Sweeney Takes Ner New Show To Broadway
Julia Sweeney is on a roll, straight to Broadway and then to Sundance, Telluride and beyond.
“God Said, ‘Ha’,” the one-woman show written by and starring this Spokane actress, is suddenly a hot property in practically every medium:
The show opens on Broadway at the Lyceum Theatre on Nov. 19, following its success in San Francisco and L.A.
Warner Bros. has recorded a CD version of the show.
Bantam Books is putting out a hardback version, written by Sweeney from her script and filled with photos from Sweeney’s life.
And most exciting for Sweeney, her friend Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction”) has financed and executive-produced the film version of the show, which was shot two weeks ago in L.A. It will come out after the Broadway run, and she hopes she can take it to the Telluride and Sundance film festivals next year.
The movie is essentially a filmed version of the monologue. It was shot in four days on a sound stage with an audience. She hopes that the film has the same kind of success that Spalding Gray had with his filmed monologue, “Swimming to Cambodia.”
Sweeney also has been discovered, or rediscovered, by the national media. National Public Radio aired an extensive interview with her last month. The New Yorker and the New York Times both plan profiles.
In typical Sweeney fashion, she is already lowering the expectations for her Broadway run.
“It could be a huge fiasco,” she said while visiting her parents recently in Spokane. “Really, seriously, it could be. I’m not saying that to be modest or anything. I’m saying that as a statistical fact. People say, ‘You’ll do great,’ and I say, ‘No, lots of people go to Broadway and lots of people fail.’ “
Hootie, mon
The Hootie and the Blowfish show at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 26 did not sell out instantly last week - but then again, few expected them to.
Last year, they might have sold out right away. This band is still widely popular, but their newest album, “Fairweather Johnson,” hasn’t reached mega-smash status like “Cracked Rear View.”
But this year, the show will probably be a “slow sell-out,” said Amy Brown of the Arena. There are still plenty of tickets left, but the show is still more than seven weeks away.
As of Thursday, the shows in Tacoma and Portland had not sold out either. It’s not just Spokane.
Cable channel roulette
Cox Cable added one channel, deleted two and switched a few more around as of Oct. 1.
Added is Animal Planet, an offshoot of the Discovery Channel, specializing in animals. It will have documentaries, educational programs and even “Flipper” reruns. It’s on channel 54.
Deleted were Action and Hot Choice, two pay-per-view channels that proved less than popular.
Switched is ESPN-2, which moves to channel 74; the Product Info Network, now channel 59; Encore, which moves to channel 75; and Q2, now channel 60.
Cox Cable Spokane has not yet decided on a channel to replace KXLY XTRA! on channel 14. XTRA! comes to an end on Jan. 1.
Kim Boston of Cox said that they are waiting to see what TCI (Tele-Communications Inc.) wants to do. TCI is taking over Cox Cable in Spokane, and the deal should be consummated by the end of the year. Boston said the core programming - the most popular channels - will probably remain the same. There may be some changes in the specialty channels.
KSVY-AM still down
KSVY-AM, the all-classical station at 1550, still hasn’t come back on the air after being shut down by vandalism on July 18.
Somebody trashed the transmitter and destroyed most of the equipment. Station manager Dick Wright said repairs have been delayed during negotiations with the insurance company.
He said he hopes to be back on the air within the next week or two.
We’re off to see the ‘Wizard’
The 43-year Spokane tradition of a Christmas ice show will continue this year, this time with Dorothy, Toto and the gang.
“The Wizard of Oz On Ice” comes to the Spokane Arena Dec. 25-29. Although it is not labeled a Disney On Ice show like last year’s “Beauty and the Beast,” it is run by the same organization, said the Arena’s Amy Brown.
, DataTimes MEMO: To leave a message on Jim Kershner’s voice-mail, call 459-5493. Or send e-mail to jimk@spokesman.com, or regular mail to The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.