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Just noticed that the iTunes store has the Wild West Comedy Show Playlist available. (It's been up since January 29th, but I've been busy...) From the iTunes Store, click "Celebrity Playlists" and then "Vince Vaughn's Playlist." I just bought all of the songs and am listening now. Cool.
If you don't have iTunes, download it here.
Congratulations to our Big Winners in the Vince-Vaughn.com WWCS drawing!
Jennifer Roberson - Poster
John Schulke - Poster
Lori Wright - Poster
Jen Childs - Hat
Amanda Perron - Hat
Kim Mincks - Hat
Shelby (sunnynflorida...) - Hat
JayCeezy - Hat
I will be emailing the winners for shipping addresses.
Thanks to all who entered!
PETER TRAVERS
Rolling Stone
It's a mouthful of a title for a rowdy, ramshackle funfest that flies by on its spirited humor and surprising heart. Back in 2005, Vince Vaughn mounted a comedy tour through what left-and-right coasters condescendingly call the flyover states. His friend Ahmed Ahmed, a standup comic of Egyptian descent, had introduced him to the acts of three friends at the Comedy Store in Los Angeles. They are John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Manisalco. Vaughn had the idea that he and his fab four would hop on a bus, do thirty backbreaking shows in thirty cities — no days off — and bring a little cheer to the folks (some victims of hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas) before Vaughn had to go back to work in the Hollywood laugh factory. OK, the laughs are hit and miss. But this movie, directed by Ari Sandel, gets funnier as it goes along. And there's a reason: we get to know each of the comics better and see how they draw their routines from their lives, sometimes under tragic circumstances. Megatalent Vaughn is also the ultimate good sport, daring a duet with Dwight Yoakum, taking major shit from his Swingers costar Jon Favreau, and enduring Justin Long, whose Vaughn impression is spot-on to the point of slander. The documentary was edited from 600 hours of footage and there's barely a slick minute in it. The laughs feel loose-limbed, off-the-cuff and defiantly un-Hollywood. What are you waiting for?
Vince-Vaughn.com is celebrating the release of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights—Hollywood to the Heartland by giving away some fabulous prizes. Sign up now in the comments of this post. You must provide a valid email address to be eligible.
Prizes include 3 posters signed by the entire WWCS cast and WWCS baseball caps (unsigned). The drawing will be held next Sunday, February 10, 5PM Pacific Time.
One entry per person, please.
Good luck!
Vince Vaughn gathers some stand-up pals and hits the great open road intent on roping in a lot of laughs.
By Michael Ordoña, Special to The Times
Photo by Wally Skalij
The Los Angeles Times
HAVE you heard the one about the movie star who suddenly decided to put together a cross-country comedy tour? The stand-up comics would be seasoned but not nationally known, playing 2,000-seat venues when they were used to 30-seat houses. They'd go to Southern and Midwestern cities off the beaten (laugh) track. From conception to launch would be only six weeks. And they'd play 30 cities in 30 nights.
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," says a smiling Vince Vaughn in a poolside room at the Casa del Mar hotel in Santa Monica. He admits the tour, captured for the big screen in the upcoming road documentary "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland," due to open Friday, was both impulsive and a labor of love. "I wasn't thinking past the fact that this is going to be different and exciting and fun," Vaughn offers. "The hard technical work fell on other people; they were the ones making the calls and doing stuff. But it was really a story of all of us pulling together and doing our parts."
For years, Vaughn had been putting together one-off stand-up nights as benefits in cities where he was shooting movies. But packing four comics, production staff and a film crew into three buses and winding from Hollywood through Texas and Tennessee to Illinois was no laughing matter. So he surrounded himself with close associates, including his sister, Victoria, and best friend, Peter Billingsley, as producers, and longtime friend Ahmed Ahmed, who was instrumental in assembling the cast.
Ahmed says, "We were all having dinner at this steakhouse in Chicago when [Vince] was finishing 'The Break-Up,' and we were getting ready to do this benefit, and he said, 'Why don't we take this show on the road? What are you guys doing next month?' "
John Caparulo adds, "When Ahmed asked me, 'Do you want to do a tour with Vince Vaughn across the country, 30 shows in 30 days?' it's like, 'Hey, do you want to go to the Super Bowl?' 'Uh, yeah, all right.' A month later, we're on a bus. It was an insanely good opportunity."
"The one thing I like about these guys who I saw through watching Ahmed is that they're kind of telling true stories," says Vaughn of Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco. "Somehow these guys being able to laugh at real stuff from their experience, maybe there was healing for the audience."
With the whole cast crammed together for 30 days, though, first-time feature director Ari Sandel said he'd occasionally hear raised voices.
"Sometimes you'd walk on the bus and they'd be in a huge debate," he said by phone from Los Angeles, "about who the best linebacker was . . . for like seven days. I've never seen people yell so much . . . it was insane."
"We had high-class problems," admits Egypt-born, America-raised comic Ahmed. "We were on a nice bus."
"Ours was like a prison bus," grumbles Billingsley.
"It was like a Bangkok prison," agrees Ahmed.
Billingsley laughs and says, "You guys would run out of food and you'd send [Ahmed] out there at, like, 3 o'clock in the morning to try to get food from our bus."
Ernst, whose comedy is the most physical of the group, says, "It was like some 'Lord of the Flies'-type [stuff] because they would guard their things: 'What are you doing here?' 'We don't have any Yoo-Hoo.' 'You can't have any Yoo-Hoo!' "
The film took shape around what Sandel called "the five minutes before and the five minutes after" the comics took the stage, revealing some of their techniques and insecurities. Sandel, Vaughn, Billingsley and the production team chiseled down 600 hours of footage.
"I've known Ahmed for eight years; I've seen his act a million times," said Sandel. "But it wasn't until I actually was on tour with him and interviewed him and saw him prepare -- for the first time, I really understood what it was he'd been doing the last eight years."
"I was surprised every night," adds Ahmed, whose material often concerns his experiences as an Arab American, including blatant racial profiling. "I try to make it self-deprecating so I'm not attacking the audience; it's more making fun of myself. [Afterward] the guys would say, 'You killed; you had a really good set!' "
Perhaps not surprisingly for a group of guys with such dynamic energy, chaos was always part of the plan.
"We'd change it up every night," says Billingsley of a slate that would occasionally include guests such as Jon Favreau, Justin Long and "Wedding Crashers" costar Keir O'Donnell. "We'd have the four comics, and like, two acts in between. Vince would sing karaoke sometimes; he'd do a scene from 'Swingers' with an audience member."
In one of the film's more poignant sequences, the comics complain about their accommodations -- then come face-to-face with dozens of people displaced after Hurricane Katrina. But Vaughn shrugs off talk of traveling difficulties. Meeting people who had lost everything put the travails of a seat-of-the-pants comedy adventure in perspective.
"Both of my parents worked for a living, so I know what it's like to have real pressure and real problems," he scoffs. "Real pressure is having to feed my kids, 'How am I going to make the mortgage?' I benefited from having grandparents who were farmers and immigrants. So I was never like, 'Oh, this is so hard.' You're on a bus going to make people laugh."
Go behind the scenes with "The Making of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show.
Check out the video on IFC.com
By DAVE ITZKOFF
Photo by Stephanie Diani for The New York Times
The New York Times
WHEN you buy a ticket for a Vince Vaughn movie, you know pretty much what you’re going to get. The story of a sarcastic if affable guy, with a self-satisfied grin and immaculate sideburns, who wins over the guys and gals with his smart-aleck comebacks and learns a few life lessons along the way, possibly after finding true love or being barraged with dodgeballs. The kind of guy he inhabits so completely, in movies like “Wedding Crashers,” “Swingers” and “The Break-Up,” that he couldn’t possibly be anything but a nonchalant cynic in real life.
So it came as a surprise on a recent Sunday morning to find Mr. Vaughn, 37, sitting in the lounge of a Hollywood theater, choking back tears. The catalyst for his Hillary Clinton moment? He was recounting a trip he took in 2005, when he packed a tour bus full of young comedians on an ad hoc cross-country journey that would lead, among other places, to a trailer park for Hurricane Katrina evacuees in Alabama and benefit concerts for Hurricane Rita victims in Texas.
“It was very hard for me,” Mr. Vaughn said, struggling to maintain his composure as he recalled the trip, “because it’s one of those situations where there’s no answer of how to solve it, but these lives are destroyed.”
“I’m not a politician,” he added. “I don’t have the answer to anything, but I do like to make people laugh. Can’t we all be on the same side with the stuff, versus having comedy that’s so acidic and meanspirited and dividing? That’s just not my nature.”
While it is only natural to be skeptical of any celebrity who supports a cause, Mr. Vaughn’s latest film, opening Friday, a documentary about his 2005 expedition titled “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights — Hollywood to the Heartland,” engenders a different kind of disbelief. It suggests that behind the acerbic satires and skirt-chasing farces, the show’s M.C. might have an earnest side too.
With little fanfare Mr. Vaughn has in recent years made occasional visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and organized comedy shows to benefit the Army Emergency Relief Fund. (Mr. Vaughn’s older sister Victoria was in the Army Reserve.)
In September 2005, following the release of “Wedding Crashers,” he decided on a more ambitious project: a tour that would travel from Los Angeles to Chicago, featuring stand-up comics he had discovered through the comedian Ahmed Ahmed, a friend he met on a 1990 after-school special.
“He was like, ‘What are you doing for the next month?’ ” Mr. Ahmed said, recalling his invitation to join the tour. “And I said: ‘Nothing. You’re the one with a career, remember?’ ”
Through visits to Los Angeles clubs like the Comedy Store, Mr. Vaughn rounded out the group with John Caparulo, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco. Their monologues mine personal material about decidedly middle-class experiences — fixing cars under the guidance of a stern father, shopping at Ross department stores — which plays to the widest variety of audiences.
Mr. Vaughn was capable of organizing the trip, but that doesn’t completely account for why he chose to take a colossal pay cut to spend a month introducing his “Wild West” ensemble, re-enacting the occasional scene from “Swingers” onstage and sleeping in the back of a tour bus.
Certainly, Mr. Vaughn acknowledged, the decision stemmed partly from the boredom he felt with his career at the time. “I could keep trying to do these same kind of comedies,” he said. “You know how it’s going to go, and you can get an audience with it, but then I feel like a hamster on a wheel.” (Sometimes, however, the audiences don’t flock to the theater, as this past holiday’s “Fred Claus” proved.)
Friends of Mr. Vaughn said the trip — with an itinerary that included stops in Oklahoma City; Nashville; Little Rock, Ark.; and Birmingham, Ala. — was also inspired by his desire to bring entertainment to places too often dismissed as flyover territory.
“He thought it was very important to take this on the old blue highways, before the interstate system passed all the towns by,” said Dwight Yoakam, the country musician and actor (who described his camaraderie with Mr. Vaughn as “probably one of the more disparate pairings” in the entertainment industry). “Vince really has an understanding of what goes on between Nevada and New Jersey, and he’s cognizant of the real world, versus the one we exist in, in our vacuum on either coast.”
It can be easy to forget that Mr. Vaughn was born in Minnesota and raised in the Chicago suburbs of Buffalo Grove and Oak Park. The son of a manufacturer’s representative for toys and video games and the grandson of a dairy farmer, he enjoyed an adolescence informed equally by the hip-hop of NWA and the country of Buck Owens.
Mr. Vaughn said his career and extracurricular choices were not reflections of a political stance. “I am truly more of an independent that anything,” he said. “I don’t agree 100 percent with either side on everything.”
If people feel strongly enough about an issue to act on it, he added, “I respect that, but that’s not my journey. My journey is to try to do stuff to make people laugh.”
It is that showman’s compulsion, friends say, that may explain the origins of Mr. Vaughn’s comedy tour. “He’s not an artist who sits alone with a typewriter; he’s a guy who works the room,” said the filmmaker and actor Jon Favreau, a “Swingers” co-star and longtime confidant, who appears in the documentary. “It’s all about being a carnival barker, and he loves the challenge of going into a new environment.”
The environment itself provided a substantial challenge over the course of the tour: Katrina touched down days before the inaugural performance, on Sept. 12, 2005, and several planned appearances along the Gulf Coast were canceled.
“I said, ‘I don’t care if there’s 50 people down there,’ ” Mr. Vaughn recalled with a sardonic laugh. “They’re like, ‘They’re evacuating the city.’ Oh, O.K.”
An additional show planned for Beaumont, Tex., had to be canceled when Hurricane Rita hit there. It was rescheduled in Dallas as a benefit matinee.
Meanwhile the comedians who joined Mr. Vaughn on the road discovered that the documentary form demanded a greater level of personal confession than their stand-up routines. Mr. Ernst talked about his gay brother, a frequent subject of his jokes, and his death from AIDS in 2001. During a stop in Las Vegas, Mr. Ahmed, a Muslim of Egyptian descent, revisited a jail where he was held on vague charges for 12 hours in 2004.
“We didn’t really know how much the documentary would focus on these guys’ personal lives until we went on tour,” said the film’s director, Ari Sandel, an Oscar winner for the short “West Bank Story” and a friend of Mr. Vaughn’s.
“It’s one thing to be friends with somebody and to ask them questions,” he added. “It’s a totally different thing to have a camera in front of them. After a while, you run out of a lot of typical questions after the first three or four days. Then the questions start to become a lot deeper.”
When the tour came to an end on Oct. 11, 2005, the comedians came home to the modest crowds and two-drink-minimum clubs they were accustomed to playing, returning with newfound confidence but also with uncertainty about how involved Mr. Vaughn would remain in their careers. “I don’t even know how to get hold of him,” Mr. Maniscalco said. “Talk to Vince? How? If I wanted to call him, he doesn’t even have a number.”
Mr. Vaughn had his own battles to fight: first with the Weinstein Company, which was to distribute the documentary until Mr. Vaughn became dissatisfied with a proposed advertising campaign and reclaimed the film.
“We all know when we see the posters that a studio can put up, like, ‘Get ready to laugh!’ ” Mr. Vaughn said, smirking while resting his chin on his fist. “Or ‘Here comes the funny!’ That makes me go, ‘Oh, God.’ ”
(In an e-mail message, the Weinstein Company’s Harvey Weinstein wrote, “The parting on ‘Wild West’ was very amicable and we wish the project the very best.” The movie is now being distributed by Picturehouse, the specialty division of New Line Cinema and HBO.)
Since Mr. Vaughn has finished the tour and the movie, there remains the question of how he should satisfy the restlessness that both projects were supposed to stave off. “The biggest challenge, when you’re at the point Vince is at, is finding something that piques your curiosity enough to engage you, because you could try your hand at anything,” Mr. Favreau said. “If he wanted to record an album as a singer, I’m sure he could figure out a way to do it. It’s just a matter of what he wants to do.”
For the time being Mr. Vaughn is talking about bringing his comedy tour to the Northeast and Northwest. And he is currently shooting another holiday-theme comedy, “Four Christmases,” in which he and Reese Witherspoon play a couple attempting to visit all four of their divorced parents and their spouses in a single holiday, and for which Mr. Vaughn will receive a producing credit.
While he may not be ready to swear off the disingenuous characters he so easily embodies, Mr. Vaughn is hopeful that the “Wild West Comedy” film will help reconnect him to his earlier sincerity and drive. Reflecting on his formative days as a professional actor, he said: “I was so excited if I got anything. I was 18 years old. I thought, ‘Man, I’m on “China Beach” for five lines.’ I thought that was awesome.”
As he looks at the field of younger talent coming up behind him, Mr. Vaughn said, he often encounters performers more interested in image than authenticity. “It seems like if you say you take an acting class, that’s not cool,” he said. He slipped into the whispery, dispassionate voice of the stereotypical pretty boy he says he never was: “I’m just a natural. I never studied.”
The documentary, he said, “is a counter to all of that. Who’s hot and who’s not? Who cares? Otherwise, we’d all be models remaking ‘Gone With the Wind.’ ”
Posted By: Sheila Roberts
Movies Online
MoviesOnline sat down with Vince Vaughn and stand-up comedians Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Maniscalco at the Los Angeles press day to promote their new movie, “Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland.”
In the spirit of the old west variety shows, Vince Vaughn (star of “The Break-Up,” “Wedding Crashers,” “Swingers,” “Fred Claus”) took the stage at the Music Box Theater in Hollywood on September 12, 2005 and began an unprecedented comedy tour featuring stand-up comedians Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Maniscalco. Vaughn played host to the ensemble of comedians and performed improvisational sketches with surprise celebrity guests that included Jon Favreau, Justin Long, and Keir O’Donnell.
“Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland” chronicles Vaughn and the comedians’ journey as they travel more than 6,000 miles and perform 30 shows in 30 consecutive nights in cities across the U.S. The documentary gives audiences a rare opportunity to experience Vaughn and his team as they bring their unique styles and perspectives to regional audiences throughout Western, Southern and Midwestern states.
With rousing onstage performances and behind-the-scenes interviews, the engaging grass roots documentary breaks down the true essence of each comedian’s life-altering experiences, and the personal and professional challenges that will unite four comics, one movie star and legions of fans from Hollywood to the Heartland.
Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland Tour” is the first documentary film release from Wild West Picture Show Productions. It’s directed by Ari Sandel and produced by Vince Vaughn. Executive producers on the project are Peter Billingsley, Victoria Vaughn and John Isbell. John Pisani and Sandra Smith serve as associate producers. Dan Lebenthal edited the project.
The genesis of the movie came in the summer of 2001 in New Orleans when Vaughn decided to host a live comedy show at the French Quarter bar One-Eyed Jacks. That night would eventually lead to similar shows in Dewey Beach, Maryland during the production of “Wedding Crashers” and in Chicago during the production of “The Break-Up.” It was during the preparation for the Chicago show – a benefit for the Army Emergency Relief Fund – that Vaughn first entertained the idea of taking the show on a full-blown tour across the country.
“I really wanted to take a high quality show to places that normally didn’t get live variety shows,” explains Vaughn. “Growing up in Illinois, you usually had to go to New York, Los Angeles or Las Vegas to see a show. I thought it would be fun to bring the show to smaller towns like Little Rock, Lubbock, El Paso and Tucson. Also, selfishly for me, I love driving through America and seeing different landscapes and cities that I have never been to before.”
“The type of show we are doing just isn’t done anymore,” says Vaughn. “It’s a different skill set and a different feeling to perform live on stage. I really enjoy interacting with and relating to a live audience. Performing improv and sketch comedy every night would provide me that opportunity.” With comedians Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco and Ahmed Ahmed having all performed in the Chicago and Maryland comedy shows, Vaugn tapped the trio along with John Caparulo to join him on his Wild West Comedy Tour.
Although the four comedians Vaughn selected for his tour were all close friends and regulars at the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip, the foursome’s comedic style and material is as diverse as their backgrounds: Egyptian-born Ahmed Ahmed’s material focuses on his lifelong struggle with racial stereotypes; Sebastian Maniscalco’s insightful observations on the absurdity of the modern man are influenced by Midwestern values; acerbic wit is the calling card of small-town Ohio boy John Caparulo; and Italian alpha male Bret Ernst specializes in high energy, physical comedy.
Vaughn, Ahmed, Caparulo, Ernst and Maniscalco are five very funny guys and we really appreciated their time. Here’s what they had to tell us about their recent adventure:
Q: Can you talk about the experience of doing this movie and then seeing the final product?
AHMED AHMED: Vince came up with the idea. It was kind of last minute. It was like this idea came up and he said, ‘You guys want to go on a tour?’ and like maybe a month later we were on this bus. The experience was great being able to perform in front of really large crowds. We weren’t expecting it to be a movie to be honest with you. We were just going show by show. We really weren’t looking at the outcome of the tour. We were just like ‘Let’s try to be funny every night.’ And then we finished the tour and we were like ‘Okay. That was great. I would do it again.’ And they had cameras on the bus and they shot the whole thing and then it was cut into this film and they showed it to us and the next thing I know it’s a movie. It was really just a blessing to be part of the whole experience.
JOHN CAPARULO: The surprising thing for me really was I remember when we were out on the tour. We were just out there living our daily lives on the bus, you know, which is pretty boring. I’d get up at 2pm and I had breakfast and did the show. I remember thinking when we were on the tour ‘Are they going to have enough footage to make anything with this?’ And I remember they told me when they were getting into the editing process, they were like ‘Oh, the first cut of the movie was 4 hours long’ and I’m like ‘Okay! I guess we had enough footage.’ So, yeah, that was the surprise to me. We made a movie. [Laughs]
Q: When did you guys bathe?
SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO: Bathe? I was constantly washing myself throughout the tour.
BRET ERNST: Everyday. We had a shower on the bus and we also had a hotel room when we would go to the city that we would shower in.
AHMED AHMED: The venues had showers too so we would go to them.
Q: Ahmed, you just finished The Axis of Evil comedy tour. Which was harder, your audience in the Middle East or the audience in America?
AHMED AHMED: One wasn’t harder than the other because the material translated. I did my act in English in the Middle East and I did it in English here. It translated pretty similarly to both audiences.
Q: Vince, how did these guys end up on your radar so that you recruited them in particular for this tour?
VINCE VAUGHN: Well I had known Ahmed. In fact, Ahmed and I became friends at the same time that I became friends with Peter Billingsley which was that Steroid After School Special. Looking back on it, it’s kind of like looking at “The Outsiders.” Who would have thought that all these guys would have come from one particular special. And then Ahmed, there weren’t a lot of parts for him so he sort of turned to stand-up comedy as an avenue for expression because there weren’t a lot of parts for Egyptian kids. I’d have to go watch him like a friend in need is a pest. Every month it’d be like ‘Oh I gotta go watch him tell that joke again.’ But as I went down, he started to get better because he started to talk about himself and his families and these kinds of things that Ahmed really became excellent at what he does. In going to watch him, I watched these guys as well and my favorite comedians and the one thing they all had was they were talking about real life experiences and sometimes stuff is not that flattering whether it was relationships or family situations but they had a sense of humor about themselves. There was kind of a connection in the film with all kind of old country western songs and their comedy in that.
You’re talking about what you know. It comes from a genuine life experience and audiences I think, the question you asked Ahmed, if you’re being authentic and truthful, especially stuff that happens everywhere – relationships or parents stuff or brother/sister stuff, those kind of things – it’s relatable, that’s universal, that’s translatable anywhere. And so I thought, ‘Oh let’s do a show. It’ll be kind of fun. I’ll improvise. I haven’t done that in awhile.’ I did originally for a friend of mine in New Orleans just to help him out with his venue and it went tremendous so I started doing more shows as sort of benefit shows. I did some for the Army Emergency Relief Fund and the response was always good so I thought this would be fun to kind of go on the road. I’d like to play a bunch of different places, take a variety comedy show which you haven’t seen in awhile and go to some folks’ backyards that don’t get shows like this usually. Give them something fun to see where you don’t have to go to Los Angeles or New York or even Chicago to some degree or Vegas and I kind of thought of the idea and I thought let’s film it.
I knew it would be a movie obviously and we thought let’s shoot some venue special and then we’ll have cameras. But I didn’t know what the story would be. I knew it would be funny as it is but you didn’t know quite what it would be. You didn’t know what would happen as far as when we ran into the hurricane stuff that happened down there and meeting their families. What is that going to be like exactly? You don’t know and so the editing process for something like this becomes like screenwriting when I’ve done that because you have all this footage but you really have to kind of say ‘What is the story within this that’s the most compelling?’ And for me, kind of the underdog story of these guys and sort of their journey in realizing that their comedy came from real life experiences sort of became the most interesting thing as well as the special guest stars and all the stuff that’s fun. It really turned into kind of an event movie where it’s like a road trip. It’s a capsule of sort of what was going on at that time. It’s an insight into stand-ups that I don’t think you’ve quite seen before, sort of what they go through. It’s sort of became a lot of components of different things. But the idea originally when I thought of it was just to say, ‘This is a fun thing. Let’s go as many places as we can.’ And what came out of it was sort of the result of what happened. But I had the easy job of thinking of it. I only thought of it six weeks out so my sister Victoria and John Isbell and Sandra (Smith), they had to really in six week’s time find these buses, book 30 venues, convince people I was really coming, you know, what the Wild West Show was. Is Vince going to come and rope horses? What’s happening here? So they really had, as far as the logistics were concerned, a much more challenging job to put it all together.
Q: Was the autographing of boobs a nightly thing?
VINCE VAUGHN: I think that was John.
JOHN CAPARULO: I envisioned the breasts.
VINCE VAUGHN: Sometimes you get asked stranger things than that to autograph. It’s kind of a dealer’s choice I think.
JOHN CAPARULO: You know the weirdest one for me was some dude. First of all, it was a dude, but second of all, it was a guy… You know we would autograph people’s T-shirts because we would sell Wild West T-shirts outside. It was like ‘Hey, here you go!’ And some guy just had me autograph his shirt like you’re wearing. It was a nice shirt. He could probably wear it to a job interview or something. [Laughter] It’s not going to look good with my autograph on it but alright. It just felt weird.
Q: What was the most memorable venue you performed at?
BRET ERNST: The Ryman.
JOHN CAPARULO: Yeah, the Ryman.
BRET ERNST: The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville because, you know, just all the old history there. And I’m a big Elvis fan and I know he was on that stage. So it was just awesome.
JOHN CAPARULO: I’m telling toilet jokes with people sitting in church pews so you know that’s pretty cool. [Laughs]
Q: Vince, you’ve done a lot to bring attention to the whole of America from this tour to shooting films in Chicago, what has that done to improve this sort of bi-coastal mentality?
VINCE VAUGHN: Oh I don’t know. You know I think that there are more similarities between people than there are differences. I’ve always seen myself as an American. I’m proud of where I’ve come but I believe I was given an opportunity in California that I wouldn’t have had back home so I’m very thankful. California has always been kind of a Gold Rush state where you could come out and individuals are kind of respected and allowed to be that here so there’s great things about this as well. I’m not saying you don’t have that back home but it’s definitely a place where you come to for opportunities. In a way California becomes symbolic of America at its best. It’s a place where you can come and pursue whatever your particular dreams are. I was definitely shaped from being from middle America. My grandfather was a farmer. Dad was the first one off the farm.
My other side of the family were immigrants and worked hard. But I think that’s the same in Boston as it is in Tennessee. I think that’s kind of why we have one constitution. We’re all from the same place. You might have different specific things in different places but we’re all on the same side and I think for me that was really the point of the movie on some level. I’ve always tried to be sort of including with comedy and it felt to me that some of these things that came up – be it Katrina or the war or other things – was dividing people and it felt like some of the comedy would be almost acidic or sort of against a certain side one way or the other. And I’ve come to find in my life that people shut down when you approach them that way. They feel defensive and they don’t listen. They’re less open and obviously they feel like they’re being attacked. For me personally, I don’t think I have any friends that we agree on everything but we respect each other, we listen to each other, and I’ve always learned from listening to people with different approaches so the one thing I wanted to do with the movie and what I thought that these guys had in their comedy was unify and bring people together – whether it’s the stuff Bret talks about with his family or Ahmed talks about. People from different backgrounds were laughing and enjoying and sharing because they could relate I think to the human connection of what they were talking about. So hopefully I think the film at its best is a unifying thing that makes people kind of laugh and feel closer to each other. The feeling that we would have after the show I think is very similar to what we felt like after …the feeling you have in the movie is you do kind of feel closer to the people in the group. It’s kind of a feel good feeling where you feel warm I think and open. It’s not something that makes a division.
Q: What’s been the impact on the comics from doing this movie now that they have greater visibility? Has it changed anything?
SEBASTIAN MANISCALCO: For myself, I did a Comedy Central special. I filmed an hour-long DVD. It’s opened up a lot of doors for me and the last 2-1/2 years I just keep pinching myself because for myself it’s been kind of like a dream come true to just perform in front of these large audiences and have a major motion picture coming out with VINCE VAUGHN: and my parents in the movie also. Not too many people can say ‘My parents are in my first movie.’ They’re loving every minute of it. For myself, it’s opened a lot of doors and I just pray every day that this [continues]. It’s been a great ride.
BRET ERNST: A lot of things have happened to me because you had the heat of the tour and then you have the heat of the movie. It’s almost like that Advent calendar and now it’s Christmas Eve. And now you’re like, ‘Alright, now Christmas morning is happening. I can’t wait to see it and see what happens.’ As comedians, it’s not based on how talented you are. It’s pretty much based on how many tickets you’re going to sell as a comic. Visibility is the best thing you can get as a stand-up comedian. And I always said the only reason why I would want any type of notoriety was so I can get a lot of stage time. You know what I mean? It seems like once this happened, then people are like ‘Okay, well now we can put you in the club.’ And what’s great is all the hard work that you put in for the 11 years I’ve been doing stand-up now that you have the visibility because of the movie, you’re in the club. That’s when your talent meets the hard work and the opportunity and then boom! That’s all you can ask for as an artist and this movie has provided that.
AHMED AHMED: Johnny Carson used to put comics on his stage and they would get recognized the next morning. They’d get a TV deal or whatever so, not to compare Vince to Johnny Carson, but his endorsement speaks for itself if people like you because Vincent says, ‘Hey, I think this guy’s funny or this girl’s funny.’
VINCE VAUGHN: I don’t know if that’s true. I think that people respond to you guys because they like your stuff and for me, I got as much out of this as I gave. It was a great opportunity to travel and go play live and all those kind of things but I think the work was done by these guys. I just saw them perform but they had… Bret’s been doing it for 11 years. They were always doing well wherever they performed.
BRET ERNST: But nothing like this has ever been done in stand-up comedy.
JOHN CAPARULO: Especially in this era.
BRET ERNST: In this day and age.
JOHN CAPARULO: Yeah, I mean how many comics really get to do stand-up on the big screen? It doesn’t happen anymore so I mean the four of us were really lucky.
BRET ERNST: It’s like if you look at the 80s, to do the Tonight Show was so rare and then as comedy progressed, you have the Comedy Network now. You have five, six talk shows. You have the internet where everybody’s things are on there. Now the big screen has become the Tonight Show. I mean nobody has done this.
VINCE VAUGHN: There’s been others like “The Kings of Comedy” and stuff like that, films and stuff. I think there’s similarities. I think it has its own thing. It’s a different look at it and it’s different stuff too. But there’s been stuff I think that touches on it in different ways.
Q: Do you guys have any plans to get back on the big screen after this film?
VINCE VAUGHN: To be honest, I don’t care if these guys live or die. [Laughter] It wore me out. [Laughs] No, I’m kidding. I’d like to do stuff again. I’d like to do a tour that starts in Boston and kind of goes down through the East Coast down to Florida. I’d like to do one in the Pacific Northwest and go to Toronto and maybe go other places with it. It’s fun. It’s a lot of fun. There’s a different energy that comes off of it. But I have to wait and see what our schedule is and sort of how things translate but in and of itself, it’s a very magical special thing. The big thing is that you don’t go and try to recreate something that you couldn’t predict. You have to, I think, try to start from another place that felt authentic, if that meant getting different comics. After doing it and looking at it I’d like to maybe bring different kind of comics out as these guys did and I think there’s a tour to be done perhaps with these guys again and that could be interesting and it’s also nice to give some other opportunities to some other people. It’d be interesting. I think it would be interesting to see a female comic go on the journey.
Q: How about acting together?
VINCE VAUGHN: Acting? Yeah, absolutely. These guys are talented guys so it could happen. I’m sure they’ll have their own things going on from this and stuff that they’re doing. I like to act with people like (Jon) Favreau and that again so it’s possible.
Q: For Ahmed and Vince, you guys have known each other for a long time and then Peter and later John, can you talk about how you stay bonded through the ebb and flow of your careers?
VINCE VAUGHN: Well I heard your breath so I pulled back. That was like a tennis match where the ball went down the middle and we both looked at the other person like ‘What an idiot!’ Some doubles partners. [Laughter]
AHMED AHMED: We just always had this great friendship and just always supported each other. I think we all were cut from the same cloth. We all have not similar upbringings but our parents instilled in us respect and they worked hard and Vince is really close to his family as am I and so is Peter (Billingsley). So I think the family values has a lot to do with it and us being supportive of each other. I think we also have certain visions we were going for that we also supported. You know Peter has become a really successful producer aside from his acting and stuff. Obviously Vince has done extremely well for himself. For me, as a comedian, that was always a dream of mine to achieve a certain level of success as a comedian. So there’s that support, going back to what Vince said, and coming down to the comedy clubs and stuff, watching me night after night try to work out a joke or whatever, and a year later turn a corner and find a new angle or story and just having him there in the trenches with me was always really a great feeling to have a friend like that, that comes down and supports you. We always just had this mutual respect and support for each other in our art and our friendship.
Q: Have any of your families gotten any deals from any of this?
BF: My father thinks he should get an agent. My stepfather. He’s delusional. [Laughter]
Q: Do people recognize and approach you on the street because of this film?
VINCE VAUGHN: It hasn’t come out yet.
JOHN CAPARULO: My sister called me last night because one of her friends called her and saw her on HBO because the HBO First Look came on so my sister called to say ‘Hey, I’m a star.’ And I’m like, ‘Okay! Good for you!’
Q: Can you talk about the interaction with Ari (Sandel) and how he came to shoot everything?
VINCE VAUGHN: Yeah. What happened was…I guess talking about that and also about our friendship with Ahmed…for me is I was not a good student. I had learning disabilities. I was bright but I learned in different ways and some things came easier. I wasn’t a great athlete but acting was always something that I really loved. But it took a lot of hard work. In fact, because I did have some learning disabilities, it seemed like a lot of things were hard work. So the one thing I really responded to with Ahmed was here’s this guy who’s Egyptian and wants to be an actor. There’s no parts for him but it’s just his tenaciousness that I really responded to. I knew what it felt like to feel like ‘Boy, there’s not an easy way in but you really want to try to work at something.’ The same for Peter. A lot of child stars when they get to a certain age it’s very difficult because no one wants to see you anymore because you’re so recognizable for what you did [when you were] younger and you don’t have a normal kind of maturation process where you have a normal social [life] like playground stuff. Everybody kind of treats you really well and then all of a sudden people don’t want to be around you. And Peter’s work ethic to become a producer and get involved behind the camera was like nothing I ever saw. I’d say ‘Let’s go to the race track’ or ‘Let’s go do something’ and he’d say ‘I have to work from 10 to 6.’
I’d say, ‘Peter, you got nothing to work on’ and he’d say, ‘Well I’m gonna write a screenplay. I’m gonna try and put something together’ for years with no results. So, for me, I found it easy to root for. And then as I was able with Favreau, what we accomplished with Swingers was to try to provide opportunities if someone was kind of trying hard and working in that way. There’s something about that that is motivating and inspiring to me. Ari Sandel was a guy that Peter gave an early opportunity to and worked with Peter on a TV show that they did when Ari was starting off. When we first initiated the tour, Ari was just a hired cameraman the first day on the bus. He was not the director of the film. He was a guy with a camera. And as we went out and got…as I said we put together in 6 weeks…originally I said to Peter because Peter had run so much different stuff, he produced “Made” with me, “Dinner for Five,” “The Break-Up,” he produced “Zathura,” and now he’s done “Iron Man.” He’s producing “Four Christmases” with me. But he also produced this TV show and sort of was a mentor to Ari about how to get field segments and stuff. As we were there, so much of Peter’s day became about putting together the technical show and making sure stuff was running that I came to Ari who I really liked his short film obviously that everyone knows of now which won the Academy Award. And I said to him, ‘Will you direct this movie?’ He was thrilled of course and I said, ‘We’ll talk to you at the end of the day and sort of talk about what’s going on and go get footage.’ And he worked really hard and did a good job. My style, where I come from in the creative process, is the best idea wins. I don’t need to be right. I don’t need anybody else to be right. I need whatever is right for the movie and I really like a collaboration where if you have an idea, we’ll through it up there. I don’t want to debate it for 45 minutes. Let’s see, let’s go, let’s watch it, let’s watch. I feel like when people feel included, they feel like they have a voice, they feel incentified, they’re excited. You’re getting the best ideas. So Ari was a huge component and very much a part of the idea, but so was Peter Billingsley and so was my sister and so was the editor, Dan Lebental, who cut “American Pimp” which was a great documentary. He cut “The Break-Up,” he cut “Elf.” So really what you see as a final result I think is better than what any one of us could have done. It really became a true collaboration with all of us.
Q: How did you feel about doing the Swingers routine 10 years later?
VINCE VAUGHN: What I kind of liked about it was it was that kind of simple comedy set up where I’m kind of tough on Justin and kind of not giving him an out and then the fun is at the end he gets to humiliate me. I always knew Justin did a really good imitation of me that was not flattering, that was kind of funny at my expense. I knew that like okay, we could be tough on him at the beginning because he’ll do a good job of making fun of me and that’ll make everyone happy.
Q: Thank you.
VINCE VAUGHN: Thank you guys very much. I appreciate it.
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights—Hollywood to the Heartland opens in theaters on February 8th.
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights—Hollywood to the Heartland opens in about a week! Here's a schedule of TV appearances Vince and the guys will be making as they promote this new film. (I've seen it and it's fantastic!)
~TV PROMOTION~
ULTIMATE FIGHT NIGHT - SPIKE TV - Bret Ernst, John Caparulo
23-January Re-airs on 25-January
HBO FIRST LOOK - HBO - Entire Cast
25-January @ 10:45 pm
30-January @ 7:30 pm
2-February @ 3:45 pm
5-February @ 12:15 pm
5-February @ 8:30 pm
8-February @ 1:45 pm
14-February @ 8:15 am
14-February @ 12:30 am
TOP 20 COUNTDOWN - CMT - Vince, Dwight Yoakam
31-January, repeats 3 times over weekend"
LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON - CBS - Sebastian Maniscalco
31-January @ 12:35 am
THE MAKING OF… - IFC - Vince, Jon Favreau, Dwight Yoakam, Peter Billingsley, Keir O'Donnell, Ari Sandel and comics
TBD: 30-January or 31-January
VINCE VAUGHN'S WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW WEEKEND - promos and bumpers around shows - CMT - Vince, Dwight Yoakam, Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco
Run throughout day on 1-February and 2-February
DINNER FOR FIVE - IFC - Vince, Jon Favreau, Peter Billingsley, Justin Long, Keir O'Donnell
1-February @ 10:00 pm
PROMOS / BUMPERS for FRIDAY NIGHT STAND-UP - COMEDY CENTRAL - Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco
1-February beginning at 10:00 pm
LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN - CBS - Vince
6-February @ 11:35 pm
GOOD MORNING AMERICA - ABC - Vince
6-February @ 7:00 am
REGIS & KELLY - ABC - Vince
7-February @ 9:00 am
LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON - CBS - Jon Favreau
7-February @ 12:35 am
TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO - NBC - Ahmed Ahmed
REEL TALK - WNBC - Vince
9-February
~ARTICLES~
NEW YORK TIMES - Arts & Entertainment - Vince, Jon Favreau, Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco
3-February
BOSTON HERALD - Vince
7-February
PEOPLE MAGAZINE - Vince - 1-page Q&A
8-February
LOS ANGELES TIMES - Calendar Section - Vince, Jon Favreau, Keir O'Donnell, Peter Billingsley, Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, John Caparulo, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ari Sandel
Here's a group shot of the guys at Monday night's premiere of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights—Hollywood to the Heartland, held at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, CA.
By Shirley Halperin
February 1st issue of Entertainment Weekly
At 6 feet 5 inches, Vince Vaughn barely clears the ceiling of his tour bus— glitzy, leathery behemoth befitting a band like the Rolling Stones. But back in the fall of 2005, the 45-footer served as temporary home to Vaughn and the posse of comedians he handpicked for a monthlong cross-country stand-up tour. Vaughn's resulting documentary about the trek, Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show proves he may have had the rocker trappings down, but the actor had to learn a thing or two about the lifestyle: "When we decided to book the tour, I had no experience with any of this," Vaughn laughs. "I originally thought 30 days and 30 nights because it had a nice ring to it. I didn't realize you need a day off once in a awhile. It's like you're being Federal Expressed from stage to stage."
Today, Vaughn is back on the bus to promote West (in theaters Feb. 8) and parked outside of one of his favorite stops—the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield, Calif., a shrine to the late Buck Owens. A Chicago-area native, Vaughn is quick to defend his country cred by dropping the fact that his grandfather was a dairy farmer and his family hails from Ohio. As a result, he says, he feels perfectly at home here. "A lot of these guys, like Buck and Johnny Cash, had these extreme existences, picking up, moving, and looking for work," the 37-year-old explains with a hint of Hee Haw awe. "The songs were just expressing that." It was his deep admiration for those musicians and their struggle that inspired West. "The emotion, the experience came first, which is a correlation I made when I saw these comics… It's a hard lifestyle to get up every night and [perform] to just 20 people. The movie is about learning who they are, and how their comedy comes from a real place."
Though Vaughn was never officially a stand-up, he's been a regular in L.A. comedy clubs since the early '90s, when he met Ahmed Ahmed, one of the comics who'd tour with West. In fact, almost everyone involved in the film is family (sister Victoria serves as an exec producer) or a longtime friend, including Jon Favreau, who drops in at the Hollywood show to compare Vaughn's acting style to that of "a windup monkey."
So when it came to releasing Wild West, Vaughn didn't want to see his passion project degenerate into Guys Gone Wild. "When we took it to Toronto, it played phenomenally," says Vaughn of the film's first major screening in 2006. It earned the attention of Harvey Weinstein, who agreed to buy distribution rights—until the two clashed over their visions. "how they were going to market the movie was very different from how I saw it," Vaughn explains. "It was presented as more of a screwball comedy. I just felt that it wasn't in sync, and Harvey was nice enough to let me have the movie back." Back on Vaughn's terms, the film will debut on more than 700 screens. "It's a small release, but at least we have a chance to make some noise. What mattered to me most was that it got the right shot."
Of course, not every job can be a labor of love; luckily, Vaughn's brand of motormouth comedy remains in demand. These days, he's the poster boy for Christmas; he'll follow up recent hit, Fred Claus with Four Christmases, costarring Reese Witherspoon (slated for November). While Claus was for the kids, Vaughn likens Christmases, in tone, to Favreau's agonizing phone call in Swingers. "It's really funny and relatable, but also, like, hide your eyes," he says. As for reports that he and Witherspoon have been clashing on the set, Vaughn has nothing but raves for Reese: "She's one of my favorite actresses."
Vaughn may be working on mainstream fare, but he keeps a memento of West nearby: He bought the tour bus, which he's now using as his trailer on Christmases. It reminds him what you can accomplish in Hollywood. "It's not encouraged to put yourself in a documentary," he says. "But I didn't do it to be different. I'm just looking for what keeps me inspired."
Don't miss comedian Sebastian's comedy special tonight on Comedy Central!
Friday Jan 18, 2008, 10:30pm EST/ 9:30pm CST on Comedy Central.
There will be special screenings of Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show at the following Apple Stores:
January 30, 9:00 p.m. in San Francisco with Peter Billingsley and Bret Ernst
February 6, 9:00 p.m. in Chicago with Peter Billingsley and Sebastian Maniscalco (Nez, this one's for you! :)
After the screenings, they will discuss the making of the film and take questions from the audience.
The Wild West Comedy Show website has been recently updated. Looking forward to seeing what the "Special Events" are going to be.
"Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland" will be released in theatres on February 8th.
Here's a chance to see a screening of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland. The film will be shown at the Starz Denver Film Festival 2007 on November 9 at midnight.
Check the gallery for some great pictures of Justin Long and Vince at the CMJ Film Festival. It would be great to find a transcript of the Q&A session.
We've heard of many Vince sightings/encounters during the Wild West Comedy Show screenings this month and I don't usually post them here. This one was pretty cute, though. You can read more in the Forum
under Vince Sightings.
Found this one here: Knoxville Weekly Voice Metro Pulse - Ear to the Ground
Thursday afternoon, downtown was abuzz about some tall dark-haired guy from Chicago. He was at the marina, he was at Neyland Stadium, lots of people saw him. He had supper at the Downtown Grill and Brewery. He was staying at posh Cook Loft on Gay Street.
But it’s been so long since downtowners have been to the movies, many who might have missed Dodgeball, Wedding Crashers, and The Break-Up didn’t have any idea who he was. Some were, in fact, bold enough to ask: “Who’s Vince Vaughn?” Bistro proprietor Martha Boggs reports an extraordinarily tall fellow came in, asking for a cup of coffee, an unusual request at the venerable restaurant/bar. “I just have regular coffee, not the fancy kind,” she said. “That’s what I want,” the tall stranger replied. She was told the guy was a movie star. Boggs, whose establishment has recently entertained elusive Pulitzer honoree Cormac McCarthy, did not faint. Boggs was more impressed to learn that one of the men with Vaughn was Peter Billingsley, the producer who first rose to prominence as Ralphie in The Christmas Story.
Vaughn and Billingsley were in town for a low-key screening of Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show, a bawdy, but good-hearted documentary about a cross-country tour by some traveling comics Vaughn is fond of. It played to a packed house of lucky pass-holders at the Riviera’s biggest screening room, among them UT footballers including quarterback Erik Ainge, maybe the only guy in the room who was close to Vaughn in height.
Found here
Posted by Alexandyr Kent at 11:23 AM - Louisiana Movies
Thanks, Meg, for finding this great review!
NEW ORLEANS -- It's hard to identify anyone in Hollywood with a cooler image than Vince Vaughn. Last night at the New Orleans Film Festival, he showed he has genuine heart, too.
Vaughn and his producing partner in crime, Peter "You'll shoot your eye out" Billingsley, hurried into Canal Place Cinemas to promote their new concert documentary, "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour: 30 Cities in 30 Days - Hollywood to the Heartland." The documentary is long on both title and laughs. It also provides a refreshingly honest and humble examination of the insecurities comedians face in taking their acts to new audiences and new heights.
Vaughn plays the tour's emcee, introducing his stable of talent to auditoriums from California to Texas to Ohio to Illinois. Joining him and Billingsley are comedians John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst and Sebastian Maniscalco and actors Keir O'Connell (the "gay guy"from "Wedding Crashers"), Jon Favreau and the ever-funny Justin Long.
All except Favreau make the unwise but amusing decision to travel the country on a tour bus, bunks stacked on top of each other, beer bottles and junk strewn everywhere, and all travelers sharing a single toilet.
"You started to feel like you were being Federal Expressed from the next show to the next show," Vince told the audience Friday night during a post-screening Q&A.
In the documentary, highlights from their stage acts are almost all funny, and often gut-bustingly so. The bits are often foul-mouthed and crude, but also endearingly self-effacing.
After the screening, an audience member asked Vaughn why the featured comedy wasn't political, implying the film might have edited out any controversy.
Vince responded by saying a lot of the featured comedy "straddled the line" between political and personal, and that his intent in making the film was, by and large, personal. "Laughing should always bring us together," he said. "So much comedy now is so dividing and acidic."
He drew an analogy to everyone's memory of that kid who was teased in grade school and made to cry. "That never felt good, seeing those tears."
What's most rewarding about this film is that the abundant laughs are secondary to the compelling portraits of the comedians. Cameras stick close to them them backstage before and after sets. You see them getting angry at hecklers, their own fumbled words, botched tellings of jokes and what they perceive as near "suicidal" breakdowns in craft.
You see Ahmed Ahmed, an Egyptian, talk about how the stage and post-911 xenophobia has basically forced him to tell jokes about being Arab and too frequently suspected as a terrorist. You don't really know if he's telling the truth, but you can sense he's not lying when he confesses that comedians are all messes and joke about their insecurities to take ownership over them.
You also see Sebastian Maniscalco, who's been asked to come out on tour by Vaughn as a break from waiting tables in Hollywood. The film resists turning this cliche into schmaltz by keeping the camera on him just before they take the stage for night 30 in Chicago. The comedians gather around in a circle, and Maniscalco gradually breaks down into a blubbering baby. He wants to stay on the road for ever. He's grateful to Vaughn for the big break, and Vaughn, showing a gentle, brotherly, nurturing side, just holds Miniscalco's shoulder while he gets choked up and they all get teary-eyed.
Undoubtedly meaningful to many in the New Orleans audience was the tour's time frame. As the tour was pushing into Texas, Hurricane Rita was surging up the Gulf. They were forced to move the tour away from evacuation zones, and Vaughn and the gang decided to donate proceeds from many of their concerts to hurricane relief.
It was a small gesture, providing evacuees with money, and in many cases, a free night of entertainment. But the gesture was shown to be heartfelt as the comedians at first begrudging headed to a campsite filled with evacuees and ultimately came away learning how fortunate they were to be able to tour the country in the luxuries of a dirty tour bus.
On Friday, Vaughn was also asked if he would change anything about the comedy tour if he were to do it again. Besides scheduling a night off every once in a while, "Nothing. That's the thing about making documentaries. It is what it is."
That willingness to let it be might be Vaughn's key to maintaining a grip on a genuine cool celebrity image. He might, in truth, not be an image. Vince Vaughn just might be who he is. Funny. Charismatic. And warm if we allow him to be.
This was posted in the Knoxville News Blogs - By Betsy Pickle, The Pickle Dish
I don't know how Vince Vaughn is feeling, but I'm still worn out from his visit to Big Orange Country Thursday.
Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm just saying that, what with working and playing with the "Wedding Crashers" star, it was a very long, busy yet fun day.
Vaughn came to town to promote his upcoming film "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland." (Yes, the title is almost as long as Vaughn is tall.) The documentary doesn't reach theaters until February, but Vaughn -- who appears in the film and is one of its producers -- is trying to put some heat behind it by holding special screenings in college towns and cities around the country.
Vaughn's modern version of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show consisted of Vaughn taking four rising comedians (Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco) out on the road to do 30 shows in 30 days. Vaughn and some special guests warmed up the crowd at each venue before the comics took the stage. The documentary captures more than just their performances. It addresses the state of live comedy, the struggles each of these guys has faced and the growth they make during this marathon tour.
Which, by the way, took place in September 2005 -- right after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast.
Yes, that played a large role in both the tour itinerary and the perspective of the men on the tour.
During his Knoxville stop Thursday, Vaughn did press interviews and visited the UT campus during the day, After a sneak-preview evening screening at the Regal Riviera downtown, he met with fans at an invitation-only reception at nearby Sapphire.
Guests included several UT football players, including quarterback Erik Ainge, who was quick to show me that he was drinking water and not something alcoholic. I already had a crick in my neck from talking with 6-foot-5 Vaughn earlier in the day. Ainge, at 6-6, had me wondering if I was going to have to visit a chiropractor. These guys are seriously tall, especially next to a hobbit like me. As you might expect, Ainge had his own fans hitting him up for photos and such. But nothing like Vaughn's.
The crowd thinned out eventually, and I was able to hang with Vaughn, his best friend, Peter Billingsley (yes, Ralphie from "A Christmas Story"; he's now a producer), and several other members of his team, including some of the sharpest and coolest publicists in the world (I'd name names, but they don't like that; they want to keep the focus on their peeps). Anyway, I was able to ask Vaughn about something that I didn't get to bring up during our interview earlier.
I'd read on Wikipedia that Vaughn is a registered Republican. Now, some of my best friends (and even family members) are Republicans, but it's just not something I like to know about people I like. I told him about seeing that bit of trivia, and he was not pleased to hear it (and even made plans to correct that entry -- note to self and everyone: don't believe HALF of what you read on Wikipedia). So here's what he told me:
"I'm probably one of the most conservative people in Hollywood, but I'm not a registered anything."
I can live with that. I believe in voting for the candidate, not the party. And however Vaughn might view himself politically, he's nothing if not liberal in his generosity. That's obvious from the "Wild West" movie. First, you see him giving his time and support to four comedians he believes in, as well as to young actors he's worked with whose talent he wants to spotlight. Then you see him turning several of the "30 Nights" shows into benefits. The tour itself was inspired by a benefit that Vaughn arranged.
I'm not saying Vaughn's a saint. He's human like the rest of us. But this is a guy with his feet on the ground and his heart in the right place. If his head's in the clouds, well, so would mine be if I were 6-5.
Story by: Rachael Darmanin
"Anderson Cooper and Vince Vaughn will be in town for exclusive Q&A sessions during the Film Festival. Cooper will be presenting Planet In Peril, CNN's Planet In Peril investigates the environmental crisis as it unfolds in real time while Vaughn will keep the mood light with Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show. CMJ's Film Festival is open to badge holders only, so save 10 percent by registering before September 25."
Check out "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" Theatrical Trailer in HD!
In the fall of 2005, "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights, Hollywood to the Heartland Tour" traveled across the country, performing 30 shows in 30 days. The entire tour, including all performances, behind-the-scenes action, and interviews with Vince, the comedians and special guests, was captured on film.
On Wednesday, Ahmed Ahmed celebrated his birthday at Tentations Laugh Lounge with all of the Wild West Comedy Show comedians (plus 2 other great comics). I was fortunate enough to be able to go to the show and had a fantastic time. I just love those guys and it was super fun seeing them again. Our seats were two inches from the stage and we got some great pictures. Vince showed up at the end to help sing 'Happy Birthday,' and to plug the WW documentary (release date: Feb 2, 2008!) Peter Billingsley was with him and was sitting right behind us when they came in.
After the show, they opened the dance floor and Ahmed and the guys danced the night away. It was a great party. FYI, Ahmed hosts a comedy show there every Wednesday, so if you live in the OC/LA area, go check it out!
Click here if it doesn't play.
Thanks, S!
The film is supposedly being released on February 8, 2008.
VAUGHN FISHIN'
By Dan Vinton
Contributing sources: Variety
It's an understatement to say the Weinsteins haven't had the best luck of late. A string of recent, widely-released films including Hannibal Rising and Grindhouse have failed to make financial impacts and their award push with films like Miss Potter and Factory Girl simply landed lukewarm. There's always the upcoming Sicko and My Blueberry Nights to resuscitate a disappointing 2007/early 2008, but in the mean time, drama abhors a vacuum. There's an interesting story about their loss of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights. While it's yet to be seen if the loss of this project will truly be a loss, it can't be a confidence builder when Vaughn actually campaigns get the movie TWC picked up in Toronto out from under their banner.
While the film was picked up by the Weinsteins back in September, the marketing and rollout scheduled for Wild West Comedy Show wasn't cutting it for Vaughn, who then asked the Weinsteins if he could buy it back to get it redistributed through a partnership that would align more closely with Vaughn's vision. WWCS is to be R-rated, but part of the disagreement stemmed from Weinsteins proposed marketing emphasis around the rating, instead of an emphasis on getting to know your pal Vince Vaughn. To the Weinsteins' credit, they capitulated and WWCS and its world rights have since been picked up by Picturehouse and New Line at a lower price (about $1.5 million to Weinsteins $3 million), with a robust commitment to market the film more heavily. Picturehouse had been actively bidding for the project in Toronto.
WWCS is currently being slated for release in early 2008 (gotta ride that Fred Claus train) and features Vaughn hitching his wagon to not one, not two, not three, but four standups and hitting a 30-city tour in 30 days (which you may have taken part of, even). The film covers the gigs in addition to all the shenanigans behind the scenes. While the Toronoto Film Festival version clocked in at a shade under two hours, it's since been cut to a lean and mean 90 minutes.
Score one for Vaughn and score one for The Weinsteins. Vaughn gets to distribute and market his film the way he wants it to be and the Weinsteins prove they aren't total douchebags when it comes to "artistic vision". That, or it goes to show a certain ineptitude at marketing films that's been an unfortunate Wesinstein hallmark of the last few months (with their Asian film distribution, you could probably spread that out to years).
April 25, 2007
Gregg Goldstein
NEW YORK -- Picturehouse and New Line International have nabbed all international rights to the comedy performance documentary "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights -- Hollywood to the Heartland."
The pickup comes seven months after the Weinstein Co. purchased the feature for $2.5 million-$3.5 million after its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, part of the new indie studio's pricey acquisitions spree. After tentatively slating the film for release in the spring, the company put the project back up for sale with UTA a few weeks ago.
Ari Sandel's film, produced by Vaughn, follows the actor as he leads a team of unknown comics on a monthlong tour across the U.S.
Picturehouse will release the film domestically in early 2008, and New Line International will handle overseas distribution.
Picturehouse senior vp acquisitions Sara Rose and New Line executive vp business affairs and co-productions Carolyn Blackwood negotiated the deal for their companies. Vince Vaughn is represented by UTA, Eric Gold and Deborah Klein.
The official release date of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland is Labor Day weekend.
Y'all better mark those calendars!
Now you can see an exclusive trailer for the upcoming theatrical release of "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland" on the newly launched bud.tv website.
The movie looks like it's going to be so much fun! Can't wait. :)
Note, this trailer contains explicit language. You must be 21-years-old to enter their site.
UPDATE: The trailer will be back up on Thursday, February 8th, if not sooner. :)
Now's your last chance to buy Wild West t-shirts! They will be available from the WWPSP website until the end of the month or until their gone!
Also, I've been informed that they're close to announcing a release date for the movie and will let us know as soon as they know.
Thanks so much to Justin for allowing me to post his photos from the New Year's Eve Wild West Comedy Show. And thanks to my bud for making the connection with Justin! He was sitting in the third row, so they are fantasic shots! The photos can be found in the Wild West Comedy section of the gallery (Click on latest additions at the bottom of the page).
Also, Justin has a great photography website, so check it out! www.digitalimpactphoto.com
Thanks again, Justin!
Still don't have anything to do on NYE? "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" returns to the Mandalay Theater in Las Vegas for two shows on New Year's Eve - Sunday, December 31st @ 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. They'll have the same comics that went on tour last year -- Ahmed, Bret, John and Sebastian.
And to make it a party to remember, Jon Favreau will be one of the guest stars! This is the first that Vince and Jon will be re-united in Las Vegas since they filmed "Swingers." Should be a classic moment.
Tickets are on sale at the Mandalay Bay ticket office, and may also be purchased on-line at www.mandalaybay.com or by calling (877) 632-7400
"Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" returns to the Mandalay Theater in Las Vegas for two shows on New Year's Eve - Sunday, December 31st @ 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm. They'll have the same comics that went on tour last year -- Ahmed, Bret, John and Sebastian, plus a couple of surprise guests!
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Dec. 9th (tomorrow) at the Mandalay Bay ticket office, and may also be purchased on-line at www.mandalaybay.com or by calling (877) 632-7400
Zane reviews Vince Vaughn's WILD WEST COMEDY SHOW!
Found here
Hey folks, Harry here with the first review we've got in of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show which played in Toronto on its second day. Seems, at least to our guy on the scene there, that Vince has quite a funny flick on his hands. Here - check it out...
Just got back from seeing this and I will preface this with: Humour is subjective and hyperbole on the internet in regards to comedy tends to backfire... but... this movie is hilarious and everyone needs to see it and it is by far the funniest movie (that I have seen) this year (sorry Thank You For Smoking). Sure, it's essentially stand-up in docu form so it has an unfair advantage over traditional films, but I never expected it to be this funny, and even more surprising was it being so well made.For the uninitiated (like myself before entering the theatre), the film follows 4 stand up comedians on a Vince Vaughn-produced comedy tour across America, with the premise being 30 shows in 30 nights, taped last year at around this time. The comedians are Ahmed Ahmed, Bret Ernst, John Caparulo, and Sebastian Maniscalo. Also featured on the tour are Peter Billingsley (Mikey from A Christmas Story, a producer of the film and a good friend of Vaughn), Justin Long (Dodgeball cheerleader and Accepted star), Keir O'Donnel (gay son in Wedding Crashers), and Jon Favreau to open it up.
The film was basically half stand-up and half behind-the-scenes (which doesn't mean the jokes stop when they are off the stage) and the stand up was generally observational comedy with some personal stories and race-related jokes in between. I didn't have an official time on it, it was longer than I expected but it flowed really well.
I won't give away any jokes, partially because they come across better on screen with actual delivery, and partially because I don't want to ruin it, but there were at least half a dozen moments in the film that I was hysterically laughing and trying to catch my breath, and countless moments that got me chuckling, grinning, giggling, clapping, stomping my feet, and all that good stuff. John Caparulo in particular was tremendous. On the look of him and the sound of him, I expected Larry The Cable Guy, but the dude killed it and I thought was the best of the 4.
Aside from the comics, what really stood out was the editing and whatnot. I found it really well crafted and paced and smartly made. It seems by the post QnA with Vaughn & co. that it was very much a flying by the seat of their pants kinda thing and that it turned out this good is a testiment to those involved. It starts off very Vaughn-heavy, but by mid-way through the film he hands it off to the four and they run with it and Vince basically just makes a cameo appearance through the rest of the film. I had no idea who any of these guys were, but by the end of the film it felt like they were family.
There's a point, and for me it was when they visited the campground that housed people who lost their homes in Katrina, that it really settled in as a movie and an experience and that's a really great feeling to have. And around that point they started to get into the backgrounds and families of the comics, and I think that is so smart because they earned it that way. If they did this in the beginning, I don't know if I would have cared that much, but after seeing them and getting to know them, when stories like the one about Brets brother comes up, you really feel it.
And not to say they play up the sentimentality, but there are certain feel-good moments and by the end, at least I found, it was like saying goodbye to friends... as cliched as that sounds. But the family-stuff and the stuff in regards to making it and struggling, makes it more personal, and in that way it really surprised me and I think made for a better experience. It was also really weird to see a crowd react to a movie the same way they'd react as if it were live stand up.
I don't know if there is a wide-release on this, but if you enjoy stand up, I whole heartedly recommend this.
-- Put A Cork In It Zane --
Variety
TWC heats up Toronto, buys two pix
Distrib picks up 'Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy'
By STEVEN ZEITCHIK, GABRIEL SNYDER
TORONTO -- The Weinstein Company has added a jolt of energy to a sleepy Toronto Film Festival.
Company has nabbed rights to two hot pics that screened over the weekend -- the Vince Vaughn standup-comedy doc "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy" and horror movie "All the Boys Love Mandy Lane" -- and will release both theatrically. Latter, which was shown at fest's horror-centric Midnight Madness screening series Saturday night, will be distribbed on TWC's Dimension label.
A source close to the "Lane" deal put the price tag at $3.5 million. TWC declined to comment on the price.
Company has yet to announce release plans for either movie.
Vaughn attracted huge interest over the weekend; after his Friday screening distribs mobbed producers, and thesp met with acquisition exces all day Saturday. Movie follows the personal and professional lives of a number of unknown stand-ups, with Vaughn as a kind of Greek chorus narrating his take on the biz.
Before the buys, no pics had been acquired at the festival proper, though several were announced at the fest.
These were taken last night at the Toronto International Film Festival.
I'm looking forward to hearing reviews of the film.
Anheuser-Busch plans to start Bud TV the day after Super Bowl XLI in February.
By STUART ELLIOTT
Published: September 6, 2006
Found Here
IF Anheuser-Busch has its way, it may not be long before consumers start insisting “I want my BTV.”
That’s “BTV” as in Bud TV, an online entertainment network that Anheuser-Busch, the nation’s biggest brewer, is preparing to introduce the day after Super Bowl XLI is played in early February. The network, which will be on a Web site that will have the bud.tv address, accelerates a push by Anheuser-Busch into the business of providing program content.
Advertisers becoming content providers, a practice known as branded entertainment, is helping reshape how Madison Avenue peddles wares. It reflects an effort by marketers to regain some of the power they wielded from the 1930’s through the 1950’s, when they owned the radio and television shows they sponsored.
Anheuser-Busch is joining a lengthy list of marketers turning to branded entertainment. Others include American Honda Motor, Best Buy, Cadbury Schweppes, General Motors, Krups, Nestlé, Pepsi-Cola, Procter & Gamble, Stolichnaya and Washington Mutual.
Critics complain that branded entertainment is hastening the commercialization of American popular culture.
“It’s the advertisers swallowing the programming,” said Gary Ruskin, executive director at Commercial Alert in Portland, Ore., a nonprofit organization that fights what it considers to be creeping commercialism.
“We live in a time of great overreaching by the advertising and marketing industry,” Mr. Ruskin said. “This is one further step toward advertiser control of media.”
Marketers are embracing branded entertainment because it can serve as a counterweight to the growing ability of TV viewers to use devices like digital video recorders and remote controls to skip, flip past and otherwise avoid conventional interruptive 30-second commercials.
“We still have plenty of strong, traditional national TV venues for our messages such as live sports,” said Anthony T. Ponturo, vice president for global media and sports marketing at Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, part of the Anheuser-Busch Companies.
Going forward, “the Internet will be equal to or better than television,” Mr. Ponturo said, particularly in reaching the company’s target audience for beers like Budweiser and Bud Light, which is men ages 21 to 34.
“We’re trying to get out in front of consumers who are spending six hours a week online,” he added. “Marketers had better understand how to effectively reach them.”
Mr. Ponturo and James M. Schumacker, the new leader of the Anheuser-Busch digital marketing team, discussed the company’s plans yesterday with reporters. Anheuser-Busch is scheduled to announce today the intended start of Bud TV on Feb. 5.
Although it is too soon to discuss the specifics of spending on Bud TV and its complementary program offerings on cellphones, Mr. Ponturo said, Anheuser-Busch is expected to double the share of its marketing budget devoted to online advertising, to 10 percent.
That would include spending on Web sites that the company already operates, he added, like budweiser.com and budlight.com, as well as spending for ads on more than 40 third-party Web sites like espn.com and yahoo.com.
According to TNS Media Intelligence, Anheuser-Busch spent $919.4 million last year to advertise in all major media, ranking the company 40th among the largest American advertisers.
The plans call for Bud TV to offer computer users six channels of comedy, reality, sports and talk programming created for and by Anheuser-Busch. The tentative names for the channels include Comedy, Happy Hour and Reality.
Sources for the programs will include agencies that create advertising for Anheuser-Busch like @radical.media and DDB Worldwide, part of the Omnicom Group; companies owned by Hollywood stars like LivePlanet (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), TriggerStreet.com (Kevin Spacey), and Wild West Picture Show Productions (Vince Vaughn); and production companies like Omelet and Seed.
Anheuser-Busch is in discussions with Joe Buck, the sportscaster, to develop a talk show, Mr. Schumacker said, and “we may add a fashion channel” at some point.
A seventh channel on Bud TV, tentatively named Bud Tube, will be styled after the popular Web site YouTube (youtube.com), Mr. Schumacker said, giving consumers a chance to “generate their own Anheuser-Busch ads, comedic in nature,” which can be shared with other computer users.
The idea for Bud Tube, Mr. Schumacker said, came from another agency that works for Anheuser-Busch, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, also part of Omnicom. The first assignment consumers can tackle, he added, is to make their own versions of a series of Bud Light commercials featuring a character called Ted Ferguson, billed as the “Bud Light daredevil.”
Anheuser-Busch will borrow another page from the YouTube playbook, Mr. Ponturo said, by setting up the programming on Bud TV so that computer users can repurpose it on other Web sites like YouTube and MySpace (myspace.com).
“We see this as a marketing tool to talk to consumers,” Mr. Ponturo said, “rather than as a production company or a network whose goal is to make money on programming.” His reference was to efforts by some networks and producers to have content they created removed from sharing sites like MySpace and YouTube.
There has been speculation that Anheuser-Busch wanted to expand its presence in the content arena beyond a unit, Bud Productions, that creates sports programs. That speculation reached a fever pitch before the Super Bowl in February, when trade publications reported that the company would offer computer users a desktop application so they could take another look at the Budweiser and Bud Light commercials that ran during the game.
Instead, Anheuser-Busch chose to offer downloads of the commercials on budweiser.com and budlight.com. After 700,000 downloads, Mr. Ponturo said, “we learned a little bit” about the preferences of computer users, adding that the commercials were watched by an additional 22 million visitors to other Web sites like video.google.com and video.yahoo.com.
The trade publication Advertising Age reported in its Aug. 21 issue that Anheuser-Busch would make entertainment programs available online. Mr. Schumacker said that Bud TV would also offer a desktop application that can be downloaded to deliver a program from the Happy Hour channel each day at 4:55 p.m..
Anheuser-Busch intends to monitor the use of Bud TV so that it is not watched by minors under 21, Mr. Schumacker and Mr. Ponturo said, adding that when computer users sign up and create profiles, they will be asked to provide identifying information beyond age and birth date.
To critics like Mr. Ruskin of Commercial Alert, there is one small silver lining in something like Bud TV.
“As advertising becomes more and more aggressive and intrusive, people will dislike it more than they do,” Mr. Ruskin said, “and we’ll do better at efforts to keep advertising in its proper place.”
The Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show documentary will be premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 7–16. Here is more information about the screenings. FOUND HERE
Film Title: Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights-Hollywood to the Heartland
Programme: SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Director: Ari Sandel
Country: USA
Year: 2006
Language: English
Time: 110 minutes
Film Types: Colour/HDCAM
SCREENING TIMES:
Friday, September 08 9:00 PM RYERSON
Sunday, September 10 12:15 PM RYERSON
Production Company : Wild West Picture Show Productions
Executive Producer: Peter Billingsley, Victoria Vaughn, John Isbell
Producer: Vince Vaughn
Editor: Dan Lebental
Sound: Greg Morgenstein
Principal Cast: Featuring: Vince Vaughn, Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Mansicalco, Peter Billingsley, Keir O'Donnell, Justin Long
In the fall of 2005, contemporary American renegade Vince Vaughn channelled the spirit of legendary frontier showman Buffalo Bill's "Wild West" cowboy freak shows and mustered a crack team of comics for a thirtyday, thirty-gig stand-up tour he called "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show." The performers took to the roads in a couple of tour buses, jackknifing across the American landscape, from Los Angeles to Chicago and twenty-odd points in between. Featuring the man himself as emcee, comedians Bret Ernst, Ahmed Ahmed, Sebastian Maniscalco, John Caparulo and a host of special guests, the shows were a giddy cocktail of ribald standup, rowdy musical numbers and wicked self-parody in the form of sketches lancing Vaughn's most notorious film roles.
Cameras were rolling around the clock - too much so in the eyes of the protagonists, who are frequently wrenched from sleep into the waiting arms of their hangovers by the harsh light of the filmmaker's rig. This is, however, good news for Vaughn-ophiles, stand-up aficionados and anyone with an ounce of wiseass in their sense of humour. These guys don't just get a few laughs - they bring down house after historic house, ranting about everything from their love lives, to certain contemporary cultural idiocies, to apple martinis. Up-and-comer Ernst pops across the stage in his uniquely physical routines. Ahmed is an Egyptian-American who gets laughs by jerking on raw nerves connected to the terror-noid national landscape. Maniscalco is the group's pretty boy, but is terrified of going back to waiting tables. And Caparulo - "Cap" - is some kind of phenomenon, appearing nightly in jeans, a hat and oversized white t-shirt and cursing a bright blue streak in the wildest Midwest accent you've ever heard. What's up fuckers, indeed. And backstage is Vaughn's best friend, actor-producer-former child star Peter Billingsley. Can't place the name? Think Ralphie from A Christmas Story.
There is a wonderful charm and disarming sense of humour here, all somehow orchestrated by Vaughn's devious smile.
- Noah Cowan
Ari Sandel was born in Calabasas, California. He studied media arts at the University of Arizona and received an M.A. from the University of Southern California. He directed the award-winning short film West Bank Story (05), which has screened at over one hundred film festivals worldwide. Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland (06) is his feature documentary directorial debut.
The Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show documentary will be premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, September 7–16. Looking forward to seeing this when it's finally released on DVD.
And don't forget that the show will be appearing this Friday, August 11 in Las Vegas. This will be the last show of the year.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ONLINE
OR PHONE: 1-877-632-7400 or 1-702-632-7580
You heard it here first! Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show is coming to Vegas for one night only: Friday, August 11 at 9PM at the Mandalay Bay Theater. This will be the last show of the year!
UPDATE: TICKETS ON SALE NOW at the Mandalay Box Office
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ONLINE:
OR PHONE: 1-877-632-7400 or 1-702-632-7580
Just a little F.Y.I...Sebasitan Maniscalco is going to be on the Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson tomorrow night.
Back by popular demand...Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show is returning to Vegas on Superbowl weekend!
Vince Vaughn kicks off Super Bowl Weekend In Style with a night of stand-up comedy and improvisation with national comedians and special guest stars.Hot on the heels of his critically acclaimed national comedy tour and a sold-out New Year Day show, Vince Vaughn, star of the hit comedies Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Old School and Swingers, will appear live on stage at the Mandalay Bay Theatre on Friday, February 3rd, 10:00pm
The comedy show combines stand-up routines by national comedians hailing from the world famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, as well as, comedy sketches featuring Vaughn and special guest stars.
Tickets available at Ticketmaster
UPDATE: The January 1st Las Vegas show has been confirmed!
From the Wild West Picture Show Productions Website:
Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show returns to Las Vegas for one night only.
The Mandalay Theatre
Mandalay Resort & Casino
Sunday, January 1st @ 8:00 p.m.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Dec 17th at Noon
Featuring Bret Ernst, Ahmed Ahmed, Sebastian Maniscalco, Steve Byrne.
For ticketing information, Click Here.
Also, the extremely popular white tank is available again. Click here for ordering.
So the word on the street is that the Wild West Comedy Show will be hitting Las Vegas on January 1st. The New Year's Eve show in Bakersfield is supposedly sold out, so here's another chance to see the boys perform! What could possibly be better than Vince in Vegas? More info coming soon.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Comic upstart John Caparulo is set to star in a semi-biographical sitcom that's being produced for NBC by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison company.
"The Simpsons" Brian Scully is on board to write and executive produce the show centering around Caparulo's post-college life in a small Ohio town, Daily Variety reported Monday.
Caparulo has graced the small screen on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend," "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and "The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn."
He's currently on a U.S. tour with Vince Vaughn's "Wild West Comedy Show."
Krissy found this on Sebastian's website. This was taken either before or after the Bakersfield show...the night I met him. :) Thank you, Krissy!
l-r: Sebastian Maniscalco, Bret Ernst, Dwight Yoakam, Ahmed Ahmed, Vince, John Caparulo, Peter Billingsley
Bigger
Article posted in The Bakersfield Californian, Nov. 2nd
Found here
He just couldn’t stay away.
Actor Vince Vaughn and his comic friends are coming back for a double-dose of Bakersfield.
Along with country music stars Buck Owens and Dwight Yoakam, Vince Vaughn and his Wild West Comedy Tour are putting on a New Year’s Eve Party bash at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, 2800 Buck Owens Blvd.
The event is Saturday, Dec. 31.
Tickets go on sale for the show this Saturday. Call 328-7560 for more information.
Vaughn and his comedy tour were recently in Bakersfield this September. They played the Fox Theater to a near sold-out crowd.
I called to inquire about tickets--they're $100-$135 without dinner and $175-$250 with dinner. They go on sale at 11AM this Saturday.
Well, the Wild West tour is officially over. I'd love to hear details about the show from anyone who wants to share! I heard Jen was there! :D
Here's a thread on the forum, or just comment here.
Just thought I would keep this schedule close to the top of my posts. If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend it. So much fun!
Sep 12 Hollywood, CA Henry Fonda Theatre 8PM
Sep 13 San Diego, CA 4th & B 8:00 PM
Sep 14 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre 8PM
Sep 15 Bakersfield, CA Fox Theatre 8PM
Sep 16 Ventura, CA Ventura Theatre 8PM
Sep 17 Las Vegas, NV Golden Nugget
Sep 18 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre 8PM
Sep 19 Tucson, AZ Centennial Hall @ University of Arizona 8PM
Sep 20 El Paso,TX Magoffin Auditorium at UTEP 8PM
Sep 21 Lubbock,TX Municipal Auditorium 8PM
Sep 22 Austin,TX Paramount Theatre 7:30 PM
Sep 23 Dallas,TX Granada Theatre 8PM
Sep 24 Dallas,TX Granada Theatre 1PM
Sep 24 Beaumont,TX Jefferson Theatre 8PM Cancelled
Sep 25 Oklahoma City, OK Coca Cola Bricktown Events Center 8PM
Sep 26 Little Rock, AR @ Robinson Center
Sep 27 Birmingham, AL The Wright Center at Samford University
Sep 28 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live 8PM
Sep 29 Memphis,TN The Orpheum 9PM
Sep 30 Nashville,TN Ryman Theatre 8PM
Oct 1 Louisville, KY The Brown Theatre 8PM
Oct 2 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Oct 3 Indianapolis, IN The Egyptian Room 8PM
Oct 4 Cincinnati,OH Cincinnati Music Hall 8PM
Oct 5 Columbus, OH Southern Theatre 8PM
Oct 6 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre 8PM
Oct 7 Detroit, MI State Theatre 9PM
Oct 8 South Bend, IN Stepan @ University of Notre Dame
Oct 9 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre 8PM
Oct 10 Madison, WI Barrymore 8PM
Oct 11 Chicago, IL The Vic Theater 9PM
A decade after launching his film career in 'Rudy,' actor Vince Vaughn returns to Notre Dame
By Rama Gottumukkala
The Observer Online
Found Here
The last time Vince Vaughn performed on campus, he caught the harsh end of an Ara Parseghian tongue-lashing and was dropped from the third-string to the practice squad.
Times have changed. Vaughn is no longer the scapegoat he was in "Rudy," his first major film role. The A-list Hollywood star has since enjoyed tremendous success with blockbusters like "Swingers," "Dodgeball" and "Old School." His most recent film, "Wedding Crashers," earned over $200 million this summer, ranking it as the year's top comedy and the third highest-grossing film of the year.
Still, despite all the success, Vaughn has a soft spot for the University where he first launched his film career. His first speaking role was playing running back Jamie O'Hara in "Rudy."
"I'm sure it's going to be a great experience for [Vaughn] to come back to where his film career started," said John Pisani, Vaughn's publicist. "I think he's always had a fondness for Notre Dame, and there's a great tradition there. So to be able to come and do a show on the campus, he's thrilled about it."
Saturday, Vaughn brings his national comedy tour, "30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland," to Stepan Center, the 27th stop on the tour's nationwide road trip. Vaughn will act as the event's emcee and also take part in some of the skits. The show will also feature national touring comedians Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco, Ahmed Ahmed and John Caparulo, all comedians from the famed Los Angeles Comedy Store.
Playing in 30 cities in 30 days is a daunting task for any performer, but Vaughn and his comedy crew have embraced the rare opportunity to tour all the way from Los Angeles to America's heartland, taking in the sights along the way.
"We've been having a great time and it's been awesome performing at all these venues, some more historical than others," Ernst said. "We visited a few college campuses already, but nothing to the magnitude of Notre Dame. I'd love to go down to the [football stadium] field, especially since 'Rudy' was one of my favorite movies."
The idea for the tour was spawned from Vaughn's previous work on comedy benefit shows for charity. He organized a similar show with the Comedy Store performers more than a year ago to support the Army Emergency Relief Fund. The success of that Memorial Day weekend show convinced Vaughn to spawn a nationwide tour. Proceeds from the current tour's profits have been used to support various charities, including those aiding the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The tour is also being filmed for an upcoming documentary movie detailing the trip's experiences.
"Vince really respects what we do as far as stand-up comics go," Ernst said. "He's really an amazing individual as far as his work ethic and his character. [He and his staff] put this all together in pretty much four weeks, which is unbelievable. The idea of doing it for charity just motivated him even more."
For Maniscalco, a fan of Vaughn's 1996 hit comedy "Swingers," the tour has offered a chance to travel around the country and work with someone who had inspired him onscreen years ago. When "Swingers" came out, Maniscalco was still living in Chicago and thinking of pursuing a career in standup.
"To work with Vince Vaughn was a pretty surreal experience - to watch this guy's movie nine years ago and love what he did, and now, nine years later, we're roommates on a tour bus," Maniscalco said. "For me it's been great because now I get to tap into Vince Vaughn's audience base and he's validated us as his favorite comedians. It's been great. He's like the Johnny Carson of the millennium."
As the comedy tour has neared South Bend, more discussions on the tour bus have been directed towards football and Notre Dame. Vaughn, a college football fan, also grew up in Lake Forest, Ill.
Between his love for college football, growing up in the Midwest and starring in "Rudy," Ernst isn't surprised that there might be a correlation there.
"[Vaughn] is a big Notre Dame fan," Ernst said. "We were arguing on the bus. He kept bringing up Notre Dame and saying, 'classy program, Notre Dame doesn't do what the University of Miami does.' He's pretty attached to it and plus he's a Midwestern boy, which might explain why he loves Notre Dame."
It's been over a decade since Vaughn started his film career on this very campus. He met fellow actor and good friend Jon Favreau during the filming of "Rudy," a relationship that opened an avenue to "Swingers," the film that helped launch the pair to stardom. This Saturday, Vaughn's career progression will come full circle.
"I'm sure it's going to be a great experience and one that he's excited about - being able to come back after the success he's had in films like 'Dodgeball,' 'Wedding Crashers,' and 'Old School' that helped him become an A-list movie star, which is a nice arc," Pisani said.
Not bad for a third-string running back.
By Chris Azzopardi / Entertainment Editor
Echo Online
Found Here
Loose-tongued speed-speaker Vince Vaughn was destined to act. As an awful student in high school, Vaughn graduated only after being elected student-body president.
"I was senior class president but the whole reason I ran was because I figured if the senior class president had to give a speech at the end of the year, they're gonna have to graduate me," Vaughn says. "My dad always made the joke: I'll be the first senior class president to run for two terms."
Most notable for his role in "Old School," Vaughn also played nut-case Norman Bates in the "Psycho" re-make, shagged countless women in "Wedding Crashers," and will star alongside Jennifer Aniston in ""The Break-Up"," due out in February June 2.
But while Vaughn willingly dishes about his 30-city Wild West Comedy Tour, don't expect Vaughn to spill the beans, or lack there of, about the alleged relationship between him and Aniston.
Eastern Echo: How's the show going?
Vince Vaughn: The show's going great, man. I mean we've been having a lot of fun and the response has been overwhelming. So, it's been a lot of fun to get out every night.
Echo: What made you put together this show?
Vaughn: I had done it a couple times as a benefit and it always went over so well. The response was always so great. I thought it would be fun to take it around. Coming from Illinois, it seems like you have to go to the coast -- either New York, California, or Vegas to see these kind of shows. I wanted to take a really great live comedy show and bring it to people's towns. Give them a chance to see the four best comics that are around right now in America and also to see folks that they normally just see in movies get up on stage and do comedy sketches live.
Echo: How did you go about selecting the line-up for the show?
Vaughn: Well, these are my favorite comedians. A friend of mine is a regular at the Comedy Store and I go down to the Comedy Store and watch him perform a lot and pick the best guys of all the young comics around. And then I have friends that come and meet me in different cities who are actors who come and do different sketches with me.
Echo: You ever get stage fright?
Vaughn: I always get a little nervous. That's natural. I enjoy the interaction with the crowd. I like playing ref.
Echo: So, you don't get all sweaty like Whitney Houston?
Vaughn: I do get a little nervous before going out. It's normal. It's a good kind of nervous. It's more kind of anticipation and excitement.
Echo: You've acted, produced, written and now you're hosting a comedy tour, which role do you like most?
Vaughn: Well, my favorite is to get on stage and perform. I kind of liked putting the tour together just because I think it's a great show and I think people will like it.
Echo: Now, in high school, you weren't on the honor roll, right? I've read you weren't the best student.
Vaughn: It was awful. Out of like 397, I graduated like 390.
Echo: Uh-oh. What happened there?
Vaughn: I started going downtown [Chicago] and started pursuing acting and I wasn't that motivated academically. I knew I wasn't going to go to college. I just started focusing on acting. It [high school] wasn't my calling. I didn't really take grades seriously my senior year. If I failed one class I wasn't gonna graduate. I enjoyed high school for what it was. I was very lucky I knew what I wanted to do really young.
Echo: A lot of people don't figure that out until halfway through college.
Vaughn: Yeah, they don't figure that out until later. I was taking acting classes in Chicago and performing live, doing live improve.
Echo: If you had decided to go to college, aside from acting or film, what would you have majored in?
Vaughn: I don't know. I never really gave it much thought. I mean, my dad was a salesman, if I would've gotten married young and had kids, I would've done whatever I had to do to take care of my family.
Echo: I'm not sure if this is true -- but is your nickname "Mr. Sunshine"?
Vaughn: No, not really. It came from a friend of mine. I've been in a bunch of movies with him -- three different movies -- he said that as a joke and now all of a sudden people kind of ask me if that's my nickname.
Echo: I had heard you had some influence over where "The Break-Up" was shot. You wanted to shoot it in your hometown, right?
Vaughn: I kind of insisted we shot it in Chicago. I've always liked the mid-west, that's where I'm from. I love Chicago, and in the summer time you can't beat the mid-west. And so I really wanted to go back and be close to my mom and kind of showcase the city.
Echo: Okay -- my last question is about the big rumor between you and Jennifer Aniston. And I know you've already denied it.
Vaughn: You write for the college paper, you gotta get a job at "Hard Copy," kid.
Echo: I wish. Anyhow, what would you say to the tabloids for making such a big hoopla out of it?
Vaughn: I'm not saying anything. They're just doing their job trying to sell papers. I understand it.
The Wild West Comedy Tour hosted by Vince Vaughn makes a stop at Detroit's State Theatre on Friday at 8 p.m., Vaughn's first tour features comedians from Los Angeles' Comedy Store: Sebastian "The Hit Man" Maniscalco (HBO's "New Faces" comedy special and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend"), Ahmed "The Egyptian Lover" Ahmed (MTV's "Punk'd" and Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd"), Bret "Captain America" Ernst (Headline of the Montreal Comedy Festival and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend") and John "The Ohio Player" Caparulo ("Tonight show with Jay Leno").
Vaughn brings old school comedy and wild west fun
By Ian Story
The Lantern
Found Here
Vince Vaughn is a god living among mere mortals. With the ability to star in smash-hit movies as both a devious villain ("Domestic Disturbance" and "Psycho") and a smooth hipster ("Swingers" and "Old School") Vaughn has made a name for himself as a talented, versatile actor willing to take on any project placed on his table.
Vaughn has spent most of autumn on a whirlwind 30 cities in 30 days comedy tour that is sweeping across the Midwest like a dust storm. On the new endeavor dubbed "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show," Vaughn emcees a cadre of comedians from Los Angeles' world-famous comedy club, The Comedy Store.
"These are the funniest men operating in the comedy world right now," Vaughn said in a phone interview Monday. "These guys talk and joke about issues and things that are relative to the audience."
Vaughn said the thread that runs between all of these comedians is a notion of the purity of comedy and how it works the best in a real world application.
"They rely on life experiences to tell jokes, not gimmicks," he said. "They are the real guys, they've been on everything from "Premium Blend" to "The Tonight Show" to their time spent at The Comedy Store."
The four featured comedians on the tour are Bret "Captain America" Ernst, John "The Ohio Player" Caparulo, Ahmed "The Egyptian Lover" Ahmed and Sebastian "The Hit Man" Maniscalco. According to the Wild West Picture Show Productions' Web site, all four of the comedians are well-known prime-time featured acts.
Ernst's first prime-time stand up performance was "The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn" and he has since guest starred in "CSI: New York" and in Artie Lang's upcoming release "Beer League." He is currently in development with Touchstone, The WB, and show creators Barry Kemp (creator of "Coach" and "Newhart") and Eric Lapidus (creator of "Two and a Half Men") to star in a sitcom based on his stand-up comedy.
Caparulo, according to the Production companies' Web site, grew up not far from Columbus in the Ohio Valley and is a Kent State University graduate. He then made his national television debut on "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" and gave a memorable performance. Appearances soon followed on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and The Game Show Network's "Funny Money."
Ahmed is the most prolific comedian of the bunch. Born in Helwan, Egypt, Ahmed's parents immigrated to the U.S. when he was one month old and raised him in Riverside, CA. At 19, Ahmed moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting and stand-up comedy.
Ahmed has been seen in such films and television shows as "Executive Decision," "Swingers," "Tracey Takes On," "Roseanne," "JAG," Comedy Central's "Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn" and MTV's "PUNK'D." He has also appeared on CNN, "The View," and NPR, and was featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal and in Newsweek. He can be seen in the upcoming "Onion Movie" for FOX Searchlight and "The Break-Up" for Universal Studios. Currently, Ahmed can be seen on the "Fahrenheit 9/11" DVD bonus track performing stand-up comedy.
Maniscalco has been featured on HBO's "New Faces" comedy special and Comedy Central's "Premium Blend."
"I do have plans to continue to showcase talented comedians such as these guys in the future," Vaughn said. "I just want to put on the funniest, most invigorating show I possibly can. We're getting standing ovation's every night and I don't think Columbus is going to be any different."
Vaughn brings comedy show to town for one-night-stand
Michael K. McIntyre
The Plain Dealer
Found here
Vince Vaughn - movie star, heartthrob, guy's guy - is marshaling a bus tour of America with four of his stand-up comedian pals. He, himself, has become a comedic force on the big screen, what with "Wedding Crashers" and "Dodgeball" and "Old School" and all that. But we're trying to understand why the GQ cover man, Jennifer Aniston's rumored love interest, has left Los Angeles for a long road trip through the country's heartland, bunking with four guys, and all their smelly socks, on a bus.
One thing we already know: If Vince Vaughn's doing it, it's definitely cool.
"We've been having a lot of fun," he said in a phone interview while waiting to perform in Austin, Texas. "But I don't know much about going on the road. Thirty days and 30 nights. It just sounded so damn catchy. Now I'm wishing it was 25 days, with five days off."
Lucky for Cleveland, Thursday is not a day off. Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show - a play on the old Buffalo Bill shows but with punch lines instead of gunshots - rolls into town for a night at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom. Vaughn is filming the tour for a yet-to-be-determined movie project, being host of the show and performing in skits.
"These old types of variety shows really don't exist anymore," he said. "It's great to meet people live. The coolest thing is to go to these towns like El Paso where they don't ever get stuff like this and to get to see the reaction."
Vaughn was born in Minneapolis and grew up in Chicago. His dad was raised in Zanesville and his mom in Newark, Ohio.
"I'm just a Midwesterner," he said. "I grew up so far removed from the entertainment industry. My grandfather was a dairy farmer from Brewster, Ohio."
Which makes it natural that he's the cream.
"I've played crowds up to
3,000, but never with so many hot young women," said comedian Ahmed Ahmed (a hilarious regular on MTV's "Punk'd"), a longtime friend of Vaughn's and one of the four comedians performing in the show. "Thank God for Vince's audience. He is a force of nature on stage, like Dean Martin or Elvis. It's almost like being at a rock concert."
The tour grew out of Vaughn's and Ahmed's friendship. Ahmed was an extra in the 1990 CBS after-school special "The Fourth Man," that featured Vaughn and Peter Billingsley, who Clevelanders know as Ralphie from "A Christmas Story." After Ahmed moved into stand-up, Vaughn would show up at the world-famous Comedy Store in Los Angeles, or another club, Dublin's, to see Ahmed's shows. Vaughn had done some improvisational acting and remembers trying open-mike nights in his native Chicago, but stand-up "was never my calling." He became a fan of the stand-up craft.
The genesis of the traveling comedy tour came several years ago when a buddy of Vaughn's opened a bar in New Orleans.
"I went down to do a thing for him at his bar, trying to give him a good night. I said 'Let me bring some comics in,' " said Vaughn. He did a similar show last year in Dewey Beach, Del., while filming "Wedding Crashers," with proceeds benefiting Army Emergency Relief, a nonprofit helping soldiers and their families. Vaughn then mounted a show this summer in Chicago, also to benefit soldiers, and with the crazy reaction he got, the idea of a tour struck.
Vaughn said audiences "get to see the best young comics that are all on the verge of breaking."
Those would be Ahmed, Sebastian Maniscalco, Brett Ernst and Kent State University graduate John Caparulo, a native of East Liverpool, Ohio.
Vaughn, who was host of his talent show in high school, said he's enjoyed being on stage. Friends have joined him for special appearances in different cities.
Two surprise guests are planned for Cleveland. One, he said, starred in "an American classic shot in Cleveland."
Hmm. "A Christmas Story" was shot in Cleveland, and Billingsley is a good pal of Vaughn's, no? Vaughn clammed up. So we asked about Aniston.
"People have to do their jobs, and they're there to sell papers and write stories," he said. "It's a very flattering thing, and Jen's a great person. You just take it with a grain of salt."
"Vince is a gentleman," said Caparulo, who met Vaughn through Ahmed and has stayed up all night at Vaughn's house wearing out the PlayStation.
Caparulo, who graduated from Kent in 1998 and has a development deal with NBC for a series, worked out his act at places such as Mad Hatters in Painesville. He headed to Los Angeles in 1999, got a job working the door at the Comedy Store, and now he's playing to sold-out theaters with a big-screen star.
"Everybody is coming up to see this guy, and we're the guys around him," Caparulo admits. "He's a matinee idol, and I'm definitely the ugliest guy on the tour." He said it's amazing what a regular guy Vaughn is.
"To attach his name and allow us to be involved with his name is flattering," said Ernst, who wears his patriotism on his sleeve during his act. "I've worked with a lot of comedic celebrities, so to speak. Vince is just a really good dude."
Most nights, the troupe heads to the bus and a long ride to the next place, but once in a while they get an evening to kill. Maniscalco loves when that happens.
"It's really different than going to a nightclub on your own. Next month, when this tour is over and I go out, I'll be waiting outside the rope," he said. "With Vince, it's carte blanche, through the kitchen, secret entrance."
Sebastian Maniscalco, Bret Ernst, Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo
And I just have to say this...Bret, you are one hot-looking man. And you're pretty damn funny, too. I will forever remember your techno dance club jokes. And the roller skating! OMG. Too funny.
By Angie Fenton
The Courier-Journal
Found here
The last time Vince rode into town, Funny Cide stole the show at Kentucky Derby 129.
"That was kind of the surprise winner of the day," Vaughn, 35, recalled.
This time, the 6-foot-5 star is headed back to Louisville with a surprise all his own: He's playing the host of Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show -- a 30-day, 30-show improv and sketch comedy tour headlined by a bus full of upstarts.
"This is the best of the next generation of great comedians," Vaughn said. "If you want to see shows like this, you have to go to New York or Los Angeles or Las Vegas. … I wanted to bring it to places that don't get these types of shows."
When the bus stops here Saturday, don't expect to see the same Vaughn who co-starred with Owen Wilson in this summer's smash comedy, "Wedding Crashers." Or the one who pegged audiences with scripted wit alongside Ben Stiller in "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." And especially not the Vaughn from the cult classic "Swingers," which he did as a favor for his pal, writer Jon Favreau.
This time, Vaughn is on an unscripted mission and anything goes.
"I love getting up and laying live on stage," he said.
In homage to his tour, Vaughn laid live in a little game of impromptu word association.
What: "Swingers."
Why: This is the movie that put Vaughn on the map. Steven Spielberg saw the budding actor in the flick and cast him in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park" in 1997, which paved the way for Vaughn's stardom.
Vaughn's response: "My favorite."
What: "Mr. Sunshine."
Why: A nickname of unknown origin that interviewers often refer to.
Vaughn: "Vincent D'Onofrio (his co-star in the upcoming 'Thumbsucker') teasing me."
What: Chicago Blackhawks.
Why: Vaughn grew up in Illinois.
Vaughn: "That's my favorite hockey team, although I'm not a hockey fan."
What: Jane Seymour.
Why: She gave a titillating and much-publicized performance in "Wedding Crashers."
Vaughn: "Very nice."
What: Multiracial.
Why: Vaughn is of Lebanese, Italian, Irish, English and German ancestry.
Vaughn: "Wonderful."
What: His latest crush
Why: C'mon -- aren't you curious?
Vaughn: "The Wild West tour."
What: Smoking cessation.
Why: The fast-talking funnyman gave up the nasty habit … didn't he?
Vaughn: "I quit for seven months, (but) I've broken on this tour. I started smoking again. It's a very difficult habit to kick."
What: Snoop Dogg.
Why: The rapper nearly stole the show in "Starsky & Hutch" as Huggy Bear, whom Vaughn's characters slaps.
Vaughn: "I love Snoop. Very childlike."
What: High school president.
Why: Vaughn was at Lake Forest (Illinois) High, which he attended with Pulitzer-Prize-nominated author Dave Eggers.
Vaughn: "That's how I graduated. My father said, 'You'll be the first senior class president to run for two terms.' " (He managed to graduate on schedule.)
What: Wilmington, N.C.
Why: After an April 2001 brawl, Vaughn was banned from Wilmington's bars, ordered to undergo alcohol assessment and fined $250.
Vaughn: "Nice place."
Movie star showcases 'the best comedians' and some mystery guests
By Michael Donahue
commercialappeal.com
Found here
He won't wear a cowboy hat, a beard and long locks like Buffalo Bill Cody, but, like the famous frontiersman/showman, Vince Vaughn will announce the featured acts at "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" tonight at the Orpheum.
"Buffalo Bill used to take famous characters from the past and put together a live circus show," said Vaughn, star of the summer's hit comedy movie, "Wedding Crashers" as well as "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "Old School" and "Swingers."
Vaughn is taking "the best comedians," putting them on a bus and presenting them in one traveling show.
He simply wants people around the country to witness "the next generation of comics coming out of here."
Playing in 30 cities over 30 days, the show will feature national touring comedians from the world famous Los Angeles Comedy Store including Sebastian Maniscalco, Ahmed-Ahmed, Bret Ernst and John Caparulo.
Mystery guests also are a part of the show. Vaughn won't reveal who will show up in Memphis, but country singer Dwight Yoakum and Justin Long from "Dodgeball" appeared in past shows.
A native of Minneapolis who grew up in Lake Forest, Ill., Vaughn said, "My dad always had a great sense of humor."
Asked if Vaughn was the class clown, he said, "I liked to joke around."
After appearing in a Chevy commercial, Vaughn moved to Hollywood, where he appeared on television and made his first credited movie, "Rudy." On that film, he met Jon Favreau, who was writing a script about his life as an out-of-work actor and looking for love in Hollywood. Favreau got Vaughn to play Trent Walker in the critically acclaimed movie.
Because of that film, Steven Spielberg signed Vaughn to appear in "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."
His roles also included playing Norman Bates in the remake of "Psycho" and a serial killer in "Clay Pigeons." But even though he played a murderer in the latter, he still brought humor to the character.
Vaughn doesn't necessarily prefer comedy over serious roles. "I like comedy. I'm glad I'm able to do both. It's boring if you're just doing one."
Asked if he was more of a Laurel and Hardy or Three Stooges fan growing up, Vaughn said, "I was probably more Laurel and Hardy. The Stooges, to me, after a while got to be the same thing."
But, he said, "It's all subjective."
What makes him laugh is a comedian who "talks about their own experiences, things that happen to them. Very genuine. The one thing they (the comedians he's featuring) have in common is that they laugh at themselves. Human relatable stuff."
An example of a funny scene to Vaughn is the scene in "Swingers" in which the character played by Favreau makes six phone calls to a woman he just met that night. Vaughn likes "things that are sort of truthful to human nature that are also sort of awkward."
Vaughn did standup comedy "just for a laugh, but I never pursued it seriously. It was never my calling."
He won't do standup comedy in the Memphis show. "We'll do some comedy sketches on stage. I prefer doing scenes and things like that."
Vaughn selected Memphis as one of the stops because he's never been here before. "There's a lot of musical history."
He likes "old country music, classic rock music, big band, R&B music."
And Vaughn's an Elvis fan. "I first listened to Elvis when I was a little kid. He made a good impression on me. (There was) a lot of warmth and sincerity to him. I was sort of drawn to him."
Well, the boys have made it through half of the tour. If you want to read how they're doing, check out their MySpace blog. Not a whole lot there yet, but Sebastian posted something today about the Oklahoma show. Hopefully, they'll post more before the end of the tour. But if not, we'll just have to wait for the documentary. Edit: More posts are up today. :)
I hope the whole crew is having a great time and enjoying the trip. Time sure flies when you're having fun, doesn't it?
by Joshua Michael Torres
The Oklahoma Daily
Found here. Thanks, Krissy for passing this along!
The "Wedding Crashers" movie star's "Wild West Comedy Round Up" will take place at the Bricktown Events Center on Sunday, beginning 8 p.m.
Vince Vaughn, who has entertained movie audiences with his comedic performances in such modern classics as “Swingers,” is bringing some of his own favorite comics to Oklahoma City.
Vince Vaughn’s “Wild West Comedy Round Up” will take place at the Bricktown Events Center on Sunday, beginning at 8 p.m..
The Daily' caught up with Vaughn earlier this week to see what he had to say about the show feauring comics Bret “Captain America” Ernst, John “The Ohio Player” Caparulo, Ahmed “The Egyptian Lover” Ahmed, Sebastian “The Hit Man” Maniscalco.
The Daily: How have the shows been so far, Vince?
Vaughn: Its been a great show. It’s been a lot of fun to take this show so many places. Everywhere we’ve had a great response.
The Daily: Whose idea was this shindig in the first place?
Vaughn: It was my idea. A friend of mine had a bar in New Orleans that would bring people to these comics. When I was doing "Wedding Crashers" I thought, "Why not do a benefit working for the Army Emergency Relief?" It went great. I brought [John] Favreau. The idea came from there. I figured why not take it the show on the road. Make this a variety show, take it to a lot of different places. I personally had to go to L.A. to pursue entertainment. Folks in the middle part of the country have to go to the coast to see anything good. Why not bring a top notch variety show where they don’t usually get to see these type of people?
The Daily: Tell me about the comics.
Vaughn: I have four comics. This is the next generation of comedy greats right here.
The Daily: Did you hand-pick these guys?
Vaughn: I did. Richard Pryor gave his personal award, and he gave it to Ahmed. That’s no small award to get, especially coming from Richard Pryor. One time I had Dwight Yoakam come out as a surprise along with the show, also John Favreau. Lots of different surprises are in store. I’ve got a couple good surprises for you guys.
The Daily: What have these guys done on the scene?
Vaughn: John Caparulo has a TV show coming out. He’s been on "Tonight Show" and "Premium Blend." Sebastian has a TV show in development. Brad has a TV show coming as well and he’s been on Craig Kilbourn and "C.S.I. New York." These guys are all on the verge of really breaking.
The Daily: You said this is going to be a variety show. Do you mean like Second City type variety?
Vaughn: Not so much Second City. What we do is the stand-ups come out, and then I’ll come out and do some improv with the audience. I’ll do two or three segments of sketch comedy. I change it up a every night.
The Daily: These crowds that you are trying to reach—those who never get to see this type of show— how have they been enjoying it?
Vaughn: We get a standing ovation everywhere we play. People really like it. You're seeing the best young comics in America. You don’t usually get to see people you see in films onstage everyday.
The Daily: How is this affecting your schedule back in Hollywood?
Vaughn: I do this for thirty days and thirty nights. After that I go and do another movie back in Los Angeles. It’s a movie by David O’ Russell, he did "Three Kings." It’s a big studio movie for Universal.
The Daily: Are you guys doing any benefits with the money that’s coming in?
Vaughn: Some of the shows down south have turned into benefits for Katrina. Texas had to cancel that because they had an evacuation happening. The second show is in Dallas, and that is going to be a benefit for Beaumont.
The Daily: Would you ever do something like this again?
Vaughn: Yeah! It’s always fun to do this. The crowd’s reaction makes you encouraged to do this again. I wanted to do a live show like this for awhile. This sort of thing hasn’t been done in a long time, especially out of Vegas with actors that have been in films. I don’t know what will happen in the future.
By RODNEY HO
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
VINCE VAUGHN is fast approaching A-list status after his massive summer hit "Wedding Crashers." And now he's rumored to be canoodling with true A-lister Jennifer Aniston after the pair filmed "The Break-Up" over the summer. But instead of kicking back and enjoying his fame Chris Tucker-style, he's storming the country with four up-and-coming comics in a whirlwind 30-day, 30-city tour dubbed "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show." We learn that the motormouth actor talks as fast on the phone as he does in the movies:
Why are you hosting this?
I love performing live in front of an audience. There's something thrilling about it that's different from doing a movie.
But a 30-day bus trip sounds pretty rough.
For me, it's a chance to go to places I haven't been before. I've only been to Atlanta once for the Super Bowl. I haven't had a chance to spend any time there.
You'll barely have time this time around. . . . So why these particular comics?
I like these stand-up comedians. They hang out at the world-famous Comedy Store [L.A. comedy shop partly owned by Pauly Shore]. They've done Comedy Central and "The Tonight Show" but haven't quite broken it big. I get to MC and do sketches with the comedians.
Will this be like the "Kings of Comedy" or "Blue Collar Comedy Tour"?
I never thought of it that way. It's more of an old-school, Rat Pack variety show.
So how much did you bribe Jennifer Aniston to wear a T-shirt promoting your show [seen recently in various tabloids]?
I heard about that picture. I haven't seen it. We're selling those shirts online. People are buying them up.
Let's cut to the chase: Are you and Aniston an item?
We're just good friends [chuckle].
Just an FYI...the Beaumont, TX show has been cancelled, but a matinee show has been added at the Granada Theater in Dallas. Go here for tickets.
Thanks so much to Jennifer from the office of Senator Dean Florez for sending us this wonderful news story:
BAKERSFIELD -- Bakersfield welcomed Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show to town Thursday night, and Senator Dean Florez was on hand to honor the actor and comedian for his many contributions, both in entertainment and to the community.
Florez, D-Shafter, presented Vaughn with a resolution highlighting his many accomplishments in the entertainment field, from crashing weddings to cartwheeling through casinos, and praising his lesser-publicized charitable works.
The framed Senate Resolution commended Vaughn for his visits to troops in the Middle East, as well as for his contributions to the Children’s Defense Fund, Smile Train, Cure Autism Now, UNICEF and Army Emergency Relief, an organization that helps those who have lost a spouse while on active duty for the armed services.
Vaughn, who has starred in such hits as Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Swingers, was in Bakersfield to perform as part of his national “30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland” comedy tour.
Click the extended entry below to read the resolution language. It's pretty neat.
By the Honorable Dean Florez, 16th Senatorial District; Relative to commending
WHEREAS, Vincent Anthony Vaughn, an entertainer of world renown, has been selected for special distinction on September 15, 2005, and in recognition thereof, he is deserving of special public commendations; and
WHEREAS, Vincent Vaughn was born on March 28, 1970, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Vernon Vaughn, a salesman, and Sharon Vaughn, a real-estate agent and stockbroker; and
WHEREAS, Raised in Lake Forest, Illinois, Vince is the younger brother of Victoria Vaughn and Valerie Vaughn; and
WHEREAS, Vince was interested in theater early on and appeared in a spot in a Chevrolet commercial; he then packed his bags and headed for Hollywood where he became a struggling actor; and
WHEREAS, Vince made a few television appearances, but his real goal was to make it to the big screen; and
WHEREAS, Vince made his first credited role in the film Rudy in 1993, where he met his friend Jon Favreau, who was writing a script detailing his life as an out-of-work actor; and
WHEREAS, Vince was written into Swingers in 1996, by Jon to play the character of Trent and coined the phrase "money"; he signed on just as a favor to his buddy, not realizing it would be a career changing role, and though not a commercial success, Swingers was a critical success in which Steven Spielberg saw him and cast him in the big budget sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997, and this role gave Vince the exposure he needed to become a movie star and, for the first time, choose roles; and
WHEREAS, In 1998, he portrayed a loving father in A Cool, Dry Place; in Return to Paradise, he was cast as a man having to make a life or death decision to save a friend, and Clay Pigeons cast him as a serial killer, and he also was cast as Norman Bates for the shot-for-shot remake of Psycho; and
WHEREAS, For some, the college years were the best of their lives, but Vince's character Bernard in Old School shows that being a husband and father of two can be just as fun, if not more, and that all you need are a pair of ear muffs; and
WHEREAS, Vince single-handedly brought the 1970s playground game of dodgeball to a whole new level and was the funniest Norman Bates ever witnessed; and
WHEREAS, As Ricky Slade, Vince Made audiences want to keep their day jobs and never even think about freelancing their services to the mob, and he also has been known to bust out with a good series of cartwheels on the floor of casinos; and
WHEREAS, Committed to his fellow countrymen, Vince Vaughn visited troops in the Middle East in July 2004 and again in September 2005, and, committed to give back to the community, he donated a costume from Be Cool to The Clothes Off Our Back auction in which proceeds will benefit the Children's Defense Fund, Smile Train, Cure Autism Now, and the UNICEF Tsunami Relief Fund, and, in 2004, he hosted a charity show Outlaws of Stand-up Comedy in which the proceeds went to the Army Emergency Relief, an organization that helps those who have lost a spouse while on active duty for the armed services; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his career, Vince Vaughn has made a lasting impression on millions of fans, and his immense and varied talents have earned for him the respect of his professional associates and the general community alike; now, therefore, be it pride and pleasure in commending Vincent Anthony Vaughn, a truly extraordinary individual, for his invaluable contributions to the entertainment industry, that have brought so much pleasure to so many people over the years.
Honorable Dean Florez
16th Senatorial District
Bruce Japsen
Chicago Tribune
Found here
It wasn't too difficult to pick out actor Vince Vaughn as he paraded early Sunday through the Golden Nugget casino amid the Las Vegas BikeFest 2005 crowd.
It was the latest stop for the actor, now filming a documentary. And the "Wedding Crashers" star seemed to enjoy himself as he sipped a cocktail and grabbed the dice to roll some craps after hosting "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show" at the hotel Saturday.
Vaughn signed autographs and chatted with gamblers and bikers alike in front of the dice pit while being filmed by his documentary crew. The traveling comedy show, which moved to Phoenix later Sunday, will be included in the documentary, which Vaughn told Nugget spa staff would premier next year.
Asked which NFL team he was betting on Sunday, Vaughn wanted some advice. We said take the Bears and the "over."
Eden's a big fan of Vince's. I remember exchanging a couple of emails with her way back when I started this site. It may have been even before that, when I only had the Vince Vaughn Photo Bonanza. Coincidentally, I used to occasionally read her blog and was excited when she left a comment yesterday that she was at the Bakersfield show, too! She wrote about her experience meeting Vince and also posted some pictures on her Flickr account.
So go check out her site and read about her moment with Vince. It's very sweet. I wish I had known she was going to be there. I would have loved to have met her. :-)
I also posted something on the forum about my experience meeting him Thursday night.
Thanks, Eden for letting me use your pictures! :D
By Kelly Wilson, East Valley Tribune
Vince Vaughn will dish openly about his 30-city Wild West Comedy Tour. He’ll excitedly discuss his film career. But mention his famous "friend" Jennifer Aniston, whom he’s rumored to be romancing, and the actor becomes tight-lipped and distant.
In fact, all he’ll offer is a simple "No, I’m not getting into all of that" when asked if he’s dating Brad Pitt’s soon-to-be ex, who will co-star with him in next year’s ""The Break-Up"."
"I understand people are trying to sell papers, but it’s not something that I spend my time focusing on," he says, shrugging off gossip during a call from Los Angeles.
But bring the conversation back to his comedy tour, which will swing into the Celebrity Theatre on Sunday, and the charismatic actor — who made a name for himself in comedies such as "Swingers," "Old School," "Dodgeball" and, most recently, "Wedding Crashers" — becomes very animated.
"It was all my idea," he boasts of the tour. "A friend of mine has a bar, and I went and watched some comedians down there and sort of hosted the show, and the show went really well. And last year when I was shooting "Wedding Crashers," I put together a show in Dewey Beach (Del.) as sort of a benefit for the Army Emergency Relief Fund.
"And I did another benefit for the same organization in Chicago, and the shows have always been so well received. The audiences just go crazy for them. . . . I figured it would be good to get on a bus and get to go to a bunch of places, some places that I’ve never seen before."
Vaughn says he handpicked Los Angeles Comedy Store comics Bret Ernst, John Caparulo, Ahmed Ahmed and Sebastian Maniscalco for the tour.
"They’re all, like, great comedians who have been on ‘The Tonight Show,’ " he says. "They’ve been on Comedy Central’s ‘Premium Blend.’ They’ve been in movies and television shows."
Those looking for their Vaughn fix won’t be disappointed, says the funnyman. In addition to hosting the show, the actor will perform sketch comedy in between acts. And he even promises a special guest performer (no, probably not Aniston!).
"We had Justin Long from ‘Dodgeball’ come out during one show," he says. "You never know who will come out."
Vaughn says he’s looking forward to the Phoenix show because it will be a homecoming of sorts.
"My dad will be there, so I’ll get to see him and his wife and some family friends, which will be nice," he explains about his father, who lives in Paradise Valley. "I try to make it out there two or three times a year to visit. I spend all my Thanksgivings out there."
By DANIELLE C. BELTON, Californian staff writer
e-mail: dbelton@bakersfield.com
Found here
Have no fear, entertainment reporter Danielle Belton made the show and has got a recap — including the after party dirt.
“Vince Vaughn is so hot!” shouted a quintet of blondes from the back row when the actor strutted out onto the stage at the Fox Theater Thursday night.
He smiled. He winked. He flirted and he charmed. With four other comics and two special guest the Rat Pack was reborn.
There was no Sinatra but the spirit of Frankie and Sammy came in the form of Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy show with a country twang and twice the raunch.
Featuring the star of “Swingers” and “Wedding Crashers,” Vaughn pulled a Dean Martin, hosting the show and participating in skits in between the sets of his four comic friends, Bret Ernst, Sebastian Maniscalco, John Caparulo and Ahmed Ahmed.
But the show wasn’t just stand-up only. Dwight Yoakam sang three songs, then forced Vaughn into a rendition of “Streets of Bakersfield” that was both throaty and off-key.
Former child star Peter Billingsley came out as a special guest chatting up with Vaughn about their days together starring in After-school Specials, notably one on steroids where the diminutive Billingsley, not the 6’5” Vaughn, played a young man raging on steroids.
The new, working air conditioning at the Fox was set to freeze (the A/C infamously broke during a steaming Chris Isaak concert this summer). And the show moved at a clip, with a crowd of more than 1,100 people packed in the 1,500 seater Fox, giving Vaughn and the comics a reception was that was beyond warm.
Especially when it came to the jokes — both from the audience and the comics.
• “I love you too, honey,” Vaughn cooed at the ladies who shouted out to him every time he graced the stage. “I love you more.”
• “Arabs — we’re the new black,” shouted comic Ahmed during his set about post 9-11 racism.
• “We hate Brad Pitt,” bellowed some men.
• “I love him,” Vaughn said. The actor is rumored to be dating Pitt’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston. “He’s a great guy.”
• “You can’t be single guy with a cat. You’re either gay or a villain,” Caparulo said on pet ownership.
• “Porn — it’s a me time kind of thing,” Caparulo said on a bit about friends who turn pornography viewing into a social event.
• “You’re money, baby,” Vaughn said before launching into all his catch phrases from all his films, ending on “Wedding Crashers” infamous quotes.
• “Come to my wedding!” shouted a fan.
• “Come to your wedding? Congratulations but I’m not coming to your wedding,” Vaughn said.
• “You have to be on drugs to like techno,” Bret Ernst said during his music based stand-up.
• The “Go Blind” and “Never Walk Again” are two out of the three types of shot drinks Ernst said he doesn’t want to imbibe in.
• “I’m sensitive to sensitive people,” Ernst said while talking about his hatred of the overtly politically correct.
• “I have a Yul Brynner range,” joked Vaughn about his horrific singing abilities.
• “Doyle, you’re awful! You shouldn’t be that way!” Vaughn repeatedly shouted at special guest Dwight Yoakam as Vaughn goaded him into a skit. Vaughn was still in his suit, but wearing a wig and playing a woman, Linda, from the film “Sling Blade” which starred Yoakam and Billy Bob Thornton.
• “You’re starting to scare me,” Yoakam said after Vaughn screamed the line at him and would not stop. Eventually Yoakam did act out the scene with Vaughn and Caparulo, who played the child.
• “Have a little class, ladies — wrap up the gift,” comic Sebastian Maniscalco said about women who wear half tops but have flabby stomachs.
• “Sock it!” shouted Maniscalco in his rant on men who wear thong sandals and have “Golden Grahams” for toenails.
• “Sweet Caroline” was the karaoke song Vaughn invited the audience to join for a sing-a-long as he ended the packed show, thanking Bakersfield for being good hosts.
And after the show....
• At the after party at the Crystal Palace a girl waited in the restroom “for Vince,” but Vince Vaughn didn’t show for either after-party.
• As comic Sebastian Maniscalco danced with a girl at RJ’s he was busy looking at his cell phone text messaging someone. He joked about text messaging in his stand-up.
• “I got this! I got all this!” shouted Ahmed Ahmed as he bought almost everyone he could find drinks for at RJ’s Bar after the show, referring back to Bret Ernst’s schtick on Italians and drink ordering at bars.
• Rumors about actress Jennifer Aniston being in town abounded (she’s rumored to be dating Vaughn) but she was no where in sight.
Pictures from Bakersfield are up. They aren't as good as the ones from the Santa Ana show, but there are pictures of Dwight!!!
I'm too tired to write anything right now, but I will say that my camera got quite a workout tonight.
P.S. I wrote a little about the night on the forum.
Now you can buy Wild West Comedy Show T-Shirts from the WWPSP website.
Who went to the comedy show at The Henry Fonda Theatre tonight?
How was it?
Got any scoop for us?
Any special guests?
I can't wait until Wednesday!
:D :D :D
Here's an upadated schedule of all dates for Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Tour. All tickets are on sale now or will be on sale very soon. The first three shows (Hollywood, San Diego and Santa Ana) have already sold out and St. Louis tickets are going fast!
Sep 12 Hollywood, CA Henry Fonda Theatre 8PM
Sep 13 San Diego, CA 4th & B 8:00 PM
Sep 14 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre 8PM
Sep 15 Bakersfield, CA Fox Theatre 8PM
Sep 16 Ventura, CA Ventura Theatre 8PM
Sep 17 Las Vegas, NV Golden Nugget
Sep 18 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre 8PM
Sep 19 Tucson, AZ Centennial Hall @ University of Arizona 8PM
Sep 20 El Paso,TX Magoffin Auditorium at UTEP 8PM
Sep 21 Lubbock,TX Municipal Auditorium 8PM
Sep 22 Austin,TX Paramount Theatre 7:30 PM
Sep 23 Dallas,TX Gypsy Tea Room 8PM
Sep 24 Beaumont,TX Jefferson Theatre 8PM
Sep 25 Oklahoma City, OK Coca Cola Bricktown Events Center 8PM*
Sep 26 Little Rock, AR @ Robinson Center
Sep 27 Birmingham, AL The Wright Center at Samford University
Sep 28 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live 8PM
Sep 29 Memphis,TN The Orpheum 9PM
Sep 30 Nashville,TN Ryman Theatre 8PM
Oct 1 Louisville, KY The Brown Theatre 8PM
Oct 2 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Oct 3 Indianapolis, IN The Egyptian Room 8PM
Oct 4 Cincinnati,OH Cincinnati Music Hall 8PM
Oct 5 Columbus, OH Southern Theatre 8PM
Oct 6 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre 8PM
Oct 7 Detroit, MI State Theatre 9PM
Oct 8 South Bend, IN Stepan @ University of Notre Dame
Oct 9 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre 8PM
Oct 10 Madison, WI Barrymore 8PM
Oct 11 Chicago, IL The Vic Theater 9PM
Beautiful Jennifer Aniston walks her dog along the beach wearing a Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show shirt! Yay! More of the pics can be seen here: What a nice endorsement!
(Her sweats say "I have nothing new to teach the world. Truth and non violence are as old as the hills." [Gandhi])
Amen, sister.
From Entertaiment Weekly's September 2nd issue
An exclusive look at Vince Vaughn's next gig
WEDDING CRASHERS MAY BE the summer's top comedy, but star Vince Vaughn, 35, isn't resting on his laurels. He's informed EW exclusively that next he'll emcee Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show, a 30-day, 30-gig U.S. tour featuring stand-ups Ahmed Ahmed, John Caparulo, Bret Ernst, and Sebastian Maniscalco. The bus gets rolling Sept. 12 in L.A. and drives through the South and Midwest before parking in the Windy City on Oct. 11. (For more information, go to wildwestpictureshowproductions.com.) "Bands travel around and perform every night," he says. "That kind of live interaction with the crowd is always great." In other words, he's ready to rock. —Joshua Rich
How did you assemble this ensemble from L.A.'s Comedy Store? There's something really pure about these comics. Like my friend, Ahed is Muslim-American, and there are not a lot of roles or opportunities for him, so stand-up comedy became his only road, the way for him to express what's going on. For all the comics, there's some truth in that for the comedy they do.
Is your hosting style more Miss America or Wrestle-Mania? [Chuckles] It's just myself. My favorite was Johnny Carson. You come out, try to make people feel comfortable, try to have fun. I don't want to pick on the audience—it's not my style. If there's any teasing, it's self-deprecating.
Do you have any fond road trip memories? My family would take road trips all the time—we'd go [from Illinois] to Ohio or down to Florida. That was always a big deal: being in a car, traveling with your family, trying not to get grounded byt the time you get there!
Now that you're an expert wedding crasher, what advice would you give to folks who plan on crashing the shows? I don't think they're crashable. I mean, you've gotta guy tickets.
Here they are!
Sep 12 Hollywood, CA Henry Fonda Theatre 8PM
Sep 13 San Diego, CA 4th & B 8:00 PM
Sep 14 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre 8PM
Sep 15 Bakersfield, CA Fox Theatre 8PM
Sep 16 Ventura, CA Ventura Theatre 8PM
Sep 17 Las Vegas, NV Golden Nugget
Sep 18 Phoenix, AZ Celebrity Theatre 8PM
Sep 19 Tucson, AZ Centennial Hall @ University of Arizona 8PM
Sep 20 El Paso,TX Magoffin Auditorium at UTEP 8PM
Sep 21 Lubbock,TX Municipal Auditorium 8PM
Sep 22 Austin,TX Paramount Theatre 7:30 PM
Sep 23 Dallas,TX Gypsy Tea Room 8PM
Sep 24 Beaumont,TX Jefferson Theatre 8PM
Sep 25 Oklahoma City, OK Coca Cola Bricktown Events Center 8PM*
Sep 26 TBD*
Sep 27 Birmingham, AL TBD*
Sep 28 Atlanta, GA Earthlink Live 8PM
Sep 29 Memphis,TN The Orpheum 9PM
Sep 30 Nashville,TN Ryman Theatre 8PM
Oct 1 Louisville, KY The Brown Theatre 8PM
Oct 2 St. Louis, MO tbd
Oct 3 Indianapolis, IN The Egyptian Room 8PM
Oct 4 Cincinnati,OH Cincinnati Music Hall 8PM
Oct 5 Columbus, OH Southern Theatre 8PM
Oct 6 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre 8PM
Oct 7 Detroit, MI State Theatre 9PM
Oct 8 South Bend, IN Stepan @ University of Notre Dame
Oct 9 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre 8PM
Oct 10 Madison, WI Barrymore 8PM
Oct 11 Chicago, IL Park West 9PM
*Note changes due to Hurricane Katrina
Last Friday, Vince was on WXRT Radio Chicago's morning show to talk about the Wild West Comedy Show. He also talked a bit about the Purple Heart controversy, the paparazzi, "The Break-Up", etc. Scroll down to the Wild West Comedy Show logo and you'll find the link to the interview there.
Just noticed that another date has been added to the Ticketmaster site. The show will be at The Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California, on September 14. Tickets go on sale this Saturday! I'm going to do my best to get a couple of tickets for this show before they sell out. Santa Ana's like right down the street from me. :)
Edit: Four shows are now listed on Ticketmaster:
Sat, 8/20/05, 9:00 PM
Park West Chicago, IL
Might be sold out.
Tue, 9/13/05, 8:00 PM
4th and B San Diego, CA
Fri, 8/19/05 12:00 PM
Wed, 9/14/05, 8:00 PM
Galaxy Theatre Santa Ana, CA
on sale: Sat, 08/20/05 10:00 AM
Fri, 9/16/05, 7:00 PM
Ventura Theatre Ventura, CA
on sale: Fri, 08/19/05 11:00 AM
So if you watched Vince on Letterman tonight, you heard him mention the comedy tour he's hosting starting in September. Here's the info, which can also be found on the Wild West Picture Show Productions website.
Appearing for one night only Saturday, August 20thPARK WEST THEATER
CHICAGO, ILLINOISFeaturing
Brett “Captain America” Ernst
Headliner of the Montreal Comedy Festival;
currently on "Comedy Centrals’ Premium Blend"John “The Ohio Player” Caparulo
"Tonight Show with Jay Leno"Ahmed “The Egyptian Lover” Ahmed
"MTV’s Punk’d" and "Comedy Central’s Tough Crowd"Sebastian “The Hit Man” Maniscalco
"HBO’s New Faces" comedy special and "Comedy Central’s Premium Blend"TICKETS go on sale Saturday August 7th on TicketMaster
