Apologies for not covering last week’s Real Housewives of DC, but the blame can fall on Bravo for oddly neglecting to post screen caps from the episode. It’s too bad, really, as the whole show was full of passive-aggressive sniping and anti-Salahi grousing. Luckily, we had more of the same last night, which totally fine with me. The Salahis are truly proving themselves to be the Heidi and Spencer of Bravo, what with the allegations of skipping out on party bills, crashing Presidential events, and battling parental units for ownership of a vineyard. It’s hard to say what’s true and what’s false, but there always seems to be a cloud of shadiness swirling around the Salahis, and in the immortal words of Freedom Williams, it’s one of those “Things that make you say hmmmmmmmmmmm…”
ADVENTURES IN DOMESTICITY: Basil Margarita Edition
As readers of this blog may know, my friends and I are ardent fans of gathering and making drinks together, specifically of the handcrafted variety. It’s a ritual we creatively call “Fresh Cocktail Hour.” I’ve only documented a few of these forays into mixology on this blog (see examples here, here, and here), but I can assure you that there have been many, many more boozy adventures than what’s been reported. You know, like child molestation. We’ve done Pimms Cups, Victory Lemonade, blood orange gin fizzes, cucumber gin fizzes, margaritas (Ina’s version and the “classic” style, which is not so classic), mojitos, Moscow Mules, basil gimlets, ginger champagne cocktails, and who knows what else. Clearly, this is our passion.
And so it was no surprise that when I came upon the book Organic, Shaken, and Stirred by Paul Abercrombie, my heart skipped a beat. Here was an entire volume of cocktail recipes that all emphasized fresh, interesting ingredients. No boring whiskey & coke here (although, admittedly, that is a perfectly fine drink). Fortuitously, my friend Malibu Judie was with me, and so the two of us found some chairs in Barnes & Noble and fastidiously pored through each and every page of the book, ooohing and ahhing at some of more inspired and exotic recipes on display. Unfortunately, my hatred of berries and things like peach and watermelon meant that a good number of the recipes didn’t appeal to me, but that’s sort of a given any time I buy a cocktail book. There were certainly many, many options for me, and so I happily purchased the book and fantasized about the many exciting Fresh Cocktail Hours to come.
If there was anyone more excited than I was about all this, it was my dear friend Sly, who spent the drive home from Barnes & Noble leafing through the recipes, emitting low-frequency moans of approval and pleasure. A certain drink called the Purple Basil Gimlet actually elicited some sort of primal gurgling from the depths of Sly’s throat, followed by the sort of munching noises usually reserved for hungry squirrels. Clearly, this book had been received well.
The real test, however, would be in the creation of the cocktails. Last night, we finally made our first foray into Organic, Shaken, and Stirred. Sly and her friend made an impromptu visit to my abode, and I decided it was time to try one of these drinks. I had lots of basil in the fridge, and I knew Sly was a fan of tequila. And so it was declared: we would be attempting the basil margarita.
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RACHEL ZOE PHOTOCAP: It’s A White Moment-saster!
The snow may have abated, but there was still a big, white disaster in New York on the latest episode of The Rachel Zoe Project. After searching high and low for a white Oscar gown that would thus yield “a white moment at the Oscars” for Cameron Diaz, Rachel learned that due to the event’s white stage design, none of the presenters or nominees could wear WHITE. NooooooooOOOOOoooOOOooOOO!!! This was a whitesaster! How was Cameron to have her white moment??
Yes, it was one of many dramatic turns in the life of Rachel Zoe Rosenzweig, who spent her time in NYC juggling a baby-yearning sister, an antsy husband, and a flashy QVC fashion show, among other things. Unlike most episodes, however, I did feel there was some mild emotional undercurrents in this latest installment. I think that’s thanks to Rodger, who after viewing a cute home video of his 1998 honeymoon with Rachel, waxed nostalgic about how he never even thought his wife would have a career, let alone be a driving force in a field. I may be snarky, but I’m a softy for reflection, and I thought these musings were particularly thoughtful.
As for the rest, it was all just the usual mess of chaotic dilemmas, all preceded by the words “ohmygod” (my favorite instance came when Rachel came face to face with a sizable ice puddle). Good times, as always…
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B-Side Blog Attends An Artsy Haunted Maze!
This may be a shock to some people: Los Angeles not only has an art scene, but every once in a blue moon, I actually cross paths with it. Back in May, my friend Meeshie and I attended an exhibit in West Hollywood’s Pacific Design Center where we encountered — among other things — a foreboding maze, a startling werewolf, and a news crew from World of Wonder. Seems about right.
Anyway, WoW just released the above video about that night, and it features none other than yours truly (sorry, no Meeshie) in a brief cameo towards the end. Major thanks to reporter Damiana Garcia for graciously referring to me as a “hunky blogger” in the accompanying write-up.
After the jump, a random picture of Meeshie with the werewolf. Continue reading “B-Side Blog Attends An Artsy Haunted Maze!”
REAL HOUSEWIVES FINALE PHOTOCAP: The Last Supper
The second season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey drew to a close last night with an intense and often frustrating showdown between Danielle and Caroline that seemed to accomplish little beyond giving Bravo some nifty sound bytes for its promos. The idea was that all this “nonsense” between the Manzos and the Staubs had gone on too long, and Caroline was going to broker a truce: you stay away from me, and I’ll stay away from you. Oh, and drop the charges against Ashley. Unsurprisingly, mission was not accomplished.
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HOUSEWIVES REUNION PREVIEW: Some Light Disagreements
The Real Housewives of New Jersey wraps up its uneven season tonight, but who cares about that? The real fun is at the reunion, and based on the preview above, we have quite a doozy coming our way. There’s screaming, shoving, and storming off set — enough to hopefully overshadow the boring first half of the season. Better yet, it seems as though Kim G will be making a cameo, which always means fun things are in store. This reunion looks like the craziest one yet, with even Andy Cohen getting tossed around like a little rag doll. Can’t wait!
North Jersey Country Club Disavows Itself From ‘The Real Housewives’
We all remember the monumental, hair-pulling brawl that took place on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and perhaps no one has a more vivid memory of the event than the senior staff at the North Jersey Country Club, the venue for the ill-fated Posche boutique fashion show. Now that the esteemed club has become something of a laughing-stock nationwide, its general manager has sent an apologetic letter out to all the members. To paraphrase, it basically says “I will not clap.”
Yes, the North Jersey Country Club has revealed that Bravo, the cast, and the crew of RHONJ are no longer welcome on the premises. However, no word yet on if any of the orange colored, hair poofed “models” have been banned too.
To read the letter, click on the above image.
So This Is Awesome: “F**K YOU” By CeeLo
One of my many, many Twitter followers just sent me a link to this song, and I have to admit, it’s awesome. Sure, there’s that whole novelty element of a song called “F**K YOU” featuring a chorus that bellows “I see you driving ’round town / with the girl I love / and I’m like / Fuck You! / ooo ooo ooo,” but truth is that this tune is more than just shock value. It’s really, really good! It kind of makes you want to get up and dance, embrace life, and maybe, just maybe wave your middle finger at someone.
So if you’re feeling particularly soulful or just want to curse off an adversary, please enjoy the above song. And yes, it is NSFW.
Thanks to run_t_run for the heads up!
Meet The New ‘Housewives’ of Atlanta!
The Real Housewives of New Jersey may be wrapping up on Monday, but fear not: Bravo has some familiar lady faces for us to get psyched about. That’s right, I’m talking about the one and only Real Housewives of Atlanta, which makes its triumphant return on October 4th. In anticipation of this sacred day on the drag-queen calendar, the network has released its first cast images to EW.com, thus revealing the new new cast members for the third season: Cynthia Bailey and Phaedra Parks.
Cynthia, a former model, and Phaedra, a well-known entertainment attorney, join returning cast members Nene, Kim, Kandi, and Sherayay. Notably absent: Lisa Wu Hartwell. This is probably for the best as Lisa always seemed a bit too restrained for the series, minus her infamous outburst during the season one reunion. I will miss her lovable husband Ed, but given how last season of Atlanta lagged during the second half, I think the new blood will be worth it.
According to EW, this third iteration of Atlanta will feature such storylines as Kim Z continuing with her recording career, which should be laughably awful (side note: has anyone noticed that all the Kims rhyme? Kim D, Kim G, and Kim Z). However, what I’m most looking forward to are reports that Sherayay will be trying her hand at acting. This should lend itself to some truly amazing comedy.
To read more, check out EW’s coverage here.
REAL HOUSEWIVES OF DC PHOTOCAP: Discomfort Food
Apologies for the delay on the Real Housewives of DC photocap. My Directv receiver failed to record the show for reasons that are too tedious and banal to describe. I eventually caught up, and so here I am now, a few days late, but still excited about the show nonetheless. The scuttlebutt on the street seems to be that people don’t love this cast, which totally baffles me because I think these women are hilarious. Well, at least three of them are. Stacie and Mary are pleasant but generally tame compared to the three-headed beast of Michaele, Lynda, and Cat. All the attention has been lavished on Michaele, what with her vapid comments and penchant for naming horses “Sparkle.” However, Cat has truly been stealing the show with her ceaseless snottiness that seems to emerge in the most benign of settings. It was awkward enough seeing her interact with Stacie’s family for a soul-food dinner, but then throw in her haughty browbeating of Mary’s daughter Lolly (yes, that’s her name), and we had plenty of cringe-worthy moments to go around.
Of course, Lolly wasn’t the only one to get the Cat treatment. Our outspoken Brit also took the Salahis to task after Tareq served her beer in a wine glass. Truthfully, it was a gauche move on his part (especially if you OWN a winery), but it was even more tacky for Cat to then harp on the point right in front of him. I prefer the Lynda (my fave) method, which is to stab and disembowel with a dagger of passive-aggression. Case in point: later in the episode, when Michaele threw a birthday party for the show’s resident gay Paul, someone suggested to Lynda that she have some wine. She happily refused, noting that Virginia wine was TERRIBLE. It should be noted that she said this in front of the Salahis, and most likely, the wine being served was from their vineyard. It was kind of brilliant.
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