Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Cat Deeley Falls for Comedy While Doing 'Shake It Up' Role/Oprah's OWN Staff Includes Lots of Heavyweights, Literally

Cat Deeley admits she was afraid of taking on the role of a vice principal in this Sunday's (1/9) episode of the Disney Channel's "Shake It Up" series. However, she notes, "I think when you feel scared of something you want to do, you should definitely do it. Throw some obstacles in your way when you feel too comfortable."

The bubbly "So You Think You Can Dance" hostess says, "I hadn't done any comedy in awhile, though it's something I remember fondly."

Back in her earlier years of working on TV in the U.K., she performed "topical skits of things that had happened during the week, pastiches of comedy shows."

The "Shake It Up" part, she says, demanded physical comedy — and contained an even bigger challenge.

"I had to play strict and stern. It's my first character like that, actually — very different for me. I found it difficult to be stern with these kids. They're so much fun and so talented, they'll absolutely blow you away, every single one of them. I don't know how they handle all the demands of the show and also deal with school and agents and everything else they have to do. They're so good, I really did feel a little intimidated," she says with a laugh.

The storyline has teenage dancer Rocky Blue (Zendaya) getting the idea that she'll get more out of life if she hangs up her goody-two-shoes image and breaks a few rules.

"She's sick and tired of being the good girl. She bubble-wraps my entire office, the phone, everything. When I came in and tripped and fell, I really, really did it," adds Deeley. "I face-landed. I said, 'Be sure you use that one.'"

So, will we be seeing more comedy from the willowy Brit? She's certainly open to it, she says — including potential return trips to the "Shake It Up" set. "Doing this show was a combination of the right place, the right time and the right people involved."

HEAVYWEIGHT TALENTS: Far be it from us to complain about anything on the Oprah Winfrey Network, which will no doubt fulfill its laudable intention to entertain and inform viewers with thoughtful, high-quality fare. After having had to watch such sleazy and exploitive offerings as "Dating in the Dark" and "16 and Pregnant" elsewhere, we want to give the folks at OWN all the encouragement and applause they deserve!

Still, it's a curious thing — via her "Oprah Winfrey Show" final season documentary and various behind-the-scenes pictorials at the new network, it's hard not to notice how many of Winfrey's production team members are overweight, and not just by a few pounds.

It seems a number of them, from producers to assistants, male and female alike, could use the healthy diet and exercise practices their boss has embraced through the years with the help of trainer Bob Greene. (Wonder what their craft services tables look like?)

Of course, as her fans are well aware, her weight battle has been an ongoing up-and-down process — she's fluctuated between a whopping 220 pounds and running a marathon as a size 10 — as it is for many of us, stars and everyday folk alike.

Rosie O'Donnell, who has her own OWN show coming up later this year, devoted a segment of her Sirius radio show this week to the issue of obesity, candidly including herself — and mentioning that her 11-year-old son has recently been coming to her with concerns about his weight.

She highlighted A&E's Jan. 17-debuting "Heavy" series chronicling the journeys of 20 morbidly obese people seeking to get their lives back by taking off excess poundage in the triple digits — and cued listeners in about help available via Overeaters Anonymous.

Considering the fact that obesity has become a health issue of deep concern across the country — childhood obesity is, after all, a pet cause of the first lady's — it looks like a golden opportunity for some of the OWN staff to lead by example, turning the cameras on themselves and getting fit.

IF YOU ASK US: Kathy Griffin must be gratified indeed by all the indignation she's generated with her comedic swipes at Bristol Palin and her 16-year-old sister, Willow. What the comedian's detractors don't seem to get is the fact that the more attention she garners with comments knocking Bristol's weight or Willow's name — or anything — the more she'll play on those comments. Griffin is a provocateur who's made it clear her heroes are such unapologetic anarchic types as the late George Carlin.

She's told us, "I never apologize for a joke. I have a policy." Hearing opponents get huffy on Fox News or talk radio just makes her day.

Another example of the complaint-reverb Griffin effect: Some Oprah fans have been offended by the joking shots Griffin's taken at the TV icon, but that had only fueled her comedy.

"When I started making fun of Oprah, people gasp. I said, 'Why are you gasping?' That's how powerful it is. I do say she's the fourth member of the Holy Trinity. I think she kicked out the Holy Spirit.'"

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM