I think one of the most difficult things about moving across the country, far from friends and family, is what to do on the holidays. When I first moved here to Los Angeles, it wasn't that big of a deal as I was still a "road comic" and that first Thanksgiving was spent in Evansville, IN working the Funny Bone (albeit with a very good friend of mine, Mark Gross so that was a lot of fun). But every Thanksgiving since then, I've had the good fortune to spend with some of my favorite people in the world, my friends Nick and Kathy and their two beautiful daughters Seren (top left) and Neva (right) are old school friends from back in Boston. Our other good friend Rob and his girlfriend Estrella also attended this year as did Amber. We had such a wonderful day.
I've been friends with both Nick and Rob since college so it's nice to be able to spend a holiday with them. All three of us were part of a group that has done some pretty insane stuff over our "formative" years and recounting the tales of drunken debauchery seems to be a yearly tradition.
It's something I look forward to every year and I hope as time passes we'll all be able to build our own holiday traditions.
I had mentioned in a previous post that my friend and fellow Boston comic Courtney Cronin got tapped to write a series of shorts/vignettes for the new Comedy Time Network and she asked me to be a part of it. We had the shoot yesterday and it was more fun than I even imagined.
Comedy Time is a content provider for mobile phones. Apparently, they are one of the top subscribed to channels and are also a part of a package with MobiTV.
It started a few weeks ago when Courtney told me about this project idea she had pitched to Comedy Time and they loved it. It was "The Ultimate Wingman" and it revolved around two friends, I played the dude who was always after the hot girl and Matt Iseman played the titular character. It was great as I didn't even have to audition for the part. We were who she had in mind when writing it and she just pitched us to the network (via our respective websites) and they dug us enough to give us the gig.
The week started with a production meeting on Tuesday at the office. I met the heads of the network and then we convened to a conference room for the meeting and a table read. I had met Matt briefly a few years ago but this was the first time we had ever worked together and it was amazing how well we just gelled and came off like we'd known each other for years. We read through all three scenes and there was a silence. "Oh shit," I thought, "we just sucked."
But then both the producer Mike and network head David said "wow, you guys really came prepared. That was awesome. I have no notes". So that went well.
Now imbued with a new sense of confidence (and happy that we could hit a home run for our good friend Courtney) we headed to the Ice House in Pasadena yesterday afternoon for the actual shoot. We only had about 2 hours to get everything we needed but that time limit turned out to not be an issue at all. We shot all 3 scenes and had at least 3 or 4 takes apiece in a little over an hour.
The shoot was about as much fun as I've ever had acting on a set. Matt was a true professional and a blast to work with. We had an easy chemistry and Courtney seemed thrilled with everything we were doing, even allowing us a take on each scene to just "have fun and play around". I was sad when it was over. They do want me to perform at the Ice House for the Comedy Time standup tapings, so that should be a lot of fun and I'll post that date on here once I book it.
Courtney gave Matt and I the nicest compliment I think we could have recieved when she said, "when I wrote the scripts, I thought they were funny and cute...but what you guys did with them made them hysterical!" I don't think you can get any higher praise from a writer than that.
From all appearances, Comedy Time loves this series and mentioned spending more money producing this than anything else on the network. As we were wrapping up, Mike made a comment about wanting to do a ton more. So it's nice that they are so excited about it. I think it could lead to some cool stuff, what with a major studio looking to buy into the network. You never know what can happen or where things may lead.
At the very least, I'm going to have some great tape for my reel. At the best...who knows.
I'm going to check into the legalities of posting the three vignettes up on this site once they're completed. So keep checking back and I should have some news about that before or right after Thanksgiving.
Last weekend we had the inaugural poker game (and oh yes, there will be many more) with the new poker table at the new digs. You can catch a little glimpse of my new place in the shot as well.
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As almost anyone who knows me or is even a casual reader of my blatherings on this site, I'm a fan of pro wrestling. I mean, I even wrote a screenplay/comic book on the subject. I get asked why I would even want to watch it in the first place, since it's "not real". Well that much is obvious but last time I checked, Star Wars wasn't a documentary either. I enjoy the athleticism and, when done properly, the storylines and characters. It's a weird blend of live theater, morality play and just kick ass toughness and athleticism. I also have some personal feelings regarding it as well. When my parents got divorced, my Dad used to take me and my sister to the Boston Garden to see the matches every month and we'd spend the weekend with him. Add to that, the fact that the life of a pro wrestler and the life of a standup comic are very similar (except we don't get bashed with blunt objects...at least on a good night). Lots of travel, time away from loved ones, perfoming for an audience who may or may not be as appreciative of your craft as you'd like. The politics and hierarchy of moving up the card/show. It's all very similar, indeed. I think that's what draws me to wrestling the most now that I've hit adulthood and am on my own path to chase my bliss...it's the people who are in it.
One of these people, and one of my favorite performers to watch, is Eddie Guerrero.
On Sunday November 13, 2005 Eddie Guerrero passed away suddenly and tragically at the Marriott Hotel in Minneapolis, Minn at the young age of 38. No word is known on the cause of death, but it was reported that he was found with his toothbrush still in his mouth, indicating that whatever happened took him over quite quickly.
For those who have heard of him, he had a years-long battle with substance abuse and addiction. His abuses were known throughout the business and by those who followed it. In the last four years, though, Eddie found a new life and cleaned himself up. His nephew (and fellow WWE wrestler) Chavo Guerrero remarked in a press conference that Eddie has "just celebrated four years of sobriety", making the story even more tragic.
You have to wonder how much abuse the human body can take. Eddie may have been off booze and pills, but his 5'9 frame was carrying much more weight than it should have been carrying due to steroid abuse. Eddie was never a huge guy, but his personality, wit and working ability in the ring set him apart from the generic, cookie-cutter muscleheads working in the ring. He too, feel prey to the industry standard that bigger is better and I have to think that all of that strain, combined with the indulgences of the past had to lead to his untimely demise. It's only speculation on my part, but the clues are there. If that is the case, I would think it was time Vince McMahon took a stand and started protecting his wrestlers instead of rewarding the gassed up ones for being "larger than life" and turning heads at airports.
That's neither here nor there, because for now, there is just loss. WWE has lost a major star and someone who their Smackdown brand was being built around. Fans have lost one of the most entertaining and exciting wrestlers in the business but all of that pales in comparison to the loss that his family and close friends feel right now. My heart goes out to them and much love and light is sent to the Guerrero family in this darkest of times.
My favorite memory of Eddie occurred at the end of Wrestlemania 20. Eddie, always having been pegged as "too small" to be seriously pushed at the top of the card had just won Smackdown's version of the World Title from Brock Lesnar. His real life best friend Chris Benoit ended the big show by taking the RAW brand version (WWE has split into two seperate "leagues" that only combine for the big pay per views) World Title. Benoit, another wrestler who was always pegged as "too small and too bland" to be a World Champion had to let his in ring ability do the talking. Both are amazing athletes and true artists in what they can do in the ring. After Benoit's title victory, Eddie came to the ring and the two best friends embraced as confetti and streamers rained down on them. The two wrestlers no one ever gave a chance in hell to be pushed to the top because they didn't fit the "standard" of what a World Champion should be, ended one of the biggest pay per views in the history of the business as just that. Champions. Two friends embraced and celebrating the culmination of years and years of struggle, sacrifice and passion.
We should all be so fortunate.
You can click here to read a bio of Eddie's career as well videos (including the WMXX celebration described above) and other tributes to Eddie Guerrero. Tonight's Monday Night RAW will be a tribute to him as well. That airs at 9:00 on the USA network.
It's noon on a Saturday and I've just finished up a photo shoot for some new theatrical stuff. I load my changes of clothing into my beat up Saturn and plug in the iPod.
Ten minutes later, I'm zooming along the "World Famous Sunset Blvd" as the sun beats down on my moon-roof. It's November and 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky. I've got The Killers and Bran Van 3000 blaring from the aforementioned iPod as I head home to work on my comic book for the afternoon.
I opt to take the 405 over "the hill" and marvel at the beauty of the mountains as I make my way through the pass. Later on, I'll get ready for poker game tonight with some of my best friends in the world.
Not much going on at this end of the keyboard. Finally settled into the new digs and I'm loving it. Got a new coffee table and end table on the cheap (gotta love the Craigslist!) and everything is falling in nicely. I even came to the realization that there is an orange tree in my backyard with sweet, delicious citrus hanging off it. To be able to walk out my back door and be able to pluck an edible orange off a tree is a weird experience for this Boston-bred young lad. The only thing I'm used to finding in my backyard is dog poo. Step lively and keep alert!
I booked a gig with the Comedy Time Network and we're filming three sketches next Wednesday at the Ice House in Pasadena. My friend Courtney Cronin (who formerly wrote for The Wayne Brady Show) got hired to write and produce a series of recurring vignettes and she wanted me to act in them. It was very cool and flattering as I didn't even have to audition for the part. It was just offered and the network approved. I'm sure I'll have a post from the set as those things are usually a lot of fun.
And finally, on an unrelated note, the thought that's been plaguing me all week:
They are doing yet another remake of Pride and Prejudice, this time starring Keira Knightly. Why?!?! Aren't there, like, nineteen remakes of this already? They seem to come out with a new version of this book every year. Did Jane Austen have some kind of hidden clause in her contract that stipulates we have to make a new version every other year? This book gets remade more than Tony Danza gets chances at TV shows...and that's a lot.
I moved into the new digs this past Saturday and the days in between then and now have been spent unpacking and setting everything up to resemble a comfy, cozy home. Not to mention I was without cable or internet for a few days there...the horror. I don't even watch a ton of TV, although the TV I do watch all seem to hover at the higher priced top teir of cable channels...why, oh why, could I not just be a fan of CSI reruns on Spike TV or other similar lower teired channels?! It's weird though, because even though I'm not a constant TV viewer, I do like to have it there. It's comforting, like that old woobie you used to sleep with as a child. And don't lie to me and try to pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. You had a woobie!
That's pretty much been the extent of my week. To celebrate Halloween (and our zombie costumes) Amber and I watched Shaun of the Dead and, having never seen it before, she loved it. It really was one of the best movies of last year. It combined all the best elements of a romantic-comedy, comedy and gross-out zombie flick and does it all seamlessly. It's just so well done and there are a lot of little subtle details that require repeat viewings. Check it out if you haven't.
The rest of the weekend will be spent trying to get some furniture to flesh out the living room...maybe some plants or something. It's so cool to be in a "house" again. I don't even have a unit number in my address anymore!
debauchery seems to be a yearly tradition.
