Give it to me in stones!
“Fat Actress” devotee Pam Cesarec shares her thoughts on Kirstie Alley’s latest show, debuting Sunday, March 21, 10/9 Central on A&E.
For the other ten people in the universe who continue to hold out hope that Showtime (or any network really) will pick up “Fat Actress” for a second season—well, it’s been five years. Suppose we should give up on that pipe dream, BUT there is a new Kirstie Alley show that also centers on her weight and it premieres this Sunday on A&E.
“Kirstie Alley’s Big Life” is a reality show that, unfortunately, feels a little too contrived. I’m speaking as a big Alley fan, but as a bigger “My Life on the D-list” fan, I gotta say these first two eps of “Big Life” can’t begin to compare to Kathy Griffin’s hilarious (and oftentimes surprisingly heartfelt) Emmy-winning show. In terms of how “real” reality shows are, c’mon, it’s 2010–by now most of us know that most reality shows are manipulated, but we get sucked in nonetheless, right? Alley’s voiceovers seem too rehearsed and sometimes when she’s interacting with the people in her life, it feels very scripted. But Instead of dwelling on the boring stuff– like how much weight Alley hopes to lose (80 lbs) or how she seems to have a genuinely nice and real relationship with her grown kids, let’s talk about the fun stuff. Like how whack this chick is. Her house is like a zoo, complete with a lemur cage the size of my first flat, filled to the brim with wild animals. (P.S. she sits in the cage holding the lemurs like a person would hold a human infant.) In other news, she’s got a brand new assistant, Kyle, who’s known for his two day-long siestas (his word, not mine), and is probably the most entertaining supporting character thus far.
For those of you who watched “Fat Actress,” take note of the miniature doors in Kirstie’s house (I like to think it’s a reference to the episode “The Koi Effect” guest starring a perfectly-cast Wallace Shawn and Leah Remini) and the baby voices she uses with her pet lemurs—reminiscent of the way she spoke as an honorary little person hanging out in a plastic children’s house with a group of dwarfs (also in that episode). Timeless stuff! Overall, I still think Kirstie is wildly amusing and I’m happy to report that “Big Life” vastly improved between episodes one and two, so I think it’s got potential. I’d stick it out and see what kind of batty stuff she pulls this season. I’m definitely crossing my fingers for some wacky Scientology plotlines—- and maybe even a Rachael Harris cameo!
Photos courtesy of A&E. Credit: Brian Doben (Kirstie Alley) and Richard Knapp (Cast)
YIL Preview: The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 3
Our resident expert on potty-mouthed TV heroines, Pam Cesarec, is back with her thoughts on the upcoming season of The Sarah Silverman Program.
The new season of The Sarah Silverman Program starts in a mere two days. Finally! It’s safe to say that with the year-long hiatus, these ten episodes have been carefully planned out and should be pretty filthily awe-inspiring.
I’ve seen the first two episodes and I got pretty excited as soon as I realized the theme for episode one–appropriately titled “The Proof is in the Penis“–was a topic near and dear to my … funny bone (heart hardly seems appropriate in this case). And I got a little scared. Ok, a lot scared. Uh, it centers around the idea that Sarah was born with both. Yes, both. Parts. Man and lady. So if the thought of a 30-something woman accidentally swallowing her own tiny baby penis (which was removed at birth and she recently found in a zip-lock hospital bag) is offensive to you in any way, you might not appreciate this show as much as yours truly did–which was immensely. Sarah Silverman is exceptionally audacious, which probably puts the fear of god into the person who’s in charge of censoring her work. My mouth was agape in shock throughout most of the thirty-minute episode. And let’s put it this way: I’m not easily shocked. I loved every second of it. Oh man. Nine more episodes of this? Sign me up.
The second episode was amusing, but nothing can top a hermaphroditic premiere. In episode 2, Sarah hosts a children’s TV program. If the prospect of that is so frightening it makes you a little nauseous just wondering what that could possibly entail, we are on the same page.
For those of you who have missed the first two seasons, here’s an abbreviated recap: Sarah (the character, not the actor) has pretended to have AIDs, donned black face, been arrested for licking her dog’s anus in a park, talked dirty to her sister, pooped her pants during a farting match, and tried to sue the entire nation of Mongolia. What a gem!
Anyway, back to season three. There’s an upcoming episode titled “Wowschwitz.” Come on, who else could get away with that? Exactly. Looks like Comedy Central promises to be an unpredictably intriguing place to spend your Thursday nights!
For those curious what a musical interlude about baby penises might look like:
| The Sarah Silverman Program | ||||
| Preview – The Baby Penis in Your Mind | ||||
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The Sarah Silverman Program Season Three premiers Thursday, February 4th, 10:30 PM (Eastern)
