Okay, this is almost about the movies!  I was reading today where Brad Pitt was accosted at the Venice Film Festival by an unbalanced female fan, and it brought to mind a hilarious British comedy show that aired a few years ago.  It starred comedian/actor Paul Kaye as Dennis Pennis, an annoying celebrity interviewer who, in the guise of an American BBC entertainment reporter, would pose cheeky questions to often pompous and usually clueless celebrities.  Far more guerilla than Martin Short’s Jiminy Glick, and almost funnier in a squirming kind of way, it’s celebrity skewering at its best.

You may have seen Paul Kaye starring in the fascinating 2004 film It’s All Gone, Pete Tong, where he plays a music producer who loses his hearing.  It’s a comedy and so much more, and Kaye is simply splendid as Frankie Wilde, the producer.  In addition to his comedy roles, he’s done a wide variety of British TV and is a familiar face over there, with many folks clamoring for the return of the outrageous Dennis Pennis, even though he was murdered in the last Pennis series. 

No matter!  If you get a kick out of celebrities having the wind taken out of their sails, Dennis Pennis is for you!  Normally I hate mean spirited material, but boy, you learn a lot about what’s underneath the glitz when you watching Pennis.  Similar to the way Ali G springs his outrageous persona on guest celebrities on his show, Pennis goes one step further, with his in-your-face aggressive paparazzi-style Q&A.  Watch him catch Morgan Freeman, Sharon Stone, Steve Martin, and many others.  Of course, since this is British, it’s frequently take-no-prisoners style, so if you don’t like profanity you might not want to watch the clips. 

Dennis Pennis’ style of celebrity anti-worship may not be for everyone, but in a world where it seems to go too much the other way much too often, he’s a swift kick in the arse to the whole notion of stardom.  I say good for him!