Entertainment

Comic Relief

Anonymous — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 06:00:00 +0000

Comic Relief Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 09/01/2017 - 00:00

Marty Coffin Evans

Sizing up and relating to people are must-have skills for 麻豆影院 County Sheriff Sergeant Vinnie Montez (PolSci鈥�15).

His sideline as a standup comic also helps.

鈥淚 believe the essence of a good cop is being a great performer,鈥� said Montez, who knows the pressures of hostage negotiation and the bright lights of the comedy club stage.

The dramatic aspects of law enforcement can make for tense moments. A way with jokes helps diffuse stress during arrests, investigations and in the squad car.

鈥淟aughter breaks barriers,鈥� said Montez, 41. 鈥淧olice officers are regular people.鈥�

He came to law enforcement early, initially as a fan of CHiPs, the TV drama of the 1970s and 1980s about a pair of California Highway Patrol motorcycle officers.

鈥淭hey were always doing what was right,鈥� Montez said of the fictional duo. 鈥淭here was always a lesson in the show. They talked to people and resolved problems.鈥�

At 14, after a ride-along with the Lafayette Police Department, he became an explorer cadet 鈥� kind of like a junior apprentice without law enforcement powers 鈥� first with Lafayette, then with 麻豆影院 County. In 1994, after high school, he was hired as a sheriff鈥檚 dispatcher, and he鈥檚 been in law enforcement ever since, rising through the ranks.

Along the way, he attended CU 麻豆影院, doing most of his degree in the 1990s and finishing later, in 2015, while working full-time as a detective sergeant.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 sleep much,鈥� he said.

In 2007, as a counterweight to the stresses of his day job, Montez turned to comedy, making a two-minute 鈥渘ewbie鈥� debut at Comedy Works in Denver.

鈥淚 like to tell stories involving my mom, my Mexican heritage and cops,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 still perfecting my law enforcement routine.鈥�

The shtick has been working. Since 2013, Montez has been promoted to Comedy Works鈥� 鈥渁lmost-famous list,鈥� as he called it, a role in which he opens for bigger-name comedians when they come to Denver, folks like Caroline Rhea, Chris D鈥橢lia, Bobcat Goldthwait and John Crist.

Whatever natural talent Montez has, he attributes to his late father, a hardworking, genial man who could 鈥渢alk to anybody in any situation.鈥�

At any sort of social gathering, 鈥淚t would take him 15 minutes to make an exit,鈥� Montez said. 鈥淭hat rubbed off on my brother and me.鈥�

Still, comedy takes work.

鈥淚 never think, 鈥業鈥檓 just a hilarious guy,鈥欌€� said Montez, who does as many as six shows a week, always aiming for a laugh within the first 30 seconds. 鈥淚t鈥檚 trial and error.鈥�

When not performing at comedy clubs, he often takes the stage at benefits for fellow officers and at law enforcement conferences.

鈥淐omedy has kept me from becoming jaded and overly cynical in a profession which has a tendency to drive officers in that direction,鈥� he said.

Photo courtesy Vinnie Montez

Sizing up and relating to people are must-have skills for 麻豆影院 County Sheriff Sergeant Vinnie Montez. His sideline as a standup comic also helps.

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Pulling Stunts with The Arthurs

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Mar 2015 14:30:00 +0000

Pulling Stunts with The Arthurs Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 03/01/2015 - 07:30

Jillian Arja

No Business Like Show Business

Actors play characters; Heather (Mktg鈥�03) and Jonathan Arthur (Mktg鈥�03) play actors. They鈥檙e stuntmen.

鈥淚 was with Jennifer Love Hewitt for three years and Ali Larter for five, and it worked out nicely because then I knew their movements better,鈥� Heather says. 鈥淚f I do a good job, then no one will ever know it is me.鈥�

She鈥檚 performed stunts in the films Furious 7 and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, as well as in scores of TV show episodes. Husband Jonathan has doubled for Patrick Dempsey and Ben Stiller and appeared in NCIS, The Mentalist, Captain America and a slew of other projects.

Neither started out in entertainment. Heather worked in law firms as a marketer and Jonathan as a real estate developer for Walmart.

But the athletic pair had a Hollywood connection 鈥� Heather鈥檚 father, Michael Vendrell, was stunt coordinator for the television series 鈥淟ost.鈥� In 2005 he offered them positions as stunt doubles on the show, and needed an answer fast.

鈥淲e both quit our jobs and moved to Hawaii in less than a week,鈥� says Heather.

The California couple travels a lot and needs to be ready to go on short notice, sometimes to places as distant as Asia and Australia. Often they bring their one- and three-year-old children.

Always, they need to stay fit.

鈥淢y first stunt ever was for Michelle Rodriguez, and I had to fall into a hole, about a 12-foot drop,鈥� Heather says. 鈥淚 had to lay there as they dropped me like a dead body. I was super nervous.鈥�

At first, working with famous actors was daunting, says Jonathan.

鈥淓arly in my career it was certainly intimidating when I鈥檇 be working for an actor that I watched on Letterman the night before,鈥� he says. 鈥淲hat I came to realize over time is that we鈥檙e more like teammates who need to work together to make the scene look great.鈥�

Variety is part of the work鈥檚 appeal.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 always know what I am going to be doing until I get to set,鈥� says Heather. 鈥淚 could be told that I am going to be lit on fire that day.鈥�

Even a fight scene, which is considered routine, is exciting, because the conditions are never the same.

鈥淓ven on an almost identical stunt, there鈥檚 always a changing variable from the day before,鈥� says Jonathan. 鈥淓verything matters.鈥�

The job has its downsides: Heather is sore every day. Last November, for example, she was tackled by Mark Wahlberg鈥檚 stunt double in a scene for the upcoming comedy Daddy鈥檚 Home.

鈥淭hen you go home and still have all the mom things [to do], too,鈥� she says.

But the thrill of the job keeps them going.

Jonathan recalls a shoot at Lake Havasu a few years ago: 鈥淚 had to escape out of the bottom of a sinking and burning boat underwater just before it exploded, tied to a stuntwoman I was saving.鈥�

Heather 鈥� despite a fear of heights 鈥� dreams of dangling from a helicopter, as her dad once did.

鈥淎fter a good stunt, the crew and staff all clap for you,鈥� she says. 鈥淚f you have done a good job, it鈥檚 a very proud moment.鈥�

It鈥檚 also a moment to remember the importance of humility, as her father taught her. Because there鈥檚 always the next stunt.

鈥淲e realize the nature of our business has inherent risks involved,鈥� says Jonathan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what we鈥檝e signed up for.

Photography by Chris Sanders

Actors play characters; Heather (Bus鈥�03) and Jonathan Arthur (Bus鈥�03) play actors. They鈥檙e stuntmen.

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Actor Christopher Meloni

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 14:15:00 +0000

Actor Christopher Meloni Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 12/01/2014 - 07:15

Clay Evans

Character study

With his steely blue eyes, sculpted Italian features and brawny physique, let鈥檚 just say actor Christopher Meloni (Hist鈥�83) doesn鈥檛 have much to worry about in the looks department.

No, it鈥檚 no surprise that People magazine named the long-time star of television鈥檚 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit one of its Sexiest Men Alive in 2006. Whether he鈥檚 playing quarterbacks or psychopaths, cops or vampires, 鈥渉ot鈥� seems to be a common denominator 鈥� though there was this one time when his agent called鈥co

鈥淗e said, 鈥業鈥檝e got an offer for you. It鈥檚 four days of work and it will take you four hours of prosthetic makeup.鈥� That really intrigued me,鈥� Meloni says by phone from Hollywood. 鈥淭hen he said the character鈥檚 name was Freakshow and I was like, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 absolutely perfect, I don鈥檛 even need to read the script.鈥欌€�

And so a Hollywood sex symbol came to play one of the most hideous film characters in recent memory, the dermatologically challenged, frazzle-haired, backwoods denizen in two over-the-top Harold and Kumar comedies.

Of course, nobody could tell it was Meloni under all that latex, and Freakshow is just one small 鈥� disgusting 鈥� data point in a career that includes not just success on network TV, but also on the big screen and in some of cable鈥檚 hottest series, including 鈥淥z,鈥� 鈥淭rue Blood鈥� and 鈥淰eep.鈥�

The actor, 53, grew up in Washington, D.C., and came to CU-麻豆影院 hoping to 鈥渆xperience America from a different perspective.鈥� He says he began learning his craft both through acting classes and by keeping his eyes open.

鈥淐U was definitely the first place where I got a chance to really study people, how they interact and react,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here was a lot of quality people watching.鈥�

After graduation he studied with legendary acting coach Sanford Meisner in New York while supporting himself working in construction and as a bouncer and fitness coach. He began to pick up commercial work and in 1984 was cast as an ex-con quarterback in HBO鈥檚 first sitcom, 1st and Ten.

Meloni came to prominence with his visceral portrayal of bisexual psychopath Chris Keller in the 1998-2003 HBO prison drama 鈥淥z.鈥� It made him an icon in the gay community.

In his best-known role, he played the complex, not-quite-by-the-book Det. Elliot Stabler alongside Mariska Hargitay in Law & Order. He left the show in 2011.

鈥淒oing 12 years of something that great on national TV was rewarding,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 think it was also pretty important to be on a show that resonated with sexual crime. 鈥� In certain ways it opened up dialogue for people to confront or discuss that sort of thing.鈥�

Meloni鈥檚 recent work includes starring with Shailene Woodley in 2014鈥檚 White Bird in a Blizzard, the FOX network comedy Surviving Jack, and his recurring role in the popular supernatural cable series True Blood.

As for what鈥檚 next, the actor says you never know when the next Detective Stabler (or Freakshow) will come along.

鈥淵ou can do all the planning and wishing you want, but at the end of the day you read what鈥檚 on the page,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f you are lucky enough to have your imagination sparked, you know exactly how to fit into that world.鈥�

Photography courtesy Christopher Meloni

With his steely blue eyes, sculpted Italian features and brawny physique, let鈥檚 just say actor Christopher Meloni (Hist鈥�83) doesn鈥檛 have much to worry about in the looks department.

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Desperately Seeking Tom Cruise

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Desperately Seeking Tom Cruise Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/01/2009 - 00:00

Bronson Hillard

War protest on the quad

The 1980s was a tough decade at CU-麻豆影院. The 鈥�60s and 鈥�70s had stamped their respective imprimaturs on everything from campus politics to postgraduate expectations. When we met alums from other eras, they seemed smug and self-satisfied 鈥� or maybe we were just envious of their big times in 麻豆影院.
鈥淵ou should have seen the war moratorium protest on the quad. . .鈥� those from the counterculture said. 鈥淵ou know, since AIDS wasn鈥檛 a part of our lives, sex was everywhere. . .鈥�

You get the idea.

The 鈥�80s kicked off with a recession, but back then, CU was pretty cheap. My tuition and fees ran about $900 per semester, if memory serves. During my junior year in 1985, my three roommates and I each paid $187.50 a month for a spacious condo in north 麻豆影院. With a decent student job, things were affordable for me and my middle-class parents.

On campus, though, costs weren鈥檛 on most people鈥檚 minds. Instead, we searched for what would define us as a generation. Some students dug in their opposition to President Ronald Reagan and adopted the appearance and philosophies of their late 鈥�60s and early 鈥�70s campus radical forebears. Other students looked to the 1950s and ushered in a Greek revival 鈥� think Animal House, not Doric columns.

Most of us, however, took a buffet-style approach to creating our identities. I sported a 鈥�70s-era hairstyle, espoused 鈥�60s political values and listened to 鈥�80s music. My wardrobe was too awful to describe, and I would not want to malign an innocent decade by explaining it.

In fall 1986, the campus was abuzz. It wasn鈥檛 about declaring the campus a nuclear-free zone or debating the strengths of the Buffs. Rather, it was a rumor that struck campus: Tom Cruise had enrolled at CU. The Tom Cruise.
I first heard the news from a friend who had heard it from a friend who, in turn, had heard it from a friend who allegedly worked in admissions. Another person claimed to have seen Cruise make the announcement on Good Morning America. The source wasn鈥檛 important. He was here. Tom was one of us. Or would be.

At parties, speculation turned to anecdote. Cruise was seen at the UMC Connection having a beer. He was living in a secluded 麻豆影院 Canyon house protected by a possibly armed entourage. A friend knew someone who had met someone who had sold Cruise a tennis racket.

This was in the days when doing detective work on a celebrity rumor was, well, no mean trick. There was no Internet, so no constant flow of entertainment news existed to help you geo-locate celebrities. There were no cell phones for on-the-spot actor tracking.

I remember a party where one well-connected friend told me that he would check out the Cruise rumor by talking to students from Hollywood, presupposing that everyone from Hollywood knew each other and would know Cruise or be able to confirm his whereabouts.

Today, cyber-culture would have crushed our fragile hopes within hours or even minutes. But back then, the Cruise line limped along. I don鈥檛 remember any official statements or stories in the 麻豆影院 Camera, the Colorado Daily or the Campus Press to crush or fuel our hopes.

As a result, nobody stepped back and asked the obvious question: why would the hottest star in movies abandon or postpone a lucrative career to come to 麻豆影院 and attend a public university where his privacy would be shattered like an old skier鈥檚 knee on a bad landing?

How na茂ve and quaint we were during the salad days of Entertainment Tonight. We really hoped 鈥� and some of us believed鈥� that Tom would be one of us. We would high-five him in Folsom Field as the Buffs turned it around and thumped Nebraska. Maybe he鈥檇 go rock climbing with us in Eldorado Canyon, developing the mad scrambling skills he would use years later in Mission Impossible.

It wasn鈥檛 to be. Or rather, it just simply wasn鈥檛. By October, the rumor was dead, and so was the Buffs鈥� offense. They were 0-3 with no Top Gun to be found anywhere, particularly not in the option attack.

And our hopes of defining our decade as the 鈥淭om Cruise era鈥� would go tragically unrealized. Of course, the Buffs recovered, but I鈥檓 not sure we of the 鈥�80s ever have. We鈥檙e still looking to define our decade.

The 1980s was a tough decade at CU 麻豆影院.

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