Candace Bushnell
| Candace Bushnell | |
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| Born | December 1, 1958 Glastonbury, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Spouse(s) | Charles Askegard |
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candacebushnell.com |
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Candace Bushnell (born December 1, 1958) is an American author and columnist based in New York City. Candace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed, international best-selling author of Sex and the City, Summer and the City, The Carrie Diaries, One Fifth Avenue, Lipstick Jungle, Trading Up and Four Blondes. Sex and the City, published in 1996, was the basis for the HBO hit series and two subsequent blockbuster movies. Lipstick Jungle became a popular television series on NBC. In September 2011 Warner Television and the CW optioned The Carrie Diaries for television and One Fifth Avenue was optioned by the Mark Gordon Company and ABC for yet another television show.
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Personal life [edit]
Bushnell was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut. She is the daughter of Calvin L. and Camille Bushnell. Her father was one of the inventors of the Air Cooled Hydrogen Fuel Cell that was used in the Apollo space missions in the 1960's. Her Bushnell ancestors in the United States can be traced back to Francis Bushnell, one of the signers of the Guilford Covenant, who emigrated from Thatcham, Berkshire, England in 1639.
While attending high school in Glastonbury, Candace was accompanied to her senior prom by Mike O'Meara, now a nationally syndicated radio host, who also dated Candace's sister, "Lolly". She attended Rice University and New York University in the 1970s, and became known in New York City as a socialite and party-goer. She often frequented Studio 54. In 1995, she met publishing executive Ron Galotti, who became the inspiration for Sex and The City's Mr. Big.[1]
In 2002, Bushnell married Charles Askegard, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.[2][3] The couple lived together in Manhattan but are now divorced.[4]
Career [edit]
At age 19, Bushnell moved to New York City and sold a children’s story to Simon & Schuster, which was never published. She continued writing and worked as a freelance journalist for various publications, struggling to make ends meet for many years.[5] Bushnell began writing for the New York Observer in 1993. She created a humorous column for the paper, which appeared from 1994 through 1996. Called "Sex and the City," the column was based on her own personal dating experiences and those of her friends. In 1997, Bushnell's columns were published in an anthology, also called Sex and the City, and soon after became the basis for the popular HBO television series sharing the same name. The series aired from 1998 through 2004, and starred Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, a sex and lifestyles columnist partaking in and enjoying New York City nightlife, a character which Bushnell has stated was her alter ego. The series is now in syndication and was adapted for and made into two motion pictures, released in 2008 and 2010.
In 2005, Bushnell served as one of three judges for the reality television show Wickedly Perfect on CBS. Bushnell began hosting a live weekly talk show on Sirius Satellite Radio in 2007.[6] The show, called "Sex, Success and Sensibility," was canceled in late 2008 after the merger of Sirius and XM Satellite Radio, when Bushnell was asked to continue the show with a 50% pay cut. She refused.[7] Through her books and television series, Bushnell’s work has influenced and defined two generations of women. She is the winner of the 2006 Matrix Award for books (other winners include Joan Didion and Amy Tan), and a recipient of the Albert Einstein Spirit of Achievement Award.he wrote and created a web series, The Broadroom, starring Jennie Garth, which launched in September 2009. She is currently at work on The Two Mrs. Stones, which will be in bookstores in 2013.
Bushnell's 2005 novel, Lipstick Jungle, was adapted for television and aired on NBC in 2008. The series Lipstick Jungle starred Brooke Shields in the leading role, and was canceled after 20 episodes. In 2009, Bushnell announced that she was slated to write several "webisodes" of an online comedic series about women over 40 dealing with workplace issues, in partnership with the magazine publisher Meredith Corporation's Meredith 360 division.[8][9] The contract also included writing articles for Meredith's More magazine.
Bushnell was contracted by HarperCollins in 2008 to write a series of two books for young adults, about the high school years of Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw. The first of these, The Carrie Diaries, was published in April 2010.[10] Next in the series, Summer and the City (Carrie Diaries Series #2), was published in April 2011.
Novel Bibliography [edit]
- Sex and the City (1997)
- 4 Blondes (2001)
- Trading Up (2003)
- Lipstick Jungle (2005)
- One Fifth Avenue (2008)
- The Carrie Diaries (2010)
- Summer and the City (2011)
References [edit]
- ^ http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/media/features/n_10334/index4.html New York Magazine, May 2004
- ^ WEDDINGS: VOWS; Candace Bushnell, Charles Askegard. By Bob Morris, The New York Times, July 7, 2002.
- ^ Don't mention Sex and the City. By Carl Quinn, www.theage.com, September 28, 2003.
- ^ Zimmerman, Edith (January 18, 2013). "Candace Bushnell's Fantasy World, Starring Candace Bushnell". The New York Times. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
- ^ Candace Bushnell on her new TV series Lipstick Jungle By Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times, August 10, 2008.
- ^ Candace Bushnell on Sirius: Sex, Success And Sensibility. sassybean.com, November 5, 2007.
- ^ Sirius XM Drops Candace Bushnell, 'Maxim' Radio. By Jeff Bercovici, portfolio.com, November 14, 2008.
- ^ Candace Bushnell web series in the works. By Lucia Moses, The Hollywood Reporter, July 24, 2009.
- ^ After 'Sex' and 'Lipstick,' Bushnell Looks to the Web. By Dylan Stableford, thewrap.com, published August 12, 2009.]
- ^ 'Sex and the City' gets teen spin: Bushnell takes Carrie to high school. By Sam Thielman, Variety, September 17, 2008.
