Internet Broadcasting Systems - CBS' 'That's Life' Is All That

CBS' 'That's Life' Is All That

Paul Sorvino, Creator Diane Ruggiero Talk About New Show

Saturday Night Fever
Get ready to either cancel your Saturday night dates or learn how to work that VCR.

The light drama "That's Life" won't change television history, but it will keep you glued to your television.

Move over, "Sopranos": Here's an Italian-American clan without the mob mentality. "That's Life" is about the DeLucca family of New Jersey, and in particular Lydia DeLucca.

Breaking off her eight-year engagement and heading to college at the over-the-hill age of 32, Lydia faces obstacles with each step that she takes to change her life.


	A lot of big-name actors will be on the small screen this season. Which shows -- new or old -- are you looking forward to? Looking Forward To Fall TV?

If she's not dealing with her car that sometimes needs to be started with a pencil, then she's bumping into her ex-fiance, who keeps showing up to the house. And her entire support system thinks that giving up the security of marriage for a college education that might be more trouble than it's worth is the biggest mistake of her life.

The show stars Heather Paige Kent ("Jenny" and "Stark Raving Mad") as the edgy and determined Lydia. She's surrounded by her best friends Jackie (Debi Mazar), a smart-mouthed beautician, and Candy Cooper (Kristin Bauer), a sweet but self-absorbed young woman still clinging to her 1988 Miss New Jersey title.

But those are only two of the characters in Lydia's life.

Academy Award-winning actress Ellen Burstyn plays her long-suffering but well-meaning mother Dolly, and veteran actor Paul Sorvino plays her New York Giants-loving father Frank.

Rounding out the cast is Lydia's obnoxious brother Paul (Kevin Dillon), a cop, who enjoys handcuffing her at every opportunity, and Peter Firth, who plays her psychology professor.

Once Upon A Time
Cinderella had nothing on a young woman named Diane Ruggiero. Ruggiero, a native of Belleville, N.J., was working as a waitress and a part-time writer.

OK, she never really wrote anything professionally; she just wanted to be a writer.

But then fate walked into her restaurant. A customer who was a real screenwriter happened to take a shine to her. After telling him she wanted to be a screenwriter, he proceeded to create writing assignments for her. If she didn't complete the assignments, she wouldn't get a tip.

So she wrote, eventually finishing a screenplay that her patron sent to his agents.

The agents loved it. And voila, a writer was born.

But the story gets better: Her screenplay, "Pretty the Beast." was optioned (that is, a studio purchased it and might make it into a movie) by none other than the great writer-producer Nora Ephron ("Sleepless In Seattle," "You've Got Mail").

Although the film has yet to be made, CBS executives were so impressed, they asked Ruggiero to write a pilot. The finished product was "That's Life."

The Truth Is Out There
Sorvino loved the script the moment he read it.

Paul Sorvino Sorvino plays Lydia's father, lovable tollbooth operator Frank DeLucca.

Ruggiero couldn't be more delighted to be working with Sorvino and is still a little starstruck.

"Paul, like, gushes. I talked to him and he's like, 'I loved this script,'" Ruggiero tells me. "And I'm thinking, like, 'Oh, my God, you're Paul Sorvino. You're reading something that I wrote, which blows my mind. And then you're saying it, and you're not doing it with a gun to your head.'"

Sorvino hardly has a gun to his head.

He is quick to tell me that he was drawn to the project because of its compassion.

"(The show's) got so much heart, so much life. It's just about human beings who love each other," he says.

Sorvino says that the show touches people because it also has "truth." Perhaps that's because the plot is partially based on Ruggiero's real life.

Which Exit?
Far from the glamour of other dramas, "That's Life" is down and dirty. In fact, the upper-crust cast of "Frasier" would probably get their noses socked in the blue-collar neighborhood in which this show is set.

Ellen Burstyn Case in point: The fictional DeLuccas are huge fans of the New York Giants and don Giants jerseys on game day (even Mom wears a Giants apron). No big deal, right? But the DeLuccas treat it like a religious holiday. The family goes so far as to set a baking timer during halftime so that they can finish eating in time to get back to the game.

Ruggiero is unapologetic about her blue-collar roots.

"I'm so thankful that I've done what I've done up until now," she tells me.

Just like the character of Lydia, Ruggiero also worked a lot of dead-end jobs before making it to Hollywood. She also was never the belle of the ball.

"I'm 29 years old and never been on a date," she says.

Even though she had a lot of friends growing up, Ruggiero says that she always felt like a bit of an oddball.

"I was popular, but I was popular for being the funny one," she says. "I was like the fat funny girl who hung out with the cheerleaders."

That probably sounds pretty familiar to a lot of people. We can't all be jocks and cheerleaders. But Ruggiero thinks that's just fine.

In fact, anyone who has ever felt like they were swimming upstream, or felt like a fish out of water altogether, will appreciate the college classroom scenes in "That's Life," as Lydia applies her street smarts in the book-smarts setting.

Heather Paige Kent Kent is absolutely amazing as the pretty and tough-talking Lydia.

A relative newcomer (although we've seen her in two short-lived series), Kent's charm could melt the cheese on your pasta.

And like her character's creator, Kent is sometimes surprised by her own tenacity.

"It's really happening," Kent tells me, almost dazed by her first leading role in a series.

Father Figure
Clearly, Sorvino enjoys his new role.

The veteran actor is pulling double duty on the big and small screens. He's co-starring in the upcoming films "Perfume," "Plan B" (with Diane Keaton) and "See Spot Run" (with David Arquette). But Sorvino is happy to be playing Frank every week.

"Where do you get to do a TV show with great material, great actors like Ellen (Burstyn), and a sensational kid like this Heather Paige Kent who has star written all over her?" Sorvino says of the new show.

This is high praise from Sorvino, who has starred in more than 80 films, including "Romeo & Juliet," "Nixon," "The Firm," "Goodfellas," "Dick Tracy," "Reds" and "Bulworth." He tells me that it's nice to be playing something other than the heavy.

Paul sorvino "Most people don't know that I'm funny. They think I'm just a tough guy," he says, laughing.

"(Frank's) so real, and so full of heart, and so funny," Sorvino says.

The actor is also relieved that he's not the lead. "I don't have to carry the show," Sorvino tells me.

Neither does veteran actress Burstyn, who plays Lydia's mother.

The Tony-Award winning actress has been nominated for an Academy Award five times, winning one for her work in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore."

She tells me that she is delighted to be part of "That's Life."

Ruggiero calls Burstyn's work "fabulous," and Sorvino tells me that Burstyn is "one of the greatest actresses in America."

Wait until the final scene of the show's pilot and you'll see what they mean.

The Credits
One of the charms of the series is that it's so authentic. But now that Ruggiero's told "her story," is she finished in Hollywood?

Not even close. She tells me that there are plenty more underdog stories to tell and that she's just getting started.

Which, after you see "That's Life," is lucky for us, I think you'll agree.

The Big Scoop:

Party Favors: Hollywood "it" spot Le Dome hosted the BMG post-Latin Grammy Awards party last week. Guests included Jennifer Lopez (who I am told is not a favorite of the staff there) and Sean "Puffy" Combs. The restaurant expected 80 guests, but at the last minute -- and I mean the last possible itty-bitty minute -- BMG reps called to say that there would be a few more. Try 150 total. The restaurant staff scrambled to polish the silverware and clean the glasses. I wonder what Miss Manners would have to say about the late RSVPs.

'Duets' Off Key: I got many phone calls and e-mails telling me that Gwyneth Paltrow's new flick "Duets" hits a sour note. One e-mail said: "The script is bad, bad, bad." And that's from Jim Halterman, a real live Hollywood writer.

Elizabeth The Second: Dame Elizabeth Taylor will host the Los Angeles version of the Macy's Passport Fashion Show this weekend. This is the second benefit in as many weeks for her. She headlined the show in San Francisco already. Joining her will be Magic Johnson, Cindy Crawford, Mary J. Blige and more stars than you can count. I always have a terrific time at these annual events. Where else can you catch the latest fashions, eat the best food, and rub elbows with the likes of Kenneth Cole, Tina Turner, Marilu Henner, Shemar Moore and Sharon Stone? The best part? All proceeds go to AIDS research.

Next Column:

She's the talk of the hospital and the town: Meet "General Hospital's" newest beauty (and bad girl), former model and MTV personality Marisa Ramirez.
Then meet "Touched By an Angel's" Della Reese, who jokes that she was typecast.
Past On The Set columns.

Note: "On The Set" appears every week in our Entertainment section. To have this column delivered right to your e-mail box, click here. Have a question about your favorite celebrity? Let Steven know.