They need to talk more! They are being too quiet!"
That was the frantic, whispered assessment of Beverly Pomeranz, casting director for the new A&E series, "Makeover Mamas," as she watched the reaction of Ross and Jennifer Misher upon seeing their newly redecorated living room for the first time.
In "Makeover Mamas," two mothers-in-law conspire to redecorate a room in their childrens’ house. A designer helps them, but all decisions are made by the mothers. The children aren’t allowed to see the room until it is finished.
The Mishers — and their mothers, Cookie Schwartz of Florida and Simone Kleinert of Beverly Hills — are the stars of the first "Makeover Mamas" episode.
The Mishers and their mothers-in-law were selected through the help of The Jewish Journal. Back in April, The Journal assisted Pomeranz in recruiting candidates for the show by running an item in Keren’s Corner. The Mishers responded to the notice, and A&E redecorated their living room at a cost of $1,500. (Jennifer Kleinert Misher happens to be the sister of Michelle Kleinert, The Journal’s marketing and communications director.)
Redecorating the room meant three days of merry mayhem in the Westwood home, as crew members manipulated the various cameras, lights and other equipment to show off the house at its best. The living room was touched up to make it look more like a kitchen.
Numerous scenes — such as the one in which the mothers say goodbye to the designer — were shot several times, until everyone understood that it wasn’t going to work if everyone talked at once.
By the time the Mishers saw the room, they were restless, having spent the day camped out at the house of Jennifer’s sister. They entered their home blindfolded, three hours after they were scheduled to do so.
Members of the crew, who weren’t actively involved in the filming, lined up against the kitchen cabinets, holding their breath and anxiously straining to get a glimpse of the couple’s reaction to the makeover.
When the blindfolds were removed, the Mishers stared at the room, and said it was….
Well if you want to find out what they said, you’ll just have to watch the show.
"Makeover Mamas" will air on A&E on Sunday, July 6, at 5:30 p.m.
