COURTESY OF SOAPNET
From left, Julie Smith, Shea Johnson, Emily Gimmel, Kellie Frey and Hadley Hartz make up the cast of “Southern Belles: Louisville,” a reality TV show that follows the lives of the five as they try to break away from the traditional roles of Southern women. Gimmel, for instance, moved from Louisville, Ky., to take a job as host of “702.tv” “Southern Belles” premiered May 21 and airs at 10 p.m. Thursdays.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Beyond the Sun
ON TV
“Southern Belles: Louisville”: 10 p.m. Thursdays on SOAPnet (Cox digital channel 347)
“702.tv”: 10:30 p.m. Thursdays on Vegas TV (KTUD Channel 14)
To say Emily Gimmel feels comfortable in front of a camera would understate reality — or in this case, reality TV.
Gimmel, 25, feels comfortable behind the camera and editing the video from the camera, too.
The recent Louisville, Ky., transplant is a host of the “702.tv” from Greenspun Interactive, owned by the Greenspun family, which also owns the Las Vegas Sun. The news magazine program has been in test screenings for five weeks and launches officially June 16.
Gimmel also is a centerpiece of SOAPnet’s reality series “Southern Belles: Louisville.” The show centers on a quintet of women from Louisville who are looking to break free from traditional Southern sensibilities. In Gimmel’s case, she does this by moving to Vegas to become an entertainment reporter.
“Belles” debuted May 21, and typical of the show’s storytelling is a lot of slow-motion hugging and disembodied narration in a woman’s voice asking such questions as, “Does Hadley’s need for a little space threaten to push Sterling away?”
This week’s episode of “Southern Belles” features Gimmel’s first spot on “702.tv,” covering the Maloof family’s party at the Palms to tip off the Sacramento Kings’ season opener.
An ABC crew recorded the initial assignment when Gimmel meets with “702.tv” co-host Denise Spidle and Greenspun Interactive President Rob Curley and is told to have the piece posted on the Web site that evening. Then the crew tailed Gimmel and videographer Voja Radosavljevic through her “oops”-replete standups and into the Greenspun Interactive newsroom, where the two perform the relatively inglorious task of video editing.
Thursday’s Vegas-heavy episode also includes Gimmel’s trip to Kim Vo at the Mirage for a makeover, in search of a more sophisticated image.
Gimmel’s Vegas tale is intertwined with those of fellow “Belles” — Shea Johnson, a well-to-do single looking for the perfect man; Hadley Hartz, who has a penchant for picking incompatible mates; Kellie Frey, a divorcee embarking on a matchmaking business; and Julie Smith, a model who has allowed her career to preclude romantic interests and is closing in on age 35 — long-in-the-tooth for a single Southern woman, we learn.
Gimmel comes from a successful family, founders of a company building industrial machines. Her decision to enter the comparatively modest world of broadcast media was met with skepticism by her father, Richard, who in a moment of pique told his daughter, “You are every father’s nightmare.” (For the record, the Gimmels are a tight clan and her parents have made multiple visits to her new hometown.)
If it all sounds like a soap opera, it should. ABC developed SOAPnet as an offshoot of its daytime drama lineup, targeting those who want to catch soap-style storytelling around the clock.
A casting agent for “Southern Belles” found Gimmel’s profile on her Myspace page, and one meeting became five.
Gimmel was living in Louisville at the time but had just been to Las Vegas on assignment for PokerNews.com, covering the World Series of Poker at the Rio. She had taken to the city and didn’t want to leave, and she had secured an interview with Greenspun Interactive.
She was offered the job in Vegas and the spot on “Southern Belles,” she says, “literally within an hour of each other.” This subplot plays out on the series.
There were concerns about having the ABC camera crew poking around the Greenspun Interactive office, but it was decided that Gimmel’s appearance on “Southern Belles” would introduce the company to a national audience through a unique forum.
Since arriving, Gimmel has made her own news.
During her trip with fellow “Belles” to this year’s Kentucky Derby, national celeb-stalking tabloids reported Gimmel getting chummy with Nick Lachey and noted that Gimmel resembles Lachey’s ex, Jessica Simpson.
“It was funny and flattering. We didn’t swap phone numbers, no,” Gimmel said, laughing. “My mom dated his godfather in high school. We know each other.”
John Katsilometes can be reached at 990-7720 or at [email protected].
