[MADtv] Bryan Callen and Michael McDonald to co-star in "Fat Actress"

[Dartanian]

According to astralpunch.com and IMDB.com, Bryan Callen has been cast in a principal role for the upcoming (and much anticipated) Kirstie Alley comedy "Fat Actress". Bryan will play Kirstie's personal assisitant who is also a budding actor. Michael McDonald will also appear in a guest role to play Kirstie's agent, Sam Raskal. You can view the Official Site for "Fat Actress" here.

With a decent amount of hype surrounding this show, I'm positive that it will at least make it to a network premiere. I would have watched anyway, as the title and limited information circulating about this show intrigue me, but Bryan and Michael co-starring will be extra incentive to tune in.

[MysterE]

Official Site

[Dartanian]

LOL. This is the message I go when I clicked that link:

We at Showtime Online express our apologies; however, these pages are intended for access only from within the United States.

**** you at Showtime Online!

I added it to the original post. Thanks.

[MysterE]

Kirstie Alley announced her new comedy/reality series for Showtime, "Fat Actress," via a short video clip presented to TV critics, which featured her sitting at the kitchen table in front of a massive bowl of spaghetti. Occasionally interjecting to ask for butter and a Diet Coke, Alley described her agreement with Showtime. "For every 5 pounds I lose, they have to give me an episode," she said. Alley, who has become tabloid fodder for her fluctuating weight, will star as a fictitious version of herself, battling to lose the extra pounds while searching for love and work in Hollywood. "Fat Actress" begins production in September in Los Angeles and will air on Showtime in 2005.



LOS ANGELES– July 21, 2004– Showtime has greenlighted "Fat Actress," a six-episode, half-hour hybrid comedy/reality series starring two-time Emmy® Award winner Kirstie Alley that was inspired by Alley's real life, it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, President of Entertainment for Showtime Networks Inc. Taking her life experiences and recreating them in the extreme, Alley plays a fictional version of herself–a successful television and movie star whose weight gain has become the subject of every tabloid imaginable as well as the bane of her existence as she tries to find work and true love in an unforgiving Hollywood. This irreverent series, which will be co-created and executive produced by Alley and Brenda Hampton ("Seventh Heaven"), will be unscripted, with each episode emanating from a story outline and the actors largely improvising the dialogue. "Fat Actress" will begin production in September in Los Angeles and will air on Showtime in 2005. Sandy Chanley ("Curb Your Enthusiasm") also executive produces through her production company, Production Partners, Inc.

"Kirstie Alley came to see us–with 24 dozen Krispy Kremes in hand–and said she was so tired of seeing unflatteringly fat pictures of herself on the cover of The Star that it was time for her to send-up her own image as well as Hollywood's obsession with weight and beauty," said Greenblatt. "Kirstie is an incredibly gifted comedian and a beautiful woman (regardless of her size), and we jumped at the chance to go behind the scenes of her life in a unique comedy series format which will blend reality and fiction. This is quintessential premium cable for us–not only will the show garner a ton of attention, it also has something to say."

"Finally, a network that feels just like home," Alley added. "They don't give a damn how much I eat or how many men I sleep with as long as it's on camera."

Bravely willing to lampoon her image that has been mercilessly ridiculed over the past few years, Alley will give us a glimpse of the humor and the irony in her battle to lose weight and get back on television in a tough business that prefers the once-svelte version of the Emmy® Award-winning star of "Cheers." Stories will be drawn from a heightened perception of her real-life experiences, and some of Alley's friends have promised to appear as themselves in guest cameos to further blur the lines between truth and fiction. Anyone struggling with issues about weight or self-esteem–or just looking for love and happiness–will identify with Alley's life.

Brenda Hampton, co-creator of the series, created and currently executive produces "Seventh Heaven," the smash hit drama that has been running for eight years on The WB. While known primarily for this family drama, Hampton has actually spent most of her career writing and producing several successful sitcoms such as "Mad About You," "The John Larroquette Show" and "Blossom."

Kirstie Alley became a household name playing "Rebecca Howe" on the hit television series "Cheers" for which she won both a Golden Globe® and an Emmy® Award. Her flair for comedy translated to the big screen in movies like Woody Allen's "Deconstructing Harry," "Look Who's Talking" and "Look Who's Talking Too." In 1997, Alley returned to television to produce and star in the sitcom "Veronica's Closet," which ran for three seasons.

Sandy Chanley, who produced the first two seasons of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," brings incredible knowledge of unscripted comedy series production to the creative team. She has also produced a number of highly-regarded comedy specials including: "Bill Maher: Be More Cynical," "Chris Rock: Bigger and Blacker," "Chris Rock: Bring The Pain," "D.L. Hughley: Goin' Home," "Janeane Garofolo," and many others.

"Fat Actress" was packaged by Sam Haskell on behalf of the William Morris Agency. Pearlena Igbokwe is the creative executive on behalf of Showtime Networks Inc.

[HiVolt]

Originally posted by Jim_Cockhurtz
LOL. This is the message I go when I clicked that link:

We at Showtime Online express our apologies; however, these pages are intended for access only from within the United States.

**** you at Showtime Online!

I added it to the original post. Thanks.

Stupid bastards. Easy way to get around that.

http://www.the-cloak.com/login.html

Just pop the link into the "Starting url" field and off you go.

[MysterE]

Michael McDonald?

[MysterE]

Originally posted by MysterE
Michael McDonald?

...so he was acting as a director in this show or something? The posts were lost w/the rollback in the other thread and I can't remember for sure.

[MikeMcDonaldGrl]

Originally posted by MysterE


...so he was acting as a director in this show or something? The posts were lost w/the rollback in the other thread and I can't remember for sure.

Yes, he was ACTING as a director and Kirstie Alley's character wanted to be on a show and he said she would have to lose some weight first. It was so funny. The clip was like 10 seconds long, literally.

I have it on tape but there's no way I can post it cuz I dont have the proper equipment to do vidcaps or whatever it is.

[MysterE]

Other faces viewers will recognize include Travolta's wife, Kelly Preston, as a nasty nutritionist; former "Mad TV" players Bryan Callen (as Alley's assistant) and Michael McDonald (as her agent);

http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/21130.htm

[Scorpiogrrl4405]

hmmmmmmmm interesting that they would list Michael as a "former MADtv player"


Mo's supposed to make an appearance on that show too

[Dartanian]

bumping for those of you who haven't seen this thread. I changed the title to include Michael McDonald and added some additional information.

[Mxz]

From what i saw of this episode Michael and Bryan were EXCELLENT...if only i got showtime instead of starz and HBO

[Una_SnackCrackr]

I have never seen the show, but i really want to. I dunno if anyone has put these pictures up yet, so here it goes.

[Raphaela]

MO on fat actress tonight

[Devin]

HAHA Mo was so weird on this episode!

[Caffeine King]

Originally posted by edwahg
HAHA Mo was so weird on this episode!

I don't see anything weird about lesbian prison guards!

Her voice sounded a bit like her Penny Marshall impression from MADtv.

[Princess PeachC]

Do you guys know if there is a place to download these episodes? Does Yahoo! still have the episodes available to watch?

[MOdonna]

I don't know how long the clip will stay online ... but there's a small clip of Mo on Fat Actress here:

http://www.sho.com/site/fatactress/episodes.do

It's the clip titled "Jailbreak".

[elscorcho]

Thanks for the link MOdonna!

She reminded me of "Bambi"...at least the voice did

[Princess PeachC]

Originally posted by elscorcho
Thanks for the link MOdonna!

She reminded me of "Bambi"...at least the voice did

Yeah, she did have that characteristic in her voice...Mo is funny