KIRSTIE ALLEY SETS THE RECORD STRAIGHT ABOUT HER HIGHLY PUBLICIZED WEIGHT GAIN IN AN EXCLUSIVE PRIMETIME INTERVIEW WITH NBC'S MATT LAUER ON 'DATELINE NBC' � SUNDAY, DECEMBER 19

NEW YORK -� December 15, 2004 -� In an exclusive primetime interview for "Dateline NBC," Kirstie Alley sits down with Matt Lauer and takes on the issue of her weight, America's obsession with it, and the bold new move she's making in her career. Alley, who today says she weighs 200 pounds, says the exaggerated charges made by the tabloids about her weight helped inspire her latest creative move, the unscripted television project, "Fat Actress," set to premiere in March on Showtime.

When asked about the paparazzi's fixation with her shape and size, she says it's because she did not start out overweight, "If someone starts out fat, you don't see them on the cover of the rags. Its just like this is who they are. They're a fat person. They're a good actress...if you're a pretty actress, you're supposed to stay that way."

Alley reveals to Lauer that she felt "...like a big loser..." after her sitcom, "Veronica's Closet," got cancelled and her relationship with her live-in boyfriend ended over four years ago. "...I just did some real soul-searching...I didn't like what I'd become...so what I decided was to really prioritize my life into what was important to me...the first thing on my list was my children."

Now, after not paying attention to her weight over the last four years, Alley is confronting the issue. She tells "Dateline NBC" that her own story inspired her to create the new television show, "Fat Actress," and she feels that turning her fat into gold is a good thing. "As soon as Showtime bought the show, I was really like, 'bring it.' I was walking down the street praying for paparazzi."

And with motherhood and her professional life in good shape, Alley says she's now ready to pay attention to her body and take control of her weight. She shares with Lauer that she has already lost some weight from her high of 203 pounds, mainly by giving up wheat and desserts, saying, "...I think I've been in the candy store too long...I'm on my way out."

David Corvo is the executive producer of "Dateline NBC."