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Lifetime's College Admissions Scandal Movie: Everything We Know So Far


Last month, Lifetime announced it was making a movie about the college admissions scandal that captivated the Internet earlier this year. If you’re unfamiliar about this real-life case, it involved a group of wealthy parents, including actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, who took illegal measures to secure their children’s spots at competitive universities. Huffman pled guilty to the federal charges brought against her, while Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are awaiting trial.

The working title of the movie is hilariously straightforward: College Admissions Scandal. On August 12, Entertainment Weekly dropped some enticing new updates about the cast and the production. Here’s everything we know so far:

The plot. According to the official synopsis, the film will “follow two wealthy mothers who share an obsession with getting their teenagers into the best possible college. When charismatic college admissions consultant Rick Singer offers a side door into the prestigious institutions of their dreams, they willingly partake with visions of coveted acceptance letters in their heads. But when Singer cooperates with the FBI and pleads guilty, the mothers who risked everything for their kids must face the consequences of their crimes and the loss of trust and respect from their families.”

The cast. According to EW, Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner will play the film’s leads: Caroline, an interior designer, and Bethany, a financial services firm owner. Both of them begin working with Rick Singer, the real-life college admissions consultant at the center of the scandal, in order to get their children into elite colleges. Michael Shanks, the Canadian actor from Saving Hope, is reportedly set to play Singer.

L to R: Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner

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It appears Caroline and Bethany are fictional characters in this story who are most likely based on several people in the college admissions scandal. They don’t seem to be directly based on Loughlin or Huffman.

Release date. There’s still no set release date, but production on the film is slated to start this year.



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Get Ready: Lifetime Is Making a Movie About the College Admissions Scandal


The college admissions scandal is tailor-made for television, and Lifetime is stepping in to bring it to life.

Yes, you read that correctly: Lifetime is making a movie about the real-life college admissions scandal, involving actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, that rocked the country earlier this year. If you’ll recall, a group of wealthy parents, including Huffman and Loughlin, were charged with fraud for essentially buying their children’s way into college. Lifetime obviously recognizes that this is just the kind of plot its viewers are obsessed with. On Tuesday, July 23, the network announced it’s green-lit a two-hour movie about the story with a very specific working title: College Admissions Scandal. It’s already iconic.

According to the synopsis, the film will “follow two wealthy mothers who share an obsession with getting their teenagers into the best possible college. When charismatic college admissions consultant Rick Singer offers a side door into the prestigious institutions of their dreams, they willingly partake with visions of coveted acceptance letters in their heads. But when Singer cooperates with the FBI and pleads guilty, the mothers who risked everything for their kids must face the consequences of their crimes and the loss of trust and respect from their families.”

Felicity Huffman

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The actual college admissions scandal is still in flux. In April, Huffman apologized to the public and then pled guilty to federal charges. Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, went with a not guilty plea and are currently awaiting trial. Their oldest daughter, Olivia Jade, has since dropped out of the University of Southern California and has lost brand partnerships with companies like Sephora and HP.

Actress Lori Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli wearing green tie at left leave the John Joseph Moakley United...

Lori Loughlin

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There’s no date for when Lifetime’s project is set to drop, but we’ll keep you posted with any and all information. Let the countdown (and the fun casting speculation) begin.



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Felicity Huffman Just Apologized to Parents and Students Over the College Admissions Scandal


Felicity Huffman announced on Monday, April 8, she’s decided to plead guilty in the college admissions scandal that’s currently captivating the country.

“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office,” Huffman said in an official statement. “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions. I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community.”

She continued, “I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly. My daughter knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her. This transgression toward her and the public I will carry for the rest of my life. My desire to help my daughter is no excuse to break the law or engage in dishonesty.”

William H. Macy and Felicity Huffman with their daughters, George Grace Macy and Sofia Grace Macy

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If you’re unfamiliar with this situation, here’s a quick boilerplate: In early March news broke Felicity Huffman and Full House star Lori Loughlin were both being charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud after it was discovered they illegally tried to secure their children’s college admission. Huffman allegedly paid $15,000 to an organization that helped her daughter cheat on the SATs. Meanwhile, Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, allegedly paid $500,000 to have their two daughters presented as recruits for the University of Southern California crew team, even though neither of them participates in the sport.

Lori Loughlin and her daughters Isabella and Olivia at an event.

Lori Loughlin with her daughters, Isabella and Olivia

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“There can be no separate college admissions system for the wealthy,” U.S. attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said at a press conference in March. “And I will add there will not be a separate criminal justice system either.”

This story is developing. We’ll update this post as soon as more information comes in.



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Sephora Cut Ties With Olivia Jade Amid the College Admissions Scandal


One of the people embroiled in the recent college admissions scandal is Olivia Jade Giannulli, beauty influencer and daughter of Lori Loughlin. As her mother faces federal charges, Olivia Jade is also dealing with the fallout, as brands like Sephora have decided to end their partnerships with her.

Back in December 2018, Olivia Jade had released the six-color Olivia Jade x Sephora Collection Bronze & Illuminate Palette, which retailed for $28. However, early on Thursday, the palette was no longer available online. Sephora later issued a statement explaining that it was no longer working with the celebrity offspring. “After careful review of recent developments, we have made the decision to end the Sephora Collection partnership with Olivia Jade, effective immediately,” the statement read.

Sephora’s decision comes after Olivia Jade’s social media accounts had been flooded with angry comments. Many people said that the college admissions scheme showed the way in which she and her family abused their privileges, and they urged the beauty retailer to drop her.

According to Buzzfeed News, Olivia Jade’s other partnerships include Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics, Clinique, Too Faced Cosmetics, Amazon, Dolce & Gabbana, Lulus, Marc Jacobs Beauty, among many others. She had also teamed up with the printing company HP, which distanced itself from both her and Loughlin yesterday.

“HP worked with Lori Loughlin and Olivia Jade in 2017 for a one-time product campaign. HP has removed the content from its properties,” the company wrote in a statement.

Meanwhile, Loughlin—best known for her role as Aunt Becky on Full House—turned herself into federal authorities this week and appeared in court on Wednesday. She was released after posting $1 million in bail. Loughlin is accused of spending approximately $500,000 in bribes to get both of her daughters into the University of Southern California, where Olivia Jade is a freshman. On Thursday, the Hallmark Channel said it was cutting ties with Loughlin. She’s been charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, according to the BBC.



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