June 20th, 2008
I have two young children and a third on the way. It's a wonder that I can bathe on a regular basis let alone do comedy stuff anymore. Regardless, here's a new online funny that Matt Oberg, Kevin Scott and I put together for Fremantle's Atomic Wedgie web channel. Hope you enjoy it. Thanks!

Bob

June 5th, 2008
Hello!

We're putting the finishing touches on the talk show sizzle reel now. It's been a long time coming but I think the wait has been worth it. We've got some really good stuff. You should start to see elements of what we have online soon. I'll let you know.

In the meantime, check out this promo for the new season of 2/8th Life. This is the web series I'm in on Hulu and elsewhere.

Talk soon!
Bob

February 16th, 2008
I've done some work recently for a fantastic new comedy site called the Independent Comedy Network (ICN). Check out our parody of Quarterlife here.

February 15th, 2008
Hello...

I have a (very small) part in the movie Definitely, Maybe out this weekend if you're interested. We shot the thing I think a year-and-a-half ago. I'm just happy it's finally in theaters.

Thank you! Have a great weekend.
Bob

February 1st, 2008
Hello!

Life is good. Staying busy. Raising the kids. Cannot complain.

I have some new projects in the works. When things get finalized, I'll let you know. In the meantime...

Thanks for your support and I'll talk to you soon!
Bob

January 16th, 2008
Hello!

Another Successorize video on MySpaceTV for you. Hope you like it...

December 23rd, 2007
Hello and Happy Holidays!

Here's a few fun videos (with your's truly in 'em) to help pass the time...

The Resident Christmas Special


How to Throw an Office Christmas Party


Clubbing at Abercrombie & Fitch


Bad Baby!

November 7th, 2007
Ahhhh... I'm back! Sorry it's been so long. Life has been pretty intense the last few months.

Moved to California in June. Love it. Great place for me and the family right now in our lives. Couldn't be better.

Career-wise, my main focus right now is raising our kids. I'm writing thoughts/observations as I go and hope to one day turn it into a book or something. We'll see.

Outside of that, I'm still wrestling with the talk show pitch. It's taken longer than I had hoped getting it out there but I'm proud of it and think it's an outstanding idea. We'll see on that one too. It's so hard to get anything on air in this business -- let alone a solid, good idea -- that I'm not holding my breath. Either way, I'm enjoying the process.

If you want to check out some of the videos I've done in association with the show, feel free to check these clips out that we did before leaving NY:


Interviews on the Run


Subway Begging


Porno Shop Points of View


Thanks for your support of my career. Talk to you later!
Bob

April 19th, 2007
Let's try this again! Here is our lame Bob Barker goodbye video:

April 6th, 2007
Hey! A friend of mine -- a guy by the name of Matty Blake -- is doing some really funny/good stuff on an NBC Sports website show called Sidelines. If you're a fan of sports and funny things, check it out here. Thanks!

April 6th, 2007
GREAT show last night! Good-size crowd. Good guests. Good show. Very cool. Bringing on Brent Burnette as a producer for the show has been great. He's very well-organized and we share the same vision for what we're trying to do with the show. The future looks bright. To that end...

Here's the latest addition to our ongoing effort to make the lamest YouTube video...ever.



Have a good weekend. Talk to you later.
Bob

April 5th, 2007
Exciting news:

1.) The Hoax comes out in theaters this weekend. This is the Richard Gere movie I'm in -- at least I hope they kept my stuff in. Even if I wasn't involved in this movie, I would go see it. It looks like a very good/cool movie! Please catch it at a theater near you (and see me with big mutton-chop sideburns and retro 70s clothes on). Thank you.

2.) Purple Violets is debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival later this month. This is another movie I'm in -- with a more sizable role -- directed by Ed Burns and starring Patrick Wilson and others. Ed Burns is one of the "good guys" in the business. You bet your ass I'll be at the festival supporting. I hope you will too if/when Purple Violets comes to a theater near you. Thank you.

You can see photos of my experience on set at both The Hoax and Purple Violets on my photos page in the "New Photos" section, by the way...

3.) I've brought a producer onto my talk show. His name is Brent Burnette and, among other things, he's one of the organizers of the New York Television Festival. Brent has great experience in TV and talk shows and I'm excited about what we can accomplish together on this thing. We're up every Thursday night at 8pm here in New York City so swing by and sit in on the fun when you get a chance. Thank you.

4.) Our lame-o YouTube video clips are getting some traction! If you haven't looked at them already, please do. They're here and here. Each week in the talk show we get a different audience member to create the lamest YouTube video they can in 15 minutes time. The audience decides which clip is the lamest and then we post it on YouTube and see how many people can get tricked into thinking it's awesome -- when it's clearly not. Evidently lameness is contagious because these clips are getting A LOT more views than I ever thought they would!

Talk soon,
Bob

March 30th, 2007
Another talk show. Another lame-ass YouTube video clip! Check it out:



Amazingly, Dizzy's super lame toilet clip got over 700 views in 4 days and was even picked up by another website as a "killer clip." Bizarre. Evidently, lameness is contagious...

Good, fun show last night. We start sharing the bill again next month. Hopefully, that will help build our audiences a little bit more. I've been very happy with our show content but the audiences have been a little disappointing this month. It's not for a lack of trying...

A friend of mine in the industry came to the show last night and talked to me afterwards about helping out on the show in a producing role. The more help I can get, the better. I'm wearing so many hats doing this show every week that I need as much quality help as I can get. Where Lettermen and Leno have a full compliment of writers, staff and support (not to mention network money and advertising), I have just me and a couple other guys trying to do all this stuff every week. It takes it's toll.

I know what the show's potential is and we're getting there. The sky's the limit but I need some people helping out to get there. Hopefully bringing on a producer for the show will speed things up a bit...

March 23rd, 2007
Good Talk Show last night. Amongst the fun...

We had an audience contest to create the lamest YouTube video they could in about 20 seconds length. Here it is:

March 19th, 2007
Here's some new audio-visual fun for your Monday!

Links to some internet videos I did recently for HP:

Video #1

Video #2


Video #3

Photos of some of my recent Talk Shows:

Here

Talk soon,
Bob

March 14th, 2007
We're adding a very cool feature to our talk show tomorrow night that allows you -- wherever you are in the world -- to join us and listen in live via your computer. Here's what you do:

1.) Go to www.skype.com. Ignore the versions that have you pay a fee. Skype is a FREE service that allows you to talk to people LIVE on the internet -- either via phone or webcam.

2.) Download the latest version of Skype. Don't worry, it's very user-friendly and easy-to-do. Skype is very popular in Europe and the rest of the world. You'll be amazed at how many people use it. And it won't infect your computer with some virus or whatever. Trust me. It's good.

3.) Go to the Skypecast Directory -- either by accessing it on your Skype homepage or by:
- Going to the Skype website homepage
- Scrolling down to the "Share" heading at the bottom of the screen
- Clicking on the link that says "Skypecast Beta"

4.) Once at the Skypecast Directory, type "wiltfong" into the search field and you should find the Skypecast we have set up for our "Talk Show with Bob Wiltfong."

5.) At 8pm (U.S. eastern), you can use a webcam or computer microphone to join us in the Skypecast and listen in -- and participate -- in the show as it happens in the theater!

Pretty cool, huh?!

Anyway, I think it's cool at least. We plan to make this Skypecast a regular feature of each week's show. And, as a result, we'll be checking in with the Skypecast as we do the show to talk to whoever's there. Hopefully it's you!

Talk to you soon,
Bob

March 14th, 2007
Just when I'm about to hang it up and pursue a career that's more stable -- at least financially -- I book some stuff. Thank God...

Today I shoot a small role in a new pilot for ABC. I play a reporter -- in a throng of media people -- firing questions at some of the main players in the show. I'm thankful for the job and looking forward to the work. Big time.

But it's a little (teeny-weeny) frustrating that I seem to keep booking reporter roles in things. Makes sense I guess since I was an actual reporter for a number of years and it's easy for casting folks to see me doing it for their shows. But I would like them to view me for the things that aren't just reporters. Oh well. With time. I am, by no means, complaining. Work is work. Experience is experience. It's all good!

Tomorrow I shoot a national commercial for K-Mart. What a nice surprise booking this! I wasn't involved in the initial call for the spot but was brought in during callbacks and booked it! It's been awhile since I booked a new commercial so this really comes at a good time. And the spot is pretty funny. Hopefully, my performance will do it justice and it will run...A LOT.

Talk show tomorrow night. For the first time, I sent out an e-mail to my mailing list about it. I'm finally at a place with the show -- after working out the kinks for a couple of months -- that I'm comfortable with a lot of people seeing it. It's a very cool/fun show and I'm proud of what we're doing with it. Hopefully, the audiences that come to see it will agree.

It's always a pain recruiting audiences to see a show starting off. I've been blessed that word of mouth for the show has been strong and I haven't really had to recruit people -- until now. Come see the show if you can! Thank you.

Met with Lukas Kaiser yesterday -- the guy who shot my last two shows and is putting together one of them for airing on the YouTube rival site, Joost. His stuff looks great and I'm excited about what he's doing with the material. I think when it's all said and done, this edit will be a fairly good reflection of the show -- which it's very hard to capture the fun of a live theater show on tape.

Matt and I are pretty busy these days writing. Not only are we working on delivering more episodes of our Successorize series to Fremantle. But we're gearing up a new sitcom pilot for submission at this year's New York Television Festival. Good to be busy/creative.

Talk soon,
Bob

March 9th, 2007
Good show last night. Great show. I'm bummed that more people didn't see it (crowd was small). Gotta work on that. I'm confident that once word gets out about what we're doing, the audience will come. The quality of the show is high (in my opinion). To this end...

I've ordered more promotional condoms for the show and I'll add some show postcards to the mix as well. That should help. I'm optimistic about the future because: 1.) The show is good, and 2.) I really haven't made a concerted effort to get the word out about the show -- until now.

We've videotaped the last two shows -- covering everything with several high-def cameras and microphones. The end result, should be outstanding. We'll see. Once we're done editing, we'll supply a copy to my buddy, Marc Campbell, at the Westside Eclectic in Santa Monica so he can, in turn, deliver it to the folks running Joost in the Netherlands. And then, from there, you'll see it whenever you want on the internet!

Looks like I'm close to booking a (very small) role in a pilot this year. It involves a lot of good, experienced folks in that world so hopefully it happens. We'll see...

Yesterday's commercial auditions required me to: 1.) Make up a song while "playing" the guitar, and 2.) Screaming "Cum on Feel the Noize" as loud as I could for about 30 seconds. Gotta love advertising...

Finally...had a good brain-storming session with Matt and Kevin Scott yesterday. We're working together on creating a new sitcom pilot (hopefully for submission at the New York Television Festival this year). We learned A LOT doing The Weathermen Boys a couple years ago and I'm confident our efforts this time will result in an even better end result -- at least that's the plan!

Have a good weekend. Talk to you again soon!
Bob

March 6th, 2007
I like Christian Bale. I don't know the guy. I'll probably never meet him. I just like the guy. I think he's cool and I like his work. Read a cover article about him at the gym today.

The more experience I get in the entertainment industry the more I appreciate how we're all a bunch of star-f___ers in this world. If a "star" is headlining some show, we're more likely to see it than someone just as talented (maybe more so) but less of a name. That's fine and dandy but it's frustrating when you come up against people in the industry who are afraid to take a chance on anyone who isn't a "name" yet.

My wife put it in clear perspective for me... She works in the business world and she said there's a saying in business that goes, "No one ever gets fired for hiring IBM." Meaning: if it comes down to hiring IBM or some unknown company for a job, chances are you're going to hire IBM. Why? Because if they screw up, you can always say, "Hey. It was IBM. Who knew?" But if it's an unknown company -- and the same thing happens -- chances are you're going to be fired for bringing them on the job.

I realize more and more that people who hire and fire in the comedy/entertainment industry are usually pretty scared for their own safety. As a result, they hire actors/talent for jobs that others around them have already approved as talented or funny.

Meaning: they will hire somebody for a job and say, "This guy's a safe bet. He was funny on that other show so he must be a funny guy." Instead of trusting their own instincts -- and eyes -- and saying, "I don't know this guy but, man, he's funny. I'm going to hire him." That rarely happens in this business. Sadly. And that's why, in my opinion, you have so few real decision-makers in the business. The rest are just yes-men trying to keep their jobs.

I realize that may be over-simplifying it a bit but you get the gist...

March 4th, 2007
Watching Creighton play in the Missouri Valley Conference basketball finals right now (half time). Go Jays! Love this time of year...

Good/busy day tomorrow. A sitcom pilot audition along with a commercial one. Would be nice to book one of them. It's been awhile since I've booked something new.

Although I haven't had any commercials running recently, that might change soon. I've received holding fees recently for spots I did for Verizon, Domino's and Home Depot. If they all start running (which the chances are unlikely but still...), it could mean you'll be seeing me seel a lot of products soon. Speaking of commercials...

I get really irritated with any "actors" who turn their noses up at commercial work. For instance, John C. Reilly (an actor whose work I really like and admire) has been quoted as saying that he would never do commercials, that they were beneath him as an actor.

To which I say...Dude, you've never had to do commercials! You're very fortunate for that.

I don't think any "actor" says, "I want to be a commercial actor!" when they start off. But the reality is many of us end up doing them. And no "actor" should ever have to feel like they have to apologize for that.

The reality is the commercial world is populated by some very talented folks (Bennet Miller directed me on a Verizon spot right after he wrapped directing Capote) and you have to audition against some of the best actors in the country to book them.

In my opinion, any actor who says, "I don't do commercials" is either very lucky OR very ignorant.

March 2nd, 2007
I've neglected updating my blog here as much as I should. Sorry. I'm going to make a concerted effort to blog more here in the future...

The music and movies I'm enjoying right now:

Silversun Pickups - My friend, Marc Campbell, in L.A. turned me on to these guys. They're good. They have a little Smashing Pumpkins vibe to them in my opinion. It's good. I like it.

Blue October - I gotta be honest with you when I first bought this CD (Foiled) I wanted to return it. I'm a big fan of their radio song "Into the Ocean" and was hoping the rest of their album had that kind of 80's throw-back sound to it. But it really doesn't. However, the more I listen to this CD, the more I like it. It's hard to imagine that I would like a band that comes from Houston (it's just not a town I associate with art that I like) but I'm starting to...

Beck - The Information. GREAT CD. I know I'm late coming to the party on this one (this album's been out for awhile) but it's good.

Bright Eyes - Floor Noise. I love Bright Eyes. Not only because they're from Omaha (my hometown) but also because there's an honesty and originality to their music that is like nothing else on the music scene (that I know of) right now. They're unique and exposed. I dig that. Same reason I worshipped The Smiths and Radiohead when they came to the fore. Bright Eyes has a new album coming out soon. You can bet I'll be buying it.

The Lives of Others - very good foreign film from Germany. More proof that a good story trumps everything else in film-making.

Notes on a Scandal - This is a very good movie. Should have gotten more Oscar buzz than it did, Judi Dench is INCREDIBLE in it. Great story as well.

The Departed - Loved it. Provides hope for all the other star-studded movies (that usually suck) that you can have a lot of stars in your cast and still make a great film.

Now onto other things...

I'm very excited about March Madness starting up. That and the beginnings of Spring Training in baseball make me a very happy man. I love college basketball (Go Jayhawks!) and the Mets! I love me some sports, folks.

My talk show is moving along. This week's show was disappointing to me -- for various reasons. However, there's always next week! I'm excited about a future guest idea that we're working on booking: an internet pornographer! Should be a fun one, folks!

Watched most of Bob Woodruff's report this past week on his experience (of almost dying while reporting) in Iraq for ABC. Incredible. Thank God there are people in this world who are willing to put their lives into those situations. I certainly am NOT one of them. That's why I got out of TV news (among other reasons). Bob Woodruff should never have to cover another field story again. The guy's good, in my opinion. If you didn't see the report, try to find it somewhere and watch it. It's great. And it provides great perspective on the human sacrifice that goes into serving in today's military...

Have a great weekend! I'll talk to you again soon...
Bob

February 12th, 2007
Hello! It's been awhile. Sorry. I've been spending most of web time recently on my MySpace page. If you haven't already visited me there, please do...

The Talk Show is going great. I'm off the next couple of weeks and will use part of the time to go out to L.A. to audition for sitcom pilots and such. This is the time of year for that stuff. Always busy and fun.

Thankfully, there's a fair amount of casting taking place in NY this year so I've already gone in on a few projects here so far. Good scripts, good roles. We'll see what happens...

Matt and I are putting the finishing touches on our pilot for Fremantle. We think it's pretty good. We'll see if they agree soon...

If you haven't done so already...please check out the A/V page on this website. There's a TON of new video content there that I think you'll enjoy watching.

Take care and I'll talk to you soon!
Bob

January 10th, 2007
Opening night of the talk show went way better than I expected. Really pleased. If you're interested, check out this write-up for it.

Another cool show on tap for tomorrow night. Guests scheduled to appear include:

* Reggie Watts - comedian, winner of this year's Andy Kaufman comedy award

* Lori Harfenist - host of cable-access show The Resident

* A random person we pluck off the street with a live camera

* Marc Campbell (via webcam) - owner of the Westside Eclectic Theater in L.A.

This weekend, Matt and I shoot a mobile phone pilot for Fremantle using our POW characters as the vehicle to give people "useful" business tips. Looking forward to it.

Tomorrow we go in for a callback on a podcast project being put together by Sports Illustrated. It involves sports and improv comedy -- two things I love. Should be fun.

January 3rd, 2007
Tomorrow I debut a brand new show. It's called, simply enough, Talk Show with Bob Wiltfong. My guests for the inaugural performance are:

* Liam McEneaney (http://kidliam.blogspot.com/)
* Nicola (http://www.nicolanicola.com/)
* Raquel Cintron & Kendra Mara -- rat ladies -- (http://rat.meetup.com/boards/view/viewthread?thread=2207777)
* My brother and mom (via webcam)
* A person we recruit from the street via a live camera

The show will be running every Thursday night at 8pm at The P.I.T. Check my shows page for details. Thanks!

December 18th, 2006
So Comedy Central is starting to pull my Daily Show stories on YouTube due to "copyright infringement." What a bummer. I don't understand those guys. They've said in media interviews (Variety, etc.) that they have no problem with parts of their show being broadcast on YouTube -- they just don't want whole shows up there. That's cool.

But evidently what they really meant was, "We don't have a problem with parts of the show airing on YouTube -- as long as WE put it up there." The end result is you'll probably never get a chance to view my old stories from The Daily Show without paying Comedy Central for it in some capacity. And I guarantee you none of that money will make its way to me or any of the people directly involved in putting the stories together. Like I said...bummer.

December 3rd, 2006
Do a small part in a new movie, called "Definitely, Maybe," tomorrow. Films stars Rachel Weisz, among others. Doing the job, largely, as a favor to the casting director -- as the part is pretty much that of a glorified extra. Who knows. Could be fun...

Have a couple of commercials that I've been in the running for recently. FedEx just released me on one that was shooting this week in L.A. I should find out about the other one -- for ESPN -- tomorrow. If I book it, it shoots in North Carolina. Just trying to stay busy/working...

This business is very frustrating at times. Work comes and goes. Even when you "make it," you're constantly looking for the next gig.

Furthermore, it's hard to keep the faith when you see some of your counterparts -- people you came up with and you know your work is equal to -- get "made" in the business while you're not. It sucks. For whatever reason, I feel like I've been designated as a second-class citizen in the kingdom of comedy right now.

The last thing I want to do though is become bitter -- and feel like I'm owed something. There are far too many people like that in comedy, sadly. And I always wonder when I meet them, "Why are you so miserable? Is what you've attained professionally so worth it that your personal life sucks? Do yourself a favor and find something you actually enjoy doing with your life." If I ever have to give that advice to myself -- and I'm close to it recently -- then that's the time for me to mix things up, find a new challenge/task/direction and get happy (again)...

November 28th, 2006
Thought you guys might enjoy this...

Here are some YouTube clips of me interviewing people as the Grinch last December at Rockefeller Center. This was for a local cable-access show called The Resident. Each clip is only about a minute long. Enjoy...

Clip #1

Clip #2

Clip #3

November 28th, 2006
Back on the job! Had a good holiday -- spent with family, eating, watching football and relaxing. Could be a busy end of the year...

My writing/performing partner, Matt Oberg, and I are gearing up for what may be an official callback by the folks who run HBO's U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Always fun to go through the process (although the odds of us actually being selected for a spot there still remain slim). We'll see what happens. The callbacks, I'm told, take place next week. If we're involved, gotta get a full-house there to bring good energy/karma to the performance. Then we just cross our fingers and wait. Speaking of waiting...

Still waiting on word back from the folks at Fremantle about what deal we have to produce a mobile phone pilot for them. Before the holiday, they made an offer but our reps have to negotiate some items before it's a done deal. Either way, we're getting our stuff in order and should be ready to shoot pretty soon. If they like our pilot, our series will start airing on Sprint telephones around the country (for what that's worth)...

We also have tentative deals to produce some internet videos for Westside Eclectic in L.A. and soon-to-be-launched website ComedyNet here in N.Y. Furthermore, we're writing several greeting cards for JibJab as well. The new internet boom is giving writer/performer troupes like us new avenues to do our thing in. Just a question of how much we get paid to do this work AND who will actually see our finished products once they're done...

Have a callback for a FedEx commercial tomorrow. I'm doubtful I'll book it but you never know. Also waiting on word about a possible callback for a hosting gig of a travel show on a new cable channel called EquatorHD. As always, trying to stay busy. Keep moving, keep moving, keep moving...

November 14th, 2006
It's hard enough to get a "break" in this business. It takes a PhD to negotiate the mine-field of sabotages once you're there. There are way too many people in this business who have devoted themselves to bringing down anyone they see as a threat to their own success. It's disgusting. To that end...

There are people in the UCB universe who have dedicated themselves to making sure nothing but bad things are said about me. I feel sorry for them -- and the people who get sucked into their world. It's an incredibly sad way to live your life...

November 8th, 2006
Over-haul of the website here is moving along, slowly but surely. We're downloading a BUNCH of video to YouTube and iTunes -- as well as to the site itself. The end result, is you're going to have a ton of new, fun stuff to look at soon! Very cool.

Matt and I met with some people from a production company yesterday that are currently buying up comedy content for mobile phones. It looks like we may have a deal. We'll see. More details as they happen...

The internet boom for original content these days is providing a lot of new opportunities for comedians/writers like me and Matt. Some of them more lucrative than others. Bottom line, they all provide a chance for Matt and I to write and create for money -- and allow new audiences to see our work. It's all about keeping ourselves out there and doing our thing. When you don't have an active TV credit, it's kind of hard to do that. But these internet/new media jobs are allowing us to overcome that -- which is, obviously, a great thing.

November 3rd, 2006
Wednesday night Matt and I had to scrub our performance in an internet comedy showcase at The PIT because, unfortunately, I was suffering from a 24-hour flu bug. Bummer. I really was looking forward to doing our thing there. But oh well. Had to save my energy for...

Thursday morning when we shot a very small (read: very cut-able) scene for NBC's "30 Rock." Very quick, but good, experience. Cast and crew were having fun, doing good stuff. Weird. That, sadly, isn't always the case on a comedy set...

That night, Matt and I did a performance showcase of Adult Contemporary for some of the folks from the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. Never know with these things. We'll see...

Saw the film "The Prestige" this evening. It's good. It's weird. The older I get, the more I admire the ability of actors to "go there" in emotional scenes. There was a time -- when I was younger -- that I think I could have tapped into that stuff more easily than I can now. I wonder why that is...

Nebraska plays Missouri tomorrow. Looking forward to it. Love college football Saturdays.

Have a great weekend,
Bob

October 30th, 2006
Booked a small role in NBC's "30 Rock." Very cool. I'm a fan of the show and it's always nice to work on stuff you like. Shoots this Friday.

Just put up some new show information on the site here. Check it out when you get a chance. I'd love to see you at a show.

Saw Flag of Our Fathers over the weekend. Good. Not great. Liked The Departed better. Just FYI.

Slowly but surely, moving forward on the re-launch of this site AND getting our video sketches shot and up on the internet for you to view. Lots of good stuff coming up, folks! Excited for you to see it all...

Bob

October 24th, 2006
Shooting a commercial for BJ's Wholesale Club today. Should be a fun one. They're duplicating me -- via computer -- several times in the spot so I'll be interacting with myself at several points. Looking forward to seeing the final cut.

My Home Depot spot hasn't started running yet. At least not that I know of. It may never air (as far as I know). We'll see...

I'm very excited (and also very intimidated) with the prospect of doing a talk show in the new year at The PIT. It's always hard mounting a new show, building up an audience while also working out the kinks in the material. You always want butts in the seats but, at the same time, you kinda wish nobody saw the show for awhile because it takes awhile to make a show good. As a result, I think my strategy is going to be to make the show free (and eat the cost of the space, as a result) for the first month or so. That way I can at least get some people there and not feel badly for experimenting with stuff in front of them.

That's one thing that's very difficult for any comedian. In order to build up a following (and a buzz for industry folks), you need to get audiences to your shows. That's not easy when your shows are just starting off and you're working through new material. Basically, you're going to suck for awhile. It's a constant battle: gotta put up new stuff, gotta get an audience to it. When you're traveling solo -- like I will be on this talk show -- that's a very hard thing to do (especially when you're trying to book guests, write material, etc. all by yourself as well). Oh well. It'll all get done. I can't talk myself out of it. A creative person must create, must keep moving, evolving...

Bob

October 17th, 2006
Busy schedule of auditions these days. Thankfully, lots of callbacks. It's always a good sign. Usually means I'm going to book something -- eventually.

Had a rehearsal for Adult Contemporary last night. Good, good, good. We're trying to make the show as best it can be for a new run in November (show dates coming soon here on the site).

Mets rained out last night. Good. Another day of rest for Glavine.

Saw The Departed a couple of weekends ago. Very good. Highly recommend it.

Also saw Open Season. Don't ask why. Good for kids. Not so great for adults.

Reading "The Late Shift" (book about Leno and Lettermen) and "Screenplay" (book by Syd Field about writing screenplays) right now. Learning a lot from both.

Got to get cracking on my talk show for the new year. Lots of cool ideas that I want to execute well.

October 12th, 2006
There is a God. I booked a spot for BJ's Wholesale Club yesterday. Nice. Should be a good spot and I love the director I'm working with on it so it should be fun.

Typed up a draft of a script for one of the viral videos my writing partner, Matt Oberg, and I are putting together last night. I'm happy with it but I'm sure Matt will rip it apart. ;-)

By the end of this month, I should have a completely revamped website here and several viral videos near completion. Good to be busy...

I've officially pitched a talk show to The PIT for a run in the new year. I'm very excited about the prospect of putting my stamp on what a talk show is and can be these days. It will only be as good as the work I put into it so here I go...

Bob

October 11th, 2006
So awhile back I opened it up here to any questions you guys might have for me. So, without further adieu, here are my replies (in no particular order):

Will Britney Spears ever divorce Kevin Federline?

Yes. Soon.

Why do you like Morrissey so much?

I like Morrissey so much because, in high school, his lyrics spoke to me. Lyrics like:

"It's so easy to laugh. It's so easy to hate. It takes guts to be gentle and kind."

AND

"Shyness is nice but shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you like to."

It's a boyhood obsession that has stuck through the years. I just think the guy is brilliant and unique.

What's the deal with your Discovery Show?

Sadly, I'm pretty sure the show is never going to hit air. Which is a shame because we got some really great, funny stuff (that you're never going to see) and I think the overall aim of the show -- to illuminate human psychology and behavior in hidden-camera experiments -- is very interesting and entertaining.

The show did well in focus groups BUT there was confusion over what kind of show it was. Most people saw it more as a Comedy Central show than a Discovery show. That's a problem when you're Discovery and you own the show. So, at last word, Discovery is considering: A.) Putting the show on its sister station, TLC -- which the focus groups identified as one of it's best matches channel-wise, or B.) Re-configuring the show so it fits better in the Discovery programming motif. Either way, I'm not very optimistic it will hit air.

If you want to change that, I highly encourage you to contact Discovery directly and tell them, "I want this show on air!" What a wonderful world it would be, if your voice was heard...

When is your webcast coming back?

Don't know. The show is on permanent hiatus until the people behind it find some more long-term financing for the project. Cross your fingers. I certainly had fun doing the show and I appreciate all the support I got from friends and family in doing it.

When can I see you performing next in my city/area?

Good news! I have plans for a new stage show in the new year that will, hopefully, be available on the internet (either simulcast or next day). So, even though I'm performing in New York for the next few months at least, you'll hopefully be able to see me perform wherever you are from your home computer! More details to come as I have them...

Did you really run yourself over with a car in college?

Yep.

How's your son doing?

Great. Thank you. Sawyer is his name and he's just over 8 months old. He's at a stage where he wants to put anything and everything he sees in his mouth -- including electrical wires, trash, anything. He's a joy.

What's a neutrino?

A neutrino is the smallest particle known to man-kind (at this time). It has neither a positive or negative force. It is in everything. It can travel through a million miles of lead.

Will you be teaching an improv class in New York anytime soon?

I don't plan on it. My schedule simply isn't regular enough right now to allow it. We'll see though. I did enjoy teaching my last class.

Alright! That's it (for now). Thanks everybody for your questions (and interest). Talk again soon...

Blob

October 6th, 2006
Had a good meeting with my manager yesterday. It was an opportunity for us to re-connect and set some goals for the coming months. I come away from our meeting knowing I have 3 very clear goals for the rest of the year:

1.) Write and produce the viral video ideas I have with Matt, my writing partner.

2.) Put up another run of our sketch show, Adult Contemporary -- making it the best it can be.

3.) Developing a story outline for a screenplay draft.

In the new year, my immediate goals will be:

1.) Completing a draft of a screenplay.

2.) Putting up a talk show at The PIT.

I'm most excited, right now, by the talk show. I already have a lot of thoughts I'm very excited about exploring. The good news about putting up your own show on stage is you have no one but yourself to go to for the final decisions. So the show truly reflects who you are and what you want to do with it. My working title for the project is, "We Have Ways of Making You Talk."

In between all this stuff, I'm back into the audition circuit. Yesterday, I did a couple of commercial auditions (one a callback for BJ's). Today, another commercial audition and an audition for a comedy pilot produced by HBO and written by a couple of friends of mine. We'll see what happens...

October 2nd, 2006
Ton of writing/creating ahead of me in the coming weeks. Matt and I are working on several internet-only video sketches that we're excited about producing. Then we want to try to put up our Adult Contemporary show again before the year is out -- with some tweaking of the material (hopefully making it tighter/better). I'm also in the early stages of drafting our first screenplay together. It's an ambitious schedule of writing but we're up for it...

My MySpace presence is coming along. Check it out here and become a "friend."

Talk soon,
Bob

September 18th, 2006
I'm proud to say the Neutrino Video Projects (NVP) revolution has officially added another member! Phoenix Neutrino did their first NVP show over the weekend. You can check out a clip of one of their run-throughs here.

What is the NVP, you ask? It's basically an improvised movie that my improv troupe, Neutrino, invented. The NVP uses real people and real locations to shoot a short film in the same amount of time it takes you to watch it. Check out Neutrino's website for more details.

Bob

September 18th, 2006
Tonight I make a guest appearance on The Cooper Lawrence Show -- a national radio broadcast hosted by, you guessed it, Cooper Lawrence! Cooper is my co-host on the (still -- and probably never -- to be aired) Discovery Channel show I worked on earlier this year.

I'm scheduled to be on there between 8 and 9 o'clock tonight. You can listen to the show LIVE online, streaming at www.TheCooperLawrenceShow.com or you can podcast it on iTunes the next day and listen at your convenience. Should be fun...

Nebraska, as expected, got beat by USC this weekend. Oh well. They were clearly over-matched talent-wise. It's going to be a couple of years (with some good recruiting) before we can truly compete against teams like that. I like where they're going...

The Mets, meanwhile, can't seem to clinch the NL East (yet). Just a matter of time (thankfully)...

Bob

September 15th, 2006
I've also got a MySpace page now if you want to check it out. It's here.

September 15th, 2006
Ever wanted to ask me a question about something?

Well, let's try this. Over the next week, I'll be collecting any and all questions you guys have for me and then I'll post my answers to them here on my blog. Hopefully it'll be fun and informative for you (and for me). Just e-mail me your questions via my contact page...

Attended a couple of informative panels recently as part of the New York Television Festival. Among the take-aways for me:

* Write about what you know. The best stories come from real experiences.

* If you do get a show on TV, try (as best you can) to ignore any notes you get from the network about it. At the end of the day, they're going to cancel you anyway so might as well do the show you want to do.

* Writing spec scripts for existing TV shows is still the best way to introduce yourself into the TV writing world.

* Due to advances in technology, the way the military handles the media now, etc...TV war coverage is often dictated by management -- rather than correspondents in the field. Back in the Vietnam War era, it was the other way around.

With each day that passes (and no update), I'm more convinced than ever that the show I did for the Discovery Channel will never hit air. Bummer. Like I've said before, I think the show's great and would do well if it got on air but it's out of my hands. I'm not the first -- and not the last -- person in this business who's spent months working on something only for it to never be seen. Just the nature of the biz evidently...

I'm at a bit of a crossroads with my work on NewzViewz. I love the job but I don't know if it's the right fit for me -- or them -- in the long run. We'll take the next few weeks to sort it out...

I'm a guest on Cooper Lawrence's national radio show this Monday -- if you're in a market that gets it...

I've taken a job for HP doing some interviews for them with some very cool, different small business owners. I'll be busy the next week or so shooting...

A friend of mine has approached me about the possibility of taking part in a film that's shooting here in New York soon. I have no idea how big or small the project is yet. I should find out some time early next week...

E-mail me your questions and have a great weekend!
Bob

September 11th, 2006
Wanna see the sitcom pilot that my writing partner, Matt Oberg, and I put together for last year's New York Television Festival -- in its entirety?

You can watch it here.

Enjoy...
Bob

September 7th, 2006
Good POW show down in D.C. last night. The performance was videotaped and will be edited as part of our submission to take the show on the college circuit. Cross your fingers...

Matt and I left right after the performance to get back to New York. On the train ride, we squared away some of our year-end goals -- including the production of some video snipits for viewing on the internet. We're very excited about what we have planned for you. I'll keep you updated as things progress. To that end...

Check out my shows page as I've just listed the details for a very special show I'll be taking part in this Monday night here in New York City. If you're in the neighborhood, check it out. It should be a very cool show.

Also, check out this pilot that some of my friends did for NBC's internet channel. I have a very small role in it. Enjoy...

September 5th, 2006
Just spent the past week in L.A. I was there primarily tagging along on my wife's business trip but, while there, I took the opportunity to catch up with some old friends and introduce them to my son, Sawyer. It was fun watching as Sawyer routinely ripped farts upon meeting people. That's my son. The stuff cute, adorable babies can get away with...

Tomorrow Matt and I travel to Washington D.C. to perform our POW show for a gathering of Georgetown students. Should be fun. We've tweaked the show a bit to make it work for a straight-up college crowd. The gig will be videotaped and then marketed to the folks who book acts for the college circuit. We'll see what happens...

Some exciting opportunities on the internet these days. Matt and I are planning on using the last part of the year to produce some funny video elements for air on some websites including our own -- www.bobandmatt.com.

Rented and watched a great movie this weekend: Inside Man (directed by Spike Lee). It was a fantastic story that was well-acted and well told. Great movie. That, along with A History of Violence, are my two surprise "great movie" watches in recent months. Just thought I'd share...

Talk soon,
Bob

August 22nd, 2006
Got the call last night that Matt and I were not selected for that sketch competition at JibJab. Oh well. You when some, you lose some.

Thankfully, there's always YouTube. Praise the Lord we live in a day and age that there are multiple outlets for your work to be seen...

Matt and I meet on Friday to rehearse our POW show as we'll be taking it down to Washington D.C. next month for a show at Georgetown.

The Hoax is scheduled for release in U.S. theaters on November 17th. Hopefully, I made the final cut.

NewzViewz tomorrow night and Thursday. Looking forward to it (as always)...

Bob

August 21st, 2006
Shot a TV commercial for Home Depot on Friday. Have no idea when it's supposed to air. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

We shot the spot in a house near the Hudson River that's been used repeatedly over the years for different projects (I guess the owners make money by renting out the house to film and TV shoots). They had photos of actors and crew who have shot in the house over the years in one of the hallways. The coolest photo, to me, was of Adam Sandler and Chris Farley who shot the hilarious/classic SNL comedy parody for Schlitt's Gay beer there. It was wild to look at the pool in the backyard and realize, "Hey, that's where they did the pool joke in that spot!"

Matt and I are waiting on word from JibJab.net on whether we're finalists for a sketch competition they're holding. If we are, we fly to L.A. to shoot our sketch under the direction of John Landis (Animal House, etc.). Keeping our fingers crossed. We'll see...

No word on feedback from the focus groups in Las Vegas of the Discovery show. I guess I'll find out soon enough. Like I've said before, I hope the feedback is good because we (the people who worked on it) believe the show is very good and will do well if and when it hits air. I can only hope the focus group folks (and the people in charge at Discovery) agree. It would be a shame if they don't. The show is good, folks! I hope you'll see it someday...

NewzViewz is still going strong. I've been pleasantly surprised how many regular viewers we have so far -- with little or no publicity for the site up to this point.

Did a film audition today for a new movie starring Jack Black and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Never know on these things. Did the best I could. Hopefully they see something they like...

The Hoax -- the Lasse Hallstrom film I'm in starring Richard Gere and Alfred Molina -- comes out in November...

Website facelift here still in the works. It will look like a totally different site -- with a bunch of new content -- when we're done. I'll keep you updated...

Bob

August 9th, 2006
Hey, folks! Sorry. It's been awhile I know. What's new, what's new...?

Well, the Discovery show is being focus grouped in Las Vegas this week. At this point and time, I'm not very optimistic that the show will hit air anytime soon -- if at all. Call me pessimistic but that's what I feel. Let's hope I'm wrong...

I've been busy on the commercial front. Tomorrow I shoot a spot for Progressive Insurance and I may be booking a spot for Home Depot soon as well. We'll see...

I'm building a new demo reel right now. It's good to update things and keep it fresh. Thankfully, I have a good selection of stuff to choose from. The last couple of years have been kind to me credits-wise...

Matt and I are putting the finishing touches on some sketches we've written for an internet site competition. We send in our submissions Friday. If chosen, it could be a fun experience. I'll give you the details as soon as I can...

Neutrino has confirmed doing one of our video shows in this year's New York Television Festival. It'll be a mash-em-up show with another awesome improv group called Centralia. Once details are confirmed, I'll list them here on the site's show page.

Speaking of shows...Matt and I perform the last show of our current run of "Adult Contemporary" tomorrow night. It's been a fun, solid run. Slowly but surely the material is developing into something decent. It always takes awhile to build up new stuff...

NewzViewz is going strong. If you haven't checked it out already, please do. I'd love to see you there. Just go to www.channelblast.com and register yourself. Then join us on the NewzViewz page every Wednesday and Thursday night at 9pm (eastern).

Finally, it looks like I may be going to L.A. in a couple of weeks for meetings, etc. I always like visiting there and catching up with my peeps...

Talk to you later,
Bob

July 18th, 2006
Some new Bob Wiltfong things on the internet to keep you entertained:

Action 5 News Trailer

The Resident Christmas Special Promo

Interview with The Apiary

July 17th, 2006
Relatively quiet day. But when the product you're selling is yourself -- as is the case with me -- there are no "off" days really...

Mailing out postcards this afternoon for the new run of my Adult Contemporary show. Mix of industry folks and friends. Tonight, Matt and I will hopefully have another meeting with the website designer for www.bobandmatt.com. We've been working on the site since the beginning of this year so we're all anxious to get it launched for you guys to look at. Speaking of...

Sent an e-mail with notes for the guy who's updating this site -- www.bobwiltfong.com -- for me. I found some images on the net that I'm really excited about using as inspiration. Look for a brand new site here (with a bunch of brand new content) very soon! It should be very cool...

Tomorrow more commercial auditions and probably a meeting with Matt to go over our ideas for a sketch competition at JibJab.net.

Reminder: check out NewzViewz and join me for our live webcasts on Wednesday and Thursday night at 9pm (eastern). Something interesting is brewing there, folks...

Blob

July 13th, 2006
Auditioned for a new movie shooting in New York yesterday. Small world. The casting director I auditioned with was also from Omaha and went to the sister school of my high school (I went to an all-boys Jesuit high school called Creighton Prep).

We talked about another well-known entertainment alum from Prep: Alexander Payne. And I shared with her how I've always admired what Alexander has done and would love to, one day, work on one of his projects. She mentioned the name of the NY-based casting director that Alexander works with on his movies so who knows. One day...

NewzViewz is in full-effect, folks! If you haven't done so already, please join us. The show really is a lot of fun to do and be a part of it. I'm happy to report that we're getting a lot of "regulars" in the chatroom now. Evidently people are starting to make the show part of their Wendesday and Thursday night routine -- which is awesome.

Starting as early as tonight, we're going to start having guest comedian friends of mine come on and do "commentaries" on what's going on in the world. Tonight's topic (hopefully)? The Middle East. Oy vey...

My writing partner, Matt Oberg, and I met with a friend/development person for a website called JibJab.net earlier this week. We're taking part in a sketch competition for them that could lead us to working with director John Landis. Very exciting. Cross your fingers...

The Discovery Channel show is on hiatus for the time being while the network puts one of our episodes in front of focus groups (in Las Vegas) over the next couple of weeks. These focus groups will, no doubt, decide our fate in a lot of ways so let's hope there's a lot of Bob Wiltfong fans in Sin City!

See you on NewzViewz...
Bob

July 6th, 2006
Back from the holiday and straight back to work...

NewzViewz is up and running, folks! Please join me every Wednesday and Thursday night at 9pm (U.S. eastern) as we discuss the day's top stories as chosen by you, the viewer (what a concept, huh?). Experience first-hand what the future of viewer-driven news shows is like. There's some good things afoot here, folks... Hope to see (and hear from) you there tonight!

Before tonight's webcast, I'll be shooting the last (of our initial 6) episode for the Discovery show. After months of work, the production is finally nearing an end. Now we just start waiting for word from Discovery (and the focus groups they're doing) on: A.) Whether the show will air, and B.) Whether they'll pick up more episodes. I'm optimistic and hopeful on both fronts but I know nothing is guaranteed in this business.

Bottom line: I believe in the show and I think we've created something that's both very entertaining AND educational. So I'm very proud either way. Cross your fingers that you'll be able to see the fruits of our labor on a TV set near you soon.

This site is going to get a major face-lift in the coming weeks -- new look, new videos (tons of them), new content, etc. I met with a website designer before the holiday and we've started the ball rolling. I'm excited about the future! It's been a little over two years since the site launched (thank you for your support, everybody) and it's time to update some things and add some new features. The future is looking very bright for ol' www.bobwiltfong.com!

June 27th, 2006
Just added some new show dates to my shows page. Would love to have you along if you can make it. Also...

NewzViewz officially launches tomorrow night, folks. Please go to the site, register and join in the fray. I'm very excited about this show and think it promises to be the future of entertainment/news in the future...

Shoot for the Discovery Channel went well last night. A few bumps early on (as is usually the case) but I think we recovered nicely and got what we needed. Tonight's shoot allows me to be more of a "character." I'm totally looking forward to it.

Bob

June 26th, 2006
Another week of shooting for Discovery. As always, I'm looking forward to it. We feel like we're working on something really good. It's nice to work on things that you believe in and would watch even if you weren't involved. Speaking of...

I'm excited about the launch of this new webcast I'm doing: NewzViewz. The run-throughs/rehearsals we've done so far have been really promising and I feel like we may be on to something with the show. It's a pretty unique blend of news, comedy and multi-media sources -- all putting you, the viewer, at the forefront of the decision-making. I don't think you'll find a show like it anywhere else. We're scheduled to launch the show right after the 4th of July weekend. Please register today and join us for the adventure...

Watched Rebel Without a Cause this weekend. It was good. I can see why James Dean has such a following. There was something magnetic and real about him on screen. In the Bedroom is the next movie on the docket for us...

I'm scheduled to go to a Yankees game this week (for my wife's office outing). As a Mets fan, I'll be the one sitting in silent protest in the stands...

Have a good one,
Bob

June 23rd, 2006
That Verizon commercial I did is starting to run. I've had several people tell me they've seen it. Run, baby, run...

Three good days of shooting for the Discovery show. Great to be back at it. I'm really enjoying the experience and the people. We feel like we're hitting our stride a bit with what we're doing. It's a good feeling. Just hope the focus groups and network reviews of what we turn in agree...

Did another run-through of my new webcast last night -- www.channelblast.com/newzviewz. It was fun. We launch for the general public within the next few weeks. Anxious to see what lies ahead. Either way, it will be great experience for me in producing and hosting my own show. If interested, please register on the site and join me on this new adventure. I would love to have you along for the ride...

Got 3 movies from the library and am anxious to sit down and watch them: March of the Penguins, Rebel Without a Cause and In the Bedroom. I'll let you know what I think.

U.S. soccer team lost in the World Cup yesterday. Bummer. I was kinda looking forward to getting into World Cup, for a change...

Have a great weekend,
Bob

June 19th, 2006
Saw Nacho Libre on Friday. Man. It was not good. Sorry, folks. I love Jack Black. I think the movie Napoleon Dynamite is incredible (comedy classic) but this movie is a clinker in my opinion. Just goes to show you even the funniest, most talented people can throw gutter balls from time to time. Makes me appreciate the times when things hit even more. Magic in a bottle...

After a couple days of shooting wraps (ins and outs to segments) last week for Discovery, we start shooting a new episode this week. This will be episode four (out of six). I love the work so I'm looking forward to diving back in.

Over the weekend, I watched an hour-long documentary that recently aired on Sundance regarding famous psychology experiments of the past. It was good/interesting viewing. Makes me feel even better about what we're trying to accomplish with the show: entertain and educate about the human psyche and why we do the things we do.

Had a great first Father's Day. We spent the weekend with my brother and his partner at their new home. Sawyer traveled pretty well all things considered. Happy to be a dad.

Talk to you later,
Bob

June 12th, 2006
So the U.S. got its ass kicked at the World Cup today. 3-0 to Czech Republic. Just when I try to get into soccer...

Tomorrow: industrial job for Pepsi Bottling then a website meeting for www.bobandmatt.com (slowly but surely it's getting there). Thursday: another day of shooting for the Discovery show. In between those days: who knows.

New Dixie Chicks album: very good ("Lullaby" track a personal favorite)
New York Mets: great (weird to be rooting for a first-place team)
My son: officially kicks ass (happy to be a dad to the little guy)

Bob

June 6th, 2006
Spent the weekend in western Nebraska attending a family reunion/old car rally. It was fun. We visited Chimney Rock and other local sites involving the Oregon Trail. Part of the country few people explore.

I'm on Pepper Dennis tonight. Look for it. Lance Powers on The WB at 9pm eastern.

At that same time, I'll be doing a soft-launch of the new webcast I'm hosting -- www.newzviewz.com. "Soft launch" means it'll be just for friends and family tonight (so we can get their feedback and improve the product before launching it for the general public). It's a great and fun challenge for me. Looking forward to it.

I don't know if it'll come up in the webcast tonight but I'm a little perturbed by some recent reporting by the New York Post. The paper has been describing the people where I come from -- Omaha -- as "hayseeds" in recent reporting about terrorism funding. I know New Yorkers have a right to be upset about the allocation of terrorism funding at this point but -- as a former news reporter myself (and a current, and proud, New Yorker)-- I think it's unfair and inflammatory to call people in Omaha "hayseeds." It would be like the Omaha World-Herald reporting that the "jabronis" in New York City want more money for protection against terrorism. I know the Post is not exactly the standard of journalism but still...

Tomorrow we shoot more wraps for the Discovery show (around Manhattan). Hopefully, we'll get it all done tomorrow. I would hate for this "hayseed" to get lost in the big city shooting on a second day... ;-)

Go Mets.
Bob

June 2nd, 2006
Short, but busy, week. Had a few commercial auditions, made some good progress on Matt and I's website and did a run-through of the new webcast I'll be hosting soon -- www.channelblast.com. I was also approached to do some industrial work for Pepsi later this month (which I agreed to).

Next week, Discovery starts shooting again.

Have a good weekend!
Bob

May 25th, 2006
Fun week so far...

On Monday, I met with the producer and executive producer of the Discovery show to go over individual notes on our first episode. I was encouraged by them as it seems to me the network is wanting to go the same direction as I want to in performance and structure of the show. I'm excited about the future.

On Tuesday, I did a small role for some friends producing an internet pilot for NBC. They shot it in the studio for Saturday Night Live. Very cool to be in that space. We joked around that we should take a crap in the corner somewhere since that was the closest we were going to get to actually working on the show. At one point, we waved at some tourists (above us in a glassed-in room) who were on a tour of the place and looked like they were desperately trying to see someone "famous" among us working in the space. Imagine their disappointment when they saw it was just us... ;-)

On Wednesday (yesterday), I shot a commercial for Verizon in New Jersey. I think it went O.K. (you never know until you see the finished product). As an actor, I find myself -- after every take -- going over the performance and what I could have done differently/better. It's a little irritating/mentally tiring (over time) but necessary. The director of the spot is the same guy I worked with on a recent Jackson Hewitt spot. He's good. Knows what he's doing. I'm sure the spot will turn out well...

Today (Thursday) I meet with my co-host (Cooper Lawrence) and the production team on the Discovery show to go over the future of the show and what we can do to make the show better moving forward (based, in large part, on the notes from network). Cooper and I get along well and I'm excited about getting in the same room and brain-storming some ideas. I think the show really has the potential to be outstanding...

Also today I plan on meeting with Matt to hammer out some of our website content. We have to come to an agreement on some things before our website designer can put them into practice. The site's going to be really fun/cool, folks...

Matt and I are also starting to fine-tune our TV show ideas. We have a few of them that we're working on. The idea is, once they're ready to pitch, we'll shop them around to networks and see if anyone's interested in buying. With most networks now launching internet-only original programming, there's alot more opportunity for people like us to fill voids...

Beautiful weather in New York right now. Awesome.

Mets have won the first 2 games of their 3-game series with the Phillies. Even more awesome.

I'm watching the movie Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (directed by George Clooney) right now. It's good. I'm impressed with the movies Clooney has directed so far. Their good. The guy is obviously pretty talented -- and (according to everyone I've talked to that's run into him) a down-to-earth good guy.

Did I mention the new Snow Patrol album is great? If not...it is.

Have a good one,
Bob

May 19th, 2006
Shows last night went well. I can't remember the last time I performed improv with Neutrino. It's been too long. I'm happy to report things went well. Also, several people (who'd seen the show before) commented that our POW show was tighter and better than they'd ever seen it. That's good. Means we've made progress (just like you, hopefully, do with all shows you run and run and run...). Speaking of...

Adult Contemporary (new sketch show with Matt) does it's final performance of this current run tomorrow night. Things are on track for a sell-out crowd. Should be a fun night...

Another commercial callback today. Been going on a lot of callbacks recently. That's good. It usually means I'm going to book something soon...

Mets/Yankees tonight. Looking forward to catching the games this weekend...

Bob

May 18th, 2006
Big night tonight. Doing the POW show in a double-bill with my improv comedy team, Neutrino. Looking forward to it. Should be fun. I would love to see you there in the crowd if you can make it. Check out my shows page for details. It's gonna be a GREAT show...

Saturday we perform our last show (of this current run) for "Adult Contemporary." We're expecting a sell-out so it should be a fun atmosphere. I'll flyer for the show this afternoon. I want it to be standing-room only...

The website for me and Matt is coming along nicely (after a delay in production). I'm super excited about launching it. What I've seen so far rocks. Should be a really cool website and fun to navigate...

This afternoon I visit with the producers of the Discovery show to go over the notes from network on our first/pilot episode. I'm going into the meeting to listen and learn. Bottom line, I want the show to be as good as it can be and am willing to do whatever to get it there. I think it has the potential to be something very cool and special...

See you on the stage tonight!
Bob

May 16th, 2006
A little bit of a break happening right now. It's nice. I've been going non-stop it seems for awhile...

Discovery wrapped shooting yesterday for the next couple of weeks. We ended the day by screening a first cut of the first episode of the show. I have no idea what we have. It's impossible for me to be objective about my own performance and you just never know what you have until it's all done and an audience watches it. It's the same in everything I've ever done as a performer. If it matters, my wife thought the show was great and the feedback from the network has been positive. So we'll see...

Tonight, my character, Lance Powers, debuts on Pepper Dennis. I'm looking forward to seeing it. Lance is a small role but a fun, recurring one. You can catch him in a couple more future episodes after tonight as well.

Busy week of stage shows this week. Thursday night I perform in a double-bill of my improv comedy team, Neutrino, and Matt and I's POW show. We haven't done POW in awhile in New York and there's some industry folks who would like to see it so hopefully they can make it that night. Then on Saturday we do the last performance of our current run of that new sketch show: Adult Contemporary. It's shaping up to be a sell-out so it should be a good energy in the theater for the show. Always fun to do a show for a packed audience...

Got back into the commercial circuit today by doing a callback for a voice-over job. I don't feel nearly as confident about my voice-over work as I do my on-camera work so we'll see if I book it...

Looking for good, new music? Try Snow Patrol's new album. It's great. Got it this weekend off iTunes and have been listening to it non-stop since.

Mets begin a tough stretch of games tonight with St. Louis on the road and then the Yankees at home. I guess we'll find out if this team truly is different from years past soon...

Have a good one. We'll talk to you later...
Bob

May 9th, 2006
Second week of shooting for the Discovery show. Yesterday we spent the day at Central Park (with mixed results). I love the work but (with a newborn at home) the call-times and work schedule gets pretty grueling. It's hard to be "on" when you're exhausted...

New Pepper Dennis episode tonight on The WB. Next week, my character, Lance Powers, is scheduled to debut on the show...

Debut of the new sketch show Saturday night went as any new material up for the first time in front of an audience is expected to go: rough. Given my work and home schedule recently, I'm just glad we were able to put up a show of any sort! Hopefully, the next two Saturdays will allow us to iron out the rough spots and start to find our way a little bit with the material...

Matt and I's website designer -- for www.bobandmatt.com -- has pretty much fallen off the face of the earth. I'm a little concerned. He's a friend. He hasn't returned our e-mails and phone calls for weeks. In the meantime, our website sits in neutral. Hopefully, I can get to the bottom of it sometime soon. I hope he's O.K....

Talk soon,
Bob

May 5th, 2006
Tiring (in a good way) week. Been busy shooting a new episode for that Discovery show I'm doing. Today we wrap this episode with a shoot at Grand Central. Yesterday I was so tired (with previous work on the show, working on the new sketch show and baby) that my performance suffered a little bit I think. So I'm going to try to get a good night's sleep tonight. Hopefully, Sawyer will agree to that...

The shoots have been going great. Every once in awhile we don't get what we expected but, at the end of the day, we're still getting really good stuff. I'm looking forward to the show hitting air (in the fall -- at least that's the scheduled air date now).

Talked to the organizers of the New York Television Festival yesterday. Gave them official permission to use our Weathermen Boys sitcom pilot as part of a thing they're doing with msn.com to promote the idea of the festival. Looking forward to see what happens with that. I love the cast we put together for the pilot. I'm hopeful (and confident) that a few years from now people will see the pilot as a who's who of the next group of comedy stars from New York...

The Mets keep winning. Sweet. Makes up for all the years of suffering. Let's hope it continues...

Have a good weekend,
Bob

April 28th, 2006
Viewed a first cut of the first episode of that new Discovery show I'm doing yesterday. It looks GREAT! Really good/funny/informative. The guy editing our show is the same guy behind the wonderfully twisted show, Wonder Showzen, on MTV2 and is doing an outstanding job with our stuff. Now we just have to cross our fingers that the folks at Discovery network like the cut as well. Episode two shoots next week...

We're trying to schedule some run-throughs next week for the webcast -- www.channelblast.com -- I'm hosting. Hopefully, we can get it done -- in between the Discovery shoot and rehearsals for my new sketch show with Matt (and the baby). Speaking of scheduling...

Matt and I have been offered a corporate gig doing our POW show for Capital One in Virginia in June. Unfortunately, the date(s) we're looking at right now conflict with the Discovery shoot schedule. We'll work something out...

I've been checking out old movies at the library recently and am in the middle of watching "Singing in the Rain" right now (it's great, by the way). Gene Kelly & Company are immensely talented -- singing, dancing, etc. -- and it makes me wonder if today's "stars" have the talent to match the "stars" of old. Today it seems like more people are being cast in starring roles because of their celebrity -- rather than their talent. Oh well. Maybe I'm just getting old and cranky...

Mets vs. Braves tonight. Pedro vs. Smoltz. Looking forward to it...

April 26th, 2006
Watched the latest installment of Pepper Dennis last night. Very good stuff. The show is getting better and better with each episode. Last night's show was directed by the same guy who directed the first episode I'm in: Bob Berlinger. Speaking of...

I am told that my character, Lance Powers, is scheduled to debut on the show Tuesday, May 16th. I don't know the dates of the other episodes I'm in yet. Viva la Pepper Dennis!

This afternoon I audition for a new Jodie Foster film being shot here in New York and then meet up with Matt to do our first full rehearsal of our new sketch show -- called "Adult Contemporary."

Tomorrow I view a cut of the first episode of the Discovery show I'm doing. I'm excited to see it but, then again, not. I have a hard time viewing my own performances objectively and it's nice to be surprised by the end product of things. However, this is the first episode of the show and it's important, I think, to see it before it's finalized (so we can adjust things accordingly for future episodes). Speaking of...we start shooting episode 2 and 3 starting next week.

I recently got some more residuals for my work on Chappelle's Show (DVD sales). Nice. Can't say the same for my work on The Daily Show, unfortunately. Although I'm on the 2004 Election DVD collection, I get zippo from their sales. That, obviously, sucks but, on the bright side of things, it's fabulous to be part of that work.

Mets are back on their winning ways beating the Giants last night 4-1. Atlanta is once again on the horizon here...

April 22nd, 2006
I'm wrapped on my Pepper Dennis shoots here in L.A. Time to go back home! As always, I had a great experience here. The cast and crew of this show is outstanding -- fun, talented, easy to work with, etc. I'm excited about seeing the end product of our work. Tune in to Pepper Dennis every Tuesday night to catch my Lance Powers appearances...

It's funny. As an actor, some of the most involved/complicated dialogue pieces I've had to deliver usually come at the end of shoots (after a loooong day of shooting and everyone's anxious to get the hell out of there). Fatigue sets in and it's hard to remember your lines. Such was my experience last night as I was the last on-camera dialogue for the night -- and struggled a bit to nail my lines. No biggee. We got it done (with little wasted effort). But it's always interesting -- when you see the finished product of things -- to realize, "Oh my God. We did that in the middle of the night. I was so burned out by then. I can't believe I spit those words out of my mouth..."

Looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and then, on Monday, more auditions and preparing of my new stage show with Matt...

April 19th, 2006
Wrapped shooting on the latest episode of Pepper Dennis today. I have tomorrow off and then shoot another episode on Friday. Great experience so far. Looking forward to getting back on the set and playing evil personified (a.k.a. my character, Lance Powers)! Always fun to play the "bad" guy...

Confirmed a special performance of my POW show for next month in NYC. On the same bill, a performance by my improv comedy team, Neutrino. Check out my shows page for details. Get your tickets now. Should be a very fun night! Thanks for your support...

Matt and I are working on our new stage show (a sketch show called "Bob and Matt: Adult Contemporary") right now. We like what we have so far but you never know until you put it up in front of an audience...

Mets lost 2 out of the 3 to the frickin' Braves. When will they go away...?
Bob

April 13th, 2006
I'm pretty exhausted.

The D.C. gigs went great (a few tech problems but no biggee). We played to good crowds and people dug the show. We have a couple of promising leads it looks like out of it for corporate gigs. Speaking of...

Just got back from Minneapolis yesterday after doing a gig for the Entrepeneurs Organization there. I felt like some in the audience were afraid to let their guard down and just have a good time. Some of that we chalk up to the fact that we did the show in a conference room of a law firm. I thought that would make the show feel "real" -- which it did -- but I think it also put people in too much of a "work mode." Oh well. You live and you learn...

As if Matt and I didn't get enough of each other on these trips...we also hosted the shows at The P.I.T. last night here in New York. It was a good opportunity for us to try out some bits we're working on for our new sketch show next month (and also plug the show to the audience). It's pretty cool to see how popular the Wednesday night shows have gotten there at the theater. The place was packed for most of the shows...

Today I make travel arrangements for another trip to L.A. I'll be out there shooting a couple more episodes for Pepper Dennis (playing Pepper's nemesis, Lance Powers, at a competing TV station in town). Tune into The WB on Tuesday nights to catch Pepper in action. I should be making my debut within the next few weeks...

The launch of the webcast I'm hosting is in a holding pattern for now. My other jobs (and travel) have made it difficult to schedule. But it's coming. We did shoot some more people-on-the-street interviews for the site on Tuesday while in Minneapolis...

I know I'll have some uninterrupted time here in New York coming up as I'll be shooting the latest episodes for the new Discovery show in early May. Like I've always said, it's good to be busy...

But tack on a new baby and a new sketch show in the works and you can understand why I'm pretty exhausted these days...

Bob

April 7th, 2006
Went out with a stylist yesterday to get hip fashions for my appearances on that new Discovery show. It was a first for me. I've never had a stylist before. It was cool to have someone going out shopping for you, picking out things to hip-ify your look -- tall task given my current "look."

Anyway...I noticed a lot of "hip" clothing stores these days have dance music pumping when you're in the store. One place was so loud you had to yell at the person helping you to be heard. Am I getting too old or are some of these places' music ridiculously loud?

Today I head to D.C. for those comedy gigs. Then to Minneapolis for the corporate gig. Busy few days ahead. Gonna try to use my time on trains and planes to write our new stage show...

Bought the new Morrissey album off iTunes yesterday. Anxious to hear what the new songs sound like. Looking forward to new Bright Eyes tracks coming soon...?

Have a good weekend,
Bob

April 5th, 2006
The pilot episode of Pepper Dennis aired last night. Great fun to watch. Looking forward to seeing the season evolve. My character, Lance Powers, I think is introduced in episode 5 or 6. I'll let you know here on the site as soon as it's confirmed.

Another thing you might be interested in...my co-host for that Discovery show I'm doing is a lovely, talented lady by the name of Cooper Lawrence. You can learn more about her by visiting her website here.

I've been out of the commercial audtioning circuit for awhile -- due to other work and obligations. If all goes well, I'll get back into it this afternoon with an audition for a commercial for Stop N' Shop. Those commercial gigs are nice little paychecks that help pay the bills...

New Morrissey album out. Gotta check it out. Also...Mets won their home opener on Monday. Yay! Let's hope they can get in another win tonight. My son is still a little too small to fit into his Cornhuskers outfit but that day is coming, folks! Go. Big. Red.

Have a good one,
Bob

March 31st, 2006
Some questions I've gotten recently off the website here:

1.) Do you keep in touch with Dave Chappelle?

No. Although I worked on his show several times and shared some very pleasant conversations with him while on set, I barely know him away from his work. I can tell you the guy is one of the nicest, coolest, down-to-earth comedians I've worked with -- and funny as hell to boot. I will forever wish him nothing but the best.

2.) When will you be performing in a city near me?

My writing/performing partner, Matt Oberg, and I are hitting the road for Washington DC next weekend to take part in the Washington D.C. Comedy Festival. We'll not only be performing our stage show, POW, twice (Friday and Saturday night) down there, we'll also be taking part in a writing seminar and hosting viewings of our sitcom pilot, The Weathermen Boys.

A couple of days later, we head to Minneapolis for a private, corporate gig (closed to the general public -- sorry).

Keep checking my shows page for new gigs as they become confirmed. There's talk of going to L.A. later this year -- among other places. And Matt and I will be putting up a brand new sketch show in New York in May.

3.) Where on the internet should I be looking for your new webcast talk show?

Here. The site is scheduled to launch in the coming weeks. I'll let you know here on my website as soon as it does. We're still fine-tuning the show format and content right now. I can tell you that our goal with the show is to provide you something that you cannot find anywhere on TV. Meaning: it will be kick-ass, cool, cutting-edge, global in reach and computer-centric.

4.) Will I be able to download it from itunes?

We're still working that out but, yes, that is the hope right now that you'll be able to download shows on your iPod as they happen. We'll see...

5.) When can I see you on the tube again?

For now...only in commercials (and random re-runs of my previous work). However, I have a couple of projects currently in production that you'll see me with soon:

* I'm a re-occurring character in the new Rebecca Romjin show on the WB, Pepper Dennis. I shot my first episode in L.A. a couple of weeks ago and it looks like I'm going back out in a couple more weeks to shoot another one. I play Pepper's rival at a competing TV station in Chicago (where the show takes place). The guy's name is Lance Powers and he's a complete ass. Pretty fun to play the "bad guy."

* I've just wrapped production on the first episode of a new show on The Discovery Channel that's tentatively scheduled to air in August. I can't say much about it right now except that it's very funny and informative. I will be co-host of the show and will also be doing a fair amount of improv comedy work in several different characters for the show. Production on future episodes will take up most of my time in the coming months. As soon as I have confirmed details of show title, air dates, etc. I'll post them here on my site.

Thanks for your interest and support everybody! Please feel free to e-mail me more of your thoughts and questions. It may take me awhile to respond (sorry in advance) but I will eventually!

Have a great weekend,
Bob

March 26th, 2006
First week of production on the new Discovery show I'm doing. So far, so good. Really funny and enlightening moments so far in the stuff we're getting. Two more days of shooting this week and the first episode will be in the can.

Matt came out to my home yesterday for a writing meeting. With the baby and all the professional stuff going on in my life right now, finding time to write our new stage show and put together our website has been tough. It's pretty exhausting. It's good to be busy but my life, at times, is ridiculous these days. Need to find a break. Thankfully, they're coming soon...

April should be an interesting month. Pepper Dennis premieres on April 4th and The Hoax (the movie starring Richard Gere that I have a small role in) is supposed to hit theaters -- at least the last I heard that was the case...

Sleep, come to me...
Bob

March 20th, 2006
Did a run-through of sorts of the internet talk show -- NewzViewz -- on Friday. Went well. This is going to be a lot of fun (and work). Anxious to get going on it. Launch date is tentatively set for April 4th.

Tomorrow we begin production on that new Discovery show I'm involved in. Here we go...

Watched The Good, The Bad and The Ugly over the weekend. Funny to watch a western made up of largely Italian actors. But it was good/entertaining.

My team, K.U., lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Oy vey...

Bob

March 16th, 2006
Last day in L.A. Last day of shooting for my Pepper Dennis gig. So far so good on that. Cast and crew are great. Friendly and professional. Looking forward to seeing the finished product (and coming back again to reprise my role as Lance Powers).

Yesterday was an off day for me so I:

1.) Got way too much exposure to the L.A. sun and, as a result, got a not-so-flattering red neck and face (I do not do well in the sun folks). Remember Will Farrell's makeup from the Oscars this year? That's basically what I look like now.

2.) Shot m.o.s. interviews on the Santa Monica promenade for an upcoming episode of my new internet-only talk show: www.newzviewz.com. If you go to the site now, you'll see an old version of what newzviewz used to be. They're going to re-launch it (with me as the host) in the coming weeks. The format, at this point, is evolving (and somewhat limitless) so I'm trying hard to make what I bring to it fun, interesting and different from any other news-based programing out there (TV, radio or internet). I'll let you know when the launch is imminent so you can log in and watch...

3.) Auditioned for a sitcom pilot at CBS.

4.) Had another meeting with Comedy Central folks here. We'll see what, if anything, happens from it. Either way, good to get to know these folks (and vice-versa). I'm hopeful that, down the line, we can sell some original programming ideas to them. And, who knows, maybe I'll do some more on-camera work for them at some point. We'll see...

Right now my heart and efforts (and loyalty) lie with The Discovery Channel where I'll be hosting that new show for them. Production starts next week in New York. Can't wait. This is going to be a great show! I'm very impressed with the network programming these days (good, smart, fun shows that are very well produced). Looking forward to throwing myself into the mix...

5.) Finished my day with a wonderful Mexican dinner with my friends that I'm staying with here in L.A. Marc Campbell is a founding member of Neutrino and owner of a new (great) improv/comedy theater in Santa Monica called the Westside Eclectic. The place is taking off for him which is wonderful to see/hear. We're hopeful that Neutrino will be able to come here later this year to perform at the space and maybe offer a workshop or two on improv (and improvsing for the camera). We'll see...

Off to the Pepper Dennis set...
Bob

March 13th, 2006
I'm in L.A. for the Pepper Dennis shoot. I play a guy by the name of Lance Powers. Should be fun...

Spent part of the plane ride out here writing content for Matt and I's new website. We haven't made the progress yet that we had hoped. Matt's in a play. I'm plenty busy (and have the baby in my life now) so time is being a little squeezed for both of us. Regardless, it'll get done soon enough. I'm excited about what we have so far and look forward to debuting it.

Gotta get some sleep now...

March 2nd, 2006
Good meetings today.

Had a lunch-time meeting with what I call my "brain trust" -- representatives, writing partner and producer we're working with -- on the TV show ideas we're going to try to explore with some networks in the coming months. I feel like we have some really good, do-able ideas. Just gotta put in the work to flush them out.

Met with the folks behind the new website I'll be hosting some original programming on in the near future. The site is called Channel Blast. Check it out here. I'll be hosting a news/issues show for the site when it launches in a few weeks. Once it's up, you'll be able to watch me on the internet on a regular basis doing new content every week -- and leading people from around the world in a conversation about topics/issues in our world today. Should be fun, thought-provoking AND interactive! At least that's the plan. We have big plans for the future...

This evening, I end my day with a meet-and-greet between the people working on that new Discovery Channel I've signed on to do. Like I've said before, once I have confirmed details on the show, I'll let you know here on the site. Until then...rest assured, it's a very cool/funny show you'll be seeing on The Discovery Channel (hosted by your's truly) in the near future...

Bob

February 28th, 2006
Found out last night I booked a re-occurring role on Pepper Dennis. Very cool. I'll be playing one of Pepper's rival reporters at a competing station. Should be a lot of fun. Looking forward to it. The people involved in this show are just awesome (Hi, Melissa!).I shoot the first episode next week. I'll let you know when it hits a TV screen near you...

Later this week I meet with my NY brain trust and start hashing out our show ideas for the new year -- both for stage and screen. Lots of work ahead. But I'm confident -- with the people involved -- great things will come out of it. Speaking of great things...

The show I've signed on to do for The Discovery Channel has its first crew meet-and-greet this week. It'll be a great opportunity for all of us to get to know each other and get on the same page for the show. Production is now slated to begin sometime in mid-late March. I'll let you know once a show title and air dates are confirmed. Should be a really cool show (if I do say so myself)!

Anyway...busy time. Great to be booking -- especially with Sawyer on board now. Couldn't come at a better time. Working for the little guy's future...

February 24th, 2006
You win some, you lose some...

Watched the Order of the Serpentine show last night. Thought it turned out great. Very pleased. It was fun as I watched it with two friends of mine here in L.A. (who also helped write the script). That's the win.

The loss was an audition I did earlier in the day. It was a for a role in a good sitcom pilot (at least on paper it's good). I felt very good going into the audition but then once I got into the room nerves took over. And when I get nervous, I start to sweat. I hate it and there's nothing I can do about it. Other people stutter or get sweaty palms or short of breath. Me? I just start sweating like a pig. There's no hiding it. And once it starts, I make it worse by saying to myself, "Oh no. I'm sweating! Stop sweating!"

Anyway...just thought I'd share that not every thing is a homerun -- for any actor. You go through the inevitable ups and downs of good auditions, bad auditions. It's part of the job. Thankfully, I've had far more good auditions and meetings this week than I have had bad!

Today I end my visit to L.A. with a visit to the Pepper Dennis set and a meeting with the creator of a new show on CBS. It's been a GREAT trip here but I'm excited about going back home to my wife and family...

Hello New York!
Bob

February 23rd, 2006
Busy/good day yesterday. Started it with a solid audition for an NBC pilot. We'll see what happens.

Then I met with my lit agent -- Pete Stone at BWCS. Love Pete. He's awesome. We talked about where we're at and where we're going with my writing efforts. We both feel good about the future. We agreed that among my 2006 goals is turning in a spec screenplay to him. He's very excited about my idea for the story. Just need to sit down and do the work (and re-writes and re-writes...) now.

Stopped by 20th Century Fox for an audition for a re-occuring role on the WB show Pepper Dennis. Felt good about this audition as well. You never know though...

Then I ended my day by visiting -- and having dinner with -- an old friend of mine here, Marc Campbell (Marc was on Neutrino with me). Marc has opened a new, GREAT improv theater in Santa Monica that he toured me through last night. The place is SWEET. Check out their site: www.westsideeclectic.com. We talked about the possibility of Neutrino coming out here to do some shows (and workshops). I'm sure the team would be excited to do so. Just gotta get everybody organized to do it...

Today more meetings and auditions. Good to be busy.

Also...we finalized the deal for me to host that new show on The Discovery Channel. More details to come. It should be a good one! I'm very excited.

Order of the Serpentine airs tonight on Spike TV at 9:30pm (eastern). Please tune in if you can. Watch my alter-ego Rex Masters expose this secret organization...

Talk soon,
Bob

February 22nd, 2006
Spent most of my day yesterday hanging out on the 20th Century Fox lot. Bought some cool Napoleon Dynamite merchandise in the gift shop...

Today more auditions and meetings. Dinner tonight with an old friend who's just opened up an improv theater in Santa Monica.

Bob

February 21st, 2006
Second full day in L.A. Funny. It's sunny and mid-60s today and people are bitching about how COLD it is. Last night on the news there were actually reports about how people are handling this recent "cold snap." I guess it's a matter of perspective.

Had an odd experience at an audition yesterday. I sat down to do my audition and the guy reading with me looked totally familiar. Here's what happened next:

ME: "Do we know each other?"
HIM: "I don't think so."
ME: "We've never met before?"
HIM: "No. I don't think so."
ME: "I don't look familiar to you?"
HIM: "Not from in person."
ME: "How do I know you?!"
HIM: "Oh. Did you watch that reality show Situation Comedy?"
ME: "Yeah. I loved that show."
HIM: "I was on that show."
ME: "Oh! Yeah! That's how I know you. Man, I know you from TV and I think I know you from real life. That's says a lot about how sad my personal life is, doesn't it?"
HIM: "Yeah. It does."

Anyway...it was an interesting/fun way to start an audition. The role I went in for required me to find my "inner gay" (I played a gay man in denial about being gay). That was a little trickier than I thought it would be but, hopefully, I did O.K. My wife told me later that she was sending me "gay vibes" from NY at the time of my scheduled audition. It's nice to know my wife is rooting for me to be gay -- at least for a role. ;-)

Today I meet with some casting folks at 20th Century Fox (a meet-and-greet sort of thing). They're casting quite a few pilots this season and want to meet and get to know me better. That's what I'm here for. Hopefully, it goes well. These are also the people in charge of casting Pepper Dennis so I'm anxious to hear how things are going there.

My day will also include a meeting with my (newly employed) entertainment attorney. He's negotiating my deal with The Discovery Channel right now. Looking forward to meeting him (face-to-face) and, hopefully, wrapping up the deal soon...

Thursday night, I'll go hang out with some friends here to watch the Order of the Serpentine air on Spike TV. It's been cool to see posters for the show lining some of the sidewalks around Hollywood here. It just so happens these friends of mine I'm going to be hanging out with also helped write the show! Pure coincidence (we worked on the project without the other knowing of our involvement -- until after it was done). So it'll be very fun to catch up AND watch the show at the same time.

By all accounts, Sawyer (my son) is doing very well back in NY. Great to hear. As I make my rounds here, I keep reminding myself, "This is for the little guy." I'm already looking forward to getting back home to see him.

Back into the mix...
Blob

February 19th, 2006
I'm off to L.A. for awhile. Have some meetings and auditions to attend. We'll see what happens. Hopefully, this time away from my new-born son will result in a better life for him in the future. At least that's the goal of being away from him right now. Wish me luck...

Set your TiVos...this Thursday night at 9:30pm (eastern) I appear in that comedy special I did recently for Spike TV. Check out the site about the show here. Please tune in if you can. By all accounts, it should be a good/funny show. Thanks.

I have a fair amount of new, exciting developments about to finalize. I'll let you know here once they do.

As always, good to be busy...

Talk soon,
Bob

February 11th, 2006
After a week or so of solid baby business...I'm slowly starting to get back on the circuit here. Thank you to everyone who sent me well wishes and kind words. I'm very excited about being a dad and it was great to see people sharing in the joy. I know I'm partial but my little guy is pretty awesome. Regardless...gotta start putting food on the table again...

Saw a full-page ad in this week's Entertainment Weekly for the show I'm in for Spike TV. Hope I -- and the show -- live up to the hype. As I've said before, it's impossible for me to view my own work objectively. I really can't gauge how good (or bad) it is. Guess I'll find out soon enough...

I'm currently negotiating a deal to co-host a new show for The Discovery Channel. I think the show is a great/fun idea and I'm excited about being involved. When the deal becomes finalized I'll let you know the details...

Matt helped me out this week (while I was on baby duty) by turning in our spec script for My Name is Earl to our representatives. The feedback, so far, has been great. We'll see what (if anything) comes out of it. Hopefully that -- combined with the goal to write a screenplay by the fall -- will lead to some good writing gigs for us in the future...

Our sitcom pilot, The Weathermen Boys, has been accepted into the Washington D.C. Comedy Festival this April. As a result, it'll screen several times during the festival. Good to know our work will be seen by new audiences there...

I'm blessed to be busy right now. This business comes and goes and -- especially with a baby on board now -- it's good to have the work...

Wrapped up my improv comedy class at The P.I.T. this past week. I enjoyed teaching the class and hopefully I inspired my students to put their creative voices out there...

Big snow storm in New York this weekend. Glad I'm not out in it (for now)...

February 5th, 2006
Let the record show that on Super Bowl Sunday, February 5th, 2006, I became the father of a beautiful baby boy!

February 2nd, 2006
Found this site that sheds some light on why I'll be appearing on Spike TV on February 23rd. This special couldn't come at a more crucial time for us and our country...

February 1st, 2006
Back from Richmond. Shoot went well (I think). As with anything, the edit will determine the finished product. But it's a funny spot and I'm confident we got good stuff for it.

I guess my Jackson Hewitt spot (with Frankenstein) has started to run. At least some people have told me they've seen it recently on the tube...

Next stop: L.A. My manager, Vincent, is lining up some promising meetings and auditions there for me. We'll see what happens...

Today I've got to get notes to my improv students on their recent writing submissions. They're overdue.

Bob

January 30th, 2006
I've been very fortunate on the commercial front recently. I've booked a couple of new spots. Both are small jobs (money-wise) but I'm extremely thankful for the work (and so is my unborn baby)...

One spot is a promo for the NFL that's supposed to air at the Super Bowl. I don't know if the spot will run on TV but I'm told it will, at least, run on the jumbo tron in the stadium right before the half-time show. As a big football fan, that's very cool.

The second spot is for the Virginia Lottery. I'm in Richmond, Virginia right now about to shoot it. It's a funny spot but will only be seen in Virginia and the Washington DC area when it runs.

Did you know Richmond, Virginia was the capitol for the Confederacy in the Civil War? And that Arthur Ashe is from here? I didn't until I did a walking tour of the town this afternoon. I was always enjoy exploring new cities so it was fun to tool around and see the place.

The trade-off with this Virginia job is that I've had to miss teaching my improv comedy class. Bummer. Matt has been kind enough to fill in for me tonight aqnd he'll be hosting an industry guest for my students -- the awesome Brooke Thomas of House Productions. Next week I'll be back in the saddle and welcoming a few more industry guests to our final class.

Matt and I are putting the finishing touches on our spec script for My Name is Earl. We'll be getting feedback on what we have and then presenting it to our lit agents for job openings on writing staffs this year. Hopefully, our work will lead to good things...

Time to get some sleep,
Blob

January 24th, 2006
You've heard of Ben and Matt? Well, now get used to hearing about Bob and Matt! Our website is officially in place and under construction folks. Check out the place-holder for it here. And, no, just like Ben and Matt...we're not gay (although that photo looks like we could be I must admit). ;-)

We've got big plans for this site including...
* Podcasts
* Downloadable video and audio clips
* Links to MySpace.com
* A big library of video and photos

I'll let you know how things are progressing here on my site. Speaking of...if money and time allows, I hope to refurbish (a new look, updated pages and info, etc.) this site very soon.

Tomorrow...a day full of meetings, auditions and (thankfully) callbacks. Good to be busy.

I've confirmed the final details for a number of upcoming shows. Check out my shows page for all the information. Hope you can make it to a show...

Have a good one,
Bob

January 20th, 2006
I'm looking into flgiths to L.A. today. This is the time of year when a lot of NY-based comedic actors head out west to audition for the latest round of sitcom pilots at the networks. Last year was my first time through the process and, like anything, it takes awhile to get good at it. We'll see how this year goes. I feel much more comfortable and confident going in this year than last that's for sure. My manager, Vincent, has already lined up some pretty promising meetings and auditions for me out there.

Went to a play my writing partner, Matt, is in last night. It was great. It's called Goner and is playing at The Kraine Theater here in NY. Afterwards, Matt, my wife and I hung out and visited. Matt and I meet again this Monday to go over the first complete draft of our spec script for My Name is Earl. Gotta get that puppy done by the end of this month.

Saw the movie "The Squid and the Whale" last night before the play. Hope to see Munich tonight. I've got to get my SAG voting ballot in soon...

Bob

January 18th, 2006
Busy day on several fronts today.

Had a couple of commercial auditions (one of which I, unfortunately, missed because I was running late -- curses).

Did a test screening of sorts for a TV show in the works for later this year. I love the idea of the show and am excited about the possibility of being involved. We'll see though. A lot of stuff still has to happen for it to take place.

Saw a rough cut of the Order of the Serpentine. It's in good shape -- especially considering where it's at in the editing process. They have a focus group screening Monday. Hopefully, all goes well. It's hard for me to be objective about my own work. I spend most of the time at screenings saying to myself, "Oh, I wish I didn't do that..." Typical actor.

Tomorrow: a couple more commercial auditions along with a sitcom audition. Gotta get my lines down...

Bob

January 10th, 2006
Wrapped shooting on the Spike TV special last night. It went well. The last bit of shooting was pretty intense (lots of dialogue to memorize and deliver). The show is called "The Order of the Serpentine" and is scheduled to air on Spike TV on February 23rd at 9pm so mark your calendars. Thank you (in advance) for watching...

Tonight I did a standup gig at Governor's Comedy Cabaret as part of my graduation night. Good crowd. Good set. Good feeling.

Tomorrow I have a callback for a commercial that shoots in South Africa (that's a new one to me). I never book these exotic, out-of-the-country gigs but it's fun to daydream...

Afterwards I meet with Matt to hammer out more of our spec script for the show My Name is Earl. Gotta turn in our script to our agents within the next 2-3 weeks (the earlier, the better).

This weekend I travel to Louisville for a couple of comedy gigs. Hopefully, I'll have time to check out the new Muhammad Ali Center there. I really like Louisville and look forward to visiting my friends there...

My Jackson Hewitt commercial (with Frankenstein) has started running I think. I haven't seen it yet but I've seen other spots associated with the campaign. Keeping my eyes peeled...

Blob

January 5th, 2006
Hello! It's been awhile. Sorry. Happy New Year! Busy start to 2006...

I started shooting a comedy special for Spike TV this week. Don't know when this thing will air (I'll let you know here on the site as soon as I know) but the people behind it are some of the same brilliant minds that brought you Chappelle's Show. Should be good. I have a pretty sizable role in it so let's hope it turns out well...

I'll be traveling to Louisville, Kentucky next weekend for a couple of comedy gigs. I'll be performing a truncated version of my POW show (solo) and sitting in on an improv set afterwards. I'll list info for the shows here on the site in the next day or two. Come on down (if you can). I would love to see you there!

If you're around the New York City area, feel free to catch me doing standup at Governor's Comedy Cabaret next week as well. I'll be doing about 10 minutes as part of a class graduation there. I feel really good about the material I've developed in the class. Check out my shows page for details. Thanks.

If you're really a Bob Wiltfong over-achiever then I highly suggest you check out an excellent profile piece that a local cable-access show called The Resident recently did on me. Everything you wanted to know about me (and more) will be airing this upcoming Monday night (January 9th) -- I'm told -- on the show.

My writing partner, Matt, and I are still very busy writing and developing things. We're currently working on a spec script for the show My Name is Earl. The idea is to send it onto our agents so they can get us writing jobs for the new pilot season later this year. You never know. The better we are as writers, the better we'll be with everything we do. To that end...

We're still waiting on word about the fate of The Weathermen Boys (our sitcom pilot). I strongly believe in the project and know we can do great things with it -- if given the chance to put the show on air. We'll see. Everything happens for a reason either way...

Finally, my consultant works continues on the WB show, Pepper Dennis (starring Rebecca Romijn). I don't have an exact air date for you on the first episode but I'm sure it'll be happening soon. Keep your eyes peeled for promos on The WB in the coming weeks/months.

So you see! I told you it was a busy start to the new year (thank the Lord)...

Living the life of an actor/writer,
Bob

December 23rd, 2005
Good news going into the holidays...I booked a leading role on an upcoming comedy special on Spike TV. It shoots the first week of January and is executive-produced by Michele Armour (the e.p. behind Chappelle's Show -- and others). Looking forward to it.

Also, Matt and I officially submitted our follow-up pitch material for The Weathermen Boys. Hopefully, 2006 will bring our work to a TV screen near you...

I'm turning in my latest notes for the Pepper Dennis scripts today. Still no word on when the show will start airing on The WB but it should be within the next few months. Something that is airing now...

Check out the cable-access show, The Resident. I did some work as "The Grinch" for their holiday special this year. There's some good stuff in there (I think).

Happy Holidays! I wish you a safe and happy one!
Blob

December 17th, 2005
I can't 100% confirm it right now, but the work I did on the cable-access show, The Resident, should air in the New York City area this Monday night at 10pm on Manhattan, Channel 67 (RCN's 110). If you don't live in the area, the show's website says you can catch the show from here at the same time.

Keep your eyes peeled for a re-run of a great profile piece The Resident did on me earlier this year over the next few weeks as well.

Auditions on Friday went well (at least I felt good about them). Now we'll wait and see if the people I was auditioning for liked them.

Met with Matt to get the ball rolling on that spec script for My Name is Earl and our new stage show for 2006. I'm very excited about what we have percolating on both fronts. Now we just have to put in the work (write, re-write...) to get it done.

We also found out yesterday that we've probably booked another road gig for our POW show in the new year. Nothing confirmed (as of now) but we'll see. I'm looking forward to taking that show to companies. It really is perfect for corporate entertainment.

Christmas Party tonight followed by a wrap party for Purple Violets -- the film I recently did work for directed by Ed Burns. Should be fun.

Have a good weekend,
Bob

December 16th, 2005
Interesting day yesterday.

Auditioned for that commercial and then -- with some down time on my hands -- I saw the movie "Syriana." I enjoyed it. I can understand people who say it's hard to follow with a somewhat complicated storyline. Fair enough. But I was entertained. And I liked how it tackled a complex, current issue and tried to shed some light on what's going on from all sides.

After that, I caught a couple of callback shows for the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. The first one was at The PIT. It involved comedy hijinxs on the internet. Very interesting/entertaining. A couple of sites that stood out to me were Improv Everywhere and College Humor. Both great ideas that reminded me of Chengwin.

Speaking of...Chengwin's handlers have told me that if you would like to buy a copy of the Homecoming Video -- with your's truly doing the play-by-play -- then simply email chengwin@chengwin.com with "Homecoming DVD" in the subject line. I promise you this is one video you'll never forget...

Then the second show was a 2-person sketch show at the UCB. It was written and performed by a couple of old improv friends of mine. Great show. Very entertaining.

As I went back home, I learned that I have a callback for a show on Spike TV today and I'll be auditioning for a new TV show starring John Lithgow. I feel pretty comfortable in both roles. We'll see what happens today...

Blob

December 15th, 2005
Improvised with The Faculty last night at The PIT. My improv muscles are a little weak right now (it's been awhile since I've done straight-up stage improv) but I'm glad I did it. The only way to get back in shape is jut to dive in and start doing it. Hopefully, I can be a regular there on Wednesday nights. We'll see.

Have an audition for a commercial that shoots in Australia today. Cross your fingers. I've never been to Australia and would love to go.

Later, I'm going to attend a couple of the Aspen callback shows going on here in New York -- one at The PIT, the other at the UCB. The UCB show involves a couple of improv friends of mine and I'm looking forward to seeing what they've got (I'm sure it's great -- as always).

Tomorrow Matt and I meet to go over some stuff. That "stuff" will include:

1.) Hopefully, turning in our final pitch material for The Weathermen Boys TV show.

2.) Developing ideas for a new stage show (involving our POW brothers) in 2006.

3.) Writing on a spec script of My Name is Earl.

4.) Organizing our soon-to-be website (coming in the new year).

Also tomorrow, I'm tentatively scheduled to audition for a new John Lithgow TV show. If I book it, it would be a big commitment. We'll see...

Bob

December 13th, 2005
Good improv class last night. I feel good about where we're at right now. I showed them some improv exercises that I think help in writing. Spent the last half hour of the class answering questions.

Their homework this week involves doing another re-write of the scene we've been working on in class and creating a draft of some character breakdowns -- based, in part, on the character catalogues I've asked them to start keeping.

Today Matt and I are exchanging re-writes of our latest pitch material for The Weathermen Boys. The writing and touch-ups never stop. We learned yesterday that a fantastic producer is now attached to the project which made us very happy. I couldn't ask for a better person to helm the ship -- if we do, indeed, set sail on this TV show. Keep your fingers crossed, folks...

Tonight I go to my standup comedy class at Governor's. I'm very happy I'm in this class. I'm learning a lot and it's giving me the building blocks for constructing a solid set of material. I look forward to practicing what I've learned in the new year...

Blob

December 10th, 2005
Crazy busy week (in a good way). Shot the Jackson Hewitt spot on Wednesday. It should be a fun one (I'm helping Frankenstein do his taxes in it). On Thursday, I was all over the place -- running from audition to audition (including a role in the new TV show, Conviction) -- and then finishing the day by painting my face green and pretending to be the Grinch at Rockefeller Center for a Christmas special on The Resident.

Yesterday, more auditions. One a radio spot in which they asked you to read the copy like Stephen Colbert would (funny since I used to work with the guy -- I wonder if there'll ever be audition copy one day that will say "read it like Bob Wiltfong would" -- that'll be the day, huh). The other a TV show for Spike TV in which the casting director asked me -- after my first take -- to perform the role "a little more like they do on The Daily Show." Oy vey...

Today, a wine-tasting tour with my brother and family upstate (should be fun). Tomorrow, relaxation. Monday, back at it again...

December 6th, 2005
Started teaching my improv class last night. Went well. Good students. I think we'll make some good progress together. My homework for them included starting a "character catalogue" -- a journal of characteristics/observations/facts/conclusions they make about the characters they're writing about. I stressed with them that the best/most rich writing detail comes from real experience and observation.

I've lined up a couple nights of industry experts to come in and talk to them as the course continues. One panel will concentrate on writing. The other will concentrate on on-camera work. As fate would have it, I ran into former Daily Show producer, Mike Rubens, on the street right before the class. I might have him in as one of my "experts." He seemed open to it. It was good to see him again regardless.

Booked a commercial with Jackson Hewitt (I've been very fortunate recently with commercial work). It shoots tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. It's a funny spot I think and I always look forward to working with new people (directors, actors, etc.).

This afternoon I have two meetings: one with a group of producers who are putting together a new show for a cable channel that they're interested in possibly having me host. It's a fun idea they're exploring in the show I think. We'll see if they're still interested in me after meeting. ;-) Then, afterwards, I meet with my manager to go over goals for 2006. Almost everything I set as a goal in 2005 came to fruition. Hopefully, 2006 will be just as kind...

Matt and I are inching closer to getting our final pitch material in on The Weathermen Boys show. We've spent the last few weeks writing (and re-writing) the next 5 episodes for the show. Now we're awaiting notes from a couple of great, experienced sources on the material. Once we get that, we'll officially hand over our material and see what happens. I think it has the potential to be a GREAT, funny show (exploring some of my real-life experiences in small-market TV news -- among other things) but now we'll see if others (in positions of power to make it happen) feel the same...

December 2nd, 2005
Shot an industrial for the new AT&T yesterday. It was fun. Worked with fellow actor, Jim Boyd. Jim used to work on The Electric Company (he helped me learn to read growing up -- characters: The Blue Beetle, Gorilla Paul etc.). It was great to watch him work and talk to him about the behind-the-scenes of The Electric Company. I guess they're coming out with a DVD of the show in February. I can't wait to see it. For people my age (who were raised on that show -- and Sesame Street), you can't beat The Electric Company (Bill Cosby, Morgan Freeman, Rita Moreno, et al)...

The Daily Show evidently re-ran one of my old pieces last night -- on a show with the White Stripes performing. Very cool. Nice suprise to start the weekend.

Matt and I are ramping up things for our POW show on the corporate circuit. We're officially listed on Speakers.com now and we're putting the finishing touches on a promotional video of us performing the show for workers at General Electric this past summer. 2006 should be bringing us to a city near you (hopefully)...

Have a good weekend,
Bob

November 30th, 2005
I'm finishing up a great class on standup comedy at Governor's Comedy Cabaret out on Long Island. Until now I've been pretty clueless on how to structure jokes for standup (standup is a totally different beast in a lot of ways from my background in improv and sketch). It's exciting to have the knowledge on how the machine works and a plan on how to approach my writing and performing of it. Now I just have to practice, practice, practice. No substitute for experience...

I have two unique performances coming up this Saturday night. They're both listed on my shows page but they bare repeating here:

12/03/05 @ 8:00 PM
Cen-trino at Chashama
217 E. 42nd St.
Near 3rd Avenue
Tickets only $10
This is a one-time only event. My improv comedy team, Neutrino, will be collaborating with another awesomely talented improv comedy team, Centralia, on a combined show involving tons of video cameras and long-form improv work. If you want to know what a group of funny, creative people can do with a bunch of cameras then this is definitely the show for you. Check out Centralia's website for information on reserving your seats and buying tickets for the show.

_____________________

12/03/05 @ 11:00 PM
The Aristocontest [The Filthiest Joke Ever - LIVE!] at The P.I.T.
154 W. 29th Street (btwn. 6th & 7th Aves.) -- right next door to Subway sandwich shop

Tickets only $8/person
You've heard of the movie, The Aristocrats? Well, this will be a live recording of several comedians -- including your's truly -- telling their version of the Aristocrats joke for a soundtrack release of the movie. Come early, and sign-up to tell your OWN version of the Aristocrats joke! $100 Grand Prize, courtesy of V2 Records! All participants receive a copy of The Aristocrats comedy soundtrack, out December 6 on V2 Records! Obscene, vulgar, offensive... The Funniest CD you will ever hear. For ticket reservations go to... Online: www.BrownPaperTickets.com Phone: 1-800-838-3006 Questions? 212-563-7488

November 29th, 2005
Nice little surprise while watching Monday Night Football last night: two commercials I'm in are running now. One for Marriott Hotels. The other for Domino's Pizza. Glad to have the work. Makes up for the times when things get slow. Back on the audition trail today...

I meet with Neutrino-mate, Kurt Braunohler, to trouble-shoot burning a Neutrino DVD off my computer today. Evidently Time Out New York wants to recommend our show with Centralia this weekend during an appearance on NBC this Saturday morning. Therefore, we'll be giving them one of our shows from last year's appearance in Aspen -- along with audience reaction afterwards.

I also meet with Matt Oberg today to finalize some of our follow-up pitch material for The Weathermen Boys. We have a couple of different parties who want to know our ideas for the next 5 episodes out of our pilot. We'll hopefully turn them over to the powers-that-be by the end of this week. We feel good about what we have.

The life of an actor and a writer: always moving, always creating, always looking for the next thing...

November 27th, 2005
Went to the Knicks game yesterday. Awesome. The Knicks won in overtime on a 3-point shot by Nate Robinson. Great game.

Rented a crap-load of movies from Blockbuster. Watched two of them (so far). Saw (good movie, great writing) and The Big Lebowski (another good Coen brothers movie, some great scenes). On tap next...The Whale Rider, Some Like it Hot and Station Agent.

This week: industrial gig, auditions, Neutrino show and writing, writing, writing...

November 24th, 2005
Happy Thanksgiving!

Went into the holiday on a good note: did a couple of days on the set of a new film called Purple Violets shooting here in New York. It's directed by Ed Burns and stars Burns, Patrick Wilson, Selma Blaire and Debra Messing. Good experience. I play a bookstore manager in the story. Ed impressed me as: 1.) A great, down-to-earth guy, and 2.) An actor's director. Hope to work with him (and the rest) again down the line...

After the holiday...I do some more work for AT&T and Matt and I complete a follow-up submission for The Weathermen Boys as a TV show. Keep your fingers crossed...

A great weekend to you and your's,
Blob

November 14th, 2005
I'm proud to say that I recently took part in a wonderful event here in New York. It involved a half-penguin, half-chicken named Chengwin. Check out the video here.

Also...I'm getting back into the teaching game (at least for awhile). If you have any interest in learning about improv comedy -- and how to turn it into paying jobs for yourself, check out my class here called "Improv to Cash."

Thanks!
Blob

November 11th, 2005
Sorry, it's been awhile since I last posted an entry here. Lots o' developments...

Following up on my earlier posts about that interview I did with the cable access show, The Resident...the episode I'm in is scheduled to air this Monday night (November 14th) at 10pm in New York City on Time Warner Channel 67 (RCN's 110). Check out the show's website here to find out how to view the episode off the internet. Thanks for your support.

Matt and I had some industry meetings regarding our sitcom pilot "The Weathermen Boys" this week. All went well. Some promising leads. Hopefully, they'll result in the show coming to a TV near you sometime soon -- in one form or fashion. I'll, obviously, let you know here on the site if that happens.

Matt and I also booked some road gigs for our POW show this week. We'll be coming to Washington D.C. in the new year along with a gig or two in Minneapolis. Once we get all the details nailed down, I'll post the information (where, when, etc.) on my shows page here.

Also...be prepared for a new run of the POW show (with Matt and I performing new material in it) in the new year here in New York. I will also post those show dates and times once we get them nailed down.

Finally (on that front)...we're also in the early stages of building our own website. Shouldn't take very long -- once we really get cracking on it. I'll let you know.

Neutrino, my improv comedy team, is continuing its run of video shows -- the Neutrino Video Projects (NVP) -- as well. Tonight we do a show at The Magnet Theater in New York (I won't be there due to the standup gig I'm committed to doing tonight). And on Saturday, Decemember 3rd we'll be collaborating with Centralia -- another kickass improv group in New York with lots of experience with video and long-form improv work. Should be very cool. Check out my shows page for details.

I booked and shot a national commercial for Domino's Pizza this week. I don't know the exact targeted air-date yet but the spot involves me playing a dad who has issues with keeping his home lights on. Should be a fun(ny) spot. Hopefully, it does well...

At last...I was approached by some of the folks involved with AT&T again this week about doing some more industrial work for them. This time at an event in December. We'll see what happens. The early ideas possibly involve Matt's participation so that would be fun.

Have a great weekend and thank you again for your support.
Bob

November 4th, 2005
Standup class on Tuesday went great. It's extremely helpful being educated on the building blocks of good standup. Up to this point, I had pretty much been winging it everytime up. Now I feel like I can start to have a technique or strategy when going up there with jokes. I'm pumped about putting in the work to be a competent standup -- just like I did to become a competent improviser and sketch comedian.

Shot the AT&T industrial today in Washington Square Park. It went well (at least the folks with AT&T seemed pleased). We shot a lot of stuff and I did my best to give them some variety of things to choose from.

The speaking engagement at Columbia U. was fun. Lots of eager writing students wanting to know how Matt and I go about writing our material. We hopefully inspired them to create and gave them helpful tips on getting their thoughts on paper. Speaking of...

Matt and I are putting the finishing touches on our show treatments for some upcoming meetings. I feel good about them. I feel like I'm at the same stage I was when I was working as a TV reporter in Wichita, Kansas. I knew I was capable of performing on a bigger stage. I just needed someone to believe in me and give me the chance.

I did a Neutrino video show last night in Soho. It was a lot of fun. We were a skeleton group (just 4 of us) but I think we turned out a very cool, entertaining short film -- based on the suggestions of the audience at the beginning of the night. The last few times we've performed the NVP show, I've been proud of how competent all of us have gotten in performing the form. I think after 4-something years of doing the show, we're finally kind of hitting our stride with the thing. Maybe all those shows in Scotland did serve a larger purpose for us...

Centralia, another long-form improv troupe in New York, has approached us about the idea of collaborating on a video show in December. It's a very exciting prospect as Centralia is comprised of some of the most talented improvisers around and teaming up with them on a show should be very interesting...

Have a great weekend,
Bob

October 31st, 2005
Found out Friday that I booked a role in another film. Very cool. This one is directed by Ed Burns and stars Debra Messing and Selma Blaire. Shoots in November. Should be a great experience. Looking forward to it.

Tomorrow Matt and I meet with a producer (with an impressive list of credits) who wants to talk to us about "The Weathermen Boys." We'll see what's on her mind. We're hopeful that good things will lead from it...

On Thursday, we go to Columbia University to speak to writing students about our comedy work together. We'll perform about 15 minutes of our POW show and then answer questions. Pizza included in the deal. Nice.

I end the week with some industrial work for AT&T. I've done some gigs for them in the past. They're good people. Should be fun.

Did my last of 3 standup gigs at Governor's on Long Island Sunday night. I'm learning. To that end, I'll start sitting in on a standup class tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to putting in the work to become a competent standup...

Kit Kats and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for all trick-or-treaters who come our way this evening.

Happy Halloween,
Blob

October 28th, 2005
Standup gig last night went very well. Short and sweet. Back at it Sunday night. Then I'll start sitting in on a standup class there. I'm excited about adding standup to my comedy tool box...

Commercial shoot was good. Should be a fun spot (airing on the East Coast only). I spent a lot of my downtime on set writing a treatment for one of our TV show ideas. There's usually a lot of downtime as an actor waiting to shoot on a set. So it was nice to be able to use that time to do something somewhat constructive.

The commercial consisted of kind of an all-star cast of commercial actors -- people who appear in a lot of commercials. It was interesting to hear about their jobs on Broadway, film and elsewhere. We're all in the same boat hustling from one job to the next.

It's funny when you have classically-trained actors who've been performing serious theater at night using their skills to peddle products in a commercial during the day: "What's my motivation to sell this cleaning product?"

I have a callback today for a commercial that shoots in Prague. Weird but true. It's fun to daydream about booking a job in Prague. I'm sure everyone who got the callback is doing the same thing as me. Sadly, only one of us will actually live that dream...

This afternoon I have a couple of conference calls. One with Matt and our team of representatives. The other with my manager, Vincent, and literary agent, Pete Stone, in L.A. Both calls revolve around our TV and film writing projects. Promising leads on both fronts...

October 27th, 2005
Busy week.

I shoot a commercial for BJ's Wholesale Club today. It will involve me jumping up and down in slow-motion (my expertise). Speaking of slo-mo...there's a guy in a new AOL spot who's in slo-mo that some people are mistaking for me. It's not. My wife, frankly, is a little depressed over the confusion. ;-)

After the shoot, I do another standup gig at Governor's out on Long Island. I did a set Sunday night too. It's going to take me awhile to get proficient at this stuff (my background is in improv and sketch). That's O.K. It's part of the process of learning anything new.

Matt and I have been ramping up our TV show ideas in preparation for some meetings we have with development folks in the coming weeks. We're very excited about what we have and feel good that something positive is going to come out of all this.

We also continue to work with a corporate producer in D.C. in putting together a promo video for our POW show. It's taking awhile but we'll get it done. Here again, I'm confident that show will do very well on the corporate circuit -- once we really get it out there.

Did my formal interview with the folks at The Resident -- that cable access show I talked about in previous posts here. It went well, I think. I'll let you know when it airs -- and where -- so you can tune in if you like.

I might have booked another film role. Nothing confirmed yet but it looks promising. As soon as anything becomes official, I'll let you know.

I'm off to jumping in slow-motion now...
Blob

October 23rd, 2005
Good weekend. Found out I booked a commercial (for BJ's Wholesale Club) and the Neutrino show Friday went great (big audience, good show). Tonight I do a standup gig at Governor's Comedy Cabaret on Long Island. Tomorrow I have a callback for a voice over job as well as a couple of other auditions.

October 21st, 2005
Busy week...

Shot an industrial for AT&T on Wednesday at their headquareters in New Jersey. Had fun working with the folks at Time Line Video again (shout out to Chris Ryan and Dan Krystallis!). This project will be shown to AT&T workers sometime in November, I'm told.

Afterwards I went into the city for the wrap party of the film, The Hoax. My brother, Jim, and I only stayed for a little bit (we're not much for parties) but it was nice to catch up with him and make the scene a little bit.

Speaking of films...I auditioned for a couple of small roles in a new film being shot here in New York starring Debra Messing (of Will and Grace fame) and Ed Burns. We'll see...

Matt and I met yesterday to go over some stuff -- including the work on a promotional video for our POW show on the corporate circuit. The video still has a long way to go but we're getting there. To that end, we'll probably be heading down to D.C. in a couple of weeks to do some finish-up work on it.

We also went over our TV show pitches a bit and brain-stormed some rough ideas for a possible holiday stage show we might do. We've got A LOT of work in front of us right now (it's all good but still...a lot of work) and not a lot of time to get it done. As a result, we need to figure out what our needs are and work accordingly.

Peppered in among all this...lots of commercial auditions this week (with a fair amount of callbacks). Getting callbacks are always a good sign. It usually means you're gonna book something soon. Always nice to book -- whether it be commercials, industrials, TV shows or films. They all allow you to do your craft and get paid to do it.

Neutrino show tonight -- 8pm at The P.I.T. The show will include some guests from Boston (fellow improvisers up there who are interested in performing our NVP show in Boston) and the folks from the cable access show, The Resident. Should be fun.

Have a great weekend,
Bob

October 15th, 2005
Quite a bit of activity on the booking front these days:

Matt and I are confirmed as guest speakers at Columbia University on November 3rd. We'll be performing some of our original material (from the POW show) and then fielding questions from writing students as part of the University's Comedy Writers Lunch series.

The corporate booking company we're working with down in Washington DC is putting the finishing touches on a promotional video for our POW show. We plan to use this video to help us book more corporate entertainment gigs in the future. The show really is perfect for corporate entertainment.

I've committed to another standup gig. This one for the Laughing Liberally series. Check out my shows page for details on that gig -- and other standup slots I have coming up at Governor's on Long Island.

On Wednesday of this upcoming week, I travel to AT&T in New Jersey to do some industrial work. That night I will attend the wrap party for the Lasse Hallstrom movie I recently worked on, The Hoax.

This upcoming Friday night (October 21st), I'll be performing with Neutrino doing the NVP show at The PIT here in New York City. As part of the show, I'll be doing some interview snipits for a cable-access show called The Resident.

Neutrino also has a couple more gigs that we're in the middle of confirming right now before the end of the year. I'll let you know here on the site when they become official.

Also putting the finishing touches on negotiations for teaching an improv class at The PIT. I think it'll be a good one.

Finally...Matt and I continue to work on the TV show pitches. We have pitch meetings tentatively scheduled in a few weeks with some of the industry folks we met through the TV festival. Keep your fingers crossed all goes well...

It's good to be busy, folks. Good to be busy.

Bob

October 13th, 2005
Met with Matt and Vincent again yesterday to go over our TV show ideas. Slowly but surely we're getting there on some really good pitches. It'll take a little bit longer than I had originally hoped to get in order but we all agree there's no rush (pitch season for new comedies is winding down already) and we want to make sure our ideas are solid when we pitch them.

I'm also in the early stages of getting back into the teaching of improv (I'm right now negotiating a class at The P.I.T.). Looking forward to getting back into this - not only do I enjoy helping people learn the joys and discoveries of improv and acting, but I find that I learn a lot from my students as well.

Bob

October 9th, 2005
Matt, Vincent, and I met Friday to brain-storm some ideas for TV shows -- in addition to our completed pilot, "The Weathermen Boys." We're very excited in that we feel like we have a handful of some really good ideas. We'll follow up with one another on Wednesday and get our pitches in order for meetings within the next couple of weeks (hopefully).

I'm thankful that our good showing at the TV festival recently has opened some doors for us and exposed people in the industry to our sense of humor and what we're capable of doing as writers, performers, etc.

I'm having a little trouble posting new show information on the site right now but I should be able to get that rectified shortly. In the meantime, I have a lot of new gigs (standup, improv, sketch) coming up within the next month or so. I'll keep you posted one way or the other here.

Watched Reservoir Dogs (Quentin Tarantino's first full-length film) for the first time last night. Great movie. Very good. Glad I saw it. And I'm almost through Bad Santa with Billy Bob Thornton. Also very good. I love the dark humor in it. I'm a fan of Billy Bob Thornton. He brings something very interesting, dark and real to every character he plays. I really enjoy his work.

I'm reading the book "Down and Dirty Pictures" by Peter Biskind right now. Great book -- especially for someone interested in the entertainment industry and the world of independent film production. For good or bad, it's a real page-turner. Among other things, the book documents how Tarantino and Thornton came onto the scene. Interesting to hear about their struggles coming up and their adjustments to success.

Talk soon,
Blob

October 5th, 2005
At last word, the Associated Press is scheduled to publish an article on our sitcom pilot and the TV festival, in general, on Friday. I'll let you know of any new developments as I get them. The reporter who interviewed us at the festival was very complimentary about our work so hopefully we'll make the final cut with good reviews.

Right now, Matt and I are busy trying to fill all the requests for DVDs. It's taking us awhile but we're getting them out there to the people who want them. Hopefully, they'll lead to good things...

I've agreed to do some standup gigs at Governor's Comedy Club out on Long Island in the next few weeks. Once I get specifics, I'll post them here on the site.

Talk later,
Bob

October 2nd, 2005
Well, the New York Television Festival has come and gone. It went great. Thankfully, the feedback we got was awesome -- from audiences and industry alike. Several industry folks approached us expressing an interest in the pilot and our work in general. We'll now spend the coming weeks setting up meetings and getting our DVD out to more people. Time will tell if anything comes out of this. Keep your fingers crossed...

Now Matt and I turn our writing attention towards our screenplay idea. The work never stops...

September 30th, 2005
Our first screening (for industry only) yesterday went awesome. Consistent, big, hardy laughs. With an industry-only crowd we didn't expect much reaction so to hear big laughs was great. We were very happy. Afterwards we gave out several DVDs of the show to people so we'll see what happens.

Today is our second, and final, screening for industry (here's hoping it goes as well as yesterday's). Then tomorrow the public screenings begin. Should be fun...

I'll give you another update when the festival's over. Until then...

This is Blob signing off.

September 27th, 2005
We're doing a lot of media stuff in advance of the New York Television Festival (which starts tomorrow night with a kick-off party). Look for...

* An interview in Thursday's edition of Backstage

* A segment on CBS-2 (New York) during their 5 o'clock news today

* An L.A. Times article -- with supporting photo(s) -- in Thursday's paper

* A segment with Alice Stockton-Rossini of 1010 WINS

* And finally...Matt and I do a series of radio interviews -- for Envision Radio stations across the country -- Friday morning from 9am-10am.

Blob

September 22nd, 2005
This morning I did an interview with a crew from WCBS-TV here in New York talking about our pilot for the New York Television Festival. It went well (I think). Their piece is scheduled to air next Tuesday (September 27th) during their 5pm news so keep your eyes peeled for it if you're in the area.

Tomorrow, Matt and I are supposed to take part in a photo shoot with the L.A. Times. I guess they too are doing a piece about the festival. Next week we're scheduled to do some radio interviews as well.

All this media coverage is a good sign that the festival is doing a great job in getting people excited about the pilots involved in this thing. It all gets underway next Thursday with our first screening. I hope all goes well. You never know how audiences will react...

This evening, I've got to read a script for an independent film that the producer is considering me for the lead in. My manager gave me the script a couple of days ago and I had hoped to read it sooner but I haven't had a chance. I hope it's good. It's always flattering when people say, "Hey, I'd like you to look at this thing and tell me if you'd be interested in being involved." I'd love to add more film work to my experience as an actor.

That commercial where I had to read poetry for the audition...I got a callback for it tomorrow. Evidently, the director liked my take on Yeats. ;-)

Blob

September 20th, 2005
I spent part of my day today riding the 6 train in Manhattan rehearsing a scene from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The scene takes place on a train and I'm doing it for an acting class I'm currently taking with Peter Miner.

My scene partner and I decided: what the hell. Let's do this thing while we're riding the subway! So we did. It was fun and very good to do -- even though we probably looked pretty strange to those riding the train with us. Oh well. Our class is tonight so we'll see if this rehearsal technique pays off.

This morning I did a commercial audition for the Massachusetts Lottery. The copy for the spot had nothing to do with poetry. Even so, in the audition, we were asked to read a poem by Yeats to camera. I don't know what that has to do with selling lottery tickets but I didn't ask questions. It was kinda fun actually to do.

Afterwards I had a coffee with an old improv friend, Doug Moe. It was great to catch up with him. I've always liked Doug. In sharing our trials and tribulations in the acting business with one another, we agreed with the saying that actors are like sharks: we must keep moving to live.

Shortly after the coffee, the folks at the New York Television Festival called me to see if'd be willing and able to do a local TV interview on Thursday in support of the event. I am. It'll be a good opportunity for me to plug our pilot -- and the festival in general. Hope it goes well.

Speaking of the festival...Matt and I reached out to a friend of mine, Chris Himes, to see if he'd be willing to pinch-edit for us as we wrap up the final touches on our DVD for The Weathermen Boys. Kevin Scott, our regular editor, is swamped with work this week and won't be able to do all the work necessary to get our stuff done in time for the festival. Thankfully, Chris is available and will be a great addition to the process.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers are 3-0 folks. Go big red!

Blob

September 18th, 2005
Busy week ahead...

Tomorrow I plan on meeting with Matt and Kevin to start hammering out the DVD of our sitcom pilot, "The Weathermen Boys." The trailers are up and running on TV Guide's website (although, at last check, our's was not running properly -- doesn't start or end correctly; no sound) for the festival. Regardless, you can check 'em out here (and even vote for your favorite one, if you like).

The DVD editing will take awhile this week as we plan/hope to have a number of extra features -- including director's commentary, deleted scenes, etc. -- on them. Our goal is to have the DVDs ready in time for the festival (September 28th-October 2nd) for anybody who wants them (industry or otherwise).

By the way...individual tickets go on sale for the festival starting tomorrow. Check out the festival website or my shows page for screening details. I would love to see you there at one of the screenings for "The Weathermen Boys!"

In between editing tomorrow I've got a couple of commercial auditions. This is a busy time of year for commercial work as many companies are gearing up new ads for the fall season and football. You can catch me (in a t-shirt and boxers) in a new spot for Marriott Hotels currently on air.

On Tuesday, I have the second session of my Peter Miner acting class at T. Schreiber Studios here in New York. I'm doing a scene from the movie, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, that I have to rehearse with my scene partner before class time.

At some point this week I also expect the second script from the Pepper Dennis people in L.A. (I'm a consultant for the soon-to-be-aired WB show). I don't suspect I'll be giving a lot of notes (the first script they sent me was really good) but it does take some time and effort to go through regardless.

This week I'll also touch base with some of my improv friends in Louisville who have, once again, invited us to come do a show down there (they just flew us down there for a show in August). This time the show will be in January and, hopefully, will involve a corporate gig (or two) while we're there. We'll see how it works out...

And, finally, Matt Oberg and I have started the ball rolling on our screenplay idea. We met for the first time Friday and we're both excited about the potential of this story idea. We think it could result in a really good script.

To that end, my literary agent in L.A. (Pete Stone at BWCS -- great guy) is sending me some movie scripts that might be helpful for our research into the topic. Pete is really excited about the idea too and is anxious to see what we do with it. We just need to find time to do the work...

Like I said...busy week.

Talk to you soon,
Blob

September 15th, 2005
One of the greatest mysteries in my acting experience was cleared up today.

About 9 months ago (I think it was) my commercial agent had me go to an audition in a strange theater space on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The casting person directed me to a sign-up sheet upstairs and told me not to bring anything up with me.

Before going up, I noticed an actress preparing to leave who had what appeared to be tear stains on her makeup. I thought, "She must have been crying from the cold wind outside" and I headed up to the sign-in sheet.

The sign-in sheet was in a very long, narrow hallway with actors -- waiting to audition -- seated against one of the walls (making a narrow hallway even more narrow). We were told there was no copy to look over so I -- and the others -- just sat waiting for our turn in the audition room.

After a couple of minutes, I started to hear some yelling from the audition room. Suddendly, a girl came out of the room...crying. She screamed, "F--- you!", slammed the door and stormed past us as she left. All of us actors in the hallway sat there in shock and I said, out loud, "What the hell was that about?" Nobody said anything. I thought to myself, "This must be a prank."

The girl next to me -- also creeped out by what just happened -- said, "That's weird. I know that girl who just came out and something reeeealy bad would have had to have happened in there for her to do that."

A male actor was called into the room.

After a couple of minutes, we heard screaming again. Then out came that male actor, screaming at the top of his lungs, "F--- YOU!!!" He stormed out. And -- this time -- I was right behind him.

I walked out of the audition.

It was too strange. I didn't know what was going on but I knew I didn't want to experience what was going on in that room.

What made the experience even more creepy is that when I got outside with the male actor who had just come out of the audition room all emotional and I asked him, "What happened in there?!" he responded very creepily with something like, "I don't know. You should go back in there and find out."

I called my agent immediately afterwards but -- until today -- I never found out what that whole thing was about. Until today...

I ran into -- at another audtion -- one of the actresses who was on that audition with me. She remembered me walking out and told me that she had ended up booking the job. "What was the job?" I asked.

I guess it was some forum for film-makers to use some new camera technology. And one of the film-makers decided to use us actors as guinea-pigs in her use of the cameras: she instructed the actors in the audition room to get irate, storm out of the room and not say anything to anyone about what just happened. She then used the videotaped outbursts in the room as her subject matter for her video exercise with the new cameras.

On one hand, it's a cool experiment. I'm sure the director -- and her crew -- got some very interesting reactions from everyone involved (including me walking out).

But, on the other hand, I thought it was lame and disrespectful for her to manipulate out-of-work actors -- and their time -- in taking part in her experiment without their prior knowledge as to what was going on.

Either way...the mystery is solved! I -- and you -- now know the full story behind the strangest audition I've ever been on!

Good day,
Blob

September 13th, 2005
Every once in awhile you get the luxury of stepping back and seeing yourself as others see you. You, for whatever reason, get perspective on yourself. These are rare opportunities because we are often the last ones to know how we are truly seen in other people's eyes. I feel like I'm experiencing one of those moments right now. Therefore, let me just say this about myself...

I'm way too upbeat people. I end way too many sentences -- when writing -- with exclamation points. Case in point! And I'm also pretty self-centered and seemingly obsessed with career goals and attaining them.

Well, let me just say -- in self-defense of myself. -- this..

1.) I'm upbeat and optimistic in part because of my upbringing (that's the way we're taught to be where I come from) and because of my disposition (I've always been a relatively optimistic person who's surrounded himself with relatively optimistic people). Pardon me if I have sunshine coming out of my ass sometimes.

2.) As an actor I am, by definition, self-centered (I have a website dedicated to myself for God's sake). If it's any consolation, I get sick of myself sometimes too and I'm happy when my wife and family remind me that there's much more going on in the world than "What is Bob Wiltfong up to right now?"

3.) Everyone has their own particular way of getting through life. Mine just happens to involve obsessively creating goals and working feverishly to attain them (call it the German in me ;-) ). It's a strength -- and failure -- of mine. I have to remind myself often that the joy in life lies in the journey not the end destination.

So, folks, if you've ever read this blog or seen something I've written or watched me perform comedy and said to yourself, "You know what? I don't care for this dude." Join the club. I get pretty disgusted with myself sometimes too.

On the other hand...I'm the only me I've got and there are a lot of people in this world who love me (hi, Mom!) so pardon me while I continue with my sun-shiney, self-centered, anal-retentive ways with more thoughts on myself and my career. Or should I say...my career!!!

First class of Peter Miner acting class tonight. It was good. He gave me and my scene partner the train scene in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to do for our first exercise. I did O.K. in it. The scene's a little tricky as there are quite a few emotional twists and turns that happen in a brief amount of time.

The general notes I got were: you did a good job with your choices in the scene (in other words, "you acted well") but your choices were wrong. I didn't necessarily fulfill what the character should/would be feeling/doing given the circumstances of this scene in his life at that moment. We'll try the scene again next week in class -- with these notes in mind -- and see if I can do better with it.

This class will be a good weekly exercise for me and I'm confident I'll come out of it a much better actor than before.

The Mets are done, folks. Lost to the Nationals at Shea tonight. Horrible. Always next year...

Blob

September 13th, 2005
Spent yesterday logging video for the DVD of our Weathermen Boys sitcom pilot. The plan is to have the DVD -- complete with a full menu of extra features -- done in time for the festival (which starts September 29th). This means we'll be busy editing stuff for awhile.

When it's all done, we hope/plan to have director's commentary, deleted scenes, bloopers, behind-the-scenes video and production stills. That's a lot of stuff for 3 guys to put together on a home computer (with Final Cut Pro). But we'll get it done.

Start my acting class with Peter Miner at T. Schreiber Studios tonight. I'm looking forward to it.

September 11th, 2005
Four years ago today a friend of mine was killed in the 9/11 attacks. Glen Pettit was an outstanding photographer and an even better person. Glen worked part-time as a photographer at News 12 Long Island and full-time as a photographer for the NYPD Video Unit. On 9/11 he was last seen following firefighters into the basement of one of the World Trade Center buildings -- doing what he loved to do: shooting video.

Glen supported my interest in comedy and acting. He routinely came to my shows in the city and loved joking around with me. Glen's life, and death, taught me that life is far too short to NOT do what you love to do. He is the primary reason I'm doing now with my life what I'm doing.

Please visit this website to find out more about Glen and who he was. He is with me always.

September 10th, 2005
Did two callbacks yesterday. Two different experiences.

The first was for an industrial (an acting job for use in the corporate world -- not seen on TV or the big screen). When I got the information about the callback my agent's assistant said something like "Oh, you're their number two." Meaning: going into the callbacks, you're not the number one choice for the job. It's someone else's to win or lose. You're there in case the number one blows the callback or, for whatever reason, can't do the job.

This happens all the time in callbacks. There is usually one (or two or three) people who are really the focus for getting the job and the rest are there just to make the people casting the job feel secure in their final choice (it's like, "Yeah, I saw this guy plus about 10 others in the callback and he's definitely the right choice.")

Usually, as an actor, you don't hear when you're the second (or third or fourth) choice because no one ever tells you. It's probably best that way. You can beat yourself up hearing all the reasons as to why you didn't book a job -- sometimes the reasons are ridiculous (he looks like somebody I hated in high school) or legitimate.

But other times, like yesterday's callback for this industrial, you do know where you stack up. And, in yesterday's case, it was good for me to know. Why? Because going into the callback, I knew what to expect. There was no pressure on me. I wasn't the guy and I could feel it throughout the callback -- from the casting director to the guy actually casting the spot in the audition room: this job was not mine to win (or lose). It was someone else's.

The more I audition for stuff, the more I like auditions like this because you're really going into the room with less a feeling of "Don't blow it" to more of a feeling of "Let's just have fun and show them what I'm capable of doing -- for down the line."

And that's exactly what I did in that audition yesterday. I did a go of the copy that I felt wasn't going to get me this particular job but made a good impression that it may book me with the same people down the line.

The second callback was really exciting. It was for the Vice Principal role in the hit Broadway show, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." I say it was "exciting" because:

1.) It's on Broadway and is a great, hit show

2.) The role is a great, fun role that stresses improv work (which is my background and training)

3.) Auditioning for a Broadway play was something I never experienced before and just getting a callback was a victory.

The audition itself was a little intimidating as you did your stuff in front of the whole creative team (about 15 people) in a big, empty studio. These are people who have seen the stuff you're doing a million times -- they've created the scenes and characters you're performing. So anytime you can move a crowd like that to laugh or take interest is good. I'm happy to say that I made them laugh several times.

Do I think I booked the job? No. But do I think I did a good job representing what I can do as a performer. Yes. And that, at the end of the day, is the best you can ask from any audition.

It's a total bummer to go into an audition and walk out afterwards feeling like you didn't give it your all or you should have done something different. With yesterday's callbacks I walked out of both feeling like I did the best I could. Whether I book the jobs is out of my hands. But, at the very least, I feel like I showed them what Bob Wiltfong would do in the roles -- if given the opportunity.

Talk to you later,
Bob

September 8th, 2005
Very busy couple of days. Lots of auditions. A fair amount of callbacks too. We'll see if any of them result in bookings...

The New York Television Festival website is now updated with our screening information. Very cool. Check it out here. If you can make it, we'd love to have all the support we can get at our screenings of The Weathermen Boys (listed in Comedy 2 on the festival website)! We're putting the finishing touches on our final cut of the show right now. We'll hand it in to the festival folks tomorrow (Friday).

Neutrino show Saturday night. I'm playing the role of producer for this one (we all take turns in that role for our shows). It should be a fun show as we're performing in a new space for us -- Juvie Hall -- with some new people (guests from Juvie Hall).

College football season is underway folks. Big games Saturday. My wife's alma mater, University of Texas, plays Ohio State. While Nebraska (my team) plays Wake Forest. Both games are on TV and at night. I'll have to TiVo them both as I'll be performing with Neutrino when they happen. Thank God for TiVo.

Saw Coldplay last night in concert. AWESOME. Great show. You know you're old when you:

1.) Wear ear plugs to a concert and are happy you did.

2.) You're happy you're in a section where people are sitting -- rather than standing -- for most of the concert (it's just nice to soak in the music and chill out).

I was surprised by two things Chris Martin -- the lead singer of Coldplay -- said to the audience at points:

1.) He encouraged the audience to ignore the critics who say being into Coldplay isn't cool.

2.) He addressed people who criticized his band for dedicating a song to the Hurricane Katrina victims the night before -- he told those people "f--- you."

I was surprised by these comments because:

1.) Here's a guy who's in one of the most popular bands in the world right now (I mean, they sold out 2 nights at Madison Square Garden, for God's sake) and he feels the need to address the band's critics. F--- 'em, I say. I like Coldplay and I find it ridiculous that anyone -- including the band itself -- would have to defend itself for doing so. There's always going to be people who don't like you -- especially when you're doing well...

My wife was quick to point out to me -- and rightly so -- that artists are artists no matter how well they're doing: we're all sensitive to criticism. Even one of the biggest bands in the world right now reads its reviews and gets put off when somebody slams them. Everyone has people who hate them.

2.) It amazes me that some people in this country would criticize an English band for dedicating one of their songs to victims of an American tragedy. Just because Coldplay is from the U.K. they can't identify with what's going on down there? Ridiculous. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Getting off my soap box now...
Blob

September 5th, 2005
So I turned in notes for the first Pepper Dennis script I've read. I e-mailed the notes to Gretchen and Aaron -- rather than give them over a phone -- because I thought they would be easier to work off of and refer to that way. Hope that helps them. We'll follow-up with phone calls if need be.

Really it was kind of hard to find things to give notes on. The script is very good (this show's gonna be good, folks) and my notes were limited to mostly, "In the real world of TV news this wouldn't happen, but only a real TV reporter would know that..." sort of stuff.

However, I do think the notes I gave will give their script just that little seasoning of authenticity that allows viewers to hand themselves over completely to the story. At the end of the day, you don't want any moments in your script where people are saying, "That wouldn't happen" or "That's not right." Hopefully, my notes will help prevent those moments from happening. This first script I don't think has major moments like that.

Tomorrow we turn in our final cut of "The Weathermen Boys" pilot for the folks at the New York Television Festival. The cut we turned in to be considered for the festival was really a first cut -- rather than a final. We hadn't done a sound mix for the whole thing and there were some edits we wanted to tweak. Soooo...we'll be using this Labor Day to labor on our final cut. After we turn that in, we just pretty much wait for the festival. Oh. And we also get cracking on putting together a DVD of the thing -- complete with bonus features -- in time for the festival. I forgot about that. We're gonna be editing that stuff for awhile. The work is never done...

Jill and I are going to the Coldplay concert at MSG on Wednesday. We're looking forward to it. Coldplay has taken a beating in the press recently -- undeservedly so I think. I guess that's the price you pay for getting a lot of hype and publicity around your work: people judge you at a much higher standard and what made you cool to begin with, all of the sudden, makes you un-cool.

It seems to me there are some people in the entertainment industry who have a general disdain for anyone trying to break out of the underground and become something bigger than what they are. Green Day has certainly taken a beating in the past for doing that. Now it's Coldplay's turn I guess.

Watched the movie "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" in the last few days. Great movie. Good writing and great acting from Hepburn and Tracy -- and Portier. The thing you could tell with Hepburn and Tracy's scenes is they felt natural -- like they weren't acting. That's the goal of any actor: to look like you're not acting. So to see people do that really stands out. To that end...

I start a new acting class (with Peter Miner) next week. Looking forward to it...

Blob

September 1st, 2005
So I had planned on using today to:

1.) Send out an update to my mailing list peeps (thanks for your support!)

2.) E-mail back some folks that have sent me questions off this website here recently

Unfortunately, my website e-mail is not working right now so I'll have to wait until I get it fixed to do some of that stuff. In the meantime, here are some questions (and answers) I've gotten recently:

Any recommendations on good improv classes?

If you're in the New York City area, I highly recommend classes at any of the following three theaters: The PIT, The Magnet, and the UCB.

UCB is where I took most of my classes starting off but that was back when the theater was first starting (back when Amy Poehler et al were teaching classes). I haven't performed at the UCB -- or taken classes there -- for a few years now so I don't know what their classes are like now. Regardless, I'm sure they would give you a good grounding in the concepts of yes-and and the like.

The Magnet has who I think is the best improv teacher in New York: Armando Diaz. He's awesome. He taught me -- and tons of others that you may know from TV, film and/or stage -- the basics of good improv. Everyone interested in improv should take a class from Armando at some point -- in my opinion.

The PIT is pretty much my "home" theater right now. It's where I do most of my shows. Their instructors -- from top to bottom -- are fantastic (especially if you're interested in writing and/or improv that's pushing the envelope).

If you're NOT in the New York City area (or any other place that has good improv class options)...I suggest you buy a book called "Truth in Comedy" by Charna Halpern and Del Close as a starting point for your education on long-form improv. Then I would contact your local theater and see if there are any like-minded teachers and/or actors who would like to do regular improv exercises/rehearsals with you. I would also suggest you attend any improv festivals and/or workshops happening in your area that have good teachers or performers of improv involved in them.

Good luck! Improv comedy is awesome. I hope it gives you as much joy as it has in my life...

Can I send you some of my comedy work for your feedback/advice?

I would love to help but I don't think you could count on me to reliably get back to you anytime soon. I'm just too busy doing my own stuff. Sorry.

My best advice for you is to regularly perform what you do in front of live audiences. Audiences can tell you more about your work than any notes a single person can give you. If you approach your work that way all your goals and/or aspirations for it will start to work themselves out.

How did you become a correspondent on The Daily Show?

The short answer is: I consistently performed my craft in front of live audiences, did a decent audition for the show and got a lucky break.

The long answer is: I worked for 10 years as a real TV reporter/anchor. For 4 of those 10 years, I performed improv and sketch comedy on the side (at the UCB and elsewhere) on a regular basis in New York. In March of 2002, I quit TV news to pursue comedy and acting full-time. I wrote a one-man show. I performed it in front of live audiences on a regular basis. One night, some folks at The Daily Show saw me perform the show. They called me in for an audition and I got a job at the show.

There is no one way to land a job at a place like The Daily Show or SNL or whatever. And the chances of you doing it are very small (just being realistic). I'm a firm believer that if you just keep plugging away at the work -- and finding joy in it -- jobs and the rest take care of themselves. Whether you end up at The Daily Show or SNL or wherever is out of your hands (you're reliant on other people offering you a job to work there) but how good your work is is completely in your hands. If your work is good, trust me, those places like The Daily Show, SNL, etc. will find you. Now if they actually hire you...that's up to the gods of comedy.

Do you have any family ties in Kansas or Missouri?

Wiltfong isn't exactly a common name. Yes, both of my parents were born and raised in Kansas and I have family throughout the Midwest. Chances are if you have Wiltfong in your family tree and you live in the Midwest, we're related in some form or fashion. In other words, I bet you one of my peeps slept with one of your peeps at some point.

Thanks for your interest, support and e-mails everybody!

Talk to you later,
Bob

August 31st, 2005
Got my first Pepper Dennis script to look over. It's good. I'm excited about this show hitting the air. It's got this Ally-McBeal-in-a-newsroom thing going on. Very cool.

Talked to my manager about what role(s) might be good for me to audition for in the School for Scoundrels script. Keep your fingers crossed...

Great news...our sitcom pilot "The Weathermen Boys" got accepted into the New York Television Festival! An official announcement on their website and elsewhere should be forthcoming. Very cool. All our hard work will be screened by industry and the public afterall. This is what I teased a few days ago on this blog as the "exciting news" I had to share. The festival organizers had asked me to keep it under wraps for awhile until everything was finalized -- and now it is.

Once I get exact screening details, I'll post that information here on my shows page. Suffice it to say, the festival runs from September 28th-October 3rd here in New York City. I'd love to have your support at one (or all) of the screenings -- if you can make it!

Speaking of shows...Neutrino is gearing up for an NVP show at Juvie Hall here in New York on Saturday, September 10th. We're looking forward to it. We've never done a show at Juvie Hall before and it'll be fun to play in a different space with some of their peeps. Following that, we have a gig at The PIT in October, one at The Magnet in November or December and then, hopefully, one at the UCB as well.

We're trying to do all the major improv theaters in New York as a way of keeping ourselves challenged and showing love for what all the theaters do here. These are all theaters we've performed at individually -- and have been influenced by -- so it'll be fun to give a little something back by doing shows with their peeps.

August 30th, 2005
I'm reading a new script by Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong right now called "School for Scoundrels." It's very funny. Scot and I came up at the UCB at the same time and took classes together. He and Todd have done some very funny movies together -- Old School, Road Trip -- and this script reads like it might be their funniest yet (at least it's making me laugh a lot).

In reading the script I'm trying to identify a role that I might be good at and then, hopefully, I'll audition for it. Even though Scot and I know each other from the UCB we're not super tight or anything (our conversations have been pretty brief in the past). But he's certainly seen enough of me performing improv comedy to form an opinion about what I can -- and can't -- do as a performer. Hopefully, his opinion is good enough they'll give me a decent look-see for this movie. I would be very excited about being involved.

Right now, the lead roles are being filled by Billy Bob Thornton and John Heder (Napoleon from Napoleon Dynamite). Heder is awesome and is in a ton of new stuff coming out now. It's interesting what's happening to him because it illuminates how the acting world works: Heder was pretty unknown until he did Napoleon Dynamite. That movie took off (deservedly so) and, all of the sudden, he's flooded with roles in big productions.

Actors know that, in this business, it's generally "here today, gone tomorrow" so you must strike while the iron's hot (Entertainment Weekly has just published a "Where are they now?" issue for actors and musicians from the 90s for God's sake). The trick is staying on top -- and keeping the passion to do so.

I don't know what will happen to me but I know that, whatever I do and wherever I end up, I want to always be passionate about what I do. To that end...

I drop off an audition tape for a new NBC show at 30 Rockefeller today. And I have a radio voice-over audition in the afternoon. Keep on trucking...

Blob

August 29th, 2005
Here's a little Q & A thing I did with the Louisville Courier-Journal.

August 29th, 2005
Back from Louisville. Had a great show and a great time there (again).

Jill and I managed to tour the Louisville Slugger Museum and spend a day at the Kentucky State Fair (she was excellent at picking winning rams in the competition ring while I was good at picking winning heffers).

The show went great -- some people gave us a standing ovation at the end. Matt and I continue to experiment with the show every time we do it. The more we run it the tighter and better it becomes. I'm excited about the prospect of taking it on the corporate circuit and seeing where it is a year from now after that. I think it's on its way to becoming a pretty damn good show (if I do say so myself). It's not easy making people laugh for 45 minutes and it feels good to do that when you can...

After the show we hung out with the organizers of the festival and fellow performers. I can't say enough about the people who run this festival. They're good people who know what the hell they're doing. I've performed in a fair amount of comedy festivals over the last few years (probably a dozen or so) and Louisville, to me, is the best run of the bunch. These guys know what they're doing. The shows they bring in are very good and they do a great job of promoting the festival to the general population. I'm confident in a few years top-notch improv comedians will be clamoring to go to Louisville to perform. There's something good going on down there...

Today I have an audition for a commercial that shoots in Argentina. Wish me luck. I've also got to get myself on tape for a new NBC show and read a script for a possible audition. Back to the work...

Blob

August 26th, 2005
We're in Louisville! Glad to be here. I really like this place. It's just a nice town and I've had great experiences here.

Tomorrow night is the show so today is a day to hang out really. We had hoped to do some press today but it looks like we took care of all our options before coming here (I did a couple of newspaper interviews while in New York). Matt joins us here tomorrow as he's shooting a commercial in New York today.

In order to do the show here, I brought along my video projector and Neutrino's projection screen. The screen is great to have. It's HUGE and, as a result, is big and heavy to travel with. Neutrino bought it last year for our run of shows in Scotland. It -- along with the projector -- basically allows us to do our video improv show (the NVP) whenever and wherever we want. That freedom is worth the investment.

The Kentucky State Fair is going on here right now so Jill and I are going to check that out -- along with a tour of the Louisville Slugger Museum. Tonight we'll try to catch some of the shows involved in the festival. It's always fun to see what other improvisers are doing. I'm always inspired.

Louisville rocks, folks.
Blob

August 24th, 2005
Got some very good news a couple of days ago but I'm not allowed to publicize what it is quite yet. As a result, I should have an exciting little update for you on the blog here within a week or so...

Busy few days of auditions. Good. Things appear to be gearing back up for the fall season...

Travel to Louisville tomorrow to do the POW show there with Matt. Matt will be joining us on Saturday as he's shooting a commercial here in New York on Friday.

I'm excited about flushing out my screenplay idea this fall. I've been brain-storming ideas the last couple of days and the stuff is coming pretty easily. That's a good sign in my book. With improv there's a saying that "Good improv is easy. Bad improv is hard." I think the same rule applies to writing, in general. If it's a good idea, the writing comes easier than when the idea is not as strong.

Another good sign to me is everyone I've told the idea of this screenplay to so far (4 people) has reacted with a "That's a great idea. That could be really good." Good sign -- especially for this early in the game...

Go to the Yankees game tonight with some folks from the Ride for Life (www.rideforlife.com). It's a night for us to relax and enjoy each other's company away from the charity work. Looking forward to it (even though I'm a huge Mets fan)...

Talk to you later,
Bob

August 18th, 2005
So my wife and I are looking into selling our house and buying a new one. That, inevitably, causes you to assess your finances and size up what kind of house you can buy. And that, inevitably, leads to the question, "Is this acting thing really working out for you, Bob?" Good question. Honestly, right now, I don't know.

Yes, I have some good successes. I've booked a fair amount of jobs and things appear to be going well. But the reality is a lot of those jobs don't pay very well (Dustin Hoffman was still collecting welfare checks even after The Graduate came out) and there's no guarantee they'll pay better in the future. Sooo...how long do you stay at acting and writing and comedy before you give it up and turn to a more stable, financially-rewarding career?

The answer is, "I don't know." I'm hopeful and optimistic that, with the path I'm taking and the work I'm doing, the paychecks will increase in size and regularity. But you never know. The entertainment industry is littered with folks who, at one time, were "big stars" and are now out of the business doing 9-5 jobs -- many of them happy and content; some of them not.

I don't know what will happen with me but I do know I will not hesitate to walk away from this stuff if I feel like it just isn't meant to be for me. I'm not there yet -- not by a long shot -- but there are days -- like when you look into buying a new house -- that you look at yourself and ask, "Is this acting thing really working out for you?"

August 17th, 2005
Busy couple of days...

On Monday, I ended up sitting around all day (not being used) in that Marriott commercial shoot. It was a 2-day shoot so that, normally, would not have been a big deal except that I had to leave Tuesday as early as possible to get back to New York for my corporate gig in Danbury, Connecticut.

Thankfully, they shot my stuff Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh and I got home in time to do the show in Connecticut. It all worked out, in other words.

The commercial shoot was interesting. I believe they were shooting the spot I was in in slow-mo so it'll be cool to see how it turns out. I'll also be interested to see if I actually make the cut! They used nine of us actors for the shoot and all of us know there's a chance some of us won't make the final edit. Those who don't make the final edit, don't get the residuals from the spot running so you definitely want to make the final edit. We'll see. Either way, good to be working...

The corporate gig in Danbury last night went awesome! We had a packed house, a GREAT crowd and a good videotaping of the show. We'll now use that videotape to market our POW show for the corporate circuit. Keep your fingers crossed. If all goes well, Matt and I could be hitting the road, making good money doing corporate gigs in the future. Then again...you never know...

Good news with our sitcom pilot submission to the television festival! One of the festival organizers called me Monday to tell me that we've passed the first hurdle of submissions and that we should know by early next week on whether we're in or out. If we're in that means our pilot will get screened in the festival and people will be able to see what we've done in a nice, professional setting. It also means industry will be exposed to our work which could lead to jobs for us in the future. Just to get into the festival -- and for people to see what we've done -- would be a huge thrill for us. Keep your fingers crossed, folks...

Tonight, I meet with my friend Kurt from Neutrino as we cut audio for a DVD he's putting together of the Chunk/Chengwin homecoming parade and game. Check out this site for details on what I'm talking about. This stuff is great and I'm happy to be involved.

Next week, Matt and I travel to Louisville to perform our POW show. If you're in the Louisville area, get your tickets now. I would love to see you at the show!

Bob

August 15th, 2005
Yesterday was a travel day to Pittsburgh for this Marriott commercial shoot. I did my wardrobe fitting in the late afternoon. Otherwise, I was hanging out with the rest of the actors and/or in my hotel room watching golf. Pretty non-eventful. I went to bed very early. I was tired from my early wake-up call.

Pittsburgh is a beautiful city -- just looking around -- and it would be nice to explore it but I probably won't have much of a chance to on this stay.

Today is the actual shoot and right now I'm sitting in the hotel lobby (on this computer) waiting for direction from the crew on where they want me and when. That's the life of most actors when they're working: you sit around and wait a long time for your stuff to shoot.

To fill the time, I plan on reviewing the POW show and our new additions to it in preparation for the show tomorrow night in Danbury. It's hard to inspire myself to memorize lines for an hour-long show but it has to be done.

Gotta go...
Blob

August 12th, 2005
An eventful couple of days.

Yesterday, I started the day by walking out of an audition for a promo for Comedy Central. Why (I rarely walk out of an audition)? Several reasons:

1.) The part called for a guy who looks like an out-of-work mill worker from Pennsylvania. I look like a lot of things but I don't think I'll ever be mistaken for an out-of-work mill worker from Pennsylvania.

2.) We were all sitting around waiting for kids to show up so we could audition with them. I had other auditions I needed to get to.

3.) Already being under contract to the Daily Show, I found the prospect of doing promo work for the network awkward.

Then I went to an audition for a Pizza Hut spot and that film audition for the M. Night Shyamalan movie. Who knows on both of those. I did the best I could when I had the chance. Now it's up to other people to decide my fate...

In between those two auditions I found out I booked a national (I think) spot for Marriot Hotels. It shoots next week in Pittsburgh. Always good to be booking and working. Great news...

Even with that news, I had an exhausting day of running back and forth between things. I told my wife it was one of those days where you get tired of the hustle of being an actor. Meaning: unless you get a permanent gig of some sort, you're always hustling yourself as an actor, always selling. It's fun and exciting for me most days but there are some days where I'm like, "Can I please just have some stability in my life?" It comes and it goes...

Today, Matt and I "hustled" are way up to Connecticut to check out the place we're doing our POW show Tuesday night. It's a great space and I'm looking forward to the gig. I'm hoping the Marriot shoot doesn't require me/us to re-schedule the show for another night. I'll hopefully find out tonight when the producers of the spot call me to give me details of the shoot, fittings, etc.

After that Connecticut side-trip, I came back to the city for another couple of auditions -- one of which was for the drug Cialis. I guess I look like a guy with erectile dysfunction...

I end today by relaxing with family over dinner and the Broadway musical, Spelling Bee. Should be fun. I've heard great things about Spelling Bee.

Tomorrow...the big screening of the sitcom pilot for friends and supporters. Sunday...meeting with Neutrino to go over team business and future shows/plans.

No matter my periodic bitching about "the hustle" of things, it's good to be busy. I'd rather be busy than sitting around doing nothing...

Have a great weekend!
Blob

August 10th, 2005
Went to the Yankees game today with my wife and her co-workers. Turned out to be a beautiful day and the game was great -- at least from a Mets fan perspective ;-).

Busy day of auditions tomorrow. A couple of commercials and a small role for the new M. Night Shyamalan film. Since taking the Bob Krakower class I'm very confident with my approach going into auditions so it should be a fun day. Great to be busy and working on "the craft."

Watched the Pepper Dennis pilot (I got a copy from Aaron and Gretchen in L.A.). I think it's very good. I think it has the potential to be a pretty fun and cool show to watch. Glad to be involved.

Friday Matt and I travel to Connecticut to prep for our corporate gig up there next week. Gotta check out the space we'll be performing in and making sure all our material is appropriate for the audience. Looking forward to the gig.

Bob

August 9th, 2005
Last night I went to an informational meeting at T. Schreiber Acting Studio. It was good. It made me really hungry to take all kinds of acting classes -- dialect, body movement, scene study, etc. If money, time and resources allow, I will do just that (hopefully in the near future). I want to be more than just a "comedian."

After coming out of the meeting, I was greeted by 2 parking tickets on my car AND I accidentally bumped into the car behind me when backing out (to which the owner of said car banged on my window and called me nasty names). New York can be a very un-welcoming place at times...

Callback today for a commercial for Yellowbook. The spot requires me simply to brush my teeth. That's it. I don't know what determines why you get callbacks in that situation but I got one. Hopefully, I book it.

Afterwards, I'll meet with Matt to go over our POW show. We have a corporate gig lined up for next week in Connecticut and then our show in Louisville later this month. Both performances will require some tweaking of our material. No big deal but it will require some time for both of us to go through the show and adjust some things.

Tomorrow I go to the Yankees game with my wife -- for her company's get-away day at Yankees Stadium. Hopefully, it won't rain on us.

Thursday, I meet a friend to record some comedy material I've written for a thing she's working on for Air America radio.

Neutrino has confirmed two upcoming NVP shows: one in Septemeber at Juvie Hall here in New York. Another one at The PIT in October. I'll list details for those shows on my shows page here soon. There's still talk we may have a gig in London next month. We'll see...

Blob

August 7th, 2005
This is busy times for Neutrino. On Tuesday, we gather to shoot something for a show on The Learning Channel. Next weekend, we have a team meeting to discuss several issues -- including a possible gig in London next month (very exciting). And we're also lining up monthly gigs through the end of the year to perform our video show (the NVP) at the city's big improv theaters.

It's also a busy time for Matt, me and our POW show. We've confirmed a gig at G.E. in Connecticut for next week that should get us rolling on the corporate circuit. As a result, we need to spend this week tweaking the material a little bit to make it all fit in a corporate setting. In other words, we have to make sure all our jokes are G-rated. It shouldn't be a problem but it'll take us a little work to do regardless. We head to Louisville later this month to perform the show there as well.

Matt and I are also busy this week taking care of any issues that arise for our screening of the sitcom pilot on Saturday night. We have to situate our gifts for those who helped us out on the project and also settle on what version of the pilot we're going to screen -- the one we turned into the New York Television Festival last week or one with some modifications.

On an individual tip...Monday evening I attend an informational meeting at the T. Schreiber Acting Studio here in New York. I'm signed up for an acting class there with Peter Miner in the fall and I want to see what else the studio has to offer before I begin taking classes.

And on Wednesday I join my wife for her company's get-away day at Yankee Stadium. Even though I'm a Mets fan, I always enjoy catching a game at the Stadium.

Finally...on Friday night I have dinner with some family members and then we're catching a performance of Spelling Bee on Broadway.

Busy, but fun, week ahead...

Blob

August 6th, 2005
As I write this, it's a little after 3am on Saturday morning and I'm waiting to go home after shooting my scene for that movie -- The Hoax. As I've said before my role is easily cut-able so I'd be surprised if you see it in the finished product. Regardless, the shoot went well and it's always good to work with good actors and directors. You learn as you go.

Minus the production value and the huge amount of crew and support involved, shooting a scene for this movie was not very much different from shooting a scene for our sitcom pilot: run-through, blocking, rehearsal, shoot the master, get your reversals and cutaways and you move on to the next thing.

Anyway...time to go home now and shave off these freakin' sideburns I've been growing out for the role. Ahhhh...

Bob

August 4th, 2005
Great second (and final) day in Krakower's class. As I said yesterday, the guy nailed me and my issues as an actor in auditions. Now that I know what I have to work on it's just a matter of working on it. To that end, I'm excited about following up my experience with a full-blown acting class this fall.

I talked to an acting teacher here in New York that Bob (Krakower) recommended to us already and it looks like I'll be able to get into his class starting in September. Couple that with my intention/goal to do a lot more standup (and possibly corporate entertaining) -- along with all my regular stuff -- and I have a busy/learning fall ahead of me. Good to be busy. Busy and learning...

Blob

August 3rd, 2005
Great first day in Bob Krakower's acting class. The guy pretty much nailed me and the issues I need to overcome in auditions. He basically said, among other things, I have great ideas as an actor with the scenes he saw me do but I need to get better at executing them.

His suggestion? As he urged everyone else in the class to do...forget everything you've prepared before coming to the audition and just be in the moment with the reader when the audition begins. Listen to what your scene partner is giving you and then react with your impulses. The goal is to have every audition you give feel spontaneous -- as if the scene you're doing with the reader is happening for the very first time anywhere.

He says casting directors and writers and directors are overwhelmed with "actors" during an audition session. They're hungry for people that are alive, that bring something real and spontaneous to what's on the page. Too many actors, he says, don't let what's on the paper guide them through a scene. "Everything you need," he says, "is right there on the paper." Interesting.

I'm looking forward to day two in the class. I feel empowered by his advice and look forward to letting it guide me in future auditions for jobs. As a trained improvisor I feel like it's an approach that provides a lot of opportunity for me.

Talked to Gretchen and Aaron on the phone tonight for the first time -- since we struck our deal for me to work with them on the Pepper Dennis show. I'm looking forward to doing the work. It should be beneficial for both sides and I'm anxious to do whatever I can -- in whatever capacity -- to make the show as good as it can be.

I bought the Jack Johnson CD "In Between Dreams" today. I dig it. It's good.

I'm going to make a point of e-mailing people back this weekend that have written to me recently on the website here -- including those of you on my mailing list. I'm sorry about the wait in hearing from me guys. I do get your notes and I do read them. Bare with me. In response to one question recently...

The sitcom pilot that Matt Oberg and I submitted to the New York Television Festival this week is called "The Weathermen Boys." We called it that simply because the two main characters in the show have the last name Weathermen and they're the boys of one of the other main characters. Ergo, "The Weathermen Boys." Hope that quenches your thirst for knowledge...

Talk to you soon,
Bob

August 2nd, 2005
Well, the pilot is officially done and submitted, folks. It is what it is. That's what I kept telling myself yesterday when I looked at it. You always have things you would like to change or fix before you submit something like this but you can't. It is what it is.

And what it is, I think, is very good. I'm proud of it. It's a 24-minute, solid sitcom pilot. There are several laugh-out loud moments, I think, and the story is solid. Major accomplishments when you consider it's basically me, Matt and a bunch of friends putting together something that would take dozens (maybe hundreds) of trained professionals to do in Hollywood. The production value of our pilot, by comparison, is low but I would hold the comedy and the story up to anything on TV today. We'll see if others -- in the industry and out -- agree with that assessment...

We should hear by the end of this month on whether we're in or out at the festival. If we're in, we'll be screened in the festival and great things will happen (hopefully). If we're out, Matt and I will have a 100% original, completed pilot to shop around to whoever wants to see it. Either way, the work was worth it.

Now, we have to fine-tune the pilot (sound mix, etc.) and get it ready for our private screening (for friends and supporters) later this month. And also we want to put together a slick DVD of it -- complete with special features like deleted scenes and director's commentary -- by the end of the month.

Today is a day of rest for me (and dealing with some contractors at the house). Tomorrow I start a 2-day workshop with acting coach Bob Krakauer. Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have to duck out at one point tomorrow morning for a commercial callback. It would be nice to have another spot book to bring in some extra cash into the Wiltfong household...

On Friday, I do my work for that film role I'm growing out the sideburns for. Like I said, I'm looking forward to doing the shoot AND shaving the burns afterwards. My ability to grow facial hair is pretty pathetic.

Finally, I've got to follow up with the corporate producer Matt and I are working with on getting our POW show on the ccorporate circuit. The latest talk is bringing us down to D.C. to do the show for a videotaping sometime in September. We'll see what happens there. It's a good challenge for us to tackle something new...

Blob

August 1st, 2005
Well today is D-Day. The day that we turn in our submission to the New York Television Festival. Months of work will be done. It's a good feeling.

We watched the whole pilot from beginning to end yesterday and I felt very good about what we saw. Obviously, there are still a number of (little) things to fix before we turn it in but I think, for the most part, it's in good shape. With that being said, we still have a pretty long day in front of us. I'm anxious to get the pilot turned in and see what the festival says to us -- are we in or out? -- about it. Either way, it'll be done and I'm happy with it.

As part of our submission, we have to put together a 1-minute program trailer. I will try to post that trailer here on my website so you all can check it out. Then, hopefully, you can view the whole show at the festival...

We set up a private screening for friends and supporters in a couple of weeks. So far a lot of people say they're coming. I don't know if I want to be in the room when people watch it. I'd almost rather hear reports about their response afterwards. We'll see...

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week I take that acting class with Bob Krakauer. Looking forward to it.

On Friday, I shoot my scene for that movie I've been growing out my big ol' sideburns for. I don't know what I'm looking forward to more: shooting the movie or shaving the sideburns.

Saw War of the Worlds Saturday night. Thought it was a good movie. I liked it.

Editing here I come...
Bob

July 29th, 2005
Standup gig last night went well. Some stuff to keep. Some stuff to throw away. I'm definitely still finding my way up there. It's going to take awhile -- like anything you're new to. As I've said before, it's a totally different discipline from my background in improv and sketch. There's a different pace, a different feel, a different vibe to the whole thing. The good news is I already have some keeper stuff AND I feel exponentially better each time I do it. I'm looking forward to turning it up a notch later this year by doing regular standup sets outside the city (off the city radar).

The editing of the sitcom pilot is going awesome. It's slow-going and there's definitely some trouble spots we've got to forge through but, overall, I'm very pleased with where things are. For what it is -- a completely independent production of an original script written by relatively inexperienced writers -- I think it's outstanding. Kevin Scott, our editor, has been doing an awesome job and it's great to have him in there breaking ties between Matt and me over what goes where. Hopefully, the festival people we're submitting this to (and anybody else who sees it) will agree with us that this project, it's humor and what it's trying to accomplish has a future somewhere.

I've accepted a consultant's job on a new WB show called Pepper Dennis -- starring Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and created by Gretchen Berg and Aaron Harberts. The show follows the life of a reporter in local television in Chicago named Pepper Dennis. I met with Gretchen and Aaron when I was out in L.A. earlier this year and we hit it off. I'm very happy that we'll be able to work together on this show. Keep your eyes peeled for it sometime in the fall. I'll let you know the exact times when they get air dates for the episodes.

For now...it's back to editing the pilot...

Blob

July 28th, 2005
We have a guest blogger today, ladies and gentlemen! Matt Oberg! Matt take it away...

Thanks, Bob. My first blog entry. Wow. It's just like typing, but cooler.
Bob and I are currenlt holed up in our post production facility. We're laying some edits down on our pilot. Kevn Scott is our editor and he and Bob and I just decided that the Law and Order theme song was recorded in late night jam session at an LA jazz club by Mike Post, Danny Elfman, and Randy Neuman. If you have never listened to the extended jam of the Law and Order theme, do yourself a favor. It's about 17 minutes long. Elfman goes way out there on a Herbie Hancock tip, but Neuman's pulsing bass brings him right back down to Earth. It's magic.
The extended jam of the Monday Night Football theme is also pretty intense.
What else, what else . . . I can't wait to talk about this on my podcast.

I guess that's it. Be good to yourselves, and go easy on the Bobber. He means well.

July 25th, 2005
Great day of work editing the sitcom. It's always a good sign when everyone putting the thing together laughs out loud watching the final cut of a scene -- especially when you consider we've been working with the same video/jokes for hours on end. We had several laugh out loud moments today watching the final cuts of scenes. Good sign/feeling. Still A LOT more work to do but we're pretty much on course to get it done in time for the submission deadline on Monday.

I'd also like to, if possible, put together some special feature stuff for a DVD of the show. We shot some behind-the-scenes video for promotional purposes. It would be nice to put that -- plus deleted scenes, director's commentary and out-takes -- onto a DVD for the show. We'll see how much energy, time and money we have to do that after we get done with the show. We still have to finalize our screening (where, when, etc.) for those who helped on the project.

Exciting developments for Neutrino: there's a possibility we may be hired to perform in London (at least the idea has been floated by us) soon and this weekend we have a gig in the Hamptons performing for some folks.

My mutton-chop sideburns for the film role are coming in nicely. We'll see where they're at next week when we shoot...

I'm going to take another acting class in August. This one is an intensive with Bob Krakauer -- a very good teacher based out of L.A. Looking forward to the learning and showing Bob what I can (and can't) do right now. It can only make me better...

August will be a busy month as well with our POW show hitting the road, me writing and doing more standup, and Matt and I potentially starting work on a screenplay idea. Always good to be busy and challenged by what you're doing...

July 24th, 2005
Neutrino show last night was awesome. Packed house. Felt like the audience enjoyed the show. I know my scene felt fun. IFC is showing some interest in the show I guess. At least they had a crew there last night videotaping and documenting everything. Always interesting to see who's drawn to the show. Regardless of what happens in the improv, it's always a fun show to watch and experience.

Editing of the sitcom is coming along. Right now we're struggling with a big scene that's requiring some major cuts (because of time). As a result, the pace and feel of the scene needs to be re-discovered in editing. It's a slow, tedious process. But I think we've got a workable model of a scene now. The rest of the show, in comparision, is pretty easy and straight-forward (I hope). Either way, things are progressing nicely and I still think the finished product's going to be awesome.

I do some standup later this week in a variety show. I have to write some material. Should be able to do that today and in the days leading up. I enjoy the joke-writing process. Always fun to see how your work with a pen and paper translates in front of an audience.

Beautiful Sunday in New York. Awesome. One of those days you're thankful to be in one of the coolest cities in the world...

July 22nd, 2005
I thought the first day of editing on the sitcom pilot went very well. It was great to see all the elements of a scene come together for the first time as a completed thought on screen. We already know we're going to have to cut A LOT of stuff to make it in the time parameters set by the festival but it's a good exercise for us. For now, we're just laying down the overall skeleton of the show and will cut stuff after we get that done.

My sideburns are coming along slowly but surely. Actually I think they'll be pretty decent for the film shoot.

I'm helping put together a charity night of comedy out on the east end of Long Island for the Ride for Life later this year. As a result, I'm trying to get one of my big-name comedy associates to headline the night. Jon Stewart, unfortunately, couldn't do it and I'm waiting on word back from Lewis Black's people. Keep your fingers crossed...

Mets swept the Padres yesterday. Watch out, folks...

July 21st, 2005
So I'm coming to Louisville, Kentucky! All the details are now confirmed and listed on my shows page. Feel free to check out this website as well for a list of who I'll be performing with. If you're in the Louisville area next month, check it out.

While we're checking out other websites...check out this article a friend of mine (thanks, Steve Buck!) sent me about a muscial based on the music of The Smiths. As you know, I'm a big fan of the band. Interesting concept I thought...

Today is the first real day of editing on the sitcom pilot. We met with our editor, Kevin Scott, yesterday. We all agree that we're in pretty good shape right now. We'll see if that changes in the edit session! August 1st is not very far away...

My improv comedy team, Neutrino, performs its signature show, "The Neutrino Video Projects (NVP)," this Saturday night. Should be fun.

The New York Mets are on a bit of roll (3 wins in a row). Let's hope they keep it going.

Blob

July 19th, 2005
I've got to grow out side-burns (as best I can) for this film role. We'll see how successful I am. I am, for the most part, follically-challenged on my face. The 70s look rules evidently as I have a film audition today that calls for my character to have mutton-chops and a mustache. Little did I know when I bought a mullet wig for an audition a few weeks ago how handy that wig would be...

Lemony Snickets was good. Jim Carrey was very impressive with his acting in it, I thought. It was interesting to watch a special feature on how he found the characters he played in the movie. Makeup and wardrobe can have a powerful impact on finding a character's voice.

Back to logging the sitcom pilot tapes...

Bob

July 18th, 2005
Good news. I got cast in a new movie starring Richard Gere and Alfred Molina and directed by Lasse Hallstr

July 15th, 2005
So I sat down to log some of our sitcom pilot video and the stuff looks GREAT. Awesome. Couldn't be happier -- especially given the time and resources we had to shoot this puppy. The performances of the friends and performers we cast in roles are perfect.

I can't wait to see it all put together. The way the thing was shot, you only watch a handful of moments in a scene at any one time. Then -- 3 tapes later, for example -- the rest of the scene plays out. In other words, everything was shot in parts and it's only in the edit bay that we'll see everything married together into one big story.

My buddy, Del, who shot the stuff has done (as expected) an incredible job. He's just got a great eye and knows what he's doing -- evidence by the 20 or 30 something regional Emmys he's won for his work in local TV news (no joke). The guy is just incredible. We're very fortunate that he's working with us on this thing. To that end...

We shoot the last remaining (hopefully) video elements of this thing tomorrow. Then it's almost non-stop editing until the submission deadline. I'm not looking forward to the long hours and edit time. BUT I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. You've got to go through hell before you get to heaven...

Saw that The Daily Show got nominated for some Emmys of their own yesterday. Very cool. Those folks definitely deserve it. I feel fortunate to be associated with a show that routinely turns out such smart and funny stuff (yes, folks, even if I wasn't involved in the show I would feel that way). Of course, most of the credit goes to Jon. The guy is very good at what he does. To that end...

I was surprised to see that he was nominated for best talk show host (or something like that). I was surprised not because he was nominated but because I've never noticed him being nominated before for that. He seems like a shoe-in to me. I could be wrong and Jon has been up in that category before and won but I guess I never realized it before. Regardless...the guy's a natural in that category. To me, he has the perfect job for his skills and talents.

Me? I just keep plugging away, trying to find my way in this relatively new career choice of mine. Always reminding myself to enjoy the journey. Enjoy the journey...

Blob

July 14th, 2005
Busy day of auditioning yesterday: couple of commercials and one film. Good to be busy. The film was for a small part in a big movie that shoots here in New York. We'll see what happens. With each audition I do, I get a little more experience in the process which is good.

Met with Matt for awhile. Went over random odds and ends stuff: getting our POW show on the corporate circuit, our Louisville gig next month, arranging a screening of our sitcom pilot, sharing early thoughts on a screenplay idea.

During some down time, I stopped into the new Daily Show offices for the first time. Pretty impressive -- especially when you consider the old show offices. The new place feels like the set of a Real World house to me: big, hip, everyone in one living space. It'll be an interesting adjustment.

Picked up the first batch of converted shoot tapes for the sitcom pilot today. Very excited. I'll start logging them today and should have everything ready for review within a couple of days. Editing starts, pretty much full time, in a few days. The deadline for our festival submission is August 1st. I'm very excited to get it done. I think it's going to be very good (if I do say so myself). ;-)

Got to, got to, got to respond to those of you who have written me on the website here recently. My bad completely. I'll be responding to you soon folks! In the meantime, thanks for your support (as always)!

If you're looking for good, recent music, I highly recommend:

The new Dave Matthews Band CD ("Stand Up")
The Death Cab for Cutie CD ("Transatlanticism")
The Postal Service CD ("Give Up")
The Broken Social Scene CD ("You Forgot it in People")
The Morrissey DVD ("Who Put the M in Manchester?")

All good. Bob likey.

July 11th, 2005
The standup act Saturday night went better than I expected -- especially considering that that was the third time in my life that I've done standup! The material I wrote for the show went over well and the crowd seemed to enjoy my set. I had an audio recorder on me so I'll have to listen back to it and identify what to keep and what to throw out in the future.

I'm excited about doing more standup at venues outside the city. This will allow me to work out my rough spots and stay off the city radar for awhile. I need some time, obviously, to get better at this stuff. But Saturday night was an encouraging start I thought.

Among the comedians performing in the show Saturday night were A. Whitney Brown (one of the original Daily Show correspondents; SNL alum), Baratunde R. Thurston (standup from Boston) and Negin Farsad (a friend of mine from here in New York who I'm a big fan of).

A. Whitney and I visited only briefly before going on. It was fun to compare notes with him on how the Daily Show has changed over the years however. Baratunde I never met before and had a good time seeing his set and chatting with him afterwards (www.baratunde.com). And, Negin, as always, was a pleasure.

Among the things keeping me busy this week is converting the video for our sitcom pilot shoot onto mini-DV (hope to have that done by Friday), stopping in to visit the new Daily Show offices (they moved last week), and trying to arrange a coporate gig for my POW show in August.

Watched Ocean's Twelve over the weekend. It was better than I expected (although I didn't expect much). The story got pretty typical in some points -- i.e. this is the scene where I reveal how I pulled off the perfect crime -- but at least they had the wherewithal to make fun of it when it did and I liked the overall feel of the movie -- acting, writing, directing.

Got the new Dave Matthews Band CD and the Morrissey in Manchester Concert DVD. Some old habits die hard...

Bob

July 8th, 2005
It's a day of taking care of important odds & ends around the house. After being away for two weeks there's a lot of little stuff to attend to.

I'm also collecting material for that variety show I'm doing tomorrow night at The Tank. Found out that former Daily Show correspondent A. Whitney Brown will be part of the show as well. I remember him from his days on SNL as well. Wonder if we'll get a chance to visit. Regardless...

I'm going to be doing some standup and reviewing some failed story pitches I've made recently at the Daily Show as part of my "set." Should be interesting. As I've detailed here before, I don't have much experience doing standup so doing it tomorrow night should be an adventure!

Rented a couple of movies yesterday (with the idea of watching them tonight/this weekend): Ocean's Twelve and Lemony Snickets. These are a couple of movies that I wasn't super excited about seeing when they were at the theaters but am looking forward to watching on video. My wife and I started to watch Ocean's Twelve one night on our vacation but we both fell asleep. I don't know if that speaks to the entertainment value of the movie or just our lameness. We'll find out soon.

Have a good weekend,
Bob

July 6th, 2005
Alright! I'm back (officially)! After almost a 2-week vacation (which I needed big time) I'm back home and at work.

The sitcom shoot and edit is still very much top of mind. The submission deadline for our entry is August 1st so we need to get cracking on our final shoot material and editing work. I'm still very excited about what we've got and am optimistic that (after a few weeks of long, hard work) the end product will be outstanding. I'll let you know how things progress...

I got my hands on a copy of the Daily Show DVD over the holiday and was pleasantly surprised to see that they included some of my work on it (I didn't know if I was going to be on it or not). The packaging was very impressive and the work reminded me how fortunate I am to be involved in such a great show. From a performer's perspective, it's easier to be funny when you're surrounded by talented and funny support people (i.e. writers, producers, editors, etc.)

I met with my manager today and we went over some stuff that's been requiring my attention since I was away. One of those things was signing my new contract at The Daily Show. Contract negotiations and scheduling issues have resulted in me not working at the show for a few months now. That should change however with this new contract now signed and (soon-to-be) delivered. We'll see...

We also talked about some of my professional goals for the second half of the year. After we get this sitcom pilot done and submitted to the festival, I want to turn my focus to three major things:

1.) Writing and performing standup. As I've said before, I've played around with the idea of doing standup for years now and it will only help me to try to develope some type of routine. To that end, I will be performing standup as part of a show this weekend here in New York City. Check out my shows page for details...

2.) Developing and writing a screenplay. I've had an idea for a story to write a screenplay to for a number of years now but never knew quite how to approach it. But this vacation -- with my completion of Rober McKee's "Story" book and inspiration from, of all things, the MTV Movie Awards -- I finally feel like I have a good nugget of an idea to explore. I will spend the remaining months of 2005 flushing out that idea and developing a story line for it. If all goes well...it'll end up being something one day. We'll see.

3.) Acting classes. To that end, I've signed up for an acting class with Bob Krakauer here in New York tentatively scheduled for the beginning of August. I can never stop learning.

Talk to you soon,
Bob
2.)

June 30th, 2005
Almost done with the Robert McKee book. Learning something new on every page. Good read. I feel very energized to use the stuff I've learned and apply it not only to the sitcom pilot we're putting together but also scripting out this screenplay idea I have now (just got the idea finalized in my head in the last week or so).

Spreading my father's ashes over the 4th of July weekend. Looking forward to putting him to rest. The place we're spreading his ashes is not only a gift to him but to us. It's a gift to him because his ashes will be spread in a place he loved and felt at peace when he was alive. And it's a gift to us -- his family and friends -- because we can always visit this place and feel him present there now. It's a wonderful gift.

Happy holidays everyone! Talk to you soon.
Bob

June 27th, 2005
I'm making very good progress through Robert McKee's "Story" book right now. It's great at provoking thoughts about what needs to be cut and changed in the sitcom pilot we're working on. Makes things very clear.

Dr. J (the basketball player) was on the plane ride to our vacation spot. I said, "Hey, Dr. J" when I recognized him. He responded with, "Hey." I left him alone after that. It must get pretty old for a guy like that to be recognized all the time and called by a name that isn't really his. I felt better seeing him on the plane because, as I told my wife, what are the chances of a plane going down with Dr. J on board? Slim to none.

June 23rd, 2005
I'm officially on vacation. It feels nice. I need to re-charge and clear my brain a little bit. I plan to use the time to not only relax and have fun but to do a fair amount of reading and writing. I have a screenplay idea that I'm excited about sketching out at some point. I also want to start collecting thoughts for a run at stand-up later this year.

Before taking the break, I did something very unusual for me: I passed on a role that my manager and agent were endorsing for me. Why? A lot of it has to do with the stress I've been feeling recently and it was almost impossible for me to bring a good energy to the audition given my mental state at the time. The other reasons were primarily:

1.) I didn't feel like the role was me at all. So what's the point of auditioning for something that you -- and the people casting it -- don't see you in.

2.) I thought the material was pretty weak and I was not enthused about being involved with the project -- even if I did get cast.

Don't get me wrong. I'm grateful for every opportunity and look-see I get at this point but I also don't want to do stuff that my heart's not in. I did that for several years in TV news and all that did was make me miserable. So I'll take being poor (relatively speaking) and happy over being busy and unhappy as an actor.

At least that's the way I feel right now and I hope I'm not forced -- by financial circumstances -- to change. Stay tuned...

Blob

June 21st, 2005
I'm back from the dead! After a week or so of very intense planning and shooting of the sitcom pilot, it's done (sorta)! We had two incredibly long and intense days of shooting over the weekend and, for the most part, it's done (although we still have a handful of small scenes to pick up in early July).

I'm extremely happy and excited about what we got. A friend of mine from News 12 Long Island (Mike DelGiudice -- Del) shot it and, as always, he was excellent. The actor friends we had play the roles all were outstanding in their performances as well. We just could not have asked for better results -- especially given the time and resources we had to work with. I know, regardless of how editing goes, I will be extremely proud of what we produce. It may be the only time in my career that I will write and produce something of this scale that has so much of my fingerprint on it -- for good and bad, I'm sure.

The whole process, while exciting, was completely mentally exhausting. Combine a lack of sleep with a schedule that required you to make key decisions almost non-stop and by Sunday night I was pretty drained. At times I couldn't remember what I had just done a minute before. Anyway...

My whole life has been pretty stressed recently. Besides this sitcom business, I've been keeping a full schedule of auditions going, re-negotiating my Daily Show contract, and juggling the possibility of moving to L.A. due to my wife taking a new job (we're staying in New York, by the way). I need a break in a major way. And, fortunately, I'm getting one in the form of a nicely timed vacation. I need to clear my mind and re-charge during it -- which I have every intention of doing.

Later,
Bob

June 15th, 2005
Crazy busy this week prepping for the sitcom pilot shoot this weekend. Nothing huge. Just 101 little things. As a result, I'm way behind in responding to those of you who have contacted me off the website here. I'm sorry. After this weekend, I will be free of the madness that is this shoot so I'll hopefully be able to respond to you soon. Thank you for the notes and thoughts...

Everything is coming along as planned on the shoot. It will be two very looooong days of shooting this weekend. But, when all is said and done, we should have everything shot and ready to go for editing in July (the festival deadline we're shooting for is August 1st).

Must sleep now. Then more writing and logistics in the morning! The joy of putting together a project of this scale by yourself (and a few friends)...

Blob

June 12th, 2005
I'm making steady progress on our script this weekend. I've just finished logging the notes from our last reading (I recorded the group conversation afterwards so I could detail exactly what people tell us would make the script better). I hope/plan to have an updated draft done by either tonight or early tomorrow. Once that's done, I send it off to Matt for his revisions and we lock down our script for the shoot! Speaking of...

All our shoot locations are now finalized: my old TV station on Long Island, a hotel banquet room on Long Island, my manager's office in the city and my house. Very cool. Each location is good for what we need to do.

Once the script writing is done then it's full steam ahead with the logistics and preparation for the shoot. We have to buy props and supplies as well as organize our actors and crew with scripts, call sheets, directions to locations, etc. It's going to be a busy week.

I'm happy to report that, even with all this, I've had time to do a little socializing this weekend as well. Yesterday morning, I went into the city to have lunch with my cousin's daughter and son (I don't know what relation that would make them to me -- second cousins?) and my brother, Jim. It was fun. My cousin's daughter is going to spend the summer in NYC doing an internship for Pfizer. Her brother is here just for a few days to help her settle in. While here, I'm going to try to get them into a taping of the Conan O'Brien show and/or the Daily Show -- since they're big fans of both.

Last night, Jill and I went over to our friends' house for a little game of dominoes and conversation. Then today we join Samantha Bee and her husband for a baseball game at Shea. Looking forward to that. Sam and Jason are a lot of fun to hang out with and it should be a beautiful day to watch a ballgame.

Talk to you later,
Bob

June 10th, 2005
Busy afternoon/evening yesterday. Went to my manager's office to be put on tape for a comedy show in the U.K. Felt good about what we sent off but it took me forever to get my lines down. I just haven't had a lot of time recently to do stuff like memorizing 7 minutes of comedy dialogue.

Afterwards, I performed in Neutrino's industrial show in Soho. It was a cool opportunity and it was fun to see people like Mick Fleetwood (of Fleetwood Mac fame) in attendance. But I think the environment at the event might have been wrong for what we do. We're an improv comedy team. This was more of a corporate cocktail party. So I don't think people quite knew what to do with what we showed them. Oh well. As a result of the show, I didn't get back home until late.

Today, I've got to put a deposit down on the hotel banquet room we've rented for our sitcom shoot. This afternoon, Matt and I have a meeting with a corporate producer who's interested in booking our POW show on the corporate circuit. And then I have a commercial audition for Aquafina as well. As an actor and comedian, you are always looking for work -- unless you have a regular gig already. It never stops.

Have a great weekend and thanks for your support!
Blob

June 9th, 2005
Really couldn't have asked for a better reading last night. There's still some things we have to tweak and re-work but, overall, the reaction to what we have was very positive. We've come a loooong way from our first drafts.

With the three major elements of this process -- writing, shooting and editing -- we feel like we've got a very good result of the most important element: writing. So that feels good going into shooting and editing.

Shooting this thing is going to be a bear. I already know that. Matt and I are basically doing this production by ourselves (with some great help from friends and family). That means we have to wear many hats: writers, producers, directors, prop masters, logistic coordinators, etc. We don't have a huge cast but it's enough to make it overwhelming sometimes thinking about how many people we have to coordinate in a short period of time -- all pretty much for free -- to get this done.

Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I just have to remind myself it will ALL get done. It will all get done.

Matt and I hope to lock down a working/final script by Monday or Tuesday. Then we'll send it out to our actors and get cracking on all the necessary logistics -- getting people to and from places, setting up locations for shooting, etc. We shoot this thing in a little over a week!

It will all get done. It will all get done.

In between all of this writing craziness, I've been staying pretty busy with auditions -- commercial and legit. Good to be busy...

Tonight, I take part in a Neutrino show in Soho. It's an industrial of sorts (we're getting paid for it) at a cocktail party for corporate folks, I guess. We're going to entertain the folks by doing a sampling of our video improv form -- the Neutrino Video Projects. Speaking of...

I guess Toronto has been added to the list of places that's going to start doing the form. There's a group up there right now gearing up to do it and we're working out a licensing agreement with them. I have to send them a DVD of some of our previous shows this week so they can learn from some of the things we've done in the past.

I've said it before. I'll say it again. It's very cool that this little screw-around thing we (Neutrino) did at the UCB Theater a few years ago has grown into this thing that's being performed around the world now. To that end...

Neutrino will be performing the form here in New York (at The P.I.T.) later this month. Check out my shows page for details. We'd love to see you in the audience!

Talk to you later,
Bob

June 8th, 2005
Tonight is the big night of our script reading. Yesterday Matt and I met for about 4 hours going over our final drafts. Today will be spent finalizing everything into a master copy and taking care of a lot of odds and ends in preparation for the reading.

We booked a banquet room at a local hotel for one of our shoot locations. I'm excited about it. The place is kind of a dive but I think it'll serve our purposes nicely.

Tomorrow, I go on video for a comedy show being taped in the U.K. for BBC. I feel very comfortable in the scripts so we'll see what happens.

Gotta get to writing now. Talk to you later.
Bob

June 6th, 2005
Spent the weekend in and around Dallas, Texas for a wedding. Had a good time. We spent the night with my sister (and two nieces) our first night there then went to Longview (population: 73,000) for the wedding. It was good to get outside of New York and be reminded, once again, how the rest of the country is living. I was surprised by how unaccustomed I was to seeing wide open spaces again. It's been awhile.

Today it's back at home and writing, writing, writing. Our final script reading is Wednesday evening and Matt and I need to have our final draft ready to go for it. We'll meet tomorrow to get that done.

Over the weekend, I settled on my two work-related goals for the fall:

1.) Take acting classes
The more I audition for stuff, the more I realize I need to work on my acting. There are certain things that, right now, I can't do -- or have a hard time doing -- and I want to overcome that. Besides, I, generally, enjoy acting classes and learning the craft.

2.) Start performing standup
I've played around with this idea for years but have never really pursued it (I've done a couple of standup sets over the years to disastrous effect). I've always just felt more called to do improv and sketch comedy than standup. But now I think I'm ready for it. As a result, I'm trying to train myself to write down joke ideas these days as they come to me. I need to compile material.

Having a standup routine (a good one) certainly makes you more marketable as a comedian and writer -- rather than just being an improviser or sketch comedian. It also allows you to be more yourself in front of an audience which is liberating.

But doing standup -- as opposed to improv or sketch -- also requires a completely different skill set that I don't have right now. There's a pacing and joke-telling ability in standup that's different from what an improviser or sketch comedian has to deal with. As a result, I'm sure it'll take me awhile (years) to get really good at it. Should be interesting to learn...

Finally...some odds and ends thoughts:
1.) I plan to buy the Season 2 DVD of Chappelle's Show today along with Coldplay's new CD. I'm looking forward to checking out both.

2.) Nebraska's baseball team advanced to the Super Regionals of the College World Series over the weekend (growing up in Omaha, I'm a big College World Series fan). Let's go Cornhuskers!

3.) And the Mets took 2 out of 3 from the Giants. Let's go Mets!

Talk to you later,
Bob

June 2nd, 2005
The Dayquil demo on Wednesday was fun. As part of the spot, I had to hang upside down from gravity boots at one point. As I hung there, I thought to myself, "How many jobs would you actually get paid to do something like this?" Pretty cool.

The reading of our script Wednesday evening went very well. The feedback was great and, once again, we got some great suggestions from our assembled group on how to make our show even better. All these script drafts and readings are a lot of work but they're resulting in a much better product -- and that's what we're shooting for. Our final, and most formal, reading will take place this upcoming Wednesday night. Then we shoot this thing the weekend of June 18th & 19th! I really think this thing is going to be good (if I do say so myself)...

To those of you who have contacted me recently off the website here...I'm sorry it's taking me awhile to get back to you. My bad. I hope to drop people return notes by the early part of next week. Hang in there! It may take me awhile to get back to you, but I will get back to you -- eventually.

I'm happy to see the Chappelle's Show Season 2 DVD is selling well! I'm anxious to get my own copy in the coming days. I do some of the voice-over work on the Black President Bush sketch and I'm interested to see if they included a deleted scene I did with Janeane Garafolo for Season 2 on this DVD.

In the scene I play a Fox News reporter from the 1860s (complete with mutton-chop sideburns and top hat) while Janeane plays a protestor of slavery. Our part was a lot of fun and Neal Brennan -- the co-creator of the show, along with Dave -- told me that it played very well in front of their studio audience taping but the scene, overall, didn't do so well so they never aired it. Those are the breaks...

Watched Dr. Strangelove (for the first time) today. Peter Sellers, to me, is one of the funniest people ever so I found myself laughing out loud a lot while watching his scenes in it. His movie, "The Party," is also one of my favorite all-time comedies. He had such a realness -- and underlying sadness -- to him that's just incredibly enjoyable to watch. Anyway...

Looking forward to the release of the new Coldplay album. I think Jill and I are going to try to catch them in concert in New York this September.

Talk to you later,
Blob

June 1st, 2005
Booked a demo for a Dayquil commercial today so I'll be busy doing that today. Yesterday's film audition went well I thought (at least I made the casting people laugh -- always a good sign).

Late last night I sent Matt a complete draft of our script re-write. He'll use today to tweak it where he sees fit. Then we do another, informal, reading of it tonight at my manager's offfice (hopefully).

I feel MUCH better about this draft than the one we put forward at our first reading. I think this draft is very funny and I would be excited about seeing it as a TV show. We'll see what our reading group has to say about it...

Blob

May 29th, 2005
A work holiday of sorts.

I have to complete a new draft of the sitcom script this weekend in preparation for a writing meeting with Matt on Tuesday. We feel much better about the story structure (introducing the main characters, what we're trying to accomplish in the story, etc.) now. We'll see if it all translates at our next reading -- which has been pushed back a week to June 8th.

In preparation for that, I'm also going to run what I have written so far by my wife, brother and his partner this weekend (we're hanging out together for Memorial Day). They were all at the first script reading and are always very helpful in telling me what's working and what's not in the stuff I write.

As far as shoot locations...we've gotten permission to shoot at my old TV station on Long Island (which is a HUGE help). We won't have a lot of time to shoot in there but, thankfully, we won't have as many scenes that require their set-up. It also looks like we're going to be rennting a hotel meeting room for a key scene. Should be fun.

With the people we have working on this project -- photographer, editor, actors, etc. -- and the work we're putting in on the script, I'm very excited to see the end result. I think it's going to be good.

I also have a movie script and some sides to go over this weekend. I audition for it on Tuesday. On top of that, I'm also compiling story idea pitches for the Daily Show (we get back from break on Tuesday). So, as I said, it's a working holiday for me...

Talk to you later,
Bob

May 25th, 2005
I'm still waiting on a couple of details before I officially list them here on the site but I have two new gigs confirmed in recent weeks:

Thursday, June 23rd at 9:30pm
Neutrino, my improv comedy team, will be performing our signature show -- the Neutrino Video Projects -- for the first time since 2004 here in New York City. We'll be at The Peoples Improv Theater (The P.I.T.). Ticket prices, location, etc. can be found on their website.

If you don't know anything about this show it's basically an improvised movie made on the spot.

We, Neutrino, take suggestions from you in the audience and then run out into real places -- with real people around us -- and improvise comedy scenes shot in real-time on video.

Immediately after a scene is shot, we run the tape back into the theater for you to view on a big screen. One scene immediately follows the other so, at the end of the night, you've watched a completely made up movie inspired by your suggestion. It's pretty cool.

Check out Neutrino's website for more info on the show, where we've performed it before, etc.

Saturday, August 27th at 8pm
My writing/performing partner, Matt Oberg, and I will be in Louisville, Kentucky to perform our new comedy show, "POW: The Professional Opportunities Workshop."

POW is a parody of any business training workshop you've ever attended. Over the course of 45 minutes or so, Matt and I teach you "valuable" skills on presenting confidently in front of groups and how to handle sexual harassment in the workplace (among other things).

We'll be performing at the Clifton Arts Center in Louisville as part of the Louisville Improv Festival. I'll list ticket information, etc. on my shows page as soon as I get it.

May 24th, 2005
Writing this sitcom script, I have a whole new appreciation for how difficult it is to write good comedy for TV. It's hard -- especially when you're just starting off like Matt and me.

We had our first reading last night and, as expected, we have a lot of work to do. The script got some good laughs but it also has some big character and story holes we need to fill. The end result is Matt and I, basically, have to write a whole new script in preparation for our second (and possibly final) reading next week.

I'm thankful for this whole process as it's forcing me to learn how to write and produce scripts. I'm learning lessons that I would never have known otherwise. One of those being, interestingly enough, how important it is as an actor sometimes to let the words on the paper do the work for you. In other words, sometimes your best acting choice is to do very little "acting" with a line. The writers have done that work for you. They've poured over the dialogue trying to find the exact words and pace of a scene. Your job as an actor sometimes is just to get out of the way. Anyway...

The feedback we got from our assembled reading crowd was extremely helpful and we're excited about the changes they've suggested. I'm confident all this work will result in the best possible work that Matt and I can do at this point in our lives. And that's really all you can ask for.

Whether our submission is accepted by the festival we're working towards or not, we will come out of this experience a lot smarter, a lot better and armed with a finished script and video for a completely original sitcom. Pretty cool.

Today: back to the grind. A couple of commercial auditions and a brief Neutrino performance at an art collective show tonight in the city.

Final note...sorry to everyone who's e-mailed me recently. I've been very busy with other stuff right now but I will get back to you in some form or fashion sooner or later! Thanks for your support.

Bob

May 22nd, 2005
The highlight Friday was a chance meeting I had with Jason Bateman (of Arrested Development) on the streets of Soho. I had just come from my lunch meeting with my manager and lead agent from L.A. talking about how much we liked Arrested Development (among other things). Then, lo and behold, Jason walks right by me on the sidewalk.

I introduced myself (he seemed familiar with my work on The Daily Show) and told him that I was a big fan of him and the show. He was just as complimentary about the Daily Show. I told him that I was hopeful the American public would get behind Arrested Development and let them do what they do for a long time. He was optimistic and hopeful -- with a new time slot from FOX in the fall -- that ratings would increase and that the show would be allowed to do just that. I hope he's right....

Saw the new Star Wars movie Friday night. It was good. But I can't figure out if I -- and the others in the theater -- enjoyed it in part because it finally re-introduced us to some beloved characters (i.e. Darth Vader, Chewbacca) or if the story itself was good. Either way, I enjoyed the movie.

Today, Sunday, I've got A LOT of script re-writing to do. But I also am re-connecting with the Ride for Life as it wraps up on the East End of Long Island. As a result, I'll be writing quite a bit in the car ride back and forth.

Tomorrow: big day. The first reading of our sitcom pilot script. It'll be our first opportunity to hear our thoughts read out-loud and to get feedback from people on what we have so far.

Another big hurdle for us to clear right now is where we're going to shoot this thing! My old station on Long Island, unfortunately, isn't willing to offer any more than 2-3 hours for us to shoot in their studio. We need a lot more time than that to shoot a 22-25 minute finished piece. As a result, Matt and I will be spending a lot of time this week trying to nail down our shoot location(s). It'll all get done...eventually.

Got a call Friday from the folks at AT&T about the possibility of doing some more industrial work for them next week. We'll see what happens.

Mets beat the Yankees yesterday. Awesome. Final game of their 3-game set is this afternoon. I'll be listening on the radio as we hook up with the Ride for Life.

Bob

May 19th, 2005
Busy couple of days of auditions. Good. Couple of commercial auditions yesterday (including a callback) and a commercial and film audition today. The film is a new project from M. Night Shyamalan. Should be fun.

During my down-time I'm tweaking the sitcom script. Lots of little things to change and fix. Our first reading of the material is Monday.

Tomorrow, if time allows, I'll re-connect with the Ride for Life. I'm a little disappointed I haven't been able to spend more time with them this week. I also have a lunch date with my manager and my lead agent out of L.A. (who's in town this week).

The organizers of the Louisville Improv Festival in Kentucky have made an offer to bring in Matt and I to perform our POW show down there in August. Hope it works out. The guys who run the festival are good guys and I would love to go down there and do a good show for them. I had a great time in Louisville when I was there last year with Neutrino.

Mets swept the Reds yesterday. Cool. Subway series with the Yankees starts tomorrow. Always fun to be in New York for those. There's an extra buzz in the air.

Bob

May 18th, 2005
Great script meeting with Matt yesterday. We both agreed on the problem spots in what we've written so far and brain-stormed some really exciting fixes in my opinion. For the first time in the writing process, I think we may have the makings of a story that's better than just "good."

The trick, however, is translating what we brain-stormed out loud into a workable script on paper. Executing your ideas on paper is rarely as easy as it is in your head.

We'll take stabs at it individually and then re-convene Monday -- shortly before our first official reading of the script.

We're having a little bit of a problem firming up our primary shoot location for the script -- which is a bummer. Our first choice of a spot, unfortunately, can't give us as much time to shoot as we would need. So we're going to our second options now. Either way, it'll all get done!

While Matt and I met, we did a conference call with one of the producers interested in possibly shopping our POW show around for corporate gigs. We all agree that we think the show has the potential to be a popular piece of corporate entertainment but it's going to take a little work and tweaking -- as with anything -- to get it there. We'll see. The first step is just sending these folks a video of one of our performances on stage -- which I plan to do by the end of the week.

Found out yesterday that the WB picked up the new show "Pepper Dennis" with Rebecca Romjin-Stamos (sp?) for the fall. Very cool! I met with the creators of that show when I was out in L.A. earlier this year and was pulling for them to succeed.

During our meeting, we talked about the possibility of them writing a role for me on the show and/or giving me a a job as a writing contributor. We'll see. Obviously, it's all talk until something happens but I wish them all the best regardless. They were nice, cool people and I'm happy to see people like that do well -- whether I'm involved in their project or not.

Today: commercial audition in the afternoon and possibly attending an AFTRA meeting this evening. Tomorrow: a film audition and, hopefully, hooking up with the Ride for Life again. In between all of this...writing, writing and more writing.

Mets beat the Reds again last night. Going for the sweep (sweet revenge for their season-opening loses to Cincinnati) this afternoon. Let's go Mets!

Bob

May 16th, 2005
I'm finishing up my read of Robert McKee's book on script writing and thinking more and more about what Matt and I need to do to tweak our sitcom script. It's a decent draft right now but it definitely needs work.

We have a couple of readings scheduled in the coming weeks that will help us a lot in figuring out what needs to be changed and how. But besides that I think we need to sit down ourselves and really figure out what needs to be done to make the story tighter and less predictable. The battle between the story and the funny in this script is tough. What jokes do you cut to make the story better and vice-versa? That's the dilemma in front of us now.

We videotaped our last performance of POW Friday night so we're going to send copies to a couple of corporate producers who are interested in possibly shopping us around for gigs. We'll see what happens there. Always good to keep your options open and see what's out there...

Went to a luncheon for the Peabody awards this afternoon. The Daily Show got an award for its 2004 election coverage. Very cool. It was great to be included in the show's presence there.

Unfortunately, I had to run out in the middle and do a callback for a TV commercial (I got back just in time to see Jon and company take the stage for the award). Jon was very funny and right on point with his remarks (the guy's very good, if you haven't noticed). He thanked Comedy Central for their support of the show and then made a joke about how the network apparently now provides for semesters abroad for its stars (Dave Chappelle reference). Speaking of...

Saw media reports this morning that Dave Chappelle has told Time magazine that's he's: not crazy and not on drugs. I guess he's just hanging out in South Africa with a friend there. I'm glad to hear that he's O.K. at least.

According to what I read in the morning papers about his Time interview...Dave says the pressure of the new season and all the money he's getting paid to do it got to him -- and the people around him. He says he was getting freaked out (I'm paraphrasing here) because it was getting hard for him to tell if the people around him were being honest with him about his work or just kissing his ass because he was so successful.

If that's indeed the case, it's an interesting point. I would guess one of the things that probably makes it hard for anyone who's reached a major level of success and/or power in life to stay there is you start to have a hard time distinguishing between the people around you who are sycophants ("Yeah, that's great! You're awesome!") and those who are real advisors and confidants (people you can trust to tell you when your ideas are bad or flawed). Anyway...

My weekend activities included Jill and I walking with the Ride for Life on Saturday (as it made its way through Brooklyn), watching the finale of Survivor and catching the movie "Kingdom of Heaven" -- O.K.

Mets lost 2 out of 3 this weekend. Not good. Tonight a new series begins with the Reds. Then it's the Yankees. Should be a fun week (hopefully).

Blob

May 13th, 2005
The Ride for Life kicked off this morning on the USS Intrepid. As a result, I spent the morning hanging out with the Ride. The guys and gals involved in this group are incredibly inspirational. You might have seen some coverage for them -- with baseball player David Cone -- on this morning's Today Show on NBC. Read their website here for more info.

One of the cool off-shoots of this Ride -- and my job at The Daily Show -- is that one of my Daily Show pieces helped lead to the franchising of another Ride for Life event in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Jillaine Toebe and her husband were the focus of a story I did last year on the Oprah car give-away. During our down-time on the shoot, Jillaine mentioned to me that she's involved with a charity walk in Green Bay for ALS (aka Lou Gehrig's Disease). She also mentioned that they were interested in making the event bigger and were looking for guidance on how to do so. I told her about my involvement with Ride for Life here in New York and that the group had raised over a million dollars for ALS research and awareness. One thing led to another and now, I'm happy to say, Jillaine and her friends in Green Bay are an official Ride for Life event in Green Bay. Pretty cool.

Jillaine flew in for the weekend here in New York and I was happy to see her at this morning's kickoff event.

I'll be posting some photos from this year's Ride on my website here in the coming weeks.

Tonight's the last show of the current run of POW. Matt and I have gotten some interest from corporate producers who want to possibly take the show on the road and book it as corporate entertainment. We're open to that but we know, as a result, some of the show will have to be watered down for the audience. Right now it's basically an R-rated show. We'd have to make it G or PG-rated to book corporate gigs. We'll see what happens. Either way, we expect a sell-out (or close to) tonight.

Have a callback for a commercial on Monday. Getting lots of callbacks recently. Always a good sign that something will book.

Let's go Mets!
Bob

May 12th, 2005
Read in the paper today that Dave Chappelle has checked himself into a mental health clinic in South Africa. If true, that surprises me. In my limited exposure working with him, Dave's never struck me as someone struggling with mental problems (the exact opposite actually). But maybe the pressure of this new season -- and other stuff -- has gotten to him. I don't know. Hopefully he knows him at 25% is better than most people at 100% and that, as a result, there is no pressure for this new season.

Or maybe this is all an elaborate promotion for the new season??? Either way...I hope he's O.K. Dave Chappelle, to me, is one of the funniest, coolest guys you can find and he deserves nothing but peace and happiness.

I'm sending off Neutrino DVDs today to people who've requested them recently. At last check, our Neutrino Video Projects (NVP) -- aka The Instant Movie -- form has now, or will be, performed by other groups in:

Chicago
Seattle
Washington DC
Detroit
San Francisco
Phoenix
The U.K.
New Zealand
Germany

We won't stop until someone does it in Japan!

Bob

May 11th, 2005
Finally got a chance to catch up on my e-mail yesterday. As a result, I added new people to my mailing list here (thanks everybody for your support!) and sent out an update to them on things.

I aslo got a chance yesterday to make some long-overdue dubs of one of Neutrino's video shows for some people. There's a couple of people overseas (one in the U.K. and one in Germany) that ordered copies a long time ago and I'm in charge of getting them to them. They will finally get those shows today! I took time yesterday on my laptop to teach myself how to make dubs in the PAL format needed for Europe.

The guy in Germany is part of a group of improvisers over there who are going to start doing this form we invented. Crazy. One of my Neutrino-mates, Kurt Braunholer, just got back from teaching them a seminar about the form in Munich. It's hard to believe sometimes how this little thing we did messing around at a theater in New York has begun to branch out across the country and the world (there are troupes doing our form now in Chicago, Detroit, Washington DC, Seattle, Phoenix, New Zealand, the U.K. and now Germany).

Matt and I have started approaching actor friends to fill roles in our pilot submission for that television festival here in New York. Scheduling is going to be a bear (lots of people and places we're trying to coordinate). But it will all get done eventually. We've scheduled our first reading of the script in a couple of weeks.

I go into the Daily Show office this afternoon for a joke meeting on my newest story there. I think it has the potential to be a very funny story so I'm looking forward to hashing out some ideas for it.

Then I end my day with a voice-over audition. I don't like doing those simply because I don't think I do them very well. I've never taken a class or anything on how to do voice-over work so I feel like I always pale in comparison to people who've been doing it professionally for years. Oh well. You can't win if you don't play...

Talk to you later,
Bob

May 10th, 2005
Eventful day yesterday.

First off, my latest Daily Show story aired (to good reaction). Always nice to have an audience react positively to what you've been working on.

Then the story that I was supposed to leave town for -- yesterday evening -- fell through (a key interview backed out). So now we're working on another story that shoots here in New York. I'm very excited about this story and I think it has the potential to be a great one. Although I'm biased because it's a story I pitched :-).

I started off the day with that commercial callback I mentioned yesterday and pretty much assured myself of not booking the job in the audition. My fatal mistake was, most likely, picking the script I did to audition with (I knew it was a risk).

When I showed up they had 3 scripts out there for the actors to choose from. They said, "Pick one that you want to audition with. " So instead of going with the safe bet of auditioning with a script that I had already auditioned with (and, therefore, was much more comfortable with) I decided to go with one that I had just seen for the first time. What the hell, you know? I thought, "They've seen me do this copy. Everyone else is probably going to go with the safe choices -- the ones they know and have done already -- so I'll go with this new one and see if they appreciate me taking a risk."

Well, when I got in there the first run-through was O.K. but not great. The director gave me some direction and I did my best, in the moment, to comply. But overall I don't think I gave him what he was looking for. The biggest sign that that was the case was what happened right after I got done with the second run-through of the copy: the director goes, "Alright. Thank you, Bob." -- quick and polite -- and the door opens immediately to let you out. Any actor who's been there knows what the director's really saying: "Alright, you're not right for this. Next!"

No biggee. You win some and you lose some. It's the nature of the business -- especially in the world of commercial acting.

Finally, in between all this Daily Show and commercial stuff yesterday, I had a script meeting with Matt. We picked out dates for readings and shooting the script. We also discussed who are top picks were for roles. Slowly but surely we're getting where we need to be on things. I've said it before. I'll say it again. I think the finished product is going to be very good. You gotta have that confidence going into something like this otherwise you're sunk from the get-go.

Mets won last night. Very cool.

Blob

May 9th, 2005
My latest Daily Show piece airs tonight -- the one about the sexy cheerleading bill in Texas. The screenings with Jon have gone pretty good. We'll see how the audience reacts to it at the taping. I won't be there for it as I'll be en route to another story which shoots tomorrow. That means I'll have to watch the show tonight on TV to see what happens.

This morning I have a callback for a somewhat big commercial campaign. The odds are against me booking it but you never know. Then, later, I meet with Matt to organize the reading on our script.

As I've said before, it's good to be busy.

Hosted the Ride for Life charity event on Saturday. Turnout was better than I expected and they raised a lot of money for the cause.

Yesterday, watched the Yankees beat the A's at the Stadium. Good weekend.

Talk to you later,
Bob

May 6th, 2005
Big show tonight for POW. Last week, some industry folks from NY and L.A. saw the show. This week some of their counter-parts are coming. You never get a second chance to make a first impression so we're hoping to get a good crowd tonight for their attendance. Some of these industry folks play a key role in developing new TV shows for the networks and selecting shows for the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen.

This afternoon I go into the Daily Show for another day of editing on our sexy cheerleading story. All the screenings with Jon have gone pretty well and the last one was encouraging. Regardless, we still have quite a few things to tweak and massage before it hits air -- on Monday.

Need to fit in a couple of commercial auditions today as well. AND meet with Matt to go over our script and the POW show before the performance tonight at 8pm. Busy day.

Also talking about possibly going to L.A. next month to perform POW -- and the Neutrino Video Projects -- at the L.A. Improv Festival through IO West. It'll most likely come down to an issue of scheduling and money.

Tomorrow night I host a charity event for the Ride for Life at Duckwalk Vineyard on Long Island. The Ride for Life is a fabulous organization that raises money and awareness for ALS -- or Lou Gehrig's Disease. I've been involved with the group for several years now. I'm looking forward to it.

On Sunday, we go to Yankees Stadium for a game. As you may know, I'm a huge Mets fan but it is fun to go to Yankees Stadium for games every once in awhile. The atmosphere for a game there is pretty awesome.

If I don't talk to you, have a great weekend!
Bob

May 5th, 2005
So it looks like our piece is now being pushed back until Monday. The screenings have gone well and we all agree that, if need be, it could air tonight. But there's a lot of other funny stuff going on in the news today and Jon thinks we can wait until Monday to air this puppy. Always good to have extra time when you can get it...

Bob

May 4th, 2005
It looks like it's all systems go for my latest Daily Show piece airing tomorrow (Thursday) night. The producer I'm working with is very good and has a strong track record of turning out good pieces. Hopefully, that will continue with this piece (no pressure).

Learned that Stephen Colbert is getting his own show on Comedy Central in the fall. Long overdue. The guy wrote the book on how to do this fake news stuff. I'm sure he'll do great. His departure will certainly leave a vacancy for us correspondents to fill on the Daily Show.

E-mailed an updated script to Matt today. He'll look it over and we'll re-convene on things Friday. We've got A LOT of stuff to get situated for our reading. Primarily casting actors, setting up a time and place, etc. It'll be a lot of logistics and scheduling to get through. But it'll all get done.

Talk later,
Bob

May 3rd, 2005
I'm trying to nail down locations for our pilot shoot this week. Once complete, we'll submit the pilot to a television festival going on in New York this summer. I'm very excited about it. Gotta stay busy -- learning, working. To that end...

My latest Daily Show piece is scheduled to air as early as this Thursday. I'm going to touch base with the story producer today to get an update on things.

I submitted a couple of story ideas today. We'll see what happens. One of the stories I pitched last week I guess is being shot this week. If it hits air, it will be the first of the stories I've pitched at the show to do so.

Met with friends Negin Farsad and Alex Zalben last night to go over some new sketches they've written for a new show. I've been directing them, off and on, for a few years now with their stage stuff. I like doing it but I find myself increasingly busy with other things these days.

I'm on hold for a new campaign of commercials from a well-known food company. I'll know in another week or so if I get it. If it happens, you'll be seeing a lot of me on the tube in the coming months.

Bob

May 1st, 2005
Good trip to Chicago. We were only in town long enough to do our show and then come back (we were there just a little over 24 hours). But the show went well. Really like Chicago and the people there. Very friendly and nice. Also got a chance to catch up with some old friends and acquaintances while there.

Looking forward to getting some sleep tonight. Haven't gotten a lot of it recently.

This week, Matt and I organize a ready for our script. That will involve casting actors in roles and organizing a time and place to have it. Lots of logistics to get figured out.

My Daily Show piece could air as early as this Thursday so I'll be going into the office later in the week to do editing and stuff.

Talk to you later,
Bob

April 29th, 2005
Just got back from the shoot for Daily Show. Felt good about what we got but, as always, you never know what you have until you get in an edit bay and start hammering it out. The finished story will most likely air in another week to 10 days. I'll post updates here on my blog.

I'm back on the road tomorrow. Tonight we do the POW show here in New York (regular Friday nights at 8pm gig). Then tomorrow night we headline the sketch arm of a big improv festival in Chicago. I'm looking forward to both shows. Should be fun.

The show tonight here in New York should have quite a bit of industry in attendance as some folks from L.A. and here in New York are coming to check us out. Some of these people are scouting for comedy festivals. Others are interested in producing new shows for TV. Tonight's show will serve as an introductory course for them as to who Matt and I are (as performers) and what we've established with these two characters for the show. You never count on anything coming out of these showcase performances, but, every once in awhile, something happens. We'll see.

I used the plane ride from the Daily Show shoot today to clean up some of our script. It was largely formatting issues but I did add a few things here and there that I'm excited about. I think, overall, the script is in good shape and ready for a reading. Now we just have to cast roles and organize getting people together to hear it...

Talk soon,
Bob

April 27th, 2005
I hit the road today to do another story for The Daily Show. I'm not 100% sure what the story is at the moment of this writing but I'll find out when I go into the office this afternoon. Either way, I always look forward to the work.

Had an interesting commercial audition yesterday. It required me to basically eat on camera -- no acting, no nothing. Just eat. The spot they're looking to shoot captures people as they eat normally. No dialogue. No set activity. So I ate a few grapes and pretzels while they rolled video on me.

Great script meeting with Matt yesterday. We went through the entire draft inserting revisions where necessary. Next step is to clean up the copy (put it all in the right script format) and organize a reading. I'm very excited about it. I think we have a very funny script and the makings of a very good shoot.

I'm gonna try to meet with Chris before I leave today to go over more of the website stuff. There's some final tweaks and additions we need to do before he hands the site over to me completely. Once that happens, I should have complete control of everything on here and have the ability to change things as I please. Very cool.

Finally, if time and weather allows, I've got to flier for the POW show today. There's some industry folks expected in the audience and, as a result, you always want to have a good rowdy crowd to counter-balance their sometimes judging eyes.

Bob

April 26th, 2005
Good meeting with Chris yesterday. We cleaned up some of the new material on the site here and organized it a little bit better. If you haven't done so already, please check out my press, photos and videos pages to know what I'm talking about. Overall, I'm very happy that the site is becoming a resource for friends, fans and industry alike.

Today should be busy. It's story submission day at The Daily Show so I'll turn in my ideas this morning. Then in the afternoon, I have a couple of auditions (commercial and film) that I need to siatuate. Along with a writing meeting with Matt (we're getting close to settling on our first full draft of the script -- next step: a reading) and another website meeting with Chris (to further tweak stuff and add some other photo and radio elements). In between all this, I hope to swing into the Daily Show offices to see what's going on. I have a couple of charity events (Ride for Life) that I need to collect show items for.

At some point today, I also need to send out an e-mail reminder about my POW shows this weekend (Friday night in New York, Saturday night in Chicago). We've got some industry folks expected at the New York show so we need to make sure we have a healthy audience in attendance.

Talk to you later,
Bob

April 25th, 2005
Used part of yesterday to finally clear out some of the e-mail I've gotten off my website here. That stuff piles up on me pretty quickly these days. Thanks for your patience.

Glad to say that a bunch of new videos have now successfully been linked up to my videos page here. Take a look when you get a chance (some of them take a while to load -- sorry). I meet with Chris this afternoon to clean the new stuff up even further.

I'm aslo spending part of my day today gathering story ideas for The Daily Show this week. Submission time is tomorrow. Speaking of the show...

I'm tentatively scheduled to go out on a new story this week. That could change but, right now, that's the plan.

My writing session with Matt today has been postponed until tomorrow so Matt can do a job today. No biggee. The extra day will give him more time to make revisions on the script draft I gave him at the end of last week.

I'm still trying to situate Neutrino's final money payouts for our appearances in Scotland in August. It's frustrating and another sign to me that it's time for me to move on and do other things.

Talk soon,
Bob

April 23rd, 2005
POW show last night went very well. Good audience. Good run of the material. Just a couple of minor tweaks and I think we're in good shape for our performance next weekend in Chicago.

I gave Matt a complete draft of our script for him to look over this weekend. He'll make changes and we'll re-connect on Monday for another writing session. We're making better progress right now than I expected. Still working on locking up our shoot locations...

It looks like I might be heading out on another Daily Show story this upcoming week. For awhile it looked like I couldn't do it because I had a couple of commercial jobs that might have conflicted but things got sorted out. As an actor, it's great to have that kind of scheduling dilemma. Good to be busy...

Bob

April 21st, 2005
First off, I want to apologize to all of you have e-mailed me recently with questions/comments and haven't heard back from me (yet). It's my bad. Rest assured, I've got your e-mails and I'm hoping to go through and respond to everyone sometime this weekend. Thanks for your patience. As I've said in the past...unfortunately, it's getting harder for me to respond to people in a timely fashion. I'm sorry. With that being said...

If you have any thoughts or comments you want to share with me, feel free to contact me off my contacts page here on the website. I do read what you send me -- even if it takes me awhile to get back to you.

Now, on to other business...

Ran into a few improv friends at an audition yesterday. Among them Jessica St. Clair (I was amazed at how everyone was talking about her hair). Jessica and I have done quite a bit of work together in the past (we were originally going to do the show that has become "POW" with Matt). It's always good to catch up with her. She's been doing very well -- booking a sitcom pilot for NBC that Ed Helms was in as well. They'll find out in about a month or so on whether it gets picked up.

She also gave me an update on the WUCB thinga-ma-bopper that we're involved in. WUCB was an improv local news show that we did together while I was still performing at the UCB (it's been a couple of years now since I last performed there). The show did very well on stage and had a great cast of improvisers in it (some of the best New York improvisers around). As a result, the powers that be (aka: the UCB itself) are kickng around the idea of trying to shop it around as a TV show to networks.

I've told the Daily Show of my involvement in this pitch and that I would never let my participation in the pitch interfer with my work on the show. The UCB folks know that too. In other words, if it ever came down to choosing between working on this WUCB project as a TV show and the Daily Show (a scenario that is a long shot, at best, right now), I would always choose working on The Daily Show. For my money, The Daily Show is one of the best shows on TV right now (and I'm not just saying that because I work there) and I would never want to turn my back on the opportunity to work there. I'm a very happy camper there, in other words. Speaking of the The Daily Show...

I stopped into the office very briefly yesterday just to drop off some fliers for my new "POW" run and say hi to people. While there, my bosses told me that they've set up the main interview for my latest story pitch. That's great news as it means that story may actually hit air now. We'll see...

I capped off my day yesterday by attending a launch party for a new television festival in New York. Matt and I are working towards submitting the script we're working on to the festival and wanted to go to the party to meet the organizers and ask them some questions about submissions. My manager, Vincent Nastri, also was kind enough to show up. I wasn't able to stay very long but it was nice to meet the folks behind the festival and clear up some stuff with them. Matt, Vincent and I are all very excited about submitting our show to these guys and seeing what happens.

Today: bunch of auditions. Good to be busy.

Talk to you later,
Bob

April 20th, 2005
Good news. Had one of my story ideas accepted this week at The Daily Show. That means they've assigned it to research and trying to set it up. One of these days...one of my story ideas will actually hit air. Eventually.

Made some calls yesterday setting up possible shoot locations for the script Matt and I are working on. If the locations come through, we'll be very excited. They're awesome places to shoot our scenes.

Tonight is an opening party for the festival we're working to submit our stuff to. So myself, Matt and my manager all plan on attending and getting a feel for what the festival will be like.

Made some progress on the script alone yesterday. I'm stuck on a key scene right now in the story. Some important stuff has to happen in it but I also want to make it as funny as possible (don't want to lose any jokes). The way things are going, Matt and I agree that a reading of the material will let us know best what stays and what goes in the end.

The way it's progressing right now, we'll have probably double the amount of material that's necessary for the finished product in our reading. No biggee. Any stuff I've ever written (the POW show, my one-man show, etc.) before has started pretty much the same way: a lot of draft material that's cut down into the final product.

Bob

April 19th, 2005
Jon was a guest on the Oprah show yesterday. I had no idea. As part of his appearance, they showed some clips from the correspondents and included a snipit from my Dr. Phil story. I don't know if the story I did on Oprah's car give-away was considered (probably not). ;-) Either way, it was a nice surprise to see. Very cool of them to include something from me in the montage of moments.

Speaking of The Daily Show...I hope to touch base with my boss there today to talk to him about the scripts I've been working on possibly submitting. I tweaked them over the weekend. One of them is time-sensitive and, as a result, is probably already dead in the water but the other one you never know.

Either way, I enjoy the writing and creative process and I'm learning a lot just by doing these things -- even if they never hit air. To that end, I'm submitting some more story ideas today. Although several of my story ideas have been approved in the past none, as of now, have ever hit air (for a million and one reasons).

Regardless, I think it's good for me to always be in the practice of writing and submitting. As an actor and comedian, a big part of my job is writing, writing, writing -- not only for myself but for other people as well. When you write (and write well) it creates opportunities for yourself in the business that weren't there otherwise. To that end...

I met with Matt for four hours yesterday on our script. It's, slowly but surely, coming along. I feel really good about it. I think we have some really funny ideas and I think, after we put in all our work, the end product will be pretty damn good (at least I hope it will be).

Even though we disagree on some stuff from time to time, I'm glad to have found a working partner who is as committed as I am to creating good stuff and putting in the work to do it.

We meet again on Friday to go over more stuff.

Before I met with Matt yesterday, I had a few auditions to go to. Two were for films (that I was put on tape for for L.A.). The other was for a TV show shot here in New York. I felt good about my performance in that audition but the executive producer (who was in the room) didn't seem too moved. Oh well. You never know...

I saw that Verizon Wireless commercial I shot a few weeks ago for the first time last night (if you blink, you'll miss me) on TV. I'm the guy who gets knocked on his butt in the hallway by "Schmitty." Even though I'm on air for all of maybe 1-2 seconds, it's still cool to see. Looking at it, it's hard to imagine I actually had to audition for the role of "the guy who gets knocked down in the hallway."

The Mets game on Saturday was AWESOME, by the way. Beautiful weather. Pedro vs. Leiter. The Mets won it in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. Couldn't ask for much more.

That's one of the things I love about New York: the ability to just jump on a train and see something great in your own backyard. And then go home and relax.

Talk to you later,
Bob

April 16th, 2005
The POW show went great last night, I thought. Good audience, good run of the material. We're ramping up nicely for our appearance in Chicago later this month.

Going to the Mets game today. While there, I'll try to read some of the film scripts I have. I've got to do A LOT of reading, writing and memorizing of stuff this weekend.

Bob

April 15th, 2005
New content on the site. That's the big news for me today. We've finally updated the press and photos pages (with an update on the video page coming soon as well). It'll take us awhile to clean everything up (right now there's some stuff missing or duplicated that I don't want). But, overall, I'm very pleased. Hope you guys enjoy browsing through it.

Shoot yesterday (in Washington Square Park in New York) went very well I thought. It was a beautiful day to be outdoors and the job gave me an excuse to do that.

This afternoon I meet Matt at The PIT to work more on our scripts and the POW show. Things are coming along nicely on both fronts. Show tonight at 8pm!

Confirmed this week I'll be attending the awards luncheon for the Peabody awards for The Daily Show in May. The show got a Peabody (very prestigious journalism award) for its 2004 election coverage -- of which I was a part. It was very nice of the show to invite me to the luncheon.

This weekend, I prepare for a couple of film auditions on Monday and touch up a couple of scripts I've been working on for possible submission at The Daily Show. As always, whenever possible, I'll do more writing on my script with Matt as well.

Off to the theater...

Bob

April 14th, 2005
Shot the industrial at AT&T yesterday. I think it went very well. They had us set up overlooking this control room for AT&T world operations. It was incredible: a huge wall of computer screens and TV images. It looked like the control room from NASA or War Games. I have another gig today that involves me shooting stuff in Washington Square Park in the city.

We had a 2-hour break during shooting yesterday that allowed me to do some really good work on the scripts Matt and I are writing. All of the sudden, this thing is starting to look like something. It was hard for me to get started but once I did, I don't want to stop. We meet tomorrow -- before our POW show -- to go over what we've got so far.

I watched the premiere of the new Pam Anderson sitcom, Stacked, on FOX last night. I was interested in watching it because: 1.) I had auditioned for the role of Stuart in it, and 2.) A fellow client, Brian Scolaro, of my manager had landed the role. It was wild to see dialogue you delivered during an audition to be performed during the show by another actor. You saw the choices they made compared to your's and how they differed.

Although I've never met Brian, I thought he did a great job. He's, in my opinion, one of the bright spots of the show. I don't feel bad at all losing out on a job to him.

The show, overall, needs some work though. Just like any new show, it's stil finding it's way with characters, story, acting, etc. There's a lot of talented people involved -- and I guess you should never under-estimate the drawing power of Pam Anderson with the American public -- so I'm pretty sure -- given enough time and episodes to do it -- they'll find their way and settle into something stronger than last night's show. But what do I know?!

Finally, I confirmed a spot at The Daily Show table for the Peabody Awards luncheon in May. Nice of them to offer it to me. I'll be excited to go.

Talk soon,
Bob

April 12th, 2005
Great writing meeting with Matt yesterday. We met at my manager's office and he set us up in a conference room to hammer things out. We showed our first drafts of the beginning of the script to him and he liked what he saw. Matt and I are both goal-oriented, organized people so I'm confident -- if we put in the work that we're planning on -- that this thing will end up being pretty solid.

My agent in L.A. has me looking at a couple of film scripts right now. Both projects have some exciting possibilities but it may be an uphill battle for me trying to get cast out of New York -- rather than L.A. We'll see...

Tomorrow I do a corporate acting gig for AT&T. The spots will be directed by Chris Ryan -- the guy who was responsible for giving me my SAG card. Chris is a very good guy and I'm happy to work with him again.

Mets won their home opener yesterday. I like the hustle of this year's team so far. They're playing like the Yankees a little bit here. Maybe Willie Randolph is making an impact? Hope so.

Tonight: dinner with my mom and brother in New Jersey. Mom leaves tomorrow so this will be my last time hanging with her before she leaves. It's been awesome to have her around.

Bob

April 11th, 2005
Spent the weekend with my family in a cabin in the Catskills. Beautiful weather and good, relaxing times.

While there, I spent some more time writing and reading. I always like to use my family as a sounding-board for some of my writing. They were, once again, very helpful in letting me know what things I could tweak when it comes to the script I'm working on with Matt and the two Daily Show scripts I'm working on (unofficially).

I meet with Matt this afternoon to go over some scene drafts we have. I'm happy to say that we've developed a pretty stringent writing time-line for ourselves to write drafts and finalize things. The time-line will call on us meeting at least twice a week for hours at a time to go over stuff. In order to do this stuff, you have to be well organized. It's pretty much writing and re-writing whenever you have the time.

I have a couple of acting gigs later this week that will keep me busy as well. The guy who's directing them will forever have a place in my heart as the guy who scored me my SAG card. He's a very good guy and I'm happy to help him out whenever I can.

The POW show this weekend went well. The audience was relatively small (we have to work on that) but the show itself felt very good. We've cut about 10 minutes from its length and that seems to have helped it a bit.

Back to writing now...
Bob

April 8th, 2005
Took my mom (and wife, brother and partner) to the taping of The Daily Show last night. Very fun. My mom got a big kick out of meeting and getting her photo taken with Lewis Black and Jon (both were kind to do so). No matter what other credits I get (or don't get), having my mom see this show I'm involved with now will always be a highlight.

Tonight, is the second performance (in this new run) of the "POW" show. Matt and I will meet before showtime to work on the script and, hopefully, make some cuts. We -- and our audiences -- like the show but feel like, to really make it tight, we need to cut 10-15 minutes. We want people walking out of our shows wanting more -- rather than less. Where do we cut stuff is the question.

Everyone who's seen the show says it feels like we could cut some length but then they can't identify exact moments in the show that really drag (they like everything). It's a great dilemma to have -- nothing obviously weak -- but it also makes it hard to cut stuff when you need to. What do you cut? Oh well. I'm sure when we sit down this afternoon, we'll find some stuff to drop.

This is why you really need to run a show for a few months (at least) before you can find it's final resting place -- content-wise (and even then, you're always looking to tweak things after almost every performance). It took me pretty much two years of on-and-off-again runs of my one-man show, "Anchor's Away," before I got it to a place that I felt like it needed to be.

It'll probably be the same way with this "POW" show. However, unlike "Anchor's Away," I think "POW" is in much better shape, content-wise, than "Anchor's Away" was at this stage of the game. Much better.

Feel free to check out the P.I.T. website for more information on the "POW" show. Hope you can come to a show.

Also, check out my shows page for information on our out-of-town performances. We're going to be in Chicago later this month and possibly L.A. and Louisville in the summer.

Today and this weekend...writing, writing and more writing:
1.) Matt and I are drafting different scenes for our script (we plan to shoot the script in a couple of months).
2.) I have a couple of Daily Show scripts that I'm working on tweaking and possibly officially submitting for inclusion in the show.
3.) Neutrino, my improv comedy team, is putting up one of our signature shows again next month here in New York. As a result, I've got to write some press release stuff for us (it's all grass-roots efforts, folks).

Have a good weekend!
Bob

April 6th, 2005
Today I have a writing meeting with Matt. We've got a lot on our plate right now. We've got to fine-tune and tweak our POW show (I want to cut 15 minutes -- somewhere -- from the show), get cracking on our script (our self-imposed deadline of June 1st is alread quickly approaching) and take care of some house-keeping stuff for our performance later this month in Chicago. We'll meet at my manager's office for a change.

Yesterday, I auditioned for a new show on the Discovery Channel. You never know what they're looking for but I felt relatively good about what I did in the room. I ended the day with an audition on tape (sending it to L.A.) for a sitcom pilot on the WB. You never know...

If I ever need an ego boost, I should hang out at Starbucks... I was routinely recognized for my work on the Daily Show at different Starbucks in L.A. last month and yesterday a guy came up to me in one here in NY and just said, "Hey, keep up the good work, man" and shook my hand.

I've got a lot of stuff to get to you so I better get going...

Talk soon,
Bob

April 4th, 2005
Shot the commercial today. It went well I think (at least my little part in it felt like it went well). I really liked the director of the spot -- a guy by the name of a Bennett Miller. He's done a ton of commercials and just wrapped shooting on that new Truman Capote movie with Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing the lead. Based on the talent of Hoffman and how Bennett handled the shoot today, I'm confident the movie will be pretty kick ass. Either way, good experience today.

I've got to do some touch-ups on a couple of proposed segment scripts I put in at The Daily Show a couple of weeks ago. I told my boss there I would get him revised scripts this week and then see if we want to move forward with them as official submissions for air.

Tomorrow is also the day I do my weekly story pitches. I've got a couple of decent ideas I think. Coming off the break, it's always good to come with some good ideas for stuff to do.

On top of that, I have a couple of TV show auditions here in New York tomorrow. I've got to use tonight to prepare sides and do some research. I guess there'll be no basketball watching for me...

Had a great time with my mom over the weekend. Did some intense craft-making with her: candles, bath salts, lip balm. All of these activities, I'm sure, will soon be highlighted on my brother's website soon.

Talk to you later,
Bob

April 2nd, 2005
Good news on two fronts yesterday.

Booked a job in a Verizon Wireless commercial. My "job" will be to fall on my butt in the spot. Seriously. That's all I do, folks. I get knocked on my ass by a guy talking on his phone. The shoot is Monday.

And last night's debut of the new "POW" run went very well last night. Always happy when an opening goes relatively error-free and the audience enjoys themselves. Success on both fronts.

Have a good weekend,
Bob

March 31st, 2005
If you're interested, here's a Comedy Central link for a sample of some of the stories I've done on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

March 31st, 2005
I guess I've arrived, folks. I now have a fanlisting site.

This site was set up by Heather Lockhart (thanks, Heather) who was kind enough to:

1.) Ask my permission to do so.

2.) Ask for a suggestion from me on what to call it.

I chose "Fong-O-Rama" for three reasons:

1.) I don't take any "celebrity" stuff very seriously and "Fong-O-Rama" seems to give the right weight to this.

2.) "Fong" is what I'm often referred to at The Daily Show offices.

3.) My legit agent in L.A. often refers to my activities as a "Fong-O-Rama."

While I'm giving shout-outs to fans and supporters, I should say "Hey!" to Ruth in Toronto ("The Prime Minister of my Canadian Fan Club"), the folks at The Daily Show Experience, and all the folks from Wichita (and elsewhere) who have contacted me to say they're fans of my work. Your support is much appreciated!

On to other matters...

Today I've got to get premise sheets out to this little industry circle that Matt and I have collected to help us write our script. Based on their feedback of the premises (and our own thoughts), we'll settle on an idea and start writing in earnest on the finished product.

I've also got to get back to my friend who's helping me put up new stuff here on the site. He sent me a sample of a new press page a few days back. I just have to approve it and then will put it up here on the site.

Finally...gotta start spreading the word with my peeps about the "POW" show going back up on Friday night. Time Out New York gave us a good listing (and a recommendation) so that should help a lot (thank you, Jane Borden!). In the days leading up to a show, most of our time is spent on just promoting the fact we're having a show. Doesn't matter what you put up (good or bad), you gotta work to put fannies in the seats.

Once this work is done, my mom (who's here visiting) and I will have time to relax and hang out together.

Talk to you later,
Bob

March 29th, 2005
I'm getting ready for a visit from my mom. Cleaning up the house, getting stuff done so I have some free time to spend with her, etc. She's coming to my POW show Friday night. Always cool to have your parents check out what shows you're doing. She'll also come to a taping of The Daily Show while she's here. Speaking of...

I believe they re-run my story on the gay fetus legislation in Maine tonight. We'll see...

Met with Matt yesterday to rehearse the POW show. A new run of it starts this week and continues through mid-May. Check my shows page for details. We keep tweaking it so it's good to keep rehearsing it and remind ourselves where things are at. We feel very good about where we're at going into this new run.

Last night, went to a screening of the movie Kung Fu Hustle. It opens in L.A. and NYC on Friday. It's good. Definitely entertaining and action-packed.

This morning, I had a commercial audition for a Pizza Hut spot and, while at the casting office, was told that pilot thing I participated in for IFC a few months ago got picked up. It's a reality show that follows actors through the auditioning process. The pilot was only 15 minutes long but I guess I'm in it for a good amount of time. I'm sure they'll focus on other people for the actual show but I'd still like to see what they did with the stuff they shot of me. The casting director says he'll get me a copy if he can.

After that I met with my manager to do a basic state-of-the-union type meeting. We went over my goals for this year and where things stood with everything. The biggest thing right now is continuing to do the best job I can at The Daily Show and also continue to hammer out that script I'm working on with Matt. To that end...

I've got to get premise sheets typed up this week and then move forward with organizing a reading of a final draft by sometime in late May. Busy, busy, busy. Good to be busy...

Finally, it looks like Neutrino (my improv comedy team) is going to be performing our video show again. We have a date in May at The PIT. Now that we've had some time off, it'll be nice to re-visit the form and take it new places.

March 24th, 2005
I think my days of being able to respond to everyone's messages and requests, sadly, is coming to an end. I just don't have enough time these days. Regardless...

I did a blog interview for a guy by the name of Daniel Solzman in Kentucky. You can check it out here.

March 24th, 2005
You know my earlier post about The Daily Show holding out to work Steve Carrell again...I stand corrected! Carrell made a surprise appearance on the show last night.

I had no idea that was going to happen (I haven't been in the office the last couple of days and I didn't hear any mention of it). Either way, good to see one of the masters of the form come back for an appearance. My only disappointment is that I wasn't in the office when he was back to shake his hand and tell him I'm a fan. The guy's awesome.

Had a good writing session with Matt yesterday. Slowly but surely we're making the necessary progress on our script. Our new deadline is to get a finished draft done by June 1st-ish.

After that, I sat in briefly on a theater meeting at The P.I.T. It was cool to see two of my Neutrino-mates, Ptolemy Slocum and Kurt Braunholer, up there encouraging the improv students to study their craft and devote passion to it. Great advice, I thought.

I ended my evening by attending a reading of a new play. I was invited to the reading by friend and fellow improviser, Caitlin Miller. Caitlin's awesome (I'm a big fan) and I love to see whatever she does. Also, Darrell Hammond (of SNL) participated and (also being a big fan) I was eager to see how he would do in a non-SNL project. He did great. It was a very enjoyable experience.

The reading was also another reminder why NYC is so awesome: where else can you go to a nice little theater space (right off Times Square) and watch a completely original piece of theater performed by talented actors -- for free?

Today I'm at home devoting myself to random little things including more and more writing...

Bob

March 23rd, 2005
Another day of rest -- relatively speaking. This afternoon, I have a commercial audition and then a writing meeting with Matt. After that, dinner. Then I plan to attend a theater meeting at The P.I.T. Immediately followed by a reading of a new play (with a friend in the cast).

In between all this, I have to find time to dub off some DVDs from people requesting copies of one of Neutrino's video shows from a couple of years ago (two of the requests are from Europe -- U.K. & Germany -- so I've got to deal with PAL versus NTSC formats) and finally situate the bills from performing in Scotland last August.

Talk to you later,
Bob

March 22nd, 2005
Putting together a Daily Show story is sort of like making and serving up apple pie.

As a correspondent on a shoot, you try to execute your pre-planned jokes as best as possible and also improvise other good jokes as they happen in the field. With that, hopefully, you provide a lot of good apples on the tree for the chefs to pick from come harvest time.

Then you help the chefs (the producer, Jon, the editor, the executive producer) shake the tree for the best apples to bake with by periodically pointing out, "There might be a good apple over here..."

After that, you kinda sit back and watch the chefs bake hoping their pie comes out delicious. They have a recipe they're following but, in the end, they rely on a lot of tinkering and tasting to figure out the right combination of things.

I thought last night's pie was delicious primarily because of the work of the chefs: producer Mike Rubens, editor Daric Schlesselman, executive producer Stewart Bailey and, of course, Jon. So even though I was your waiter -- in the form of a correspondent in the piece -- serving the apple pie to viewers last night it was the chefs who deserve a lot of the credit if you enjoyed it...

Bob

March 21st, 2005
This is D-Day for my new Daily Show story. It is scheduled to air tonight. Right now, I'm waiting for our first screening with Jon. If all goes well, the story will go over like gang-busters (or not)...

This morning, Matt Oberg and I went to a photographer to get some publicity shots done for our POW show. The photographer, Peter Hurley, is a great guy who took my headshots as well. I think we got some great photos -- both silly and casual. I'll post them here on my site as soon as I can. Speaking of posting new stuff...

I'm relatively optimistic that this week I'll be debuting the first of a bunch of new material here on the site. I spent part of my weekend going over a draft for a new press page (that includes a bunch of new press clippings and interviews I've done in recent months).

The goal is to get that page up here on the site by the end of the week. After that, we'll debut a bunch of new photos and videos as well. So keep checking back here this week to see that stuff. I'll let you know here in the blog when stuff is up.

I've got a couple of script drafts for Daily Show pieces that I'm going to show to my executive producer today and get his feedback on. They're a couple of ideas that have been going around in my head for awhile and this weekend I finally scripted them out. I like them but I don't know if they're necessarily Daily Show-esque (at least in their current state).

Matt and I have agreed to meet this Wednesday to continue writing our stuff. We're both commited to getting this thing hammered out and working towards deadlines. Good deal.

A recent question I've gotten off the website:

Why aren't you listed as a correspondent on the Daily Show website?

I haven't investigated it enough to know for sure but my guess is it's a contractual thing. I'm pretty sure my contract with the show says I don't get show-end credits or website listed until I become full-time at the show. Right now, I'm still freelance. It's either that or the show is really holding on to the hope of working Stacey Grenrock-Woods or Steve Carrell again. ;-)

Talk soon,
Bob

March 19th, 2005
So I'm playing in two bracket pools. And in one I'm doing pretty good so far. The other...I have Kansas and Syracuse in the Final 4. Last night, both of those teams lost in the opening round. So much for that bracket...

After one round of the NCAAs, my alma mater, University of Kansas, and my hometown team, Creighton, are gone. Oh well. The games were fun to watch last night.

This weekend I might get together with my bro in New Jersey. I'll also spend time writing some pitch ideas for The Daily Show. I don't think they'll fly but it doesn't hurt to submit and see what happens...

Bob

March 18th, 2005
Another day of editing and screening for our Daily Show piece. It's a good -- and bad -- thing to have more time to finish a story.

The good is you have time to address problem spots and making sure the story is the best it can be.

The bad is you sometimes have a tendency to over-think jokes and lose perspective on what's funny and what's not. Stuff that struck you as funny initially doesn't seem so funny after you've seen it 20 times. Yesterday we called it quits after being a little fried by the whole process (this is why I say editing is such a make-or-break part of a story's evolution).

Regardless, I'm confident the story, in the end, will benefit from the extra time/work. It's just a little hard to keep your stamina going during the process.

I have an idea for an Earth Day (April 22nd) story that I'm going to pitch next week. It'll be a little bit different than what The Daily Show usually does, but I'll give it a shot anyway. I spent yesterday doing some research for it and I hope/plan to present a full script in my pitch.

I was inspired by Rob Corrdry's piece on last night's show. He was "live" from an Irish bar in the city with Jon. It was good. I think there's a lot of potential in doing more stuff like that -- actually being on location for parts of the show. That's one place where I think my legitimate TV news experience can hopefully help generate ideas to play with.

This afternoon, I have a voice over audition (I never book those things) and I plan on catching some of the basketball games when I can. Yesterday, I'm happy to announce, that I went 14 for 16 in my picks for the games. Love this time of year...

Bob

March 17th, 2005
My Daily Show piece has just been pushed to Monday. So no story tonight! More details when I get them...

March 17th, 2005
Performed a selection of my comedy show, "POW: The Professional Opportunities Workshop," last night as part of the Rejection Show at P.S. 122 here in New York City. It went very well. It was relatively big audience (150 or so) and they responded very well to the material. If anything I think Matt and I need to get comfortable in letting some moments linger before moving on to our other stuff. Anyway, good show.

As of right now, my new story on The Daily Show is still scheduled to air tonight. However, there's some talk about moving it to next week. We'll find out today. I feel relatively good about what we have for the story. Editing and screenings are make-or-break though.

I felt decent about that commercial call-back I went on yesterday. I don't think I'll book it (I just didn't get that vibe in the room) but you never know. So much of commercial work comes down to a look and are you the right "look" for what they want in the spot.

On Monday morning, Matt and I will do some publicity shots for POW with an excellent photographer here in town. We need photos to promote our show.

Matt and I also decided last night we need to start meeting on a regular basis (at a set time every week) to write our script. We also need to start setting timelines for ourselves to get stuff done. Getting a quality draft of a script done by August is not that far off really.

Finally...March Madness officially begins today! I've got 3 different bracket picks going on: one at the Daily Show, one at my L.A. agent's office (A.P.A.), and one at my wife's workplace. I will most certainly lose in all of them as I don't feel really confident at all about my picks. But oh well. My Final 4 is...drum roll please...

Arizona
Wake Forest
Villanova
Duke

I have Wake Forest beating Duke in the finals.

Like I said, I'm almost 100% my picks are going to be wrong.

Talk soon,
Bob

March 16th, 2005
Unbeknownst to me, they re-ran one of my stories on The Daily Show last night. It was a story on Dr. Phil that I did about six months ago. Nice surprise.

Today, I go into the office to start working, in earnest, on my latest story for the show. It's scheduled to air tomorrow (Thursday) but that may change depending on what's going on with the piece and the show. I'll try to update you on things here on the blog.

At lunch-time today I go in for a call-back on a commercial for Charles Schwab. It would be a cool commercial to book and would shoot in my wife's hometown of Austin. We'll see what happens...

Made good progress with Matt on writing stuff yesterday. We're still in the very early stages of developing our ideas. It'll take awhile but we're getting there slowly but surely. I'm looking forward to sending our drafts off to my literary agent in L.A. and getting his guidance as we go along. The plan/hope is to have a finalized draft of something by August.

Ended my work day by meeting with my friend on updating this website with a bunch of new material. He showed me what he's got so far and it's exciting. When all is said and done, you'll be able to view a bunch of new stuff on this site -- like press clippings about me and my improv comedy team, Neutrino, from around the country and around the world, tons of new photos and a bunch of video stuff.

We hope to have some of the new stuff posted here on the site within a week or so. I'll update things here on the blog.

Finally, I ended my day by watching a couple of guilty pleasures of mine: The Starlet on the WB and Project Greenlight on Bravo. I like The Starlet because it gives a sense of what all actors must go through to "make it." And I like Project Greenlight because it gives you a pretty good behind-the-scenes look at how hard it is to make a good movie. Both interesting shows to me.

Talk to you later,
Bob

March 15th, 2005
Had a couple of commercial auditions this morning. One for radio, the other for TV.

The one for TV was for Subway and a role that, at least on paper, does not fit who I am physically really at all. BUT I've learned sometimes it's good to be different in those situations. The people who cast these things see a million and one people who look and act a certain way and then I pop up on the tape. Like I said, it might be a good thing.

The more I audition, the more I try to remind myself that it's all about bold choices usually. That doesn't mean being loud and obnoxious. It just means looking at the copy and doing something with it that most people won't do. Finding something in there that makes your audition special or unique.

Got a writing meeting with Matt this afternoon. I'm reading this book by screenplay guru, Robert McKee, right now to help inspire and guide me a bit here. It's good to have someone's focus there to help me.

Later, I meet with another friend to work on new material for the website here. Hopefully, as a result, you'll be seeing a ton of new stuff here soon...

Talk soon,
Bob

March 14th, 2005
So my dog is a movie star.

As I mentioned earlier, my dog and I did some extra work on a Kate Hudson movie called "Raising Helen" a few years ago. I had never seen the movie so I didn't know if we made the cut or not. Soooo...this weekend I rented "Raising Helen" and my wife had the honors of watching the movie for the scene in question. And there it was!

It's early on in the movie -- and if you blink your eyes you'll miss me and Custer (my dog). The scene we're in is Kate Hudson and her co-star (sorry, don't know the actor's name but he's in a lot of stuff) walking from a park, across a street and into a building (with a turtle inside a Chinese food box). We -- my dog and I -- cross behind the actors at the beginning of the scene. All you see is our backsides but my wife and I sure got a kick out of it: "Oh my God! There's Custer!"

It's the little things, folks...

Besides watching movies and basketball this weekend, we also caught Matt Oberg's one-person show at The P.I.T. (good) Saturday night. I also had to prepare some sides for an audition today. It's always fun reading scenes with the wife in preparation...

This week is going to be busy. I have a Daily Show piece scheduled to air Thursday, a performance of my POW show on Wednesday night, writing sessions with Matt and (hopefully -- finally) working with a friend on getting all this new video, photos and press clippings loaded onto this site!

Talk to you later,
Bob

March 12th, 2005
Got back from Maine yesterday. The shoot went well, I think. However, as always, you never know what you've got until you get in that edit bay and start hammering out the piece. Bottom line: we feel like we got some funny stuff but we won't know for sure if that will translate in the piece until we start editing the stuff together.

It was my first time ever to Maine and I enjoyed it. It's always fun to go to a new place. Part of our stay involved stopping in at a local ABC affiliate in Portland. It was fun to go inside a local TV station and remember "the old days." So glad I'm out of the TV news business...

Neutrino has gotten requests recently from the U.K. and Germany for copies of our video improv show -- called the Neutrino Video Project and/or The Instant Movie. It comes down to me to try to find a show that I can dub off for them in PAL-format. It's pretty cool that this form we created is being copied in different places around the country (and the world) now. To that end...

Neutrino is trying to put the show back up in New York next month. It's gotten a pretty good following here and it's been awhile since we've performed the show here. Just got to nail down all the logistics of doing a show. It costs money, time and resources to get a show off the ground.

Went and saw my partner's one-person show tonight: Matt Oberg's "Mambo Jambo." It was good and he had a good-size audience there. Good to see.

Watching a bunch of basketball this weekend. Sad to say, my K-U Jayhawks lost today to Okie State. Oh well. We'll see how they do in the big tourney...

Rented some movies to watch this week with the wife. Among them, "Raising Helen" with Kate Hudson. I did extra work on that movie 2-3 years ago with my dog, Custer. In one scene, we walked right behind Kate and her co-star as they walked from a park, across a street and into a building. Anxious to see if it made the cut. My dog could be a star!

Bob

March 9th, 2005
It looks like I'm heading to Maine today for that Daily Show story. I'm going from snow and cold here in New York to even more snow and cold there. I've packed accordingly.

Before I leave I meet with Matt again to try to make more head-way on our writing. Scheduling meeting times and places for us is sometimes a little tricky -- in between my stuff and his stuff -- but hopefully we can get it in.

I also hope to meet with my friend Chris again to (hopefully) finalize the addition of new photos, videos and press clippings to this website. Cross your fingers...

Bob

March 8th, 2005
I'm currently working on another story for The Daily Show. If Jon approves it today, we'll head to Maine this week to cover it. It's one of those stories that leaves you scratching your head after you hear it -- which may be a good or bad thing for us in putting the story together. I think it'll be a good thing...

Went on a commercial audition for Miller beer yesterday. Had a little trouble saying the word "ubiquitous" in some of the copy. I wrote it off as a character choice: "My character is drunk on Miller beer so I can't say the word."

Watched my hometown team, Creighton, win the Missouri Valley Conference tournament last night in basketball. Pretty cool. That means they're going to the Dance, folks.

I always get excited this time of year for March Madness. My wife and I have fun by picking the brackets when they come out. Last year, I won. The year before, she won. So this year will decide it all (if we were playing 2 out of 3 that is)!

Yesterday was my first day back in the city since coming back from L.A. Two different worlds -- New York and L.A. Really different vibes and feels. That's the cool thing about America (the country, not the book) though: two totally different cities in the same country. The U.S. is pretty cool in that there are so many cultures and people under one roof.

Finally...thanks to those of you who have been e-mailing me recently! I have gotten your notes and they're much appreciated. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to reply to them all but I hope to in the coming weeks...

Talk to you later,
Bob

March 7th, 2005
After a couple of weeks in L.A., I'm back in New York. Had a good stay out west but am glad to be back home as well.

Have many things I have to get situated:

1.) The POW show

-Have to get some publicity photos taken
-Possibly sign on with a publicist
-Go over content for upcoming shows
-Make travel arrangements for show in Chicago in April

2.) Website

-Have to finally get new photos, videos and press clippings posted here

3.) Writing

-Possibly sign up for writing workshop this weekend
-Re-connect with Matt and further our writing efforts
-Finish up writing efffort with my brother, Jim

4.) Charity stuff

-Have to collect signed America books for various charity efforts

5.) Edinburgh finances

-Have to finally rectify Neutrino bill for Fringe 2004

February 28th, 2005
As expected, I was pretty much wrong on all my Oscar picks -- except for Jamie Foxx. I still think, after seeing all the major movies (except Ray) so far, that Finding Neverland is the best movie of the year.

I thought Million Dollar Baby was good, not great. I thought Aviator was way too long and over-rated. I thought Sideways was good/solid but not the best movie of the year. And I thought Hotel Rwanda was an incredible story with great acting but it was the story of what really happened there that moved me more than anything -- not the movie-making (make sense?).

Anyway...of the friends I watched the Oscars with...we chose the Best Speech of the Night to screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (for acknowledging how intimidating it was for a counter to keep track how long he had to say his thank yous). And the Worst Speech went to Hilary Swank (for making us gag on how cliched and actor-y she felt in her acceptance speech -- she just didn't feel real to us).

We also thought Sean Penn needed to get his panties out of a wad. Chris Rock makes a joke about how many movies Jude Law has been in recently -- he has been in a ton -- and how his star quality pales in comparison to people like Tom Cruise (which is all true) and Penn takes it as a personal affront to the acting ability of Jude Law. Chill out, Sean.

For what it matters...those are my thoughts on the Oscars.

Saw Hitch over the weekend. It's pretty much what you would call a "chick flick." And as far as those go, it's pretty good. My Neutrino-mate, Ptolemy, as expected, did wonderfully in it and I called him afterwards to tell him I thought so (and that the theater of people I was watching the movie in laughed several times at his lines).

It's always nice to hear stuff like that as an actor because sometimes it feels like most of your days are filled with rejection -- jobs you don't book, people that don't care for you or your work, etc. So, see Sean Penn, we can all identify with Jude Law's predicament last night! It comes with the territory when the product you're selling is you.

Back to pushing the product that is Bob Wiltfong...

February 26th, 2005
My brother, Jim, has been very busy crafting these days. Check it out. The man's got talent, folks.

Saw "Inside Deep Throat" the other day. Pretty good. I've never seen the movie that the documentary is about but you really don't have to to get it (I mean the title kinda says it all, doesn't it?).

Hope to catch the movie Hitch soon. Neutrino-mate, Ptolemy Slocum, evidently is in it and he's told me it's pretty good.

Caught a re-run of Chappelle's Show this week and saw that one of the episodes I'm in was ranked one of fans' top 5 favorite shows. Pretty cool.

Later,
Bob

February 25th, 2005
So I'm in L.A. for awhile and I'm staying at this kind of dive hotel...

Last night, I think the people in the room next door to me were having group sex. It was 2 girls and 2 guys and the only thing I could hear for sure (and, believe me, after awhile, I was listening veeery closely) was one of the girls saying, "Ouch. You're on my pelvis."

I don't know why being on somebody's pelvis during sex would be painful but evidently it was for this lady.

In other news...the Oscars are this Sunday. Of the big movies nominated, the only one I haven't seen is Ray (it's definitely on my list of movies to rent right now, but I still haven't seen it). With that being said, here are my picks in the top categories:

BEST MOVIE
"Finding Neverland"

BEST DIRECTOR
Alexander Payne

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening ("Being Julia")

BEST ACTOR
Jamie Foxx ("Ray") -- simply because I've heard so much hype about his performance and I assume it's gotta be awesome

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
What's-her-name ("Hotel Rwanda") AND Virginia Madsen ("Sideways") -- both very good in their own ways

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Give it to Don Cheadle for "Hotel Rwanda" AND Paul Giamantti for "Sideways" -- I know they're not nominees in this category but give them something for being awesome in every movie they're in!

BEST SCREENPLAY -- ADAPTED OR OTHERWISE
"The Incredibles" -- one of the year's most entertaining movies should be rewarded for something

I predict all of these picks (minus Jamie Foxx for "Ray") will be wrong come Sunday night.

Later,
Bob

February 23rd, 2005
Another doppleganger sighting! This one on my own home network: Comedy Central!

This is not me, folks, but I have to admit, at times, he does look like me and I would love to travel to these places.

Here he is: my German doppleganger, Gerhard .

February 17th, 2005
I just found my doppleganger, folks. Saw him last night on the show Medium. His name is Jake Weber. Check it out.

February 17th, 2005
It looks like I'm going out to L.A. soon for sitcom pilot season and the like. I'm looking forward to it! The chance of booking something is a long shot but just getting out there and being seen will be exciting.

I meet with Matt again this afternoon to do more writing on our TV and film ideas. It's nice to have found a like-minded fellow actor/comedian to write stuff with. I think we're gonna come up with some really good stuff.

I'm working on the possibility of a comedy night at a well-known theater on the East End of Long Island this Spring. The night would raise money for a charity I'm involved with -- Ride for Life. If it happens, I would line up some friends of mine in the improv and standup world to perform. We'll see where that goes...

The albums I'm listening to right now: both of Bright Eyes' new albums, The Shins - Oh, Inverted World, the new U2 album and Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People.

Talk soon,
Bob

February 16th, 2005
From the hustle and bustle of the last couple of days, today is relatively calm in comparison. Such is the life of an actor: one day you're super busy, the next day you're not.

I met with Matt yesterday afternoon to start generating some ideas on paper for TV show ideas. He came to the table with some really good ideas I thought. It'll probably take us awhile to translate these ideas into a feasible pitch but I'm happy that we're at least getting the ball in motion.

To me, that's one thing you must always do in this business: stay busy. Always be creating. Because you never know what's going to happen next. In large part, you go from one job to the next. Job stability is a luxury few actors/comedians/writers have.

Talk soon,
Bob

February 14th, 2005
I have a new story that airs on The Daily Show tonight. This one has been a very tight turn-around (editing-wise) and for awhile we didn't think it was going to hit air, but it will. Now it's up to the audience to decide its fate...

I meet with Matt tomorrow to start writing down some ideas we have for TV shows and/or screenplays. We have some pretty good ideas I think and we're excited about getting them down on paper and seeing where it takes us.

Met with Neutrino last night and we decided to put the idea for a new stage show on the back burner so we could concentrate on reviving our signature show: the Neutrino Video Projects (NVP). We haven't done the NVP show since our performances in Scotland this summer and there's excitement about doing new and different things with the form. We now have groups in Chicago, Seattle, Washington DC, Detroit, the U.K. and New Zealand doing (or working on) the form. Pretty cool...

Talk to you later,
Bob

February 11th, 2005
It's official. Both new Bright Eyes albums are awesome. Really good.

Got through most of my old e-mail (finally). Some questions I've gotten from people recently that I thought I would post here with my answers so there's no duplication in the future (hopefully):

Can you give me a shout-out in one of your Daily Show pieces by saying my name or something?

Sorry. No can do. We have a hard enough time making those pieces work to worry about giving people personal shout-outs. If it's any consolation, even my mom hasn't gotten love from me on air!

Was that you -- posing as a strange German man -- in a travel show I caught recently?

Nope. Unless those Germans are up to something again we don't know about.

Any advice to someone who wants to make a splash in the comedy world?

* Take comedy classes with good teachers. If you live someplace that doesn't have that available, be willing to move somewhere that does.

* Perform in front of live audiences as much as possible. There's no substitute for getting up on a stage in front of strangers and trying to make them laugh. No substitute.

* Create because it's inside you -- not because you want to get famous on TV or in the movies. The joy is in the creation. The joy is in the creation.

Have a good weekend,
Bob

February 10th, 2005
Bought the new Bright Eyes albums today. Awesome. I really like his electronic album best on first listen. The guy's brilliant.

I've been good this week about daily writing down story ideas for The Daily Show. In a post-election world, it's hard to keep the material sharp and inspiring but I think there's some good stuff in there. Back to work on Monday (should have a piece on the race for Democratic National Chair run either that day or the next).

Matt and I have now confirmed some new gigs for our POW show -- some here in New York, one in Chicago. Check out my shows page here for all the details. We'll most likely be taking the show on the road to L.A. in the summer as well.

Matt and I also plan on meeting next week to start writing some TV and film ideas on paper. We've got some good ideas I think and I'm looking forward to the work. If it's in you, create it.

Now that things have slowed down a bit this week, I'll finally get a chance to go through my e-mail...

Talk to you later,
Bob

February 9th, 2005
For an off week at The Daily Show, I've been very busy. Lots of auditions going on. Some good, some not so good. The nature of the business...

Looks like (hopefully) I should have my website updated here with the new photos, press clippings and videos within the next week or so. Very exciting...

Gotta go through some of my e-mail. I have a pretty sizable backlog at this moment.

Talk to you later,
Bob

February 7th, 2005
Went over to my brother's place for the Super Bowl this weekend. Had fun hanging out and watching the game.

While I was there, they helped me brainstorm some fun ideas for the POW show to mix things up a little on some parts that need a little mixing up. I'm excited about the proposed additions/changes. We'll see what Matt thinks.

We're getting close to nailing down a performance date at the Chicago Improv Festival at the end of April. As soon as the time and place is confirmed, I'll post it here on the site.

Likewise for when we confirm the exact dates we'll be performing the show here at The P.I.T. in New York City. We know it's going to be Fridays at 8pm in April but we may be adding a couple dates in May as well.

I've asked my manager to look into the possibility of POW going to the Montreal Comedy Festival this summer. It's probably a long-shot as Montreal is really a showcase for standups -- not sketch comedians -- but you never know...

I have a meeting with my friend this afternoon who's working on updating this site with a bunch of new photos, press clippings and videos. Hopefully, we can get that done very soon.

Saw Hotel Rwanda over the weekend -- and watched the SAG Awards on TV afterwards. Hotel Rwanda was very good. Love Don Cheadle. I also saw Being Julia with Annette Bening (very good movie -- surprised it hasn't gotten more buzz; she was great in it).

I haven't seen Ray yet -- hope to do that this week -- but, so far, of the movies I've seen (Aviator, Spanglish, Sideways, Finding Neverland, Hotel Rwanda, Being Julia, Million Dollar Baby) I would say:

Best Movie: Finding Neverland
Best Actor: Don Cheadle (like I said, I haven't seen Ray yet)
Best Actress: Annette Bening
Best Director: Alexander Payne

Talk to you later...
Bob

February 4th, 2005
Well, last night's piece went relatively well. I think the audience was fair in its reaction. In hindsight, I think we could have cut out some stuff to make the overall piece shorter and more punchy but it's very hard to know those things until you screen it in front of an audience.

The standup -- where I'm jumping in the background of the Early Show -- is funnier, I think, when you fully realize that that actually went out over their air: me jumping around with a sign that said, "It's my birthday!" But it was so hard to really see me in the shot that I think some of the impact of that was lost. Oh well.

I have another piece scheduled to air right after we get back from break. I'm hopeful that it will have some good moments. It's gonna be a tough one because we didn't have a lot of time to work with in the field and we may have only one real solid day to edit. But you never know. It could turn out to be alright. There's certainly some funny there I think.

This afternoon I meet a friend to hopefully start updating the site here with a bunch of new photos and press clippings (and videos). I want to get that done soon.

Also, afterwards, I meet with Matt to go over our POW script and fine-tune it some more. We're a go for performing in Chicago this Spring. I also have to get us going on performing in L.A. this Summer.

Yesterday afternoon -- after editing the Daily Show piece and before the studio taping -- I went to a commercial audition for Aquafina. I like the spots. I think they'll be somewhat fun to watch. And I had a lot of fun with the actors I auditioned with.

I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl this weekend and relaxing with family.

February 3rd, 2005
My Daily Show piece got pushed back to today (Thursday). That's a good thing. It needed the work. The good news is I think we made some really good progress on the piece yesterday and I'm pretty optimistic about the piece now. Of course, we're yet to do a screening of the piece -- with its changes -- with Jon yet. We'll see if he agrees with us that the story is in better shape now.

One commercial audition this afternoon. Tomorrow: editing on next Daily Show piece and meetings on updating my website here with new photos, press clippings, videos AND going over the POW script with Matt.

Talk to you later,
Bob

February 2nd, 2005
It's good to be busy...

I have two stories in the works at The Daily Show with Jon Stewart right now. The first is scheduled to air tonight (Wednesday). However, the last screening we had yesterday indicates there's quite a bit of work we still need to do on the piece to get it ready for air. We'll see what happens.

Once that is done, I shift my attention to another story that is just beginning to edit and is tentatively scheduled for air on February 14th.

I really love the work so I'm having fun doing all this stuff -- even when I get tired. I spent 10 years working in a career that I hated (TV news) so I appreciate the opportunity I have now to do something I really love: comedy.

Both stories have their moments but making those moments the best they can be -- while still telling a good, overall story -- is the trick. It takes time and experimentation in the edit bay -- days in most situations. All for a few minutes of TV...

Got confirmation yesterday that my latest comedy show, "POW: The Professional Opportunities Workshop," will have a performance slot in this year's Chicago Improv Festival. That's great. I really like Chicago and the festival people there. POW has gotten some great reaction here in New York. I'm looking forward to putting it up for Chicago folks and see how it plays there.

I'm also going to submit the show for inclusion in this year's L.A. Improv Festival. I don't want to take too much time away from my work here in New York but I figure doing shows in Chicago and L.A. are worth it. It's always fun to take your show on the road!

Talk soon,
Bob

February 1st, 2005
Got a couple of stories in the works at the Daily Show right now. One is now scheduled to air tomorrow (Wednesday) night. The other for sometime around February 14th.

The story for tomorrow needs a little help. It's got its moments but needs more massaging before it can get where it needs to be.

The story for later is in the early stages of writing and editing right now but seems to be somewhat promising (Don't they all at the beginning...?). Editing is key on these things.

I've kept my promise to myself and submitted more story ideas this week. I wish I had more time to polish some of my joke ideas for them but oh well. I've had several story ideas approved recently (thankfully) but none have hit air yet. We'll see if this batch has any potential...

Besides the Daily Show stuff, I've been busy recently with quite a few commercial auditions. Yesterday involved a spot for Pepsi. Today one for Cingular.

Later this week I meet with a friend to hopefully -- finally -- update the website here with a whole bunch of new photos, video and press clippings. It's long overdue.

Watched the first half of K-U's basketball game last night against Mizzou. I couldn't watch the second half as I fell asleep. I read in the morning paper that K-U came back (they were down at half) and won. I don't know about this team. They have a ton of talent but they do, at times, play pretty poorly.

Looking forward to the Super Bowl this Sunday. Always fun to watch the spectacle and commercials and such...

Talk to you later,
Bob

January 31st, 2005
Been extremely busy recently -- which is a good thing.

I have two new Daily Show stories in the mix right now. The first one is scheduled to air tomorrow night. I think we have some good stuff. We edit today and tomorrow so we'll see how it goes.

The other story we just shot over the weekend and is, right now, scheduled to air February 14th. That too, I think, has some good stuff but it was a quick shoot (relatively speaking) and I don't know how long it can be before it starts to lose steam.

Matt and I performed our last show of POW (for awhile) this Saturday. It was a great show! We had a packed house and people responded to the material very well. Our work over the last couple of months has really made a difference in the material I think.

We've accepted another run of the show starting in April -- on Friday nights -- at The PIT. Then, hopefully, we'll take the show to Chicago and L.A. for performances.

Neutrino has still not met for our planning meeting on the new show we're working on. It's frustrating. There's 101 different reasons why 8 people can't all get together sometimes. At this rate, I'm not very confident that we'll get this new show off the ground anytime soon.

Speaking of Neutrino...myself and a couple of team-mates met with Karen Koren (artistic director of the space we performed at in Edinburgh this past summer) while she visited NYC this past week. We're still trying to finalize the numbers we owe from our run there. That too is frustrating that it's taking so long to get situated.

Karen asked me if I would have any interest in coming back to Edinburgh to perform. I said no for three reasons: 1.) A month away from my wife and home is too long for me, 2.) Professionally, I don't gain much by being over there -- except that it establishes me in Europe better (but I'd much rather establish myself in the U.S. first), and 3.) Maybe the biggest reason -- the amount of anti-American sentiment I felt over there. I, frankly, don't understand it. It felt like every time you told somebody you were from America you were fighting an uphill battle with them for respect and kind treatment. I also discovered that the comic sensibility in the U.K. is different from here in the U.S. What works here doesn't necessarily work over there and vice-versa.

I have a couple of commercial auditions today. I've been doing a lot of callbacks recently but haven't booked anything. Maybe my luck will change here.

Watched a couple of movies over the weekend: Million Dollar Baby and 8 Mile (with Eminem). I, personally, thought 8 Mile was a better movie. Surprise. I also think Finding Neverland is the best movie I've seen this year. However, I'm yet to see Ray or Hotel Rwanda. Hope to do that this week -- when I get a chance. SAG award votes are due soon!

Talk to you later,
Bob

January 25th, 2005
Very busy these last few days.

I had a couple of friends come in from Omaha this weekend so I served as tour guide at points. It was fun -- except for all the snow we had to go through to get around.

Sadly, because of the weather, I had to cancel the POW show for this weekend. It's a bummer as we were expecting a big crowd and my Omaha friends didn't get a chance to see it while they were here. Oh well. It goes back up this weekend (and then takes a break for awhile -- probably back up in April).

Last night I took them to a taping of the Daily Show and then we went to a friend's play. It was a good night.

I've been doing a lot of commercial callbacks recently also a lot of work on Daily Show stuff. Today I shoot some more interviews for a new story. I feel good about this one. I think we're getting some pretty funny stuff.

I'm scheduled to meet with Karen Koren -- artistic director of the theater I performed at in Edinburgh, Scotland this past summer -- tomorrow. Hopefully, we can get our leftover financial stuff out of the way. I'm optimistic we can.

Alright. Gotta go. Talk to you later!
Bob

January 20th, 2005
Busy week.

Thursday I had a couple of doctor's appointments that I had to re-schedule from last week because of Daily Show stuff. I wanted to do some grocery shopping as well today but couldn't find the time. Because...

In the afternoon I hooked up with Matt for another POW rehearsal (productive get-together as we looked over a videotaping of a performance from two weeks ago to identify what parts of the show are working and what needs some tweaking). Depending on this weekend's weather, we should have a big crowd there this Saturday night.

After the rehearsal, I ate dinner with Matt and spent time learning some sides for a script I'm looking at right now. To that end, I met up with an acting coach my manager turned me onto to work on it.

Today, I begin shooting a new story for The Daily Show (I'm excited about this one; it should be good) and also do a callback for a Sierra Mist commercial. I'm doing a lot of commercial callbacks these days. Funny how these things kinda go in waves.

I'm looking forward to Saturday and resting a bit (and grocery shopping).

Talk to you later,
Bob

January 19th, 2005
Working on a couple of different Daily Show stories right now. One that airs tonight and another one that begins shooting later this week. The one tonight has been a very tight turn-around (got back from shooting it Monday). We'll see how it turns out.

I've had a couple of story pitches approved the last couple of weeks. I'm happy my commitment to finding story ideas every day is showing some dividends there. However, I know a lot of stuff still has to happen to get any of my stories actually on air (a million and one things can side-track a story from hitting air).

Had a callback for an Embassy Suites commercial this morning. I felt relatively good about it but you never know -- especially with commercial gigs where so much can depend on just how you look.

Hope to get together with Matt in the next day or two for a POW meeting/rehearsal. A friend of a friend wants to interview us about a possible news feature/article about sketch comedy.

Still reading "The Devil in the White City" and still enjoying it a lot. Saw that Bright Eyes is coming out with two new albums next week. Looking forward to having a listen!

January 17th, 2005
Just got back from a Daily Show shoot on the Presidential inauguration. It's gonna be a quick turn-around. The story is scheduled to air Wednesday night. The next 48 hours or so will be fast and furious to get it on air.

Speaking of Daily Show...tomorrow is story idea submission day. I've got quite a few ideas that I need to dwindle down to the very best. I'm happy that I've been able to consistently put down story ideas throughout this week -- keeping my promise to myself to do so.

The POW show Saturday went well. We're tweaking the material every week. Our new ending went a lot better I think. I have A LOT of friends coming to the show this weekend -- including some old friends from high school in Omaha -- so we should have a packed house. Always nice to play to a big audience!

Talk to you soon,
Bob

January 15th, 2005
Went to a couple of commercial auditions yesterday. One was a callback (my second) for McDonald's. I don't think I got it. Just a vibe I got while in there.

Oddly enough, a Neutrino-mate of mine, Ptolemy Slocum, was also there for the same spot (I think he's going to book it). Ptolemy and I have been up for jobs like this in the past. It always makes things a little awkward I think ("Hey Ptolemy! So it's down to you and me -- and a few others -- for this job. That's cool.") Oh well. If someone's going to book that job, I hope it's Ptolemy. He's certainly a funny, talented performer and deserves whatever work he books.

The other audition entailed an internet-only commercial that involved me dancing to hip-hop music and talking about the stock market. I had fun doing the audition and made the casting people laugh so that's cool.

Matt and I got together once again to touch up stuff on our POW show. Then we went around to businesses around The PIT and put out our matches promoting the show.

Last night, Jill and I went to an improv comedy show involving a couple of friends -- and Neutrino team-mates. It was fun. I haven't watched a straight-up improv set in a looong time so it was fun to see it again.

Tomorrow and Monday I shoot a new piece for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The piece, right now, is scheduled to air Wednesday -- which is a super-tight turn-around for us. Hope all goes well!

As a result of my shoot, I'll have to call in -- rather than be there in person -- to the Neutrino meeting this Sunday night. It'll be our first serious sit-down to work on our new project.

Reading a GREAT book right now: The Devil in the White City. Looking forward to the NFL football games this weekend.

Got my SAG award nomination ballot. Lots of great movies (Hotel Rwanda, Ray..) I haven't seen yet. Looking forward to getting that done over the coming weeks and then casting my vote! The best movie I've seen so far this season, in my opinion, is Finding Neverland.

Have a great weekend,
Bob

January 14th, 2005
Busier day than expected yesterday. Had 3 commercial auditions, a visit to The Daily Show offices for a meeting with Jon, and a fliering session with Matt for our POW show.

The commercials were all varied and fun (for different reasons). Each one involved a fair amount of improv -- which is my training and background.

The first one involved me going in with two other improviser friends -- Rebekka Johnson from Neutrino and Doug Moe of the UCB Theater -- and doing some straight-up improv scene work on camera. By our own admission, the scenes weren't that stellar but it was fun anyway to play with those guys

The second audition involved me playing a red neck with my shirt off -- sitting next to another (much bigger guy) with his shirt off. The spot, I think, is pretty funny. We'll see what happens. To look more redneck...I combed my hair down straight (like a Beatle).

The final audition involved me improvising with a woman like we were a married couple talking to a documentary crew. It was a lot of fun. I liked the director. He gave a lot of direction during the audition but he knew what he was looking for and seemed to know improv pretty well. We wre laughing and smiling quite a bit during the audition.

In between all this, I went to The Daily Show offices to have another story meeting with Jon. We're struggling with the focus on this story and Jon's notes were all pretty much to that end. Although it could change, it looks like we'll now be shooting the story on Sunday and Monday.

After I was done with everything, I hooked up with Matt in the NYU area to flier for our show -- handing out our matchbooks. The weather was unseasonably mild here yesterday so it was nice to have good weather to stand on a street corner and bug people to come to your show ;-).

Today...another commercial audition and a re-write meeting with Matt on POW set for this afternoon.

January 13th, 2005
Well, I may or may not be shooting a new story for the Daily Show tomorrow. We had a story meeting with Jon yesterday and, for good reason, we've postponed shooting until we get the story more focused. Nobody wants to shoot without having a clear focus as to what we're trying to accomplish. I should find out this afternoon some time if we're a go or not for tomorrow.

Met up with Matt at The PIT for a re-write session on the POW show yesterday afternoon. We had A LOT of stuff to tweak in the script. Now that we've run the show a few times we're getting a sense of where the fat is and what needs to be trimmed down. Our goal is to cut 10-15 minutes from the run time of the show. We also put in some great work on the end of the show -- which we always thought wasn't quite right. Hopefully, we'll be able to install these changes in our show this weekend.

I have a couple of commercial auditions this afternoon then it's in to the Daily Show to find out that story's fate. If I have time, I'd also like to flier for the POW show today.

K-U beat Iowa State last night. Still undefeated.

January 12th, 2005
I have a commercial audition this afternoon followed by another POW rehearsal at The PIT. Last night, Matt and I performed a 20-minute snipit from the show at The Knitting Factory. It went well (enough). I had some technical problems with my microphone which was kind of annoying but, other than that, I think we got some good laughs.

I may be shooting a new Daily Show piece in the next couple days. I say "may" because I have to visit with the producer of the piece and see if it's actually been green-lighted for production. I should find that out this afternoon.

I'm reading a very good book right now: "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson. This coming off Mitch Albom's "Five People You Meet in Heaven" which was not so good, in my opinion. I thought "Tuesdays with Morrie" was an incredible book, great. But this one was pretty average in comparison. Just my opinion though...

January 11th, 2005
Had a great "POW" show over the weekend -- packed audience, good reaction. Matt and I definitely still have quite a bit of work to do on it (including shaving about 10-15 minutes off the show) but I think it's coming along nicely. Tonight, we do a 20-minute selection from the show at The Knitting Factory.

Yesterday I went into The Daily Show to attend a joke meeting on a new story. It's still a little iffy as to if this story will actually go or not.

Before tonight's gig, I go into WNYC Radio to do a voice-over job for them. Then it's off to a commercial audition and the show.

I've seen some good, thought-provoking movies in the last couple days: Super Size Me and Outfoxed.

Karen Koren, the artistic director of the theater I performed at in Scotland this summer, is going to be in New York in a couple of weeks so we're talking about getting together for a meeting while she's here. Gotta hammer out some financial stuff left over from my appearances there.

January 6th, 2005
I'm trying to get into the habit of every day writing down a story idea or two for The Daily Show. I like the idea of submitting on a regular basis. It keeps me involved and thinking of jokes.

This afternoon I go to The Knitting Factory to do a tech rehearsal for the "POW" show. Matt and I perform there Tuesday night (go to my shows page for all the details).

I've agreed to do a couple of acting things for my friend and Neutrino-mate, Kurt Braunholer. One of those things involves the video for the Chunk and Chengwin Homecoming Parade. I'm looking forward to it. Sounds like a lot of fun.

Speaking of Neutrino...it looks like we're a go for a team meeting soon. We need to start hammering out our latest project. I need to start putting pen to paper on the ideas I have for it.

Speaking of writing...I'm pleased with the progress I've made on that writing project with my brother. I don't know where he's at with things but I've got drafts done for about half of our material. I'm happy that I've been able to get a lot of that done.

Saw my Staples ad run a couple of times on ESPN last night while watching the Duke-Princeton basketball game. Good to see that puppy running again.

January 5th, 2005
Met with my buddy Chris at The P.I.T. today to go over additions to the website here. He doesn't foresee the updates being too much of a problem. We'll see. If all goes well, you'll be seeing a ton of new photos, videos and press clippings on this site within the next 2-3 weeks. That is, if all goes well. I'll keep you updated.

After that meeting, I rehearsed the "POW" show with Matt. He gave me a whole bunch of match books we got printed up to promote our show (they look great, I think).

We ran lines for the first hour -- just reminding ourselves of the material basically and then spent the last half hour working on the last part of the show (it needs a little tweaking we think).

Ali Farahnakian (owner of The P.I.T.; former writer for SNL) and Andy Secunda (former writer for Conan O'Brien; kick-ass improviser) have agreed to look at the show and give us some notes afterwards. That should be a big help in making the show tighter and better. I'm excited about getting their feedback on stuff.

After that rehearsal I went to the NYU area and gave away some of the matches on a street corner to promote people coming to our show. It always amazes me how hard you have to work sometimes to give people free stuff. They're cautious as if the matches have some secret trick to them and they don't want them (to be honest I'd probably be just as catious).

At several points I told people, "These matches will not hurt you. They are free. There's no trick to this." Some people smiled/laughed and took the matches then. Others said, "Yeah, right..." and kept walking.

Hopefully, those free matches will lead to a few more people checking out the show. That's what it's all about afterall.

Tonight on a sports radio talk show they were debating who had a worse performance in last night's Orange Bowl: Oklahoma or Ashlee Simpson. I'm not a fan of Ashlee Simpson (I'm not exactly in the demographic she's shooting for) but I felt sorry for her when the crowd starting booing after her performance. Poor thing.

I think she's a classic example of someone who's packaged very well but isn't really ready for the stage she has right now. It's been a tough few months for her. Hopefully, she has a good sense of humor about it all because I really do feel sorry for her right now. It sucks to be booed/hated by a crowd -- no matter who you are.

On the other hand, I'm sure she's making boat-loads of cash! Not too bad of a consolation.

January 4th, 2005
We're submitting the "POW" show for placement in this year's Chicago and L.A. Improv Festivals. I performed in both those festivals last year and enjoyed both -- for different reasons.

I think these are the only two festivals I'm going to do this year -- at least with POW -- simply because I don't want to commit to too many things right now that take me away from New York (I had to turn down an invite to Louisville earlier) and work here.

Went to a commercial audition this afternoon. While there I ran into a crew from IFC (again). They're shooting stuff for a pilot on the lives of commercial actors. I like the shows I've seen on IFC -- Film School, documentaries, etc. -- so I've agreed to be interviewed by them a couple of times. We'll see if anything comes of it.

Cleared out some of my TiVo last night and caught an episode of Arrested Development. That show is great -- so funny. I hadn't watched it in awhile. It gives me some hope for American sit-coms.

Tomorrow I plan on meeting with a friend who's helping me update my website here with new photos, video and press clippings. Also I'm plan on meeting Matt to do a rehearsal/run-through of "POW."

January 2nd, 2005
After a great holiday break I'm back in the saddle and ready to go for a new year. It should be a busy month...

My new comedy show, "POW: The Professional Opportunities Workshop" goes back up Saturday night. I'm optimistic that after this month, the show should be in pretty good shape for the future. Matt and I are talking about possibly taking it on the road (i.e. Los Angeles, Chicago) in 2005. We'll see...

Neutrino, my comedy team, is starting to put together a new stage show for 2005. I'm excited about the project and am looking forward to putting pen to paper on some of my ideas.

In recent weeks, I've received some re-occuring questions in e-mail notes from some of you. I figured I would answer a couple of those questions here in my blog so you all know my take on them:

1.) Why aren't there links to your Daily Show pieces on this site?

I'm working on it. Comedy Central doesn't always put up my stories on their website so their links don't always work. However, I hope, in the new year, to put several of them up here on my website so you can view them at your leisure. Although I can't guarantee an exact timeline, I hope to have that done by the end of January.

2.) Do you have any advice for me to possibly follow in your footsteps -- quit my job and pursue a new career in comedy?

I would never advise anyone to quit their current job. The reality of the situation is we all need money to survive and comedy and acting are notoriously bank-busting career moves. However, I also believe in people following their dreams so my advice would be...

Before you do anything else...take some classes (I took improv comedy classes for several years in New York), write down your thoughts and perform them in front of audiences (there's no substitute for an actor or comedian getting experience in front of a live audience performing). If you want to do as I did, then do all this stuff on your off time from your regular job. If nothing comes of it, financially, then at the very least you can fulfill yourself creatively.

Just like most people go to school to learn their craft and then spend years doing it to work up in their field, the same rules apply in comedy and acting. I spent years performing comedy during off-time from my regular job simply because I loved doing it. If you have that same passion and joy then no matter what happens to you in comedy and acting, I think it's worth it.

I would not advise anyone to get into comedy and acting to "make it big." Do it because you love it. That way no matter what happens, you're better off for it. At least that's my take on it...

Hope that helps!

Talk soon,
Bob

December 23rd, 2004
My manager, Vincent, talked to Marci Phillips yesterday and picked her brain about my performance in her audition class.

The feedback was good -- and pleasantly surprising. Based on what she saw of me in class -- and her experience as a casting director -- she thinks I'd have a decent chance of booking some small dramatic roles in TV. That's nice to hear because, obviously, my background and inherent strengths are in comedy. To be able to book both dramatic and comedic roles would be a nice combination as an actor. Vincent and I agree that's something I should probably pursue in the new year.

I talked to my Neutrino-mate, Matt Donnelly, last night and he went over some concerns he had about our final bill from the folks in Edinburgh, Scotland for the Fringe. As a result, we've drafted an e-mail to the artistic director of the theater there -- the lady who booked us to perform in Scotland based on our shows in Aspen in March. I'm optimistic that e-mail will result in the financials being situated...finally.

I have two writing projects that I'm currently spending some time on here and there.

One involves my brother, Jim, and writing short stories or essays about different topics/events we experienced growing up together. I still have quite a few topics to write about but, overall, I'm pleased with my progress so far. My hope is by February some time to sit down with him and possibly fashion some type of radio thing or book thing or stage thing out of it.

The other project involves my comedy team, Neutrino. The last time we met and talked about it, we agreed to work on a one-act stage production together. I have what, I think, is a very cool and fun idea for a one-act in my head. I just have to start writing it down AND Neutrino has to start organizing itself to get this thing actually up and running in the new year. Trying to organize an efffort with 7 other people on the team is one of the highlights -- and one of the frustrations -- of Neutrino. Oh well. I'm sure we'll get it done.

I'm looking forward to seeing some movies over the holiday break here. Rwanda Hotel and Million Dollar Baby are getting rave reviews. Meet the Fockers -- from the clips I've seen so far -- looks like it could be a little disappointing. I'm a big fan of Meet the Parents primarily because some of its best humor felt real -- like real situations you get yourself into when socializing with in-laws (at least my in-laws!). But the sequel here looks like it's gonna be a little too jokey. We'll see. I still hope to see it. Although I'm not as excited to see them, I could also watch The Aviator, Kinsey and Lemony Snickets (or whatever the hell it's called).

Bob out.

December 22nd, 2004
I'm pretty much in holiday mode at this point. Last night I met with my manager, Vincent Nastri, at a diner in the city. Good get-together. He shared with me some exciting news on his front for the new year. News that should result in me having more contacts and possibilities as his client.

Afterwards, I attended my last auditioning class with Marci Phillips. Thankfully, I did pretty well with my sides (a major accomplishment given the character I was reading for felt far different than who I am in real life). Hopefully, today Vincent will be able to touch base with her and pick her brain about the possibility of me auditioning for sitcoms and films in the future. We're relying on her to give us some perspective on where I stand right now.

I've sent an e-mail to Matt Oberg (my writing partner)outlining some things I think we need to work on for our next performance of "POW: The Professional Opportunities Workshop" -- January 8th. We agree that we need to get some directorial help from an outside eye.

As a result, I've e-mailed Andy Secunda floating the idea of him helping us out. Andy is an outstanding director (and performer). He worked with Neutrino earlier this year when we were prepping our show for the U.S. Comedy Festival in Aspen. Besides being one of the best improvisers in New York, he's a former writer for Conan O'Brien. Getting his insight on our show would be a major coup for us. We'll see what happens...

Hope to hear from one of my Neutrino team-mates today about some left-over money issues in Edinburgh, Scotland. I want to try to get a couple phone calls in before Christmas.

On a personal note, my wife and I went to a performance at Carnegie Hall last night. It was my first time in there to see a show. As I sat in the audience, I thought about how awesome it is to live in New York. In the last few months I've seen world-class performances at the Lincoln Center Opera and now Carnegie. I'm very fortunate. New York City is a wonderful place.

December 21st, 2004
Practiced my sides -- for the auditioning class -- last night with my wife. We were both laughing about how non-Bob the scene was. It's very romantic and kinda TV-movie-of-the-week like. It's so not how I talk to people in the real world. But I guess that's the job of an actor, right? You gotta make it seem like your character is real, it's you talking.

I feel good about the progress I'm making on it (I definitely feel a lot more comfortable playing the scene and delivering the lines than I did the first time I read through the script) but, no doubt, it's going to be a tough scene to pull off for me -- especially with a room full of fellow actors looking at you and a video camera rolling!

I've been browsing the submission info for some comedy festivals (Chicago, L.A., Louisville...) recently. Most of their submission deadlines are by the end of this month. On one hand, I'd love to go there and perform -- it's always good to put your show up on the road. But, on the other, I feel like I might accomplish the same goals by just staying here in New York and performing. We'll see... I want to keep my options open right now.

Went through this website this morning checking on links (to see which ones were still good and which ones need updating). I e-mailed my changes to Brett (the guy who designed the site). Hopefully, he can change the stuff before the end of the year here. For example...my Daily Show links for the Kosher Wig story and Connecticut Voting story are dead-ends right now. Sorry, folks.

I will have a TON of new stuff up on the site -- new photos, videos, press clippings -- by the middle of January (at least that's the plan right now)!

Talk to you later,
Bob

December 20th, 2004
I went to a commercial audition this morning -- a commercial for Las Vegas (one of those "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas" spots). While we were auditioning, an IFC crew was there shooting video for a possible documentary on actors in New York. The camera guy wanted to talk to me afterwards so I did a quick Q & A with him.

Among my points with him were:

1.) In comparison to other ways of making a living, auditioning as an actor is pretty painless. Yeah, you're constantly auditioning (and getting rejected most of the time) but I can think of far worse ways to make a dime than going into a room every once in awhile, saying a few lines and then taking off. So what if they turn you down and give the job to someone else? There's always another job and another chance to book a gig. As long as you can pay your bills -- which is a big hurdle to clear for a lot of actors -- then it's no big deal.

2.) My work on the Daily Show may help get me into a few more auditions these days but it hasn't led to me getting more jobs necessarily. Once I'm in the audition room, I still have to prove to people I'm right for a role.

Bottom line as an actor: keep working, keep working, keep working. If you enjoy your craft/job, then that work won't feel like work at all. To that end...

Tomorrow I have a voice-over audition, have dinner with my manager and then attend my last class of Marci Phillips auditioning workshop.

The "P.O.W." show takes a break for the holidays and will go back up in January. This past weekend's show was better than the week before. It's getting better each time we perform it. I feel very good about where it's at.

December 17th, 2004
Just confirmed a gig at the Knitting Factory in January (see my shows page for details). The guy who's organizing it, just so happens, works with my Neutrino-mate, Rebekka Johnson, on the MTV show "Boiling Points." It's cool to see my other team-mates doing well.

Matt and I meet this afternoon for another rehearsal of our show. We're going to tweak quite a few things for this weekend's show -- based on the feedback we got from friends last week. Looking forward to it. Based on the amount of people who've told me they're coming, we should have a healthy-size audience -- which is always awesome.

Finally starting to catch up on old e-mails (it takes awhile)...

Talk to you later,
Bob

December 16th, 2004
Relatively slow day today -- as things wind down for the holidays.

My latest Daily Show piece aired last night. The reaction was very good. Although I must say my head hurt (seriously) after screaming my ass off for the close of the piece -- I was dressed up like Rambo shooting a gun and screaming.

The story was part of the Daily Show's international broadcast -- via CNN. So it's cool to think someone in Belgium will be seeing me shooting off a gun with a Santa's hat on.

After the show, I was happy that I got Jon and Ben Karlin to sign some America books for me. They're going to be gifts for friends and family this year and I'm sure they'll get a big kick out of seeing they're signed by the guys who wrote and edited the book (including David Javerbaum). Glad I got that done.

Today I met with Matt again to rehearse our show, "P.O.W.," some more. I expect a pretty big crowd this weekend and I'm glad we're putting in the work to make the show tighter and better.

Tomorrow it's another rehearsal with Matt and who knows what else.
Bob

December 15th, 2004
I'm currently in my office at the Daily Show waiting for tonight's show taping. My most recent story is slated to go for tonight. We feel pretty good about it but you never know how the audience will respond.

I started off my day with a voice over audition where, by chance, I ran into Ed Helms and Rob Corddry as well. I guess the casting folks said they wanted a "Daily Show feel" to the thing.

Last night I went to my auditioning class with Marci Phillips. Next week is my last class. I'm learning a lot there. More than I thought I would frankly. So glad I signed up.

Tomorrow I meet with Matt again to work on the P.O.W. show for this weekend.

Talk to you later,
Bob

December 13th, 2004
Opening night of "P.O.W." went very well. Good-size crowd (better than I expected) and I was pleased with their reaction. With any first-time performance of new material there's stuff to fix and tweak which we'll do. But I thought, overall, the show went very well.

Matt and I certainly put in a lot of time last week (rehearsing every day for several hours) to get the show ready for opening night -- we had to do our tech rehearsal Saturday morning. I'm glad we put in the work though.

Yesterday was relaxing and fun (I needed a day like that after running around all week). We started the day by driving over to New Jersey for brunch with some of my family. Then, on our way back home, I picked up an old college friend who was in town on business. We had a great dinner and a fun time watching the season finale of Survivor.

Today I treated myself to sleeping in a bit and clearing TiVo of some old shows I've been meaning to watch. This afternoon I go into the city for a commercial audition.

Also on my list of things to do today:

1.) Call one of my team-mates on Neutrino and, hopefully, square away some outstanding financial issues from our performances in Scotland this summer.

2.) Call back the organizers of a comedy festival in Louisville, Kentucky who've invited me to perform my one-man show there this year.

3.) Finally respond to several e-mails that I've been meaning to respond to for weeks now.

4.) Touch base with Matt Oberg and get his thoughts on our show this weekend.

5.) Call my manager and touch base with him on things.

6.) Go over my sides for my auditioning class tomorrow night.

7.) Situate the Secret Santa gift that I'm way overdue in getting at the Daily Show office.

Talk to you later,
Bob

December 10th, 2004
This has been an exhausting week. Lots of stuff going on.

The Daily Show shoot yesterday went very well I thought. Lots of funny stuff. Just hope it translates into a funny piece now. It's tentatively scheduled to air Wednesday.

After the shoot, I went over to Matt's to get in another rehearsal for our show (it debuts tomorrow night). I think it's going to be a really good show. However, we've had to put in a lot of time and work this week to get it ready for Saturday night.

Among the things we did last night was choreograph an opening dance to the show and tweak the end a bit. Slowly but surely it's coming along.

As a result of my work yesterday, I had to skip the Daily Show holiday party. Bummer. Oh well...

Today I do yet another rehearsal with Matt on the show and we might perform a little 5-minute snipit of it at tonight's 2-year anniversary party at The P.I.T. (the theater where we're performing the show).

Thankfully this morning I got a chance to sleep in a little bit. It was nice.

Hopefully, this weekend I'll get a chance to go through all my e-mail. I've gotten lots of notes from friends and folks recently and haven't had a chance to respond.

Alright. I'll talk to you later. And hopefully I'll see some of you at my show tomorrow night!
Bob

December 9th, 2004
Right now I'm sitting in the food court of the South Seaport Mall in NYC. I'm awaiting an interview with Santa Claus (for a story with The Daily Show). Ah! As I speak, he has arrived! And, my, he does indeed look like the real deal. This should be fun...

I'm doing an all-day shoot for this story. Unfortunately, that means I had to push back my show rehearsal with Matt to tonight (at his place). Not ideal but oh well. Has to be done.

Tomorrow I'm looking to getting some sleep and putting the finishing touches on the show. It debuts Saturday night. We feel good about it. Should be good.

Gotta go interview Santa Claus now...

Bob

December 8th, 2004
First off...I have no puppy juice for sale. Sorry.

Had a couple of commercial auditions yesterday. One for Betty Crocker. The other for CDW. In between the two I rehearsed the new show with Matt. Still a lot of work to do. My time this week is really crammed. Finished off the day with my auditioning class with Marci Phillips. I'm learning a lot in that class. Very happy I signed up and am taking it.

Today, started the day with another rehearsal with Matt. It's a good sign that we're laughing a lot in the rehearsals (I think). This afternoon it's into the Daily Show office to start shooting a new story (to air before the holiday break). We'll be shooting all day tomorrow as well.

Gotta try to work in more rehearsal time with Matt. The show needs the work.

Talk to you later,
Bob

December 6th, 2004
Alright. I'm back. I had a long Thanksgiving holiday including, unfortunately, a visit to Colorado for my father's funeral (thanks for the well wishes everyone).

Tonight my latest Daily Show piece airs. We'll see what the audience thinks of it. I think it's got some decent moments but you never know...

Due to some last-minute editing on the piece, I had to cancel a slate of auditions today. However, I was able to keep at least a little bit of my rehearsal time with Matt Oberg on our stage show.

"P.O.W.:Professional Opportunities Workshop" debuts this Saturday night. We have A LOT of work to do on it this week but I'm confident we'll get it done and be in relatively good shape for opening night.

Tomorrow I have another rehearsal with Matt as well as my second class with Marci Phillips in her television auditioning class (I missed last week's class). I may also be stopping into the Daily Show office at some point to work on a new story that shoots this week.

Great to be back in New York and busy!

Talk to you later,
Bob

November 23rd, 2004
Met with my manager, Vincent Nastri, today to go over future goals and stuff like that. Start a TV/Film auditioning class tonight. I'm excited and optimistic about what lies ahead.

Met with Matt this afternoon to re-write our script from the reading this weekend. We didn't get it all done (I'll have to do the last 15-20 pages on my own and e-mail it to him). We've scheduled a week full ot rehearsals leading up to our first performance December 11th.

Tomorrow I do a phone interview with a Georgetown student writing a paper about The Daily Show. Then it's holiday time.

Bob

November 22nd, 2004
Busy weekend. Went to the opera at Lincoln Center Friday night. Saw Aida. Good and beautifully staged but looong: 8pm to midnight. Still, I'm glad we went. Fun change of pace.

On Saturday, I had the reading for my new stage comedy show (P.O.W.: Professional Opportunities Workshop). It went better than I expected really. The feedback was great and the laughs were often and, most importantly, honest/true. I'm sure not every audience we perform in front of will be as kind as that one was but still nice to know the script seems pretty solid at this point. We go up for the first time in less than a month!

To that end, Matt and I started working out ideas for a show image and fliers. Gotta get that done ASAP.

Went and saw the movie "Finding Neverland" Saturday evening. Great movie. Really good. Johnny Depp kicks ass. May be the best movie I've seen this year. I had to take a minute or two before leaving the theater just to pull myself together. Pleasant surprise as, frankly, I wasn't very excited about seeing the movie going in.

On Sunday we saw "Sideways." Also a good movie. Paul Giamantti also kicks much ass (love him). I admired the patience the movie had in its story-telling and the pains it took to capture the "real-world" with all its grime and imperfections. And, as with any Alexander Payne movie, some of the comedy moments are classic.

On Sunday evening I had a meeting with my comedy team, Neutrino. We're still trying to settle our money situation from the Fringe in Edinburgh (this past August) so we spent quite a bit of time talking about that. Then we concluded our meeting by talking about what's next for the group. We decided it will be a collection of short, one-act plays that we will write, produce and act in. I'm very excited about the possibility of writing a unique one-act and I already have an idea percolating in my head that I want to get on paper.

Amidst all this, my father's health in Colorado is getting worse every day and I'm preparing for the call that he's gone...

Bob

November 18th, 2004
Finished shooting the Daily Show piece this morning -- after a long day of shooting yesterday. The piece is tentatively scheduled to air the week after Thanksgiving. We feel like we got some good stuff.

Gonna use this afternoon and tomorrow to get ready for the reading of my new stage show this weekend. I have a couple of commercial auditions sandwiched in there as well. Then it's pretty much the Thanksgiving holiday!

Talk to you later,
Bob

November 16th, 2004
Got the cast off my broken nose yesterday. All things considered, it looks pretty good. My nose is now slightly crooked (I think you have to look close to notice) but I would expect that given how badly I broke it. The black eyes are also, slowly, fading away. I have a little bandage over where my stitches (14 of 'em) used to be but nothing that a little makeup on camera can't hide.

Went into the Daily Show yesterday. Prepping for another story shoot. This one was originally supposed to be in Washington D.C. but we've changed plans to make it here in New York. It should be a fun one to shoot.

In preparation, I watched two Stephen Colbert pieces from years earlier that are similar in tone to the one I'm about to do to get a sense of what to expect and how to play it. The first piece I watched of his was hilarious! It involved him going to a TV broadcasting school in Connecticut. His performance in it is phenomenal. I watched it probably 4 times and was laughing out loud every time. Just a reminder that he is, truly, the master of this stuff.

Today is story idea submission day at the Daily Show so that's my focus this morning. Then it's into the office (probably this afternoon) to go over this new story with Jon.

Met with Matt Oberg yesterday morning -- before going into the office -- for another script meeting/rehearsal on our show. We have quite a bit of work to do before we debut this puppy but it's nothing insurmountable. We'll have a reading of the material for friends and confidants at my house this Saturday. After that, we truly get cracking on getting this thing ready to go for December 11th.

I'm yet to see the AOL commercial I'm in. However, several people I know say they've seen it a lot. Oh well. I'll keep watching.

I was also surprised to see one of my old Staples commercials has started running again (saw it Saturday morning on ESPN).

Tonight I attend the new show of my friend, Jessica Allen, at The P.I.T. It's called "Staunch" and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

November 12th, 2004
Went to the nose doctor this morning. Things are moving along nicely. He says I should look like normal again by the early part of next week. I go back in on Monday to get the cast taken off my nose and the stitches removed. It's nice to be able to breath again!

Talked to Matt this morning on the phone and we've scheduled another script meeting for Monday morning. Then we're tentatively planning on having a reading of the material next Saturday at my place -- invite friends, family over; eat, socialize; have the reading; get people's feedback.

Tomorrow I go into the city to help my friend -- and fellow Neutrino-ite -- Kurt Braunholer with a Chengwin event. Check out all the details here It should be a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to it. I'm going to play a TV reporter documenting the day's events. Kurt loves the fact that I will have this cast on my nose and two black eyes still. It should play in very nicely to the theme of the day.

On Sunday, I go back into the city to have dinner with (and a team meeting) Neutrino. It'll be our first time meeting as a team since we got back from Scotland (I think everyone needed a break after that). I have no idea what our future holds so I'm excited to hear what people are thinking.

Today, I'll continue compiling photos and videos to add to this website. If all goes accordning to plan, I'll then hand the stuff over to a computer genius friend of mine who will sort it all out and put it up for you to look at here!

Nebraska/Oklahoma game this weekend, folks. I'm sure the Cornhuskers will lose but it's still a big deal in this household. Go Big Red!

Hope to see the movie Sideways this weekend or next. Alexander Payne (the director) went to my high school in Omaha and I'm a big fan of his work. Always like supporting a fellow Omahan as well.

Talk to you later,
Bob

November 11th, 2004
Some of you have recently been e-mailing me with questions regarding my work on The Daily Show. Instead of e-mailing each of you back individually -- which is proving more difficult to do these days -- I figured I use this blog to answer some of your questions. So here you go!

Do you find that your former career as a TV journalist helps in the execution of your Daily Show pieces?
Yes and no.

Yes, in that I'm familiar with what it takes to put together a real TV news story -- because that's what I did for 10 years of my life. And that, obviously, helps when you're trying to parody the form by putting together a fake news story.

It probably also helps in that I, unfortunately, have a first-hand knowledge of some of the stupid things TV reporters do on a day-in-day-out basis. Therefore, that sometimes allows me to more easily recall some of those things to make fun of them. Stuff like asking people, "When will you get closure in this case?" or walking up to somebody with cameras rolling and accusing them of absurd things.

However, my experience as a real TV reporter does not help in my execution of the pieces in that being a correspondent on The Daily Show is not like being a real TV reporter. On The Daily Show, you're acting. You're using your comedic and improv skills in an attempt to make people laugh. You're playing a character. Your job is to be funny, not report the news.

I would be lost on the Daily Show if I didn't have my training and experience as an improv comedian (I've been doing improv comedy in New York City since 1998).

Did you see some of the hypocrisies and personas (like Stephen Colbert's character's haughty attitude) that are parodied on the show when you worked as a news reporter?
Yeah, there's definitely some truth there to what Stephen does. I think that's why his character on the show is so brilliant because a lot of what he does rings true -- and runs so counter to who he is in real life (super friendly, smart, hard-working...).

I never ran across anyone in TV news who was as arrogant or as snide as Stephen's character is on the show, but I met some who are pretty darn close. These are the people who seem to revel in getting "the exclusive" and don't mind being incredibly rude and insensitive in doing so. They are caricatures of TV journalists and don't know it. Sadly, they are also the ones who seem to stay in the business the longest.

Keep in mind, folks, these are just my opinions -- not the show's or anyone else's...just mine.

November 11th, 2004
Made my first public appearance with the broken nose. Had a doctor's appointment. And, as expected, garnered a lot of stares. No biggee. I would probably do the same if I saw a guy with my injuries walking towards me.

Now that that's over with I will spend the rest of today indoors working on computer stuff -- touching up my resume, getting new videos and photos prepared for this website, etc.

I'm also getting in the practice of reading each day's papers for story ideas for the Daily Show. Regardless of my role there each week, I want to be a regular story contributor. I think it's just a good practice to get into. I always want to push myself to do more and get better.

Talked to my manager, Vincent, yesterday. He's out in L.A. this week meeting with people. It sounds like we're getting some good response out there to my work. I look forward to forwarding those relationships in the future and seeing what happens.

Finished watching Tommy yesterday. My first impression was correct. It's an awful movie. I also watched a collection of short films on IFC. Some really good stuff. Inspiring. I'm excited about writing and producing a movie of my own soon. Looking forward to the experience...

Talk to you soon,
Bob

November 10th, 2004
Well, I look pretty brutal right now. I woke up this morning with a lot of swelling and two pronounced black eyes. You know it's bad when your wife looks at you and goes, "Yuck."

I canceled my script meeting with Matt for today. I'm in no shape to be seen publicly. Although, physically, I feel fine. The pain killers and antibiotics are doing their jobs!

Today I'll use the time at home to work on updating my website here with new video and photos. I've got A LOT of stuff that I want to put on the site and I've been meaning to add for awhile. This broken nose might actually allow me time to do it.

In my spare time, I'm clearing my TiVo of movies I've recently recorded. Here are my reviews of what I've watched:

DIG!
Documentary on two rival rock bands -- The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre. Good, entertaining. Some of the people in it reminded me of the people I work with in the improv comedy world here in New York: brilliant but can't get out of their own way to succeed.

The Filth and the Fury
Documentary on the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols. Not as entertaining as DIG! but still pretty decent. After watching it, I now understand why the band gave voice to the frustrations of many working class people in England at the time. I also understand why the Sex Pistols were so freaked out to come to the U.S. and see American fans -- who knew little or nothing about why the whole punk scene started in the U.K. -- jumping on the bandwagon and, therefore, turning it into something it never intended to be: mainstream and conforming.

All About Eve
This is a movie my wife and I have been trying to watch, off and on, for a few months now. I finally sat down last night and watched the rest of it. It has some great writing in it and holds up a mirror to the entertainment industry that I still think, in many ways, holds up today. I was surprised to see Marilyn Monroe in it (didn't know she was in this movie). Now I understand Bette Davis' famous line, "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy ride."

Tommy
I still have about 45 minutes left in this one. I'm surprised The Who hasn't taken more crap for this over the years. It's interesting but also pretty bad.

Today's movie-watching agenda includes The Maltese Falcon.

Now back to work...

November 9th, 2004
So last night I broke my nose.

I was playing basketball -- as I normally do on Monday nights -- and I was running around a screen. As I cleared the guy, I tripped on his foot and ran my head into the hardwood floor with nothing bracing my fall. I'm actually lucky nothing worse happened.

I went to the emergency room where a doctor did all the nasty stuff -- stitches, setting, etc. -- that you need to do in this case. He then prescribed me a bunch of pain pills and antibiotics.

As a result, I won't be acting on camera for awhile -- not unless the part calls for me to have a swollen nose and two black eyes! I've already told my commercial agent and the folks at The Daily Show about my situation.

The doctor says the swelling and such should go down in about a week so, in the meantime, I'm out of commission.

I'll try and use this time to do stuff around the house -- including an update of my website here with new videos and photos (I've got a ton of stuff to add)!

I also still have a meeting with Matt set for tomorrow to go over our show script. Hopefully, he can look at me without getting sick. I look pretty bad right now.

I pitched some new stories to the Daily Show today. We'll see if any of them get approved.

Anyway...I'll talk to you later!
Bob

November 3rd, 2004
Well, last night was one for the memory book! Not only because of the elections but also because it marked my in-studio debut for The Daily Show. For the first time, I did an in-studio piece for them. I felt good about it, all things considered. Honestly, I was just happy I got through it without vomiting on myself. ;-)

One of the unexpected surprises of the evening took place at the beginning of the show when I was told by my fellow correspondents, shortly before air time, about a Daily Show tradition with live shows: the correspondents come out and sing the national anthem. Stephen Colbert and Ed Helms organized us into a make-shift barbershop quartet (plus 1) and we sang our hearts out. It was a great way to start the night -- really took the edge off.

Afterwards, Jill and I went to a Comedy Central party where we saw Cyndi Lauper. Having grown up with some of her biggest hits, I was tempted to go over and tell her I was a fan. Instead I did the brave thing: hung back and told the people I was hanging out with that I liked her music.

Overall, a great night though. One I'll never forget.

In other news...I've booked a demo for Trident that shoots tomorrow. A demo is basically a trial-run of a commercial so that powers-that-be on the spot can see it in action before they decide to green-light the idea for full production. Demos are nice to book because not only do you get paid for the work but there's also the possibility of you getting cast in the final televised product. We'll see what happens. Either way, nice to be working...

Matt Oberg and I have moved up our script meeting for earlier on Friday so Matt can attend a wedding out of town this weekend. No biggee. So far we're putting all the work in we need to to make the show good when it hits the stage in December.

Talk to you later...

November 2nd, 2004
I don't think I've ever been so excited about voting in my life. The older I get (and absorb world events), the more I appreciate the right we have to vote in this country. The fact that anything could happen with this election makes my vote feel even more important. Anyway...

I'll be at The Daily Show today working on the election special. I didn't think I was going to be involved so it was a very nice surprise to get the call. My piece may not make the final cut (you never know) but it's great to be involved either way.

Met with Matt Oberg yesterday for another script meeting. Slowly but surely we're making good progress. We both know we'll have to cut some stuff eventually (because of time) but we need to prepare it all anyway. The hope is to have some type of reading with friends and counter-parts in November. Then we'll put it up for the first time in December (check my shows page for all the details) -- with a continuation in January.

Matt and I have also committed to writing some type of screenplay together -- once our calendars clear a bit from this stage show. Really looking forward to doing that. I have a couple of ideas that I think could be very fun(ny).

October 28th, 2004
Did the callback for FedEx yesterday. Went O.K. Didn't feel great about it. I would be surprised if I get it.

Matt Oberg gave me a short film he did recently called "Mr. Wiffler." Watched it last night. Some very funny moments. Reminds me that one of my goals within the next year is to write a screenplay for a comedy short and shoot it. I can't wait to do that.

I'm fortunate in that I have some friends who are very talented photographers and editors. I'm also friendly with some people who might be willing to financially back a project like that for me. We'll see. Perhaps Matt would be interested in writing something with me...?

Also...I'm working with my brother Jim -- very early stages -- on a possible book idea. We're keeping it very low-key at this point. I've never worked with him on anything like this before so we'll see how it goes. At the very least, I thought we could shop our stories to NPR and see if they're interested.

I'm very goal oriented and I'm confident I will do all this stuff. It's just a matter of time. One of the good things about my current time-out from Neutrino is I'm allowed the time to do these things. Speaking of Neutrino...

We're tentatively planning on meeting as a team in a couple of weeks. It'll be very interesting to see where everybody's at and see what's next on our horizon.

Talk soon...

October 26th, 2004
Oprah piece went over well last night. Always a relief (of sorts) to walk out of the studio knowing that the audience laughed where you hoped they would. Now it's back to the bench...

Met with Matt Oberg today to rehearse our upcoming 2-person sketch show. Went very well I think. We both feel good about the material and where we're at right now with it. We're planning to meet again next week and be almost completely off-book by then.

I have a callback for a FedEx commercial tomorrow. As far as commercial auditions go, I feel pretty good about this one. I feel very comfortable in the copy. But you never know. It's still a long shot to book anything. The spot shoots in L.A.

One of my brothers is in New Jersey for the next couple of weeks for a job so I'm planning on hooking up with him (he's never been to New York City before) and my brother, who lives in New Jersey, to sight-see this weekend. Looking forward to it. Always nice to be around the family...

Talk to you later.

October 26th, 2004

October 26th, 2004

October 25th, 2004
My Oprah story is scheduled to hit air tonight. I think we're in good shape but we won't know for sure until the final screenings today. I'll spend the day in an edit bay as a result.

Spent yesterday memorizing lines for that sketch show I'm doing with Matt Oberg. We meet again tomorrow and want to be off-book with the first 13 pages or so of material by then. Our first performance is mid-December.

Hoping to meet up with Hannah today. Hannah did tech for my show in Edinburgh, Scotland in August. She's in New York on vacation and we're going to try and get together to say hello. She's good peeps.

Talk soon...

October 22nd, 2004
Another day of editing at The Daily Show. Not much to do at this point as we won't get another screening with Jon until Monday. We've done everything we needed to do with the piece and all of us -- myself, the producer and editor -- feel good about what we have. We'll see what happens Monday. I guess the tease that ran in last night's show went well so hopefully that's a good sign...

Had 3 commercial auditions yesterday -- in between stop-overs at the Daily Show. The first one was hilarious (although it's a serious spot). It was a P.S.A. (public service announcement) for the United Nations on landmines. It entails a man and a woman taking home video of their daughter playing soccer when the daughter steps on a landmine and blows up. No joke. Like I said, it's a serious spot (and I'm sure it will be powerful) but auditioning for it felt kinda silly. "Stacy?...Oh my God...Stacy!!!"

Hosted the charity event last night for pancreatic cancer. It went well, I thought, although I had to yell for most of the night just to be heard in the space. Oh well. It was fun and raised some money for a great cause. Very cool.

Later...

October 20th, 2004
We have confirmed show dates now at The P.I.T. this December for my new show. Matt Oberg and I will be putting up our 2-person comedy show called "P.O.W.: Professional Opportunities Workshop" on Saturday, December 11th & 18th at 9:30pm. Very exciting. I'm looking forward to putting up new material and seeing how audiences react.

I go into the office today to start editing my latest piece today for The Daily Show. This story is about Oprah's car give-away. We'll see how it turns out...

To help promote the story and the show, I did a radio interview with some DJ's in Kansas City this morning (Steven and Doug on 97.3, The Planet). Nice guys. That's my home territory (sort of) as I went to the University of Kansas for school and worked in Topeka and Wichita for awhile.

Tomorrow night I host a charity event in the city raising money for pancreatic cancer research. I did the same event last year as well. Always nice to help out where you can.

Talk soon...

October 19th, 2004
Shot the AOL commercial on Friday. Went well I think. The director wanted us to ad-lib quite a bit at the end of the copy so we did. We'll see if any of it actually makes the final cut. We at least had the auditorium full of extras laughing.

I imagine the spot will start running within the next couple weeks (if at all). I'm one of several AOL execs running a panel discussion when we're interrupted by a teenage girl in the audience.

The cast of actors I was working with were all really cool. Had a lot of fun hanging out with them and talking between takes.

I brought "Flat Stanley" to the shoot. Flat Stanley is a book character that my niece in Texas sent me to document his travels around the world. I thought it would be cool and different to take Flat Stanley to a commercial shoot so I took photos of me and him throughout the day. I send him back to my niece -- with the photos -- today.

Matt Oberg and I are making good progress on our 2-person show script. We met again yesterday at the PIT to go over stuff. It looks like we'll be able to put it up a couple of times at the PIT this December.

I'm excited about that because the script is a big departure from what I've been doing recently. It's a straight-up comedy show based on two characters who are leading a business workshop. I think -- with the right amount of work -- it's going to be a good, funny show.

To move things along, Matt and I agreed to get off-book on the first 13 pages or so (it's an hour long show) before we meet again next week. I really enjoy the work.

Signed up for a television auditioning class at One on One Productions here in NYC yesterday. I'm very excited about it as I've been wanting to get into this class for months now. Hopefully, it'll help pave the way for me doing quality TV auditions in the future.

My latest Daily Show piece is coming along. I talked to the producer of the piece yesterday and he said we'll probably start editing tomorrow. He seemed confident on the phone that we have some good stuff. Just need to work it over in editing.

Talk to you later...

October 14th, 2004
You can't win 'em all...

The Aspen folks have decided to pass on my one-man show. Oh well. No biggee.

We shot a pickup interview for my latest Daily Show piece this morning. Think it went very well. We'll see how it plays out in editing.

I have a commercial audition this afternoon then it's back home to take care of various errands.

Talk to you later...

October 13th, 2004
Last night's Aspen showcase went very well, I thought. Of course that doesn't mean the powers that be from Aspen think the same way. Regardless, I feel like I put up a good representation of what the show is and that's really all you can ask for in that situation. Also, I've gotten a couple of e-mails today from people in the audience who wrote to say they enjoyed the show and felt inspired by it. Always good to hear those things...

I do a pick-up interview for my Daily Show piece tomorrow. Then on Friday I shoot that commercial for AOL. Great to be busy...

Met with Matt Oberg today (finally) to go over our two-person show script. Thankfully, we're both able to devote time to it and whip it into shape. We're shooting for a December run of shows.

I'm excited to watch the final presidential debate tonight. I know I'm getting old because I actually look forward to watching these things now...

Talk soon.

October 12th, 2004
Tonight's the night! I perform my one-man show, "Anchor's Away!", for the folks at the Aspen Comedy Festival. This will either start in motion another trip for me to Aspen OR stop the process cold in its tracks. Regardless of what happens, I feel good about the show and am proud of it.

Have to run to IKEA at some point today to buy a stool and side table for the show.

Had my fitting for the AOL commercial yesterday. The spot, tentatively, shoots Thursday. I play an exec at AOL. It's nothing special. We'll see how it turns out.

I audition for a Pizza Hut commercial today and will touch base with the office at some point to get an update on my latest Daily Show piece.

Talk to you soon...

October 11th, 2004
From the "Let's try this again..." file: I booked (again) for an AOL commercial. I go to the wardrobe fitting today. Keeping with last time, I have no idea what role I've booked or what the spot is. I guess I'll find out when I show up!

Met with Chris Himes last night. He's gonna help me update this site with a bunch of videos, photos and recent press clippings. I'm excited to get that stuff on here. It'll make touring the site much more fun I think. I don't have a timeline for when that'll get done but I hope soon.

Rehearsed for my show, "Anchor's Away!", yesterday morning. Went very well. Worked out some technical stuff and it's good to remind yourself about the material by just running it through. I feel very good about the show. Just hope people show up to watch it! Showtime is tomorrow night at 8pm.

October 8th, 2004
Just got back from a Daily Show shoot in Illinois. Things went very well I think. The show does not tape next week so we have some time to work on it.

Read the Rolling Stone article on Jon and The Daily Show on the airplane ride home. Good piece. I was also happy to read the article about the new South Park movie. I'm guessing that movie is going to be awesome. I love that it's supposed to explore some of the dislike Americans are feeling right now from the rest of the world -- since I felt that first-hand on my recent stay in Scotland.

A time opened up at The PIT this Sunday morning to rehearse my show, "Anchor's Away!", so I'm going to take advantage of it and run the show. My showcase for the Aspen Comedy Festival folks is Tuesday night.

Had to cancel (yet again) my script meeting with Matt Oberg on Wednesday to go over our two-man show. Bummer. Should be able to meet with him next week though.

At last check, I'm having a dinner meeting/get-together with my improv comedy team, Neutrino, on Sunday night. Gotta square away remaining issues from Scotland and start talking about what we want to do next.

Tomorrow I go to the Penn St./Purdue football game. Should be fun. Love college football and Penn State's supposed to be a great place to see a game.

Have a good weekend...

October 5th, 2004
Thankfully, last night's piece screened very well. The audience was great and really enjoyed the piece. What a relief!

You never know what you have with those stories until an audience tells you (at least that's been my experience so far). In editing a story, you see the same jokes so many times that they lose their humor. And a story-line changes so many times in editing that you start to lose a feel for how the whole thing is coming together.

I'm going out on another story tomorrow evening. This one has to do with Oprah Winfrey. From Dr. Phil to Oprah, I'm doing the whole talk show circuit these days.

Had to cancel my script meeting with Matt Oberg today due to contractors coming to my house and fixing the mess from our water pipe break. We've re-scheduled our meeting for tomorrow. Hopefully that'll happen before I have to leave town. I want to get cracking on that thing as soon as possible. Like I said earlier, I think it has the potential to be a very good and very funny show. Just want to get it up on its feet!

October 4th, 2004
The Dr. Phil piece is a go for tonight. I'm planning for the worst and hoping for the best. It makes it easier for me to do that. That way a bad reaction is what I expected and a good reaction is a wonderful surprise.

My industry showcase of "Anchor's Away!" for the Aspen Comedy Festival has changed slightly -- moved from 8pm to 7pm -- on Tuesday, October 12th to accomodate the schedules of some of the committee folks.

Have some water issues at home -- water pipe burst on Friday night; phone line is acting up as a result -- so I may have to re-schedule my script meeting with Matt Oberg tomorrow to go over our two-person show. Don't want to do that but may have to...

Had a great weekend. Went pumpkin picking with some friends on the east end of Long Island on Sunday. Beautiful weather.

My dad's birthday is Sunday. Gotta think of a great present. My dad is fading fast.

Talk to you later...

October 1st, 2004
The Dr. Phil story was bumped until Monday. The show Wednesday was stacked and Jon felt like we could hold it until then. No biggee. Just gives us more time to fine-tune it -- which is nice.

I think it's going to be a decent piece. Jon came up with a very funny idea for a section of it. Bottom line though, you never know what you truly have until the studio audience sees it and reacts.

I feel like I'm attending the Harvard of comedy at the Daily Show. So many sharp, funny minds there. I'm trying to be a sponge as much as possible -- while still giving my two cents. It's pretty awesome when you have a guy like Jon Stewart feeding you jokes and you just act them out. It's hard not to be funny.

I had two commercial auditions yesterday. One a radio spot for Snapple. Ran into some friends and fellow improvisers there. Felt like I did a decent job on it. The second one was an on-camera spot for Staples. I auditioned with a couple of kids. I always feel a little awkward auditioning with kids. I'm not a father yet and it just feels weird playing a dad to other people's kids.

Had my first meeting with Matt Oberg to go over our script. I'm really excited about this project. I think it's going to be a very funny show. I'm thankful Matt has time this fall and winter to commit to this thing and really make it good. Right now we're shooting to put the show up -- most likely at The P.I.T. -- in December. We meet again on Tuesday to start going over the script in earnest.

Tonight I go into the city to catch a performance of Madame Funnypants at The P.I.T. I've been directing Alex and Negin for awhile now but haven't seen their show in a couple of months (with Scotland and other stuff on my plate).

On a personal note...

We had a water line in our house burst last night and do some pretty nasty water damage to our basement. I'll be spending today at home taking care of contractors and such to clean up the mess.

Also...went to a urologist yesterday to get myself checked out for fatherhood capabilities. As I walked to the exam room, I kept finding myself looking at closed doors thinking, "That must be where they keep the pornos. That must be the masturbation room."

Finally...found out this week my dad has been put into hospice care in Colorado. Sadly, the end is near for him. He's ready to go, however, and I know we're both at peace with each other.

Talk soon.

September 29th, 2004
The Dr. Phil story is coming along. There's talk it may be bumped until Monday because of a stacked show tonight. We'll see. It still needs some work but I feel good about where it's at right now. The extra time should only make it better.

Because of our editing work last night I had to back out of a meeting I had with Negin Farsad and Alex Zalben on their sketch show. I've been directing them for awhile and (with my shows in Scotland and recent work schedule) I haven't had a chance to hook up with them in awhile. Hopefully, we'll be able to re-schedule soon.

Yesterday morning I did a commercial audition that required me to play an elf. I never pictured myself as an elf type but evidently my agent does.

Talk soon...

September 27th, 2004
Had a very nice, relaxing weekend.

On Saturday, we brought the dog to Mastic Beach on Long Island for some lunch and sun. It was cool to see the dog interact with the ocean for the first time. The waves were bigger than I've ever seen out here. Quite a few surfers.

That night we drove to my brother's place in New Jersey and spent the night there. On Sunday, I watched football and worked on my two-person show script (which I'm happy to say I finally completed and forwarded onto Matt).

Tomorrow I go into the office to work on my latest piece for the Daily Show. I also meet with Alex Zalben and Negin Farsad to go over their show Madame Funnypants. It's running at the PIT and I've been directing them for awhile.

Today I auditioned for another AOL commercial. We'll see if they actually cast me in one of these things.

Have been watching Dinner for Five and Film School on IFC recently. Both entertaining shows.

Talk to you later...

September 24th, 2004
Just got back from Elgin, Texas this afternoon. Good shoot (I think). We got a lot of stuff. We'll see how it turns out.

The tentative air date for the story is this Wednesday. That's a tight turn-around but we're somewhat confident we can do it.

We stayed in nearby Austin for our stay. I was able to hook up with my in-laws for a quick drink and conversation last night. Had seen them in awhile. Good to touch base again.

So glad to be home this weekend! Beautiful weather is forecast so hopefully Jill and I will be able to take advantage of it and do some things outside.

Talk soon...

September 22nd, 2004
I fly to Austin, Texas today to do a Daily Show story in Elgin (small town outside Austin).

My most recent story aired last night on the show. The audience didn't react to it the way we had hoped. Oh well.

In retrospect, there were some things we should have changed in the story to make it track better and more funny to watch. But you never know those things until an audience views the story.

I also know from my experience as a performer, what works one night with one audience doesn't always work the next. It's just the way things are.

Hope to meet with Matt Oberg early next week to go over the script for our two-person show.

Talk to you later!

September 20th, 2004
As expected, the AOL folks dogged my ass.

I was released from the commercial job this morning -- after the other actor and I did a run-through of the spot (in full wardrobe and makeup) to be judged by the client -- and who knows who else -- as they sat in an unknown location watching everything on a monitor. Sure enough, after the run-throughs I was told they were going with the other actor. It was an awkward situation, to say the least. Very unorthodox. I'm just glad it's over!

The folks in charge of the shoot were very apologetic about the way the whole thing went down. They even sent a big bouqet of flowers to my home (very nice of them). They promise me a role in an upcoming AOL spot in the coming weeks to make up for things. Unfortunately, given the events of the last couple days, I'll believe it when I see it. Such is the life of an actor in commercial-land.

On the bright side of things:

1.) I did get paid to basically be a tourist in Washington D.C. for a couple of days! Not bad.

2.) I'm back here in New York in time to work on my Daily Show piece for tomorrow.

3.) I made great progress on the scripts for that new show I'm writing.

Talk to you later!

September 19th, 2004
I'm currently sitting in a hotel outside Washington D.C. I came down here yesterday to shoot a commercial for AOL -- at least I thought I was going to!

Unbelievably, they've brought in another actor for the same part (the spot shoots tomorrow). As best as I can piece together, the client (AOL) wants me, the director wants the other actor. Instead of them situating this thing before the shoot (like they should have), they've brought both of us down here and will decide it tonight. Sooo...basically, I'm waiting to hear word if I'm working tomorrow or not (at this point, I'm pretty sure I'm going home).

Anyway, they've assured me that if I don't actually do this job, I'll be brought in to do another spot for them in a couple weeks. We'll see. The way this thing is going...

While I was waiting for them to get things figured out today, I basically got paid to be a tourist! I went into D.C. and checked out the spy museum and Ford's Theater. Both very cool.

I'm excited about the Emmys tonight. If it was possible, I'd like to see both Chappelle's Show and The Daily Show win. We'll see what happens.

The sketch show script is coming into shape pretty nicely (I think). At least I'm getting a lot of work done on it!

September 17th, 2004
Had 2 screenings with Jon yesterday. By the end of the day, the piece was in much better shape. If all goes well on Tuesday (when we finish the piece), it should be pretty decent. Editing is so key.

After that piece airs, I'm off to shoot another story. This one in Texas. It's a very funny concept and the producer I'm working with is great. More details after we get back...

When it rains it pours...I booked the AOL spot. Very good news as we need the money! It shoots this weekend in D.C. So you should see me on the tube for AOL in the coming months.

I'm making good progress on the script for that two-person show I'm writing for Matt O'Berg and me. It's going to take awhile to get it where it needs to be but, slowly but surely, that's happening. Of course, even after it's written, we have to put it up in front of an audience. That will tell us what's working and what isn't. No substitute for an audience giving you feedback.

Have to go to "plan b" for putting up my one-man show, "Anchor's Away!", for the Aspen folks. The folks at The P.I.T., unforutnately, can't accomodate the time I need. No biggee. Plenty of other theaters in town. We'll figure something out.

Talk to you later!

September 16th, 2004
Today Jon Stewart screens our initial cut of the story. We -- myself, the producer and editor -- watched it yesterday and it has some nice moments but it definitely needs some massaging to get it where it should be. Jon's screenings, in my experience so far, are always extremely helpful to that end. The guy just has a great sense of comedy and what's needed to whip a story into shape. Hopefully, that will prove true again today. The story is now scheduled for air on Tuesday, September 21st.

I'm still trying to confirm a time for a showcase performance of my one-man show, "Anchor's Away!", in New York City. I need to put it up soon so the folks at HBO can consider it for inclusion in this year's Aspen Comedy Festival. Hopefully, I'll get that finalized today.

I have another callback for that AOL spot today but I may be pulling myself out of the running for it because the shoot dates conflict with a current booking I have for Yahoo. Nice to be busy. Makes up for the times when nothing's going on...

Have a good one!

September 15th, 2004
Going back into the Daily Show today. Yesterday was spent writing and going through our log sheets (no editing). We have a reading scheduled with Jon today so we'll see how that goes.

Got my copy of the new Daily Show book, America, yesterday. It's very funny. Brilliant. I'm sure it will be a big seller when it hits the stands. Like a dork, I went around the office asking people to sign my book for me.

Looks like I'm going to be doing some more commercial work. Booked a print job for Yahoo. Have a callback for an AOL TV spot today. Most likely, I won't get it but it's still nice to get a callback. Lord knows, we need the money.

Gotta go...

September 14th, 2004
Today I go into start editing my latest story on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It's a story about a former U.S. Senator from Nevada who John Kerry saved the life of in the 80's. The interveiws went well, I think. We'll see how it comes out in the end (editing is key).

I've started to write the draft for a two-person sketch show that I plan on doing with my new friend, Matt O'Berg. I met Matt while performing in Edinburgh. He's a great guy and very funny performer. I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out. Hope to get it up for the first time sometime this winter. I plan on meeting him in a couple of weeks or so to go over the draft.

Still recovering from my time in Edinburgh where I: lost my wallet (and palm pilot with it), had my U.K. cell phone stolen, and, I think, caught a parasite. Fun! I'm just now getting back to normal (thank God)!

Talk to you later...

June 29th, 2004
Well, after months in the making, my website is finally up and running! I like it a lot. Brett, Beth and Dan did a phenomenal job on their ends.

This afternoon, I go into the office for a joke meeting for another piece on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It's good to be busy...

I also have to get a bunch of paperwork stuff off to Edinburgh. The Fringe takes a lot of work for one show to go -- let alone 2! I'm sure it'll all be worth it, but it is pretty time-consuming.

This weekend, Jill and I went to the Mets-Yankees game on Saturday. It was awesome. Beautiful weather, the Mets won...couldn't ask for more. New York is a great place to live.

Gotta go! Talk soon!

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