Photo: Bravo/NBC

Reality has interfered with The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. While my cable is unfortunately on the fritz despite two appointments in three days from Time Warner, reporters on the TV beat watched the season premiere of the show to see how it would handle the recent suicide of Russell Armstrong, a cast member’s husband.

Bravo had already announced that the show would continue with certain edits, a new segment featuring a conversation with the cast (all except for Taylor, Russell’s estranged wife) had been added to the premiere, and a suicide prevention PSA was planned. But even with these tweaks, the tragic realness of Armstrong’s death is making the usual tawdry drama of the show hard to swallow. Media reporters are, for the most part, not responding well.

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Sarah Jessica Parker is appearing in a Q&A video on Bravotv.com about balancing work and motherhood as part of the promotional effort for her new film I Don’t Know How She Does It. The video comes with the announcement that The Weinstein Group has partnered with Women at NBCU to push the movie out across NBC’s platforms. Women at NBCU uses NBCUniversal’s portfolio of media assets and original content creation to help marketers reach women.

Moreover, SJP will be the interviewed by Bravo’s Andy Cohen during the next Women at NBCU “Power of the Purse” breakfast, taking place October 4, during Advertising Week. Here’s our coverage of the previous breakfast, with guest speaker Iman.

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That question has been answered by the president of Bravo, Frances Berwick, who issued a statement saying the network would air the season premiere on September 5 as scheduled and it would be accompanied by PSAs focused on suicide prevention. The show is being re-edited and footage of the Housewives is being shot to take into account the terrible news.

Besides the logistical questions, the news has raised ethical questions about the affect that reality TV has on its stars. NPR has a few suggestions about an ethical code for reality TV shows, including a proposed panel that would settle disputes over whether certain footage damages the reputation of someone appearing on a show.

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NBCUniversal

Competitors will be make items out of “repurposed” materials and enter the project for judging by a panel that includes Bravo‘s Andy Cohen and FEED Project CEO Lauren Bush. The grand prize winner gets a trip to Universal Studios Orlando. Projects can be submitted through April 8.

A Green is Universal poll found that 50 percent of consumers will pay more for something with more than one function, and 74 percent would rather find another use for something rather than toss it out.
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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.