Armando Show with Laraine Newman

Another chance to experience great comedy at the iO West when I shot and cut The Armando Show with Laraine Newman of Saturday Night Live fame. This promo video is a short portion of her monologue and one of the sketches inspired by it.

The Armando Show begins with one suggestion from the audience, which is then interpreted by that night's Armando (frequently a celebrity guest) through a personal and truthful improvised monologue. Inspired by that monologue, a cast composed of veteran Chicago and Los Angeles alumni perform scenes which, in turn inspire a response from Armando. This propels hilarious interchanges between Armando's monologues and the company's scenes.

Enchanted at the El Capitan

This week and next I'm on a crew putting up the stage show for a Disney movie called Enchanted. After viewers see the movie at the historic El Capitan theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, they can enjoy more Disney characters and merchandise inside a tent set up in the parking lot out back.

(A) (B)

(A) The sign at the entrance will be more magical after the chain link fence is removed. (B) My view of the historic El Capitan, but I'm also next to the equally historic Hollywood High School and Jimmy Kimmel Show parking lots.

To be fair, it's a huge tent (24,000 sq. ft.) housing a number of activities including a climbing wall and bounce house. The whole thing costs several million dollars so it's not some traveling carny outfit.

I've been running computer network and fiber optic cables under stages and up the sides of the theatre building itself. And of course, the usual unloading of sets and gear. Next week we'll be installing those sets and gear and then it's showtime the week after that. Bring the kids and check it out.

(C) (D)

(C) Another angle of the El Capitan's backside (but not the side we ran the cables up). (D) How it looks in the early morning fog.