A Woman Scorned

My heart goes out to Drita. Usually when someone is consumed by anger, there is a layer of heartache underneath. This is apparent in Drita's actions when she physically attacks Karen at a dinner meeting attended by all the cast members. But we have to rewind a bit to get to the source of this altercation. Drita walked into a hair salon with her daughter just days before and her life was forever changed. A woman working at the salon recognized her daughter, Aleeyah, and called her out by name, thus beginning Drita's investigation into this stranger who turned out to be her husband Lee's mistress for a short period of time. For the first time, this tough girl, this boxer and fighter, famous for the quote, "I'll send you to the hospital" became fragile and alone in her plight. My heart broke for Drita as she cried for the viewers. All she has is her family and her pride and both may be taken from her. So knowing that her mental state is absolutely unstable, Drita calls for a pow wow with her "girls". She wants to confront Karen once again about her intonations that Drita dated Lee just months after Karen and Lee broke up. She also wants to make it known that she and Karen were not the close friends that maybe Karen feels they were. Renee is all too excited for this gathering; there's going to be drama and she feels it. She can barely contain herself and cackles at the thought of the impending chaotic night. Once there, Drita immediately announces that she wanted to speak to Karen and invited Carla and Renee to witness it. Then the Lee argument starts up again. Karen refuses to waiver from her original accusations, saying that she and Drita were indeed good friends and she was very hurt that Drita didn't come to her when she began to date and ultimately marry her ex. The back and forth was nothing we haven't heard before, and Renee and Carla watched the exchange like a Wimbledon match. Things got extremely heated when Karen jumped up to make a point. That's when, according to her, Drita blacked out and grabbed the first thing she could find to begin her assault. But let's back up a bit, during the verbal fight, Drita's eyes were actually welling up with tears. Only Carla could have truly known where that pain was coming from, and she should have taken Drita out of that situation, knowing that she was carrying such a heavy load. Every time Drita said the name Lee, I swear her eyes got a little more teary. So, even though she was fighting to defend her actions back then against Karen, deep down, I'm sure she was fighting for so much more. Carla, as her friend and confident, should have intervened and comforted her friend. Drita was merely masking her devastation with anger and aggressive conversation. We'll have to wait until next week to see the outcome of the fight. We ended with Karen on the floor, Drita on top of her and Renee in the position she cherishes the most -- the middle.

A Mother's Love Displayed

*For those of you following the Casey Anthony trial, I'll be checking in periodically until a verdict is reached!*

"A mother's love is forever
A mother's love is for free
It doesn't matter if you're good or bad
She's there for whatever you need"

The above are lyrics from Diana Ross song, A Mother's Love. These words couldn't have been more true today if Diana Ross showed up in that Orlando court room and sung them herself. When defense attorney Jose Baez called Cindy Anthony to the stand today, I tweeted a brief prayer in the hopes that God would give Cindy the strength to do and say the right thing. Reports had just surfaced this morning that the Anthony's attorney made a statement saying that they did not believe Casey was innocent, but would do whatever they could to keep her off death row. Now that's not a direct quote, but I think we all get the idea. So Cindy takes the stand and what does she do? She tells Jose Baez that SHE made those searches for chloroform on the family computer. She also claims she searched for "ruptured spleen", among other questionable inquiries such as; alcohol and peroxide. She's clearly taking the fall for her daughter by owning up to these devastating Google searches, even though her work records show that she was on the job at the time the searches were performed! I found myself ready to shout at my computer screen. How could she? But many have calmed me down by now and explained that a mother's love is boundless, it is unconditional.... never ending and abundant. I know my mother loves me, but I have to wonder if she would be "Luger by the thigh, right hand high" for me at my murder trial. Let's just say, I'm pretty sure we will never find out. But Cindy's actions today show the lengths she is willing to go to protect her daughter, even though she knows (and I'm sure she does) that that same daughter is responsible for taking away an innocent soul, and the one she possibly loved the most, the real victim in all of this, Caylee Marie.

"Challenge" is Back on MTV

Shoutout to my sister for reminding me that Challenge: Rivals debuted tonight. I was ready to watch the talking heads on CNN either tear Obama apart or praise him to the heavens after his presidential address earlier, but once I got the news, all plans changed. The challenges on MTV are one of my only reasons for even stopping on that channel most of the time. I quit watching The Real World years ago, never really appreciated any of their attempts at a dramatic series, and as I've stated before, I've become vastly turned off by 16 and Pregnant. But the challenge genre is fun to watch. It's "Drunken Survivor", mixed with a little "Frat House Big Brother" and sprinkled with some soft core porn. It's an hour of your life devoted to young people coming close to death in the name of $300,000.00. Now, I'm going to have to take some time to get to know the rookies, I haven't been watching their shows and don't really know their personalities, so enough about them -- a bunch of our favourites are back! Firstly, pro biker TJ Lavin returns is host. After suffering a head injury, his future may have been shaky for awhile, but he obviously recovered perfectly.  Paula, Jenn, Nehemiah, and Wes, they all returned for that Viacom paycheck. I was surprised, I must say, to see CT. Being that he has such a dark and violent past on these shows, you would think MTV might want to keep him home and save a few lives. Seriously speaking, he has been such a danger to himself and others, I felt he should be banned from these shows indefinitely. But without him and the other major player  -- alcohol -- what would these shows be really? As long as CT can contain himself, and perhaps limit his vodka and cran consumption, I have a feeling I'll find myself rooting for him. Despite his raged filled history on these challenges, CT is a great competitor, he gives these boys a run for their money. As a matter of fact, if it wasn't for him bloodying all those noses and being booted off the show, there would be no Kenny and Evan. They were only allowed to blossom when CT wasn't there to win all the challenges. Can you tell that I think CT is a beast? There were two more "O.G."s that I loved seeing: Aneesa and Robin. Unfortunately they were sent home after the first elimination challenge. I was sad to see them go because I figure, at this stage in their lives, they might have been the only females on the show to bring some sense of maturity and reason to the game. Meet me back here next week for more of the booze, brawls and back breaking challenges.

One Nation, Under WHO???

NBC has already apologized, saying it was a regrettable editing error and was not done intentionally, but we've been lied to before by the powers that be, so I look at this at yet another example of this country's intense desire to rid our lives of God completely. Children are not allowed to pray in school. They want to keep the Lord's name out of court rooms. They want to sue the government to take His name off of our money. And over the weekend, during it's coverage of the U.S. Open, NBC removed the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. It was being recited by a group of children, played to the back drop of scenes of Americana. It was supposed to be a tribute to patriotism. But you didn't even have to listen closely when the children began to speak, there was a distinct silence where "under God" should have been. How could that have been a mistake? No other words were omitted. Nothing else was bleeped out or removed. Just those two words. One nation, under who? "Oh, don't worry about it, under no one. It's nothing. Just enjoy this game of golf." The outrage was immediate, resulting in an impromptu public apology from NBC. In my opinion, sorry means nothing when the damage has already been done. Sorry doesn't change the fact that we have become so afraid of offending one group or another, that we've used political correctness to abolish the exact ideals that founded this country in the first place. When you take away God, you take away the foundation. Without God, there is no red, white and blue, home of the free, and land of the brave. An atheist might tell you something different, and as every good Christian knows, God loves them anyway.

Rip The Runway!

I'm starting to see commercials for the new season of Project Runway. And just when I was starting to worry I would have nothing to watch on TV this summer. So if you're into fashion designing and all the drama on the catwalk, follow me and we'll share in the fun together. And since we're on the topic, I wonder what will become of The Fashion Show, Bravo's flagrant copycat style version of PR. Will there be a second season with Iman at the helm? And what happened to last season's winner, Jeffrey Williams? Maybe I'll look him up and let you know. Hopefully he is busy and successful. I was actually rooting for him since he seemed to be the most artistic and unique. In any event, sharpen your scissors and straighten those hems lines, my little fashionistas. Project Runway, season 9 starts next month!

Casey Anthony, Mother of the Year

Have you been watching the Casey Anthony trial? Surely you've heard of the 25 year old Orlando mother who went on a partying and drinking spree (with the photos to prove it), hid from her mother and family, lied, stole, cheated and ran the streets all while her little baby, Caylee, was missing. For 31 days, her mother begged her to see her granddaughter, but Casey refused. Sadly, in December of 2008, six months after the child had last been seen, Caylee's skeletonized body was found in garbage bags dumped in the woods. Now the trial has just gotten underway. The state just finished their presentation and we are now hearing the defense. They plan to blame everybody but the Virgin Mary, and claim that Casey only partied and hung out with friends because she was programmed to hide her true feelings, as she was sexually molested as a child by both her father and brother! The defense claims that the baby drowned in the family's pool, and Casey was forced to hide the body by her father and keep the secret, like so many secrets kept in the family's dark and dysfunctional past. It's a lot to swallow and much to consider. I would give anything to be on this jury! They would never pick me, of course, considering I think this girl is GUILTY of everything they're accusing her of, if not more. Florida is seeking the death penalty, I don't think she'll get it, but I do see a conviction in this party girl's future. I hope her last dance was a good one. I'm on top of this trial and all the facts, I've got tabs on all the players and will be keeping you updated as we get closer and closer to Casey Anthony's judgment day.

The OG Teen Moms are Back

I've been seeing commercials on MTV for the return of the controversial series, Teen Mom. This time, they're bringing back the original cast. Can you remember them? I can only recall Farrah's name, then there was the red haired girl, also the one with the braces who gave her baby up for adoption, and of course, Amber. Amber the one who beat on her boyfriend, Gary, shacked up with her new man days later, and reportedly lost custody of her daughter. I've been watching these girls since 16 and Pregnant and have seen their babies develop, start walking, and say their first words, right in front of my eyes. Once MTV started following other 16 and pregnant teen moms, I started to get a sick feeling about the motivation for the show and what the producers sought to accomplish with it. Then were reports that some young girls were actually getting pregnant on purpose with hopes of being on the show. And with each new season, I decided, I would no longer watch the parade of dysfunction and immorality that MTV seemed to be proudly portraying. The pregnancies were not so much the worst of their behaviour, but the foul mouths, disrespect toward their mothers, and the lack of consequence that is displayed really turned me off. Is this a learning tool, or just another reality series filled with witless entertainment? There are real children -- babies -- involved here. Babies that are growing up on TV, surrounded by controversy and in a few instances, some evident cases of inadequate parenting. But with all of that said, I do not mind catching up with the cast that have been there since the beginning. I'm curious as to where they are now, I have no clue, since I don't read the tabloids that they tend to grace the cover of week after week. I want to see the babies, make sure they're doing well, and observe the dynamic between these girls and the people closest to them. So, although I'm almost positive I am against the idea of this show, I am not against catching up with the young ladies who started it all. Stay tuned for Teen Mom, starting back up in July.

Sisters Re-Unite!

As all reality series when they come to an end must do, the cast of Braxton Family Values filmed their reunion show a couple of nights ago. Hosted by Wendy Williams, who actually looked toned down in the hair and make up category compared to the sisters and their mom, the girls chopped it up and reminisced on an interesting and admittedly an entertaining first season. There were some laughs and some hootin' and hollerin' and lots of confrontations and dramatics, of course. Cue Tamar Braxton. The first half of the reunion show seemed to be dedicated to her. Surprise, surprise. Trina spoke even more candidly about her DUI and the personal issues she's had with alcohol. Traci was able to get a little more of her feelings off of her chest. She spoke about growing up with the middle child syndrome (even though she is not the middle child). She said she felt like she had no voice over the years, and we already know the pain she feels when it comes to the other sisters getting record deals and going off on tour while she stayed behind to start a family. There is some jealousy there, I don't know if I would go so far as to say animosity, but Toni became a Grammy award winning superstar, Tamar went on to marry a very successful man, Towanda became Toni's personal assistant, and the whole family pretty much lives in Atlanta within close range of each other. One can imagine how out of touch and outcast Traci could feel. The most tear jerking subject for these girls is their father and the end of their parents' 35 year marriage to infidelity. Being preacher's kids, these girls (and their brother) were raised very religiously and brought up by two loving parents. To learn that their dad was cheating on their mother for the last 10 years of their marriage, and then went on to marry his mistress just 30 days after the divorce was final, puts the whole family in such a strain. All of a sudden all of these women, in their heavy make up, fake lashes and wigs, these grown ladies with their high heels and designer clothes, become transformed into heartbroken little girls who want only one thing in this world -- their daddy. Now, that's real. And it's relatable. Brings you back to the old adage, money can't buy your happiness. Vincent Herbert, Tamar's husband and Toni's manager, made a quick guest appearance and Wendy left us knowing that we shouldn't worry or miss these girls too much -- season 2 is underway. And I'll be here, hopefully you all will too!

These "Wives" Need a Life

I don't know if I can handle an entire season of Basketball Wives. Maybe I'll just watch whenever there's going to be a fight and then I can just comment on that. Oh, wait, there's a fight every episode, so that's not going to work. If you all like the show and want to discuss it, I'll bite the bullet and try not to dig my eyes out each week, but otherwise, this probably won't be part of my weekly reality TV intake. To see these grown women, who claim to be professional and "grown" argue over who's tweeting who and what they're tweeting about is embarrassing and quite immature. Evelyn accuses Royce of re-tweeting bad things that were being said about Jennifer, Jennifer lashes out at Royce for "following" her soon to be ex-husband on Twitter, Royce calls Evelyn a whore, Evelyn calls Royce a bum. It's no wonder Shaunie was nowhere to be found at this genius feast. The "bum" comment was laughable because, although each cast member is surely represented by their own individual agents, I'm almost positive they all relatively get the same paycheck and use their Basketball Wives fame to get paid as much as possible outside of the show. "You're a bum," Evelyn spats. "Get a job." I can't do anything but shake my head at the witlessness of all of these ladies. So again, I'll watch if the masses call for me to do so. Or I may just summarize every couple of weeks by ranting about these ridiculous characters. I'd rather watch Real Housewives of Atlanta at this point, where at least the ladies actually do have careers that don't rely on the money and notoriety of their famous pro-athlete boyfriends/husbands, and surprisingly enough, the ignorance level is much lower.

Was It Something I Said?

You know we're in trouble when comedians can't make jokes anymore. Sounds strange, doesn't it. A professional humorist that is barred from making their audience laugh if the subject is going to offend someone. And it depends on what you find offensive and then we have to figure out who makes the final call. It's a confusing conundrum: what to say, what not to say? And then you have people like Tracy Morgan that just says whatever he thinks is funny. He says what he thinks will make us laugh. Isn't that, in the end, what he is paid to do? So Tracy tells a gay joke. He goes on a gay rant, if you will. He says gays are "pussies" and that they aren't born that way, the behaviour is learned. He says if his son ever came out of the closet to him and talked in a whiny voice, he would "stab that little [n word] to death." Afterword, Tracy says, " "I don't "f*cking care if I piss off some gays, because if they can take a f*cking d**k up their ass ... they can take a f*cking joke."  Now let the outrage begin. In light of some of the recent rash of bullying and suicides by gay youth, one can understand why this subject matter should be considered in a most serious manner; EXCEPT if you are at a comedy club, watching Family Guy, or listening to a drunk man outside of a liquor store. I am empathetic to the fight for equality by gay rights activists and the need for the bullying of the young gay generation (straight generation as well) to come to an end. No one should be beat up, harassed and certainly no one should be murdered because of who they lay down with night, but with all of that said: I'm not going to march and protest and call for Tracy Morgan to be fired off of 30 Rock, banned from comedy and stoned to death. We have to see it for what it is people, a joke. It doesn't mean that it's funny, because comedy is subjective and most definitely in the eye of the beholder. It can be off-colour, raunchy, over your head or just down right offensive. It can be all of those things or none of those things. My question is why can't we separate Tracy Morgan's routine from the grave reality surrounding these very serious issues. We should be standing up for all human rights, gay and straight, conservative and liberal... the stone faced and the comedic. We all should have a voice, otherwise there'll be no one left to talk.

Girl Fight! (again)

*pheleshia's fired up over the Housewives of New Jersey, what about you? Join her here every week to discuss!*

We return to the Sunday dinner from HELL! Recapping the words that lead to an all out physical altercation between Renee and Carla, we begin to see a possible altercation between Karen and Renee. This is just all ridiculous! Carla, don't be mad because you may be hearing the truth about your man! Go take that same anger you are feeling towards Renee out on HIM! As I said last time, it is not cool for my man to touch my friends butt.  What's wrong with you, Carla? Are you scared to be treated with respect? What your man is doing is not respectful at all!  Turning to the other side of the friendship square, we find Drita and Karen.  Renee is right these two need to settle the score.  Lee is once again the topic of conversation as Drita confronts Renee for discussing the situation Carla. In this instance I feel that Renee never should have discussed this situation with Carla. We all knew that Carla was going to run back to Drita. I guess though that's where Renee just doesn't give a f$*k! However, I feel this was the factor that brought the issue up again and eventually allowed it to be resolved. At least we will see if that's actually the case in the upcoming weeks. Now that everyone made up it was time for the aftermath! This is actually the part I like to see the most. We all know that Karen and Renee are going to get together while Carla and Drita do the same. It's hard for me to believe sometimes that they are all truly friends! They seem to put on fake faces to interact with each other and as soon as their backs are turned they all retreat to their cliques and talk about each other. Once again resembling reality... don't act like you don't do it with your friends!  Continuing the focus of relationships, we were able to see Carla prepare for her ex-husband Joe's release from prison and Renee explore tools to begin dating.  Hopefully we get to see the interaction when Joe comes home, especially since his son needs that attention, and Renee overcome her fear of dating... or letting go of her relationship with her ex-husband.  Truthfully, I don't think that Renee will ever be able to let go of him.  Time will only tell or at least next week will! Tune in as we see Renee tell the others of her plans to continue a relationship with Junior.

Play Dates, Play Time, and Playboy

Is Toni Braxton -- THE Toni Braxton, preacher's daughter, Grammy winner -- really going to do Playboy? She says she's seriously considering it. The majority of her family is excited about it, except for Tamar and their mother, Evelyn. Tamar even takes Toni to a photography studio for a mock session, which she refuses to do. Her argument is that she's not showing her "$8,900" boobies to just anyone, if she chooses to pose for Playboy, she'll be showing them to Hugh Hefner. If Hugh Hefner thinks she's sexy and good enough to be in his magazine, then it must be so. She looks at it as a tribute to her present status and her ability to maintain her good looks and spirit despite her health and financial issues. Meanwhile, Tamar, resident drama princess, is planning an appreciation party for her husband, Vincent. The party, however, has underlying motives. Tamar is really using this as an opportunity to sell herself to her husband and try to convince him once again that she is ready to become the solo artist that she has been pressuring him to turn her into. She takes a sexy photo and has it blown up and presented to him in front of her entire family and all their friends. That was his gift to show him how much appreciates him. She asks her sisters, Towanda and Trina, to take a a belly dancing class and perform a sexy dance at this party. How awkward and inappropriate was that? It's obvious this family is no stranger to Tamar's antics and although Toni looked extremely uncomfortable and Vincent appeared to be slightly embarrassed, the whole thing was a mess, but fun to watch. Also during this episode, Towanda sends her mother, Evelyn, off on a blind date with, to Evelyn's surprise, a snow flake (a white man)! At first, Evelyn was a little turned off by the fact that her afternoon date ordered a scotch on the rocks at such an early hour, but once she learned he might have a little money in the bank, she warmed right up to him and seemed to enjoy herself. This is a light-hearted prequel to what's coming up next week when the girls decide to go back their hometown and seek out their father for a Braxton reunion. Being that their parents divorced after 35 years due to their pastor father's infidelity, this is going to make for some emotional and very real final 2 episodes.

Been M.I.A.

It's been a little slow around here lately and I hope you accept my sincerest apologies. I was sick a couple of weekends ago and that really knocked me off my blogging game, but I'm here now and I'm gonna get us all back on track in these next couple of days.

Birthdays, Bombshells and Bankruptcy

It's time for Evelyn's 60th birthday and the sisters are happy to throw her a party she'll never forget. They all fly out to L.A. because it was just too cold in Atlanta and Tamar was more than excited to host everyone. We get to hear the sisters sing again and the talent is obvious, even if they may need a little tuning up. It turns out their individual relationships need a little fine tuning as well. Tamar and Traci just can't seem to get along and argue for a majority of the short stay. they argue about everything from marriage to what gift to buy for their mother, but in the end, apologies are accepted and the two find a way to get along again. We also learn that Traci's son is affected by juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and though she has shown that she has many issues, this could be a source for some of her bitterness and stress. Toni starts house shopping while there, she decides that she needs to be "back on the scene" and feels that Atlanta may be holding her back. Reality TV becomes the most real during this time because although Toni can probably afford to buy one of the luxurious homes she goes to look at, her bankruptcy prevents her from being able to make such a purchase. For now, she will have to rent. Now that's actual and factual. Next week, Toni may try to take her financial status into her own hands by considering posing for Playboy! Could this be a ploy to get us to tune in again? If so, they got me, I'm there...

Teresa's Team Takes Over

*check back next week for another one of pheleshia's Real Housewives re-caps*

Ding….Ding…Ding…..the second round of the family battle royal has begun! Let's see the second episode of RHONJ and the reaction to last week’s family feud.  When we were introduced to the new players, I thought of something.  Is the series going for a family vision?  Everyone on here is now related. There are at least two sets of actual family relationships on here.  Will this make for better reality T.V. or do they want us to think this way so that we don’t continue to call “their” show fake? I think I may be on to a conspiracy. Anyway, the aftermath of the Christening is unfolding and we are privy to the opinions of not only the housewives but what seems to be all of New Jersey! I mean, even the people putting on the "Posh" fashion show had an opinion! As we get involved in the outcome of one family's battle, the other stays quiet and content.  Rightfully so, as I think that Caroline would go off, like back in the Danielle days, if her family was in a situation such as this one. As I reflect back there was however one thing that annoyed me in regards to Caroline's family. Does her son really think that "Cajun" is a language? Does she think this also as she laughed along with him without correction? What an insult to people from the south. I don't want to hear "I have Cajun friends", you know the statement that people make after they have said/done something to offend another race/ethnicity. In my book there is just no excuse!  Ignorance aside, there is so much to cover from the beginning to the end of this episode so in order to keep focused I'm going to highlight my do's and dont's of the interactions between Teresa and her family members. Beginning with the do's.  Wait there were no DO's!  What I can say is DON'T talk about how important family is Kathy and then wait to talk about an important "family" matter at a social gathering! Then you act shocked when you approach the person poorly also attacking her mothering skills! You thought she was going to give you a hug? Kathy has issues along with everyone else. Her husband is strange as well (I'm not going there tonight though, that's for another night.) Another DON'T is DON'T say you want an apology but say that you are not going to say anything to the person you want it from and be upset when they don't apologize!  Come on Melissa you even know that Teresa was not going to come and apologize to you. I don't think that it is because she doesn't want to but because she's scared of rejection! Acting aside, because we never know, it seems as though she truly wants a relationship with both her brother AND sister in-law.  It still boggles my mind to see that no one has reached out on a one-to-one level.  If they have in the past, no one is talking about it so in my opinion it hasn't happened. Next week we prepare to see the aftermath of Kathy and Teresa's conversation at the fashion show (once again wrong place, wrong time) and the ongoing battle between Teresa and her brother. Surprising enough, it seems as though a letter plays a role in the episode. Too bad the other ladies don't! Let's keep it real, do you remember seeing what is going to be going on with Caroline and Jacqueline? I don't, but it doesn't mean that I'm not going to tune in to also see what is going on with them. Until next week keep rocking Jersey style.