Died Blonde

Died Blonde is an American comedy-drama musical web television series created by written, directed and produced by Sofia Coppola. It stars British recording artist Shell Ruin in the lead role, as well as Charlie Weber (How to Get Away with Murder) as her love interest and singers Alesha and Putanovska in reoccurring cameo roles. The plot follows Angel Saint Clare; a singer and actress at the height of her fame who subsequently falls from grace. The series is streamed on Netflix, and premiered on September 2, 2016.

The series is set in 1950s Hollywood. Cinematically, Coppola was inspired by films of that era, including Sunset Boulevard (1950), High Society (1956) and Valley of the Dolls (1967).

Plot
Angel Saint Clare (Shell Ruin) is a 27-year-old singer and actress, born and raised in New York City. In 1948, at the age of 17, she moves to Los Angeles following a dispute with her highly religious parents. She is discovered by movie director Ricky Johnson (Charlie Weber) who works for the famous MGM film studio. Saint Clare stars in several independent films during the late 1940s, before landing her first starring role in 1950. During the first half of the decade, Angel becomes an iconic pin-up of the 50s, landing the lead role in several hugely successful films during the golden era of Hollywood as well as being known as a popular jazz singer, releasing a string of number one albums and soundtracks.

By 1955, during the height of her fame, Saint Clare becomes involved in an abusive relationship with Johnson, who grows increasingly jealous of the attention surrounding her. Johnson turns to drugs and his abusive behavior worsens. As Saint Clare seeks solace in her chaotic life, a friend turns her on to Buddhism, eventually convincing her that reciting the Lotus Sutra and chanting will help "change her life". Tina grows increasingly confident afterwards and in a final fight with Johnson finally musters the courage to defend herself, eventually leaving him.

By the late 50s, Angel's career is flailing. Using his power within the industry, Johnson blacklists her from working with a list of prestigious film directors, script writers and producers. After moving in with her friend Minnie (Alesha), Saint Clare begins self-medicating with alcohol and prescription drugs. She becomes self-destructive, spending money excessively and going on late night excursions where she is chased relentlessly by the paparazzi. During this time, Angel takes an overdose of sleeping pills and is hospitalized under an involuntary psychiatric hold.

Following her hospitalization, the series follows Angel's 30-day stay in rehab. She spends time talking with a therapist, Gertrude (Putanovska), where she talks candidly about her feelings. Gertrude concludes that Saint Clare is depressed and insists she stays at the treatment facility. Following completion of her treatment, Angel is driven home by Minnie. The pair make plans for Angel's future, and she starts singing at downtown Hollywood jazz bars to rebuild her reputation. Under new management, Saint Clare lands the leading role in the Twentieth Century Fox film Died Blonde, which becomes a huge critical and commercial success, resulting in Angel making her big screen comeback.

The first series ends with Johnson walking along a sidewalk in California, he looks up at a promotional billboard of Angel starring in another big budget film. He looks up forlornly, before walking away.

Cast

 * Shell Ruin as Angel Saint Clare, a famous singer and actress during the imperial phase of her fame.
 * Charlie Weber as Ricky Johnson, big shot movie director for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio and love interest of Saint Clare.

Reoccuring

 * Alesha as Minnie Hedges, childhood friend and confidante of Saint Clare who takes her under her wing during her time of need.
 * Putanovska as Dr. Gertrude Ivanov, a doctor and therapist who Angel confides in during her stay at rehab.

Development
The development of the series was kept largely under wraps, as the show was filmed mostly in-doors and on sound stages or closed sets. In July 2015, it was reported that Sofia Coppola would write and direct the Christmas special A Very Murray Christmas as well as "another as yet named project, set to be released in 2016". By the summer of that year, it was reported that Coppola had shelved the project. During this time Shell Ruin was embarking on a return to music after a four-year hiatus, releasing the number one album Play and subsequent world tour.

Filming
Principal photography for Died Blonde started in May 2016, with filming dispersed throughout the remainder of the summer. Ruin spent time filming in between a series of festival gigs and recording of her ninth studio album, Nocturne. She continued to film during the release of the album in July 2015. The series was shot in sequential order, in contrast to most television series which are not shot sequentially due to scheduling, budget and other miscellaneous concerns.

For her role, Ruin researched troubled old Hollywood starlets such as Jean Harlow, Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland. She is also said to have channeled more contemporary public figures such as Lindsay Lohan. Ruin watched over forty films released in the 1950s, in order to get a better idea of the visual aesthetic of the era.

List of episodes

 * Season one (premiered September 2, 2016)
 * "Smalltown Dreams"
 * "Lost Angeles"
 * "The Rise"
 * "Pin-ups"
 * "Good Man"
 * "The Fall"
 * "White Room (Part I)"
 * "White Room (Part II)"
 * "One Woman Show"
 * "A Star Is Reborn"

Soundtrack
Died Blonde: A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack was released on October 31, 2016 via Fusion Records. The album contains each song featured in the series, as covered by Ruin and produced by Mark Ronson. There were initially no plans to release music from the series, however due to the unexpected popularity of the show, Netflix and Fusion Records came to an agreement to release the album.

Tracklisting

 * 1) "Opening Theme"
 * 2) "Whatever Will Be, Will Be" (Doris Day)
 * 3) "Sixteen Candles" (The Crests)
 * 4) "I Met Him On a Sunday" (The Shirelles)
 * 5) "A Teenager In Love" (Dion & the Belmonts)
 * 6) "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (The Teddy Bears)
 * 7) "My Baby Just Cares for Me" - Shell Ruin and Alesha (Nina Simone)
 * 8) "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" (Marilyn Monroe)
 * 9) "Living Doll" - Charlie Weber (Cliff Richard)
 * 10) "Earth Angel" (Penguins)
 * 11) "All I Have to Do Is Dream" - Shell Ruin and Charlie Weber (The Everly Brothers)
 * 12) "There's No Business Like Showbusiness" - Cast of Died Blonde (-)
 * 13) "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Judy Garland)

Promotion and release
The first series of Died Blonde was formally announced by Netflix on August 8, 2016. The release date of September 6, 2016 was detailed in the press release, with all episodes being simultaneously streamed online. Promotional posters for the series were shown in major cities across the world, as well as social media accounts being set up on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Ruin was photographed by friend and frequent collaborator David LaChapelle for the promotional photos. During the announcement, Ruin was in the midst of the promotional campaign for her ninth studio album, as well as sitting atop the Official Singles Chart with the song "Same Parties". The following day, Ruin and Weber attended a Netflix press conference alongside their co-stars and series creator Sofia Coppola.

To promote the series, Ruin and Weber appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair, photographed by Annie Leibovitz. Much of the interviews to promote her current album were overtaken by questions about Died Blonde, with fans being excited and intrigued to learn more before the series was released. On August 12, Netflix uploaded a trailer for the series to YouTube which surpassed 7 million views within 48 hours. A second trailer was released on August 26. Ruin appeared in the Fall 2016 edition of PAPER magazine and spoke at length about the creative process behind the show.

Critical reception
TBA