Feb. 10, 2006

DVD Review
'Beyond Pale'
By By Nick A. Zaino III, Globe Correspondent
[original article]

Jim Gaffigan, ''Beyond the Pale" (Comedy Central Records): Gaffigan is on the verge of becoming ubiquitous this year, starting with his new CD and one-hour DVD special, ''Beyond the Pale," and continuing later this year with roles in several movies. It's mostly solid stuff, trading on Gaffigan's ghostly pallor and large, doughy frame. ''I didn't know he was going to be so pale," he says in the falsetto whisper of an imagined audience member. Gaffigan can mine pedestrian comic themes for hysterical material. Take, for example, his inner dialogue rationalizing conditions under which eating a Cinnabon would be acceptable. ''I'm about to get on a plane," he says, ''how 'bout eight pounds of cake?" Catch Gaffigan this weekend at the Comedy Connection, before he graduates to bigger stages.