Cat

This is utterly ridiculous. AD's reputation has been so publicly tarnished by the Epstein links that the BBC must have known what it was doing when it hired this ageing turd to speak as a 'constitutional lawyer.' I don't know if any of the media will mention this, but the Ghislaine Maxwell case was as show trial designed to give the public its pound of flesh and move on from Epstein. Nary a mention of the many men in high positions of influence and government who knowingly perpetuated these crimes under Epstein's watch. I understand why the prosecution focused on GM for this particular case and didn't confuse matters by bringing other people into this. They did a good job establishing her relationship to JE, with photographic evidence, money trails and witness statements including JE's longtime house valet and, of course, compelling testimony from victims themselves. The case the prosecution set out was focused and lucid. And of course GM is deeply guilty. She was in this up to her ears. She was THE predator who implemented and organized a network of underage, vulnerable girls for her 'boyfriend.' She was his #2 and should receive a long sentence. But what about all the men who abused these girls too? The ones Epstein allegedly taped and blackmailed? We know who some of these folks are. While it is right that GM face legal justice for her crimes, she is also taking the fall for a lot of other people's complicity and involvement in this.

Exactly. China has also now resorted to parading Covid 'rule-breakers' in the streets in a way reminiscent of the bad old days of Cultural Revolution public punishment: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/30/chinese-police-parade-suspected-covid-rule-breakers-through-streets Having been to Japan, I can confirm that their lower numbers are not rocket science. Everyone wears a mask in public spaces and at work -- everybody. It is a small price to pay in order to go out freely, live a normal life and keep transmission down. Masks are not perfect, and Japan will see an Omicron surge, no doubt, but masks do significantly reduce the risk of spreading this disease, as does hand washing and social distancing (as you point out). There is nothing political about masks either -- over there, it is all about not passing germs onto your neighbour and reducing your ability to catch some viruses, too. That's a win-win. Which is why the no-mask mandates that came into force in the US and UK earlier this year were such a mistake, IMO. By making masks seem like a 'special sacrifice' or 'hardship,' we have now made sure that less people will want to wear one again when a new surge calls for it.

Andy never had much time for RHOM. He couldn't really connect with the Latina culture of it all. He loved Mama Elsa because she gave him some (likely insightful) private readings. He liked Joanne and Lisa because they were the 'Anglo girls' who were the entry point into Miami for viewers like him. But he seemed a little afraid of Adriana, Alexia and Lea, and totally disconnected from S3. He'd be noticeably irritated when callers on his radio show would ask about Miami coming back. I suspect the Miami reboot came up at Bravo meetings and he was inclined to punt it to Peacock. Well, Bravo's loss is Peacock's gain. The streaming service has something to prove, hence why the show feels so cohesive and well-produced (it might have gotten only a low budget and indifferent producers on Bravo). I hope it is raking in some good viewing numbers for its efforts.

She looks like Adrienne Maloof. I totally misread your Jen Shah comments originally then. I assumed you were a fan! I think its because Erika set such a low bar that most anybody looks better in comparison! Jen is definitely playing a role, but her glances at the camera keep giving her away. I feel bad for Coach Shah because he definitely looks worried and knows that her plan to wriggle out of this could well backfire. One thing I will say is that with these legal troubles, Jen has had to tone down some of her Cruella Deville looks onscreen-- and she looks all the better for it. At her lunch with Heather, with her hair up and a natural lip, she looked phenomenal. After Ramadan prayers, she took her scarf off to reveal a simple black outfit and gorgeous wavy wig. She still has her Maleficent nails, but that's her signature. The whole thing softens an often harsh look -- and therefore softens her. So you're seeing what I'm seeing with Heather, huh? Playing the Loyal Friend but dropping those hints in the VTs that Jen is def guilty. I think she's setting up a 'How could Jen betray me?' performance come late season 3. Utah Lydia thinks she is so slick in her pivots, and it is the most obvious thing ever! She really is superficial, money-obsessed and social-climbing, the epitome of a fairweather friend who will dump you the second your life becomes less than Instagram-Perfect. And in the context of RH, it is really fun to watch.

Agreed. There is SO MUCH going on in these Miami episodes (even Larsa trying to sell her 2003-esque McMansion). Many of the women are showing us everything, and it creates a multi-faceted character. Like a well-handled soap, this cast of seven (not five) have individual, well-paced storylines. Even those with not as much going on in episode 3 (like Guerdy, maybe) look like they will be popping off in ep. 4. There is also an intensely feminine energy among this group, and not just with the fashions (which are on-point BTW). Also something about Miami, its color and vibrancy, its heat, its Cuban/Latin America vibe, its glitz, its famewhores, its dark side and shady money (the city was pretty much built on coke trafficking in the 80s) -- there is such a sense of place in this franchise. Alexia is the undisputed queen of this season thus far. I mean, we are about to meet her dead husband's male lover who may or may not have been there when Herman passed! Or at least we will hear about the convo later. I can totally understand Alexia wanting to reach out, understand this hidden part of Herman's life and find closure. Given that what Herman went through, Alexia's dad did too, adds a layer of understanding and acceptance on Alexia's part. Julia is surprising me. I thought she'd give us very little, but she AND Martina show some of their life in a very unforced way. For all the fame and accumulated wealth Martina might have, she and Julia live a pretty normal, non-glitzy, countryfied life. Julia is not hiding how she feels about Adriana. This isn't an innocent flirtation, this is on the cusp of becoming an emotional affair, and Martina senses it. An unexpectedly fascinating SL where we are all wondering where this will progress. This cannot end well for Julia -- she basically said that she and Martina do NOT have an open relationship. Vixen Adriana strikes again! I can only add an AMEN to your assessment of Larsa. This was her problem in Season 1, and this is her problem now. There was never anything there-- she is just about her Kardashian-lookalike looks and it is all surface and feels played out. She is basically a human doll (and Lisa better watch out, because 'my husband's best creation' suffers from Aging Pretty Doll Syndrome, too). Yes, I definitely see the delusional in Jen. She is playing up this story that the Feds have got it all wrong and she has been accidentally implicated in Stuart's business life. And yet Stuart was HER assistant (not the other way around)! As Mary rightly pointed out, the Feds would not make a move unless they had a lock-tight case, so I think we all know deep down that Jen Shah is up to her neck in this fraud. Her lack of accountability I find troubling -- in the same way that I found Erika's troubling. Erika was a narcissist who thought she could keep people guessing AND keep all her money. Jen Shah is all those narcissistic qualities as well, she just presents better on TV. Unlike Erika, she is also working hard not to threaten her co-stars when they bring it up onscreen! More than once the last two episodes, it crossed my mind that Jen is about to turn Fed's evidence: give them all the info which implicates Stuart and reduce her sentence in the process. This could explain why she seems to be riding this horse the way she has been. I thought Mary gave great advice to Jen, and if Jen was smart, she'd take it, because it was the unvarnished truth. Mary can see how unconvincingly Jen is coming across.

For me, SLC is not about friendships, it is about alliances. And in that way, it really resembles BH -- just with more comedy. And when it becomes about alliances, it becomes about how quickly you can throw somebody under the bus in order to ally yourself with someone more popular and powerful. A lesson Jen is learning extraordinarily quickly when it comes to her former self-proclaimed 'bestie,' Lisa Barlow. Or, as I like to call her, UTAH LYDIA. Utah Lydia thinks she is being slick with all these women (and the audience). Sadly, she is outmanoeuvred at every turn -- and by the Bad Weather twins, no less, never mind big players like Jen Shah and Mary! She really is the world's dumbest villainess -- and I confess I am loving every second of her bumbling from one lie to another. When Utah Lydia thought she could convince the audience (and Jen) that she is a ride-or-die loyal friend, even though she is avoiding her calls and about to block her number? LMAO! This chick has no shame. Then we had that fake acting where she begged Meredith not to leave because she only feels safe with Meredith around? Utah Lydia would be a lot more convincing if she didn't keep glancing over at the camera to make sure it got the shot. Speaking of villanesses and constantly glancing at the camera -- Jen. I wish I could love her as you do, but I think Jen is pretty awful. I don't think she has any remorse for what she has done, and I don't buy her tears. She is crying about possibly missing her son's graduation? Whose fault is that? (Hint: not the Feds). I agree that unlike Erika, she is doing all the right things when it comes to the Court of Public Opinion. Head covered demurely as she prays behind Coach, surrounded by her sons. She is more entertaining to watch than Erika Girardi, largely because Erika has zero sense of humor about herself, and Jen does. What is also interesting to me at that Pho dinner was that everybody except for Meredith and Mary were throwing each other under the bus in order to impress on Jen what great friends they are to her and what awful friends everybody else is. That is CRAZY to me! That Jen Shah still wields power in this group, and when she turns up at the dinner, everybody starts jostling for her attention This may also be why Meredith left in disgust -- she realised what fairweather friends all these hoes actually are. Just when I think Mary is this little, sad girl lost, she shows up at the dinner and speaks lucid common sense about Jen, and to her face. And to Whitney, and to Jennie. These women are terrified of Mary, and it's not just the cult rumors. It is the fact that Mary knows how to read and expose them -- with the truth. I've warmed to Heather this season after her disastrous reunion performance, but her efforts to show Jen what a good friend she is feels performative. It's like this is part of her brand, to be the loyal BFF. It's like she wants people to SEE just how good a friend she is. But at the same time, I feel like she is dropping these hints about Jen not being innocent, being guilty in fact, and it is so smoothly done and under the radar... I think she is setting up for some kind of Betrayed Friend role in season 3 or 4. Whitney is so thirsty to stir the point but, as you say, she could learn a trick or five from Ashley Darby. And here is another one smug in the delusion of her own smarts. In that sense, she and Utah Lydia are evenly matched. Jennie threw Meredith and Mary under the bus this episode, and that says to me that Jennie is not here to make friends either. I **LOVE** Karlyn, though! I agree with @Chris B -- you NEED to watch Miami! You and he are the top two on this thread who love this franchise to pieces. Not everybody got RHOM when it was first screened, but you guys did. I am semi-obsessed with Miami at the moment -- IMO it is THE Real Housewives highlight of my week and I am about to jump onto it right now. It really is That Good.

True. South Africa's population may have stronger immunity from their Delta wave (if they caught it) because it happened more recently than our vaccination rollouts in the northern hemisphere. So some may have relatively higher immunity compared with our waning levels. This is why the booster is so important. I hope so, too, because this thing is noticeably more contagious.

Indeed. I am holding out hope that this will be a much milder 'flu' variant than its predecessors (especially given that my younger brother has it), but we won't really know until maybe the end of the month and going into January. Hopefully 🤞 the number of hospital admissions and deaths stays low, even as infections rise. For reference: median population age in South Africa (2020) = 27.6 years. Western Europe = 43.9 years. UK = 40.4 years. US (2019) = 38.1 years.

Um...

I'm excited. And perhaps one day Andy could address the whole 'We DoN't cOnDoNe ViOlEnCe' thing with Jersey like he does with Potomac.

Omicron is spreading like wildfire in Western Europe. It is already the dominant variant in London and, according to my family in NY, they are worried about this happening in NYC soon. Omicron literally came upon us with a quickness (my brother tested positive for Covid, as did some other people I know -- all people who are ultra-careful with masking and mingling). I am shocked at how rapidly it has hit. This Irish radio skit kind of sums up what's happening here:

Oh yes, those opening shots were a mixed bag for sure LOL. Teresa has real difficulty processing and expressing her feelings. So she buries them. After the Table Toss, she probably felt like she had to 'play' this comedic, OTT role even as her personal life was falling apart. The Italian concept of bella figura -- always putting on your best face in public, even when things are going south -- played into that. And then there was the betrayal by her brother and Melissa, a betrayal that still cuts deep. I give her props for working non-stop and eking some advantage from filming 11 seasons of RHONJ, even though she admitted that none of them had been happy. I appreciate what Cynthia offers, even if she is more introverted than most RHs, and felt for her when she talked about being isolated from Kenya especially and not connecting with the other women. I kind of wish she was returning to RHOA. Segueing to Kyle, I thought that was a mean little comment about her and C not being close because "Cynthia isn't all that fun." Peak Kyle. If you are fun to party with, she is all into it, but once you become 'boring,' she moves on to someone else. This sums up her relationship with LVP: she 'loved' her when it was all fancy events (and opportunities to do her splits party trick). However, she had no use for Lisa when the friendship demanded a deeper loyalty. This is why I cannot warm to her or Melissa: it's all surface and never loyal. Ramona and Kenya are more complex individuals, and that is probably why they fascinate. I can see the vulnerability with Ramona, but I just wish she would look at her behaviour (set in stone on film!) and ask herself 'What if I evolved my behaviour to get a different, better outcome?' Ramona could be the Janet Roach of RHONY with a little more self-realisation.

RHUGT Housewives in da island behbeh! Oh, how I will miss that addictive opening song which must have taken all of 15 seconds to write! Kenya won me over this trip -- until she dismissed Cynthia's attempts to talk to her about how she was being treated. This was the saddest thing to me, seeing Cynthia walk out of Kenya's room, her heart hardening, as she exited the RH franchises knowing that the genuine friendship she had might have been a relationship of convenience for Kenya. Teresa, too, won me over -- underneath the tough, grumpy, neanderthal exterior is a !@#$%^&*] cat. Kyle and Melissa are exactly as they appear on their shows: fun to party with, but but with an underlying manipulative and untrustworthy edge. The sun must be setting on Ramona's time on these shows. RHUGT was not her best look, and as time went by, she became less indispensable to the drama. Thank you for the head's up. It's on my Prime video account and I've watched half of the first episode. It feels weird to watch because I was SO tuned into Giner and Lydiot, but Foxtel have amped up the production aspect and it almost feels like the launch of an entirely new Australian franchise. I will keep at it.

RHOM I've been behind on current RH shows because.... I've been watching Season 2 Miami. I know I should have been watching Fancy Pants on OC, but all I wanted was to catch up on the old Miami group! Honestly, Season 2 was better than I remembered. On my first watch, I thought it had too much filler (and I still think Purveyors of Pop were mediocre producers). But I was so damn wrong! I was hooked from beginning to end, and even Joanna was watchable. I still think there was too much of her dominating the season, and she and Romain were so incompatible, they should never have married. As for the first episode of SEASON FOUR (!!!), I was so excited and it did not disappoint! --Like you all, I just do not understand Peacock's choices for RH and FOH with this cast. There is NO WAY Adriana and Marysol should not be holding a mojito. I can only surmise that they hesitated to show more of their private lives and relationships. --Las Cubanas and Adriana are messy, snooty, fascinating QUEENS as far as I am concerned. While S2 RHOM was obsessed with showing Joanna and Lisa ad nauseum, it was the Alexias, Marysols, Anas, Adrianas and Karents who were the most alluring to me. --Loved the Mama Elsa voiceover at the beginning, and the reminder of the joie de vivre and common sense she brought to the show. --Adriana will always be the epitome of sultry femininity with her unexpected talents (art, 5 languages, classical piano), her no-holds-barred shadiness and pot-stirring, and just the way she holds herself. I miss her black hair, though. Oh snap! As for the wealth part... Adriana was never the wealthy one on RHOM, just the pot-stirring drama queen. As an art dealer, that field is either feast or famine, and in S1 Lea pointed out that she and her son were sleeping on the floor of the gallery because Adriana could not afford a place to live. Adriana relied on the kindness of friends (Lea) but then bit the hand that fed her. Frederic her ex was a well-regarded urban designer, comfortably off, but not crazy wealth. So I imagine Adriana's lifestyle is fine, but it may not be Gucci and Ferraris all day long. Queen Alexia has always been a RH MVP in my eyes and single-handedly carried Season 3 when all the other (wedding/fertility) SLs were bombing. Her life is pure telenovela drama, and when you think about it, she never hides from the ugly truth and always puts it out there. She was in a recent doc about the Colombia-Miami cocaine kingpins of the 80s and 90s, because of her first husband, but of course we RH fans already knew this story from the first three seasons of RHOM. The Herman rumors were around back then, too, but having her confirm it just makes me appreciate her upfront nature. Nice to see Frankie again. Like @Cheap21, I wondered if her new guy bats for both teams, but hey, Alexia seems happy. 1,000% agree with both of you. Lisa was fine in Season 2 -- as part of an ensemble cast. She was a Womp-Womp in Season 3, though, and I never understood the hard-on Bravo seemed to have for her (well, I think I know why ). Did she ever actually deliver some juicy SLs? --Lenny and his 'emotional affair' says a lot. As for fembot -- all the botox/fillers/face-lifts are edging her into Adrienne Maloof/Cat-Face Lady territory. --Larsa didn't bother me quite as much as I thought, cuz she was horrendous in S1. I still think she's a Kardashian lookalike and nothing to offer beyond that, but let's see. Already, she and Adriana are establishing a much-needed frenemyship. --The Newbies: Love Guerdy. As soon as she spoke, I knew she was a French speaker, and it turns out she is part of the Haitian diaspora, just like another G -- Garcelle. Her fashion looks great, too. Julia was more interesting than I expected. That clip as Miss USSR was amazing, and Martina is a living legend. Nicole: not sure what to make of her yet.

Terri should get on her knees and thank Ramona for mistaking her for an actual Real Housewife. I have never seen anybody as desperate as John McCain's Mellentrap's Daughter to get back on BH (and, yes, I'm also taking Brandi into account!). Every week Reality Tea posts another 'exclusive' from her. And every week they use the same 'face like a slapped arse' screenshot.

This is also why it works for me and why I'm watching. Honestly, I'm interested to see where Smug Carrie and some of the characters go from here. And interesting what you point out, that SJP is as oblivious and self-involved as her character is.

Peloton sure turned that around fast!

Totally. The real-life beef between the two came to light after Parker decided to perform her 'niceness' on social media when Cattrall lost her brother, and Cattrall told her to stop using her family's painful time to shine her own halo. And now we have a story where Samantha stopped speaking to all the women 'for no apparent reason,' but Carrie is sending her messages every week. Because Carrie is Nice, can't you see how nice Carrie is being?, and Samantha is Mean. The SL is all about SJP's hurt feeeelings after Cattrall shut her down. S1 was grittier and more real, that's for sure. Candace Bushnell wrote anthropologically about the cut-throat NY dating world, with men and women belonging to different 'tribes' (modelizers, wannabe suburban couples, etc). Many episodes were directed by female-focused directors like Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan) and Nicole Holofcener. The show eventually evolved into a soap opera with comedic elements (which obvs I have no problem with), but then devolved into a Cinderella fantasy featuring Carrie and her shoe collection. Bwah! BTW, have we mentioned how the character of Susan Sharon ("Am I the only one who remembers how shitty he was to her?") is supposedly based on Dorinda Medley of RHONY fame and her first marriage? Candace Bushnell and Dorinda have been friends for some years.

Time does stand still for old folks, lol. I liked that AJLT acknowledges how out-of-touch and sheltered they might be with the current shifting environment. Hindsight is 20/20, of course, and back in the mid-90s, sexual (and gender) politics were not as evolved. In its early years, SATC did open up and normalise discussion about sex and relationships, though. LOL yes Che was a cipher for wokeness, a subject which Michael Patrick King is obviously preoccupied by. But there is a scene in ep 2 with Miranda where I thought Sara Ramirez brought some nuances to the characterisation. Miranda used to get some of the awkward-sex SLs but is now getting the awkward-race/gender-relations SL. After the passive-aggressive abuse Cattrall received from cast and MPK two years ago, I thought Bitsy's "Sexy sirens in their 60s are still viable there!" quip was spiteful. Especially as the main actresses are pushing 60 themselves. The show tried to make up for it by acknowledging what Samantha meant to the show, that she was gone and it was a loss for the audience. However, on reflection, it is framed as 'Samantha hurt Carrie's feelings!' -- even though Carrie's the one who fired Samantha as her PR. It is hard not to see SJP's narrative of Cattrall being mean to her when she reached out as being transposed onto this storyline. Stanford has changed the most as a character. Was he always this obsessed with his image?

@Taoboi yes a mini-not-lockdown lockdown is happening here, and it's a long, messy and ultimately boring story, but it brought back memories of last winter, and I'm so exhausted by this effing pandemic! I just want to feel gratitude for this season and celebrate meaningful friendships, and this announcement kind of blindsided me! But that's life, I guess. I promise to catch up soon. I saw half of the first episode of OC, and Heather and her house were spectacular! Was also very pleased to see messy ole Terry, lol. It felt like old times. At least we have some good episodes of this, RHUGT, Miami and SLC to catch up on! I am grateful for that! Family Karma S2 was sweet and life-affirming. I thought the producers did a great job of introducing this world to us, and the cast did amazing in opening up their life to the audience. Miami is such a glitzy, scandalous, shady city! I have hopes for this reboot.

They kind of make up for it by having the women miss Samantha and her presence being felt in other ways. So it's not all petty nastiness. I think the aspect I have enjoyed most in the first two episodes is these 55 year old women having lived rarefied lives but now coming to terms with new realities and rules and a world changing around them. I appreciate that they are wearing their age as a badge of honor too. I have a feeling that Carrie is going to be confronted with finances soon. Just my speculation.

I'm so behind on RHs... and now we have a mini-not-lockdown here and I'm so bummed about it! Its beginning to look a lot like last Christmas. 🤪 On the upside, RHUGT to cheer me up. But I am dreading seeing the end of Cynthia and Kenya's friendship. Yes Queen Alexia! Right at the top where the Drama Queen belongs. I think they should have added Adriana at the end saying "You didn't think I wouldn't show up when they played My Song, did you?"

Apart from that bitchy aside about Samantha going to London because 60 year old vixens are acceptable there (!), I thought it was really great. 👍 First two episodes were exactly what I needed. I love Sara Ramirez's character Che!