Cat

1 hour ago, Taoboi said:

 

 

RHOA

 

TAGLINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Drew and Sanya got some good ones!

I could barely make out She by Sheree's garbled tagline.

56 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

It looks better than what I thought. I’m one of the few people who feels like the OG New York cast have exhausted their stories and were beginning to become repetitive and stale with all of the drinking and the same old petty arguments (UGT-style check-ins are fine), and I’m excited to have a more diverse cast where said diversity isn’t the most talked-about matter (hopefully). Ten-plus years is a great run for any show, and it’s time for a new perspective on America’s most important city.

You're not the few -- a lot of people feel that way. Speaking for myself, I love the OG RHONY cast and am looking forward to seeing them again... but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trepidatious about Dorinda. She kind of ahs exhausted my tolerance for her, and has deep bitterness/jealousy issues to work through still. And, of course, there's Ramona. 

I'm open to the reboot also and a diverse cast showing more of NYC as it actually is. What's crazy is watching early seasons of RHONY and the women sneering at Alex for living in Brooklyn. This was just before interest rates were slashed to 0% in 2008, blowing up real estate values to mega levels and damning a slew of New Yorkers to Generation Rent. Suddenly, Manhattanites with savings were like "Brooklyn is where it's at." And now 2-3 members of this reboot cast are wealthy Brooklynites.

36 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

The new NY trailer....other then diversity of race, it's still filled with vapid and shallow women.  Maybe that's just NYC...all looks and no substance.

And if they're still airing season 4 of UGT after what Brandi allegedly did...then season 5 will be aired irregardless of what goes on.

And let's not forget all the classist things Gizelle said and did on season 3 of UGT (plus attempt to ruin men's reps with lies)...and she's still allowed to stay in the housewife fold.

Which is why maybe it's time for reality shows to exit stage left. 

LOL many New Yorkers have substance (she says as an ex-New Yorker).

Lots to unpack in your post about UGT, Brandi being problematic, and Gizelle being allowed to run RHOP ragged. About the latter, I'm not sure what is going to happen this coming season, but surely the GEBs are on notice? Because that behaviour trying (and deeply failing) to pull the wool over Bravo and the viewers' eyes -- it's not sustainable for them.

Not sure I would throw out all reality shows, although it does feel like a pendulum has swung and viewers are returning to scripted content again. Personally, I enjoy both scripted and 'reality.' As far as the RH franchise itself is concerned... I have my worries, sure. Brian Moylan recently referred to it as "late-stage Real Housewives" so there is that feeling of end days. I'm trying to enjoy the shows while I still can, and hoping for a creative turnaround. Miami has given me a glimmer of hope in that regard. There can be second chances.

RHONJ: Teresa Gets Married trailer:

1 hour ago, Cheap21 said:

I honestly wouldnt be surprised if we saw at least one OG make a guest appearance on the reboot towards the end of the season

Do you think they'd go for a Tinsley, or maybe Leah or Eboni, for the reboot?

Not to segue to the UGT version, but Peacock's post mentions the cast alongside some apples -- and also has two stray apples in the post. This has sparked speculation of two surprise appearances during the course of the trip. Could be Alex, Bethenny or Jill.

LOL. Some people in this photo are crossing their fingers for a merger.

So, I know viewers were scarred by her 'acting' on The OC, but I think MB is actually a better actress than that now. She was struggling with alcohol and other addictions back in the day, as a child actress whose mother was her manager and who basically supported her family.  I appreciate that she hustles to get work on projects, even after her professional rep was trashed following The OC.

While promoting her salad dressing, Bethenny has thoughts on the new RHUGT

14 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Full trailer 

I’ll give it a shot.

Thanks! Obviously looks like a brand new show in all but name. I don't know how I feel about the cast on the strength of just this trailer (Jenna aside), but it does look gorgeous, and I will definitely check it out. It feels like a cross between RHODubai and Real Girlfriends in Paris. And the latter show was really not all bad (though mostly a glimpse into Gen Z-illennials' preoccupations and pressures).

7 hours ago, j swift said:

I watched the Dancing Queens premiere.

1. I wonder if it is a Canadian production given that half of the cast lives up north.
2. I hate it when a reality show cast member always talks about how busy they are.  People who are actually busy have no time to pursue fame on a TV show.  And people who are really perfectionists wouldn't want to be on a messy reality show.
3. It was cute, but not appointment TV for me.

Thanks for the heads up. Dancers do have intense competition schedules across the country, rehearsing multiple choreographies, etc,,  but I hear you about the whole 'working so hard' thing. Filming for reality TV is not the 5-6 days a week, 52 weeks a year, grind that we civilians do! Having your makeup done is not work either. I remember a clip from The Kardashians where Kim was sitting in a makeup chair and droning on the phone "I'm, like, working so hard right now." 

OK this made me laugh

26 minutes ago, Soaplovers said:

I understand why Kristen was cast because you need a normal person to balance out the crazy of the others....and Tinsley must truly be done since I heard she was rumored to be on this.

And I agree about Teresa on Jersey especially if you recall how she was in season 1.  She was the fun and ditzy housewife with her shopping trips to the boutiques with her princesses..and her friendship with Dina (who also said she was not prepared for how toxic it got in season 1 during filming).

If you recall how low key and sweet Teresa was on UGT... she looked like she wanted to make friends (and she was even nice to Ramona...and they had a nice bonding scene as well).

Tinsley apparently cancelled at the last minute out of RHUGT #3 because she wanted a clause in the contracts preventing anybody asking about the Coupon King and why it didn't work out. Maybe she heard Dorinda was going to be on this one and was like "I'm out."

Teresa outside of the RH is like another person. Funny and kind and not mean-spirited. During the very first Bravocon, she did a cooking segment with Dolores, I saw the recording, and I couldn't get over how relaxed, funny and confident she was. The audience literally had fallen in love with her by the end. You can't see it so much on RHONJ anymore because she's so guarded, but she had a lot of star power.

20 minutes ago, j swift said:

Poor Kristen, nobody on that cast likes her and Ramona will probably form a coalition with Luann and Sonja.  Meanwhile, nobody likes Kelly, but at least she won't notice.

Kristen really stuck to Heather and Carole during her time on RHONY. She didn't bother bonding with anyone else (although S7 is an underrated season FWIW). I have no clue who she'd hang with here -- unless Heather & Carole show up as surprise guests [SURPROIIIIISE (c) Jill].

Kelly and Luann are friendly, I've heard. But yeah, can't believe she signed up to go back to the lion's den. Wonder if we will ever find out what triggered her breakdown that trip. 

Is Kristen still married to the Ashley-Madison guy?

Below -- for a full minute, I thought Sonja had had a very radical face-lift.

8 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

Missed that part. 

 

OMG  OK, perhaps not a good sign when you are forced to throw Uncle Andy in the trailer. However, I do really like Jenna Lyons, and ideally would love both OG-RHONY and Influencer-RHONY to thrive.

3 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Bleh at Andy and his little wink. Withholding judgment on the ladies until we get actual footage. 

It's not really a trailer until we get footage from the actual season IMO. This is really just a teaser. But putting Andy in for name recognition (unless you knew who Jenna Lyons was in the late 90s/2000s) kind of makes me worried.  I don't recall seeing him in either SLC or Dubai trailers, lol.

4 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

I feel like they definitely needed one more person. Like maybe even saving Alex for this group instead of the sh!tshow with Brandi and Caroline Manzo.

Alex!!! How could i forget Ms. ALEX McCORD!! Of course I would love to see Alex on a RHUGTNY. I agree that Alex is too brainy and, dare I say, a class act, for what RHUGT #4 became consumed by.

Did you see -- nu-RHONY has a trailer out too.

@Gray Bunny @AMCHistory @Taoboi @Faulkner @DaytimeFan

CONFIRMED!

So @AMCHistory sounds like Lu, Dorinda and Ramona were out celebrating the news.

Glad Sonja's in it. Would have loved to see Heather, Carole, Aviva, Bethenny, Tinsley, Jules and/or Eboni join the cast, but beggars can't be choosers. I can take or leave Kelly and Kristen.

-----------------------------

Meanwhile....

Trailer for the nu-RHONY (they threw Andy in there too):

On 5/12/2023 at 8:14 PM, Gray Bunny said:

@Cheap21 Thanks for posting - lots of tea indeed! 

I tell ya, Teresa is over Housewives. At the very least, she wants a "pause" a la Rinna and Dorinda. 

Sad to hear about Nene too. With that, I've noticed whenever they do old-school trivia games on WWHL regarding RHOA, Nene is always left out like she never existed (kind of like Matt Lauer never existing on The Today Show). 

And speaking on RHONY: Legacy: 

I just saw on social media that Luann and Sonja's The Simple Life-like reality show is coming to Bravo in July. 

Luann, Ramona, and Dorinda are currently doing some sort of shows together in a couple cities in Texas, and they're all bosom buddies BFF's on their Insta's. And Ramona being Ramona apparently leaked that an announcement regarding Legacy is going to be revealed this Monday....!

I've been saying for +3 seasons that Teresa is over the Survivor-type nature of this show. She doesn't like Marge, and of course Melissa and Jackie. She feels islanded from most of the cast as she is not as social as Team MeMarge. On the other hand, she IS central to the show, because of her family/personal life, and her popularity.

I think she'd be happiest doing a spin-off with just her, her dorters and Red-Flag Louie plus some extended family. No doubt Louie's sister would love a spot on that show! (I foresee that marriage not ending well, by the way).

Thank you for the RHONY Legacy news. I have also noticed Luann, Dorinda and Ramona trying to make the show happen sans Jill. They may actually succeed -- I'd certainly rather watch them than Jill. But where is my Sonja in all this? Hopefully just on a yoga retreat in at Josh Flagg's house.

On 5/13/2023 at 3:54 AM, AMCHistory said:

If ever there was a moment when you realise you are on the “wrong side of history.”

Ramona has only gotten messier since the end of RHONY. LuAnn and Dorinda will rue the day they ever welcomed her back into the fold. 

I saw the 3 of them cackling together at The Mark Hotel recently. It was not attractive. They were loud, they wanted the attention, in a setting that is better described as “classy.”

I love my RHONY all-timers and would do anything to see them again in some format... but I've got to admit, they have reached desperate times. It's been +2 years since these women received seven-figure salaries -- or any salary. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and they know Andy has a soft spot for them. They are trying to ride this wave of "Where is my RHONY?" on social media whilst also maintaining their usual schedule of freebie VIP restaurant/bar dates, which in Manhattan these days must be drying up also.

The Mark is VERY nice and chic -- right in the heart of the Upper East Side. It certainly cultivates a quietly luxurious, old-school, discreet vibe. Ramona must have had to pull some strings.

On 5/11/2023 at 6:18 PM, Faulkner said:

I was going to say earlier that she’s one of the last of that kind. Those types of characters drew me into soaps (Nancy Curlee’s GL had so many of them with Vanessa, Holly, Maureen, Nadine, et al). Working mothers who balanced family drama, career, romance, etc. In the past 25 years, those characters have become eternal teenagers (like LW’s Carly), complete raging hot messes, targets of abuse from their kids (Felicia), or gargoyles like Hogan Sheffer’s Barbara on ATWT. Bobbie was so grounded and relatable in the ‘90s. Soaps now longer valued those characters starting somewhere in the late ‘90s.

And soaps back in their glory days had a way of making these 'working mothers' rather glamorous (there was never not a time when Bobbie wasn't tossing her auburn hair or snapping off a clip-on earring to answer the phone) in that they dared to dream for bigger, better things, and work towards them. They weren't prepared to settle. It was relatable aspiration.

What was so cool about Bobbie is the way she maintained that bridge between the show's name and the hospital/nurse's station. In that sense, she grounded the show like no other. And Jackie Zeman's natural loveliness really came through the screen, endearing the audience towards her. We sensed the warmth and the way other actors engaged with her.

I remember watching summer 1988, and basically the show was split between Duke & Anna dismantling bombs here, there and everywhere, and drama between Bobbie & Jake in Port Charles. As someone mentioned, the spy stuff got the bulk of the headlines, but GH knew that it needed to mix it up with the Qs, the Lucy Coes and the Bobbies in order to maintain balance.

17 hours ago, dragonflies said:

 

“For 40 years, I was fortunate enough to play Jackie Zeman’s big brother on General Hospital. In all those years, I never heard her utter one disparaging word about any actor, crew member, or co-worker. In fact, I never heard Jackie express an unkind word about anyone, ever. In a highly competitive profession where ego, feelings, and emotions are bread and butter, I’ve found this quality to be extremely rare. I expect it will be even more rare now that dear Jackie is gone.

“She was quite simply one of the kindest, sweetest people I have ever known. I will miss her laugh, and the deep, soulful look in her eyes whenever she expressed the love and pride she had in her two lovely daughters. Tonight, l already miss her, and feel a powerful ache where Jackie’s smile used to be.”

Lovely words from Tony Geary, without a hint of snark or rancour. Jackie sounds like she was completely beloved by cast and crew. What a loss for them.

On 5/11/2023 at 6:04 PM, Faulkner said:

Because we need a laugh right now with all of the depressing news:

 

You have no idea how much that laugh was needed!

On par with her brand, this is probably the cheapest promotional ad I have seen in quite some time.

I thought she was going to say that she needed Psychics-R-Us because her personal life is a mess! LOL no. Robyn is trying to claim it's because she's got businesses. OK, girl. I'm sure Rupert Murdoch was calling Dial-a-Psychic on the daily when he was trying to launch News Corp.

On 5/11/2023 at 6:19 PM, Gray Bunny said:

LOL such high quality filming on her iPhone. 

Did her lil hat business go belly up or is she just expanding her vast empire? Lawd... 

She shot herself in the foot big-time with Patreon-gate (egged on by her BFF) and I imagine those hat orders must dried up with a quickness.

20 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

I leave you with a little bit of RH tea from Andy's book

 

 

"A little bit" of tea?? That was an entire weeks worth of revelations! Some pretty good tea too.

I heard that about Bethenny being two-faced but 'make me an offer' BTS.

Luann and Sonja are the mega-leakers on RHONY.

Sad to read that 'the door is closed' with him and Nene. I wish he wouldn't appropriate one of Nene's better lines as his own, though.

This is a complete shock. Jackie Zeman was a literal force of nature, I grew up watching her as Bobbie. One of those characters that becomes the unofficial heart of the show. I, too, often felt like the Bobbie-Carly SL was somehow cut short in order to shift Carly into the mob orbit. The decision taken to make that happen was so crazy to me, as Bobbie at that point had become one of GH's fortysomething matriarchs, and her work during BJ's Heart had solidified her status IMO as one of GH's most compelling actors. These type of female characters were what soaps had been built on for decades.

I'm glad JFP did not manage to exile her completely from GH. Such a loss.

3 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

Speaking of RHOM, prayers up for Guerdy as she just revealed she has breast cancer

 

Oh no, Guerdy! All the best to her for a speedy recovery. Glad it was discovered early on, as it was with Martina.

The Kim & Kroy news is shocking from the point of view that I thought they would grow old together in Tampa. He has no-one but her and she only has him and the offspring. But from the POV of financials, it is not a surprise. 

When Don't Be Tardy got cancelled, that was huge, because that was their only cheque. And Kim is a horrendous spender. A year or so ago, there were gossip items saying that Kroy was upset at Kim's spending levels. They were in crazy debt, as Kim loves to gamble in casinos. Plus her drinking bill. She's been pushing Brielle and Ariana to land rich boyfriends and reality show gigs for years. Once the IRS started breathing down their necks, it was game over. Now she's suing him for spousal support, probably to the tune of millions. I don't know how he can pay for that, he has no job other than being her chauffeur. Sports broadcasts have kept their distance from him because Kim was considered a liability. She is lazy and asks for too much money. Either they are 'divorcing' for financial reasons, or they are really divorcing.... for debt reasons. Their McMansion is already in foreclosure. Bravo needs Andy and a camera over there, NOW.

It's ba-a-ack

RHONJ

I can't bring myself to watch the last two episodes. I am spent. Melissa can barely close those new lips, and between her and Teresa, even the blind sister from Little House on the Prairie can see that those two are never, ever getting back together. Bravo needs to FFwd to the fight and the wedding (so we can see Chanel Ayan dance in the suit she wore on the plane over) and get to reunion. I don't need to watch yet another bridal party nor the Fudas attempt to adopt one of their offspring. 

7 hours ago, alwaysAMC said:

Potomac scoop - they're in Austin this week for Karen's 60th birthday (not sure if there is another reason or not).  Last night they went to a gay bar to watch a drag show - all the cameras were there to film.  I ended up going.  Thoughts:

All the ladies were gorgeous and eating up the attention and drag show.  Every split or death drop, they were throwing dollar bills on the queens, dancing and singing and having a great time.  They celebrated Karen's birthday and the drag queens put on a competition, in which Karen, Mia, Ashley, Wendy and the new girl (I didn't catch her name - she has an accent), all participated.  They had to do a runway walk down the stage - top three winners were Karen, Wendy and Ashley.  They did a lip sync dance for the finals and Karen won because it was her birthday, but let me tell you that Wendy should have won - she was so funny and great.

There likely was a fight at dinner beforehand, or during this trip, because you could see some ladies weren't interacting with each other.

Robyn/Gizelle - mostly quiet, especially Robyn, mostly sat in their seats and didn't talk much to the girls, but when the show was on fire, they had their moments of standing up and throwing the bills.

Candiace - loved the fan attention and was standing up dancing/singing throughout, but she sat away from R/G off to the side, near Mia and Wendy.  You could tell she wasn't giving the girls much attention, but she was great with the audience/fans.

Mia/New Girl - stayed mostly to themselves, but had a good time.  Mia wore a cheap cowboy hat.

Wendy - wore blue sunglasses most of the night, which at first seemed standoffish, but towards the end she was having a great time and getting into it.

Karen - living it up and enjoying the drag queens.  She was great, and I did see her and Gizelle speak a few times like friends, so I think they're ok.

Ashley - this one just loves being in a gay club.  She would go off to the bar by herself and interact with people whereas the other girls stayed in their little area and had the staff bring them drinks.  She was fun.

Anyway, can't wait for their next season!

 

Congrats on having seen them! I love that they let their hair down and concentrated on just having fun.

2 hours ago, Gray Bunny said:

2 hours ago, Faulkner said:

This is hilarious. A journalist from UK’s Independent told Jessie Ware that one of her new songs sounded like Luann’s “Money Can’t Buy You Class” and Jessie was mortified.

 

Looks like her other songwriters didn't tell her what they were listening to when they bashed out Shake the Bottle at 3am over cigarettes and Red Bulls. Jessie Ware should be thrilled! Money Can't Buy You Class was and is a pop culture phenomenon. Also, Jessie looks very Countessy on her album cover.

Lu right now:

1 hour ago, NothinButAttitude said:

Honestly, Jennifer, Marge (yes, Marge) and possibly even Melissa actually look really great. And @Gray Bunny is right, that light lilac is a good color on Dolores.

Fessluh and Fuda's gowns look sloppily made, and I am LMAO that self-appointed wannabe 'fashionista' Jackie looks by far the most basic.

19 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Haha. I'm just excited for the chaos of New York City to return, and it sounds like this new cast brought that and more.

Did we get news about the fifth season, yet?

I hope they are good! I am all for top-tier entertainment. OG RHONY at its best stood out to me because the women could be both whip-smart and insanely clueless at times. But the smartness and knowing quality was always there. And the sense of humor. 

So the rumor about RHUGT #5 is that it is basically the OG RHONY cast minus Jill (who was thought to have torpedoed the RHONY Legacy spinoff). So: Luann, Sonja, Dorinda, Kelly Bensimon, possibly Tinsley, possibly Alex, possibly Ramona. The other rumor is that they are going to Scary Island (aka US Virgin Islands). If that is the case, they need to invite Bethenny because, really. 

3 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

... and that's an immediate eyeroll for me. I want to see old money not instagram money. I suppose this is the more modern-day version of a Bethenny rags-to-riches tale?  Yeah, I'll be hate-watching and see if it turns to love, just as I mock-watched Potomac's first clunky season (remember all the talk about etiquette?) 

I remember Gizelle and Kal trying to get up Charrisse's Mount Everest steps to her house for some kind of champagne brunch in the S1 finale episode. Kal gave up halfway through. But S2 was so much better, and S3 was a dream. So it just goes to show. Maybe some of these RHONY newbies will surprise us. Maybe they're not all influencers and we will get some compelling stories following these women's work as well as their home lives.

Listen -- and you know how I felt about Bethenny in her later years -- but at least she was truly hustling in a real-world context. Pushing muffins at a Short Hills NJ supermarket. Driving that walking billboard she called a car.

16 hours ago, Liberty City said:

WE ARE READY! YES!

13 hours ago, Antoyne said:

Yay? I feel like I’m going to hate watch this show. 

LOL the contrast.

I wonder if I'm going to hate-watch it, too @Antoyne. Most are Instagram influencers. Watching Influencers 'at work' is going to get repetitive fast -- basically it's Kim Kardashian sitting in her make-up chair droning "I am working, like, so hard."

We also have not heard much about the show since they posed onstage at Bravo Con (October 2022), and that kind of worries me. I do like what I've seen of Jenna Lyons, though. 

I'm going to give this a chance. After all, Real Housewives of Dubai had trouble getting off the ground, but saved itself with a slow build and watchable reunion. I also think the RHUGT #5 news has pacified me a little bit. 

Days has moved from the main network to streaming, and what few coins were there for Days have surely been whittled down to practically nothing. Certainly I have to imagine that the lack of payment for generating this content on streaming is what prompted Jamey Giddens to depart the writing team last week. This could well be a financial decision for Banus, too. She's obviously a beauty and there is still TV work out there to be had for somebody like her.

35 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say she's actually leaving permanently. As you said, she's still young and marketable and can be cast younger. 

Maybe she'd return in a few years (if the show still exists), but I don't think this is a 6-month/1-year break like everyone else's exists. 

That said, I think she's a great actress with great screen presence who can do comedy and drama. To think Gabi Hernandez used to be the butt of the joke years ago when she kept popping up and getting story (see: anything that happened prior to the Nick Fallon "murder" mystery) and yet somewhere along the path, she became a viable character to root for, IMO. I'll miss her. 

I remember there was basically a death watch out for both Gabi and Rafe back in the day, LOL. Like, there would be a serial killer on the loose, and we on the Days thread would be asking "How is Gabi still alive??" When Days decided to stop writing her like a milk-sop and turned her scheming and naughty, a Young Sami-esque character if you will, that's when viewers began rooting for the character.

New RHONY is in its way