How Maya Rudolph Became the Master of Impressions

This beautiful piece in The New York Times Magazine last weekend about Maya Rudolph is one of the best things I've read in a while.

Reading and picturing this scene had me laughing out loud ... 

She was telling the story of the time she was bitten by a black-widow spider while getting a massage on a girls’ vacation that many comedy fans might commit real-life murder to attend, with her “Saturday Night Live” friends Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer and the writers Paula Pell and Emily Spivey. Rudolph was doing an impression of Gasteyer the moment Rudolph explained to her that she was possibly about to die.

Her Gasteyer was a 120 percent concentration: angular head movements; precise intentional blinks; a modulated operatic voice — classic Gasteyer, but swirled with the essential oils of her performance as a tightly wound 1990s Martha Stewart. Rudolph’s account of the fiasco was bursting with rollicking impressions — Poehler taking charge with peppy fortitude; Dratch trying to discreetly escape to a shower — but to print the transcript would be a disservice to Rudolph, because the transcript is simply not funny. The element that brings tears of laughter to your eyes is not the words themselves, but the curious, thrilling sensation of witnessing other people’s faces and voices emerge from Rudolph’s own.

And the reflection of her mother's death and childhood is heart-wrenching. I had no idea who her mother was until I read this, but I most definitely know “Lovin’ You.” After reading this, I pulled up the song and listened. My heart melted at the sound of Riperton singing “Maya, Maya, Maya” at the end of the track. 

I can hardly wait to give “Forever,” her new series with Fred Armisen a try. 

The day I interviewed Al Molinaro

Al Molinaro died yesterday.

Interviewing him was just one of many great thrills of my time in K-Town. My turn had come up in our newsroom rotation to produce a “What ever happened to …” feature, a weekly staple in community newspapers like the ones for which I worked. The news editor maintained a sheet with story ideas, and one of them was to catch up with Molinaro. Problem was no one seemed to know how.

As I recall, I had hit several dead ends before I finally got a hold of a phone number that maybe was his. It was my last shot, and I called it early in the week. I was 99 percent sure the voice on the answering machine greeting was Molinaro’s. I left a message and asked him to give me a call, but I wasn’t so confident a retired Hollywood television star would return the call of some young reporter in Kenosha.

That Friday morning, with the deadline for my story looming and still no return call from Molinaro, I was turning my attention to a backup plan. ... Then, out of the blue, the phone rang at my desk, and it was Al Molinaro!

We chatted for about a half hour or so. It was kind of a rushed interview – as most phone interviews with celebrities were. I don’t remember much about the questions I asked or his responses to them. What I remember is what a gentleman he was and how proud he was of his Kenosha heritage.

When our interview finished, I hung up the phone, beaming. I cranked out my story, and it was published in Monday’s edition.

Thus, his 2004 interview with the Kenosha News is being referenced in newspapers across the country this morning.

Having fun at 'Urinetown'

Kates and I spent a night on the town tonight -- er, a night on the campus, really. We booked a student's services to babysit the girls and walked to campus to see the university's production of "Urinetown: The Musical."

And it was fantastic.

Not only is the musical itself -- a satire of government systems and a parody of musical productions wrapped into one show -- hilarious and cleverly written, Kates and I left the performing arts center -- again -- in awe of our super talented students.

The acting was top-notch, and the cast played the comedy -- both spoken and physical -- to perfection. The choreography was so dazzling and fun. The vocals were terrific, with some heart-melting harmonies particularly by the actors playing Bobby Strong and Hope Cladwell. The actress playing Little Sally also stole her fair share of the scenes. ... All of those elements combined made Act II especially funny and entertaining. We were wiping tears of laughter from our eyes after "Run, Freedom, Run!"

Kates and I knew little about the musical going in, other than that it picked up some Tony Awards several years ago. Now, having seen it, we're charmed.

Of course, after we got home and got settled, I started searching YouTube for comparable performances. I found a fair number of high school and college performances, in addition to some clips of the Broadway cast and the Tony Awards. None, though, seemed to have the wit, high-energy and rich quality we saw tonight.

Here's a performance of "Run, Freedom, Run!" at the 2002 Tony Awards. ...

The Golden Globes

I rarely watch awards shows – aside from the Grammys, of course. Most are way too long and a waste of time. Plus, I’m a cynic about the politics, qualifications of the judges and all that goes into selecting the winners. … It's all subjective.

But when you book Tina Fey and Amy Poehler – two of my favorite entertainers of all time – to host the thing? Yep, I’ll watch!

Totally worth it. EW posted their best jokes here. ... I especially enjoyed the Meryl Streep line.

And yes, the presentation of fellow SNL alums Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell was totally amusing.

Best acceptance speech: Adele for her best original song in "Skyfall."

Although, everybody seems to be talking about what Jodie Foster did – or didn’t – say. Looking stunning, she had me standing in awe in front of the TV as I watched her speech, and it was easily one of the most memorable moments of the show.

Here's two more good reads ...
a The Lifting of a Veil, Discreetly
a Jodie Foster speaks out

Back to Tina and Amy. I was catching up on my online reading and surfing the web tonight when I stumbled across this gem that's now nearly a decade old  …

A night of a thousand laughs

Tonight we booked a babysitter and went out to see Second City perform at the university.

Kates and I reveled in the chance to enjoy some of our Chicago-ness in The 'Ville. ... Better yet, I have not laughed that hard since we saw “Bridesmaids.”

A Second City performance is something that can't be explained to anyone who didn’t see it. Because it relies heavily on audience participation, every show is one-of-a-kind. … There were times I laughed so hard that my side hurt and tears were forming in my eyes.

I’m going to be laughing myself to sleep tonight.

Bombs away

Sheen bombs on opening night of 20-city stage tour.

Really, people, are you that surprised he bombed?

His rants weren't funny in the first place. There was never a doubt in my mind Charlie's tour would be a train wreck, given his behavior, and spending any money to see him would be a waste.

My two cents. For what it's worth.