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Lifetime Kicks Off the New Year With the Provocative Lifetime Original Movie 'To Be Fat Like Me,' Starring Kaley Cuoco ('8 Simple Rules') and Caroline Rhea ('The Biggest Loser'), Premiering Monday, January 8, 2007
Inspired by the Real-Life Experiences of New York Teen Ali Schmidt Who Went
Undercover in a Fat Suit to High School for a Network News Special on
Obesity
Movie Launches Lifetime's Second Annual 'Living Healthy' Initiative to
Encourage Viewers to Make Healthy Lifestyle Decisions and Promote Tolerance
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 30 -- Kaley Cuoco ("8 Simple Rules") and
Caroline Rhea ("The Biggest Loser") star in the Lifetime Original Movie "To
Be Fat Like Me," the story of an attractive high school junior who
experiences first-hand the extreme prejudice and heartbreak overweight
teens face when she attends class undercover in a fat suit and prosthetics
as part of a statewide film competition. "To Be Fat Like Me" also explores
the idea of intolerance for the overweight even within one's own family.
The telefilm is inspired by the true story and experiences of New York teen
Ali Schmidt, who went undercover for a 2003 network news special on
obesity. "To Be Fat Like Me" premieres Monday, January 8, 2007 at 9pm ET/PT
on Lifetime Television.
In "To Be Fat Like Me," athletic and popular high school junior Aly
(Cuoco), always planned on getting into college by landing a softball
scholarship. But when a sports injury leaves her sidelined, Aly decides to
enter a documentary film contest in hopes of winning the prize money to pay
for college.
Convinced that her overweight younger brother Adam and mother Madelyn
(Rhea) use their struggles with weight as an excuse for all that is wrong
in their lives, Aly arms herself with a fat suit and hidden camera to find
out the truth as the subject of her film entry. With the help of her
classmate Janie and neighbor Warren, a resourceful make-up artist, Aly
devises a plan to attend summer classes at a rival high school where no one
knows the real "Aly" and shows up on campus as a 250-pound student.
Although she expected some negative reactions, Aly is shocked by the
level of cruelty she encounters. Having anticipated that her naturally
buoyant personality would eventually win over her fellow students, Aly is
surprised at the assumptions and judgments being made about her. Her
confidence is quickly shattered when she is teased, mocked and harassed and
Aly soon begins to understand how intolerant she has been of her own
family's weight issues.
More than 60 million people in America are obese and the percentage of
young people who are overweight has tripled since 1980. "To Be Fat Like Me"
is a pivotal component of Lifetime's annual "Living Healthy" campaign,
encouraging health and well-being, including body image, fitness and diet.
Lifetime is joining with nonprofit organizations, such as Girls Inc. and
the National Women's Health Resource Center, to promote these messages of
health, as well as tolerance, and for a PSA with Kaley Cuoco to follow the
film.
"To Be Fat Like Me" is produced by Ardmore Productions for Lifetime
Television. Mike Jacobs, Jr. (Lifetime Television's "Their Second Chance")
and Michael Givens ("Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love") serve as executive
producers. Paul Rayman ("The Engagement Ring") and Michael Shepard
("Imaginary Playmate") produced and Doug Barr (Lifetime Television's "For
the Love of a Child") directed. The telefilm is written by Michelle
Lovretta ("Instant Star").
Lifetime is the leader in women's television and one of the top-rated
basic cable television networks. A diverse, multi-media company, Lifetime
is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information
programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and
their families. Lifetime Television, LMN, Lifetime Real Women, Lifetime
Home Entertainment and Lifetime Online (http://www.lifetimetv.com) are part
of Lifetime Entertainment Services, a 50/50 joint venture of The Hearst
Corporation and The Walt Disney Company.
SOURCE Lifetime Television
http://www.lifetimetv.com
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