Brinkley: All I Ever Wanted Was a Big Happy Family
Christie Brinkley was back on the stand Monday for a tearful day three in her divorce and custody case.
Resuming testimony that began Thursday, the 54-year-old Uptown Girl played up her mothering credentials to the Long Island court, portraying herself as a much better caretaker for her kids than estranged husband Peter Cook, who admitted to having an affair with an 18-year-old staffer and a $3,000-a-month online porn habit during their marriage.
“The role of family to me is the most important thing,” Brinkley told the court, while choking back sobs.
“I’m sorry I’m crying right now, but the only thing I’ve ever wanted was a big happy family.”
The Vacation star told of how horrified she was when she threw an eighth birthday party for daughter Sailor Lee, baking cakes for 40 kids and trying to put on a happy face just a week after learning of the 49-year-old architect’s infidelity.
“It was hardI was devastated,” she said. “I was in this emotional tug-of-war and discovering more every day. It was a nightmare.”
The estranged couple are facing off over who will ultimately get custody of 12-year-old Jack and Sailor, now 10.
The former Sports Illustrated swimsuit fixture recalled breaking the news to the kids, telling them “I think Daddy has fallen out of love with Mommy.”
Brinkley said she went to great lengths to shield their kids from the tabloid tumult that followed, taking them camping in Colorado without access to TV or the Web.
Brinkley said they were atop a mountain under the stars when Cook’s teenage lover, Diana Bianchi, “spilled the beans” on TV “to get her 15 minutes of fame.”
She also went over her résumé, including speaking at the United Nations about the role of a mom as a “peacemaker” and being named Mother of the Year by a New York group.
Per New York’s Newsday, Brinkley also gave a glimpse inside the home life at their $30 million spread in Bridgehampton.
The compound features a children’s library, game rooms, an art studio and music rooms, a tennis court which doubled as a skate park for Jack, and a variety of pets: a Yorkie named Pinkie, a labra-doodle dubbed Sugar, a bunny called Gracie May and an African grey Conure named Kiwi Houdini Valentine.
“He’s a bird who think he’s a cat,” quipped Brinkley.
Brinkley also announced today that because of the roller-coaster ride she’s been on with thisher fourth marriageshe wasn’t planning on dating anytime soon, particularly out of concern for the children.
“They need a lot of attention right now,” she said. “They need to be reassured how loved they are [and] how their place is strong and secure in our lives.”
Christie Brinkley Breaks Down in Court
Christie Brinkley Breaks Down in Court
With her divorce trial underway, Christie Brinkley has a long hard road ahead of her. And it sounds like things are already getting pretty tough.
During the second day of the proceedings, the supermodel reportedly broke down in tears as she explained to the court the manner in which she was informed of her husband’s infidelity.
Brinkley recalled that she was delivering a commencement address at a Hamptons-area high school back in 2006 when the step-father of her husband’s mistress’ confronted her.
“Suddenly, I heard these words … I heard, ‘That husband of yours just won’t knock it off. He’s having an affair with my teenage daughter and that bastard won’t knock it off and I have to come to you,’” said a teary Christie.
“I said, ‘What did you say?’ At this point my eyes were fading out at the edges, this tunnel vision in a way. I looked at Peter and he was just going ‘no’ and I thought it’s true — he did that.”
Brinkley’s attorney also told the court the Peter Cook (Christie’s soon-to-be ex) had run up an internet pornography bill to the tune of $3000.
Nevertheless, Cook told press that this trial “is about parenting and remaining in my children’s lives in the same presence I’ve always had. I’m not going to let her take my children the way she has with the last two fathers.”
This one’s gonna get messy!
30 Rock Dish: Five Minutes with Tina Fey
J.Go here. Last night at the NBC cocktail party, I rescued Tina Fey from behind a piano, brought her a Diet Coke and interviewed her. I can die now, but before I go, here’s what I picked up about season two of 30 Rock:
The Lemon-Donaghy Romance Begins Five Minutes After Never: Despite their intense chemistry, Tina says there’s no romance—nor any sex—in store for Liz Lemon and her boss, Jack Donaghy, played by Alec Baldwin. "No, never gonna happen. They have great chemistry, I think, but in the writers' room we always talk about it as Lou Grant and Mary Tyler Moore, or Han Solo and Princess Leia. Lot of chemistry, never happened."
Paging Mrs. Brady? Kenneth the Page, on the other hand, might get some action this season. "Kenneth the Page will have so many love affairs. Somebody pitched the idea of Kenneth the Page having an affair with Florence Henderson, which I think we should really try to make happen. She’s really funny."
Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down: Tracy Morgan’s real-life ankle bracelet could very well make an appearance this season on 30 Rock. Tina tells me, "Tracy’s been saying that, and I’m like, Okay! We'll see. Don’t have any big plans for it yet, but maybe…" Send your ankle-bracelet story ideas to, uh, 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Begin at the Beginning: It’s early yet, but the writing staff is hard at work. There are no complete scripts, but according to Tina, "We’ve broken a lot of stories, and then I get in there with the writers next week."
Slice Girls: Says Tina of possible story beats for the coming season, "We've talked about Jenna, Jane Krakowski’s character, coming back from summer hiatus having gained like, 30 pounds, because she spent her summer doing Mystic Pizza: The Musical, and she had to eat two whole pizzas a day. So, we might have her struggling with that as a small arc in the beginning. Jane, of course, is in fantastic shape. I talked to Jane about it last year, and she was totally into it."
Samantha Who?: The Affair
(S01E14) “My mother is having an affair.” - Samantha
How fun is it to watch the Newlys interact? I enjoyed this week’s episode because it mainly focused on the weird trio that Samantha forms with her parents. Those of you who’ve been reading my Samantha Who? reviews regularly know how my I love Regina because of her snarky lines and craziness. After “The Affair,” Howard is definitely growing on me.
I truly believed for a while that Regina was indeed having an affair. All the signs were there (makeup, lingerie, boobs, no wedding ring, etc.) plus her relationship with Howard seemed to have hit a standstill lately so it could have been possible that she went looking for some lovin’ elsewhere. I did try to imagine what Regina was doing dressed up all sexy if she wasn’t having an affair (modeling or posing for an artist, etc.) but never thought that she was working as a hostess in a French restaurant (”Le bouillon” is French for “broth” in case you were wondering). Regina is a strong woman who likes to be in control (just look how she tries to control Sam’s life) so it’s not surprising that she wanted an activity for herself, by herself, and that none of her family and friends could control.
If Howard is able to forgive Regina for having an affair, why wouldn’t he be able to understand that Regina is working to have an activity for herself? I get that Regina is afraid Howard will see it as he failed her, but she is not working to bring in more money in household. It seems to me that Howard is bringing enough money to support his family and I’m sure he would understand if Regina explained it to him. No matter, Howard and Regina are a great couple. She is willing to lie in order to protect him and he is willing to forgive her for having an affair.
Last week, a war started between Dena and Andrea. I was looking forward to see where this would go this week but it was put on the back burner while Dena and Andrea pondered taking over the coffee shop. SW? writers, if you are reading this, please don’t have the two characters open a coffee shop, have them go on another business venture. My main reason here is that Melissa McCarthy played a chef for years on Gilmore Girls and it would be too similar a role to have Dena be involved in a food business and be the lead character’s best friend. However, it would be interesting to see Dena and Andrea try to work together. Maybe a clothing store? They have so different tastes in fashion that them clashing over what type of clothes to sell could be fun to watch.
Sam and Todd’s relationship moved forward again this week. They went from having an affair to Todd officially choosing Sam. I look forward to seeing how Chloe will react to the breakup in next week’s episode, which is the season finale by the way. In a preview, we saw her embrace Sam a little too tight. It wouldn’t be surprising if Chloe reacts badly and seeks revenge as I mentioned a few weeks ago.
What Samantha learned about herself this week:
- Years ago, she saw her mother dressed sexily and without a wedding ring and thought that Regina was cheating. Sam thought that this was cool.
- According to Regina, Sam had a lot of affairs.
Other tidbits of interest:
- “OMG, we’re twins!” - Andrea responding to Dena’s “we both watch Oprah” comment.
- Howard had some great lines this week: “I don’t expect things to make me happy. I’m from a different generation.” “Regina, our daughter is a junkie.” “That’s right, I used the Internet.” “That’s what happens when you don’t pay your dealer.”