Directed by: Michael
Patrick King
Written by: Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King
"This... is my comeback," announces preternaturally perky
actress Valerie Cherish to the battery of cameras that has
taken over the Beverly Hills home she shares with her husband
Mark and occasionally his daughter Franchesca. Much to the
dismay of her petrified housekeeper Esperanza, Valerie has
agreed to let these cameras trail her as she attempts to
return to the sitcom spotlight. Agreeing to the reality show
is a prerequisite to Valerie's being cast in the pilot for
Room and Bored, a series about "four sexy singles living
in
a condo." As the gallery of framed photos on her wall attests,
Valerie was once a TV Guide -cover worthy actress who
won a People's Choice Award for I'm It!, a '90s sitcom
that ran for four seasons.
No longer in the spotlight, Valerie still considers herself a
star, and looks to this new chapter of her career with a mix
of excitement and trepidation. She appears to be only slightly
deflated upon learning she hasn't actually been given the
part, and is competing for it against the likes of Mary Lu
Henner and Kim Fields. After "winning" the coveted role,
Valerie gets her hair done (in a circa 1985
big-feathered-flip) by her longtime hairdresser and friend
Mickey, then arrives triumphantly on the Room and Bored
set with her reality producers in tow. There she learns that
her co-stars are nearly half her age, and the creators want to
demote Valerie to a part-time role as "Aunt Sassy," who wears
a frumpy pastel running suit and lives upstairs (at least she
owns the building). The rude awakening is complete when the
seasoned director (James Burrows)- refusing to indulge her
preference for multiple takes - informs Valerie that she's
"not It anymore."
Clinging to the shreds of her dignity after these
closely-chronicled setbacks, Valerie puts on her best
performance as she endures several other crises closer to home
- from husband Mark's scene-stealing bowel movement during an
end-of-day "personal video diary," to a fender-bender that
proves you shouldn't drive with a camera crew while returning
cell-phone calls, to a recurring water leak that trashes her
"It" picture wall and damages her prized Tonight Show photo.
However, it's not all bad news - just as everything around her
appears to be crumbling, Valerie gets a call from her agent:
Room and Bored has been picked up for the fall season.
