Nikki Blonsky: HUGE on ABC Family.

[AudreyTwoTwo]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 1:37pm

I saw this Board in the Broadway section (even though it shouldn't have been) and I didn't watch it but I was actually interested in it. So did anyone watch it?

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 1:48pm

I watched it. The first 15 minutes were a bit "iffy" but it got better and I think I am going to be hooked on it. It will be interesting to see where they take it.

[AudreyTwoTwo]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 2:04pm

What was it specifically about? Was it a fat camp of some sort? I watched like 3 minutes of it (my mom was watching the Yankee game, and it was commercial time or something).

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 2:45pm

Yes, they are at a "fat camp". Along with being there for losing weight it looks like the characters also have other issues. There also seems to be something going on with the head camp counselor. Blonsky's character was really rebellious in the first episode and was going to run away from the camp but she came back. What I also like is that the "pretty blonde" character who the kids don't see as fat isn't being portrayed as a "bitch". I thought they were going to go that route with her but they didn't and it is nice. It looks like they are going to start a romance between her and the hot counselor guy. That could throw a monkey wrench into things. And of course one of the kids has a crush on her. Blonsky is fun to watch.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 3:08pm

What's up with the title? Is it explained why it would be called that? I saw a promotional ad with Blonsky in a one-piece and the words HUGE in bold next to her. It came off insensitive, but there must be a reason.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 3:15pm

It is a reference to them being at a "fat camp".

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 3:42pm

Well, I figured that. I just thought maybe there was a better explanation. Like MONK. That's about a detective with OCD who has the surname Monk and not really a show about monks. IMO, calling a show about kids at a fat camp HUGE is akin to calling a show about gay teens QUEER or African-Americans BLACK. Also, not very imaginative.

Updated On: 7/2/10 at 03:42 PM

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 3:50pm

I figured there was some sort of double meaning, but I didn't watch it.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 4:28pm

So far, there doesn't seem to be a double meaning. I kind of wondered why they decided to call it HUGE also. It does seem to be a bit insensitive and I actually wondered if they would get any flack for the title. I wasn't crazy at first about the title "The Biggest Loser" because along with the obvious reference to losing weight I thought it also referred to heavier people being losers.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 5:02pm

Nikki Blonsky doesn't do much for me since Hairspray. All of her work has been specifically as a heavy girl where being heavy is part of the storyline. Kinda sucks that that is all she is offered in our society. She might not be leading lady material, but make her someone's friend or give her something interesting to do that isn't about her being overweight.

I saw her on Joy Behar the other night and was unimpressed. She has gained a significant amount of weight since Hairspray and just touts how she loves herself. She will say that until she gets the celebrity weight loss endorsement. Then she will say all this was a lie.

I hate our celebrity culture.

[StageManager2]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 5:15pm

"... and just touts how she loves herself. She will say that until she gets the celebrity weight loss endorsement. Then she will say all this was a lie."

Reminds me of someone else i recently read about:

[algy]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 5:44pm

The traditional "I was happy being big until *insert name of diet company here* paid for me to be miserable losing weight until I was thin, now I'm truly happy being skinny"

Usually accompanied (between 6 months to a year later) by "I was miserable being so thin - now I've gained x pounds I'm truly comfortable in myself"

This can continue ad nauseam. It's a popular celebrity method of prolonging a career in the UK - usually accompanied by a work out video though, rather than a diet endorsement!

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 5:49pm

Weight issues always bring out the double standards in our society, and Hollywood in general.

One actress is too thin. One actress is too fat. One day an overweight actress is getting praise for being comfortable with her weight, while at the same time Americans in general are being admonished for being overweight. Then the formerly comfortable with her weight actress decides to drop the pounds and gets lambasted for not staying fat.

No wonder we have such severe body image issues in our country

[degrassifan]

Posted: 7/2/10 at 6:34pm

I watched it and thought it was very funny! ABC Family has been impressing me lately!

[AudreyTwoTwo]

Posted: 7/4/10 at 12:35am

I saw an ad for (an old) Oprah the other day about Jessica Simpson, that people were calling her fat because she was a size 4. I'm definitely not thin at all. I am overweight. People tell me I'm not fat and then look at America Ferrara, who's what, a size 6? and tell me she's fat. Well, if she's fat, I'm morbidly obese, and you're a hypocrite. -_-

[Broadwaywest2]

Posted: 7/4/10 at 12:22pm

I actually really enjoyed the first episode. I was looking forward to this show, because of Winnie Holzman, who created the iconic my so-called life, which was on while I was in High school. And she did the book for that little nothing of a show, "Wicked". The most interesting character for me so far is Haylie Hasselhoff's character. At "Fat Camp" she's considered skinny, but in outside world she's considered fat. She is a beautiful girl and turns out to be a much better actor then her father. I really enjoy the tone of the show. Very curious of where they are going to take this show.

[uncageg]

Posted: 7/4/10 at 1:11pm

I didn't know that Winnie Holzman was involved until the opening credits. I had forgotten that she di "My So Called Life", which I loved. I too like haylie's character because, so far, she is not that nasty pretty girl I thought she might be at first. I am just wondering how they are going to turn Blonsky's character around since she was so adament about leaving and being happy with her body. I am thinking she is going to fess up to not being happy with it since she is staying at the camp now.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/5/10 at 11:37pm

I forgot all about this until this thread!
"Tracy Turnblad... she ain't dancing around today"

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:00am

Her thighs were sure HUGE from the way she looked in the ad in the blue swimsuit.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:05am

It's not just that Winnie Holzman is involved. She's also collaborating on the show with her daughter, Savannah Dooley, who initially had the idea to turn Sasha Paley's Young Adult novel, also called "Huge," into a TV series.

There was a nice Huffington Post interview with Samantha and Winnie last week, in which Samantha came out as a lesbian.

Also, the camp's chef is played by Samantha's real-life dad and Winnie's real-life husband, veteran comic actor Paul Dooley.

Winnie Holzman And Savannah Dooley Talk 'Huge'

Updated On: 7/6/10 at 12:05 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:20am

Double post.

Updated On: 7/6/10 at 12:20 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:20am

Triple post!

Updated On: 7/6/10 at 12:20 AM

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:25am

And don't forget Mr. Dooley's brief, but very hilarious, contribution to Waiting for Guffman:

They took me off into a separate room; I seen 'em takin' different people off; different ones of us off in separate rooms and put me on a big white table and uh the guy that took me in there - to examine me I guess - he probed me and then I was in there I bet more than three or four hours, in that room, being probed and at one time or another these different ones of 'em came in, four or five or six of 'em at different times, and all of 'em probed me, uh, not all at once, you know, individually. Later on, years later, now, even still, uh, it's a funny thing - it happened on a Sunday and every Sunday about the time I was taken on board that ship I - find I have no feelings in my buttocks.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:32am

The novel.




Winnie and Savannah




Winnie and Paul




Savannah and Paul




Paul Dooley was one of the poker players in the original Broadway cast of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, and he understudied Art Carney.

[AEA AGMA SM]

Posted: 7/6/10 at 12:46am

PalJoey, did you leave your drinking bird near the keyboard?