Remote Controlled: Series showcases comic Cho and family
By Gerald M. Gay
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

"The Cho Show," which premiered Thursday on VH1, is Margaret Cho's first jaunt into television since her short-lived 1994 sitcom "All American Girl" on ABC.

The new series, documenting the life and times of Cho and her family, is similar in tone to Kathy Griffin's Bravo series, "My Life on the D-List." Like Griffin, Cho has made her parents a large part of the action. Cho and Griffin both have a large gay fanbase that is frequently featured, and both have assistants who get their time in the spotlight.

The striking similarities might pay off for Cho. Griffin has experienced plenty of success thanks to "My Life." She even took home an Emmy for outstanding reality program in 2007.
The seven-episode "Cho Show" has already wrapped up filming and airs on Thursday nights.

Cho shared her thoughts with the Star before its premiere last week.

Are you nervous at all about how people will react to your new TV venture?

"It is nerve-racking because the Korean community really rejected me when I first came out. There are not a lot of representations of Asian-Americans in the media. Especially back then, in the early '90s, there was nobody out there. People saw me and they freaked out because they couldn't control what was going on. The Korean community was alarmed. I was so upfront about sexuality. They were upset and really hated me. Young children would write me letters and say that I made them ashamed. It was pretty intense how much they hated me."

You are rocking a lot of tattoos these days. Why all of the flashy new body art?

"I wanted to get tattoos my entire life. My parents owned a bookstore in San Francisco when I was growing up. They hired a lot of gays and lesbians. The guy that took care of me had a fully tatted-up Japanese body suit. He was great and took care of me all the time.
"They help me feel beautiful. I love tattooing. It is a beautiful thing to be able to do."

How did the idea for this series come about?

"It was an idea that me and my producer, Rico Martinez, had. He and I wanted to do a show that was going to be very new and very exciting, but also all about my family, an Asian-American family. We wanted something a little bit scripted and a little bit reality, a sitcom with real people."

Your parents, especially your mom, have been fodder for your stand-up for years. What did they think when you pitched this show to them?

"They were nervous about it. They didn't know what it was all about. They were scared. Finally, they warmed up to the idea and then they really started falling in love with the whole process. I'm really having fun with them.

"It was exciting to see how much my parents really loved being on camera. I had never ever thought about it, but they love being in the public eye. They are into it. It is very cute."

How did you plan out the season?

"We just did episodes based on things in my life like getting the 'Korean of the Year' award. There is another one where we go off the grid, leave society and leave our laptops and cell phones and all of our technology behind. That is really an intense challenge when you are doing it with a bunch of gays.

"They are incredibly great stories, things that have come out of my childhood, my stand-up and my life. I am really excited to share that with people.