Hey! It’s been a while! But when our show’s most loyal fan, Herb Koss, celebrated his 80th birthday a few days before our March 9th show I knew we had to do something to address it. Brian Vestal does an absolutely amazing characterization of Herb here – even if you don’t know him, you’ll really enjoy it!!
This sketch didn’t go quite as well as I hoped – I don’t think the audience was that familiar with “Scandal,” and some of the dialogue wasn’t as precise as it needed to be – but I do love watching Grasie Mercedes play Olivia Pope!
The Paula Deen scandal was already headed into self-parody, so I thought that having her co-host the show with a black “friend” she barely knows would be a fun way to mine some comedy. Watching this again I was really happy with the result – it’s a little edgy but doesn’t go too far, and definitely makes the point I wanted to make about what Paula must truly think.
My effort to write for myself – something I always encourage the actors to do – had its election week inspiration in the fact that we had the right cast to play the celebrity supporters of Mitt Romney. In the show, it followed a very successful porn-themed sketch, so the response wasn’t quite what I wanted – but I hope you enjoy it!!
TOSSED ELECTIONS AND SCRAMBLED THOUGHTS by Michael Hughes
My first sketch in Top Story! Weekly in several weeks (it’s getting competitive!). When I heard about Ryan Lochte’s mom saying her son only has one-night stands, it was too good a comic target to pass up. And I don’t believe for a minute that a woman who was in her teens or 20’s in the 1970’s, and who married a swim coach, doesn’t know what a one-night stand is. Or that Ryan Lochte has never had one. And doesn’t Blake Walker look fetching in drag?
Tickets are just $10, so make sure you get them now!! Not only will you see an awesome show, but you’ll help a great cause – part of the proceeds will go to the Chris Farley House, a residential sober living facility.
The festival runs from Sunday, June 3 till Saturday, June 9, with amazing shows and workshops every night. The cast of Top Story! Weekly will be hosting all week. And we’ll also be performing in other shows, and teaching workshops that you shouldn’t miss. Check them out after the jump:
Thinking about how to approach the Supreme Court argument about the health care bill in a comedic way, I thought I could combine it with the other great meme of last week: Megan Draper’s dance at Don’s birthday party on “Mad Men.” Of course, the success of such a conceit depends upon the audience recognizing what’s going on, and I don’t think many folks in our audience got the reference – maybe because “Mad Men” airs at the same time our show goes up! Still, Grasie Mercedes did a great job with the dance.
Last Tuesday my Facebook news feed blew up with people commenting on a news story. Occupy Wall Street? The elections? Syria or Egypt? No – the decision by NBC to take “Community” off its schedule. Thus I was inspired for this sketch – and thanks to Wikipedia for filling in the gaps in my “Community” knowledge!
I’m always telling the cast of “Top Story! Weekly” to be proactive in generating material to showcase themselves. So on the rare occasions when I’m in the cast, I’d be a hypocrite not to take my own advice, right? So with the premiere of Kelsey Grammer’s new show on Starz, “Boss,” I thought I’d have some fun with my competent impersonation of the star of “Frasier.” I’m not mortified with the results, which for me is a win!
I always urge the cast members to be proactive in generating material for themselves. For Top Story! Weekly’s Halloween show, Jimmy Guidish did just that – coming to the writers’ meeting, pitching ideas, and asking me to help him write a sketch showcasing one of his signature bits, Joe Biden. I helped a little with structure and formatting, but most of what you see here is Jimmy’s work. He was nervous about how it would turn out, but it played so well in readthrough that we opened the show with it, and as you’ll see the audience loved it. Good job Jimmy!
Mike Hughes' blog 
Watch “TS!W 720: Herb Koss’ 80th Birthday from Top Story! Weekly Episode 240: “Crimea River”!
March 13, 2014Hey! It’s been a while! But when our show’s most loyal fan, Herb Koss, celebrated his 80th birthday a few days before our March 9th show I knew we had to do something to address it. Brian Vestal does an absolutely amazing characterization of Herb here – even if you don’t know him, you’ll really enjoy it!!
TS!W 720: HERB KOSS’ 80TH BIRTHDAY by Michael Hughes
Starring Brian Vestal (Herb Koss) and Phillip Wilburn (Phillip)
Directed by Michael Hughes
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Tags:60 Minutes, 80th Birthday, Amy Paffrath, Armando, Artemis Pebdani, Beer Shark Mice, Bennie Arthur, Blake Walker, Brent Pope, Brian Vestal, Christopher Biewer, Derek Reid, Grasie Mercedes, Herb Koss, I'm a Believer, iO West, Jared Nigro, Jen Cain, Jimmy Guidish, John Abbott, John Druska, Josh Rachford, Julia Wackenheim, Kipleigh Brown, Lauren Miller, Leo Margul, Markeia McCarty, Matt Moore, Matthew Harris, Michael Hughes, Micky Dolenz, Mike Besaw, Mike Hughes, Mitchel Baldwin, Monkees, Neil Garguilo, Opening Night: The Musical, Phillip Wilburn, Sean Cowhig, Stacy Rumaker, Tammie Smalls, The Amazing Race, Tommy Bechtold, Top Story! Weekly, TS!W 720, USS Rock n Roll
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