ivygirl

I'm wondering if it also has to do with Kristen's emergence as an actual, likable character on the show. She's showing that she can be a cool person, and Ariana is showing how ridiculous it is that she claims to be so "cool" about it and yet can't move on. It took me a while to figure out what it even meant. I had to ask Meghan Edmonds to do some googling for me. Apparently it's used to show that you're "keeping it (100%) real."

Of course Ariana is "100." Is she also the smugshrug? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I hope so. For someone who claims to be "an actress who understand comedy," that whole reading was completely devoid of humor, self awareness, and any sort of timing. Sandoval did OK. He poked fun at himself, and he also is obviously used to performing, so he was more engaging to the audience. He continues to grow on me, actually.

I've seen more than my share of butt now. Other random musings: "Tweedledee and tweedle-f'in-idiot" is quite possibly the funniest thing Jax has said in the run of the show. Kristen: "when am I NOT calm?" Lady, if we showed clips, it'd take up the full hour. :) But she IS being much more calm now. Good on her. Ariana was really rude to Kristen and doesn't have much room to act like she had been on the high road the whole time. I'm tired of her smarter-than-you, above-you attitude. And her smug look as Tom was discussing Kristen with his mom... She's obnoxious. And they both COMPLETELY overreacted about Kristen going on the trip. They are not "over" anything if they're flipping out like that. Katie looked really good when she visited Tom on that shoot!

I got the DVD set and I'm watching "Less than Perfect," a ninth-season episode I don't recall seeing at all. The premise: After driving her boyfriend Casey home, Blair falls asleep at the wheel and ends up in a nasty accident. She's in the hospital freaked out about her looks (understandable, especially because it's Blair). But the whole thing has a forced maudlin VSE feel to it, and it's not very enjoyable to watch. Also, I don't buy Casey as her type. His personality and style don't seem like that of someone she'd be attracted to. I guess the writers thought it'd show the "evolution" of Blair's character, but it wasn't all that believable.

Yolanda's self-created storyline about who "truly cares" and who "doesn't" bugs. In her blog, she says this: Correct me if I'm wrong (please!), but didn't Lisa V say that she texted and Yolanda never answered? If you send a *text* and no one answers, and you know they're still alive and that you have the right number, would you even feel welcome attempting to call or visit? I'm not a big fan of text conversations either, but c'mon, Yolanda... If you don't respond to someone's initial gesture of kindness (however minimal), how can you expect them to extend themselves even further? Personally, if someone doesn't even bother to respond to a message that expresses kindness or concern, I think they're *not interested in talking with me* and back away.

Yes. Bubble tea cleanses. That's it.

I was not bothered by the fact that Lala wasn't invited to Ariana's party. Ariana can invite whoever she wants. it didn't appear to be a party with hundreds of her "closest" friends. Even though over the top in terms of the activities, it was kind of low key in the sense that it was a backyard party and basically her closer friends were there. However I think it's the height of rudeness to talk about an event in front of people who weren't invited or included. Lisa egged that conversation on for drama, no question.

Hilarious! I came back here to say the exact same thing! Yeah I hate this one, too. Why? Why is she making such a great impression? Do whitened teeth get you into the C-suite? Are directors blinded by the glint in her teeth? On another note: I never thought I'd hear a Flaming Lips song enough to get tired of it. Nor did I ever think I'd hear one on a KMart commercial. And yet.

This stuff about these peoples' birthdays really gets out of hand. "The day after my birthday is HOLY! How dare you desecrate it!" I don't blame the girls for being suspicious of this trip. They have good reason. But who are these women to say "no, that's not happening!"? These dudes are adults (at least numerically). Go on your own darn trip! Heck, go to Vegas and follow them around! But to try to say "no"? I mean, just be honest. "I know what happens on these trips to Vegas. I have a hard time trusting you, but I don't want to act like I'm your mom. So, go. But if I hear you're screwing around on me, I'm out. And yeah, by the way, I'm going on my own trip. SEE ya!" That being said... The fact that these dudes act like the girls SHOULDN'T be nervous is ridiculous too. * * * Scheana on opportunism: "Ariana is crying! I need my camera time!" Tom Sandoval on going to Vegas: "I'll be there for you when the rain starts to fall. I'll be there for you like I've been there before. But DUDE! Bulldozers!!!" Schwartz on smells: "I just spent $30 on a Voluspa candle! Not even Yankee Candle, yo! VOLUSPA!" Katy on revisionist history: "I didn't try to stop him from going!" Breathalyzer to Jax: "Let me watch you sweat just a little more, sweaty boy!" Flat iron on cameo role: "Finally!"

Are you proposing that as the official product name? Why not? Hey, "Skinnygirl" worked for Bethenny. And "Lisa Vanderpump Sangria" doesn't really do anything for me...

I just had some sangria. I thought, "you know what would've made this better? If it came out of a bottle and was marketed to me by a couple of overgelled, hyper mactors."

*insert joke about health code violations here*When I clicked onto the story, it included a hyperlink that said "this bale of hay nearly destroyed a ranch." I had to read because I thought, "I don't remember Jax destroying a RANCH and besides, 'bale of hay' is kind of an odd nickname for him." Alas, it was an unmarked sponsored link for a bank, only made to look like part of the story. Too bad, because I was looking forward to learning why I should start calling Jax a bale of hay.

"Ice cream is a feeling." And apparently the feeling is "nauseated"?

It's been a joke in my family for a long time. "Hey! Did you know Macy's is having a sale?" Because they make such a big deal about their ONE! DAY! SALE! as if another one won't be happening the next weekend. Unpopular opinion time: I don't get annoyed by the GEICO Peter Pan because I *know* he's supposed to be annoying, and if I retain awareness of that, it ceases to be annoying for me. However, if I'm watching HULU or YouTube on my computer with earphones in, and the ad comes on, I find his "PHILLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!" annoying because it's a dagger to my ears. Why is that so freaking loud?

Maybe the Toms can be her brand ambassadors. Put that logo on the step-and-repeat!

Oh, no -- I realize that. Just noting that the kids seem legit, even if the coordinator wasn't. But the whole scenario was strange. I googled her (got my research degree from the Meghan Edmonds School of Information Science). This must be her charity: http://deapinlove.com/

Or maybe "on a job-by-job basis." That's about as generous as I'll be. ;) Caveat emptor. That means: "Don't throw Latin around when you don't know what it means." :)

Even if Arielle herself is somewhat... er... of unknown origin, job-wise, one of the dinner-party participants mentioned a real-deal charity: Covenant House. And there is one in Hollywood.

First off--thanks! And yeah I like the video idea! Don't these people spend all their waking hours on Instagram and Twitter? They can make super short video clips and share them on "social media." That shouldn't require too much commitment, even for people who are too nervous about making plans (aka working) in the likely event of birthdays, road trips, parties, weekends, weekdays, and lunar eclipses.

Going by Bravo tropes, she might just get a job as a stew on his yacht and dive off the moment things get to be too much for her!

Loved the look Sandoval shot Jax as James walked away from their conversation at the SUR bar. Those meticulously waxed eyebrows can dish out some wonderful expressions! I think the Toms working as "brand ambassadors" is... Well, I won't say "brilliant," but... A not-bad idea. They could demo cocktails and pose in front of step-and-repeats with the fans. I'd go see that for kicks. Hashtag SURgria! But OH NO... There's trouble in paradise as Sandoval TOTALLY fails to consult Ariana on the ins and outs of lemonade! Maybe he's not ready to be a brand ambassador after all. I was skeptical about the whole "teen dinner" thing but it ended up kind of sweet. And back to Ariana. She's not mad because Peter's trip is "heteronormative." She's nervous because of Sandoval and his propensity for sketchy behaviors on trips. I can't believe these people are in their 30s. Their behavior makes me forget until they mention it.

I mean, it's like she was still president of the Jermaine Jackson Fan Club, and Mrs. Garrett told her she couldn't go to the concert! ;) [/factsoflife] Much as I like Kim and believe she's being *pretty* genuine on the show, I have to imagine that she's pouring it on a bit. I can't imagine that she has NO real friends and that she's THAT distressed by being away from her family.

I was half paying attention to "Work Out New York," and I vaguely recall that the "next time on RHOA" popped up in the middle of that show. Of course, that show was about as exciting as I figured it'd be (read: it wasn't), so I oculd be wrong.

Hey! Logo is showing "Seven Little Indians" in today's block! If you miss it, don't worry. I'm sure it'll be on a few hundred times in the next few weeks. ;) ETA: I just found this... http://www.biography.com/news/facts-of-life-where-are-they-now Rae would remain at Eastland—doling out words of wisdom, loving advice and delicious food—until 1986. At that point, though the show was still going strong, and had earned her an Emmy nod, Rae decided that she needed to take a break. As she said in 1988, “I really needed to renew myself. I think I owed it to myself. So I honored myself—and quit.”