S07.E23: Reunion Part 2

[PhilMarlowe2]

On 5/15/2019 at 11:30 AM, albarino said:

I don't mean to change the subject but could somebody familiar with LA weigh in on the mass move to Studio City?   I'm from the east coast now living in CO but WeHo seemed like a cool hipster neighborhood.  Is Studio City sorta the same?  Is it close to TomTom?

Is it like going from shopping at Whole Foods/Trader Joes to Safeway or Costco?  Thanks in advance.

Basically, yes. Studio City - and the Valley in general - is regarded as moving to the suburbs. It's where a lot of people go to buy homes and raise families. Definitely more family-oriented. That said, Studio City is definitely the "hippest" part of the Valley, most probably because it's closest to LA proper - it's literally the first neighborhood "over the hill." You're just a stone's throw from chic Laurel Canyon. It has pretty decent restaurants, bars, gastropubs. It's "lively" for suburbia. You can definitely get more bang for your housing dollar in the valley - though, again, Studio City isn't exactly cheap. It's desirable for that area. But still less expensive than buying a home in, say, West Hollywood or Hollywood or Silverlake etc etc. Studio City is where you go when you want to settle down, raise some kids, be quieter but still be in a relatively happening area that is close to things.

[wheresmypizza]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2019 at 9:00 AM, Pop Tart said:

I think that's the root of their frustration. I think to the group it must feel like James is almost exclusively nasty and mean to them. Even when someone is on his side he comes at them with pretty devastating snark and sneering. Some of that is because his "humor" is extremely sharp, sarcastic and goes for the lowest blow he can think of in the moment. I don't like James, but he is definitely the quickest wit and none of the others can match his quickness. And the more on the defensive he feels, the lower and dirtier he goes. 

So to me it's understandable that they feel frustrated that he got this sympathy edit with the whole family thing. They have to work with him, the audience do not, so they get frustrated.

I also think they get jealous and frustrated that Lisa, their den mother, is clearly on board with creating a storyline for James that garners sympathy. She outed herself last night as someone who has some control over storylines when they were talking about his parents. The others were getting on a rant about how they all had stuff going on and how they all helped support their families, etc. Then Lisa said they had to include the stuff about his family otherwise the balance of the show for his character would have been all negative. She was talking about it like a producer/writer - how they needed to craft a more "balanced" story for James.

That's where all her coaching and coddling of him comes from too. She's trying to make sure he remains a viable cast member. That's why Raquel is going to work at Sur as well, not because Andy and Lisa are interested in making her a full-time cast member but because it means James can be more present at Sur, whether he's working there or not. Lisa is all about the Benjamins and she knows James makes for good tv, no matter how hateful he is.

So I get the frustration of the other cast. Here's this guy who makes everyone around him feel bad - and I totally believe that he does. But that said, I also believe they're being very dumb in how they're handling him at this reunion. Let him talk - he invariably digs his own grave when he does. Stop giving him cover as a "victim" of the group. 

But the funny thing is is that his behavior and theirs in response is why I consider this one of the more "real" reality shows out there. This is a group of people who really are friends who hang out together outside of filming (they all bought houses in the same neighborhood). That is very different from any of the HW shows or other Bravo entries. And all that togetherness makes them continue to be messy. Which keeps me watching? 🙄

This is brilliant. All I would add to this is that I think James has the most actual talent of the group. He has shown some real chops as a producer/writer/DJ, and the rest of them know it. I think it makes the rest of them crazy to think that James probably could (if he ever did get his shit under control) not only have a pretty great career without SUR or VPR, but that they clearly can't.

[yourmomiseasy]

On 5/15/2019 at 1:38 PM, Carolina Girl said:

It's pretty close -- TomTom is in West Hollywood which is south and slightly east of Studio City by about 6 miles or so.  

But I imagine if they wanted to buy homes instead of condos, the Valley would be the way to go.  

That's 6 miles through Hollywood Hills though.  Those canyon roads can get real backed up so it can be over an hour depending on the time of day.  I will be making the drive from the LA side over to Studio City this afternoon and am dreading it.  Driving home later tonight won't be bad though.

[ivygirl]

On 5/20/2019 at 7:19 PM, wheresmypizza said:

This is brilliant. All I would add to this is that I think James has the most actual talent of the group. He has shown some real chops as a producer/writer/DJ, and the rest of them know it. I think it makes the rest of them crazy to think that James probably could (if he ever did get his shit under control) not only have a pretty great career without SUR or VPR, but that they clearly can't.

I’d argue that Stassi has actual talent as well—as much as her book annoyed me, it did have a rhythm and cohesion to it that surpassed a lot of other celebrity books I’ve come across. I think she has the biggest chance of staying in “media” (and by that I mean writing, or podcasting, etc... not necessarily being on TV forever).

[FozzyBear]

On 5/20/2019 at 5:47 PM, PhilMarlowe2 said:

Basically, yes. Studio City - and the Valley in general - is regarded as moving to the suburbs. It's where a lot of people go to buy homes and raise families. Definitely more family-oriented. That said, Studio City is definitely the "hippest" part of the Valley, most probably because it's closest to LA proper - it's literally the first neighborhood "over the hill." You're just a stone's throw from chic Laurel Canyon. It has pretty decent restaurants, bars, gastropubs. It's "lively" for suburbia. You can definitely get more bang for your housing dollar in the valley - though, again, Studio City isn't exactly cheap. It's desirable for that area. But still less expensive than buying a home in, say, West Hollywood or Hollywood or Silverlake etc etc. Studio City is where you go when you want to settle down, raise some kids, be quieter but still be in a relatively happening area that is close to things.

So, kind of like what Park Slope was back in the early 2000?