Billie Piper does such a good job inhabiting the character of Belle de Jour on Secret Diary of a Call Girl, it’s hard to imagine anyone else as the saucy London escort. But a real woman lived those adventures — and blogged about them — well before Piper earned the role.
The Diary Season 3 premiere on Monday will feature Piper interviewing her real-life counterpart, Brooke Magnanti, who recently came out in the press. Turns out, the real Belle is a medical researcher with a Ph.D. who found the flexible hours and good pay of an escort quite appealing when she …read more

In a slight twist on all of the Best of the Decade/Best of the Year lists floating out there on the interwebs, The Chicago Tribune’s TV critic offers her take on the 10 key TV events of the decade. Some of them you might guess (the mocumentary aesthetic, the ascension of cable networks). But also on Maureen Ryan’s list is the rise of TV series starring women — and casting female leads “of a certain age” at that.
Shows like Weeds, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara feature top-notch actresses in plum roles, she notes, and cable networks like Showtime …read more

This week, Showtime announced more shows in its lineup for spring 2010.
If you were itching for a Belle fix or hungry for that hunky Jonathan Rhys Meyers, no worries. Their shows are coming right up.
The third season of Secret Diary of a Call Girl premieres Monday, Jan. 25 at 10 p.m. Belle’s adventures will be followed by Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union at 10.30 p.m. and the premiere of La La Land, a Punk’d-like reality show starring British comedian Mark Wootton.
As you know from an earlier post, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara will be back for their …read more

On Monday, Billie Piper popped into London from her English country home to visit with comedian and talk show host Paul O’Grady.
Her appearance was to promote the DVD release of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, but the Diary star had lots to say about rural life, filming during her pregnancy and what it’s like to be a new mom.
A few highlights:

Billie and her husband, Laurence Fox, have two pigs and a bunch of chickens at their country estate.”Our chickens line up at the back door like dogs to be fed,” she said.
Her baby, Winston, likes mirrors. “He can be …read more

Our fave sassy British pop star-turned actress-turned new mom says motherhood pretty much has her knackered. Billie Piper recently finished production on Season 2 of Secret Diary of a Call Girl, which we’re enjoying on Sunday nights. She’ll start shooting Season 3 in March, and will serve as executive producer on a few eps, she said in a recent interview.
That’s about enough responsibility for the time being, the 26-year-old actress said. She’ll “cut her teeth” in the exec producer role to see if she’d like to move behind the camera full time in the future. And she said instead of …read more

It’s not conventional — no career goals or dreams of white-picket fences here — but newly minted call girl Bambi has a life plan. One that includes a dream home by 25 and a fab vacation pad before she’s 30.
It all starts with a pearl necklace …
(Not that kind, Showtime fans! Get your minds out of the gutter and watch the clip!)

Watch episode two of Secret Diary of a Call Girl Sunday, Jan. 25 at 10:30 p.m. Eastern on Showtime.

Last week, while the rest of us were gearing up for Season 6 of The L Word, members of the TV Critics Association were in LA hearing all about upcoming shows from the major broadcast and cable networks.
The winter TCA press event featured panels from Showtime about returning series The Tudors, Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union, The L Word and Secret Diary of a Call Girl plus new shows Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara.
Amid all the questions, a few Showtime folks stumbled. Their verbal gaffes were faithfully chronicled by Robert Philpot of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A …read more

This just in, from our friend Chandra over at Comedy Centric:
Today, online DVD rental business Netflix announced it has partnered with Showtime to offer fans a lengthy early look at the pay channel’s new Toni Collette personality-disorder comedy United States of Tara. In addition, the second and sixth season premieres, respectively, of the U.K. import Secret Diary of a Call Girl and the network’s acclaimed original series The L Word, which is entering its final run, will also be available for online viewing the same day their new seasons open, Sunday, January 18.
Tara debuts on Showtime on Sunday, January …read more

While on break from Secret Diary of a Call Girl, sexy star Billie Piper and her family took a jaunt to Miami, where Billie and husband Lawrence Fox doted on baby Winston.
Billie was photographed at the beach nuzzling the 2-month-old while her husband read and soaked up the sun. The couple recently celebrated their 1-year anniversary on New Year’s. While they seemed totally focused on parenting while hitting the beach, the Daily Mail notes that they stayed at the Shore Club hotel, a celeb haven and home to P Diddy’s legendary New Year’s party. Bounce to the Mail’s site …read more

Along with the ladies of The L Word, we’ll be able to welcome back our favorite lady of the night in January, when the second season of Secret Diary of a Call Girl returns to Showtime.
Here’s what we can look forward to, according to The Insider: Belle will be working harder than ever, training a new call girl, Bambi, who will be played by the lovely Ashley Madekwe.
Bambi’s a bit clingy, which may cramp Belle’s style. But she has some other worries — namely, a doctor named Alex. The dashing M.D., played by Callum Blue, is a client but Belle …read more