Take Out Stories: Dinner, Dykes & Damnation

This Podcast offering comes from an actual event that took place several years ago. We were reminded of this story in light of recent events.

Enjoy, but don't forget to say Grace.

Donna & Tony

Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White

This is not really a book review but more of a gift giving suggestion.

Tim & Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White is the story about the first interracial comedy team Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen. Tim & Tom started in Chicago nightclubs then went on the road for five years. They worked all over America at a time of racial unrest, riots and assassinations. They faced racist heckling, threats, and even violence (Tim had a cigarette put out in his face). As a team they never had the success that they would later have in their solo careers. They were just ahead of their time.

I just finished the book (written with Ron Rapoport) and it hit home... Literally. As some of you remember my wife Donna and I did a show (Guess Who's Coming To...) that we performed at Fringe Theatre Festivals in 2006.

I think we have come a long way but we still have a way to go and it is true that the more things change the more they stay the same... I just never had a cigarette put out in my face. You can imagine that we would like to have a chance to meet Tim & Tom when they appear somewhere not only to sign my book but also to get their thoughts about an interracial couple performing together.

If you or a friend like stories about, Comedy, The Civil Rights Movement, Race Relations, Television and all things Show Biz this is the book for you and it makes a great gift. Amazon.com: Tim and Tom: An American Comedy in Black and White: Tim Reid, Tom Dreesen, Ron Rapoport: Books With people cutting back on holiday spending the book is reasonably priced. Please consider this recommendation before you hit the malls on Black Friday (No pun intended).

Happy Thanksgiving


Tony & Donna Figueroa

Two words... Mission Accomplished

This Election Day I popped open my bottle of champagne, toasted with friends and know what HOPE taste like. The bottle of Jack Daniel’s will be re-gifted. I also had some Rolling Rock beer in honor of Tim Russert.

To President Elect Obama I want to quote Tim Russert, "Go get ‘em".

To the rest of us I want to quote Alan Brady (Carl Reiner on The Dick Van Dyke Show episode Coast-to- Coast Big Mouth), "Oh, happy days are here again!"

Stay Tuned and God bless America


Tony & Donna Figueroa

Election 2008.

This Election Day I want to pause for a moment and reflect on our last Election Day. Sherman set the Wayback machine to November 2nd 2004. The exit polls were optimistic. We invited some friends over to watch the returns. I bought a bottle of champagne and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Depending on who won the election, one of those bottles would be opened. Every time Ohio was mentioned on the news, everyone in the room gave my wife Donna (A Cincinnati girl) a dirty look. I could have started a drinking game where every time a pundit said Ohio, Battleground State or "Too close to call", we would have to take a shot.

The next day we were off to the Red State of Ohio to visit my wife’s family. It seemed like a good idea at the time. We’d leave the day after Election Day. How complicated could it be? A few days after I booked the flight online, we started hearing things like "Ohio is gonna be the next Florida". When we arrived in Ohio, I called my mom back in California who was devastated by the election results. She wanted to know if we were participating in the recount protests at the Cincinnati Board of Elections. This was the first we'd heard of any such protest. The local media (TV and print) had not mentioned anything about them. The newscasters sounded like they were in that Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life". It's very good that you made Bush win Anthony. Now wish the Democrats into the cornfield. (The story takes place in Peaksville, Ohio by the way)



On the first afternoon in Cincinnati, we were visited Donna’s Republican Stepford wife sister and her 2 boys, ages 3 and 5. Donna’s sister mentioned that her older boy Mathew had participated in a mock election in his kindergarten class. I asked him, "So Matthew who did you vote for?" Mathew said with pride, "I voted for George Bush!". His mother pointed out that John Kerry won in his class. So, I guess there is hope for America's youth. I was reading a newspaper when Matthew climbed into my lap. There was a photograph of George W in the paper, so I asked him who that was. "I don't know," said Mathew. I returned, "Well you voted for him silly." Mathew paused then said with pride, "George Bush". Then I pointed out another photo. "Who's that?" I said. Mathew said with pride, "George Bush". I said, "No", and had the boy look at the photo again. After studying the picture Mathew said, "I don't know". The man in the picture looks like an older version of Mathew. "His name is Barack Obama' I told him, "Maybe when you're old enough to vote in the real election, you'll be voting for him". Then Donna's sister chimed in with, "Well Matthew don't vote for him. He's a democrat". Donna erupted, "Excuse me?" She then backtracked with, "Oh ...uh Matthew ...Just vote your heart." So that was the problem, many people in OHIO voted with their hearts and not their brains!

A few days later on Veteran’s Day we were going to watch Saving Private Ryan, but the Cincinnati ABC affiliate refused to air the movie because the "F" word was used twice. The same channel whose newscasters presented the Bush victory as a great thing was now afraid to air Saving Private Ryan for fear of what the Bush appointed FCC chairman might do. This is crazy. If someone from my Blue State of California said something critical of the current war, someone from the Red State of Ohio would say, "YOU DON’T SUPPORT THE TROOPS!" But I think you insult our troops by not showing a great film that honors everyone who has ever served our country because the "F" word is used and our kids might hear it. This ABC affiliate seems to be okay with our kids seeing all the blood and guts. So instead we went to see Lewis Black in concert. It was like every freethinking liberal in Ohio was there. If you ever get to see Lewis Black Live in concert, go. He opened the show responding to the Cincinnati ABC affiliate not showing Saving Private Ryan with something like, "YOU PEOPLE ARE F***ING NUTS!" or was he responding to the way people in Cincinnati put chili on spaghetti? No one in the audience thought his language was indecent, given the context in which it was presented. We are entering very dangerous territory when we look at a great piece of filmmaking like Saving Private Ryan, or a brilliant comedian like Lewis Black and just take inventory of the words and not pay attention to the context.

In defense of my wife's hometown and home state, there are many kind generous people there. Many wondered how Bush had carried Ohio. Something for us to remember. There are a lot of people in the red states who think like people in the blue states. In the airport gift shop, I saw a little stuffed winged pig with the motto, "Ohio... Where pigs fly." After gathering our luggage at LAX, we stepped outside to find a cab. I took a deep breath, and gagged. It was great to be home.

For this Election Day I’ve purchased a bottle of champagne and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. Depending on who wins, one of those bottles will be opened. I will also be having some Rolling Rock beer in honor of Tim Russert.

To quote Tim Russert’s dad Big Russ, "Only in America".

Stay Tuned And

Tony & Donna Figueroa

Never Judge A Show by It's Pilot: Life On Mars

Last time I wrote about how and why we either hit or miss the mark when doing an American version of a foreign television show (Never Judge A Show by It's Pilot: Kath & Kim). This time we seemed to have gotten it right with Life On Mars. At least I hope we did.

This American version of Life On Mars (Based on the BBC Drama of the same name) is one of the few shows I wanted to see this FALL 2007 Part II season. In the interest of full disclosure I want to copy and paste what I wrote last year when I reviewed Journeyman, "Anyone who knows me knows that I love time travel stories. A couple of years ago I even attempted to write a pilot about a man who could travel through time. So when I heard about the new NBC drama Journeyman, a show about a man who has the ability to go back in time, I was there." I felt the same way when I heard about Life On Mars. To counter my time travel optimism I have to express concerns since there is a fifty-fifty chance that we Americans will screw this show up.

Prior to watching the pilot I watched the pilot of the BBC show on BBC America (BBC America provides subtitles with the broadcast when the accents get too thick). The show centers on Greater Manchester Police DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) Sam Tyler (John Simm) who is hit by a car in 2006 and winds in 1973. The title of the show is taken from the David Bowie song Life on Mars? that is playing on the iPod in Sam's Jeep Grand Cherokee. After awaking in 1973 Sam hears the song playing on an 8-track tape in a Rover P6. There (or should it be then?) Sam works for Manchester and Salford Police CID (Criminal Investigation Department) as a DI (Detective Inspectors) under DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). Sam deals with culture shock working through the differences between his 2006 by the book approach to police work and the 1973 rouge methods of his new colleagues. Sam does get messages from his own time through electronic devices. On his down time Sam also investigates possibilities as to why he is in 1973 with the help of the only person who he can truly confide in WPC (Woman Police Constable) Annie Cartwright (Liz White). Sam is not sure if he is insane, in a coma, or if he really has traveled back in time. I liked the British pilot. There were elements from Back to the Future, Quantum Leap, Journeyman and Mark Twain’s novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

I watched the American version of the show (Out Here in the Fields) and it was true to the original. Jason O'Mara, is Detective Sam Tyler. Harvey Keitel plays Lieutenant Gene Hunt. Gretchen Mol plays Annie "No Nuts" Norris (not Cartwright) a member of the Policewomen's Bureau. Michael Imperioli plays Detective Ray Carling and Lisa Bonet is Tyler's 2008 girl friend, Maya Daniels. The sprit of the BBC version is alive and well here. I read that the show originally shot a pilot (Hit and Run ) set in Los Angeles but that pilot was scrapped in favor of New York. As a person who lived in Los Angeles in 1973 and as much as I would have loved the nostalgia factor, New York is the better location. New York is grittier. Having the show set in New York also allowed a more touching moment where Sam realizes that he is in 1973 when he sees the newly built World Trade Center. The same scene in the BBC version was a more humorous "I don’t think we’re in Kansas" moment. The detectives at the 125th precinct all have the same goal to clean the streets of criminals. Sam Tyler has professional ethics that fall somewhere between Joe Friday (Dragnet) and Barney Miller , in contrast to Lieutenant Gene Hunt and Detective Ray Carling who are more like Dirty Harry and don’t mind playing dirty while cleaning the streets. I liked the show but as you know by now I never judge a show by it’s pilot.

The next episode (The Real Adventures of the Unreal Sam Tyler) has the detectives at the 125th precinct in the middle of an investigation involving robbery-homicides at check-cashing stores. Later Sam, while at the 125, writes on a chalkboard every reason he can think of as to why he is in 1973. Sam feels that until he figures out why he is in 1973 he must do what he does best and that is to catch bad guys. I as a viewer know that I won’t have an answer to the time travel question for awhile but the case that Sam is currently working on does hold my interest. I believe the intent here is to have a show that will appeal to a large audience and not just science fiction fans. I liked the episode but remember I opened this article with, "This time we seemed to have gotten it right with Life On Mars. At least I hope we did.". I still have some concerns for the show's longevity. The BBC series ran for only 2 (English) seasons totaling 16 episodes (List of episodes) then a spun off Ashes to Ashes. We do up to 22 episodes in one of our seasons. Can the plot last that long? The audience will eventually want to know how and why Sam went back in time. Does the audience want to know the time travel logistics early on so they can follow the story? In today’s world of instant gratification, will the audience keep tuning in unless all is revealed? I guess only time will tell.

To quote Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel): If I'd wanted to be this bored, I'd go to Mass with the missus and her miserable mother.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Never Judge A Show by It's Pilot: Kath & Kim

We in America have invented some of the greatest things in the world like the car, the telephone and the television. It seem that many of our creations have had good runs as an American made product often people in other countries take our ideas and make them better and cheaper. Still we are very good at the creative part. The American Sitcom had a great run in the 1950s & 60s (Thanks in great part to Desi Arnaz) and then things started to get stagnant. Really, how many times can you do and episode around a bad report card or the boss coming to dinner on short notice. In the 1970s we had a sitcom renascence thanks to people like Norman Lear, adding controversial issues to his sitcom All in the Family, that was based on Johnny Speight's British sitcom Till Death Us Do Part. Then Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's British sitcom Steptoe and Son, was adapted for American Television as Sanford and Son and a few years later the sexy British sitcom Man About the House (Created by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke) was adapted for American television as Three's Company. Now we have a good track record in taking a foreign product and successfully make it our own. How did we do this? We killed all the sacred cows. We talked about social issues. We laughed at our faults. We were topical. We did what the creators of the British versions of these shows did and that was to take the attitude that nothing is sacred then laugh at themselves. In other words they were successful by not playing it safe.

What happened? Somehow the sacred cows are back and they are now on steroids. Today Archie Bunker would be accused of glamorizing bigotry. The Sweathogs (Welcome Back, Kotter) would be accused of glamorizing remedial education or mocking inner city youth. M*A*S*H today would be seen a product of liberal Hollywood elitists who don’t represent the real America and hate the troops. In other words we are playing it safe. The Office and Ugly Betty (Both Reveille Productions) seem to be the exception to the rule.

Kath & Kim is American adaptation of an popular Australian television series starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair and produced by Reveille Productions in association with Universal Media Studio. I saw the pilot. Molly Shannon is Kath Day the forty-something mother and Selma Blair is Kim her self-absorbed daughter. John Michael Higgins plays Kath’s boyfriend Phil Knight a sandwich shop owner, and Mikey Day plays Kim’s newly separated husband Craig, who works at the electronics store Circuit Surplus. The actors are great and they are doing the best they can with the material they have. I really like the characters and they would be perfect if they were in an eight minute sketch on Saturday Night Live. For a situation comedy the plot and the characters are not fully developed. Sometimes I see a character on a show and say, "I know that person" here I see the character’s and say, "I know that type". All four characters see them selves as big fish but don’t see that they are in a small bowl let alone a pond. Molly Shannon and Selma Blair are great at making entrances and exits. In my opinion they are both too pretty for these parts. You also really believe that these two think that reading People magazine and watching TMZ is keeping up on current events. Kim not only sees her self as a trophy wife but also think that being a trophy wife is something to aspire to. Again, you know the type.

One of the reasons I never judge a show by it’s pilot is that often the pilot has dedicated the entire episode to setting up the premise of the series. Here Kath is in love with Phil, while Kim gets separated from her husband of six weeks. When Kim decides to move back home, it hinders Kath's new romance and mayhem ensues... No wait, mayhem does not ensue and there lies the problem. I saw the next episode. Kath wants to promote her home salon business. Phil helps her out by standing up to the mall hierarchy and getting her a booth at the mall’s prom event. Kim, while working as Kath’s hair model, gets Craig fired from his job at Circuit Surplus. They talk about pop culture not social issues. We laughed (or didn’t laugh) at the faults of people we don’t identify with. The characters show their ignorance to anything topical and sadly I think viewers can identify with that and not get the joke. We did not do what the creators of the Australian versions of the show did, and that was to take the attitude that nothing is sacred then laugh at themselves. In other words this new American version has played it safe.

To quote Kim, "Well, I didn't sign up for cooking dinner or being interested in how somebody's day was. I'm a trophy wife! Like Miliana Trump and Mrs. Larry King Live."

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Ron Howard's Call To Action

I love this for many reasons.

Stay Tuned & VOTE

Tony Figueroa


Ron Howard wants to talk about the election.
So does Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler.

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

FALL 2007 Part II

Well it's fall again and normally I will write several articles dedicated to the basic idea that I never judge a show by it's pilot, but this fall is different. I don't feel like this is Fall 2008 but more like Fall 2007 part II. It is hard to believe that it was almost a year ago (Nov. 5th 2007) when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. From that point I decided to suspend reviewing any new shows out of a sense of fairness and solidarity. I felt that saying something critical about someone’s show during the strike was kicking someone when they were down. As my readers know, I love television the same way others love movies or music, and even though I was saddened to see the TV season cut short I stood by the writers. I felt that it was important to remind my readers that nothing happens in Hollywood until a writer types the words FADE IN.

The shows I didn't review last fall or Fall 2007 Part I were Life, Pushing Daisies and Samantha Who?. These three shows are all back this season and my favorite show from last fall or Fall 2007 Part I, Journeyman, was canceled but thanks to the strike at least every episode was aired.

Here is my

FALL 2007 PART I

Scorecard.

The Big Bang Theory. Still on the air.
I said, "Sweet characters and cleaver dialogue do not a sitcom make".

K-Ville. Off the air.
I said, "I think that it is great that eighty percent of the show’s crew is from the local talent pool. I am curious what the people of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department thinks of the show".

Cane. Off the air.
I said, "The show should have a broad appeal. It has many of the classic elements of good story telling, man vs. man, brother vs. brother, father vs. son, all set in front of a Latin background. I am optimistic that the show won't resort to some of the stereotypical soap opera conventions like evil twins, people returning from the dead and whole seasons being dismissed as a dream".

Journeyman. Off the air.
I said, "The show has an appeal beyond the science fiction crowd. The only thing about the show that is predictable is that is unpredictable. Other new shows should take a lesson from Journeyman. Start with a good story and build on that".

Bionic Woman. Off the air.
There is one element to the show that I will freely admit to having mixed feelings about and that is the blurry line between who the good guys and the bad guys are. I like that the heroes have baggage. I'm sure that there are viewers that want to see the good guys wearing white hats and the bad guys wearing black hats (Toy companies like straight out good guys and bad guys when it comes to marketing action figures).

Reaper. Still on the air.
I said, "The best way to describe the show is Maynard G. Crebs from Dobie Gillis meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer with a hint of Ghost Busters".

Back to You. Off the air.
I said, "I was hoping for something more comparable to Murphy Brown or The Mary Tyler Moore Show but instead this reminded me more of Good Morning, Miami, especially the Latina character Montana Diaz Herrera (Ayda Field)".

Cavemen. Off the air.
I said, "I saw the pilot and I can hear my college television production teacher say, "What’s the point?" First you have to buy into the premise that cavemen have lived among us since the beginning of time. The opening credits features a montage of cavemen throughout history. Anything would be better than the chosen premise, time warp, thawed from an iceberg or cloned caveman DNA".

Chuck. Still on the air.
I said, "I watched the pilot. The episode opens on the night of Chuck’s birthday party. Chuck’s sister has invited lots of women for Chuck to meet but I don’t see this guy needing his sister’s help getting laid". And "Zachary Levi is a very talented actor. I liked him on Less Than Perfect, but I don’t see him as a good fit for this show".

As for Samantha Who?, Pushing Daisies and Life:

Samantha Who?: I was quite surprised and impressed with the show. My first impression from the promotional material was this would be a female version of My Name Is Earl. In fact my first reaction was, "Why didn't they call it My name is Girl". Christina Applegate has incredible star power and is likable, cute and willing to fall on her face for a laugh.

Pushing Daisies: This is a fun macabre escape from reality. I use it as a mental sorbet after watching the news.

Life: Damien Lewis is one of the finest actors on TV today. He has created a character that viewers sympathize with but you don’t necessarily want to have a beer with him and at times you just want to smack him. I see an Emmy in Damien Lewis' future.

For Fall 2007 Part II there are only two shows that I really have an interest in checking out and reviewing. Strangely enough both are American versions of foreign shows. From England Life On Mars and from Australia Kath & Kim but most of my TV viewing is fall dedicated to watching 2008 Election coverage. As always I watch the pilot and the first episode following the pilot. My gut tells me that Life On Mars will have a following but I don't see Kath & Kim lasting past Christmas.

To quote Dennis Miller, "Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong".

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Edie Adams

Edie Adams, the actress and singer and wife of comedian Ernie Kovacs, has died at the age of 81 from pneumonia and cancer. Ms. Adams won a Tony Award for playing Daisy Mae on Broadway in Li'l Abner.

She was born Elizabeth Edith Enke in 1927 in Kingston, Pa., and grew up in Tenafly, N.J. She first attracted notice on the TV show "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts." Kovacs was then performing his innovative comedy show on a Philadelphia TV station, and his director saw her and invited her to audition. With her innocent face and refreshing manner, Adams became the ideal partner for Kovacs' far-out humor. They eloped to Mexico City in 1954.

She and Kovacs moved to Hollywood in the late 1950s, and both became active in films.
In Billy Wilder's classic "The Apartment," the 1960 Oscar winner for best picture, Adams played the spurned secretary to philandering businessman Fred MacMurray.
Among her other movies were "Lover Come Back," "Call Me Bwana" (with Bob Hope), the all-star comedy "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (as Sid Caesar's wife), "Under the Yum Yum Tree," "The Best Man" and "The Honey Pot."

Edie sings "That's All" in the episode, Lucy Meets the Moustache of the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.

In early 1962 Kovacs crashed his car into a light pole, dying instantly. Adams now a widow was faced with debts of $520,000, trouble with the Internal Revenue Service and a nasty custody battle over Kovacs' daughters, Betty and Kippie, from his first marriage. She and Kovacs also had a daughter Mia, born in 1959 (Mia Kovacs was killed at 22 in a 1982 car accident). Milton Berle, Frank Sinatra, Jack Lemmon, Dean Martin and other stars organized a TV special to raise money for her and her daughters.
"Adams said, "No, I can take care of my own children." For a solid year, she worked continuously. After her widowhood, she had two brief marriages to photographer Martin Mills and trumpeter Pete Candoli.


In the 1980s and 1990s, she made appearances on such TV shows as "Murder, She Wrote" and "Designing Women." She also played Tommy Chong's mother, Mrs. Tempest Stoner, in the first Cheech and Chong movie, "Up in Smoke," in 1978.

Over the years, she strove to keep Kovacs' comedic legacy alive by buying rights to his TV shows and repackaging them for television and videocassettes.

To quote Ms. Adams, "Here was this guy with the big mustache, the big cigar and the silly hat, I thought, `I don't know what this is, but it's for me."

I heard that Ernie used to have a light up sign outside his home office that said "NOT NOW!" So if anyone in heaven tonight sees a sign that says "NOT NOW!", please do not disturb the happy reunion.

Good Night Mr. & Mrs Kovacs.

Stay Tuned

Tony Figueroa

Edie Adams' - Archive of American Television Interview

Finally! A reason to vote for McCain!!