Cat

Agreed -- NJ zipped along at a good pace last season with barely a wasted episode. I was pretty much invested in all the women. Siggy was literally insane, but I worry that having got rid of her, NJ will go back to boring 20-episode seasons that feel like 40. And with a handful of newbies joining the cast, nobody wants to see another Season 6!

There is definitely a comfort factor between Ramona/Sonja/Luann, where they can have a major falling out and still look to each other. Even Ramona and Luann, the old enemies, have both taken the same journey of a cheating spouse and divorce, and they have more empathy for each other as a result. As for Sonja, she is compassionate and understanding of Luann and Ramona's moods and flaws. She was as clear-headed and kind about Luann this reunion as Luann was with her back in S5 when Sonja made the decision to take down the portraits of her and her ex-husband (a hugely symbolic move for her). Have I mentioned how highly I rate season 5? Sometimes I even want Aviva and Heather back on the show. Dorinda's inability to admit that she has a drinking problem lost me, and her bullying insistence that none of the girls better DARE say that she does made her look very bad. I am sad that she and Luann have fallen out because they were close and Dorinda was there for Luann more than anybody else when she was down. ITA, Carole could have won me this season by speaking truth to power, but she lost me with the petty details (that she is STILL fighting about on Twitter) and by throwing Tinsley under the bus. Her obsession with proving Bethenny wrong literally consumed her and made her even meaner and more bitter. As a result, Bethenny won by default. I am dreading S11 to an extent, especially if it was anything like seasons 8-9, aka The Bethenny Show. Ramona does not have the vocabulary to handle B, while an unsober Dorinda loses her way (which is probably why Bethenny spent a lot of time in S10 showing up Dorinda's drinking). Everybody else will toe the line but I'm hoping they rebel and claim their rightful places on this show -- as stars, and not supporting cast to Bethenny's word vomit.

So they are going to broadcast videotape of her saying her husband is being unfairly accused and the accusers are all liars? What about the women whose careers he decided to ruin out of sheer spite and misogyny? CBS are so removed from reality if they let this happen. They STILL Do. Not. GET. IT.

So I am enjoying RHOC lately, and I'm not sure why? Maybe because it is an easy watch. And also because it seems like Tamra and Kelly are back to their old sh*t-stirring/fight-starting ways and I'm good with that! On one hand, Gina's divorce from the Invisible Man is watchable and authentic. She is pretty clear-eyed about what is going on in her life as well as about the other women. OTOH, I still confuse her and Emily by name! I wish the producers had invited Alexis back onto the show this season with her divorce, not to mention Tamra and Shannon poke holes in it (because the rumor out there is that a near-bankrupt Jim Bellino is divorcing in order to transfer assets directly in Alexis's name and therefore protect them from being sold off). I enjoyed Vicki this episode. Vicki's sense of humor about herself came out. Nice to see Billy back. I don't know what to say about Vicki & Steve -- I'm not sure I 100% trust him, but neither do I think he's a Brooks-in-waiting. He doesn't make Vicki go cross-eyed with lust like Brooks did, but Vicki did say he brings her peace, and that is probably what she needs right now.

She already incriminated herself with her own texts! Dumb ho. This is what happens when two (three if you count this 'Rain Dove') narcissists obsessed with fame and power co-opt the #MeToo movement. Can't they think of the real victims here? Us!

No problem. It is all on public record. The way Bravo/WWHL treats this issue, it's like ha ha she got nine mugshots! They never say why, and the implication is that it is no big deal. Last year Bravo had a lot of polls asking fans if Marlo should be made a full HW -- polls she lost by upwards of 80%! I figure some of those NOs (though not all) were from people who knew about her violent record. Anyway, Bravo are trying to have their cake and eat it too, because they got her working like a regular HW, and gave her a raise, apparently -- just no peach for insurance reasons. I don't want to 'convince' people not to watch ATL -- I myself have watched since the beginning. Last year, though, I dropped much of the show until reunion because it was a bore-fest -- and because I don't like Marlo. I may check out this season just to see how it is doing. But it bothers me that she has become a local celebrity while her victim is forgotten. IA with you. Phaedra should have stayed to face the music, but my understanding is that Kandi blocked her return. Kandi has a lot of heft over at Bravo (hence all her spin-offs). On the one hand, I like that Kandi shows us her real life (unlike, say, Porsha and her paid-for 'boyfriends'). OTOH, I can't stand Todd (short man who muscled in on his wife's business, like 'Awww, that's so sweet, the lil lady is running her own little start-up! Now a man is here and he's gonna run things properly!'), and sometimes her Kandi Factory SLs leave me bored. But her relationship with Phaedra was always a good watch! Because (again, at the behest of Todd), she dumped her BFF at her lowest point, and Phaedra slowly, methodically, plotted her revenge. It was Shakespearean! There is still unfinished business between the two again, and anyways, I want to see how Ayden and Dylan are doing. I have not always been Kenya's biggest fan, but for the life of me I do not understand WHY now, at this point, when Kenya is actually married and about to have her long-awaited baby, did they fire her?? They had to hire THREE newbies (including one pregnant one we don't care about) to replace her? I was ready for Sheree to go, but I respect what that Wig-siding idiot brought to the franchise.

Porsha is literally the luckiest women of all the RH franchises. How on earth has she clung on for +5 seasons?? Nobody wants to interact with her! Nene's wig disaster in that photo was to be expected, but I can't believe they did a gorgeous supermodel like Cynthia so dirty. Yikes! IA @MrPrezident ATL is in trouble, as is BH, OC and possibly NJ. They are having real trouble with getting together a good cast with plenty of chemistry. Should they bring back Phaedra?

As someone who actually really enjoyed NJ last season, it pains me to say it but... maybe they shouldn't have fired Siggy so quickly? Yes, she really was the worst, most unhinged HW in recent times, but she also drove story. Maybe with two untested newbies this year, they might not have the content for even a reduced season like last year was. I did see E! News talk about Danielle Staub a few weeks ago, and they showed footage from the upcoming season of her then-BF' s marriage proposal -- which as we now know, has ended in divorce after mere days of getting hitched! So this season has been filmed. Maybe they are doing extra filming around Danielle and her soon-to-be divorce!

Apologies for my post earlier which maybe sounded a bit shouty! It wasn't meant to be. Marlo has been entertaining in the past but I'm not sure I want to see her in the regular HW line-up lol.

Marlo is an insurance liability because of her criminal record and the violent nature of that record. She repeatedly slashed a woman's face, leaving her almost bleeding to death. A couple of years later, her badly disfigured victim ended up committing suicide. For that reason alone, I'm glad Marlo does not have a peach. She has been rewarded enough as it is.

I would absolutely agree with you about Moonves preferred type -- except that if he kissed Angela Lansbury (or whoever it was) after cancelling her show, it wasn't a sudden act of attraction. It was a demonstration of power and HIS disdain of HER. He'd cancelled her show. Now she was only fit to get on her knees and service him. THAT was the message he wanted to give. Right. And compound it with the fact that a WOMAN, Shari Redstone, has a controlling interest on the board, and the men defending Moonves at all costs couldn't stand the idea of being bossed around by 'that woman.' By any woman! They weren't going to let 30 or 300 chicks dislodge 'their' guy Les from the CEO position! It's sickening, and imo CBS needs to do a full clean-out.

Yeah, Toya has grown on me a lot since her first season! I always appreciated her sense of humor and quickness in figuring people out. But this was a tantrum from a spoiled child. Moreover, it embarrassed and emasculated her husband in front of his work colleagues and the viewing public. LOL you are right, I know a lot of couples like this, and I never know what to make of it, except maybe the guy was treated like this by Mother growing up, and therefore this is the standard by which his chosen female is measured!

@YRfan23 echoing what everybody is saying here. Thank you for posting this glorious episode. I keep rewinding it in a bid to figure out why it grips me in a way soaps today no longer do. After all, it is 'just' 22 minutes long. It is 'just' three sets. It is 'just' 6 members of the main cast featured! Firstly, 22 mins feel like a full-hour show in terms of content. A lot of that content was unspoken, or an undercurrent. There is the dialogue, and then there are people's true motivations and desires propelling the scene. Like when Lance locked eyes with Leslie, or when Jennifer Brooks opened the door to Mark, the tension! For a moment I wondered if she was afraid of him. Contrast that with Lorie and her father's scene, the intimacy, the closeness. I have a feeling Freud would have had a field day with the dynamics of that scene. It is so clear that Lorie once felt estranged from him and it hurt her deeply, and that this relationship with her father is extremely important to her. The feelings implied and expressed could be interpreted in a tacky, heavy-handed way... but it is clear that the person writing this scene -- the great William J Bell himself -- has such love for these characters, such understanding and empathy for them, as if they are real people. Consequently, we care for them too -- within seconds of a scene starting. I think this is why Y&R was successful for so long. Because Bell cared about the characters he was writing and their story. That kindness in the way he treated them, it is a kindness we don't see anymore among many writers today. These characters would be mere archetypes to them. Also Janice Lynde's voice is STUNNING and she delivered such a showstopper! On a superficial level, she looks like a goddess with that gorgeous hair and stunning jumpsuit "from Giorgio's Beverly Hills" (I want one!). Apart from the designer clothes though, it is clear that with a little moody, cinematic lighting and gorgeous background music, a soap can do SO MUCH with very little. I've harped on about Y&R's background music before being an additional character, but truly -- that music is the emotion and psychological underpinning of all these characters' motivations. And like all of you, I would PAY to stream these episodes from 1973 onwards. I think writers, scriptwriters, and lovers of the genre would learn so much from seeing Bill Bell's 70s work up close.

Wow. I am literally stunned by the last two hours worth of revelations. First of all, I have always admired Linda Bloodworth Thompson, but now after reading her article, I have never been prouder of her! Talking about the legacy of strong women in shows which CBS and Moonves totally squandered. Her delineation of the misogyny in those CSI shows is especially on point, illustrating the misogyny of the man and the network. Secondly, as someone who has worshipped Angela Lansbury and MSW since I was a child -- and who had the honor of meeting the great Dame Angela a few years ago; she was even more wonderful, whip-smart, gracious,and kind than I could ever imagined -- if Les Moonves assaulted her... I hope he rots in hell! I do think it might be Sharon Gless though -- another actress I long admired. Btw that statement by Fager where he basically admits to threatening a CBS reporter -- this hasn't been said yet but some journalists on CBS News and CBA This Morning have been doing good work reporting this story -- despite the obvious impediments to their being able to do so.

Your first sentence made me LOL. Yeah, she does have a certain slickness. Those home convos with Shane are v contrived, and Shane, bless him, doesn't always play. I enjoyed Jimmy Edmonds (HATED his wife) for this very reason. Gina is clearly overwhelmed raising her little kids on her own. Also, parents today don't really discipline in the same ways my parents did. Refusing to sit at the table? Hitting my mom on the head? Yeah, no. That sh*t would not fly, and you best believe my quiet butt would be on that chair. Yikes! I refuse to watch that season of NJ, but that guy stood out as being skeeze of the highest order! I don't think Shane is in that league. In fact, I give him credit. The women have been after him for a few episodes, and he doesn't engage. He has the right to throw anybody out of his home that he chooses, first of all. Second, when Kelly called him all those names, he did not get nasty or physically confrontational. He laughed at her obvious drunkenness. He handled her well, all things considered. I don't understand the Kelly stans praising their KWEEN all over SM for going apeshit on him for no reason. Sigh. I mean, this is better than fighting over panties, stemware or linen napkins. But c'mon. LVP is wrestling a pig here (yes, I called Dorit a pig). She's going to get dirty and what's more, the pig likes it ! Coked-out Dorit is always going to start something on this show -- even if it means abandoning some poor puppy at a rescue shelter. That $3.6mn Bellagio gambling debt isn't going to pay itself. (https://people.com/tv/dorit-kemsley-husband-pk-sued-casino/). That news story needs to be what everybody on BH is talking about, not widdle fluffy animals (and yes, I blame LVP for starting this cute-animals-instead-of-actual-SL trend) ! And once again it is a non-story which doesn't truly address the resentment Dorit feels for LVP, or the jealousy LVP feels for Erika, or the hate Rinna feels for LVP -- ALL this stuff we know is happening under the surface, but which the women don't want to openly discuss, for a fourth year running! I still say this franchise should be completely revamped, with Kathy Hilton putting the fear of Big Kaffay in Kyle, Faye Resnick as resident pot-stirrer, Linda Thomson (Bruce Jenner AND David Foster's ex-wife!), Camille, and TayShanna. Kris Jenner can be the well-connected FOH. Dana/Pam and her house-arrest anklet can also be FOH.

It was a v enjoyable episode! Mainly because there was a good mix of individual family scenes and drama with the ladies all together. It's taken them 8 episodes to get there but better late than never! IA with you that Kelly was trying to start something. Kelly was looking for a fight with Vicki, didn't get one, with Steve Lodge, didn't get one, then with Shane and Emily. As the flashback showed, she knew full-well Shane was Emily's husband. Having said that, Shane gives me douchey Josh Taekman vibes. Also, I have to give it to Kelly for this incredible drunk Tweet: Full Disclosure: I like Tamra. And this after hating her for YEARS. She is indispensable to this franchise. I dig seeing her zoom around on that scooter with a MAS TEQUILA sign on the front. I also hope she and Eddie get through this health scare and don't break up. BTW, Eddie's 90s headshots were full-on channeling David Charvet from Melrose Place! Shannon is my favourite, and I am warming to Gina too with her self-contained marriage drama and having to raise her kids herself. I like Emily ok but there is something a bit fake/untrustworthy about her that I just can't put my finger on.

Speak it, Gayle!

I don't know how Chen can come back after what her Talk cohorts said yesterday. Sharon Osbourne's words were especially blunt about Moonves, even though she seemed to be quaking with fear. And if i knew my evil boss was still going to be around CBS in an 'advisory position' (that could mean nothing, or it could mean he's still helping to run the network), I'd be scared too! Even if Chen leaves him, it's all too humiliating for her. And every time people look at her, now more than ever, they know how she got those gigs, and maybe speculating what she had to do to get her start in this business (given what we know of Moonves M.O.). The attitude of CBS in terms of paying him off and trying to keep him around is shocking... until you realise all those execs are probably abusing their positions like Moonves did. The example is set by him, and by most people of power in Hollywood. This is their 'playground.' So by covering for him and protecting his assets and benefits, they are protecting their own. I don't expect this internal investigation to reveal anything new except the narrative that 'Moonves alone did this and nobody here knew anything, we are so shocked, etc.'

Toya showed her ass big-time at that party. Putting Contessa on speaker and trying to humiliate her in front of her guests. Speaking of Contessa -- how fast did she grab her daughter and save her from choking?? That was an unreal moment, she was so on the ball and afterwards acted like all in a day's work! Eva Marcille was sort of... engaging to watch on M2M....? Can't believe I am saying that. Apparently Dr. Jackie will be appearing on RHOA as her ob-gyn. Heavenly is so unsettled by Mariah, lol. I really do like Dr. Damon, though. He looks very cuddly. The Fraudster continued frauding her way through the WWHL episode that followed. Dr. Jackie was there to hold her hand while Quad leaned into the role of heroic victim. What was especially interesting to me was how engaged and present Andy Cohen was! He really, really enjoys M2M, probably because the marriage drama is pretty authentic.

I cant believe all this breaking news I missed overnight! I mean, I wish he was going on trial, but at least there is a chance (a small one) that he won't get that $100mn payoff. He is really a pig. That New Yorker article made me sick. And the one involving his doctor too. LM had zero curbs on his power and was literally above the law. Those women who reported him were so brave, even though it cost them their careers and livelihood. Julie Chen won't be on The Talk today? Oy. Why not? She should face the music too or step down.

Thanks for correcting me. I kind of snoozed through all those vegan cookbook pitches and ki'ens scratching up Lee Radziwill's couch. Season 9's a charm! *fingers crossed*

I did like how she embraced Kristen into the fold in s6. But yeah, s6 was when she became very haughty and humorless (more accurately, during s5 reunion). She turned on Aviva and Luann big-time that season. Wasn't that also the season she began dating Adam and started getting obsessive anxiety about how she "only had 5 good summers left" ? I guess if I was stuck with Adam as the last guy I'd ever f***, I'd be pissed, too! lol I thought I was the only one who noticed that even-numbered seasons were awful for LVP! Seasons 4, 6 and 8 are cases in point. And s2 was a great season for her, but that was the reunion Adrienne and Kyle engineered that Bobby Fischer takedown -- which failed.

This ^^ just makes me boil with rage even more. A $100 million golden parachute as thanksfor ruining a lot of women's careers and their chance to put food on the table. As head of not just CBS but Viacom, his reach was extensive and all-encompassing, as illustrated by Yashir Ali's Tweets regarding Janet Jackson. To the point where even a random book deal at Simon & Schuster gets kaboshed. Moonves went out of his way to target all these women! He must really have a hate-on for females, because Justin Timberlake kisses his ass and gets helped to the next level of his uninspiring career, while Eric Braeden gets to play golf with Moonves every month. It seems like targeted, systematic attacks on women and their careers.

This. She looked awful throwing Tinsley under a bus -- just to prove a point against Bethenny. I too would have liked to see Tinsley call her out (even though I would have hated Bethenny smirking throughout that interchange). Carole was such a fresh presence in S5-6, especially her friendship with Heather. But she's become such a mean girl, very strategic, and very superior. It has sucked all the youthfulness out of her. Bravo always starts filming while the wounds from reunion remain fresh. I live for Ramona-Sonja and Sonja-Luann tbh. I really enjoy watching Ramona and her Ramonisms a lot.

This world's priorities are so screwed up right now. People be frothing in delight at seeing little Latino children in cages in the blazing Texas desert ("That'll teach em!") -- but boo-hooing about gun owners not allowed to put silencers on military-grade assault rifles. Keep fighting the good fight, Colin! Freedom of THOUGHT is what it is all about!