• Andy Cohen Confesses 'Housewives' Series Almost Canceled Immediately

    Who doesn't love Andy Cohen? He is the mastermind behind the "Real Housewives" franchise on Bravo and he also hosts "Watch What Happens: Live" each night. Aside from his obvious chops for business, he comes across as a really likable guy, and that makes him the perfect one to ask all those tough, interview questions. Cohen started at CBS as a producer and found his way over to Bravo after about 10 years in the business. He recently did an interview for "Entertainment Weekly" that revealed some pretty interesting details. Like the fact that "Watch What Happens: Live" is styled after Dick Cavett's old talk show and how Cohen taps into the old stuff to help guide his development decisions at Bravo now. He also talked about how many shows on the network have started off slow and picked up momentum by the end of their first season. Very rarely has there been an instant hit and, believe it or not, the "Housewives" franchise almost never existed! Cohen explained that there were so many production problems and other issues after filming the first season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" that it was almost canceled as soon as the season finished airing. Had it been killed, then we would have never met the ladies from New York City, New Jersey, Atlanta, Miami and Beverly Hills. Maybe Teresa Giudice would not have gotten so greedy and she would not be locked up right now ... Check out the clip here with Cohen dishing some behind-the-scenes info.

  • Bravo Brings Back 'Manzo'd With Children' Adding Fuel to the Notion That 'RHONJ' is Finished

    After leaving "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" a while back, Caroline Manzo was offered her own Bravo spin off show, "Manzo'd With Children," which actually did pretty well with the ratings. Well enough for the powers-that-be to decide to bring it back for a second season. For a while Manzo's name was being mentioned as a possible way of trying to save RHONJ. Bringing her back while Teresa Giudice spends the next year in the clink sounded like a possibility but focus groups just aren't having it.

  • Eileen Davidson is Emerging as the Breakout Star on the 'RHOBH'

    When the current season of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" premiered a few months ago, everyone sort of expected Lisa Rinna to be the new cast member that was an instant hit, and she has been. Rinna is fun and it kind of seems like anything goes when she's on camera. She's also super-focused on not only her family, but keeping her career in Hollywood going any way that she can. Fellow soap star, Eileen Davidson, wasn't even introduced to the audience until the third episode and she just kind of clicked with the audience, to the point that she's now considered to be the breakout star of the show.

  • Teresa Giudice's Prison Stint Has Ended 'RHONJ'

    It looks like it really is the end of the road for "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." While the ladies still connected to the show would say they can continue without Teresa Giudice, Bravo executives apparently think otherwise. Even with her, the ratings for this past season were so low that they wisely brought in former cast members like Jacqueline Laurita to lure old fans back, and it worked. But without Giudice in the mix, according to the results from several focus groups that have been evaluated, the show is kind of doomed. According to a report by Radar Online, the network already knows that it is time to pull the plug. "At this point, 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' is essentially done. Bravo has considered all of their options and they don't feel like there is really a show without Teresa. Whether the other women want to admit it or not, she is the star of the franchise. The show simply wouldn't be the same without her," says the source.

  • 'RHOA' Phaedra Parks Says She Was Faithful to Apollo Nida

    "The Real Housewives of Atlanta's" Phaedra Parks has been dealing with the fallout from her imploding marriage and then watching her husband Apollo Nida turn himself in to begin serving an eight-year prison term in just the last several months alone. She has had more than enough on her plate, not to mention a plethora of messy feelings to sort through when rumors made things even tougher. According to a variety of sources, not too long ago the gossip mill started buzzing with a story about Parks cheating on Nida. She has always tried to carry herself well, and that has been tricky while living her life under a microscope, and while there are many things Parks will not respond to, this allegation was different. "It's very hard to be in the public eye, under such public scrutiny, have the type of trauma that I'm having in my personal life, and have it aired for everyone [to] make their own crazy suggestions. It was very troubling. For one moment, I broke my Southern belle code and whipped my purse around. If you're already at your breaking point because you really have so much on your plate and someone throws out such a ridiculous accusation, such as me cheating ...," she said. "I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I have been a very faithful wife. I think I've been an excellent wife. I have two small children, and I'm raising my sons to respect women. It's ridiculous to think I would ever do anything inappropriate, and there has never been any documentation of any such thing," explained Parks in a recent "Access Hollywood" interview. She has also admitted to still loving Nida, in spite of everything.

  • Bravo Wants Cast to Sign Legally Binding Document to Avoid Violence at 'RHOA' Reunion

    Fans of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" most definitely remember the last reunion show, especially for that moment when Porsha Williams got out of her chair and physically attacked Kenya Moore. Suddenly the Bravo staple went from a reality show to feeling like an old episode of Jerry Springer and you better believe that the execs are going to do everything in their power to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

  • Bravo Holds Focus Groups to Decide Whether or Not to Film 'RHONJ'

    Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is currently in a real state of flux. With series veteran Teresa Giudice scheduled to report to prison in less than a week, executives are left scrambling to figure out what they should do with the show. Everything is being considered: bringing back former fan favorites, looking for new talent and even putting the show on hiatus for a year and figuring out what to do with it later. These are all up for consideration, and apparently Bravo has now decided that a little fan involvement in making the final decision could not hurt. According to a report by Radar Online, focus groups are the way to go. "Production is currently holding focus groups about moving forward without Teresa. They are trying to determine what the public perception was of the new cast and if any casting changes need to be made in regards to the new additions last season. If Bravo finds out that the public perception of the current cast is positive, they will likely begin filming in February; however, they are also exploring the option of putting on the show on a hiatus until the fall. This would allow them to play around with the cast if need be and film around the normal time frame the show films in, which is typically the fall," says a source for the show.

  • Caroline Manzo's 'RHONJ' Return Hasn't Been Confirmed, But She Has Issue with Amber Marchese

    The future of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is not certain, as Teresa Giudice, one of the main stars, is getting ready to serve a 15-month prison sentence. There have been rumors that former cast member and fan favorite Caroline Manzo may return in the interim. Apparently, Bravo execs realize that they need a heavy hitter if they want to do another season because the current cast lineup is not exactly going to grab viewers. If Manzo decides to return, it looks like she already has a bone to pick with Amber Marchese. It was recently confirmed that Caroline had finally reconciled with her sister, Dina Manzo, who is also a "RHONJ" cast member. Dina and Marchese have had some major issues in recent months, so it was more than a little coincidental when, upon meeting Marchese, Caroline was ice-cold. According to a source for Radar Online, there is a pretty decent chance that Caroline's behavior was intended as a display of support for her sister.

  • 'RHOBH' Yolanda Foster Hospitalized for Lyme Disease

    Fans of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" have watched as Yolanda Foster has openly battled Lyme disease for the last few years. She was reportedly sick with it for two years before ever being properly diagnosed, which means it had already wrecked havoc with her body, making flare-ups particularly nasty. Unfortunately, Foster spent several days leading up to Christmas back in the hospital. According to a report by Radar Online, the reality star sat for an interview with Andy Cohen on "Watch What Happens: Live" and then checked herself into the hospital. Not one to ever cancel on her obligations, Foster was determined to make her appearance before having to surrender to her illness once again. She was released before Christmas and able to spend the actual holiday surrounded by family, but sources say everyone is still really concerned about the state of Foster's health.

  • Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen Almost Dated Years Ago

    It is always interesting when CNN's Anderson Cooper turns up on "Watch What Happens: Live," the late-night chatfest with Andy Cohen. The men are known to be pretty decent friends and there has been speculation over the years that perhaps they have dated. This time around, Cooper decided to tell the story about why they have never actually gone out on a date. According to Cooper, it almost happened, as a mutual friend did try to set them up. "When we were set up ... we had a phone call to talk before we actually went out on a date. And I don't know how, but both of us sort of decided, based on that one phone call, We're not going to go on a date. I don't remember what it was," said the silver fox.

  • 'Vanderpump Rules' Star Vail Bloom Admits to Having Serious Drug Problem During Years on 'The Young and the Restless'

    If you tuned in to "Vanderpump Rules" last night then you already have caught a glimpse of the newest cast member, Vail Bloom. While interviewing for a hostess job at one of Lisa Vanderpump's three restaurants, Bloom made a pretty solid impression. Even the impossible-to-please Vanderpump thought she was too perfect because she seems so totally together. It didn't take too long for us to get a sense of who Bloom really is and the fact of the matter is that she is so put together because she has already fallen apart.

  • ABC Family is Thinking About Re-branding Itself to Target a Young Adult Audience Exclusively

    2015 looks like it may become the year for several different networks to re-brand themselves. We have already told you about how TVGN is planning on making its debut in January as POP, a pop culture network that will have its sights set on younger audiences that normally tune in to either MTV or Bravo. Now we are also hearing rumblings that ABC Family is looking into doing some serious re-branding of their own.

  • 'RHONJ' Teresa Giudice Debuts Online Cooking Show, But Who'll Watch?

    Several weeks ago we heard about how Teresa Giudice was rumored to be ironing out the details in order to launch a cooking show once she finishes serving her 15-month prison term for financial crimes. The former star of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" is trying to figure out how to provide for her four daughters later on as well as in the immediate future. One thing is for certain, her shady husband Joe Giudice will likely be of much financial help. It seems, though, that at least for now Bravo has opted to sever ties with the reality star, so she has had to get a bit creative. Glam.com offered her an online cooking show, and Giudice jumped at the chance. Her first episode of "Haute Hostess" is online now and features Giudice making shrimp and pasta from her cookbook "Fabulicious." Throughout her years on "RHONJ," it was always insinuated that Giudice rarely cooks, so peddling her books is just about as fraudulent as everything else she has done to make some fast cash. A few years ago, when Giudice's fan base was huge, the idea of a Web cooking show would have taken off like crazy, but now not so much. There is little doubt that she is hoping that "Haute Hostess" will be an online hit and that it will make Bravo's executives reconsider whether or not to take another chance on her.

  • 'RHOBH' Brandi Glanville's Boyfriend Dumped Her Via Email for Having Priorities Straight

    Brandi Glanville always ends up being one of the bright spots on Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills." Sure, the network has super-hyped new soap star cast members Lisa Rinna and Eileen Davidson, but it is Glanville who has been sucking viewers into the show for several seasons now because she is the real deal. On a show filled with pretension, Glanville does not hide her humanness, which makes fans relate to her on a different level. Just yesterday the reality star announced on Twitter that her latest boyfriend dumped her — via email. That sounds like something straight out of an old "Sex and the City" episode, doesn't it? Apparently, the dude did not like the fact that Glanville's two boys with Eddie Cibrian will always be her first priority, and so she stepped over him publicly. The latest season of "RHOBH" is only a few episodes in and already Glanville has been seen attempting to patch things up with her one-time mentor Lisa Vanderpump and focus her attention on her girlfriends rather than desperately seeking Mr. Right.

  • 'RHONJ' To Be Shelved Till Teresa Giudice Is Released from Prison in April 2016!

    Just about every day now we are hearing a different story about what the future may hold for Teresa Giudice in terms of work. "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star is scheduled to begin serving a 15-month sentence Jan. 5 after pleading guilty to financial fraud. The most recent season of her reality show wrapped up in October, and now Bravo executives need to figure out what they are going to do. At first it was rumored that "RHONJ" would continue on and bring back some old fan favorites to the canvas, but now it seems that Bravo is more inclined to put the series on hiatus. According to a report by Radar Online, sources close to the show are saying that network execs are fearing that without Giudice, the ratings will be dismal. Even with her there this past season, the numbers took a serious dip. Apparently, some insiders seem to think that shelving the show for a while is the best thing to do. Storylines seem to be a real problem because most of the latest additions to the cast have bored viewers into changing the channel. If "RHONJ" takes a break now and returns in 2016 with Giudice in the cast, fresh out of prison, it would likely do well. Fans of the show would want to see if jail time has changed her, and we already know that Giudice will be looking for a way to profit from her unfortunate experience. It might actually be the only way to get more mileage out of the show.
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