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Someone Gave Padma Lakshmi the Unfortunate Idea That She Can Act

By Evil Beet Gossip • on July 20, 2009

Padma Lakshmi, the frozen, stilted, emotionless host of Top Chef, is getting a sitcom on NBC. No, I’m not kidding. It was in Variety.

Lakshmi has sealed a development deal with the Peacock and sister Universal Media Studios, which plans to create a half-hour comedy for her. Original Media, which is based at Universal, is also involved; Original’s Charlie Corwin will exec produce.

Building on her “Top Chef” credentials, the show will star Lakshmi as a woman working in the culinary world. (One possible title being mulled: “Single Serving.”)

Corwin and Lakshmi are currently talking to writers and kicking around specifics.

Is anyone else completely bowled over by this news? Like, with all the genuinely talented comediennes out there who act natural on camera, a major network is giving a sitcom to this woman? Don’t get me wrong, she seems like a perfectly nice lady, but every time I see her on Top Chef I cringe a little bit. Her robotic gestures, her forced smile, her over-enunciation of every single word? I mean, it’s funny, but not in an intentional way.

Hollywood is so weird.