Joan Rivers...in my face at Zimbio! Shucks, give the tropper a plug...

When Joan Rivers appears for an interview and issues a polite request to the hosts - like, what's off-limits on air, for starters - the comedy-circuit trooper means business, dudes!

Just ask those bozos in Sacramento last week who ignored her wishes and stepped over the line!

In the sleepy state Capitol to plug her latest foray into the unconventional realm of zany off-beat comedy in the reality-TV vein, Joan specifically pooh-poohed any notion that her lovely daughter Melissa would be mindless fodder on the airwaves as she ruefully played foil on the local broadcast.

Lights! Camera! Action!

Within seconds, the dim-witted hosts were plying her with a question about you-know-who.

A silly prank?

Not to Joan!

The funny-lady packed up her back of tricks, then walked!

Ouch!

In contrast, I have a fond memory of rubbing shoulders with Rivers.

Several years ago, a casting director hired me to play a bit part on a comedy special that Joan was producing for a cable network:

"A Salute to Heidi Abromowitz"

Yeah, I'm dating myself.

Die-hard fans of the witty legend will recall that in the heyday of her dizzying climb to the top of the topsy-turvy comedy ladder, Heidi was a character Joan often whimsically featured in her stints on stage and spiced up dialogue with on popular talk shows around the country.

In the spot I was hired to act in (which ended up being a few meager seconds on-camera) I was directed to don a Fireman's Uniform and straddle the hood of a spanking-new candy-apple-red Mercedes Benz as it cruised up the street in tony Beverly Hills.

Yup.

The wicked sight gag was a jab at the excesses of wealthy.

Now, Rivers is taking on the rich with a whole new perspective!

How do I know?

Each day as I log onto my blog, I come face-to-face with Joan's mug, at the celebrity website.

The long and short of it?

Her comedy entry (due to premiere this week on August 5th) is one of Zimbio's sponsors.

And, I confess, the eye-catching video clip promoting the show (firmly ensconced above my publicity still & resume) did the trick.

Within seconds, my curiousity was piqued - at which point - I was summarly dragged into Joan's hilarious (at times naughty) brand of humor.

It's easy to figure out in a heartbeat.

"How did you get rich" hinges on the iffy-premise that there are a posse of ultra-rich folks out there - self-made millionaires - with a tale to tell.

Where, Joan, where?

In response to that million-dollar question - Joan's production team heads out each episode impromptu - and sets their lofty sights on the spoils of self-made millionaires - with the hope that down-on-their-luck Americans (who don't have enough moolah to stuff their own tagless mattresses with) will confidently strike out on their own with their novel ideas and potential money-making inventions.

After all, aren't consumers just waiting with bated breath for a truckload of little gadgets to be turned out on E-Bay, with the ultimate aim of lightening the load a tad?

Just betcha, Joan never thought for a lucky-lotto minute that folks around the Nation were actually scarfing up big wins with $5 scratch-offs, hitting elusive jackpots in Vegas, or even inheriting oodles of cash out-of-the-blue from long-lost relatives in Kalamazoo.

"They made their fortunes by inventing Billy Bob Teeth and Butt Paste," she dead-pans to the camera with a straight face.

And, bottom line, she intends to dig deep for the answers, too.

"It's amazing content," quipped producer Mark Burnett (Survivor).

On Rodeo Drive, for instance, Joan spies someone getting out of a Ferrari to have lunch (and without any qualms) strides right up and asks the startled local point-blank how he got rich, according to the giggling reality-show mogul.

She'll knock on a door in an upscale enclave and beg the question:

"How did you get so fu**ing rich?"

Heh, by the way, doesn't Joan look dishy these days?

Has she uncovered the fountain of youth, happened upon a wonder potion, or was it just a bit of tension-specific stretching this way 'n that (yoga, 'ya know?) that blessed the timeless comedy Goddess with that almost-surreal outer-glow?

Inquiring minds want to know, Joan!

Break a pretty gam, eh?

Memorable schtick with the late great Johnny Carson

http://www.julianayrs.com

The Great Buck Howard...a laugh riot! But, Tom Hanks drags the film down...

For me - "The Great Buck Howard" - is hard to knock in many respects.

Well, when it comes to John Malkovich, for sure!

The seasoned pro is always a delight to watch in any role he chooses to inhabit - and in this instant case - he has nudged his way into the very heartbeat of the character hands down.

One mannerism nagged the he** out of me, though, by the time the credits rolled.

An over-the-top heart-warming handshake Buck Howard (played by Malkovich to near perfection) foisted on every character he crossed paths with in the well-written comedy wore a little thin quick as a wink.

In a nutshell, the poignant tale is about a once-famous mentalist (no, the artist is not a mere magician) who connives to worm his way into the big time once again before the elusive opportunity for a last gasp at the brass ring slips away forever.

A young man, bored with law school and pining to find is way in the great scheme of things, answers an ad one day - and before you can pull a rabbit out of a hat - the naive lad is gainfully employed as a road manager for the slightly eccentric stage performer who is not only a stickler for details - but above all else - a precise routine that doesn't play havoc with his sly game plan.

The new hire is likable enough, but most certainly a little wet behind the ears; in fact, it's written all over his cherubic face.

The actor (played by Colin Hanks) isn't your typical pretty boy lead turned out by one of the majors to test the waters.

As a matter of fact, he's average-looking, but in an appealing - "grows on 'ya" - kind of way.

When we were teens on-the-make oft swayed by raging hormones, we'd often rate a less attractive date by the number of beers you'd have to down before you'd hop into the sack with 'em.

In this instant case, that yardstick definitely applies to Buck's chief cook and bottle-washer.

For his big comeback, Buck Howard zeroes in on Cincinnati (cause they like him there) where he anticipates a stunning "effect" (he gets angry when his sleight-of-hand is referred to as a mere magic trick) he has just conjured from the depths of his psyche will nab him National attention and summarily catapult him back into the limelight on the Tonight Show.

That does happen, but in a round-about poignant way.

In a running gag throughout the film, the master of illusion boasts ad nauseam that he appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson sixty-one times.

In contrast, Howard has his knives out for Jay Leno, who hasn't even tossed a crumb his way.

About half-way through the fast-paced farce, Howard appears to go through some kind of epiphany, which ultimately transforms the aging trickster into a genuine old soul who at long last finds peace in his personal and professional life.

Along the way, Hank's character wrestles with his own demons, and ends up signalling by the closing act that - he, too - will come out alright.



One of the few scenes that didn't gel for me occurred at a pivotal point in the film when the actor's real-life father - Tom Hanks - sauntered into the picture and was paired in a scene with son Colin which I found downright distracting.



When the audience is forced to watch histrionics go down between the two, they can't help but compare Tom's finely-honed talent with that of his scene partner, marvel at how similar the thespians physical characteristics are, and so forth and so on.

Big mistake!

It wasn't until Tom disappeared into the woodwork that the story got back on track.

I expect that Mr. Hanks (senior) has to be faulted for that poor judgment call, since he took on the mantle of producer, as well.

To ensure that sonny boy got the part?

There's nothing worse than nepotism in Hollywood, except for the casting couch, of course.

There didn't appear to be any hint of incest here, so I rest my case.

"The Great Buck Howard" is not great, but most certainly, near great.

While eliciting wild guffaws from a captive audience, "Buck" manages to make a subtle statement about the vagaries of fame, the lack of manners in our "me"-oriented society, and a keen insight into the ugly underbelly of the human condition in America today.

I say, two thumbs up!

http://www.julianayrs.com