"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" Get Trashed

You know you really must be drinking "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" peach Kool-Aid (though, technically, I guess that flavor would be "orange") when they move to Sunday nights and you opt to watch that and DVR "Brothers and Sisters." Guilty as charged, though thankfully nobody was sticking any bakeries in their V-Jay Jay's this week.

The gal who started all that talk, Kandi, was in the studio this week working on building her musical empire. She decides the best place to start is with Sheree's hairdresser, Lawrence, who attended the same performing arts high school as Kandi. Lawrence throws out a little verse and Kandi and her producing team are impressed by his musical chops. Kandi, who sees Lawrence as a RuPaul for the new millennium, lets him know she'd want him to be exclusive to her label, unlike Kim who does her own thing, whatever that is. Kandi already has a song called "Closet Freak," (I thought we were done hearing the name of Lisa's so-called fashion line. Which went nowhere). The gang starts talking about being on the down low and mistresses and Kim shows up right on cue. Kim looks put out (and dare I say, jealous?) to see Lawrence talking shop with Kandi.

After Lawrence bids adieu, Kandi plays Kim a new track she came up with, "The Ring Didn't Mean a Thing." Kim's not feeling the song and hems and haws about doing the demo, calling it "out of [her] range." Kim horrifies everyone in the studio with her "singing" and Kandi tells her she needs to hie thee back to see Miss Jan for some voice lessons. Kim resists, because after all, she sang in the 8^th grade, but that wasn't good enough for Miss Jan. Kandi doesn't realize she created a blonde-headed monster by giving Kim a hit out of the box with no vocal training and a boatload of auto-tune. Where do we think Kim will fall in the pantheon of new millennium one-hit wonders?

NeNe's domestic troubles continue as her son, Brice, comes up on 30 days of the 90 day arrangement they made, with nary a job in sight. Brice tells her he's interested in club promotion and tells his mom if she really wants to help him, introduce him to a club promoter. NeNe agrees to arrange a meeting with Cynthia's fiancé, Peter, but after that, he's on his own. Later, NeNe meets Kim for margaritas and girl talk, which basically means, Married NeNe gives an example of how Gregg isn't holding up his end of the bargain while Mistress Kim pipes in that Big Poppa is the same way. NeNe gives up and talk turns to the new song. Kim wants NeNe's opinion, who also doesn't love it.

Sheree made a brief appearance tonight to fill Kim in on her date with the doctor, who looks more and more to be fraud city. He told Sharee he had a home in Atlanta, yet had her licking cookie dough in the kitchen of his friend's apartment. His other home as it turns out is the Holiday Inn. Kim advises Sheree to dump his broke ass.

Phony Phaedra meets with LaTavia Roberson, one of the 10 million girls who were in Destiny's Child to rehash her ouster from the group. Phony Phaedra envisions a one woman show for LaTavia and wants to know how she can help Get Her To The Greek (um...Kandi?). Phony Phaedra claims she has the Midas Touch and will put LaTavia back on top.

In other celebrity news, Cynthia and her baby daddy, Leon (of "Waiting to Exhale" fame, among others) spend some quality time with their daughter. Cynthia confides in him that she and Peter are talking marriage and like everyone else in Cynthia's life, he urges her not to pull her usual runaway crap and stick with Peter. Later, Cynthia and Peter talk (again) about getting married. She inquires about a ring and he tells her it will come when she least expects it. Like sometime during this season of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta."

Kim visits one of her four storage units to plow through mirrors, wigs and possibly "an old Big Poppa" (so says NeNe.) Kim decides to have a monster garage sale in the parking lot of a burger joint and puts her dad to work haggling with the bargain hunters. Kim is under the mistaken impression that because she paid $20,000 for a bed, that a casual passerby will pay $15,000 for it. Kim gets so distressed by her dad's pricing methods, she puts her perpetually abused assistant in charge of keeping her travel cup filled to the brim with white wine. Finally, Dad shoos Kim away while he gets down to brass tax with people, including NeNe. Phony Phaedra shows up and later she, Kim, Cynthia and NeNe and retreat to said burger joint for a lunch break. Phony Phaedra's phony due date comes up and Kim, who missed the first go-round of this, inquires about her delivery plans. This week, Phony Phaedra claims she wants to be induced because she can't stand to be screaming and pooping in the delivery room (last week it was because of complications.) My respect for Kim went up a notch when she reminded us she's a Licensed Practical Nurse and wondered who Phony Phaedra thought she was fooling with her phunny math (nobody).

Kandi shows up late in the afternoon and asks Kim what she thinks about this song. Kim tiptoes around the subject and tells Kandi she doesn't think it's right for her. At first Kandi tells Kim if she doesn't like the song, to let her know so she doesn't put any more energy towards working on it. Then, she takes offense at Kim's criticism of the track, wondering when Kim became Clive Davis (and won a Grammy. Plonk!) Kandi comes back around to let Kim know she's got to take voice lessons or find another hitmaker.

We wound down the night with Cynthia and Peter entering the Lion's Den at NeNe's house for dinner. How cute was it when NeNe's youngest son, Brentt, told Brice he should be embarrassed for not knowing what asparagus is? NeNe introduces Brice to Peter, who tells the kid he's got to get up off the dime and start making the donuts like he did back in the day. Brice seems surprised to hear he actually has to work in order to make money. As the alcohol flows, NeNe and Gregg bicker and NeNe advises the semi-engaged duo that without communication, they're doomed. Cynthia and Peter become increasingly uncomfortable and Gregg escapes to the basement to play pool. NeNe insinuates Gregg cheated on her and talks divorce to a shocked Cynthia, who starts looking for an actual pool to dive into.

Next week, Peter gets down on bended knee, Sheree goes dancing and Phony Phaedra doesn't know what to do about her son.