Gary Kordan » Hollywood

01-11-2009

Tomorrow I start on the new Top Chef spin-off for Bravo called Top Chef: Masters.
The art crew you know and love with be there too!
Julie Drach (Assistant Art Director), Josh Ritcher (Leadman), Shane Passantino (Swing) and Angela Clubb (Buyer) will join me for the next eight weeks with some long stretches without a day off. We’re all excited to be working together again after the holiday break (last year we did nine shows together…NINE!).

Everyone I know is really excited too, even friends and family who normally don’t care one bit about what I am currently working on react like I just won the lottery. Top Chef is so loved by all of my friends, heck, Kay has even volunteered to PA or whatever she has to do to be a part of the show.

Click on the picture below to read a blurb about the show from some reality tv blog.

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01-01-2009

I love acupuncture-it helps with so many ailments, emotions, aches and pains.

I also love Los Angeles because we are always first to try anything that will make you feel your best.

That’s why I think this new acupuncturist in my neighborhood will make a killing.

There are so many losers that will benefit from curing ailment #3. If it really works we may soon see freeway drivers using blinkers, people putting their cell phones down on the checkout line and Ed Hardy stores going out of business.

Corner of Moorpark and Tujunga in case you're interested...

This post has 2 comments

gary -
today someone scratched the “r” off. i’ll snap a picture tomorrow.
1-8-2009

Justine -
Too bad they fixed the sign.
1-19-2009

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01-01-2009

The little girl you hear singing on this free MP3 download is Valentina Santiago, my 6 year old friend. I saw Valentina in the Nutcracker last month, played Santa at her house a few days ago and have known her way before she knew how to sing. (Back to the Santa thing for a second-Valentina’s parents, Joey and Linda had a Xmas eve party this year and I showed up to play Santa. Everything was going great for the 60 seconds I was there until Valentina decided to start screaming “it’s Gaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrryyyyyy” and then all 15 kids figured it out and I ran out the door.)

Valentina’s dad is my friend Joey Santiago…the guitarist from the Pixies. His new band, with David Lovering (drummer in Pixies) is called Everybody. The music is incredible, but I’m not sure when you’ll get to hear it. In the meantime if you give them your email address at everybodytheband.com they will send you a free MP3 of David, Joey and Valentina performing “Snow In Los Angeles”.

It is the best song I have heard all year.

Snow In Los Angeles, a new holiday classic.

Oh, and one final thing. When I told Joey that I walked out during the ceremony at my wedding to “Here Comes Your Man” he reminded me that the song is about a bum.

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12-15-2008

I don’t know if you knew it or not but before KISS took their makeup off in the 80’s they were actually four black guys under costumes and greasepaint!

Black KISS in their dressing room circa mid 1970

This was such a fun sketch to Production Design. The script called for a super run down front yard, a 70’s era dressing room for black KISS and to build a concert stage to match the original Gene Simmons concert footage. Of course we had to tweak the look of the KISS logo because, even though Comedy Central was OK with claiming KISS was a bunch of black guys before removing their makeup in the 80’s, using the real logo is a no-no.

Click here to watch KISS My Ass

Josh, Shane, Dalton and Nandor built the tank and canon to match the KISS stage in the 70’s and the KISS lights in the background are the lights from the ‘Black Daddy’ sketch, just painted black and reformatted. As always, they pulled it together in a few hours the day before the shoot.

DAG as black Gene

We shot the exteriors in Sylmar on probably the hottest day of the summer and the stage and dressing room at the Henry Fonda in Hollywood on the same day as 3 other scripts. Those were two intense days, but we spent some money we didn’t have, made some magic happen and everyone was happy. Except for Jim Ziegler when he got the bill.

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12-11-2008

Here is an example of a live studio audience piece we did for one of the last episodes of Mind Of Mencia.

This sketch has to be on stage in less than 2 days.

The script called for a crack alley that will play in front of the live audience during the taping. The art department got the script a few days before the shoot, and in the middle of two other field shoots, pre-tapes and cold open set construction this is what we came up with. First I drew the sketch, then Bianca Ferro waved her set decorator magic wand and found all the pieces and had the major pieces built and painted, Josh and Shane brought it to life building the telephone poles and Ron found some scary realistic drug props (hmmm, how did he find them). Here is what it looked like at show time.

The grey floor is just carpet with black tape to make the cracks.

What makes these sets difficult is they all have to be mobile and be set up during a commercial break in front of the audience in less than 8 minutes. Then after the sketch is finished it needs to be struck and gone in even less time to move on to the next segment. Not to mention it has to be made under budget and be staged for over a dozen actors and camera blocking, usually in less than 2 days.

Here is the set in action. We miss you Ned.

Costume design by Alison Freer, photos by Randy Shropshire

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12-10-2008

Justine and Gary on their video page

The Justine and Gary wedding video in 3 parts. Getting ready, ceremony and reception. Let it load first for maximum viewing pleasure.

http://vimeo.com/2248421

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11-30-2008

Here are a few stills from a sketch we did on Chocolate News for the Fat Man character.

This time Fat Man got his own sitcom on Nickelodeon called “Bitch You Betta Don’t”, sort of a Honeymooners meets King of Queens…except for the half naked dancers.

We had a limited budget and time frame to design, build, dress and prop this shoot but I think it came out perfectly. Julie Drach, the set decorator, was able to find the saddest run down inner city apartment dressing and Josh Green added such great details. At the end of the night Josh Ritcher & Shane Passantino wrapped the downstage side of the set with plastic and Fat Man had a foam party!

All in a days work.

The foam party courtesy of Tom Bry!

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10-28-2008

New Yorkers love David Alan Grier

Last December we did this pilot for Comedy Central, started shooting the series this summer and now it is airing and is getting great ratings. For this I am happy, the show is really funny, everyone on the show is great to work with, David Alan Grier is a genius and the entire art department is the most talented group of people I have ever met.

Two thirds of the Chocolate News art department

Candleabra competing in a tranny pageant

‘Maya’ recites poetry for Obama and McCain

Next Wednesday we are shooting a ‘day after the election’ show that will air that night on Comedy Central, or you can check out clips and other random madness at comedycentral.com

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08-21-2008

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08-13-2008

This is a presentation tape I shot way back in 2005. I had the idea after an emotional and drunken game of Celebrity at Mike and Kay’s house a few months before after Thanksgiving dinner.

We pulled together an amazing crew and cast. My friend Richard Valenzuela directed, Kaylyn Thornal edited and the incredible Darren Rydstrom was the cinematographer. Everything seemed perfect. Janet and I had just finished the Lisa Loeb show presentation tape, we had a new agent and, well, what could go wrong? After VH1 didn’t pick up the Lisa pilot, we ended up selling the it to E! and TV Land picked up Celebrity. One, two punch. A budget was made, studios were scouted and our deals were made. And then it just sat there. Forever.

Eventually all the executives at TV Land moved on to new jobs and we got the project back…and nothing happened.

We pitched it to over two dozen places and came close a few more times. 36 months later I had just assumed it would end up being a dusty dvd on my bookshelf. Until this week. Fingers crossed-there may be some life in this little baby yet.

Sad fact: Lisa Loeb was supposed to be a player but her car was stuck in her garage that night. A friend was at her house earlier in the day, asked to leave their car in the driveway to visit another friend and well, that ended that. Car stuck in garage.

This post has 3 comments

Téa B -
hahaha Lisa, it’s called a bus Or do you guys not do the bus thing in LA? When I come there I was expecting to just use public transport and cabs, but it doesn’t seem to be the done thing.

PS, I upgraded your blog. Stuff is happening… how excitement!
10-20-2008

admin -
taking the bus to where you need to go in la…impossible
10-26-2008

Jamie -
I wish this show all the luck in the world, but that game still strikes fear in me.
10-27-2008

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