Cat

I like that I stumbled on this show by accident and you guys did, too. IA that if RHoV went on Bravo and was a hit, it would ruin the show and its participants.

This last episode was absolutely great. The rich locales, production work and that sea plane are the stuff dreams are made of -- but the best bit IMO was showing the housewives getting their kids up and ready for school. It was incredibly relatable amidst all the glamour and I for one think it was all 100% real. Jody in hair rollers fighting with Hannah (SO adorable) over wearing an itchy skirt? Oh, yes! Brilliant. I loved when little Hannah went to tell her big brother that she was going to big-girl school. Also, Mary feeding her dog yogurt, finishing up the pot herself, running around in nightgown and slippers as she fought with her son over whether to take Grade 12 math.

Also liked Ronnie extending the hand of friendship and inviting Mary to her birthday. Their extended hug spoke volumes about both wanting to make up.

I am trying to decide if Ronnie drinks because she is sad or because she looks and feels so young and wants to have a second youth. I think it's the latter. I also think she and her husband are crazy in love with each other.

Mia was out of line prodding Mary. TBH, I think she was just looking to pick a fight. But I can understand the cultural sensitivity. A lot of my very closest friends are Jewish. It is one thing when they meet somebody and ask amongst themselves "Is he/she Jewish?" It's actually pretty common. However, if somebody non-Jewish were to ask that question or tell them "I don't think so-and-so is Jewish," it comes across as highly ambiguous and somewhat threatening, and that's because there are hundreds of years of racism, apartheid, pogroms and annihilation leading up to this question of identity. Not so long ago, somebody would say something like that and it was a life-or-death assertion. I donlt think Mary meant it in any way other than innocent, though.

Ronnie's eldest son + Mary Zilba make me go Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Haha, Im watching 3 series at the same time, Vancouver, NYC and NJ and Im not burned out at all. I wonder if the UK will jump on and do a Real Housewives of London edition

Well, technically they already have one -- namely The Only Way is Essex. They also had Desperate Scousewives which is in Liverpool but that was dire. My favourite glitzy reality show is Made in Chelsea but that is focused on the aristo twentysomething set and not housewives. Daytimefan loves it too.

ETA: These are The HIlls rip-offs more than RH, though. RHoOC and RHoNY all appeared on UK TV. Why they never went for RHoBH with Lisa Vanderpump, I will never know.

Teresa's an idiot. For the years that this show has been on, stuff has come out about dodgy [!@#$%^&*] the Giudices have done, Teresa's fantasy life, Juicy Joe's mistresses, the money, everything, and Gorilla Face acts like it is all lies and that she can pull the wool over the audience's eyes. Teresa, we know it's true because you admit it to In Touch! And Bravo will replay the flashbacks if need be to clarify what you said & how.

Also, she was looking for a fight when Melissa came to her table expecting an apology. She didn't want to say she was sorry at any cost and instead blew something up out of all proportion so that she could stalk out of there and play the outraged party. And, like Cheap, I tend to agree that Melissa is fake a lot of the time, but she was in the right calling Teresa out on her BS and it was cathartic to watch. Teresa needs to be put in her place.

I love Jacqueline but honey got off your cross, other people need the wood. She either is a martyr or a little scaredy cat. I know Italians don't play when it comes to "famb'ly" and "respect" but she's tough enough to stand her ground, surely? Instead she's running between Teresa and Melissa to try and get everybody to play nice, and she can't even bring herself to confront her daughter on her assy behavior or drive her to the airport.

Contrary to lots of people here, I think Kathy is ok. Also, forget all other RH spin-offs. I could watch a spin-off show consisting of the Giudice/Gorga/Wakile kids all day. Gia as the exasperated eldest daughter bearing all her family's responsabilities on her shoulders, and Milania as the terror. No wonder Rosie needed some cigarettes and a GINORMOUS vat of wine to handle looking after all the little ones.

Caroline and her daughter Lauren... sigh. Firstly, Lauren is veering into dangerous Ashlee territory here with the "I wannabe rich and thin and beautiful (but I don't want to do the hard work that will help me achieve that)." The way Caroline talks about her daughter's "spectacular personality" but also references her "belly" could be construed as cruelty and bullying. However, I think she is concerned for her daughter's health and truly believes that, if her daughter succeeds in her battle with weight, her confidence will soar. It is hard to hear a mother talk about her sons the way Caroline does in front of Lauren but I think a lot of this stuff is prevalent in our own RL families, too. TBH, these family relationships are why I keep watching RHoNJ.

^^ OMG, thank you for pointing out the HORRENDOUS make-up job on Reiko at the fashion show. Girl looked like she was 65 -- and she's the second youngest of the women on this show (the youngest being Christina).

The bullying and ganging-up on Mary was awful to behold and, as Mary pointed out, it was so high-school. Jody thinks she is Queen Bee but in actual fact Ronnie is Queen Bee and that's why some of the other women sided so readily with her. They want to keep playing tennis on her ocean-side open tennis court. Jody seems to spot softness and vulnerability from a mile off and homes in like a shark.

I am so ready for Ronnie to be exposed AND get the help she needs. And, while it is a co-dependent relationship, I do hope that Ronnie and Mary eventually patch things up. After rehab.

Christina is The Awesome. And I feel her with those press-ups. After 15-20 of those, my arms turn to jelly. I think she keeps in shape from horse-riding (which is quite physical), skiing (well, they are in British Columbia) and... you know. That other stuff she is good at, lol.

Vancouver

OMG,Ronnie, the alcoholic, wants to start up her own line of wine from Napa and call it Rehab. She is a MESS!

Ronnie: She's goning to be 48. Thats still young"

Jody: "No its not"

If I could compare this series to any of the US ones, it would be BH. This show really gives me a BH vibe from the opening, the production values, music, etc... Plus these women are rich and come across as high class as opposed to some of the regular chicksfrom OC, NJ, etc... They have more in common with BH. This also seems to have less of a focus on family and more on the women like with BH. Im loving it.

IA, it really is like the RHoBH and I love the glitzy, social feel of it all. Most of these women are properly RICH. Ronnie is so in denial about her drinking that it's not even funny. I'm wondering if she really is a drinker or just playing it up for the cameras. The name "Rehab" for a wine seems like such a wink and a joke to me. She has a sense of humour and approach which is very masculine. And for a drinker, Ronnie looks flawless and surprisingly healthy.

I feel bad for Mary that she is being frozen out of the group so horribly (it really is like high school), even though her little-girl voice bothers me.

Christina continues to be fab. Jody is a [!@#$%^&*]-stirrer.

Vancouver looks so gorgeous.

They made Dr. Nicholas Perricone look like a total quack in the RHoNJ episode. His skin, diet and exercise advice is, on the whole, realistic and full of common sense. And it works!

[/NicholasPerriconpromotion]

Speaking of quacks, Ashlee's on valium? Who the hell prescribed her that?

What a fascinating insight on what I consider one of the quality EPs of Y&R. They are so right -- his production style was indeed luscious. I love how he pays tribute to film (the Ross Hunter of Daytime -- Ross Hunter produced Doris Day/Rock Hudson's Pillow Talk which is a gorgeous-looking movie and, I think, still stands up to scrutiny today as being a truly funny romcom). However, he also has such pride to be working in Daytime and perfecting every little detail on the show.

Of course, he made a lot of enemies, not least WJB himself, and his last stint at GL was completely panned. Still, I always love hearing about these ominpotent producers' trajectory and stories. There is method to their madness.

lmao!

What a twit. Dana literally made me break out in hives whenever she came on screen.

+3 with the Christina love. I was telling DaytimeFan how I could see why men were drawn to her even though she comes right out and owns the fact that she is a golddigger. She is charming, a good listener and glamorous enough to fit in any gathering. I also am warming to Ronnie (didn't at first) and even though Jody is in some ways monstrous, she drives an awful lot of the show and for that I really enjoy her snark. The dynamic between her and Christina (and the fact that Christina feels completely intimidated and powerless around her) is fascinating to watch.

RHoNJ badly needs Danielle Staub to come back and kick things up a gear, otherwise it is going to be a loooooong season.

Teresa is the world's worst liar. She lies like she breathes and yet gets caught out about it at every turn.

And the idea that Joe G wasn't shtupping half of Atlantic City's hooker population -- yeah right. I sort of wish we got more of Gia/Milania/whatever the Cabbage Patch Kid is called calling her dad out on his extramarital affairs/

Hot damn. I still have the biggest crush on Jacqueline's husband Chris.

RHoV:

Next week's bitch fight looks EPIC with drunken Ronnie slumped in that easy chair with a glass of chardonnay in her hand. Also Christina rocks. Oh, and why do they always refer to Ronnie's "niece" in inverted commas? Is this a euphemism for something? Her tennis instructor? House sitter? Barmaid?

I saw that video had been posted and was coming on here to alert you, Carl! Finally Kathleeen Turner in all her Veronica Lake-esque glory.

It's funny how observers of the genre said that the decline for The Doctors came in the mid-1970s; this episode is 1979 and pretty good writing, I would say. Meg Mundy is magnificent as the matriarch. The conversation between Carolee and Steve is so tender. And when Nola hangs up on Carolee, lol.

A classic soaps channel. That's what we need!

Anyone see Vancouver? That Jody is a bitch. I dont have much of an opinion on the women yet but I cant stand her so far

I have connections to all the Vancouver women. Good lord our city is an incestuous town.

Friends of mine live right next door to Jody.

I am watching. And I am LOVING the show thus far.

Partly its because RHoNJ, RHoATL and RHoOC have been such crashing disappointments this season. The upcoming RHoNY looks pretty dull, too. I am hopeful that my Jersey girls redeem themselves this season.

Vancouver has a Beverly Hills vibe without the wife-beating and twisted emotional playacting. It looks absolutely stunning, and these women's spending habits could put even Lisa and Adrienne to shame.

After the first two episodes, I am already loving Christina even though she is a big ole ho. And "30." Uh huh. I like that Christina actually stands up for Mary, unlike Mary's supposed BFF Ronnie who threw Mary under the bus the moment somebody more powerful and connected (Jody) came along. Ronnie is stunning on the outside but clearly petty on the inside and, if the boozing is any indication, in need of filling a void in her life.

I also thought the way Christina graciously received Ronnie's mean birthday "gifts" was diplomatic and classy. Very classy.

Mary... well, the jury is still out. I like that she's nice. I hope she develops a backbone hanging out with Christina, too. Otherwise she'll be like Taylor, getting other people to fight her battles for her.

Reiko -- not sure. She could be smart and spunky. Or she could turn into a Cynthia -- a total bore.

Don't hate me but even though Jody seems like a real bitch, I also think she's "my" kind of bitch, i.e. calls it like she sees it. And she's older and crusty. She doesn't need to impress anybody. Depending on how the season goes, I think I may grow to enjoy her.

Frankly, Heather belongs more on RHoBH than she does RHoOC. The OC women, god love them, are aging Barbies who lost all most of their viable financial assets in the subprime/housing crash of 2007-08.

^^ Oh, Slade (or "Slave" as the folks at Reality Tea call him) is just horrendous. He has been since the very first episode of RHoOC. The man is a misogynist control freak. i assume he tries to manipulate the women in his life to make him feel better about his own... shortcomings? Forcing his girlfriend (Jo) to give up a job she loved so that he could be the sole breadwinner? Yeah, she did well to move on without him. She was clearly going places and he wasn't -- and he knew it. It is poetic justice now seeing him subject to Gretchen's every beck and call, but that comedy routine he did really underscored the resentment he feels towards a lot of women. I'm actually kind of surprised given how cool and together his mother is and how tight he seems with her.

Vicki is playing up her role as the shocked, religious, goody-two shoes this season, I think. That doesn't mean I don't love her, though. In a way, it shows that she can laugh at herself a little. And Briana's cancer is no joke. You could tell when V was talking with her at dinner how desperately worried and upset she is.

OMG. I just started watching this show -- zipped through the first 5 episodes thus far -- and I love it. Can't wait to watch more. Queen Victoria is the bomb.

Wow. I had forgotten how stilted the acting could be in those early episodes. Even old pro Susan Flannery looked stiff and uncomfortable (though it was nice of B&B to through her in head-to-toe Chanel -- a Chanel pantsuit would do wonders for her today). KKL, Jim Storm, Lauren Koslow and Joanna Johnson stood out with their naturalness and ease in front of the camera.

The location was pretty, and KKL did a good job. I'm too hard on it.

But that never seemed like an umbrella story to me, more like a reason to break up Brooke/Ridge again. The whole thing was a rewrite, and they never even finished the story (not letting viewers know whether Brooke or Sheila had done that). The only story which I remember coming from it was Sheila poisoning Stephanie.

That was the real start of the awful musical pairings - poor Grant was thrown at a half-dozen women, then stuck with Brooke in a story which was never going to develop. This led to Rick shooting him due to "violent video games," in a story so pathetic, it was immediately dropped.

Ah yes, I remember that. I also remember Chubby CJ and Rick having a rivalry in middle school and TBH that was the best part of the entire "young Rick" story. Rick shooting Grant led to Ridge "bravely" deciding to take the fall for Rick and he nobly went to jail for a few weeks, where I'm sure his chiseled good looks made him the man-crush of the inmates. BTW, I thought Grant was just swoonsome and would have loved to see him pursue a relationship with Taylor, much to the consternation of Stephanie and Ridge. I also think that Grant was Macy's best pairing.

OK, so sue me but I loved Crazy Brooke in Barbados! It was part of a huge umbrella SL which started with Ridge finding a letter saying that the DNA test proving that Bridget was his daughter was actually false.

Thank you for posting the first two episodes ever. I loveloveLOVED early B&B. I actually remember watching the preparations for the fashion show when it first aired. KKL was stunning back then. And woah @ Ridge's suit.

It was a good laugh but I think we were supposed to take all that seriously.

On B&B? Never! Everything is one giant, parodic campfest.

The Venice remote was top nothc! Over the top cheesy with Tawny and the tower run threat, fabulous with Thorne/Brooke/Macy (LOVED IT) and really tough stuff with Amber/Rick. I know Torkildsen isn't well liked her but he kicked a$$ in the afternath of the Little Eric paternity reveal. And man, this was when a story climax lasted a whole week. I miss those days...

So do I. That was the epitome of a great umbrella story. I think Brad Bell was invigorated by the feeling that this was a new chapter on B&B: Brooke moving on with Thorne, the Next Forrester Generation getting established, Amber as the wannabe-Brooke interloper.

Oh geez this also has that ridiculous moment where Taylor acts like a teenager because of hypnosis.

Really? I thought that was the best bit! Especially when Hunter Tylo started "dancing."

Thought I would post some clips from the Taylor/Princess Leila days. Back when Hunter Tylo was truly stunning. I loved that SL. I loved Prince Omar and sort of wished Taylor would get with him as he seemed a lot more honourable than the trifling Ridge who was already shtupping Brooke about three hours after Taylor's funeral. I liked Omar's loyal sidekick, Mustafa. Best of all is the promo featuring Ian Buchanan as James Warwick (see bottom). Raaaaaaaowl. You, sir, are the hotness (big plus: Clarence doing the voiceover).

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.c...bed/_p1QAsb0evM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Yeah, I give up with this embedding [!@#$%^&*].

Is Season 5 of RHoNJ meant to start after Atlanta is over, or am I imagining things? They seem to have been filming for it forever. Remember when Martha Byrne tweeted about that incident at some car show in NJ?

Sigh. Venice! Brooke & Thorne! One of my favourite couples on B&B. Brooke with her choppy short cut.

^The biggest production problem with last season was the show clearly brought Melissa in to be a bitch, to take on that Danielle role. It was clear by production we were to all hate her... but early on most people liked her and started to see what a bitch teresa was and turn on her. Production picked up near the end and the taint switched sides, thankfully.

IA and, speaking for myself, I'm still not nuts about Melissa. So much of her stuff was fakery, from Joe G "discovering" her singing Amazing Grace in her walk-in closet ("I'm gonna build you a recording studio!") to that On Display song she foisted on us. Oy. However, production switched sides long after the audience did. It was clear that Teresa has been driven certifiably mad by the fame of RH and the $$$ she hoped it could bring her. I suspect Caroline and Jacqueline refusing to participate beyond the bare minimum towards the end of the season also helped to make up Andy Cohen's mind.

Cheap, those jpegs you post here and on the Mob Wives thread (Big Ang!) make my day. Vicki's traveling eyes, OMG.

New Jersey was dragged out horribly and it ruined that particular franchise for me -- it used to be one of my faves. Teresa is no Danielle Staub. The problem with it is that it had only one lead storyline -- Teresa vs. Melissa and Joe Gorga. That should have been a five episode arc and it went on for about 15. Christmas went on for about 4 episodes! The story I really liked was Jacqueline and her ungrateful lazyass brat of a daughter but it was shortened, probably because it was real and J wanted to sort it out behind closed doors. I love Caroline Manzo but had zero interest in her sons and daughter moving in with Gorgeous Greg. GG came across as such a brown-noser.

They need to buck up for Season 5. The material has to be there or the season is cut down.

Random memories of Whitney Houston growing up: like how shocked I was when I first went to see "The Bodyguard" and heard her say the word "[!@#$%^&*]." Like truly shocked.

Or when we were little kids in the playground, we used to mess around at singing The Greatest Love of All. It was totally OTT and cheesy ("I believe that children are our future...") the way we did it but Whitney never sang it that way. She sang every one of her songs with 100% belief in them and commitment to them.

Just watched the Oprah interview from two years ago. I so hoped that she had turned a corner back then.

I guess. I'm thinking of the Dolla Bill sing written by Alicia Keyes, but I guess Autotune may have played a part there.