Happy Friday!
I hope you’ve had a great week. I’ve got a busy weekend. Tonight, I’ll be at the Altarena Playhouse in Alameda with NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN and Saturday I’ll be there with my pal Charlie Varon and THE GREAT AMERICAN SH*T SHOW.
If you’re in the area, come on out!
Here’s what I’ve been up to this week
BOOK
Before the National Enquirer, before People Magazine, the Star and TMZ, there was CONFIDENTIAL. CONFIDENTIAL was the first celebrity tabloid and in the 1950s, the most feared publication on Earth if you were a celebrity.
Whereas movie magazines of the day recycled the tame pablum that the studio publicity machines were putting out about its stars and contract players, CONFIDENTIAL was outing gay actors, publicizing movie star extramarital affairs and reporting on celebrity arrests that the studios tried to cover up (Did you know that Clark Gable killed a woman while driving drunk? And that Busby Berkeley went unpunished for killing THREE people while driving under the influence?)
CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL is a great read that perfectly captures the era, the paranoia and the often effective attempts to suppress free speech in the 1950s. Sure there’s tons of classic movie star dirt, but the really interesting stuff is on the battles by the studios, the decency leagues, the post office and the state of California itself to kill the magazine. It’s a book I couldn’t put down.
READ IT.
TV
Okay, when I first heard I about this, I thought that the idea was REALLY lame. HGTV spent $3.5 million to buy the Studio City ranch house that was used for the establishing shots on THE BRADY BUNCH with the plan of remodeling the interior (which was never used on camera and is completely different
from what we grew up watching on TV) so that it looks exactly like the sets that were used on the actual show which was in reality a Paramount soundstage.
I literally NEVER watch HGTV or home remodeling programs, but I am obsessed with A VERY BRADY RENOVATION.
HGTV has assembled all six of the original Brady kids (now in their late 50s and 60s... feel old yet?) along with all of the hosts of the network’s most popular shows and what they’re doing is amazing and thoroughly entertaining. They are basically building a 1970s Formica, wood paneled, shag rug house in 2019 and... they are accurately reproducing the Brady sets to the tiniest detail.
They’ve found a way to recreate the wallpaper in the boys' room because 50 years later it isn’t available. Ditto the cheesy upholstery in the living room and the ceramic horse that was in every episode. They even found Cindy Brady’s 1969 Kitty Carry All doll!
Even if you hate home rehab shows, watch this one. It comes on HGTV on Monday nights and I can’t wait for next week. They’re recreating Greg’s attic bedroom with the beads and everything.
P.S. I wrote this week’s CC on a plane from Oakland to Burbank. I just checked into my
hotel, and who’s standing next to me but Barry Williams, Greg Brady himself! He says he’s here because the HGTV show is doing so well, they’re adding episodes! We met about 20 years ago when I interviewed him on local television and he was kind enough to remember.
What a cool coincidence to be writing about somebody and then have them materialize right next to you.
So, Charleze Theron...
WATCH IT.
MOVIE
HUSTLERS
Caught the new Jennifer Lopez picture HUSTLERS, based on the true story of a gang of New York strippers who drugged Wall Street guys and drained their bank accounts after the financial crisis of 2008.
Not what I expected at all. Great performances (there’s Oscar buzz for J Lo) and a real moral question to ponder: Is it wrong to rip off the guys (Wall Street bankers, etc.) who ripped off America and faced no consequences for it?
SEE IT.
RESTAURANT
My pal Ronn Owens and I had our monthly guys dinner at Harris' Steak House in San Francisco. I ADORE old school steak houses and Harris' is one of the best.
I had a red meat orgy that began with steak tartare and ended with an 8 ounce filet mignon. Harris' IS pricey but... you get what you pay for.
Harris' Steak House is located at 2100 Van Ness Avenue.
By the way, for those who’ve been asking, I’m back on the hunt for the best burger in the nine Bay Area counties. If you’ve got a place for me to check out, send it and the particular burger you want me to try to me at copie@briancopeland.com.
Ditto for steakhouses. If you know of a great steakhouse, send me the info and the steak you want me to try.
Jump on me all you want, but I’m a red meat eating carnivore through and through three days a month. The rest of the time it’s fish, poultry and Boca Burgers.
PERFORMANCES
Here's where you can catch me live in the coming weeks!
Upcoming Shows:
The Great American Sh*t Show: Monologues on life in the era of Trump:
SEPTEMBER 21: Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, CA, 7:30 PM
NOVEMBER 7: Castro Valley Center for the Arts, Castro Valley, CA, 7:30 PM
NOVEMBER 14: Marin Center, San Rafael, CA, 7:30 PM
Not a Genuine Black Man:
SEPTEMBER 20: Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, CA, 7:30 PM
SEPTEMBER 26: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 7:30 PM
SEPTEMBER 28: Tabard Theatre, San Jose, CA, 8 PM
The Waiting Period:
SEPTEMBER 22: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 2 PM (FREE!)
OCTOBER 5: Douglas Morrison Theater, Hayward, CA, 8 PM
OCTOBER 12: El Cerrito High School, El Cerrito, CA (FREE!)
OCTOBER 26: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 8:30 PM (FREE!)
OCTOBER 27: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 5:30 PM (FREE!)
Grandma & Me: An Ode to Single Parents:
(Workshop performances of my newest play)
OCTOBER 19 & NOVEMBER 2: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 8:30 PM
NOVEMBER 16 & 23: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 5 PM
The Jewelry Box:
NOVEMBER 30: Douglas Morrison Theater, Hayward, CA, 8 PM
DECEMBER 1: Altarena Playhouse, Alameda, CA, 5 PM
DECEMBER 6: The Marsh, San Francisco, CA, 8 PM (Tickets on sale soon)
DECEMBER 7: Castro Valley Center for the Arts, Castro Valley, CA, 7 PM (Tickets on sale soon)
Have a GREAT weekend!
Copie
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