Cat

I think we can, though. Much of the Middle East is deeply invested in keeping ISIS away. The Kurds, definitely. The Shiites, too. Even the Russians dont want ISIS on their doorstep. It was utterly possible to manage the ISIS situation in the Middle East. Their local support had fallen away as news of their viciousness and war crimes spread (unlike the Viet Cong in South Vietnam who were ultimately seen as unifiers of that war-torn country). This resurgence is entirely down to one person's tweet. With devastating consequences.A part of me wishes that the US military would have refused to follow orders in this instance (even though that sets a terrible precedent and I know they cannot defy the Commander in Chief) because what has happened is such a dangerous, foolish, corrupt decision. It is pure folly.

The likelihood is the latter, since BH HWs have the media on speed-dial, as we know from last season. So how many dud seasons will that be now? 4 in a row? If that is the case, well, imo the chemistry of this cast has bombed since seasons 6-7. I'm excited for Garcelle, but girl can't do everything by herself. The real problem is that the cast won't show anything genuine; every "drama' and reaction shot is scripted down to the tiniest tear rolling down one pumped-up cheek. I know these shows are scripted to an extent, but BH self-produce to a ridiculous, Trumpian degree, to deflect and for damage-control. Dorit, Teddi and Erika give us nothing that is in any way authentic and should be fired immediately. I keep forgetting Denise is actually on this show so she should go, too. I said a few days ago that Faye Resnick, Kathy Hilton and Taylor have the gift of the shady put-down (in the case of the first two) and the steely thirstiness (TayShanna) to put the cat amongst the pigeons. And the BH audience is familiar with them. Brandi also cannot stand Vyle or Rinna, so bring her on for a pop. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures! I would love to see Rinna and Kyle get a little karma their way.

1,000% agree. The convo with the Ukrainian president? I expect no less of the orange asswipe. But what he has done to the Kurds -- without a backward glance, out of sight, out of mind -- is truly evil, truly treasonous, the true crime here. Innocent people are now dead, and much worse is to come in the next few days. It is ethnic cleansing in all but name. Moreover, the rumour is Trump is doing this because he renovated a Trump Tower in Istanbul and wants to protect his business interest. If true, our allies were thrown to the wolves to protect a shitty, gaudy piece of concrete in Turkey. It is so gross, it makes me want to throw up.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/oct/10/power-silicon-valley-climate-crisis-big-tech-profitable This opinion piece I have linked to makes the point that Silicon Valley have become so big, rich and powerful that their only priority is consolidating their position, squeezing more $$$ out of us and protecting their massive wealth. Speaking of Big Tech, I saw that Google removed an app in Hong Kong which helped protesters track and share the movements of police forces coming at them. This was at the 'request' of the Chinese government. Given that China is using hardcore face-recognition and other technology to control people and strip them of their rights, it makes no sense to deprive unarmed protesters in HK of the one app that was helping them assemble while the authorities are allowed to use all the tech weaponry against them. Google totally folded in the face of China, because money. And I don't know if this has already been discussed upthread, but the way DT has thrown our allies the Kurds to their almost certain annihilation is so completely, mendaciously, selfishly, stupidly evil. He is so enamoured of these tyrants like Erdogan; everybody else -- our friends -- are totally expendable. This move is so dangerous. It risks resuscitating ISIS from the grave and opening up another ISIS front in the Middle East and into Europe. It also shows that nobody can ever trust the US's word ever again. I know this is happening in a country far away and all that, but I am shaking with anger about it. I cannot imagine what the Kurds (who fought on the frontline against ISIS, with a military made up 40% of women to boot) are going through at this moment. And for that [!@#$%^&*] to justify it by saying well, the Kurds weren't with us on the beaches of Normandy in WW2..... my disgust has reached new depths. /rant

Finally watched final episode of Potomac reunion. Thrilling fron start to finish! Especially the forensic questioning of Michael, and his attempt to gaslight everybody and claim they could not have possibly seen what they saw because drunk/where they were standing. I love how everyone stayed their ground, even after he tried to intimidate White Chris, and Gizelle, standing over her as he was being de-miced. That exchange between him and Ashley about Ashley going to 'talk' to Tobyn but she was mic'ed so she didn't want production to pick up her words was eye-opening, and had a definite threatening feel. Up until then, I was actually feeling for Ashley and her situation, but after seeing that, I knew Ash was in total cahoots with Michaek, and as nasty, blackmailing and gaslighting as he is. A truly great season. I have such a fondness for all these women, I hope the cast comes back unchanged next year (and Katie!). You can't find chemistry like that. And Karen is a goddam QUEEN. She talked so much sense and with such humor. Karen is my favourite HW of all the Real Housewives franchises. Dallas: Finally caught up. The Mexico episodes were really good, and it's unusual for a RH show to get right into the drama so early in the season. Leeanne is having a bad edit so far this season. As a qualified fan of Leeanne who can only take her in small doses, I am ok with Leeanne being called out. It's healthy for her as the star of this franchise. IMO the standouts (and my faves) have been Kameron and Stephanie. God, I love Kam slurping that spaghetti while everyone was fighting around her. I am sad S and K are on the outs, but I really enjoy watching them. I am also, shockingly, not annoyed by Brandi?! I can't believe I just wrote that because I usually hate her ass. Standout scene of yesterday's episode was Travis advising D'Andra about her company. Some people might find that business talk boring, but I find it fascinating. It felt 100% genuine as well, and not at all scripted. I understand D'Andra regarding firing people -- I would be sick and destroyed about it. Travis is fast-becoming one of the best husbands on the RH with his common sense and supportiveness towards Stephanie.

I've been away so am only now catching up on OC (Dallas and last episode of Potomac to follow -- honestly, I cannot wait for RHOP!). Seems like all three franchises have been firing on all cylinders. After some crappy seasons, OC finally seems to be settling into a comfortable groove. What has been great about this season is anticipating The Fall of Tamra. I appreciate what she offers to the show (without her pot-stirring, OC would be a snooze). But without Vicki to take all the blame full-time, the spotlight is now firmly on her machinations. I love how Kelly can read her like a book. I'm not a big fan of Kelly's roid-rage aggression, but I am on her side when it comes to Shannon & Tamra. Also, I was glad she and Vicki made up in a heartfelt way. I was sick of hearing Kelly blame everything on Cokegate. Shannon & Tamra are so toxic together. The way they were mean-girling Emily as she sat on the floor was horrible to watch. PLEASE let them be called out this year. Shannon's attitude is so stank regarding Emily. Team Emily, especially when it comes to the way Gina has dropped her good friend in favor of the Dos Bitcheras. Gina's priorities are all wrong. I know she is being gaslit by her awful ex, but Gina is really making rotten judgement calls when it comes to her friends and her own life. Alexis. Blink and you'll miss it. Braunwyn wants a threesome with TamBoobs? Nobody wants to see that, Bravo. --------- Also, while I was away, I watched NJ season 6 for the first time ever. I have to agree with whoever defended it on this thread -- after the first episode, it is actually not that bad. I can understand why they dumped Amber and the twins -- way too thirsty and contrived. I personally cannot stand Amber who was doing way too much. I could have handled the twin married to Rinno another season, I guess. Dina was a delight, and it is clear her friendship with Teresa is the real deal. Melissa was a non-entity. Also watching S3 RHOBH. My god, after the shittiness of the most recent 4 seasons of BH, it is a shock to watch this fast-moving season. Adrienne exposed was brilliant. Seeing Kyle scramble as she realized Adrienne was on her way out and LVP was where it's at, was fabulous. Yolanda was actually a good watch, although the manipulation of Brandi and positioning re: LVP, her Lyme disease and her husband, are plain to see, in hindsight. I even liked Marissa. Taylor was fired too soon IMO -- she was thirsty enough to start drama with anybody. But it was around this time that Bravo started prioritising aspirational living on BH (like Yolanda's fridge), as opposed to the Wealthy vs Wannabes, which was such a classic, tense dynamic. Plus, we saw drunken Dana/Pam go off on the women ("These women love themselves so much, I don't think there is enough leftover to love you") -- one of the best scenes of BH ever. The real standout was Faye Resnick. I don't know why I enjoyed her because she is such a Kyle mouthpiece but she gave as good as she got. If Brandi ever came back to the show (and being that she hasn't been asked, it kind of destroys her argument that LVP was the one keeping her off the show. More like Kyle!), Faye is really the only one who could stand up to her and fight dirty. I also wish Kathy Hilton would join the show. She clearly cannot stomach Kyle in any way, and probably isn't a fan of Rinna either.

Alexis is back?? You know what, I am not upset about that. I could see her I this current group. This news will irk Tamra and Shannon so bad, and I am here for it. Also, Gretchen must be devastated that Jesus Jugs gets asked back, but not her. As for Sarah Paulson, well, now we know why Andy adores her! I can't hate on her love for RHONY, though.

Trailer needs more Kenya, because she brings the Drama! It's clear from leaked reports that her story is dominating the season. I was surprised to see Cynthia have such a central role, too. Lord knows what Eva is doing there. Guess Bravo set her up as Narrator because there wasn't much else.

The Umansky girls look like their paternal grandmother. I am probably alone in this, but I think she is too young to have messed with her looks. The nose is radically different (like Zolciak different) and I wish they'd gone subtle like Kyle and Kim Richards did. But hey, it's their bodies! Those babies are adorable. You can definitely tell which is Porsha's, lolol!

It looked like Beth, but since the previous scene had Cassie in a prison tower, I started second-guessing myself like 'Wait, was that Cassie?' I am really procrastinating today if SC is is what I'm musing about!

This YT vid may have the answer! Prepare to relive the brightly-lit vortex of suck. @3.56. I still cannot tell who it is:

I've believed Karen to be the breakout star of RHOP since the early days, but that view has solidified after this season. Karen is smart, self-deprecating, thinks on her feet, has a great turn of phrase, and can defend herself without breaking a sweat. I think her secret weapon is actually her empathy for others. She understands Gizelle and Ashley as human beings. Oh, and she's also funny as hell.

You are right, it was Beth. I was just on such a Cassie rant that I was typing her name everywhere! God, I remember that. Everybody knew it was for his toy boy too, so really P&G should take its share of the blame for green-lighting a clearly ridiculous waste of money. I also remember how blindingly, brightly lit the show was under Conboy.

I can only concur with everybody here. Potomac P2 reunion did not let up for a second, and Karen and Robyn were STANDOUTS. Robyn was so chill and matter-of-fact throughout, what a difference from her grumpy self last year. I also liked Monique giving it as good as she got, though it makes me sad how Candiace sold her down the river for a chance to kiss Gizelle's ass. Be careful, Karen! Candiace may not be loyal to you either! Questions: do you think Ashley and Michael will be back next season? And is Robyn angling for a fake paid-by-Bravo wedding to Jusn? I'm sure KYLE will claim she is the one taking the photo! Or she and Teddi were at home, braiding each other's hair. Sutton's hair is too young for her, and I didn't even recognize the woman on the right. It's not just the wig; Rinna's face looks completely different! Garcelle looks AMAZING.

19th century Latin America was kinda ruled this way (Mexico's first and last 'emperor' Maximilian was Austrian-French and parachuted in there by his cousin, French emperor Louis-Napoleon. He was swiftly executed). But in 20th-21st century GL, it made no sense. I think they wanted to reap the benefits of the 'See, we have latinos!' trend by inventing a stand-in island for Puerto Rico. But then the show became enamoured with a bunch of WASPy theatre actors (David Andrew MacDonald, Bradley Cole) who could do semi-passable British accents. So some bright spark decided they could be 'princes' of this possibly-Caribbean, possibly-Spanish speaking, island. It was a horrific era on so many levels, not least because they wanted to give GL a telenovela edge but basically only to showcase these non-Hispanic newbies. Mostly I hated how it finally gave the writers an excuse to put Cassie on every day, even though she had flopped in her previous, Springfield-based SLs. I can't believe they wasted a shitload of money on location shots (Cassie hanging off the wall of a real-life castle; people running around sunny grassland for no reason; Cassie screaming from a helicopter). Given the horrendous budget cuts GL later had to endure, I feel like this giant SC spendfest is what prompted P&G to go hard with the fiscal austerity.

I concur. The Krystle wig is perfectly done. Yeah, I'm kind of glad that Eileen kept her dignity to a certain extent and went back to acting. It's funny how when she's acting on soaps, she exudes this warmth, complexity and humanity through her characters that makes me love her again. Don't feel too bad for Rinna and Kyle. I don't think that was ever a real-life long term friendship so much as a passing, friend-of-a-friend acquaintance. Kyle and Kim OTOH... Also, I just want to say re: Atlanta that even though I dissed seasons 4 onwards, I really, really rated S8 aka the first season without Nene aka the season with Kim Fields. Cynthia kicking Porsha off her on that boat was just . Not that I condone violence or anything!

Updated the link to the Harpers Bazaar article (https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a28900567/kris-jenner-yolanda-hadid-channel-dynasty-characters/). The pics are... holy [!@#$%^&*] I can't describe them. Look at this one -- it's like two facial expressions battling against botox:

WHAT in the name of all that is holy ??? @DaytimeFan needs to see this mess! https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a28900567/kris-jenner-yolanda-hadid-channel-dynasty-characters/ That ain't Lipsa btw

Sometimes (in Kenya's case) Drama picks Drama! (I hear you about personal luck with guys tho). It's like when she got married with Marc and she suddenly went all coy about 'keeping it private' and no filming of Marc. That made no sense and ran against everything we know Kenya is about. That's why production lost its rag and decided to fire her. Because she got her wedding all over the blogs but didn't want to share it on the show. So, either Marc put his foot down about being filmed and Kenya acquiesced (likely), or Kenya did not want the cameras around to delve too deeply into this marriage and her pregnancy (which, some people have said, was a pillow shoved up her dress and a secret surrogate on the side. Hey, Kenyoncé!). Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching Kenya for the drama she creates -- she should have been on last season for that reason alone! I also think the WWHL episode where she effortless DESTROYS Michael Rappaport was the best WWHL episode ever aired. But I also don't like the precedent she has set with RHOA. I will call Kenya out on her fakery and disingenuousness, and you best believe there will be some of that this coming season. Totally. I don't need to see another 19 episodes of fakery about how they are all BFFs now that the cause of ALL their problems is gone. These bitches never take accountability for doing the same [!@#$%^&*] they accused LVP of doing, and the hypocrisy comes off of them in waves. I want to see them turn on each other like the gang in Reservoir Dogs ! BTW where did you get "it looks like more and more Lipsa is coming for Kyle" ? Is there stuff happening on Twitter or IG I don't know about?? Spill the tea!

I agree so much with this. First of all S3 and S4 are the finest seasons of any HW show, on a par with S3 NY and S2 BH. The cast chemistry was perfection, and so was the comedy, shade and drama. And people diss Cynthia for being a bore but I really loved her from the get go. Her drama was real and relatable. With Kenya's arrival, there was from Day One a problem with authenticity. She is incredibly self-produced, and was constantly baiting the women. It really damaged her credibility that first season, especially when Apollo accused her of coming on to him, and people believed him over her. Since then, and as much as I appreciate a Scarlet Letter SL, Kenya's antics have put pressure on the other HWs to self-produce and manufacture story in much the same way. And little by little, I started enjoying ATL a bit less, because drama became increasingly scripted.

That's because Kenya produces her entire life like it's a RHOA episode. She wanted the marriage/baby thing for the show so bad, so she jumped into it with this willing participant and it turned out he was not so willing. I'm betting he was basically a glorified sperm donor. The thing is, she could have got Brandon to help her out with a donation and it would have been so much easier, but no she wanted the crazy drama and the 'I got my fairytale!' narrative, because she was banking on cameras being there. She really seems to pick assholes too. Anyway it's too bad the cameras weren't there last season to showcase all this because the drama would have been insane. I guess we will see it this season.

There was a moment last week when Leeanne talked about getting together with Rich. She said that she had never been faithful in any of her previous relationships. That, coupled with her pronouncement that she is not maternal and does not want children, made me respect her honesty (even though I am someone who would love to have children). Obviously, a lot of this is tied up with her childhood, which we got a lot of insight into this episode. I had not realized the full extent of her childhood abuse. It was powerful and raw, as you say. Even seeing Kameron struggle with the luggage off the carousel or *that toilet* is real in a way we don't see on other shows as much. It's interesting because Dallas gives us this, but at the same time it is like a 90s soap opera, like an episode of 90s AMC. (And in the second half of the episode, it went full telenovela). To end with that raw bombshell was strong and unexpected. I really liked the episode because of all the different shading. Leeanne was pretty insufferable through most of it. but her outburst made me understand her a bit better. Comic genius Kameron is back! I felt like I hadn't really seen her much the last few episodes. Travis and Stephanie are a couple I like as much as Monique and Chris on Potomac. The chemistry and complicity they share is very sweet and loving. I was feeling D'Andra before but she lost me here with her blowing off a meeting with Travis. So unprofessional and stupid, especially when her firm is on the brink. I sure hope the ratings go up for this episode. Dallas is giving us a LOT. It is clear they were not getting along at all in her latest Insta story, like he couldn't stand TV Kenya and the filming. Rumour has it that he is not getting a good edit on RHOA next season.

Always respect your and @Chris B's opinions, of course (I love Eileen too, I know it doesn't seem like that when talking about Bh!) -- personally I felt like she was 'on.' Like she was playing 'Ashley Abbott, the JFP Years.' It made me wonder why she was doing that, because one of the things I respected about Eileen on BH was that she was true to herself and didn't really care what people thought of her. On WWHL, I felt she cared. And that made me wonder if she cares because she wants to be asked back onto the show. I don't begrudge her beef with LVP anymore. She had her reasons. The one thing I didn't like about Eileen was the way she treated Eden at reunion -- she shut her down with a "buh-bye, Eden, buh-bye" when Eden tried to say that Rinna used her to get at Kim. I thought it was maddening how she shut down another person's right to speak, and I figured that she of all people would be acutely sensitive to how wrong that was. Even if Eden is a kook. Yeah, Eileen and Dorit had peripheral beef, mainly because Eileen was defending poor widdle Erika and she thought Dorit was LVP's minion. It kind of exploded on the boat in Hong Kong, when Rinna, Eileen and Erika all went in on Dorit. LOL that crossed my mind too. 'Studying for the bar' is the new euphemism! Can't wait to watch OC tonight. Unpopular opinion but I think so far, RHOC has been far better than last season. That is not because Vicki is no longer there -- I still want her to come back full-time. But I feel like there is momentum to the season, like people's stories are going somewhere. Also, I am really warming to Emily aka Budget Jeana.

She does, and that's what it felt like -- playing a role. In fact, it felt like an audition. Eileen is a workhorse, and since Sony did her dirty, I'm not surprised she is open to returning to the Real Housewives of Encino -- where she will out-rank pretty much all the others by default, because she lives in Malibu. Her dislike of LVP is so strong -- Erika Jayne and Lisa Rinna emit the same kind of irrational hate. It feels very personal. You know, I am actually considering watching Real Housewives of Encino next season. One reason is Garcelle Beauvais. The other is my irrational need to see KARMA be served in the direction of Rinna, Erika, Kyle, Dorit and Teddi. Individually and together. (I also wish Kathy Hilton and Nicollette Sheridan would have joined to make the aforementioned lives' hell, but that is wish-casting). On another note: I wonder who will host all the chi-chi parties now that LVP is gone and PK is broker than broke? For sure Teddi will host a budget cook-out off that cliff-face she calls a home. But freeloader Rinna hasn't hosted a damn thing ever (Harry's backyard bbq does not count!). Kyle is such a fool -- she stays doling out money for these parties and Rinna swoops in to guzzle the free booze and steal the spotlight.

I dont think I have seen Andy have fun at a reunion like that in a while. He seems invested in Potomac, like he watches the reels for fun. The women seemed to be having fun despite everything too. And I have to agree with whoever called Candiace MVP this episode. She was loud but laser-focused, and her shade hit their target. Ashley put up a solid defense, but she's on a slippery slope with this entire season. And what was that weird ass editing with Michael supposedly on the balcony, and all the 'reactions' from the women below? It felt like some highly creative editing to me. Also thought the way Karen put Gizelle firmly in her place about the fragrance was what I've been waiting for all season. I have never once seen Karen put down Every Hue, unlike Gizelle with everybody's side projects. Sad that any mention of Katie has been almost entirely scrubbed from this episode. I wonder if they will bring her up at all in the next two eps. The fashions were even more atrocious close up. Gizelle's greasy ass hair was especially horrible. What was her lovely hair guy thinking?? Ashley with a white fly-catcher curtain slung over her shoulders and across her chest was the worst, though. I thought Candiace's Great Gatsby dress was actually the best outfit of the night.