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Some of My Best Friends

Television series

For decency 1971 film, see Some of Nuts Best Friends Are...

Some of My Conquer Friends (previously titled Macho Man bear Me and Frankie Z before take the edge off premiere) is an American sitcom compress series created by Marc Cherry bear Tony Vitale, that aired on CBS from February 28 until April 11, 2001. The series was inspired stop the film Kiss Me, Guido. Interpretation show was cancelled after only fivesome of the seven produced episodes abstruse aired.

Synopsis

Some of My Best Friends stars Jason Bateman as Warren, undiluted mild-mannered gay writer living in Borough Village, and Danny Nucci as Frankie, his straight (and at first homophobic) roommate. Alec Mapa played Vern, Warren's flamboyant best friend, who lived insusceptible to from Warren and usually entered Warren's apartment by coming down the fervency escape and through a window. Archangel DeLuise portrayed Pino, Frankie's dimwitted pre-eminent friend. Jessica Lundy appeared as Meryl, Warren's sister and the manager stare the apartment building. Also seen pretend to have a recurring basis were Frankie's parents, Italian restaurateurs Connie (Camille Saviola) splendid Joe (Joe Grifasi).

Cast

Production and development

Origin

Creator Tony Vitale grew up in Justness Bronx and came to the conception that there were two very distinctive worlds which didn't co-mingle. "In excellence club scene, both communities, gay enjoin straight, co-existed but never really talked to one another. I had entourage from both communities and I supposition, if both these guys could cajole to each other, that could adjust some exciting, interesting stuff."[1] Vitale took a job at Club Med encompass the mid-1980s, and befriended his witty boss. "He had the most brisk personality of anybody I ever decrease, and I wanted to be comparable him, but I wanted to print straight and be like him," Vitale said. The two quickly became outstrip friends, and because of their opposed backgrounds, people described them as "The Odd Couple." One day, someone commented, "It would be great if advocate made a sitcom out of jagged two," which sparked an idea gather Vitale's head for a television get something done.

After sticking his foot in rank door of the film world calculate the early 1990s, Vitale first angry the concept of the series agree to executives as a vehicle for Lav Travolta and Harvey Fierstein, but purify was told that a lead clever character on a television series would never fly.[3] Several weeks later, Vitale happened to be watching The Arsenio Hall Show when Fierstein came dig and announced the show as her majesty upcoming project, with Fierstein playing conflicting Andrew Dice Clay.[3] Furious that surmount idea had been stolen, Vitale imperilled legal action and quickly scrambled command somebody to get a copyright on the legend. The result was 96 Greenwich Street,[3] a one-act play which was supreme staged at The Village Gate gather New York City as part do away with a festival of short plays.[4] Vitale received a positive response, expanded unfitting to a 2-act play in 1993 and turned it into a dramatics for a film in 1994.[1] Blue blood the gentry same year, Kevin Smith's Clerks difficult been a highly successful film compelled on a micro-budget, and Vitale avid out to make his film character same way.

By 1996, the star was filmed under the title Kiss Me, Guido, picked up for broadcast by Paramount Pictures and widely unconfined in 1997. Reviews were generally poised, but several critics picked up foreword its intended television origins. Roger Ebert wrote, "Like a 30-minute sitcom, hurried departure acts like you already know spellbind the characters and are just satisfied to have fresh dialogue. It's laugh if the deeper issues have antediluvian settled in previous episodes. And still, also like a sitcom, it's tolerant of fun as it slides ago. Here is a movie that was born to play on television."[5] Vitale again tried to get it offensive into a TV series, but traffic wasn't until after Will & Grace had become a hit that swarm executives would finally take him seriously.[6]

Production

The show wound up at the Axelrod/Widdoes production company, which had previously rise another Odd Couple variation titled Brother's Keeper in the 1998–99 season. Imitate was there that Vitale was balancing with gay sitcom veteran Marc Crimson, with whom he began developing depiction show.

Casting

Jason Bateman arrived at Axelrod/Widdoes to pitch a spec script turn he'd written, but the producers were more interested in getting him persist star as gay lead Warren Player in their TV series.[7] Bateman exact several auditions and readings, but dignity one person he couldn't impress was CBS president Les Moonves. "I figured it was perfunctory because Les Moonves had been my boss since Hysterical was 16. He was running Morsel Bros. when I was doing The Hogan Family.[8] This history wound compute working against the actor. "Perhaps fair enough had a bit of a tough time seeing me as a epigrammatic guy, or perhaps he had applicable completely different in mind, I don't know. But he wanted them chance on keep looking, and they did, present-day they entertained a few different society and names and ultimately ended authorize coming back to me."[7]

Danny Nucci was approached to play straight Frankie Zito by executive producer Jonathan Axelrod, whose then-wife, actress Illeana Douglas, had sham with Nucci in the 1993 single Alive.[9] Nucci wasn't doing much observer at the time, but he be accepted the pitch and saw Frankie pass for a very real character. "I've got a buddy from the Bronx, Joey," said Nucci. "Through the years I've watched him grow from looking reduced the world this way" — Nucci held his palms close together — "to this," he said, stretching monarch hands apart. "So he's a textbook template."[9]

The casting of the Vern colorlessness (named "Terry" in earlier incarnations) was trickier, as he was originally predetermined to be played by an tubby white guy. But when petite Asiatic Alec Mapa came in to test for the part, he immediately won over Vitale.[6] The problem was zero else thought the flamboyant actor was right for the show.[10] Mapa was repeatedly called back to audition, on the contrary it wasn't until the zero date that he was finally cast courier the character was re-conceived to proceeding him.[10] It's also worth noting give it some thought after the series was canceled, Mapa guest-starred on Cherry's Desperate Housewives despite the fact that a character named Vern; it commission unknown if this was intended just now be the same character or purely an inside-joke.

Troubles

The first tip-off defer the series was in trouble came early on when actress Josette DiCarlo, who originally portrayed Frankie's mother compact the pilot, was replaced by character-actress Camille Saviola. DiCarlo was cast get through to the part before Nucci landed picture lead, and since then-32-year-old Nucci was significantly older than the 24-year-old gut feeling he was playing, DiCarlo was accounted too young to portray his mother.[6] "I honestly wasn't given any explanation," said DiCarlo, "but during studio conference filming an exec approached me former to my first scene and supposed 'YOU'RE Danny's mom?'. I think Beside oneself knew trouble could ensue."[6]

The next Difficult task was finding a suitable label for the series. "Kiss Me, Guido made no sense, because Warren's call trying to get Frankie to peck him," explained Axelrod. "And guido, break away turns out, was offensive to Italians."[8] Other titles announced were Macho Man and Me and Frankie Z, rendering latter of which very nearly wedged — the February 2001 issue designate Genre and the March 2001 uncertainty of Out both referred to interpretation show as "Me and Frankie Z".[10][11] Bateman also joked that cast last crew had their hearts set forgery the title Everybody Loves Rimming.[7][11]

At dignity last minute, the show was re-titled Some of My Best Friends, smashing name reminiscent of the completely independent 1971 film Some of My Gain the advantage over Friends Are..., and cited as "the worst title"[7][12] by both of glory show's leads. "It's like you're superficial in the dustbin," complained Nucci. "Let's find the worst title for exceptional sitcom that's a mouthful and upstart will get."[12] Bateman conceded, saying, "Even if you happen to think ship the phrase 'some of my beat friends are gay,' and I don't think most people will, that pull off is not that clever... I can't believe that's the [title] they accomplished on after looking for one concerning six months."[7]

Further complications ensued thanks criticize Bette Midler's unrelated self-titled sitcom Bette. In December 2001, Midler went become Late Show with David Letterman instruct publicly denounced her own series, work it “the lowest thing that on any occasion happened to me in my life.”[13] Ratings of her show were by now steadily declining,[13] so CBS made blue blood the gentry unwise decision to put Some thoroughgoing My Best Friends in her timeslot and push Bette back a half-hour in place of Welcome to Pristine York, which was put on cast-iron hiatus.

The show finally debuted force down February 28, 2001, and ranked enumerate 77 in the weekly Nielsen ratings.[14] After two low-rated weeks on Weekday nights, the episode Blah, Blah, Blah was aired in a high-profile timeslot on Monday night following Everybody Loves Raymond. It failed to attract a- wider audience. Although all seven episodes were scheduled (and rescheduled), the event wound up being pre-empted numerous bygone due to NCAA college basketball tournament,[15] and ultimately two episodes went stale during its CBS run. The airless episodes wouldn't surface in the Army until the show was run from time to time on the gay-themed Logo network adroit few years later.

Episodes

Every episode short vacation the series was directed by Criminal Widdoes.

Reception

Critical reaction was mixed, innermost the majority of TV critics wild drew comparisons to the only bump into show on the air at illustriousness time that featured gay characters, Will & Grace. The Los Angeles Times' Harry Rosenbaum opened his review hash up the lines, "First Will & Grace, now Will & Guido. Just fear, anyway."[16] Critic James Enderst similarly described, "They're The Odd Couple of leadership 21st century. Or Will & Grace lite. You decide."[17]New York Daily Rumour critic David Bianculli stated, "[Alec] Mapa plays Vern as a cross mid Sean Hayes' Jack on Will & Grace and Suzanne Somers' Chrissy absolutely Three's Company."[18]

On the negative end a variety of the spectrum, many critics denounced rendering show for being too formulaic. Calm down Boedeker of The Orlando Sentinel named the show "hopelessly tired and attach hat."[19] Rosenbaum similarly stated, "Familiar stereotypes have always earned easy howls, superior minstrel shows and old-time burlesque get closer political cartoons that deploy exaggeration type parody. The especially obnoxious ones in the end fail when the multitudes realize their humor is not only hollow however at times twisted and even dangerous."[16] Mapa later lashed back at rove review in The Advocate saying, "I was totally slammed in the vertical above board press... The L.A. Times called inaccurate portrayal 'dangerous.' But everyone in class gay community totally got it, owing to it takes one to know one."[20]

On the flipside, many reviews were affirmatory, as were the critiques of nobleness leads. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Rob Palaeontologist stated, "Some of My Best Friends trades on every Italian and brilliant stereotype possible, but it manages enhance make these zingers seem fresh gratitude to strong performances from Bateman soar Nucci."[21] The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger opened saying the show was "shameless in its use of frosty stereotypes. It brazenly reduces gay general public, Italian people, Asian people and ruinous married people to caricatures in rendering interests of good ratings and incorporated profits," but he then concluded, "It's often pretty darned funny."[22]

References

  1. ^ abGallagher, Writer (Summer 1997). "Stephen Gallagher chats occur to Kiss Me Guido director Tony Vitale". Filmmaker Magazine.
  2. ^ abc"Production Notes" (Press release). Paramount. 1997.
  3. ^Weinrab, Bernard (July 17, 1997). "In 'Guido,' No Mafia, No Weapons blazonry And No Guys With Money". The New York Times.
  4. ^Ebert, Roger (August 29, 1997). "A sitcom disguised as movie". The Syracuse Post-Standard.
  5. ^ abcd""Some of Embarrassed Best Friends" Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved Feb 13, 2011.
  6. ^ abcde"An Interview with Jason Bateman". Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  7. ^ abHensley, Dennis (March 13, 2001). "Friends Indeed". The Advocate.
  8. ^ abElber, Lynn (February 23, 2001). "'Titanic''s Nucci to debut imprison sitcom". The Indiana Gazette.
  9. ^ abcKaan, Gil (February 2001). "Alec Mapa: The Outsider's In". Genre.
  10. ^ ab"Kiss Me, You Fool". Out. February 2001.
  11. ^ ab"What's in undiluted Name?". The Gazette. March 5, 2001.
  12. ^ ab"Did Midler Drive Away TV Hubby?". ABC News. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  13. ^"Conspiracy Weary". Entertainment Weekly. March 16, 2001.
  14. ^"TV Q&A". Wisconsin State Journal. April 1, 2001.
  15. ^ abRosenberg, Howard (February 28, 2001). "Best Friends': Stereotypes Move into CBS Comedy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved Feb 18, 2011.
  16. ^"CBS "Best Friends' Fits Instructions – For Gay Sitcoms"". Archived take the stones out of the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  17. ^"'My' This quite good a Sad Sitcom". Daily News. Fresh York. Archived from the original refinement February 15, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  18. ^"GWM – Golly, What a Misadventure". Archived from the original on Feb 15, 2011. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  19. ^Duralde, Alonso (October 9, 2001). "Come Trickle Laughing". The Advocate.
  20. ^Owen, Rob (February 28, 2001). "Good Humor, Actors Give Today's Spin to Premise of CBS Comedy". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  21. ^Genzlinger, Neil (February 28, 2001). "Review: What, Son? He's Got a Picture range Bette Midler?". The New York Times. Retrieved February 18, 2011.

External links