Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 29, 1993 TAG: 9310290073
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LYNN ELBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Or babies. There's the 11-week-old foster boy she's caring for, who vies for attention during an interview with strategic wailing. And there's "The Paula Poundstone Show," her new ABC comedy hour debuting Saturday (at 10 p.m. on WSET-Channel 13).
When it comes to the tot's hair grooming, for instance, Poundstone lets one of her six cats do the honors with affectionate licks.
"Would you rather his hair look like my cat's fur or my hair?" she asks, rhetorically. You go with the baby book, she says, but you also go with what feels right.
Same with her new show. The comedian is fighting a series of minor skirmishes with the network to create a program that's a comfortable fit for her, if not cut from typical TV cloth.
"I suppose it's a cross between a variety show and a talk show, I guess. But I don't really have a good one-word description," Poundstone says. "I realize this has somehow bothered people."
There are fresh cautionary tales out there about folks who said they wanted to be different, but had a hard time describing exactly what that meant.
Remember "The Chevy Chase Show"? Talk show hosted by a tall guy, movie star type, lasted shy of two months? Going in, Chase and Fox Broadcasting Co. said the show would be different. Uh huh.
Now comes Poundstone, echoing those comments. Uh oh.
Granted, Poundstone is not Chase. She's had years of comedy club seasoning; he had one year of "Saturday Night Live." She's shown herself to be adroit and loose in unscripted TV, most recently during the Emmy Awards; Chase fell agonizingly flat working without a net.
And Poundstone, 33, seems to take a more modest view of how much you can stretch the boundaries of television.
"I'm not reinventing the wheel here," she says. "I'm not saying, `Ooooh it's going to be the most different thing anybody's seen.' "
Modest, too, in other ways. Fox leased a Hollywood theater, performed an elaborate renovation, then grandly anointed it the Chevy Chase Theatre (the name was quickly exorcised post-cancellation).
Poundstone is taping her show in a Los Angeles warehouse, which she has jokingly dubbed the Herb Rucklehouse Theater. "It's just one of her musings," offers an ABC publicist.
Although the comedian would like the show to be broadcast live, for now the network is insisting on tape. Its first airing is 10 p.m. EDT; it settles into a 9 p.m. EST Saturday time slot Nov. 6 (after the time changes).
So what happens for an hour, and what's different?
First of all, Poundstone wants the opening titles to vary each week. A small point, she says, but symbolic of how hidebound the high-stakes, big-money world of TV can be.
"It sounds so silly, and in the scope of the whole world it's a goofy topic, no matter how you look at it," she says.
"But even just that, just saying I want to do the opening different every week, I can't tell you how many hours of meetings I sat in as a result of this idea."
Guitarist Nils Lofgren is the music director and may perform, but there is no house band. Poundstone would like to see guest artists - scheduled to include Harry Belafonte and Cab Calloway - do her theme song.
"There will be some sketch stuff, but it's not the driving force of any given night," Poundstone continues. "There will be some celebrities, but it's not celebrity-driven at all."
Expect conversation, but not always with a star. Poundstone is just as eager to talk to the audience or one of the Regular People she plans to invite.
"I love Mary Tyler Moore and I'm really hoping I can get her to come on and do something on the show, but for me that bears the same weight as having the guy who fixes my jukebox."
Expect comedy bits such as one with economists - real economists (what people will do to get on TV) - shouting out their pet theories while spinning on an amusement park ride akin to Disneyland's Tea Cups.
If people don't get a laugh, Poundstone figures, they might get an education.
She is not necessarily convinced this is going to work, but figures the show has as good a shot - or better - than anything else she could try. \
Elsewhere in television
School Daze: A 20-year high school reunion is at the heart of this week's episode of "Against the Grain," NBC's fine family drama. Our hero, football coach Ed Clemons (John Terry), rediscovers first love Amanda (Dani Minnick) at the gathering. Wife Maggie (Donna Bullock) is understandably upset. The critically acclaimed series, set in a small Texas town, has been struggling in the ratings. Fourth down and forever looms if the numbers don't start to improve. "Against the Grain" airs at 8 p.m. EDT Friday (on WSLS-Channel 10).
by CNB