Tara Parker-Pope's recent post about it at the NYT's Well blog inspired me to catch up. From a Professional Unapologetic Fatass (hereafter, PUF) perspective, the post struck me in much the same way the first two episodes of the show did: Close, but not quite. (More on that in a moment.) My first impression was: Much better than a weight-loss competition or Fat Chicks Crying, but still a bit too stereotypey for my tastes.

If you're not familiar with the show's premise, it's this: A vapid aspiring model, Deb, dies and is returned to earth in the size-16 body of a brainy, workaholic lawyer, Jane. New Jane has Deb's memories — which include the calorie counts of everything, like the half-grapefruit and Splenda she used to eat for breakfast — combined with Old Jane's intelligence and legal expertise. (Yeah, don't ask; if that's too great a challenge to your willing suspension of disbelief, this isn't your show.)

The odd marriage of a chronic dieter's memories and an apparently resigned, if not unapologetic, fat girl's brain and body, says Parker-Pope, "raises an obvious question: Given Deb's success at maintaining a model-like figure, why doesn't she just put her new body on a diet and lose the weight?" Well, that's one of the first things she tries, as it turns out. But "she discovers that Jane's body craves chocolate and Cheez Whiz. When she is inside Jane's body, Deb says: 'I don't like celery. I like sandwiches.'"

Parker-Pope seems to uncritically accept that answer, which was the one thing I didn't like about the show when I first watched it. This idea that the desire to suck EZ Cheez straight from the can is somehow embedded in Jane's body, regardless of whose brain is doing the driving, only reinforces the stereotype that fat people are uncontrollably drawn to junk food. (See also: Jane/Deb losing the ability to concentrate while in the presence of doughnuts. Seriously.) If they'd played it just as Deb suddenly feeling like she had an excuse to eat, and bingeing to make up for years of calorie restriction, I might have been on board. But no, at the end of the day, Deb likes celery (and grapefruit and Splenda even in mojitos), and Jane likes sandwiches (and doughnuts and fried calamari and EZ Cheez). And I mean, that's fine — I also like many of those things, and I'm sure a lot of fat people do like all of them. But so do a lot of thin people.

I realize you can't have a fish-out-of-water comedy without extremes, but when you're explicitly claiming a fat power message — and the folks behind DDD are — implying that the only reason New Jane can't lose weight is because Old Jane's zombie fat cells demand junk food kinda misses the mark. Well, actually, that's not the only reason. We're similarly meant to believe that Jane — that's her (Brooke Elliot) in the photo up there — is so out of shape she cannot complete a single squat, much less the hours of exercise Deb would like to put her through. Again, it's fine to have a fat character who's so overworked she can't find time for the gym, just like a whole bunch of real people of all sizes, but seriously? An able-bodied, 30ish woman who's just barely over the plus-size line* can't do one effin' squat? Especially when she's played by Brooke Elliott, who's sung and danced on Broadway? I call bullshit. More specifically, I call lazy stereotype.

Or rather, I called lazy stereotype, before I caught up on more recent episodes. In episode 7, I was stunned to see a much better explanation for why Jane's body remains fat. The legal case of the week revolves around a 500-calorie-a-day commercial diet program that may have caused heart problems in a young girl who used it. And the twist (spoiler alert) is, after New Jane takes the case, we learn that Old Jane not only tried the same product but at one point endorsed it. Obviously, this throws a wrench in the case, and it prompts New Jane to visit her old doctor, where she learns more about her dieting history.

Check that shit out! In a two-minute clip, we learn:

• Old Jane was, in fact, a veteran dieter — like many, if not most, fat chicks — not merely a sedentary spray-cheese devotee who was somehow immune to cultural pressure to lose weight.
• When trying to lose weight, Old Jane would quickly plateau and then gain it back because, according to her Fairy Goddoctor (so named because damn, this is not the average fat person's doctor visit, even though it ought to be), her body just wouldn't let her keep starving. Quoth the Fairy Goddoctor: "It has nothing to do with willpower." (!!!!!!)
• Old Jane wanted gastric by-pass surgery, but Fairy Goddoctor "wouldn't even give [her] a brochure." Christ, I wish this doctor were real.
• Fairy Goddoctor believes that realistically, dieting "success" will almost always be short-lived.
• Jane's blood pressure is "a little high" because she's anxious, not because she's fat.

I can safely say I have never seen anything even a little bit like that on TV in my life. And speaking as a PUF, I have a whole new love for this show because of it. (So much so that I'll even forgive them for the bit where she lies to the doc about going to the gym. Reinforcing stereotypes of fat people as both sedentary and medically non-compliant? Yes. Fairly realistic and delivered rather adorably by Elliott? Also yes.)

Other recent episodes mostly bore out my new love for DDD, though I still have a fundamental problem with it, which is an unfortunate side effect of the premise: To wit, we are not seeing the experiences of a professional, competent, cute-as-a-bug's-ear fat woman, but the experiences of a thin woman suddenly forced to give thought one to what it's like to be fat. And that means, for instance, that we get an entire episode built around New Jane's shock and outrage upon learning that a Rodeo Drive boutique doesn't carry dresses in her size — and gasp! the salespeople are rude to fatties — which leads to an ill-advised (and realistically ill-fated) discrimination lawsuit against the company.

The lack of fashionable plus-size options — and respect for the market — is real and shitty, but an actual fat woman would A) not be all gollygeewhiz surprised by this and B) likely have bigger and better fish to fry where discrimination suits are concerned. So, although it's realistic that Deb would be both learning this for the first time and dumb enough to believe there's a lawsuit in it, the fact that she's doing it in Jane's body subtly reinforces one of my least favorite Hollywood stereotypes: The fat girl who doesn't know she's fat. The fat girl who doesn't realize she's not a 24-year-old model, and thus humiliates herself by acting entitled to all the rights and privileges pertaining to conventional attractiveness. That's a really common trope, among the rare instances when you see a fat girl on TV at all — she has no idea that other people are offended by her appearance, that the captain of the football team doesn't really want to take her to prom, that people think she eats too much, that she can't wear straight sizes, that any effort she puts into looking pretty will read as a big joke on her. It's usually based, as far as I can tell, on the assumption that fat people are ignorant not only of nutrition and exercise recommendations, but how they're perceived in society — 'cause if they knew how much people hate them, they would have lost weight already, amirite?

Here, obviously, it's based on the conceit that this particular fat girl is also a 24-year-old model. But I just don't think we've come far enough from that other version of The Fat Girl Who Doesn't Know It for the underlying premise here — as DDD creator Josh Berman told Parker-Pope, "I always liked the idea of a woman who doesn't feel on the inside like she looks on the outside" — to be 100% empowering. It leads, just a bit too often, to New Jane looking like a buffoon in all-too-familiar ways. (And that's without getting into the fact that looking like Brooke Elliott on the outside is hardly the raw deal it's made out to be.)

More disturbingly, it raises another question that should be obvious: What happened to Old Jane, anyway? And the answer is: She's dead. Literally. She died so that Deb could live. We're meant to believe Old Jane was self-loathing and lonely, so being body-snatched by someone more sexually confident is trading up, but unfortunately, that means this isn't the story of a fat woman learning to love herself as-is, but a fat woman fucking dying so a thin woman can learn a valuable lesson. I don't think I'll ever completely get past that.

But I can get past it enough to enjoy Drop Dead Diva for what it is — a fairly typical Lady Network show with a lot of atypical, unprecedented, truly body-positive twists. It's not 100% PUF-approved, but holy crap, it's a better portrayal of a fat woman than damn near anything I've seen since Roseanne, so I would really like to see this show do well. Since they already seem to have cut down on the binge-eating gags in recent episodes (THANK YOU), and they can only do so much about the premise, all I can really ask for is a little more sensitivity to the pitfalls of having Deb learn shit in Jane's body that should be obvious to any thinking person, fat or thin. Oh, and more Fred. For the love of all that's holy, do not take Fred away from us again.

*Before somebody argues that point, the line I'm referring to is 14/16W, where most plus lines begin. And as anyone who's ever had the misfortune of falling between them can tell you, there's actually quite a gulf between a "straight" 14 or 16 and a 14 or 16W.

In TV Series, Some Reality On Weight [NYT]

• In the teaser footage from Larry King Live, it seemed like Chris Brown didn't remember assaulting Rihanna. But Chris has released a statement which reads:

"There have been reports on the Internet that I didn't remember what happened that night with Rihanna. I want to try and set things straight. That 30 seconds of the interview they used of me was taken from a one hour interview during which that same question was asked something like four or five times – and when you look at the entire interview you will see it is not representative of what I said. The first four times – or however many times it was – I gave the same answer – which was that I didn't think it was appropriate for me to talk about what happened that night. I said it was not right for me and it really wasn't fair to Rihanna. The fifth time – or whatever it was – I just misspoke. I was asked, 'Do you remember doing it?' and I said, 'No.' Of course I remember what happened. Several times during the interview, my mother said that I came to her right afterwards and told her everything. But it was and still is a blur. And yes, I still can't believe it happened because it is not me or who I am, nor is what happened like anything I have ever done before." There's more, but it's similarly vague. He does say he wants to talk to a counselor about what happened and how to channel his anger. [People, TMZ]

• Madonna and Jesus Luz were at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, and caused a "frenzy" of onlookers and paparazzi. Madonna wore high heels, blue jeans and a black jacket; Jesus wore a black T-shirt and a blank expression. [Daily Mail]
• In an interview with TV Guide, Paula Abdul talks about her emotional farewell from American Idol. "You know, to say ‘no regrets' isn't easy," Paula said. "I feel like I have been such a big, huge part of the success of the show from day one. I loved being able to be the artist's artist; being there from my point of view of knowing what it feels like to be vulnerable and to be out there wanting to achieve the most magical moment in a minute and 30 seconds. To be able to do that was an amazing experience and the show was wonderful for me in that regard." But she will not be taken advantage of! "I stand on principle where many people stand on money," she explained. "I'm a hard-working artist. I've lasted in this business for 23 years. And you can't do that unless you are good at what you do. I believe in myself and you have to have your own self-respect." [MSNBC]
• Paula Abdul will be on TV — playing a judge on Drop Dead Diva and hosting VH1's Divas concert. [USA Today]
• While in Las Vegas, Jon Gosselin was seen jewelry shopping. He looked at a few pinky rings, but mostly checked out engagement rings. [Radar Online]
• Paris Jackson got her hair cut and her security collected the hair from the floor and put it in a bag so no one could take a strand and do some kind of DNA test. [MSNBC via Daily Mail]
• Michael Jackson had been requesting hospital-grade sedatives in order to sleep since 1994. [MSNBC]
• OMG: Soleil Moon Frye dressed up as Punky Brewster for her Twitter fans. Sunburst hair barrettes, stripey socks, a key around the neck. Holy macanoli. Video here. [TMZ, Ustream]
• Pete Wentz is working on a new comic book series, Fall Out Toy Works, and says: "I think after you have a kid, all of a sudden you want to do things that your kid can see." But the comic image at the link depicts robot girl with giant breasts and a mini-waist, which doesn't seem appropriate for 9-month-old Bronx. [USA Today]
• Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Whoopi Goldberg and Barbara Walters were not even watching the Daytime Emmy Awards when The View won this year, after 11 years on the air. Joy Behar joked: "I always said that the key to success was showing up - this time I was wrong." [Gatecrasher]
• "Consider this year's slate of Emmy nominees for best actress in a drama: Sally Field, 62; Holly Hunter, 50; Glenn Close, 62; Mariska Hargitay, 45, and Kyra Sedgwick, 43. The single exception on the list is Elisabeth Moss, the ambitious, naive Peggy Olson in Mad Men, which recently returned for its third season. If Moss, who is 27, were to win, she would be the youngest winner in the category's history." [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• Kim Mathers did an interview with a Detroit radio station about her ex-husband, Eminem. She did not hold back, saying: "I can't stand him. He's an absolutely horrible person and he gets worse every day. I vomit in my mouth whenever I'm around him or I hear his name. There's nothing left in me for him. Nothing at all. He's not very well endowed. If you're going to have sex with Marshall, make sure you have a little blue pill, because otherwise it does not work." [The Sun]
• Real Housewives Of New York City is filming again; a crew was seen at Jill Zarin's fabric firm yesterday. But a source says there are two new women "waiting in the wings." [Page Six]
• Here's the reason Amy Winehouse was seen with magic marker freckles on her nose: Blake Fielder-Civil used to call her his "lioness." A source says: "She painted the orange marks on her nose and wore a tiger-print top so that Blake would notice." Uh, do lions have freckles? [The Sun]
• Jay-Z will mark the eighth anniversary of 9/11 with a concert to benefit the families of New York's Finest and Bravest who died that day. [Page Six]
• Interested in a story linking Sharon Osbourne, Ryan Jenkins, Jasmine Fiore, Michael Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones ... and Kevin Bacon? [TMZ]
• Keanu Reeves will star in and produce Henry's Crime, a romcom about a bighearted man who is falsely accused of robbing a bank in Buffalo. [Variety]
• Tia and Tamera Mowry will star in a Lifetime move called Double Wedding. Twin sisters begin dating the same man; cue hijinks. [Variety]
• In an interview to air on September 11, ESPN reporter Erin Andrews tells Oprah that having secretly taped nude footage of her on the internet was a "nightmare." [AP]
• "Stephen Fry: gorillas staring at my moobs inspired weight loss. Stephen Fry has said he was inspired to lose five-stone in weight when he noticed gorillas eyeing-up his ''man boobs'' with jealousy." [Telegraph]
• Shania Twain has been "moving on" since her marriage broke up last year: She is nnow with the husband of the woman her husband had an affair with and will be a guest judge on American Idol. [Reuters]
• Whatshername has spent £150,000 on a new dressage horse "which she is calling Cross Dresser." [The Sun]
• Whatshername met her new boyfriend's parents. [Mirror]
• "I was raped when I was younger, more than once." — Katie "Jordan" Price. [The Sun]
• "[When I first met him] he was wearing an EPMD T-shirt, which let me know he knew and loved classic hip-hop music and was a true fan of the culture. He was excited to meet me and told me what the show I used to host, Yo! MTV Raps, meant to his music development. He really wanted me to sign his DVD of my film Wild Style, which I sadly never got to do. I would later check him out in numerous clips on YouTube where I could see he was truly talented and was elevating the DJ game to new heights along with Travis Barker on the drums. DJ AM and I would exchange small messages on Twitter and I'd often notice him tweet about how he'd landed safely in whatever town he was in as a year ago he survived that tragic plane crash. His last tweet and looking at his @djam twitter page now looks like a monument to a fallen soldier in the culture war, which he was winning. R.I.P. DJ AM...and the BEAT GOES ON!!!!" — Fab Five Freddy. [The Daily Beast]
• "I try to [Twitter]. My parents are way better at it, obviously, than me. I keep trying to figure out, like, do people really care if I'm, like, 'hey, I'm doing my laundry!' [laughs] I keep trying to figure it out, but I'm working on it." — Rumer Willis. She also reveals that her middle sister, Scout, is fluent in French. [JustJared]
• "My early life from infancy to leaving home at 16 was spent in care. I had some wonderful social workers who supported me and helped me achieve my goals in life. That's why it's important to recruit more social workers. There are many people out there, whether they be children, families, vulnerable adults, even the aged, who need a social worker. I want to enable them to have the support they need. Help us to help them, and maybe one day they may help you." — Samantha Morton. [Guardian]
• "If you are old you're not going to play young leads any more, that's a fact. In the film world, the camera loves a young person, man or woman. That's a fact... None of these things are ever going to change. So absorb it, live with it, get over it. I'm not being unkind, but I'm just saying millions of crones like me shouldn't suddenly be given the lead in things, just because we're damn old and very ... sort of recalcitrant." — Joanna Lumley. [Telegraph]
• "There was a photo of me with weird sunglasses on and a green sweatshirt, some striped thing, with tights and cowboy boots. Something really random where in some sense it's me. To this day, I have never read the article. I just saw the photo and thought, 'God, I look crazy in that photograph!' " — Mary-Kate Olsen. [Page Six]

Writer Neal Justin is trying to make the point that the rash of plus-size TV shows — Drop Dead Diva, Dance Your Ass Off; Ruby, More To Love and The Biggest Loser — are getting great ratings, and writes: "Fat is suddenly fabulous, at least on TV." Not in real life! In real life it's still totally gross, okay?

But what Justin wants to know is why. Why would people want to watch shows with plus-size characters? He writes, "Why this appetite for fuller-figured personalities?" But it almost sounds like: Why would you want to watch fatties?

You'd think, since according to one study, "adult obesity rates increased in 23 states last year," it's about American audiences seeing a reflection of themselves.

But Paul Telegdy, who oversees NBC's reality programming (including Biggest Loser) says: "I think it embraces a concern and a worry that keeps a lot of Americans awake at night." Hear that? You're lying awake at night, afraid to get fat, which makes you watch The Biggest Loser.

Yeah, I'll just go ahead and say: Bullshit! If you're watching these shows, it's because there's drama, and a human story. We love a personal story, and if it's personal, it's universal. Even if you've never been overweight, you can understand the range of human emotions showcased on these programs: Frustration, heartbreak, dedication, triumph. As Loser host Alison Sweeney says: "[The show] strikes at the heart of the human spirit.You see people being able to overcome this obstacle that seems insurmountable. Miracles can happen."

And honestly? It's not like plus-size, overweight, fat or large people all live sequestered from society. In many cases, they're your mom, your dad, your aunt, your uncle, you, me. It's not strange that people are interested in seeing plus-size people on TV; it's strange that up until now, plus-size people have been mostly ignored on TV.

A Growing Appetite for Plus-Size Personalities [WaPo]

• Angelina Jolie, as you may know, was in Baghdad yesterday. Saint Angelina walked through a makeshift settlement where 20,000 displaced Iraqis live, and said:

"It is lacking in all of the basic things that you would need, they don't have. They just started to have clean water. They're sleeping on dirt. They have built these areas out of brick by hand. They don't have job opportunities… We have still many young men and women from our country who are fighting every day, there are men and women from all countries who have lost their lives, and this is a time to try to make some positive change." [CNN]

• Angelina told one man: "It takes a lot of strength for you to survive this life. I don't know if I would be strong enough to survive this." And she vowed that this trip would not be her last: "I want to come back and find you in a better place and in a different situation… You need help not because you are poor, but because you are the future of Iraq." [NY Daily News]
• Gerard Butler doesn't have the body he had in 300, says a source. "He's so embarrassed that his six-pack abs have gone, he works out wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses." [Page Six]
• "Mischa's Shocking Interview," filmed a few days before she was taken to the hospital, is not shocking at all. She is talking about fashion and appears very normal. Unless that is shocking? [The Sun]
• Spotted: Tom Cruise out dancing with David and Victoria Beckham. [Page Six]
• Amy Winehouse in court: "I'm probably 5 foot 2 inches to 3 inches tall… But my hair does make a difference." She claims she was wearing flats (ballet slippers, obvs) and could not have hurt the 5 foot 7 woman who claims Amy punched her. [NY Post]
• …And presto! Amy Winehouse has been acquitted of assault. [AP]
• Here's what happens: Kate Major was a reporter, then she "fell for" Jon Gosselin, now other reporters are digging up dirt about her past, like the time she fell down the stairs at a party and loves to drink. [Radar]
• "Jon Gosselin's new girlfriend Kate Major has always sought fame, sees him as meal ticket: insiders." [Gatecrasher]
• Footage of New Moon debuted at Comic-Con yesterday and it "played in part like a matchup of dueling abs." [EW]
• Robert Pattinson seems to have settled in to his new, insane fame: "I pretty much live an almost identical life apart from being recognized," he says. "That's not exactly the worst thing in the world." [People]
• Twilight peeps say Robert and Kristen Stewart have "incredible chemistry." OMG just like the movie! [People]
• More from Comic-Con: Kristen Stewart said, "Uh, I can't wait to get pregnant," in reference to Breaking Dawn. Robert Pattinson added: "I can't wait to perform the Caesarean!" [E!]
• Kate Hudson is a "good luck charm" for boyfriend Alex Rodriguez. [Gatecrasher]
• Megan Fox's rep says Megan Fox never turned down a James Bond movie. "The report about Megan Fox turning down a Bond movie is completely not true. There have been no discussions nor any offers. Megan is a fan of the Bond movies." [People]
• Check out her new AT&T commercials (video at the link) and see how relentlessly fierce Mary J. Blige is. [BrandWeek]
• Michelle Trachtenberg will be working on a new show, Mercy, but she'll still be doing Georgina on Gossip Girl, saying: "Georgina's not going anywhere… She's never gonna die. There's nothing you can do to kill her. It's like one of those horror movies where they're like, 'She's dead,' and then she wakes back up and is like, 'No, I'm not.'" [NY Mag]
• Trachtenberg's "Blacklist" is pretty hilarious: "4. People who refer to themselves in the third person. Michelle thinks that's ridiculous." [BlackBook]
• Twelve-year-old Prince Jackson is "traumatized," as he was the one child who witnessed the doctor's unsuccessful attempts at resuscitation on his father. [Daily Mail]
• This report claims Michael Jackson pleaded for drugs because he had insomnia. [Mirror]
• Katherine Jackson was financially dependent on Michael Jackson and has asked a judge to provide an allowance for Michael's three kids (out of the estate) due to an "urgent need." Court documents claim that Katherine has only "extremely modest" Social Security benefits. [People]
• Oh, God. "Michael Jackson wore a prosthetic nose, according a report — and it was missing from his surgically mangled face as he lay in an LA morgue." [NY Post]
• Demi Moore is suing an Australian magazine for printing a series of photo booth-style photographs, which Demi owned and did not give permission to be published. In the pix? Demi, Rumer Willis, Orlando Bloom, P. Diddy, Cameron Diaz and Amanda De Cadenet. [Sydney Morning Herald]
• A judge has awarded Kelis a whopping $55,000 a month in combined spousal and child support from estranged husband Nas. [TMZ]
• Hmm, this report says Nas will pay $40,000. [People]
• Solange cut her hair and people are freaking the fuck out. [People]
• Bono has invested in the smartphone maker Palm, but is doing commercials for BlackBerry. [NY Post]
• Cailtin Moran on Kendra Wilkinson getting married at the Playboy Mansion and referring to Hef as a "father figure": "Because if there's one thing that holding your wedding in the building that has come to represent licentiousness, misogyny, exploitation and cheap nylon split-crotch panties at the breakfast table, it's referring to the soft pornographer who was 'intimate' with you all those years as 'Dad.'" [Times of London]
• Someone really wants you to keep watching Drop Dead Diva: Upcoming guest stars include Liza Minnelli, Paula Abdul, Tim Gunn, Delta Burke, Jorja Fox and more. [Pop Wrap]
• Jerry Hall will be nude on stage in Calendar Girls on London's West End, and says she is "terrified." "Nudity is always terrifying, even now… And yes, I have to admit I've been trying to eat less. I've been doing yoga classes with some girls in Richmond and eating lots of salads. The nudity scene is brilliantly comic — I was roaring with laughter when I saw it — but I'm worried about whether the buns are going to cover my breasts." [Daily Mail]
• This item is about John Lennon's penis. [Page Six]
• Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler: Still on. [Page Six]
• John Cleese is being treated for inflammation of the prostate gland — and will miss the Just For Laughs festival in Montreal, Canada. [The Sun]
• Eddie Van Halen: Recovering from hand surgery. [Rolling Stone]
• "I started smoking when I was 24, because I'm an idiot. I don't enjoy it so much now, because I've become such a slave to it. I hate planning my life around when I'm getting a cigarette." — Katherine Heigl. [Daily Mail]
• "I just loathe homophobia. It's just disgusting and animal and stupid and it's just thick people who can't get their heads around it and are just scared. I grew up around gay people entirely. I was the only child in my class who had any experience of homosexuality or anything like that." — Daniel Radcliffe, who looks pretty cute on the cover of gay magazine Attitude. [The Sun]
• "One day, sure, but pregnancy scares me. I know I'll be one of those women who looks pregnant all over the body. I'll get fatter and fatter from my toes up." — Katherine Heigl, when asked if she will have kids some day. [Daily Mail]
• "In a way it's good, but I also don't want people thinking of me as this blond heiress… airhead. But that is kind of my brand. I make a lot of money by doing that. I always looked up to Princess Diana and all these women, and now I could never be like that. I want to have a family. I want to be normal. I want to be happy." — Paris Hilton, on the "character" she invented. [Yahoo News via E!, E!]
• "I'm playing Speckles, the mole, and he's an outsider. He's an iconoclast — he doesn't fit in… I'm comfortable with the mole, yeah. I mean, yeah, he's different, he's got issues, you know? I don't want a perfect character, I want a character who has, as strange as it sounds, some humanity, some flaws, some needs. But to be fair, I'm not in a lot of this movie. This is Darwin's movie, um Sam Rockwell and Penelope Cruz's movie — they're the stars. I'm only in it at the beginning and the end." — Nicolas Cage on his role in G-Force. Yes, that is the guinea pig movie. [CNN]
• "I'm probably 20% atheist and 80% agnostic. You'll either find out or not when you get there. Until then, there's no point thinking about it." — Brad Pitt. [Gatecrasher via Bild]

This year television has seen an increase in shows featuring participants and stars who look more like the viewing public […] Amy Introcaso-Davis, senior vice president of original programming and development at Oxygen, said dance and diet are two areas of interest for younger viewers of the channel, so combining the two made sense.

For a nation grappling with obesity, Introcaso-Davis said, there is a hunger for such shows.

Get it? A hunger?

Introcaso-Davis also says: "If you have five pounds to lose or you have 150 pounds to lose, it's something you think about all day long," she said. "You take a bite of cheesecake and you think 'Should I be doing this?'" First: Not every every person with five or 150 pounds to lose is sitting around eating cheesecake. Medication, genetics, thyroid issues, metabolism… there are so many reasons a person may be overweight, and it may not have anything to do with cheesecake.

In any case, France also spoke with Esther Rothblum, a professor of women's studies at San Diego State University and co-editor of the forthcoming anthology The Fat Studies Reader. She says: "Most people feel too fat in this country and are made to feel very unhappy with their bodies. So by portraying somebody who weighs so much more than they do, it's almost a way to make the audience feel like 'I could look worse' or 'At least I'm not them.' "

But Introcaso-Davis claims that people find the DYAO contestants "relatable." So which is it: Do audiences look at overweight people on TV and think, "That could be me"? Or do they think, "I'm glad I'm not that bad." Does plus-size TV inspire or disgust? The answer may be: Both. In the "Sound Off" section of this CNN story, there are two comments. The first, from "Tamara":

I think these shows are great....I actually would like to go on Dance your Fat A off[sic] or the biggest loser.....

The second, from "Matt"

Yes, lets make it socailly[sic] acceptable to be obese. That will be good for our society! (rolls eyes)

They can air all the shows they want on obese people, I still won't date one.

Plus-Sized TV Shows Find Big Audience [CNN]

In the clip above, Jane (who used to be a skinny model named Deb) visits her best friend, a fellow model. Gags about weight and dieting and not getting into nightclubs now that you're fat? You bet!

Brooke Elliott, the actress playing Jane, is great — she's warm, bubbly, tough, confident, and makes it easy to get that she's playing two people (the skinny model and the size-16 lawyer) at once. And there were a few moments — Jane's reluctance to primp in her rearview mirror, something she relished when she was a model; the moment she realized she'd be working with her former boyfriend, who no longer recognizes her — where the pain was palpable and the acting and writing shone.

But the way that the character of Jane is treated — gazing longingly at doughnuts in the middle of a legal briefing; having her assistant spray Cheez Whiz in her mouth? That crap is a fucking disgrace. Not all overweight people have food control issues, and it's just plain tiring to see Homer Simpson-esque doughnut "jokes." The creators have come up with a nonconformist premise, why can't they think outside the box when it comes to plus-size humor?

In addition, the plot devices between Jane and her client seemed straight out of Legally Blonde — a makeover on a witness? A strut with a booty pop? Jane, as a character, is smart, but, unfortunately, the writers have plopped her in some dumb scenes.

On the one hand, I appreciate that the star of this show gets to spend most of her time talking about her job and her feelings — not a man. (See: Bechdel's rule.) But this show runs the risk of declaring, "fat changes everything," which doesn't feel like a step in the right direction.

Earlier: Critics Deem Drop Dead Diva Different, Daring & Delightful TV

Times staff writer Maria Elena Fernandez spoke with Drop Dead Diva creator Josh Berman (he's worked on CSI and Bones), who feels that the show has a message: "All of us have felt like outsiders at some point in our lives whether because of the way we look or we're not as smart or not as rich. This is what this show is. It's about a woman who always fit in and now she doesn't. And she's learning that not fitting in is not necessarily a bad thing."

The star, Brooke Elliott, agrees: "I thought this would be a fantastic vehicle to help dispel the myth that beauty comes in one specific package." Apparently Margaret Cho found the pretense intriguing; she plays the lawyer's assistant.

Television critic Mary McNamara admits that there are some clichés with the show, which premieres Sunday night: Of course the empty-headed model/actress is blonde; and the show opens with the lawyer eating "lots of carbs." But McNamara writes:

If you were of a mind, you could concentrate on all the rather obvious plot devices and general silliness — a female client transformed by a single make-over — and pick "Drop Dead Diva" to death. But why?

Certainly, the show falls more in the fun category than the brilliant, and it's not going to change television as we know it, but with any luck, it will remind us not to take everything, including television shows, so darn seriously.

Drop Dead Diva, 'Drop Dead Diva' Mixes Brains And Beauty [LA Times]
Drop Dead Diva [Lifetime]