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Wishful.Drinking.2010.720p.HDTV.x264-SYS
.release date [ 12/25/10 .res [ 1280x720
.air date [ 12/22/10 .fps [ 23.976
.genre [ Comedy .region [ NTSC
.link [ http://www.hbo.com
WISHFUL DRINKING, Carrie Fisher's hit stage production of the
intoxicating autobiographical tale of her life combines archival
footage with her one-woman stage performance, which was taped in
June before a live audience.
An actress, screenwriter and bestselling author ('Postcards from
the Edge,' 'The Best Awful' and 'Wishful Drinking'), Carrie
Fisher is the daughter of the late singer Eddie Fisher and
actress Debbie Reynolds, known as 'America's Sweethearts' in the
late '50s. She became a cultural icon at age 19 after starring
as Princess Leia in the first 'Star Wars' trilogy in the 1970s.
Despite growing up with 'Hollywood royalty' and experiencing
early fame of her own, Fisher's life had its challenges, as she
reveals in this uproarious and sobering account. Combining wry
wit and raw facts, WISHFUL DRINKING reveals her own hilarious
slant on the not-so-glittering side of being a celebrity. It's a
show where she's circling the drain singing.
From stardom to divorce, re-marriage to the death of a close
friend, addiction to mental illness, Fisher recounts her peaks
and valleys with unfailing candor and biting humor, referring to
celebrity as just 'obscurity biding its time.'
In WISHFUL DRINKING, Fisher details her complicated yet eclectic
extended family tree in Hollywood Inbreeding 101, employing a
blackboard and wooden pointer. Her father Eddie Fisher's very
public affair with Elizabeth Taylor ended what had been
perceived and celebrated as a 'storybook marriage,' and she and
her brother Todd later watched both her mother's and father's
'once white-hot bright star of celebrity slowly dim, cool and
fade.' In 1973, at her mother's urging, the 17-year-old Fisher
enrolled at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London;
two years later, her life changed forever when she donned a
white dress as Princess Leia in George Lucas' 'Star Wars.'
Besides making her a star, the movie has resulted in Fisher's
image being merchandised as part of the 'Star Wars' franchise
for the past 30 years. Among the items she has adorned are dolls
, shampoo, soap, Mrs. Potato Head and a PEZ dispenser. Fisher
hilariously notes that among his many possessions, Lucas owns
her likeness, 'so every time I look in the mirror, I have to
send him a couple of bucks.'
Aside from the strain from the high visibility of starring in
one of the most beloved trilogies of all time, Fisher continued
to face more than her share of challenges. With extraordinary
candor, she discusses her subsequent bipolar diagnosis and the
life-changing decision to have electric shock therapy (ECT).
In addition to the first 'Star Wars' trilogy, Carrie Fisher's
numerous films include 1975's 'Shampoo,' her feature film debut,
and later movies such as 'Hannah and Her Sisters,' 'When Harry
Met Sally,' 'The Blues Brothers,' 'Austin Powers: International
Man of Mystery' and 'The 'Burbs.' Among her TV appearances are
'30 Rock,' 'Family Guy' and the HBO series 'Sex and the City'
and 'Entourage.'
Fisher is also a screenwriter and bestselling author. Her novels
, 'Postcards from the Edge,' 'Surrender the Pink,' 'Delusions of
Grandma' and 'The Best Awful,' were all critically acclaimed,
with 'Postcards from the Edge' being adapted for an Oscar�-
nominated film of the same name starring Meryl Streep and
Shirley MacLaine. Her memoir 'Wishful Drinking,' taken from the
stage show, was published in 2008 by Simon & Schuster, which
will also publish Fisher's novel 'Shockaholic' in 2011.
Fisher's one-woman stage performance 'Wishful Drinking' was
taped for the HBO special at the South Orange Performing Arts
Center (SOPAC) in South Orange, NJ. The play opened in Los
Angeles in 2006 and was produced on Broadway in 2009 by
Roundabout Theatre Company in association with Jonathan Reinis,
Jamie Cesa, Eva Price and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
'Wishful Drinking' is currently touring Australia and will
continue to travel to select cities through the end of 2010 and
into 2011.
Along with the HBO presentation of WISHFUL DRINKING, exclusive
additional material from a director's interview with Debbie
Reynolds will be available on HBO On Demand.
WISHFUL DRINKING producers and directors Fenton Bailey and Randy
Barbato have produced a variety of acclaimed nonfiction
programming, including 23 documentaries for HBO and CINEMAX,
among them 'Heidi Fleiss: The Would-Be Madam of Crystal,'
'Monica in Black and White' and 'The Eyes of Tammy Faye.'
An HBO Documentary Films presentation, WISHFUL DRINKING is
written and performed by Carrie Fisher; produced and directed by
Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey; senior producer, Lisa Heller;
executive producer, Sheila Nevins.
We know who we are, where we came from, and why we're here. Do you?
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