Rock of Ages made a huge splash on Broadway and is already being adapted into a film with a star-studded cast including Tom Cruise, Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Mary J. Blige, Malin Akerman, Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Alec Baldwin. The musical recently kicked off its run at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, wowing crowds with its rock songs and fun vibe. Trashwire recently got the chance to chat with producer Matt Weaver about bringing Whitesnake to Broadway, adapting the show to film and man-love set to REO Speedwagon.

Rock of Ages is certainly not your traditional Broadway musical. Instead of show tunes, it uses the music of bands and artists like Journey, Pat Benatar, Poison, Twisted Sister, Styx, Bon Jovi and other huge ‘80s rock stars to tell the story of aspiring-rocker Drew (played to perfection by American Idol’s Constantine Maroulis) as he falls in love with small-town-girl Sherrie (Elicia MacKenzie in the Denver run) on the Sunset Strip in 1987 Los Angeles. Audiences are encouraged to sing along and are given LED lighters to wave during the ballads—definitely not what you’d think of when you think of Broadway.

“We came into Broadway wanting to be in the club—we didn’t want to come in and be rebels and mix things up,” Weaver says. “We were developing what we thought was a traditional musical, it just happened to have Whitesnake and Poison.” He jokes, “There’s Kander and Ebb, there’s Sondheim and now there’s Whitesnake.”

That kind of pop culture savvy, combined with funny dialogue and some spot-on costumes, is what makes ROA so appealing to a whole new crowd of theatre-goers. “We’re getting people who don’t like theatre coming in and going ‘Wow! This is a Broadway show?’ and we’re getting the theatre-goers who came in begrudgingly with their arms folded and ended up really respecting what we did.  The theater people are coming in kicking and screaming, but end up loving it,” Weaver says. “If you hate musicals, you’re going to love Rock of Ages and if you love musicals, you’re going to love Rock of Ages.”

Even the bands themselves were surprised to have their music in a production playing on the same block as classics like Phantom of the Opera. “Do you think Bret Michaels ever thought his song was going to be on Broadway?” Weaver jokes. In one amusing scene, REO Speedwagon’s ‘Can’t Fight This Feeling’ is used as a love ballad between two rock dudes. “Kevin Cronin from REO Speedwagon came to the show and saw the man-love number and he could not believe it,” Weaver says proudly. “He said every time he sings that song at a concert now, he stops and laughs and tells the audience ‘This song has a whole different meaning for me now.’”

The live experience is what really sets ROA apart. At the opening night show in Denver, people in the audience were fist-pumping and singing along in their seats like they were at a concert instead of musical theatre event.  “That was all very calculated,” Weaver says. “I always love compliments about what’s up on stage, but when people talk about the vibe in the theater, I love that too.” That vibe is cultivated in every aspect of the show all the way down to the staff in the venue. “I worked at Disney for a long time,” Weaver explains, “and I share the motto that ‘you guys are cast members, you’re part of the show’, so we throw a dinner party for the ushers before we open up the production.”

Weaver is sure that the live experience will translate well to film. “It could turn into this Rocky Horror thing where there are midnight shows and people are coming dresses as the characters,” he says. “I think it’s going to be a movie that you’re going to want to get up and dance and sing to.” Weaver attributes most of that to Hairspray’s Adam Shankman, who is directing the film. “He’s the best in the game,” Weaver says, “so I can’t imagine that’s it’s not going to have the same feel. I don’t know that people will be drinking Jack and Cokes in the movie theater, but it’ll be fun.”

The film is loaded with megastars, but the musical didn’t start out that way. “When we opened on Broadway,” Weaver explains, “everybody told us we needed a star or we wouldn’t last, but we just said ‘our songs are our stars.’” Now that he has a group of huge stars, he said the experience is surreal. “It’s Bizarro World!” He says. “We’re sitting here with Alec and Tom and Russell and it’s like ‘Woah! I don’t feel worthy!’” Even stars that aren’t in the show are fans. “We had a surprise appearance from Def Leppard today,” Weaver recalls. “We don’t even have their music in the show, we have it in the movie, so we just had this surreal Tom Cruise/Def Leppard moment on the set.”

The story of the production parallels the rags-to-riches story of its main character. From underdog to rock star, the entire journey has been loaded with well-deserved success for the cast and crew. “I’m really proud of my group,” Weaver says. We were 4 or 5 people who had never done it before, blinded by passion for the music and naïveté and we created an international brand.”

Last night, Yara Sofia, Manila Luzon and season 3 winner Raja were at Tracks in Denver to kick off the RuPaul’s Drag Race tour. They performed for packed house of enthusiastic fans, including RuPaul’s Drag Race season 1 contestant and Denver’s favorite drag queen, Nina Flowers. The girls put on an amazing show and Trashwire was there to cover it. Check out our pics and video clips from the show and Like us on Facebook for more. WERK!

View all our videos on the Trashwire blog

Making a film is hard, making an independent film is even harder, and making your first independent film can seem damn near impossible. For Colorado filmmaker Neil Truglio, the journey from concept to film festival took seven years and the blood, sweat and tears of a very generous cast and crew. When all was said and done, he had written and directed his very first feature film, We Are the Sea.

The film tells the story of Sean (Jeff Childress), a teacher who is struggling with conflict in his family and within himself. Sean’s mother (Laura Cuetara) is of no help as she is still dealing with the death of her husband. His ex-wife (Lauren Shealy) only reminds him of the distance he feels from his daughter (Allison Savoy) and the person that he used to be. The darkness in his life begins fading away when Laine (Chantelle Frazier), one of his students, manages to connect with him and show him that the person he is might not be so bad.

Truglio conceived of the film while working at a record store in Boulder, Colorado, where he first heard the music of Iron & Wine. He remembers the moment when he felt the first spark of inspiration. While listening to debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle in the record store, he says, “it got to track three, ‘Faded from the Winter’, and the second I heard it I just put the headphones down and bought the CD. That ended up being the opening track in the film.” The music was the muse for both the visual style and storyline of the film. “I listened to the music constantly when I was formulating the story and it really spawned out of what I was hearing in the music,” Truglio says. “It was almost like hearing the most perfect soundtrack and then saying, ‘what’s this a soundtrack to?’”

From there, he began raising enough money to get started, not wanting to compromise his vision with limited budget. “We shot the movie on film, it’s all Super 16mm. We just felt like the cinematic qualities of the film, the graininess, the human motion the film has just helps tell the story better,” he says.

Casting also involved actors who were more committed to telling the story than getting a fat paycheck. “We were looking for the people that were the most on board,” Truglio says, “most of the directing comes from the casting room. If you find the right actor then your job as a director becomes so much easier.” Searching for a Sean was the most challenging aspect. “He had to be talented enough and stunning enough that he would be someone you’d be willing to watch for the 86 minutes and be able to go with him on the journey,” Truglio says. “There are always physical attributes you’re looking for too. I wanted him to be towering over [Savoy] so you have the little person and the giant in the field, but yet two people that are on the same emotional level.” He used all the local casting agencies in Colorado as resources and eventually found a solid cast with a true passion for telling the story.

Making the film in Colorado, a state not known for being a filmmaker’s paradise, posed it’s own challenges. At that time, the Colorado Film Commission, now the Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media, was a nonprofit organization in its primordial stage. “It’s harder on your time and your energy to make a film in a place like Denver, though it’s a little easier on your wallet,” Truglio says. “There’s not really a track record of filmmaking in town.” This can make securing locations much harder as businesses have no experience with the needs and schedules of filmmakers. “It’s so much easier to say no,” Truglio says about working with different businesses, “so you become a huge fan of anybody that says yes.”

Despite all the challenges facing a first-time filmmaker, Truglio completed his film and is enjoying success at film festivals around the world. The film premiered at the Dallas International Film Festival in April and has screened at the Austin Film Festival and the American Film Festival in Wroclaw, Poland. The film sold out several screenings when it played in Denver and Truglio is looking forward to more festival screenings in the future.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World was getting a lot of buzz long before it screened at Comic Con in July. Adapted from Brian Lee O’Malley’s hugely popular comic, the film is about Scott (Michael Cera), a Toronto native who’s dating a high school girl (Ellen Wong as Knives Chau) when he falls for a cool new girl (Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona) and must defeat her “seven evil exes” in order to date her.

The cast of this geek masterpiece stopped by Denver on their press tour and I got a chance to sit down with Winstead, Brandon Routh, who is Ramona’s vegan rocker ex boyfriend, Todd Ingram, and Kieran Culkin, who plays Scott’s hilarious gay roommate Wallace Wells.

Though none of the three had read the comic prior to hearing about the film, they knew they were stepping into pretty big shoes as far as fans were concerned. “It has such a following. It’s grown with every book that has come out. The last one was number five on Amazon.” Winstead said.

Because the comic was such a hit, everyone involved with the film didn’t want to disappoint the devoted fans. Thankfully, says Winstead, director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) was just the man to tackle the challenge.

“We really trusted Edgar Wright,” she explained. “Everyone involved in the cast were big fans of his and all of his movies–Spaced, everything we had seen of his. For me, when I read the books, I knew he was the only person that could bring it to life in a way that is cool, unique and fun. So we all, from the second we stepped foot on the set, were just like, ‘ok, you tell us what to do. You guide us and we’ll do exactly like you want and we know that’s gonna end up the best it’s gonna be.’”

While it’s impossible to exactly recreate the comic, Culkin assured us that nothing major was left out. “Fans of the book didn’t seem to miss anything. They really like the adaptation, but, some will say they missed Kim Pines making out with Knives Chau,” he joked.

Outside of the world of comics, Scott Pilgrim vs the World also has tons of video game references spread throughout the movie. At times it’s almost as if you are watching a cut scene pulled directly from a video game. Because of that, I had to know if these guys were actually into video games.

Culkin was eager to talk about games and named Zelda: Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64 as his favorite. “This game Virtual Pro 2, which is a Japanese wrestling game for the 64, I translated it into English so I can play it, but I didn’t need to. It was just for anybody else who wanted to play,” he added. He rounded off his top five with Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Castlevania and Contra.

Routh chimed in to list his faves. “Dragon Warrior was one of the first RPGs. Shining Force, the Sega game, Shining Force 2, the sequel. Joe Montana Football, Sim City, and Warcraft.”

With video games as inspiration, the movie has a lot of really fun fight scenes. The cast talked about the training they went through to prepare.

“It was tough. We trained together for a long time, and we were really well prepared by the stunt guys who worked with us. They were fantastic teachers. Ellen had some prior experience with Taikwando, and I had prior experience with dance, so the two of us kind of combined our abilities. Ellen was so dedicated to Knives, that character, and so it was almost scary fighting with her sometimes, because she got so into character. It felt really real when I fought with her.” Culkin then asked her who would win a real fight between her and Ellen Wong. “We got that question a few times when we were interviewing together, and we always just said that would team up because, I’m like a giant, and she’s little and scrappy and fast.”

And, of course, with all that fighting comes a few injuries. “I pulled my shoulder out a bunch. Lots of tendonitis and stuff. Went to physical therapy for that. In that scene with Ellen, I got stabbed in the eye with one of her knives and was bleeding, and had to have a paramedic help. So yeah, there were lots of little things like that that happened, but it was kinda like battle scars, like we all felt really proud of our injuries,” Winstead said.

Though Wallace doesn’t do any fighting in the movie, Culkin said he trained along with everyone else. “It was more for fun, when everyone was getting together for weeks. We got together early in the morning for training, so I went along for that. Plus, I think also, when I got the part I hadn’t seen Edgar for months, so I showed up to set the first day with long green hair and thirty pounds of extra weight that he wasn’t expecting and I was like, ‘Are you sure? Are you sure you want me? Just try to picture my hair shorter, and I’ll lose thirty pounds, I swear.’ I got to go home for a while and lose that weight for him.”

Scott Pilgrim isn’t only filled with video game references, it’s also got the perfect feeling of an underground indie rock movie. Music is one of the main themes in the movie, with the main characters all competing in a giant battle of the bands, and a huge soundtrack filled with underground music.

Winstead may not be an expert on video games, but she did list her music favorites. “I listen to a lot of oldies and stuff. But, I like a lot of indie rock. Gosh, where do I start?” Suddenly, Culkin jumped in and told her to start by plugging the soundtrack and she replied, “That’s actually genuine, I love the soundtrack. Right now I really love The XX, a lot of Mike Patton stuff, Mr. Bungle, just kind of all over the map, but I love anything from the 60s and 50s, David Bowie, and I also like Buddy Holly, and girl groups. The Shangri Las are kinda my ultimate favorite.”

In the last question of the day, I asked Winstead who her favorite evil ex was in the film. She said she loved them all, but Routh quickly told us that wasn’t true at all, so she had to change her answer. “No, the fight with Roxy, Mae Whitman, will always be special to me because I actually got to fight with her, and we got train together for months and months. So, that was just an awesome experience, and she’s so badass, and wonderful. So, I have to say that one.” Routh also added that Roxy rocks.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World opens everywhere on August 13^th, so make sure you go see it! The soundtrack is available now on cd and red vinyl, and it is awesome, so check it out. You can also check out the Scott Pilgrim 8-bit style video game that’s available for download on the PS3 now, and August 25^th for the Xbox Arcade version

“Hello, I’m Nasty and I’ll be your bitch today” is the kind of greeting you can expect at Bump & Grind Café in Denver. A group of women came in shortly after my party was seated and Secretia Pheromones, another member of the colorful staff, yelled out “Hello lesbians!”  Needless to say, my guests and I could not wipe the smiles from our faces.

Saturday and Sunday at Bump & Grind means Petticoat Brunch, so all the wait staff are in over-the-top drag and ready to sashay breakfast to your table. You’ll be hit by a myriad of delightful sensations: the music blasting, the platform shoes stomping, and the smell of unbelievable potatoes cooking. Upon arriving to your seat, you receive a small plate of muffins and, as you taste them, you know the breakfast will be just as good. Then you kick back and enjoy as you and your friends eat, take pictures, and exchange sexual innuendo with the wait staff.

Cliff Trubowitz is the owner of this unique establishment, which began years ago as Hyper Space Aerobics Studios (hence the mirrored walls) and evolved to selling coffee and breakfast goodies before the dawn of the weekend Petticoat Brunch.  The origin of the restaurant also explains how it got its name, as Trubowitz says, “The ‘Bump’ was from the fitness classes and the ‘Grind’ was from the coffee.” Two years into having fitness classes and coffee, he revamped the fitness room into a dining area and shortly thereafter added the idea of drag wait staff for the brunch. Trubowitz doesn’t take credit for the originality of the place, joking that “no one has an original idea these days,” and confessing that some of his ideas, like putting the menus on the back of old album covers, were just things he saw when living in New York.

 Bump and Grind is open Tuesday for coffee and muffins from 7:00AM to 11:30AM. Wednesday through Friday they serve breakfast (not in drag) from 7:00AM to 11:00AM and lunch from 11:00AM to 2:30PM. Petticoat Brunch begins at 10:00AM to 2:00PM Saturday and Sunday, you can expect a short wait, but it’s worth it.  Trubowitz expressed interest in expanding to serve dinner a couple nights a week and get a liquor license, but for now his schedule keeps him pretty busy as he is the main guy in the kitchen slinging those pots and pans!

Bump & Grind, located at the corner 17^th and Pennsylvania, is a great place to take out-of-town company, but is always crowded with locals as well.  It’s no surprise that the restaurant is such a destination; the food is wonderful, the atmosphere is fun, and the staff is friendly and entertaining. The clientele is more diverse than you might expect and the long line outside lets you know, it’s far from being Denver’s best kept secret.

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What exactly is the “American Dream”? According to Wikipedia, the concept was first expressed by James Truslow Adams in 1931, saying citizens of every rank feel that they can achieve a “better, richer, and happier life.” It was that kind of optimistic freedom that encouraged so many of our ancestors to immigrate to the United States. Of course, now the “American Dream” doesn’t seem to just include improving your life, but also getting famous. Instead of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, America has now become the land of unemployment, ridiculously expensive healthcare and the pursuit of a reality TV deal.

Recently, the world was captivated by a giant silver balloon floating over Colorado, reportedly with a small child inside. CNN put the breaking story on the front page of their website, broadcasters interrupted regularly scheduled programs and sent helicopters to follow the balloon, Twitter was nearly overloaded by all the people posting well wishes for poor Balloon Boy. Only, the kid was never in the balloon and it was later revealed that the boy’s family had concocted the whole thing as a publicity stunt to help them land a reality TV show. Now the backlash is enormous as both legitimate news and bloggers slam the family. The real question is, are we mad because the stunt grounded flights at Denver International Airport and took emergency services personnel away from real emergencies or are we just angry because we all fell for it?

As much as we want to dismiss the family, it seems they got what they wanted because the whole world was talking about them, and many news outlets continue to talk about them as the scandal unfolds. Just like Nadya Suleman, affectionately know as “Octomom”, they did something so crazy that they became celebrities from it. As long as squeezing every last drop out of those coveted 15 minutes of fame is everyone’s goal, the world will keep buzzing about non-celebrities like Jon and Kate Gosselin and churning out new “stars” like Tila Tequila. As Ricky Gervais once said, “You ask kids nowadays what they want to be and they say ‘famous’.” Everyone wants to be a star, and maybe that’s the problem.

This kind of non-celebrity is nothing new. Remember years ago when Paris Hilton first started creating a buzz? Everyone kept angrily asking, “But why is she famous? What has she actually done to get famous?” Was she an actress? A model? A singer? Why was everyone talking about her? As more and more people started rhetorically asking why the world cared about Hilton, she got more and more famous.

Since then, TV has churned out scores of reality “stars” who seem to be taking up valuable space in our collective brain and who make a trashy socialite like Hilton seem like Princess Diana by comparison. If you’ve watched VH1 for any length of time, you probably remember such useless “celebrities” as Tiffany “New York” Pollard and Brooke “Pumpkin” Thompson from Flavor of Love, Daisy DeLaHoya from Rock of Love 2 (and later her own spin-off Daisy of Love), and David “12 Pack” Amerman from I Love Money. While VH1 seems to be the largest factor in non-celebrity pollution, other networks have contributed to the mess. Let’s not forget that MTV, of course, gave the world Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt. Even legitimate networks like NBC, ABC and CBS have created pseudo-stars from series like The Bachelor or Survivor. At least with shows like American Idol people have to show some talent or skill to advance.

The sad/horrifying part of this is that it’s everyone’s fault. People don’t just get famous on their own. Fame requires a kind of agreement between the celebrity and the public and we all seem happy to enter into that contract. I’ve personally been a part of many conversations blasting crap reality shows and fake celebrities, yet these conversations all seem to end with people saying, “Except for ___, that show is actually really good.” I’m just as guilty of it—hell, I even created an entire section of Trashwire to document the everyday events inside the Big Brother house—and I don’t see any end in sight.

So what do we do? How can we stop this? The truth is, we can’t. It’s a global pandemic and there is no cure. As long as people remain fascinated by publicity hounds that will do anything to get on TV, the networks will keep spewing out more and more false celebrities. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to post a blog about how Adam from Big Brother got arrested for selling oxycodone.

Arj Barker is best known in the USA for his role as Dave on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, but he has also been doing stand up for over a decade and has a huge following in Australia. He has an animated online series called “Arj and Poopy” that has been described as, “Short and classic. Just what you expect from Arj and Poopy. This one might not be suitable for small children or cops.”

Barker performed at Comedy Works in Downtown Denver to an enthusiastic crowd on Friday night. It’s practically impossible for any comedian to do a stand up act and not reference the recent death of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Barker didn’t take the standard pot shot at Jackson, instead he found humor in the massive amounts of text messages, emails, instant messages and tweets that filled cyber space when the story broke. He joked about how people he hadn’t heard from in years sent him text messages saying, “Michael Jackson died!” He compared it to a race as to who would be the first one to get the breaking news to the largest number of their acquaintances. He went on to deliver more insightful humor on everything from not having kids to global warming, questioning the true source of the problem saying, “It’s the sun’s fault, after all you don’t blame the bread for burnt toast!”

He gave Trashwire a few minutes before the first show and was funny, friendly, and laid back.

Read a transcript of the interview here:

I know you played Red Rocks, what did you think of that venue?
Oh it’s beautiful, definitely the coolest looking venue I have ever seen. I have never seen anything like that. The crowd was super pumped. That was the biggest audience that I played to and I think it was their [Flight of the Conchords] biggest audience. I think it was their biggest dedicated show they had ever done, but you might want to confirm that though.

There is a lot of history up at Red Rocks.
Yeah, we were back stage looking at all the pictures, all the cool bands that had played there, Radio Head, forget about it.

You’re a big Radio Head Fan?
Favorite, yeah.

Did the altitude bother you when you were up there?
No, not really, they all said, “Oh here’s the oxygen, don’t worry!” but not really, you could feel a little more winded, but you know when you’re moderately young and healthy, I mean you know, I don’t smoke.

I understand you had the record for number of people flipping the bird at one time up at Red Rocks?
I did and I can actually send you a picture of that, it was pretty cool.

You have a series on line, Arj and Poopy?
Yeah it’s an animated series. Kids love it. Parents love it. There’s a little swearing, so it’s better really young, I mean you don’t want to teach your kids words, maybe you do.

Do you have a cat named Poopy?
I have a beautiful cat named Ringo. (Shows us a picture on his iPhone). Just about the cutest cat I’ve ever seen.

Do you have any rituals you do before a show?
I like to do an interview with trashwire.com and hang out. I might look at my notebook a few times, but then I look at it, see what is in there, look at it for half an hour, then (holds up a drawing of a guy with spiral circle eyes and holds it to the camera). I don’t think it will help the show, but there is something mesmerizing about it.

Have you ever performed at the Comedy Works before?
Yeah, a few years ago we did a show called Marijuana-Logues here. It’s all about pot. All pot jokes really.

You had Tommy Chong in it right?
Yeah he did it for a while. He did it a few times.

So we have a Twitter following and we asked what questions they would want us to ask you and they want to know who makes you laugh more Bret McKenzie or Jemaine Clement?
I spend more time one on one with Jemaine, not because I like him better or anything, but they’re both great guys. They are both such awesome guys—both super talented and funny—so I’d have to say it’s pretty dead on, pretty close.

One last question, how did you get the role on the show (Flight of the Conchords)?  Were you just friends with those guys from way back?
Yeah I was just friends with them since the early 2000s, and they just had me in mind somehow. It was like a miracle, I don’t even know why, because they knew a ton of comedians and they are real friendly with everyone they meet. I worked with them in New Zealand, in the same venue originally in 2003. I think it was 2003, I’m not good with years, I’m better with decades. I can tell you generally what decade something happened, spot on, and nail it! The more smaller increments of time you go, the more dodgier it gets. But anyway, they were like, “Hey we’re thinking we might have a part for you in our show.” It wasn’t like I had to audition and compete against others. They called it the “Arj part”, supposedly when they were developing it, but then they named the character Dave. But like how bad of an actor would I have to be if I was like, I didn’t get the “Arj part”?

Arj Barker performed a stellar set on Friday night and he will be at Comedy Works Downtown Denver throughout the weekend, so try to get down there, you won’t be disappointed.

I have been a fan of the Whitest Kids U’Know since back in the day when the series was on Fuse. Trashwire even featured a piece about the evolution of tv sketch comedy focusing on WKUK as well as other sketch shows like Human Giant and the short-lived Acceptable TV. Last Monday, I capped off an outrageously fun weekend by heading to the Oriental Theatre in Denver where all five members of the Whitest Kids U’Know were performing live.

The evening kicked off with Timmy Williams, Zach Cregger, Darren Trumeter, Sam Brown and Trevor Moore performing fan-favorite sketches from the series such as the hilarious “Motorcycle Mama” or my personal favorite, “What Really Happened to Abe Lincoln” among others. They also busted out some new sketches and even screened a few clips from the newest season of their series, which moved from Fuse to IFC after its first season.

All the sketches were a huge hit for the enthusiastic audience, who gleefully anticipated some of the classics just buy looking at where the guys stood on the stage. When Moore, Brown and Cregger emerged from one corner of the stage pantomiming carrying rifles, someone behind me gasped, “Oh! Sexy Fawn!” instantly recognizing the staging for that popular sketch. The same audible excitement occurred when all five took the stage in positions for their “Dating Show” sketch, one of the filthiest and most hilarious in the WKUK arsenal.

One of the most interesting factors about watching the Whitest Kids live is the absence of props, wigs, set design and other production elements from their stage show. Because I never had the chance to see them live in New York, where the group began and where they frequently perform, my only real point of reference was the sketches from the tv series and grainy YouTube clips of the guys performing at comedy clubs like Caroline’s. It was really interesting to watch a sketch like “Sexy Fawn”, which contains costumes, an outdoor location and props, performed without any of those elements. In many ways, it added an extra level to the comedy because watching Trumeter prance around in jeans instead of a full fawn suit made things even more bizarre.

After the show, the guys headed into the theater to chat with the audience, which was where I managed to score pictures with each member of the team. The young crowd circled around them waiting for pictures, autographs, or just a chance to say hello. One fan even brought a replica of the “gallon of PCP” from that hilarious sketch.

I was exceptionally impressed with how friendly and personable all of them were. I chatted with Moore and Williams about my previous Trashwire coverage and both remembered the article. We also talked about the tour, which supports the release of Moore and Cregger’s new film Miss March, and they confessed that Denver crowds are some of their favorites because they seem to get every joke. Moore explained that one of his favorite bits is “Epilepsy Test”, a video mostly consisting of a long sequence of “gathering your results” which seldom connects with the audience, however Denver fans applauded and laughed loudly during the entire sequence.

With their enthusiasm for Denver, we can certainly hope that the Whitest Kids U’Know will return to the Mile High City in the near future.

View photos below or on the photos page.

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The 31st Starz Denver Film Festival is in full swing and, this year, I’ve had a very inside look at all the behind-the-scenes action. With my new job at the Denver Film Society, I’ve been able to watch this year’s fest grow from a tiny seed into a gigantic tree of cinematic enjoyment. (If that wasn’t enough of a hippie metaphor for you, I don’t know what is!)

Opening Night kicked off with The Brothers Bloom, a new film starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz and Mark Ruffalo from director Rian Johnson, who readers will remember from Brick, a fantastic original take on film noir.

Big Night was equally impressive with Slumdog Millionaire, a film that has received rave reviews from nearly every critic. The red carpet that evening featured a large selection of guests including actor Richard Jenkins, Dr. Marci Bowers, star of the documentary Trinidad, world-renowned cinematographer Wally Pfister and Ari Lehman, the original Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th among others. As the stars entered the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, dancers performed a Bollywood-inspired number on the red carpet.

The festival isn’t just red carpet screenings either.

For 11 days the Starz FilmCenter is transformed into a cinematic paradise with screenings, discussion panels, and in-person Q&A sessions with directors and stars.

One of my personal highlights was the world premiere of His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, a documentary that examines the entire franchise and, of course, all those who have appeared as one of films most famous murderers through out the years.

The festival experience was further elevated with the captivating He/She and Us discussion panel. The panel featured PJ Raval and Jay Hodges, directors of Trinidad, Dr. Marci Bowers, star of the film and leading gender reassignment surgeon, Kimberly Reed, director of the moving autobiographical film Prodigal Sons, and Matt Kailey of OutFront Colorado. The panelists fielded questions and engaged the audience on topics like gender, sexuality, and even the recent decision about Proposition 8. The audience was so enthralled that the panel ran long and many continued chatting with the filmmakers in the lobby.

There are still five days left in the festival before the Closing Night screening of Last Chance Harvey, starring Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, on November 22nd. All film lovers are strongly encouraged to make an appearance. The experience is so unique and enjoyable that you’ll be talking about it for years to come and it will surely convert any first-timers into full on festival addicts.

Check out the schedule and descriptions of the film at denverfilm.org/festival.

You may think Joe Rogan is a crass, misogynist, loud-mouth. You may think his act is all dick jokes or something along the lines of a revamped Andrew Dice Clay. After seeing Rogan perform at Comedy Works in Denver last night, I can assure you that, if you do assume all those things, you’re wrong.

As an avid stand-up fan, I was definitely expecting the hardcore Rogan from his numerous YouTube videos or from the press coverage surrounding his fight with noted hack Carlos Mencia. Instead, Rogan seemed chilled out and personable, treating the audience to stories ranging from the birth of his daughter to why it’s a bad idea to keep a tiger in a box.

Of course, there were certainly some dick jokes mixed in the set, but thankfully they were creatively executed and proved to be hilarious. Rogan even managed to mix the cruder jokes into a bit about the Mayan calendar’s prediction that the world will end in 2012.

Instead of standing on the stage and trying to sound cool by giving every detail of every sexual exploit, Rogan managed the difficult task of keeping his act smart and still maintaining the crude humor. Through stories about oral sex or getting caught masturbating, he managed to also discuss evolution and the human genome or events in world history.

At the end of the set, Rogan conducted a Q&A where he riffed on a series of topics shouted out by the crowd.

Of course, eventually someone shouted out “Carlos Mencia” and Rogan addressed his now infamous feud with the rival comic. For those who don’t know, Mencia is universally loathed amongst comedians for being a notorious joke theif. During an appearance at the Comedy Store in LA, Rogan got on stage and called Mencia on it. Since then, a veritable shit storm exploded on Rogan which included a reported banishment from the Comedy Store and a departure from his publicity firm. While this kind of injustice would make most people furious, Rogan stood on stage and calmly explained his position on plagiarism while getting in a few quick jabs at Mencia.

Rogan’s comedy is certainly impressive. He is able to walk a fine line between crude and smart humor and his intelligence shows with each joke he tells. Denver residents should jump at the chance to see such a pro at work.

Catch Joe Rogan this Friday and Saturday at Comedy Works in Denver.

Check out the infamous video of Joe Rogan and Carlos Mencia below: