Like a Boss

Holly: Now, this post is nothing monumentally spectacular or anything going on in our lives, and it does seem kind of vain, posting about something as mundane as this, but hey, we like it, and maybe you all will to.

Yes, despite the never-ending busyness that seems to daily engulf Kelly and I, we have begun watching a new TV series (our favorite one ended back in May of 2011 and since then we've just lived on reruns of Whose Line is it Anyway and, even more recently, Frasier).  ANYWAY...

This show is simply called "Boss" and, although I'm not sure of the weekday it airs, it's on Starz at 10pm and it stars Kelsey Grammer (personal aside: I've always admired him as an actor, even if he does not have the best track record).  The show circulates around the professional and personal life of fictitious Chicago mayor Tom Kane, who's just been diagnosed with DLB (Dementia with Lewy Bodies).  Battling this new and degenerative disorder, he does his best to keep this from his assistants and his wife, with whom he has an unsettling relationship.  He also gets back in touch with his estranged daughter Emma, who is, to no surprise, reluctant to rekindle their relationship.  In addition to all of this, he's also brought in the former Treasurer of the state to run for governor against his former ally.

I'm two episodes in; there's 8 in the first season, and I'm hooked!  Although there's a decent amount of language, the storylines are powerful, intense, and the array of emotions is absolutely captivating!  So if you ever find yourself needing a good show, this is it.

Kelly:  Holly was telling me that you learn something about Emma in the second episode and I'm like DON'T TELL ME ANYTHING!!! She's one episode ahead of me; currently loading the second one as I type. I hope this time this will hold on for a little longer; we've had a pretty nasty track record of enjoying shows that only last for a short while (Improvaganza, Flash Forward, just to name a few...). But yeah, I am hooked as well! Ok, that's all in the world of us today. And as always, more madness will be sure to come later!

Long live Improv!

Kelly: It is with a sad mind that I write this blog today. Last night, via Twitter, I read from countless Improv actors that the Game Show Network has cancelled Drew Carey's Improvaganza (a spin-off of Whose Line is it Anyway?). After one season, and now it's finished. I read more of Twitter, and to my wee anger, one actor (Jeff Davis) heard of the news by devoted fans such as ourselves. I don't know about you, but I'd be pissed! It makes me sad that the most important roles that made a TV show such as this had to find out from...us. Seems common courtesy is so hard to come by these days *long sigh.* I must say, the show will be missed. As a Whose Line fan since high school, I was so excited when I heard something similar was coming back on the air. However, I still do watch Whose Line every now and then, thanks to stumbleupon and a devoted fan that made EVERY episode available online!!! Thank you, devoted fan!

Though I am sad, I am also looking forward to my future in the improv world. Holly and I will NOT let improv die; in fact, we are planning our 22nd birthday to be very improv-centered. Though it's in April, we've already made plans and have jotted down our favorite games and started making suggestions for scenes. I know, we're crazy, but we're YOUNG and crazy. In other words, we have the free time to do so. Anyway, back to my impending excitement. I must share this story now. When I was still at home, I received a phone call from Holly, who was in England at the time. Apparently, she was curious and looked up tour times for the Colin and Brad show (two actors from Whose Line and Improvaganza who do their own tour across the US). When I pick up the phone, she tells me "you might want to sit down." So I went outside and sat down. And then she told me, THEY'RE COMING TO RICHMOND, KY! Richmond is, no joke, like 15 minutes away from Berea. I screamed. Yes, a full-on scream! Stay tuned, faithful readers, for on November 18 at 8:00 PM, we will be seated at the EKU's Center for Performing Arts in Orchestra seating. I'm still in shock when I think about it, not to mention I still owe Holly $30....working on that.

So readers, though I am sad that I cannot turn on the TV, hoping for a repeat of "Flap My Jack," but I have a gut feeling that for some reason we have  not seen the end of Improvaganza. It's just the optimist in me! :) That's all for now; classes in the afternoon await me. Cheers.

Holly: Long live Improv!!!!!!!!! What I have learned over the years from watching Whose Line and other improv shows is that improv is an art.  I personally SUCK at it and I do realize that everything done on stage, whether the Whose Line stage or the MGM Theater, is entirely made up, on the fly, just like that!  They make it look so easy, and it's a joy, a real joy, to be entertained as such.  It's brilliant, exceptionally brilliant! That's all I can say.

I was still reading the news on Twitter when my roommate came in and I proceeded to inform her that Improvaganza hadn't been picked up for a second season.  What she said sort of struck me, but at the same time, with this generation and TV, it's painfully true: she said that TV lately has been getting cancelled left and right because it's not Jersey Shore, True Life, any other pathetic "reality" shows.  I'm using "pathetic" and "reality" lightly.
So, dear Colin, Ryan, Drew, Jeff, Chip, Sean, Jonathan, Heather, Kathy, and anyone else who provided me such giddiness from Improvaganza: I wish you all the best and hope that future endeavors are soon provided. I'll miss the happiness that your pure, genius, uninhibited talent gave me.

P.S. The last link is "Flap My Jack." Enjoy :)