The guests had a good time, and it's always good to see the Manzos together. They're still so clearly in love, and when they talked about their first dates in Little Italy, it was touching. Caroline even got Joey to call her daughter, Lauren, and make her former tween dream come true -- a call from Joey! Now that's a memorable meal.
Overall, the chefs served up two stellar dinner parties with an assortment of great dishes for inspiration.
From Real Housewife to pop star! Countess LuAnn de Lesseps debuted her music video for her new single, "Chic, C'est la Vie," when Life & Style hosted The Real Housewives of New York City star's release party at Bar Basque in NYC on June 28. "My favorite part of the night was seeing my video on the building; it looks so much better large than it does on a regular screen!" LuAnn tells Life & Style about watching her music video play on the Big Screen Plaza at the event. "Being in music at this point in my life is like starting over -- I'm able to re-create myself," LuAnn says. "This is a dream come true."
LuAnn, in a Melanie Harris dress and dazzling light-up shoes by Nina, glammed it up thanks to Napoleon Perdis Beauty. But most showstopping of all, was her new blonde 'do!
"I've always wanted to be a blonde and finally got my chance in the hands of Jason Backe at Ted Gibson's salon," LuAnn tells Life & Style. "The last time I had long hair was in the '80s, so this was such a fun change for me. I just kept looking at myself and not believing it. My kids loved it. I don't know how long I'll keep it, but since the blondes didn't come to my party, I got my chance!"
After being treated to a first listen of LuAnn's sultry song, the reality star's guests, including Housewives co-stars Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin and Cindy Barshop, danced to the beats of DJ Martial and sipped on Svedka Vodka, Skinny Water and Gabriella Wine.
Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kim Zolciak introduces her newborn son to Life & Style. “It’s unimaginable — I’m so blessed, so lucky,” the reality TV starlet gushes about her first son, whom she affectionately calls K.J. “I’m just so crazy in love with K.J. – I’m always kissing his big old lips.”
Kim and her partner, Atlanta Falcons defensive end Kroy Biermann, welcomed baby K.J. on May 31. “The actual delivery itself was very private, very personal,” Kim reveals. “To be in such a happy place with Kroy there, it was definitely very emotional. It couldn’t have been more perfect.”
Kim says daughters Ariana, 9, and Brielle, 13, are her little helpers and credits Kroy for being a wonderful partner. “I’m 100,000 percent certain that Kroy is the one for me,” she says. But before she walks down the aisle, “I definitely would like one more child,” she adds. “I would love to have K.J. walking by the wedding. He could be the little ring bearer!”
Very negative publicity and unflattering reports of arrests for a DUI and unpaid child support in tow, Vicki Gunvalson is standing by her man.RELATED: 'Housewife To Appear On 'Clean House'
In the current issue of UsWeekly magazine, the Real Housewives of Orange County star not only defends beau Brooks Ayers, but also denies she cheated on her estranged husband Donn Gunvalson with him. A report came out a week ago with an ex-girlfriend of Brooks stating Vicki had been involved with him since 2007. Even more puzzling was the handwritten letter Vicki sent to a judge on behalf on Brooks last August, two months before filing for divorce from Donn.
“We never had an affair,” states Vicki, 49 of her romance with Brooks, 44. It however appears Vicki took a page from the book of her BFF Tamra Barney as the UsWeekly article states she has been dating Brooks for the past 8 months. Just when did Vicki file for divorce? Exactly eight months ago in October. Did she start dating Brooks hours days after filing for divorce???
The report of the 8-month romance is even more surprising because when the reports about Brooks first came out, Vicki downplayed their relationship claiming “I’ve only just started dating this guy, we’ve had like three dates.”
Vicki also takes a page out of Gretchen Rossi’s handbook when she denies Brooks was a deadbeat dad despite his two arrests for being just that. “He fell back on payments,” she admits but says he’s paid $100,000 to his ex over a span of years. “Is that a deadbeat dad?” asks Vicki.
And during her Sunday night appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, Vicki went a step further when she revealed she is in love with Brooks adding, “I knew everything. There wasn’t any secrets and lies.”
When asked about the hypocrisy of her situation, you know, being that she has called out Slade Smiley for not paying his child support once or twice, Vicki attempted to defend herself. “If the viewers saw me the last year” said Vicki. “I never talked about Slade. It’s his business and his life and I don’t want him in mine.” Well those in glass houses have no business throwing rocks.
Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards treated herself to some much needed rest and relaxation on a cast trip to Hawaii yesterday.
The 46-year-old, who is understood to have recently completed a stint in rehab, was spotted lounging around the pool at a luxury hotel in Maui with a male companion.
The mother-of-four, who is Paris Hilton's aunt, showed off her figure in the skimpy tiger print two-piece as she munch on French fries.
Make-up free, she pulled her hair into a pony tail as she sunned herself for the afternoon.
Kim's companion balancing their basket of fries on his rotund tummy as she tucked in.
Later Kim went for seconds, ordering another basket after covering up with a kaftan.
Kim is said to have checked into a rehab facility earlier this year following the taping of the reality show's season finale.
She was allegedly treated for alcoholism after pictures and video were released showing an inebriated Kim being escorted out of a San Francisco airport last year.
Kim's sister Kyle and the rest of the Real Housewives cast were also in Hawaii over the weekend.
Former The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Dina Manzo has a theory about Teresa Giudice's rocky relationship with fellow housewife and sister-in-law Melissa Gorga. Their rivalry, she says, is actually a result of love.Damn, I wish Dina would return to RHONJ, just for the simple fact of how hot she still looks.
"It all stems from the love of a brother and sister," she told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live Sunday night. "So they need to step back and all realize that [the drama is] a lot of BS."
Manzo, 39, says Giudice's brother Joe, Gorga's husband, "admires" his sister – but that high regard backfires, as it did at the christening ceremony of the couple's son.
The family feud erupted after Joe called his sister "garbage" at the affair, which was hosted by Gorga. And when it comes to drama, Manzo says, "girls can be bitchier."
"She just blurts it out," she says of Giudice. "There's no filter, so that can piss people off."
Holy catfight! The 'Real Housewives of New York' reunion special was taped last Wednesday at Capital in NYC and it was full of tears, laughter and betrayal but nothing was as interesting as one Real Housewife talking about the show in the past tense. "Cindy [Barshop] barely spoke at the taping," a cast member tells me, "And when she did talk about her time on the show it was in the past tense. She is definitely not coming back."God, I hope Cindy doesn't come back, talk abut useless.
Also buzzing around today is a new report by HollywoodLife that in addition to Cindy, original housewife Alex McCord will also not be around for a fifth season, but in an exclusive statement to PopEater, Alex rebuffs such claims.
"If I had a dollar every time an 'inside source,' i.e. a cast member, leaked a 'story' that I was out of RHONY, I'd be a multi-millionairess!" Alex wrote to me.
A spokesperson for Bravo released a statement, telling me "No decisions have been made regarding next season and everything at this point is rumor."
The tradition of the 'Real Housewives' coming together at the end of each season to tape a reunion show has delivered HUGE ratings for Bravo. So much so that these tapings are often edited into at least two hours of TV and have recently even provided footage for a third.
"They started taping at 9:00 a.m. and didn't finish until well past 7," an insider tells me. "The first few hours where everyone is on message is always thrown away and replaced by the more juicy stuff that occurs later in the day when everyone's getting tired and letting down their guard. This year Ramona and Jill go at it."
After the taping, Ramona tweeted that it had been a wild day and that she "survived the reunion." The next day Alex McCord agreed, tweeting, "Intense day of filming yesterday for Real Housewives of New York." However, Jill Zarin, surprisingly seemed to have a great time, sharing, "OMG what a day," late Wednesday night.
Melissa Gorga is not a money-hungry monster.
And, the Real Housewives of New Jersey star says, her enemy-in-law Teresa Giudice knows this.
"When I hear her call me pretty much a gold digger, it's like putting a knife in my heart and twisting it, because I know that she knows that's not true," Melissa told me yesterday when she stopped by E! during her first trip to Los Angeles.
Gorga offers up some pretty convincing proof...
"Joe and I have been married for seven years and have three kids," Melissa explained. "We went through a time where we couldn't even buy diapers. We had to sell every house we lived in...Did I go anywhere? Would I ever? No. It hurts me that she would even put that out there, to put that in someone's head. And it doesn't even hurt me as bad as it hurts her brother."
Kandi Burruss, Phaedra Parks and Sheree Whitfield, three of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta,” hit the gym last night.
The ladies weren’t there to pump iron but to strut their stuff.
The occasion was the VIP pre-opening fete for Urban Active Buckhead, an upscale fitness center at 3535 Peachtree Rd. The 40,000 facility is tricked out with training areas and indoor tracks, 115 pieces of cardio equipment, a free weights floor, along with a fully supervised kids’ playroom with computer and gaming stations, movie viewing area, basketball court and even a nursery.
Urban Active plans a community grand opening from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday if you’d like to check it out. They’re planning more celeb visits from noon to 1:30 p.m., with actress Jasmine Guy confirmed to stroll the red carpet.
While Camille Grammer fights to keep Kelsey Grammer's daughter Spencer away from their Hawaii home, Kelsey decides he's keeping their two children, Mason, 9, and Jude, 6, away from the small screen for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' second season.
"My ex wouldn't sign the release, so you are not going to see my children," Camille told E! News. "Mason really wanted to be a part of the show."
And the custody battle continues...
Although Mason is upset at the halt of her uprising fame, her little bro wasn't too shattered.
Camille said he didn't seem as disappointed. "My son is too young and well, he's a boy," she added.
Understandable.
The reality star has other plans for her children this summer, anyway.
She told us they are headed to Hawaii on the Fourth of July for a 10-day vacation. (Can we come?) Camille said that after that trip, they will be staying in town for the summer because Jude is headed to summer school.
When it came next season's new Housewives, Camille's lips were sealed. Well, kinda sealed.
"Talking and cooking - this is crazy!" Teresa Giudice, the real star of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," calls out in her signature nasal-inflected accent.
Juggling a pot that is quietly simmering with homemade tomato sauce while chopping garlic and onions with her beloved "Rocket" - an instant vegetable slicer - the 39-year-old is slightly frazzled.
She just wrapped up filming for "Good Day New York," was preparing for her Staten Island book signing and now has to cook for a very hungry reporter, in her very own kitchen - all to promote her latest book, "Fabulicious!"
Add whining daughter Milania into the mix - who threw a fit because she wanted to cook with Mommy rather than head to school - and Giudice is, to put it lightly, at wit's end.
"She's so drama," she says after shooing her daughter out the door with her nanny. "And she gets it from me."
Giudice became famous for her no-holds-barred, take-no-B.S. attitude. On TV, she not only puffs up her chest but flexes her muscles at those who oppose her, like former castmate Danielle Staub, who dared not return for a third season.
The same attitude applies to the food she cooks in the sequel to her best-selling debut, "Skinny Italian."
In "Fabulicious!," Giudice shares the best recipes from her family in Italy.
"It's simple ingredients that you have in your kitchen," she says. "Nothing fancy like the chefs who use a lot of different ingredients. We just use things that are in our house."
These ingredients include: salt, pepper, fresh parsley, garlic and tomato sauce. The latter is a homemade batch that she and her husband concoct every August.
"It's a tradition, and we do about 150 bushels," she says. "I always do everything in bulk."
MediaTakeOut.com just got some EXPLOSIVE news. Cynthia from the Atlanta Housewives' new husband PETER is currently ON TRIAL . . . for BEING A WOMAN BEATER!!
According to one of MediaTakeOut.com's SNITCHES in the Atlanta courthouse, Peter Thomas is currently ON TRIAL for beating up a female former employee named Tamela. He was charged with SIMPLE BATTERY and is having a BENCH TRIAL.
And get this. We're told, by insiders watching the trial, that it looks like he's going to be CONVICTED . . . And that he's going to be sent to JAIL for A YEAR!!!
DANG . . . we knew that something was up with PETER. The way he acted . . . and that LOOK IN HIS EYE . .. said women beater!!!
Oh, and by the way . . . we're the ONLY news source in theworld reporting this. NONE of the local Atlanta TV stations even KNOW this is happening (until now). And neither does the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
First, there was that whole catfight-in-Morroco thing. Then came a ridiculous Facebook/Twitter feud. But things just got real for Real Housewives of New York City's Jill Zarin and Ramona Singer.Frankly, I don't believe Jill either. I mean, accusing Mario of "shoving" her?!? Well, why didn't she file charges?
Last night at the Bad Teacher premiere in NYC, JIll finally opened up about the Hamptons showdown between her and Ramona's hubby, Mario, that made headlines.
And she says he got physical with her during the confrontation, a fairly serious accusation to make...
"He definitely scared me," she said last night. "He was belligerently screaming at me in front of friends. I was shocked. He shoved me. Darren [her assistant/rep] was my witness and he had to get in the middle and tell him to get off of me."
Interestingly enough, another partygoer is the one who went on the record to us claiming he broke up the fight.
Ramona denied the whole incident at the time, claiming Jill "makes up stories".
And she's not the only castmate who thinks so. Housewives' Alex McCord shared her doubts on the whole ordeal.
"I wouldn't put much stock in what you are reading in the gossip column," she said. "Sometimes the things that get leaked out are truthful and sometimes the things that get leaked out are not and sometimes they are malicious. Sometimes that fight is on our show and sometimes that fight is in the press."
With their perfect year-round California tans, the stars of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills could not have asked for a better colour to be seen in.RELATED: 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Wins Critic's Choice Television Award
Stepping out in force last night, the stars of the hit reality TV show were armed and ready to wow the awaiting photographers as they arrived at last night's lavish bash, hosted by Paris Hilton's aunt, and Beverly Hills housewife, Kyle Richards.
It's been a few months since the housewives have all been spotted together, so many were expecting a few feathers to be ruffled at the annual event.
Kyle has been hosting the glitzy event at her home in Beverly Hills for a few years and it has often been an opportunity for some of the Housewives in attendance to air their dirty laundry.
Last year's bash saw Camille Grammer arrive with a gift for host, Kyle, in the form of a book entitled, How To Behave.
The mean gift stoked an ongoing feud between Camille and Kyle over the following episodes.
Before arriving at last night's White party, a jovial Camille wrote on her Twitter page: Going to @KyleRichards18 for a throw-down. I mean party! With @DedraWhitt hehe'
Fortunately, the girls all seemed happy to put their differences behind them and could not have looked chummier.
Camille also took the show's new arrival, Brandi Glanville, under her wing and was seen laughing and joking with her new co-star.
Real Housewives of Atlanta star and new mom Kim Zolciak is seeking Bethenny Frankel levels of B-list celebrity status. She has a new baby, and now she wants her own show! And a bevy of product lines! Oh, and a stint on Dancing With The Stars (what Skating With the Stars isn’t good enough?)!
In an interview with Atlanta Radio Station Q100’s Bert Show, Kim spills the goods on the new baby, the NeNe Fall-out, and the future of her real-lebrity career. Speaking to the station from home where she is hanging out with new son, Kroy Jr. (K.J.), Kim reveals that she was not featured weave-less and sans make-up in the delivery room for RHoA – Bravo cameras filmed her going to the hospital but did not feature her labor which was: “Perfect. No complications. And it was quick. He’s here finally.”
As for her relationship with co-star NeNe Leakes, Kim reveals that NeNe did not send any sort of congratulations, in fact Kim elaborated that she and NeNe were not featured together at all during filming: “We just don’t speak. I don’t have to work with her anymore.” Which is surprising considering Bravo is desperate for high drama ratings and notorious for instigating conflict between the housewives supposedly demanded Real Housewives of New Jersey stars appear in at least one scene with the ostracized Daniel Staub during her last season with the series.
Kim also divulged she did not watch NeNe on her other reality venture, Celebrity Apprentice, but she heard (didn’t we all?) about Nene’s dedication to her domestic violence charity aggressive behavior on the show, describing: “She just can’t control her mouth.” Noting in the article that NeNe wins people over with her sense of humor, but: “she can’t stop when she’s mad. It’s one thing for Kim and Nene to go back and forth, but put her on another show and she has issues with three people. That says something about her character.”
For the third time in 4 weeks, Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice graces the cover of In Touch Weekly magazine. The latest cover totes the heading “My Life Without Joe.”
This time around, the topic of conversation is not her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, but rather her husband Joe Giudice. Teresa reveals she is “terrified” of Joe going to prison for his latest arrest and being left alone to take care of their 4 daughters together.
In the article, Teresa doesn’t touch on her bankruptcy legal issues at all (she and Joe are scheduled to face trial next month for bankruptcy fraud) as she only brings up Joe’s recent arrest for allegedly fraudulently obtaining a state driver’s licence with his brother’s ID.
“It would be devastating,” said Teresa of the prospect of Joe going away – he is facing up to 10 year in prison. “I’m terrified. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Teresa reveals she also worries about what a 10-year jail sentence would do to their four daughters – Gia, 10, Gabriella, 6, Milania, 5, and Audriana, 21 months.
“I would be very nervous about the kids if Joe were to go to prison,” admits Teresa. “Daddy is their hero and their king. They go crazy for him.” And of course the Giudices, well mostly Joe, uses this as an opportunity to take a shot at Teresa’s brother Joe Gorga. Joe “would not do “sh*t” for Teresa states Joe Giudice when asked who would help his wife in the case of a prison sentence.
Oddly enough, Teresa admits Melissa reached out to her during Joe’s past jail stint while her brother Joe didn’t. “When the whole thing happened, his wife [Melissa] texted me,” she remembers. “I was nice to her, saying, “Thanks for text. We’re doing fine.’ But it would have been nice if my brother called. He is my brother — it would have been good of him to reach out to me.” Teresa adds that she felt alone during that time aka during Joe’s 10-day sentence (he only served 8 days) despite getting support from Joe’s family.
Joe also shockingly says he would understand if Teresa divorced him and remarried if he went away for 10 years. Teresa however reveals she can’t even imagine dating anyone else. “I couldn’t see myself with another guy,” she confides. “I’ve known Joe my whole life.”
Sister, can you spare $7 million? "The Real Housewives of New York City" cast member Sonja Morgan, who filed for bankruptcy last fall after losing a $7 million civil judgment, has suffered another blow, losing her bid to get her former lawyers to pay her millions for alleged malpractice.Damn. When it rains it pours.
The designer-clad, Botox-plumped ex-wife of J.P. Morgan heir John Morgan filed for bankruptcy in November, with court papers revealing she was $19.8 million in debt and had $13.5 million in assets.
Her liabilities included a $7 million judgment against her to pay LA-based Hannibal Pictures for costs of the would-be John Travolta film "Fast Flash to Bang Time," which she agreed in 2006 to fund but was never made.
The Post's Dan Mangan reports Hannibal accused Morgan, who has homes here, in Telluride and in France, of hiding assets in bank accounts, a claim that Morgan in court called "completely baseless."
But Morgan -- who describes herself as a "television personality" with an income of $26,000 a month -- had also filed a malpractice claim against her original lawyers in the Hannibal case. She confidently declared in court papers that she was expecting to be awarded a payout to be used for "all or part of the Hannibal judgment."
But on Thursday, an arbitrator denied Morgan any payout. "I don't agree with the judgment. I'm shocked," Morgan told us. How will she pay off her $7 million debt? "I don't know. I'm a hard worker. I'll survive. I've got to meet with my advisers." She added a phrase not often heard on "Housewives" -- "Mo' money, more problems."
Asked whether she might sell her $6 million Upper East Side town house, Morgan said, "I'm not thinking like that, but of course it's scary."
Real Housewife of Orange County Vicki Gunvalson is dating a man with a pretty long rap sheet, but in a strange twist it turns out she’s been involved with him for a lot longer than anyone first suspected.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, when Brooks Ayers was arrested twice in 2010 for not paying child support Vicki wrote a letter to the judge asking him to release her friend from jail.
His ex-girlfriend, a woman named Debbie Keane, told RadarOnline.com that she started dating Ayers in 2005 and had a run in with a jealous Vicki way back in 2007, years before Vicki went public with their relationship and while she was still married to Donn Gunvalson.
“I was tagging along on a business trip with Brooks in 2007 in West Palm Beach, Florida and he kept talking about how his friend who was famous was coming to the conference,” Keane said. Sure enough, Vicki arrived at the financial planning group conference and immediately sought Brooks out.
“She sent him a text saying ‘finally here, I need a drink,’” Brooks’ ex said about Vicki.
Debbie said that two nights later she and Brooks were in a bar when Vicki walked in, so she followed her to the bathroom and confronted her about flirting with Brooks. “She told me to mind my own business and then went and told Brooks he needed to ‘keep your girl in check.’”
However, Vicki remembers things quite differently -- when contacted by RadarOnline.com she admitted to having met Debbie at the conference but claims that there was no fight, and in fact that Debbie “was really nice and complimented me on the show and on my outfit.” Vicki also insists that she was at the conference with Donn.
Debbie goes on to make a further, shocking, claim about Vicki and Brook’s relationship though: “In 2009 Brooks was at my house in Memphis when Vicki started texting him while she was away renewing her vows. He told me she was saying that Don was so good to her but she didn’t really care anymore.”
Teresa Giudice, mom, author and Real Housewives of New Jersey star wanted to set the record straight on rumors that have been circulating, so she came to Celebuzz! Teresa will have much more to share with us about her crazy and busy life in the coming weeks, so make sure to stayed tuned!RELATED: Teresa Giudice 'Assaulted' In Bar Brawl, Says Attorney
Hello Everyone! I’m in Miami again getting ready for a book signing at Alene Too in Boca Raton! So excited to be back here! Check my site for all my upcoming appearances. And my book Fabulicious is on the New York Times bestseller list again this week! What a blessing! Thank you all!
I just talked about rumors in my last blog, and now there are a million more! If I tried to address every single one of them I think that’s all I’d ever be writing about. And I don’t want to give any more press to the ridiculous headlines. I guess I should be flattered I’m on the cover of so many magazines–they must sell well–but they obviously write the most outrageous things so they can sell more copies. Thank you all for your concern, but as I said last week, Joe and I are still together, still in love, and my whole family is great.
I did want to clear up one thing that is being reported that is completely false.
I did not release any statement concerning any legal matters this week through anyone. People magazine called a bankruptcy lawyer I’ve used in the past and asked his opinion about a case he’s never seen and isn’t a part of. He does not represent me or my opinion in this matter. As you know, I don’t talk about active legal cases. Great part of being a celebrity: being in Miami to meet all of you! Bad part of being a celebrity: being named in lawsuits. (Google your favorite celebrity’s name and “lawsuit” and you’ll see, we all get them.)
Real Housewives of New Jersey welcomed two new editions this season, with one being the outspoken Kathy Wakile.
The mother of two teenagers, Kathy is a no nonsense when it comes to raising her kids.
Celebuzz chatted with Kathy about what it’s like to join the Real Houswives family, some of her favorite Bravo shows, all of this season’s crazy drama and much more!
You’re a relative newcomer to the franchise. How do you want to be perceived on this show?
Well, that’s a tough question. I think that I want people to really see me and my husband and children for what we really are. We are very common to most families that I know in New Jersey that are very, very family oriented. We love, we have issues, like this past week you can see, I share my daughter’s story with you. That was a difficult decision to make, to share that story because it was a traumatic time for us and it came completely out of the blue. There was never any indication that this was even happening with her. She just fainted on the beach and it was by being in the right place at the right time, with God looking over us, and it changed our lives forever. It was a miracle to have two healthy children to start with is more than anyone really could ask for, people take it for granted. Then, when you have a scare like that, and you are granted again a miracle. You have to stop and look at your life and say ok let’s get all of our priorities in line. Work is important and going, going, going is important but you know what, when it’s good let’s grab the good and let’s not dwell on the misfortune. Life is that way. Let’s not dwell on them, because when you dwell on them you are going to go from one misfortune to the next misfortune. You are never going to have a happy time, it’s just going to be a constant haul. So, for us, when it’s a good day, we grab it and we enjoy it. We pack up and we’ll take it, take a ride, just let’s go. It gets a little exhausting sometimes, because your like ok can we just sit around, like Sunday I wanted to just sit around, and my husband is like oh no it’s great let’s get in the car and go. So that’s what I want people to see, life is about ups and downs and it’s the decisions you make and the way you approach each up and down is the important thing and together with the love of your family and the support of your family you can really be productive and a good example to society and passing and paying it forward, that’s what it is about. We are lucky yeah, but they are some people that aren’t as lucky and let’s always remember those people and try to do good and give good.
Besides RHONJ, what is your favorite Bravo show?
I have to say it’s split, I love Top Chef. I love to be in the kitchen obviously you see me in the kitchen all the time. I bake and I cook. I have been in baking since I was a kid. I love things to look pretty so I think it’s easier to make desserts look pretty than it is food. For me, it’s always about appetizers and desserts and I love to present them beautifully because it’s about the first impression and that finishing, lasting impression. The middle course is great but I like the idea of appetizers and desserts because you usually don’t have to move it around and their small, when you are eating a steak you aren’t really socializing and I look at eating as a social event not just something to fill your tummy. I also love Flipping Out. I think they are hilarious because it was so funny on Sunday night Andy Cohen had Jeff Lewis and Jenny on and the fact that they compared my son to Jeff was just hysterical because I say that my husband is the street Jeff Lewis. When I see him and his assistant, and my husband has an assistant, they have done a lot of work with, they do the same thing he was buying houses and refurbishing them, then the real estate market crashed so I watch them interact and I think its hysterical because my husband does the same thing with his assistant and he is kind of short like Jeff is, also very particular and OCD a bit, you know the way that Jeff is, my husband is the same way, and he’s funny so that’s hysterical to me. I can’t wait to meet him, and Jeff loves chap stick and my husband will never leave the house without it. That’s the funny part to me and I love those two shows.
Have you met any housewives from other franchises?
I met Alex and Simon from the New York Housewives and they were very, very nice, extremely nice. They are really real and they are kind and they take the time out to smile and be nice to you and ask you questions about what’s going on. They were really great to my kids, if you treat my kids good, you’re winners.
What are the best and worst parts of being a real housewife?
The best part is the new experiences. You are meeting new people. I was a hairdresser for so many years, I would stand and work on my feet all day long. I loved interacting with people. I still love interacting with people. That’s the best part of it for me, meeting new people. Some people come up and share their story with you, it’s inspiring to know that maybe one word, one sentence I may have said touched someone. I am getting a lot of people that are emailing me and telling me thank you so much for sharing your story about Victoria and that they are experiencing it in their life. They don’t know how to move forward, I have a girl that emailed me yesterday and I want to sit down and email her back and tell her that even though everything turned out ok she is still having a hard time coping with what happened. You consistently think that something is going to happen again or you may have a reoccurrence. So to know that you reached someone on a more intimate level is very fulfilling to me and I think my family feels the same way. I think the downside is of course your privacy of course is really pushed a bit. Then, the fact that people really think they know everything that happens and they have such strong opinions. I think that the main thing, and I have discussed it with my kids, we get episodes a few days before. We get the episode, we get to view it so we can make our writer blogs and comment on it. We don’t even watch them a lot of times, you know we watch them once and then put it away. People ask, “so did you watch the episode?” not yet, we didn’t get a chance to, well why didn’t you watch it, well the only reason why I do watch it because I have to write my blog, other than that, I know what I did, I know who I am, and that’s what I can not, and my children can never lose site of, when we close the door, we know what our real reality is. That’s what we put forth, the only thing they put together, what everyone is going to see, is just a snippet of reality. I really can’t get caught up in someone’s opinion of me because I know my intentions, I know why I did something, and I know whatever our reality is has been working for us really, really well so we have to remain focused on that. So that’s the only thing when people have really strong opinions, you’re like ok, it does hurt, but it takes a little awhile to put things into perspective. I think the first trailer that went out, I was right upstairs and they told me the trailer was out, I got on my PC and I started to look at it and it was a snippet about me telling my daughter that they told me she may have cancer. We both looked at it and we didn’t really think much about it, they didn’t show the rest of it of course to make it more dramatic, and then I started getting calls from everyone, from everyone that knows me, asking what it was talking about and saying I wasn’t telling them something. I didn’t like the way that they did that. Other people’s opinions start to effect the way you think. We sat everyone down and we said this is going to happen every single week, we have to just keep focused, we know what we said and we know what we did, we know what the truth is. We know how things can be perceived, don’t let other people’s opinions of who you really are effect who you are going to be. I think a lot of people get caught up in that, they start, “oh this is the image I portray on tv, oh I am going to start becoming that image.” You get boxed in, you can’t let that define you. You have to just keep going about your life as normal as possible as you can.
The Real Housewives of New York City star Sonja Morgan is facing a huge financial crisis in her life — $19 million in debt to be exact, for a lawsuit that she’s currently battling. But Sonja doesn’t understand why she owes that much money, and her co-star Jill Zarin tries her hardest to lay it out plain and clear for Sonja to see. But Sonja’s still lost.
“How are you?” Jill asks Sonja.
“It’s one thing to be a single mom and fighting a divorce, and it’s another thing to be fighting half of L.A. now with my movie producer sued,” she admits. “It just goes. It’s business disputes.”
Jill wants to know what’s going on with the lawsuit that has Sonja so upset. “Can you tell me what happened?” she questions.
“I don’t know,” Sonja fesses. “I need to learn myself and that’s why I have lawyers who are showing me. The stuff that I’m reading in the paper though, I don’t know where the $19 million in debt comes, because I know exactly what I owe. I owe a couple of lawyers and I have the judgement.”
This revelation stuns Jill. “How could she not know that she’s $19 million in debt?” she tells the cameras. “If that was me, I would know every single document that I ever signed and I would know exactly what I’m being sued for. I feel like that may be part of the reason that Sonja is in trouble.”
“I don’t have any outstanding debts,” continues Sonja. “I have a couple lawyers’ bills, nothing big. But I don’t have a huge debt.”
Jill attempts to clarify the situation for Sonja. “I thought you did because of the judgement. That’s the difference when you look at your assets and liabilities,” she points out. “When you add on your assets of $12 million and you add on that liability of $7 million, that’s where the 19 comes from. I think that’s where they got it.”
Sonja still seems perplexed.
“I don’t think it was the proper time to talk about Sonja’s finances,” Sonja complains to the cameras. “Really not your business to get into detail other than what you read in the newspaper.”
It’s finally happening! Months after it was first reported that Bethenny Frankel had a talk show in the works, she has now began filming the pilot!
The HollywoodReporter reveals the Bethenny Ever After star began filming her yet to be titled talk show – which will be an advice-based show – earlier this month.
Sources also confirm that fellow Telepictures talk show host and producer Ellen DeGeneres is involved with the project. And while Bethenny has yet to officially confirm her new venture, she did drop a major hint a while back.
“I want to be on TV in a format where I can have a longer conversation with my fans rather than 140 characters on Twitter,” said Bethenny earlier this year. “It probably will be a talk show.” Another hint was also dropped during a recent appearance on The Ellen Show. “I’m working with you now,” Ellen said to Bethenny on her show.
It appears Bethenny is in good hands as Telepictures, an extension of Warner Bros., is responsible for other successful series such as The Tyra Banks Show, Lopez Tonight and Ellen. Bethenny’s show will include multiple segments according to a source, some of which have yet to be taped.
However, the show is still in the early stages right now, meaning a network will officially order it to series only if they like what they see with the pilot. If the show does get picked up, it will likely film in New York where Bethenny resides with her family. In addition to her talk show, Bethenny is also set to begin filming season 3 of her Bravo series next month.
Brooks Ayers, the new boyfriend of Real Housewives Of Orange County star, Vicki Gunvalson, is a ‘deadbeat dad’ who owes thousands of dollars in child support to TWO separate women -- and now we have the mug shot to prove it!If this is true, it's going to get a little tricky for Tamra to keep going after Slade while her BFF is hooking up with a loser.
Ayers’ mug shot was taken on August 29, 2010 at the Lee County Jail where he was incarcerated for failure to pay child support.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported Brooks' was arrested twice by police in Alabama and Mississippi last year for failing to meet his child support obligations to estranged wife Kim.
It's claimed he owes about $40,000, in total, to her and another woman: his ex-girlfriend, Nicolette Catanzarite from Indianapolis, IN., with whom he has a son.
Vicki, who last year filed for divorce from second husband Donn after 17 years of marriage, has been stepping out with Brooks on a number of dates, and even leant her famous name to her new beau’s case in a desperate bid to bail him out of his financial disaster.
"I am a personal friend of (David) Brooks Ayers and am acting on his behalf at this time," the reality star wrote in an August 30 letter to a Mississippi judge, pleading for him to be released from jail.
"Real Housewives of NYC" star Cindy Barshop is firing back at an ex-employee, who said she was canned because she's black -- claiming the employee is the REAL racist ... and it's killing business.
Barshop filed the suit today in NY on behalf of her spa company Completely Bare -- claiming ex-employee Altovise Collier wasn't fired because she's black ... she was fired because she sucked at her job.
Barshop then turns the tables on Collier, accusing HER of being the real racist -- "In an effort to mask her own deficient work performance and serial on the job screw-ups, Collier, in a racist fashion, asserts that her race, national origin and skin color were the basis for her termination."
Barshop claims Collier only worked for CB for two and a half months -- and was fired over "disciplinary and other work performance problems, including client complaints."
Collier originally sued Barshop last week -- claiming she was the target of racial discrimination in the workplace.
But according to Barshop, Collier's suit is nothing more than a "defamatory campaign" to ruin her professional reputation -- and she wants at least $5,000,000 to settle the score.
If that's hissing you're hearing, it's probably coming from the O.C.
The catfighting appears to be on an endless loop over there in the land of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
And I'm not just talking about the mud-slinging reunion show...
Tamra Barney is fighting back once again. Her war of words with Slade Smiley escalated yesterday when Gretchen Rossi's controversial boyfriend defended himself against her claims he was a deadbeat dad.
He also slammed Barney for what he says is trying to contact his son Grayson's mother, Michelle Arroyo.
"We became friends through a mutual friend," Barney tells me of her relationship with Smiley's ex. "I feel extremely sorry for her and my heart breaks for her and Grayson. Michelle is a very strong woman and went out of her way to contact me today to tell me that she was proud of me for standing up for her and Grayson and to keep my head up."
Despite their very public displays of hatred, Barney says Smiley's words don't hurt her. "While he accused me of many false and bold lies throughout the entire season, I am not crying to the press about them," she said. "Why? Simply because his allegations are false. The bottom line is that I don't care what Slade has to say about me. Like Gretchen, he thrives on lies and manipulation."
This weekend in the Hamptons, Ramona Singer's husband, Mario, had some words with Jill Zarin in what was described to me as an ugly altercation.
Now, Ramona has some words of her own targeting her Real Housewives of New York rival.
Here's the lowdown...
Sources told me that this weekend's heated spat ended with a guest intervening and Jill's hubby, Bobby, telling Mario to back off.
"So not true," Ramona says this morning. "Did they talk? Yes. Then she, Jill, walked away."
And that's not the all Ramona had to say, natch.
"Jill has her reps make up exaggerated stories about me as this is the only way she can get press. So sad, isn't it?" Ramona adds.
Partygoer Trevor Cork tells E! that he's the one who broke up the fight and that Ramona is the one lying.
"It is in fact 100% true that Mario attacked Jill and everyone at the party saw it happen. I had to get between Mario and Jill just to get him off of her," he tells me. "He was screaming, mocking and cursing at her as loud as he possibly could. I find it very unfortunate that Ramona would lie about this even though there were numerous witnesses present."
Kelsey Grammer and his new bride, Kayte Walsh, have never been shy when it comes to their love -- and they're certainly not shy about discussing their differences with his ex-wife Camille Grammer! Unlike Camille, 42, who stars on the hit Bravo series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Kelsey, 56, plans to stay far away from reality TV. "I made a conscious decision that I wouldn't play out my personal life in front of the cameras," Kelsey told Life & Style at the Tony Awards in NYC on June 12. "That's just respectful for the situation and respectful to Kayte, as well." America got an inside look at Kelsey and Camille's relationship when Camille was very vocal about it on Housewives last year.
Kelsey and Camille divorced on February 10, just 15 days before he tied the knot with Kayte, 30. Since his divorce, Kelsey has found himself in a fight over custody of the kids he shares with Camille. "It's going to be a long, drawn-out thing," he revealed to Life & Style about the custody battle. "We'll be tortured and it will be unpleasant I'm sure, but not on my side."
But will the actor ever be friends with his former wife? "I really can't tell," he said. For now, his biggest concern is his children. "It's very hard at this point," Kelsey added. "I'm not going to say much about that, but I'm going to do my best to make sure my kids are always okay."
"Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast members beat up and injured a Chicago-area police officer and his cousin during a brawl earlier this year at a posh Dominican resort, two lawsuits filed today allege.
Adolfo Arreola, a sworn officer with the University of Illinois at Chicago's police department, suffered a broken arm, blurred vision, cuts and bruises after some members of the cast "savagely beat, kicked, punched, scratched, jumped" on him and smashed glass on his head, according to the lawsuits. His cousin Jason A. Gomez suffered a broken leg and a torn MCL after he came to Arreola's defense.
The cousins’ lawsuits – filed in New York and Miami – allege that they and their families were dancing and socializing in a Hard Rock Hotel & Casino bar in Punta Cana on Feb. 23 when Jersey Housewife Teresa Giudice sprayed champagne on Arreola’s mother-in-law and mocked the 53-year-old woman as she tried to wipe the alcohol from her eyes.
The complaints state that after Arreola confronted Giudice, he was attacked by cast members that included her husband, Joe, and Albert and Christopher Manzo, the sons of show matriarch Caroline Manzo.
All three men have supporting roles on the popular reality show, which follows the conflict-riddled lives of five Italian-American women from northern New Jersey. Since the program's debut two years ago, the cast's public melees and physical altercations have fueled gossip sites and the show's ratings in near equal measure.
The Guidices and other cast members could not be immediately reached for comment.
Bravo, the cable channel that airs the show, is named in the New York complaint, as well.
The feud between two Real Housewives now involves one of their husbands.
Jill Zarin and Ramona Singer have been at each other's throats this season on the Real Housewives of New York, and this weekend Ramona's husband Mario got involved during an angry confrontation in the Hamptons.
Here's how it all went down:
Eyewitnesses at a private party Friday night tell me that Mario was on a mission to find Jill as soon as he arrived.
"Once Mario found Jill, he began screaming at her and was blaming her for the fact that Ramona looks like a drunk this season on the show," one partygoer said. "It was really sad and pathetic that Mario was screaming at Jill like this. It was abusive and everyone at the party was extremely offended."
According to the source, Jill was surprised by the confrontation.
"She was just standing there speechless and looked scared and finally a guest had to get in between Jill and Mario and push him away from her. Bobby [Jill's husband] had some words with Mario and told him to back off of his wife."
Even after the incident was broken up, Mario and Ramona continued to badmouth Jill at the bash, according to a source.
When reached for comment, Jill's rep tells E! News, "Sadly, this story is accurate."
Ramona's rep didn't return our request for comment.
Days after Gretchen sort of made a valid point called Tamra a hypocrite for her actions on the Real Housewives of Orange County, Tamra is now responding. In a new interview, Tamra refers to Gretchen as being “obsessed” with her and also makes reference to her legal issues and dead-beat boyfriend Slade Smiley.Regardless of whose you're on I don't see how anyone sane could defend Slade Smiley barely seeing his kids, much less not providing child support. The guy is a loser and Tamra has every right to say so. Of course, Tamra's so conceited that she thinks everybody is "obsessed" with her, but in this case that's neither here nor there. Gretchen really...get a clue, because while you're probably getting it good between the sheets, your man's shady past speaks for itself.
“Gretchen’s constantly bashing me in interviews is nothing more than a clever diversion, created so the attention is not on the three lawsuits in which she is currently involved and the problems with her [boyfriend Slade's] past-due child support,” Tamra tells E! Online via an email she sent to them. “She has NO knowledge of the issues I had with Jeana [Keough], yet she constantly finds reasons to talk about me in interviews, on the show and on her Bravo blogs.”
Tamra continued, “She is nothing more than obsessed with me…You would think with all her legal problems, she would use her time more wisely. I truly feel sorry for her and hope that she lets go of the anger she has in her heart as I did for Jeana Keough.”
Ouch. Tamra also promises all of her drama with Gretchen will be addressed on the upcoming 2-part reunion show.
That's some rough spa treatment.
"Real Housewives of New York City" prima donna Cindy Barshop -- who owns "Completely Bare" spas -- was slapped with a discrimination complaint yesterday by a former employee who claims she was tormented and fired because she is black.
Barshop and about 50 other employees gave Altovise Collier, 25, a verbal dressing-down when she started working at the Fifth Avenue flagship shop in March, according to the state Division of Human Rights filing.
Collier, a state-licensed aesthetician, applied online and was interviewed by phone. She said her employers did not know the color of her skin until her first day of work.
"They were very impressed with me -- until they saw me," said a tearful Collier, of Brooklyn, who relocated from Atlanta to take the job. "I was treated like trash and thrown in the gutter, damn near sleeping in the streets."
Collier, who said she was the only black beautician at the store, claims Barshop underpaid her, forking over only about half of her $700 weekly salary.
Also, Collier was paid in cash, and since she had no pay stub, she couldn't lease or rent an apartment or room. Instead, she slept on friends' couches, she said.
Co-workers repeatedly joked that Collier was hired only to "inject some color" into the spa because the chain was going national, she said.
"Everyone treated me badly, like I was in some sort of sorority hazing," said Collier.
Camille Grammer believes her divorce with Kelsey Grammer has gotten so ugly, Kelsey may have stooped to making his eldest daughter a spy -- someone who would actually steal confidential divorce documents from Camille.
TMZ obtained the latest docs in the Grammers' epic legal war. Kelsey wanted his eldest daughter, 27-year-old Spencer and her new husband to vacation at the Grammers' posh Hawaii estate, beginning today.
Camille's lawyer, Neal Hersh went to court yesterday to block Spencer from using the house, and now we know why. According to Camille's declaration, she's the one who has been spending a lot of time at the house with their 2 young kids, and Kelsey hasn't been there for a long, long time.
Camille believes if Spencer and her hubby use the house, they would have access to a lot of personal stuff related to the divorce and might just steal it.
Camille seems particularly bitter because Kelsey has banned her from their Bridgehampton estate. Such rich people problems.
The judge ruled the only way third parties could use any of the Grammers' various homes is if both Kelsey and Camille signed off.
Don't hold your breath, Spencer.
Even though ‘Real Housewives of Orange County’ star Gretchen Rossi has talked all about how she wants children, it seems that marriage isn’t something she sees happening anytime soon.
Rossi, who is dating Slade Smiley, recently revealed that she isn’t concerned about getting married to him, states Wonderwall. “Slade and I are just kind of happy and content and don’t necessarily feel like we need to have a piece of paper to prove that love and commitment,” Rossi commented.
And while she does hope to have a family one day, she is not in a rush: “[R]ight now I’m focused on my businesses and growing those. When the timing is right, we’ll move on to that step of our life.”
To every cast member's surprise, including Bethenny, ratings for 'The Real Housewives of New York City' have actually increased since Bethenny Frankel left the show.Guess postponing the new season of RHONYC to work out the kinks has paid off.
"During filming and again just prior to our fourth season airing, many articles popped up stating that RHONY would flop after Bethenny's departure," a current cast member tells me. "Many of these seemed to be veiled leaks by B and her team, designed to hurt us and boost her own spin off. Unfortunately for them, those plans didn't pan out."
While the NY franchise has seen its ratings continue to grow, Bethenny's second season has dropped 22% from her debut. That isn't to say it's not still a hit, though, and it remains the highest-rate solo show on the network. A third season has been ordered. Meanwhile, 'RHONY' continues to outstrip hers with 40% greater audience with over 2.28 million viewers tuning in last week.
"Bethenny saw herself as the star of that show and assumed without her, less people would watch," the Bravo insider tells me. "This is Bethenny's worst nightmare. She would have liked nothing more than the show to fail without her. She desperately wants her own reality show about her new married life with her baby to kick Jill Zarin and the other ladies asses."
'Bethenny Ever After' averaged a very healthy 1.45 million viewers for its latest season and has already been renewed for a third season. But more importantly what this has taught Bravo is that no one lady is more valuable than the show itself. So watch out NeNe, Teresa and Gretchen ... as much as we love you the real star is the show itself!
"Tamra Barney is just trying to be another Teresa Giudice" says Jeana Keough in an exclusive interview with RumorFix about the explosive finale of Real Housewives of Orange County.
The relationships between the former friends has been tense all season and finally came to a head on Sunday night's season finale. Tamra threw a cease and desist letter and a drink at Jeana, which started an all-out fight.
Jeana tells us exclusively that Tamra is just trying to one-up a dramatic Real Housewives of New Jersey star, "She's just trying to be another Teresa. She's just a sad person. I feel bad for the example she sets her children."
As for the wrap party, Jeana is disgusted by what happened -- and says it was not a spontaneous scene of drama.
"I was invited and paid to be there by Bravo but they wanted me to walk in a half hour after everyone else was already there and drinking, 'to make a bold entrance.' I tried to stay away from everybody but they dragged me into it anyway. Thank God I'm an athlete because they could have really hurt me when I was shoved into the bar like that!
"The whole scene was a total set up. Tamra was holding on to that letter for three hours before she threw it at me. And the second she started walking toward me, everyone started moving out from behind me because they knew what was coming -- plus she had the biggest glass of wine! I had like an inch of champagne in my glass."
But Jeana doesn't hold a grudge against Tamra and wishes her well, even after all the negativity. "She's doing a great job with the kids and I hope she has a happy life," she says.
Although Teresa, Caroline and the rest of Bravo's "Real Housewives of New Jersey" just returned for a third season last month, they've already received the green light for a fourth season.
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After scoring the highest-rated season premiere in Bravo's history, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" earned another season on the network. But just this week, the popular franchise entry will be moving to Sunday nights, where "The Real Housewives of Orange County" earned their highest ratings yet.
"The Real Housewives of Orange County" finale was the highest rated episode of the season and the highest rated episode of the series ever. Part one of “The Real Housewives of Orange County” reunion starts the new Sunday night line-up at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Following the reunion, “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” starts its new time on Sunday 10 p.m. ET/PT. The Andy Cohen-hosted "Watch What Happens: Live" follows at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
Gretchen Rossi has won a partial legal victory in her ongoing legal battle with ex-boyfriend, Jay Photoglou, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.
The former couple is suing each other for libel, defamation and slander, and The Real Housewives of Orange County star had also requested a protective order, most of which was granted on Friday.
According to court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com, the protective order prohibits Rossi or Photoglou from discussing the "sexual history of either party, either party's financial information,” plus home and cellular telephone numbers and home addresses.
Photoglou's attorney, Bryan Freedman tells RadarOnline.com, "We were not surprised by this ruling although we feel Rossi's sexual history with Photoglou should not be subject to the protective order since she has openly told numerous third parties that the two never had sexual relations and never dated.”
The O.C. hotty wanted the judge to impose sanctions on Photoglou for having to seek the protective order, which the court denied.
“Our next move is to take Rossi's deposition within the next few weeks,” Freedman tells us.
