B-Side Blog

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC PHOTOCAP: Meet Me In The Souq – It’s Going Down!

The three week Moroccan event continued last night on The Real Housewives of New York City, and the second installment saw the much-hyped fight between Jill and Ramoner. The two women had seemed to be getting along, but there was still plenty they needed to air out at the riad should they want to enjoy the rest of their vacation without a giant camel in the room.

Here’s how it went down: Ramona very nervously and very sincerely told Jill that her feelings were hurt because she felt Jill was being two-faced. Jill nodded, then asked for specific instances, and then went on the attack. What ensued was the most frustrating confrontation EVAR.

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A Tale Of Three Sausages from Grindhaus LA

Sausage is the new black here in Los Angeles, with restaurants such as Wurstkuche and Berlin Currywurst drawing crowds (rightfully so). Joining in the fun is Grindhaus, a specialty sausage shop that opened up a few months ago in Hollywood. They don’t cook sausage, but they sell it, and after having sampled some of their venison, boar, and bratwurst sausages a few weeks ago, I quickly became a convert.

That’s why over this past weekend, when Grindhaus tweeted that they were selling some fanciful chicken-fig-balsamic-bleu-cheese sausage, my friend IndianJones and I made a special detour to the shop to get in on the action. The bad news: they were already sold out. The good news: we emerged with three other promising options. Sadly, IndianJones had to skip town before he could enjoy the sausage (and yes, I’m sure he really appreciates me using that turn of phrase), but that was okay. It meant more sausage for me.

I’m really not going to be able to get out of this post without about fifteen more inadvertent innuendos.

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Watch Bradley Cooper Speak French Fluently

At last Bradley Cooper francophone fans finally have the viral video they’ve been waiting for. The Hangover II star recently appeared on a French talk show to promote his film, and he did so by speaking fluent French the entire time. Women, prepare to swoon (assuming you get turned on by kiiiiinda arrogant actors speaking French).

Video here.

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NJ PHOTOCAP: Teresa Writes Letter, Says ‘Ingredientses’

Oh the saga continues! The triumphant third season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is still wonderfully mired in the rift between Teresa Giudice and her brother Joe Gorga, and I couldn’t be happier! I mean, I don’t like seeing grown siblings hate each other from the depths of their souls, but the dynamic is rather fascinating. This week’s big news was that Teresa decided to write her brother a letter. I don’t think we’ve seen so much hoopla over a letter since, well, Jersey Shore. I guess guidos really get into epistolary activity.

Nevertheless, Teresa’s letter was a gesture of reconciliation. Sort of. You see, it didn’t start as a reconciliation (more of a “What are you doing to our family??”), but thanks to Jacqueline’s guidance (two words I never thought I’d pair together), Teresa managed to put together a generally nice missive — even if it took hours and umpteen pages of Gucci stationery. In other news, Teresa has the penmanship of a kindergartener. You can almost hear her saying “p goes downstairs; d goes upstairs!” as she writes. But that’s neither here nor there (and given that my handwriting is about as legible as a wino after having consumed a jug of Sutter Home Companion, I really shouldn’t be one to talk).

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YEA OR NAY: Platinum Hit

Bravo’s much-hyped songwriting competition Platinum Hit premiered last night, and while I didn’t have any inherent interest in it, I was stuck on my couch and unwilling to reach for my remote; so I watched it. My feelings were largely positive — positive enough to set up a season pass. Like the best “creative professional” shows, Platinum Hit has that great blend of process and judgment. We get to see the songs come together and then have them judged in the end. Even better: we can weigh in with our own opinions (unlike, say, Top Chef where we just have to rely on what looks good as our only metric).

And so I ask you this, my dear readers: yea or nay?

Pros: it’s fun to watch the songs come together, and it’s even more fun to see them come to life in the performance space; Kara DioGuardi is a monster; Jewel is surprisingly ball-busting; accessible to viewer judgment.

Cons: no glimpse into the deliberations — unlike Runway, Top Chef, ANTM, Food Network Star, or any GOOD show, Platinum Hit doesn’t let us see the judges deliberate back and forth about who to send home; also, when the judges critique the singers, it’s hard to remember the tune and its flaws (as opposed to Project Runway, for instance, where we can continue to stare at the outfit under scrutiny).

What do you think?

REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NYC PHOTOCAP: Putting The Hanger in Cliffhanger!

And so the adventure begins! The much-hyped Moroccan vacation on The Real Housewives of New York City kicked off last night with an hour of hilarious, petty squabbles. There was no epic drama, but that’s okay. We have plenty of time for that. Right now we just have the pure joy of watching these women attempt to all travel together, and that’s more than entertaining enough for me.

Bravo amusingly split the tribes up into the blondes vs. the brunettes, with the latter crew arriving in Morocco first. LuAnn seemed to be totally in her element, gladly taking on the role of hostess without any hesitation. The ladies settled in on their first day quite easily with nary a complaint. Even Kelly seemed to be more or less in a sane place.

Then came Ramona.

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PHOTO: Young Teresa and Joe Gorga Hit The Jersey Shore

Before there was Snooki and The Situation, there were Teresa and Joe Gorga, a feuding brother and sister duo who at one point were very close… and very tan.

I don’t know what’s most impressive: Teresa’s fashion sense (she looks like she got tangled in some sort of leopard-print duct tape dispenser) or her voluminous hair, which cascades down like an overgrown weeping willow dipped in tar. Then there’s the matter of Joe’s oiled up barrel chest. I’ll assume he’s fresh from some Jell-o wrestling under the inflated Coors Light can in the distance. Either way, this is some hot, sticky fun over here.

Props to the lady on the right, who managed to get through this picture relatively unscathed. I’m wondering what she grew up to be. Here’s my guess.

Thanks to Matt Whitfield for the heads up.

The 7 Greatest Ramona Vs. LuAnn Moments

With the Real Housewives of New York City heading off on an epic three-week Moroccan odyssey tonight, it looks like the tensions between Ramona Singer and Countess LuAnn de Lesseps will be reaching a new level. This is a particularly impressive feat considering the epic history of friction between the two ladies; an animosity that first boiled over in season two (prior to that, we only had offhand digs, such as LuAnn mocking Ramona’s hat at an equestrian event in the Hamptons). Their clashes are equal parts hilarious and cringe-inducing, and we can only imagine what insanity will be in store for us in Northern Africa.

To help get you in the mood, let’s take a look back at the best Ramona vs. LuAnn moments. I couldn’t contain the list to a mere five clips; so here are the seven best altercations (that I could find on Hulu).

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ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Farewell To Oprah Potluck Edition

In case you didn’t hear, Oprah aired her final show yesterday, and in honor of this momentous occasion, some of my friends and I decided to celebrate her twenty-five years of TV glory by cooking up a Harpo-themed potluck. The rules were simple: just bring something inspired by Oprah. It could be one of her favorite things, it could be from O magazine, or it could be some creatively tied-in item. The point was to reflect on Ms. Winfrey and all her good service.

I had some difficulty thinking of a dish at first (and only two hours before the potluck last night did I realize I should have made Chicken à la [Gayle] King). However, I did manage to come up with two ideas. First, I opted to make red velvet cupcakes. The reason was two-fold. First, Oprah once made a hullabaloo about the red velvet cake at local Los Angeles eatery Doughboys. The cupcakes would be an homage to that. Second, the recipe came from Ina Garten, and as you all know, Ina is one of my Favorite Things. How easy is that?

The second item I decided to make was O-recchiette with pepper-O-ni. I made it basically because of the presence of O’s, and also because I felt it was necessary to make a pasta dish. My reasoning: “You get a carb! And you get a carb! And YOU get a carb!!!” Listen, this is just the way my mind works. I apologize.

Photos of the cooking process (as well as the potluck) after the jump…

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HOUSEWIFE HOEDOWN, Episode 21: Wherein We Fight Over Gorgas and Revel In The Nastiness of Countess LuAnn

Hola everyone. We taped another episode of Housewife Hoedown, and this week we spent a considerable amount of energy takings sides on either Team Kathy or Team Teresa. There was also a general analysis of Countess LuAnn and her dubious definition of classy behavior. We had a blast, and I’m sure you will too.

Check it out!