<p>I really don’t live that far from Sopranos territory. The ice cream shop/small diner in Bloomfield where the end of the final episode of the Soprano’s was filmed (it’s called Holstens) is at the bottom of a hill about five blocks down from my old house where my son grew up. And my present home was actually in the background of one scene in an episode. I think they were supposed to live in Verona, or maybe one of the Caldwells?</p>
<p>(However, despite having lived in NJ since 1987, I am not – repeat not – “from New Jersey.” I am, always have been, and always will be, a New York City girl at heart. And am planning to move back within the next year, finances permitting. If so, maybe I can join the cast of TRHONYC someday! They probably have enough Jewish women already, though – Jill and, I assume, Bethenny, or at least her father.)</p>
<p>Every time I see that promo for the NJ Housewives, I expect her to say “Let me tell you something about my family. We are not just thick as thieves, we are thieves.”</p>
<p>I am not sure I want to watch the NJ wives. The hair is driving me crazy. Franklin Lakes is very prestigious and very wealthy, but the previews make them seem way too over the top. I think they should have picked wives from Holmdel, Deal, Egg Harbor, Rumsen , Red Bank, Colts Neck, etc. These wives, but would be less sterotypical and more in line with the other Housewives shows, especially since many of them also have beautiful beach homes, like the Hamptons, but NJ shore towns are not as prestigious. Right now I see all of the NJ wives to be on par with Ramona, and I could not watch an hour of her without either being stone drunk. The only reality show thta I am thinking of that this could be compared to is Growing Up Gotti!</p>
<p>As a lifelong Long Islander, I can sympathize.</p>
<p>The flashy, coarse, McMansion-dwelling NJ Housewives-types and their ilk stand out like sore thumbs – that’s why they put them on tv – they’re ‘people you love to hate.’ But yeah (said with stereotypical Long Island accent-- no "R’s: allowed)-- I don’t know if I’ll watch that one. To enjoy a show there generally has to be SOMEthing you like about the characters. Maybe it’s just editing, but the cattiness, b*tchiness, and intimidation seem way over the top. I think it stems from a huge amount of insecurity. If you can’t buy class (with a capital K), you flaunt whatever it is you DO have.</p>
<p>If shows such as RHNYC and Dog the Bounty Hunter have been catching my attention recently, does that mean I must have had a stroke in my sleep? Truly, I ask myself this as I wonder why, why, why am I drawn into these shows?</p>
<p>Speckledegg, I think watching these shows is just our way of stepping away from the stresses of life for a brief moment. Jeez, I can only take so much news of war, murder, rape, missing children etc. before I need a fix of the rediculous people on these shows to balance out the negative. Safe to say you didn’t have a stroke. :)</p>
<p>I agree GA, when I watch tv I want to shut my brain off and laugh. I am not somebody who watches, Oprah, Dr. Phil or Ellen to do this. I want spoon fed entertainment, that makes me believe my life isn’t as screwed up as I thought. Plus Bethenny has the greatest one lines ever, calling SImon swavio and of course the term fabulosity. My favorite scenes are usually with her and Jill. One scene from LY was when she told Jill Cher called and asked for her outfit back, or when she dressed up as Jill and spoke like her. Even how she took it when her friend tells her eggs were rotting! Or this yr when they went to a homosexual party and Bethenny was like is there not one man here interested in me laughing the entire time as she said it?</p>
<p>I just watched the sneak peek on bravotv.com Holy Cat fight. Now I can understand why they are doing it in a 2 part series. Nobody better call me tomorrow night! </p>
<p>I am sure Mario will be brought out and that should be interesting, since if you read the posts on his blog, he is not loved, thus I am guessing the questions won’t be pretty</p>
<p>I have seen The Countess on the street and she is a very good looking woman…perhaps even better looking in person than on the show. As I walked by her on Madison Avenue she was giving out the celebrity standby look that says, “Yes, I am a celebrity and I would be disappointed if you didn’t notice me but DO NOT approach me”. (Not that I blame any celebrity for doing that.)</p>
<p>I was in my standard uniform of ancient Gap jeans and a fleece jacket so if she noticed me at all she was probably thinking about calling the style police.</p>
<p>Well I watched it with DD last night, and they really did give it to Ramona, but IMO she deserved it. I didn’t go to Alex’s because I eat dinner at 8 and she was having only cocktails, oops that’s not it, I don’t know where Brooklyn is, oops fine I didn’t want to go are you happy now!</p>
<p>Than she got hit with LuAnn by saying I did that because I was mad at you…LuAnn was right, you are a 50 yr old woman and act like you are still in high school.</p>
<p>Can’t wait until tomorrow night for part II. I already have set on Tivo just in case, I forget.</p>
<p>I did some math last night…Ramona said that she and Mario have been married (or if she said together meaning dating time/engagement/marriage then forget it) for 18 years and that she was 37 when she got married. If she is 55…hot durn she looks good. Even if she has had an eyelift or whatever she looks great. </p>
<p>But…I don’t eat in Brooklyn? </p>
<p>I felt sorry for Luann, except for her lack of acknowledgement that her husband (now x) was older. Does she think her daughter is brain dead? That her daughter can’t do math? If her daughter was to marry a man with that age disparity that would make him early 30s now. But, she is handling herself with dignity with regard to the divorce.</p>
<p>Oh…and my tivo shut down in the last 5 minutes of the show. I reprogrammed the thing. When is the second half of the Reunion? And what happened in the last 7 minutes of the show?</p>
<p>ellebud - it’s Thursday night. Not sure what time, though. I think probably 10 pm, but don’t quote me on that…</p>
<p>-and the show ended with them all squabbling loudly about something (I forget what) and the host warning them that they were running out of film. Usually he just sits there and smirks throughout the bickering, but by the end I think he realized it was getting out of control.</p>
<p>I agree lspf72, I kept thinking he was asking/stating we are running out of film…we’re runnig out right? In other words save me!</p>
<p>Bethanny was on the People web site saying it was like Viet Nam, but her and Kelly have made amends.</p>
<p>G bless her b/c if Kelly said that crap about me in Harpers I would not be as kind. I really admired Bethenny last night, she apologized for insulting any other wofe (except Kelly…don’t blame her).</p>
<p>What DD and I noticed was that Jill and Bethenny held hands over the underdog issue that Ramona said. DD asked why do you think they are holding hands? I said one day you will find a true friend like I have with Miss, and they were holding hands to ground each other, b/c if they didn’t one of them would have let loose! She looked at me and said I get it now, but do you think Jill is holding Bethenny back or Bethenny is holding Jill back. I told her I think Bethenny was holding Jill back, but Jill was holding Bethenny out of love.</p>
<p>I guess on Thursday both Simon and Mario will be on.</p>
<p>Hste to say it but Ramona is looking like an a$$ right now. I can’t wait to see where the bug eye comment to Ramona from LuAnn comes from.</p>
<p>Housewives of NJ is an embarrassment. First the Sopranos and now this. Not everyone in the state wears tee-shirts that say, “YO!” on them, or live in over the top McMansions. I guess the folks in Bernardsville wouldn’t want to be on a show like this so they have to go for these folks.</p>
<p>They are all embarrassments - did you see the Atlanta version? Hopefully people who watch don’t see them as representative of the state, but NJ has a tougher battle than most. I spent a lot of time in NJ in college because my boyfriend was from there and I always talked about how beautiful it was there. People, none of whom had ever been there, looked at me like I was crazy. I would tell them that they don’t call it the Garden State for nothing. NJ gets a bum rap all around.</p>
<p>You’ re right , Cartera, about NJ. Its a beautiful state with intelligent cultured people! ( not like these) My husband’s from Westchester and when I suggested (as newlyweds) that we live in NJ (as his JOB was there!) he nearly flipped. Turns out I won, we did move there and he actually liked it more than I did! It truly is the Garden State and MUCH more than the smelly NJ Turnpike. (Actually, the smells were from my childhood. I don’t think it smells anymore)</p>
<p>I admit it: I Tivo’d the entire series. I love it. I am waiting (since we are from SoCal) to see the Real Housewives of the San Fernando Valley, or the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Oh wait, I am one…I am so boring that no one would be interested. So, I can get my kicks watching NYC anytime.</p>
<p>I’m afraid it still does. I notice it whenever I’m on the Turnpike down around Elizabeth.</p>
<p>When I was a child, I honestly believed that the entire state smelled like that, because every time we went to New Jersey I think we drove on the Turnpike.</p>