Mr Selfridge

SOMEBODY STILL LOVES JEREMY PIVEN – HIS DOG!

Jeremy Piven knows that carrying a cute little dog can make anybody seem more appealing. The Mr Selfridge star (we loved that series!) has been having popularity problems. He was accused by a number of unrelated women of groping, inappropriate behavior, and sexual misconduct of all sorts. Jeremy became outraged and flatly declared that all charges were false and completely fabricated. He claimed all the women were opportunistic – seeking fame and money. Nobody was happy with THAT response, and coincidentally or not, his 2018 series Wisdom of the Crowd was canceled.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

GOOD NEWS – MR SELFRIDGE IS COMING BACK!

AG033964_01selfcut

We were SO relieved to see this photo of Jeremy Piven filming season 3 of Mr Selfridge. It’s so easy to get hooked on this true story of a London department store and we feared it wouldn’t come back. We absolutely love this Masterpiece Theater presentation partly because we enjoy retailing, and this story reveals all the evolving fashion, manners, and women’s position in society – all in the first years of the 20th century. Wartime romance, subterfuge, conniving shopgirls, closeted gay designers. – it’s all there. To be honest we love it more than Downton Abbey and can’t WAIT for season 3.

Photo Credit: AKM-GSI

JEREMY PIVEN IS HAPPY TO BE A WORKING ACTOR

116756PCN_Piven06cut

Jeremy Piven looks absolutely delighted with himself and he should be. He just finished filming the “Entourage” movie in which he reprises his role as the abrasive Ari Gold. (Actually they filmed some scenes in our LA neighborhood.) On the other hand, his mini-series “Mr Selfridge” is now being shown on PBS and the second season is as good as the first. He plays a whole different kind of character. We happen to LOVE the story of the creative American from Wisconsin who founded the London department store in 1909 and changed retailing forever. Can’t WAIT for Sunday night!

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News

“MR SELFRIDGE” IS OUR ABSOLUTE FAVORITE TV INDULGENCE!

Watch Mr. Selfridge Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

The new PBS series “Mr Selfridge” is every bit as good as Downton Abbey, in fact, it might even be BETTER! And it’s based on a true story! There, we said it! If you saw Sunday’s episode you’ll probably agree. Downton Abbey deals with country life and manners while Mr Selfridge is about social progress and commerce in the early 20th century. Wisconsin born Harry Selfridge, fresh from Marshall Field’s in Chicago, moved to London to open a lavish and modern department store. Until this point stores were unwelcoming – merchandise was piled in the windows, they were not heated, poorly lit, and “browsers” were asked to leave. Selfridge hired the best architects and created a customer-friendly store with huge dramatic windows and an elegant glossy first floor with beautifully arranged merchandise of the era. (Costumes and set décor in this series are mouth-watering.) Retail jobs opened new doors for women. In Sunday night’s episode, Selfridge toyed with the idea of ready-to-wear – at that time all clothes were custom made. A revolutionary store in a revolutionary era. (Sundays at 9, PBS, Mar 31 to May 19)

MR SELFRIDGE: THERE’S SOMETHING WONDERFUL ABOUT VINTAGE ELEGANT DEPARTMENT STORES…

“Mr Selfridge” premiered on PBS last night and we were in shopping heaven for two hours. Watching a turn of the century department store “with modern ideas” being built in London is utterly fascinating. (There’s something about old-time department stores that we can’t get enough of) Decorating and stocking it with merchandise of the era is delicious to watch. Watching droves of hopeful employees lined up for job interviews pulls the viewer right in. The décor, fashions, and hairstyles are a feast for the eyes. With a few exceptions, the acting is enjoyable. Jeremy Piven as Harry Selfridge overacts as the enthusiastic American and he lacks subtlety. But the store, the shopgirls, the French window dresser, the frocks, – are a joy to behold.

JEREMY PIVEN PLAYS A LEGENDARY RETAILER ON MASTERPIECE THEATER

#jeremypiven #janetcharlton

For Jeremy Piven, there IS life after Entourage – in the form of Masterpiece Theater! He landed the leading role in the prestigious drama series “Mr Selfridge” and this is one we don’t want to miss. It’s about the flamboyant Wisconsin-born Harry Selfridge who started working at the posh Marshall Field & Company in Chicago at the turn of the century. He was a retail innovator and during a visit to London in 1906 he was not impressed with the British stores, so he built his own on Oxford Street. Brilliant merchandising and extensive advertising made his fancy store a huge success and he was responsible for such retail mantras as “The customer is always right.” Harry lost it all during the Great Depression and died broke, but his story is fascinating.