Welcome to the
most awkward entry of my entire life.
...wow is that
possible? Let me think about this for a
moment...
Yeah, gotta say,
this experience is easily the most awkward,
uncomfortable and in some ways most difficult thing
I've ever done. It took a tremendous amount of belief
in the finished product to continue to keep pushing
it. This bit is the show ender for the Comedy Central
show on the 12th (Adam's idea of political commentary)
and I'm releasing it now to get buzz leading up to the
performance next month. Let's fire it up, and then
I'll let you in on just how nauseating this has been,
and why I felt it was necessary.
Removed from YouTube
(after close to 10,000 hits) on the 29th due to the
bedroom scene. Picked up by Atom
Films the following
day.
Whew. Unlike
anything I've ever done, and certainly "edgy". Also,
very funny to me. Let me tell you what I was trying to
accomplish with this...
I got the
idea from a personal experience of going to someone's
house I had met and talked to online and a "Where's
the birth certificate?" sign was in her yard. That's
where the similarities end, but it stuck with me.
Running one day, I was doing the normal
brainwashing necessary to continue to run even though
I wasn't being chased... and I kept thinking about
looking good naked. LOL. God this is embarrassing
stuff to share - but is there any other reason for a
grown man to run? Running fucking sucks. Period. Fuck
being healthy, I'm doing it to fit a mold in
Hollywood, no other reason.
So amongst this
brainwashing was remembering the "birther" sign
and it all kinda came together. In my head of course
it had a bit more of a "grudge fuck" or "hate fuck"
mentality to it. Kinda what almost every guy I know
wants to do to Sarah Palin. And please don't
misunderstand me if you've never heard those terms,
this isn't RAPE (that belief comes up later, sigh)
this is like make-up sex with your partner where it's
a bit more intense 'cause you're not necessarily
thinking of doves and rainbows. Uhm, 'cause that's
what you think of during loving sex?
ANYWAY...
As time went on, I
realized this could be a really big viral video as
well as something for Comedy Central. Guy makes a
"birther" say things in bed that make her skin crawl,
but then she finally admits she knew the truth all
along and is secretly just scared. The more I thought
about it, the more excited I got. It allowed me to be
"edgy" but with sincerity. Listen, I'm not black (Dave
Chappelle) and I'm not latino (Carlos Mencia). The
ways I can push the envelope are somewhat limited.
This idea is a little more risque than normally seen,
and the political angle gives it weight. It shows
Comedy Central the ability to appeal on several levels
and of course that I'm willing to put myself out
there.
The other part of
this bit is, as I've mentioned in previous entries, to
market me physically. There's so much going on in Adam
& The Egos, it's probably the last thing that ever
occurs to them... but this bit ends the night. It's
also an "Adam" bit. After showing Ego after Ego, we
hit the execs over the head with a dose of "Adam" and
the role he plays. And although I'm being goofy
in bed, hopefully someone somewhere finds it sexually
appealing and I connect with the suits on that
level. Call me arrogant if you will, but I'm treating
this like a war. I am attempting to overtake the
network - and I'm coming at them from every possible
angle. The last thing I'm gonna worry about is how I
may seem to those reading the "making of" entries.
That's the point of this whole site - is to tell you
the thought process as I go through it. Leave no stone
unturned.
So now we have it
all set-up, of course we're missing one crucial
element: the girl. And welcome to
Awkwardville.
Laura came to the
rescue and found an actress for me, but there was some
trepidation on it being "too sexual" for her, and in
the end - it just didn't come off believeable.
I mean, as you can see from the finished product
- we're clearly not having sex - but the movements are
quasi-convincing. It was completely uncomfortable for
both of us with the first girl, and her friend was
there watching to make sure it wasn't "too lewd", etc.
Bottom line for somethign like this - you just have to
let go, and then watch the footage and make choices
from there. No other way it's going to work.
I showed the footage to Laura, and we just both
agreed it wasn't edgy enough...
So since time was
of the essence? I used Facebook. The worst. I sent
private emails, but still. Ugh. I filtered it down to
everyone in LA, and proceeded to email every pretty
girl (because the bit is specifically about right-wing
girls being hot) explaining the situation. Yeah,
nothing slimey about this.
SUBJ:
completely bizarre message to
send...
Hi
________,
Laura Adler
(casting director here in town) and I are trying to
find the perfect girl for a political bit about the
right-wing "birthers" that will be part of my pilot
for Comedy Central that is shot live November 12th.
It's a slightly risque, but totally funny bit where
instead of walking out of the house once I realize
the girl I'm seeing is one of the right-wing nuts,
I make her "tell the truth" while we're in bed.
"Who's YOUR PRESIDENT" "WHERE WAS HE BORN", etc...
I have already shot it with an actress (and I can
link you to the private video on youtube if you're
interested) but Laura and I both don't feel it's
edgy enough.
If you've
gotten this far, then you probably realize this is
legit. I've included my demo so you can see I've
worked on CBS and done a lot of cool stuff - this
is a totally awkward way to cast for this, but if
we can meet for coffee - I think you'll see this is
totally on the up and up. It's just really
important we nail this bit. I believe it makes or
breaks my pilot.
Hope to hear
from you!
Adam
Oh I heard from
some of them alright. LOL.
"DO YOU THINK I WAS BORN YESTERDAY?!?!".
Thankfully those were at a minimum and the majority
actually WATCHED the video, probably googled
myself and Laura and responded with interest or just
politely said they weren't interested. I set up
meetings and in the meantime I reshot the bit
with Sarah, whom I know and care deeply about. It
showed. The first take we did was, well... I can't
post it. HA. It was just a little too... real.
I mean, that's what I wanted - to push the edge a
bit... but it ended up not being funny. Oh I was
marketable alright... as a fucking porn star. Jesus.
Sarah was a little concerned about it being public
considering she isn't even an actress, and I continued
to look for other people.
The shittiest,
meetings, ever. Like, you already know these girls are
being bombarded with every asshole on the planet to
begin with. They're kind enough to meet you for
coffee, where you're going to proceed to explain to
them just exactly how you need to grind into
them to make this bit work. Shoot me in the fucking
head. I felt like the biggest asshole on the planet.
Most were very cool, but one meeting made me almost
call off the entire thing.
I had uploaded the
version with Sarah as well as the earlier version - to
show the potential actresses the 2 ends of the
spectrum. This poor girl watched the Sarah version in
a coffee shop in Burbank and had to cover the screen
as I sat there feeling like a guy running a
VAGTASTIC VOYAGE website. Then when it was over?
She said the girl isn't having fun, it looks a little
"rapey".
My heart sank.
First off, I just got done telling her how "real"
that version was. So not only am I embarrassed that
she saw it that way as an actor - holy shit, I fuck
like a rapist!?!?!? See what I mean, this is the worst
entry EVER. SO AWKWARD. So now I'm sitting there
across from this girl that wants nothing to do with
me, and all I can do is apologize and thank her for
the comment. I watch it again? And SHIT - I see what
she means. Talk about RUINING EVERYTHING. This
isn't going to "sell" me. It's going to
DROWNED me. All I need is some Comedy
Central exec thinking I showed them a video of me
raping some chick to make her tell the truth.
NOT AT ALL THE POINT. The idea is
that when people are in bed? They tend to be the most
honest. Self-hating gay republicans anyone? So no
matter what, I had to reshoot the bit - and most
likely Sarah was gonna be the best bet. It meant
I never had to have another awkward cup of coffee
and feel like such a douche ever again.
So it was reshot
with Sarah - with me being a goofball? And voila. It
works. It is still risque, but you're too busy smiling
at the audacity of it all to ever think of "rape"...
at least I hope. It's uploading as I speak and I'll be
brutally honest: I want this puppy over 100,000 views
by November 12th. Might be tough, but I think
it's possible. Definitely in the 5 digits. 'Cause on
the 11th? I'm emailing the bit to every exec at Comedy
Central so on top of everything else I'm showing them?
They see someone who is also a viral/internet
phenomenon. Throw in the world's longest running video
blog? It just could be that everything is aligning for
one special night in November.
For now, re-post
this movie. Please, please, please. Put it EVERYWHERE.
Digg it, Stumble upon it, please help get this some
notoriety. I really do believe if this video is
massive - and perfectly timed with the Comedy Central
show? The rest is history.
