Part two in a series where we follow comedian Mike Connor on his 30-day journey around the continental US. Mike departed Philadelphia on September 8th and has been updating PJI staff member Alexis Simpson via text message.  She’s posting his updates, word for word, character for character. Join us in progress as Mike finishes up business in the Lone Star State and heads to everyone’s favorite flower child Mecca.

Austin,  continued.

9/09/2009

[11:20:51 PM]  i was worried that i would have to embelish some of my experiences.  After two days on the road i realize itll be hard to decide what NOT 2 talk about.

9/10/2009

[7:10:47 AM]  A transvestite? In texas? At six in the morning? Sheesh.

***FLIGHT #2: Austin to San Francisco***

[12:43:47 PM]  Touched down in San Fran. Im thirsty. Maybe ill drink some of this harveymilk ive heard about. Do they have chocolate harveymilk? Maybe ill see a harveycow!

[12:50:36  PM]  Maybe a good show title could be “boy are my arms tired”

[3:24:44 PM]  If there were an indy rock band from the Amsterdam Hostel in san francisco they’d be called the Ill Fitting Sheets and their single would be an itunes sensation.

[8:06:15 PM] After five hours in san fran i realize there are 2 types of people here: gay dudes & cute little asian chicks & they wear the same clothes. Also hippies & bums.

9/11/2009

[6:17:47 AM]  Just stood in the pacific for the first time in my life. Feels like the atlantic. Tastes like smuckers… It has to be good.

[2:00:24 PM]  ”i’ve got nothing to do today but smile” -paul simon. Pretty lazy, paul.

And that’s the news that’s fit to text!

Special Edition! Tonight at Midnight EST, Alexis is participating in a 24-hour improv marathon as part of the Philly Fringe Festival.  During the entire 24 hours, any text message she receives  - including those from Mr Connor  - will be used as her next line of dialogue! With a promise like that, this should get niiiiiiiice and ugly.

If you can’t make the show in person, watch online at www.24hrimprov.com

Good evening Mr and Mrs America and all the ships at sea!

ITEM! By now you and your family have seen our physician-recommended interview with Melissa Dunphy of the Gonzales Cantata. Sorry Diane Van Baker, but this AO!P interview contains more Vitamin O than any money-shake you’ve made!

But are you privy to the buzzing of the buzz that is buzz-flashing all over town?

Yes sir! The aforementioned Philly Fringe piece was recently featured on none other than The Rachel Maddow Show. Yes SIR! THAT Rachel Maddow! Philadelphia hasn’t seen this much buzz-flash since the Henderson Honey Farms bee swarm accidentally mated with that wild lightning bug herd! Check out the segment here.

If you didn’t catch the live performance of the Gonzales Cantata this time around, you can still get a taste of the show via the all powerful World Wide Web.

And that’s all the news that’s fit to blog! Here’s wishing you and yours a safe and happy evening.

Hope Harvey and Jack Larson are at it again! This time they’ve cornered actor John Jarboe, star of the upcoming Inside Julia Child, on the Big Couch.  Created by Jarboe and director-about-town Rebecca Wright, Inside Julia Child is a piece about performance, the art of cooking, and coming to terms with public failure.

The show runs Sept. 5, 6, and 7th at the Philly Kitchen Share Tickets are $5 (includes food and drink!!!) and can be purchased at the Live Arts/Fringe website. Bon Appetit!

Hi America! We’ll keep this post short and sweet. But we’ve completed our first episode of All Over! Philadelphia. It was a long and difficult process, and many lives were lost. While no animals were physically harmed, several adorable kittens were publicly shamed. But in the end, the ends justified the means. And those kittens shouldn’t have mouthed of like that!

Episode 1 features a special report on saving money by Diane Van Baker. It also boasts an interview with Frederick Andersen, the creative force behind the upcoming Fringe production Hermitage: The Strange Story of the Ghost Men of Harlem.

The video is available for your viewing pleasure under the Videos section of our website.

It is three or four days before our official launch, and yet PJI has already had its first live event! Last night, we were given the amazing opportunity to host the second installment of the Philly Fringe Preview Series at the landmark Plays and Players Theater. Morning show celebutantes Hope Harvey and Jack Larson made an appearance (as did Kate and Alexis’ fabulously cheap ball gowns), many jokes were told, and a fun time was had by all.  If we can pull this off with zero prep time, just imagine what PJI will accomplish when we TRY to do a live event!

Postcard from the Philly Fringe Preview Series

What is this Philly Fringe Preview Series, you ask? It’s probably easiest for you to understand if we explain it in terms of another great trilogy: Star Wars.* It is part of a cultural phenomenon, it has far-reaching impact, but instead of a being timeless story of heroism  and identity set in a futuristic vision of space, it’s a collection of kick-ass live performances by local artists.

It’s also an amazing opportunity for artists to give audiences a 10-minute teaser of their upcoming Fringe productions, and for audiences to get a taste of shows and genres they might not otherwise hear about. Dance!  Drama! Comedy! Commedia! Improv! Cross-dressing! The Fringe Preview series has it all!  Think of it as a wine-tasting without the wine– so everybody can drive home just fine. Come to think of it, there is a bar on the third floor, so there could be wine. But you don’t have to spit THIS wine out! You can savor it all night.

The 3rd and final installment is on Monday,  August 31st at 8pm. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the Plays and Players’ website.

And look for press coverage of PJI at streettalkin.com!

*Do not talk to us about the other Star Wars Trilogy. We gave up after suffering through the craptacular Phantom Menace. As far as we are concerned, these movies do not exist.