Kirstie Alley's Big Life Premiered on A&E; The Celebrity is Insecure like Cheers' Rebecca Howe

Kirstie Alley's Big Life premiered on A&E Sunday night featuring the character who got famous playing Rebecca Howe on Cheers. Two back to back half-hour episodes were featured, showing the actress attempting to re-commit to becoming skinnier again. Kirstie Alley's Big Life sees "Rebecca Howe" and a large cast of characters being showcased, including her musician son True and daughter Lillie, who aren't embarrassed by their mother's weight. The first two programs were heavily set at her mansion.

Kirstie Alley's Big Life Was a Literal Zoo on Television, Full of Self-Deprecating Humor on A&E

The movie and television actress spent a good chunk of the first episode running herself down, telling the world just how fat she thinks she is. She even hired an obese handyman named Jim so she could be around someone "like" her, though he bugged her as he ate a giant burger right in front of the former Cheers star. Alley enlisted him to be a weight loss buddy with her, and wants him to be a guinea pig for her weight loss products. She began confiding with Jim on Kirstie Alley's Big Life about her lack of a dating life (no serious date in 10 years), as they ate New Year's Eve dinner together and played Spades afterwards, since Jim's wife missed her flight and couldn't spend with him.

Kirstie Alley's mansion is full of animals, which intimidates her stylist Tracy, who spent some time trying to advise her on fashion choices on the new A&E show. You see through Kirstie Alley's Big Life that she's not a fan of the paparazzi, who likes to get photos of her as an overweight woman. One such photographer came onto her property trying to get pictures of her before he was spotted and quickly headed for the hills, even though his snooping netted a "money shot" that appeared on the cover of a tabloid.

The former Cheers star had an early morning weigh-in on New Year's Day, and the scale said 230 pounds, which she expressed dismay with her assistant Kelly and apprentice Kyle because she wants to weigh between 130-140 pounds.

The second episode of Kirstie Alley's Big Life followed, as Jim began the weight loss program with her, weighing himself in at 324 pounds, which is 129 pounds off his desired weight though his ensuing cheating doesn't help. The two began working out together and decided that they needed a personal trainer, which Kyle was given the assignment to accomplish, though he seemed without a clue as to how to find one. He had been admonished to not sleep on the job by both Alley and his immediate boss Kelly, who also got on his case for not knowing how to find a trainer. Kyle finally found some prospective trainers for Alley to interview, of which J.R. was picked, who's quite buff and low key - and who really turned on Tracy.

Kirstie Alley's Big Life on A&E is a Bit Unrealistic; The Old Rebecca Howe Look is a Long Way Away

This A&E program is very light, fast-moving, and tries to be funny through showing Alley's struggles with weight, but some of this stuff seems a bit zany. How dumb can a person be in not having an initial clue as to find a personal trainer for a Hollywood celebrity like Kirstie Alley? How many big name stars would hang out with their handymen like Alley is doing? Will she once again get that Rebecca Howe look that turned on a lot of men a long time ago, especially when she and Jim aren't taking too kindly to the work outs with J.R.?

Sources:

"The Tipping Point" and "Good Help Is Hard to Find", Kirstie Alley's Big Life, originally airing March 21, 2010, A&E, Mountain Time feed