It's been a drama-filled year off-screen for the various branches of the 'Real Housewives' franchise and now the focus has shifted to the New York cast.

Yesterday we heard of a casting bloodbath, with 'Housewives' Jill Zarin, Kelly Bensimon, Alex McCord and Cindy Barshop all being pink-slipped.

Now Zarin and McCord have come forward to deny that they've been axed.

McCord told 'The Hollywood Reporter' that "At this stage, I have not been fired. My casting is still in limbo and I expect to hear within the next week."

Holy catfight!

Alex McCord of the 'Real Housewives of New York City' recently stopped by our AOL studio to dish more on the current season, airing Thursdays at 10PM on Bravo.

In an exclusive joint interview with PopEater, Alex gave us the scoop on Ramona vs. Simon, whether she's still friends with everyone on the show and what to expect from the new 'Housewives' in town.

Watch the video interview below:

The ladies of The Real Housewives of New York City are, needless to say, a colorful bunch. The Bravo franchise seems to have hit its stride, with each cast of Housewives providing their own flavor. But in comparison to Orange County and Atlanta, the ladies of New York seem especially weird. Perhaps it's apropos to their all living in a city with crazy people at every corner, but whatever the case may be, these gals are bonkers.

Sure, the show may just be a well-delivered product of sneaky producers and menacing editors, but somebody's doing something right in bringing out the bizarre nuances of Jill, LuAnn, Alex, Ramona, and Bethenny - although she, of the whipsmart one-liners and catchphrases, seems to be the crowd favorite (judging by ... conversations I've had with people).