LITTLE ROCK — Are you weary of seeing all those size 2 waifs on TV? I’m talking about the Kristen Stewart “Bella” types who’d be blown down the street in a stiff wind.
And don’t you just want to stuff a Twinkie down the throats of all those skinny TV dudes with six-pack abs and negative body fat?
If you want to see a new relationship drama - a scripted drama - starring real girls with jiggle and real guys in XXXL T-shirts, ABC Family has just the series for you.
The hour-long Huge debuts at 8 p.m. Monday and stars Hairspray’s Nikki Blonsky and Hayley Hasselhoff (yes, David’s daughter).
The story revolves around seven teens from diverse backgrounds who are attending a summer weight-loss camp. The quick tagline is that it’s like Glee meets The Biggest Loser.
The series will follow the campers on their individual journeys of self-discovery. Some will have an easier road than others, but the issues will be the same - self-esteem, friendship, rivalry, romance and body image.
All of which are juicy components for a good drama no matter what size Spanx you wear.
Blonsky portrays fat camper Willamina, who goes byWill, and she’s a dealer. Not that kind of dealer. Will is selling her huge hidden stash of illicit candy and other forbidden calories to her fellow campers.
Will’s goal is not to lose weight over the summer. She’s an opinionated, cynical nonconformist who is not happy that her parents banished her to Camp Victory.
Will is proud of her body and says she doesn’t care what other people say. She has problems with a culture that’s biased against the corpulent and rejects the idea that people should change just to fit society’s increasingly narrow standard of beauty.
Will immediately dislikes camper Amber. She may be overweight, but Amber’s also blond and pretty. Will views Amber as obsessed with her weight and way too judgmental.
Hasselhoff plays Amber who, more than anything, yearns for a perfect body. Amber may be plump but soondiscovers that she’s the thinnest girl at Camp Victory. She has never been the thinnest girl anywhere.
Amber discovers that in this crowd, she’s the hot, popular chick and it goes to her head. Of course she gets a crush on the six-packed, tousle-haired counselor George (Zander Eckhouse). Drama ensues.
A good choice for Dr. Rand, the head of Camp Victory, is Gina Torres (Firefly). Rand is a little too tightly wound for her own good. The camperssee her as a cold, strict disciplinarian, but that’s hiding an insecurity that Rand takes great pains to keep to herself. Her secret? She used to be fat and that is still part of her emotional and psychological fabric.
ABC Family wants you to watch Huge and get inspired. But if you still prefer to watch those teeny size 2 pixies, you can see them on the channel’s Greek or Secret Life of the American Teenager or Pretty Little Liars or Make It or Break It or 10 Things I Hate AboutYou.
Hoff roast.
Speaking of David Hasselhoff, Comedy Central plans to roast the “international superstar and television icon” at 9 p.m. Aug. 15. Tune in to find out why the labels “superstar” and “icon” are laughingly overused by network publicists.
Dexter
news.
Julia Stiles, best known for her roles in The Bourne Ultimatum and Save the Last Dance, has joined Showtime’s Dexter for 10 episodes in the fifth season this fall. Stiles, 29, will play“a mysterious young woman who forms a unique relationship with Dexter [Michael C. Hall] in the wake of the death of his wife.”
In case you missed it, Julie Benz, who played Dexter’s wife Rita, died in the final episode last season. Murdered, actually. In the bathtub. Benz will be back for at least one episode in a guest role next season.
Meanwhile, Benz will costar in ABC’s promising new fall series No Ordinary Family opposite Michael Chiklis. She gets a superpower. I’ve seen the pilot and the series is on my fall must-see list.
Arkie to return.
Science Channel has renewed Meteorite Men for a second season. The series features the adventures of Geoff Notkin and Steve Arnold as they search for meteorites.
If you haven’t seen the show, it’s a whole lot more fascinating than it sounds. Season 2 will see our intrepid heroes go international to search for cosmic treasure in Africa, Australia and underwater in Greenland.
Arnold lives in Kingston, which is in Madison County about nine miles east of Huntsville as the turkey vulture flies.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:
Style, Pages 54 on 06/27/2010