From Carly Hall

Posted on August 18, 2012 by LynnNChicago

Though terribly saddened by the sudden passing of my friend, Lynn Hudson, it is an honor to be able to post on her blog today. I know that many of you visit this website with frequency and have made lasting friendships as a result. It is for you that I wanted to eulogize Lynn and for you that I will take the opportunity to speak with a candor that she would not have allowed me in life.

Apparent to those that knew her best, but for me to discover later, was the truly kind and naive aspect of Lynn’s personality. She took to the blog daily with a school-girl enthusiasm. She was always eager to publish and receive feedback and did so with admirable consistency. I never once heard her complain about the hours the writing demanded. The blog, always in need of nurturing, had a wonderful care-giver who found her task regenerative and enjoyable.

I knew, when watching Lynn, that I would never be able to muster such discipline. I often imagined her days were much like this; Wake up! Start coffee! Write a piece! Shower! Start breakfast! Gather submissions! Wake up son for school! Make corrections! Finish breakfast! Edit pictures! Load pictures! Take a shower! Find keys! Hit “Publish,” etc. etc…..and all before a long commute that, even in traffic, must have seemed like a bit of a respite from her hectic schedule. Yet she did it everyday, happily, all the while devoting more and more of her time to figuring out how to make it better.

Lynn had established the number one destination for Bravo fans on the entire internet and was fiercely devoted to it’s integrity. This devotion led to so much more; a blog that became reality-tv central, with a queen mum who seemed to know the name of all her subjects. That analogy might see far-fetched to you, but in the many conversations I had with Lynn, I was always amazed to hear her calling readers by name, mentioning to me that this one was ill on a certain day or had lost their mother in a particular month. She would tell me who had cancer or had lost a pet. She would often say that she noticed that a reader had been silent for a few days and would wonder aloud if they were okay. She appreciated her readers in a way that was genuine and absent of ego. You were her extended family.

And what a big family it was! Never one to brag, Lynn’s readership had become immense. By joining me on my podcast, I saw numbers soar. If you wish to argue about her popularity, you simply won’t have a proverbial leg to stand on. My friend, a simple girl, had built something amazing and was lucky enough to have her friends join in. What sounds convivial, however, often is not. Disagreements became public and jealousy, as Gene Tierney said, was shown to be “the worst of all faults because it makes a victim of both parties.”

Such disagreements robbed Lynn of the joy that a creator should be able to take from their work. She was falsely accused of sending death threats and lost employment due to a vindictive cynosure. While not a perfect woman, I can say without doubt that she never did anything so grave. Her squabbles were small affairs, embraced by opportunists to heighten their own agenda. I found that her occasionally difficult disposition came mainly from wanting to maintain the integrity of a blog that she felt should be operated in a certain way. I ask each of you, would you behave any differently if LynnNchicago.com had been the result of your tireless efforts?

I was dismayed to learn that in her last days, someone was begging a former associate of Lynn’s to collaborate on a work to be published against her. This, however, paled in comparison to what I had learned only weeks earlier when I called Lynn at work, only to hear my friend sobbing, trying to talk over her tears. This, unfortunately, would be one of Lynn’s last memory of the blog and her efforts and it haunts me as I write this.

Lynn, you see, operated the blog on two things alone; love for her friends and a tiny bit of money for her efforts from Google’s Adsense. On the aforementioned day, Lynn had received notice from Google stating that she had been reported, found in violation, if you will, of some unknown rule or cloudy-clause. Not only would all funding stop, they said, but she would also not receive the monthly amount she had already earned. Money, I might mention, that she had planned to use for her son. Money she was happy to see arrive, as would you and I. The blog, it appeared, would no longer be a source of any income for her, though the amounts she had been receiving from Google were eminently small.

“Give it up!” I told her, “Who needs this bullshit?” I had seen just about enough of the personal assaults on her in social networks. I found Lynn to be fair and reasonable. She even agreed to take down a controversial blog after I made a personal appeal to her. The attacks were not fair. The blog, I argued, had become a pesky problem from which misanthropes emerged. I encouraged her to say her goodbyes.

Lynn wouldn’t hear of it. Instead, she encouraged me to consider the fun she had with the readers through the years. “Just think of the friends we’ve made,” she would say. “Think of the wonderful people I got to meet!” Lynn, through it all, proved to be nothing other than true to her claims that she was just a woman who loved Bravo and the friends that she had come to know. So devoted was she to both, that she was willing to carry on without the promise of any reward. Before her death, everything had come full-circle. She was just my friend and a blogger from the Midwest who loved her family, her friends and the occasional housewife squabble.

-Carly Hall

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LynnNChicago Million Dollar Listing / Top Chef Masters / Real Housewives News!

Posted on August 16, 2012 by LynnNChicago

LynnNChicago  

Million Dollar Listing LA Season Finale – The Drama of It All by BB

Josh A. and Heather welcome his parents and his older brother (by three years), Matt, to dinner at Josh’s house.  His dad is a sex doctor.  Josh grew up with a lot of sex talk at the dinner table.  His dad tells them nowadays everyone is walking into their doctor’s office complaining about their sex drive being down.  Josh says everyone walks into his office complaining about their property value being down. Ba Dum Chhh.
His dad says he has a friend with a house to sell in Newport Beach.  Josh and Matt agree to work together to sell the property.  On their way to look at the property, they argue about the route Josh chose to take just like brothers typically would.

At Josh Flagg’s office his intern is giving him a buzz cut while he’s sitting at his desk.  He listens to his messages and there are three from Grandma Edith. One is about having dinner, one is about some blueberries and strawberries she has at her house, and the last one asks him to call her. He finally gets a business message from his co-agent at Rancho Santa Fe.

Josh F. and Colton have dinner with Josh’s parents.  Colton tells his parents that Josh has a part time job babysitting.  Josh  knows Colton has an ulterior motive.  Colton announces to Josh’s parents that they have sort of been talking about adopting a kid.  His mom wants to know if they’re serious about it and they say yes they are seriously thinking about it, but Josh says they are not 100% sure.  His mom thinks it’s great, especially if it’s a girl.  Both his parents tell him they would be ecstatic and they will support them whatever they decide.  Josh is a little terrified about it, but lately he realizes he’s still growing as a person and he’ll have to wait and see.

Madison holds a celebration service for Rex where all his friends bring their dogs to the beach to pay their respects.  They all put on their sexy Rexy t-shirts with a picture of Rex on the front.  While Madison is talking to the group, he sees Heather walk up and momentarily stops talking.  He is overwhelmed to see Heather there and he has a lot of emotions going on.  Oh gosh, Madison’s speech about Rex brings tears to my eyes.

Heather tells Madison she knows what he’s going through and how sorry she is.  He thanks Heather for her kind e-mail and he knows it was genuine.  Madison thinks Rex’s death is responsible for good things happening.  Heather tells Madison she still cares about him and they share a hug.  Madison thinks that Heather coming was a bonus and he thanks her for not bringing Altman.

Madison and his brother take Rex’s ashes and scatter them on the rocks beside the ocean.  Excuse me while I have a little cry.

Josh A. and Heather have been seeing each other for about two years and they are getting a house together.  For now they are renting and if everything works out, they will buy.  Right now everything is going great and Josh can’t wait to see what the future brings.  It’s a pretty nice house, but I don’t hear anything about an engagement ring yet.

Lynn~ Thanks BB, Great job, I enjoyed this season even with Altman on the show.  He really is a PITA, big headed, mean jerk and while he dresses the part of a successful businessman, I would never hire that guy based on the way he talks to clients.  He is very unprofessional yet he and his brother sold an $11 million dollar home, nothing to sneeze at.

Madison managed to find his excentric demanding buyer a house to flip, it was genius since the bank was holding it, he got it for a song, finished the construction and sold it for more than double his investment.  Well done Madison!

Josh Flagg had to settle for a lease on his deal, even partnering up with a broker who lives nearby the home, this property that is a three hour ride for Josh to get to wasn’t selling at their price.

Top Chef Masters by BB

Eight chefs remain; Art, Takashi, Lorena, Clark, Thierry, Chris, Patricia, and Kerry.

The quick fire challenge is for the chefs to take ingredients from a typical salad bar and make their best salad. They only have eight minutes. The winner will win $5,000 for their charity and immunity for the elimination challenge.  Art uses a blender for his to make soup and Lorena is the only one using the grill for her cauliflower.

The guest judges for the quick fire challenge are two members of the B-52’s, Kate Pierson and Fred Schneider.  I wonder if there will be any “Rock Lobster” in any of the salads – ha, ha.  They’ve been touring for 35 years.  Boy, does that makes me feel old.  The favorite salads were Lorena’s, Thierry’s and Kerry’s.  The winner is Lorena’s cauliflower salad.  She has immunity and wins $5,000 for her charity, The Alliance for a Healthy Generation.

Louise Benson from the Hualapai Tribal Council in Arizona arrives to explain the elimination challenge.  The chefs will be preparing dishes using Hualapai native foods.  They will be serving their meal on the edge of the Grand Canyon.  They will be traveling by helicopter.  Takashi hates heights.  He can’t even change a light bulb sometimes.  They pull knives that have one vegetable and one protein printed on them.  They will be working in teams of two.  The aerial views of the Grand Canyon are beautiful and it makes you understand why the Hualapai tribe never left.  The chefs all feel humbled by the experience.  They walk on a glass horseshoe where you can look straight down into the canyon.  Even Takashi thinks it’s a great experience.

The chefs have two hours to prep their meals.  They have to prepare one course to serve family style to 24 people.  Patricia and Chris have squash and rabbit.  Art and Lorena are using quail and prickly pear.  Art says if he were straight he would marry Lorena.  They make a fun team.  Theirry and Takashi are using venison and banana yacca, which is part of the cactus plant.  Theirry has no idea what to do with that. Theirry and Takashi have known each other a long time so they make a good team.    Kerry and Clark are the most serious even though they have two of the easiest ingredients I think, corn and beef.  They don’t know each other and don’t seem to be clicking as a team.

The chefs are cooking outside and it starts to rain. Even though they have cover, they have trouble keeping their grills hot.  Chris is the only one who has figured out how to get heat from his grill.  Others come to use his grill.  Clark thinks it’s pretty awesome to be cooking in the rain at the Grand Canyon for tribal members of the Hualapai.  Art is worried that his quail may be undercooked so he covers them with foil hoping they will continue to cook.  When they have three minutes left, they notice the tribal members approaching.  Clark is worried about Kerry making his dish too fancy but he’s not going to argue with him.

Along with the Hualapai tribe members are Curtis, James, Ruth and Francis.  I’d give anything to be in their place.  It’s just totally an awesome site sitting outside and looking at the grandeur of the canyon.  Art and Lorena are talking so much about their dish, the other chefs are worried about their food getting wet and cold.  Each team explains their dishes and they will all be eaten family style at one time.

James mentions it’s the grandest place he has ever eaten a meal.  The only bad thing they say about Lorena and Art’s dish is that the quail is a little overcooked.  Everyone seems to like Takashi and Thierry’s dish except Thierry may have done better to take the outer skin off the banana yucca because it’s so bitter.  Kerry and Clark’s dish seems to be a hit but Ruth thinks they didn’t come together as a team because both components are really soft and don’t complement each other.  I didn’t really hear any negatives about Patricia and Chris’s dish.  After the meal, the chefs participated with the Hualapai in a ceremonial dance.

The critics ask to see Chris and Patricia and Takashi and Thierry.  They prepared the favorite dishes of the day.  Thierry had the hardest ingredient of all and the bitterness seemed to fit in with the dish.  The winning team is Takashi and Thierry.  They will split $10,000 for their charities.  Thierry hopes he never has to use that ingredient again.

The other two teams have to come before the critics as the least favorite dishes.  Lorena has immunity and she tells them she was rushed making her salad.  Ruth loved Lorena’s sauce, which was also used on Art’s quail.  Art’s quail was overdone and he should have split the quail.  He didn’t want to sacrifice the presentation and it may be his undoing.  Ruth didn’t like the soft textures of Clark’s and Kerry’s dishes.  James thought Clark’s corn dish was like a bland succotash.  They are sent back while the judges deliberate who should go home, Art, Clark or Kerry.  I think Lorena’s sauce on his quail may save Art.  In my opinion, it will be between Kerry and Clark, who had the easiest ingredients of all and should have had an outstanding dish.

The chef going home this week is Clark.  His partner was eliminated last week so at least they weren’t separated for long.  Clark is very gracious in his exit.

I can’t believe how fast this episode flew by.  Even if I didn’t like cooking shows, the scenic views of the Grand Canyon was worth the hour of time spent watching.  Do they give out awards for cinematography at the Emmys?  If so, Top Chef Masters should win for this episode.  Awesome.

Thanks BB, as always fantastic blog!  Top Chef Masters is such a great show!  Lynn~

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Real Housewives of New Jersey – The Blogs!

Teresa Giudice

Hi from the Jersey Shore! I’m here with my kids and hubby enjoying the last few weeks of summer. I don’t want it to end! I’m not ready for fall!

Well that sort of negates all of the stories out there that she and Joe are splitting up, doesn’t it?  All the hype is simply to bring more viewers to Sunday’s episode.

I can’t believe we were in Napa last year. Joe and I would love to go back — but with our kids. We missed them like crazy! Caroline was lucky to have her brood with her, but I guess the drama never ends with kids, no matter how old they are!

Drama = Lauren Manzo?  I’m sure that’s what she meant….

I loved surfing, even though the water was cold. I like challenging myself to do new things. I’ve never been one to just sit on the sidelines and watch. I wish everyone had come in with us! I thought the water was deeper when I jumped off my board though, which is why I landed so hard. The cold water numbed my foot, so I did wear heels afterwards, which I think made it a little worse. I was in so much pain that night, it was no joke! I think I twisted something and it was swollen, but my boots the next day were the magic cure. They were new, so they were tight, and they kept my foot from swelling any more. I was good as new then!

What a trooper!  She really was a good sport, she and Kathy were the only two women who gave surfing a shot.  It would have been nice if she gave Kathy a kudos here in her blog since she’s being accused of snubbing Kathy on the show next week.  I guess she really doesn’t like Kathy at all.

I’m glad you all got to see me and Joe and my brother and Melissa how we used to be on vacation. We used to have so much fun, goofing around and hanging out together. For years and years we had a great relationship, which is why it was so shocking and upsetting that it all fell apart last year. But you can see we’re working on fixing it.

We can see that they are all working at fixing it, it is just a shame it didn’t last very long.  We know the two families aren’t speaking to each other right now.

And yes, Melissa always was a “fondler.” She used to say I had the best ass, so she was always grabbing it.

It’s sad for me, even now, watching my friendship with Jacqueline end. We were really close for a really long time, and we never did have a fight. I really did feel that she did something to me — ambushing me with Caroline — and it hurt my feelings, but I wanted to forgive her and move on. But you can see we weren’t on the same page.

There is no way that friendship ended over that conversation on Jacqueline’s deck that night.  Whether or not Caroline just showed up to return some clothes or she was told to get over there because Teresa and Jacqueline were having this talk, I can see why Teresa would be upset but I can’t see it ending a friendship.  From Jacqueline’s perspective, these magazine covers could have and should have been brought up off screen and if Jac was truly concerned that Teresa could go to jail, you certainly don’t bring it up with the cameras rolling.  The talked on the phone every morning, why not discuss it during one of those conversations?  Again, no reason to end a long-term friendship.

I didn’t do anything to her, no specific thing she could say or I could ask forgiveness for. Her thing seems to be she just doesn’t like how I am. We can work past a thing or an event or a mean conversation, but what do you do when someone just decides they don’t like how you are? Who you are? I can’t change that. And I’m not going to change it just because Jacqueline suddenly tells me to. If she had a specific thing that hurt her, I’d be happy to stop doing it. But she just tells me I’m fake, and it’s everything. All of sudden too, after 10 years, it’s everything. It’s sad and I’ll always miss her friendship, but what can I do? I can’t change or fix “everything.”

See what I mean?  There is way more to this argument than what we’ve seen, this makes no sense.

We did have a lot more fun you didn’t see on our trip though. There wasn’t time to show everything, but we did have a big RV Cook-Off between me, Caroline, and Kathy. It was a challenge trying to cook in that tiny RV kitchen without our normal tools and ingredients, but we all pulled it off. I was slapping the steak with a big grilling spatula to try and tenderize it, Melissa was my sous chef and partner in crime. We had so much fun! Then we ran around and had people in the parking lot taste everything and decide whose food was the best. Maybe they’ll put the clip online or put it in a lost footage episode and then you can see who won. I will tell you what I made though: Steak Pizzaola (the recipe is in my first cookbook Skinny Italian – it’s my dad’s favorite and just 383 calories!) and an eggplant and tomato ciambotta which I included in my newest cookbook Fabulicious!: Fast & Fit – sooo good and just 86 calories! (Both go great with Fabellini!)

You don’t have to wait for the lost footage or an on-line clip, Teresa won!

All right, I have to get back to the beach and my girls. Love love love you all! Follow me on Twitter @Teresa_Giudice and check out my website for my appearance schedule, where to buy Fabellini and more!

Tanti Baci,
Teresa xx

Bravotv.com also posted this article about Teresa Giudice and her latest cover In Touch.

Teresa Giudice has had enough of her husband Joe’s ways, and in a bold and candid In Touch Weekly interview, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star says that unless he can change his ways, divorce is on the table. 

“If this continues, I will leave,” Teresa says in the interview hitting newsstands just days after video from their Napa trip surfaced in which Joe took a phone call from a mystery person, and when Teresa approaches him while he’s on the phone, he uttered: “Here she comes, by b—- wife.” He went on to call her a “re—-” and other names, and T has had it. 

We all know that this happened over a year ago, obviously they are still together.  This is In Touch and Bravo trying to stir up hype for the episode so that ratings will explode.

“I can’t defend him on this … I’m hurt by him and disappointed by him,” she says in the interview, adding that Joe was “so ashamed and embarrassed” having seen his behavior.

And though she says she wants to believe Joe that the person on the other line was a “worker” as he said, she’s on heightened alert. 

“I am not stupid … I will not be with him. I will totally leave him,” she insists. 

Teresa isn’t going anywhere and this argument over the phone call in Napa is long since over, obviously.

Jacqueline Laurita

Another long one from Jacqueline, the majority is her description of how she feels things went down with Teresa.

This episode had me cracking up! I couldn’t believe Vito shared his bear tattoo story with everyone. “It must have gone back in his cave?” What the…? LOL! Melissa had me laughing the most. She wasn’t joking around. You can see the panic and fear all over her face. Clearly she wasn’t going to drown in two feet of water, but I think the thought of those biting bugs at the bottom of the river sent her over the edge. It was funny to watch though. I hope she can look back now and laugh about it too.

OK, so surfing isn’t my thing. I have tried surfing before, but I really didn’t want to try to squeeze into a wetsuit at that moment in time and sharks freak me out. Don’t they come into shallow water too? I hear a lot of that lately. Yikes! No thank you. I had fun watching. Everybody finally made it up on the board that day. I was proud. I really loved to hear that compliment my husband gave me. (Bonus points for him.) I’m glad that he is happy with my body. I wish I could be, but I love to pick myself apart. I’m a confident insecure person, if that makes sense. I’m OK not being perfect and I can laugh at my faults. Maybe I just need a new mirror.

I’m convinced Chris Laurita is a good guy, we hear Joey Gorga gushing about Melissa but those simple words from Chris about his wife really said it all.

Just for the record, when I spoke about Teresa being competitive to a fault at times, I was not just talking about her surfing. Not really important anymore. Clearly there was more going on between me and Teresa than the “articles” and the other stuff you are seeing. It was discussed with Teresa during our “talk.” I also felt a whole lot of unnecessary pressure from Teresa at a time when I just couldn’t take anymore. I wasn’t in a position to take on other people’s problems, and I just needed peace around me. Like I told Teresa, had I gone after Melissa and Kathy for Teresa (the way she would have liked me to), they would have hated me by that point. And after Teresa decided to make up with them, where would that have left me besides having more added stress that I didn’t need? I know Teresa said that she got over it, but I honestly didn’t believe she did. I was hearing too many things. I honestly just wanted everyone to be open, honest, and real with each other. I wanted everyone to resolve their issues once and for all. My head couldn’t take anymore fighting around me! I was getting too worn out! I felt like I was just going to shut down. That’s one of the reasons that I got so upset with her about the Danielle thing. Teresa was finally so close to peace with her family (on camera) and I KNEW her public communication with that devil (Danielle) would start some trouble all over again. I thought she should have handled that issue in private. Even if she was faking for the camera, it still made things more pleasant for everyone. I was hoping eventually that the good times would outweigh the bad between them, and it would turn sincere. Fake it till you make it.

There is no denying that Teresa asked Jacqueline to give Melissa and Kathy the cold shoulder now, Teresa admitted it then said she got over it but I have to agree with Jacqueline here, I don’t think Teresa got over it.  I think she was hurt that her best friend wouldn’t do what she wanted her to do.  In Teresa’s eyes that was a betrayal beyond anything else.

I didn’t want to disappoint my friend, but I wanted to feel free to be who I was, and I wanted her to respect me for that. I like to find out who people are and judge them through my own experiences with them, especially people who I see so often. She knew this about me, but she still let me know how much I disappointed her in different ways. It didn’t sit well with me, but I just didn’t feel right doing the things she wanted me to. If I got involved with her fight against her family, it would have been so much more difficult and awkward for them to resolve things. It would only add more fuel to the fire. I didn’t want to be involved with that. At the same time, it hurt me to see Teresa hurting. I wanted things to get better for her. It’s also natural for me, when I see someone hurting, to offer my help. I’m a great listener and communicator, so I did feel a little shut out by Teresa in other areas, but I think I finally understand the way Teresa thinks now. I started to understand her boundaries more, and I needed to respect them. I also wanted her to respect where I was coming from.

Haven’t we been through all of this already?  We know, we get it.  Jacqueline didn’t want to go along with Teresa’s plan to snub her sister-in-law and her cousin as punishment for joining the show.  This is definitely something that Teresa felt was unforgivable.  Right or wrong, that is how she feels and nothing is going to change it.

Teresa and I both know that I never asked her about her financial situation, nor did I care to know any details of it. I was a good listener when she needed me, and I felt like I gave great advice. The times Teresa opened up to me about her grievances, they were mostly about her family. It became a little repetitive and petty after a while, so it became harder to hear at times, but I still wanted to be there for her. I was mostly concerned about the many personal, public articles that kept coming out in national magazines that she never acknowledged around us. All I knew was that Teresa told me she was putting out articles (as you saw at Jamie’s wedding), but I never knew what parts of them were true or not anymore. Some of them said scary things. Things that you would talk to your best friend about. Things I worried for her about. I figured that if Teresa took the time to share with the tabloids certain things about her life, friends, and family, which allowed many strangers to read these things and left people to speculate on what was real or not, that I just wanted the same (if not more respect) as her best friend — to hear the truths straight from the source. I just wanted to know what was real or fake, if she needed my help at all, or to know if she was really hurting or not. The thought of her suffering in silence concerned me. I wanted her to talk to me about the things she was opening up to the tabloids about. Those seemed like much more serious issues to worry about than if Melissa was copying her feather skirt or not.

OMG we went through all of this a few months back during the Jamie Laurita wedding, why is Jacqueline bringing it all up again?  We know!  Augh!

I needed to lean on Teresa as a friend at that time as well, and I felt like I wasn’t being heard or that she wasn’t concerned with what I was dealing with. When Teresa said to my face that she didn’t ask me questions because she didn’t care, that cut me very deep. I, unlike her, wanted my friends to ask questions. It feels good when someone else cares and wants to help. I think we have a different perspective on the definition of true friendship. It doesn’t make either of us wrong, just different. As much as I was trying to help Teresa, I felt like my efforts were misinterpreted and she was upset and disappointed with me more and more. It was frustrating. I wanted her to know that I had her best interest in mind, and when I didn’t agree with her on things, it didn’t mean that I didn’t love her. I just felt that there were more important things in life to worry about or focus on. 

One thing I think both ladies agree on is that Teresa failed to ask Jacqueline how she was doing and what was going on in her life.  Teresa isn’t the type to do that, she talked to Jac about her problems and the conversation is over.  That doesn’t mean Teresa is a bad friend, some people feel like they are prying or being nosy so they don’t ask.  However, Teresa saying she didn’t ask because she didn’t care was kind of vicious.  Maybe Teresa felt that if Jac wanted to talk about her issues she would bring it up on her own.  Teresa admitted last season that she hadn’t been a good friend to Jac when it comes to being there for Jac as she battled with her daughter’s problems.  Teresa simply didn’t ask Jac if she wanted to talk about it.  It’s actually amazing that this friendship lasted 10-years when these two women are so very different.

Anyway, I was really glad that we finally sat and talked and that she initiated the conversation. I apologized if I had hurt her, and I meant it. For those of you that were on my back for not apologizing, now you can see that I clearly did. It really wasn’t my intention to hurt her in the first place. I felt bad for losing my temper, because I felt hurt at Melissa’s launch party. I already knew that she most likely wouldn’t be accepting blame or apologizing for anything, because I know that is just how she is. I was OK with that, because I felt like maybe she finally understood me more and maybe it gave her more awareness of others feelings. I was just happy to be more at peace with her after our talk, because I was feeling unsettled at that point. I was definitely happy that she seemed to be getting along with her family and that we talked. Things seemed to be better between us, but somehow I knew things would still be different, although I was still hoping for the best.

Naturally things would be different.  Besides having their first ever argument, the changes in their friendship had already been evident prior to the argument.   Their early morning telephone conversations were one-sided consisting of Teresa complaining about her family and Jacqueline listening and trying to give advice.  That isn’t going to sustain a friendship for too long.

I think it was great that Teresa had a friend who she could talk to about this (clearly she couldn’t talk to her husband) someone who understands, they’re on the show together, they both film with family, who better for Teresa to talk with than someone like Jac who really understands.  The problem is Teresa couldn’t relate to Jac’s problems with her daughter Ashley and so Teresa admittedly didn’t ask about Ashley or what Jac was dealing with.  Teresa also may have thought that since Jac didn’t bring it up, she didn’t want to talk about it.

Lauren was going through a transitional phase during this trip. She was becoming more separated from her brothers than she was used to be. It had always been the three of them doing everything together. They lived together, went to school together, and shared most of the same friends. When siblings start growing more independent and venturing out on their own, relationships start to shift a little. This is life’s natural course. They will all have their own families to focus on one day as well. (This is all too familiar with Teresa and Joey Gorga.) It doesn’t mean they love each other any less. I think it was harder for Lauren than most, because her brothers were moving on together. They lived together, worked together, and were making new friends together, so Lauren was feeling a little left out. I understand what she was feeling. That could not have been easy. She felt left out of the good times they were having together without her and didn’t feel included. She felt left out of their new private jokes. She just wanted to be kept in the loop and stay as close as they always were. I think it all came to a head on the trip, and that’s why she was so sensitive about it. I actually found it endearing that she loves them so much that she got so upset about it. I don’t think the boys intentionally left her out, because I know they love their sister very much. They were just looking at things from a different perspective. They were not thinking as deeply about it as Lauren was, because the boys were still continuing their lives together and just going with the flow of things. It’s all good, they are still very close to this day. 

Siblings that are tight is a wonderful thing but Lauren’s attachment to her brothers is a little unsettling.  She doesn’t seem to have girlfriends, she shops and lunches with her mother and hangs out with her brothers.  This may be fallout from being overweight growing up and having no friends and no boyfriends but now she has Vito.  How must he feel that she seems to care more about spending time with her brothers than with him?  Is this the way that Teresa and Joey Gorga were when they first both began to date?  Teresa told us that she put her brother ahead of her husband when she was first married, I think Lauren might just do the same if she should ever marry.  I don’t get it.

For the record, Caroline did not call Lauren any names to her face, she was expressing her frustration with Lauren in the moment. What parent with a grown child has not gone through that moment? Trust me, Caroline loves all her kids equally, and she is extremely close with ALL of them. Her kids love her back just as much. I love how all of her kids want to come around and still enjoy time with their mom. What mother wouldn’t want that? People that comment on their closeness negatively just seem a little jealous to me, because I think it’s a positive thing.

Whether Caroline said it to Lauren’s face or not, she said it while being filmed and wearing a microphone.  This is one of those precious moments that is captured forever on film, is this something Lauren wants to remember forever?  No one will convince me that Caroline and Albert Manzo don’t favor their sons over their daughter.

Caroline told us long ago that she decided to do the show to enjoy time with their families and having this time in their lives forever on film.  Let’s hope 10-years from now they are proud of what they’re watching.  They do have some unique home videos that few families have.

More Real Housewives of New Jersey

Has Bravo already found a Housewife to replace the ones we will be losing?  Rumor has it Jacqueline and Caroline are both leaving the show, will Jersey’s newest Housewife be none other than stylist Alisa Maria?

From I’m Not Obsessed:

INO was lucky enough to get some exclusive scoop on a new housewife joining the other ladies of ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey‘! This scoop is from someone in the industry who works veryclosely with the show, so the person needs to remain anonymous. The announcement won’t be made until after the reunion episode for the current season of ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ airs, but we can tell you about one new cast member: Alisa Maria. Alisa is one of New Jersey’s most wealthy and respected socialites. She’s also a well-known celebrity stylist with her own fur, leather, and diamond line called the Alisa Maria Collection.

For those of you who are currently watching ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey,’ Alisa is a familiar face. She’s BFFs with Kathie Walker and Teresa Guidice. Melissa Jorga was one of Alisa’s former clients: Alisa styled Melissa for her ‘On Display’ single cover and Melissa wore one of Alisa’s gold leather jacket in the season opener. Yet notice Melissa is a “former” client: these two may have some issues to dish out on the next season of ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’!

Real Housewives of New York

From NYMagazine – always hysterical and worth a read, Julie Klausner writes up Monday’s episode of the New York Housewives:

Finally! These chickens are acting like the cuckoo birds we need them to be. And it’s a good thing that Ramona is officially off whatever anti-psychotic meds kept her renewed in seasons past, because suddenly, The Real Housewives of New York City is watchable again. Also, Heather calling Ramona “crazy” to Mario’s face — as one might reasonably assume would be his batshit spouse’s wont — is the understatement of the always. Truly. Ramona Singer ran head-to-head with the meth-loving grandma’s on last night’s Intervention premiere for “Most Irrational and Manic,” and Ramona won the silver. And yet, Heather’s accusation of her banan-itude is so controversial, it necessitates a “To Be Continued” at the end of the episode? Anyway, let’s start at its beginning.

The show began at Cool Carole’s Holiday Party, which hosted Aviva’s horny dad George, Sonja, and twelve-thousand accessories that Sonja wore on her head, neck, and body.

Read the entire article, very funny stuff:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/08/real-housewives-of-new-york-city-recap-season-5-episode-11.html

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Real Housewives of Atlanta

Is NeNe getting back together with her husband Gregg?  It sure does look like it, the couple brought their son along to a Safari Fashion Show at the Atlanta Zoo recently.

Phaedra brought along her little man Ayden and he really is getting big.  There are some really great shots of the ladies taken, you can view them along with the entire article here:

http://bossip.com/627761/seen-on-the-scene-real-housewives-phaedra-parks-cynthia-bailey-nene-leakes-and-geritol-gregg-attend-childrens-fashion-show-featuring-t-i-s-celebrity-seeds/2/

Straight From The A has the scoop on Atlanta’s newest Housewives:

After the unceremonious departure of Sheree Whitfield from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, we all knew it was only a matter of time before a new chick would be taking her place.

 Kandi Burruss revealed during the taping of her late night show Kandi Koated Nights last week, that taping has already begun for season 5 of the RHOA and while I pressed for some info about who would be joining the cast, Burruss would not reveal any information.

I finally got the tea I needed anyway *happy dance* and while I know that Bravo was seeking TWO new housewives, I’m pretty confident in my source who revealed at least ONE of them to me.

Word on the curb is that former Miss USA Kenya Moore, who just so happens to be looking to relocate to Atlanta will be joining the cast next season and has already begun taping.

The strikingly beautiful Moore is about 5’10 and will probably fit right in with team talls, that is… if NeNe and Cynthia can handle playing the background to her beauty.

Since Monyetta Shaw (singer Ne-Yo‘s baby mama) turned down the a spot on the show and negotiations stalled with Toya Wright, it appears that the 41 year old beauty will be the one to add that true celebrity component that Bravo was looking for.

UNFORTUNATELY Moore is not from Atlanta, nor does she even live here!

But she IS currently seeking a property…. so I guess that makes her eligible. *shrug*

I don’t know what her Atlanta ties are, but Moore was once linked to former NFL baller Terrell Owens, who had a home here, but that’s about all I know.

As far as her dating life is concerned, Kenya is single and ready to mingle so may she and NeNe will be hitting the bars together in search of Mr. Right. (Oh wait! They may be “divorced” but trust and believe Gregg ain’t playing that mess!)

Moving on…

The 1993 beauty queen, is known most notably for her “fake” sex tape which she market to sell a book she wrote about “What Women Want“…

I’m wondering if there will be any “friendly” competition between ‘supermodel’ Cynthia Bailey and Kenya since Moore has covered way more magazines than Bailey ever will, including Glamour, Seventeen, Ebony and Essence.

Kenya has also flaunted her curvacious body on several health & fitness magazines, but it’s her Smooth Magazine butt shots that get rave reviews from the fellas.

While I have no clue how she’ll actually fit in to the current cast, Kenya has at least one thing in common with the Atlanta housewives, she already has a Derek Blanks alter ego shoot under her belt.

And our RHOA grand thespian NeNe Leakes may also feel some kinda way after finding that she’s not the only “actress” on TEAM TALLS.

Moore is has acted in several movie roles: Waiting to Exhale, Deliver Us from Eva and the 2007 Lindsay Lohan thriller I Know Who Killed Me.

She also starred in Producer Will Packer‘s first movie to be released theatrically, the independent film ‘Trois‘ which also starred Gretchen Palmer and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation star Gary Dourdan.

Straight From The A reports on the 2nd new Atlanta Housewife too!

The second name only came to light earlier this week, again courtesy of the well-sourced Michelle Brown at Straight From the A: Porsha Williams Stewart, grand-daughter of late civil rights icon Hosea Williams. (So she is from Atlanta, at least.) She is yet another wife of an ex-NFL football player, in this case Kordell Stewart, a quarterback from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Chicago Bears and the Baltimore Ravens. He played pro from 1995 to 2005.

I know y’all have been chomping at the bit for some Real Housewives of Atlanta news and boy have I got some for you guys!

As you know, I was the first to announce that Kenya Moore would be joining RHOA and I also told you that producers of the show were seeking one more addition to the show.

There were several ladies up for the part: Toya Wright (negotiations failed), Nicole Porche (producers decided that her being an actress wasn’t a good look), Keisha Knight Pulliam (she denied it but taped a few scenes) and a few others.

Several Atlanta “wives” were approached but none seemed to have that “it” factor the producers were seeking. That is… until producers met Porsha Williams Stewart.
Read more: http://straightfromthea.com/2012/08/13/real-housewives-of-atlanta-porsha-williams-stewart/#ixzz23iMhqf45

Read more: http://straightfromthea.com/2012/05/05/kenya-moore-to-join-real-housewives-of-atlanta-season-5/#ixzz23iKWRfsk

I’m ready for some new Atlanta Housewives action, we likely won’t see any of these episodes until early next year.

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Real Housewives of Orange County

Alexis Bellino

Alexis recently gave an interview to CeleBuzz with tips on how to get Bikini ready, is everyone taking notes?

Refusing to live life under a microscope, Real Housewives of Orange County star Alexis Bellino keeps healthy without giving up life’s little indulgences.

Still, in order to maintain her killer bikini body, Bellino says she follows four simple rules that can apply to women of all ages.

“[Do] everything in moderation,” she told Celebuzz in our exclusive behind-the-scenes video interview. “You do have to have some kind of workout [routine] or activity level.”

What are her other two tips?

“Two other tips that I recommend are, stay away from processed foods, and then don’t eat after, like, five or six o’clock at night,” she continued.

Bellino also says she’s a big fan of exercising, to the point where if she doesn’t do it, she actually — wait for it — misses it.

“I consider myself lucky, because working out, to me, is a stress reliever. I enjoy it,” she said.

http://www.celebuzz.com/2012-08-14/celebuzz-101-hot-bodies-real-housewives-star-alexis-bellinos-4-tips-for-getting-bikini-bod-ready-photos/

Vicki Gunvalson

It looks like Vicki really is embracing the thought of becoming a grandmother, she recently posted a photo of the baby’s new high chair on her Facebook page claiming, “I can’t wait!”

 

 

 

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Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

Kyle Richards

An interview with Kyle From The Review:

The women of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills are coiffed and coutured so it only makes sense that one of their kind—Kyle Richards—has created a place where shopping isn’t just an errand, it’s a method of relaxation and socialization. 

“We wanted it to be very inviting and comfortable,” Richards told PARADE about her store Kyle by Alene Too (which is open now in where else? Beverly Hills!). 

“It’s a place where people want to sit down and hang out. It really is the new place we hang out. My husband had the girls recently while I was in New York for work and they hung out at the store! I want people to feel comfortable and glamorous at the same time.” 

Read on for more about her transformation into a businesswoman, keeping her marriage strong, her exciting TV plans, and chopping off her flowing, chestnut mane: 

On becoming the boss. 
“It’s been a real learning process. My partners in Boca have successful stores there so they were really teaching me the ropes. Then getting the store up and running was another learning process between permits and Beverly Hills codes. It’s been a fun process and I’ve learned a lot. It’s brought out the businesswoman in me.” 

On changing her habits.
“I can’t shop anywhere else. I used to have to run around to a million different stores to get everything I needed but now everything is under one roof. So now I don’t like shopping anywhere else unless I have to. I think I’ll eventually have to do [menswear]. Dedicate a corner to men and maybe kids. My girls run in there all the time and Portia asks where the things are for her.” 

Kyle on reality TV vs. Kyle in reality.
“On the show, we go to a lot of events so we’re dressed up a lot. But at home, I have little to no makeup on and am just in jeans and a t-shirt or leggings. I have to be comfortable when I’m at home.”

Her luscious locks. 
“I have cut it before. My hair grows really fast and when I’m on the show, I have to color it sometimes and I wish it wouldn’t grow as fast so I wouldn’t have to color it as much when we’re shooting. I’ve cut it many times. The shortest I ever cut it was to my shoulders. I dyed it blonde and had that choppy, Sally Hershberger cut that was so popular. It just did not look good on me. Some people didn’t have the nerve to tell me until it grew out. This is just the look I feel the most comfortable in and is the most like me.”

Her big TV news. 
“I only stepped away from acting when I was pregnant and my babies were little. I was on ER for ten years on and off. I was pregnant during some of it and hiding my stomach in my scrubs. I really have a passion [for acting]. I actually sold a pilot. I can’t say what network but it’s a half-hour sitcom. I can’t say yet [what it's about] but I’m really excited about it.” 

Kyle’s style rules. 
“My daughters’ ages range from 4 to 23 so I have rules tailored to each of them. I look at these girls these days and their shorts are so short and they tell me everyone is wearing them like that. So sometimes I end up caving but I do have certain rules and guidelines about what’s appropriate for their age. I just try to wear what looks best on my body and avoid trends. I’m not stick thin, I’ve had kids, I’m 5’2. I really dress for what’s best on me so my own style kind of developed that way. I don’t like showing too much. If I have a lot of cleavage, you won’t see the leg. It’s one or the other.”

Keeping her family and her marriage strong. 
“When we started the show, we sat down as a family and asked if anyone had any reservations. If anyone raised their hands, we wouldn’t do it. We had a rule that if we ever felt like it was interfering with our personal lives or my husband and my relationship, I would walk away in seconds, without a doubt. One of our rules is that we have to be home more than we are out. So if it’s a busy week and there are a lot of events, we make sure we only go three times and are home four of the nights. I don’t like seeing families where they’re always out and never see the kids. We make sure to make time for each other.” 

http://www.reviewonline.com/page/dataFeeds_parade.display/ID/558733/PID/1/-Real-Houswives-of-Beverly-Hills–Star-Kyle-Richards-on-Dodging-the-Reality-TV-Relationship-Curse.html

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Until Next Time…

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LynnNChicago Love Broker / Get To Work / The Newsroom / Real Housewives News!

Posted on August 15, 2012 by LynnNChicago

LynnNChicago  

Love Broker by BB

Brendan is a comedian and to him, everything is a punch line.  Lori is concerned that if he always jokes around, women will look at him as friend material, not boyfriend material.  He was living with a girl who cheated on him. He’s looking for a natural type girl and is hesitant about dating a native New Yorker.

Lori has a boutique event where her clients learn how to make a cocktail for a woman.  Brendan is there and, of course, he’s cracking jokes the whole time.

One of Lori’s old friends, Marc, is also at the event. He, like Brendan, had a relationship where the woman cheated on him and has not dated seriously since.  Instead, he has concentrated on his career but is ready to get back into dating seriously.

Lori meets with three potential dates for Brendan.  She meets with two at one time and realizes one of them is definitely not his type.  The other is his type personality wise, but she’s probably not physically his type.  She finally meets Caroline, who she thinks will be a good match for him.

Lori picks Jennifer for Marc immediately.  Right before the date, Marc tells Lori about a nightmare he had about the date.  He’s nervous, but the date goes really well and it ends with Marc asking her out again and some serious kissing.

Brendan’s date with Caroline doesn’t turn out as well.  Lori has set up a bowling date and tells him not to joke the whole time.  Caroline and Brendan sit and talk about blind dates.  It’s her first and his second, which didn’t go very well.  Brendan thinks Caroline has good energy.  They are both from the Midwest.  When they are served beverages and he asks the waitress to make the drink he made in Lori’s class.  He gets the ingredients all mixed up, but the waitress is going to see if she can make it with the ingredients he gave her.  She brings the drink back and Caroline tries it.  She says it’s a drink she would drink if she were 13 and wanted to get drunk.  Awkward.

Brendan is just acting so goofy on this date and keeps repeating lame jokes.  He’s also a crappy bowler at first.  Caroline gets a strike the very first time.  Brendan goes over and throws himself on the gong in honor of her strike.  Brendan starts bowling better and they have a game going.  Brendan can’t stay away from the gong.  I think Caroline is getting a little irritated.  At the end of the date, they both agree the blind date was a little awkward.  He tells her he hopes they can hang out again.  She tells him she’d like to see one of his comedy shows.  Brendan thinks it went well.  I don’t think that’s going to be what Caroline tells Lori.

Jennifer tells Lori the date with Marc was very fun and they kissed and he got her number.  Jennifer is happy about the date.  What does Marc think?  She meets with Marc face to face.  He tells Lori the date went great and they decide he’s going to see Jennifer again and Lori won’t set him up with anyone else for the time being.

Lori meets with Brendan and he tells Lori he liked Caroline and had fun. Caroline thought he was sweet, nice and funny.  Caroline told Lori it was more like a friend vibe.  Brendan is a little hurt about the friend vibe comment.  He’s had that happen to him before.  Caroline told Lori about his constant joke making and that he was a little immature.  Lori decides Brendan needs to tone it down a bit and she will try to find him someone more upbeat who can take his joking.

Get to Work by BB

Watch the full show on line here:  http://www.sundancechannel.com/get-to-work/

This episode focuses on three people who have come to the Strive job training program as a last resort to get their lives back on track; Bobby, Angela and Adam.  Veronica and Chase are job trainers and Rob is a workforce manager. All three have been where these students have been so they can pretty much spot the ones who are there for real change and those who are there because they have to be or, as Rob puts it, for just something to do.  It all revolves around attitude.

Adam is 27 and has a criminal history.  He gets off to a rough start with Rob when he acts like a smart aleck and stands there with his hat on.  Adam will be going back to prison if this doesn’t work for him.  He’s not taking it seriously and his motto is “fake it ‘til you make it.”

Veronica tells everyone they can take a 10 minute break.  This is the first test to see how many people come back to the classroom on time. When the 10 minutes are up, everyone who is late has to stand up against the wall.  They either have to pay a fine or give Rob something of value to get their seat back.  Rob will take rings, money, watches, whatever.  Rob asks one guy for his shoes and he’s not giving them up.  He’s out.

Bobby is 31 and he’s tired of the gang/drug life.  He has a fiancé and 10-yr old daughter and they are staying in a family shelter.  He grew up without a dad and his mom was a drug addict.  He was always alone and joined a gang and got into drug dealing.  Bobby wants to change and become a real father and take care of his family.

The class has to take a test.  The students have to approach Sophia, smile, shake her hand, hold their heads up and introduce themselves.  If they pass they go to their seats.  If they fail, they get sent to the lobby.  Bobby doesn’t smile so he has to go to the lobby. Adam’s body posture is not good so he has to go to the lobby.  Angela is 30 years old and has a bad job history.  She’s been fired from about 7 jobs.  She is a drug addict and her life is at stake.  She fails the handshake part of the test and goes to the lobby. Chase gives those sent to the lobby a lecture about the possibility of getting cut for not following directions.  He tells them they are going to have to turn their skills on or they will be gone.

Adam is on thin ice.  He was asked to write a 500 word essay about being prepared for work.  He writes the same sentence about being prepared for work 500 times.  He’s a smart ass and acts like he misunderstood the directions.  Rob calls him out on it. He plays the game and unconvincingly apologizes and tells Rob he’ll have the essay finished by the end of the day and he can’t write it during the class.

Next is the mock interview day where the students have to do an interview in front of the whole class.  This is a chance for the students to talk about their job skills.  Angela goes first and is worried about her work history.  She’s been fired because things have to be done her way and she has to always get her two cents in.  She had five older brothers and always wanted to get people’s attention.  She excelled in sports and was always a leader.  When she got into the workforce, she was already hooked on pills.  She gave up.

Bobby has trouble on his mock interview because he can’t explain his job skills well.  He tells her about his character, but not his work experience.  The interviewer keeps trying to pull his work experience out of him but he doesn’t talk specifics.  He had no confidence in the interview. Bobby feels like he’s in his own way.  He quits too easily when it gets too hard.

It’s the end of week two and most of the behavioral problems have been dealt with.  The class is broken in to groups and each group must come up with a 30 minute class play on their own, without the trainers. Bobby, Angela and Adam are in the same group.  The group must choose a leader and several people step up to volunteer including Angela, the know it all.  When they start discussing the play everyone is talking over one another.  Bobby stands up and tells them to stop talking and to talk one at a time.  They vote Bobby into being the director.  He’s reluctant but tells them he’s up for the challenge.  Angela is upset she’s not in charge because she’s done plays and drama. How can people not see how great she is?  They just don’t get it.  She doesn’t think Bobby is a leader.  If something goes wrong, the director is going to be looked at first.

Bobby’s having trouble getting everyone on the same page with the play, especially Angela who really wants to be in charge.  All of a sudden one of the other students puts her hand over Angela’s mouth and Bobby says “that’s what I’m talking about.”  Angela has never been treated that way before.  I think it’s just what she needs to see she can’t always be the boss.  Bobby is frustrated but he’s the boss and he finally tells Angela she’s affecting his success in the program.  It’s hard for Angela to let someone else lead, but I think she’s finally getting it.

One day Adam tells Chase he’s not feeling well and he’s acting weird that day.  Time for a random drug test.  They need to make sure the students they send out to work are fit to work.  Angela gets nervous even when she’s clean.  Guess who pops up positive?  You’ve got it – Adam.  He claims it’s cherry tussin he’s been taking for his cough.  Chase says it’s not that.  It’s an opiate.  Adam finally tells him he took some oxycodone for his migraine the previous weekend.  Chase asks for Adam’s name tag and he’s kicked out of the program because he didn’t have a prescription for that medication.  Adam thinks it’s not fair that he’s being kicked out.  Until he starts working on himself and his addiction he’s not going to succeed.  Adam leaves saying “he’s legitimate.”  Keep telling yourself that Adam.

Chase takes Bobby aside and talks to him about fully letting go of his past and he tells him he’s lived in shelters before and that he’s been there, so he knows how hard it is.  Chase tells Bobby he’s a good dude and he tells him to keep going because, if he does, everything is going to change for him.  Bobby got the encouragement and support he needed from Chase; something he’s never had before.  Bobby needs to take it day by day.

Bobby and Angela go through their final mock interviews and both graduate from the class.  They have a graduation ceremony with caps and gowns and their families and friends are invited.  You can tell Bobby is so proud of himself and his family is proud of him too. He gets very emotional talking in front of the audience.  Angela is excited about having a better life, being happy and taking care of herself.

Two months later, Bobby comes back to Strive to ring the bell because he has a job installing cabinets and countertops at resorts.  Angela got a job at a restaurant.  Adam did not return to the Strive program.

From Sundancechannel.com:

GET TO WORK is an unfiltered, uncompromising look at Strive, an organization dedicated to getting America back to work. In the wake of the economic downturn – when unemployment remains high and government funding for job training is on the wane – GET TO WORK offers a fresh approach to real, lasting change. By giving them the tools to take control of their lives, this program transforms them in dramatic and surprising ways. 

GET TO WORK takes you inside this hardcore back-to-work boot camp that serves the chronically unemployed – jobless, directionless, and hopeless people who are just clinging on for survival. Most of them think they’ve come to the end of the road, but here they are offered a new beginning. The instructors not only train people, they reinvent them – completely breaking them down in order to build them back up with new skills and new dreams. But, with bad habits and bad attitudes to contend with, they must exercise equal parts understanding and iron will to make these transformations complete. 

On every episode of GET TO WORK, meet a new class with no prospects for today as they labor to build a better life for tomorrow. Will they succeed and take the first hopeful step towards the future, or will they be thrown back into the harrowing realities they’re trying to escape? No one said it’s going to be easy.

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The Newsroom The Blackout Part 1: “Tragedy Porn” by LoveMamaEarth


Brian, Mac’s ex the one she cheated on Will with, is chosen by Will to do an in depth story on him and the news room. He thinks Will is insulting him and they talk details. Will suggests this will get the Brian more than his current blog–he’d tried to create a business like the Huffington Post and failed and is now almost unemployable. Brian asks Will if he’s willing to talk about being a Republican. Brian asks “what about your history with me?” Will says Brian’s problem with Will was Mac and that Will wouldn’t take a position on Republicans. Will gets Brian to agree to limit some personal things as a parenthetical comments about the office dirt.

Will has to go to a meeting with Reese Lansing (Jane Fonda’s son & President of the news company). Reese says Casey Anthony wasn’t covered by Will and they lost hundreds of thousands of viewers to Nancy Grace.

 

Then Reese chews all three of them out, especially Mac. Reese talks about advertising dollars being linked to ratings and then leaves. Charlie says they’ll cover Anthony case, the psychotic cocktail waitress. Half their audience changed channels in one week. Will, Charlie, and Mac argue about whether to cover Anthony and how it isn’t news, it’s entertainment. Charlie says it makes him sick but they have to cave to ratings. Will wants to host a political debate, but if they’re in 5th news place, they won’t get the debate. They’ll go with getting the ratings back for a week or two.

 

Will & Mac leave Charlie’s office and talk about Brian’s piece. Will says it will make Brian owe him so he’ll keep it slanted to their benefit. Brian Brenner introduces himself to Jim who is looking at Andrew Breitbart’s webpage and he explains how they plan on using it for part of the debate they hope to host.

Pan to the bar and Mac and Sloan are talking. Sloan says the Congress is planning on letting the US credit rating slip. Mac says they’re covering Anthony case. Sloan argues the economy is more important. Mac explains exasperatedly how they have to have ratings to get advertisers and she’s limited to 22 minutes of short attention spans entertainment. Mac tells Sloan she used to date Brian and he’s the one she cheated on Will with. They wonder why Will is giving the story to Brian.

Jim and Neal are practicing possible debate questions. Jim glances at his computer screen and says Anthony Weiner’s twitter account got hacked. Anthony Weiner is interviewed on CNN. Mcavoy calls Weiner leaving a message that he’s getting bad advice. Will’s words here sound a bit like Jon Stewart when he wanted to dodge Weiner’s scandal. Mac says they don’t know any of the facts. But they’ll give the story 3 minutes.

Brian says he’s familiar with Mac’s snarky tone of voice. Brian explains how Leona Lansing is setting Will up to be fired. How does he know so much already? Yes he’s experienced but so is Will, so is Charlie and they’re only just now getting it. Will won’t comment on Leona. Brian says she’d have to explain why she fired the highest rated anchor. Was Will surprised that Will’s bad press started right after Will refused to soften the news. Brian says Will wants him to do this story without Will’s finger prints on it. Brian says he’d cave on ethics to save his job too. Will says Brian already caved on some things.

Back in the press room. They talk about news points. Michelle Bachmann has said God told her to run for president. Maggie says why isn’t Bachmann being asked about God’s voice and language used. She’s claiming to be a prophet but no one is asking. Maggie is a Christian and Bachmann is insulting Maggie and her congregation and faith with these claims, and thinks Christians and viewers are being treated as idiots. Maggie calls it identity theft.

Mac says they’re leading with the Casey Anthony case. They go through the national news and X out topics on Economy, Debt, Unemployment, Union relationship with Obama, etc. Don comes in to explain how the softer news is more effectively presented.

Pan to Charlie going into a Library and sitting near a man & introduces himself and asks to sit next to him. Charlie thinks the man is Latefordinner/deepthroat. Another man calls him over to another table. Solomon Hancock asks Charlie to take the battery out of his cell phone for safety. Ever get an unwanted text message? [Implying that's a result of wiretapping?] Hancock dismantles Charlie’s phone & gives his work history. Data compression helped him be able to get into the NSA and surveillance. Charlie asks about data mining. Hancock explains how they tracked down bin Laden. No one should have this much power. They gave the contract to two defense companies. Hancock’s job is to make sure it works. They go through volumes of information every day.

Illegal warrantless wire tapping. Terrorists are fair game but they aren’t limiting the listening to just them. Hancock testified to congress so they know of the illegalities and still don’t pass legislation to stop it nor indict someone for breaking laws.

Where does AWM come in? Hancock says TMI (the magazine TV show) is doing the same thing as NSA. Leona doesn’t know about it but her son Reese is ordering it done–like James Murdoch. Hancock says he’s doing this because he fought the soviets when they were doing the spying on citizens. Now our country is doing the same thing. Hancock gathers his briefcase & papers & leaves. Charlie looks troubled.

Back in the press room Don is talking about Casey Anthony case when Brian comes in and he gets introduced to all. Don talks about how Nancy Grace’s video slants some of the information on Casey case. Her guests agree with her deductions. Then Don shows how Nancy Grace shows the courtroom footage and how it’s done and replayed with different angles. Mac says Will was a prosecutor and maybe he should cover it from the angle of fair trials. Mac asks how do we get the best guests. Don asks why some victims get full coverage and why some don’t. He says someone goes out to find the Lana Turners and sell the stories. Will says he’s getting sick of this and walks out. The crew is demoralized with the hyped gossip news they’re being forced to promote.

Charlie talks to Will about Soloman Hancock and the wire tapping and that it’s as high as Reese. Charlie leaves Mac to talk with Will andMac asks sarcastically if the US economic default should go before or after Anthony Weiner and his underwear. They pan to Will closing his nightly show & then go to heavy programming ads & Reese comes in happy with the improved ratings & suggests going to weather. Will says he won’t do weather reports. We’re a serious news organization & will cover the cocktail waitress. I think it’s Maggie or Will who snarks that the heat might be related to the power outages. 150,000 viewers came back to Will’s newscast.

Jim is being given the vetting of wire tapping job. Mac suggests maybe Hancock is ‘DanRathering’ Will. Or it might be a real story. Charlie wants it done right but fast. Will reminds Jim of confidentiality.

Mac goes to see Brian for an interview reluctantly. They argue about standards and not wanting to do this. What’s special about the debate? They’ll change debates forever. Brian makes Mac admit that he was the one she cheated on Will with. He seems not to know that she was with Will at the time. Neal knocks and enters asking to pitch a story about Internet trolls. Neal does Will’s blog. Online club house has a successful trolling experiences. Neal wants to go undercover & will have to do a successful trolling. Neal asks Sloan if she would be his troll victim. Sloan gets mad and refuses.
A guy asks Jim about a wiener girl story. She has pictures and tweets from Anthony Weiner. Maggie gets stuck with her after no one else will take the call.
Lonnie the body guard and Will go to Dr A’s office without an appointment and knocks and insists on seeing him for a few minutes. Dr gives in. Will wonders why he’s doing bad things for ratings, ignoring important news stories and betraying friends but why is he troubled by his hiring Brian for their story. The trick is not minding. The trick is forgiving Mac, not just giving it all time to go away. Will says it would be easier to hold his hand over a candle. Will knows it’s hurting Mac, and as they leave, Will says he’s not doing it on purpose.
Pan to Maggie with wiener girl and her tweets, she wants to be reimbursed for the cab ride. Maggie reads weiner girl’s sexting inviting Weiner to phuck. She’s coming out like this because she didn’t know about the other women. Maggie asks did she know he was married, yes. She’s doing Fox & 2 RagMag TV shows that night so they’ll do a pre-taped interview right then. Dillion Kagan is representing wiener girl. Wiener girl asks for a decaff latte and Maggie says someone will bring her a coffee.
Out on the street Leona and Charlie talk seriously but Leona is told to look happy and chatty so no paparazzi snaps a photo of them arguing while Charlie confronts her about knowing where the scandal stories are coming from. Leona reminds him she warned him to back off the teaparty criticism or the firing would be made to look reasonable. Leona says Will made them look like hypocrites, she lists several big names. Charlie says they showed tapes of their very words, they reported the truth. Leona says they lost some tax loophole legislation because of it. Charlie says she doesn’t really want to do this. Leona says oh no? And warns him again that Will is one rating away from being fired. Charlie opens the car door for her smiles and waves her off.
Pan to office, Sloan talks about the consequences of not raising the debt ceiling and how just the debate will drop the stock market. Mac & Sloan argue & Sloan says the people should have known about this so they could call their congressmen and tell them they wanted country first before the big crisis was upon them, before it was too late. Just the uncertainty of the debt limit is making the US unstable. Sloan reads off some quotes of economists. Maggie feels her hands are tied on having to leave out so much real news to cover other things.
Brian consoles Mac. Mac doesn’t thank him and Brian reminds her that he wasn’t the one to put him there in that office, it was Will, that he, Brian would never have done that to Mac.

Mac watches in the studio as wiener girl gets prepped and helps her get comfortable with Mac talking in her ear piece. Wiener girl introduces herself to Will as Sandy and says she’s a big fan. Will indifferently says ok and to Mac says let’s get this done. Mac utters a kind of prayer that nothing bad will happen and to give her a sign.
Then the power goes out in the building so they can’t do a preshow taping with the new story of wiener girl right then. Mac says she didn’t know He had such comic timing. End of part 1.

Editorial question: Would Congress have refused to increase the debt ceiling that led to the down graded credit rating if the banks hadn’t been bailed out? Interestingly enough Too Big To Fail the movie was on HBO Monday. One line in the movie is something like why didn’t they regulate the loans. William Hurt as Henry Paulson says “They were making too much money.”

So, as Sloan asked, why wasn’t more of this in the news before we toppled over the tipping point? What happened to our media that was supposed to keep our legislators honest? Corporations now own the media and buy policies with lobbyist money. I’m all for a teaparty effort to fight this situation whether it’s GOP Teaparty or Occupy Wallstreet. The nation’s poor and old people, gay marriage, women who want birth control aren’t the enemy but a distraction from our real problems.

Timeline of previous debt limit raises: Http://usgovinfo.about.com/do/federalbudgetprocess/a/US-Debt-Ceiling-History.htm

Did GMA newsroom go through the same argument for sticking with real news when they interviewed her? The one I found online didn’t seem as stupid as Sandy the wiener girl?

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Real Housewives News!

Real Housewives of New Jersey

Caroline Manzo

Hell again! Sorry for the late blog, I’m down the shore on vacation for a week, and I got a little lazy. Better late than never, right?
I want to address Lauren’s behavior and my comments regarding it. As I’ve been saying since the beginning of the season, Lauren was in a very bad place and not acting herself at all, and you saw some of that on last night’s episode. Understand one thing, I love my kids more than anything in this world, but when they overreact or behave badly, they will hear it from me. Lauren overreacted when she heard about Lindsey moving in with Albie and over the boys’ little nudges during the trip too. When my boys are guilty of the same, they also are addressed by either Al or myself — there’s no favoritism in the Manzo house. Al and I are lucky enough to have an extraordinary bond with our children. The kids fight like crazy, but they love each other to death. Make no mistake, we tell our kids we love them every single day, but when they are behaving like an ass, we address it. My kids aren’t perfect and need to be told to straighten up every now and again. It makes us a normal family; the Brady Bunch we are not. Welcome to the world of the Manzos, everyone.

This is the first time I’ve seen Caroline mention favoritism within her home, she claims that she doesn’t favor her two sons over her daughter but we’ve seen evidence to the contrary.  I don’t recall ever seeing Al or Caroline reprimand their sons unless they were throwing sliced ham around the kitchen.  Not exactly the same thing as calling your daughter an “asshole”.
The surfing scene was great. It was so much fun to watch everyone going out in the water and flail around, ultimately taking on the challenge and succeeding. I have hundreds of photos, maybe I’ll put them on a disc and send them over to Bravo to put on their website; you guys will enjoy them!

I have to admit, there were a few fun scenes in this episode.  The surfing was one of those few.

How funny was Melissa on the river? She was literally in about a foot of water, all she had to do was stand up and run! Watching as she climbed all over the Joes trying to get to safety was so funny! We have some really great video of the water fight and more pictures of that too. Note to self, get to work on that disc…

Talk about over reacting, but had the instructor not told them about all of the dangerous biting bugs in the water, I wouldn’t think she’d have panicked like that.

Vito’s bear tattoo… I have no words. I was in the RV when everyone started screaming and laughing. I’m just grateful I wasn’t there to witness that! 

Joe Gorga and truth or dare… Did you guys expect him to not take the dare? So funny, and the unsuspecting “victim” was a good sport so we all had a good laugh. Thank God for those few stolen moments here and there, laughter is always welcome in my world.

Yes, this was a fun episode, if only it could last…

On that note, I’m on vacation with my family right now and Bravo isn’t on my radar. Love you guys, but I gotta go!

Is anyone else a bit sick and tired of hearing Caroline shove us to the side?  ”Bravo isn’t on my radar” and “I love you all but I’m over it”.  She seems to have a little dig at viewers every week.  As if we’re not important enough for her to pay much attention.  Listen Caroline, we’re so sorry to have interrupted your vacation but your Bravo paycheck should give you a little incentive to care just a little bit, we are watching the show after all!    Maybe we could get Bravo to postpone airing the show until your vacation is over?

Kathy Wakile

Hi friends. Summer has really been flying by so fast, and I hope that everyone has been enjoying it. We’re wrapping up our time at the Jersey shore this week, so I’m going to make this brief. I don’t want to spend any more time than I have to at my computer and miss the best time of year here!

Talking about the shore, did you all catch the view of Half Moon Bay in California? How silly did we all look getting ready to surf? We were clearly out of our element, and wet suits are not my thing, but thankfully we had them. We all got tossed around by the waves, but I was determined to do my best. I can’t believe the rush you get when you get up and ride the wave. It was exhilarating and very gratifying. Lesson learned: It’s never too late to try something new; try it and surprise yourself.

I hope you all enjoyed watching us have some fun, even though there were some sad moments. Unfortunately that’s the way life is, but that was a year ago, and it’s true that time does heal.

See you all next week. Rich and I are off to the beach with Victoria and Joseph. Only two weeks until Victoria starts college, and Joseph is back to school as well. Time is precious, enjoy it while you can!

Next week we go to the incredible Lancaster Estate and get a tour of their vineyard and enjoy some of their delicious wine (well a little more than just some). Let’s just say many bottles were uncorked, and we’ll leave it at that.

Last week former New Jersey Housewife Dina Manzo appeared on Watch What Happens Live.  Dina wouldn’t answer the question as to why she and her sister Caroline are not speaking to one another but she did clear up the rumors as to why she wasn’t at her brother’s wedding in Chicago.  She really was working at filming her own show and said that you simply can’t change the shooting schedule once it is in place.

Dina told us that two things are true, one is that she knows that someday she will make up with her sister and that if either of them ever needed the other, they would be there in an instant.  That is nice to hear, family should feel that way.  It’s good news for both sisters knowing that they are always there for each other, Caroline said the same thing when asked about Dina.

Luckily she did not bring her smelly cat this time.  I think Andy finally put his foot down about that one.

Bravo is listening… maybe?  Real Housewives of Miami will be on Thursday nights and we won’t have to watch three nights of Housewives in a row.  Thank you Bravo.  augh!

New Jersey has about two months worth of shows to finish up the season depending on how many segments they draw out of the reunion and the ever popular lost footage.  Just four weeks behind, New York is on episode 12 so we’re looking at 10 more weeks of regular episodes and another 3-4 weeks of reunion and lost footage episodes.

So what’s up with Tuesday nights?  Bravo isn’t required viewing but you’d think that mildly successful network like Bravo could air at least one hour of first run programming each night, or at least on week nights.

The good news is Tuesday nights are full of great new shows like America’s Got Talent, Beverly Hills Nannies, Dance Moms, Hardcore Pawn and so many more!

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From Examiner:

Another “Real Housewives” star has been accused of buying followers after last week’s scandal with “The Real Housewives of Orange County” star Alexis Bellino. According to a new “Gather” report released on Aug. 10, “The Real Housewives of Miami” star Joanna Krupa who is a new addition to the cast this year has a large number of followers who keeps joining and dropping her on Twitter. Her pattern of followers mirrors that of Alexis Bellino’s Twitter account.

According to the report, Krupa’s Twitter behaviour is even worse than Alexis Bellino. The report writes that Alexis earned approximately 30,000 followers in just two days, which is drastically more than any of the other“Real Housewives of Orange County.”However, “The Real Housewives of Miami” star Joanna Krupa earned about 123,000 new followers in two days, which is huge. The report explains that during the last week in July, Joanna went down to gaining a mere 51 followers per day on average. In August, she lost followers.

Based on her Twitter pattern, it sounds like “The Real Housewives of Miami” star Joanna Krupa bought followers during July, since she had an instant spike of 123,000 followers. Then, she probably didn’t pay the bill in July, since she didn’t gain more than 51 followers per day and then in August, she began losing them again. Joanna could have bought followers to improve her appearance on the upcoming season “The Real Housewives of Miami,” which is her first season on the popular reality show.

Do you think Joanna and Alexis are guilty of buying followers?

________________________________________________________________

Thank you to BB and LoveMamaEarth for the great blogs today!  Lynn~

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Until Next time…

Posted in Andy Cohen, Big Brother, Bravo, Million Dollar Listing, Million Dollar Listing NY, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Real Housewives of DC, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Real Housewives of New York, Real Housewives of Orange County, Real Housewives of Vancouver, Watch What Happens Live | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 452 Comments

LynnNChicago Real Housewives of New York / Push Girls

Posted on August 14, 2012 by LynnNChicago

LynnNChicago Real Housewives of New York

Carole got a lizard as a Christmas present.  No, I’m not kidding and if you didn’t watch well go catch a rerun because this was a great episode!  Jammed with party after party in what seemed like a never-ending argument between these ladies!

Carole’s Holiday party really didn’t fit her style, that sit down formal dinner, so she added the White Elephant grab bag swap.   Carole had another little more casual “dinner party” later in the episode but forgot to include the “dinner” portion of the party.  Ordering pizza…er Salads for the ladies then the order came wrong and there was just one salad for them all to split.  True Carole with no pretending to be someone she is not, Carole is obviously not a “foodie” and she’s certainly not fake!

Sonja’s photo shoot was a big focus of the episode.  Heather made sure to complain loudly that Sonja was late, even as we now know that the shooting took place in the same location that Bravo uses to film the talking head interviews.  Obviously they weren’t renting the place by the hour!  Sonja arrives and tries to prepare everything but Heather insists on taking over from the dress she wants Sonja to wear down to the food on the plates, Heather wants everything done her way.

Heather insisted on photographing Sonja with a beefcake man holding Sonja’s toaster oven and Sonja standing next to him with tongs… sort of suggestive and while it’s a little bit Sonja’s style it is not what she wanted.  Heather was sure to tell everyone that the second shoot that Sonja insisted on having is not getting any help from her!  She doesn’t think there should be a second shoot and has made a huge deal out of it from the beginning.  Sonja was open-minded enough to agree to shoot with the beefcake with man boobs but she simply wanted another look shot.  Heather insists she won’t help Sonja with the second shot because it wasn’t her idea!  As Sonja correctly pointed out, Heather and her “team” were less than enthusiastic as Sonja was being shot with the Toaster Oven minus the man boob guy, she was looking amazing.

Heather Thomson is a control freak, she is selfish, she is trying to play the viewers as fools and she is not gaining any fans!  What is with this constant complaint that she’s not being paid to help Sonja?  She knew going in that this wasn’t a paid gig, initially it was simply Sonja coming to visit Heather and ask for advice, Heather took it 10-steps further and basically tried to take over the entire project.

We all know that Bravo works on the barter system, everything is an exchange.  These ladies don’t pay for anything!  Heather is getting a ton of exposure for her shape wear and apparently now she’s a marketing expert as well.  Unfortunately no one would want to work with her after seeing the way that she treated Sonja, paid or not Heather is a horrible controlling bitch!

Later at yet another party for Ramona’s new wine launch, Ramona and Heather get into it about Sonja’s photo shoot.  We saw Heather and her business associate insist that the set be “closed” and Heather lies about her part in insuring that Ramona is not present at the photo shoot.   Sonja is dragged in, shoved under the bus and rolled over repeatedly by both Ramona and Heather.

I have to give Aviva some props for confronting Lulu and Jacques about the Ramona blind wine tasting “game”.  She felt strongly that they had tried to make a fool of Ramona and everyone knows that is exactly what they were trying to do but they continue to deny it claiming that they gave Ramona exposure by featuring her wine at Jacques’ party.  Guess what, it wouldn’t have done her any favors if she had trashed her own wine.  Luckily for Ramona, she did well and recognized every flavor there but it could have gone horribly wrong and Lulu knows it!  Luann simply makes fun of Ramona and doesn’t take it seriously as a business, how would she know?  Luann doesn’t know business as she’s never been a business woman, only a kept woman.  Now with Bravo and her ex-husband paying her bills she has no clue what it is to try to brand a business.  ”I thought she drank all the profits” it was a little bit funny but clearly a line someone gave to her, she’s not clever enough to have come up with that herself.

** I have to assume that the filming of these events were shown to us out of order as Mario seems to want to confront Jacques as well but Lulu drags him and his fake French accent out of there by the ear.  Since Mario already confronted him, and the whole Wine game fiasco is long behind us, we have to be seeing these things out of order.

Aviva went on to defend Ramona when Heather tried to tell Mario that his wife is crazy, did Heather really believe that Mario was going to agree with her and go against his wife?  Aviva is really becoming Ramona’s defender but it doesn’t last much longer…stay tuned.

Heather is really one to talk about what is appropriate, she complains that Aviva, Ramona and Sonja are talking about Jacques and Luann behind their back so she immediately talks about the three of them behind their backs, does that make her better?  Unfortunately for Heather, Ramona is listening in as she rags on about Ramona to Aviva.  Heather is a ridiculous excuse of a woman!  Carole continues to remain mostly neutral and with the exception of Lulu, refuses to slam anyone.

I typically don’t comment on the ladies attire, that is Michelle’s forte and she does it so well but what the heck was Heather wearing to a cocktail party?  A t-shirt bedazzeled with the words, “Drop Dead” on the front and “Gorgeous” on the back in tacky pink rhinestones.  Who told her that was a good look on her?  Is she going to a kegger party after this one?  Not only was the clothing inappropriate, it was inaccurate.  As long as we’re talking about the look…she is going to need a ton of eye makeup remover and a chisel to get that stuff off of her eyes, and the red lipstick..augh!  I can’t wait to see what Michelle has to say…

If you missed Michelle’s Fashion round up on the New York Housewives Holiday party, you can check it out here:

http://lynnnchicago.com/?p=10808

It’s interesting to watch the sharp contrast between the New Jersey Housewives and the New York Housewives as we see the husband’s on the two shows.  While the Jersey men are front and center, the New York husbands / boyfriends are definitely in the background and the women seem to be more in control.  Reid, Mario and Jacques all seem to enjoy being on screen but Bravo doesn’t seem to find them nearly as interesting as Joe, Joey and Richie.

Carole invites the ladies to St. Barts to celebrate her book being finished but we have an issue once again as Aviva doesn’t want to travel without her husband.  ”You don’t mind if I bring him, do you?” she asks all the ladies…..crickets.  Ramona doesn’t say a word even though she clearly doesn’t approve.   I think they all do mind.  Let’s see what happens!

Things go terribly wrong next week between Sonja, Ramona and Aviva as the two ladies missed Aviva’s charity function.  Apparently their flimsy excuses didn’t sit well with Aviva and she was hurt that they didn’t make the effort to show up for her.

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Push Girls by BB


Mia is in her old, dilapidated, hot apartment.  She has been there for five years and she’s ready for a grown up apartment.  Tiphanny has never been to Mia’s apartment before and Mia feels a little embarrassed for people to visit her.  Finding a wheel chair accessible apartment is very difficult and Mia is just not looking forward to packing up and moving.  Tiphanny agrees Mia needs an upgrade.

Back in Carmel, CA, Chelsie lives with her mom in an apartment.  Her mom and dad are divorced and she wasn’t that close to her dad before her accident.  Chelsie and her dad founded the Walk and Roll Foundation and she goes around talking to high schoolers about the dangers of drinking and driving.  At first Chelsie liked doing it, but now she feels like she’s reliving the accident everytime she talks about it.

Auti, Mia, Tiphanny and Angela go to a flea market to look for furniture for Mia’s new apartment (when she finds it).  Of course, they have to figure out how to get a small chest Mia bought back to her apartment.

Chelsie and her dad get to the high school where she will be speaking in front of an assembly of teenagers.  Her dad speaks to the audience first and tells how his life was changed after Chelsie’s accident.  While Chelsie hears her dad talking about having nightmares for about a year, she starts crying backstage.  Then he introduces Chelsie who tells the story of her accident.  She feels like she is reliving it every time she tells it, but she knows her dad has worked so hard to create their foundation.  She’s just putting on a happy face so everyone else will be happy.

Chelsie meets up with her dad.  They have become closer since her accident and sometimes he’s more into their foundation than she is.  Her dad says Chelsie has changed who he is inside and she feels like her dad has put her on a pedestal.  She is still a teenager and wants to still have fun. She feels like her dad expects too much of her.  It’s like she has to be perfect and can’t make any mistakes.  He gives her a pep talk about her path in life, but she’s not sure the foundation is the only thing she wants to do with her life.  She doesn’t want to let her dad down though.

Tiphanny and Mia are looking at apartments.  Mia’s glad to have Tiphanny with her because she thinks more about accessibility than Mia.  Even though apartment complexes are advertised to be accessible, they really aren’t.  They visit one place, the old Hollywood building, and take the elevator up to an apartment.  Mia loves it, but realizes she probably shouldn’t be so high up in case of fire or an earth quake.  She would totally live there if she weren’t in a wheel chair.

The second place they look at is a one-story place.  It’s pretty roomy and cute.  It also has a nice back yard area.  It has a bathroom door that closes, something she doesn’t have in her old apartment. Yippee.  Mia can see herself living there.  She goes to the laundry room and the washers are even front loading.  She feels like this is the place for her.  Tiphanny really helped her cover all the bases.

Chelsie meets with a reporter from 17 Magazine for an interview about her speaking engagements.  She tells the reporter about the questions she gets asked by the students she meets.  She also talks to the reporter about dating.  Chelsie is excited and nervous she’s going to be in the magazine and many more people are going to know her story.  The magazine will be at her next high school event to report on it.

Mia and Tiphanny are at her old apartment and it’s moving day.  They are packing and

Auti and Mia

labeling boxes and rolling up an area rug.  I can’t imagine being in a wheel chair and having to move.  Mia has at least hired movers and isn’t trying to move all by herself.  The only thing she’s taking herself is her bird.  She’s glad to leave the old apartment behind and move to someplace she will be proud to invite her friends.  She decides to have a housewarming party and invites all the girls.  They raise a toast to Mia’s new digs.

Chelsie, her dad, and the editor from the magazine arrive at the speaking gig and Chelsie is nervous.  Her dad tells his story first.  Chelsie wants to make sure the students know they aren’t invincible and one small decision can change their lives forever.  The editor is impressed at how much Chelsie made it real to the students and they can really relate to her.

Thanks so much BB, great job!  xo  Lynn~

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GLAAD Manhattan Event

Tom Murro, was at the GLAAD Manhattan Casino night on Tuesday night, GLAAD’s annual summer event features hors d’oeuvres, hosted cocktails, and special performances to celebrate and highlight GLAAD’s work to build support for equality. Weather Girl Singer (‘It’s Raining Men’) Martha Wash and American Idol’s Kimberley Locke performed.

The Real Housewives of New York were there – Lea Black Adriana De Moura, Alexia Echevarria and Marysol Patton were as flirtatious and fun as ever.

Sorry dude, these ladies are not from New York, they’re from Miami.  Lynn~

A too-thin, red headed Sonja Morgan was on the scene as well, and the RHONY star suggested that her assistant was available for any questions. Tom had no questions, but did want to suggest that she was in desperate need of a sandwich.

What do you all think of Sonja as a red-head?  It’s not dyed, she was wearing a wig!  Lynn~

Speaking of the unpleasant, party goers witnessed Countess LuAnn de Lesseps actually stepping around Glee Project’s Ali Stroker, who was there waiting in her wheelchair online for red carpet pics. The young lady was happy to pose for photos with many of the other guests.

Is anyone shocked that Luann was rude to anyone, let alone a beautiful young girl in a wheelchair?  She’s such a horrible woman!  Lynn~

Everyone partied hard from 530 til around 10pm. The event was presented by Bravo, Ketel One and Miller 64.

How hard can you party in just 4 short hours?  What happened to those 3am parties?  Lynn~

While going through Tom’s report, we came across this picture of Mr. Murro and NY DJ Elvis Duran.  Is there something you haven’t told us, Tom?

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If you missed Carly Hall Presents last night, you can still listen in here:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/carlyhall/2012/08/14/carly-hall-presents-rhony-gossip-and-snark-w-lynnnchicago

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Until Next time…

Posted in Andy Cohen, Bethenny Ever After, Big Brother, Bravo, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Real Housewives of DC, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Real Housewives of New York, Real Housewives of Orange County, Watch What Happens Live | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 666 Comments

LynnNChicago Real Housewives of New York Fashion Round Up & Preview – Let’s Chat!

Posted on August 13, 2012 by LynnNChicago

LynnNChicago  Real Housewives of New York Preview – Let’s Chat!

No break for the New York Housewives, Olympics or no Olympics they move forward as if nothing happened.  It’s Christmas time in New York and Lulu’s Life & Style Holiday party drew an interesting crowd dressed in interesting garb as Michelle spills it all….

Real Housewives of New York Fashion Round Up by Michelle Honig  

As the temperature drops, the radio plays lively Christmas carols and sparkly tinsel begin to decorate the city that never sleeps. It’s Holiday season, or better known in the NYC housewife land, Bravo (or magazine) sponsored party time! And what better way to celebrate than in Luann-issue uniforms in the ever merry red. Not red-hot Valentino red, mind you. No, this red was vaguely reminiscent of a polyester-costumed mall-issue Santa Claus, replete with the tacky consumerism it represents. Of course, not everyone looked like a total idiot. So let’s begin the judging in the contest of “the battle of the red frock–who wore it best? edition”.

 

 

Luann– the hostess of the hour, or as she would like to think, the Queen of the Reindeers (as evidenced by that ridiculous antler headband), goes for a classically Luann get-up that showcases her broad shoulders. I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised, after all this is the woman who uses her height (and her, errmm, assets)as an excuse to walk into the room ahead of her peers because all the attention is on her anyway daaahhrling. Showing off one’s assets inevitably leads these housewives down the road of underage attire, but in this case, Luann’s clavicle reveal is surprisingly flattering on this known repeat fashion offender. I’m also a fan of the mock-neck style turtleneck. And that bordeaux color is rich and flattering. Thankfully, Luann forgoes her usual tackily outsized hubcap necklace for these more appropriate door knocker earrings. And I give her props for managing to extricate her feet from her musty-smelling boots that seems to make a cameo every episode for the past three years. Cute shoes Luann, cute shoes. My fashion rating? 7 out of 10.

 

Ramona– Although she has had a couple of “renewal” moments over the years, Ramona hasn’t changed her style much over her tenure on the show. Which is why this floor-length ruby red v-neck gown does not surprise me in the slightest. The dress flatters her and fits her properly while the beading on the dress gives her the appropriate hint of holiday shimmer. The only thing that bothers me is that I find that this v-neck look is unflattering on Ramona’s aging leathery skin. She would do well to change up her look a bit, perhaps going for a more modern demure cut with more structure. I don’t her boobs just look…sad. I do like her ever-present long chains gracing her neck. Does Ramona ever NOT wear her line of True Faith jewelry? If there’s one thing Ramona does and does well, is promote her numerous brands ever single second of the show. So kudos to that. 5 out of 10.

Sonja– This wannabe socialite sucking on the rusted teat of

the upper crust whilst perpetually putting on airs and pretenses to cover up a lifestyle lost in the dust of a failed marriage consistently attempts to look the part. Of course, the buttoned-up mainstays of the Upper East Side is at times at odds with Sonja’s penchant for her overt sexuality. Which is why this preppy red v-neck sweater and sexy black miniskirt seems to be Sonja’s attempt to marry these two disparate personalities. While she was mostly successful in her attempt, I couldn’t help feeling a little underwhelmed by her underdressed attire. Yes she looked perfectly put together, but surely she can’t be that broke as to not be able to afford a decent cocktail dress? 6 out of 10.

 

Carole– My absolute dream dress. Sorry for making this about me, but this dress is DIVINE. I love that the slim, sharp cut makes her scarily petite figure have some semblance of curves. And those studs are edgy and modern. Princess Carole is lucky that she has friends in high places (this dress was made by her friend Naeem Khan) and lucky that she has a body to pull off nearly anything. Personally, the most incredible thing about this look is not the studs nor the perfect styling, it’s that despite her height deficiencies her legs manage to look supermodel miles long. Now that my friends is what we in the fashion biz call a sartorial miracle. 10 out of 10.

 

 

 

Heather– For someone with a girdle business that is supposed to give you a proper fit, Heather always seems to dress a bit frumpy. It’s not obvious in the typical unkempt way, but it’s as if she’s blatantly avoiding “yummy”ing her tummy. Her ruched boatneck isn’t doing any favors to her large brassiere and her red jersey dress is clingy, but in all the wrong ways. At least we know that Heather’s fashion background is legit as she chose a decidedly fashion-forward midi-length and ankle booties. Maybe Heather should take a cue from Ramona (heck, even Jill Zarin!) and wear her brand in a more obviously flattering way i.e don’t wear that dress. Plus that hair–what was she thinking? 5 out of 10.

 

Aviva– Being that Aviva is truly the master of the uber stuffy upper-class veneer, I think this is the look that Sonja was attempting to achieve. While Sonja’s attempt felt musty and outdated, Aviva looks modern, sleek, and undeniably well-bred (or, in this case, well-dressed). The merlot satin top is accented smartly with a tie detail that look elegant yet sexy. This is finished with a simple wool crepe pencil skirt that hits at an appropriate yet sexy knee-length. The whole look is simple, clean and undeniably perfectly put-together. Aviva’s ridiculously bony and tall silhouette helps too. 9 out of 10.

Thanks Michelle, great job as always! Well done! xo  Lynn~

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Beverly Hills Nannies

 

Meet the Cast of Beverly Hills NanniesBeverly Hills Nannies

Have a question for the Beverly Hills Nannies or their bosses? Email it to us at abcfamilymarketing@disney.com !

A typical day for a Beverly Hills Nanny… From Huffington Post:

It was Justin’s first day on the job for the Faulk family on “Beverly Hills Nannies” (Wed., 9 p.m. ET on ABC Family) and he quickly learned just how demanding the family can be. And it wasn’t even the parents who were the most demanding.

Right away, 4-year old Brooklyn started throwing a fit because she wanted a facial. Ultimately, Justin had to relent and let her have her way. “Only in Beverly Hills,” he sighed. “Only in the BH.”

Luckily, Justin didn’t have to give the facial himself. One thing he was told he had to do, though, was get swimming lessons. The family intended to spend a lot of time at the country club, and it was imperative that Justin was able to swim. At least they said they would pay for his lessons.

Watch Full Episodes:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/388259

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Posted in Andy Cohen, Bethenny Ever After, Big Brother, Bravo, Real Housewives, Real Housewives of Atlanta, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Real Housewives of DC, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Real Housewives of New York, Real Housewives of Orange County, Real Housewives of Vancouver, Real Housewives Tour, Watch What Happens Live | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 255 Comments