Kell on Earth

Kelly Cutrone stood out on The Hills as the only person who (a) had a real job and (b) had a brain containing more than the addresses of trendy brunch spots. As head of the public relations firm People’s Revolution, and the star of the new reality show Kell on Earth, Cutrone has her trademark slogan (also the title of her new self-help book) down pat — ”If you have to cry, go outside.”

How bracing to see a reality series in which people work hard, led by a woman unafraid to show a nose shiny with perspiration. Cutrone’s perfect imperfection isn’t flawless, though. I realize that bosses have the right to surround themselves with pretty young people. But based on the caliber of her help, Cutrone may want to stop hiring blank-faced beauties who can’t even count the correct number of RSVPs for an event, and seek out a few plainer Janes and Joes with experience that extends beyond putting on loads of clunky-chic bracelets and whining about how heavy the clothing racks are.

But dumb-young-up-and-comers do provide drama, and this show needs all the narrative momentum it can get. Otherwise, it’s often just a series of sliced, random scenes. In the premiere, a combo of intern stupidity and IT incompetence leads to business-damaging chaos with the seating chart for a Chado Ralph Rucci fashion show. Kell is careful to make its star appear a good single mom — her 7-year-old daughter, Ava, seems well loved — but beyond that, all bets are off. Whether she’s dressing down an overdressed underling or trying to find a boyfriend for her ”glam, goth, grunge” assistant Andrew, Cutrone is relentless, angry, and funny. Not hellish, just pure Kell-ish. B

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