• New York Times, Thursday, June 20, 2013 3:56 PM

If you think of Bravo's "Housewives" shows as a guilty pleasure, or just something Bravo should feel guilty about putting on the air, you might enjoy this Q&A between Pat Loud -- called here "The Mother Of All 'Housewives'" because she starred in the 1973 show that served as a template for future reality shows, "An American Family" -- and Carole Radiziwill, one of the New York City Housewives, who tries hard to position herself as the "voice of reason" of a group that talks "loud, and... fast."

We love how the writer setting up the questions, Philip Galanes, consistently disses the Housewives, calling them "delusional" and a "parade of vulgarians." Attempting to explain the shows to Loud, who says she's only seen bits of them, Galanes says about the "reunion" shows: "They’ve got this guy, Pat — Andy Cohen. And he sits them all on a sofa and restarts all the fights you were talking about. It’s the saddest, tackiest thing that’s ever been in the world."

"And totally riveting," Loud responds. "I’ve seen him do it with those Atlanta Housewives."

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