The Third Season of "The Real Housewives of New York City" to Premiere March 4

If you haven't already marked your calendars, the third season of "The Real Housewives of New York City" premieres on Bravo TV on March 4 at 10 pm. ET.

The second entry (behind original, "The Real Housewives of Orange County") in the seriously addictive Bravo franchise shines a spotlight on the so-called "socialites" of Manhattan (with one notable exception.) During its first two seasons, "The Real Housewives of New York City" gained water cooler status as it charted the antics of these women as they played in the Hamptons and partied in the city. Not to mention plenty of tennis matches, dinner parties and backstabbing in between. Season Three promises to raise the stakes to the nth degree with the addition of not one, but two new Housewives, along with the imminent departure of an original cast member.

All six Housewives from Season Two are returning to mix it up for Season Three; self-proclaimed "mother hen," Jill Zarin; Countess LuAnn de Lesseps, who turned off her cast mates and some viewers with her constant reminders to be called 'Countess'; Ramona Singer, who can always be counted on to make tacky comments and to hit the dance floor when the mood strikes; Alex McCord, a wannabe socialite and Brooklyn resident (the only Housewife to reside outside Manhattan); Kelly Bensimon, the model and writer who not only proved nuttier than Ramona, but also that she's no match for Bethenny Frankel, her Season Two nemesis. Frankel will return, though rumors were rampant over the summer she would bow out mid-season (if she returned at all) in order to star in her own reality show. Frankel has confirmed she will be around all season, though no word yet on when her show will debut. Viewers will likely meet her fiancé, Jason Hoppy and perhaps witness the moment she discovers she's pregnant.

Joining the cast this season are fixtures on the New York social scene, Sonja Morgan, 45 and Jennifer Gilbert, 40. According to Bravo, Morgan is the single mother of a nine year-old daughter and hobnobs with European royalty and top-notch designers. The New York Post reported that Morgan is friends with Countess de Lesseps and was pegged to replace Frankel. Among her careers have been model, restaurant consultant and manager and movie producer (having produced the 2006 film, "The Marsh" starring Forest Whitaker and Gabrielle Anwar.) Morgan's ex-husband is John Adams Morgan, the great-grandson of financier John Pierpont Morgan.

According to Bravo, Gilbert owns and runs the event planning company Save the Date® and is co-owner of Portamee, a baby carrier company. Gilbert was named Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and has been married for seven years to Bennett Egeth, a managing director at Bear Stearns and is the mother of three kids; Blaise, 4 and 1 year old twins, Saxton and Grey.

Overall, the Housewives have been keeping busy with various business ventures and other pursuits. Frankel rode the success of her New York Times Bestseller Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl and Free Yourself From a Lifetime of Dieting to the official launch of her Skinnygirl Cocktail line, repeated television appearances and a massive "in the buff" PETA billboard overlooking Times Square. Frankel also recently released The Skinnygirl Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life." Countess De Lesseps released Class With the Countess and according to her Facebook page, has found new digs in New York City on the heels of her highly-publicized split from her husband, Count Alexandre de Lesseps. Zarin is due to release her own tome this spring, Secrets of a Jewish Mother, co-authored with her sister, Lisa Wexler and mother, Gloria Kamen. While she didn't put out any books, according to the New York Post, Bensimon will adorn the March 2010 cover of "Playboy" magazine with a six-page nude pictorial inside shot by her ex-husband, famed photographer, Gilles Bensimon. Bensimon is also rumored to be dating 'hot diabetic' Sam Talbot of "Top Chef" fame. Singer, who will debut a shorter 'do, has been hawking her True Faith Jewelry line on the Home Shopping Network.

Finally, McCord and her husband, Simon Van Kempen, who have been extremely polarizing figures, are rumored to be out after Season Three. The New York Daily News hinted the pair wouldn't be asked back for a presumed fourth season due to among other things, poor viewer response, their increasingly separate storyline and Van Kempen's demand that his pay be commensurate with the other Housewives. Other sources told the Daily News McCord will pick a lot of fights with her fellow cast mates this season in an attempt to better integrate her storyline with the other Housewives. Could it be that Gilbert is being groomed as McCord's successor?

Stay tuned for what is sure to be another crazy season.

Sources:

http://gawker.com/5382543/the-real-housewives-of-new-york-adds-a-second-new-non+housewife

http://www.bravotv.com/

http://jillzarin.com/

http://www.bethenny.com/

http://www.ramonasinger.com/

Amanda Sidman, Alex McCord, Simon Van Kempen may be cut out of "Real Housewives of New York City," New York Daily News

Maxine Shen, New 'Wife,'New York Post

Richard Johnson, Kelly Bensimon to pose in Playboy, New York Post

Richard Johnson, Sam Talbot Back on the Market, New York Post