w w w . b o b a n d t o m . c o m
September 9 - 13
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 America's
Favorite Family Returns to HBO
It would be hard to find a show that has
ever been more eagerly anticipated then the season premiere
of HBO’s
The
Sopranos. The mob drama has been on hiatus for over a year
and a half, but returns for its fourth season this Sunday, September
15. Steve
Schirripa, who plays Bobby
“Bacala,” Baccillieri on
the show, will be reprising his role as "Uncle Junior"
Soprano’s right hand man. Schirripa grew up in an area
of New York famous for its “Wise Guy” heritage. This,
along with his experience as an entertainment director in Vegas
has helped him become a regular face in many mob related films.
His acting ability has helped keep the dreaded typecast bug,
and he can often be seen on network TV in both sitcoms and dramas.
These include the Buffy
spin-off Angel,
the doctor drama Chicago Hope
and The King of Queens
with comedian Kevin James.
You'll soon be seeing "Bacala" on the book shelves
as well. He is the author of the soon to be released A
Goomba's Guide to Life, which takes
a comedic look at what it's like to be Italian.
FACTOID
- Though Steve Schiripa is a big man to begin with, he was asked
to wear a fat suit for the first two seasons of The Sopranos.
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 It's
Time To Play the Feud
The great game shows never die, but they do need face lifts
from time to time. This includes the only game that pits families
of five against each other, trying to find the most popular
answers to survey questions, the Family
Feud. Richard
Karn, once Tim Allen’s sidekick “Al” on
Home Improvement, will assume the
role as host of the Feud this 2002 season. Not only does he
have the daunting task of filling the shoes of “Papa Eat
Now,” Louis Anderson, he’s also following in the footsteps
of the great Richard Dawson (who never met a contestant he wouldn’t
kiss) and Ray Combs (who could barley see over the host podium).
"According to the E! True Hollywood Scoop, the Family Feud
has a curse. That's how they advertised the show," said
Richard Karn. "I watched the whole damn show, and the only
thing they brought up that was a curse was some producer who
didn't like anybody. I guess Richard Dawson's curse was that
he made millions of dollars. I am fighting that one."
Though he’s an accomplished stage, film and television
actor, many are wondering how he’ll do as a host? Survey
says… just fine.
FACTOID
- Richard Karn was not supposed
to be a regular cast member on Home Improvement. He was a fill
in for the guy who was supposed to be Tim Allen's assistant,
but had to back out because of a movie deal.
FACTOID
- Richard recently played in a golf outing with Bob Kevioan,
and "sandbagged" the front nine. Now Bob owes Mr.
Karn a little cash.
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 The
Man Behind Letterman's Monologue
In just his first two appearances
on the show, Bill Scheft
has become one of Bob & Tom's favorite call in guests. But
it's not just on the phone where he uses his humor, Scheft has
made a career out of being funny. He began working as a standup
comedian, but soon realized his place wasn't on stage, and that
he enjoyed writing jokes for others a whole lot more. Scheft
spent the next 10 years writing monologues for David Letterman,
and earning multiple Emmy nominations for his work on both Late
Night, and
The
Late Show.
Scheft then decided to try his comedic hand in a new  humorous
novel, The
Ringer. This successful book, that has been praised by Letterman,
among others, tells the story of an aging softball player who
makes a living selling his skills to various company leagues
around New York City. "The Ringer" also spends his
days battling a variety of different diseases, incompetent doctors
and has run ins with a mouthy talk show host, a small time gangster,
and a whore with a heart of gold. Many aspects of the novel
are based on events from Scheft's real life but it's up to you
to figure out which parts those are. After taking 18 months
off to write his novel, Bill is back with Letterman and has
also begun writing a column for Sports
Illustrated. Though comedy is his bread and butter, he’s
no rookie when it comes to sports writing. Scheft previously
wrote a regular column for ESPN
Magazine called "The Monologue."
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| Clean Comic, Dirty Poet
He tries to be a clean guy; just making a living pointing
out odd occurrences in family life, and any other every day
behavior. But sometimes even comedian Rob
Haney can cross the line while performing comedy, by
total accident of course. Take for instance the time he was
reading an advice column and happened to find a letter asking
for advice on what to do when your best friend suffers from
severe feminine odor? The answer given was to write her a poem
explaining the problem. It sounds simple enough, but Haney wondered
what those verses would be like. Rob took a stab at penciling
his own prose, and it ended up becoming one of the most requested
bits from Bob & Tom’s album Factory
Air. How fitting.
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Do You Know This Man
Now here’s a guy who takes being funny seriously. After
a dismal attempt at a career in law, Rahn Ramey thought,
if they’re going to laugh, why not charge a cover? He’s
been in such films as Planes, Trains
& Automobiles and
Escape from New York displaying his acting ability, as
well as on HBO’s Comedy Central and Showtime doing his
standup thing. Ramey has opened for the likes of B.B. King,
Al Jarreau, and Randy Travis.
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 He'll
Be Here Sometime Between 9 and 5
How do you end up with a name like “Larry the Cable Guy?”
It helps if your first name is Larry, and having a job like
installing cable doesn’t hurt either. Fortunately for him,
comedian Larry
the Cable Guy meets both of those requirements. Larry’s
just your average everyday American standup comic and like most
people, he loves freedom, Miss September, making boobs out of
playdough, chicken fried steak, and the Dukes of Hazard. But
most importantly, Larry loves speaking his mind. He’s known
for his “redneck” way of spouting opinionated commentaries
anywhere he can, including on stage, online, and on the radio.
Though not known for sure, this might be why he lost his bid
for the US presidency in ’92 and ’96. When not running
for office, Larry has put out multiple comedy CD’s of his
own, and is featured in a team up effort album with good friends
Jeff Foxworthy and Bill Engvall
called The Blue Collar Comedy Tour Live.
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 September
10, 2002
Deborah
Norville
Goes Deep
Deborah
Norville is the seven-year veteran and two-time Emmy-winning
"face" of the long-running, top-rated, daily broadcast,
Inside
Edition. This week,
Deborah will be expanding on her lead anchor role by leaving
the desk behind to take viewers on a trip to a place most will
never get to go, 600 ft below the ocean’s surface. Inside
Edition devotes its entire program to Deborah Norville's
adventures on board the U.S.S. Bremerton, one of 57 nuclear
powered submarines in the US Navy's arsenal. While on board,
she'll be speaking with crewmembers about the extensive training
and psychological testing they endure, while at the same time
she'll be experiencing first hand, how long and stressful days
spent onboard a sub can be.
FACTOID
- Aside from her role as a news anchor, Deborah Norville is
also an accomplished author. She wrote the popular children’s
bedtime book, "I Don't Want to Sleep Tonight," as
well as the inspirational guide, "Back on Track: How to
Straighten Out Your Life When It Throws You a Curve."
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 September
10, 2002
If
the Jokes Aren't Funny, They're Yours to Keep
It's time again for that fabulous feature, The
Zany Report, as brought to you each week by legendary
comedian, Bob
Zany. Last week, Bob put together a respectable report,
but the big question is, can he deliver the goods two weeks
in a row? America's Favorite game show "Fix
the Joke Baby (Live)" is also returning, and some
lucky fan will win a couple of T-shirts, Zany's chart topping
CD I Just Can't Win Baby, as
well as the hearts of millions. But you don't have be on the
show to play, you can try your hand at Fix the Joke Baby, read
past Zany Reports and buy all kinds wonderful "zany"
merchandise right from your home at BobZany.com!
Go there or be square!
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 September
9, 2002
The Drew Carey Show is moving to Monday Nights!
While in the Marine reserves, Drew Carey's military buzz cut
and black, wide-rim glasses became part of his trademark look.
He began his successful career as a comedian in April 1986 at
the Cleveland Comedy Club. One of his first big breaks was competing
on Star Search in 1988. The Drew
Carey Show, which premiered
in 1995, is written, created, and produced by Carey.
"This year we are going through a lot of changes. It is
still going to be funny, but just not as goofy. We are getting
some new characters and changing the work place, and it should
be a lot of fun," says Carey.
The show is going through changes because the show, though always
ranking among the top rated ABC comedies, had started to decline.
This season is meant to help freshen things up. And speaking
of changes, Carey has lost both his trademark hair style and
glasses and barely resembles the man he used to be.
"Nobody recognizes me anymore," says Carey. "I
am starting to find out what you regular people have to put
up with. I get security guards grabbing my chest all the time
asking me where do I think I'm going. I miss my celebrity."
Aside from having his own hit, self titled show, Carey is also
producer and host of the wildly popular improv comedy show,
Whose Line Is It Anyway? also
on ABC.
FACTOID - Carey's debut book,
Dirty Jokes and Beer: Stories of the Unrefined, spent three
months on the New York Times best-seller list.
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Jason
Stuart 
This
Guy is Everywhere
Russian
Roulette Anyone?
