RAVE of the week: ‘The Real Housewives of NYC’

Forget Orange County, Atlanta and yes, even New Jersey, because Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New York City” is the best edition of the long-running reality series. While NYC lacks an amazing original tune like “Tardy for the Party,” or trashy dinner parties where flipping tables is no big deal, the cattiness in NYC has only escalated to fun and frothy new heights in its third season. Whether it is Ramona Singer’s (a.k.a. “Crazy Eyes”) husband Mario calling recently divorced Countess LuAnn de Lesseps “Countless” or Bethenny Frankel telling former BFF Jill Zarin to “get a hobby,” the housewives in NYC are beginning to unravel. The dissolution of Bethenny and Jill’s friendship is most disappointing. Last season, the two were inseparable and entertaining to watch together, but it has become clear that battle lines have been drawn. It is evident Bethenny is ready for her own series (though it’s her interaction and commentary on the other housewives which makes her such an entertaining personality to begin with). The personalities of the six women combined make the show as good as it is and each woman has equally added her fair share of drama at one point or another (compared to some unnamed personalities in other editions, who are just dull). Kudos to Bravo for keeping the original cast intact for three seasons because it has paid off.

WRECK of the week: Lady GaGa ‘Telephone’ video

The nine and a half minute video for Lady GaGa’s latest single “Telephone” is one of the most self-indulgent pieces of garbage created for the dying music video genre. While the actual single is a fun dance tune, the video does not improve on the song whatsoever. Lady GaGa sports cans of Diet Coke in her hair and even lit cigarettes as eye wear. The plot is random as GaGa attempts to escape from prison. Without fail, Beyoncé comes to GaGa’s rescue from the lesbianic jail cell she called home. GaGa and Beyoncé share an ambiguous relationship that can only be described as weird. The two go out of their way to push boundaries and end up poisoning an entire diner of customers. Directed by Jonas Åkerlund, “Telephone” features recreations of moments from feature films, including “Thelma and Louise,” “Chicago” and “Death Becomes Her.” GaGa and Beyoncé drive away similar to “Thelma and Louise” after poisoning the patrons in the diner and the video ends indicating a sequel is forthcoming. It was recently announced that Lady GaGa will release “Alejandro” as her next single and the story will presumably continue in that video. GaGa’s efforts to make the music video an event has not gone unnoticed and it is refreshing to see an artist actually try to resurrect it; however, the poor acting, dialogue and terrible storyline completely counteract anything the pop star tried to accomplish.