Mister D: Gina Riley is a comediene/actress/singer who has been a huge hit down under in a lot of sitcom type material…I would probably compare it to Mad TV ot SNL if pushed. Anyway, “Kath and Kim” is a huge hit in Australia and I get it here on the Sundance Channel. I don’t know if the show will go into a 3 rd season or not. However, before the sitcom, Ms. Riley was on a show called “Fast Forward” where she did spoofs of megastars like Bette, Annie Lennox, Cher, and Streisand. I’ve never understood why there weren’t more parodies of Bette…she’s a larger than life figure and has larger than life traits that could be affectionately poked fun of. Some people just don’t get this type of humor and think it’s mean spirited (which it can be sometimes), but Ms. Riley has a genuine affection for her subjects and influences. Bette has openly talked about her acting style (making fun of herself) as being hammy at times…hence, the “ham” inspired birthday cake Martin gave her for her 60th birthday party. Anyway, I thought this was a hilarious spoof on Bette in “Beaches.” Ya know what Bette says….fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke!” So here I bring to you, Gina Riley:
Love, Mister D
PS: Thank you Ryan for bringing this to my attention….:-)