San Jose Stage Company rolls out the red carpet Monday for the 19th annual Monday Night Live! fundraiser. The question is: Who will steal the show this year?
A sketch comedy event in which local celebrities, politicians and business people satirize the issues Silicon Valley is facing, as well as themselves, MNL!-Nineteen will be guest hosted by Councilmember and style guru Nancy Pyle, of District 10.
Pyle has attended every Monday Night Live! since she took office eight years ago, and apparently she’ll be dressed to impress. “I have quite a few clothes, because I’ve always liked classy styles and a lot of those don’t go out of style,” Pyle said of her selection to host the last Monday Night Live! before she is termed out of office. “So, I do have quite a collection and people have noticed. I think it was something they could build a script around.”
Last year, County Supervisor and former San Jose councilman Dave Cortese hosted the event, which included the subdued supe rapping Notorious B.I.G. lyrics. However, it was Councilmember Don Rocha who turned heads last year when he went shirtless during an Apocalypse Now-sinpired sketch with Harry Mavrogenes, the former Redevelopment Agency chief. While the 2011 show received positive reviews, the event in 2010 got a little nasty.
Monday Night Live! begins at 6pm Monday with a catered reception and cocktail “schmooze-fest” in the Courtyard of San Jose Stage Company. The band plays to the opening curtain at 8pm, followed by hilarious live comedy lampooning some of San Jose’s most prominent figures, including special guest star Joe Horwedel, the city of San Jose’s Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, who will be subjected to the fun.
“There is no shortage of issues this year: the mayor’s race, pension reform, San Jose card rooms, just to name a few,” said Jerry Stangis, President of the Board of Directors of the San Jose Stage Company.
Previous guests of Monday Night Live! include San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed; former mayors Ron Gonzales, Susan Hammer and Tom McEnery; Sheriff Laurie Smith; Councilmember Pete Constant; former councilmembers Cindy Chavez, Margie Matthews, Charlotte Powers and Forrest Williams (who was played surprisingly well by a muppet last year); supervisors Dave Cortese and George Shirakawa Jr.; former District Attorney Dolores Carr; and State Assembly members Jim Beall and Nora Campos.
“I’m looking forward to hosting Monday Night Live!” said Councilmember Pyle. “This is my chance to make comments that I normally wouldn’t be able to, all in good fun. I hope everybody has a good time.”
I will tell you what is not funny about Measure B!
Where our once great city had over 1,400 police officers, today we have less than 1,065 and soon could have less than 1,000. Because another 100 have applied for other jobs and / or are retiring.
Who in the hell wants to work here.
Be careful what you wish for. It takes 100K to train a public safety officer. They will come then leave for a more secure job with real and secured pensions.
Thanks Chuck + 5.
Rick,
This is already happening at the Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP). We are a 24/7 operation, critical city service. Since the pay and benefits cuts, our Operators are the lowest paid in the State. We are severely understaffed, morale is rock bottom. We continue to lose our best and brightest and most experienced. It takes 1-2 years for an Operator to be fully trained in how to run the WPCP. We hire new Operators, they stay until they get their Grade 1 or additional training, then leave for other agencies within a year. We are simply a training ground, revolving door, now. This is a dangerous situation. All of us are just waiting for the catastrophe that will result from these circumstances.
Council member Pyle,
I hope in your “good fun” you take a shot at Chuck for asking to review the lease that the San Jose Giants have with the city for municipal stadium.
Is this Chucks way of saying screw you SF Giants for not letting the A’s to come to SJ.
If this is the case I hope the SF Giants say, ok we understand were going to move the SJ Giants to another city and you can keep your empty stadium.
Thanks SJ for another blunder and taking away a great local draw. Wonder how much money the city will lose on this one. Better yet it is probably the unions fault.
Not a damn thing is funny about Measue B except for the million I like other will have to pay because of Chuck + 5 illegal meausure! This is just a sample,
nearly 100 officers who voluntarily resigned as the City of San Jose began their pay cuts and pension reform measures in January of 2011. As of today, internal SJPD estimates show that at least an 40 additional officers may resign in the coming months rather than live through years of Measure B related litigation and continued benefit cuts.
What about Fire and other city unions?
Not to much to make fun of!
Buncha backslapping buffoonery.
What’s funny about measure b is that only 15% of the public voted for it (22% turn out and of those 70% voted in favor). How can it really be a win when it is endorsed by only 15% of the electorate.
Measure B is….Naaaaaaaaat…. funny.
but this is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX92oCaTQE4
The Joke is on the Residents of San Jose , who Blindly fell for the Mayors Lies and Voted for Measure B ! Public Safety is abandoning this sinking ship of a city for other Jurisdictions that Believe in the addage “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR” . The Mass exodus will continue , leaving San Jose a wreckage of mythic proportions. Im sure the criminal element is salivating at the thought of severly depleted Public safety. Maybe Reed and his band of Incompetants can start patrolling the city streets. Oh yeah lets not forget the money in training that is abandoning this city or the Money that will be spent on overtime trying to keep Officers on the streets, and last but not least lets not forget about the absolute Obscene amount of money that will be wasted in court costs ………………only to be defeated in the courts.