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TV Series Mixes Therapy, Improv and D.C. Notable

Singer Macy Gray loves President Barack Obama. And not in the he’s-a-great-leader sort of way, either.

“I’m in love. Like, I wanna get married. I wanna have his kids,— Gray said of Obama.

“I wanna … just, like, take him home,— Gray later explained. “Like, he’s my man. … Like, why am I not Michelle, you know what I mean? Like, who the f— is she? Like, why can’t I be her?—

Gray offered up this revelation in a recent therapy session with Dr. Elizabeth Goode, a Hollywood-based psychiatrist whose clientele consists of celebrities from the A-list to the Z-list.

And while Gray is a big Obama fan, the singer was actually mocking herself on an upcoming episode of “Head Case,— an improvisational series starring actress and Washington, D.C., native Alexandra Wentworth (who also happens to be married to D.C. A-lister George Stephanopoulos).

As Dr. Goode, Wentworth spends her time psychoanalyzing celebrities while dealing with an array of her own problems. Within a matter of 10 episodes, Goode goes from an optimistic bride-to-be to a nearly broke divorcee suffering from herpes.

And needless to say, the doctor — who Wentworth describes as “neurotic and unglued— — doesn’t really end up helping her celebrity clients all that much.

No D.C. types have appeared on the series thus far. But Wentworth — the daughter of Muffie Brandon Cabot, former first lady Nancy Reagan’s social secretary — is hopeful some will be willing to sit on her couch.

“I would love to get politicians,— Wentworth said. “But you know, they’re so guarded and so afraid of being misquoted.—

And that includes her husband, who invites his own celebrity guests to dish each Sunday morning on “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.—

“He says the likelihood of him being on my show is the likelihood of me being on the roundtable,— Wentworth said.

For the time being, Wentworth will have to settle for stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Janeane Garofalo, Hugh Hefner and Tori Spelling.

And there’s little doubt that Hollywood-types need therapy, Wentworth said. In fact, Wentworth created the show based on her own experiences.

The comedic actress admitted she’s been treated by “a lot of horrible therapists— (including one woman who stopped a particularly heart-wrenching session to ask Wentworth where she bought her shoes).

But the idea for the show didn’t come until, while waiting in line at the grocery store, she spotted a magazine cover featuring creepy singer Marilyn Manson, she recalled.

“I thought, I wonder if Marilyn Manson is in therapy,’— Wentworth said. “And then I thought, God, what would that be like?’—

If it’s anything like the show, it would be awkward. Take the session with Gray.

While offering advice to her obviously troubled client, the good doctor is wearing her wedding dress, while an assistant (played by Wentworth’s real-life baby sitter) adjusts the hem.

When Gray gets the nerve to ask Goode what exactly is going on, Goode stops the session to share her joy at getting married (not yet knowing what awaits her, mind you).

She even asks Gray to perform at her wedding. “Um, I don’t really do weddings,— Gray replies.

All the sessions in the show are entirely improvised, Wentworth said, although there are some basic storylines involving the central characters.

Wentworth said her favorite session this season was with Seinfeld (fans of his show might recall that Wentworth portrayed Seinfeld’s girlfriend “Schmoopie—). “He and I were like two little kids,— Wentworth said.

And while Wentworth admits some “people come on, and it’s like pulling teeth,— most of the celebrity guests bring their A-game.

“Every episode is such a fantastic, eclectic mix of people,— Wentworth said.

So who would Wentworth most like to see on the couch? Definitely Manson — he inspired the show, after all — along with legendary actress Meryl Streep, director Woody Allen or even singer Courtney Love.

And among Wentworth’s dream political guests are former Vice President Dick Cheney, GOP strategist extraordinaire Karl Rove and radio personality Rush Limbaugh.

“I’d take anybody, actually,— she joked.

Season two of “Head Case— begins at 10 p.m. Friday on Starz.

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