realhousewives

Is it wrong of me to be finally, justly, overjoyed at the financial ruin that has befallen the Real Housewives of Orange County? When the Bravo show first started, we were on the brink of a national recession. Now, a few seasons later, we're waist-deep in financial hardship, the likes of which has just hit the overly-tanned ladies of Coto.

After seasons of watching the Housewives -- and pick any permutation you want here, from NYC to Atlanta -- gobble up jewels and homes and indulge in a kind of narcissism that many parents wouldn't even allow their toddlers, it's supremely gratifying to see the house of cards they built on credit come crashing down.

Watch out, Manhattan, because the cutthroat world of being rich on TV just got a little more crowded, as Bravo has announced two new cast additions to their hit reality series 'The Real Housewives of New York City'.

According to the network's press release, 'The Real Housewives of New York City', which follows the lives of a number of the city's social elite, will be adding Sonja Morgan and Jennifer Gilbert to the upcoming third season, which will debut next year.

Lately, I feel like I need a shower after watching an episode of any of the Real Housewives on Bravo. The franchise is getting progressively trashier, which probably doesn't bother Bravo because the ratings have continued to boom.

This latest news might help The Real Housewives of Orange County when it returns. Reality star Lynne Curtin has been accused of stealing furniture from the house she'd been renting for the show. Not only that, but the homeowner is claiming Curtin also destroyed property before vacating.

That image is diametrically opposite of the one presented on the show. Curtin's home was never revealed to be a rental for starters. Her domestic situation was also seemingly secure and stable, with no problems with her husband and children.

Those Real Housewives series are big business for Bravo. So the big question Fox Reality is asking is if America is ready for the real Househusbands of Hollywood? Jane first brought us news of the Househusbands last December. Now Fox Reality has set a premiere date of August 15th, and provided a little more details as to what these husbands do.

As Jane hoped, it looks like a full reversal of the traditional roles. These men take care of the kids, run errands and manage the household while their wives work as a psychologist, a celebrity makeup artist, a newscaster, an attorney and Tempestt Bledsoe (The Cosby Show). It's certainly an interesting idea that will challenge America's traditional views of gender roles in this country.

When a television show like Barney does a live tour, you automatically know two things: 1. Barney will sing and dance and somehow be entertaining on some level, and 2. The show is geared towards children. That being said, why the hell would anybody host any sort of live performance of The Real Housewives of New Jersey? Well, it's happening at the Wellmont Theatre in Montclair, NJ.

I mean, what are they going to do? Sing? Dance? Sit around and gossip about each other? Will it be some sort of round-robin discussion or interview where we learn even more things about these women that nobody except a very few give a damn about?

Only under very specific circumstances would I purchase tickets to this event. If the housewives were eaten by a bear onstage, I would pay to see that. But not just any bear ... a dancing circus bear that would perform after his meal. That would be cool.

This news actually made my day. Apparently, in order to appear as "celebrities" on the television show The Real Housewives of New Jersey, the housewives themselves were not paid and in some cases owed the producers some of their non-television related income.

This is brilliant! This solves the issue of declining profits for television. Want your own reality show? Then pay for the privilege. It's like buying commercial time without anything definitive to promote. If any of them start their own business as a result of their undeserved fame (like a line of clothing or something), will they owe that income to the producers as well?

No matter how much I loathe reality television, I loathe The Real Housewives of New Jersey just a little bit more. I applaud any opportunity to stick them with a fine for having the viewer subjected to them. The punchline to this joke would be if they all signed the same contract for their upcoming second season.

From Jon vs. Kate to Danielle Staub vs. the entire state of New Jersey, reality TV dominated the airwaves this year -- not to mention the watercooler.

We pulled together the best moments for our annual Reality TV Awards, and now it's up to you to decide their fate.

Click through to vote for the year's biggest winners (and losers).

If I go to Hell after I die, I'm quite certain that part of my eternal punishment would be sitting in a room with all the Real Housewives of New Jersey for all eternity. Therefore the following piece of news is about as close to Hell on Earth as I can get: popular rumor has it that Bravo has renewed The Real Housewives of New Jersey for a second season.

I was born and bred in New Jersey (those of you offering condolences can shut it right now. I like New Jersey). As a result of sharing my humble abode with someone of the female persuasion, I have been subjected to this program. I can personally attest that very few people in New Jersey actually act like these "housewives". If you're planning a vacation, please don't let the behaviors of these women put you off from visiting the Garden State.

However, to give credit, the program did lead to a funny sketch on Chelsea Lately. The video of that is after the jump.

The power of The Real Housewives of New Jersey is amazing to me. I normally can't stand the Real Housewives series. And, as a lifelong Jerseyan, the Sopranos-esque stereotypes of pampered Bergen County wives initially made me queasy. But dammit, the show hooked me and kept me watching the whole season; it even led me to write the hacky headline above. Why? Because this one had a plot.

The story of the creepily over-Botoxed Danielle Staub and how the rest of the Housewives found out about her sordid past was the thread that kept even Bravo-except-for-Top-Chef-averse people like myself tuning in. Oh, and the fact that they teased the "Last Supper" finale all season (showing matriarch Caroline saying "we're thick as thieves" about a thousand times) also kept me watching. And the finale didn't disappoint: people turning on each other, tables getting tipped over, exceedingly mature children horrified at their parents' behavior... it was great.

But if you thought it was over, think again. As the New York Post reports and Bravo has been promoting, the cable net will air four more episodes.

Six episodes later, 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' finally had their long-awaited catfight -- a tense, screaming, table-flipping finale unlike anything the franchise has ever seen (reunion episodes not included).

Even better, the fight ended with an unlikely victor: Jacqueline, 'Jersey''s perpetual pickle in the middle.

For much of the season, Jacqueline was caught between two sides: self-proclaimed best friend Danielle, the town villain with an alleged secret past, and her family, Dina and Caroline, who were convinced Danielle was trouble.

But in a gutsy, 11th-hour move, Jacqueline went against her blood (we take it she hasn't seen 'The Sopranos') by exposing Carolineand Dina's lie: they were the ones behind "the book," 'Cop Without a Badge,' which had somehow made its way into Franklin Lakes' inner gossip circle ("Family or not, what's right is right and what's true is true," she said).

Considering how prevalent reality television is these days, it's got to be a pretty daunting task to try and put together a comprehensive list of the best and worst of all time. But Entertainment Weekly thinks they've done just that. They've compiled the top 20 reality shows of all time, but also the ten worst reality shows of all time. All in all, they did a pretty damned good job.

I completely agree with the top six, but they lose me with Jackass at number seven. I have never understood the appeal of filming morons doing stupid things on purpose just to be stupid. But there were some shows missing from the list completely, like Little People Big World, So You Think You Can Dance and Beauty and the Geek. Surely those shows are better than The Hills and The Real Housewives of Sesame Street, or whatever franchise they're spinning now.

'Real Housewives of New Jersey''s Danielle Staub is in for a major reality check.

The Star-Ledger has uncovered a copy of the now infamous 'Cop Without a Badge,' an out-of-print book that has been the center of a media firestorm after Bravo showed a preview of next week's episode, airing Tuesday at 10PM. According to the preview, 'Badge' allegedly holds the key to Staub's dark and scandalous past.

So what does the book actually say? According to the article, 'Badge' profiles a woman named Beverly Merrill, a promiscuous, drug-using stripper who in 1986 was charged with extortion, kidnapping and possession. The charges claimed she had ties to a kidnapping incident involving her drug dealer friend, who allegedly kidnapped, beat and starved a rich kid who owed him $25,000, before calling his father for ransom.

She was one of the first women in New Jersey to have a black American Express card ... she's been engaged more than a dozen times ... she's connected to the Mafia ... she was involved with Columbian drug dealers and a kidnapping ...

Those are but a few of the rumors that have swirled around 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' scene stealer Danielle Staub since Bravo first unspooled the preview clips of the guilty pleasure reality drama.

After a couple weeks of Danielle dramas -- with her rival Dina, her ex-husband and her current dating life (who knew basic cable even allowed the utterance of the word she used to describe a certain part of her anatomy on last night's episode?) -- it looks like we may finally get some answers. Next Tuesday's installment promises to shed some light on at least a few of the Staub mysteries, namely those involving her alleged illegal activities.

A year ago at this time, who would have guessed that Jay Leno would be leaving late night and NBC would be handing him five hours of prime time instead? Who would have predicted CBS continuing to dominate in the ratings or that ABC's sophomore series like Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies would stumble and fall so completely after being off the air all last spring? Predictors from last January were on target about there being a writers' strike; that did happen and it was definitely not a good thing.

Fortunately, I don't see a SAG strike in the future. However, here are ten things I'm betting will happen by the time the ball drops on December 31st.

1. Martin Scorsese will be the next big thing on HBO. He's producing a drama based on the book Boardwalk Empire. HBO is overdue to launch another big series in The Sopranos tradition. Boardwalk Empire seems to have all the right elements: violence, sex, gambling, and Oscar-winning, iconic director Martin Scorsese.