Ellen Gray: 'Jungle' women want it all

LIPSTICK JUNGLE. 10 tonight, Channel 10.

FIVE MINUTES ago, ABC gave us a show called "Cashmere Mafia," about four high-powered New York women who may not be able to have it all.

Tonight, NBC fires back with "Lipstick Jungle," which only has three high-powered women.

None of them can have it all, either.

And while it's mildly interesting that none of these seven women bears even the slightest resemblance to a certain senator from New York who's on a quest to win it all, I find it more intriguing that the premiere, which opens with a fashion show, was scheduled during New York's Fashion Week.

It's all very "Project Runway."

"Runway" is all the rage in certain circles these days - last week, I actually heard NBC's Brian Williams declare, "When you're running for president, you're either in or you're out," for all the world as if Heidi Klum had just planted a kiss on each of John Edwards' apple cheeks.

NBC owns Bravo, where "Runway" airs, so I'm guessing it's only a matter of time before Tim Gunn, who was his usual charming self on Jon Stewart's "Daily Show" the other night, guest-stars on "Lipstick Jungle."

He'll be the one who won't be removing any clothing.

If "Jungle," based on a book by Candace Bushnell, whose earlier work inspired HBO's "Sex and the City," goes down a little easier than "Cashmere Mafia," it might be the fashion angle: Lindsay Price plays designer Victory Ford, and it's her show that gets things rolling tonight.

Or it might be that these working women seem to be working a bit harder than the "Mafia" ladies who lunch.

Victory, whose fashion business is falling apart, is starting over, working out of her not-unimpressive home, and trying to get back her mojo in ways that should appeal, at least, to "Runway" fans.

Oh, and she must be Carrie, because she has her own, even richer Mr. Big. And while I'm not sure how "SATC" fans will feel about ex-Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy stepping into Chris Noth's very large shoes, he brings a sad-little-boy quality to the role that makes the private jet a bit easier to take.

Brooke Shields is Wendy Healy, a top movie executive who, for reasons I can't quite put my finger on, is based in Manhattan, not L.A.

In L.A., they'd probably be understanding of her problems in balancing work and family - her adorable architect hubby, Shane (Paul Blackthorne), is doing most of the heavy lifting on the homefront - but Manhattan's the place where your ex-nanny or your ex-assistant is bound to be working on a tell-all best seller about you.

In Wendy's case, it's the nanny, who's selling her story through a harpy of a literary agent played by Lorraine Bracco ("The Sopranos"), channeling Cruella de Vil.

("You must have me confused with your shrink," Bracco snarls in next week's episode, as, somewhere, Dr. Melfi crosses her legs and sighs.)

Kim Raver (Audrey Raines of "24"), meanwhile, is editing a magazine called Bonfire (a nod to Tom Wolfe or to Vanity Fair?), and if you're looking for a Samantha, she's as close as you're going to get, which is to say not very close.

A stale marriage and a chance encounter leads her into a dangerous liaison with a younger guy, but this being NBC, not HBO, she feels really, really bad about it.

I should probably feel bad, too, about finding all this silliness passably amusing, especially after having trashed its evil stepsister on ABC.

But somehow I don't. *

Send e-mail to graye@phillynews.com.