Cat

RHONJ has hit a Potomac inflection point. Half the cast is on one side, the other is on another, and after this season, changes will have to be made as to how the show moves forward.

Some of the drama is clearly manufactured, as @DaytimeFansaid. Like Danielle vs Who from Whoville. Rachel is clear-minded but antiseptic, so sometimes I forget she's on the show until she pipes up. Danielle says she's a tough Staten Island chick but can't handle confrontation. Jennifer trying to make Boogawolf happen with Margaret is another 'what' moment. And then there's Melissa strategizing with Housewife Joe to lay the groundwork for the Gorgas not to attend Teresa's wedding. Sigh. Teresa couldn't care less if they attend or not, but since Melissa already turned down Teresa's offer to be a bridesmaid, she can't keep dipping into that well to claim victimhood.

Jenn Fessler could be a potential next season as she's got smarts. But she's too thirsty and smug and has been well coached. She is obviously Margaret's creature. I don't have a lot of time to listen to RH podcasts, but i listened to part of one featuring Marge's former BFF (one cruel highlight: Marge told the producers Jackie is too weak and emotional for the show, and that Jackie 'sleeps' with Evan with a t-shirt on) and it didn't surprise me. I find Marge is so mean and vengeful. She definitely accrues incriminating info about her castmates to keep them in line, so when Marge's wingman Jackie keeps piping up, she looks a fool.

Still love Dolores.

RHONY watches VPR...

For those keeping up with RHONJ (and I'm still catching up), seems like the underlying drama continues playing out on social media.

Marge bought the Skinny Italian pizza ovens that were mentioned in passing as part of the beef between Teresa & Louie and Joe & Melissa. Why?  Probably to try and do something splashy at the reunion which films this week. But now that her plan has been spoiled on social media -- perhaps because wheeling a pizza oven into the reunion might not be the flex she thought it was -- Margaret has said she now plans on 'donating' it to the WWHL clubhouse. 

On 3/28/2023 at 10:12 PM, Taoboi said:

A moment!!! I lived for it.

 

 

Ive never forgotten this moment, ever! Insane and 100% real. You saw it just spiral out of control in real time and just go left.

Speaking of Quad, Dr. G and the fiancee got married this weekend. The cameras were there, as were Simone, Jackie, Toya. Quad, of course, refused to sign on for this season. I'm not a Quad fan and always thought she was a user and Phaedra-level shady.... but im not sure Dr. G is where it's at for M2M either.

5 hours ago, Faulkner said:

 

This whole sequence has been living rent free in my head ever since, lol. Especially the Porsha reference, because it harked straight back to RHOA. Porsha thought RHUGT was going to be an easy ride, and the Peacock producers were like, No, sweetie. We just wanted to remind you that we can refer to stuff you no longer want discussed on TV. 

Don't get me wrong, Porsha is funny and beautiful and charming, but sometimes it's totally fake. In this most recent episode, it felt like Porsha's mask was slipping. And it was Leah, in a moment of lucidity, who pointed some of that out to her.

Other than that brief moment.... Leah is a highly-strung 8 year old desperate for a mother's attention, and can only really get that when she's 'sick' and has to have people cluster around her and attend to her. Going to hospital for nausea? Surely now she has exhausted her bag of tricks on this show. 

Heather came more into her own this episode. She's still a Pick Me, but I'm glad she called Gizelle out on what she said about her 

Marysol's impression of Mana Elsa was ::chef's kis::

4 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

I overall like Ebony but she was a bad fit for the OG cast of NY. She was too young and she felt too much like a diversity hire with how forced her conversations were. I wouldnt mind if she was brought back as a friend on this new iteration to test her out with the women and if she does well, back full time.

I feel like an UGT iteration might work for Eboni in a RHONY context, and maybe Bethenny and Tinsley could dip their toe into a one-week trip also. Eboni herself suggested a One Series Wonders UGT where she could go with Jules Wainstein.

I haven't heard a peep about the new RHONY so I can't say if she'd work with that particular group, but having Eboni and Leah be our entry into the reboot should have been a no-brainer from early on. Unfortunately, the immediate reaction to S13 was so bad that Bravo execs were probably scared off.

Of course, someone on this thread had the genius idea of Eboni moving to DC and joining Potomac! Eboni is whipsmart and would keep Giz and the others on their toes.

20 hours ago, DaytimeFan said:

I need this to be true and for the cast to be as described. I miss our gals so much.

I think they should shoot a little longer - perhaps 2 or 3 weeks, a Summer In The City show that gives us 10-12 episodes. 

Jill overestimates her worth time and again. She is not important and will not be missed. 

Amen to all this. Summer in the City, between the city and the Hamptons, would have harked back to classic RHONY where the first 4 episodes of the first seasons actually took place on Long Island.

Jill totally overestimated her worth, especially after RHUGT 2.

Please let this be true!

(And speaking of RHONY and its trendy Revamp, when are they going to drop that trailer?)

13 minutes ago, DRW50 said:

I know Elizabeth Hubbard was far more than just Lucinda, but that's where I first saw her, and how I will probably always see her. 

On paper, Lucinda seems like a deceptively simple character - a Freudian case study, meddling and never being satisfied, always losing those she loves - but Liz made her far more. She was an incredibly dynamic presence, one who was absolutely born for the 5 day a week format, because she always kept you (and her scene partners) on your toes. Whether it was a line read, or even a look, you never knew what you were going to get. You enjoyed watching her. She made ATWT a more vibrant show, from her first episode to her last, and no matter how naughty - at times bordering on monstrous - Lucinda could be, you still cared about her. I still remember, as a kid, how moved I was by her performances when Walsh was taken away from her. You might have been able to argue that Lucinda "deserved" what she got, but the actual result broke your heart as much as it broke hers. Liz, often accused of overacting, was understated to the point of pure sorrow. 

Liz always cared, never ceasing to want to explore new avenues for Lucinda, never phoning it in, never forgetting the integrity the character should have.  She still wanted to tell stories like Lucinda going back to school, long after anyone at the show was going to bother with a character-driven tale. She still remembered that characters like Bianca existed, and added that to her lines. That clear passion, that basic respect for the genre and for her character, is what connected her with viewers. In a town that could sometimes be suffocated by paper dolls, ingenues and generic studs, Lucinda felt real. 

For all the talk of Liz changing lines or being set in her ways, she played a lot of material she knew wasn't great, she was loyal to the show as best she could be. That's one of the reasons why, when she finally did have enough in 1999, fans supported her, and even an increasingly stingy, hollowed out P&G supported her. And she rewarded them by being a stalwart for that final decade. 

One of the few positives of that last year for me was getting to see Lucinda back to her old self, meddling, scheming, doing what she thought was right for her family, and of course paying the inevitable price as she once against lost everything. Yet as she left for her happily ever after with her soulmate John, pledging to turn over a new leaf, you knew she'd be back. You knew she'd never really leave us. And she never will.

Probably the best write-up of what Elizabeth Hubbard meant to ATWT, and to you, that I have seen anywhere thus far. 

3 minutes ago, Faulkner said:

Y&R is my fave, but the P&G soaps, AMC, and OLTL all felt more approachable and lived-in, even with their larger-than-life characters like Erica Kane and Lucinda, while the L.A. shows felt so glossy and Hollywood, which has its place. But, as much as came to enjoy the craft and primetime-style excitement of GH, I never connected with any of the California shows (aside from Y&R) in the same way I did the NYC soaps. There was an intimacy with those shows. For me, daytime pretty much “died” when OLTL left ABC. 

I suppose the L&O and a few other high-profile shows like Succession still shoot here, and it was good to see soap stars turn up on The Good Fight.

 

It was that intimacy you talk of which I felt unable to penetrate at first -- a lot of it unspoken and resonated off the screen, speaking of a past history that I hadn't been privy to. After a while, though, the story on a NYC show could grab you by the lapels, and make you think 'I'm not sure what is going on here, but I'm intrigued and want to know more.' (Come to think of it, Y&R also had that spooky, unspoken aspect running through its story-telling, a history which you may or may not fully know or understand at first, leaving the viewer to infer things instead of spoon-feeding you every point).

I loved the glossiness and action of the LA soaps in the 80s, but there was something incredibly charismatic and glamorous about a character like Lucinda Walsh, Iris Cory and Alexandra Spaulding, too. Not glossy and flashy as much as old-money whispering with intent!

You also forgot Sex and the City, lol. Less shows are shot in NYC now because it's more expensive, real estate is at a premium (hence the eventual move of P&G soaps out of Manhattan and into other boroughs/tri-state) and there was an end to some filming subsidies after the 90s. L&O is practically part of the NYC Tourism Board now, and Succession is such a prestige project that it can afford to pay at a premium level.

The Good Fight has been gorgeously good, and kind of a soap in all but name IMO. Crazy that it is actually set in Chicago. 

7 minutes ago, Liberty City said:

Exactly. Martha Byrne lucked out with not one but TWO fantastic female leads to work opposite: the late Hubbard & Lisa Brown!

You always got a sense of a lot of the cast being very close, and that personal warmth and chemistry was a big part of its success. Elizabeth Hubbard was a master at this, and you could tell when she was playing opposite Scott Bryce, Martha Byrne and Larry Bryggman and they were kind of ad-libbing around the script a little and adding their own touches and flourishes -- and, importantly, pivoting right back with an ad-lib of their own to the person who had ad-libbed them. That trust between actors to be able to do that without deviating from the direction of a scene really took ATWT to a level other shows tried to emulate (I'm thinking of Santa Barbara which had ex-ATWT star Justin Deas as Keith Timmons; his ad-libbing skills were top-notch on that show).

Just now, Liberty City said:

 LA soaps are just... different, from their production models to the talent they hire. Some were great finds, but, overall.. they just lacked that something special the NYC soaps had overall.

I love LA soaps, and they were my first entrée into Daytime -- Days, Santa Barbara, Y&R, B&B, GH. They all have a very special place in my heart. As a kid, I always assumed the NYC soaps' reserves of history were a wall I might never be able to climb. One day, I was switching channels, and fell upon a young Lily in the stables of her estate, and I was like "Hello." It seemed like I was embarking on the first page of a very exciting book. NYC soaps ATWT and AW had something excitingly Literary about them. I mean that in the best possible way, not an alienating kind of Literary snobbism, but more an inclusive, exciting way of constructing characters and telling a story. There was a time in the 1980s when ATWT could really get you scared and keep your heart pounding with its cliffhangers.

11 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

Who can fail to tear up when reading Martha's words? They both loved each other like family. 

Her last line: "...grateful the universe gifted me with such a force of nature, of which the world will not see the likes of again." 

1 hour ago, Liberty City said:

New York soaps were in a lane of their own creation. Never again will we get the dames like her and Beverlee McKinsley, or some of the more modern day soap stars we have today.

100%. I did not realise the gift that we had with NYC soaps when I was a young kid. It's only when I got into my late teens and 20s that the quality, from the writing to the acting, became evident to me. LA soaps, and there were some great ones I dearly loved, had their own style and dynamism. However, some of those NY soaps were spine-tinglingly good, literal page-turners put to screen. Dames like EH and BM anchored those shows, and it was kind of considered a slow day if they weren't on.

2 minutes ago, Soapsuds said:

Liz did another interview with Larry Bryggman and many of the ATWT cast. It was done for charity and only those that donated to the cause saw that interview. I was lucky enough to be a part of it. 

Wow, congrats! I'll bet that was a rollicking interview full of great stories.

OMG what a Legend!  She burned with intense intelligence and charisma onscreen. May she RIP.

@Soapsuds thank you for linking to her interview about her career.

On 4/5/2023 at 6:16 AM, DaytimeFan said:

NJ

I'm liking this season, even though nothing is happening aside from the Theresa vs. Joe drama and I think both of them (and their spouses) are wrong... *shrugs*

Jennifer embarrassed herself with that coffee cup reader. Could that have been more obvious? The women could hardly contain themselves with laughter it was so staged.

And that's the problem with NJ right now - aside from the Theresa vs Joe drama, everything else feels very manufactured. 

However, Dolores' hatred of Dina felt very real. Let's get a camera on Dina ASAP.

I am wondering what really went down with Dolores and Dina. In an interview with Danny Pellegrino a few years back, Dolores indicated that she and Dina had never gotten along, though they hung out in the same girlfriend group which also included Teresa way before RHONJ existed. Apparently, the friend squad went into NYC one Saturday night for dinner and a club, and Dina and Dolores had a big falling out.

And I've tried to rationalise to myself that Dolores, who I like, would not have written a letter of support to the judge if she actually thought Manzo had had his wife beaten up -- because that would be way too cold and brutal on her part. Surely she does not hate Dina to that extent? 

As for the Teresa-Joe-Melissa drama, it is heading into its final denouement. The Gorgas' default setting is victimhood on this show. The idea that Teresa could have asked them to participate in the wedding off-camera and they declined, knowing they could throw a woe-is-me pity-party for the cameras, is not inconceivable. But I also think Teresa hates her SIL and that will never change -- the difference is, now she is also completely done with roid-rage Joe. There is no Nonno and Nonna anymore to enforce the peace. And Louie, even while pretending to be Good Cop to Teresa's Bad Cop, is basically the Brooks Ayres of RHONJ.

(BTW: why the hell are Melissa's nieces/nephews asking Louie and Teresa for money all the time? Don't they hate Teresa like Melissa does? Why don't they ask Melissa & Joe for cash?)

Speaking of RH alignments, Jackie is the Teddi Mellencamp of RHONJ. I find her insufferably, incomprehensibly smug towards Danielle who, so far, is looking like she will be back next season as a full-timer. Unlike cutting-room-floor Jackie.

If I were Margaret and Jennifer, I would also be worried about how I'm coming across. Margaret comes into every scene either threatening somebody or talking about her coochie sweat. She definitely has dirt on everyone. Her burning hatred of Jennifer makes her look mean-spirited and bitter, and I'm pretty sure that's not the persona she would like to convey onscreen. Jennifer really has gotten under her skin. But Jennifer, too, is looking contrived and rehearsed, whether it is fighting, and then making up with, Dolores, or the coffee-reading mess. Jennifer seems to take her cues from RH Twitter fans' opinions.

Still not sure about Rachel, though I think it's mostly due to my visceral reaction to her nose-job. And Jenn Fessler is thirsty as hell. Jackie, I'd watch out if I were you, because if she can shank Siggy to get into Margaret's good graces, she can shank you to get on the the show.

18 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

Dina did an interview. The Gorgas lied on her!

 

 

Dina's explanation sounds by far the most plausible. Of course she'd have PTSD about going to New Jersey ever again after her ex husband hired goons to beat her and her husband up. It also sounds, weirdly, like she and Dolores can co-exist fine in social situations. Which is surprising to me, given that Dolores is alleged to have written a letter of support to Tommy Manzo to the judge overseeing his trial.

Dolores's refusal to discuss Dina on camera in this week's episode was also very final-sounding, like something went down between them recently. (And bear in mind, Dina's video was filmed in mid-2022, before Teresa's wedding. In the video, she says she'll be at the wedding, but looks like she pulled out later, maybe because Bravo cameras were going to be filming everything). Maybe Dolores is tired of being asked questions about Dina. RHONJ really is Six Degrees of Separation between castmates and ex-castmates.

Seeing Pepsi get upset at the bottle search makes me dislike Gizelle even more than I already do.

Gizelle is vaunted for her producing skills, but IMO she is so lazy. She never thinks through the ramifications of her schemes -- just the opening headline. Once they turn up nothing in the HW's quarters, where to next? Suspicion inevitably will turn on the staff, all of whom work incredibly long hours, cheerfully catering to these spoiled women, for a relative pittance. What if Pepsi or someone else got fired for what we all know is a Gizelle SL stunt?

Intruding on the women's private rooms to search them is also a bully move. I'm glad Candiace refused to have her room searched like a common criminal. If I'd been Candiace, I would have insisted Giz's room be searched first.

So it's clearly Gizelle & Porsha vs Candiace & Leah. Both groups have got the other pegged. Porsha's ditzy act IS fake. Gizelle WILL use anything against you. Leah IS an attention-seeking, constantly complaining, drama queen. Candiace is verbally abusive (with no sense of humor about herself -- i added that last part).

Leah not wearing any underwear while on her period + diarrhea is beyond gross. I'd be diapered like a Kardashian. Yes, heat and diarrhea are dehydrating. This is why electrolyte drinks and Imodium were invented. I can't even buy that fainting spell in the store.

Heather is completely disingenuous. OTOH I really enjoy Alexia and Marysol here, like some of you. And I nearly warmed to Whitney this episode.

2 hours ago, Taoboi said:

Like I said...given the divorce...not shocked AT ALL.

 

And look who tried to upstage Season 1...

 

I believe @Cat explained perfectly why Joanna was the focus then...though I lived for her rivalry with Adriana...who had hands before most of the housewives did. 

 

And yes on her sister and foine Romain having a vibe.

 

 

Joanna became the focus in S2 and S3 because she was a 'name' prior to RHOM as a cheesecake model for men's 'lifestyle' magazines like Maxim (remember those?). I felt the show focused a little too much on Joanna's scripted bust-ups with Romain, and was more interested by Lea, Adriana, Alexia, Marysol, Karent, etc., just my personal opinion. Joanna came across mean and always complaining. On re-watches of OG RHOM, I appreciate more what she brought to the franchise (personal drama; friendships with Karent and Lisa), but she was never a fascinating HW to me. I wasn't intrigued by her. She could still potentially bring some drama to the RHOM reboot though -- I just don't want her to dominate 60% of the screen time like she did before. 

Interesting that Budget Kardashian was the 'name' used for promoting the RHOM reboot and she too leaves me kind of cold. She's got a place in the show, of course, and overall the current RHOM is balanced nicely between all the women. It feels like an ensemble cast.

Charlotte Ross! Now there's a blast from the past. Wonder if Charles Shaughnessy and Patsy Pease would show up in guest spots, although that might break Days' teeny budget.

RHOM's final reunion episode got overshadowed by the arrival of RHUGT 3, but it surprisingly ended on a non-toxic note. It felt like there was room for forgiveness between Las Cubanas and Adriana, even though I'm not sure Adriana believes their friendship can be repaired to what it was. Thankfully, Larsa kept largely mute. She works in small doses only.

The RHOM speculation is now saying that Joanna Krupa is back for S6. I thought she was a limp, narcissist bore so I'm not feeling this rumor, lol.

RHUGT 3:

Gizelle had the nerve to complain about Candiace getting angry about the Chris accusation? Girl, bye. It's not about whether the accusation involved sexual assault, it was about you lying on national TV and trying to destroy a man's personal reputation for no reason other than ratings! She reallyihas little redeeming qualities, and Porsha sounded like a fool defending her. "You were the victim!"

Bad Weather are getting on everyone's nerves bringing this nothingburher SL over from SLC. It is fake and everybody knows it.

5 minutes ago, Gray Bunny said:

Re: Days of Our Wives' Y&R intro... Whitney's up close hair shot was giving me shades of Melody Thomas Scott. And something about Heather's worked for me; a half-angst/half-orgasmic look as the gazes off into the distance. 

Whitney and Heather both did great with their shots -- as much as it pains me to say that -- to the point where I am convinced they must have grown up watching Daytime. Whitney was very MTS; Heather was giving me Nina Arvesen (Cassandra Rawlins).

Candiace, Marysol and Alexia also nailed it.

Gizelle's was giving "I wasn't allowed to watch soap operas growing up."

2 hours ago, Faulkner said:

Great little RHOA promo:

 

1 hour ago, Cheap21 said:

Im SHOCKED that the friends are in the promo bc usually they dont promote them like this. They should have had more than 6 wives.

Do you guys think this mini-promo was paid for and done by the RHOA themselves as opposed to lazy-ass Bravo? It is quite unusual and doesn't conform to Bravo's usual template.

20 hours ago, Cheap21 said:

I wonder if w could see her make more appearances on RHOMiami? I was shocked when she popped up this past season but if she's in FL, maybe they could get her to film a few scenes next season

Did I just have a brain freeze? I don't even remember Jill popping up on RHOM this past season!

I'm wondering whether Jill burned her bridge with Bravo (yet again) after demanding equal paychecks.

NYC and Miami are almost twin cities at this point with the amount of RHONY who live there for extended periods. Luann, Ramona, Jill, Tinsley & Dale. Like I said before, RHOPalmBeach is begging to be made with the OG RHONYs. Bethenny grew up in Miami, of course. And I almost forgot Boca's 'queen', Soggy Flicker.

19 hours ago, Antoyne said:

I totally just said to someone, this is totally Y&R

Not just Y&R, but Y&R opening circa 1988. Candiace was channeling Victor, Marysol was John Abbott toasting the audience, and Alexia was doing a Cricket-like head-tilt.

12 minutes ago, Cheap21 said:

Days of our Wives!

That may say Days of our Wives, but this is a Y&R opening in all but name! And better than the current one.

Whitney, Alexia, Heather, Marysol and Candiace nailed their shots. I bet those five grew up watching Daytime. Or Univision.

59 minutes ago, Cheap21 said:

If that the case then I dont think Kim would help bc she was so divisive the last time. No one liked her but Sheree and she caused more division than anything. Everyone tag teaming her at that reunion was epic though

 

 

 

 

One of the best and most long-awaited takedowns ever. Finally, after 10 years,  Kim couldn't slither out of accountability. And it unified Nene and Kenya which was amazing in of itself