Real Housewives of New York Week 6 Recap

This is a rough episode for me to blog because one can’t keep it real without commenting on the sloppiness of Sonja Morgan. It is tough because I like Sonja. In the interest of full disclosure, I know Ms. Morgan. I have met her, been in her home, worked on a project with her, and know her to be a smart, funny, and lovely woman.
I wish people could see Sonja at home with her child, or talking about the pain of her divorce. I wish people understaod how successful she was before she married into the Morgan dynasty, and what she gave up during her marriage. I wish they could know the truth about her life as a single parent co-parenting with a man of power.
Sonja has a tragic yet inspiring story. She is more than what we see on this show and the truth is this show is not doing Sonja any favors. Sonja isn't doing Sonja any favors. I hope Sonja will share her true story one day because it is fascinating. I hope she gets out of her own way and knows she has my love and respect.
I write about reality TV with humor and truth. I am occasionally harsh, always honest, and at the end of the day a fan. I'm not paid to blow smoke up anyone’s ass. I have a job to do and the reason this blog is loved and hated is because I write without worrying what people will think. This was hard to write but not hard to keep it real.
The entire group is going to Atlantic City to celebrate Ramona’s birthday. I am pouring a cocktail and the show hasn't even started. Heather, Kristen, and Dorinda are at Sonja’s house to take a limo to Atlantic City. It is cold and raining but Sonja has asked an intern to instruct the women to wait outside rather than in her home.
Heather loses her shit and decides to talk about Sonja being a drunk she has rescued. Heather is a bitch, which is interesting since she calls out everyone else for being bitchy. I get she is offended and I would be too, but dumping on Sonja is not necessary and makes Heather look bad because we know Sonja is sloppy without Heather.
Ramona appears saying she used the bathroom so something is not kosher. This is bad editing to make Sonja look bad and it is unfair. The limo finally arrives from around the corner where the producers have had it waiting, and the ladies get in the car and wait for Sonja. LuAnn and Carol are meeting them there, but Bethenny joins them.
Bethenny is late and apologetic, but Heather is pissed. Heather is being a twat. This is not her first trip with these women, or her first ride on the production train, so she needs to shut up. Sonja says she is running late because her sister in unable to fly from Nashville to watch her daughter. I call bullshit. Her sister wasn't coming.
Why would her sister call the day she was to be there to say she isn't coming? That makes no sense. Sonja’s story is silly and even if it were true, there's no reason she couldn't figure it out with the women in her house. Let them in, put the kettle on, take care of your shit, and move on. It wasn't nice to leave them out in the cold.
Sonja gets in the car like she's done nothing wrong and tells Heather they need to be speaking to travel together. Heather wants an apology and Sonja wants to move on and give Ramona a nice birthday. Bethenny is holier than thou but very funny as she pours herself some Skinnygirl ass juice. Dear Lord, that shit tastes bad.
Heather is yelling at Sonja, telling her they're not friends. Sonja ignores her by looking at her phone, then Ramona loses it and tells everyone to shut up because it is her birthday and she needs to relax. She acknowledges Bethenny is under stress, which is hilarious, then Sonja jumps on the stress bandwagon with them.
Kristen is not sure what stress Sonja is talking about and I again wonder why Kristen is on the show. Bethenny tries to end the madness telling Sonja to apologize. She does, sort of. Heather doesn’t hear her and Bethenny states she is growing tired, to which Sonja responds she growing more tired. Sonja has perfect comedic timing.
Bethenny and Sonja are talking and Sonja is goes on and on about Dubai or some other bullshit and it is hard to believe her level of delusion. Bethenny is trying to help Sonja but it isn’t working. Bethenny has to pee and tells the driver to pull over on the side of the road. Really? Not one gas station on the way to Atlantic City?
Bethenny is looking for hand wipes and Dorinda tells her the wipes will hurt her vagina. Ugh. Bethenny pees outside and it isn't cute. It is actually her MO and wasn’t cute years ago either. Ramona tries to pee but has performance anxiety and can’t do it. This is just sad. That Bethenny is resorting to this type of TV is pathetic.
They finally arrive and Ramona is overly excited. Ramona, Sonja, and Dorinda share a suite. Bethenny has her own, Heather, Carole, and LuAnn are in the another suite, putting Kristine in the other single. Poor Kristen. Even the ladies don’t see the need for her. The girls relax while Heather floods her bathroom with water.
Heather is complaining about Sonja to Carole and LuAnn while Sonja is gassy with Dorinda and Ramona. Oy vey. We're 20 minutes in and I’m done. Everyone is getting ready to go out, Bethenny is pouring herself another Skinnygirl ass juice. Kristen brought two mismatched shoes and calls it fashion. Bless her.
Heather is an hour late and Bethenny calls her out. Heather denies being late and it is hilarious. Heather is an idiot and this night is not going to end well. They order booze and dinner is on. These women are mean to each other and it is sad they keep coming back for more. Fame whores crave public humiliation.
Kristen is wearing two different color shoes, Carole is wearing ears, and nobody appears to be wearing a bra. These women look fabulous, but at their ages a little inappropriate. Bethenny is wondering why everything has to be so hard in the group and I wonder the same thing. These women do not like each other.
Sonja tells Bethenny she was in PR all her life and Bethenny shuts her down. Bethenny is harsh, which I love, but she likes the sound of her own voice too much and goes on too long. She is being mean to Sonja, which Sonja needs, but certainly not at dinner and certainly not after Bethenny just said how mean everyone is.
Bethenny is yelling at Sonja to take a Xanax and everyone is listening to her. Sonja starts crying, Ramona tries to make things better for Sonja but it is too late. Sonja is clearly tipsy, Bethenny has really bad timing, LuAnn jumps in like the bitch she is, and it is sad that everyone gangs up on Sonja then claims to feel bad.
Ramona says she misses wearing her ring and LuAnn says Ramona is nicer without Mario. LuAnn is spiteful and Dorinda is lovely. Sonja and Ramona play Blackjack and Ramona says they should join their friends, but Sonja wants them to stay on their own. It is sad. Sonja is harmless and deserves more from these morons.
Sonja and Ramona go dancing, then the girls join. Carole looks ridiculous and Sonja is full on drunk flashing her vag on stage. Oy vey. Sonja is talking about being in PR again and Bethenny tells her she can’t listen to her rhetoric anymore and gets up and walks away from her. Sonja is on an island alone with these girls.
Everyone has bailed on Sonja so Dorinda is going to get her to bed. Sonja is talking rubbish and trashed. Sonja feels rejected by everyone and tells Dorinda everyone is mean to her. She then shares she parties with Madonna and JFK Jr.. Dear Lord. Dorinda reminds Sonja John John is dead and walks away from her.
Sonja needs new friends. Dorinda tells Sonja money speaks and wealth whispers. Amen. Cut to breakfast and Sonja breezes in fresh as a daisy and everyone is amazed by her continuing delusions. Sonja goes to Bethenny to apologize for the night before and Bethenny decides to have a heart to heart with her.
Sonja says she misses her husband and family life. She's been divorced for years and while I understand how hard it is, enough. She is a broken record and if she thinks for one minute being drunk and sloppy has anything to do with barometric pressure she needs more than therapy. Bethenny crosses a line in 3…2…1.
Bethenny tells Sonja she needs to stop mixing alcohol and prescription drugs. Sonja says she is taking vitamins and there may be a bad reaction. Bethenny is not a therapist and more importantly, if Bethenny really cared about Sonja, she wouldn't have this conversation on camera. This is now the Bethenny show.
Back to the girls, Heather says she could not care less about Sonja, but she is still talking about her. Kristen says Sonja’s tears are fake, but Luann says they’re not. No tears, no crying, but there were tears. Back to Sonja, she tells Bethenny she is choosing to not be in a relationship until her bankruptcy is over.
I call bullshit. We have watched her chase a relationship for years so this makes no sense. Sonja lives in a fantasyland brought on by stress, delusion, and depression. She'll be fine but only if she separates herself from these gutter pigs, and stops drinking. Bethenny tells Sonja she needs a therapist.
Sonja is not hearing anything Bethenny says. Not one word. Nobody will ever help Sonja until she helps herself. I believe in her and hope her day of freedom comes soon. Next week we’ll watch more Bethenny than is needed. Her shows were cancelled for a reason so Bravo needs to let her go and keep it real.

Northumbria University Graduate Fashion Week kicks off with style at the Baltic

Trendsetting Newcastle students proved they have what it takes to cut it in the fashion world when they showed off their cutting-edge creations at a catwalk show at Baltic.
With a packed room looking on, Northumbria University’s annual fashion show made its dramatic debut on Wednesday night with 58 graduates unveiling their end-of-year collections.
Gateshead’s contemporary art gallery proved a fitting backdrop to a dazzling array of eye-catching style from glamorous dresses and tops to striking menswear and jumpsuits.
Imagination was the hallmark of the night with the likes of The Gentleman Crook collection, inspired by 1940s America, by Billie Toole from Whitley Bay.
Then there was final year student Victoria Barwood’s high-drama collection inspired by the films of Italian director Federico Fellini and Annie McKie’s men’s outer-wear made from a £20 scout tent bought on eBay. Both have been selected to feature in a special online spring edition of Vogue.
“I think it’s the first time that’s happened,” said Kristen Pickering, lecturer and programme leader for fashion for the past nine years.
The grand affair, which included a champagne reception in the River Terrace for guests who included industry professionals, media and family and friends, marks the 60th year of Northumbria’s BA Hons fashion course show.
It has built up an impressive reputation in the fashion industry with former graduates going on to work for such labels as Ralph Lauren and Alexander McQueen.
A panel of judges were in place to pick out which collections to showcase on May 31 at London Fashion Week where the university’s students have won more 40 awards in the past five years, including new designer of the year, the fashion innovation award and, for three years’ running, the ethical award.
“We’ve never done a show where the industry did not come back to interview students afterwards,” said Kristen who added the Newcastle show is a chance for local companies like Barbour to see what’s on offer first.
“The judges are looking for collections that are going to have good presence on the catwalk: catwalk impact, balance and colour and sense of style.”
So with votes at stake, there were nerves as well as excitement before the models hit the catwalk in the level one gallery space.
Earlier in the day, local pupils and students were invited to an afternoon showing as a kind of dress rehearsal for the main event and this was the first chance students had to see their complete collections modelled.
Claire Fortune, 22, from Newcastle, said: “I’ve seen it in fittings but seeing it complete was different. I felt my heart race!
“It was amazing to see it but I’m a bit of a perfectionist so I am always thinking I want to do more to it, or I should have done this or that!”
Her collection is inspired by thirties patterns and by Greek marble sculptures she saw at the V&A and British Museum during a holiday trip to London.
She said: “You think of marble as being white but there are colour veins in it so my collection is all purple and pinks with blue in there as well.”
“Every time I do a collection I’m drawn back to something historical,” added Claire whose family and boyfriend were joining the audience. “They’ll be brutally honest!”
Victoria Barwood was “very nervous but very excited” about unveiling her collection which includes jumpsuits and dresses featuring lots of black and billowing lines inspired by quirky Fellini films and the circus.
The 28-year-old from Majorca, whose parents now live in Rothbury, has loved her course and said: “My mum is a Geordie and I have always considered Newcastle my second home. I love it here.
“I spent the last four summers in Italy working on a boat and came across Federico Fellini films which I fell in love with and I had the idea to do something in my collection.
“I’m inspired by quirky arty films and his films are always really edgy. I’ve used his Catholic influences and his memories of travelling circuses.”
Designer Victoria Barwood
There’s one stand-out orange dress in her collection among lots of black. “I wanted to represent the circus theme in a big way.”
She added: “You’re so busy with the collection that you never look at it. I feel like tonight I can, and that I can be proud of what I have done - although it could go either way!”
She would love to travel and learn from other designers and to ultimately set up her own label.
And the show, whose invited guests included Barbour, Topshop, Dr Marten’s and Newcastle-born world-class photographer Chris Moore, promises a perfect springboard.
Known as the Catwalk King, Chris, who is still working at the age of 81 and whose 60-year career in the industry has seen him work in the fashion capitals of Milan and New York shooting the likes of Dior, is just as keen to focus on the latest showcase designs from his home city and he always photographs the annual students’ show on its transfer to London for Graduate Fashion Week.
Baltic’s catwalk is back in action on Thursday when a second night of high fashion comes courtesy of NE1’s Fashion Futures event.

Wedding: Lindsey Long Wannamaker & Patrick McKissack Westbury

Lindsey Long Wannamaker and Patrick McKissack Westbury, both of Columbia, South Carolina, were married on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at St. Paul United Methodist Church in St. Matthews, South Carolina. The bride was given in marriage by her father. The Reverend Suzanne Walker and the Reverend Dr. Justin Gilreath, cousin of the groom, performed the six o'clock ceremony.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kendall Whitfield Wannamaker of St. Matthews. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. John Calhoun Parler, Jr. and the late Mr. Parler of Elloree, South Carolina, and Mrs. Joseph Long Wannamaker and the late Mr. Wannamaker of St. Matthews. Lindsey graduated from Orangeburg Preparatory School in 2005 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Newberry College in 2009. Currently, she is employed by AFLAC Insurance in Columbia.
The groom is the son of Mrs. Gilreath Westbury of St. Matthews and Mr. and Mrs. James Kenneth Westbury, Jr. of Ft. Motte, South Carolina. He is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. James Frank Gilreath, Sr. of Travelers Rest, South Carolina and Mrs. James Kenneth Westbury, Sr. of Lexington (formerly of St. Matthews) and the late Mr. Westbury. Patrick is a 1999 graduate of Calhoun County High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University in 2002. He is currently employed with C. F. Evans and Company in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Mary Win Hipp King, cousin of the bride, served as the bride's matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Elizabeth Mahon Brown, Katherine Ann Edwards, Henley Westbury Ellis, Mollyrose Milewski, Ainsley Reid Porter, and Mary Margaret Weeks Westbury. Flower girls were Bella Grace King and Lila Win Hipp, cousins of the bride.
The groom's brother, Kenneth Lawrence Westbury, served as the groom's best man. Groomsmen were Adrian Ross Ashley, Jr., Robert Paul Edwards, Alden Kyle Pugh, John Michael Stevens, and Kendall Whitfield Wannamaker, Jr.
Program attendants were Rachel Deanne Funchess, Charlotte Sheridan McCoy, and Sandra Caroline McCoy, cousins of the bride.
A reception followed the ceremony at The Orangeburg Country Club where guests were welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. Keitt Hane Fair and Mr. and Mrs. James Howard Shirer, Jr., friends of the bride's family.
After a wedding trip to St. Lucia, the couple will reside in Columbia.