Alexa Ray Joel (born December 29, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter and pianist. She is the daughter and only child of singer-songwriter Billy Joel and
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But on Monday night it was imbued with a considerably more contemporary vibe. Alexa Ray Joel
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Billy Joel has reportedly signed a deal to write an autobiography, which he plans to call The Book of Joel!
Set to be published in June by HarperCollins, the memoir will chronicle the singer's marriage to Christie Brinkley, as well as his role as a father to Alexa Ray!
We're sure many will be excited to read this, but frankly, we'd just prefer him to release some new music!
However, we doubt that will ever happen!Last week on "Real Housewives of New Jersey" ... well, I was on a blessedly Bravo-free vacation, but it sounds like my colleague Amy Kuperinsky had a ball with the hotly-anticipated Caroline Manzo-Kim Granatell showdown.
At Teresa Giudice's Christmas dinner, Joe Gorga tells Teresa that he has to go to Kathy and Rich Wakile’s, but Teresa’s upset that they’re choosing Kathy and Rich over her family. Joe tries to placate her, but Teresa is outraged that Kathy would dare ask her brother – whom, as we’ve seen lo these two months, has been passive-aggressively, and occasionally aggressive-aggressively feuding with Teresa – over for Christmas. “Why would you invite my brother to your house for Christmas Eve? … Kathy’s kind of evil, right?” Move over, Idi Amin. Kathy probably serves sprinkle cookies to the political prisoners in her basement. Joe says that Kathy wanted to invite Teresa too, but reconsidered because of theirfrosty relations. Teresa claims Kathy tried to hurt her; Joe says she needs to work that out with Kathy. Teresa tells him that she wants to concentrate on her relationship with Joe, not Kathy. As the Gorgas say their goodbyes, Giacinto Gorga tells Joe and Melissa that they’ll have dinner together next week; after all, he’s come by three times and they haven’t been around. When Melissa tells him to call first, Giacinto says, “I don’t use the phone.” That’s reasonable.
Poor Caroline, clearly exhausted, not a lick of makeup on, cleaning up the mess of the Christmas dinner. That, my friends, is reality. I think that’s baby Nicholas Laurita sacked out on a chair, one of the Mango dogs lapping his little ankles. Cute! Everyone tries to convince C.J. Laurita that they hear something; it’s Chris Manzo hiding behind the deck jingling bells. C.J. is not convinced. He’s clearly the brains of that family. Caroline says she’s going to invite the Gorgas to the New Year’s party at the Brownstone – she says she “can’t get enough of Joe” – but she’s not sure if she’s going to invite the Wakiles. “Teresa says no,” Jacqueline Laurita tells her. “Well, it’s not Teresa’s party,” Caroline says. I already can't wait for this party. Caroline also says that hubby Al will be upset if they don’t invite the Wakiles because he’s known them forever. (If that’s the case, then why did it seem that Caroline and Kathy were meeting each other for the first time back at the fashion show?) Kathy has another ridiculously amazing looking spread at her house, although the roasted sea bass is courtesy of the Brownstone. The Gorgas show up. Melissa says she’s much more comfortable around Kathy and her family than around the Giudices. Melissa tells Kathy that everything went well at Teresa’s. Kathy says it would be nice for everyone to be together and is hopeful about the future. Melissa tells her she’s going to step in and tells Teresa to work things out with Kathy. That’s going to go well.
Caroline gives out her presents to the kids and asks everyone to open them at the same time. They’re the infinity bracelets she commissioned. Everyone is pleased.
Christmas morning. Apparently the Bravo crew gets Christmas off, so we’re relying on Jacqueline’s home video. Jacqueline tells us that Ashley hasn’t gotten her a Christmas gift (or a Mother’s Day gift, for that matter). Ashley says she couldn’t buy presents for her folks because she spent too much money on her car. “I know I should have probably got them something, but … whatever.Turns out Jacqueline is the B story because the Bravo crew is at Melissa and Joe’s house. “My kids always get, you know, over the top gifts for Christmas,” Melissa tells us, as we view the carnage following an explosion at the Paramus Toys ‘R Us … oh, it’s just Melissa’s living room on Christmas morning. It is insane. “If we couldn’t do it, we wouldn’t do it, but we can, because it’s for Jesus’ birthday.” And Jesus loves a nice pair of strappy Stuart Weitzman sandals. (We find out later that Jesus does not approve of Melissa and Joe having a quickie on his birthday.) She also gets a nice Louis Vuitton suitcase and a gold Rolex. Melissa: “I’m not the type that’s gonna say ‘No, no, please don’t.'”
The Giudices also get a camera crew. Teresa says this year, they’re not spending a lot of money on gifts. Dude, I counted, like, thirty presents beneath the tree. There’s some sort of smartphone for Gia, a drum kit – not a plastic, play drum kit, but an actual drum kit – for 4-year-old Milania, and a Mercedes toy car. “I want to teach our daughters that Christmas is not just about materialistic things,” Teresa tells us. “We want to show them that it’s about family.” I want a federal judge to teach Teresa that bankruptcy is not just about getting a free pass on her debts. Joe is sprawled shirtless on the couch, recording the proceedings on a video camera. Teresa gets Joe a cross, and Joe gets Teresa a couple of pairs of gloves and a crystal-studded coat? Robe? Does it matter, so long as it's studded with crystals? Later, Gia starts throwing up. Teresa and Joe start rehashing the previous night; or rather, Teresa starts rehashing and Joe struggles to stay conscious. Joe thinks his brother-in-law should have done the right thing and stayed at Teresa’s, but his “witch” of a wife wouldn’t allow that. Teresa half-heartedly tries to stop Joe from maligning Melissa.Jeez, even the Wakiles get a camera crew. I'm starting to think the Lauritas put their foot down and demanded a Bravo-free Christmas morning. More power to them. Kathy gets Rich a new wedding band. Apparently he’s lost a few. A few? Joseph and Victoria buy Kathy a new laptop, and Victoria reads Kathy what may be the sweetest letter ever recorded for posterity on “Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Of course, Victoria is competing with Melissa’s “God bless you guys on your redone home.”
Al and Caroline are spending their Christmas morning without their kids for the first time, and he drives her over to one of the Route 80 underpasses where he proposed. That's how we roll in New Jersey. They park, and he gets out, opens her door, gets on one knee and presents her with another ring. Aw. Then I see the ring. That merits more than an “aw.” It’s quite a rock. It’s apparently part of the original engagement ring that Al gave her, but she hasn’t been able to wear the original in years because she’s gained a little bit of weight since she got married. (She’s been looking pretty spectacular recently, though – love that pink dress.)
At the Gorgas, Joe brings Melissa into her new recording studio. She wanted a blinged-out microphone, but other than that, she loves it. He’s pretty pleased with himself. “I put a lot of time and money into this studio, so I don’t have to worry about my wife being somewhere else," he tells us. "Locked her right in. Where is she now? She’s here with me.
Alexa Ray Joel
