By LBG1
During an appearance on Watch What Happens L!ve with Andy Cohen guest Cat Ommanney said her book Inbox Full will be out in December. Cat appeared with Real Housewives of New York City’s Ramona Singer. Ramona told Andy she hadn’t seen cast member Kelly Bensimon this summer. Ramona had been with LuAnn de Lesseps the ‘night before’ and had spoken with Jill Zarin yesterday on the phone. When Andy asked Ramona would what happen if former Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Danielle Staub were to become a cast member of RHONYC, Ramona said she’d ‘go on strike’.
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| Photo:Jamie Windon |
Yesterday the site Popeater reported Bravo had booted Michaele and Tareq Salahi from the next season of RHODC. Popeater’s Rob Shuter posting Bravo “had had it” with the Salahi’s:
Michaele and Tareq Salahi’s fifteen minutes of fame may be up now that I’ve learned publicly-annoyed Bravo has decided not to invite the White House party crashers back to tape another season of ‘The Real Housewives Of DC.’
“The DC show is the only show in the entire franchise that isn’t a true hit,” an insider tells me. “And the Salahi’s are the biggest reason for that. At first, execs thought they struck gold with all the attention the couple got over the White House dinner. But now they realize not all press is good press and this couple’s involvement in the show has turned more viewers off than on.”
According to Shuter, the Salahi last straw that broke Bravo’s back, a statement made by the Salahi’s in Dimond’s book:
But the final straw came to light just this week, when the couple claimed (in a new book about them) that their “iron-clad” contract with Bravo doesn’t allow them to talk about the White House-crashing incident to the media. Of course, they’ve never been shy about talking-up the scandal (except for when Tareq clammed up at a Congressional hearing!) and famously spoke to Matt Lauer about it just days after the State Dinner.
Popeater reported on Tuesday they’d received a press release from Bravo:
“From the time of the incident until now, Bravo and Half Yard Productions, the producer of the series, have consistently and repeatedly stated to the Salahis and their representatives that they were free to speak to press, law enforcement, Congress and anyone else about attending the State Dinner. Indeed, they have given multiple press interviews on that very subject.”
What’s unusual about the Popeater report, Bravo’s previous pattern of not issuing statements about cast members, especially those who are sent packing by Bravo. In comparison, the rumor Bravo had fired Danielle Staub, leaked by Bravo insiders to the site, Life & Style. The Danielle Staub won’t be returning to season three of RHONJ, leaked after Danielle taped the second season reunion episode. Bravo issuing a casual note on their BravoTV.com site under the “News” section, the reunion episode was Danielle’s last appearance on RHONJ, posted after part two of the RHONJ reunion episode aired. The Bravo insider news the Salahi’s won’t be back, leaked before the taping of the Real Housewives of DC reunion episode.
Was the info leaked before Michaele announced her “secret” she had multiple sclerosis?
The Washington Post’s Lisa de Moraes made the following observation about Michaele’s ‘announcement’ she had MS:
For the rest of the show’s run, any time another cast member comments about how thin Michaele is — it’s been one of the leitmotifs of this edition in the “Real Housewives” franchise — or rolls their eyes at something Michaele says or does, or says they don’t want Michaele invited to their Fill In The Blank — both that Other Housewife and Bravo are going to look really, really cold.
Lisa de Moraes reported Bravo’s response to Michaele’s MS news, a Bravo Senior VP of Communications telling the Washington Post, Michaele never mentioned to Bravo she had MS.
The Popeater post, Bravo plans on not asking the Salahi’s to return next season, published Wednesday at 7:22 AM EST. No mention in the article of Michaele’s ‘major announcement’ on FOX and Friends, Michaele had MS. FOX and Friends, airing at 6 AM, EST. Later that day, Lisa de Moraes’ article on Michaele’s announcement and the report Bravo had issued a press statement about the Salahi’s statement in the book. A statement very similar to the one posted by Popeater:
“The notion that the Salahis have been barred under their contracts relating to ‘The Real Housewives of D.C.’ from speaking about their attendance at the White House State Dinner is simply not true. From the time of the incident until now, Bravo and Half Yard Productions, the producer of the series, have consistently and repeatedly stated to the Salahis and their representatives that they were free to speak to press, law enforcement, Congress and anyone else about attending the State Dinner. Indeed, they have given multiple press interviews on that very subject.”
de Moraes’ article included what Dianne Dimond said on FOX and Friends about Michaele’s cast members picking on Michaele in the first season of RHODC. After reading what Dimond said, interjecting Michaele’s multiple sclerosis as an excuse to chastise the cast members who ‘picked on’ Michaele, Dianne Dimond needs to have her head examined. de Moraes observation, Michaele and Tareq effectively tarred her cast members as “really, really cold” in still unaired episodes. With the news from Popeater, Bravo potentially painted as a cold-hearted villain, booting a victim of multiple sclerosis off one of their reality housewives shows.
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