Chris B

Well we know she was on recurring by choice and unlike other recurring actors, she always had contract screentime. I guess I'm not being clear--I realize they did use her as a supporting character, but my point is that she didn't do anything I'd consider memorable like in the 80s or 90s or on B&B. After B&B especially, it felt like such a cool-down. I thought she picked up steam with Michael, but the regime change killed both of those characters which leads us to today. Like you mention, they did do a GREAT job with Ashley on B&B so I wouldn't mind that for several Y&R characters, particularly Lauren.

I'll give it to you that Lauren wasn't a bore for her entire return, but even in those early years I didn't find her too useful. Considering how popular she became with Michael I did think that was a step in the right direction, but as soon as they got married that is when it was 100% over for her. As soon as Sheila returned they seemed to give up. I wonder how she'd fare if she ever returned to B&B.

Danielle has been tweeting and re-tweeting about how she should be on the show and Andy tweeted her back that they asked her back and she said no. They've asked her several times IIRC and she's always said no. One year they even invited her *just* to the reunion and she said no. I think the cast they have this season is great. Of course it would be EXPLOSIVE if Caroline and Jacqueline were around considering Dina is back, but I'm glad we're getting to see more of a normal housewives show instead of families being ripped apart. Amber is an obvious fame whore and along with her husband, they aren't very likable, but they're serving their purpose. Teresa is coming off well and I do find the scenes with her family to be very emotional. I also like that she's clearly making an effort to monitor her behavior in light of the sentencing. I understand what they did was wrong, but I do think compared to others they're going to grow from it. And I'm sorry, but Dina is the standout this season. She is fricking flawless. I can't get enough of her!

Oh my god! Victoria Rowell is sublime in that episode. I guess she always brought that nuance to Dru and it looks like she always knew how to act. I didn't start watching til 1996 so that was a nice treat. The chemistry with John Abbott was just flawless. It's so sad these relationships were lost and forgotten. I also always loved Katherine and Dru. This entire episode was fantastic. The production values are, of course, stunning. The exterior shots of Cricket's office make me embarrassed for the dated shots they have now. The strong mix of characters made the episode go by fast because everyone served a purpose. Plus by focusing on relationships (Ashley/Traci is a good example) you care more and they can get more mileage as writers. Now these relationships either don't exist or are glossed over so you end up with repetitive scenes (like Villy or Colin/Jill now) of everyone coupled up going in circles until the next plot twist. I loved seeing Traci as an actual character and with some spunk. It seems like the character regressed from the spunky character she became back into this uber sweet Aunt who dishes out words of wisdom. I don't understand why she can't get a love interest when she is younger than Ashley and Jack and IMO more interesting than either of them. She has been rested and it's time for her to step forward again. ETA: Why the hell is Lauren so fricking fabulous while this Sheila stuff is happening, but now they have her as *the* most helpless victim whenever Sheila is mentioned?! My god. What the hell! It's so shocking to see how fabulous Lauren was when she has been such a bore since she returned to Y&R in the 00s.

This is her 15th feature since 2013. That's not somebody Beyonce should be working with. Beyonce goes out of her way to create her own sound, work with her own producers and choreographers and NOT do what everyone else is doing. Working with Nicki helps Nicki, but it doesn't help Beyonce. It cheapens the brand IMO.

That's terrible and ruins this previously flawless (no pun) campaign. She went from sampling Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to rapping with Nicki Minaj about thots? And then the choice of Nicki Minaj, the safest, most overused rapper out right now. If Jessie J can get Nicki on a track then Beyonce needs to do better. Someone like Azealia Banks could've maintained the integrity of this song and taken it to another level. This is just overhyped trash that people are going to go crazy over.

I just finished season one of RHONY again and despite the first couple episodes feeling dated (my guess is that was pilot material), it quickly became your typical housewives series. I love how natural things were but they still managed to have a good amount of drama. Who would've known that when Alex met Ramona in episode five it would spark such fireworks with Simon coming to girls night? These days that would never happen because they'd all be required to go to every party and be introduced at the same time. The natural developing friendships is what made season 2 and 3 so powerful. There was no fakery about how well they knew each other so we truly got to see them learn about each other and we got real reactions from everybody. The first reunion was also packed with fireworks, which shocked me since this was still early in the Housewives franchise. This is also when fame began to go to Jill's head. I think her wearing a "Team Jill" shirt to the reunion is the tackiest thing that ever happened on a reunion. You could tell she was feeling herself and it really was a huge turn off for me after loving her the entire season. Honestly, I would say RHONY holds up so well I could watch it over and over again. I also feel that way for RHOA.

I'm not panicking about RHONJ yet. They're getting around 1.8 million viewers which is fine. I don't expect the ratings to blow up until viewers get to know the new housewives better. I'm surprised they aren't promoting next weeks hair-putting episode more.

Nene is a good example..

http://www.bravotv.com/the-real-housewives-of-melbourne Such a waste! First Bravo drops promos during the social edition of RHONJ, then they wait almost a week to give it a page on the website and officially announce it, now it's set to premiere in 3 days in a horrible timeslot with back-to-back episodes. What was the point of buying the show if they had no intention of even attempting to gain viewers? Even if it got similar ratings to Ladies of London, that would be great for a show that is the cheapest on the network since they don't produce it. I'm also bitter because I think this Housewives show is legitimately good and could've gained a good amount of viewers.

I don't find season one of NYC to be boring at all. It looks like it was filmed in 1995, but it is still very entertaining as an introduction. The dynamics are good, the storylines are interesting and it perfectly sets things up for the next season. I miss the more organic days of the housewives!

Lizzie said she'd had the same number since she was 21. I definitely would've whooped Tamra's ass. And despite her crazy ways, I only started to like Tamra just a couple seasons ago. She was one of the main reasons I stopped watching, mainly Tamra and Gretchen. ETA: Re-watching RHONY from season one on Hulu. I'm on Episode 2 and it's shocking that they're already dealing with Mario not wearing his wedding ring, flirting with other women and Ramona (of course) blaming the other woman for coming onto him. It just goes to show that he's probably been cheating on her for years, but with social media he finally got caught.

Tamra got mad at Alex McCord who said that her sources tell her that Bravo wants to get rid of one of the big three (Tamra, Vicki, Heather) to cut costs. Tamra took that as a slight to her and tweeted that they were talking about her. Alex said she wasn't told anybody in particular, but it does make sense that it would be Tamra after her drama this season. I just wish this happened BEFORE the reunion was filmed, which is why they need to stop filming them so far in advance. What do yall predict the cast will look like next year? For Sure: Shannon, Heather, Vicki - This is self-explanatory and based on this season all they really need Maybe: Tamra, Lizzie - Tamra due to budget and calling out production, Lizzie due to her being boring Gone: Danielle - Too quiet Possible Returns: Jeana, Gretchen - We know they already asked Gretchen back, plus Jeana could stabilize as a familiar face. I'd say Lauri, but they used that lol

RHONJ got 1.8 viewers this week and Don't Be Tardy got 1.2 million airing after it. I'd say they should probably consider keeping that combo. You could do RHONJ, Don't Be Tardy, WWHL and then Game of Crowns (or I'd personally put Real Housewives of Melbourne.

YRfan23, do you happen to have any of the April/May 2000 episodes with Kent Masters King as Dru? I'd love to see those!

Here is the first promo I've found for RHOMelbourne. I think they could get good soundbites from Jackie and Gina if they want to keep the promos in this mold. I do think it's a mistake airing the show at noon because that gives them no chance to develop any audience. Regardless of the ratings, since it isn't produced by Bravo they won't lose money so I would just place it after one of the existing Housewives shows and see how it does. Or they could've put it on Thursdays with Don't Be Tardy. ETA: Forgot the actual promo lol: http://instagram.com/p/rBhgZqzdnf/

Lisa Rinna is going to stunt on these hoes with her fashion.

Bravo aired promos for Melbourne yesterday. I'm surprised they don't have anything on the website.

I hear The Real Housewives of Melbourne will start airing next Sunday on Bravo!

Honestly, they shouldn't even be trying to make Porsha and Kenya film together. It's low for them to even be bringing Porsha's tired dumb ass back, but Kenya needs to stand firm and not give her any story. Let's see how she can stand up on her own. I bet she'll be boring as hell like last season when she didn't have Kenya, hence her kicking her ass at the reunion for a storyline.

Not only has Ramona brought up LuAnn's cheating scandals with The Count and Jacques, but she also was tweeting about her daughter's video smoking weed which caused tension between them in season 5. I love Ramona, but there is no way she can use Avery as an excuse the way she has repeatedly put LuAnn's business on front street, INCLUDING stuff about her kids.

Despite higher ratings, RHOC is wrapping up very soon! There are only THREE episodes left until the reunion begins! Three! And here I was thinking we had Lizzie's party and the fall out, plus the trip to Bali and then the fallout from there. I can't see having only 3 more episodes being satisfying. I need at least 5 more episodes bringing the total to 20 just to flesh everything out some more. That means this Tamra/Lizzie feud is going to be extremely short-lived and anything that might've happened between Danielle and Tamra.

Some RHOA tea. Looks like a redemption arc is in store for Kenya. They just filmed scenes where Apollo reveals once and for all that he lied about Kenya trying to hit on him and he apologizes to her. Also Phaedra is taking a leave of absence from filming. LINK: http://straightfromthea.com/2014/07/24/exclusive-rhoa-phaedra-parks-takes-leave-of-absence-after-apollo-nida-comes-clean-about-kenya-moore/

It's going to be insane if Eileen Davidson and Lisa Rinna join RHOBH and save the show, which is what they need. It's going to be interesting to see TWO soap stars, especially two A-list soap stars and ones that have worked together. This is the type of casting they needed. Joyce and Carlton both had money, but how is it that they cast two women with no connection to anybody? At least in this case at the very least Lisa knows several of the wives and Eileen will at least know Lisa. And they both MUST be actual wives and not friends. Sad thing is, they don't confirm casting until filming is over so it's going to take a while for us to realize if any of this is true. On the subject of Heather's new show, does anybody know how long the episodes are? With it being on Crackle I can't tell if it's a webisode type of thing or an actual show.

It looks like the party they filmed at Jill's house will most likely be an episode of Millionaire Matchmaker. I still find it pretty shocking that they'd film it with so many Bravo stars at her house. It can't be for nothing. Just like we know Sheree's guest spots on Kandi's show, plus WWHL were meant to ease her back into the viewers minds. I think the smartest way to use the footage would be on RHOA to do some cross promoting and also they get a New York trip out of it for Peter and Cynthia. Hell, repurpose the footage multiple times and make it an event night--RHOA followed by Millionaire Matchmaker ala RHOBH/Vanderpump Rules.