CRIT-O-MATIC.

Byline: - David Kronke

so noTORIous (VH1; 10 tonight)

Logline: Tori Spelling stars as a fictionalized version of herself, a spoiled, essentially washed-up daughter of Hollywood royalty and relegated to a career doing bad cable TV stuff. That's not the fictionalized part. This is: She tries to live a normal life, rubbing elbows with "normal" people, normal neuroses and normal pratfalls. Loni Anderson portrays Spelling's mom as a reprehensibly acquisitive lunatic.

Pros: The show has reportedly alienated Tori from her parents, which proves that although her father, Aaron, may have been responsible for such TV series as "Charlie's Angels," "The Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "The Colbys" and, of course, "Beverly Hills, 90210," he must still have a modicum of taste.

Cons: They actually sent two episodes for critics to sit through.

In a nutshell: Spelling proves to be an awfully good sport, absorbing and even instigating the cheap shots that everyone else has taken at her over the years. But the jokes are crass, obvious and flat, and in the effort to make Spelling dopily endearing, there's a frantic desperation to the proceedings: Even the flop sweat has flop sweat.

Our rating: One and one half stars

CAPTION(S):

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Photo:

no caption (Tori Spelling)