Candace Bushnell Wasn't Paid Much For 'Sex'
In news that will excite all the thirtysomething ladies who desperately need TV role models to justify their one night stands, shoe-splurges, and bloggy confessions about same, it seems that a miniseries version of Candace Bushnell's latest novel, Lipstick Jungle, will be coming soon to a small screen near you. Yawn, we know. But in Nikki Finke's writeup of the deal, we did find this detail intriguing:
As for Bushnell, everyone thinks she made a mint off Sex And The City at HBO and in syndication. But lore has it [ed: we love 'lore' as a source ] that Bushnell sold the rights to Sex And The City producer Darren Star for a mere $60,000 way back in 1996. Asked about her payday from the deal, Bushnell back in 2005 confirmed to Radar that she'd taken the opportunity to cash out long before Sex And The City took off and said it was "highly unlikely" that she'd ever see a dime from its syndication (though her subsequent books and other projects have reportedly earned her millions). Interesting that, at one point, Darren Star tried to buy the TV rights to Lipstick Jungle, too, but the deal went south. No doubt, a kiss-off.
Oh, Candy. We know you're doing well now, but that must have stung for years — even though we're sure the 85 pairs of Manolos you bought in 1996 seemed totally worth it at the time.
Hopefully, NBC Deal for 'Lipstick Jungle' Better Than 'Sex.' [Deadline Hollywood]