The Butler’s Pantry, Shea’s Take – Re-Cap of December 2nd, 2012 LiveCast
Gentle Listeners,
Well, well, well. I’ve just returned from my physician’s office and my good doctor assures me the ringing in my ears will abate gradually with each hour that separates me from the fourth LiveCast of The Dinner Party Show. As for the exhaustion, my usual menu of Earl Grey and as much physical distance as possible from Mssrs. Rice and Quinn should do the trick.
I dare say, we haven’t had quite this much…er…energy inside the studio since we’ve started this little experiment of theirs. At certain times, the combined voices seemed capable of shattering glass. And I wish I could say the technical difficulties at the start of the show clipped the wings of my employers a bit. But sadly, various computer glitches only seemed to place Mssrs. Rice and Quinn more firmly on their toes, if you will.
When newsman Breck Artery failed to file his report at the scheduled time, Christopher and Eric unleashed a rousing live discussion of various news items from the week prior. Christopher offered an overview of a French court’s baffling decision to award damages to man who claimed a certain medication for Parkinsons Disease turned him into a gay sexual compulsive. Eric, on the other hand, brought a far more complex question to the table: is it time for him to buy a smartphone even though he despises the selfish and inconsiderate behavior of those who use them in public?
Then it was time for the guests. Internet radio host Tony Sweet was his usual charming self, enduring with his usual grace and decorum a bevy of inappropriate comments about his movie-star handsome looks. He discussed his new internet radio station, which will be the new home of his popular show, On Air With Tony Sweet.
Some of the usual special correspondents were back as well. JoNell Samms, profoundly misguided relationship expert, was on hand to offer some advice to a young woman whose interests in community theatre have failed to locate her an available male partner. And Jordan Ampersand, the world’s worst critic-at-large, once again narrowly avoided strangulation at the hands of Eric Shaw Quinn, this time as he attempted to deliver a restaurant review, sort of, of a hot new L.A. eatery with a name he could neither pronounce nor properly translate.
Not to be outdone by Christopher and Eric’s “special correspondents”, comedian Alec Mapa burst into the studio for the show’s final hour with his typical side-splitting, scene-stealing – and if the accusations of everyone else present are to be believed – champagne-swilling flair. Precisely to upstage him, Christopher chose this moment to make his eagerly anticipated announcement about his forthcoming novel, THE HEAVENS RISE. The announcement? It won’t be released until almost a year from now. (October 2013, to be precise.) Thank you, Christopher. I could see how that announcement was burning up the presses.
Once Alec had completely seized control of the show again, the discussion moved on to his new AMC reality series, ROAD SHOW, in which Mr. Mapa will mentor and guide the residents of small towns as they put on a theatrical production. Eric’s strident comments about reality television from earlier in the LiveCast were raised by those seeking to create conflict (i.e. Christopher), but the two divas failed to do battle…perhaps because Eric was too gleefully excited about Mr. Mapa’s promised musical performance, a selection from his hit one-man show BABY DADDY.
Mr. Mapa explained that his performance would be his best musical attempt to bridge the yawning cultural divide between “stupid” gay men in their 20’s and the more allegedly more sophisticated members of Mr. Mapa’s much, much older generation. Then he went on to sing Miley Cyrus’s hit song PARTY IN THE U.S.A….as Bette Davis. I am relieved to report that our recording equipment is undamaged following the peals of tearful laughter which greeted Mr. Mapa’s rendition.
So for me, it’s bedrest, and perhaps a little bit of cleanup before next Sunday’s LiveCast at 8 PM EST/ 5 PM PST, when we will be joined by famed prosecutor turned mystery novelist, Marcia Clark, and Edgar Award winning novelist and forensic science guru, Jan Burke. From merriment, to crime. What a transition! Although if this show continues on its current course, I presume that even the crimes shall be merry. We’ll see.
Cordially,
Shea
The Dinner Party Show with Christopher Rice & Eric Shaw Quinn podcast
