She is a character actress, not a tabloid star.

But at a moment when tabloid stars are choosing to play versions of themselves in unconventional reality-based shows (see Paris Hilton, Kirstie Alley and the sisters Simpson), "Stacked" is hewing closely to a classical sitcom format.

- a tabloid star, the "Prof Who Offed the Coed."

Bribing their way out of prison with a stolen ruby, the two go into business and soon become 18th-century tabloid stars.

He went in as a well-respected R&B producer; he comes out as a tabloid star with a cocaine conviction on his rap sheet.

And its knowing approach, shaped by mob movies as much as by tabloid stars like John Gotti, signals a generational shift in Mafia movies, reflecting the series' theme of tensions between old and new visions of the mob.

Watch it above, root on the good guy, and boo the tabloid star.

- a tabloid star, the Prof Who Offed the Co-ed, although the guilt of Marcus Tate (Darren Pettie) has yet to be proved.

Simply known as "Maz" to viewers, she first rose to promise in January 2002 when the first episode of the show was aired, becoming a huge tabloid star overnight.