FROM AUDIENCE TO GUESTS, HBO TALK SHOW DIFFERENT

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, February 1, 1992                   TAG: 9202010401
SECTION: SPECTATOR                    PAGE: S-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Daily News
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
FROM AUDIENCE TO GUESTS, HBO TALK SHOW DIFFERENT
Most late-night talk show hosts interview famous guests, such as movie stars or pop singers.
Not comedian Paula Poundstone. In her first crack at being a host of a talk show, she invited unknown people to join her gabfest, which has its debut at 12:30 a.m. late night Friday as a limited-run, four-part, comedy-talk series on HBO.
"The Paula Poundstone Show" may feature the traditional monologue and musical performances, but the majority of the half-hour is devoted to unusual guests. They include a man whose hobby is recreational home explosives, a cosmetologist who invented the ponytail holder and a professor who believes that blowing up the moon will reduce severe and catastrophic weather on Earth.
"I wanted to have people who were just people come and explain what they do," Poundstone said. "It's hard to predict. They are not professional entertainers. I'd rather have that than Julia Roberts showing a clip of her next movie. Not that I think that's so boring and horrible. But it's been done before and done well."
Unlike other talk show hosts, Poundstone invites members of the live audience at the Morgan Wixon Theater in Santa Monica to ask their own questions of the guests. These spontaneous conversations with her audience are indicative of her stand-up act, which is usually full of improvisation. Poundstone has gained an acclaimed reputation for re-inventing her act every night she's on the road, ad-libbing about 30 percent of each performance by simply allowing her audience to participate.
Poundstone said she is interested in acting or being the host of her own show and added that the HBO series of specials is a pilot.
"I don't want to be just a stand-up [comedian]. I love stand-up, and I don't want to turn my back on it, but I want to broaden it out a little," said Poundstone, who recently won an ACE Award for best stand-up special for her first HBO special: "Paula Poundstone: Cats, Cops and Stuff."

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB