EXCLUSIVEALISON BOSHOFF: Market it like Meghan Markle! Duchess hopes to flog her brand...in the mall
Is the Duchess of Sussex’s next home going to be... a shopping mall?
Meghan, who is preparing to launch her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, may soon be seen in two mega-malls in Dallas, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the ‘Netflix House’ umbrella.
The duchess has made a cookery TV series for the streamer Netflix, which was filmed in April and May in California.
The unnamed show is due out early next year, and its debut will mark lift-off for her American Riviera Orchard brand, which is to sell homewares like china and glasses and consumables like jams and rosé.
The expectation is that she will be selling a cookbook on the back of the show, too — and whispers suggest it is more of a lifestyle guide to entertaining, hosting and elegant living than a classic ‘Delia Smith’ style collection of recipes.
Meghan has made a cookery TV series for the streamer Netflix, which was filmed in April and May in California . The unnamed show is due out early next year, and its debut will mark lift-off for her American Riviera Orchard brand
Netflix is in charge of the American Riviera Orchard merchandising operation, which is going to lean into the duchess’s status as a ‘beacon’ of aspiration and inspiration.
She is to be sold as an arbiter of affordable elegance — and the bet is that Meghan fans will snap up everything from corkscrews to pillow cases.
By happy chance, Netflix will be opening the perfect homes to showcase this brand early next year, in the form of two more-than-shops in those mega-malls (the King Of Prussia... or KOP... in Pennsylvania and Galleria Dallas).
Called Netflix House, each will have interactive experiences based upon shows — such as a chance to participate in a real-life Squid Game (minus the, er, killing), taking tea in a Bridgerton café, having a Knives Out murder mystery dinner and enjoying ice cream at Scoops Ahoy, the parlour in Stranger Things.
There will also be a physical point of sale for all merchandise based on Netflix hit shows — which Meghan will be hoping includes her high-profile foodie offerings. Maybe they will even do a pop-up American Riviera Orchard bakery or café?
The streamer is dominant in the market and describes itself as Generation Alpha’s favourite brand, which is a big claim.
Meghan's American Reveria Orchard jam. Meghan, who is preparing to launch her lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard, may soon be seen in two mega-malls in Dallas, Texas and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the ‘ Netflix House’ umbrella
Chief marketing officer Marian Lee said that the big-scale Netflix House experiences would be the ‘next generation’ of their strategy, which aims to lure consumers off their sofas, and may yet end up being the future of theme parks.
Netflix has already launched more than 50 ‘experiences’ in venues around the world.
The company applied to trademark Netflix House within a week of Meghan registering for the American Riviera Orchard marque at the US Trademarks and Patents Office, via her Delaware-based company Mama Knows Best.
Documents show that Netflix House is nearly at the finish line for its trademark – while Meghan’s application has hit a series of snags and objections.
I'm done with Downton says Lord Grantham
The world of Downton Abbey has many fans, but lead actor Hugh Bonneville thinks it should close its doors for good in 2025, when a third film set in the aristocratic world of The Crawley family reaches cinemas.
‘I think we have squeezed this particular J Cloth quite dry,’ said Hugh, who plays Robert Crawley, Earl Of Grantham. ‘We had a blast filming this latest movie, but it is right that we end it now.’
The world of Downton Abbey has many fans, but lead actor Hugh Bonneville thinks it should close its doors for good in 2025, when a third film set in the aristocratic world of The Crawley family reaches cinemas
Hugh will shortly star alongside Richard Gere and Michael Fassbender in The Agency, a version of the French spy thriller Le Bureau des Légendes, on Paramount +.
He is also reprising his role as Mr Brown in Paddington In Peru, which opens in cinemas today.
Nobody wants this? Now Kristen gets $250,000 a show
The global success of Netflix romcom Nobody Wants This has been one in the eye for the TV critics who said it was ‘shallow’ and ‘stupid’ — and for all the executives at other TV studios who passed on it (and that’s ‘everyone’, according to Netflix boss Ted Sarandos).
With a second series commissioned and now being written, word has it that the show’s star, Kristen Bell, has landed a whopper pay rise to reprise her role as podcaster Joanne who falls for rabbi Noah, played by Adam Brody.
Bell, 44, has reputedly gone from being paid a handsome $50,000 an episode to ‘over $250,000’ an episode – pushing her into the upper end of the television stratosphere.
That’s quite a triumph, considering the show’s creator Erin Foster didn’t want to cast Bell and had intended to play the role herself... but hadn’t been able to swing it.
With a second series of Nobody Wants us commissioned and now being written, word has it that the show’s star, Kristen Bell, has landed a whopper pay rise to reprise her role
Kristen Bell as Joanne, Adam Brody as Noah in Nobody Wants This. The global success of the Netflix romcom has been one in the eye for the TV critics who said it was ‘shallow’ and ‘stupid’
She admitted in an interview in Harper’s Bazaar last month that Netflix was ‘obsessed’ with casting the actress, who they had worked with before.
‘We had a meeting, and she was so respectful, nice, and complimentary, and she very clearly, very quickly said: “Erin, I know you wrote this for yourself to be in. I’m not comfortable taking this role away from you.” And I said: “Well, first of all, it doesn’t sound like I really have a choice. So let’s do this.”’
Meanwhile, Foster says that she’s bringing an end to the will-they won’t-they friendship between Joanne’s sister Morgan and Noah’s brother Sasha. She told a radio show: ‘I think we’re going to wrap up their weird “Is it romantic?” thing. Because we want to see them together in season 2, hanging out.’
There is no comment from Bell’s reps on the new deal. Incidentally, if you think she sounds familiar, you may have heard her as Princess Anna in Frozen, or as Janet in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
Liam Payne's girlfriend sees her social media profile explode
Liam Payne’s influencer girlfriend Kate Cassidy has seen her social media profile explode since his death last month in Buenos Aires. Her Instagram followers have gone from 79,000 to 828,000. The former One Direction singer was only 31 when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony. Ms Cassidy, 25, said after he died that he had been her best friend and the love of her life.
Liam Payne’s influencer girlfriend Kate Cassidy has seen her social media profile explode since his death last month in Buenos Aires. Her Instagram followers have gone from 79,000 to 828,000
Showbiz runs in the family
Showbiz is in the blood it seems — with Sir Tim Rice’s daughter Charlotte, who is only eight, making her screen debut.
Charlotte Rice-Foley, his daughter with academic Laura-Jane Foley, plays the child of Keira Knightley’s character in the upcoming Netflix spy thriller Black Doves.
Sir Tim, who is 79, is best-known as the lyricist on smash-hit musicals including Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Jesus Christ Superstar.
He is currently working with his son Don, a film and theatre director, on a play called Sherlock Holmes And The 12 Days Of Christmas. As revealed in this column in March, Sir Tim has teamed up with his old collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber to write songs for that one.
Black Doves, meanwhile, streams from December 5.
Kanye thinks his wife's a genius - and they're the new John and Yoko
Stand by for the release of a new album by Kanye West — I’m told he is going to drop his 11th album, Bully, ‘any day now’.
Kanye, who now prefers to be called ‘Ye’, has been recording the album with an engineer in a hotel room in Tokyo — and was so involved with it that I hear he even worked on it in his hotel room in Haikou, when he spent a few days in China in late September.
‘It is nearly complete,’ says a source. ‘He has tunnel vision, as he’s reaching the end.’
So far, the artist has spent a huge amount, thought to be well over £2 million, on camping out on an entire floor of the Edition hotel in central Tokyo. He’s been there for most of the past year and is likely to stay until he heads off on tour with Bully. He travels with an entourage of security and musicians which is around ten strong.
Kanye West and his wife Bianca Censori in Paris. Stand by for the release of a new album by Kanye West — I’m told he is going to drop his 11th album, Bully, ‘any day now’
His wife Bianca lives with him most of the time, although she has been out to visit her family in Melbourne, Australia, a few times. She’s a trained architect but is mainly famous for stepping out wearing tights, shoes, a wig... and not much more.
Friends indicate that both Ye and Bianca are firmly convinced of her artistic genius and regard her as the Yoko Ono to his John Lennon; with her (lack of) clothes being a kind of performance art.
A friend says: ‘He really loves being in Japan. It’s been months and shows few signs of ending. He enjoys the lack of public attention and paparazzi. He is also deeply engrossed in the culture and loves the people.’
He’s been spotted at various restaurants, markets and bars — and even signed a pillar at the Good Wood Terrace restaurant, where he’s a repeat customer (and big fan of their jerk chicken).
His four children with Kim Kardashian are based in Los Angeles, with their fashion entrepreneur mother, but come out to see him in the school holidays.
Rumours of a divorce from Bianca, his second wife, swirled earlier this year but appear unfounded.
Andie MacDowell eyes up new role
Andie MacDowell has her sights set on a role in the Channel 4 hit The Change.
The American actress, best known for her role in Four Weddings And A Funeral, said: ‘I saw this comedy recently. It’s about menopause. The name of it is The Change and there was a scene in there that was so funny. I’d love to be on The Change!’
The show, written by Bridget Christie and aired in 2023, has been commissioned for a second series, so perhaps Andie’s dream can come true.
It's all about a boy (again) for Nick and Toni
The pair played mother and son in the 2002 film About A Boy, and in Juror #2, Hoult is the juror, and Collette is the prosecutor
The courtroom drama Juror#2 isn’t only notable for Eastwood’s experienced hand on the tiller — it also sees a reunion between actors Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult
Juror#2 is Clint Eastwood’s 42nd film and some feel that, as he is 94, it will be his last.
But the courtroom drama isn’t only notable for Eastwood’s experienced hand on the tiller — it also sees a reunion between actors Toni Collette and Nicholas Hoult.
The pair played mother and son in the 2002 film About A Boy, and in Juror #2, Hoult is the juror, and Collette is the prosecutor.
Collette said: ‘Nicholas Hoult, my boy! It was just amazing to work with Nick on this film. I hadn’t seen him since we did About A Boy, and he was so young, not even a teenager then.
‘When I saw him again, I remember I was in the makeup chair when he came in, and he’s so tall and handsome and he is so charismatic.
‘He has just grown into this really hilarious, smart, beautiful and decent person, and seeing him again was very emotional.
‘I asked him how old he is and he said he’s 34, and I almost fell off my chair! I couldn’t believe how time flies.’
