Cat

Ah ok thanks for letting me know. Aviva started in S5 while Bethenny left after S3 so I wondered how on earth she had a hand in her hiring. How weird to think Aviva was considered for S3. As it turned out, Sonja was a perfect addition to S3 (she really was the voice of reason on Scary Island), but Aviva in S4 instead of Cindy Harshface? Hmmm... we will never know. Woulod you ever want Aviva to come back? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

I struggle with Ashley. OTOH, I don't like her new alliance with the green eyed losers, becoming their little sycophant and making it her business to 'expose' the other HWs. OTO, she is extremely smart and erudite. She has come a long way, from being raised by her grandparents without a lot of material wealth, to going the pageant route. Now she is, as her uncle pointed out, a 'trophy wife.' It is an easy and secure way out from an impoverished past. But in some ways Ashley is too intelligent to be just arm candy. Working at Oz, winning over the employees, taking on their feedback, implementing changes and fighting her husband over those changes, validated Ashley. She was seeing rewards from her own hard work. She took an opportunity to run a restaurant and ran with it. I don't think Michael liked that she had a new purpose in her life, or her independence of thought when it came to the restaurant. He kind of wants Ashley to remain a trophy wife and dependent on him, but at the same time he is resentful of the fact that she DOES depend financially on him, and so does her mom. Ashley seems to be struggling with whether being a trophy wife can ultimately satisfy her.

The queen has spoken? So what is she saying? Is she in or is she out? It is completely -- and purposely -- unclear from her message and this random film! I want Kenya back next season, but it sounds to me like she is either still negotiating her position on the show... OR she was offered FOH and she said No and is now appealing to fans to get her peach back. Actually, I don't know wtf she is saying, but she definitely wants to remind Bravo of her contribution to ATL.

I can't believe it either. Onew is almost 30? He looks 20. BTW thank you for posting that song. I really, REALLY like it. Makes me want to check out the full album (or at least what is out so far). Love the choreo of their live performance too.

Hello @Cheap21. Yes, it's a girl group, but I can't get this song by Blackpink out of my head! It has a slight 2NE1 feel.

Bethenny, founder of Skinnygirl Booze which she shoves down everybody's throat every damn episode, is claiming that Aviva's remarks are a "flat out falsehood." Kiss ass. And how is she responsible for Aviva getting on RHONY? She had left the show two years before!

Thanks! I haven't either.

I have loved Beyoncé since her DC days, and after the Coachella excellence that she delivered, Apes**t is disappointing. The track reminds me of CL + Diplo's Doctor Pepper song. It is basically the equivalent of Nene Leakes saying "I am RICH, BITCH!" for 6 minutes. Maybe I'm comparing it too much to Formation which gave me chills from the first second. Haven't heard the album yet, is it a collaboration album between her and Jay-Z or is it entirely Beyoncé?

ALL THIS, but especially the bold. Did you see Gizelle get Robyn stirred up at the CBC, march her towards Karen, and then when they were 3 feet away, duck away to talk to somebody? Gizelle is the worst coward. She was thrilled about getting kicked out of Karen's gala because now it allows her to play victim. I pray the GEB's fall out soon, but Robyn is about as evil as Gizelle in terms of their goals being aligned. Gizelle will keep pressing Dumbyn to attack, and Dumbyn will keep doing it because it makes her feel important 'empowered' to get up in somebody's face. And because Gizelle has isolated Robyn from everybody else, Robyn will be more inclined to cling to her one friend like she clings to Juan. She has no jump-off. The way Candiace called her daddy up and immediately played him against her mom in order to squeeze some cash from him was classic 8-year old behavior. Also when she began boo-hooing "Yesterday.... Chris said to me... a word... which is SO AWFUL, I'm about to cancel our relationship. He called me... spoiled." Candiace, you had me going there for a minute. This child has no business getting married. She has no clue about life.

At this point, the Coupon King is keeping Tinsley around for the business/marketing tie-in with Bravo. The fact that she stays in NYC while he is in Chicago probably suits him very well! I can't see him proposing anymore tbh. Dale is not wealthy, but living in Palm Beach, she must have a few good connections. She certainly dresses like a NY/PB socialite of that age group/social tier. However, if the Fanjuls (who are super wealthy and connected in both cities) didnt want Tinsley to marry into the family, it's because she was not connected enough, not to mention an older, messy divorcee. Lord, all this Florida gossip is very Edith Wharton, lol. It's clear Dale isn't financing Tinsley in NYC, and while I love her on the show, she is for sure one of those social-climbing mothers who pushed their daughter to land a rich and connected man and marry him. Tinsley has literally zero goals in her life other than to get Scott to put a ring on it.

Sad she's leaving the Hamptons as so much of RHONY's season is spent visiting the ladies in the Hamptons. Especially with Ramona's renovations, and if Jill comes back, which I am hoping she does. Lovely tribute to Bobby, and Jill in her Barbra sunglasses and hair did not miss a beat. It was like she'd never left. Those were cathartic scenes for the audience as much as for Me-Me-thenny and Jill. Bethenny doesn't seem open to Jill's eventual return but I am. Carole was awful this episode and on WWHL that followed. I was on her side with some of the Bethenny stuff but now I'm turning against her again. The problem with Carole is that she's so smug and feels her friendship with Andy lifts her above the other HWs. She's not hustling for some coin on HSN! She's not boohooing over a man! Except she is. She is obsessed with Mouth-Breather but doesn't think she's in any way as needy as that loser Luann! Except she's still mad he left her for greener pastures and is obsessed with staying young. And she can't stand that Luann has some popularity with the audience. That was clear during the Conbody segment which was designed to make fun of Lu's troubles. The fact is, she needs the show as much as the others do. Especially given that she's too lazy to actually write for a living. I hope she gets a massive dose of reckoning at reunion. Seeing Dale, even in that contrived Tinsley scene (which the truly fabulous wedding dress salesman totally stole) cements my feeling that Dale should be on this show and not boring Tittimer. Sonja's shoe license is with French Sole which does beautiful ballet flats. They are a legit solid company and I hope her collaboration with them reaps rewards for both parties.

She is a gold-digger, and up until recently, Michael was fine with that. This ain't a love story for the ages. Michael married her for her looks and poise (and tbf she is a hard worker and effective manager when it comes to Oz); she married him for money/security. However, the break they took last year seems to have left him ready to move on. He does not trust Ashley, and suspects she only came back to him because she was pressurized by her mother for money. And he most definitely does not plan on paying out 50% of his assets to her in the event of a divorce. Monique 'lured' people to her event? Did she cast a spell on them? Ashley has thrown Monique, the one person genuinely nice to her from day one, under the bus all season. Why? To kiss up to those green eyed losers? He isn't wrong. All these 'Empowerment' seminars and 'charity' functions across the RH shows reek of Ponzi scheme. Nene has a couple ongoing. I suspect that empowerment weekend NJ's Siggy sponsored is a money gatherer waiting to happen. People are [!@#$%^&*] dumb!

Yay!!! Definitely no separation of HWs this year! And ouchhhhh was that a naked Tamra that hit her head on the sliding door as she slipped and fell??

Speaking of RHONJ... I wonder how this year is going to be without Siggy. She was truly horrendous but unfortunately she also drove the show last year.

Sometimes it's like the universe is trying to tell you something!

Typo, and it stays! DAMN. Congrats to her, I guess?

What is with these fake charity events intended to gather cash and write it off as tax deductible? I love the Grande Dame, but Karen getting defensive about charity invites being paid into her company was suspect. Kyndall striding into the Monique's event ready for her close-up! If I were Robyn, Candiace or Charrisse, I would be verrrry nervous for next season! As I suspected, now that the amendment has been signed, Michael no longer wants kids. I predict he will be divorcing CAshley soon rather than later. And by 'sooner,' I mean before that amendment runs out. Being that Ashley is busy selling out her friends to the green-eyed bandits, I don't feel all that sorry for her at the moment. I'm not sure why Robyn thinks that the women she & Gizelle routinely attack/humiliate owe her any kind of loyalty. I'd also like to know who tf paid to hear Robyn speak about how to 'build your business' and 'create an empire' ? She doesn't even have a job! Gizelle sure was working Robyn up into a froth ahead of siccing her on Karen.

SQUEAL!!! Ugh..... Robyn and Gizelle. I would dearly love to know what the hell Robyn has done in life to be such a smug bitch. Being Gizelle's attack dog? LMAO the first comment under the YT vid: "This is not an ambush. This is a message" Well Robyn, ya'll about to get another message when ya'll get there.....

Ashley looked really bad, taking the cameras into the meeting... why? To look like the loving wife? To force concessions out of Michael on camera? However, Michael is no fool for suggesting this amendment. Ashley is pinning alllll her hopes on a baby which at the very least would assure her an income should they divorce. But from the previews, Michael clearly has no desire to have a child with her. If I was being cynical, I would say he has Ashley right where he wants her. He doesn't entirely trust her, and with this amendment, he could divorce her as soon as reunion has filmed and not be tied to her financially. Ashley would be reliant on her Bravo income; and while she's happy to spend Michael's money, I doubt she feels the same way about her own harder-earned pennies. In 'past RH' news, there was a The Hills marathon today, the granddaddy of reality soapdom. Brody Jenner -- son of Bruce (now Caitlyn) Jenner, son of Linda Thompson, ex-stepson of David 'My King' Foster, ex-step-brother of the Kardashians -- was on that show. The scene i saw featured Linda Thompson, who was on S2 and S3 BH, show up with a friend at a restaurant. That friend was TayShanna who immediately positioned herself in the camera's centre. Seems TayTay was trying to break into reality for some years prior to BH lol.

You have expressed everything I feel about Y&R and its music. That musical archive was part of Y&R's DNA. It was like another character. It took Y&R from being the usual soap about dialogue/plot to one about human psychology. The music was the expression of the brokenhearted, longing-filled, twisted, dark psychology of these characters. It 'explained' why they sometimes broke down, were irrational, got caught up in an impulse (not to mention, that same style of music saved Brad Bell's shoddy writing on B&B for years!). I used to call WJB's Y&R the film noir of soaps, and the music went a long way in anchoring that cinematic, film noir, spine-tingling feel. The fact that JFP sold that archive to needlessly replace it with some 90s Casio keyboard sh*t does not surprise me, but even after all this time it enrages me. Her arrogance enrages me --- yes, arrogance, because she assumed she would either be on the show forever, or at least when she departed, she will have left her indeliable mark on the show. She made sure her aesthetic legacy of crappy, grey sets and crappy, grey, generic music remains. I hate that! It's gotten to the point where if MAB came back, i wouldnt mind either... however, one must not forget the incalcuble damage Maria also did to the show, her shlock writing, her wastefulness. Because of her tenure, the Bells' control of the show was lost forever. Sony and CBS stepped in and instantly set about turning the Rolls Royce of soaps into a Chevy Cavalier. As @UK LAW says, Sony/CBS cannot get their hiring right. I don't know how they succeed with keeping Day's identity intact (just about), but with Y&R it's like they are staffing a brokedown strip-mall Sears. They have no understanding of the show and don't care to have any. They're just going to keep staffing Y&R with increasingly cheap and dirty options until it stops making pennies for them. Sorry to be so pessimistic but that's how I feel about the situation at the moment.

Thank you! I loved how Sonja used those plastic sheets like lush tapestry curtains for her four-poster bed. Bethenny let slip a very telling phrase to Carole: "I can't believe you are debating me right now!" She cannot believe her sidekick is answering her back? Sounds like something you would tell a paid employee, not a friend. At the same time, Bethenny seems legit devastated by this friendship hitting the rocks. I was somewhat on Carole's side during their discussion, but cannot entirely warm to Carole, especially after her obvious joy at Luann's arrest. In her latest blog, she says: "I do feel sorry for Luann, she is careening from this dinner toward a jail cell. Sure she was drunk and belligerent about Adam – none of it was true - not to mention she randomly demeans all those folks who live in the Mid-west. But still I’m surprised she said anything at all. Since spending the last three years with Adam; I know a lot about her carousing and have never spoken of it. Adam not only cooked for her (for nearly nothing) but he played babysitter for her teenage son when she spent nights out partying with men. So play nice Luann. Karma can be a swift bitch." Well, I guess you are speaking of it now, Carole! Nice way to kick someone when they are down. I hope karma won't be a swift bitch to you. Carole's blogs are obsessed with Mouth-Breather and ageing. She is deathly afraid of being seen as 'old' or a peer to Ramona, Dorinda, Luann, Sonja. Well, not to worry -- she is nothing like them. They seem to have embraced their age and living life joyously where they can. The nutcracker thing should never be brought up again. Having said that, Dorinda is a supportive friend when it comes to Luann. Almost everybody, including Tinsley (who I assumed would be doing the happy dance alongside Carole) was gracious and supportive in their way. When the chips are down, most of these women have a 'But for the grace of God go I' moment and close ranks. Bobby's funeral next week will be another example of that. Next week is Episode 11. How on earth are they going to fill another 8 episodes after that? So much has happened already! It feels like Reunion should be around the corner. Agreed on both points! Sonja is doing her thing and I don't believe it is truly harming anybody. And yes, there is an authentic bond between these women. Even when they are vicious with one another, it stems from a real, shared history.

Returning to S10 NYC -- did anybody see last night's episode? Was it any good?

Ask, and ye shall receive. Season 4 reunion was like watching a viper's nest attack a baby chick (Alex). It was horrible. Kelly was truly terrible, and like you, I was DONE with her by reunion's end. She said some nasty things about Sonja but refused to accept that she was mean for doing so. After all, she was voted one of Cosmopolitain's 10 Nicest Celebrities! Sonja's retort " 'I'm nice! I'm nice!' ...Say it a few more times, you might actually believe it!" was amazing because it really exposed Kelly's attachment to empty accolades in lieu of authentic kindness and empathy. Kelly was devoid of empathy for others. She was a hollow person.

That screencap is everything lol Cindy is also friends with Jules Wainstein, according to this recent-ish article: http://www.bravotv.com/the-daily-dish/cindy-barshop-real-housewives-of-new-york-city-where-is-she-now. And she still hates Sonja with the fire of a thousand suns. And yes she's still in the vajazzle business, or as she now calls it, 'Medi-spas.' Her spas are now doing 'natural' vaginal rejuvenation and, apparently, that's v empowering to women.

I think the downgraded housewife on OC is one of the newbies -- not the core 4 of Vicki, Tamra, Shannon and Kelly. Was S4 OC Naked Wasted? Because that was... incredible. Tamra revolutionised the RH franchise. She made it Survivor, with the alliances and 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' and striving to win at all costs. I also think Tamra was like Shannon in that she showed us all aspects of her life -- even the ugly and painful (like the Simon stuff). Gretchen was definitely Single White Femaling Tamra to a degree. She had watched the show, had taken notes, and Tamra was her fave, apparently. The one she related to, whose style she related to, the one she kind of wanted to be. One of the reasons she got tossed from the show. Nobody bought her fake-crying 'I'm the victim' stuff now that we knew how she operated behind the scenes. Like Faulkner said, the series post-Morocco along with the reunion really amped up the toxicity. Jill, Kelly, Luann and Cindy were invested in attacking Ramona, Sonja and Alex and getting them off the show. Alex was considered 'the weak link' and they attacked her mercilessly and stopped filming with her. It took the toxicity of S3 to another level, and resulted in mass firings which have not really been seen on any RH show since (with the possible exception of OC). LOL and Cindy was so miserable and mean. For a while she was considered the worst HW in the franchise. I assume Kim Z 2.0 has scooped that accolade now.