Writer Mike Chessler on the set of "Style
and Substance."

"When we're in the early stages of
outlining a story, pitching the story
and beating out ideas, Chris and I
work together," Chessler explained.
"Once we have an outline, we decide
that one person will take on one half
while the other person takes on the
other half. As soon as we have a rough
draft of each, we'll start going over it
and revising together.
"When I was in college, I imagined
writing novels, [being] extremely self
contained and solitary," Chessler said.
"Film and television are very collabo-
rative, and that's been a big difference.
"Our ultimate goal is to create and
write our own show, but it has to be
timed properly."

❑

"Style and Substance" airs at 9:30
p.m. Mondays on CBS, Channel
62.

Suzanne Chessler is a Farmington

Hills-based freelance writer and fre-
quent contributor to JNE.

Hashing In

While going over the script for the
third episode of "Style and Sub-
stance," Linda Kash found out the
character she portrays— Trudy, a
wisecracking food stylist — is Jewish.
"I did the rehearsal and was told I
did well," recalled Kash.
Religion is about all Kash has in
common with her character.
"I'm not very glib, and I'm pretty
warm," said the actress, who grew
up in Toronto and got her showbiz
initiation at Second City. "I like
Trudy's honesty and lack of personal
censorship. Although I'm honest,
-
I'm more diplomatic."
Kash brings sitcom experience
to the new show — even an
episode of "Seinfeld." She por-
trayed one of George's former girl-
friends; George sees her across the
room at a party, wants to know
what she's saying and gets someone
to read her lips.
This season, Kash also is appear-
ing on "Ellen," taking on the role of
a leader of a focus group evaluating
a TV show.
Kash grew up in an entertain-
ment family. Her father is a conduc-
tor and violinist, and her mother is
an opera singer.
"After high school, I traveled

Kash just finished a one-woman
and tried to get into [drama]
Family Secrets, for the Win-
show,
37.
"I
school," said Kash, who is
nipeg Jewish Theatre, where she
started working in dinner theater,
found a fun way to explore her
waitressing during intermission
Judaism as well as her family's reli-
and performing the rest of the
gious practices.
evening.
The actress would like to move
"Then I went to theater school
on
to more behind-the-scenes work
in California for a year before start-
and
hopes to get a chance at direct-
ing with Second City. I had no
ing Detroit's Second City.
intention of focusing on comedy,
"I'm interested in more cre-
but Second City [wound up taking]
ative control," she
four years of my life.
said. "I know I'll
We wrote our own
always perform,
shows so it taught me
but I have no
how to write."
sions about being
Kash and her hus-
a female in this
band, actor Michael
business.
Riley, went on to try
"I don't want
their luck in Califor-
anyone to tell me
nia, where she worked
I'm too old to do
on the series "She
anything. I think
T.V." and "Minor
if I move toward
Adjustments," and he
writing
and
worked on TV and in
directing, and I'm
film, most recently in
just as ambitious
Amistad.
in that way, I'll
The couple, with
never have to
their toddler daughter,
retire until I want
Dylan, maintain
to."
homes in Canada and
California to access
Linda Kash portrays a Jewish
— Suzanne
many types of work
food stylist on "Style and Sub-
Chessler
opportunities.
stance."

-

>, •

5 - a

❑

Get Smart

Jean Smart is no Martha Stewart.

She is no Chelsea Stevens either —
the self-centered cooking, decorating
and entertaining author/TV person-
ality she plays with scenery-chewing
relish on "Style & Substance."
Though Smart isn't basing her
character on Stewart's personality,
she is familiar with the high-profile
domestic mogulette's work from
watching her show.
"I enjoy watching things like that,
but I just never do what they teach,"
she laughs. "I even own a Martha
Stewart cookbook, but I haven't
made anything from it yet because
I'm not a great cook," the 5-foot-10,
43-year-old Smart explains. "In
recent history, I made a magazine
picture-perfect Thanksgiving turkey
— which was completely raw on the
bottom."

asking him to
The truth be known,
convince his morn
Smart wasn't all that anx-
to take the job.
ious to get involved with
Smart — who
"Style & Substance."
left as the hor-
The actress, still smart-
mone-driven
ing from her last short-
Charlene Frazier
lived sitcom going down
Stillfield on
in flames — "High Soci-
"Designing
ety" (1995-96) — was in
Women"
after five
effect bribed into taking
years (1986-91)
"Style & Substance" by
— didn't stand a
Executive Producer Peter
prayer. Now gen-
Tolan and certain mem-
uinely excited
bers of Disney's Touch-
Jean Smart: She's no
about
the series,
stone Television produc-
Martha Stewart.
she
is
convinced
tion company. She had
that it will go
twice turned down offers
beyond
its
initial
order
of 13
to star in the new comedy series
episodes. ❑
when a package arrived at her door.
The box contained a dozen or so
—Eirik Knutzen
Disney products and a lengthy letter
Copley News Service
addressed to Smart's son, Connor,

Photo by Tony Esparza

They pitched a series idea and a
pilot episode to the producer of the
discontinued "Ink," a show for which
they wrote their first episode as a
team. Their proposed series pilot is
under consideration now.
This season, Chessler and Alberghi-
ni came up with the second episode of
"Murphy Brown." The story line cov-
ers Murphy's breast cancer diagnosis
during a time when she's doing inves-
tigative reporting on health code viola-
tions in a supermarket.

2/13
1998

87