Housewives

When I think of actress Lupe Ontiveros, who passed away from liver cancer at 69 Thursday night, what stays with me most is her strength. Her women tended to be strong and resilient, no-nonsense types, whether they were running a theater company as she did in "Chuck & Buck," dealing with a rebellious daughter in "Real Women Have Curves," or picking up after some well-heeled white family, as she did in"The Goonies. "There was a "I have seen it all" quality that danced in her eyes, more bemused by the frailties of the human race than bitter about them.

Faye Resnick of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" has purchased a home in the Hollywood Hills for $1.605 million. The traditional-style house is surrounded by mature landscaping and sits on slightly more than half an acre with fruit trees, patios and a swimming pool. Features include an open floor plan, with hardwood floors, a living room fireplace and a wall of French doors in the dining room that open to a balcony with treetop views. There are three bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and 2,567 square feet of living space.

Amen to Mary McNamara's article about "The Real Housewives of Orange County" ["Decay at Play in the O.C.," Feb. 10]. These women lack any fiber of decency. I was in Armenia in November and, wow, could these imbeciles learn from true day-to-day life in an economically challenged country. Maybe the U.S. economy will humble them a bit, but I doubt it. Shirley Hall Hamburg, N.J. -- I live in Laguna Niguel, and I am thoroughly sickened by Bravo's "Housewives of Orange County."

Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise has inspired many things. Plastic surgery. Prenup agreements. Divorce. But on BET it's led to a new comedy series called "Real Husbands of Hollywood. " The series, which premieres Jan. 15, spoofs the long chain of "Housewives" programs and focuses on celebrity friends who hang out together, usually while their famous actress wives are working. The series stars Kevin Hart, Boris Kodjoe, Nick Cannon, J.B. Smoove, Robin Thicke and Duane Martin and, like the Bravo reality series, features a lot of screaming, cursing and fighting.

Every time J. R. Ewing of TV's "Dallas" cheats on his wife, Sue Ellen, he arouses the ire of British housewives. Alexis of "Dynasty" is enough to make them switch off the telly. In fact, they're not too crazy about Dr. Kildare, either. Complaints about the state of TV--including numerous American imports--have prompted members of Britain's National Assn. of Housewives to consider withholding a portion of the mandatory 46 yearly license fee that owners of color TV sets pay to the government.

Two Encinitas housewives were car-pooling their infants to preschool five years ago when the brainstorm hit: why not start a company that sold decorative, "fashion" baby bottles instead of the lackluster, polyurethane containers then dominating the market? Not only did Jennifer Richards and Linda Geitner, both now 39, take their idea and run with it, they subsequently built a company from scratch called Cherubs that revolutionized the baby-feeding industry. Four years after its founding, the company booked $8.3 million in 1988 sales.

So, Mort Sahl doesn't like the work his publicists are doing for him ("Fear and Loathing on Broadway," by Lawrence Christon, Nov. 1). Does he think his wife China does any better when she dismisses "Jewish housewives" in her search for "eager minds" to pack the house at his premiere? Tell us, China, are Jewish housewives incapable of keeping up with the Living Legend's rapier wit because they're Jewish or because they're housewives? If China represents her husband's thinking, call me an ex-fan of Mort Sahl.

I was outraged to read Lois Bonfiglio's statement in Mills' article. Bonfiglio, Jane Fonda's partner in Fonda Films, stated that women seeking friendship and bonding are "not just housewives sitting around together having coffee." This comment was a thoughtless, arrogant and just plain stupid denigration of housewives. First of all, many "just housewives" like myself are well-educated professional women who have either temporarily or permanently left the paid work force to raise our children in a society with inadequate child-care facilities.

Thank God, my parents aren't mindless guttersnipes. They let me decide for myself what is offensive and what is acceptable and not a bunch of paranoid housewives who have nothing better else to do than to blame society's problems on rock music. MARSHA J. WEEKS, 14 Glendora

In response to "The Redford Factor: Do Looks Really Sway Voters?" by Garry Abrams (Sept. 7), I take offense at USC political scientist Sheldon Kamieniecki's comment, "Women with less education who tend to be housewives. . . ." It appears to me the women's work force is not made up of a majority of college-educated women. Many of the women's jobs are in traditionally lower-paying fields such as secretary, retail, service or pink collar jobs. As a CPA by education and a housewife by choice because of two preschoolers, I took an informal poll of my neighborhood housewives.

Reality TV's Adrienne Maloof, of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and her estranged husband, plastic surgeon Paul Nassif, have sold their mansion in gated Beverly Park for nearly $20 million. It came on the market last month at $26 million. Built in 2000, the Richard Landry-designed French chateau sits behind gates on two acres containing a guesthouse, swimming pool, pool house and tennis court. Features include a two-story entry with a sweeping staircase, a formal dining room that can seat 14, a paneled library, a home theater, a wine cellar, a gym, eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms in nearly 20,000 square feet of living space.

Adrienne Maloof , of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," and her estranged husband, plastic surgeon Paul Nassif, have listed their home in gated Beverly Park at $26 million. Built in 2000 and designed by Richard Landry, the two-story French chateau sits behind gates on 2 acres containing a guesthouse, swimming pool, pool house and tennis court. PHOTOS: The Maloof shoe room and more Features include a two-story entry with a sweeping staircase, a formal dining room that can seat 14, a paneled library, a home theater, a wine cellar, a gym, eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms in nearly 20,000 square feet of living space.

After an endless string of on-camera arguments (or perhaps scripted reality show beefs), Adrienne Maloof and Dr. Paul Nassif are splitting. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" couple, who married in 2002, filed for separation Monday morning, according to TMZ . No word on divorce at this time. PHOTOS: Celebrity splits of 2012 "I'm so sorry that this is happening but my children are my life and sometimes we need to do what's best for them," Bravo star Maloof, 50, told Radar Online , adding, "It's an unfortunate situation but I have to have my kids' best interest at heart.” Nassif, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, gained additional notoriety in early 2011 after he dialed 911 for Charlie Sheen, who later checked into a L.A. hospital for stomach pains (pre-“Torpedo of Truth” outbursts)

Veteran actress Lupe Ontiveros, the El Paso-born daughter of Mexican immigrants, once estimated that she had played the role of a maid more than 150 times during her career. That's why the 4-foot-11 actress was so overjoyed more than a decade ago when director Miguel Arteta approached her backstage after a theatrical showcase and said he had a screenplay for her to consider. "He said, 'Look at the part of Beverly,'" Ontiveros recalled in a 2009 National Public Radio interview. "I said, 'Beverly?

Actress Lupe Ontiveros , who received an Emmy nomination for her role as a nosy mother-in-law on "Desperate Housewives," died Thursday night of liver cancer in a hospital in Whittier, said her agent, Michael Greenwald. She was 69. Ontiveros, a longtime resident of Pico Rivera, was surrounded by friends and family, including actors Esai Morales and Edward James Olmos. Though Ontiveros was seen most frequently in maid roles in everything from "The Goonies"to the sitcom "Reba," her most prominent role was in the 1997 movie "Selena," in which she played Yolanda Saldivar, the president of Selena's fan club who was obsessed with the singing sensation to the point of murder.

With what sounds like a laboratory-developed hybrid of "Real Housewives," "NYC Prep" and HBO's "Girls," unscripted-drama farm Bravo is looking toward the tributaries of the New York City art world with its summer series "Gallery Girls. " "The show follows the lives of seven dynamic and ambitious young women in New York City who tackle the cutthroat environment of the art world while vying for their dream jobs," says the network's news release, which also included a few nods toward the septet's television-ready personalities broken into short, easily digestible paragraphs.

Where's the magazine's sense of humor? It's depressing to read about young mothers dying of cancer, buildings collapsing, men accused of child molestation and housewives murdering their husbands. How about more on what makes L.A. L.A.? The Oct. 20 style section was great, but too hard to find among the doom and gloom. How about more profiles of what the trend-setters are up to? DAVID SPETNER Los Angeles

When Young-chul Kim, 35, an ambitious producer for the Mun Wha Broadcast Corp. in Seoul, had an idea for a new show last summer, he didn't realize how successful it would be. "MBC Song Festival for Housewives," a weekly variety show contest in which housewives sing with a live orchestra, has become one of the hottest programs in South Korea. An estimated 70% of the country's TV viewers watch the show, according to MBC, which is the only privately owned national TV network in South Korea.

Is "The Amazing Race"really that amazing? Is Jon Stewart that much better than Stephen Colbert? Are Jeff Probst's pre-torch-snuffing psychological interrogations any more difficult than the way witty Tom Bergeron keeps"Dancing With the Stars" moving? Or, more to the point: Why the monotony in these categories, Emmy voters? When nominees are hanging out at the bar as their categories are being presented, you're doing something wrong. At least make them think about writing an acceptance speech.

Less than three weeks after nosy neighbor Mrs. McCluskey succumbed to lung cancer on the series finale of "Desperate Housewives," Kathryn Joosten - the actress who won two Emmy Awards for portraying the television character - has died of the same disease at 72. Joosten, who was also known for playing the president's secretary in the TV series "The West Wing," died Saturday at her Westlake Village home, said her daughter-in-law, Jeremy Joosten....