I had tweeted some of my thoughts from this whole experience today. Before I had thought that this blog is not about my feelings it's about Russ. Today I realize that my feelings and thoughts about Russ' life, death and feelings since are very relavent to Russ. I have pretty strong feelings about what Taylor Armstrong and Bravo have done to my friend's name. Russ and I were close before we could drive. We were good friends our whole life. Russ told me things not many people knew about Taylor. I know why certain things Taylor says are lies. For instance he first attacked her because she had not given his boys vegetables with their pizza. In fact both the boy's mothers and the rest of Russ' family know that is a lie because of one fact. One of the boys only eats cheese pizza. Russ told me stories such as the one Taylor strangled him as they were driving down the road with two kids in the car. I first saw Taylor's story about the attack involving pizza and vegetables on the set of Dr. Phil. I had heard all her accusations but was not watching any of the press because I was so upset by not just his death but his character assasination. They can say what they want but I recently watched a clip where someone from Bravo was on a show saying Russ was a monster because he had a domestic violence arrest at an earlier date and that means Taylor is telling the truth. I would venture more than half the males in America have an arrest and it might not always tell the whole story. If you have not seen the interview with Russ' first wife Barbara on Inside Edition I encourage you to watch it. http://stoopidhousewives.com/2011/10/26/real-housewives-of-beverly-hills-russell-armstrong-russells-son-aiden-appears-on-inside-edition/ She has told me over and over there is no way Russ did that to Taylor. As most readers know I don't watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. I hardly saw any of the ones that were on when Russ was alive much less the tasteless episodes they went ahead and ran after his death. It's not like it was Bravo's tribute to Russell Armstrong much like "The Crow" was for Brandon Lee. To use some of Russ' final words to me, "Everybody is piling on". Russ had no idea Bravo would continue to pile on along with Taylor after his death. He would get the opposite of a tribute. He would have his legacy torn to shreads because he lost his rights when he died. No the less I am angray with Taylor and Bravo. I found out about Russ' death at work. I went straiht home and stood in one place for hours. I called another one of Russ' closest friends and had a break down. I called Russ' sister to give her support and broke down. Keep in mind I have worked in a gym most of my adult life. I'm about as tough of a person as your going to meet. I obviously have a sensitive side but I don't have emotional melt downs. 99% of the time I am the one calm person when everyone else is freaking out. Then to hear Taylor and Bravo take advantage of the fact Russ was dead and couldn't speak for himself. Bravo wants the public to think Russ was a monstor sickens me. Now I hear from regular watchers of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that the other housewives originally didn't believe her but as I recall Taylor said something like it was an "open secret" among the cast. Which is it? They didn't believe her or it was an open secret. I don't want to go into all my questions in this blog but get to my point. I had back surgery two summers ago. I just had my shoulder replaced last month. I am looking at a back fusion as soon as my shoulder heels and both my knees need replaced. A few years ago I had a business partnership end on a bad note that has caused ongoing stress. I am trying to get a new business going since training people in my gym is probably not a very good plan for my future. I work at least twelve hours a day with bilatteral siatica by the end of each day. I'm not a reality star or anyone famous. I am a small business owner who has worked in gyms most of his life. I am just a regular guy. The guy who I speant more free time with and had a closer friendship with than anyone else in my life happened to be someone who ended up with a little fame in life and more in death. Russ had something Taylor never had or any of the executives at Bravo I would venture to guess. Russ has a friend who he still means enough to that he will take time out of his life that is filled with an overwelming amount of stress and physical pain to try to change the perception of people a hand full at a time, while trying to give readers a glimpse of his true personality. Could the Russ Bravo and Taylor have shown to the public have ever had that kind of friendship? Of course not.
One quick story. I was a lot more judgemental of people when I was young as most people are. When we were about 15 I referred to someone as being a loser for whatever reason. Russ stopped me and said they were not losers and in words long forgotten explained to me that we didn't know their situation. Wise words coming from a 15 year old who would be portrayed as "heartless" on Reality tv.
Russell never appeared to me to be an abuser, Taylor did. When they were told they couldn't go into the white party, Russell suggested they go back to Vegas. You could tell by Taylor's face that she was angry, then they went home. Russell's face as he closed the door on his home was one of sadness, I believe because he knew that Taylor was going to flip out on him.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the loss of a great friend, I am more sorry to see that you had to write this in defense of your friend. I am perhaps one of the few people, I guess the minority that did see through Taylor's manipulative & aggressive behavior, ironically enough I was a real victim of domestic violence, know the symptoms & behaviors, she "acted" the part transparently, but I felt that there were many untruths. Many have felt as I, and the minority is quickly becoming the majority in view of her vile behavior since Russell's death. Stay strong, keep his memory alive in your heart & be thankful to God to have put him in your path! God bless!
ReplyDeleteLettyRod if it gives you comfort know that there are many of us who saw through Taylor since day 1. She was aggressive, two faced and not trustworthy in Season 1. This year she just got a lot worse. I have had friends who were victims and their signs were so much different and they always had some bruises or unexplained stiffness, typically trying to project that maybe they were accident prone and subject to lots of falls. Whenever I reached out to a friend to ask if they needed support, I always got a response and an ask for help, even if it was just a shoulder to cry on and always a promise that they could call on me day or night especially if they needed an escape to a safe haven. I think Taylor watched as her house of cards was going to tumble and because she is a natural born grifter she did what came natural to her, she threw Russell under the bus. I believe that she was a major contributor to what ultimately happened to Russell and thanks to justice, ultimately I believe she will be held accountable. Randy you keep on fighting the good fight, you have lots of supporters behind you who want to see justice for Russell and his loved ones (friends and family alike).
ReplyDeleteRandy, I would seriously recommend tuning in to the reunion Monday night. Andy Cohen from Bravo has stated that the tough questions for Taylor would be addressed then. You could, at the very least, have more ammunition to attack more of her lies. While I do think the ladies of RHOBH initially didn't believe Taylor, I suspect a few, or some, may have changed their minds after she showed up at SUR with the infamous black eye. Alas, the visible, tangible evidence they had been seeking... While I do understand completely your disgust with Bravo for going ahead with the season, I would like you to know that for me, the airing of the series vindicated Russell of the abuse I was originally willing to believe he had been alleged to have perpetrated. After seeing how the siuation unfolded and how Taylor had lied/manipulated him and the other housewives, it became very clear to me that Russell was a victim of Taylor. Taylor has a greed and a need for attention, fame, acceptance, worship, admiration, blah-blah, etc that I have never seen to this extent in another human being before. For me, Bravo didn't vilify Russell...they vindicated him. Maybe someday you will want to see the series. If so, I hope you can see what me and many others have seen. Yes, there are those who believe and support her but in the big picture, the backlash against her after the series aired has been bigger than any other HW has had to endure. The truth is coming out, albeit slowly. Hang in there and continue to spread the word. Russ was fortunate to have a friend like you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Kat. I was mortified learning that Bravo would continue to air footage of Russell after his death. But in doing so, i now know that any doubt I had to wether Taylor was truly abuse are now gone. My sister is a survivor of domestic violence. She is one of the lucky ones. Her husband ended up shooting her and he went to prison. She is very lucky to be alive today and 20 years later she still suffers emotionally from it all. Taylor does not display the true signs of DV. She does in fact display all the signs of an abuser. God forgive me if I'm wrong but in my heart this is what I believe. Randy, I also suffer from terrible back pain, sciatica, nerve and muscle damage. I had a 3 level fusion on my lower back a little over 3 years ago from an auto accident. My heart goes out to you. I still suffer tremendously everyday. The fusion went well, unfortunately I suffered other side effects and complications from my surgery and accident that has left me almost completely bedridden. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. It sounds like you are a very strong man both physically and mentally. That is what will get you through this with flying colors! God bless!
DeleteMy prayers go out to you. It's impossible to explain to someone who has not experienced that kind of pain.
DeleteI am so sorry that you have endured so many physical challenges recently and have more surgeries to face. Any one of these would be difficult, but I cannot imagine having all of these in combination. My very best wishes to you, Randy, for the best recovery possible.
ReplyDeleteMy husband had a total knee replacement almost 3 yrs. ago and it has been very successful. You likely know already that total commitment to physical therapy is necessary for a good outcome, and P.T. is very difficult after surgery. However, you'll have much more mobility in the long run. I know someone who was inconsistent with P.T. because of discomfort, and she has a lot of scar tissue now which has made it extremely difficult for her to bend her knee. She's facing a revision--not fun--because she didn't do the necessary P.T.
This past Sat., I attended a conference where a specialist in total hip and total knee surgeries, in addition to traditional orthopedic surgery, was the keynote speaker. A question was asked regarding having both knees done at the same time. Obviously, some people have chosen this route. However, the ortho. surgeon recommended having one knee done at a time if there are other skeletal issues, which you obviously have. To repeat, one knee replacement is hard enough to handle during P.T. By doing one at a time, you can achieve a better result from your P.T. work. It is excruciatingly hard to work on both together, although some people continue to make this choice. For total knee replacement surgery, patients are not intubated and general anesthesia is not used, but instead regional anesthesia (spinal) and nerve blocks are given. The advantage of this is that there are fewer post-op risks like blood clots, etc. My husband has a high level of pain tolerance (unlike wimpy me), and after his surgery, he repeatedly said he cannot imagine someone having both knees done at the same time. The most pain he had was when they did the nerve block, and that's something I've heard echoed by others, too.
In view of the fact that you have been going through a great amount of physical pain, Randy, I must commend your steadfast support of your friend Russell. Please know that more and more people have been discerning enough to realize that Taylor is a pathological liar, opportunist, and narcissist. In fact, you should go to Amazon, look up her book on pre-order, and view the list of very unfavorable traits she is associated with that have been placed there by RHOBH viewers. Undoubtedly there will be people who go to her upcoming book signings because they want to be around "a celebrity"(???), plus she has her Twitter follower fans. However, the majority of viewers will discontinue watching RHOBH if she returns for Season 3. I had to stop watching many weeks ago because of her insatiable need to grab camera time with her theatrical "breakdowns" without tears.
The MMR lawsuit will proceed in a matter of months, and I hope that the investigators working for MMR will have uncovered real proof regarding her culpability in this fraud and her multiple acts of deception.
I'm sure your friend--and all the people in your life right now--would want you to concentrate upon your health and road to recovery. Taylor's multiple layers of lies have become far too cumbersome for her to manage now, so people feel true disgust for her. Your efforts on behalf of helping people to better-understand Russell have been a great tribute to him. I'm sure his family is grateful.
Sending you healing thoughts. Good luck!
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ReplyDeleteSH has posted an exerpt from Shana's book that I find interesting considering I thought Russell had to marry Shana because she got pregnant. I was not aware they planned to have kids when they weren't even married. Want to shed some light on your blog or SH website please for all of us who can't stand Shana lying about Russell
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you have endured so many physical
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