On TV: Kim's divorce a boon for her brand
Sweep aside thoughts of sadness and regret. Dispel the hard-bitten and completely understandable bout of reality TV cynicism (a ratings stunt!) you may be feeling right now about August's $10 million wedding.
What's left is the hard, cold truth: Kim Kardashian's split is a great development for both E! and the Kardashian brand.
Kardashian Monday filed for divorce from Nets power forward Kris Humphries after 72 days that seemed more like a production shoot for a series than a bona fide marriage.
In fact, there will be glimpses of the brief marriage on the second season of "Kourtney and Kim Take New York," bowing Nov. 27.
"I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever, but sometimes things don't work out as planned," Kardashian said in a statement.
"All of us . . . are surprised and saddened by this news," E!'s statement read.
Humphries -- playing either the sucker or the dolt in this ongoing reality show -- said in a statement that he was devastated by the news, adding: "I'm committed to this marriage and everything this covenant represents."
Covenants? Reality TV isn't about covenants, except the ones your lawyer makes you sign to turn up at photo shoots, or to avoid illicit substances. It's about brand-building, brand extensions, spin-offs and content -- the more content, the merrier.
No one in the entire history of that bizarre and highly lucrative corner of reality TV known as "celebrity reality" has been more successful at content creation than the Kardashians, and their master, Ryan Seacrest, who produces their four series and multiple specials.
Their symbiotic relationship has spawned an empire for Kim, and an endless spigot for E!, which promotes All Things Kim, Kourtney and Khloé for the TV channel and its website.
A divorce in the scheme of these things simply means more content, or as Brad Adgate, senior VP and director of research for New York ad firm Horizon Media, suggests, Kim could get remarried to someone else, meaning "a future wedding is inevitable."
Another wedding? Wait for the baby and the series that will one day chronicle its in utero progress.
Meanwhile, E! reps Monday declined to comment on the divorce's impact on "Kourtney and Kim." But what more is there to say other than, "ratings will be huge?"
