Pauly Shore, Las Vegas Sun, July 9, 2004

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Pauly Shore takes ‘Dead’ aim at Hollywood Lisa Ferguson Friday, July 9, 2004 | 8:49 a.m. In case you haven't heard, "Pauly Shore is Dead." That news comes straight from "The Wiezel's" mouth -- over and over again. These days the comic -- who rose to stardom during the '90s with his mop-topped, stoner-dude, rodent-nicknamed persona on his daily MTV show "Totally Pauly"; and starred in a handful of good-natured-but-goofy big-screen flicks including "Encino Man," "Son in Law" and "Jury Duty" -- is extremely focused on promoting the forthcoming dark comedy "Pauly Shore is Dead," based not-so-loosely on his fall from pop culture's ranks. The premise of the film, which Shore wrote, produced, directed, financed and stars in: He fakes his own death in an effort to resuscitate his flat-lining comedy career. "I think that's a funny story because ... in this business, if you haven't been around, people immediately think something bad happened," explains Shore, who thankfully in real life has not been forced to resort to such a desperate measure, evidenced by the fact that he's headlining a stand-up show Saturday at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. "In the movie, I make it like something really bad has happened" to his career, he revealed during a recent call from "Wiezel headquarters" in Los Angeles. "Like, Carrot Top moves into my house. I'm parking cars at The Comedy Store. Mini-Me (actor Verne Troyer) is my neighbor; I almost run him over with my car." Of course, none of it is true (at least, we hope not). Still, Shore's descent from super-stardom hasn't been an entirely smooth one -- nor was it quite as miserable as some might suspect. "Sometimes you have to go away to come back in this business." Shore -- son of Mitzi Shore, owner of L.A.'s famed The Comedy Store, and comedian Sammy Shore, who for years served as Elvis Presley's opening act in Las Vegas -- explains how he jokes onstage: " 'That's what sucks about show business, because if you haven't worked in a while everyone knows about it.' "I look at the audience and I'm like, 'If you guys get fired from Outback Steakhouse, no one knows except you and your stoner friend that you got fired with. Me, I've got homeless people coming up to me: "Bro, what happened?" ... People pumpin' my gas: "Dude, when's your next movie?" That's what sucks about it -- it's like constant.' " He credits his recent lower profile to "the ups and downs of show business." Luckily, he says, "There's a lot of ups. I have three beautiful cars, you know; I have a nice house." And then there are the downs. Shore's last big movie, 1996's "Bio-Dome," was widely panned. In '97, he had a self-titled sitcom on Fox that bit the dust after only a half-dozen episodes. That's where "Pauly Shore is Dead" picks up: In the opening scene, "Everyone is sitting around watching this horrible sitcom," he explains, punctuating the sentence with his trademark "heh-heh" giggle. "Dead" brims with cameos from such celebs as Sean Penn, Britney Spears, Paris and Nikki Hilton, Eminem, Pamela Anderson, Chris Rock, Charlie Sheen, Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Springer and Whoopi Goldberg, among a lengthy list of others. It will enjoy a "roll-out" release, hitting theaters in select cities beginning with Sacramento in mid-September. It's set to open in Las Vegas at Brendan Theaters at the Palms on Oct. 1, before heading to DVD in January. Shore (who claims he's chums with members of the Palms-owning Maloof family) intends to make a weekendlong party out of the event. "I'm gonna try to get a band to play the Rain (nightclub)," he says, "bring in maybe Cypress Hill or some type of band that can kind of blow up the Palms." With this flick, "I've definitely gotta appeal to people who hated me" during his "Wiezel" heyday, Shore says, though moviegoers will "definitely see me as they wouldn't expect me to be." That's because "Dead" isn't all fun and games. "When the roles stop and the phone stops ringing, and (movie producers have) moved onto Rob Schneider or whoever the next guy was, it's not that funny," Shore says of his career. "But that's when you get into your soul, and that's where I wrote this movie. It's my sad song." Audiences, he speculates, will "see the movie and be like, 'Whoa, it's a little darker than I thought, a little more real.' The critics and other people will go, 'That's cool that he put himself out there like that' ... The fans, on the other hand, might scratch their heads a little. But once they see it two or three times, then they'll get the joke -- I'm talking about the fans that are obsessed with 'The Wiezel,' " and the like-minded character he portrayed in 'Son in Law.' " In recent years Shore, 36, has put some distance between himself and "The Wiezel." Out is the long, curly 'do; the funky, mismatched wardrobe; and silly, outta-nowhere "Owwww" and "Hey, buddy" howls. In are quips on topics ranging from politics to the Kobe Bryant rape case, to Shore's caring for his aging mother and her comedy club, which as of late Pauly has been helping run. In his act, "I do bring up 'The Wiezel' in the opening joke, just because it's funny," he says. "I say, 'I went out last night to a club, blah, blah, blah, and I felt old. I felt old.' " He meets a girl who asks whether he's a cop: "I'm like, 'No, I'm the Wie-zel,' and the audience goes nuts. And then she's like, 'Oh my god, you dated my aunt.' " " 'The Wiezel' will always be part of me," Shore concedes, noting how that fact is touched upon in the final scenes of "Pauly Shore is Dead." "I don't put 'The Wiezel' down. You can't bite the hand that feeds you." Especially since "The Wiezel" still affords him a built-in audience, which he assures continues to pack his comedy gigs around the country. The stand-up shows are what pay Shore's bills these days, as well as help fund his film work and other projects: He's in the process of pitching to network execs a reality show about overseeing operations at The Comedy Store. Meanwhile, he's penning another movie script, which he describes as being akin to "a modern-day version" of the 1984 Woody Allen movie "Broadway Danny Rose." Also, for the past decade, Shore's been writing his autobiography, "How'd You Expect Me to Turn Out?", which he says will cover his formative years spent at his mother's comedy club, as well as his work on MTV. Sounds like a pretty action-packed schedule for a dead dude. Out for laughs San Franciscan Rex Navarrete, who is a huge comedy celebrity in the Philippines, takes The Orleans' showroom stage for a pair of shows tonight at 7 and 10 p.m. Tickets are $33 (tax included). The "Festival de la Resa (Festival of Comedy)," featuring comics Johnny Laboriel, Memo Rios and Guicho Dominguez, takes over the Stardust's Wayne Newton Theater at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $35 and $45 (plus tax). Funny man Tommy Chong -- who has previously headlined at Sunset Station -- is slated to guest this evening on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (11:35 p.m., Channel 3). archive