Gene Simmons and clan have teamed up for a surprisingly normal yet entertaining look at family life.
Move over, Ward Cleaver. Get out of the way, Ozzy Osborne. There's a new TV dad on the block - and he's surprisingly sweet and charming. He's also a heck of a lot easier to understand. (Sorry, Ozz!)
Who is he? He's none other than KISS frontman and legendary lothario, Gene Simmons. Gene and his common law honey, former Playmate of the Year (1982,) Shannon Tweed, have two teenagers - Nick (17) and Sophie (14.) They seem very well adjusted. They're pretty normal.
Shannon has this homemaker vibe with a sense of humor. She's not your average soccer mom, but it's clear that she loves Gene, who she's been with since 1983, and Gene loves her and that they both really adore their kids.
This season, which premiered in August on A&E TV and currently airs new episodes Monday nights at 10 pm EST, we've seen the family plan an ambush wedding of sorts. Shannon wants to be married, but Gene doesn't. He can give her anything, but fidelity - apparently. In Gene's mind marriage means fidelity and, as a man who's slept with about 4600 women, if you believe his count (and his kids don't,) he can't play if he weds his honey.
Shannon and her crazy, younger sis, Tracy Tweed, who's also an actress and model, planned a faux wedding for Gene. It was payback because Gene wanted to plan a surprise birthday for Shannon, which she hates. They brought a rabbi, a cake and all the fixin's, which totally freaked the rocker out.
In a later episode, Shannon and Tracy combined forces again. Shannon ambushed Gene and took him to spa to lose some weight. He thought they were going away for something else. Tracy stayed home with the kids and messed up the place. She's definitely the cool aunt.
Gene, for his part, hasn't been idle. He challenged Nick to a driving competition. Gene's not the world's best driver. Nick, who's still learning the ropes so to speak, had to take his driver's test. Nick and Gene made a deal - whoever scored higher on the written and driving tests would be able to make the other do something unsavory. Well, Nick passed both tests with flying colors and Gene - didn't. Gene had to stand in front of the famous Beverly Hills sign with a handmade sign that announced him as the World's Worst Driver.
Nick is also an aspiring rocker with a new band. Daddy Gene wants to help out because well he's been there and done that. However, he got overinvolved and booked a gig for the boys before they were ready. Nick was not pleased with daddy. He's also a little upset that, as an intern for Kiss enterprises, he's at the bottom, cleaning up coffee and making copies.
Shannon is always the advocate for her wee ones and ready to put Gene - and his massive ego - in its proper place. Shannon would also like to add to their family, an idea that Gene didn't seem terribly upset about. Although the two aren't wed, they're in it for life, y'all. They're very cute together.
Sophie, for her part, is an emerging beauty. She's 14 and dating. This has daddy very upset. He knows better than most what's on a man's mind, if you catch our drift.
Gene sent Sophie to krav maga classes so she'd know how to handle herself. He also doesn't want her wearing clothing that's too revealing or too much makeup. Kinda funny from a man who's made a living wearing a ton of makeup himself.
On this week's episode, Gene took Sophie with him to audition girls for his Sexercise video. Sophie had an assignment to do for Career Day. Mom was not pleased that dad took Sophie to hang out with the sluts. So, they orchestrated a prank. Sophie went and asked daddy to explain to her the birds and bees. (Hehe!) Gene didn't stop squirming throughout the conversation, which was nonsensical to say the least.
To make up for it, Gene then decided to do a PSA (Public Service Announcment) for Planned Parenthood. Nick said that was as appropriate as "Barney selling beer to underaged kids." Could we really say it better?
Gene Simmons' Family Jewels is a great reality TV series that showcases a real family living a real life. The Simmons' are very much a cohesive unit. They tackle life's issue with humor, a sense of fun and a heck of a lot of entertainment value. This series is a winner.
If you haven't caught it yet, you should. It's one of the best things on Reality TV this summer.
