admin @ Fri, 2006-09-15 08:00
Highly doubtful, though, considering his endless television gigs and concert appearances this past summer, and in the coming months. And, lest we forget, there's Lange's regular gig on the buzzfest that is the "Howard Stern Show" on Sirius Satellite Radio.
Today, the Union, N.J., native takes it up a notch with "Artie Lange's Beer League." It's the funnyman's first leading role in a movie, one that Lange co-wrote with its director, former "Saturday Night Live" writer Frank Sebastiano.
Lange landed plum acting gigs this summer on HBO's "Entourage" (the episodes will air early next year) and on the season finale of F/X's "Rescue Me." The 38-year-old stand-up comic also made his first appearance last month on "Late Night with David Letterman" and, this week, his sixth on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."
The former New Jersey longshoreman has sold out the Borgata in Atlantic City. Tickets for his November gig at Carnegie Hall were gone in three hours.
According to production notes, the movie - originally titled "Beer League," until producers learned that the similarly titled "Beerfest" would hit theaters first - is about a team of beer-drinking underachievers who play in a North Jersey softball league.
Sounds like an adult version of "The Bad News Bears," with plenty of beer and sex. Which sounds funny. But "Artie Lange's Beer League" wasn't screened for the press, so we can't say for sure.
Lange plays Artie DeVanzo, who's sort of his alter-ego - if Lange hadn't left his working-class 'hood for the New York comedy scene. DeVanzo doesn't land a spot on Fox's "Mad TV" in 1995, nor does he struggle with drug addiction, as Lange did.
"The character I play is definitely based on me before I was in show business," Lange said. "It's basically what I would be if I hadn't gotten into show business. So in that sense, there's reality there."
Sebastiano and Lange relied on a few old friendships and relationships to make the movie. A pregnant Tina Fey, whom Sebastiano worked for on "SNL," has a bit part. Lange had worked with actress Laurie Metcalf on the ABC sitcom "Norm" after "Mad TV," and he asked her if she'd play his mother.
Lange is a fan favorite on Stern's show, not only for his sharp one-liners but also for the way he crafts his stories, especially those showcasing his own humiliation.
He rarely hesitates to reveal painful episodes of his life on the show, such as the last time he spoke to his quadrapalegic father, Artie Lange Sr., before his death, or his rollercoaster relationship with his now-former girlfriend, Dana.
His story about wearing a pig costume and seeking out his drug dealer for cocaine while shooting a "Mad TV" skit - other details of the anecdote probably wouldn't get past the editors here - was recently voted the second most requested Stern show moment.
"If you have all these stories about screwing up, there's a way to use them productively, if you're a comedian, rather than just letting them sit there and hide them and not face them," he explained. "Use them in a therapeutic way and, on top of it, get laughs and help you make a living."
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