Written by Jennifer on December 22, 2011
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After an Emmy-winning turn on “My Name Is Earl,” actress Jaime Pressly returned to television this fall with “I Hate My Teenage Daughter.”

With the advent of holiday break, the Ministry chatted with the star about her experience returning to work as the centerpiece of an ensemble comedy and raising her 4-year-old, Dezi.

“You know, in a lot of ways a multi-camera sitcom is amazing for a working mom,” Pressly told us recently via phone, “I’m picking him up and dropping him off, present with him. It’s amazing.”

“Tuesdays we tape ‘Teenage Daughter’ in front of the live audience, and that’s when Dezi sees his dad, so it runs very smoothly. I’m really lucky.”

Pressly said coming back to TV, especially after a cult favorite like “Earl,” wasn’t an easy decision.

“So many people loved Joy [her 'Earl' character], so I really needed something that was the right fit. And I’m so thrilled to say that, honestly, everyone on this show is incredibly talented and so down to earth. People say you become a family, but that’s what we are,” said Pressly.

As Annie Watson on “Daughter,” Pressly inhabits the shoes of a woman with an ultra-conservative upbringing dealing with her own free-spirited daughter. The Ministry wondered how much reflecting Pressly did of her own teen years.

“I was so strong willed and very driven,” Pressly reflected, “I started in the business so young, I was modeling at 15 and had to be emancipated from my parents so I could travel to Japan and work … but I’m grateful for that experience.”

Speaking of experience, she can compare notes with her costar Katie Finneran, who just announced her second pregnancy.

“Daughter” airs at 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays on Fox.

LATimes.com




Written by Jennifer on December 13, 2011
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You think surviving the holiday season is hard? Try raising a teenage daughter, that’s hard!

No one knows this better than Annie (Jaime Pressly) and Nikki (Katie Finneran) of Fox’s new comedy I Hate My Teenage Daughter, whose daughters Sophie (Kristi Lauren) and Mackenzie (Aisha Dee) are harder to deal with than the lines at Target on Black Friday.

With just 12 days until Christmas (yes, really!), Annie and Nikki decided to spread the wealth and share their exclusive tips for making it through the holiday season unscathed…

Without further ado, here are Annie and Nikki’s tips on how to survive this holiday season:

1. Simplify things by dropping weird family traditions. You don’t need to knit your own stockings every year.
2. Give your teenage daughter her best present early to keep her on her best behavior. Butter her up like a Christmas turkey.
3. Remember to lean on your friends for support…and sometimes sending your daughter to their house.
4. If you want to guarantee you’ll see your rock musician ex over the holidays, buy a concert ticket.
5. If your teenage daughter is giving you a lot of trouble, take her for a nice ride to look at beautiful Christmas lights. Then drive slowly past the house of the boy she likes. Wave, honk, repeat.
6. There are only three ways to get your teenage daughter to help with holiday preparations: bribery, guilt and bribery.
7. A little extra rum goes a long way in your eggnog when trying to tune out your teenage daughter’s insults.
8. Get gift receipts for everything! Chances are she’s going to hate it…because you gave it to her.
9. Put on the most obnoxious, hideously ugly holiday sweater you can find and watch your daughter’s head explode from embarrassment.
10. Start a new tradition. This year we’re going to have a “Christmas Eve Pumpkin Pie Eating Contest.” I got this in the bag.
11. Have your ex-husband dress up like Santa and hand out gifts on Christmas morning. He’ll love that.
12. Threaten your daughter that you’re going to go caroling in the nude if she doesn’t spend some quality time with you. Blackmail is always effective.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox.

EOnline.com