Today's Entertainment

'Enlightened' by Dern-White sitcom EYEWEAR GALLERY By John Crook © Zap2it You've never met Amy Jel- licoe, but trust me, you know her. She's the screwed-up character who has had some big-time epiphany that has led her to believe she now has the key to make the world a better place — starting with you. Amy also is the lead char- acter in "Enlightened," an offbeat, character-driven adult comedy premiering Monday, Oct. 10, on HBO. A fast-rising executive at a global conglomerate, Amy (Laura Dern) has made a series of unfortunate personal choices, including an affair with a married co-worker, that ultimately leads her to a very public and mortifying nervous breakdown at her workplace. After spending more time than she can afford at a New Age-y treatment center in a Hawai- ian paradise, Amy returns to Southern California feeling compelled to speak truth to power and change the world, which is definitely a mixed blessing for the people in her life: her repressed but disap- proving mother, Helen (Dern's real-life mother, Diane Ladd); her ex-husband, Levi (Luke Wilson); and, most recently, Tyler (Mike White, who created the series with Dern), her fel- low drone in a data processing department. Diane Ladd (left) and Laura Dern star in "Enlightened," premiering Monday on HBO. All this could be played as an easy satire of the fad- dish Left Coast, Prius-driving set, but White, working from a rough idea that Dern had to create a show about a woman outraged by what she perceived as the injustices everywhere she looked, took a far riskier course with this half-hour sitcom, filling it with characters and situations de- signed to have viewers change allegiances on a regular basis. "Amy's desire is pure, and I think what is beautiful about her, but what also gets her into a lot of trouble, is that she is a deeply honest person — and some people don't like hones- ty," says Dern, whose Golden Stutzman MOTOR SALES , INC. Goshen's Finest Pre-Owned Vehicles Since 1964 10 Chevrolet Impala LT 4 dr., loaded, heated leather seats, p. sunroof, CD, silver, 23,000 mi. 10 Nissan Altima S 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., Great MPG, tilt, cruise, CD, charcoal, 33,000 mi. 10 Nissan Sentra S 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., Great MPG, tilt, cruise, CD, blue, 36,000 mi. 08 Chevrolet Malibu LT 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., GREAT MPG, p. seat, tilt, cruise, CD, charcoal, 39,000 mi. 08 Nissan Altima 3.5 V6 SE 4 dr., loaded, p. seat, alum. wheels, CD, sandstone, 38,000 mi. 07 Buick Lucerne CXL 4 dr., loaded, 3.8 V6, heated leather seats, p. sunroof, CD, local owner, white, 59,000 mi. 07 Pontiac G6 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., auto., air, p. sunroof, CD, white, 54,00 mi. 07 Saturn Ion2 4 dr., loaded, 4 cyl., 5 spd., Great MPG, CD, white, 19,000 mi. 06 Cadillac DTS 4 dr., loaded, heated leather seats, chrome wheels, p. sunroof, navigation, silver, 55,000 mi. 04 Buick LeSabre Ltd. 4 dr., loaded, heated leather seats, p. sunroof, local owner, white, 118,000 mi. 11 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ Ext. 4X4 loaded, leather, A/C, CD, hitch, blue, 16,000 mi. 08 Chevrolet Silverado LT 1/2 Ton Crew 4X4 5.3 V8, OnStar, dual p. seats, CD, hitch, black, 57,000 mi. 08 GMC Envoy SLE 4X4 4 dr., p. seat, tilt, cruise, hitch, CD, chrome wheels, silver, 36,000 mi. 07 Chevrolet Tahoe LT 4X4 4 dr., loaded, heated leather seats, p. sunroof, entertainment, black, 108,000 mi. 03 Honda Odyssey EX-L 4 dr. van, rear A/C & heat, leather, heated seats, CD, blue, 81,000 mi. US 33 West, Goshen • 533-1166 Globe-winning and Emmy- nominated turn as Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris in HBO's "Recount" had netted her a development deal with the premium chan- nel. "She feels everything. If she's your lover, she's going to go insane on you, and if she sees a dog on the street, she's going to be the first person to take that dog in. She's got all of that in her. I hope, and I think I speak for Mike, too, that the ambiguity is part of a jour- ney where you will root for her, but also there will be moments where you will think, 'I can't believe she just did that.' " White, the actor-writer-di- rector-producer whose past work includes projects rang- ing from the deeply unsettling comedy-drama "Chuck & Buck" to the more mainstream "The School of Rock," was a little gun-shy about coming back to television after twin disappoint- ments at Fox with "Pasadena" and "Cracking Up," but he had wanted to work again with Dern after directing her in his drama "Year of the Dog," so he made the leap of faith. "When I was starting in TV, it was hard to get characters (approved) who were dysfunc- tional and sort of unhinged," he explains. "You always had to tone it down, but now, with this proliferation of all these cable shows, it's almost as if each show is outdoing the other one in terms of how dysfunctional the characters can be. There are all these an- tiheroes who almost seem to be competing to elbow them- selves to the front of the line. I thought it would be refreshing but also more challenging to create a character who was flawed and human but her goal actually is heroic and is done in a sincere way, as op- posed to just laughing at her." Nowhere is this more evi- dent than in Amy's relationship with Levi. Their marriage foun- dered on the twin shoals of a miscarriage and his growing substance abuse issues, but while the two of them still obvi- ously care deeply about each other, the jury definitely is out on whether we should root for them to get back together. "Well, that's obviously very true in life, where you see these people who may be great individually, but they ab- solutely bring out the worst in each other," White says, laugh- ing. "I think it's fun to play with the audience's expectations a little bit and challenge their loyalties to a character. That's tough to sustain over a series, but I'm really happy with these first 10 and letting Amy have a lot of flaws, but with the audience sympathizing and to some extent identifying with her." That dynamic comes to a head in an upcoming episode in which Levi indulges Amy's wish to go on a camping trip together, although he has to get loaded on drugs to cope with the prospect of spend- ing a two days with her in the woods. When Amy, in a fit of self-righteousness, discovers his stash and "flushes" it in a stream, Levi angrily points out to her that she has just thrown away the only thing that al- lowed them to get through the weekend together. Information on your doorstep Whether you're a teenager, a baby boomer or a senior, newspapers are a great source of information. At The Goshen News , you can find the latest local and business news , sports highlights, travel features, financial tips and more. Subscribe today! 533-2151 ext. 393 8 The Goshen News • Viewer's Choice • Saturday, October 8 - Friday, October 14, 2011 Can also be seen in Syracuse. To make an appointment call HBO hopes viewers will be S PECTRU M • GLASSES • CONTACTS • EYE EXAMS • SUNGLASSES David Britzke, O.D. is no longer at the Vision Center in Goshen. Please call 574-970-7444 to schedule your appointment. 56028 Parkway Ave., Suite E Elkhart • 574-970-7444 574-457-4476 Allergies? Asthma? We Can Help! Snoring? Daytime Fatigue? Morning Headaches? Excessive Sleepiness? Yatin J. Patel, M.D. Diplomate, American Board of Pulmonary Medicine You may have sleep apnea. Sneeze & Snooze C L I N I C 2417 South Berkshire, Goshen 574-534-9911 www.md4lungs.com Watch informational videos on our website. Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. "If they make it, it will be a miracle, and no one who loves either of them would wish for it," Dern says, "because ... if she makes it all about him be- ing sober, then a) she is trying to fix and control him, every- thing that any program would never support, and b) this is a guy who probably, under his substance abuse, has anxiety and self-loathing, so being with someone who isn't com- fortable in her own skin might be difficult. BILL'S COLLISION SERVICE C OLLISION • BRAKES • EXHAUS T A LIGNMENTS • OIL CHANGE 13024 US 20, Middlebury • 574-825-2965 Weblinks On Monday, HBO premieres season three of "Bored to Death" starring Jason Schwartzman as fantasizing Brooklyn writer Jonathan Ames. Get caught up at www.hbo.com/bored-to- death/index.html Monday on Lifetime, "Five" features five short tales about breast cancer from celebrity producers including Jennifer Aniston. Get the lowdown at www.mylifetime.com/movies/five The five-part series "Women, War & Peace," premiering Tuesday on PBS (check local listings), looks at women making a differ- ence worldwide. Click on www.pbs.org/wnet/women-war-and- peace/ Deborah Ponce, RN, MSN, NP-C Nurse Practitioner Our friendly staff is ready to help you!

• Cover