This weekend the cast of The Orlando Show got together to record a "reunion" podcast and talk about what we created. Ryan Cipriani, who played TNT on the show, sent me this email the next day. After crying like a big softie while reading it, I asked his permission to post it online. Below is something that ANYONE who ever calls friends together to do something creative always hopes to hear but rarely, if ever, does. If you played any part in bringing this show to life you better keep the tissues close by.
- @CommanderAnders
Jason,
It's a little after 2 in the morning and I just finished
listening to the podcast on YouTube... I was moved. I had forgotten how
much fun and how much insane creative energy came out of that group of
people and what an incredible blast we had just being young, idealistic,
underpaid, over motivated and ultimately monumentally stupid bunch of
wannabes who were armed with nothing more than what started as a simple
vision and a low budget video camera. I did, and still truly do believe
in what we created and accomplished together, and a part of me will
always regret never seeing the show arc past what it did. Since I could
not stay to give my final thoughts and offer an ending, here is how I
think I figured we might always go out when the inevitable funeral bell
rang and we all felt it was time to grow up and move on. God forbid we
ever loose our inner Orlando Show characters and feel this was a
complete waste of time, but just to tie it up, this is what I had
thought would make a suitable conclusion.
Orlando Show episode 4.1: The Christmas Special
We covered every
major event and holiday in and around Orlando except for my favorite,
Christmas. Given the scope of everything that happened to us on the
show and between us outside, it only seems relevant that it would be a
spoof on "It's a Wonderful Life." The episode would begin much as we
left off, with Rob and Jason filming a dull, lackluster, worn out
coverage of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Neither of their
hearts are in it anymore. Budget cutbacks, war threats and inconsistent
cast members have stolen the breath out of The Orlando Show. In his
most desperate hour, Jason deletes all the raw footage of the show and
wipes it from existence. He's then visited by an appropriately
ridiculous angel who shows him the fate of the characters had the show
never existed.
Rob and Jason working creative-less, corporate desk
jobs. Superface closing his P.I. business and selling weight loss pills
as a telemarketer. Bonnie migrating south with a family of ducks. TNT
hocks his guitar to pay for a sweater vest and a poodle. Andrea and
King Tall separate and alone because they never get over their mutual
hatred for Orlando. The President becoming the chairman of a hair loss
committee support group. The Canadian General a spokesperson for AA.
It's in these bleak moments that Jason realizes The Orlando Show had
transcended its original purpose of bringing Orlando to the rest of the
world, and had in fact altered the course of fate for those involved and
setting them on the paths of the rest of their lives.
With the magic
of the angel, Jason and Rob rewrite history to undo the destruction of
the show and in a grand reunion, the cast meets out on their most used
and favorite set, New York Street at the Disney Hollywood Studios for
the Spectacle of Dancing Lights. TNT is finally unmasked, removing his
sunglasses in sheer awe of the twinkling Christmas lights. Peace is
finally declared between Canada and Orlando. The camera pulls back on
the cast gazing out at the lights with "Fairytale of New York" playing
in the background. After a fade to black, there's a final curtain call
scored by "It's Your Thing" with an "Animal House-style/ where-are-they-now?"
segment based on our own real lives. Rob is happily married and working as a
piano player. Jason is planning on moving to Los Angeles to continue
his career in television and film. Andrea and King Tall are living
happily ever after. TNT is working towards becoming a legendary
musician. Even the Canadian General has found someone who can put up
with his maniacal ways and has settled down.
The point being, The Orlando Show is and always will be more than
just a ridiculous manifestation of a show about a show. It was the
stroke of destiny that brought us all together in the first place, and
for one bright, shining moment gave us something to hope for and look
forward to when we were all little more than a group of confused, on our
own twenty-somethings from every corner of the country with no one else but
ourselves to turn to. Truly this might be the defining moment of my
transition years: that period between first cutting out into the world,
and the moment of finally finding a place in it.
Perhaps not all of us
have quite found our way yet, but the Northern Star we can always look
back on and say "This is where it all began..." no matter where we
inevitably end up in our lives, has to be those iconic moments we first
stepped onto the digital screen. This is a project I will forever be
proud to be associated with. It never will again be what it first was,
because we never will again be the people we first were when it was
created. But as we grow and change, The Orlando Show will grow with us
and in our own ways we all go on to carry the legacy of our characters
to new heights.
Despite the fact the net result of all our filming was basically
nothing, I think the gross result of the memories we created outweighs
this. The Orlando Show was our adult yearbook moment, that one thing
we can point to, laugh at, and go "Do you remember when?" Epic failure?
Certainly not. Great success? Not a chance. Somewhere in between, well
hey, that's where the truth always is.
Once upon a time in a land far, far away... Orlando, Florida- two idiots decided to start their own talk show. Here's the origin to that idea, the very FIRST shot of said idiots on camera:
... that was 2006. What would follow over the course of the next few years would be an Internet sensation that never quite found its way to a viral status. A show about Orlando with a nearly incomprehensible storyline involving sibling rivalry, friendship, sex, a Canadian king and a president of Orlando, French villains with names like Fingers and Madame X, a Mad Scientist who kidnaps girls and turns them into ducks, lawyers who use the Jedi force, a magician who can explain time travel with a napkin, a superhero who fights evil with his face and rides a magical lion... and that's just the beginning.
The OSHOW cast: Jason Anders, Rob Volpe, Elizabeth Hubley, Ryan Cipriani, Keith Ulmer, Aaron Rank, & Andrea Cox.
It has been nearly four years since the entire cast of The Orlando Show have gathered together in one room, and this weekend we reunited to record what would end up being a 4 1/2 hour podcast in which we reminisce about the OSHOW, re-telling the entire narrative as well as behind-the-scenes stories. In an honest effort to make sense of the madness, it seems we may have only confused it further... but at least it was fun.
Download The Orlando Show: "Reunion Podcast" on iTunes HERE
-OR-
Listen to The Orlando Show: "Reunion Podcast" on YouTube below:
"Raft In a Jar: The Anecdote When You Can't Float."
"The flowers here smell like beer. At least they do when we get drunk and throw up on them."
"I ain't the brains, I'm the iron man."
"Have you thought about sitting on a football and seeing if you can get to the laces?"
"Do you trust Lizzie sexually? Because she can be on my show if not."
"Superface Transmitted Disease."
"Attention Dragon: Shut up."
"Scorpion woman, you've returned."
"Sweet turtles swimming in the sea!"
"Jet lag? There's no jet lag in time travel."
"We didn't really get much mail for being gone 50 million years."
"I am a Barbie girl, okay?"
"It doesn't matter what you put in me, you're not getting anything out of me."
"Super Jump!"
"Wait! I've gotta take my picture with the Betty White statue!"
"Celebrate Maple Syrup Fantastic Day."
"I've created it! The vile toxin that it be- once she ingests it, she will be among the feathered people."
"Am I talking loud? I slept by a dumpster and have an inner ear infection."
"That doesn't light my fancy."
"You'll know your Battery Acid Chili is setting in once there is an
iridescent brown glow. If you're using ingredients from the Chernobyl
site, you should be seeing more of a radioactive green."
"Think prehistoric!"
"For my motivation I'll need a whole backpack full of wine!"
"It's Disney security. We don't have a permit... run!"
"Never again will Canadian bacon be referred to as ham. We're done with that."
"This one is for you Rob. This one is for you Jason. And this one... I
don't know what it's for. But we had extra money, so I bought one."
"It's Superface on his magical lion!"
"King Tall, I found them... and I'm gonna f**k these motha f**kers up."
"Let us bridge your gaps."
"And now we're going to show you why flowers are fun."
"Halt unbelievers!"
"How could I be so careless?"
"You know damn well where Canada is!"
"Canada has a back door?"
"It already smells like beer, hockey, and pine trees."
"Damn dirty Canadians!"
"Let's open up our own coin-operated laundry mat!"
"How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?!"
"I will now go into hiding... like Napoleon. Except he's a lot shorter
than I am. But I will have my revenge on The Orlando Show. I will get
you, my pretties. King Tall out."
"I can't believe Charli was blown up with a nuclear warhead."
"What kind of super hero wears a Boston hat?"
"Fingers, if you wanna be with me you're gonna have to go straight... from crime, that is."
"A date with Rob? Do you like his Aladdin skin complexion?"
"I'm gonna bust a cap in your ass, now get off my playground!"
"Brace yourself, crackers!"
"Would you like some Nerds? They're good for you."
"Tupperware Party!"
"I think I just made some liquid nitrogen."
"So you hosers think you can get Charli out of the Old West, eh? Not while there is still beer in my veins!"
"I love Uncle Sam more than any woman I have ever known."
Since we last met, LOTS of exciting stuff has happened... you could say it was a Fulle February. First off, check out the brand new Fulle Circle Podcast logo created by Kali Fontecchio!
Pretty rad, huh? Equally rad is that the band Absalom Absalom! recorded a theme song for us that will kick off every podcast from this point on, a Fulle Anthem if you will...
I can't stop rocking this tune, I've been chanting "we're coming FULLE CIRCLE" a lot lately. So we gave our iTunes site a makeover and are lining up some pretty cool celebrity guests for the coming months to join us. The podcast is going to become more of a "show" than previous episodes, and I'm going to rope in a co-host to help me make the episodes more entertaining... unless you want to hear a lonely boy babble to himself for the first 10 minutes of each show, I am definitely capable.
The past month has also been my starting point for writing my screenplay-turned-novel FOREVER DICK. A major source of inspiration for me has been watching Kevin Smith's S.I.R. (SModcast Internet Radio) and his truly independent film, RED STATE, grow from being an idea that many naysayers "naysay'd" into a successful, profitable network and movie. It got me to actually plop myself down in front of a blank page and start writing. It also got me recognition on S.I.R.'s own HAVING SEX, WITH KATIE MORGAN.
However, the stress of trying to SELL a screenplay got to me. I interviewed screenwriter Kate Lynch a few months back here in Orlando and got re-inspired to finish it. I got to thinking, though, that a screenplay could take forever to sell, and does not have the promise of ever becoming a film. I could invest blood, sweat and tears into a personal story that would no longer be mine and possibly no one would ever see, hear or read. So that's where there idea of turning it into a novel came from. I'm going to write it and put it out there myself, immediately for you guys to read! I wrote on Twitter that the story is "about the struggle between career and love, heart and head. A comedy about jealousy, growing up, and theme parks."
Here's the conversation with Kate Lynch that spawned the ambition...
Another revamp that took place in the past month is the remodeling of FulleCircle.com. It's no longer accessible if you type in "www" at the beginning, you have to go to http://FulleCircle.com. The new site is a lot easier to navigate around and also has a mobile app! I've been accused of being lazy in life, so I just want to take a moment and look back at all of the documented interviews I've conducted independently since starting Fulle Circle. Not to blow myself, but it's pretty impressive for a non-professional...
The Fulle List of Interviews:
1. John Kricalusi (creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show)
2. Jennifer Terran (singer/songwriter)
3. Kali Fontecchio (artist)
4. Katie Rice (artist)
5. Mark Mayerson (artist)
6. Kristy Gordon (artist)
7. Nick Cross (artist)
8. Jessica Rae Gordon (artist)
9. Eddie Fitzgerald (artist)
10. Pete Emslie (artist)
11. Kelsey Brookes (artist)
12. Fred Osmond (artist)
13. Jorge Gutierrez (creator of El Tigre)
14. Brianne Drouhard (artist)
15. Monica Grue (artist)
16. Brigette Barrager (artist)
17. Bob Camp (co-creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show)
18. Tara Billinger (artist)
19. Jerry Beck (author/ creator of CartoonBrew.com)
123. Eszter Balint (actress & musician/ Stranger Than Paradise)
THANK YOU for hitting up Fulle Circle, and bringing in nearly 200,000 hits as of March 2012. I promise to make Act II twice as exciting and entertaining. Stay tuned...
Welcome to my NEW blog! My official home to vent, celebrate, and plan all things creative with those of you who have enough free time to join me on my ride to an unknown destination. I always talk about how crazy it is that the "little" left and right turns we make in life can lead us up a road we never could have anticipated traveling. For example, the audio clip below of Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (aka Jay & Silent Bob) talking about my work LIVE on the radio for 7 full minutes... if you would have told me five years ago that would happen, I would have said you're BALLS CRAZY. Take a listen below and then we will continue...
My first year living in Orlando, Florida I remember watching An Evening with Kevin Smith and getting CRAZY inspired... my roommate, Rob, in the background saying "Dude, don't go burying yourself in credit card debt just because Kevin Smith told you to." I didn't listen. It was about two weeks later that our new film equipment and computer arrived via my shiny new credit card and we'd start producing The Orlando Show.
The Orlando Show went over fairly well considering there was no You Tube or Facebook yet for us to showcase it on. We were actually being recognized around town for the retarded videos we were pumping weekly into MySpace once a week, and working on that show was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had! It consumed our lives. Every day was about thinking up new ways to make people laugh, and being kicked out of Walt Disney World (and shamed out of the Holy Land Experience) in the process. This wasn't my first experience in creating mindless, shamefully low budget videos, though...
The Wetlands was my first BIG film project with Paul Cloud, and I bit off A LOT more than I could chew with a 90 minute feature comedy about an alliGAYtor that attacks a small Louisiana town. It starred just about our entire high school and we premiered it on the BIG SCREEN (aka video projector at a local church)... it felt very familiar to the scene in Ed Woodwhere they are watching their masterpiece of shit in total awe of their achievement. Only Plan 9 From Outer Space was much better than our film.
I followed THE WETLANDS with The Lonesome Ghosts of New Orleans, a documentary about paranormal activity in Louisiana which ended up being more about the weird people of New Orleans than the actual dead people. It was ultimately a major fail, but the poster looks pretty awesome, right?
Se Separercame after THE ORLANDO SHOW, a short film about the first 24 hours that follow a break-up. It's still my FAVORITE thing I've made. Megan DeCosta and I attempted working on other projects together that ultimately went nowhere, like a live action version of Penelope Pitstop and a horror short called Beacon which accidentally played out as a comedy.
Eventually I ended up becoming roommates with Megan and new internet video crap-fest was born! BUDDIES! A puppet show about a bunch of puppets who are... buddies.
Once the creative juices started flowing it seems like there was something new every week- Some that went nowhere...
... and some that DID...
(Above) My FIRST published article, An Oral History of Ren & Stimpy, is published by Hogan's Alley Magazine! (Below) is a sample page of the article which you can purchase HERE.
I also worked with actress Nicki Clyne from Battlestar Galactica to produce a ZINE, inspired by MAD and CRACKED MAGAZINE, which features interviews, games, articles, and even a spot for her to autograph it for you! It's a Limited Edition that is still on sale HERE.
(Below is my introduction to the Nicki Clyne Fan 'Zine)
In all the COUNTLESS numbers of projects I've either completed or abandoned, NOTHING has been more successful for me than FulleCircle.com It's the result of ONE conversation with my friend Ryan Cipriani that changed my life. It's a site inspired by the curiosity I share with William Miller from Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous where I've been lucky enough to interview actors, writers, directors, musicians, artists, and others that have inspired me growing up. A lot of friendships have been the result of FULLE CIRCLE, as well as a few paying jobs... and this is JUST the beginning...
This new blog is an invitation to join me on PART 2 of the journey, the second chapter where I apply EVERYTHING I've learned so far and plow FULLE steam ahead into the unknown, but this time with a little more solid direction. 2012 is going to be devoted to noticeable change, at the end of the year I want to be able to look back at Mt. Everest knowing we just climbed it... TOGETHER. The fact is, anything I create is NOTHING if you don't devour it, so THANK YOU for being on this page. You could be doing anything right now, and you're here with me, helping gear up to prove that your wildest dreams can come true.
There are three BIG projects for 2012 that I'm really excited about. #1 is the Fulle Circle Podcast which will be continuing in "Asking Interesting People Interesting Questions" in interviews with celebrity guests on iTunes & You Tube. #2 is The Orlando Show Podcast which will showcase everything we love about O-Town. No, not the band. whoreLANDO! There's SO MUCH here beyond Disney and Universal that tourists don't know about, and we're going to showcase the REAL side of Orlando with a new comedy podcast that debuts on iTunes in February. Yes... just in time for Valentines Day, ladies. And #3 is my novel, Forever Dick, which I want to see completed AND published before the year is up!
It's going to be a year without sleep. I sincerely hope you join me for the insomnia adventure.
