Real Housewives Death Declared a Homicide
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A.J. Jewell's death may have been an accident, but it was a preventable one.
The death of the former fiancé of Real Housewives of Atlanta's Kandi Burruss has been declared a homicide by Georgia's Fulton County medical examiner's office, which confirmed earlier speculation that the street fight Jewell got into on the night of his death was exacerbated by his sickle-cell anemia.
"Although Mr. Jewell died of complications of his underlying natural disease conditions, the complications would not have occurred if he had not experienced the extreme exertion that was part of the physical altercation," stated the report, obtained by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
"Due to the active involvement of another person, the manner of death is classified as a homicide."
But if you think the report brought any sense of closure to Jewell's still-grieving family, well, think again.
Bethenny Frankel Blogs About Real Housewives of Atlanta: "Please Don't Say 'Boo' Ever Again!"
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Sorry for the delay in this blog. I was still sleeping from Thursday night's reunion show.
I love that the girls took the debutante approach again, as if they're not on a reality show—one whose ratings soar when weaves are ripped off. Andy Cohen was so frustrated, you could see it on his face. And Andy, please don't say "boo" ever again. Thank you.
So, I'm gathering that the lack of drama and honesty on this reunion was replaced with a series of montages. This was when we got to watch footage that we've already seen. I can never get enough of the "Sheree-down," but seriously, we needed some meat to this matter.
Instead we got ladies with lockjaw.
The Real Housewives of Orange County Bitchfest Is Back!
Bravo/Mitchell Haaseth
Move over, Atlanta, Bravo's original leading ladies are back!
The Real Housewives of Orange County hotties return tonight, and the premiere gets so heated you'll be wondering why everyone made such a big fuss over those other two—you know, Miss "Tardy for the Party" Kim and her lifelong frenemy NeNe.
It's safe to say that season five will be more drama-filled than ever—and not just between the usual suspects. More marriages are falling apart, the newbies are clashing with the classics, and bitter feuds are boiling over.
We caught up with the O.C.'s kinda-but-not-really-housewife Gretchen Rossi last week, and she gave us the goods on what's up in season five...
Bethenny Frankel Blogs About Real Housewives of Atlanta: Kim "Is Certifiable and I Love It!"
Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images
I was half-asleep during the reunion last night. It was so boring I flipped through an issue of Field and Stream for some excitement. First of all, to say fashion disaster would be a gross understatement. I don't understand what the hell was going on with the outfits and the set decor. It really was quite confusing.
Sheree, Sheree, Sheree...How could you rock Dolce & Gabbana when an entire season built up to your fashion event? Big mistake. Huge. As I said before, she likes fashion, but a businesswoman she ain't. At least Lisa was wise enough to market her wares.
Kandi wears the wild outfits and rock 'n' roll hair, but she can get away with anything because she is in the music Biz.
The best parts of the show were the flashbacks to the season's best moments. In my life, I've never loved a scene more than the Sheree party-planner smackdown. Her face literally became distorted. I could watch it for days. I love when she said she could find a pookie or two in her phone book. I can't help but love Sheree, the narcissist.
Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel Ready to Be a Real Wife
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Bethenny Frankel's big month just got a whole lot better.
Everyone's favorite Real Housewife (and E! Online celeb blogger) is tying the knot, and in typical Bethenny fashion, she's telling it like it is.
"He liked it so much he put a ring on it!" the entrepreneur extraordinaire gushes to E! News of her new fiancé, Jason Hoppy.
After a congratulatory tweet from our own Marc Malkin, Frankel gratefully replied: "thanks. I'm about to go on in front of hundreds of peeps at southern women's show in jacksonville.I'm going to announce it.yippee."
The couple became engaged on Oct. 8, says People, after Hoppy asked the Skinny Girl to marry him in her rose petal and candle-strewn Upper East Side apartment.
And while we're not positive this has anything to do with Hoppy's decision to propose, Bethenny told us in an Oct. 6 interview that the two were not yet engaged, but "the other housewives have all met him and thumbs-up. You can't dislike him; it's impossible."
Either way, congrats are in order to the happy couple!
(Originally published Oct. 17, 2009, at 12:42 p.m. PT)
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Love Bethenny? We do, too! And you can always get more of the reality starlet in her weekly E! Online blog for Watch With Kristin.
Bethenny Frankel Blogs About The Real Housewives of Atlanta: "All Hell's Gonna Break Loose"
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Sheree and Kim are hanging out? Wow, we Housewives are resilient. I must say, as Andy Cohen would put it, Kim and Sheree had some serious hair systems going on. It does look great though. The weaves and wigs are literally characters in this show, to be pulled, complimented, fought over and sold.
The whole Nene and Mel father storyline is compelling. It's nice to see her calm for a while. Normal isn't always bad. I love how Nene said that house in Athens used to be a mansion. Isn't that a mansion now?
I waited with bated breath for the episodic, narcissistic Sheree line, and this time it came like clockwork: "I made my samples to fit me because I'm the perfect model." She's the best, and I still love her. Why does she say Dwight's name with two syllables: De-wight?
Who doesn't love Kandi? Premarital counseling. Yikes. His death is tragic, so it really is difficult to discuss his six children from four mothers. She'll never get to experience that difficulty, but like any marriage, it would have been difficult. It does always go back to the money. That is the core issue here. When mama said "child support" as her word, I gasped.
Exclusive
Bethenny Frankel Spills on New York's New Housewives
Bravo/ Andrew Eccels; Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Niche Media; Joe Kohen/Getty Images for Kodak
They're heeere!
As expected, Bravo is adding new castmembers to The Real Housewives of New York City, and today the network announced that socialite single mom Sonja Morgan and entrepreneur Jennifer Gilbert will recur throughout season three. Why the new blood? Well, for one thing, NYC Housewives superstar Bethenny Frankel is getting her own spinoff, and she's said repeatedly that she doesn't want to do both shows. The new additions ensure that Bravo has a deep bench of talent on the show even after Ms. Frankel exits.
Speaking of Ms. Frankel, what does she think of this new blood? Are the new kids friend or foe? And how's she getting along with the existing castmembers during the filming of season three? E! News just sat down with Bethenny exclusively and snagged the scoop on the "explosive" new episodes...
Bethenny Frankel Blogs About The Real Housewives of Atlanta: "Poor Kandi, Who Lost Her Ex-Fiancé"
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Um, were you laughing to yourself or out loud when Kim said that the Titanium American Express card was because of her, not Big Papa? Exactly how many wigs do you have to sell a year to pay a $250,000 credit card bill? She would have to make $500,000 gross to afford that and nothing else.
Does she think we just fell off the infidelity turnip truck? What in God's name is Big Papa's wife saying about all this? Is Kim sleeping with her too? Are they one big, happy, blinged-out Mormon family? You couldn't write this stuff.
Bravo Orders More Housewives, Bethenny Opens Up About Her New Show
Paul Drinkwater/BRAVO
Bravo is blowing up! The very busy network has just ordered another installment of their Housewives franchise, The Real Housewives of D.C., as well as picking up a second season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey.
Meanwhile, Bethenny Frankel confirms to E! News that she will be getting her own spinoff as well as appearing (for sure!) on season three of The Real Housewives of New York City.
Read on to find out what Bethenny told us about her present and future with the New York housewives (hint: they don't get along), and what to expect from her new series...
Real Housewives' Kandi Burruss on Fiancé's Death: "He Was Taken Too Soon"
Prince Williams/Getty Images
A day after the tragic death of on-off fiancé Ashley "A.J." Jewell, Real Housewives of Atlanta songstress Kandi Burruss is speaking out on her heartbreak.
"I am devastated by the loss of A.J. His death comes on the heels of the death of my beloved Uncle Ralph and with both of them gone, my heart is heavy with grief," she said in a statement to E! News.
"I had spoken to A.J. two hours before I got the call that he was in the hospital. Never in a thousand years did I think it was going to be the last time I heard his voice. He was taken way too soon. There are so many things that I should have said to him, wanted to say to him, but now it's too late..."
Update
Atlanta Housewives' Kandi Burruss "Stunned and Speechless" Over Death of Fiancé
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UPDATE: Bravo has just released the following statement: "Our thoughts are with Kandi and A.J.'s family during this tragic time." Meanwhile, a rep for Buruss states that she and Jewell "were engaged to be married. Kandi is devastated as she is also mourning the death of her uncle, Ralph Leslie, and is attending his funeral today. She has no [further] statement to make at this time and asks for privacy."
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The newest stars of Real Housewives of Atlanta have been devastated by tragedy.
Ashley "A.J." Jewell, the on-off fiancé of songbird Kandi Burruss, has died after a fight outside an Atlanta area strip club.
"It appears he was involved in an altercation in the parking lot and he received a severe blow to the head," Atlanta Police Lt. Keith Meadows told reporters.
Burruss tweeted shortly after the news broke: "I could never n a million years imagine this happening. please pray for A.J.'s children. that's who im the most concerned 4."
Exclusive
Bethenny Frankel Blogs About The Real Housewives of Atlanta: "If Kim's 29, Then I'm a Virgin!"
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On the heels of a huge news week for the Bravo breakout star, Bethenny Frankel is back with her take on last night's Real Housewives of Atlanta. Take it away, Bethenny...
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OK, Kim and Kandi are getting along like a house on fire. If you want a unique example of someone who had a reason to go on a reality show, the arrows point to Kandi. This will undoubtedly spark her career. She has talent which in her business is a dime a dozen. Proving it on the show gives her a leg up. Bravo, smart girl.
The NeNe and Kandi argument seems juvenile and really brings NeNe to the basement. Kandi CAN sing and she is everyone's favorite, so NeNe needs to pull it together.
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