Fairfax Station resident Kristine Kelly is the girl who gets sawed in half. She is also the girl who peels wax off a man in the shower on "Showtime," the technician on the street with a camera crew and "Saturday Night Live's" Chris Kattan, and a driving force behind "Almost Illegal," a series she's trying to get going that deals with ridiculousness and the man on the street.
All these roles are part of Kelly's drive to forge a career in entertainment.
"I live and breathe this business, I can't have a 9 to 5 job," she said.
Her short spot on "Showtime" with the wax and the shower is a piece they slide in between feature movies. It's a commercial spoof similar to those seen on "MAD TV" or "Saturday Night Live." It's aimed at "Generation Y," which is an audience in the 18- to 24-year-old category.
"I peel it off and show it to the camera, it's disgusting," she said.
Kelly likes comedy, but not intentional comedy. If someone's trying to be funny, it's not for her. Only the candid spots. That's what "Almost Illegal" involves.
"We don't like people trying to be funny. Part of the audition is how people react with a mannequin. I want to complete about six episodes, right now I'm looking for underwriters [sponsors]," she said.
One event right after the "Showtime" taping in New York City changed her outlook. She was the passenger in a car full of equipment that was involved in an accident with a taxi. The severity of the accident could have been fatal, but Kelly emerged with a slight concussion. It was religious for her.
"A taxicab hit me from behind, I shattered the windshield. I think that was God watching over me. You can't control your own life, I turned my whole life over to God," she said.
Now she attends McLean Baptist Church with fellow Fairfax television hopeful Maureen Powers.
Twenty-year-old Kelly was a graduate of Hayfield Secondary School in 2000, where she was involved with the Thespian Society and the Interact Club, which specialized in community service. Her senior year, she had a 4.0 average and got a scholarship to Ithaca College in New York. She went to Ithaca for one year, made some contacts and is now pursuing her career, possibly returning to school in the future.
"I just spoke with one of my professors in television and told him the good news. He's going to watch it," she said.
Sandra Kelly, mother, remembered how shy she was but overcame that.
"She was so shy the teachers could not get her to say anything. It was amazing how she came out of the shell," she said.
MHZ Networks in Merrifield is one venue she hopes to have her series on. She has spoken with them about it.
"They are interested," she said.
Her mother dabbled in show business as well, and that may have led to her interest.
"She's very modest about it," Kelly said.
Sandra Kelly dabbled in modeling and had parts as an extra in some shows and movies.
"I grew up in Hollywood, Calif., and went to high school with Stephanie Powers," she said.
Kristine Kelly’s father, Robert Kelly, is a retired policeman from Washington, D.C. He has noticed her self-motivated spirit. It took a trip to Hollywood where she "got the bug," he said.
"She started in her very early teens. She sets her sights on something she wants to do and goes with it. We've been behind her 100 percent," he said.
Sandra Kelly remembered one incident where they were driving around the prestigious areas of Hollywood and a crew was filming a Sylvestor Stallone movie.
"Something happened to her after that," she said.
Kristine has a brother, who is currently a senior at Hayfield. He's into computers.