What's New?
APRIL 2013
Karen has been on a roll lately up on the stage:
- Karen can currently be seen in "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" at The La Mirada Theatre for The Performing Arts. are good and it'll run through May 5th if you want to see Karen sing, act, dance AND play the guitar!
- Karen got to play her favorite role of all-time at Glendale Center Theatre last fall, as Audrey in . Her first time at a great L.A. theater.
- Also in 2012, Karen had a three-week run as Babe in at . A challenging role for Karen as she played someone relatively normal...!
- Finally, since our last update, Karen appeared in "The Real Love", an original musical at the Pasadena Civic Center. It featured Adam Pascal ("Rent", "Memphis"), Cady Huffman ("The Producers"), Robert Torti ("Starlight Express") and Daisy Eagan ("The Secret Garden"), plus cameos from the likes of Dick Van Patten, Shirley Jones, Betty Buckley and Cloris Leachman!
has Paul and Karen busier then ever!:
- Paul & Karen joined Adam Witt and Lee Kias for The Movie Guys LIVE! Radio Show, which just finished five months on . After taking April off, they'll be back on the air to preview "Iron Man 3" and the summer 2013 films!
- And they recently wrapped up close to two years of monthly live preformances of at The Second City Hollywood!
- Paul & Karen also appear regularly as The Movie Guys on "Broad Topics" on and on to talk film, and check out Paul's archive reviews from a weekly gig reviewing films for in Houston.
- The has been on hold for a while, but there are tons of new videos in 2012, including special guests Stoney Westmoreland and Chris Gore from G4TV.
is going VERY strong. Paul has produced, directed, edited, shot and basically run himself ragged putting together video projects of all sizes all over the country! Recent jobs include:
- The Opportunity Education Foundation charity concert with Kelly Clarkson (Dallas)
- The Spring Concert Series at Universal CityWalk featuring Lee DeWyze and more
- The Embrace Pedicure chair product demo for Belava.com
- Audition and demo reels for actors in L.A., including Chelsea Cannell (Fox Sports) & Blair Late (Bravo TV).
- and more!
- Karen had a super-successful CD launch for , an original country music album. It was held at Whiskey Bend in Burbank and featured Karen with a full band playing songs by Chuck Pelletier and country classics. See a clip ! Karen also played her inaugural concerts in November in Jamestown, NY. and will be returning to Western NY in July for an encore.
- On the heels of the CD, Karen launched . You can head there for info on Karen's musical and theatrical adventures.
- Paul hasn't been up at Universal Studios Hollywood performing The Blues Brothers show in years, but HAS been Elwood Blues in a number of corporate and special events for companies like Gallup and Chiquita.
- Paul booked a print job for Apple, so if you end up being hired by Mac, check out the human resources training photos for pictures of Paul looking like he knows what he's doing.
- Karen & Paul took the cruise again this year. Karen participated in the Open Mic contests and was asked on stage for the final guitar circle performance following Shawn Mullins, Shawn Colvin, Jim Lauderdale and Jim Bianco.
- Paul appeared in Downey Civic Light Opera's production of last fall, playing Lank.
- Paul was editor on an original FuelTV production, . The show consisted of MMA star Baz Rutten watching security camrea footage of robberies, then he'd re-enact them to show the viewer how they could've better defended themselves. It's pretty much a fun excuse for Baz to beat up guys from his SoCal MMA studio!
- In October 2011, Paul flew to IRELAND to shoot a documentary with Ryan Paregien. Ryan has written an original musical that involves the music of U2, and the doc was in support of that, visiting locals and getting a feel for people's thoughts on the show, which would solely be performed to raise money for African charities. We also tried to track down Bono, to no avail. But the search for Bono is not over, and the musical can be found at . It gets its first full production this summer.
- Last September saw the debut at The L.A. Shorts Fest of "The Children of Rowdy Ridge", a documentary about a summer camp for mothers and children coming from families struggling with abuse. Paul was proud to serve as cameraman on this great project.
- Last September (and July/Aug.) also saw Paul return as bodyguard for the always-needing-one Sonny on "General Hospital". May his criminal reign last forever.
JULY, 2011
- Karen recently completed a very successful run as Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl" at . She garnered GREAT reviews, played to full houses and got new representation from an agency that came to the show! Watch a highlight reel of her performance on .
- has Paul and Karen very busy! Most recently, they shot more episodes of the ongoing and perform monthly in , live sketch comedy at The Second City Hollywood! Paul & Karen also appeared as The Movie Guys on "Broad Topics" on to talk film, part of The Movie Guys' monthly appearances on the show.
- Paul joined Jonathan Browning from and Stoney Westmoreland in a great documentary adventure, "The Rowdy Ridge Film Project". Paul spent a week in the woods at a summer camp that caters to families dealing with abuse - substance, physical, etc. The week Paul, Jonathan and Stoney shot was a group of moms in rehab bonding with their kids in an attempt to get them back from Child Services. The documentary promises to be a unique look at addiction and how the simple things (including a week in nature) can bring healing. It was an emotional and creatively satisfying week, and despite the heavy sound of the subject matter, it's always fun to make a movie!
- Karen is in rehearsals for a new musical going up August 27th at The Pasadena Civic Center. It's called "The Real Love", and features loads of Broadway talent, including Adam Pascal ("Rent"), Cady Huffman ("The Producers"), Robert Torti ("Starlight Express") and Daisy Eagan ("The Secret Garden"). There are also some legends appearing in this one-time-only performance, including Shirley Jones, Betty Buckley and Cloris Leachman!
- Karen and Paul are staying active as board members of , The Midwest Entertainment Connection. In June, Paul participated in MECONN's Script Reading Series, performing in a staged reading of the original screenplay "Little Mafia".
- Paul was cameraman at this year's World Stunt Awards on the Paramount Pictures lot. It was an exciting night in The Paramount Theater, and everyone was a winner, because everyone who's a stuntman is hot.
- Paul has appeared on "General Hospital" a couple of times this Summer as a bodyguard. It seems Jason and Sonny's criminal gangs have come together, so there's opportunity to protect two of the big guys on the show. We hope they don't die because 1) Paul would be out of work and 2) It would mean Paul is a horrible bodyguard.
- Leah Finkelstein's new CD, "Feigning Composure" is being released this week! It was recorded at Rusk Studios in Hollywood and Karen sang backing vocals on a number of tunes. Check out Leah's announcement about the new CD , and look for it on sale via iTunes in mid-August!
- Paul appears in a new short film entitled "Open House", a collaboration with Tom Martin and Kevin Will, whose previous work can be seen on . "Open House" is WRONG, and is in post-production.
- Paul booked a print job for Toshiba, appearing as a salesman for internal brochures and marketing.
- Paul recently finished more video projects with his production company, , including:
A Safety Week highlight reel for Environmental Health & Safety at Universal Studios Hollywood
A summer music events reel highlighting the new stage at Universal CityWalk
Audition tapes and demo reels for TV and film talent