Lipstick Jungle vs. Cashmere Mafia: Who Wins?
You know that scene in The Parent Trap where Hayley Mills and Hayley Mills realize they were separated at birth and their dreams of one big happy family were squashed because their parents just couldn’t get along?
Well, you might feel something similar watching this Thursday’s premiere of Lipstick Jungle on NBC, which at first glance seems a genetic carbon copy of that other Cashmere show.
See, the story has been told since last spring that Candace Bushnell (author of Sex and the City) and Darren Star (producer of Sex and the City) were working together on a TV version of her book Lipstick Jungle (Page Six even said they were living together at the time) but couldn’t see eye to eye. Hence, mommy and daddy separated and created two new series with very similar premises: Star’s Cashmere Mafia by ABC (which premiered last month) and Bushnell’s Lipstick Jungle by NBC (which premieres Thursday).
When you see Lipstick’s premiere ep, you may want to start singing, “Let’s get together, what do you say?” ‘Cause while Lipstick is, in my opinion, the better show, combining elements from the two series would make one fantastic series.
So, just because I'm so very helpful, I did a little head-to-head matchup between the shows. Read on to find out which show comes out ahead on such points as best man-candy or best working-mom character. It will also help you envision what might have been the ultimate post-SATC series: Cashmere Lipstick Mafia Jungle, from Candace Bushnell and Darren Star. Read on, and then post your vision for CLMJ in Comments.
The Category: The Plot
The Winner: Lipstick Jungle
LJ’s three high-powered women living in New York City somehow seem to click better than Cashmere’s four. The characters seem a bit more real, the storylines a bit more entertaining and, though it takes a few episodes to get into, Lipstick is ultimately the more addictive show because you actually care what happens to these women.
The Category: The Married Lady Who's Looking Elsewhere
The Winner: Nico (Kim Raver) from Lipstick Jungle
Sure, we can sympathize with Miranda Otto’s heartbroken character, Juliet, on Cashmere, since her bored husband had an extramarital affair and prompted her wandering eye, but Juliet is just too obnoxiously frigid and forced, whereas Kim Raver’s Nico does some very bad things (she’s the one with the wandering eye) and yet somehow manages to draw us in and make us like her. Besides, it's Kim Raver. Even Jack Bauer digs her.
The Category: The Single, Confused Chick Looking for Love
The Winner: Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) of Cashmere Mafia
We'll always love Lindsay Price, because she was Mrs. Steve Sanders on 90210, but her LJ character, Victory, is kind of annoying. And maybe we're still a little jealous of Bonnie Somerville 'cause she dated Zach Braff, but her flighty portrayal of Caitlin is cute. Plus, she's into gals and guys! Sorta hot. [Ed. note: Very hot.]
The Category: The Struggling, Juggling Mom
The Winner: Zoe (Frances O’Connor) from Cashmere Mafia
We children of the '70s can’t help but love Brooke Shields, but truth be told, her Lipstick character, Wendy, is waffly, wavering and the weakest link of the series, while Frances O’Connor’s similar character over on Cashmere is sincere and endearing.
The Category: The Powerful Exec Who Can't Find a Man
The Winner: Mia From Cashmere Mafia
This character doesn't really exist on Lipstick, so we really didn't have any other choice than to let Mia win by default. But really, it's because Lucy Liu is a former Charlie's Angel, and we don't feel like getting our asses kicked today.
The Category: The Man-Candy (Crucial to Any Chick Show!)
The Winner: Kirby Atwood (Robert Buckley) from Lipstick Jungle
His six-pack’s debut in the second episode alone is worth tuning in for. And though his storyline with Kim Raver’s very much married Nico will make you blush, it’s the most intriguing and ultimately surprising of any of the storylines. And did I mention the abs?
When you see LJ on Thursday, do come back to Comments and let us know which you prefer, okay?
Lindsay Lohan Biography
When it came time to find a young actress to assume the role of the twins (originated by Hayley Mills) for the 1998 remake of “The Parent Trap”, an exhaustive casting search occurred throughout the USA, Canada and even in London. Perhaps because the behind-the-scenes figures opted to avoid the obvious and cast the Olsen twins, thousands of girls were considered. After three callbacks and a screen test with stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson, auburn-haired, freckle-faced Long Islander Lindsay Lohan won the role. Although she was just eleven when she was cast, she had an impressive resume.
The oldest child of four born to former actors, Lohan became a child model at age three, purportedly the first red-haired child signed by the Ford Modeling Agency. TV commercials for various products followed, including a Jell-O spot with pitchman Bill Cosby. Lohan also had recurring roles on two daytime dramas (CBS’ “Guiding Light” and NBC’s “Another World”) before she landed the first movie role for which she ever auditioned. Playing separated at birth twins, one American and one British, for “The Parent Trap” remake, she turned in a delightful performance. Lohan next filmed the telepic “Life-Size” (2000)–originally a “Wonderful World of Disney” production later released on home video–opposite Tyra Banks as a Barbie-style doll come to life, part of Lohan’s three-picture deal with Disney. In 2000, Lohany was cast Bette Midler’s teen daughteer on the short-lived CBS sitcom “Bette” (2000). After shooting the pilot episode, the show’s producers decided it would be easier on the L.A.-based crew if filming moved to California, and Lindsay gave up the role to stay in New York, and the role was recast although the series was canceled shortly thereafter.
Lohan next played Lexy Gold in Disney Channel telepic “Get a Clue” (2002). The young actress also pursued a musical career when Emilio Estefan, Jr., took her under his professional wing in 2002. with a five-album production deal and the promise of an aggressive effort to sell her popular style “with a rock edge” to a major record label. She also has worked as a model for Abercrombie & Fitch Kids (A&F Kids) and Calvin Klein Kids.
Lohan continued her relationship with the Mouse Factory, signing on to play Anna Coleman in the theatrical remake of the body-swapping comedy “Freaky Friday” (2003) opposite Jamie Lee Curtis as the mother-and-daughter team who wake up one day in each other’s bodies. The film was a surprise summer, generating over $100 million at the box office, raising Lohan’s profile even further and landing her in a public fued with fellow teen queen Hilary Duff (the two briefly shared a boyfriend: singer Aaron Carter). Like Duff, she also incorporated her singing career into his acting gig, with the “Freaky Friday” soundtrack including her debut single, “Ultimate.” Lohan returned to the public eye carrying the girl-minded comedy “Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen” (2004) on her solo shoulders. Lohan played Lola, an egocentric teen who is uprooted from the home town that seemingly revolves around her and finds herself competing for attention in Manhattan, with grander and grander schemes. The actress provided vocals on four songs from the film’s soundtrack: “Drama Queen (That Girl),” “What Are You Waiting For,” “A Day in the Life” and a medley that incorporates the original song “Don’t Move On” with her take on Stevie Wonder’s “Living for the City” and David Bowie’s “Changes.”
Next up was a slightly edgier role, taking on the lead in “Mean Girls” (2004), a funny if familiar comedy penned by Tina Fey exploring in-fighting amongst a clique of catty high school girls. The film proved to be a box office success and firmly cemented Lohan’s star power, even beyond her teen and ‘tween core audience. Under the wing of new mentor Tommy Mottola, the famed head of Sony Music, Lohan also released her first full album, Speak, which swifty achieved platinum status, featuring the single “Rumors,” in which she decried the gossipy buzz that had suddenly surrounded her every move.
Indeed, the young actress’ rapidly maturing body and youthful sex appeal combined with a reputation for enjoying the Hollywood fast lane suddenly made her regular fodder for gossip magazines, which dutifully followed her denials about having received breast implants, her brief relationship with TV actor Wilmer Valderrama, her alleged hard-partying ways, an agressive paparazzi pursuit that resulted in a fender bender, and, after her figure had turned voluptuous and her titian hair became her trademark, her eyebrow-raising rapid weight loss (which the actress attributed to a healthier lifestyle) and new look as a blonde. The actress also had to deal with press reports regarding her estranged father Michael Lohan, whose alleged substance abuse and short temper (he reportedly threatened the lives of his ex-wife and children) resulted in several brushes with the law, including a legal restraining order preventing him from contact with his family and jail time for a litany of legal offenses including assaulting his brother-in-law at his son’s first communion party, violating terms of his restraining order and a 2005 drunk driving crash in which his vehicle struck a utility pole in Long Island and caught fire. Further estranging his famous daughter, he also sought to claim a percentage of his offspring’s earnings.
Despite all the lurid press, Lohan’s popularity continued unabated and Disney cast her in further family fare, this time the remake of the studio’s famous “Love Bug” franchise, “Herbie: Fully Loaded” (2005) as a young girl who inherits the legendary Volkswagen Beetle and takes to the NASCAR race circuit. The Mouse House did have some concerns about the then-voluptuous Lohan’s image for its young audiences in some scenes, and spent considerable sums to digitally decreade her burgeouning bust size when it was deemed distracting. Later in 2005 she was in her second auto accident of the year, again blaming pursuing paparazzi. her private life made headlines again when she confessed to Vanity Fair that she had indeed experienced an eating disorder, bulemia, that accounted for her significant weight loss, and was shocked back to healthy ways after she was confronted by “Saturday Night Live’s” Lorne Michaels and Tina Fey while hosting the show in 2005. She also admitted to experimenting with drugs. The cover story was released just as Lohan was hospitalized for a reported asthma attack in Miami after ringing in 2006 there. Within a week, Lohan denied having made the statements to the magazine, saying her words were “misconstrued and misconstructed” - The magazine stood by the story.
She joined the cast of Emilio Estevez’s independent film “Bobby” (lensed 2005), about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, and was set to costar in “Chapter 27″ (lensed 2006), an indie film about a woman who befriends Mark David Chapman during the weekend that he kills John Lennon
- Born:
on 07/02/1986 in Long Island, New York - Job Titles:
Actor, Model
Family
- Brother: Dakota Lohan. born on June 16, 1996
- Brother: Michael Lohan. born c. 1988
- Father: Michael Lohan. works in wholesale food business; appeared on the daytime drama “As the World Turns”
- Mother: Dina Lohan. was a Rockette
- Sister: Aliana Lohan. born c. 1994
Significant Others
- Companion: Brett Ratner. rumored to have had a brief fling in 2006
- Companion: James Burke.
- Companion: Wilmer Valderrama. began dating May 2004; split November 2004
Milestones
- 1989 At age three, signed as a Ford model; reportedly the first redheaded child to be put under contract (date approximate)
- 1996 Had recurring role of Alli Fowler on the NBC daytime drama “Another World”
- 1998 Feature film debut in the dual role of twins in the remake of “The Parent Trap”
- 2000 Played Bette Midler’s daughter in the pilot for the CBS fall sitcom “Bette”; replaced when production shifted from NYC to L.A.
- 2000 Starred in the ABC Disney movie “Life-Size”
- 2003 Co-starred as the daughter in the family feature “Freaky Friday”; directed by Mark S. Waters
- 2004 Guest-starred opposite current boyfriend Wilmer Valderrama on FOX’s “That ’70s Show”
- 2004 Hosted the MTV Movie Awards
- 2004 Re-teamed with director Mark S. Waters for the comedy “Mean Girls,” penned by SNL’s Tina Fey
- 2004 Released debut album, “Speak”
- 2004 Signed a long-term, multi-album contract with Tommy Mottola’s Casablanca Records
- 2005 Cast as Maggie Peyton, owner of Number 53–the free wheelin’ Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own in Disney’s “Herbie: Fully Loaded”
- 2006 Played Meryl Streep’s daughter in Robert Altman’s ensemble feature “A Prairie Home Companion,” based on Garrison Keilor’s radio program
- 2006 Played a sexy Manhattanite who has amazing luck wherever she goes in the comedy, “Just My Luck”
- Appeared on the CBS daytime drama “Guiding Light”
- Appeared with her mother in the TV series “Healthy Kids” (The Family Channel)
- Began appearing in TV commercials for The Gap, Jell-O, Pizza Hut and others
- Will co-star with Felicity Huffman and Jane Fonda in “Georgia Rule”