HISTORICAL TV DRAMAS EVERY TEEN SHO... Nov 28, 2008
With a stellar cast that includes Hilary Swank, Frances O'Connor, Angelica Houston and Patrick Dempsey, the movie does not flinch away from the brutality that women suffered while in American prisons: They are stripped of clothing and bathed in front of guards, denied food and water, force fed with metal contraptions and denied access to their children as their rebellion was often interpreted as mental instability. And yet, through it all, these women held firm to their goal. (Suite101.com)
Three Dollars Sep 7, 2008
On the face of it, Eddie and his wife, Tanya - played by Frances O'Connor - have a right to expect whatever they desire. She's a university tutor with a thesis in the works and what looks to be a burgeoning career as an academic, and he's a chemical engineer with the Department of Planning and Environment. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
The week's best films on TV Jun 14, 2008
Passion blossoms, but unfortunately for her, he also bewitches the rest of her family: sisters Frances O'Connor and Charlotte Bradley, Mum Rosaleen Linehan, brother Alan Maher - they all swoon before him. Thursday June 19. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Click for Full Story Jun 12, 2008
Actress Frances O'Connor is 41. Blues musician Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 31. (KWTX.com, TX)
US Kath & Kim get a better timeslot May 28, 2008
Cashmere Mafia, set in Manhattan and starring Australian actresses Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto, has been dropped by America's ABC network after just seven episodes and mediocre ratings. It aired in Australia on the Nine Network. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Lady, what's your mane? Mar 15, 2008
It's a pity that Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto, Bonnie Somerville and Lucy Liu are playing out a pantomime of 21st-century femininity. The rather strange truth that close female friends are often uniquely qualified to help each other is horribly sullied by this pack of poorly dressed harpies. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Through the glass ceiling Feb 25, 2008
" Cashmere Mafia's women are mostly - at least to start with - happily partnered up and happily successful. In the drama, Otto plays Juliet Draper, chief operating officer of a successful hotel chain, who has a husband, family and life the envy of her friends. Those friends are magazine publisher Mia Mason (played by Lucy Liu), managing director Zoe Burden (Frances O'Connor) and marketing executive Caitlin Dowd (Bonnie Somerville). A group that banded together at business school - where they... (Sydney Morning Herald)
Cashmere Mafia fails to draw crowds Feb 24, 2008
1 million viewers tuned in for last night's debut of the US TV series, which stars Australians Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor. It was only the ninth most watched show of the night and drew audiences well below Seven's RSPCA Animal Rescue, which picked up almost 1. (NEWS.com.au)
Cashmere Mafia Feb 20, 2008
Otto and the other cast members - including fellow Australian Frances O'Connor - put in perfectly credible performances but it's hard to care for their characters, even when they are softened by imperfect marriages and confused sexuality. Then again, they are part of a mafia and mafiosi usually aren't meant to be likeable. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Miranda Otto talks about her new role in Cashmere Mafia Feb 20, 2008
Otto, who is joined in the cast by Lucy Liu (magazine publisher Mia Mason) and fellow Aussie Frances O'Connor (investment banker Zoe Burden), says Cashmere Mafia's greatest immediate challenge is to stamp its own identity on the TV-drama landscape. She's optimistic that comparisons with SATC will wane and that her show can attract plenty of viewers. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Work to rule Feb 18, 2008
Bonnie Somerville, Julian Ovenden, Frances O'Connor, Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto and Peter Hermann ... The four leads, described in the press kit as "ambitious, sexy" women who have been friends since business school, are publishing executive Mia Mason (Lucy Liu), investment banker Zoe Burden (Australia's Frances O'Connor), luxury hotel executive Juliet Draper (Australia's Miranda Otto) and cosmetics marketing maven Caitlin Dowd (Bonnie Somerville) ... Bonnie Somerville, Julian Ovenden, Frances... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Cat fight in the city Feb 7, 2008
Character: The down-to-earth Zoe Burden (Frances O'Connor). Job: A deal broker in high finance, she has to fight off the schemes of a sexy young intern happy to sleep her way to the top. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
'Lipstick' similar to 'Cashmere' Jan 28, 2008
While "Cashmere" focuses on four hard-driving Manhattan career women (played by Lucy Liu, Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville), "Lipstick" focuses on three hard-driving Manhattan career women (played by Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Lindsay Price). On both shows, glam gals support one another in matters personal and professional, as each pursues the manifesto of Having It All. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Lee Grant's Outtakes: Ravings, rants, quirks and quibbles Jan 22, 2008
We make more money, Lucy Liu, who with business school friends Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville rationalize their woes with men, ABC's insipid Cashmere Mafia. How come Republicans in Iowa went for Mike Huckabee, who was endorsed by the star of 'Missing in Action' (Chuck Norris), instead of John McCain, who was actually missing in action. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Lucy Liu returns to TV Jan 15, 2008
She gets down to business in "Cashmere Mafia" (Wednesdays, 10 p.m. EST), leading an ensemble that includes Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville. Liu plays aggressive publishing executive Mia Mason who, despite being head-to-polished-toe together, has a troubled personal life. (AZCentral -- Entertainment)
Fake 'Cashmere' chafes Jan 6, 2008
It's like a business-suit "Sex ity," starring Lucy Liu, estrogen and Frances O'Connor. Liu plays Mia, a magazine muckety-muck who competes against her fiance for a big job. (Chicago Sun-Times)
'Cashmere' takes us into lives of ladies in the business world Jan 6, 2008
But with great responsibility comes great problems, so while Mia (Liu) and her pals Zoe (Frances O'Connor), Juliet (Miranda Otto) and Caitlin (Bonnie Somerville) conquer the worlds of publishing, finance, advertising and cosmetics, they must also deal with troublesome fiances, cheating husbands, disappearing nannies and sexual-identity issues. Or as Zoe the frazzled working-mom says, That whole having-it-all thing, I think it's a crock. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
'Cashmere Mafia' lacks 'Sex' appeal Jan 5, 2008
British actress Frances O'Connor plays Zoe, an investment banker who may be sacrificing not only her husband but her two kids to a vampiric woman who's trying to charm Zoe's family away from her ... Starring: Lucy Liu, Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto, Bonnie Somerville, Peter Hermann. (Boston Globe)
Star creates new 'Mafia' Jan 4, 2008
Lucy Liu, Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville star as best friends from business school. They're a "cashmere mafia" who bond to help each other through the corporate jungle. (Sioux City Journal, IO)
Power and money motivate women in shallow 'Cashmere' Jan 4, 2008
Andrew Eccles/ABC "Cashmere Mafia" stars, from left, Miranda Otto, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor and Lucy Liu ... Zoe (Frances O'Connor) is torn between her children and her big-shot job when the kids interrupt a meeting. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
Lost in showbiz Jan 4, 2008
and Frances O'Connor; and hereafter we have ABC's official summary of the show: "Four ambitious, sexy women who have been best friends since business school try to have it all in glamorous New York City.". Mm. Does expensive footwear ensue. (Guardian Unlimited)
Get up close and personal with the 'Mafia' girls Jan 3, 2008
ZOE BURDEN Played by Brit Frances O'Connor. Marital status: Married with two kids and in desperate need of a nanny. (USA Today -- Life)
Women of 'Cashmere Mafia' suit themselves Jan 3, 2008
Mia Mason (Lucy Liu) is a publishing whiz with a shaky personal life, Zoe Burden (Frances O'Connor) is an investment banker with two kids she barely sees, Juliet Draper (Miranda Otto) works as a hotel executive while dealing with major marital issues, and Caitlin Dowd (Bonnie Somerville) is a marketing pro who finds herself attracted to another woman ... Powerful women: Cashmere Mafia won't follow Miranda Otto, left, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor and Lucy Liu shopping. (USA Today)
Pass the remote Dec 31, 2007
Star factor Two Australians - Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor - in a cast of four. Risk factor Sex and the City is out on DVD, with no ads. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Aussie shows get rollout Dec 29, 2007
Welcome to The Courier-Mail. December 28, 2007 11:00pm. (Courier Mail)
ABC's 'Cashmere Mafia' hits a snag Nov 6, 2007
From Sony Pictures TV, "Cashmere Mafia" stars Lucy Liu, Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville as successful, driven women in New York City. Darren Star, Kevin Wade, Jeff Rake, Gail Katz and Michael Pressman are exec producers. (Variety)
Manhattan's new Miranda Oct 13, 2007
The cast of Cashmere Mafia including Australians Frances O'Connor (far left) and Miranda Otto (far right) ... Otto, who in real life is part of the Otto theatrical dynasty and a working mum, is joined in the cast by Frances O'Connor, another Australian, though no one in the US would know it ... The cast of Cashmere Mafia including Australians Frances O'Connor (far left) and Miranda Otto (far right). (Sydney Morning Herald)
John Doyle writes">Doyle's guide to fall TV Sep 15, 2007
Lucy Liu, Frances O'Connor, Miranda Otto and Bonnie Somerville play four women living in Manhattan with great jobs but complicated social lives. They support each other through thick and thin, but both the drama and the laughs are rather thin in this series. (Globe and Mail)
TV's triumphant overclass Sep 10, 2007
Bonnie Sommerville, Lucy Lui and Frances O'Connor in "Cashmere Mafia". From the "The Brady Bunch" to "Home Improvement," from Ralph Kramden to Ray Romano, the middle class has always had a comfortable spot on our TV screens, and Americans always seemed to prefer it that way. (Salon)
'Cavemen,' 'Carpoolers,' 'Cashmere Mafia' Sep 7, 2007
Stars: Lucy Liu, Miranda Otto, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor. No network has more new shows than ABC, so it figures that along with some of the best, it would also have some of the worst. (USA Today -- Life)
The New Age of Women on TV Aug 12, 2007
AGES 40, 38, 33, 39: ABC's "Cashmere Mafia" stars Frances O'Connor, Lucy Liu, Bonnie Somerville and Miranda Otto. Click photo for larger image. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA)
TV's off-screen leading lady Jul 19, 2007
The cast of Cashmere Mafia, including Australians Frances O'Connor (far left) and Miranda Otto (far right)Photo: Supplied ... The screen cuts into an extreme close-up of one of the women, Frances O'Connor, explaining why she puts up with her husband's affairs. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
'They were telling me how to have sex' Jun 23, 2007
For Nowlan it was not unlike casting Cate Blanchett and a then unknown Frances O'Connor in Thank God He Met Lizzie. "She reminded me of Cate - she has that unusual beauty. But when Cate auditioned she was already the next big thing, plus she had NIDA training and years of theatre experience," Nowlan says. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Global and E! announce fall schedules Jun 7, 2007
Cashmere Mafia follows four successful New York women bonded by their Ivy League educations and high-powered jobs, and stars Lucy Liu, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto. E. (Canada.com)
A yobbo-led recovery? Jun 5, 2007
"The US shows that are generating significant industry buzz include Cashmere Mafia, which stars Australians Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto, as well as Lucy Liu; Viva Laughlin which is produced [by] and stars Hugh Jackman; Damages starring Glenn Close and Australian Rose Byrne; and ... Pushing Daisies, Chuck, Big Shots and ... Gossip Girl. All these shows are particularly friendly to the 25-54 advertising market. Generation X and Y will get a big run with Nine next year.'' What's next for... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
CanWest stacks its fall TV deck May 24, 2007
It hopes to woo women in their 20s through 40s, with shows featuring strong female leads such as those in Cashmere Mafia (with Lucy Liu and Frances O'Connor) from Sex and the City creator Darren Star, and a new legal drama Canterbury's Law starring Julianna Margulies (of The Sopranos and ER). Yesterday, Jaimie Hubbard, editor-in-chief of TVGuide. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Smash-hit or burn May 21, 2007
Australians Frances O'Connor (above left) and Miranda Otto (right) join Lucy Liu and Bonnie Somerville in Cashmere Mafia ... Cashmere Mafia (Sony), Darren Star's pseudo-Sex and the City comedy-drama about four career women in New York, stars Australians Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor and will go to Nine. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Entertainment)
Little mystery to new shows as networks play it safe May 19, 2007
From left: Lucy Liu, Noelle Beck, Bonnie Somerville, Frances O'Connor, and Miranda Otto in ABC's "Cashmere Mafia." (Eric Liebowitz/ABC). Little mystery to new shows as networks play it safe. (Boston Globe -- Living)
US networks love some and leave some Aussie TV series May 18, 2007
Otto and Frances O'Connor (Three Dollars) have jobs on the American ABC network's Cashmere Mafia, a drama from the Sex and the City creator Darren Star. Mixing the "four female friends" concept of Sex with the fashion industry setting of hit film The Devil Wears Prada, the production also stars Charlie's Angels actress Lucy Liu. (The Age)
ABC sets new series May 12, 2007
"Cashmere Mafia" focuses on a group of thirtysomething women (including Lucy Liu, Bonnie Somerville and Frances O'Connor) as they navigate life in New York -- consider it the flip side of "Big Shots." Sony Pictures TV is behind the show, as are producers Darren Star and Gail Katz. Kevin Wade exec produces with Star and Katz. (Variety)
ABC finds base in fall schedule race Apr 21, 2007
Beyond that, "Cashmere Mafia," from Darren Star, follows four female execs (including Lucy Liu and Frances O'Connor) as they juggle their lives. "Football Wives" stars Gabrielle Union and Lucy Lawless as the wives of pro football players. (Variety)
It's Jane again Mar 3, 2007
Hollywood has since cast two of its most bankable starlets, Gwyneth Paltrow (Emma) and Keira Knightley (Pride and Prejudice), as Austen heroines, while our own Frances O'Connor was kitted out in Fanny Price's empire-line frocks in a 1999 version of Mansfield Park. Although Austen's milieu was insistently parochial, her shrewdly constructed romances travel easily in our globalised, postmodern age. (The Australian)
Chenoweth plucks 'Daisies' Feb 26, 2007
Casting -- Julien Ovenden ("Charmed") has been tapped to star as Eric in the Sony Pictures TV/Darren Star/Gail Katz drama "Cashmere Mafia," opposite Miranda Otto and Frances O'Connor. Casting -- Leighton Meester ("Surface") and Blake Lively ("Accepted") have joined the cast of the Josh Schwartz/Stephanie Savage hour "Gossip Girl." They'll play Blair and Serena, respectively. (Variety)
Aussies sex up the Big Apple Feb 17, 2007
Homegrown stars Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto have just booked a ticket to hit chick show stardom after being cast in new American TV series Cashmere Mafia ... Homegrown stars Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto have just booked a ticket to hit chick show stardom after being cast in new American TV series Cashmere Mafia. (Daily Telegraph)
Meet Australia's 'Cashmere Mafia' Feb 17, 2007
Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto. Australian actresses Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto have agreed to star in the new American TV series, Cashmere Mafia ... Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto. (Sydney Morning Herald)
Small-Town Embed: An Erie Tale in Baghdad Feb 17, 2007
He and his wife, Frances O'Connor, are expecting their first child in July. "My wife and I had a conversation just today about me returning to Iraq or somewhere else to report on human conflict," Waldman offers. (MediaWeek.com)
Mayday as whaler burns Feb 15, 2007
Latest related coverage. Andrew Darby, Renee SwitzerFebruary 15, 2007 - 2:39PM. (The Age, Australia -- Breaking News)
Warming climate blamed on cosmic rays Feb 15, 2007
Frances O'Connor and Miranda Otto will star in new US series, Cashmere Mafia. LAST LAUGH A sneak peek inside a scriptwriters meeting for Lost. (The Age)
Margulies to obey Fox's 'Law' Feb 14, 2007
Casting -- Frances O'Connor ("The Importance of Being Earnest") has been added to "Cashmere Mafia," from Sony Pictures TV and Darren Star. Project revolves around a group of friends in their 30s. (Variety)
