Thursday, July 27, 2006

Guess Who's Coming To... KC Fringe Festival

An evening of stories told by a typical American couple, the Figueroas. He is a Swedish-Puerto Rican television aficionado. She is an African-American Jane Pauley sound-alike shopaholic. The audience will follow their adventures in and over America as they stray from the normalcy of their home, Hollywood, CA.


http://www.kcfringe.org/
THE NEXT SPACE
512 E. 18th St.,
Kansas City, MO, 64108
Map of 512 E 18th St Kansas City, MO by MapQuest
Thurs, July 27 - 8:00pm
Fri, July 28 - 6:30pm
Sat, July 29 -3:30pm & 8:00pm
Tickets available at
http://www.kcfringe.org/
Crown Center starting Wednesday July 26th
and at the door

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Never Judge a Show by it’s Pilot: Psych.

How can I describe the new series Psych? Imagine a modern day Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Instead of foggy London town the setting is beautiful Santa Barbara CA. The Holmes character is an underachiever who has held fifty-seven different jobs since high school but feels that he has finally found his calling as a psychic detective. Only he's not really psychic. Shawn Spencer (James Roday) was trained by his police officer father Henry (Corbin Bernsen) to have incredible observation skills. After Shawn gives the police a tip on a crime, the police don't believe that Shawn has the talent to see things that the average person can't. They believe that he only knows what he knows because he is somehow involved in the crime. To avoid being arrested Shawn tells the police detectives (Timothy Omundson & Maggie Lawson) that he knows what he knows because he's psychic. When you can't explain things logically, LIE! The acting Chief of police (Kirsten Nelson) hires Shawn pro bono to assist in a kidnapping case. Now our Holmes needs a Watson. Shawn goes to his childhood friend Gus (Dulé Hill). Instead of being a doctor he's a pharmaceutical rep, but the Gus character is a perfect straight man to Shawn's fake psychic episodes. Where Holmes is sophisticated and goes into elaborate detail explaining what he sees. Shawn is less than sophisticated but instead of explaining what he sees, you the TV viewer get to see everything through Shawn's eyes.

We currently have dramatic shows on TV where people use their special gifts to help solve crimes or assist the dead in crossing over. I am a fan of these shows. TV also brings us real people who claim to have special abilities and use their gifts to help ordinary people communicate with everyone from a dead relative to their pet. I'd like to believe that this is all true, but my skepticism tells me better. When I saw the promos for a show about a fake pshyic detective, I knew I wanted to see this show. Over all I liked what I saw in the pilot, especially the Shawn, Gus and Henry characters. I can't imagine that every case that Shawn and Gus take on will involve the police department so will the remaining characters be needed in every episode? These are just my first impressions but I never judge a show by it's pilot.

So, its a week later and I watched the second episode The Spellingg Bee (Deliberately missed spelled) and overall I liked what I saw. I still can't imagine that every case that Shawn and Gus take on will involve the police department. I like the Police characters but will they be needed in every episode? If they are featured in every episode, will thier I.Q. points have to drop in order for them to buy in to some of Shawn’s over the top fake pshyic episodes? On the plus side I like the Henry character even more. He reminds me of The Karate Kid's Mr. Miyagi when he teaches his son to finish what he starts by having Shawn finish building a dog house that Shawn started in 1989. Finally the show is a nice companion to Monk on USA’s Friday night lineup. Can we say crossover?

To quote Shawn & Gus

Gus: You're dating a murderer!
Shawn: Not exclusively.

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Good Night Red.

To quote Red Buttons, "Never raise your hand to your kids. It leaves your groin unprotected".

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

Monday, July 10, 2006

Waiting for the fall 2006.

While the network's show are on their summer hiatus, I have been enjoying new episodes of Monk, and the new shows Psych and Saved (Note: Saved writer and producer Joseph Dougherty is the same Joseph Dougherty who created Handwritten Theatre). I have also been watching classic TV shows on DVD like F Troop, Hogan's Heroes, and am ready to break into Sgt. Bilko. But that does not explain why my columns have been a little less frequent lately. Donna and I have been dedicating all of our time to our Two-person show.

Guess Who's Coming To...
An evening of stories told by a typical American couple, the Figueroas. He is a Swedish-Puerto Rican television aficionado. She is an African-American Jane Pauley sound-alike shopaholic. The audience will follow their adventures in and over America as they stray from the normalcy of their home, Hollywood, CA.
We will be performing the show at the following Fringe Festivals.

http://www.kcfringe.org/
THE NEXT SPACE
512 E. 18th St.,
Kansas City, MO, 64108
Thurs, July 27 - 8:00pm
Fri, July 28 - 6:30pm
Sat, July 29 -3:30pm & 8:00pm
Tickets available at
http://www.kcfringe.org/
Crown Center starting Wednesday July 26th
and at the door


http://www.fringefestival.org/
INTERACT CENTER FOR THE VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
212 Third Ave. N. Ste.140
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Sat, Aug 5 - 10:00 pm
Sun, Aug 6 - 2:30 pm
Mon, Aug 7 - 8:30 pm
Fri, Aug 11 - 5:30 pm
Sun, Aug 13 - 7:00 pm
Tickets available at
http://www.uptowntix.com/
(615) 209-6799


http://www.indyfringe.org/
THEATRE ON THE SQUARE
627 Massachusetts Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46204-1606
Fri, Aug 25 - 9:00 pm
Sun, Aug 27 - 2:30 pm
Tues, Aug 29 - 8:00 pm
Sat, Aug 02 - 1:00 pm
Sun, Aug 03 - 8:30 pm
Tickets available at
www.indyfringe.org/tickets.php
$11.00 advance via PayPal
$10.00 at the door



If you are going to be in the area please come and see us.

To quote Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, "On with the show this is it"

Stay Tuned


Tony Figueroa

Thursday, July 06, 2006

List of Primetime Emmy Nominations

AP

Nominees in major categories for the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

Drama Series:
"Grey's Anatomy," ABC; "House," Fox; "The Sopranos," HBO; "24," Fox; "The West Wing," NBC.

Comedy Series:
"Arrested Development," Fox; "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; "The Office," NBC; "Scrubs," NBC; "Two and a Half Men," CBS.

Miniseries:
"Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)," PBS; "Elizabeth I," HBO; "Into the West," TNT; "Sleeper Cell," Showtime.

Made-for-TV Movie:
"Flight 93," A&E; "The Flight That Fought Back," Discovery Channel; "The Girl in the Cafe," HBO; "Mrs. Harris," HBO; "Yesterday," HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series:
"The Colbert Report," Comedy Central; "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Comedy Central; "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," NBC; "Late Show With David Letterman," CBS; "Real Time With Bill Maher ," HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Special:
"78th Annual Academy Awards," ABC; "Bill Maher: I'm Swiss," HBO; "George Carlin : Life Is Worth Losing," HBO; "McCartney in St. Petersburg," A&E; "The XX Olympic Winter Games - Opening Ceremony," NBC.

Actor, Drama Series:
Denis Leary, "Rescue Me," FX Network; Peter Krause , "Six Feet Under," HBO; Kiefer Sutherland , "24," Fox; Martin Sheen , "The West Wing," NBC.

Actress, Drama Series:
Kyra Sedgwick , "The Closer," TNT; Geena Davis , "Commander in Chief," ABC; Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," NBC; Frances Conroy, "Six Feet Under," HBO; Allison Janney , "The West Wing," NBC.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series:
William Shatner , "Boston Legal," ABC; Oliver Platt , "Huff," Showtime; Michael Imperioli , "The Sopranos," HBO; Gregory Itzin, "24," Fox; Alan Alda , "The West Wing," NBC.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series:
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal," ABC; Sandra Oh , "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Chandra Wilson, "Grey's Anatomy," ABC; Blythe Danner, "Huff," Showtime; Jean Smart, "24," Fox.

Actor, Comedy Series:
Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; Kevin James , "The King of Queens," CBS; Tony Shalhoub , "Monk," USA; Steve Carell , "The Office," NBC; Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men," CBS.

Actress, Comedy Series:
Lisa Kudrow , "The Comeback," HBO; Jane Kaczmarek, "Malcolm in the Middle," Fox; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "The New Adventures of Old Christine," CBS; Stockard Channing, "Out of Practice," CBS; Debra Messing , "Will & Grace," NBC.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series:
Will Arnett, "Arrested Development," Fox; Jeremy Piven , "Entourage," HBO; Bryan Cranston, "Malcolm in the Middle," Fox; Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men," CBS; Sean Hayes, "Will & Grace," NBC.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series:
Cheryl Hines , "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO; Alfre Woodard , "Desperate Housewives," ABC; Jaime Pressly , "My Name Is Earl," ABC; Elizabeth Perkins , "Weeds," Showtime;
Megan Mullally, "Will & Grace," NBC.

Actor, Miniseries or a Movie:
Charles Dance, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)," PBS; Donald Sutherland , "Human Trafficking," Lifetime; Ben Kingsley , "Mrs. Harris," HBO; Jon Voight , "Pope John Paul II," CBS; Andre Braugher, "Thief," FX Network.

Actress, Miniseries or a Movie:
Kathy Bates , "Ambulance Girl," Lifetime; Gillian Anderson, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)," PBS; Helen Mirren , "Elizabeth I," HBO; Judy Davis, "A Little Thing Called Murder," Lifetime; Annette Bening , "Mrs. Harris," HBO.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie:
Denis Lawson, "Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre)," PBS; Hugh Dancy, "Elizabeth I," HBO; Jeremy Irons , "Elizabeth I," HBO; Robert Carlyle, "Human Trafficking," Lifetime; Clifton Collins Jr. , "Thief," FX Network.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie:
Kelly Macdonald, "The Girl in the Cafe," HBO; Shirley Jones, "Hidden Places," Hallmark; Ellen Burstyn , "Mrs. Harris," HBO; Cloris Leachman , "Mrs. Harris," HBO; Alfre Woodard, "The Water Is Wide (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation)," CBS.