Real Housewives NYC: The Final Breakdown

I know I am a few days behind, but I finally watched the last installment of the Season 3 reunion. The term "breakdown" seems particularly appropriate, as the series seemed to have its own breakdown this season. On top of that, I want to do my own breakdown of what went on:

Bethenny: The girl is on fire!! I love Bethenny Getting Married? (I'm even developing a crush on Jason). 3 books, a successful business, a line of skin care, various other products, a husband, a daughter, she is doing everything. In 10 years, I think Bethenny will have colonized life on Mars! She says she's not very people-oriented, but I still wish we could go out together for skinny girl margaritas.

Sonja: I was kind of waiting to cringe at Sonja. I was sort of expecting her to tick me off, but I have say I really like Sonja. She's funny, she's sassy, she's horny. I think Sonja is a great addition to the show. I think if Bethenny leaves the show, Sonja will be my new favorite housewife.

Alex: I never really thought Alex would end up being one of my favorites. However, I love the new assertive Alex (especially without her cosmic twin Simon). I still think some of the changes made this season (less emphasis on her sons and Alex) were deliberate by her, even if she denies it.

Ramona: Ramona is still crazy, but I like her a little more each season. She might want to curtail her diarrhea of her mouth and cut down on Pinot Grigio. She seemed to develop a real affection for all the ladies this season. Her vow renewal was a little weird too, but sweet.

LuAnn: LuAnn was really blah this season. She became Jill's bff, she sang, and she dated creepy men. I don't know how she could say she remained neutral in the Jill/Bethenny feud. She was totally Team Zarin!! I don't usually like to make deep observations about anyone on a reality show, but I feel like LuAnn is really searching for an identity. She always seems lost to me.

Kelly: For her safety and others, Kelly needs to be removed from the show and possibly hospitalized. She is no longer fun crazy! She is medicate her immediately and then strap her down crazy! If Bravo lets her continue on the show, it's just irresponsible.

Jill: When the season open with the Bethenny/ Jill feud, I really expected there would camps. People would be Team Zarin or Team Frankel and at the end, Bethenny and Jill would come together. Instead, Jill came across so badly I almost felt sorry for her at the reunion. I agree with the ladies that Jill probably would not have tried so hard to make up with Bethenny if it wasn't for the engagement and the pregnancy. If Jill comes back, hopefully it will be a kinder and gentler Jill.

A little Tony breakdown

So like many a gay men, I had to tune into the Tonys last night. So far, I've seen a mixed bag of reviews. Bravo's Andy Cohen hated the whole thing. However, he also thought it would be a good idea to put Danielle Staub on TV. Anyway, here's a few thoughts and opinions on the event:

Openers: I have to agree with Andy that the emphasis on the jukebox music from the latest crop of musicals like Memphis and Come Fly with Me really felt like overkill. I never thought I would say this, but I was actually happy to see Green Day! American Idiot was the only musical that seemed vaguely interesting. (I hate to admit it, but I have no idea what the hell was going on when Fela! came out. They needed some better context for those of us at home.)

Sean Hayes: I have to say overall, Sean pulled it off. Some of the sight gags were hilarious. (Seeing Sean in full Annie dress only to say he was really the drag Bernadette Peters was the best!) However, my favorite were the various interactions between him and Kristen Chenoweth.

Best Speech: My favorite acceptance speech was from an actress I have never heard of: Katie Finneran. She looks vaguely familiar, so I am sure I have seen her on TV or something. However, her speech last night made me a little weepy. She talked about how she just got engaged and said something to the effect of (pardon my paraphrasing Katie) "I want to talk the kids right now. Sometimes your dreams seem so far away but I want you to find your passion. Find your passion and use it as a road map and you will lead a very blissful life." Anyways, before I tear up again, just watch her acceptance speech.

Best Musical Number: I may be biased but Matt Morrison singing is always heaven in a glass. Worst: Catherine Zeta Jones garbled rendition of "Send in the Clowns."

Hotties: I feel a little shallow for including this but whatever! I was very happy that my celebrity crushes were out in full force! I already mentioned Matt Morrison's stint on stage. Ricky Martin presented an award for something, but I wasn't really paying attention. Ryan Reynolds was there supporting his wife Scar Jo, nominated for her role in A View from the Bridge. (Ryan is a #1 big time celeb crush). When Scar Jo won, she thanked "her Canadian", which was actually very sweet to me. A new gay crush was also there: Levi Kreis, who you can't look at or even listen to and not think of Harry Connick Jr. He's the gay brother Harry never had...

Almost, Maine

Things in my life have finally calm down a little, so I thought I would catch a little theater last night. I always try to support the plays at Valencia Community College and this weekend they did a production of John Cariani's Almost, Maine. I went totally blind, not something I usually like to do. However, I was pleasantly surprised.

Almost, Maine is a series of vignettes that take place in various situations around an unincorporated town in Northern Maine called Almost. (The locales call it Almost because they are "almost" a town.) All the vignettes happen on a Friday night under the lights of the Aurora Borealis.

All the vignettes center around the topic of love in some form. In Almost, the metaphorical becomes the literal: a woman carries her broken heart in a bag. Another woman breaks up with her boyfriend and demands he return all the love she has given him. The most touching of the vignettes is the story of Hope, who returns to Almost to find the one she let slip away. She gets to his door and realizes she doesn't know him anymore (literally). The stories could have bordered on the sappiness worthy of a Hallmark card, but somehow manage to make me uplifted instead of choking on saccharine. The otherworldly-ness of the Aurora Borealis lends a certain credibility to the stories. 3 stars

Debbie Does Orlando

I have been crazy busy the past couple days as The Fringe Festival led into a brief work week which led directly into Gay Days Orlando. One of the highlights for me this year at Gay Days was the Debbie Gibson concert. Now I loved Debbie when I was a kid; but frankly until last week, I have not thought about her in about 15 years. I am hardly what someone might call a nostalgia junkie. However, I have to say Debbie puts on a fab show! She sounds as good and looks as good as she did back in the 80's (although she admitted she's celebrating her 40th birthday this year). I always think it's sad to see celebs, especially musicians, out and about performing when they are clearly past their prime. While Debbie sang mostly retro songs, she had such energy that it didn't feel dated. I think that's the mark of a true performer. Great job Debbie! You made me a fan all over again. I am posting a link to "Foolish Beat" because YouTube vids seem to appear weird on the blog.