Gray Bunny

60-something million viewers is still quite a feat, even looking at numbers for debates in the past 20 years. But I can understand the fatigue, even with the huge scandal coming out Friday. Can't believe we're finally just 4 weeks away.

Side note: I'm so happy to see "Days of Our Lives" in the mainstream press again. Ari, this is your chance! Get an interview on The Today Show! Billy Bush can interview... That would be terrifically awkward.

As for the debate, I haven't seen it yet but I really wish people would stop complaining that something that actually addresses issues is "boring." Politics is not a reality show and thinking of it as such is part of the reason we're in this insane position. Agreed. The last time a VP debate was Must-See-TV, we had this hot mess: I'm fine with a ho-hum debate.

I haven't watched Monday's OC but I suddenly feel burnt out by this season. For them to have a "Still to come this season" preview makes me wish Beverly Hills were back (I'm guessing December?). At this point, I have to fast-forward the individual Shannon scenes, the Kelly scenes regarding her marriage is getting uncomfortable, and the Meghan-baby stuff is obnoxious.

If I am to understand correctly, a "reboot," a term used in the past for the 90210, Melrose, and Dallas revivals, was a continuation of the original within their same realms. The 90210 gang were all grown up, and the storyline continued. Same with MP and Dallas. This version of Dynasty would not be a reboot, but rather a remake. Right? Otherwise, Krystle changes ethnicities, Alexis is in her 80's, Fallon's in her 60's, etc. All these "R" words for 2.0 series gettin' me all confused

I don't think she's influential anymore. I happened to catch it randomly cuz I saw The Countess would be on it. Wendy often has various Housewives though from all the cities, yes? I guess they figure they target the same audience. The only other talk show host who always had Housewives was... Bethenny

I saw the LuAnn interview yesterday and agree that Wendy was salty to her but LuAnn held her head high. The Dorinda remark was goofy, and clearly the audience and LuAnn did not agree. What you're saying makes sense, that Bethenny and co. put a bug in Wendy's ear, as she would surely nominate Carole as the first housewife to be booted due to being boring.

Last night's NJ was like watching a Dance Moms episode, where the scenes, conversations, and talking heads are very choppy and heavily edited. Were both women of the lesbian couple going to be Housewives or just Robyn? The other one barely spoke, or at least nothing noteworthy to for them to keep in the scenes. Melissa is less horrible than she used to be, but "less horrible" isn't really a compliment. I really don't believe the relationships of ANY of these family members, and years from now once the cameras have stopped rolling, let's see who's spending Christmas with each other... Jacqueline was a sloppy loudmouthed mess last night. Same ol'. God bless her husband, he's a trooper. That's all for this week. Vermont is pretty; hope to visit one day.

I agree in feeling ready for the season to be over. Overall it's been a decent season, but it's gotten tiring the past few episodes. Dump Mehgan, give Shannon a new personality without the old baggage, and move on from the Vicki "cancer scheme" fallout. I actually dread the Shannon scenes. Everything about her family life is uncomfortable to watch. The endless "affair" discussion, her kids being brought into the middle of it all, and her overall nagging whiny Debbie Downer attitude.

Shannon's mother-in-law debacle reeked of Bravo setup. Mic'ed up mama eager for 15 seconds of fame, going to Shannon's castmates and immediately spilling dirty family details. C'mon now. Shannon takes the bait and goes off like a baffoon. Poor David....

Agreed Cat, and I'd put Bethenny in with Nene, as a former Have-Not who'd show her insecurities, but now controls the story and "breaks down" on camera for sympathy and damage control of her own image. Post-talk show and post-marriage, her public image took a major hit. Her return to Housewives was an attempt to endear her to viewers again, but instead it made things worse.

It's scary and unnecessary how much work Kim and her daughter have had done. The nose, the lips, whatever Kim's done around her eyes... Brielle isn't even 21 yet and Kim looked fine as she was, only being in her upper 30's. It's ridiculous. Y'know, the hubby and I were just talking about this a couple nights back, how Nene appeals to white viewers more so than black viewers for this very reason. I didn't see Nene, but regarding the jokes, I'd say that's part of the problem with the Housewives fame and the attempt to keep the momentum going. They originally catch on with viewers because of their authentic (mostly) personality at the onset of a series, with their one-liners and funny phrases. So after a couple seasons have aired, they try too hard to keep it going and it's no longer authentic. Instead, it's like a writer is off-camera feeding them lines as they do their talking head interviews (I'd say Lisa Vanderpump is one of few who's managed to maintained fresh, witty jokes as the seasons have progressed).

I echo what everyone says about Meghan and Shannon. Thoughtless trash, especially Meghan. Nice try with your "reckless" comment about Tamra. Heather was a little too All-About-Me when she read Shannon at the restaurant, but that's Heather for ya. Tamra said on WWHL that Vicki over dramatized her predicament for sympathy, and that she didn't start with the hysterics until after she saw Tamra go down. Granted, how would Tamra really know that if she was already down for the count... Crazy that something like 76% of the audience poll sided with Shannon/Meghan vs. Everyone Else. Yikes.

I mean, at this point with Kathy and Rosie all salty about Teresa, they're just throwing in anyone who's willing to go on camera and fret about their lost relationship with Teresa so that they'll have something to fill up the season. We know Kim D is back at some point. After that, who? Kim G? That mannish looking lady with the underbite who had beef with Melissa? Everyone gets a turn. Wasn't there some blonde named Penny who was spreading gossip? Guess we'll see her soon.

Bethenny had some bad, bad moments. She looked worse in the second part than LuAnn did in the first. Her "I can do what I want" attitude was so stank. It goes beyond her mantra of "if you can't handle the truth, you can't handle me" and she just got nasty, petty and ugly. Her picking on Jules for a bad representation of Jewish women was unnecessary. Yes, I understand her viewpoint (since Jules repeatedly mentions her Jewish and "Asian" heritage), but she takes it too far. Funny that on WWHL, Andy admitted that producers had hoped to see more of the "fun" Bethenny at the reunion. So did we. Stank ugliness is not a good look on a person who's already skeletal thin. Carole clearly has issues with getting older, as she seemed perturbed at getting called out for being agist and for the remark that most of them could be Jules' mother. Thank you Dorinda for pointing out that an 18-year difference indeed makes you eligible to be another person's mother. Interesting that they all agreed Ramona is the most nurturing of them all when the chips are down. Loved LuAnn dismissing Carole's "blabbering." Ha!

I caught the first couple minutes of the new season. It's weird how this show seems so generic and a dime-a-dozen now. Half the co-hosts are so bland and basic.

How many hosts are they up to now?

It's crazy that it's already in its 20th year. But I would say at this point, its social relevancy is minimal. It's like a... soap opera. I watched the special, and other than the Rosie vs. anyone moments, I would've preferred to see more of clips of the pre-HD era with Meredith, Starr, Lisa, etc. but overall it was a decent special

Carole getting shut down and interrupted repeatedly was hilarious. Once again, she was reaching to dig up old issues with LuAnn for relevancy and totally failed. Yes, I forgot to mention Jules looked so much healthier in the face! Still thin as can be, but her face looks more filled out for the better. Bethenny, follow suit.

Agreed with all. LuAnn certainly didn't come off too well at the reunion so far, with poking at Bethenny's relationship. The thing with LuAnn is that whenever she's lying or gets caught in a lie, it is written ALL OVER HER FACE (no pun intended... ha). Ramona was definitely a fun, refreshing change of pace. She has really come out a better person after the whole Mario fiasco. The Dorinda revelation was quickly swept under the rug, but boy was it telling! Bethenny saying, "we agreed we wouldn't go there." It's interesting that no matter how ugly these things get, they mostly stick to their prior agreements of not bringing up certain topics (i.e. the women not mentioning LuAnn's marital problems during the first two seasons until it was officially announced she and Alex were splitting up). Sonja casually says, "we all know!" and Dorinda continues playing dumb. Oy, messy messy awkward. Fun! P.S. The set isn't so bad. In the photo, the "cardboard" backdrop of the NYC skyline looked cheesy, but it looks good on camera.

Makes sense. I wonder what the actual words are in his contract, considering it was VHS back in the 80's and releasing TV shows on VHS wasn't a thing back then. This cover is atrocious, BTW. Linda looks old and Joan looks like she's either holding in gas or smelling someone else's.

What a fun NYC finale! So much packed into that episode, it spilled into the next hour. I bet they could've cranked out 2 full episodes out of their footage if they wanted to flesh out the final wrap-up the personal lives of all the other ladies (Ramona, Dorinda, Sonja, Jules), but nonetheless it was crazy good. LuAnn made such an ass of herself when she came over at the party and demanded the ladies stop talking about her... they weren't. Oy. It was a classic case of "I don't want to talk about it... but let's talk about it." Despite that goofy encounter, LuAnn owned this season. Well done, Countess. I look forward to seeing what she says at the finale. And I'm very curious to see what juicy dirt they spill on Bethenny. Kudos to Ramona for not passing judgement on LuAnn, knowing from personal experience that you never know what's going on behind closed doors in a marriage/relationship. That is SO funny and shady that Bravo kept in the discussion where Dorinda revealed to the other ladies that LuAnn/Tom wanted to stage a scene where Dorinda would back up their cover-up about the waiter. Again, I look forward to seeing what LuAnn says and what the ladies say in retaliation. Memories of NYC seasons past as they used their old "final wrapup music" for Bethenny at the tail end. I would say this season ranks just under Seasons 2 and 3 (the originals just had *it*). NYC got their groove back and I hope they're able to secure the same cast next season! If Bethenny bolts, suck it up and bring Jill back. RE: New Jersey. If Danielle Staub is finally open to returning, they need to get on that. I could see it now: An unhealthy alliance with Teresa, wacko Jac going off the rails on her, and someone finally calling Melissa to task for conspiring with Danielle in the past to get on the show. Danielle is always such a loose cannon, even when Andy interviews her. She won't hold back and I love her delusional ass.

I was about to report the same Haven't watched OC yet (hubby still prefers NJ first; why, I have no idea) but NJ's problem is that it can't evolve. Ever since its Season 3 premise (which successfully transitioned from being centered around Danielle as the resident evil one), they just can't transition from Teresa & Melissa "working on their relationship" and Teresa and Jaq's fractured friendship. It's old, it's tired, it's been done. Teresa hasn't given two effs about Jacqueline for the past 4 years. Siggy and Dolores are cute, but are basically time fillers and don't really serve a purpose. At least there's the friendship connection with Jacqueline (unlike The Twins and Amber... I can't even remember how they were introduced... did someone visit a Dunkin' Donuts?), and perhaps it'll all gel together when they have their group trip next week. Overall though, New Jersey just seems stuck in a story rut.

Look at that soap goddess in her 90's possession heyday. It's so classically 1995. Watch the 1:48 mark where Melody Thomas Scott rolls her eyes and mouths the words "Deidre Hall." Ha!

lol amazing analogy! Carole's was the kicker. OMG, that Chic C'est La Vie had us cracking up!! Well, whatever the cause or backstory is, Bethenny can sell the tears (Heather Dubrow, take note) and make it look like genuine turmoil inside. P.S. She must've had some sort of work done, but I can't tell what. But it makes her mouth look different. It's the same way she looked when she appeared on WWHL during that timeframe, with her hair lookin' all good and her mouth looking like a barbie doll's that opens all cute when she smiles. I can't put my finger on it; maybe DaytimeFan can enlighten? (cute Christmas tree analogy, BTW. It works) LuAnn's reaction was reality TV gold. Breaking down before Bethenny even said the secret, fumbling to get into her hotel room, and breaking the fourth wall by telling them to stop it with the cameras. The season finale episode looks amazing, and one of those juicy situations where you can't believe all that is going to be wrapped up in just one hour. Can't wait for next week, plus the reunion! Luann's gonna be coming out, balls dragging and ready to take names. Plus there's the "revelation" about Bethenny brought up by the other girls. Oh, and let's not forget the hilarity of our jokesters. At some point every night, Dorinda will hit that mark where all her words are slurring. Kudos to Bravo for closed captioning her gibberish with unintelligible words! Ha! LOL to Ramona and Sonja being Ramona and Sonja and wanting to do something more fun on their own instead of attending the pre-planned event of Dorinda's. While they missed out on the gorgeous boat views of Miami, they definitely upgraded on the entrees. I would give Jules another season, if she were open to it. Post-divorce, she'd probably open up more so and give us the details. Way better than Kristen ever was, and Heather is old news. This cast is perfect for another round. *IF* they were able to put up with Jill Zarin, I'd be totally down for it, but their Nielsen ratings were too good this season to justify a need to bring her back. (Now a Danielle return to New Jersey is another story. That'd be pretty much a last-ditch effort, IMO. They did it with Bethenny and it worked. Perhaps the queen of delusion needs to return to The Garden State).