More from Mikey O'Connell
It’s the Bravo-conomy, Stupid!
Jennifer Aydin, a Real Housewives of New Jersey castmember, works the Glam Stage at BravoCon like a QVC pitchwoman. “Do you ever go to a plastic surgeon, and they put in filler and move it around?” she asks her rapt crowd, clutching a U-shaped pillow. “That’s because it moves. Sleep with one of these, and […]
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Next Gen 2023: The Hollywood Reporter’s 35 Rising Executives 35 and Under
In 1993, Jurassic Park (the first one) was the No. 1 movie at the box office, The X-Files went to air and THR debuted its first list of the top 35 Hollywood execs 35 and under. In the 30 years that followed, Next Gen alums have created cinematic universes (Kevin Feige was selected in 2003) […]
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To Grow More, Chip and Joanna Gaines May Look Beyond Waco
Chip and Joanna Gaines may be approaching a saturation point in Waco. Since the couple first let cameras roll on their home renovation operation with 2013’s Fixer Upper, an unrivaled hit for then-network HGTV, the Gaineses have managed to transform their Central Texas town into the hub for a thriving entertainment and lifestyles brand. There, […]
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Inside Cris Abrego and Eva Longoria’s Hollywood Incubator to “Service Creator Ambition”
Cris Abrego, quite fittingly, has had one of the more surreal career trajectories in entertainment. A reality producer who got his start logging tapes for Road Rules before going on to create aughts hits such as Flavor of Love, Celebrity Paranormal Project and The Surreal Life, he segued to the C-suite after the 2008 acquisition […]
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A ‘Real Housewives’ Novice Spends 52 Hours at BravoCon
“Oh, honey, what are you doing here?” This is the response, delivered in a “bless your heart” drawl, from a Memphis woman when I reveal that Top Chef is my preferred Bravo series. “That’s Bravo light,” she scoffs. “You’re not going to find any of that this weekend.” Her visible concern starts to subside when […]
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Ramona Singer Goes Unmentioned by Castmates During Former ‘Real Housewives of New York’ BravoCon Panel
If anyone was going to have something substantive to say about Bethenny Frankel’s current campaign against Bravo and the Real Housewives franchise, it was going to be her former Real Housewives of New York castmates. But when asked about the Frankel’s attempted “takedown” of the franchise by a fan during a panel for Ultimate Girls […]
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Shade and Loathing at BravoCon: Boos for Sandoval and a Skosh of Diplomacy When ‘Vanderpump Rules’ Cast Assembles
Coachella planners would never casually drop Ariana Grande on a Friday afternoon, so it was unexpected (and, perhaps, a bit of a relief?) that BravoCon scheduled the cast of Vanderpump Rules just a few hours into day one. The panel marked the first time the group spoke in a public forum since that contentious, three-part […]
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Shade and Loathing at BravoCon: Andy Cohen Addresses “Reality Reckoning,” Bethenny Frankel During First Panel
It was exactly 33 minutes into the first panel on the first day of BravoCon 2023 when Andy Cohen was asked about the current “reality reckoning” and the campaign against Bravo (and other networks’) treatment of talent led by former Real Housewives star Bethenny Frankel. A schoolchildren’s chorus of “oooohs” came from the thousands-strong crowd […]
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TV Revivals Keep Getting Greenlit … and Canceled
TV’s IP fetish is no coincidence. Recognizable titles and stars can guarantee strong initial tune-in off of modest marketing. But long-term results are lackluster. Just look at the past decade’s worth of revivals. Different from reboots or remakes, risky ventures in their own right, a revival features original castmembers of long-departed series revisiting characters for […]
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Fisher Stevens on Getting David Beckham to Talk, That Rolls-Royce Moment and Making Athletes Emotional
Almost two weeks ago, Netflix dropped its Beckham docuseries — giving viewers perhaps the most access ever to the soccer star subject. That has less to do with the project’s four-plus-hour runtime, however, than it does with the fact that David Beckham, for all of his fame, has never been much of a talker. “I don’t […]
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Oscars Set Creative Team for 2024 Telecast
Hollywood still has a bit of work to do before the 2024 Oscars are actually within grasp, but the Academy and telecast partner ABC just cleared a few of the annual hurdles to ensure a live show — setting a producing team, a returning director and a first-time showrunner. Live TV and go-to Las Vegas residency […]
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Rachel Maddow Won’t Abandon You: “Every Time a President Gets Arrested, I Promise I’ll Be There”
Two years after signing a landmark deal that kept her at MSNBC but reduced her workload to one hour of live TV each Monday, Rachel Maddow stepping back from the hustle of a nightly cable news show is looking a lot less relaxing than it did on paper. She has filled the void left by those […]
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