Sarah's Interviews and Television Appearances

[NotAPretender]

I was musing....perhaps the BRF had more than a bit of advance knowledge of what was going to be in this series - and decided that the best action was none at all.

Essentially, the series finale has become a full justification for the wedding non-invite...and every non-invite before and subsequently.

[Princess of Durham]

Originally Posted by NotAPretender

I was musing....perhaps the BRF had more than a bit of advance knowledge of what was going to be in this series - and decided that the best action was none at all.

Essentially, the series finale has become a full justification for the wedding non-invite...and every non-invite before and subsequently.

And also PA's very fortuitous wilderness trek.

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by Tyger

In regards my points - your comments don't enlighten me - but then, this is a thread-nap. The question stands, though. One of my theories is that it is the difference between the swan and the ugly duckling. In our culture, the image of beauty forgives all sins. Were Sarah truly stunning - thin - and knew how to smile into the camera - 'skills' Diana had - I don't think we'd be seeing such a massive negative towards her. Beauty is forgiven.

Diana never purposely put her children on the tube to talk about her bulimia and low self-esteem. She took her children out to Disney land and to the charities she was supporting. Also during the Panorama interview, she never put the children in it.
I am no Diana fan and no matter her faults she was never this base as, IMO, Sarah has become.

[Mermaid1962]

Yes, definitely. She could be stunning, even before she lost the weight.

Originally Posted by NotAPretender

Sarah, especially in her first year of marriage to Andrew, simply radiated love and happiness, a joy in living life.

[Tyger]

I just read on another thread that the sum of money Sarah apparently made on 'Finding Sarah' was $200,000 - total. I am stunned. That's peanuts! If it was a one-shot deal I would have thought more like $800,000, approaching a miliion or more - $200,000 per episode would have made sense. She did all of that for $200,000 - that works out to about $30,000 an episode. Eeek!

Given the above I think there had to be an idea that if it was a success there would be more. Had to have been - at such a low remuneration. Too bad.

BTW, heartening to hear that Sarah's chubbiness was not an issue for folks here. I never did pay attention to Sarah - I couldn't relate to her 'heartiness' in the early days and so as a result she has always been in the periphery of my awareness. I don't really know much about her - so its interesting to hear about her now.

[AristoCat]

Put frankly, Sarah has never been one to drive a hard bargain. She has no mercenary streak in her and just floats along.

[Princess of Durham]

Originally Posted by AristoCat

Put frankly, Sarah has never been one to drive a hard bargain. She has no mercenary streak in her and just floats along.

Hmmm, what is the difference between mercenary and greed? I am actually surprised that she apparently did not have some kind professional representation OR not very good representation. Maybe she just wanted the money and didn't have the "starch" to require more. Then again, maybe that was the offer and it was better than nothing in her opinion. It certainly has not been worth the damage it has caused her.

[Meadow]

It doesn't seem like much but I think reality type stars don't make much until the show is a real hit then they can get good money. Sarah was a shot in the dark and it hasn't paid off for Oprah or Sarah. In fact it seems to have done a lot more damage. If Sarah had just paid her debts and went quiet for a long time then started to rebuild it would have been so much better. She has lost even more goodwill and respect from people and she can't really afford too she already had so little going into this. This will not refocus brand Sarah because it no longer has any value as a brand. Sarah will need to find a new job of some sorts or stop spending! I think any of her new books are going to be flops at this stage no one wants a morale lesson or how to advice from Sarah.

[NotAPretender]

Originally Posted by Tyger

I
BTW, heartening to hear that Sarah's chubbiness was not an issue for folks here.

So kind of you to withdraw your implications as to our relative shallowness.

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by NotAPretender

So kind of you to withdraw your implications as to our relative shallowness.

Funny.

But, of course, I was never speaking particularly as a group to posters here on TRF, anyway. It was meant as referring to the wider world audience. Look at the press' coverage and comments of women in the public eye. On the Wessex threads there is a link to a DM article on Sophie that is generally viewed as positive. There's a curious statement made, though, that says outright that Sophie is so much more improved than at the time when she got married. Why? Among reasons given - she is thinner. We don't say that about a man after his marriage - oh, look, Charlie is thinner now!

[Mermaid1962]

Losing weight seems to be the highest virtue these days. I think that Sarah's weight became an issue during her pregnancy with Beatrice. She gained a lot and dressed in a way that didn't flatter her. She had dresses altered which didn't hang properly, for example. Before that time, her day clothes were okay (and very, very nice sometimes) it was her evening wear that could sometimes be bizarre.

As for the hypothetical Charlie, people would probably say he was unhappy and that's why he got thin.

Originally Posted by Tyger

But, of course, I was never speaking particularly as a group to posters here on TRF, anyway. It was meant as referring to the wider world audience. ..We don't say that about a man after his marriage - oh, look, Charlie is thinner now!

[NGalitzine]

Well OWN is a fledgling network so doubt if anyone on their shows is too highly paid,at least not in terms of what one would be paid by the major networks. Also Sarah really is not a big name/big draw in the US who could demand a major salary. $200K was probably pretty good given her position. Normally scandal sells but people have to be familiar with who you are in order for you to capitalize on the scandal. Sarah's scandal was really a UK story and her show was for the US market.

[NotAPretender]

I posted this back on May 15:
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f166/sarah-duchess-of-york-current-events-15-january-2011-may-2011-a-29718.html
I would consider Sarah's show to be on par with the "RealHousewives" series(es) in the US. The RealHousewivesof NY get paid $10,000 per episode, a payraise from their first season of $3,333 per episode. The real payoff for anyone on one of these "reality" series is exposure, to introduce them or expand their visibility. In other words, it's to market oneself to a wider audience and hopefully parlay that exposure into bigger and better things.

Sarah's a bit of an anomaly in that regard: she's been well known for a long period of time but that has been fading. (By way of reference, I work in an international finance firm, and my team consists of twenty-somethings who report up through several levels to me. We talked about the Royal wedding because at our Friday meeting on that day, I asked that scones be substituted for bagels to "celebrate." I had to actually sit down and explain to the under-30 set exactly who Sarah was; most had her confused with Camilla or, honestly, thought she was dead. Mind you, we hire the absolute cream of the crop each year from top schools, so these are not under-the-rock specimens.) So - Sarah might have been able to command the top end of the reality show pay scale per episode - let's say $10K per - rather than the low end of the scale.

The core cast of the Jersey Shore got popped up from $30K to $100K for the new season, but the ratings on that show are many multiples of Oprah's show. Any of Oprah's shows.

So if I were to guess, I'd say $10K per show for Sarah Ferguson, with the upside for her being the exposure and hopefully the impression to potential investors in Brand Sarah that she's turned herself around in a meaningful way.
---------------
So flash forward to now, July 29.

Sarah was paid $300,000 for this which in British pounds is £200,000. I think that's where the mixup has occurred.

So Sarah was paid $50,000 per episode for "Finding Sarah." That's top end of the scale for reality shows, on par with the "super hit" (and trust me, I shudder) that is "Jersey Shore."

As my previous post indicates, the payoff for these series(es) is the exposure. Theoretically, that should be the upside. I don't think the exposure has had any upside for Sarah, and in fact I'm pretty confident that there is none whatsoever which is accruing to her.

[PrincessKaimi]

Originally Posted by Tyger

I edited my post to read: I am always puzzled at the free pass Diana seems to always have gotten with her use of her children to promote her public image (and her 'leaning' on her children, too, particularly William) - while Sarah is being faulted to the nth degree. These two women's strartlingly similar stories have begun to fascinate me.

In regards my points - your comments don't enlighten me - but then, this is a thread-nap. The question stands, though. One of my theories is that it is the difference between the swan and the ugly duckling. In our culture, the image of beauty forgives all sins. Were Sarah truly stunning - thin - and knew how to smile into the camera - 'skills' Diana had - I don't think we'd be seeing such a massive negative towards her. Beauty is forgiven.

Respectfully diagree for too many reasons to state. Sarah had a boatload of fans and admirers - once upon a time and she used up all her grace (turns out she doesn't have a whole lot).

Gracefulness and avoiding eager money grubbing is way more important than looks or thinness in this equation.

[PrincessKaimi]

Originally Posted by Tyger

I just read on another thread that the sum of money Sarah apparently made on 'Finding Sarah' was $200,000 - total. I am stunned. That's peanuts! If it was a one-shot deal I would have thought more like $800,000, approaching a miliion or more - $200,000 per episode would have made sense. She did all of that for $200,000 - that works out to about $30,000 an episode. Eeek!

Given the above I think there had to be an idea that if it was a success there would be more. Had to have been - at such a low remuneration. Too bad.

BTW, heartening to hear that Sarah's chubbiness was not an issue for folks here. I never did pay attention to Sarah - I couldn't relate to her 'heartiness' in the early days and so as a result she has always been in the periphery of my awareness. I don't really know much about her - so its interesting to hear about her now.

That figure doesn't include her hotel, airfare and other expenses (therapy and trainer). So the whole package is closer to your estimate. She got a month or two of free vacation and various forms of assistance plus $200,00. I don't know what the average 50 year old British female makes (with Sarah's level of education) but in California, with her eduction, that would be about what a woman would make in 5-6 years.

Let's see if she can go that long without "working" again.

[Aliza]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

Losing weight seems to be the highest virtue these days. I think that Sarah's weight became an issue during her pregnancy with Beatrice. She gained a lot and dressed in a way that didn't flatter her. She had dresses altered which didn't hang properly, for example. Before that time, her day clothes were okay (and very, very nice sometimes) it was her evening wear that could sometimes be bizarre.

As for the hypothetical Charlie, people would probably say he was unhappy and that's why he got thin.

Even during Sarah's "breath of fresh air" period before and right after she married the Duke of York, when the press was extremely positive in its coverage of her, Sarah's weight was still an issue.

I remember one incident in particular: The unveiling of Sarah's first wax figure at Madame Tussaud's. A reporter actually jumped the rope, pulled out a tape measure and proceeded to measure the wax image around the hips and then announcing the results. IIRC, the number announced was either 40 or 42 inches. And this was before the wedding!!! There was also much discussion of how the design of her wedding gown would need to "camouflage" Sarah's weight and congratulations given to the designer for doing such a good job. It's terrible how a woman's size is given so much attention, particularly when they are nice and healthy as Sarah was when she became engaged and married.

This is the only issue that I have any sympathy for Sarah about as she has been battered with it from day one. Diana's battle with bulimia obviously did not make too much impression on the media; I'm already seeing and hearing rumours how Kate Cambridge is supposedly anorexic!!!

That said, the last episode on OWN was deplorable and I no longer even give Sarah York much credit for her performance as a mother. It looked like a fabricated stunt, something which the Queen in particular is said to abhor. Zara can not sell photos of her wedding to a magazine, yet Sarah is providing voyeurism of her daughters in tears on a cable reality show. One would think Sarah would have absorbed something of the BRF's ethos by now, but I think it's hopeless.

She should go to her home in Argentina, have an allowance doled out to her under restrictions of behaviour and it should be administrated by a disinterested financial officer who would not even have the choice of giving her extra money or providing any advances. (Of course, it should be enough for her to live in dignity, but without an excess of luxury.) HM keeps her breakfast cereal in Tupperware while her ex-daughter-in-law takes one lavish holiday after another while she's supposed to be penniless? Sarah is making a farce out of the Yorks and the BRF and the fallout needs to be removed from the shoulders of the two York Princesses as well as their father and the entire BRF.

Argentina just might be far enough away.

[Meadow]

According to some stories I have read Sarah bought a home in about 2003 but there was a fire and she moved in with Andrew while it was fixed. Did she sell it? Also a story I read claims she bought a million pound property in Tuscany and she gets rent from it that too was around 2003. I'm just wondering has she sold all this property if not why can't she live in Tuscany if Argentina is too far away and what did she do with the house she owned? The problem I see with an allowance is that I don't believe it will ever be enough. Sarah wants a very lavish lifestyle and I don't see the Queen providing that for her especially considering how the Queen lives herself. I could see Sarah blowing through her allowance in a week then go crying she is broke and can't afford food etc. Something needs to be done or I see the girls financially supporting her and while they have some money they don't have as much as Sarah seems to feel she is worth. I just think Sarah is so greedy nothing will ever be good enough she looks at what her super wealthy friends have and wants that life she seems not to understand she doesn't have the money to support it. If they aren't careful the girls and Andrew are all going to end up as broke as she is!

[Tyger]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

As for the hypothetical Charlie, people would probably say he was unhappy and that's why he got thin.

I recall a time when the comments always were that the gaining of some weight after marriage meant a happy union, particularly for the man - meant his wife was a good cook.

Becoming thin was considered a sign of unhappiness. Thinness was seen as a sign of ill-health, too - not a good sign for a woman. Not all that long ago, either.

Its all because of the camera. It started at the beginning of the 20th century, I once heard it suggested - once women started seeing their image in those massive bustle dresses in photographs. Plus moving pictures changed women's sense of their bodies. Interesting to consider.

[Aliza]

Originally Posted by Tyger

I recall a time when the comments always were that the gaining of some weight after marriage meant a happy union, particularly for the man - meant his wife was a good cook.

Becoming thin was considered a sign of unhappiness. Thinness was seen as a sign of ill-health, too - not a good sign for a woman. Not all that long ago, either.

Its all because of the camera. It started at the beginning of the 20th century, I once heard it suggested - once women started seeing their image in those massive bustle dresses in photographs. Plus moving pictures changed women's sense of their bodies. Interesting to consider.

I think you're exactly right about the camera influencing the attitudes about weight. Diana, Princess of Wales was "horrified" (her word) at how "chubby" she felt she looked in her engagement interview. And when she wore the famous black strapless dress, London fashion editors twitted about "Lady Diana needs to realise that puppy fat is pushed up by strapless bodices" In Victorian times, ladies would write to each other bragging about GAINING weight! (Of course, they were also altering their bodies with corsets and tight lacing.)

I don't think Sarah had too much of a complex about her weight before the media banged on about it, either. Now they do the same to her daughters. (Remember Beatrice's bikini?)

On the other hand, Kate Cambridge is now being whispered about for being "too thin". There is no winning at this game - which to bring this back to the thread topic - is another reason why Sarah, Duchess of York should stop trying to use the press to "launch" herself, again and again. They have destroyed her before and they will destroy her again. From John Bryan and toe sucking to the Cash for Access and a few in between.

Dr. Phil had it right; Sarah is not cut out for public life. The sooner she realises that, the happier she and the rest of the York family will be. When Lord Charteris made his famous "Sarah Ferguson is vulgar, vulgar, vulgar and that is that", comment, he also added that she "is not cut out to be a Royal person in this age or any other". Too bad Sarah didn't take his advice back in the early nineties; it would have saved a lot of pain and embarrassment to the BRF. And the rest of us would get a break from the constant whinging and whining and "I adore Andrew", etc, every time we open a paper or turn on the telly.

[Mermaid1962]

Yes, exactly. My husband "fattened up" in the years after our wedding and people mentioned it positively. He needed to gain a few pounds.

I remember reading somewhere that the ideal waist in the Edwardian era was 18 inches, which would fit right in with the camera theory.

Seems to me that Sarah was seen as a "real woman" when she married Andrew and not unnaturally thin like Diana was at that time. I remember Diana being referred to as a "bag of bones" in comparison.

Originally Posted by Tyger

I recall a time when the comments always were that the gaining of some weight after marriage meant a happy union, particularly for the man - meant his wife was a good cook.