Post by TheShadow on Sept 9, 2006 6:45:53 GMT -5
www.suntimes.com
BY MIKE THOMAS Staff Reporter
You wouldn't guess it by their locker room interviews or their droolingly dull press conferences, but lots of jocks are funny guys.
How funny? Funny enough to floor Chicago comedy vets Al Samuels and Kevin Fleming. And funny enough to co-star on the duo's new locally produced, nationally syndicated NBC show "Sports Action Team."
Initially the brainchild of Fleming -- whose sports-comedy stylings were last featured on Sporting News Radio's "Murray in the Morning" -- the multi-camera, semi-improvised program makes its local debut at 11:45 p.m. Sunday on WMAQ-Channel 5. "Sports Action Team" will be part of the station's weekly post-"Sunday Night Football" coverage.
Produced by Chicago's Towers Productions, it features real-life pro athletes interacting with six fictional dunderheads who fancy themselves polished sportscasters. Aside from Fleming and Samuels, the improv-steeped "Action" crew includes Steven Fleming (Kevin's younger brother), Antoine McKay, Katie Nahnsen and Niki Lindgren -- Chicago residents all.
Think "The Daily Show," "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" meet ESPN's "Sportscenter."
But don't think "Punk'd."
"When we interview these athletes, they're always part of the joke," says Samuels, formerly of Second City's mainstage. "We never punk the athlete. They love it because it kind of allows them to be in a show like 'The Office.' So you see them screwing around, you see them as part of the story, you see them acting. And it's pretty amazing how good some of these guys are."
Fleming, an Oak Forest native, characterizes the "Action Team" members as "B-level ESPN wannabes. They're pretty clueless. And they all take the stance that a lot of television people do -- the more idiotic personalities who think they're a little bit above the story."
As a result, their muscled interviewees come off looking great. Even the White Sox mascot was good. "I don't know if he knows it or not," Fleming says, "but he has an inherent sense of timing."
The athletes do, too.
"They're used to paying attention," Samuels says. "To be a successful pro player, you've got to be smart, you have to be able to read the field. And also, a lot of these guys are hungry for this."
Why? It's a welcome break from the norm.
"They get five minutes in front of the camera," Samuels says of an athlete's typical postgame spiel. "They get the same six questions and they're supposed to give the same six answers. And this really gives them the chance to have fun and screw around."
That includes Cincinnati Bengals guard Eric Steinbach (a Chicago native) overstaying his welcome at the "Action" studios and offering unwanted commentary during the newscast. In another segment featuring Oakland Raiders defensive back Stuart Schweigert, "Action Team" members crank-call NFL players. There's also a scene where Steven Fleming gets a high-speed pigskin to the privates courtesy of New York Giants' kicker Jay Feely.
"Dude, it was unbelievable," Samuels says of the painful punt. "These are the strongest legs on the planet and he boot-kicked it and it was brutal. But it was really funny."
Non-testicular sketches are, too. Which begs the question: What makes sports so ripe for the yukking?
"Sports is entertainment," says Channel 5 president and general manager Larry Wert, one of the program's earliest and staunchest supporters. "If you add ironic spoofing to that with some talented improvisational people, there can be some fun moments."
No kidding.
"You wouldn't believe it," Samuels says, "if I were to tell you, 'We're going to have a show that follows these characters and how lovably off-kilter they are, but you're also going to see them interact with real sports people.' You'd think, 'There's no way. One or two of these [athletes] is gonna be able to pull it off.' But pretty much to a letter, they're really on the ball and amazing. As we say in comedy, they know bits."
BY MIKE THOMAS Staff Reporter
You wouldn't guess it by their locker room interviews or their droolingly dull press conferences, but lots of jocks are funny guys.
How funny? Funny enough to floor Chicago comedy vets Al Samuels and Kevin Fleming. And funny enough to co-star on the duo's new locally produced, nationally syndicated NBC show "Sports Action Team."
Initially the brainchild of Fleming -- whose sports-comedy stylings were last featured on Sporting News Radio's "Murray in the Morning" -- the multi-camera, semi-improvised program makes its local debut at 11:45 p.m. Sunday on WMAQ-Channel 5. "Sports Action Team" will be part of the station's weekly post-"Sunday Night Football" coverage.
Produced by Chicago's Towers Productions, it features real-life pro athletes interacting with six fictional dunderheads who fancy themselves polished sportscasters. Aside from Fleming and Samuels, the improv-steeped "Action" crew includes Steven Fleming (Kevin's younger brother), Antoine McKay, Katie Nahnsen and Niki Lindgren -- Chicago residents all.
Think "The Daily Show," "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" meet ESPN's "Sportscenter."
But don't think "Punk'd."
"When we interview these athletes, they're always part of the joke," says Samuels, formerly of Second City's mainstage. "We never punk the athlete. They love it because it kind of allows them to be in a show like 'The Office.' So you see them screwing around, you see them as part of the story, you see them acting. And it's pretty amazing how good some of these guys are."
Fleming, an Oak Forest native, characterizes the "Action Team" members as "B-level ESPN wannabes. They're pretty clueless. And they all take the stance that a lot of television people do -- the more idiotic personalities who think they're a little bit above the story."
As a result, their muscled interviewees come off looking great. Even the White Sox mascot was good. "I don't know if he knows it or not," Fleming says, "but he has an inherent sense of timing."
The athletes do, too.
"They're used to paying attention," Samuels says. "To be a successful pro player, you've got to be smart, you have to be able to read the field. And also, a lot of these guys are hungry for this."
Why? It's a welcome break from the norm.
"They get five minutes in front of the camera," Samuels says of an athlete's typical postgame spiel. "They get the same six questions and they're supposed to give the same six answers. And this really gives them the chance to have fun and screw around."
That includes Cincinnati Bengals guard Eric Steinbach (a Chicago native) overstaying his welcome at the "Action" studios and offering unwanted commentary during the newscast. In another segment featuring Oakland Raiders defensive back Stuart Schweigert, "Action Team" members crank-call NFL players. There's also a scene where Steven Fleming gets a high-speed pigskin to the privates courtesy of New York Giants' kicker Jay Feely.
"Dude, it was unbelievable," Samuels says of the painful punt. "These are the strongest legs on the planet and he boot-kicked it and it was brutal. But it was really funny."
Non-testicular sketches are, too. Which begs the question: What makes sports so ripe for the yukking?
"Sports is entertainment," says Channel 5 president and general manager Larry Wert, one of the program's earliest and staunchest supporters. "If you add ironic spoofing to that with some talented improvisational people, there can be some fun moments."
No kidding.
"You wouldn't believe it," Samuels says, "if I were to tell you, 'We're going to have a show that follows these characters and how lovably off-kilter they are, but you're also going to see them interact with real sports people.' You'd think, 'There's no way. One or two of these [athletes] is gonna be able to pull it off.' But pretty much to a letter, they're really on the ball and amazing. As we say in comedy, they know bits."