Real Housewives

"Real Housewives of DC" stars Tareq and Michaele Salahi barely survived the East Coast earthquake that sent crippling shockwaves through their Virginia winery yesterday -- and TMZ has footage of the post-quake DEVASTATION.

Tareq shot the footage himself moments after the disaster. We still don't know how he made it out alive.

The doctor who performed surgery on Taylor Armstrong the night her husband Russell beat her did not report the incident to police ... even though medical professionals must report suspected domestic abuse ... sources tell TMZ.

As TMZ first reported, Taylor revealed to her "Real Housewives" cast mates that Russell beat her so badly in June, she ended up in the hospital with broken bones in her cheek.

Sources say the police never interviewed Taylor following the beating ... something they would have done had there been a report of domestic violence.

We're told the doctor who performed the surgery was NOT Adrienne Maloof's hubby, Dr. Paul Nassif.

The L.A. County Coroner's office wants to interview Taylor Armstrong about Russell Armstrong's death ... TMZ has learned after placing several calls to the Coroner.

We're told the Coroner has a number of questions about things she knows about Russell, including:

-- Russell's medical history
-- Medication history
-- References he may have made about suicide
-- State of mind in the weeks preceding his death

As TMZ first reported, Taylor was on the property where Russell committed suicide when his body was discovered, however she left before the Coroner arrived. The Coroner's office has contacted Taylor about an interview, but they have not heard back from her.

Alexis Bellino from "Real Housewives of Orange County" is out for justice -- threatening a legal FIRESTORM ... after a tabloid rag claimed she was going broke.

It's all over an issue of In Touch Weekly that came out earlier this month -- the cover of which shows a picture of Alexis, over the caption "Bankrupt!" ... but it gets worse.

Inside the magazine, the article reads, "Bankrupt! Evicted! Foreclosed! Housewives Are Going Broke" -- continuing, "After selling off her home at a fraction of its cost to avoid foreclosure, Alexis Bellino still refuses to admit she and her husband ... have money troubles."

But Alexis claims it's all BS -- and her lawyer fired off a nasty cease and desist letter on Thursday, demanding In Touch retract its "patent, malicious, and libelous comments."

The death of Russell Armstrong has put the spotlight on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and reality TV. Is it just plain ol' entertainment or has it crossed the line into the danger zone? We want to know ...

Taylor Armstrong and Russell Armstrong's parents are in agreement -- Russell will be cremated in Los Angeles and the funeral will be held in L.A. as well ... TMZ has learned.

Taylor's family law attorney, Troy Christiansen, tells TMZ, Taylor is "outraged" at attorney Ron Richards, who has said Taylor and her lawyer lied when they said they had looped Russell's family in on the funeral arrangements.

Richards claimed that Taylor excluded Russell's family from any decisions.

As we reported, there was a conflict over whether Russell's body would stay in L.A. or be taken to Texas, but Christiansen says it's all been resolved and everyone is in agreement.

Bravo is in the process of re-editing the second season of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" due to Russell Armstrong's suicide ... according to the network.

The turmoil between Russell and Taylor Armstrong was a key storyline on the show's first season -- and sources have told us Russell was concerned about being portrayed as a villain.

Taylor Armstrong secretly revealed to cast members she was beaten so badly by Russell Armstrong she had to undergo surgery -- and when he found out she spilled the beans, he sent Camille Grammer a chilling, threatening email ... this according to multiple sources connected with the show.

We're told ... in late June, as "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" was shooting season 2 ... Taylor was severely beaten. Sources say Russell hit her in the face so hard he cracked bones in her cheeks. Sources say there are pictures of the injuries and they are "horrific."

Taylor -- who was hospitalized as a result of the beating -- tried to keep it a secret, but she had a big problem ... she couldn't show her face for weeks, and she feared she'd be fired for appearing to be uncooperative and flaky.

Sources say Taylor confided in Camille Grammer and Kyle Richards ... both of whom urged Taylor to tell Bravo what really happened.

We're told Taylor went home and told Russell about her conversation with the two women and the outrage they had shown when they heard what happened. Russell reacted by sending Camille a "very threatening" email. One source who read it said, "It was the rantings of a lunatic."

As for Taylor, her injuries were so bad ... shooting was delayed for several weeks.

Bravo will not have "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cameras rolling when Russell Armstrong's funeral takes place ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell us there's some turmoil at the network -- while everyone realizes Russell's death will make the show more dramatic and watchable ... they're also nervous about pushing the envelope too far.

We're told Bravo doesn't know how much Russell footage, if any, will air in the show's second season -- but the one thing everyone agrees on is not taping the funeral services.

Russell Armstrong's parents and his estranged wife, Taylor Armstrong, are thousands of miles apart in a heated battle over where Russell's remains will end up.

Multiple sources close to Taylor tell us the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star is not only planning a memorial for Russell -- she also wants him to be buried at a Los Angeles area cemetery.

But Russell's attorney Ron Richards says his former client's parents want their son's body returned to Texas -- where they live -- for cremation.

As TMZ first reported, Taylor and Russell had been back in touch recently -- despite the fact she filed for divorce last month.

Russell Armstrong begged a friend for anxiety drugs days before his death ... TMZ has learned.

Armstrong's longtime friend and confidante Russ McCullough -- who appeared on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" last season -- tells us, he met Armstrong for dinner recently ... and things had reached a new low.

According to McCullough, Armstrong couldn't afford to pay for his meal -- and when the subject turned to his divorce, Armstrong said, "This is as bad as it gets."

Armstrong also said he was distraught over his negative portrayal on the show ... and feared he'd never recover from the ordeal -- so McCullough gave him a Xanax pill to take the edge off.

We're told Armstrong called McCullough 3 days before his death, asking for a "full bottle" of Xanax -- but McCullough suspected something was seriously wrong ... and refused out of fear Armstrong might abuse the pills.

It's no surprise, but the L.A. County Coroner has just made it official ... Russell Armstrong's cause of death was suicide by hanging.

We're told toxicology results are pending, but as we first reported -- no drugs or alcohol were found in the bedroom where Armstrong died Monday night.

It will take 6 to 8 weeks to complete the toxicology results.

There has been a buzz about a mysterious injury Taylor Armstrong suffered just 4 days before her estranged husband, Russell, committed suicide, but Taylor's friends insist the cut above her eye was not inflicted by him.

Taylor's friends tell TMZ ... the injury occurred while she was playing a game of football.

One of the most recognizable stars of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" waxed poetic minutes ago about the death of Taylor Armstrong​'s estranged husband -- but there's one problem ... the star is Lisa Vanderpump's dog.

You read that correctly -- Lisa's tiny Pomeranian Giggy, which has over 32,000 followers on Twitter, went public with its feelings this morning, writing, "A very sad time...I look at life a little differently today..my heart aches for@TaylorArmstrong .."

Sure, it's a bogus Twitter account -- but we still gotta ask ...

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Taylor Armstrong was at her estranged husband's house when his body was discovered, TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Taylor tell us, she and Russell had been regularly communicating and were supposed to meet on Monday afternoon, but he was a no-show. She became worried and began calling his friends, but none of them had heard from him.

Taylor became increasingly alarmed and began frantically texting and phoning Russell, to no avail.

On Monday evening, Taylor and a friend went to the home where Russell was staying. They found the owner of the home on the property. While Taylor watched, the owner peered through Russell's bedroom window and saw his lifeless body hanging.

As TMZ first reported, the owner called 911 and Russell was declared dead at 8:16 PM. Taylor believes Russell had been dead for hours.

We're told Taylor stayed at the house for hours after the body was found.