Bravo's Andy Cohen talks about his book, his shows and a Philly 'Housewives'

HANG on to your Hermès.

Bravo won't be filming a local version of its wildly successful "Real Housewives" franchise any time soon. Andy Cohen, the shows' executive producer and host of "Watch What Happens Live," has nixed the idea - at least for now.

"I love Philly," he told me, during a phone conversation recently. "Never say never."

When I pressed as to why he wasn't hyped to do a show on all the crazy antics going on in the City of Brotherly Love, Cohen pointed out, "Look, you've got Jersey so close to you. You're close to New York."

Then, he temptingly added, "I'll think about it."

Cohen was, of course, referring to Bravo's infamous sister shows, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" and "The Real Housewives of New York City," which already serve up plenty of TV drama.

"Jersey" breakout star Teresa Giudice starts serving a 15-month sentence in January, having pleaded guilty to bankruptcy fraud and conspiracy. And sharp-tongued Bethenny Frankel is heading back to the New York "Housewives" franchise for its seventh season.

Cohen was doing media interviews to hype his new book, The Andy Cohen Diaries: A Deep Look at a Shallow Year, which came out this month. The book chronicles a heady year in Cohen's life - interviewing A-lister Britney Spears ("Awkward. She's simple and shy and doesn't give you much, and what she does give is pretty short answers") and inviting Madonna to his annual holiday party only to get nervous because she actually agreed to show up. He also adopted a rescue dog, Wacha. ("I'm surprised that my heart opened up so much for a dog.")

Then there's all the juicy, behind-the-scenes madness that doesn't make it onto "Watch What Happens Live," where Cohen interviews reality-TV stars, such as NeNe Leakes, from "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

"It's like a pop-culture time capsule," Cohen said. "I could have called it Diary of a Name Dropper. "

Cohen will be in Cherry Hill on Dec. 11 for a sold-out book signing and talk at the Katz Jewish Community Center.

While it was fun to listen to him chitchat about his whirlwind life as one of Manhattan's most eligible gay bachelors (in March, the West Village resident signed up for the dating site Tinder), what I really wanted to know was what plans Bravo had for Philly.

Last month, I wrote about how a producer affiliated with "Real Housewives of Atlanta" had been in Philadelphia and had interviewed some of the city's most glamorous and successful women for a possible reality-TV show that she declined to name.

While I had Cohen on the phone, I told him that there are women in Philly who would be awfully disappointed if a local "Housewives" show didn't happen. One woman told me she wanted on the show so badly that she would "eat dirt."

And I think she meant it.

Expect to meet her when you're in Cherry Hill for the book signing, I said. He wasn't surprised.

"There are always a couple in the audience who want to be 'Housewives,' " he said.

OK, so what must a "Housewives" wannabe do to get picked up by a franchise, if not one in Philly then maybe in New Jersey?

"Nothing," Cohen said. "We look for people who are friends of existing Housewives."

So, if someone were really desperate, they should befriend, say, Giudice, maybe while she's behind bars?

"That might be nuts," Cohen responded.