Cat

RHODubai -- Bad decision by Bravo IMO. I think she had definitely more to give. Brandi has a Mama fetish -- she seems to want to kiss older women like LVP, Vicki and now Caroline Manzo?

I'm on old-school RHONY fan. RHONY was my first RH show. Obviously the good old days are gone. Bravo is not spending the kind of money it used to, either to produce these shows or garnish the HWs' wages. The OGs have been around since 2006 and expect salary increases. But, as we know, the TV ratings are not there. After last season, the RHONY OGs no longer have any leverage. Ramona is gone. Dorinda and Jill are begging to join. Bravo can call the shots on how much it pays and whether this show lives or dies. Personally, I am devastated, because RHONY at its best and brightest? Nothing can top it IMO. There were moments when RHONY was so funny, it could easily have been nominated for an Emmy. (Shout out also to the best editors in TV). S11-13 went from undercooked to truly dreadful. However (and maybe I am deluded), I believe the cast (with some judicious additions) would still have what it takes. These women have recalibrated their lives after Covid and have new social lives. There is nothing I'd love more than to see where their headspace is right now. Salary talks may be prompting the above headlines. Either this is Bravo's tactic to silence salary demands, or Bravo was already pretty much done about 2 years ago and now it really is Done Done.

@Soaplovers @DynamiteKiddo we may have been wrong about the cause of this altercation! @DynamiteKiddo Drinking is definitely an issue for Brandi because it ramps up her aggression. This article doesn't mention drinking but IMO it's likely that was involved.

Every time Brandi seems to learn from what she went through S5 of BH, or S10... does ok on RHUGT 2... she falls back into old patterns, and it's like Nooooo, we were rooting for you! The audience has grown and we hoped she had, too. Curious to know if Brandi brought up the stuff about Caroline defending her BIL even after he sent thugs to beat up Dina and her man. Likely she did.

Brandi always gets overconfident, goes too hard and messed up her chance. (Since RHUGT is shaping up to be a chance for ex-RHs to refain a spot on a RH franchise). Meanwhile, no-one is talking about RHUGT 3 which hasn't even aired yet!

RHOM What a chaotic but absolutely great show. Miami just gets better with every episode. I've always loved Las Cubanas, but they have gotten very mean-girl-clique. Alexia has always been such a great RH, but last season's success has gone to her head. She is disdainful of Adriana (who, though hard to like by some, was 100% in the right( and lowkey threatened by Nicole. Larsa is, too. I can't believe Larsa is swanning around, photographing her feet in lucite heels, thinking that qualifies as work and that this makes her superior to a full-time anesthesiologist. Bringing in the lawyers could have been so contrived (which it was), but it was so breezy and the lawyers were in on the joke of it all. I can't believe I once found Lenny hot. Those were gaslighting, threatening words the Peacock mics picked up. No wonder those sweet kids are acting out. They are confused and probably feel lowkey abandoned by their father for this new hoe.

I'll give Gizelle this -- this is her best reunion look of all time. She isn't channelling her unfortunate 2002 stylings of the early days. The less said about more recent reunions, the better. Her dress is well ironed and hangs well on her, which suggests that it is well cut and tailored to her body. So props to her. This is progress. I'm not crazy about the bedazzling/gloves/mock turtleneck elements, but that's just me. Sometimes? And not just allegedly. Didn't she announce in a confessional a few weeks ago to taking coke and liking it? Marysol, and of course Alexia, has long been known in Miami to have had ties with major drug kingpins. Marysol dated hers rather than marrying him. In other news, here is the right couch of the RHOM reunion:

It says something about the value that all these women bring to RHOM. First Chair could be Lisa and Nicole, but it could also be Larsa and Alexia. (In fact, reports suggest some of the other HWs were not happy about the seating arrangement, and speculation has pointed to Alexia). Second Chair is also being fought over. Even the idea of FOH has been turned on its head, given how much Adriana, Marysol and Kiki are contributing to our enjoyment of Miami. And I know some have questioned Julia in the Second Chair, but she had her standalone SL -- her relationship with Martina is under the microscope. Larsa and Alexia targeted her. A reflection of the larger tension brewing between the OGs and Newbies (+ OG Adriana). I think Julia brings something original and interesting to RHOM -- an unusual, less-flashy personality, her past, her marriage to Icon Martina, etc. Is she Larsa, leaning into her Undercover Villain role? Nope. But Larsa's a little overrated to me anyway. And Larsa had better watch out because Alexia is coming fast for that villain role. I think Guerdy has slowly been coming into her mojito spot this season. I was worried early on that producers might switch her out for Kiki, but now I'm invested in her personal story and her reactions to the group drama.

That electric blue colorscape is searing my eyeballs. Reminds me of when they went canary yellow at the S5 reunion. I'm not just saying this because I've been bashing Ashley most of this season, but she's a little under-dressed here. Maybe because ive been freezing this winter, but i feel chilly just looking at her! Her hair OTOH looks phenomenal. In my humble opinion, Candiace is best dressed, followed by Jacqueline (!). Wendy tried to do something different with her look, and just about pulled it off. The work on her dress, BTW, is exquisite and easily the most high-end of the group. Karen's dress looks a little cheap, and so does Robyn's upholstered outfit, but both are wearing the hell out of them. Mia has a lingerie top, of course. Honestly, this is the best dress Charrisse has probably ever worn. However, she paired it with stripper shoes (actually, on closer inspection, i like the shoes??) and Stripper-Barbie hair. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Thank God Gizelle did not let us down! She chose a 1988-in-a-bargain-bin flammable monstrosity. Alexis Carrington Colby Dexter would set fire to that gloved mess with one of her ultra-slim cigarettes.

What... no mention of Melissa's lame-ass tagline? I have no clue what she's talking about with the fresher air. I thought Jennifer's and Dolores's were the best. Teresa's tagline is ok, but the delivery? She sounds Xanaxed to her eyeballs. I have to say I am looking forward to this season. Don't let me down, NJ!

Brad Bell either had a face-lift, or Lauralee used an aggressive de-aging filter on that photo. Regardless -- all 3 look fab! And yes, LLB comes across as a lovely person with a great sense of humor. Remember when the Y&R cast did a script-read of William J. Bell's first ever episode of Y&R at the Paley Center (below)? Lauralee was both hilarious and talented in her participation. I used to be bored to tears by teen Cricket back in the 80s, but boy, would I love Christine full-time on Y&R now. And that's largely because of LLB herself. (P.S.: Kristoff! so handsome, such presence, sob. And Amelia Heinle is so engaging here).

The one friendship I hoped would hold out. 😢 (I imagine La Dame was hurt by what Candiace said to Ashley earlier this season. And we know Candiace was hurt by Karen defending Monique in S5. Candaice said she was keeping it light but superficial with Karen ever since then. That makes me sad).

FIRST LOOK AT ALEX McCORD on RHUGT 4: Marrakesh. The souk. With Vicki and Brandi. This is giving me RHONY S4 flashbacks. What a great season. Never forget:

Any news on RHODubai returning? Saw that Beyoncé performed there at the weekend at a private event which must have cost millions to stage (Beyoncé reportedly got paid $24mn for her performance alone). Anyway, some of the RHODubai HWs (Ayan, Lesa, Stanbury, Brooks) not only showed up, but were even involved behind the scenes. Caroline Brooks' Glass House spa provided hair/nail services to Beyoncé's stage team. I sure hope Bravo was filming some of this!

The whole episode was Extra. From the weird production elements used to pad out the show (including a wretched etch a sketch of Karen), to Karen firing off all kinds of crazy allegations, to Ashley carrying all the bones, to Mia doing the most, to Candiace's weird sunglasses, to Bump on a Log piping up about Karen, to the random revelation that Wendy and Mia may have rubbed pelvises.... I was exhausted! These women were just throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. I did enjoy Robyn trying it with Karen and getting slapped down. Robyn is such a bully's sidekick, I really find her mean. And whatever is going on with Mia, I don't know what is for the show and what is real anymore. If I were Wendy, I would slither far away from her. She's only coming on to Wendy to take her down publicly. And Wendy is so eager to be part of the group, she's ready to entertain that mess.

Oh please don't do that. Let us know how it goes. Maybe Deborah will be there. They didn't screen SLC Reunion part 1 this week. Re-editing after Jen pulled out of the one-on-one with Andy? Things that make you go Hmmm....

I was excited about seeing Lea Black, and then I saw episode 16. Alexia's ex-husband??? OMG! And it sounds like Peter may be pulling the Teenage Spoiled Brat move of pitting his parents against each other? Except he's 30 and a tool. As for the most recent episode, I am Team Nicole. Larsa overreached with a blatant lie and needs to dial it back before she gets slapped with a lawsuit for professional defamation. Sneering at doctors and teachers while laying on her back and filming her feet for Only Fans? Nicole's husband pegged Larsa absolutely right. And Las Cubanas defending her so passionately? What for? Marysol forgets her two-season epic meltdown over Lea Black dissing her PR business back in the day. Las Cubanas really dislike Nicole for some reason. "But you take a dig at me every chance you get. Last night was the straw for me to be honest. You took my friends in this circle and you told them to look out, be careful, she's fake [!@#$%^&*]. I'm not fake [!@#$%^&*], and what is fake.... is this wedding." Absolute perfection! Robyn has been a bitch to Karen since the beginning and it's long past due that she got called out. BH: What, no Erika?

100% agree. Robert Newman is always going to be brimming with heat and intellect, as evidenced by his recent stint on Y&R (which ended way prematurely, all for some ridiculous plot-point). Soaps seem afraid of representing that intensity or sexual rage, even though they underpin a lot of our relationship angst and even crime these days. One thing about the scene that shocked me was Josh referencing how Reva had been 'touched' as a young girl, inferring that she probably enjoyed it. I'm not sure that a soap would ever go near an assertion like that now. It's nasty and cruel on Josh's part, but I've also heard that same assertion IRL flung by one person to another during a fight. I think it works in the context of this couple and their tortured, toxic history.

I give Robert Newman props for leaning into Josh's complicated unlikability again and again, even if that put viewers off. Someone once described Reva as GL's anti-heroine, but I'm not sure IA with that. If anything, Reva was a true GL heroine, the one for whom the audience would always feel sympathy as she endured perils and humiliations. It was Josh who was the anti-hero, masquerading as a hot-headed romantic lead. Cynthia Watros as Annie was the shining light of that scene, without saying a word. I felt for her the most during this scene.

Who TF thought that was a good seating chart? Just bring Wendy over by Karen and Candiace, and stick No-Wedding and The Shtripper with Gizelle and Ashley! It's clear which are the teams, and we know Mia is doing her utmost to join the GEBs by throwing all her other buddies under a bus. P.S.: Gizelle 1st chair again? She's like the Kyle of Potomac, but at least Kyle shows a lot of her life, unlike Giz. I would have put Robyn before Gizelle on the right couch, with Mia and Ashley bringing up the rear. On the other couch, I might have put Candiace before Karen, although we don't know who dominates the last few episodes of the season, and it could well be Karen.

I've seen this, and other episodes from this era of GL, before, but I don't recall cringing as hard as I just did re-watching that. It was A Lot. And that era of GL was truly golden IMO. It is clear from this clip alone, and other episodes around this time, that Josh had a permanent hard-on for Reva, but couldn't admit it. Not because she married HB, but because he looked down upon her as white trash. So he lived in permanent sexual frustration and rage. Josh was kind of unlikeable in those early days. Reva & HB as a pairing never felt like an endgame. They had a sweet sort of tenderness with each other -- HB was probably the first male to treat Reva with care or kindness, and for HB, here was this sunny, unpretentious young woman lighting up his latter years. But really the purpose of their relationship was to create drama for Reva & Josh.

Kevin & Chloe -- just the mention of those two breaks me out in hives. EVERYBODY from the show, to the press, to the actors themselves, were pushing that pairing. And nobody was buying what they were selling. Elizabeth Hendrickson wacka-wacka smart-ass delivery made for a sneering portrayal of Chloe. And Greg Rikaart was playing a psychopath who had more sexual chemistry with his onscreen brother ("Nobody Does Brothers Better" after all): I also agree with you about Gina Tognoni, whom I loved on Guiding Light. I found her very brittle on Y&R and would have rather she played Victoria actually (!). It got to the point where I almost wanted Michelle Stafford back -- almost. Be careful what you wish for, because she's another overrated one.

I keep hearing that as diametric opposites, Sag and Gem are not meant to marry. BUT friendships are different. And my brother is a Gemini and I get along really well with him, so it goes to show that there is hope for Ash & Candiace -- if Ash changes this mentality of her's which is only going to hurt her in the long-run.

Billy Miller helped make Amelia Heinle happen on Y&R as far as I'm concerned. Yes, I said it! Because prior to (and thereafter) she's been a chemistry vacuum. I will never understand her Leading Lady status on this show. I caught the Loving episodes on YouTube with Amelia Heinle and Michael Weatherly and woah, WHAT a difference. Amelia made a great ingenue and seemed to glow from within (which may have been due to the fact that she and MW were an item IRL).

Yes, she has chosen to use her powers for Evil (or Givil!) rather than Good. There's still time to change, though. And, that's right, you share Ashley's birthday! You know who's birthday I share? Candiace's.