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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:29 AM PDT

The latest sitcom from Ricky Gervais is in danger of falling short of being funny.

THE brains behind TV series such as The Office and Extras are back and this time, it is very apparent that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are trying extremely hard to be funny.

The duo's latest TV offering, Life's Too Short, may just be one of those "sitcoms with lots of potential to become a major hit" to reach the small screen in recent years. However, it also dangerously borders on falling into the "it-didn't-work-because-Gervais-got-too-big-for-his-own-shoes" pile.

There is a very thin line that separates these categories and it is up to Gervais and his long-time comedic partner Merchant to make sure that they pull the show and its audience in the right direction.

Life's Too Short is a faux documentary starring Warwick Davis who plays a fictionalised version of himself – a little person down on his luck, trying to claw his way back into the limelight in the entertainment scene.

Davis fancies himself as Britain's go-to little person and desperately tries to maintain his talent agency for little people in showbiz – Dwarves For Hire – as well as his spot as vice chairman of a society for small people in England.

In Davis' twisted little mind, he is just as famous as any other A-list actor although he often has to remind his "fans" that he appeared in several movies such as Willow, played an Ewok in Star Wars Return Of The Jedi and was Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films. In reality, however, nobody remembers his small parts in those big-budget movies and almost everyone he comes across has never heard of Ron Howard's Willow.

But that doesn't stop Davis from trying to revive his fading career or even win over his estranged wife's affections, who may very well be having an affair with their divorce attorney. He believes that one way to jump-start his career is by seeking advice from his old pals Gervais and Merchant (who play themselves), and pestering them to use their A-list celebrity connections to aid his dwindling career.

What he doesn't seem to realise is that Gervais and Merchant would rather he didn't bug them (they moved the intercom button on their office building a few feet higher so that Davis couldn't reach it) and don't want to be associated with his act at all.

The faux documentary primarily follows Davis around (but who wants a documentary of his life is a question yet to be answered) as he tries to book gigs, struggle with several daily tasks due to his stature, win back his wife's attention and suffer from foot-in-mouth disease.

It is extremely disappointing to note that Life's Too Short is not as funny as it could and should be. That is very puzzling, considering the fact that Gervais basically copied the format for The Office (which was a super-hit across the globe) and British humour works well almost every time (the keyword being almost).

I think that it is because as funny as Davis is ... he is just not relatable. There are only so many little people jokes they can make based on him and sometimes, they are not even that funny. Getting locked in a bathroom because the handle is too high for him to reach and resorting to taking off his pants so that he could beat it on the window to get the attention of the people outside? Yeah, I stopped laughing two seconds into it.

One of the best characters who needs more airtime on the show is Davis' personal assistant Cheryl (played by Rosamund Hanson). She is just so precious in this series and is in fact one of the reasons I'll actually watch the rest of the episodes. Cheryl has some of the best lines and her unreadable expressions are so hilarious that you can just laugh by looking at her face.

As in their previous show Extras, Gervais and Merchant also rope in A-listers to make cameo appearances in Life's Too Short. In episode one, we see super-serious actor Liam Neeson pitching his idea of doing comedy with Gervais and Merchant, and in subsequent episodes, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter are the guest stars.

While these fine actors prove to be great additions to the show, it is still weird to see them "play themselves" and do and say things that you somehow feel do not portray the real them.

I was cringing at the scene in which Bonham-Carter humiliated Davis and remembered thinking: "How is this even funny?"

However, despite all the show's shortcomings, Life's Too Short has the makings of a great hit. All Gervais and Merchant have to do is come up with a better storyline for Davis – because right now he just seems to waltz through the series aimlessly – and utilise their main actor to his highest potential.

Life's Too Short is funny at times, but if Gervais and Merchant are not careful, their latest attempt at comedy might just fall short of being funny.

Catch Life's Too Short every Monday at 10pm on HBO (Astro Ch 411) and HBO HD (Astro Ch 431).

Happy winners

Posted: 19 Sep 2012 05:29 AM PDT

The on-going Sure Can Win contest is cause for celebration for Red FM listeners.

KHONG Yee Yen, known to her friends as YY, moved to Kuala Lumpur two years ago to further her studies. While away from family and everything familiar, YY has made some really close friends whom she considers confidants. These friends introduced her to Red FM. According to them, the music was good and since they have never steered her wrong, she decided to check out the radio station to see what all the fuss was about.

"I was on my way to work and the traffic was horrendous so I tuned in to Red FM to get into a better mood. As I was listening to Jeremy, he announced my profile for Red FM's Sure Can Win. The announcement came blaring through my speakers, 'if you're a 20-year-old student from Penang call now and win RM200'.

"I screamed, 'that's me, that's me!'. I quickly composed myself and called in, Jeremy took my call and I won the cash."

When asked what was she going to do with the money, she quickly replied: "I am going to save it! I am a student now, but I am about to venture into the working world and I will need all the extra cash I can get. I have five more months before I graduate. Who knows what the future will have in store for me."

Maryann Vargis' story is nothing like YY's, but she too was surprised at how easy it was to win on Red FM's Sure Can Win.

"I remember winning it like it happened yesterday. It was mid-morning when Jeremy announced that the profile Red FM's Sure Can Win was a 30-year-old housewife and I just couldn't believe my ears. I fit that profile perfectly, so I grabbed the phone and dialled as quickly as I could. I got through, answered a simple question and won RM250, just like that! But I have to confess that this is not the first time our family has won on Red FM.

"For Red FM's Runaway DJ campaign, (a previous contest on the radio station) my husband Soo Ravivarmah managed to track Fiqrie and won as well."

For Maryann, Red FM has been a key player in her family's celebrations and she is grateful. "Last year, we used our winnings to celebrate our son's first birthday and this time we are using the money to celebrate our son's second birthday. I guess my little Soo Rashvin has Red FM to thank for all his birthday parties.

"I still can't believe how easy it is to win, I am definitely going to keep taking part in these radio contests, it's so much fun and so easy to win!"

She explained that her ex-colleagues got her hooked on Red FM. "I definitely have my wonderful friends to thank for introducing me to this radio station," said Maryann, who has been listening to Red FM for more than three years now and she said there is no other radio station that can come close to it.

Tiong, another winner on Jeremy's show, admitted that prior to winning he didn't even listen to Red FM. "My friend Annie is a big fan and she has been listening to Red FM for years. She loves the music played. She even forced me to like the Red FM Malaysia Facebook page," Ting quipped.

"One day, Annie called me in a huff and told me to call Red FM to win cash. I was like ... how? She explained and I called. The profile was for a man born in the 1970s in Kelantan. I called in and all Jeremy asked was what is Kelantan famous for? Since I am from Machang, I told him about the Machang fishball noodle and he told me I have won. It was that easy. I just couldn't believe it.

"Now, Red FM is my favourite station, I listen to it all the time. Sarimah and Lil' Kev of the Red Breakfast, make me laugh out loud. I can't believe that all this time Annie was right and I was missing out simply because I was just too stubborn to listen to her. I am definitely going to listen to her more often now."

When asked what he was going to do with the cash, Tiong replied: "I am going to spend it on milk powder for my 16-month-old son!"

Red FM's Sure Can Win has brightened so many people's lives and has been a part of so many people's stories. The easiest radio contest is on till Sept 28. You could be walking away with cash just for being you.

For more information, log on to red.fm/surecanwin Join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page on facebook.com/redfm.my and follow us on Twitter @iloveredfm. Red FM is operated by The Star.

Red FM's Station Frequencies: Taiping, Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Langkawi: 98.1FM; George Town and Seberang Prai: 107.6FM; Ipoh, Perak: 106.4FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Tapah: 104.9FM; Kuantan, Pahang: 91.6FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8FM.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Selasa, 18 September 2012