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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, April 8, 2016 2 By Kyla Brewer TV Media E verything old is new again. In the 1990s, An- drew Dice Clay ("The Ad- ventures of Ford Fairlane," 1990) was known for his ex- pletive-laden, brash brand of humor. For a while, he was on top, but the entertainment in- dustry is notoriously fickle, and he faded from view with- in a decade of his rise to fame. Now, he hopes to be fa- mous for a new four-letter word. The comedian stages a comeback in the semi-autobi- ographical scripted comedy "Dice," premiering Sunday, April 10, on Showtime. Creat- ed by Scot Armstrong ("Old School," 2003), the six-epi- sode series follows Clay as he moves his family to Las Vegas in the hopes of kick-starting his career after a slump. The aging comedian also strug- gles to pay his gambling debts, manage his sons' rock band and keep his family afloat, all the while fending off old fans. The situations Dice finds himself in are billed as "semi- true" in Showtime's release, which Clay reiterated in a be- hind-the-scenes promo for the series. "The show is the most ber- serk thing, and it's funny that I'm saying that because it's a hybrid of my life," he said, adding: "Now, after 38 years of comedy, I like to make fun of where I am." "Dice's" premise isn't terri- bly new. Matt LeBlanc ("Friends") won a Golden Globe in 2012 for his portrayal of himself in "Episodes," and Larry David popularized the premise as a fictionalized ver- sion of himself in his comedy "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which ran from 2000 to 2011 on HBO. Clay offers viewers a similar self-deprecating take on the genre, but also intends to inject his prime-time dop- pelganger with sentimentality. "I'll do anything, but now and then, we should see this guy's heart," explained Clay. "That's what makes any com- edy a success." The cast should also factor into the show's success, and producers have lined up some high-profile guest stars to keep things interesting. Kevin Corrigan ("Grounded for Life") co-stars as Dice's right- hand man and partner-in-she- nanigans, a guy known as Milkshake. His character, ac- cording to Clay, is a hybrid of a few of his friends. Corrigan ex- plained he liked to think of Milkshake as Dice's con- science. Natasha Leggero ("Another Period") portrays Dice's girl- friend, Carmen. It's interesting to note that she's listed as a guest star and not a series regular, which leads to specu- lation she may not be around for very long. That wouldn't come as a surprise, consider- ing Dice's antiquated views about women. In October, it was an- nounced Lorraine Bracco ("The Sopranos") would join the cast of "Dice" for two epi- sodes as Toni, a Las Vegas overlord in control of Dice's gambling debts. Adrien Brody ("The Pianist," 2002) guest stars as himself in one epi- sode, and other guest stars announced so far include Mi- chael Rapaport ("Boston Pub- lic"), Wayne Newton ("Smokin' Aces," 2006), Criss Angel ("Criss Angel Mind- freak") and Rita Rudner ("Hollywood Squares"). It's an impressive roster that just might put "Dice" on the map and help revive Clay's floundering career. He rose to fame on the stand-up comedy circuit and became the first comedian to sell out New York's Madison Square Gar- den two nights in a row in 1990. However, his controver- sial persona and material led to a lot of backlash from the public and he ultimately fell from favor. His 1990 appear- ance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" was boycotted by both series star Nora Dunn and musical guest Sinead O'Connor. "Dice" isn't Clay's first at- tempt at a comeback. Back in 2007, he starred in his own re- ality TV series — "Dice: Undis- puted" on VH1, but it only lasted six episodes. He repre- sented the charity StandUp for Kids in the second season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" but was fired by Donald Trump in the very first episode. Despite being lambasted by women's groups for his sexist humor and being named one of the world's worst standup comedians by Complex Mag- azine in 2011, he soldiered on with his career throughout the 2000s. He appeared at The Bamboozle festival in 2012 and starred in the Showtime comedy special "Indestructi- ble" the same year. His role in Woody Allen's "Blue Jasmine" (2013) was praised by critics and inspired many to take an- other look at the performer as a character actor. Clay tried to set the record straight with his 2014 autobi- ography "The Filthy Truth." Also, he exemplified and em- braced his controversial histo- ry when he hosted Show- time's comedy showcase "The Blue Show" in 2015. More re- cently, he guest starred in HBO's '70s-era drama "Vinyl." He's guest starred as him- self several times on television in the past few years. He was Johnny Drama's co-star in the final season of "Entourage" in 2011, and he appeared in Fox's "Raising Hope" that same year. Now, Clay is ready to head- line his own series, which joins the ranks of such other Show- time comedies as "Shame- less," "House of Lies" and "Episodes." It's clear the cable channel is placing its bets on "Dice." A/Bulls Head Inn B/Laura Reyda 2 x 2 coverstory Roll the 'Dice' Andrew Dice Clay attempts another TV comeback By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Why are there so many TV dramas about the FBI? I've counted six currently on the regular cable channels. A: That's actually a great question: There are some very good, and surprisingly simple, reasons why the Federal Bureau of Investigation gets so much attention on television. And the story actually starts even longer ago than "Criminal Minds" (which seems to have been on forever). A 2008 article in the Washington Times traced the history of the FBI in the popular media and said that it first rose to promi- nence with a series of high-profile cases in the 1930s — par- ticularly the Lindbergh kidnapping and the hunt for John Dillinger. Shortly afterward, it began collaborating directly with the media to develop shows and films that made FBI agents into heroes. That collaboration led to the image of the incorruptible G- Man that was popular during director J. Edgar Hoover's day, but that image wouldn't last. Eventually, the public wanted, and got, a more nuanced — and occasionally negative — im- age of the FBI. And "nuanced and occasionally negative" is a pretty good description of the kind of anti-hero most TV shows look for today. Take current popular FBI shows such as "Criminal Minds" and "The Blacklist" — they feature characters who constantly question (and in the case of "The Blacklist," occasionally be- tray) the bureau and its methods. Today's shows also display another aspect of the FBI that makes it popular TV fodder: It deals with whatever America throws at it. "Criminal Minds" has its agents chasing person- ally motivated serial killers, while "The Blacklist" and another FBI show, "Quantico," have them chasing political terrorists. Another popular one, "The X-Files" (recently revived by popu- lar demand), has them chasing aliens, monsters and pretty well everything else. And in comparison to another popular TV hero, the humble urban police officer, FBI agents are less limited geographically. Generally speaking, cops are stuck in one city, or even one pre- cinct. The FBI is only limited by the borders of the United States. Interestingly, though the FBI isn't always flattered in today's shows, it generally still helps them out. "The X-Files" often fea- tured the bureau's top brass collaborating in coverups and other misdeeds, but the Washington Times story reports that the bureau still kept up a working relationship with the show's creator, Chris Carter. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Losie's Gun Shop 1 x 4 Bull's Head Inn Good Food Sturdy Drink Est. 1802 Upscale & casual restaurant & pub dining in the most historic establishment in Cobleskill. Open for lunch, dinner, Sunday brunch & private events Now taking reservations for Easter Brunch/Dinner buffet 10 am to 4 pm 518-234-1802 105 Park Place, Cobleskill www.BullsHeadInnCobleskill.com 312084 Serving the Oneonta and Surrounding Community Since 1981

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