Friday, November 6, 2009
By Charles Goldberg -- The Birmingham News
November 06, 2009, 2:30PM
Michael Dyer (AuburnSports.com photo)Michael Dyer called it a hectic week, but one of the final stops was easy as it could be.
The nation's No. 1 prep running back said Friday morning he'll play college football at Auburn. He made his choice public at his high school. An hour later, he said he knew all along where he'd go.
The Little Rock Christian High School standout said he told Auburn coaches he would commit after a visit to campus last summer, and stuck to his word.
"It was like home,'' Dyer said by telephone.
Dyer is rated the No. 1 running back in the nation by ESPN. Scout says he's No. 2. Rivals has him at No. 3. Auburn is also actively recruiting the other two tops backs: Marcus Lattimore and Lache Seastrunk.
Dyer is Arkansas' all-time prep leading rusher with 7,566 career rushing yards and 74 touchdowns. He had college offers from most of the top programs.
Auburn had a leg up recruiting Dyer because he already knew offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn from his days coaching at Tulsa. That three-year relationship paid off for Auburn on Friday. Dyer also said running backs coach Curtis Luper played a significant role in his recruitment.
Dyer can't think about Auburn too much the rest of the day: He still has a high school game tonight when Little Rock Christian plays Pulaski Academy at 7 on ESPNU.
That's another reason Dyer says it's been a "hectic and busy'' week.
"My mind was all over the place with school. But last night I thought about it and woke up this morning and knew what I needed to do.''
Dyer took an official visit to Tennessee last weekend. He didn't rule out making other recruiting trips, and said he'd talk with Auburn coaches about that.
But he added Friday morning he's ``100 percent Auburn. I'm a War Eagle now.''
Dyer called Friday's announcement "a good little deal'' with his football teammates, parents and "a lot of media in attendance.''
An hour after that, Dyer was thinking about the job at hand.
"I'm just focusing on the game now,'' he said.
No. 1 running back Michael Dyer on choosing Auburn: `It was like home'
MichaelDyerRivals.JPG
By Charles Goldberg -- The Birmingham News
November 06, 2009, 2:30PM
MichaelDyerRivals.JPGMichael Dyer (AuburnSports.com photo)Michael Dyer called it a hectic week, but one of the final stops was easy as it could be.
The nation's No. 1 prep running back said Friday morning he'll play college football at Auburn. He made his choice public at his high school. An hour later, he said he knew all along where he'd go.
The Little Rock Christian High School standout said he told Auburn coaches he would commit after a visit to campus last summer, and stuck to his word.
"It was like home,'' Dyer said by telephone.
Dyer is rated the No. 1 running back in the nation by ESPN. Scout says he's No. 2. Rivals has him at No. 3. Auburn is also actively recruiting the other two tops backs: Marcus Lattimore and Lache Seastrunk.
Dyer is Arkansas' all-time prep leading rusher with 7,566 career rushing yards and 74 touchdowns. He had college offers from most of the top programs.
Auburn had a leg up recruiting Dyer because he already knew offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn from his days coaching at Tulsa. That three-year relationship paid off for Auburn on Friday. Dyer also said running backs coach Curtis Luper played a significant role in his recruitment.
Dyer can't think about Auburn too much the rest of the day: He still has a high school game tonight when Little Rock Christian plays Pulaski Academy at 7 on ESPNU.
That's another reason Dyer says it's been a "hectic and busy'' week.
"My mind was all over the place with school. But last night I thought about it and woke up this morning and knew what I needed to do.''
Dyer took an official visit to Tennessee last weekend. He didn't rule out making other recruiting trips, and said he'd talk with Auburn coaches about that.
But he added Friday morning he's ``100 percent Auburn. I'm a War Eagle now.''
Dyer called Friday's announcement "a good little deal'' with his football teammates, parents and "a lot of media in attendance.''
An hour after that, Dyer was thinking about the job at hand.
"I'm just focusing on the game now,'' he said.
Fort hood victims name
In the aftermath of the Fort Hood Shootings, the 31 wounded have flooded local hospitals, the New York Times reports. Although the names of the victims have not been released, some have trickled out. Here is a list of the names revealed thus far.
Private first class Michael Pearson, 21, of Bolingbrook was reportedly shot three times -- in the spine and the chest -- when a gunman entered the Soldiers Readiness Processing Center and opened fire with two handguns.
Kelvyn Park High School graduate Francheska Velez, 21, had just returned from Iraq, and was pregnant, her uncle told CBS 2. She had been in the Army since February 2007, according to her Facebook page.
From the Associated Press:
Matthew Cook, son-in-law of Jamie and Scotty Casteel. Cook is from New York State and has been home from Iraq for about a year. "He's been shot in the abdomen and that's all we know," Jamie Casteel told The Associated Press.
Amber Bahr, 19, was shot in the stomach but was in stable condition, said her mother, Lisa Pfund of Random Lake, Wis.
Ashley Saucedo told WOOD-TV in Michigan that her husband was shot in the arm, but she couldn't discuss specifics.
Fort Hood shooting victims recovering from serious injuries
It was too early to tell whether the 10 Fort Hood shooting victims brought to Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple would survive, the medical center's chairman of surgery said today.
Dr. W. Roy Smythe said six patients were currently in intensive care and four were in regular care. All patients had been stablized, he said during a news conference this morning.
"Some of these are extremely serious injuries," Smythe said. "We would hope that all would survive, but it's too early to say."
The shooting Thursday at Fort Hood resulted in the deaths of 13 people. All but two of the 30 injured remained hospitalized, according to military officials.
The majority of patients at Scott & White had gunshot wounds to all areas of body: head, neck, chest, abdomen and extremities.
One soldier who had been shot and brought to the emergency room was "obviously quite distraught," Smythe recalled. The soldier told him that "an individual jumped on a desk and started shooting weapons," he said.
Within an hour of the shooting, patients started arriving at the hospital about 30 minutes north of base. The hospital mobilized its trauma team, including 20 surgeons, and many worked until late last evening, he said.
He couldn't provide a gender breakdown of the shooting victims, but another hospital official said all but one patient was male.
The Chicago Tribune, citing family members, reported that an Army private first class, Michael Pearson, 21, from southwest suburban Bolingbrook was one of the 13 people killed in the rampage.
Suicide lines: LeBron to skip Yankees' parade; Kevin Martin's wrist
Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your Asian brined pork loin with gingered yams and five spice apples.Frank Isola, New York Daily News: "LeBron James, the most famous Yankees fan living in Ohio, says he will not be attending Friday's victory parade in lower Manhattan. 'No, my parade starts at eight at night,' LeBron told Cleveland reporters, referring to Friday's game with the Knicks. James makes his one and only visit to New York on Friday (of course, his official visit is July 1st when he is scheduled to become a free agent.) 'I've thought about playing everywhere,' James said prior to Thursday's game with Chicago. 'At one point in my life, I've thought about playing every team in the NBA.' James did admit that the league would be better off if the Knicks were a contending team. [...] 'I think the league is doing just fine, but with the Knicks being good, the Celtics being good, the Lakers being good, it makes the league that much better. I'm talking as a fan now, please understand.'"
Ailene Voisin, Sac Bee: "Kevin Martin leaned against the wall in the Kings' practice facility Thursday afternoon, still very much in shock, his damaged left wrist dangling at his side. Hours earlier, an MRI revealed that the league's third-leading scorer — and the Kings' best player — sustained a hairline fracture Monday night in a collision with the Memphis Grizzlies' Allen Iverson(notes). Martin was presented with three options, all of them terrible: He can wear a soft cast and attempt to play, risking further injury and possibly a complete break. He can undergo surgery and have a screw inserted to stabilize the bone, with recovery projected at six to eight weeks. Or he can have the arm casted and hope that the wrist heals itself during a comparable six- to eight-week rehabilitation period."
Kevin Ding, OC Register: "[Ron] Artest said his former Rockets teammates were 'definitely trying to get me ejected' by throwing elbows at him, and he acknowledged he might've indulged the notion if not for a little NBA commissioner/angel appearing on his shoulder. A jolt from Ariza just minutes into the game — after Artest said Luis Scola(notes) already threw one — nearly sent Artest, suspended 72 games by Stern in 2004, back into arrest. 'I wanted to (choke Ariza) because he hit me with the elbow,' Artest said. 'But then I thought about David Stern, and I thought I wasn't going to do this. I got hit with three or four elbows. It's just not fair. I don't want to fight.' Did I clearly articulate that Artest did think about it, though? Let me clarify: He mentioned that he thought in the moment how certain he was that he was stronger than Ariza and contemplated his interest in making someone his 'punching bag.' Yet with Kobe Bryant(notes) interceding and shepherding Artest away, the match didn't light - and Artest was able to joke (I think he was joking) about it all."
Jeff McDonald, S.A. Express-News: "If the new, more collapsible rims introduced before the start of the season are really creating more so-called 'shooter's rolls,' the Spurs haven't noticed. Quietly, the NBA switched manufacturers to bring about the most significant change in that piece of equipment since the advent of breakaway rims in 1981. The new basket system, made by Spalding and called the 'Arena Pro 180 Goal,' collapse from both the front and sides. In the past, breakaway rims have collapsed only from the front. Some shooters report the change has made the rims more forgiving for shooters, deadening shots that used to bounce out. And scoring is up early across the league. Asked about the change before Thursday's game at Utah, coach Gregg Popovich has he hadn't heard anything about it. Neither had many of his players. 'I didn't know,' Roger Mason(notes) Jr. said. 'I really have noticed anything different.'"
Michael Wallace, Miami Herald: "Might I suggest three words to those who have clearly drawn lines and are firmly on one side or the other in this Michael Beasley(notes)/Udonis Haslem debate. Pipe down. Please. Don't get me wrong. Passion this time of year, just two weeks into the NBA season? Perfect. But outright rage in some corners after just five games? Ridiculous. Here the Heat sits, off to a solid 4-1 start entering Friday's game against the Denver Nuggets. And here many in Heat nation stand, picking apart who sits in crunch time at the end of games. While coach Erik Spoelstra's rotation decisions cost him in Tuesday's loss to Phoenix, there was no price to be paid Wednesday in Washington."Chris Dempsey, Denver Post: "Everyone who watched Ty Lawson(notes) blow by defenders, sprint the ball upcourt and hit 3-pointers that New Jersey's defense conceded in order to keep him out of the lane came away impressed. And a scene that is sure to be repeated this season followed the Nuggets' Wednesday night blowout victory. Denver coach George Karl was peppered with questions about his rookie point guard from a media contingent that seemed shocked at what it witnessed. Odd, because Lawson led North Carolina to the NCAA title a year ago. But Lawson figures to turn heads all season long in his NBA debut, including that of his coach, who detests the reputation he has for not playing rookies, although three weeks ago he defended his right not to play Lawson. 'Just remember, there's not a lot of rookies that have helped teams win 55-60 games,' Karl said then. 'Our job is probably to win 55-60 games this year. There's a difference between being good and being a player that produces winning. There are players that are good but don't know how to win in the NBA, and rookies are usually a lot of those guys.'"
Marc Stein, ESPN: "It's been about a week since we had any certifiable chatter to pass along on the Stephen Jackson(notes) trade front. That's not because the Warriors have slowed the search for trade partners — to the contrary — but because the most interested parties (Cleveland and Denver) are generally high-payroll teams that can't easily absorb Jackson's long-term contract. The Cavs and the Nuggets, furthermore, just aren't teeming with tradeable (and available) assets to hook Golden State. What we can confirm, though, is that Charlotte has to be mentioned more prominently on the list of interested suitors. We've briefly noted the Bobcats' interest in a couple of previous entries, but further checking reveals that the Bobs have seriously explored the prospect of trading for Jackson, apparently undaunted by the fact that they weren't mentioned when Jackson announced late in the summer that he wanted to be dealt to Cleveland, New York or one of the three Texas teams."
John Canzano, The Oregonian: "Blazers front office executives talk positively about their mandatory team-building experience. And maybe they're slapping backs and working more efficiently because they went on desert hikes, climbed walls and sat around afterward talking about what it was like to overcome obstacles together. There's real value in bringing people together. We all know that. And the Blazers understand that better than most professional sports organizations that haven't navigated the field of broken glass that lies behind this franchise. Sure, fans are concerned about the 2-3 start. The Spurs are next. And we're coming to the realization that the expectations for the team weren't out of whack, but the circumstances certainly were. If Miller and Roy are still struggling to play together in December, you can start talking trade of the new guy. And if McMillan continues to dabble in a way that prevents the Blazers from finding comfort, we can begin the dialogue about whether he's the right coach to lead the team into the future. But all that talk today is insanely premature. It makes you want to climb a pole and jump off it."
Jeff Rabjohns, The Indianapolis Star: "Ten years after Conseco Fieldhouse opened its doors, this shrine to Indiana basketball — part museum, part arena — remains one of the most revered basketball venues in the nation and has altered the idea of what an NBA arena should be. The retro-styled home of the Indiana Pacers — a modern venue soaked in history — has influenced other teams to rethink nondescript multipurpose buildings and embrace designs tied to basketball's past. Charlotte, Dallas, Memphis and San Antonio are among franchises that modeled specific elements of their new arenas after what they saw at Conseco. New Jersey, which has a new arena in the works, also is aiming in that direction."
New York Honors the Yankees
Todd Heisler/The New York Times Yankees fans gathered along downtown Manhattan’s “Canyon of Heroes” on Broadway to celebrate the teams’ World Series victory on Friday.
The New York Times provided live updates throughout the parade. Jack Curry was at City Hall, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg honored the team, while reporters Joshua Robinson, Daniel E. Slotnik and Ravi Somaiya were out along the parade route, talking to fans and taking in the scene. Richard Sandomir watched the broadcast.
The fortunes of those along the parade route are much changed from nine years ago, and it remains to be seen if that affects the mood of the festivities at all. The early indications, at least according to Joshua Robinson, are that it won’t:
People are already packing in front of windows in the office buildings along Broadway and throwing everything from toilet paper to newspaper to copier paper out onto the street. You can’t take a step without walking in makeshift confetti.Update | 2:08 p.m. From a present-day music superstar to a past one. The ceremony ends with streamers in the air and Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” playing over the speakers.
Update | 2:03 p.m. Mayor Bloomberg wraps up the key portion of the ceremony by inviting Hal Steinbrenner back up and presenting him with a key for his father, “the biggest Yankee of them all.” Then he announces a special performance by Jazy-Z, whose song “Empire State of Mind” became an anthem of sorts during the Yankees season.
Update | 1:45 p.m. Jack Curry spoke to Alex Rodriguez before the ceremony began. Rodriguez called Joe Girardi the M.V.P. of the season for the Yankees. He also thanked Jason Zillo, the Yankees’ P.R. man, for reminding him “more baseball, less talking” this season. Rodriguez said he was “proud of the fact that we stayed with the program.”
Rodriguez just got a big cheer from the crowd when he got his key.
Update | 1:56 p.m. Big roars from the crowd from Hideki Matsui, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and A.J. Burnett, who, with his hat and sunglasses, is bearing a strong resemblance to Kid Rock, minus the long hair.
Update | 1:44 p.m. A big cheer from the crowd when Nick Swisher is given his key to the city. Swisher is sporting a faux hawk and Michael Kay described him as “Swish-alicious.”
Update | 1:40 p.m. Mayor Bloomberg gets in on the Jimmy Rollins bashing, saying he’s giving Rollins a “brand-new crystal ball” as a gift. Rollins, of course, told Jay Leno that the Phillies would beat the Yankees in six games, “but I’m thinking five.”
Update | 1:35 p.m. A very excited Suzyn Waldman has taken on the m.c. duties. She introduced Hal Steinbrenner and Joe Girardi, before Derek Jeter came up to speak.
“It’s been too long, hasn’t it?” Jeter said to loud cheers.
Girardi said he had spoken to George Steinbrenner this morning, who told him “The only thing greater than this celebration is doing it two years in a row.” The crowd answered that with chants of “28! 28!”
Update | 1:29 p.m. The Yankees take the stage to Queen’s “We Are the Champions.” Derek Jeter is the last one up, carrying the World Series trophy.
Update | 1:22 p.m. Mayor Bloomberg is up at the microphone now and getting big cheers every time he mentions a player name. He turns it over to the broadcasters Michael Kay and John Sterling. Before the ceremony gets too far along, here’s some more information from Jack Curry:
Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett were the three free agents who the Yankees invested $423.5 million in. They were instrumental in delivering a title. After the parade, Teixeira, who had a rocky postseason, said “we were brought here for this.”Update | 1:12 p.m. Some baseball news from Jack Curry:
Sabathia is ready for 2010. “Expectations are high, huh?” He added, “Hopefully we can get it done again.”
Mariano Rivera acknowledged that he had a rib injury while pitching in the postseason. He said the pain was manageable. Rivera said he hurt himself in A.L.C.S. Girardi said it happened in Game 2 of the World Series. When Rivera was asked if he could have pitched in Game 7 of the World Series, he said “I don’t want to talk about it now,” meaning there was no Game 7.Update | 1:09 p.m. An interesting scene on a relatively empty stage at City Hall before the ceremony. The former mayors Koch, Dinkins and Giuliani, along with Sen. Schumer, stood together (Koch was seated) and had what appeared to be a very cordial conversation for several moments.
Several Yankees said they were told there were 3 million people here. The players talked about how they realized this could be their last time together. Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are both free agents. Damon wants to return. “Why wouldn’t I want to come back?” he said.
Update | 12:49 p.m. The first World Series parade to be held in New York since the Yankees and Mets started their own networks shows one difference between YES and SNY.
SNY, the Mets’ network, is covering the Yankee parade, with Jonas Schwartz, Jon Heyman and Marty Appel, a former Yankees public relations director and the author of the recent Thurman Munson biography, in its Manhattan studio. But it is doubtful that YES would do the same if the Mets ever celebrated along the Canyon of Heroes.
The new Lee Daniels “Precious” movie, which is about a sexually abused teenage girl and is based on the “Push” novel by Sapphire, open is movie theaters today. The movie has already been racking up film festival awards and is heavily endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. But according to latimes.com, “Precious” has just received a bit of a nasty thrashing from The New York Press’ politically incorrect film critic Armond White. He has not only criticized gifted black filmmaker Lee Daniels, but also taken a stab at Perry and Oprah. Speaking about the movie, White said “Precious is an orgy of prurience…Not since ‘Birth of a Nation’ has a mainstream movie demeaned the idea of black American life as much as ‘Precious’.” But that is just his opinion and people will have to watch the movie for themselves.
Precious Movie Theaters,Precious Movie Trailer
Precious Movie Threater ,Precious Movie Trailer:The new Lee Daniels “Precious” movie, which is about a sexually abused teenage girl and is based on the “Push” novel by Sapphire, open ismovie theaters today. The movie has already been racking up film festival awards and is heavily endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. But according to latimes.com, “Precious” has just received a bit of a nasty thrashing from The New York Press’ politically incorrect film critic Armond White. He has not only criticized gifted black filmmaker Lee Daniels, but also taken a stab at Perry and Oprah. Speaking about the movie, White said “Precious is an orgy of prurience…Not since ‘Birth of a Nation’ has a mainstream movie demeaned the idea of black American life as much as ‘Precious’.” But that is just his opinion and people will have to watch the movie for themselves.
The Actions Of Sergeant Kimberly Munley
The Actions Of Sergeant Kimberly Munley:A police officer who intervened to stop a shooting spree at America’s biggest military base was hailed today as a heroine as she received treatment for the wounds received in a shoot-out with the gunman. Major Nidal Hasan, an army psychiatrist due to be posted to Afghanistan, shot dead 13 people and wounded 30 others after opening fire with two handguns at Fort Hood yesterday afternoon. But the death toll from the rampage could have been far worse had it not been for the actions of SergeantKimberly Munley, a civilian police officer stationed at the base who was the first on the scene as Major Hasan picked off his victims. Sergeant Munley managed to hit Major Hasan four times but was herself hit by a bullet that passed through both her legs, according to witnesses. Colonel John Rossi, briefing reporters at Fort Hood this morning, said that Major Hasan’s victims, who were killed in a part of the base used to process soldiers for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, had all been unarmed. Sergeant Munley had been the first armed person on the scene and had immediately taken him on. “Her efforts were superb,” he said. Colonel Steven Braverman, commander of the base hospital and Major Hasan’s supervisor, said that Sergeant Munley was in a stable condition in a nearby community hospital.
exan police officer Kim Munley who shot Fort Hood gunman hailed as a heroine
A police officer who intervened to stop a shooting spree at America's biggest military base was hailed today as a heroine as she received treatment for the wounds received in a shoot-out with the gunman.
Major Nidal Hasan, an army psychiatrist due to be posted to Afghanistan, shot dead 13 people and wounded 30 others after opening fire with two handguns at Fort Hood yesterday afternoon.
But the death toll from the rampage could have been far worse had it not been for the actions of Sergeant Kimberly Munley, a civilian police officer stationed at the base who was the first on the scene as Major Hasan picked off his victims.
Sergeant Munley managed to hit Major Hasan four times but was herself hit by a bullet that passed through both her legs, according to witnesses.
Colonel John Rossi, briefing reporters at Fort Hood this morning, said that Major Hasan's victims, who were killed in a part of the base used to process soldiers for deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan, had all been unarmed. Sergeant Munley had been the first armed person on the scene and had immediately taken him on.
"Her efforts were superb," he said.
Colonel Steven Braverman, commander of the base hospital and Major Hasan's supervisor, said that Sergeant Munley was in a stable condition in a nearby community hospital.
She is likely to return home to a hero's welcome, although her Twitter page – which features a picture of her with the country music star Dierks Bentley at the Fort Hood "Freedom Fest" on July 4 – suggests she is not the type to have her head turned.
Her Twitter biography reads: "I live a good life ... a hard one, but I go to sleep peacefully @ night knowing that I may have made a difference in someone's life."
It emerged today that Major Hasan, a Muslim who had argued with his comrades against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and had been trying to get out of the Army, shouted "Allah akbar" – Arabic for "God is great" – as he launched the attack.
Lieutenant-General Robert Cone, the base commander at Fort Hood, said that soldiers who witnessed the rampage heard him shout out the invocation as he opened fire.
General Cone told NBC's Today programme that Major Hasan was not known to be a threat or risk at the base. Colonel Braverman said the same.
Fort Hood Shooter Shouted “Allahu Akbar!”, Move Along Nothing To See Here
The shooter in yesterday’s rampage at Fort Hood, Malik Nadal Hasan, allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar!” before opening fire and killing over a dozen people. “Allahu Akbar” is Arabic for “God is great”; just what I always shout before going on a killing spree of some kind. Early reports yesterday had said that Hasan didn’t survive being shot by authorities, he did in fact survive. Initial reports about Hasan shouting “Allahu Akbar” are coming from soldiers who were at the scene, but of course who could possibly believe those guys? They’re allstressed out and ready to kill at the drop of a hat, at least that’s what the media likes to tell us. Just how much play will Hasan’s Muslim religion or possible Palestinian background get in the main stream media? Probably not much; you just know the actual cause of the rampage will be post traumatic stress disorder or some crock like that. The fact that he’s a Muslim who allegedly laughed about soldiers being killed by roadside bombs will almost certainly not be a factor. I mean how could we actually blame the guy’s religion for his killing spree? I’m sure it wasn’t a factor at all. That would imply that Muslim’s might want to do us harm, right? And that wouldn’t be true at all now would it? I’m sure it had something to do with George Bush and his policy of preemptive strikes. Watch below as Wolf Blitzed stumbles all over himself trying NOT to report the guy’s a Muslim. Yeah Wolf, no idea about motive.
"Allahu Akbar": Hasan's Words as He Fired?
Gretchen Real Housewives: Gretchen Rossi the Dirty, Lynne Curtin Pictures and Story
“Real Housewives of Orange County” star Gretchen Rossi has been involved in a lot of controversy recently. TheDirty.com posted some very embarrassing photos of the reality star with her pants down in the toilet and topless in the car, which made Gretchen take legal action against the site.
Gretchen has also obtained a restraining order against Jay Photoglou (the man with her in the photos), who claimed to have a relationship with her and who she says threatened her, her dogs and new boyfriend.
In The Real Housewives Gretchen Rossi’s relationship with the other Housewives continues to have its highs and lows. The minute the housewives got in the same room for Lynne’s jewelry show things got out of hand and even though the other women tried to make jokes to break tension, nothing was stopping the words between Tamra and Gretchen .Tamra brought up all the scandal from Gretchen’s past referencing scandalous nude pictures and accusing her of preying on old men. The fight between Tamra and Gretchen continues in the next episode of The Real Housewives on Nov. 12.
The original 'Housewives' return
(CNN) -- Bravo's original "Housewives" begin their fifth season with some heady drama and a nod to tough economic times.
This season of "The Real Housewives of Orange County," which kicks off with an opener entitled, "When Times Get Tough, The Tough Go Shopping," features one housewife who could lose her home, one who could send her son to jail and is contemplating divorce and one who will find new love with a man who can't seem to commit. And one housewife will leave the show because of her financial instability.
Arguably one of the most popular characters, former Playboy Playmate Jeana Keough, 54, will only appear for three episodes this season. She is going through a divorce from former major league pitcher Matt Keough and is seen in the premiere episode struggling as a real estate agent to make ends meet.
In the show, Keough's 16-year-old son, Colton, has to give his mom a lecture on financial responsibility. She tells him, "It's weird to be in a place where you have to think before making a purchase." Keough then admits she could downsize her residence by roughly half, to a meager 5,000 square feet.
Facing these new economic realities and balancing a television show became too much for Keough during filming, and after the episode airing November 19 she leaves to try to pursue success without the cameras following her every move.
Fellow Tamra Barney admitted she wasn't sad to see Keough go. "She was always stirring the pot. She was the first one to go behind someone's back and cause trouble," Barney said. "I love her but she created drama."
Barney, 42, who joined the in the third season through a Bravo casting call, will try to hold her family together this season as her son Ryan, 23, faces jail time for unpaid traffic tickets. In the middle of all the drama with Ryan, she and her husband, Simon, will try to keep their marriage from collapsing under the pressures of the show.
"We were going through a hard time with the economy, and he is kind of a private person, so it was a big decision for him to keep doing the show," Tamra Barney said. "He held out for quite a while. You will see us trying to work things out."
The woman who holds everyone together is Lynne Curtin, but she and her family have their own problems as they face possible eviction from the Laguna Beach home the ladies gather in during the first episode.
In addition to losing their home, Curtin has other weighty topics to consider this season. The 53-year-old mother of two teenage daughters finally gets the face-lift she's been wanting for years.
"I went under the knife and I did it. It wasn't anything like I anticipated. I am thrilled I can put my eye makeup on and I don't have to hold my eyelids up," Curtin said.
Outspoken veteran Housewife Vicki Gunvalson will continue to build her growing insurance business and try her best to improve her relationship with her second husband, Donn, about whom she has pledged to no longer be so negative.
Gretchen Rossi, 32, finds a new love this season. After mourning the loss of her much older and much-divorced fiance, Jeff Beitzel, who died of leukemia in 2008, Rossi is finally ready to get back in the saddle and it is with someone who is very familiar to "Housewives" fans -- Slade Smiley. Slade is the ex-fiance of former Housewife Jo De La Rosa and also dated former cast member Lauri Waring Peterson.
"We're calling him the 'Housewife Hunter,' " Curtin said about Smiley. "We're going to get him a shirt made up that says 'The Hunter.'"
The wild card this season will be the newest cast member, Alex Bellino, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mom with three young children and a body, as describes it, that "defies all logic."
"I like her," Barney said. "She is just a really sweet woman, a mother and very opinionated, which is going to make her a very important player on the show this season ... especially with Vicki."