Jwrussell
06-08-2006, 08:29 AM
So, I can't find word one about this online for whatever reason, but Cigar Dave is attempting to make the jump to TV, at least locally. An ex-work buddy of mine called me up a couple nights ago and asked if I would like to go to the taping of the Cigar Dave TV show. So last night we headed over to the local ABC station, Tampa Channel 28. We were supposed to be there around 7:30 but of course we didn't get into the studio until about 8pm (don't they know time is money! :wink:).
The set up is a small stage with two comfy looking leather chairs with automons (sp?), a bar like area with a huge humidor and the audience sitting two-three to small round tables in front of the stage. Kind of what you might expect to see at a comedy club accept it was in a studio. Oh, and of course we had the local band off stage right for the intros and exits and to "banter" with the "General" as Cigar Dave is apparently known.
I ended up sitting almost directly center stage at a table with a blonde in a white tank top with, shall we say, noticeable upper body assets. I'm the dorky guy sitting next to her in the orange shirt if you should happen to catch the show (11:30pm Saturday on ABC in Tampa at least).
The show is only 30 minutes, which means there was only about 18 minutes of actual content. That being said, it took well over an hour to tape everything. Of course that had to do with 3 takes for the "entry" and three takes for the last segment. The three "entry" takes were pretty comical as he was handing out cigars (CAO Golds from the look of them) to the audience and had to keep taking them back when he had to start over. It was pretty funny watching the struggle between the "talent" and the production staff. Dave is obviously used to getting his way, but there was only so far he could take that. Some things he just had to deal with.
The one real disappointing thing about the show was the miniscule cigar content. Granted there was only 18 minutes of real show, but between the wines he was talking about, the food his cooks were doing on the grill and his guest from the Tampa Tribune he talked about one cigar and only smoked maybe 2-3 inches of the dang thing. It was an NC (Nicaraguan if memory serves) Juan Lopez. It was a Nic Puro (pronounced "purr-oh" by Dave...I always thought it was more "pure-oh", but hey). According to Dave, "it's origin is Cuban, but it's now made in Nicaragua." Uh, yeah, sure Dave. I've heard he's kind of the opposite of a Cuban Snob in that he thinks Cubans are overhyped and not really all that good. I haven't heard him say this as I don't really listen to his show, but enough people have made comments that I was listening for it. And his JL comment certainly lends credibility to that thought. Granted he's not going to be able to talk about Cubans a whole lot, but it's one thing to simply ignore them and another to treat them as if they aren't worth mention. At any rate, during his second segment he cut the cigar with scissors, lit it with a torch and smoked it through the rest of the show. Other than it's presence throughout the rest of the show and the end of the first segment when he picked out the cigar that was it. Oh, and no one else was allowed to smoke, lol. Not that I was expecting any different, but it was still pretty funny.
Anyway, if you get a chance, tune in and look for the guy in the orange shirt in the front row. :smokingbo
The set up is a small stage with two comfy looking leather chairs with automons (sp?), a bar like area with a huge humidor and the audience sitting two-three to small round tables in front of the stage. Kind of what you might expect to see at a comedy club accept it was in a studio. Oh, and of course we had the local band off stage right for the intros and exits and to "banter" with the "General" as Cigar Dave is apparently known.
I ended up sitting almost directly center stage at a table with a blonde in a white tank top with, shall we say, noticeable upper body assets. I'm the dorky guy sitting next to her in the orange shirt if you should happen to catch the show (11:30pm Saturday on ABC in Tampa at least).
The show is only 30 minutes, which means there was only about 18 minutes of actual content. That being said, it took well over an hour to tape everything. Of course that had to do with 3 takes for the "entry" and three takes for the last segment. The three "entry" takes were pretty comical as he was handing out cigars (CAO Golds from the look of them) to the audience and had to keep taking them back when he had to start over. It was pretty funny watching the struggle between the "talent" and the production staff. Dave is obviously used to getting his way, but there was only so far he could take that. Some things he just had to deal with.
The one real disappointing thing about the show was the miniscule cigar content. Granted there was only 18 minutes of real show, but between the wines he was talking about, the food his cooks were doing on the grill and his guest from the Tampa Tribune he talked about one cigar and only smoked maybe 2-3 inches of the dang thing. It was an NC (Nicaraguan if memory serves) Juan Lopez. It was a Nic Puro (pronounced "purr-oh" by Dave...I always thought it was more "pure-oh", but hey). According to Dave, "it's origin is Cuban, but it's now made in Nicaragua." Uh, yeah, sure Dave. I've heard he's kind of the opposite of a Cuban Snob in that he thinks Cubans are overhyped and not really all that good. I haven't heard him say this as I don't really listen to his show, but enough people have made comments that I was listening for it. And his JL comment certainly lends credibility to that thought. Granted he's not going to be able to talk about Cubans a whole lot, but it's one thing to simply ignore them and another to treat them as if they aren't worth mention. At any rate, during his second segment he cut the cigar with scissors, lit it with a torch and smoked it through the rest of the show. Other than it's presence throughout the rest of the show and the end of the first segment when he picked out the cigar that was it. Oh, and no one else was allowed to smoke, lol. Not that I was expecting any different, but it was still pretty funny.
Anyway, if you get a chance, tune in and look for the guy in the orange shirt in the front row. :smokingbo