Comedienne Rivers (Having a Baby Can Be a Scream
) and mystery pro Farmer (Sympathy for the Devil
) deliver the impressive first of a new series influenced by Rivers and daughter Melissa's real-life red carpet encounters. On Oscar night, their fictional counterparts, Maxine “Max” Taylor and her daughter, Drew, are outside Hollywood's Kodak Theater as cohostesses of a Glam-TV Red Carpet Special
. During Max's interview with scantily clad 19-year-old Halsey Hamilton, Drew's childhood friend and best actress nominee, Halsey drops dead. Did she overdose or was she poisoned? The supernova had just left Wonders, a posh rehab facility in Pasadena. Whirling into sleuthing mode, Max seeks answers at Wonders, where she signs in as a Sweet'N Low addict. This smooth blend of Rivers's trademark bitchy humor and Farmer's deft plotting also offers a poignant reminder about the cost of fame for too many young Hollywood celebs. (Feb.)
