motorcitymom65
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Posts posted by motorcitymom65
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14 hours ago, PhilMarlowe2 said:
The trouble with the OC, though, and mileage obviously varies on this, but personally I just don't think there's a show without Vicki. I truly believe Vicki is more essential to the success of the OC than Nene was to Atlanta or Jill/Bethenny was to NYC.
I think that Bravo agrees with this. I just don't. I do not think that Vicki is a strong anchor. At all. She is not well liked by the cast or the audience. She in not funny, likable, or interesting. What she is is ridiculous. On some shows you have it and it works. On the BH show it would be unthinkable to not have LVP in the cast, which I can say even though I am not always her biggest fan. She is just too central to everything, is beloved by the audience (to the point I sometimes throw up in my mouth), and the rest of the cast always wants to interact with her. Even if they don't like her, they want to be around her. Bethenny can say all kinds of things to the other girls, piss them off left and right, and they still want to be around her. This is not the case with Vicki. She doesn't make the show better in her own right. Ever.
I think they keep Vicki around hoping that age old formula of "will they or won't they be friends again" will take hold and people will be hoping and praying for a Vicki/Tamra reconciliation. But I just don't think that most people give two shits. They want them to interact, because we like our HW's to travel in a pack, but most don't care if they are friends or not. This is not Kyle and LVP, where a good portion of the viewing audience just wanted them to be friends again. Because so many people cared about them. No. One. Cares.
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4 hours ago, Ki-in said:
I agree about putting a clause in their contracts, film with each and every housewife regardless of feelings or be fired. One on one I get but there is no excuse for not filming in group settings.
On the one hand I am with you because I love the group stuff the most. But then it takes all of the reality out of our reality TV show. The answer, IMO, is to not hire and renew contracts for gals that no one likes. Quit bringing in people for them to film with like they do for Vicki. I read where Jac's contract wasn't renewed for this next season on the NJ show and she said that she was told she no longer had an "authentic connection to the rest of the cast". Fair enough. Of course she is also crazy and probably a thief, but that has never stopped Bravo from renewing a contract before. The lead chick on that franchise is crazy and a thief. The rule should be: If there are others that have reason to detest you, wish you weren't around, are completely offended by your very presence, and have been betrayed by you in ways that would make it impossible to actually interact with you in the real world, then you need to be gone girl.
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I don't care about any of it at this point. JUST BRING HER THE FUCK BACK. This season totally and completely sucks. There is zero chance she is half as bad as what we having going on now. Vicki = cancer scammer. Kelly = racist.
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It looks to me like Bethenny is taking this very seriously. She has given over her Twitter feed to it. And her FB page. She seems intent on making sure that she is updating anyone who might be interested constantly. Answering questions live on FB. Being transparent. Getting her partners like Arizona involved. I am seriously impressed.
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7 minutes ago, film noire said:
I haven't seen MO linked to DFS - that would make a difference if MO was a patron of the charity already. Even if Frankel should have avoided dropping a First Lady in amid housewives (with Instas full of shit MO doesn't need to rebut/combat, she's got enough on her plate) that would make her inclusion much more understandable.
I love her, but I don't think she rolls like that. Girl went on the Wendy Williams show (amid much controversy at the time, which she just brushed away). When you go on the Wendy Williams show, you are just one step away from being an honorary HW.
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13 minutes ago, film noire said:
But (even if she wanted to respond) it puts Michelle Obama in an impossible situation, MCM -- you know MO's enemies would target her using those half naked pics of Ercia Jayne (or others on that list).
No one is stronger than MO. She has been linked to and accused of supporting much more controversial people than Erika (was Erika even on the list - I didn't even notice). My girl is going to stand up for what she believes and not worry one bit about what folks say. Once you have been called an "ape in heels" and just go about the business of being awesome, being called out in a request for charitable funds from a reputable and well thought of organization along side Erika isn't going to get you all bothered.
I do wonder however if the folks she sent it to have been involved in the charity. Looks like she has been involved for several years so she is probably aware of who has supported them in the past. She included Martha Stewart and they are certainly not friends. Actually, the folks that she didn't include interests me as much as those she did. Hardly anyone from the NY show, no one from the OC show. She didn't include Heather Thomson and they are friends according to both of them. I am sure the list could have been much longer.
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24 minutes ago, film noire said:
She doesn't know Michelle Obama. And including MO in a list with other "strong" women like friggin' Erica Jayne seems silly, at best.
Who knows why she selected the women she did. Maybe they are people she knows already support this particular charity? I love Michelle Obama to pieces. She is my hero in many ways, but it would be hard to compile just a list of people that are that extraordinary in the way that she is extraordinary. Others are going to go on the list right along side her. And some do think that Erika is a strong woman.
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20 minutes ago, film noire said:
Or perhaps some of us have deep reservations about what she's doing/how she's doing it.
Harvey aside -- and as much as DFS is a great charity -- it bugs me how DFS and B Strong have muddied the presentation of what their partnership actually does. B Strong has been presented as something along the lines of "A woman in crisis can turn up needing help escaping an abusive relationship or legal counseling and B Strong will help." But that's not true, there are eligibility requirements for receiving help. You have to have been a member of DFS's PWG (professional woman's group) for at least a year, and gainfully employed, to be eligible for the services B Strong is offering. It's not all women in crisis; it's members of DFS who have successfully landed on their feet, who are facing a setback. And that's a great service (they have about 11 - 12 K members worldwide) but make it clear you're helping that group of women alone, not all women in those situations. People might donate with that intent -- thinking you're providing immediate financial assistance for any abused woman, say -- when you're not actually providing that service.
And I'm assuming DFS / B Strong won't be limiting their Harvey help to members of the Texas chapters of DFS/PWG -- it will be open to any woman in the area who needs help -- but I'm not sure, b/c the wording on the national website for DFs seems a bit unclear to me:
"At the national level, Dress for Success Worldwide is receiving funds in support of its B Strong Initiative founded by Bethenny Frankel. An initial $20,000 will help to reopen the doors of our Corpus Christi affiliate, which suffered damage from the hurricane. Additional funds raised through B Strong and its supporters will be directed to our Houston and Corpus Christi affiliates to support the women and families they serve as part of our contribution to the recovery efforts. To support this work, make a donation to Dress for Success Worldwide and denote B Strong, Bethenny or Hurricane Harvey to ensure that your gift is directed accordingly."
https://dressforsuccess.org/news/hurricane-harvey/
I'm not sure if "the women they serve" means any woman in the area who needs professional clothing (i.e., I've got a job but lost my clothes in the hurricane) or just members of PWG and/or referrals to DFS. (And I realize many people don't care where their donations go - which is fine -- I'm not arguing anybody should care.)
My guess is that folks who give to this charity are comfortable with what is going on. Better to not help anyone if you cannot help everyone? And they are not going to be able to help everyone. Its nice when folks do what they can.
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On 8/28/2017 at 4:07 PM, Duke2801 said:
So. Apparently Vicki is launching a skincare line.
I can't. The jokes are too easy.
Wait. What? Is there a market for folks who want their skin to look like Vicki's?
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1 hour ago, ryebread said:
She put another video up on Facebook a few minutes ago. She seems sincere and like she's working hard. She thanks many organizations and goes out of her way to name Nancy Rogers and Tinsley Mortimer. I wonder how Tinsley is contributing.
Tinsley donated $10,000
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16 minutes ago, ryebread said:
Has she ever planned a HW trip?
I think she planned the trip with Lu and the Pirate? Of course she was also the first I remember to break the 4th wall about these trips. She had no idea that the house where they were staying was the same house she had stayed in years before with Anthony. So clearly, she didn't really plan it. But I think the purpose of the trip had something to do with her and she invited the others along. I could have that slightly wrong.
ETA: I think that trip had something to do with that dude she was dating at the time. He had a gig there or something?
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14 hours ago, psychoticstate said:
God, THIS. I have wondered this probably since her first season. WTF does Carole do all day? Eat sexy salads? Shop for new upholstery and fabric? Read other people's books? Because she certainly doesn't appear to be writing and she isn't thinking up names besides "Baby" for her pets.
I think it is a good question - what does she do all day. Probably lots of stuff, but nothing that Bravo finds interesting enough to show to us. She seems to currently be focused on training for the NY Marathon so maybe we will see some of that, although I believe it takes place in early November, so not sure if they will be filming or not.
But then I wonder this about most of these gals. Maybe because when this show started everyone pretty much had a day job, save for Lu, but she was busy letting her nanny raise her kids, so there is that.
But what do most of them do all day long? As far as I can see, Ramona has no full time job any longer. No place to be every day. Certainly Dorinda doesn't. I guess Lu has her stuff with Evine, but that cannot take up that much of her time and we haven't heard about it on the show for a couple of years. What else is she doing? I don't think Sonja actually has anything that routinely fills her days. Tinsley said in the segment where she was looking for an apartment that she still had a day job, but Sonja said that all she did was shop all day long, so not sure about her.
At the end of the day, it appears that only Bethenny actually has anything going on that fills her days. And still routinely - as a group - they are the most entertaining and interesting.
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7 hours ago, bravofan27 said:
I think that's a great observation/ thought. Tamra does sometimes hint at jealousy but it's usually not over material stuff, it's usually because they are prettier than her, or more carefree and pretty than her. Grethen and Alexis were both younger and pretty hot and I think she hated that. She likes to be around people that are not as pretty as her. She got along with Heather, Vicki, and now Shannon, because quite frankly, they aren't that cute. Tamra has insecurities, but they aren't her looks-- she puts more time and energy into her appearance than any of the other ladies and plus, she'd naturally very pretty. But get a hotter, younger lady around her and she will go crazy. When Simon was buying her all that stuff, it's because she was the "Hottest housewife in OC" and she was competing with Gretchen who was getting massively expensive gifts from Jeff all the time. I think too, that Tamra has calmed down a lot with the jealousy after what happened with Gretchen. With Alexis, she hated her because she and her husband were friends with Simon and went to church together. She hated Jeana because Jeana didn't feel that Simon should have been arrested. She hated Kelly for saying, "No wonder you daughter doesn't talk to you." She hates Vicki, not for cancergate but because of "Eddie is gay" (which is a total lie and I'm happy Meghan calls her out on it next time). She hates her mom because her mom doesn't tell her daughter to talk to her.
I think she loves Eddie and is happy with him-- she's not trying to meet a richer guy, and she doesn't want a richer guy. I think knowing that she could easily meet a guy with a lot of money and have all those material things doesn't interest her. First, she is happy with Eddie. Second, she values her freedom. Alexis didn't have freedom. Peggy doesn't really either, I mean, her husband approves her boobs, and Shannon is totally miserable married to a guy that has the money, constantly self-loathing and insecure.
Ugh, the stuff with Gretchen. Tamra absolutely came across as so jealous of her, right from the very beginning. I think that Tamra was miserable in her marriage, struggling with issues related to her dead-beat son Ryan and the tensions they brought into the household, and faced with a younger and more beautiful (at least back then) gal on her turf. And she was nasty as hell to Gretchen, a person I didn't care for at all.
But I think there was something else there. Tamra was a super sleuth long before Meghan joined the show. It seemed nasty and self-serving at the time in the ways she went about it, but she knew that Gretchen was a con artist right from the start. And if there is one thing I will give to Tamra - she has always hated the gals that are very fake on camera or pretending that their reality was different from what they portrayed on reality TV. Tamra was honest about her shitty marriage and the issues with her son. She was letting it all hang out long before Shannon was. And she was watching Gretchen craft this entire storyline that wasn't authentic. The same for Alexis, who barely had a pot to piss in, but went on and on about all of her possessions. While Tamra was showing the aftermath of an ugly divorce and being honest about the fact that she basically had no money and was moving into an apartment and her life was less than ideal. Just like she hated Gretchen and Alexis for the stories they were crafting, she detests Vicki for the same reason now. The fake cancer storyline.
I think Tamra has in her history on the show been the most vile in many ways. I have disliked her more than any other HW (save for Vicki - no one will ever trump that). She has a lot of bad stuff on her resume. But I also think she has changed a lot in the last few years. She is so far from perfect. The deal with her daughter just turns my stomach. She needs to keep her name out of her mouth if that is what the daughter wants. I also get how hard that must be because the situation is agonizing. But she has to do it if she hopes for a relationship with her in the future. She handles this poorly in so many ways, even though I have a ton of empathy for what she is going through. But even though she doesn't handle it all in the best way, I have seen a ton of growth in her over the years. And it hasn't come about overnight, which would lead me to believe it is contrived. It has been a slow, steady process since she met and married Eddie. She seems truly happy and in love. Much more focused on the important stuff in life than in the shit that makes no difference.
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8 hours ago, HunterHunted said:
I'm going to disagree slightly. Jill and Bethenny were legit friends. Ramona and Sonja were close friends. However, it really isn't until Heather joined the cast that the women hung out with each other in the off season. All of them said that Heather made a big effort to make sure they kept in touch when they weren't filming. I guess this is why I'm still pissed that Ramona, Sonja, Lu, and Dorinda were quick to turn on Heather when Bethenny came back. Like I'm still so disappointed in Dorinda because of her nasty heel turn. Dorinda and Heather had spent a summer in the Berkshires getting to know each other and out of nowhere Dorinda just starts being an asshole to her.
I agree this franchise is different, and also agree that Heather changed the overall dynamic in a big way because of her aim to get to know them all on camera as well as off (except Sonja - she said they never really had a big connection off the show). But I also think that Carole did the same. She tends to become close to the women off camera as well. We have seen it with Heather, Lu (she said they often hung out at Lu's Hampton pad), Bethenny, and now Tinsley. After her first season she talked in her blog about how she had spent a lot of time with Ramona in the off season getting to know her better and becoming close to some to Ramona's friends (she surprised me by saying that despite what we saw on TV from Ramona, that she had a group of loyal and loving friends and that seeing her with them had given her a different view of Ramona). She has formed a bond with Dorinda that is deep. I think that this goes a long way in making the vibe what it is, when there is one, or two people, that actually care about the others outside of just what is going on in the show.
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3 minutes ago, biakbiak said:
Which is why it's good to vet organizations at places like Charity Navigator so that you know your funds aren't being wasted because the organization doesn't have experience or capacity to maximize your contribution.
Well, then Bethenny is in good shape. DFS has a higher rating than does the American Red Cross.
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4 minutes ago, film noire said:
Frankel is not doing clothes at all -- later in the day, she said (in response to a poster concerned about the logistics of where all the money was going) that she currently has no idea where/how/what the money will be going to - gift cards, cash handouts, maybe shelters -- she wasn't yet certain. (And as I said, even if it was someone I admired, I would not think it was okay to raise money, in a crisis, without an in-place, clear plan to disburse it. YMMV.)
Someone who has more experience working with charities will have to weigh in, but my guess is a lot of money is going to organizations that are not 100% certain of how funds will be used. I would imagine they will be assessing the needs as they better understand the scope of the problem. But as was mentioned above, you strike while the story is still on the front page and everyone wants to do something to help. In a couple of days this won't be on the news 24/7 and memories are short when images of folks suffering are not beamed into our living rooms all day long.
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28 minutes ago, chenoa333 said:
Where would Tamra's financial life be if she no longer got a paycheck from Bravo? All the other women could go on with their lives and still have money to afford whatever their lifestyle might be. Even Icky Vicky. But Tamra.....no. She would probably be looking for "pre fab homes" in Oceanside CA.
Well, like most people, she would probably have issues if she lost her job.
While not a Tamra fan, one thing I have noticed is that she doesn't seem to be that involved in living the high life 100% of the time. She moved into Eddie's home and redecorated instead of buying a new one. I seem to remember her saying he owned it outright so no need to take on a mortgage. To me, that was a big deal. She has nice things and likes nice things, but it doesn't seem to be the highlight of her life the way it was when she was married to Simon. Didn't he buy her a Rolex or something back in the day and it was a big deal to her? She seems different now. I think she went through major financial troubles back in the day when he lost his job and learned a lesson or two. Maybe she saves much of her Bravo salary? One thing that has always impressed me about Tamra (perhaps the only thing) is that she seems to be able to be surrounded by folks who have much more than her - specifically Heather and Shannon - and gives them props for having beautiful homes and things, but doesn't hint at jealousy about having much less. She just seems content with the material possessions that she has.
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My hope for next season - no matter who comes and who goes - is that they learned that the formula they had this season largely worked. Not a ton of drama, and gals who actually have a fondness for each other. They still argue and fight, but they don't hate each other. There might be a lapse in filming - one gal doesn't want to film with another for a while - but they get over it and move on. And lots of group events, right from the start of the season, which I love.
I thought it was such a good season. And the OC sucks, yet still averages better ratings than this show does. Go figure.
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6 minutes ago, bagger said:
I know I'm harping but this is near and dear to me right now. I'm volunteering at a small shelter roughly helping abou 100 people right now, more than half of those are single women many of those with small school aged children. In two or three weeks they'll have more permanent shelter but wouldn't it be great if they could use the FEMA and Red Cross help for food and medicine for themselves and their kids and not have to worry about clothes for themselves?
I just think any awareness brought to the need is commendable. Hell, not a fan of the Kardashians but so very grateful for their $500k donation. I don't be care if they just did it for the publicity or not.
Bless you for what you are doing Bagger.
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12 minutes ago, biakbiak said:
No one said she was a savior, just that production clearly values her presence no one forced them to promote her.
Lu had a great season her "friend of" season. I liked her that year (the one and only year I think). But her great season was absolutely made - in part - by the other gals and the way they reacted to what had happened to her. All of them rallied around her to an extent, and it could have gone south for her quickly. For all the talk of how horrid they all are to each other (and they can be) it should be recognized when they treat each other with kindness and compassion and credit should be given (IMO) where credit is due. It takes a village after all!
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57 minutes ago, film noire said:
Again, where did I say that?
Quoting myself:
"...use your celebrity to give people a list of charities on the front line of the crisis right now, and don't divert resources from the most needed charities right now (those providing shelter, medication, and food). DFS is a great charity, but they don't have the infrastructure to do what the Red Cross (despite the controversy in the past) or similar humanitarian orgs are doing right now. And I'm pretty sure neither does B Strong. "
I criticized *where* she was asking donations to go, and *how* she used that ask to upgrade visibility around her own charity -- a charity not set up to handle what is needed right now -- not that she was asking for donations, period.
But those people are going to need clothes as well. Watching TV today at one of the shelters, they said they were in desperate need of clothing. Everyone does what they can. I work for a food company and we are sending down trucks of food. My husband works for a retailer, and they are sending trucks of clothing. The devastation isn't just about today. It will be days and weeks from now, when women who have lost everything need to go back to work. They will need something to wear. Bethenny is encouraging other women to make donations to help people in need. I just find it hard to criticize.
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5 minutes ago, Almost 3000 said:
So much yes to that! I think both Shannon and Tamra were going to completely ice Vic out this season but didn't anticipate both Peggy and Lydia being given their marching orders by TPTB to befriend Vic. Yes, there I said it. They were both brought on so Vicky would have someone besides Breanna with which to film. Andy did say somewhere and I can't remember where that Kelly would show a better side this season. I think she was pushed to befriend Vicky last season and really all they had was each other so by default they are show BFFs. Kelly may decide as the season goes on to ride the middle like Megan seems to be doing. As many have mentioned there are no natural friendships this season which just makes everything so awkward.
I also think that Tamra said that Kelly would be the one who would surprise us the most as the season advanced.
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Oh my, so much screaming and mischief over dinner at nice restaurants. Hard to believe there once was a time when we all found the sight of Teresa basically flipping the table to be shocking back in the beginning. It even made the news after that episode aired. Now it is just par for the course.
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1 minute ago, biakbiak said:
Because she wants to tell her side of the story. When she was demoted before she actually made more money than was a full time HW because they ended up needing her so much.
How did they need her? I think she ended up making that gig good because everyone invited her to everything. If anyone had wanted to exclude her, they could have, but they did not. Heather interviewed once that Lu was frantic when told she would only be a "friend of" and that Heather promised she would try to include her in as much of her filming as she could so she could get a lot of camera time. She encouraged others to do the same. Her fate was kind of in the hands of the other gals.
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S09.E22: Reunion Part 3
in The Real Housewives Of New York City
How is it fake news? That she has a successful business?