In well-crafted show, Spelling princess royally skewers herself and mom
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| Tori gets the last laugh. |
The mocu-reality series could have been a stinky idea. So far, I’m enjoying them “Fat Actress,” “The Comeback” more than actual reality shows. And “So Notorious” fits right in.
The nine-episode series, which aired on VH1, was recently released as a two-disc DVD set ($26.99, Paramount Home). The show ridicules TV land’s most famous Jewish American Princess: Tori Spelling, played by the muse herself.
All the tabloid rumors are fodder for plots: talentless, plastic-surgery addict, daddy’s little girl, boy hungry, dead career, stupid.
The dialogue is replete with snappy lines fired with machine-gun accuracy: Like how Tori is like Paris Hilton only without all the press.
Her co-stars are fantastic especially her gay Persian-American bud, Sasan (the enchanting Zachary Quinto), who always puts the princess in her place.
However, Lonnie Anderson steals the show as KiKi Spelling, Tori’s cold-tittied, barracuda mother. Botoxed within an inch of her life, Anderson is depicted as a passive-aggressive version of Mommie Dearest. And Sasan never hides the fact that he worships KiKi but only tolerates Tori.
Like Charlie of “Charlie’s Angles,” Dallas native Aaron Spelling is never seen only heard. And Tori never jokes about her dad. Since Aaron’s recent death, watching the series seems like a love letter to the sweet-natured TV mogul.
The extras are surprisingly interesting: Every department head is interviewed costume, makeup, set design, hair and cameramen, who use space-age hydrogen batteries. “So Notorious” is shot on high-definition video, but every scene looks spectacularly crisp. This is a top-notch production.
I can’t wait for a second season
Daniel A. Kusner
Grade: B
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DALLAS SHERATON STRIKES AGAIN
The Paris Hilton of Bid D has finished another webisode. Created by Israel Luna and starring Michael Moran as North Texas’ most tawdry socialite, “The Dallas Sheraton Show” is also coming out on DVD. But you can check out the goods right now, and you should.
For the fifth installment, Luna and Moran spoof horse-voiced MSNBC’s Rita Cosby and make the Ted Haggard scandal into, what else? The Dallas Sheraton scandal.
But you’ll really want to tune in for a parody of a Global Positioning Systems commercial just to hear how Luna incorporates the phrase “waking up with a shitty kitty.”
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition, October 20, 2006.