~ Kate Plus Eight ~

[OhMari]

Someone posted a link and started a thread today about Kate. Apparently she was taken to court for not paying her "Therapist bill." It sounds like it was Jon's bill, or she wanted Jon to go to this Therapist. The local news coverage has it in PA.

http://pahomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=183457

 

[SouthernExplorer]

I have never seen such crazy, ugly hats as those that where worn to the royal wedding.

You haven't seen nothing yet, just wait until Royal Ascot.

 

[jessica_rabbit]

the whole look was too much for the Derby, IMO. That was an evening look --for an after-Derby party? Awesome. Her figure is stunning. But Kate's certainly not alone in her choice of dress/hat. (Jennifer Tilly's dress looked like a set of bad drapes, and her fascinator appeared to have some sort of snake (fake) coming out of the top of it ) There are always many fashion don'ts -- and they're the ones that always get talked about, as usual.

I don't know if the national entertainment media (People, Us, Access Hollywood, etc) carried much of Kate's visit, but outside of the obligatory red carpet sound bite going into the Barnstable Brown party & into the Derby, the local media didn't have anything much to say about her visit. In the grand scheme of things, she was fairly far down the list in terms of celebrity status. In fact, I saw comments in several local media outlets from people wondering when it became popular to invite B-list celebrity reality stars (not just Kate -- there were a lot of other reality people here this weekend) and Food Network people?

So, there you go. My 2 cents, for what it's worth.

The fascinator Jennifer Tilly wore was actually embellished with hand curled pheasant feathers (not snakes - sorry to disappoint you). I guess you would actually have have to know hats to know that one. Pheasant feathers are all the rage on fascinators worn right around the world , except well...ofcourse America..where, sadly hat fashion looks like a glue gun was handed to an ADHD child for Halloween. If only you could hear what the rest of world has to say about Kentucky Derby hats. No wait a minute....the rest of the world does not exist outside the US right?

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Did anyone else think that Kate's dress showed way too much cleveage for a kids' birthday party?

 

[whitneyNC]

I caught a bit of both the Easter and Birthday episodes. Does she not just keep getting nuttier? Really, what is wrong with this woman? She oozes crazy from every pore of her body. Why is her face so stiff? Why does she dress like a prostitute? Why does Steve run everything that she does? She looked so out of place and acted so out of place at her own kids' birthday party. She knew no kids, no parents,...weird. WOW, what a pool. The Easter episode? What the heck were they doing with the puzzle pieces and trading post and Maddy and Cara filling eggs? Can you say contrived for tv? It was "a weekend in April", not Easter. She talked about how Easter was "such a big deal to them?" Huh? Did she mean Easter or plastic eggs? Each kid must have had 3-4 dozen eggs in the end. No chicks hatched? None? Did she read the instructions? I just can't imagine anyone still being intrigued by her or the show.

 

[TheIncredibles!]

The fascinator Jennifer Tilly wore was actually embellished with hand curled pheasant feathers (not snakes - sorry to disappoint you). I guess you would actually have have to know hats to know that one. Pheasant feathers are all the rage on fascinators worn right around the world , except well...ofcourse America..where, sadly hat fashion looks like a glue gun was handed to an ADHD child for Halloween. If only you could hear what the rest of world has to say about Kentucky Derby hats. No wait a minute....the rest of the world does not exist outside the US right?:worship:

If you think the US believes nothing exists beyond our borders perhaps you should do a little research on the aid we provide to millions of people outside of our own country.

 

[DMRick]

What the heck were they doing with the puzzle pieces and trading.

The idea of the puzzles was, because she wouldn't have the kids on Easter, she got them each a gift (assuming they would get baskets at their dads..like a lot of divorced people do, whoever has them gets the basket). The way to find where the gift was hidden, was to put together the puzzle. Each child had a different colored puzzle and they traded the colors with each other (since there was no way to orchestrate each kid only getting their own color in the eggs). Once they put together their puzzle, they could go find their gift. We have done something similiar to this with our grandchildren at Christmas, to make the money we give them more exciting. The first clue in our family was found by putting together a puzzle that we had made.
She was trying to make the time she had with them special, as a way of celebrating similar to Easter (except she didn't have them this Easter). She seems to come up with cute crafts and hides things ever since the begining, when they used to show other holidays, like Valentines Day or what she did on their birthday. The kids have always had a great time when she does the hiding stuff games.
Maddy and Cara seemed to enjoy spending time with their mom filling the eggs.

 

[brockash]

The idea of the puzzles was, because she wouldn't have the kids on Easter, she got them each a gift (assuming they would get baskets at their dads..like a lot of divorced people do, whoever has them gets the basket). The way to find where the gift was hidden, was to put together the puzzle. Each child had a different colored puzzle and they traded the colors with each other (since there was no way to orchestrate each kid only getting their own color in the eggs). Once they put together their puzzle, they could go find their gift. We have done something similiar to this with our grandchildren at Christmas, to make the money we give them more exciting. The first clue in our family was found by putting together a puzzle that we had made.
She was trying to make the time she had with them special, as a way of celebrating similar to Easter (except she didn't have them this Easter). She seems to come up with cute crafts and hides things ever since the begining, when they used to show other holidays, like Valentines Day or what she did on their birthday. The kids have always had a great time when she does the hiding stuff games.
Maddy and Cara seemed to enjoy spending time with their mom filling the eggs.

ITA! I had divorced parents, and we almost always had 2 "celebrations" of holidays (one with each parent.) I also don't think she dresses like a "prostitute." -I get that the pp was probably intentionally exaggerating, but really While I personally think it was a little ridiculous that she was trying to hide 700 easter eggs in a hurry in heals and a dress; I certainly don't think that entitles ppl. to say she dresses like a prostitute I'm not saying all the outfits she wears nowadays are very practical; to each their own. I will say I thought filling 700 eggs was pretty over the top, and again not something I would have done, but so be it. I also agree that it seemed like Mady and Cara really had fun and some bonding time with mom while they were filling the eggs.

ETA: About not knowing the parents of the kids for the b-day party. I personally didn't see anything that made it seem like she didn't, but even if she didn't; lets face it, I don't think social skills have ever been a huge strength for her, and I don't think it's out of realm of possibilities to say that a decent amount of parents don't really know or are friends with the kids parents at their own kids b-day parties. I'm not really a big social person either, and honestly at my kids b-days parties, I'm usually busy doing/handling everything that I really don't speak very much to any of the parents either.

 

[DMRick]

http://www.repmurt.com/emailcontent.aspx?id=5659

Sounds like Kate plus 8 have already been following the new rules...I don't think they ever taped as much as these new rules allow.

Interesting to see how much the ratings have gone up..someone besides me is watching this show (1.434). They will also be having a show about feeding the hungry, and there is a fund raising where people will be paying to watch it together, and rumor is that Kate will be there. It will be nice to see the kids learn from doing programs like this.

 

[daughtersrus]

700 eggs. Does each kid really need to find that many eggs for it to be fun?!

Everything that is done lately seems like it has to go to the extreme. To me, it seems like she's afraid that someone else may one-up her.

She's come a long way from crying that she doesn't have any money to pay the bills.

Someone posted a link and started a thread today about Kate. Apparently she was taken to court for not paying her "Therapist bill." It sounds like it was Jon's bill, or she wanted Jon to go to this Therapist. The local news coverage has it in PA.

http://pahomepage.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=183457

She was ordered to pay the $10,000 bill.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2011/05/20/kate_gosselin_ordered_to_pay_pa_counselor_10k/

 

[DMRick]

I couldn't care less how many eggs anyone stuffed and hid, either on a TV show (and I wonder if TLC supplied those for the show) or anyone here on the Dis. If she was willing to do it and hide them for the pleasure of the kids, good for her. They sure did seem to be having fun!

Luckily also for her that the courts made Jon pay back the money he had taken from the bill account. Gosh, that was so long ago, I almost forgot that that happened. I'm happy for the kids that things seem to be going well.

The case of the therapist has been appealed. It will be interesting to see where that goes.

700 eggs. Does each kid really need to find that many eggs for it to be fun?!

Everything that is done lately seems like it has to go to the extreme. To me, it seems like she's afraid that someone else may one-up her.

She's come a long way from crying that she doesn't have any money to pay the bills.

 

[walden]

Not watching the show, but the reform of Child Labor Law in PA is progressing slowly. House Bill 1548 passed the House Labor and Industry committee on Tuesday.


It still has to go to the full Legislature for a vote, of course.

If it passes these are the primary improvements for the Gosselin children and other children working in reality TV in PA. Kate & 8 is complying with some provisions already, but certainly not all.

- they must have work permits. (Remember TLV/Discovery/Kate have always tried to say the kids are just playing in front of the camera and only reluctantly agreed to get them when the DOLI found that they were in violation.

- they must be paid and trust accounts established where the employer must deposit 15 percent of the child’s gross earnings. (Remember, TLC did this retroactively -- again after the DOLI found the violations way back when.)

- their hours of work are limited to 48 hours a week and only 8 hours a day. (Still too much IMO, but you can't win them all.)

- they may not work after 10:00pm or before 7:30 am. (No cameras in their bedrooms over-night. Better not film breakfast with the kids at 6:00 am or earlier on school days.)

- a studio teacher must be on set (even in Australia if Mommy pulls them out of school to film there.)

- they must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times on set if they are under 16. (Kate had better make sure that Ashley or some other not-a-nanny is a legal guardian next time she trots off to NYC with her BFF and leaves the children at home to work. I wonder if Jon would agree to that?)

Good for Representative Murt!

 

[DMRick]

I haven't seen anywhere, where it has to be a legal guardian..I thought it said guardian..as in not alone with people doing the taping. I'll have to read it over again, as that would be interesting for those whose children are in shows (we have an active theater group in our area) and are taken to them by a sitter or nanny. I've taken kids to a show myself when I wasn't a legal guardian, however I did have a form in case of medical need.

I also found this interesting on the school part and wonder if this will cover the trip out of the country that takes up more time than vacation:

School districts shall have the aurhority in cooperation with the Dept of Ed and the parent or guardian of the minor, to develop alternative methods by which minors may satisfy their educational requirements at times outside the normal school days.

http://www.mygov365.com/legislation/view/id/4dce361a49e51b0810510200/tab/versions/

I don't see a lot of change, but it's always good to protect the children for who this will help protect.

 

[happygirl]

It seemed liked they aired a lot of old Jon footage

 

[walden]

I haven't seen anywhere, where it has to be a legal guardian..I thought it said guardian..as in not alone with people doing the taping. I'll have to read it over again, as that would be interesting for those whose children are in shows (we have an active theater group in our area) and are taken to them by a sitter or nanny. I've taken kids to a show myself when I wasn't a legal guardian, however I did have a form in case of medical need.

I also found this interesting on the school part and wonder if this will cover the trip out of the country that takes up more time than vacation:

School districts shall have the aurhority in cooperation with the Dept of Ed and the parent or guardian of the minor, to develop alternative methods by which minors may satisfy their educational requirements at times outside the normal school days.

http://www.mygov365.com/legislation/view/id/4dce361a49e51b0810510200/tab/versions/

I don't see a lot of change, but it's always good to protect the children for who this will help protect.

We can certainly agree that the goal of this new and improved legislation is to protect all working children in PA, not just those who who film reality shows. I see a lot of changes and improvements -- but I'm looking at the current legislation as well.

I love reading legislation -- I'm weird that way!

Re. "Guardian." In legislation a term like "guardian" is very specific. They need a parent or legal guardian on set. Although not spelled out in the Bill (it isn't necessary) both a Temporary or Standby Guardianship would be sufficient to satisfy the requirements if Kate (or even Jon!)is not present. The new legislation requires a legal notarized guardianship agreement, to fulfil the requirements of the work permit. This is on page 1 of the bill.

The DOLI is probably keeping a very close eye on the Gosselins as concern about them did cause a lot of scrutiny and criticism, and they were found non-compliant previously.

In PA the parents would both have to agree to designate an individual who could act as a guardian on set. There are a few exceptions to this, but they don't apply to either Gosselin parent. Your state may vary. At the ned of this post I've added a link and info on guardianship.

As an aside, people should be very careful of those generic downloadable Temporary Guardianship forms used on many school outings and the like -- and I say this if you are the parent signing -- or the person agreeing to assume temporary guardianship of someone else's minor child. They are frequently misused and overused. Many doctors/hospitals often do not accept them. As with any POA, you should be very careful who you designate, what decisions they should be allowed to make -- or what responsibilities you are potentially agreeing to assume for the child.

[B]DMRick also said (my quotes aren't working!)
I also found this interesting on the school part and wonder if this will cover the trip out of the country that takes up more time than vacation:

School districts shall have the aurhority in cooperation with the Dept of Ed and the parent or guardian of the minor, to develop alternative methods by which minors may satisfy their educational requirements at times outside the normal school days. [/B]
http://www.mygov365.com/legislation/view/id/4dce361a49e51b0810510200/tab/versions/

I'm working with hard copies of the legislation so I can't copy and paste, but you need to read the whole of subsection "f" beginning on page 14 lines 12 - 30, and continue onto page 15.

The single section you quote has to be read in context. It does not contradict the requirement for a set teacher as defined in the previous sections. It refers only to when the children are working (filming) during normal school hours -- in other words the required set teacher can continue their education at times when other non-working children are in not in school -- eg. at 6:00 am, or after 5:00 pm.


Lots more info on guardianship (underlining mine) if anyone wants to read it. To save people time, this link is to Lancaster county and Kate lives in (I honestly can't remember where the G's live!) but this info here is valid in all PA counties.


http://www.co.lancaster.pa.us/prose/cwp/view.asp?a=855&q=571378


GUARDIANSHIP INFORMATION

A biological parent, a custodian of a minor child, or a court ordered legal guardian may designate a person be either a temporary or a permanent guardian of a minor child. The guardianship would give the designated person the ability to assume the duties of the natural parent or legal guardian of the child, including, but not limited to:

Enrolling the child in school;

Seeking and receiving medical attention for the child;

Seeking and receiving emergency medical attention for the child;

Seeking and receiving psychological attention for the child;

Applying for support for the child;

Taking the child on a vacation out of the state and/or the country; and/or

Applying for welfare for the child.

[My addition only: Being present on the set for filming of (insert name) TV show in the absense of a parent.]

There are two (2) types of guardianships. The first one is a temporary guardianship, which is a written agreement between 1) the biological parents or a custodian of a minor child, or a court ordered legal guardian ("Parents") and 2) another adult named in the contract ("temporary guardian"). It is often called a power of attorney appointing temporary guardianship for a minor child. This temporary guardianship may be cancelled at any time by either party to the guardianship. This type of guardianship contract is not legally enforceable by the court. A notary should witness the signatures of the people signing the guardianship agreement. However, this only means that a notary confirms that the persons signing the document are actually the persons they claim to be. Having the document notarized does not make the document legally binding. This is not a court order, and it may not be honored by law enforcement officers, nor by the courts, in any dispute.

Temporary guardianships may be limited in purpose or time. For example, the guardianship agreement could be limited for the purpose of receiving medical attention so that someone could assist in taking your child to the physician. The guardianship agreement could be for a period of time so that the guardian could take your child on a vacation or perhaps care for your child while you are on a vacation. A guardianship agreement could also be limited in purpose and time. Both "parents" should sign the guardianship agreement, unless the other parent’s rights are terminated, the other parent’s whereabouts are unknown, or the other parent is institutionalized. The "parents" assigning the guardianship should be certain that they trust the "guardian" with whom they are placing the child. In some cases, the "guardian" may not be willing to return the child when the "parents" decide to cancel the guardianship agreement. This would result in the "parents" having to file a custody complaint against the "guardian" to request a court order to have the child returned. Depending on the amount of time the child has been with the guardian, and the reasons the child has been with the "guardian," it could be difficult to get the child back.

There are various risks in designating a temporary guardian for your child. In addition to the above discussed difficulty in canceling the temporary guardianship if the guardian is not cooperative in returning the child, some of those other risks are as follows:

The temporary guardianship may not be honored by a school or a physician, etc.; and

The police do not usually get involved in these types of cases if there is no court order in effect;

Because of these risks, and because there are no "official" standardized forms for the language to establish temporary guardianships, if you intend to create this kind of temporary guardianship agreement it is strongly advised that you consult an attorney.The second type of guardianship is called a "standby guardianship," which is authorized by statute, the Standby Guardianship Act, found in 23 Pa. C.S.A. §5601.

There are several differences between the above discussed "temporary guardianships" created by written agreement and designation of a "standby guardian" by following the procedures provided in the Standby Guardianship Act.

1) Unlike a "temporary guardianship" agreement which becomes effective as soon as the agreement is signed, but for the period of time and/or limited purposes stated in that written contract, a "standby guardianship," although also created in writing, becomes effective only upon the occurrence of a future triggering event specified in the written document designating the particular person(s) as the "standby guardian."

2) The authority of a "standby guardian" designated in such a writing is effective for only up to sixty (60) days after the triggering event has occurred unless the guardian petitions the court to extend the guardianship by court order.

3) Before the triggering event occurs, the parent who creates the "standby guardianship" also may petition the court to approve the guardianship by court order. Such an order then continues the authority of the standby guardian without further petition beyond sixty (60) days after the triggering event occurs.

4) In some situations, to obtain a court order as described in paragraphs 2) or 3) above, a hearing may be necessary.

5) Although the Standby Guardianship Act does contain some suggested language to create this kind of guardianship, if court approval of a "standby guardianship" is desired, an attorney should be consulted to properly word both the guardianship document as well as any petition requesting court approval of "standby guardianship" authority.

 

[DMRick]

We'll see how any of this will affect the Gosselins. I see very little that will affect them (it may affect others, as you say but I'm just interested right now in the Gosselins), and I'd bet any sitters will be 'guardians'. The interpretation is what will come up over and over and over some more.

 

[walden]

We'll see how any of this will affect the Gosselins. I see very little that will affect them (it may affect others, as you say but I'm just interested right now in the Gosselins), and I'd bet any sitters will be 'guardians'. The interpretation is what will come up over and over and over some more.

I find it quite odd that you can't see the many and important changes if you have read the Bill. Also, you apparently didn't read (or disagreed with) the legal info I posted on 'guardians.' No matter. We can certainly agree to disagree on the changes, and any and all legal definitions -- including but not limited to guardianship. You are welcome to skip the rest of this post.

But for anyone else who might share my fascination with the legislative process. I'm looking at hard copy of both the current legislation and the new Bill. I've highlighted 10+ pages of distinct changes, some affecting working children in general, but about 5 pages pertaining directly to children working in Reality TV. (Sorry, I can't be more specific than that -- I don't have time to count individually all the lines scattered throughout the document from the definition of reality tv, to guardianship, teachers on set, etc.)

Actually there is a lot that will affect the Gosselins directly, IF this proposed legislation passes in both the PA House and Senate, and IF Kate continues to film the kids in the future. I think (rumor only) that the Gosselin's current contract for Kate & 8 is over in 1212. Both G parents will have to approve any new contract (IF TLC offers one) and sign off on all terms to get a valid work permit. And TLC/Gosselin parents will have comply with new legislation IF it passes. If the contract is signed before it passes, they will still have to comply with new Statute as the contract plays out, although it won't be retroactive.

More importantly, it is not just about the Gosselin kids. There is a lot that will help to protect any future families and their children who sign up to film a reality TV in the future. It will help those "new" families to stand up to a production company and set limits so that the mistakes (IMO) the Gosselin parents made are not repeated -- at least in PA.

As to how it all plays out -- IF the new legislation passes, new Regulations will be promulgated by the DOLI to expand on and further explain the new Statute when/IF it is finally passed into law. I'm sure DOLI staff are working on new Regulations right now, and Regulations are also binding.

This bill may take at least a year to go through all stages before it is (I hope) passed. I was doing my because the first hurdle has been jumped successfully. The wheels of government grind slowly and very carefully. And that is a very good thing.

I must say, I do miss some of the old gang who have left (or were perhaps scared away from) this and older Gosselin threads. Those people didn't really care about trivia, but loved to discuss, debate, and tear legislation apart with me and conspired with me in almost certainly boring everyone else to tears about legislation!

Is there anyone left out there on the DIS who can actually see the, IMO, dramatic changes in the new Bill and wants to discuss the changes that you can see properly? Please speak up soon. If you don't, I'll try to shut up -- but will probably drop by again and post for the rest of you if there is any actual legislative progress. If my posts bug you (general you) - you (general you) are welcome to hit the ignore button.

 

[FredinFL]

Baby, could you do a cliff note version? Some of us have been drinking.

 

[DMRick]

baby, could you do a cliff note version? Some of us have been drinking.

lol

 

[walden]

Baby, could you do a cliff note version? Some of us have been drinking.

And "Touche!"