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Richard Jeni set to take Hermosa by storm
by Robb Fulcher
Living large on a fresh development deal for a CBS sitcom and garlanded with every laurel wreath the stand-up comedy world has to offer, Richard Jeni is once again preparing to take Hermosa by storm in a three-day stand this week at the Comedy & Magic Club.
On stage, the stand-up veteran is sort of a beaten-down Everyman who uses a rapier-like wit to defend himself against the slings and arrows of an always-outrageous fortune. Conducting a telephone interview from his West Hollywood home, he's pretty much the same guy.
Jeni has signed a deal with CBS to develop a new show built around his comic persona, and for the next year he'll be hauling down "more than the average person but less than Bette Midler" to meet with writers and producers, and plan a pilot.
"I already have a name for it. You ready? 'Everybody Loves Raymond,'" he announced. "Why reinvent the wheel, that's my motto."
Jeni has no trouble viewing the development deal with the same jaundiced eye that stares down relationships, human foibles and his own maleness in his stand-up act. In fact, Jeni is looking forward to yet another damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't foray into America's living rooms.
You see, he's had development deals before. One of them resulted in his former UPN sitcom "Platypus Man," which won a CableAce award. "Platypus Man" was, in Jenni's words, "a fluffy, entertaining little show," but not an outstanding one. To get it on TV, he said, he had to acquiesce to the agendas of others.
"I've had other deals since then, where I've dug in my heels and stood on principle, then the show never gets made," he said.
"There are essentially two ways to go on this. You can stick to your guns and say okay, let's make the show as good as it can be, or you can go along with what they want and hope that by accident the show turns out to be good.
"I went along when I did 'Platypus Man,' then I dug in my heels in a couple other deals, so I'll probably go ahead and get sodomized this time," he said.
"People ask me 'What would you do if you could do anything you want and they'd put it on CBS?' Well, if I could do anything I want, people would be saying, 'Why is everybody naked, and saying the F-word?'
"Eventually, the process is collaborative. 'Co,' meaning it involves other people, and 'laborative,' meaning other people are idiots."
Jeni not only bites the hand that feeds him, he dines on it lustily. Back when he was hosting "Caroline's Comedy Hour" on A&E, he liked to take the network's motto, "A&E: It's time well spent," and say it this way, "A&E: It's time, well - spent."
But when he's asked about stand-up comedy, Jeni sheaths his rapier and acknowledges an enduring gratitude for his success and longevity in that mostly-shrinking world.
"I haven't become jaded about that," he said. "I still like to go to comedy clubs just to be part of the audience. I never became one of those guys who just stands in the back and doesn't laugh."
Performing on stage is still fun, he said, in fact it's more fun than it used to be when he was developing his deep well of "A" material.
"Now the shows only vary about 10 percent," he said. "When you're starting out each show can be anything from a total disaster to great."
Jeni has under his belt two specials each on Showtime and HBO, his costarring role with Jim Carrey in the movie "The Mask," commercial spots for Certs, Arby's, Coca-Cola and Office Max, and watches as his CD "Richard Jeni's greatest bits" racks up the sales.
But he considers himself fortunate to have made his name before the bottom fell out of the 1980s comedy boom.
"Every town still has one good comedy club, but people won't really go out and see you unless they already know who you are. There are some really funny guys who have a really tough time, because it's so hard to get your name out there," he said. "I got the last chopper out of Nam, comically speaking."
Richard Jeni performs 8 p.m. tonight and Friday, and does two shows Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. at the Comedy & Magic Club, 1018 Hermosa Avenue, Hermosa Beach. Tickets are $17.5 Thursday, $19.50 Friday and Saturday. Call 372-1193. ER