The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills kicked off season two with quite a predicament on its hands, but in true reality TV fashion, it got over it quickly.

Let's recap the absurdity of it all in THG's +/- review ...

Russell Armstrong, wife of Housewife Taylor, committed suicide earlier this summer amid controversy of abuse allegations, a divorce, and financial troubles.

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Sneak Peek

There was talk of postponing the season. There was talk of a memorial special. Instead we got a five-minute opener of the cast talking about how sad, angry, or guilty they felt and then ... we moved on. 

So we start with Minus 25. I'm not saying they had to dwell on it but a man's death seemed to deserve more than five minutes. Maybe it's just me.

But, moving on… If Lisa asked her little dog if it had to go wee wee one more time I thought I might be ill. Minus 5. And what's with the big push to get her daughter married off. She's only 24 for goodness sake. Minus another 5.

To Jason's credit he did the cute, old fashioned thing and asked her dad for permission. Plus 3 for going traditional.

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Following an offseason as tumultuous and tragic as it can get for a reality show, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is back.

This Bravo franchise returns with a second season tomorrow night, and viewers can look forward to the usual mind-numbing, self-involved idiocy from women who have nothing to offer the world but complaints about their extravagant lifestyle.

Case in point, this clip from the premiere, in which the controversy stems from a dog lapping up water from a $550 glass. Talk about exciting, worthwhile television!

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Premiere Clip

Bethenny Frankel may soon be leaving Bravo, but she's still quick to defend the network.

Asked about the suicide of Russell Armstrong and whether The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills could be blamed for the tragedy, this reality star scoffed at the mere mention of such liability.

“It’s preposterous to blame a TV show for someone’s suicide,” Bethenny told USA Today. “When the show started filming, I’d heard he wasn’t so kind to his wife."

Whatever problems Russell had, and whatever exposure they'd be given on the Real Housewives, Frankel says the troubled man knew what was in store for him before a single frame was shot:

“People sign very lengthy documents and they know what they’re getting into. Life is stressful. It’s unfair to blame a TV show for something personal. I believe that I really do.”

In one of his final interviews, Armstrong railed against the show that made him famous, citing its editing process and how he's nothing like the person viewers saw each week. Bravo will premiere season two of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills on Monday night.

The season two premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will go ahead as planned next week, with Bravo taking a few moments to address the suicide of Russell Armstrong prior to airing a re-edited version of the episode.

How does this decision sit with Russell's mother, John Ann Hotchkiss? Not too well.

"When I was informed of this, I thought, 'I hope Bravo will take the high road and keep it tasteful,'" Hotchkiss said in a statement to HLN's Jane Velez-Mitchell. "Let's not murder my son twice."

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Bravo has now made it official: the season two premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills will air as scheduled, this Monday night at 10 p.m. EST.

Controversy has surrounded the series, of course, since Russell Armstrong took his own life this month. But the network said in a statement today that the situation will be addressed at the outset of the opening episode.

"Bravo will proceed with the Monday, Sept. 5 premiere date of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," said Francis Berwick, president of Bravo Media. "Given that these episodes were filmed months ago, the producers of the show taped a brief interview this week with several of the cast members to introduce the premiere. Reediting of the episodes is still underway.

"Our thoughts continue to be with the Armstrong family during this difficult time."

Is this the right decision? What do you think Bravo should do about season two?

The 911 call placed after the shocking August 15 discovery of lifeless Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Russell Armstrong has been released.

Be forewarned, it is upsetting.

Russell Armstrong's suicide came weeks before the return of the Bravo show (it's still set for Sept. 5). Here's what happened when he was found:

Russell Armstrong 911 Call

Moments after the body of Armstrong at a friend's home where he was staying, you can hear the caller say, in no uncertain terms, "My friend just hanged himself, do you understand? Come over here and stop asking questions."

Russell's estranged wife Taylor Armstrong was also there, with the friend consoling her, saying "Come here Taylor, it's alright, it's alright."

The 911 dispatcher asked about the status, at which point Russell's friend made it clear Armstrong was deceased. "No, there's nothing you can do," he said.

"There's nothing we can do. Just please come as soon as possible."

The RHOBH will air a special episode dedicated to the incident.

Despite the suicide of Russell Armstrong, sources now say Bravo will air The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills season two premiere as scheduled, on September 5.

A few days after Taylor Armstrong laid her husband to rest, she's reportedly been telling friends that his death "wasn't caused by the show or Bravo."

The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 2 Trailer

"Russell just simply cracked over ongoing legal and financial issues," a pal tells Radar Online of what Taylor has been saying. "The show bears no responsibility for his death, neither does the network. In fact, Bravo has been extremely supportive of Taylor during this tragedy."

It's impossible to know what role the Real Housewives played, of course, but Russell is on record as thinking very poorly of the reality show.

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The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kim Richards will be going Dancing With the Stars this season. The news was first reported by Celebuzz.

The mother of four and aunt of Paris Hilton has been rehearsing her moves in the studio. Looks like she's on a road to a resurgence and recovery.

Kim, who stars on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with sister Kyle Richards, is a former child star who appeared in numerous Disney films.

Although it was uncertain if she would return to the Housewives this year, it was recently announced that she and Kyle would both be back for Season 2.

The entire season is in limbo following the recent suicide of Russell Armstrong, however. Russell was the estranged husband of star Taylor Armstrong.

The entire cast of Dancing With the Stars will be announced this Monday, August 29 during ABC's Bachelor Pad. The season begins next month.

[Photo: Fame Pictures]

Russell Armstrong was laid to rest at the Church of the Hills-Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills yesterday.

There's little to actually report because, thank goodness, Bravo did NOT film the event, but we know all cast members from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills were on hand to support Taylor Armstrong.

Sources confirm that Russell's remains will then be sent to Texas for a second service, as Taylor has been clashing with his family. From there, the body will be cremated and the ashes divided between Taylor and her in-laws.

It's still unclear how Bravo will handle the season premiere of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In the most recent news related to this tragedy, Entertainment Tonight has discussed photos of Taylor in detail, taken after an alleged beating from her husband.

In one of the final interviews Russell Armstrong gave before hanging himself, the The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star went off on the series that made him famous and, it's clear at this point, led to his demise.

"Everything you see on that show is bullsh-t," Armstrong told The Fix. "Those Bravo bastards take every little argument out of context and magnify it for the cameras."

Referring to Bravo producers as "evil overlords," Russell went on to say that viewers don't really know him.

"The Russell you see on TV has nothing to do with my real personality... It's just a character I play on TV," he said, admitting that character was "great for business."

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