A new Original Comedy Series Premiering Exclusively on Starz
Transcription
A new Original Comedy Series Premiering Exclusively on Starz
A new Original Comedy Series Premiering Exclusively on Starz Friday, March, 20, 2009 10:30 p.m. et/pt “PARTY DOWN” OVERVIEW “Party Down" follows a team of Los Angeles cater-waiters -- a sextet of dreamers and wannabes -- stuck working for tips while hoping for their "big break." Having opted out of “normal” lives of traditional jobs and nuclear families, our crew of misfits -- with the exception of the ruefully jaded Henry – pass the days assuming that their time in catering is just a brief place-holder before success inevitably transforms them from unremarkable unknowns into “Somebodies.” Each episode of this half-hour comedy finds our hapless team working a new event -- from sweet sixteen affairs to gay weddings to mobster acquittal parties to porn awards – where they inevitably get tangled up with the colorful guests and the absurd dramas of their lives. “Party Down” is, ultimately, a comedy about waiting. About the misadventures you endure while waiting on others. And about the life you lead while waiting for your real one to start. THE CHARACTERS Henry Pollard (Adam Scott) Henry is in his mid-thirties and just officially quit acting. Or acting quit him. Either way, he’s back working as a cater-waiter. Eight years ago, Henry was young, talented, and driven. But after a promising start -- including an infamous stint as a catch-phrasing beer pitchman -- Henry’s career and dreams fizzled. Now devoid of ambition and cash, stuck back in the catering job he left years ago when stardom was almost in his grasp, Henry must now figure out what can take the place of those broken dreams in his life. Ron Donald (Ken Marino) Eight years earlier, Ron Donald was Henry’s hard-partying rock ‘n’ roll screw-up catering co-worker. Henry returns to find the newly-sober and reformed Ron is a Party Down Team Captain -- and Henry’s boss. Ron is now an aggressively pious corporate achiever obsessed with one day owning his own SoupR’ Crackers soup-and-salad franchise. Quality service and his clients’ “total party satisfaction” are Ron’s eternal, and often elusive, goals. Constance Carmell (Jane Lynch) Constance Carmell is, if nothing else, a survivor. Having forged a three-decade “career” in Hollywood -- from being crushed by a chandelier in the original Poseidon Adventure to playing a corpse in Pumpkinhead 6 -- she sports an unparalleled list of credits as a barely-featured extra. If larger roles have largely eluded her, she remains optimistic; the dream shall never die. A never-ending source of baffling acting parables and oblique new-age advice, Constance is the un-official Den Mother of the Party Down crew. Kyle Bradway (Ryan Hansen) Actor, model and front man for the tragically earnest indie alt-band Karma Rocket, Kyle is just killing time at Party Down before his inevitable big break arrives. In his own mind, he's the “total package” -- handsome, talented, sensitive, and “deep” -- a rare combination of soulful artist and insightful intellectual. To everyone else, Kyle is a self-obsessed naïf whose success in the “handsome business” seems all too disturbingly likely. Roman DeBeers (Martin Starr) A self-proclaimed Sci-Fi visionary and all-purpose intellectual and critic, Roman remains ever-frustrated that his obvious talent continues to go unrecognized while lesser beings like Kyle are groomed for stardom. His weapon against the fundamental un-fairness of the universe is his relentless judgment of others – his colleagues, the party guests, whoever crosses his field of vision. The only one spared is Casey, with whom he is secretly (and forever unrequitedly) in love. …and Casey Klein (Lizzy Caplan) Pretty, smart, funny, and insecure, Casey calls herself “a comedienne that happens to make ends meet as a cater-waiter.” Careening towards 30, she has been grinding away for years and perennially seems on the verge of that elusive big break. When her husband asks her to abandon her career in Los Angeles and take up a normal life with him in Vermont, Casey must choose: give up her dreams, or make the safe play while there’s still a chance… EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS EPISODE #100 Willow Canyon Homeowners Association Annual Party Failed actor Henry Pollard reluctantly returns to the same Party Down catering company he left eight years earlier when Hollywood success seemed imminent. Except now… Ron Donald -- his former hard-partying coworker -- is Henry’s boss. “New Ron” -- a sober corporate achiever -- commands Henry and the catering team with relish in the pursuit of “total party satisfaction” for their clients. The Party Down team -- Ron, Henry, and fellow cater-waiters Casey, Constance, Kyle, and Roman -- find themselves working a neighborhood gathering at the comfortable middle class home of Gordon McSpadden, his uptight wife Liddy, and their sexually aggressive daughter Monica. Gordon’s dismay over the traditional life path he chose contrasts sharply with our crew’s pursuit, however failed, of their entertainment dreams… with unexpected results. EPISODE #101 California College Conservative Union Caucus Working the California College Conservative Union Caucus, the Party Down team joins the young Conservatives in anxiously awaiting the arrival of keynote speaker Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. While Henry reflects on his own career failures amid the crowd of idealistic clean-cut “achievers,” Ron gets caught up in a fierce political debate over a gift of Cuban cigars for the Governor. As he tries to hunt down new cigars, Ron manages to offend Constance’s Hollywood Liberal sensibilities, and then lose an irreplaceable American flag. Meanwhile, Casey tries to visualize a “normal” life in Vermont, but comes to suspect Vermont itself isn’t the problem. EPISODE #102 Pepper McMasters Singles Seminar At a sex and romance seminar for seniors led by the endlessly energetic Pepper McMasters, Constance is confronted by a lothario from her debauched past. Casey, inspired by Pepper’s message of “Living Life to the Fullest,” decides to divorce her husband, and then throws herself at Henry. Kyle, meanwhile, struggles to get revenge on Roman for tricking him into shaving his eyebrow – with rousing results. EPISODE #103 Investors’ Dinner, Malibu Canyon The team is hired by deal-making big-wig Tony Carolla, who is entertaining a haughty group of potential investors. Henry and Casey – struggling with the “morning after” of their recent hook-up – attempt to negotiate their new relationship status, as the crew struggles to please the uptight guests. When Henry and Casey discover that Tony is a con man, they’re all too happy to let the jerks get fleeced -- until they realize Ron is about to invest his SoupR’ Crackers seed money in Tony’s scheme. EPISODE #104 Sin-Say-Shun Awards Afterparty, Club Milk, North Hollywood The team is thrilled and titillated to work a porn industry awards after-party, but it quickly becomes apparent that things aren’t so sexy behind the scenes. Ron gets “discovered” in the men’s room by porn mogul Guy Stennislaus and reluctantly flirts with a new scheme for financing his Soup’R Crackers franchise -as a pornographic actor. Kyle tries to teach Roman how to meet women, while Henry and Casey’s attempt to sex-up their affair doesn’t quite work out. EPISODE #105 Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen Party, Beverly Hills The crew dons P. Diddy-inspired Bling-Wear for the sweet sixteen party of Taylor Stiltskin, daughter of angry Hollywood titan Leonard Stiltskin. The party is a disaster – no one but a handful of nerds show up. Casey and Constance try to convince Taylor that she should forget about popularity and have fun anyway, while Ron babysits the rappers stuck waiting to perform – and discovers they have more in common than he ever thought. Henry is shocked to run into an old acting school pal, now a big star, who tries to use his newfound celebrity to get Henry back in the acting game. EPISODE #106 Brandix Corporate Retreat The team works the Brandix Corporation Teambuilding Retreat, where a sports superstar is delivering the keynote address. In helping the star with a joke in his speech, Casey starts to hit it off with the guy, leading to a tangle of jealous feelings from Roman and Henry. Ron, meanwhile, convinces his team to play a few “trust” building exercises themselves, but the attempt ends in disaster as Casey realizes Henry is jealous, and Roman realizes Henry and Casey have been having a secret affair. The event ends with team trust at an all-time low, and Henry considering taking a “real” job dangled by a Brandix executive. EPISODE #107 Celebration for Ricky Sargulesh, Glendale Banquet Lodge In an attempt to get back at Casey for flirting with another guy, Henry flirts with a woman at a family and friends party for “Ricky.” Things get uncomfortable when the crew realizes Ricky is a mobster, who has just been acquitted of murder, and the woman is Ricky’s girlfriend. Henry must beg for help from Casey, even as the mobsters realize Henry, Constance and Kyle have all been on TV -- they’re incredibly impressed to be hanging out with people from show business. Ricky even hands his script over to Roman, who becomes torn about what he should do when he realizes the script is about the future murder of a party guest. EPISODE #108 James Rolf High School Class of 1989 Twentieth Reunion, Van Nuys Ron forces the Party Down team to work his 20-year high school reunion in hopes of proving that he is not the irresponsible party animal he was back in the day. The team agrees to help Ron live his reunion dream, but Ron quickly starts abusing their charity, ordering them around mercilessly. He strikes up a budding relationship with reunion coordinator Melinda, who nurses her own dreams of high school reunion transformation, only to have it threatened by the arrival of Ron’s slovenly party buddy Donnie. Ron tries to keep Donnie at bay and romance Melinda, but when someone more successful arrives at the party, she ditches Ron, sending him into a downward spiral that parallels his life back in high school and derails his sobriety. EPISODE #109 Stannheiser-Pong Wedding, Bel Air The crew is excited to be working the extremely exclusive wedding of Hollywood super-mogul Barry Stannheiser and his 22-year old fiancé Marty Pong – the reception is sure to be packed with celebrities and bigwigs. But they’ve all disappointed to learn the Party Down team is working as a backup crew to the uber-efficient and wildly good-looking Valhalla Catering Team, led by Ron’s archrival, team leader Veronica Moon. With everything on the line, Ron collapses back into his former partying ways, leaving Henry to single-handedly keep the team afloat, determine his own future with Casey, and try to save Ron’s job. THE BIOS CAST Ken Marino -- “Ron Donald” Ken plays Ron Donald in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.” Ken Marino has been a constant presence in film and television since his acclaimed comedy group, The State, first appeared on MTV. In recent years, he’s added to his numerous acting credits by expanding into writing and producing features and TV pilots. Ken most recently co-wrote with David Wain and played a key role in the hit comedy, Role Models. Ken wrote, produced and starred opposite Paul Rudd in last year’s indie release, Diggers. He also co-wrote, starred in, produced and wrote soundtrack lyrics for the indie comedy The Ten, which opened last year after a successful Sundance premiere. Ken also starred in Wet Hot American Summer and Love For Rent. In addition, he was featured in Reno 911!: Miami, Joe Somebody and Tortilla Soup. In television, Ken has recurred on “Reaper,” “Veronica Mars,” “Charmed,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Reno: 911,” and guest starred on “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Sarah Silverman Program,” “CSI: Miami,” “NYPD Blue,” “Monk” and the new series, “In the Motherhood.” He was a series regular on “Men Behaving Badly,” “Leap of Faith” and “First Years.” Ken’s writing a Comedy Central pilot with Wain based on the Wainy Days webisode series. He’s also co-writing and will be starring in a Comedy Central special featuring The State. Adam Scott -- “Henry Pollard” Adam plays Henry Pollard in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.” A dynamic young actor, Adam Scott has crafted a distinguished career in theatre and television and is quickly becoming one of the finest newcomers to hit the screen. Adam’s upcoming film The Vicious Kind, a dramedy about a man who becomes obsessed with the girlfriend his brother brings home for Thanksgiving, will premiere at Sundance this year. He was most recently seen in the comedy Step Brothers, opposite Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. Adam starred in August, alongside Josh Hartnett, which premiered at Sundance last year. In addition, he recently completed production on three independent features; Lovely, Still with Ellen Burstyn and Martin Landau, the comedy The Rogues Gallery, and he teamed up again with director Matthew Bissonnette, producing and starring in the independent film Passenger Side. Adam was also recently seen in the critically acclaimed HBO series “Tell Me You Love Me.” His other television credits include a notable stint on HBO's acclaimed "Six Feet Under," “East Bound & Down” "Law & Order," "Veronica Mars," Ken Cameron's "Payback," an ABC movie-of-the-week with Mary Tyler Moore and Ed Asner, “Wasteland," "Party of Five," “Murder One," “NYPD Blue," and "E.R." Other feature films credits include Knocked Up, The Great Buck Howard, First Snow, the dark comedy Corporate Affairs, the romantic comedy Who Loves The Sun and Art School Confidential. He also appeared in The Return, The Matador, Monster-In-Law, The Aviator, Torque, Carl Franklin's High Crimes, the independent black comedy Two Days, Christopher Haifley's independent film Ronnie and Star Trek: First Contact. Scott’s stage credits include roles in “Uncle Bob,” a two man show with Austin Pendleton in Los Angeles, New York and Edinburgh; Richard Greenberg's “Everett Beekin” for South Coast Repertory; “Romeo and Juliet” at the California Shakespeare Festival in Berkeley; “Dealer's Choice” and “Buffalo Hunters” for The Mark Taper Forum; “Beirut” for Gardner Stage; “Water and Wine” for the Met Theatre; and “Bloody Poetry” for the Globe Theatre. Jane Lynch -- “Constance Carmell” Jane Lynch plays Constance in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.” Jane cut her theatrical teeth at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theatre and in many church basements all over the greater Chicagoland area. Film credits include the upcoming Julie & Julia, The Post Grad Survival Guide, Spring Breakdown and Brownie Masters. Past film work includes Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, as well as Role Models, The Rocker, the animated film Space Chimps, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The 40 Year old Virgin, Margaret Cho's Celeste and Bam Bam, Alan Cumming's Suffering Man's Charity, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleepover and Surviving Eden. Recent television credits include “Lovespring,” a Lifetime original series, “Desperate Housewives” and “Weeds.” Jane will appear in the upcoming season of “The L Word” opposite Cybill Shepherd. She has recurring roles on “Boston Legal,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Criminal Minds” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine.” Jane's play “Oh Sister, My Sister!” has had runs at the Tamarind Theatre and Bang Theater garnering the LA Weekly Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award. Ryan Hansen -- “Kyle Bradway” Ryan Hansen plays Kyle in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.” Ryan is best known to audiences as Dick Casablancas on the hit show ”Veronica Mars.” Since the series ended, he has filmed leading roles in four films: Superhero Movie, Housebroken opposite Danny DeVito, 818 and the soon to be released Friday the 13th. Mr. Hansen will be seen in the new online series created by Josh Schwartz: “Rockville” beginning in March. Ryan and his wife Amy Hansen reside in San Diego and are especially proud of their work with the charity Invisible Children, which helps children in war-torn Northern Uganda. Martin Starr -- “Roman DeBeers” Martin Starr plays Roman in the new Starz original comedy “Party Down.” Upcoming credits include his lead role in the feature film Adventureland opposite Kristen Stewart for director Greg Motolla (Superbad), the feature film Good Old Fashion Orgy, and his series regular role on the Paul Rudd produced series “Party Down.” Other credits include Knocked Up, Superbad, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, The Incredible Hulk, Kicking and Screaming and his memorable role as a regular on “Freaks and Geeks.” Lizzy Caplan -- “Casey Klein Lizzy Caplan plays Casey in the new Starz original comedy series “Party Down.” In just a short time, Lizzy Caplan has built a burgeoning career with a diverse body of work. From her breakout role as Janis Ian in the hit Paramount feature film, Mean Girls to her standout performance in the hugely successful J.J. Abrams project, Cloverfield, her work has certainly reflected her versatility as an actress; easily transitioning from television comedy to film drama. Caplan received praise when she returned to television with a strong recurring role in Alan Ball’s HBO series “True Blood” as Amy, the vegan with a habit for vampire blood. Last fall she starred in the Lionsgate feature film My Best Friend’s Girl opposite Kate Hudson, Alec Baldwin and Dane Cook. In addition, Caplan recently wrapped the lead role in the independent feature, The Last Rites Of Ransom Pride, with Scott Speedman, Jon Foster, Peter Dinklage, and Dwight Yoakam. Caplan will next be seen in Crossing Over opposite Harrison Ford, Sean Penn and Ray Liotta. Other recent film credits include the independent film Love Is The Drug, which premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival. She also starred in the indie film, Crashing opposite Campbell Scott, which was directed by Gary Walkow. Caplan has also successfully forayed in television; working with Mike Scully, Mike White, Seth MacFarlane, and Judd Apatow, to name a few, Caplan starred in the CBS comedy series, “The Class,” by David Crane and Jeffery Klarik. For that role, Caplan received critical acclaim being named as one of the “10 Actors to Watch,” by Daily Variety, “So Five Minutes From Now” by Entertainment Weekly and the “Fresh Face of Fall” by TV’s The Insider. Prior to “The Class,” Caplan starred in Marta Kaufman’s WB series, “Related,” Fox’s, “Tru Calling” and “Undeclared,” and NBC’s “Freaks and Geeks.” She also recurs on the Fox animated series “American Dad.” PRODUCTION TEAM John Enbom Executive Producer/Co-Creator John Enbom is a writer and television producer in Los Angeles. He wrote for three seasons on “Veronica Mars,” and recently served as writer and producer on “Terminator: the Sarah Connor Chronicles” on Fox. Rob Thomas Executive Producer/Co-Creator Rob Thomas is the creator/executive producer of “Cupid” (2008 and 1998.) He is also the creator/executive producer of “Veronica Mars.” He developed the current version of “90210.” He has written for “Dawson’s Creek,” “Space Ghost Coast to Coast,” “The Education of Max Bickford.” He wrote the 1999 feature film Drive Me Crazy. Thomas has also penned four novels for Simon & Schuster including the 1996 American Librarian Association "Best Book for Young Adults," “Rats Saw God.” His collection of short stories, “Doing Time,” was also named an ALA "Best Book for Young Adults." Dan Etheridge Executive Producer/Co-Creator Dan Etheridge is a television and film producer in Los Angeles. Currently he serves as Executive Producer of the hour-long romantic comedy “Cupid” for ABC. In addition to that pilot, Etheridge was also Executive Producer on the pilot for ABC’s “Good Behavior.” Previously, Etheridge served as Supervising Producer for all three seasons of “Veronica Mars” for the CW, as well as directed an episode. Etheridge has also produced an array of studio and indie movies. Most recently he produced The Nines alongside Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen for writer-director John August (Go, Big Fish), starring Ryan Reynolds. He also co-produced Come Early Morning from writer-director Joey Lauren Adams, starring Ashley Judd. Both films premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Originally from Virginia, Etheridge graduated from USC’s Peter Stark Program for Film/TV Producing in 1992 and received a BA from Yale in 1990. Paul Rudd Executive Producer/Co-Creator Paul Rudd is an actor who was last seen in the hit comedy Role Models, which he also co-wrote. Several other films include, Knocked Up, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Clueless, Romeo and Juliet, The Cider House Rules, as well as the up coming production I Love You, Man opposite Jason Segel. On Broadway, Rudd recently starred in Richard Greenburg’s Three Days of Rain opposite Julia Roberts. Other Broadway credits include the Tony award winning The Last Night of Ballyhoo, and Nicholas Hytner’s “Twelfth Night” at Lincoln Center. He made his West End debut in the London production of "Long Days Journey Into Night" opposite Jessica Lange. He immediately followed that with another London production, Neil Labute’s The Shape of Things. After a successful run in both London and New York, he also starred in the film. On television, Rudd guest starred on NBC's "Friends" as Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) husband Mike Hannigan for the final two seasons. Credits “Party Down” is created and executive produced by John Enbom, Rob Thomas, Dan Etheridge and Paul Rudd. John Enbom also serves as show runner. Coexecutive producers are Jennifer Gwartz and Danielle Stokdyk. Jennifer Dugan will produce the series. Contacts: Steve Belgard Starz Entertainment, LLC 720.852.5843 [email protected] Chelsye J. Burrows Starz Entertainment, LLC 720.852.5843 [email protected] Eric Green B/W/R 310.248.6150 [email protected] Chloe Ellers B/W/R 310.248.6162 [email protected] For press information, including bios photos, EPK, continual episodes updates and more, please visit the Starz Press Room at starz.mediaroom.com.