It's the Cashmere Mafia edition of She Made Me Watch This! In this episode, Lori and I analyze what works and what doesn't in the first two episodes of the new ABC drama series, including:

• what changes were made from the original pilot
• why we love Caitlin and the way Bonnie Somerville plays her
• why we hate what the writers have done to Zoe's character
• Juliet's makeover, and what's still missing in her story line
• Mia's bad pirate sleeves, and good mentoring skills
• the wonder of spreadsheets and their many uses
• lots and lots of Caitlin and Alicia!

We also show some of the lesbian story line scenes, and Lori gives tips for succeeding in the workplace (here's one: don't sleep with co-workers!).

And we wear business suits! In memory of the days when we actually had to wear something besides jeans to work.

The latest AfterEllen.com content related to the lesbian/bisexual characters Caitlin (Bonnie Sommerville) and Alicia (Lourdes Benedicto) on ABC's Cashmere Mafia.

Brooke Shields attended the Rockefeller Center tree lighting ceremony to promote NBC’s Lipstick Jungle, which will premiere Thursday, February 7, in ER’s slot (after ER runs out of original episodes).

Along with Shields, the series stars Kim Raver and Lindsay Price as three high-powered executives in New York City. It’s based on a bestselling book by Candace Bushnell about a jungle full of lipstick-wearing animals. Or something like that.

While we’re generally happy to see series that feature strong female roles, Lipstick’s review by our resident TV critics, Lori and Sarah, was not exactly stellar. OK, they hated it. Hop over and view the preview, then join me in saying “eww.” … continue reading

The first segment of our video blog this week is a rundown of the glitzy ABC Summer Press Tour Party Lori and I attended Thursday night, in which we eavesdropped (unsuccessfully) on Miranda Otto, admired Dana Delany's power walk, met Pushing Daisies creator Bryan Fuller, had a run-in with Anne Heche's publicist, and chatted with Bonnie Somerville. Among other things.

Before we get to the video, here are a few photos from the party:

Dana Delany and Lucy Liu

Bonnie Somerville and Miranda Otto

… continue reading

This is a live blog from the bi-annual Television Critics Association conference. See previous TCA posts here.

It's time for the highlight of the conference, for me at least: the panel for Cashmere Mafia, the only new show next season with a prominent lesbian character, played by Bonnie Somerville (pictured below on the far left).

The cast — Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto, Frances O'Connor, and Bonnie Somerville — is joined on stage by writer Kevin Wade, executive producer Darren Star, and some exec named Jeff (didn't catch his last name).

All four of the women look great, although Lucy's wearing a bright pink number that's the same color as a prom dress I wore in high school, with some kind of red mock scarf thingie.

The Q&A kicks off with a topic that will prove to be a popular one at the session: Sex and the City, and how it relates to this show. Darren Star insists, "I wasn't thinking of Sex and the City when I sold this idea." He says he initially got the idea for Cashmere Mafia when Gail Katz talked about women she went to business school with at Yale.

A reporter comments that he was disappointed there was only one scene in which someone was actually wearing cashmere. Bonnie jokingly asks the reporter to marry her (because he knows what cashmere is), but he says he has to go pick up his wife at the airport. Bonnie quips back, "That's okay. My character would probably like that." Five minutes in and already with the lesbian jokes? A good sign! … continue reading

Over the past couple of years, ABC has become the most-watched network among women ages 18-49, and the network that brought us Desperate Housewives isn't about to give up its mantle this fall. ABC announced today that it has ordered seven new dramas, four new comedies and one new alternative series (an Oprah Winfrey feel-good philanthropy reality show) for the fall 2007 season, and nearly all of them aim to lure in female viewers. Here are the highlights:

Private Practice: The Grey's Anatomy spinoff about Addison Montgomery's (Kate Walsh) new life in Los Angeles after leaving McDreamy and McSteamy behind. Here's a shot of the entire cast:

Pushing Daisies: This one-hour "blend of romance, crime procedural and high-concept fantasy" is about a man who can bring people to life (or kill them) with a touch. Word is that this is one of the best bets this fall, and it stars Kristin Chenoweth (Running With Scissors). Here she is seducing us all with a pie: … continue reading

Now that ABC has officially picked up Cashmere Mafia — a drama series about four successful 30-something friends climbing the ladder in their respective careers, starring Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto, Frances O'Connor and Bonnie Somerville — we're finally going to get at least one lesbian/bi character on network TV next season. And I have the lowdown for you!

First, a disclaimer: this info is based on the initial casting calls for the pilot. Pilots often undergo re-writes, re-shoots and other changes along the way to airing on your television set, so it's very likely that some details will change — names, dialogue, plot points. Whole story lines can be dropped, even, although usually only the minor ones, unless the pilot is completely re-done. It's not very likely that the lesbian/bi character would suddenly become straight, for example. But Lucy Liu's character Dylan was originally described in the casting sides as having "blonde good looks." Obviously, that didn't happen.

So what follows is just how the pilot started out — where it ended up, we'll have to wait to find out. But it will at least give you an idea of the basic characters involved, the sensibility of the show and what kind of tone the writers are aiming for.

Now, on to the details!

Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) is a cosmetics industry VP in her late 30s described in the initial scripts as "a Boston Irish working girl transformed into a saucily attractive Jil Sander suit." This is what she looks like:

In the pilot, Caitlin finds herself inexplicably attracted to a woman she hires named Alicia, who is described as "37, British, with a striking physical beauty made all the more appealing by a disarmingly scattered, un-self-conscious air. Men want to be with her, women want to be like her." (No word yet on who has been cast in this role.) … continue reading