Author Archive

Dance Moms: Miami Recap: Bring in the Funk, Bring in the Crazy Moms

by Lauren on April 4th, 2012

Last night was the premiere of the first Dance Moms‘ spin-off, Dance Moms: Miami. We are introduced to Victor Smalley and Angel Armas, owners of Star Dance Studios in Miami, Florida. I am curious to see if they will be as horrible as Abby Lee from the original Dance Moms, but from an overview of the upcoming season, they seem to be reserving the insanity for the moms. Good call.

Victor and Angel are quick to point out that they would never put up with these crazy-a$$ mothers if it weren’t for their sweet and talented children. Victor is the good cop to Angels’ stricter bravado. Sammy Small and her mother Abby are new to the studio, but they aren’t new to Debi Epstein and her daughter Hannah. Sammy and Hannah danced together when they were younger, and Sammy, who has grand plans to be the next Hannah Montana, apparently wasn’t the nicest to Hannah. Abby thinks people are just jealous of her family’s wealth and talented children. Perhaps, although Abby’s husband doesn’t seem to keen on spending on his “wealth” on his daughters’ dancing.

Victor’s mother, Mayra Smalley, runs the studio and is challenged with corralling the moms. Victor and Angel have a “list” where they rate the dancers’ performances, based on their own opinions, not how well they did in competition according to judges’ scores. Debi is floored to see Hannah at the bottom. An adorable Lucas Triana, is on the verge of tears when he’s told his cuteness will only get him so far, and ends up next to last on the list. His mother Brigette, thinks her nine-year-old is winning multiple competitions should grant him a better place on the list. Oh, and she also touts herself as the resident dance mom b!tch. Good to know!

Kimmy Kopke is third on the list for her inability to memorize choreography, and new girl Sammy scores the second spot much to Debi’s eye-rolling and chagrin. The coveted top spot belongs to Jessi Kennedy. Her mother Susan is going to be a spitfire, mark my words. The troupe prepares for an upcoming competition, and Victor gives them a pep talk. Jessi scores a solo, and Lucas and Kimmy will have a duet where the young pair will be competing against twelve-year-old dancers. Hannah is saddened to learn that she will not have a solo this week.

The routine for the competition is “jazz funk.” Bring it! The moms are kicked out of the studio while Victor teaches dark “Miami-fusion” style choreography to the students. In the moms’ holding room, newbie mom Abby asks for the lowdown on Victor and Angel. Both Brigette and Kimmy’s mother Anicia Guttierrez can’t hide their smugness. Debi jumps in to talk about how strict this studio is compared to the one Sammy used to attend. Abby agrees that it must be, as Hannah seems to be dancing a bit better than the last time Abby saw her. Mee and yow. Brigette finds it hilarious as Abby and Debi rattle off their daughters’ impressive dance resumes.

Debi admits that she is far more competitive than her daughter. She cannot wait until Hannah is a superstar and shows up Sammy. Does Debi realize she’s jealous of a tween? Debi blames Victor for not giving Hannah a solo or a duet. Victor divas up to Debi after she accuses him of casting Sammy when she hasn’t paid her dues at the studio. He sashays away leaving Debi fuming. I already like this show so much better than the original! When Susan questions Debi about the altercation, she curtly replies she doesn’t want to talk about it.

We learn that Jessi is uber-competitive and wants to win at all costs. We also learn that Jessi’s grandmother was a ballerina in Colombia. A bit more history? Her mother Susan didn’t quite make it as far in the dance world as she would have liked. Shocking…her mother’s a famous dancer, and now her daughter lives to dance, admittedly to please Susan. Lifetime, you also may have a movie of the week with this one.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE!

Dance Moms,Dance Moms: Miami,Recaps

16 and Pregnant Recap: Two Sisters, Two Choices

by Lauren on April 4th, 2012

Last night’s 16 and Pregnant introduced us to Briana DeJesus, a Brooklyn teen who now resides with her mother and older sister in Orlando, Florida. She graduated a year early from high school and is looking forward to starting college in the fall. She and her former boyfriend, Devoin, decided to keep the baby, although the couple soon ended their relationship. Even harder? Her sister Brittany got pregnant at the same time and decided to have an abortion. Briana reveals to her friend that they pair didn’t use protection, because it was too awkward to talk about – you know what else is awkward…having everyone up in your business for nine months. Teens say the darndest things.

Both sisters seem almost envious of the others’ choice. Briana has no support from her baby’s father, but she feels like she is flaunting her pregnancy in front of her sister. Brittany claims she chose abortion after seeing how hard it was for her sister, and she promises to go out and have fun while Briana is stuck home with her baby. However, Brittany can’t change the choice she made, and she admits that it is hard for her to watch Briana’s pregnancy progress. Mother and daughters share a tearful moment.

Devoin hasn’t spoken to Briana in over a month, but she still holds out hope that he will be there for their daughter. Her mom agrees to allow him to spend the night a few times a week to help, but she has no intentions of turning into his personal hotel. Seeing as Devoin won’t return Briana’s calls or texts, she may not have anything to worry about. She discusses baby names with her mother, who quickly rules out Bliss, as it sounds too much like a stripper name. Briana is leaning towards the name Nova.

Briana, Brittany, and their friends have a fun time making t-shirts, with Briana decorating hers with stars and the word Nova. She texts Devoin about naming the baby. Briana has made up her mind about Nova, and Devoin thinks he should at least get a vote. She says she will let him choose the last name…but if Devoin wants Nova to have his last name, he’s really going to have to step up to the plate. Devoin is not keen on getting a job to assist with the baby. He feels like he’s being forced into finding work. Doesn’t Briana know how stressed out he is? Devoin is very indifferent to his ex-girlfriend’s tears. D-to-the-ouchebag!

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR THE REST!

16 and Pregnant,Recaps

Basketball Wives Recap: Loose Ladies Hate Kitten Heels

by Lauren on April 3rd, 2012

I hope none of y’all missed last night’s educational and always classy episode of Basketball Wives. I learned, among other things, never to wear flip flops with a kitten heel, and to duck and cover if I ever find myself dining with Evelyn in a wine cellar.

We resume with the ladies arguing in a cabana. Kesha peaces out, and Suzie walks her out, but thinks better of leaving Kenya alone with Evelyn and Tami to spin more lies. Her word play is ridiculous. Kenya never SAID that Evelyn was loose, she just said she HEARD Evelyn was loose. Tami finds Kenya to be very untrustworthy if she can’t remember what she’s said. Evelyn is stewing quietly, and Kenya decides to cut her losses and leave. Evelyn then rants about Kenya’s elderly kitten heels and her future a$$ whooping.

Royce is meeting with JoJo Brim and Talia Coles to discuss a potential hip-hop fitness video. It sounds like a cool project, and if I weren’t so lazy, I would certainly exercise with a Royce DVD. Jenn and Suzie come over to Kesha’s for wine, and once again Kenya’s kitten heels are the main topic of conversation. Jenn hasn’t had any issues with Kenya, as they both talk about their ongoing divorces. Suzie is appalled her friend may like Kenya, much less think she’s “normal,” and Kesha warns Jenn that she’s being idolized by a cuckoo bird. Kesha also wants to call the other girl who was in the conversation when Kenya called Evelyn loose.

Over lunch, Evelyn fills in Shaunie on the Kenya/Kesha debacle. Good gracious, this show is so scripted. Evelyn no longer cares about Kenya and Kesha’s problems with one another. She is mad as fire about being called ~~a ho~~ loose. She is looking forward to speaking to Kesha’s friend, who was present for Kenya’s loose lips. Evelyn’s ring is super ridiculous, by the way. Speaking of Kenya, she meets up with her “favorite girl” Jenn. Jenn totally relates…she’s her own favorite girl. Kenya is able to schmooze her way into Jenn’s good graces. It’s like Kenya is to Jenn what Jenn used to be to Evelyn, no?

Royce visits Tami to talk about her upcoming play. Tami is proud of her friend and having fun until Royce mentions Suzie. Royce hadn’t heard about the food stamps comment. Tami reveals how difficult it is working with Kenya, and Royce jokes that she brought this upon herself. Tami informs Royce that she will be joining Tami to listen to back-up choirs for Kenya. Royce is not on board, but she’s willing to do it for Tami. I do think their friendship is extremely genuine.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON FOR MORE BBW DRAMA!

Basketball Wives,Recaps

Mob Wives Recap: Snitch Situation

by Lauren on April 2nd, 2012

Last night’s Mob Wives followed Renee Graziano’s emotional distress, and it becomes more and more evident that something shady was going on with husband Junior Pagan in regard to her father’s arrest.

Renee is still in a very bad place after both Junior and her father went away on the same day. Karen Gravano understands that, perhaps they needed to be arrested, but she wishes the feds could have at least waited until after Thanksgiving. Over the phone, her friend Nikole pleads with Renee to motivate herself for A.J.’s sake. While, Renee promises she doesn’t let her son see her so upset, she is screaming and sobbing for most of the conversation.

Ramona comes to visit Big Ang at the bar. Ramona shares with Big Ang how horribly Renee is doing. Big Ang has left her multiple messages, but she had no idea things were so bad. They discuss the need to get Renee out to take her mind off of the situation. Ramona can’t believe that Junior would surrender to the feds, and not even tell Renee and A.J. that he was doing so. She knows now that Thanksgiving will be forever tainted for Renee, much like it is for her, as her grandfather died on Thanksgiving. Ramona states that her grandfather was the true definition of “a gangster” that is lacking in today’s society. Big Ang agrees…no one is loyal anymore. Are these women listening to themselves? I know that Ramona loved her grandfather and he no doubt thought she hung the moon. However, for her to be hung up and proud on the fact he was a criminal, is a little off to me.

Carla Facciolo and Drita D’avanzo meet for lunch, and Carla fills in Drita on Renee’s breakdown. Drita can’t imagine what Renee is going through. She thinks that maybe she should take the kids to visit Lee in jail before the holidays. She hasn’t seen him in over a year. Carla tells Drita that Junior left a note before turning himself in to the feds. Drita can’t believe it – she thinks that if Junior was going to surrender, he should have let Renee take him in to say good-bye.

Drita heads to the Drunken Monkey to see Big Ang. She tells Big Ang she is considering taking the kids to see Lee. Drita admits it’s hard to try to shield her daughters from this lifestyle, only to have to take them somewhere as scary as a prison. Big Ang agrees, but she thinks all men look pretty hot in prison uniforms.

Carla and Joe take their kids roller skating. They really are such a cute family. I hope Joe can stay on the straight and narrow because it is obvious his young son truly idolizes him. Meanwhile, Renee goes to Ramona’s for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner. She promises she will stand behind Junior while he’s in jail. Renee has decided to put a positive spin on Junior’s incarceration, because she knows he can’t cheat on her in the slammer. She is brought to tears talking about her father though. Karen arrives and proposes a toast, and Renee starts screaming like a banshee. Celebrate? They expect her to celebrate? She can’t do this – and she leaves. I hope she’s getting some help.

At home, Drita shares a fun moment with her youngest daughter. She hopes to be both a mother and father to her girls, in Lee’s absence. When she tries to bring up the possibility of visiting Lee, Giselle doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t know who he is, she hasn’t even comprehend who “Daddy” is. Even with Drita’s chiding, Giselle is adamant about not meeting Lee. Drita is heartbroken.

Big Ang, Ramona, and Karen take Renee to a drag queen show in an attempt to take her mind off what she’s going through. Big Ang loves a drag show because they sort of remind her of, well, herself. Renee is even laughing – the women can’t believe it! Over cocktails, Drita tells Carla that there are rumors circulating that Junior snitched on Renee’s dad. Carla is floored. Drita and Carla’s husbands were both incarcerated, thanks to rats. Well, thanks to doing criminal activity, but they were ratted out by others doing the same thing. This news makes Carla sick to her stomach.

Karen and Carla meet for dinner, and the pair discusses an article that accuses Junior of flipping on Renee’s father. Of course, Karen needs to clear the air…yes, her father “cooperated” with the feds, but he didn’t do the “scummy act” of wearing a wire. There is no comparison between Karen’s father “cooperating” and Junior “ratting” on Renee’s dad. After setting the record straight on that little issue, Karen hopes that Renee will be able to overcome this madness.

Big Ang has a friend over to her house, and they are chatting about the recent Junior gossip. Big Ang makes it clear that there are rules in this lifestyle and Junior has broken them. His selfish actions will affect how people see Renee and A.J., and that is a tragic thing to do to one’s family. She reveals that when she was arrested, the police tried to get her to be an informant, but no way, according to Big Ang.

Karen and Ramona go to Renee’s house to make sure she’s okay. Renee cannot, and will not believe the article. She points out that the writer has had to recant three different stories. Renee is worried the way things are going A.J. will be losing his mother next, as she’s stretched so thin emotionally. Renee knows that A.J. is being punished for having a father who is accused of being a rat. She apologizes to Karen for having to go through all of this again, as she was labeled similarly due to her father. She breaks down apologizing for not being a good friend to Karen when she returned last year. She is all over the place, crying, shaking, calm, quiet. Karen wants Renee to face the facts that the gossip could be true, but she refuses.

Renee goes to church in hopes of finding some peace. Big Ang goes to visit her sister Janice with a copy of The Post, which basically confirms the rumors that Junior snitched on Renee’s father. Renee is a basketcase and it’s very difficult to watch.

Next week, Renee tries to come to grips with the news. She now believes that Carla has been talking crap about her behind her back. Carla accuses Renee of being extremely paranoid given her current state of affairs.

WHAT DID YOU THINK OF LAST NIGHT’S EPISODE? WILL RENEE BE ABLE TO PULL HERSELF OUT OF HER DEPRESSION? SHOULD DRITA TAKE HER DAUGHTERS TO VISIT LEE?

Mob Wives,Recaps

Is Angela Stanton’s Tell-All Falling Apart? Plus PHOTOS: NeNe Leakes with Glee Creator Ryan Murphy; And Kim Zolciak Shows Sweetie Hughes Love on Twitter!

by Lauren on April 1st, 2012

Atlanta, Atlanta, Atlanta…There is so much going on that I don’t know where to start! If you had told me several seasons ago that Kim wouldn’t be with Big Poppa, Phaedra would be accused of being a criminal kingpin, and NeNe would be a legitimate actress on a television show, I would have died laughing. Looks like the joke is on me!

As you recall, Phaedra Park’s former friend Angela Stanton has promoted an e-book in collaboration with Vibe. Lies of a Real Housewife: Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil makes some pretty strong accusations regarding Phaedra being the mastermind behind a crime spree that landed both Angela and Apollo Nida in jail. Vibe.com shared a series of video interviews with Angela in conjunction with her book release. In one of the videos, she states that Apollo’s “brother” lied about the extent of Angela’s involvement, in an effort to take the heat off Phaedra.

Now Vibe is issuing a “clarification“–or what regular folks would call an “Oops!”–on Angela use of the term “brother.” The site back pedals, “In the first clip (of three), Ms. Stanton refers to an individual involved in the criminal scheme described in the book, as the brother of Apollo [Phaedra’s husband]. It appears as if Everett and Apollo are not related by blood and Ms. Stanton refers to Everett as Apollo’s ‘street brother’ in her book. The statements made in the video clips were made by Ms. Stanton in a figurative manner and not in literal terms.” I wonder how many other ~~Oops~~ clarifications the site will have to make in connection with this book. Tamara Tattles notes that the book, which was holding the 67th spot on Amazon upon its release, has now dropped to the 5,289th position.

NeNe Leakes seems to have a new biffle in the form of Glee creator Ryan Murphy. The Neenster has been honing her acting skills on the hit series, and it was just announced that she will be starring in Murphy’s latest pilot, The New Normal. The show centers around a gay couple and their surrogate, and NeNe will play the recurring role of Rocky. It appears that the RHOA reality star may have found the perfect way to channel her dramatic personality!

NeNe recently tweeted a picture of her famous bestie, stating, “THE MAN that is changing my life 1 script @ a time Ryan Murphy.”

Adding another photo of her and Ryan for her followers, NeNe tweeted, “I gotta get that Emmy baby & this man is helping me make sure that happens.” Both of those photos are below.

NeNe’s former best friend/current nemesis Kim Zolciak also took to the twitterverse to defend herself when a follower called out her behavior towards former assistant Sweetie Hughes. After someone tweeted “RT @snooki I hate when people are mean to their assistants. Your not cool. responded, @throughmyeyes__ how about my former assistant/friend @sweetieHughes is one of my dearest closest friends soooo stfu!”

Mere minutes later, Kim gave quite a shout out to her friend, tweeting, “First vacation in a loooong time w/ out @sweetieHughes we already miss u!!! If u wanna come I got u ” A hilarious picture of Kim’s wigs on said vacation is also below!

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING FOR PHOTOS AND INFO ON TONIGHT’S EPISODE!

Real Housewives of Atlanta

PHOTOS – Meet the Ladies of Tough Love New Orleans! Plus Their Bios!

by Lauren on March 30th, 2012

JoAnn Ward and her son Steve are back with a new season of Tough Love, and this time they are taking their dating advice to New Orleans! VH1 has announced that Tough Love: New Orleans will be premiering Sunday, April 15, at 9PM ET.

The show features JoAnn and Steve as they work their matchmaking magic on a new batch of singles who have issues finding their Mr. Right. This season promises a man hater, a man eater, a lover of deadbeats, and a very awkward virgin! Wouldn’t it be hilarious if they were all the same person?

It appears that the mother-son dream team will have some pretty difficult cases this time around, and I, for one, can’t wait to see how they handle this bunch. Meet the ladies in desperate need of tough love below!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE LADIES OF THIS SEASON’S TOUGH LOVE? WHO DO YOU THINK WILL BE THE HARDEST WOMAN TO DEAL WITH FOR STEVE AND JOANN?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO SEE PHOTOS & BIOS OF THE CAST!

Uncategorized

American Idol: Eight Is Enough

by Lauren on March 30th, 2012

And then there were eight. We’re jumping in to covering American Idol, which is awesome for me because 1) I love it; and 2) but for recapping the elimination show, I’d likely be reminded of my Pauly D and Vinny Thursday night withdrawals. The show begins as it should…Randy Jackson is smooth, dawg, Steven Tyler is swathed in an excessive amount of man scarves, and JLo is sporting an outfit I would have killed for back when I was in middle school – and mind you, that was in the late 80′s.

The show opens with the always suave and debonairly coiffed Ryan Seacrest promoting Aerosmith’s upcoming tour. The remaining nine singers are shown the celebrity tweets, which tout their favorite idols of the season. Carrie Underwood, Lifehouse, and Mariah Carey all show some love for those who chose their songs. Poor DeAndre Brackensick didn’t receive any such tweets after his performance of Eric Benet’s “Sometimes I Cry” (sidebar…I’m so excited to be recapping the AI because all season I’ve wanted to hear from y’all how much he reminds you of former contestant Jason Castro). Instead, DeAndre gets a personal visit from Eric Benet. He’s moved to tears, Ryan is excited to have Eric grace the stage, and somewhere Halle Berry is flaunting her engagement ring at her television screen while Olivier Martinez chides his future bride about being married to such a d-bag. Did I digress too much?

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO READ THE REST!

American Idol,Recaps

Survivor Recap: Boys Versus Girls? Salani Versus Manono? Every Castaway For His or Herself?

by Lauren on March 29th, 2012

Knowing that last night’s episode of Survivor was Colton-free, did you feel better about tuning in to watch?

The now merged tribe celebrates with champagne and cheese back at the beach. Everyone seems to be happy that it’s every player for themselves. Alicia is appalled to think that Christina is still in the game. Let the backstabbing begin! The following morning, Jonas is impressing the women with his culinary skills. Model Jay denies Tarzan some coffee, with Jay informing him that the coffee is only for the people who won it in the last challenge.

What? Tarzan can’t believe his former dude teammate isn’t reverting back to the guys versus the girls alliances. He approaches Mike about getting the gang back together, as the men and women are equal in numbers. Tarzan promises a female defector in the form of Alicia to create a stronger voting pool. Sure, yeah, sounds good, says Mike, who trusts Tarzan about as far as he can throw him. Interesting…it seems the most recent winners don’t want to play the way of the middle school dance with boys on one side and girls on the other.

CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO READ THE REST!

Recaps,Survivor