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I feel like this has been me on this thread. OMG. My spirit animal is an Oztrawlian news anchor. This is especially shocking given that the French national assembly passed a (rather controversial) law last week restricting entry to restaurants, leisure and sporting venues to only those with proof of vaccination. A negative test no longer suffices. I imagine that extends to French Open ticket-holders!

Shame about Burgi leaving (and something about Y&R scrambling says to me that it was Burgi's decision to leave), but Robert Newman has bags of screen presence too. I'm actually surprised he hasn't landed more soaps since GL ended, because he's good.

And not for nothing, but 45 family members ("Porsha's second cousin twice removed on her father's side" said the chyron at one point) jumping into the melée for a 10-second shot of their ass atop a pile of bodies? That's too many people I am not invested in. Honestly, the only one coming out of this looking decent was Simon Guobadia.

FTR, I don't dislike Jason Thompson. IMO he is acting as directed and trying to sell the script. However, I don't really feel anything for the character (and it's not just his character to be fair). A lot of this is the fault of the writing which has been reduced to a load of slick nothings. I can't connect to or really feel for Billy, or the Victoria & Billy 'pairing' (which Y&R lazily hangs onto as some kind of supercouple). Sometimes I wonder if the Tweets I used to see about a decade ago squealing over Billy & Victoria, or Chelsea & Adam, or (God help us) AbbyBot & Stitch (!!) were actually Russian bots trying their hand at some modest social-media troublemaking before graduating onto the big stuff.

LOL

Porsha speaks 😬 (and then deleted) So she wishes the cameras had captured more? More of her grabbing Bravo tech equipment and trying to throw it at people? More of her hitting a production assistant in the face? More of Simon trying to physically restrain her? "...physical violence is never okay, especially when a man is causing physical harm to women. That is something we are too desensitized as a society." She wanted to silence her family "to protect Dennis." Shading Dennis's mom as an 'elder.' LOL. OK. And she ends with some Classic Kyle Richards about moving forwards and let's never mention this again.

I'm not a Novak fan really, but I agree with this. TA f*cked up with its promises to big-name players and the bending of rules by which they could enter the country. The government was licking its chops at a messy melodrama which would distract from its own bad press. All this could have been avoided, and the tennis world's most famous anti-vaxxer walked straight into a press trap.

The Australian government overplayed its hand, thinking they could make an example of Novaxx and it would distract from transgressions within government and discontent at home about the strict lockdowns. Tennis Australia look like damn fools, allowing players to think they could fudge the rules and they'd get in to play with a 'prior Covid infection,' wink-wink. And now the whole thing is in tatters. The government may insist on Joker fulfilling a 14-day quarantine, and every tournament he now plays, he will come up against vaccine mandate after vaccine mandate. But the constant fight will only reinforce his Jesus complex of being nailed to the cross for his 'beliefs.' His dad was already running his mouth last week about how "the world" doesn't want Serbia to win at anything and this is part of their unfair methods. Further reinforcing the persecution complex these people have dreamed up about themselves. And this will only make Tennis Jesus dig his heels in about not getting vaxxed. I don't see him ever getting the jab.

That's how the whole thing sounds to me -- his choice to leave. Maybe he wanted a change in contract or salary and they stiffed him? Clearly CBS is loathe to spend any money on this show. In any case, it's a shame because Burgi has a lot of charisma. And charisma is badly needed on Y&R -- there is a positive dearth of that amongst Y&R's fan faves pets. Shame as Burgi seemed to make Amelia Heinle come alive for once.

Exactly this -- Bravo created a monster. The hype went to her head. And you are so right about a pattern of behavior with Porsha where, unable to deal with anyone deviating from her narrative, she completely loses her sh!t. As soon as Porsha landed a big-name agent and left her job at Dish Nation, I knew she was going to dump RHOA and try and transition to 'bigger and better things.' And maybe she is. Or was. I wonder how her book is doing. Bravo must have been pissed that its investment in Porsha was not happening on the network's terms and that she was refusing to do OG RHOA. I imagine a season 2 of Porsha's Family Matters is now equally unlikely from Porsha's perspective.

Porsha pulled a similar stunt during last season's Bolo episode where she refused to do a VT or talk about the night. This is what happens when you coddle someone, tell them you are going to make them your face of the network, rehabilitate their shaky image, etc. Next thing, the 'star' begins believing their own hype. They don't actually change their behavior, they just expect more people to cover it up. I imagine Porsha refusing to return to RHOA hardened Bravo's attitude towards her. It doesn't sound like members of Porsha's own family were buying what she was selling, either.

She is all those things. I don't necessarily have warm, fuzzy feelings for Mary, because she is not that kind of RH. She is grumpy, and she's not a ride-or-die for me like, say, Karen Huger is. Yes she is inarticulate and problematic. Nevertheless, she is a unique character. As a slightly-crazed, hoarding, imperious church (cult?) leader, she is a throwback to those HWs we watched, like "What were they thinking coming on this show?" Why would she open herself up to the crazy scrutiny of Bravo? And then there is her unpredictability. In a world where HWs assess audience reaction and try to win mould their performance to try and win us over, Mary has few sh!ts to give. Even with her problematic attitude (I'm not sure she actually means to be racist at times, but ignorance is no excuse), you never are quite sure how she will react next. I really enjoy this aspect as a viewer, and it keeps the other women on their toes. Just when you think she can barely articulate for herself, we get a S1 Reunion episode where she lays out with clarity her feelings and the problems she has with others. Even in this last episode. she told Lisa Barlow she was untrustworthy and a liar, and TBH No Lies Detected there. She can see clearly what is going on, including the machinations of Baby-Voice Whitney and Second Cousin Once Removed Heather, who decided to pin on Mary the totally baseless speculation that she called the Feds on Jen Shah. And if she did, who cares? Jen Shah is a crook who just took her mom's retirement money to 'pay the lawyers.' Mary knows a gang-up when she sees it, and Meredith not having her back on Twitter last Sunday must have confirmed that there are no fixed alliances, and she can trust nobody. I was looking forward to her epically raging on all the women at Reunion. I am disappointed she chickened out of Reunion, because Mary could have taken them all on. IMO Grandpappy told her not to go, to protect Faith Temple which is already under scrutiny. Maybe the rumor that she had an affair with Cameron also stayed her hand. But Teresa Giudice, weeks away from prison, still showed up at hers and has never missed one -- even when there were four other women going after her like pitballs. Even Erika showed up for her overwrought Grand Performance I feel like not showing up at reunion is as good as an admittance of guilt (or in Jacqueline Laurita's case, a misplaced, narcissistic, melodramatic attempt at overshadowing the show, which completely failed). And just like Jacqueline Laurita, Mary could still be back next season on SLC, if she uses the Covid excuse or something like that. @Gray Bunny LOL AUNT LYDIA!! Full disclosure: couldn't make it past S1 of this show, because it give me such agita (as OC Gina would say). But I do remember being electrified by the actress who played Aunt Lydia every time she appeared on screen! (In the case of Lisa Barlow, I called her Utah Lydia, because she reminded me of Lydia on RHOMelbourne, Housewives' most airhead villainess).

Yes, he is damaged, and angry. And he has issues with women (like Ben Affleck, he seems to blame them when things go wrong in his life). And he is clearly self-medicating, majorly. A bad combination. He also low-key resents Alexia for having 'imposed' the task of looking after Frankie on the both of them. He never came to terms with the fact that Frankie needs constant supervision and day to day planning of his activities. As Todd pointed out, Frankie needs to be out playing basketball and maximising his potential with a trusted group of people, not glued to his i-phone all day. Easier said than done, perhaps. It's easy to criticize Alexia, but I deeply admire her for wanting to take care of Frankie and have him live with her full time. She really loves him. I see Todd's point too, though. They need help, support, and therapy. He honestly wants what is best for the three of them. Even Peter. And even if it means coming down hard on Alexia. Honestly, Alexia showing all this, warts and all, is really impressive. She's not hiding mistakes or trying to paint a sanitized picture of her life. I can't rave about this show enough: organic drama that treats the audience like adults and allows them to make up their own minds.

The last 15 minutes of the episode were so tense. I felt I was eavesdropping on a neighbor's fight. I felt especially bad for Frankie who was silently listening and taking it all in. The way he took Alexia's hand when she was overhearing Todd and Peter? He has a sweet heart. I can't believe Peter is 29. Emotionally he is 16, has not changed since the OG RHOM. Todd is right, Alexia coddles him. By the way, Page Six today had a story about how Peter was arrested last night for kicking and slapping his girlfriend. This show is addictive -- I hope it is getting some decent streaming numbers.

Damn. I am so bummed! She was the one I wanted to see most of all at Reunion! She is the only one on that cast who is truly unpredictable and doesn't get influenced by others' opinion (for better or for worse).

Thanks for the context. I figured something must have been up the way the Aussie tennis authorities gave him that exemption. Also, Australia/Melbourne/Sydney have a pretty significant Serb community, many second generation Yugoslav-Australians as well, so he likely has a big fanbase there.

The world needs to stop treating Djokovic like the Second Coming. At the Tokyo Olympics last summer, he was running around the Olympic village unvaxxed, maskless, admittedly spreading cheer -- while the rest of Japan was under partial lockdown, citizens banned from many events, even though this is a country where masks are worn everywhere. He has been far too indulged until now -- no wonder he showed up in Oz acting like the normal rules don't apply.

Nadal discussing the situation. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/06/tennis/rafael-nadal-novak-djokovic-australian-open-spt-intl/index.html Nadal gets it because even though double-jabbed, he caught Covid in December. He also understands the sacrifices that ordinary people continue to make throughout this pandemic, especially in Australia which is in strict lockdown. Joker doesn't understand because he is treated as a near god in his home country, by his family and inner circle. He is in awe of his body's powers of regeneration after changing his nutrition patterns to deal with various food intolerances and health problems. And now he buys into anti-science nonsense, probably because he feels his physical conditioning and years at the top practically give him superpowers. And that the laws of other countries, of other institutions, of vaccine mandates, simply do not apply to him. He is arrogant and a fool. But I blame Tennis Australia just as much for this mess. He knew the rules and felt he could flout them anyway. Tennis Australia also knew the rules but STILL reinforced this man's deity complex by assuring him they would be bent for him if he came over. They set up this mess. I almost wonder if they set it up, knowing he'd be stopped and deported, to bring more publicity to the tournament.

RHOSLC Looks like the Meredith-Mary alliance imploded Sunday night. And Reality Teddi remains the weekly mouthpiece for my favorite ex-housewife Terri DiMarco. Like, WTF is this Breaking News? Are we still discussing S9 BH from 2019? Please stop, Tierra. The birds coming home to roost for Porsha big-time. Every awkward question Porsha was trying to avoid on RHOA about her general messiness, Porsha's Family Matters keeps asking and asking. Did Porsha jump up at Dennis's mom and then at Dennis? I personally think Dennis's mom should keep quiet and stay out of her son's breakup, but nevertheless. Wow.

Candiace trolling Andy on Twitter like no currently-employed RH I have ever seen: Larsa also had THE reaction shot of the episode when Julia started covering Adriana's face in kisses. Marysol is so funny and relaxed as a FOH this season (a big difference from S3). I love her on the reboot. She seems happier and a lot less anxious. Her Greek Chorus grounds the show. I'm missing Adriana's original hair the most. She's aged and gained weight on her face, but I think she'd look more like her original self if she didn't have that awful two-tone dye job. She looks better in her VT, so lack of glam may be a part of it. I don't think Adriana has the money Alexia and Guerdy have for their looks. In fact, I think relative wealth may be a reason why Adriana and Marysol are FOHs this season, when they should be on the main cast.

Feel the same way. I'm kind of obsessed with RHOM at the moment, and cannot wait to watch each new episode. The cast is a good mix of pre-established and new relationships, so we are not sure how some people will gel with others. And the stories have me intrigued. The only one not understanding the assignment is Larsa. I don't hate her on the show, but I often forget she's there, and that's not good. The Adriana-Julia-Martina triangle is officially my fave SL thus far.@Faulkner touched on the idea that Adriana might be the OC Tamra to Julia's Fernanda -- I.e.: that she is playing up a flirtation for the cameras. Could well be, but Julia is starting to REALLY get into it, and Martina is not pleased about that at all. And I honestly cannot see Martina doing some acting routine on a reality soap. Her reaction of antipathy to Adriana and sympathy towards Guerdy felt 100% real. MN is just not the type of person to bother hiding or faking her feelings for TV. Adriana has become the villainous vixen of the show, and I'm ok with that. I thought her jumping down Guerdy's throat was out of line, as was her annoyance and misreading of Julia and Guerdy bonding over their lost babies. I do think there might be some truth to Guerdy liking to be center of attention, but that's what makes Guerdy a fun, dramatic, OTT kind of personality. She brings it and fits the cast well. Appreciated Alexia keeping it 100 with the audience and saying that Herman's lover just was not comfortable appearing on camera and talking about the relationship. Nicole hasn't gelled as quickly as some of the other cast but I think she's getting there. I had no idea she was half-Cuban-Puerto Rican, and we are starting to see some organic family drama come into play. I wish we would see and hear more of Kiki. I feel like she hasn't established herself in my mind yet as being part of this cast. Overall -- can't get enough of this show!

I've been watching recently seasons 2,3 and just starting 4 of RHONY, and my goodness, Bravo truly underappreciated the gems they had with Alex & Simon. Alex stood up against the big bad witches pretty much all alone and never received the justice she deserved after she was unceremoniously fired (although i think she probably won at life in terms of moving to Australia, starting a new career and still seemingly happilly married). IA we need someone from another borough or neighborhood who represents another aspect of NYC, but I think Manhattan will remain the common denominator in terms of going out and mingling. He ain't wrong about DeBlasio. A piss-poor, do-nothing idiot. Admittedly, coked-up AC delivering the message is a little

Thank you for doing a BEST & WORST 2021 list in the light, fun spirit in which it was intended! Looking back on mine, I feel mine was too downbeat and 'End of Days.' So, to you and everybody here who read it, I apologise. There are lots of things I love about the RHs -- after all, I watch a fair amount of RH programming each week, so I'm not about to stop anytime soon! My negativity was very premature. I think the Covid situation has been getting me down the last few weeks and affected my general outlook. I'm glad you went for stuff like "Best new housewife with trainwreck potential" / "Most Sympathetic housewife" / "Ugliest personality." These are the categories that actually matter when we are talking about these shows. ITA about Noella. I'm still not sure whether Sweet Bambi in the Headlights is an act, or if she really got thrown into the deep end without a clue! I would also add Mrs. Martina Navratilova, aka Julia of Real Housewives of Miami in the "Best new housewife with trainwreck potential" category. I don't know where this is going but whew, girl, way to mess up your marriage to an adored and respected tennis icon. ITA about Tiffany, I think she has a sweet heart and honestly, I think she and D'Andra would have headed up a S6 RHOD reboot, so well-received was she by fans. I had a "Worst New Housewife" segment good to go, but honestly, there were a lot of people filling that list, and Drew was at the top, followed by Leah (well, second-season wonder, but who's counting) and a host of others. So I deleted. But please know that Drew's worstness has not gone unnoticed by me! I also had a Worst Overall Housewife (and that was Kelly Dodd). Yep, Shannon is giving Tamra a taste of her own medicine -- and that's one reason I want Tamra back on OC. The other is that Tamra stirs the pot in a genius way. She is a born EP. As for Terri... LOL. Yeah. I get a not-inconsequential amount of joy hating on her sanctimonious ass wherever I can on this thread! It's illogical, but... ETA.: And in the "How Would I Save RHONY" category, I would put 'hire back Heather, Carole and Aviva.'

So @Gray Bunny did this last year, and I am basically copy-pasting most of the categories used. ***THE BEST & WORST OF 2021*** 2021 was a rough year for RH shows. Covid impacted filming. Tolerance of bad behaviour and selfishness has changed – it’s harder to enjoy certain kinds of pettiness when, in a pandemic context especially, we see how cruel, selfish, petty behaviour can harm. I also think we are generally exhausted by life in general. RHs has tried to evolve and adapt, but with varying degrees of success. And the job is unfinished. Has RH passed its sell-by date? Could be. I'm still watching, and I am still addicted to many of the shows. However, I may be more inclined to let go of the ones that no longer work for me. There is some light at the end of the tunnel -- Peacock streaming of RHUGT and Miami reflects a new, lighter RHs premise. What this means for RHs on Bravo, or for Andy Cohen? Unclear. Best Show RHOBH. As over-produced and scripted as it is, the show finally worked this year. It worked because it was coldly forensic in its focus on Erika and Did She/Didn’t She Know. Very Columbo-style as Team Pretty (Garcelle and Sutton) tried to avoid the traps set by Team Coven while pointing out the ridiculous discrepancies in Erika’s story. As with soaps, I often watch these shows for eventual karmic retribution for characters I hate, so it helped that Rinna, Erika and Dorit ended the season in relatively precarious positions. For once. Most Entertaining Show On Bravo: RHONJ. Just the right amount of family ("fam'bly"), fun and toxic rivalry (Teresa in Ep 1: “F****ng BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEP”). On Peacock: RHUGT and Miami have been no struggle to watch. I have been rushing to watch them within 24 hours of release – a sure sign that I am invested in the season. Show You Love to Hate RHOBH. Still waiting for The Comeuppance of Kyle & Rinna to one day manifest itself. Best New Housewife Couldn't think of any. I guess Dr. Tiffany Moon, RHOD? If Dallas hadn’t been such a disaster, she might be leading the new season reboot. Show That's Heating Up RHOP. Did RHOP already peak in 2020 with its Gizelle Takedown reunion? Perhaps. 2021 represented a pause as Covid disrupted the flow of the show. I have hopes 2022 is going somewhere, though. If I were Candiace, I would watch my back. Show That's Cooling Off RHOSLC. I’m still watching. I’m still enjoying. The Bus Episodes were amongst the top-tier of RH episodes. But it is getting very scripted and alliance-based. Jen’s trial (and I imagine production is crossing its fingers for Mary and Whitney to eventually get arrested on camera) means S3 has great potential to be another rollercoaster. Shows That Crashed and Burned When RH shows crash, they crash spectacularly. See: RHOC, RHONY and RHOD. RHOD is already gone. RHOC is being more or less successfully rebooted (all it needs is Tamra back). The jury is still out on RHONY, and honestly, if I were on the production team, I wouldn’t know what to do. Burn everything to the ground? Try and preserve some fragile balance between what we used to love about the show and fresh new blood? All I know is that Leah cannot be anywhere near this. And possibly Ramona. And possibly Eboni. And maybe Luann. Or Sonja. Or… you see? Show That's in Trouble RHOA. I said this last year, and it still stands. Too much Bravo interference and mediocre production means we are not getting a full picture of these women -- just a surface, inauthentic one. And as with BH, glam cannot replace organic story or genuine characters. Biggest Fall From Grace (Tie) Porsha, RHOA. Bravo's Pet thought she could get her very own Don’t Be Tardy show and control the narrative when people started asking uncomfortable questions regarding her work with BLM and hooking up with an old married dude. Porsha Family Matters has ended up being the opposite of what she intended. Leah, RHONY. Alleged Saviour of RHONY in 2020. How times change. Biggest Turnaround Gizelle, RHOP. Unbelievable but true. There’s always next season to look like a jealous fool, though. Most Welcome Comeuppance Brandi, RHOD. Finally the world (or, rather, all 7 remaining viewers of Dallas) saw what I saw -- Brandi's racist, lying ass was finally exposed, along with Stephanie, Kary and Kameron. Unfortunately, that behaviour, and Bravo sticking with her to the bitter end, completely wrecked the show. Pending Fall from Grace? Andy Cohen? The problem is, once he is gone, I don’t think Bravo will be championing the RHs nearly as ardently as he would. Most Annoying Ex-Housewife You know it. She and her master, Kyle, are doing everything to get her boring ass back on BH. ‘Special correspondent’ on Extra co-signing Dorit’s fake robbery? Check? TWO Real Housewives podcasts? Check. Trying to bait LVP, Sutton and Garcelle on Instagram in a bid to stay relevant? Check. Bravo needs to stop trying to make the human Womp-Womp happen. I'd rather have Brandi Glanville back. 2022 Prediction Without an honest-to-God RL scandal, RHOBH will crash and burn in the ratings.

Absolutely. I would love to learn more and do more about air-filtration and air systems necessary in workplaces and at home -- but it's hard if you don't work for a company with pots of money and which wants to spend time on a new ventilation system. And I feel like Japan and South Korea have really good options for disposable face masks which I find hard to get in the West (too bad none of these masks are recyclable 😥 ). See pic below from South Korea. The mask is designed to fit snuggly over the bridge of the nose and the chin so they have less of these mask-wearing messiness we see elsewhere (masks slipping down over half the face, etc).