Lisa, why were you initially interested in spinning off from “The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” onto your own show, “Vanderpump Rules”?
It really happened organically actually. I Bravo saw that my life was really my business, and they found it fascinating, with the staff and the dynamics around them, but they just could not fit it into the “Housewives”; it was simply too big for an ensemble like the “Housewives”. When they decided to do a spin off, it was shot at the same time, and it really happened organically.
Describe for us your management style at SUR & Villa Blanca..
Well, most of the staff has worked for me for a minimum of two years, so they become like a family, albeit a family with problems. I’m a very firm boss; I can be like their mother at times, but they are definitely held to a certain set of standards. I mean, we’re right in the middle of West Hollywood, a stone’s throw from The Abbey (West Hollywood’s iconic gay bar). It goes without saying that the staff certainly have other things that they would rather be doing than working. It can be annoying to me, but it’s the nature of the beast really. Most of them want to be actors, models, dancers, etc. I do end up somehow being a “mother” of sorts to all of them and very close to them.
What are some of the most important qualities for a staff member at SUR?
Well, many have assumed that the staff have been hired for how they look, but that’s actually ridiculous. Most of my staff were friends of friends to begin with, we really have never had to actively look for new staff. They definitely need to be precocious, gregarious, and most importantly, hard workers. The whole feeling there can be very avant garde, very fast paced, especially in the lounge. It can get a little crazy, and if you’re going to work there it’s not for the faint at heart!
Will we see any of the other “Housewives” on “Vanderpump Rules”?
Well, right off the bat, the “two planets collide”. Brandi (Glanville) appears in the first episode to talk to Sheana, one of my servers at SUR & Villa Blanca. Scheana slept with Brandi’s husband (actor Eddie Cibrian) while they were still married and it was very awkward every time Brandi came in. I would have to move her to another section or ask her not to work on a day that Brandi was coming in. By the same token, Brandi never asked me to have her fired or anything; Scheana came to me and asked to speak with Brandi. I took it to Brandi and she was open to it.
There really are so many things about Brandi that people don’t know. She’s an amazing mother, but unfortunately you don’t get to see that because she can’t use her children on “Housewives”. She actually went to therapy with Eddie and LeeAnn Rimes (Cibrian’s new wife) because they share young children. I give her credit; I take my hat off to her.
Were the other “Housewives” supportive with the spin-off?
It was very surreal, because that day that it was announced that it would not be picked up, I actually found out that it would be picked up; it was strange really. Naturally, there’s always some sort of competition between the women, that you’ve already seen. Taylor (Armstrong) sent me flowers, and Brandi has of course been very supportive. Kyle sent a tweet encouraging everyone to watch “Vanderpump Rules”, which was very sweet. Andrienne (Maloof) never mentioned it at all, which is fine. I never mentioned that I was filming the other show, and I know that it’s so rare to be offered a spin-off. With most of the ladies, I didn’t even discuss it. The night that the spin-off premiered, the “Housewives” episode was titled “Vanderpump Rules”. I’m sure the ladies loved that! (LOL)!
Before we go, you must tell us; how do you stay so timelessly beautiful?
That should be your article’s headline (LOL)! Well, the hardest thing when you get to a “certain age” is keeping your weight down, so I cut out carbs at night and step up the exercise. I make sure I sample all of the food that my restaurants serve, so I definitely have to watch. In terms of “touch ups” I don’t care what people ask, I’ll always tell the truth; I do botox and filler. But without a doubt, I definitely love to “live”. So it’s all about finding that balance really.
“Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Vanderpump has become an gay icon of sorts, after only three seasons of her hit show on Bravo. Not only are her restaurants SUR & Villa Blanca only blocks from West Hollywood’s The Abbey, but she’s made appearances at both Los Angeles’ Gay Pride Parade as well as The White Party festivites in Palm Springs. With her little pup Giggy at her side constantly, she should not be surprised that the gay men gravitate towards her.
Lisa chatted with Entertainment Editor Cookie about her new spin-off “Vanderpump Rules,” what the other “Housewives” think of her spin-off and what we really are not getting to see of fellow “Housewife” Brandi Glanville.
Lisa, why were you initially interested in spinning off from “The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” onto your own show, “Vanderpump Rules”?
It really happened organically actually. Bravo saw that my life was really my business, and they found it fascinating, with the staff and the dynamics around them, but they just could not fit it into the “Housewives;” it was simply too big for an ensemble like the “Housewives.” When they decided to do a spin off, it was shot at the same time.
Describe for us your management style at SUR & Villa Blanca.
Well, most of the staff has worked for me for a minimum of two years, so they become like a family, albeit a family with problems. I’m a very firm boss; I can be like their mother at times, but they are definitely held to a certain set of standards. I mean, we’re right in the middle of West Hollywood, a stone’s throw from The Abbey [West Hollywood’s iconic gay bar]. It goes without saying that the staff certainly have other things that they would rather be doing than working. It can be annoying to me, but it’s the nature of the beast really. Most of them want to be actors, models, dancers, etc. I do end up somehow being a “mother” of sorts to all of them and very close to them.
What are some of the most important qualities for a staff member at SUR?
Many have assumed that the staff have been hired for how they look, but that’s actually ridiculous. Most of my staff were friends of friends to begin with, we really have never had to actively look for new staff. They definitely need to be precocious, gregarious, and most importantly, hard workers. The whole feeling there can be very avant garde, very fast paced, especially in the lounge. It can get a little crazy, and if you’re going to work there it’s not for the faint at heart!
Will we see any of the other “Housewives” on “Vanderpump Rules?”
Well, right off the bat, the “two planets collide.” Brandi [Glanville] appeared in the first episode to talk to Sheana, one of my servers at SUR & Villa Blanca. Scheana slept with Brandi’s husband [actor Eddie Cibrian] while they were still married, and it was very awkward every time Brandi came in. I would have to move her to another section or ask her not to work on a day that Brandi was coming in. By the same token, Brandi never asked me to have her fired or anything; Scheana came to me and asked to speak with Brandi. I took it to Brandi, and she was open to it.
There really are so many things about Brandi that people don’t know. She’s an amazing mother, but unfortunately you don’t get to see that because she can’t use her children on “Housewives.” She actually went to therapy with Eddie and LeeAnn Rimes [Cibrian’s new wife] because they share young children. I give her credit; I take my hat off to her.
Were the other “Housewives” supportive with the spin-off?
It was very surreal, because that day that it was announced that it would not be picked up, I actually found out that it would be picked up; it was strange really. Naturally, there’s always some sort of competition between the women, that you’ve already seen. Taylor [Armstrong] sent me flowers, and Brandi has of course been very supportive. Kyle sent a tweet encouraging everyone to watch “Vanderpump Rules,” which was very sweet. Andrienne [Maloof] never mentioned it at all, which is fine. I never mentioned that I was filming the other show, and I know that it’s so rare to be offered a spin-off. With most of the ladies, I didn’t even discuss it. The night that the spin-off premiered, the “Housewives” episode was titled “Vanderpump Rules.” I’m sure the ladies loved that [laughter].
Before we go, you must tell us; how do you stay so timelessly beautiful?
That should be your article’s headline [laughs again]. Well, the hardest thing when you get to a “certain age” is keeping your weight down, so I cut out carbs at night and step up the exercise. I make sure I sample all of the food that my restaurants serve, so I definitely have to watch. In terms of “touch ups” I don’t care what people ask, I’ll always tell the truth; I do botox and filler. But without a doubt, I definitely love to “live.” So it’s all about finding that balance really.
Lisa, why were you initially interested in spinning off from “The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills” onto your own show, “Vanderpump Rules”?
It really happened organically actually. I Bravo saw that my life was really my business, and they found it fascinating, with the staff and the dynamics around them, but they just could not fit it into the “Housewives”; it was simply too big for an ensemble like the “Housewives”. When they decided to do a spin off, it was shot at the same time, and it really happened organically.
Describe for us your management style at SUR & Villa Blanca..
Well, most of the staff has worked for me for a minimum of two years, so they become like a family, albeit a family with problems. I’m a very firm boss; I can be like their mother at times, but they are definitely held to a certain set of standards. I mean, we’re right in the middle of West Hollywood, a stone’s throw from The Abbey (West Hollywood’s iconic gay bar). It goes without saying that the staff certainly have other things that they would rather be doing than working. It can be annoying to me, but it’s the nature of the beast really. Most of them want to be actors, models, dancers, etc. I do end up somehow being a “mother” of sorts to all of them and very close to them.
What are some of the most important qualities for a staff member at SUR?
Well, many have assumed that the staff have been hired for how they look, but that’s actually ridiculous. Most of my staff were friends of friends to begin with, we really have never had to actively look for new staff. They definitely need to be precocious, gregarious, and most importantly, hard workers. The whole feeling there can be very avant garde, very fast paced, especially in the lounge. It can get a little crazy, and if you’re going to work there it’s not for the faint at heart!
Will we see any of the other “Housewives” on “Vanderpump Rules”?
Well, right off the bat, the “two planets collide”. Brandi (Glanville) appears in the first episode to talk to Sheana, one of my servers at SUR & Villa Blanca. Scheana slept with Brandi’s husband (actor Eddie Cibrian) while they were still married and it was very awkward every time Brandi came in. I would have to move her to another section or ask her not to work on a day that Brandi was coming in. By the same token, Brandi never asked me to have her fired or anything; Scheana came to me and asked to speak with Brandi. I took it to Brandi and she was open to it.
There really are so many things about Brandi that people don’t know. She’s an amazing mother, but unfortunately you don’t get to see that because she can’t use her children on “Housewives”. She actually went to therapy with Eddie and LeeAnn Rimes (Cibrian’s new wife) because they share young children. I give her credit; I take my hat off to her.
Were the other “Housewives” supportive with the spin-off?
It was very surreal, because that day that it was announced that it would not be picked up, I actually found out that it would be picked up; it was strange really. Naturally, there’s always some sort of competition between the women, that you’ve already seen. Taylor (Armstrong) sent me flowers, and Brandi has of course been very supportive. Kyle sent a tweet encouraging everyone to watch “Vanderpump Rules”, which was very sweet. Andrienne (Maloof) never mentioned it at all, which is fine. I never mentioned that I was filming the other show, and I know that it’s so rare to be offered a spin-off. With most of the ladies, I didn’t even discuss it. The night that the spin-off premiered, the “Housewives” episode was titled “Vanderpump Rules”. I’m sure the ladies loved that! (LOL)!
Before we go, you must tell us; how do you stay so timelessly beautiful?
That should be your article’s headline (LOL)! Well, the hardest thing when you get to a “certain age” is keeping your weight down, so I cut out carbs at night and step up the exercise. I make sure I sample all of the food that my restaurants serve, so I definitely have to watch. In terms of “touch ups” I don’t care what people ask, I’ll always tell the truth; I do botox and filler. But without a doubt, I definitely love to “live”. So it’s all about finding that balance really.
“Real Housewife Of Beverly Hills” star Lisa Vanderpump has become an gay icon of sorts, after only three seasons of her hit show on Bravo. Not only are her restaurants SUR & Villa Blanca only blocks from West Hollywood’s The Abbey, but she’s made appearances at both Los Angeles’ Gay Pride Parade as well as The White Party festivites in Palm Springs. With her little pup Giggy at her side constantly, she should not be surprised that the gay men gravitate towards her.
