and more embarrassing, getting married on TV and for it not to work out. I mean, no one would do it just to embarrass themselves. It’s crazy how the media spin things. But I did put my personal life out there…”

In the latest instalment of KUWTK, there are several upsets the family is confronted with: Kylie and Kendall pave their way into the headlines, Kris is distraught about the media questioning Khloè’s paternity, Rob misses a male role model after his dad’s death and a homesick Khloè tries to be supportive of Lamar and his career.

As for Kim – or Kanye’s Perfect Bitch – she continues to hog the limelight with her schmaltzy romance. But wait, we can’t talk about that!

 

• KUWTK, E! Entertainment (DStv channel 124), 9pm, Sunday.

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