Cat

I totally agree!

I also find there is something special about the older ladies on these franchises, something about their additional experiences in life, their humor, their lack of [!@#$%^&*] to give. They have lived. They have these neuroses which can be out-there but also weirdly relatable sometimes. Whereas the younger mommies are more controlled and hyperaware of the camera. They kind of temper their natural fire a bit because they are so focused on projecting an image.

I feel ya. That's how I felt about Meghan for 3 long years. Will try to temper my gushing. Changing the subject, but has anybody heard any news about Season 5 of Melbourne? It's usually around this time they start promoting it. I've been missing it lately and really enjoyed S4. And TT has an article about how ATL's ratings are tanking, but Bravo does not mind because it is increasingly focused on attracting a younger female demo for ad sales. The article was interesting for many reasons -- 1. because it indicated that Michael Beck and his Don't Be Tardy crew had been replaced by a female producer and another team. And 2. because all that talk of the Young Female Demo took me back to the early 2000s, when Daytime soaps started casting young sexy looks over talent and sidelining its older, popular characters (and imo started on the road to cancellation and ruin). Since the RH franchise is essentially an evolution of Daytime soaps, this development is interesting to me. It explains why there has been so much Porsha and Eva on ATL this season (even though Porsha must be approaching 40 at this point). I can see they are already steering BH to towards this demo. I hope they don't touch NYC though: I love all those women, and do not want to see Ramona, Dorinda, Luann or the others sidelined for some newbie whose only qualification is 'younger.' http://tamaratattles.com/2018/11/26/exclusive-why-bravo-suits-are-actually-pleased-with-the-rhoa-ratings-this-season/

I get where you are coming from, and as someone whose own mother went through her own medical issues and slow & uncertain recovery process, I should have been more aware before using that word. I still don't think Peggy was a fit for RHOC. Maybe it was the recovery process that blocked her from connecting with the others, or maybe we had a group of personalities which just did not mesh. Certainly none of the other women had much warmth or sympathy towards her. And I think that is one thing that turned me off last season -- none of the women seemed to have real warmth or empathy with each other. I think that's why I am warming slowly towards some of the women this year -- Gina emanated empathy on Sunday's episode, and so did Emily. I also liked how Kelly was Shannon's biggest supporter this season.

Yep. And she even had the first 5 minutes of Reunion devoted to Andy telling her that Brooks duped her like Dirty John! This was Vicki's triumphant return from the wilderness years. But bless her heart, Vicki never changes and never learns. She doubled down on the David-hits-Shannon/Eddie-is-gay stuff in S11, and we got 84 years of nobody talking to her as a result. Now she pulls the exact same stuff with Kelly. Luckily for her, Kelly is not half the cast, but still... girl, you gotta pick your battles. And you gotta go after someone with some semblance of truth and proof! That's how Tamra gets her targets -- she is able to hit them with unpalatable truths and not just stuff she makes up. omg this so much. I break out in hives at the thought of Meghan, Lydia and Comatose Peggy. The cringe was real.

Basically tho Vicki knew Kelly would come after her for the double date thing, and she didn't have a leg to stand on in the fact that she didn't really care about Kelly's feelings when setting up Michael on a date. So she smeared Kelly. And the more I think about it, the more bad Vicki looks. Kelly should know Vicki is going to smack back hard, but Vicki looked bad with what she basically admitted was retaliation alone. I kind of felt for Kelly after a while because it's clear she is sensitive. This isn't just a Survivor like game for her. Maybe it's good that Reunion this time around drew a line in the sand about what is acceptable to say on the defensive, and what is just toxic smearing. It's a shame for Vicki because she had a good season... but she kind of messed up that goodwill here.

OC I... enjoyed the Reunion as toxic as it is so far, it is watchably toxic (unlike another Cali franchise I could mention). Kelly came into Reunion primed to go after Vicki from the very first minute, and so Vicki decided to go after an ant with a sub-machine gun. As always with Vicki, she WENT THERE with hearsay and gossip. People are shocked, but this has been Vicki's M.O. for many seasons. It has also been Tamra's. OC is the Survivor of the RH franchises. However, I was also glad to see Gina, Emily and Shannon telling Vicki & Kelly to cool it with the toxicity and attacks. In the past, we have never really seen other HWs speak out in favor of curbing the viciousness. Vicki lost me with not just the cocaine comment, but also the "Michael said it was 14 years of hell" comment, which was plain mean. And judging by Kelly's reaction, I am starting to think I am wrong in thinking she might be on the coke. Kelly was so adamant about it, in a way that suggests she was unfairly accused. Moreover, her getting Michael on the phone was a good move from the POV of the audience because he totally had her back. Gina, surprisingly, acquitted herself well this first part. She was on point, good with her answers, and said more than Emily, Tamra or Shannon combined. I wouldn't necessarily mind if she got a second season now. As for her ex Matt, the streets have been saying that he is (A) movie-star gorgeous, (B ) maybe had an affair, and (C ) maybe had an affair with a dude. And just to make that clear, this is totally Vicki-style hearsay and no actual proof of fact!

I tuned into Ep 3 thinking I would have to FF most of it -- color me shocked but I really enjoyed the trip to Oklahoma! It reminded me of RHONY's S6 trip to Montana (but less fancy). Taking the women out of their comfort zone was great, as they all seemed ready to try new things. There was also the right mix of lightness, and drama (Tre vs MeHo). Margaret is coming into her own this season without Siggy baying in her face! I love her and think she is a great find for the franchise. She organised the trip, and you could see how cool she was with the hostess, the ranch hands, and the hostess's grandson. She was having a good time, and her positive attitude calmed some of the toxicity, without losing the drama. Teresa... I don't know whether it is the steroids, the protein-heavy diet, or bad fillers, but she looks like a bulldog in a wig. Having said that, I am firmly Team Teresa in this fight with MeHo. Meho & Joey only want to help Teresa out when it is convenient to them, and not because it is the right thing to do. Of course MeHo would rather be posing in her bikini in a promotional trip to the beach than holding Poppa Giacinto's hand and listening to him weep about his wife! Teresa has all the responsibility of him and her daughters so I don't blame her for wanting Joe Gorga to participate more. Is Jackie the Turkish one? Because I'm ok with her, but the boring blonde one, I don't care about. They should have switched her out and brought Danielle to Oklahoma instead! I don't understand what Bravo has against Danielle that they can't give her HW status! As for MeHo moving to LA and joining RHOBH... ... that budget JLo karaoke singer?? You actually need some semblance of money to get on RHOBH! Money or fame connections. The Gorgas have neither. Remember when they tried to sell their McMansion monstrosity and the prospectives went into the bathroom, turned on the 'gold' taps and the playdoh taps came off in their hands? That cheapass shody Jersey contractor work stacked up against Smokey Robinson's mansion (now the Umansky's abode) and LVP's walk-in closet is not going to work. Not when Bravo sells BH as the 'aspirational' franchise. Can she even afford a glam squad? She is more boring than even Teddi. I don't think even OC would want her.

I just watched the latest episode today! And I am shocked by you saying that D'Andra might be out, and that the show might be cancelled?? Say it ain't so. Where did you hear this? Why? We NEED Villainess D'Andra for season 4! And Mama Dee! And RHOD is the RH show I am most enjoying at the moment. What is clear is that we have an LVP situation. The other women cannot stand LeeAnne. Or they may like her (in the case of Stephanie) but they feel intimidated by her popularity with the audience. So LeeAnne cuts a rather lonely figure on the show. And for that reason, I feel sorry for her, because none of these women are her friends, except Alien Kameron who is friends with her because she could never be friends with Brandi. D'Andra was once a true friend, but Bravolebrity fame, plus Brandi yapping in her ear, plus her own deep insecurities, have driven a wedge in that friendship which cannot be repaired. As far as LeeAnne is concerned, on the one hand, she is hilarious, a firecracker, I love how she interacts with her fans, and I thought she handled that rottweiler Brandi PERFECTLY in Copenhagen. If Brandi walked off in a huff from dinner, it wasn't because she thought she had one, it's because she knew she had lost. LeeAnne was just too calm, clear-eyed and composed for her. God, I really hate Brandi and I see she's making one last bid for relevancy in this finale episode. I guess she peaked at just the right time, because she was a no-show the first half of this season! But when she was greeting all the people for her fashion show, I thought she came across as fake and OTT. Maybe it's a Texan thing where everything is praised to the heavens. Anyway, it made me look at her jabs she made towards D'Andra a little bit differently. LeeAnne and D'Andra made progress in Denmark, and now LL set them back again. At the same time, maybe no real progress can be made when it is clear that D'Andra is so deeply jealous of LeeAnne. See, this is why the reunion trailer cannot drop quickly enough! And yes, I am loving Cary as Voice of Reason this year. She may be boring as she tries to sell her and Dr. Death's marriage as the love of the century, but when it comes to the women, Cary is pretty clear and direct to them.

That guitar music is incredibly evocative and seems to sum up the bittersweet elements in these women's lives -- the picture-perfect yet sterile gated communities, the uncertainty/lack of fulfilment in their personal lives. RHOC clearly should have been cut down to 11 episodes. We would have warmed to some of the newbies more quickly. I was very dismissive of Budget Jeana initially and now feel like she has a chance for S14. And as uneventful as S13 was, reunion is going to set us up well for next season. I will be sorry to see Kelly go, she was a star this year. She + Tres Amigas = the core of the show. Is she still having an epic snit over the fact that Steve Lodge set-up her ex on a date? Or is Vicki's cocaine accusation at reunion prob the real reason she cannot forgive? I'm also guessing it is not 100% unfounded. Steve Lodge's mother clearly cannot stand Vicki. Steve Lodge is never going to marry her. Speaking of not liking people -- Eddie seriously dislikes Shannon. I really like how Eddie gives no [!@#$%^&*] this season. Shannon is in a precarious place. OTOH, she IS the RHOC. She gives the viewers EVERYTHING -- the good, the bad, the ugly. OTO, she can never accept criticism, and this is a fatal flaw. Tamra managed to hoodwink the newbies yet again into doing her dirty work, especially Gina. However, the Afghan Hound bit back, and Tamra was desperately trying to regain control of the narrative. I appreciate she has ditched the Chrishun with her Pasture baloney and is back to the pot-stirring Tamra we all know and... [fill in the blank]. Emily's marriage to Lil Shane is so dead. He could barely suppress a yawn when she was in that corset. I think next year may be time to bring back Heather and possibly Lizzie.

The annoying thing is that Leeanne is going to play right into Brandi's hands with this phone-cloning thing. This is going to allow Brandi to play victim, just as Leeanne predicted this last episode. IA that Brandi needs to go. I am actually kind of stunned at how poorly she went after Leeanne, especially as she had all her ducks lined up (namely D'Andra). Brandi is a trashpot, but she is also a high-level manipulator and I expect her to do better! I wonder if Stephanie -- who positively glows in the presence of everybody other than Brandi -- realises that she has outgrown Brandi? She and Travis are traveling in different circles now, and she is in her element. Brandi certainly realises Stephanie is moving in different directions, which is why she is acting out and trying to hold on to Stephanie at all costs.

OMG THAT OC REUNION TRAILER IS SO GOOD. I still say this season was warchable. I preferred it to nasty S12.

Oh Adrienne can kick rocks. She and her nasty chef Bernie who tried to shop the story that Paul Massif was physically abusive.

Of course they're having a good time. They are high-fiving each other on their plan to oust LVP from the show once and for all. It won't be peaceful for long, though. I wonder who will turn on who first? Welp. That's that, then. End of an era. She has refused to film with the other women for over two months so clearly she is done with the whole shebang. As the Jezebel article points out, she's leaving at a time when the franchise kind of sucks. I assume she will stay with VPR. Maybe this will give RHOBH a new lease of life. Or maybe the show will turn into another RHOV as the hyenas turn on each other. Or worse, it stays deathly boring because everybody wants to show how 'nice' it is without LVP 'stirring the pot.' What I want to know is: will LVP be attending S9 reunion?

RHOD: Finally caught up on last week's episode. Copenhagen is such a picturesque city. Love that my girl Cary is finally stepping up as peacemaker/trip organiser. She has a wry, dry sense of humor, and voice of reason is a good fit for her. We haven't seen much of Cary this season -- I'm assuming because she and Dr. Deathly hired PR consultants over the break who told them to stay out of the limelight and repair their image. Why do I feel like Brandi is an afterthought this season? That 'alcoholic' plot to try and nail LeeAnne was lame AF! The fashions and make-up on this trip are giving me mid-1970s European soft porn vibes. Allegedly! Not that I would know. But yeah, Cary's contoured make-up and D'Andra in that red bell-bottomed onesie -- yikes. I blame Gucci for this eurotrash 70s mess that is in fashion currently. RHONJ: Not sure what to make of the first episode. On the one hand -- thankfully -- it still retains some of the lightness of last season. OTOH, it was like a weird mishmash of tropes from other RH shows. We have another bodybuilding competition to prep for, some vaginal rejuv (on a 71 year old woman no less); we even had some Flipping Out thrown in. Not sure I'm excited about seeing Dolores and Frank do renovation, but I like Dolores and find her much more tolerable without Siggy. There was a lot of her this episode. Margaret's bed and shower scene with her husband was a little TMI for a RH show. What is it with the NJ HWs trying to imitate Tamra?? Teresa has done something to her face (or her lips and it is... jarring. Thankfully this is a shorter season but you can tell they chopped a ton out of Danielle's SL. I don't even understand why. They might as well have kept it in if they are going to show her with her guy.

I believe he sang on the album, including the Chinese version of Tempo (of course). He also appears in the MV (chinese version more than the K version). I love Oooh la la la. I also love Bad Dream, 24/7 and Smile on my Face. DMUMT is a pretty solid album overall. And of course I am still obsessed with Tempo as a comeback song. It's pretty original as far as kpop goes.

Thanks for this. I appreciate that kimrichardsfan is representing the facts clearly and showing both sides and nuances. I think the tea he/she has is real and probably from a production source (or *cough* Kim). And I am in no way surprised to see Kyle instigating this whole anti-LVP thing! Riling up Teddi to do the confronting. So let's count who is involved: 1. Teddi , 2. Kyle, 3. a gleeful Rinna (hate her!), 4. Dorit by whom this whole mess started. Clearly, there was a plan about bringing LVP down and everyone got assigned their part. Erika is avoiding direct involvement for now, but she is the true sniper from the side. So much of BH's rivalries are wars-by-proxy. Teddi is Kyle's proxy, and Rinna is definitely Erika's. The real war may be Kyle vs LVP vs Erika. Kyle has always ducked behind her victimhood to deflect audience backlash, but she is a real mean girl who abused Camille S1 and Brandi S2, who used Kim to both tear her down and look saintly by comparison. She has never got over recommending LVP to Bravo and seeing her usurp the audience's affections to which she always felt entitled. This season is going to be a mess. LVP has not filmed since early September. I doubt she will show up to reunion. A cast trip to Paris (again) with only 3 people? Yikes. I wonder how these terrible forest fires are going to play into production. Denise Richards and Camille have definitely been affected by them. Poor Eileen also. Porsha, while entertaining in small doses and on the periphery, is not cut out to be carrying the show like she's an OG.

I don't want it to happen because I too love M2M and the chemistry of the cast as it is. Also I like the medicine aspect of it, and people like Simone and Jackie would have their life's vocation watered down and disregarded on a show like RHOA. I also like M2M's focus on marriages and the couples' retreats to the Caribbean, etc. I like that they have therapy sessions and discuss problems openly. It creates empathy and understanding between the cast. Even if not all the marriages have worked out, some relationships I think have strengthened as a result.

A crazy thought crossed my braincell last night... You don't think Bravo is trying to get low ratings for M2M so it can move some of its more popular cast members over to RHOA if the current ATL cast doesn't gel? Damn that idea sounds especially silly all typed out like that.

No worries. It's hard to follow/support many groups in kpop, let alone one -- especially as I know you like Shinee a lot. I follow EXO, but I haven't got into any of the CBX stuff or the Japanese releases because I don't have time. Anyway, thought I would post this latest cb so you could check it out without major commitment. I like the song so felt it was worth posting about.

This latest OC episode reminded me a little of RHOC 8-10 years ago. We have multiple plastic surgeries (which I personally find fascinating). Bravo even did a nice little merge of Vicki's different faces through the years which was greatly appreciated by this long-time viewer. Also: Steve Lodge reminds me a little of Donn. Tamra's son Spencer is... not at all what I expected! Shane's coldness at Emily going through her twin babies' birth and death certificates was so odd and so unsettling. I'm not asking that he boohoo on camera if he doesn't want to, but he literally patted Emily's head like she was a dog and then perfunctorily put the baby box away like it was his tax returns. I have really grown to like Kelly this season, especially her friendship with Shannon, but she is going to get her ass kicked at Reunion for letting Gina take the fall with Tamra when she was kind of encouraging Gina's conversation with Shannon. I also predict that Reunion turns into an intervention for Shannon's alleged depression/drinking issues.

I don't think Andy is driving this either. He is a big fan and for once I agree with him! M2M has authentic couples living real drama, and most of these people have important and worthwhile jobs that go along with that. I can't tell you how much I love some of the women, Jackie especially who has a shining spirit that emanates from her core. I feel like a show like RHOA pales in comparison next to some of the insight we get here. I would have thought M2M would have helped RHOA maintain ITS numbers at a time when RHOA is in dicey transition! Saturday is almost worse than Friday as a timeslot. I don't understand this move at all. Not when a bunch of Bravo's other shows are on shaky ground. M2M is still viable and has a couple good years left in it.

I love the performance levels in kpop. I mean, it comes at a high price: these kids are literal slaves to the work. But my god, they come up with some amazing performances. I am a dance buff and have a real fondness for the stand-out dancers in kpop groups. EXO Kai is my favourite out of them all. Not just for his technique, but for the joy and passion that emanate from him when he performs. It's the same with a real great vocalist (like D.O.) and his vocal ad libs.

SATURDAY?????

Yikes. I always forget Porsha is in the cast. Clearly I am the only one, because Bravo seems to think she's an actual asset to RHOA.