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entertaining u newspaper: your weekly guide to entertainment
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by rick grant
rickgrant01@comcast.net
In 2003, Courtney Cox and her husband, David Arquette formed their own production company called Coquette to produce original works. Coquette has produced WE’s interior design series Mix It Up and TBS’s comedy Daisy Does America. David directed and co-wrote a horror film The Tripper, and there are other projects in development. But this new series Dirt is the power couple’s biggest investment in time, money, and energy.
Courtney’s experiences with the tabloid press and her run-ins with the paparazzi gave her the idea for this new series. One day, much to the astonishment of her paparazzo stalker, Courtney asked him to let her ride along with him and introduce her to his bosses in the tabloid world as research for a series delving deeply into his world.
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What she learned both surprised and fascinated her, and she asked her husband David to work with her on developing a series called Dirt. The idea for the title came from an incident in which she and David were in a hot tub on their honeymoon. Suddenly, they spotted a paparazzo laying in the dirt taking shots of them. He was down in the dirt, literally and figuratively!
“When I was pregnant I observed a whole new breed of renegade paparazzi who were lawless. They’d corner me and chase me in their cars, and I’d get really frustrated and try to outrun them. Then one day, I suddenly saw the potential in doing a show about the bold new tabloid world of today,” Courtney said in an EW interview.
As the idea grew in her head, she put together a treatment and pitched the idea to FX because it is known for giving producers freedom of expression. Of course, FX loved the idea and they inked a deal with Courtney and David’s company Coquette Productions. With a full order of 13 hour-long episodes wrapped, the show has generated a loud buzz.
The opening episode, Tues. Jan. 2nd, established the characters, focusing on Cox’s insightful portrayal of Lucy, hard driven editor of Drrt, (two rs) who lives and breathes her job–getting scoops and compassionately managing her functioning schizophrenic photographer, Don Konkey, played with scene stealing verve by Ian Hart. In episode one, Don goes off his medication and flips out. His beloved cat has cancer and he hears voices. Lucy gets him to the doctor to refill his meds. Hunkered down in a tree, Don gets some juicy shots of a reputed family man NBA star player in a torrid sexual affair with a floozy in a hot tub involving a “strap on.” Lucy reminds her staff that they publish only verifiable factual content not unsubstantiated gossip.
During her research, Courtney learned that celebrities have a love-hate relationship with the tabloids that keep their faces in front of the public. It’s a symbiotic relationship, that feeds the public’s and the celebrities’ hunger for salacious content. Yes, celebrities continually bitch about the paparazzi, but secretly, they want the attention. Savvy celebrities realize that they need the tabloid press to perpetuate their celebrity. As the cliché says, “It’s the price of fame.” In fact, being stalked by paparazzi is a hallmark of A-list stardom.
Jon Stewart plays Holt McLaren–a brooding unemployed actor. Lucy has her hook in him as her biggest fish–a misbehaving movie star and confidential source. “You didn’t want to be an actor, you wanted to be famous,” she tells him, implying that he now must live with that decision. Veteran actor, Timothy Bottoms portrays Gibson Horne, Drrt’s publisher who locks horns with Lucy, who also runs the Company’s People-like magazine, Now.
This series showcases Cox’s considerable acting chops. She lights up the screen with her complex and nuanced characterization of Lucy. Friends didn’t do Cox justice. This series gives her a chance to stretch her acting skill in an Emmy award worthy performance. She is riveting as Lucy.
The supporting cast of A-listers, who serve as Lucy’s colleagues and her targets, are experienced actors, giving the series it’s edgy tension. For Lucy, nothing is out of bounds, and when she’s criticized for her no-holds-barred approach, she counters that if the celebrities don’t want to be photographed in compromising situations then they should find another occupation or stay home. Her targets love to hate her, but deep down, want her to feature them. Like Nip/Tuck, FX gave Courtney carte blanch on uncensored content. Consequently, this show rivals FX’s other controversial hits, Rescue Me, The Shield, and Nip/Tuck.
Dirt moved into the Nip/Tuck’s time slot Tuesday nights at 10:00 pm ET.
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