Cat

They've delayed filming RHOA because even Bravo admits the show needs some retooling. I think the first thing they should 'retool' is that uninspired, mediocre production company producing dull, wafer-thin fare for the past four seasons! Also, as soon as the Porsha-Simon engagement broke, Bravo cameras should have sped over there to start filming that mess and the rest of the cast's reactions to it. Sit outside Simon's garage, get Falyn to comment, all of it. But they wanted to give their precious princess Space, Prayers and Privacy During This Difficult Time and keep her happy for the spinoff, so the rest of us must now wait. 😄 I don't mind the wait -- as long as they get RHOA right.

BH was filler, but good-natured and relatively non-toxic filler (including Erika over-hearing Garcelle/Sutton/Rinna). Plus I needed a break from Bamboozle baring her teeth at Sutton. I liked Crystal the most this episode. She showed some of herself, and she exposed Rinna's manipulations on the bathing-suit front. The irony is that Crystal has an absolutely stunning 90s Baywatch Babe body and is naturally gorgeous. She was also a good sport. This episode was a turning point in that almost everybody was bitching about Erika in their VTs. Sutton saying NOTHING when Erika was being fake-nice suggests that Sutton knows the tide has turned. A few weeks prior, the cast would have fallen into Bamboozle's arms, sobbing in relief, like "OMG thank you for forgiving me!" Also the astounding amount of make-up on Erika's face -- I can't. She's been trying to channel Norma Desmond all season. Is there any Erika Chahoy Girardi left? Or are these melodramatic personas filling some kind of narcissistic/self-hating void? The role-playing Alters are the reason why no-one in the audience believes anything she is saying. Speaking of lewks -- I am beyond over 'Fashionista' Dorit. Her 10th nose isn't doing it for me, nor is the hair -- the dark roots with the bright blonde look ugly and unkempt, and those two long bangs on either side of her face are awful, too. Rinna looked great with her hair glossily slicked back. That's all I got. Garcelle's "Never have I ever stolen" -- I gasped. You know The Coven will jump on that at Reunion. "GaRcElLe WaS sO MeAn!!!!" Kandi and Kenya really exposed the heavy PR work that goes into making Porsha viable on RHOA, and that was an eye-opener for me. The Simon/Falyn mess doesn't help, because it looks like P's trying to white-wash her gold-diggery and husband-stealing (yes, I know Falyn and Simon were 'having problems' blah blah -- not a great excuse to come between them). Plus I wanted to see Thirstay Simon revel in the infamy on RHOA! You know he wanted to. But Porsha was too afraid of being called out. She cannot handle it. Trust that Pursuit of Porsha is going to be ultra-scripted, cutesy BS, aka Just Two Crazy Kids in Love. I'm not really interested in that -- unless by 'love', we mean Porsha in love with Hobbit's bank account. That's not to say I haven't enjoyed Porsha's comedic timing and her journey. What I didn't enjoy was the favoritism and endless propping, to the detriment of the other women and the show itself. It's no coincidence that Porsha became RHOA's star player at a time when the show was in noticeable decline (seasons 10-13). Nene was on the outs and no threat. Cynthia and Kandi = passive bystanders. Kenya was in and out and, anyway, she's the anti-heroine. The newbies were a revolving door. Porsha benefitted from RHOA losing its lustre so she could shine brighter.

Since that is unlikely to happen, here you go. You are most welcome.

Real Housewives of Atlanta tea. Porsha likely not returning... but Nene might get a Jill Zarin cameo: https://www.lovebscott.com/exclusive-real-housewives-of-atlanta-casting-is-finally-taking-shape-with-our-two-new-ladies-some-past-peaches

Kyle's been waiting a while to trot out her old LVP impression. That was one hell of a rehearsed read, and I notice she didn't fully deny the allegation, lol. Oh, Kyle. You tried. Also we got some RH 'Ultimate Girl Trip' tea: Still no release date though:

Agree, especially with the bolded. Something has to give. That old ki-ki-ki sisterhood (even when they were saying the most awful things to each other) is fading. Some of the cast feel like co-workers only now. I just hope Karen isn't one to go just yet! Ashley's pot-stirring light has been hidden under a bushel of babies, but I'm ready for it to emerge. Ashley instigates like no other (Gizelle and Robyn only wish!). And seeing Candiace driven into a blind rage by Ashley's mere presence is worth the price of admission. Last season, as much as I hated Wendy targeting Karen, I felt like there was more spontaneity in her game. This year, everything feels much more rehearsed, as if Wendy is terrified of being left out there without a script. Somewhere along the way, Wendy lost her confidence, especially to think on her feet and react spontaneously, and now she feels a bit robotic. Speaking of 'acting like she thinks a RH would act'... Mia. I think she is one and done, too. She's doing the assignment, I guess, but it's like she read the Real Housewives handbook and is ticking boxes on a To Do list. Her social media game came unglued this week when she tried to come for Askale and Askale ended her with ease. The mother convo is becoming repetitive, too -- her mom is now coming into every scene knowing that her bad parenting is going to come up. I would start declining that invite! Robyn isn't even trying to hide the fact that she is here to spur things on behalf of production. The picking on Wendy is just unnecessary and cruel now, and it makes me Team Wendy. Robyn is bending over backwards to make this new 'feud' with Wendy turn into a thing.

I hear that Vyle and Andy spent the rest of the episode cackling about how irrelevant LVP is -- despite the fact that LVP made Camille's allegation go viral. These two losers always fall back on 'LVP the villain' when they need to deflect. Kyle's face when she finally clocked that Andy was shading her. 😄

Y&R's iconic cues are, for me, the Gold Standard in background music. You can hear the complex arrangement, the first-class orchestration in all these clips. It was on a cinematic level and IMO part of Y&R's DNA. So integral to the show was this music that (like NYC in Sex & the City), I would class it as an additional character. As I've said before on this board, Bill Bell's prior work before soaps as a Chicago adman brought him into contact with (then) new concepts of human psychology. He imbued his writing of characters with this understanding. Recognizing that a person's psychology can be unspoken or even subconscious, Y&R's use of music in its first 30 years was meant to 'fill the gap' -- touch on a person's mental or emotional state that the dialogue might not fully reveal. This is illustrated so perfectly by the score @Dionposted, especially the creepy, ghostly, music-box cue that starts at 0.39. The tension it evokes! Goosebumps. I always associated this music with a character contemplating going mentally rogue. Like when Lisa locked Brad in that cage. This theme especially (but a lot of other Y&R cues) seems very influenced by the great John Barry and his seminal music for the James Bond films. John Barry was a genius at evocative incidental music, so Y&R's composers were borrowing from the best. I will never forgive JFP for trashing these great compositions and replacing them with her signature one-dimensional, generic crap tapped out on a Casio keyboard.

I appreciate that she never sugar-coated her marriage with Peter or the money problems/anxieties tied up with that. I always felt that Cynthia showed us pretty much who she really is, and for that I am grateful. Cynthia was both a complex, reserved person and someone who did put it out there -- without making a song and dance about how she was putting it out there. If anything, the problem in recent years has been production. With the change in production crews in S10, the drama has become much more contrived and script-y (as opposed to the largely organic stuff which basically reached an unsustainable crescendo in S9). There is more filler and fluff, and in that environment, Cynthia slipped into a Greek Chorus role, which eventually set the stage for her removal because she 'doesn't bring it enough.' Again, I view this as production's uninspired over-producing, rather than Cynthia's fault. When Cynthia divorced Peter, she appeared on a Daytime talk show and cut a forlorn figure citing the end of another relationship. She said that maybe she wasn't built for marriage or even another relationship, and maybe she was better off by herself. She did not seem to think she would meet anybody again. She laid it all out very matter-of-factly, not self-pityingly at all, but I really felt for her. I'm so glad she eventually met someone she connects with. Even though she is leaving RHOA, it sounds like she is stepping into a fulfilled personal life. I hope she gets some worthwhile projects too. What? No excitement about Pursuit of Porsha? 😄

Potomac I'm not crazy about Wendy's Little Bo Peep act either this season. However, on last night's episode, Robyn and Gizelle specifically pushed for a reaction from her. And they got one. Like Candiace, they cannot cry wolf everytime they purposely go after someone. And speaking of Candiace, she's got a face full of salad coming her way. Her comments about Mia's mom were spiteful. It's not Mia's fault Ms Dorothy is uber-thirsty for camera time. Karen: "Whats that tent? They doing Covid testing?" 😄 @DaytimeFan Yass LVP and Camille! Expose her! I'm still laughing at the DM saying that LVP 'reluctantly admits' it was Kyle all along. All the way back at Andy's baby shower, huh. Revenge is a dish best served icey cold!

Cynthia is gracious to the end. Some people may be thrilled that she's gone, but she was there for so long, she was like an anchor on the show (in a good way). We saw Noelle grow up, and Peter and hunky Leon. She had authentic ties to the rest of the cast and those forged relationships are IMO worth their weight in gold on the RH shows. She will leave a big gap. RHOA needs far better newbies because the past few years, nobody has really stuck and it's been turnover, turnover, turnover. Agreed. She and Kandi really are the unofficial OGs.

Four parts? That's an awful lot of questions for Erika. Because, let's face it, Sutton v Crystal, Dorit trying it with Garcelle, and Hunky Dory would not fill 4 parts. BH has had an amazing season overall, but it lucked out with the Fall of the House of Girardi for sure. Otherwise it might have been another season of fake Instagram life/let's focus on the petty to avoid talking about what's really going on. I hear they start filming in a week. Already, Rinna has her SL for the new season, fighting with Sutton about who invited whom to Elton John's charity gala. Bravo probably wants to feature the ongoing Girardi implosion too. What do you think, @Taoboi? Is four parts too much? I remember ATL did it in S9, and parts 3 and 4 were very memorable, but parts 1 and 2 were forgettable.

Patronizing! That was the word I was looking for. They were lording Garcelle's vulnerability over her. And I did notice the look on Sutton's face when Dorit went to hug Garcelle, lol. OMG you are so right about Kathy and Bobby Fischer. Splits only wishes. Regarding the Peacock show #2. This is the casting motherlode, as far as I'm concerned, and as near to a perfect cast as Bravo could possibly hope for. I would bring pretty much all of these women back to their original shows. Actually, I have two caveats -- I might move Brandi and Taylor to the OC, as Taylor lives there now, and Brandi... Brandi does not live in BH, ok! Brandi and Tamra also have a years-long rivalry which they seem to have put aside for the purpose of needling Shannon (see the Tres Amigos post below). Also, Vicki and Tamra went to NYC today -- rumor is, to meet up with Gina and Heather Dubrow who are also in NYC!

It is indeed Shady Phae Phae, presumably in some kind of disguise. Ironically, everyone else looks pretty much exactly the same as on their respective shows!

Most of the RH shows have an element of Survivor to them, with newbies (and OGs) undergoing a trial by fire within the group. Weirdly, as toxic as NJ could get, its group battles usually felt the most organic and grounded in that North Jersey suburban world. BH has gone full scripted game-show with these eerily silent dinners where overdressed participants stare each other down until someone summons up the courage to attack a chosen target and break them repeatedly. It's full-on creepy, and the forced hugging afterwards is fake AF, heals no wounds and resolves nothing. The Coven will remain The Coven and Garcelle has absolutely not been embraced by them (not that I would ever want her part of that seventh circle of hell). Besides the platform of the show itself, I have to wonder what the upshot is to having Kyle, Kyle's workout buddy, Rinna, Dorit and Erika as your pretend besties.

BH The Coven gang-up on Garcelle was just as awful as anticipated. I cannot imagine how Smirking McSplits, Rinna Ghoul and Grifter Gucci thought this would play well for them. It was sickening watching them try to win some audience points afterwards with the performative hugging of Garcelle. Rinna running up to tell G "it's gonna be ok" was cringeworthy. WTF does she mean? Like @DaytimeFan said, it was like a cult embracing a new recruit after initiation. Or a gang, after a newbie has been forced to bloody their hand after proving loyalty. I see you also, Kathy. Speaking of performative, Erika in her ridiculous white eyeshadow. She has zero in her bank account she said, so wtf is she paying her glam in? Erika Jayne tickets? I'm so sick of this chick. I thought with all the Tom sh!t coming out, we would finally be seeing the real Erika. But all this victimhood feels like a big ole performance. Nothing coming out of her mouth sounds remotely authentic. All I see is her Greatest Bamboozlement. Sutton in a wheelchair with her effed-up foot was a joy. This was also the most fun we've seen Garcelle have in a cast trip.

Lil Kim has entered the chat! And so has Slurinda, by the looks of that photo.

That smile after he said it too. 👀 He knew what he was saying! Honor among thieves... ETA: The video has now been deleted. Here is the PageSix source: https://pagesix.com/2021/09/23/tom-girardi-seemingly-implicates-erika-jayne-in-legal-battle/?utm_source=P6Instagram&utm_medium=Native&utm_campaign=Native&crl8_id=a1d7c61d-e428-485f-a3a0-54d52ccc2fc3

Yikes. I am almost afraid to watch today. 👀 More acting or...?

That's probably true, especially in hindsight (heck, it was cheesy back then!), but I have a fondness for this story. Yes, the prince of Morocco lived in some Arabian Nights alternate universe and in that sense it was offensive with regards to the realities of the Mahgreb/Middle Eastern world. However, one thing I appreciated about it was the sympathetic light it cast upon Prince Omar (played by Indian actor Kabir Bedi) and his kind, loyal adviser Mustafa. While Taylor was boohoo-ing over Ridge, and a newly-married Ridge & Brooke were shagging around 'Morocco' (approximately 0.2 seconds after Taylor went missing -- the Ridge penis can never be left unattended, ever!), Omar and Mustafa were actually the stand-up guys in this whole mess. Omar was in love with Taylor, but it was unrequited. If I recall correctly, Hunter Tylo had taken time off in 1994 to do a mini-series called The Maharaja's Daughter with Bruce Boxleitner (now there's an 80s blast from the past) and Kabir Bedi. B&B wanted to capitalize on that mini-series so the show brought Bedi in for this SL arc.

Candiana Grande probably has the best/most technically proficient voice of all the Singing HWs. The mv itself gave me Destiny's Child/early-2000s RnB vibes. It looks professional and choreographed (even with the shoe-horning of her cast-mates and mom at the end), and it got uploaded onto Vevo's platform, too. Congrats, Candiana! Wendy's solo dance at the very end, not to mention DIRECTED BY CHASTITY CORSET, took me out. 😄 Coffee & Love was also a bop, just saying

I'm not sure how this ride is going to go, or if RC is able to sustain this SL effectively. However, right now, I can say that watching Doug on Friday's episode was a mix of anticipatory chills and laughs at watching him be naughty. It was so fun that I'm ready to embark on this! It's been a while since soaps were actively entertaining and not just going through the motions. It feels like a heightened level of investment from not just cast and production, but also the network, the media, and fans. BH did great in definitively kicking this SL off and (his age pertaining, of course) I hope we get to see more of DougDevil trolling various Salemites. As a viewer, it's like 'Why am I kind/sorta/not really/but yes I am, rooting for him?'

The trailer had me fooled. It was going through the same old soap fodder (wedding, young wuv, somebody doing it on a table -- taking me back to the Titan boardroom circa 1993). Then Doug showed up with the demon eyes and I was like YESSS. I didn't even like the possession the first time around (I felt it would be too outlandish for a soap, lol) but I am down with revisting this.

Don't get me wrong, I actually don't want to see any of the OGs go. But there does seem to be a growing groundswell of 'get rid of them' on social media. We forget, perhaps, the ability of Luann, Ramona and Sonja to reinvent themselves during the HeatherCaroleAviva years. They went on a journey with their changing lives and relationships, and so did we. If that Daily Mail article was anything to go by, Eboni has had quite an interesting life in the Manhattan firmament -- Fox News -- and she pissed off some people over there. A possible Republican voter who may have switched allegiances. Lawyer, obvs. Girlfriend of a mega-rich divorced banker with an estate in New Jersey (the apartment she was living in on the show was part of the Four Seasons and seemed to have been financed by him). This is all juicy (to me), and in a non-pandemic environment might have come out on the show. My own personal judgment is still out on Leah's contribution (she's not my fave, tbh, but not my most hated either). But I can see that people here are sick to death of her and that may be reason enough to let her go. BH *REALLY* lucked out with the Fall of the House of Girardi. It could have been curtains for BH's ratings if we had to face yet another season of scripted BS. The controversy over Crystal's ugly leather pants would not have sustained 18 episodes. (The influence of Erika in pushing a template of glam-squadded, empty-talking, scripted fakery has been so damaging to BH and the other franchises generally IMO). Is Luann due for a Europe-based run in with the Swiss Police? Could she hit West Palm Beach for another tour of the city jail? Will Ramona be at Mar-a-Lago when feds (with body cam) show up to arrest somebody over there? One can only hope. 🤔

Bravo is likely mulling over some possibly seismic changes, and I hope those made will not hurt the show any more than it already has been. On the one hand, they could call it a Covid anomaly of a season and keep it moving with the current cast, Dorinda, Tinsley and a newbie. On the other hand, might this season be a sign of deeper problems? Have the three OGs run their course? And could Leah and Eboni even take over the RHONY mantle? They were very poorly received this season, which mostly played to Ramona's benefit. RHONY has revamped before and IMO that revamp was a stunning success. Bravo got rid of the toxicity (Jill, Kelly, Cindy) and embraced the fun and the glamorous (Heather, Carole, Aviva). Pitting the shocked 'normal' newbies against the weathered, crazy OGs was a match made in heaven. Can it do so again, I wonder. Bethenny won't come back, but i'm not sure the show needs Bethenny to succeed. If they want to keep the current cast, I'd go cap in hand to Heather again and give her an apple. Heck, I'd do the same with Aviva and Carole if I could. That's how desperate I would be to recapture some RHONY magic. The problem is, RHONY also needs some newbie magic. Women with some nutty charisma, who are friends with each other and willing to show their life. I hope Bravo has some good scouts (Bethenny claimed credit for finding Aviva and Leah, if I recall correctly). Finally, RHONY needs a break away from the cameras. Time heals. By the time this season rolled around, many viewers who had turned on Dorinda were ready to welcome her back. Perhaps that will be the case here with this cast. They could start the first episode with a montage of all the Daily Mail headlines pitting the cast against each other, so that the viewer knows The Group is Divided. If I had to speculate on any cuts, I'd say Luann right now. But any one on the cast could get cut, as you say. And that's what's scary because it never used to be the case that everyone on RHONY was completely expendable.