Category Archives: Paul Ben-Victor

Paul, Paul, and More Paul

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Paul Ben-VictorOkay, I’ve got a whole gaggle of Paul Ben-Victor news to share with you, so let’s get started.

First, let’s get the bad news out the way.  I’m sorry to report that, after only nine episodes, John from Cincinnati has been cancelled.  Even though Paul’s character, Palaka, has been praised, the show itself hasn’t been getting many good reviews and it just couldn’t seem to find its audience.

Now for some good news.  The Foxhole site has a really great podcast interview with Paul.  In it they cover a whole range of topics from John from Cincinnati to The Wire to how Paul got his start in show biz and more.  The podcast is an hour long and I should warn you that there are a couple of swear words in this interview. 

In addition, there are a couple of links given during the course of the interview.  One is to Paul’s old Atari video game commercial (You might remember that one from when I posted the link on The Invisible Man Online back in September of last year.) and the other is to Paul’s father’s photography website.  Note:  If you click on those links during the podcast, you’ll have to restart the podcast from the very beginning each time.  It doesn’t pick up where it left off.  So for your convenience, I’ve included the links below.  Now you can listen to the podcast without interruption and then come here to click on the links or vice versa.

Foxhole Podcast Interview with Paul Ben-Victor

Young Paul Ben-Victor

Here’s the link to the Atari video game commercial that Paul did many years ago (note the hair).  His costar is a very young Elisabeth Shue.

Atari Video Game Commercial

Paul’s father, Victor Friedman, has been a photographer for over 40 years.  You can view his work at the link below.  Warning:  There is some nudity.

Victor Friedman Photography

Paul’s Upcoming Projects

In the above podcast interview Paul mentions that he will be back in season five of The Wire in his role as Vondas.  He will be in at least three episodes, possibly four.  No word yet on when season five will start or which episodes Paul will appear in.

While one series ends for Paul, another series is getting underway.  In Plain Sight is a USA original series being shot in New Mexico.  It’s the story of a no-nonsense federal marshal who masquerades as a parking attendent, but really works in the witness protection branch of the FBI.  It is purported to possibly start after the new year.  Here are a couple of articles about the filming of the pilot:

Albuquerque Journal:  TV Pilot to be Filmed Here

Valencia County News-Bulletin:  Highland Meadows Gets Visit From Hollywood Crew

In the feature film arena, Paul appears in the movie Randy and the Mob, which is scheduled to be released in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 21, 2007.  According to the official website, which is still under construction, there will be a national tour to promote the film.  In the meantime, go check out the trailer that is up at the official site. 

Official Randy & the Mob Website

Paul’s Website

Last, but certainly not least, if you haven’t been to Paul’s website in a while, go on over and pay it a visit.  While still under construction, Paul’s website has been given a whole new look.  Do some exploring and you’ll find some really great info about Paul’s character Bobby Hobbes.  I’ve found that the site can be extremely slow sometimes in loading the links, but if you click one of the small pictures under Paul’s demo reel, you can get into the rest of the site.

Paul Ben-Victor’s Official Website

Okay, that’s it for now.  When I hear more, I’ll pass it along.

 

I-ManiCon 2007 Pictures and Reports

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Well, it took a bit of doing and time, but I finally have the pictures up from this year’s I-ManiCon.  I want to give a big shout out of thanks to Laura, Joyce, and Tara who generously shared their pictures with me so that I could share them with you.  I also want to thank all the fans in the pictures who gave me permission to post their picture.

Following are a couple of photos of Mike and Paul.  The rest of the photos can be viewed from the I-ManiCon 2007 Photo Gallery page.

Mike McCafferty

An exhausted Mike McCafferty takes the time to visit with fans. 

Paul Ben-Victor and Lev Gorn

Paul Ben-Victor poses with his friend and fellow Wire actor, Lev Gorn.

In addition to pictures, a few con reports have come in from fellow attendees.  Links to the reports can be found on the I-Maniacs Fan Club’s I-ManiCon 2007 page.

Planning for Next Year’s Con

Next year’s con will be held on July 19, 2008 in Los Angeles, California.  If you’re thinking of attending, here are some things you can do now:

  1. Write down the date in your calendar.  Go ahead.  Do it now so you don’t forget.  I’ll wait.
  2. Flexibility is the key to enjoying yourself at the con.  Remember, there are no guarantees that the cast will be able to attend.  Last year all four guys made it, but this year none of the cast was able to come on the actual day of the con.  However, we were able to meet with Mike and Paul on the following two subsequent days, so try to plan on spending a few days in LA if possible.
  3. I-Maniacs are a fun group of people and we like to sightsee, so do come prepared to hang out with us and tour LA.
  4. Depending on how much notice you need to give at work, reserve your vacation time as early as possible.
  5. Whether it be a savings account, a piggybank, or under your mattress, start a con fund today.  Doesn’t matter if you put in $1 or $100.  Just start saving!

Hope to see you next year at I-ManiCon 2008!

Paul Gets a Role as a Series Regular

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From the I-Maniacs Fan Club come this exciting news about Paul Ben-Victor:

I just heard from Paul Ben Victor, and he wanted to make sure that all his fans know that he will be in the new HBO show “John From Cincinnnati” that will be premiering this Sunday after The Sopranos.  Paul joined the show in the 3rd episode and will become a regular.  Woo hoo!  He says that it is quite different but very entertaining.

Also, he is going to start a My Space Page as well so he can keep everyone in touch.  He will send me the link when he gets it started, and I will put that information in a future newsletter.

Thanks go to Laura for sharing the info that Paul’s character is named Palaka and that the episode that Paul first appears in is scheduled for this Sunday, June 24.  You’ll want to check the show’s schedule for the time in your area by going to the Official John from Cincinnati Website and clicking on “Full Schedule.”  Also, while you’re perusing the schedule, you might want to check for the days and times of Making John from Cincinnati.  I’m a total sucker for those behind-the-scenes shows. 

Courtesy of Buzzine.com, here are a couple of pictures of Paul in his role of Palaka in John from Cincinnati. 

Follow Up to “Drive”

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So Paul Ben-Victor’s performance last night in Drive reminded me a lot of Bobby Hobbes…a lot of the same mannerisms.  Anybody else see that? 

I love that Greg Yaitanes twittered a shout out to The Invisible Man when he wrote, “the truck driver is played by Paul Ben Victor who played VINTAGE Bobby Hobbes on the Invisible Man. Which I directed.”  He could have just as easily named another role that Paul is known for, but he chose I-Man.  Yes! 

If you missed Paul’s performance last night, no problem, you can watch it right now on Drive’s MySpace page!  The name of the episode is “Partners.”  I just love that networks are starting to stream TV shows on the Web.

Greg Yaitanes in the Driver’s Seat AND Paul Ben-Victor Plays a Truck Driver

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One of the I-Man directors that I like to keep track of is Greg Yaitanes.  Back in 2003, Greg did a SciFi.com chat with fans for his movie Children of Dune.  During the chat he graciously acknowledged The Invisible Man and all the dedicated and hopeful I-Man fans (myself included) who came to the chat with “Save I-Man” in front of their handles.  Some of you old timers might remember that. 

In addition, Greg has hired Paul Ben-Victor for an episode of Alias and Fastlane, Vincent Ventresca for an episode of Cold Case and, of course, who could forget when he put Vince and Paul together for an episode of Las Vegas. 

But it doesn’t end there.  Tonight is the premiere of Greg’s new show Drive and Paul has a guest role as a truck driver.  The show has a (very unusual) two-night three-hour premiere, with the first two hours airing tonight at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. central and the third hour airing tomorrow at 8:00 p.m./7:00 p.m. central on FOX (check your local listings). 

Greg not only directs the pilot in this series, but he also steps out of his usual director role to become one of the executive producers of the show.  During tonight’s premiere, Greg will be twittering live a director’s commentary while the show is airing.  I can’t say I’m familiar with how twittering works, but it appears that you can access Greg’s comments via text messaging on your phone, instant messaging, or the twitter foxdrive web page.  If you’re interested in participating and new to twittering, it would be a good idea to get signed up early and explore the website to get familiar with the service and how it works. 

One of the things I find fascinating about this new series is that most of the action is done via visual effects.  Greg, along with the Visual Effects Supervisor, Loni Peristere, takes us behind the scenes in this interesting video interview at ifilm that explains how the visuals effects are done.

Articles, Reviews and Interviews

Zap2it From Inside the Box – “Review:  Fox’s Drive”

The Chronicle Herald – “Computers driving force behind series”

Movieweb – Drive Races Into High Gear on Fox!

Drive Fans – EXCLUSIVE: An Interview with Greg Yaitanes

The Hollywood Reporter – Yaitanes steering Fox’s ‘Drive’

An Update on “The Good Steno” and “Should’ve Been Romeo”

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More articles have been written about Paul Ben-Victor’s play The Good Steno, which he co-wrote with his mother, Leah Kornfeld Friedman.

Paul and His Mother, Leah Kornfeld Friedman

Bloomberg.com writes an entertaining and informative article about the play and in it we also get a tidbit of personal info about Paul.  Paul’s age is revealed to be 48.  It also says that he is the youngest of three children. 

Reading farther down the article, I was happy that we finally get to hear an update about Paul’s screenplay Should’ve Been Romeo, which he collaborated on with his mother, “about a middle-aged actor forced to care for his live-in grandfather.”  According to the article, it “is currently making the rounds of producers’ offices.”  Let’s hope it gets optioned! 

Heading over to the The Good Steno website, you’ll see that a blog has been added to the site.  Just click the link at the top of the page or scroll down a bit to see it.  Clicking on any article will take you to the actual blog site.  Do check out the pictures of Paul and his parents! 

Exploring The Good Steno blog even more, you’ll see that Variety magazine wrote a very nice review about the play that is quoted in this blog post.

There are just three more weeks left to see Paul perform live on stage!  So if you don’t want to miss out, go to http://www.thegoodsteno.com/ to purchase tickets.

Reviews Coming In for “The Good Steno”

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I’m passing on to all of you a link and some audience reviews that Paul Ben-Victor sent me yesterday.  The link is to a great article about Paul’s play The Good Steno, which is currently playing at the Hayworth Theater in Los Angeles, California.  He also included some raving audience reviews (see below).

I love the mother/son picture of Paul and his mom, Leah Cornfeld Friedman, that is included in the article.  To read the article and view the pictures go to http://www.broadwayworld.com/viewcolumn.cfm?colid=15798.

Paul’s play runs until March 25, 2007, so there’s still time to catch it!  Go to www.thegoodsteno.com for ticket information.

Audience Reviews

“The Good Steno” is one of the best plays I’ve seen anywhere in years.  Absolute perfection: the writing, the casting, the acting, the staging, the music, the choreography, the fun, the laughs and pain intermingled seamlessly and with great effect.  I have recommended it to friends, colleagues and family with full confidence that I have done them a great favor if they check out what theater is meant to be and do for the human heart and psyche.
Charlotte

We still can’t stop talking or thinking about the play…the inventiveness, the performances, the continuity, the structure, the choreography, the UNBELIEVABLE talent all around!  It is so rare to go to a play where everyone knocks it out of the ballpark!!  Seriously.  SERIOUSLY.
A sensational job on all fronts!
Jen & Steve

The Good Steno is a must-see! The stellar writing gives a sense of total authenticity to the time and place. The cast of beautifully-crafted characters delivers a jaw-dropping performance. The story unfolds at a pace unbeknownst to Black Box theatre ’til now. The comedy, the suspense…it stays with you for days…
Amy Belasen

What a  magnificent play!  What wonderful work Leah and Paul did together – the characters and the world they created stays with me!
sally lapidus

Thanks again for the wonderful evening. I really enjoyed the play… the wonderful  dialogue / language and Paul Ben-Victor’s excellent acting and direction. Wow – there sure was a lot going on on that  stage.
eva

Well, I’m blown away. What a beautifully realized production. Great cast, great direction and a fabulous play. I loved it all and it certainly captured a time and place that resonates for me.
stephanie

We have told many friend’s about the play . I thought about it for several days after. It was FANTASTIC!!!  WOW! What an undertaking!  We haven’t seen great theater in such a long time.
dekays

Had a great time the other night. Really great piece of work.  Acting was superb.  Do you know if there’s any way I could get a copy of Paul Ben-Victor’s play? I’d really like to read it before I see it AGAIN.
All the best,
Amici

We loved the play.  I seriously can’t wait to see it again!
kelly

I heard it was great!  I’m def coming.
mike rappaport

What Happened to Paul in “All the King’s Men”?

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Some of you long-time readers of my posts might remember that I wrote back in 2005 about Paul Ben-Victor having a role in All the King’s Men.  Well, you might be interested in knowing that the film has come and gone from theaters and is now available on DVD. 

So why did it take me so long to bring this news to you?  I admit that I do get swamped and behind on the news from time to time, but I assure you that’s not what happened in this case. 

Actually, I had heard a little rumor that Paul’s part had been cut; and it wasn’t until just recently when I was able to watch the movie On Demand that I was able to confirm that rumor.

Yes, I’m sorry to say, Paul’s character ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor. 

I can’t give you an exact reason why this happened, but most likely the film was too long and/or the story needed to be tightened up.  When that happens, characters that aren’t integral to the storyline often get cut.  It’s a shame it had to happen to Paul though.