Housewife Gretchen Rossi to host comedy night in Irvine - msnbc.com
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When "The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Gretchen Rossi was approached by her beau, fellow castmate Slade Smiley, to host an evening of comedy at the Irvine Improv, she swiftly agreed. The 33-year-old, who joined the hit Bravo show in its fourth season, says she's comfortable doing numerous celebrity appearances and hosting gigs throughout the year -- but she had no idea that Smiley actually wanted her to do some improv herself on this particular night.
"I cried," Rossi says when she was faced with the challenge of actually doing bits of stand-up within the variety show she's hosting Tuesday night. "Introducing people is totally different than having to do a stand-up set and having people expecting you to be funny. That's very stressful."
Rossi says she's a big fan of stand-up and can often be found in the front rows of comedy shows since she'll laugh at everything -- even the bad jokes.
"I laugh at them because they are so bad," she says with a wide grin. "I feel like if you don't have a sense of humor in life, you're going to have a really tough time."
Smiley and Rossi agree that being on a reality TV show has given them a tougher skin, so they're prepared to handle any hecklers in the audience.
"If there's a heckler, its like, 'Been there done that,'" she says. "I get that every week in a blog. Being on the show really does prepare you for something like that because we do get a lot of people blogging, tweeting and Facebooking that don't have very nice things to say. This show is about having fun and if someone is coming to try to ruin it, they shouldn't be here anyway."
The duo plans on doing a variety-style comedy show in the vein of celebrity couples like Sonny and Cher and Lucy and Desi. They've worked out various bits and even selected costumes to go along with certain parts of the show. Doing it in this fashion, versus just straight spotlight-and-mic stand-up is a relief, Rossi says.
"I think it's fun to be self-deprecating because it's what I do all of the time," she says. "We don't take ourselves too seriously. Just off the material that people have said about us in the press or things that have been talked about that happen on the show -- that's been the foundation for the creativity."
"We've decided to embrace the fact that we're tools on TV," Smiley adds with a laugh. "We embrace that, so this show should be a lot of fun. It's a platform for us to address all of the rumors and all of the stuff that's been spinning our there in a fun and comedic way and everyone's going to have a good time."
One of those issues that's tabloid fodder is that Smiley had dated other 'Housewives' cast members before dating Rossi. He's billed on the show's' flyers for his comedy debut as "the Housewife Hunter."
"I came up with that name for him," Rossi says. "He's my partner and I'm going to support him in whatever he does. Where Slade and I excel is really together. We do love each other and we can have fun and make fun of the stuff that's out there. I mean everyone was talking about, 'You know he banged every housewife.' Most girls might not be cool with that, but I'm making jokes about it. A lot of people don't understand that sense of humor, but I'm fortunate to be in a partnership with someone who does."
On top of making light of their not-so-glamorous appearances in the media, Rossi and Smiley say they have been coming up with ideas and jokes sometimes in the middle of the night while in bed. They also hooked up with some seasoned touring comics to fine tune some of the ideas. Tom Segura and Christina Pazsitzky -- who are both performing that evening -- as well as "Mind of Mencia" comic Steve Trevino, each sat down with the couple to give them advice while working through material.
"They gave us tips on how we should put together the show and gave their opinions on certain jokes," Smiley says. "Steve (Trevino) is hilarious. He's writing for Carlos Mencia, yet he's willing to critique our jokes. I don't think people have an opportunity to work with comedians of those guys level and be guided through the process."
"It's neat to work with someone so talented, who has been doing this for so many years sitting there and be like 'Yeah, that's not going to work'," Rossi adds. "You're like 'Oh, no? I thought it was funny'."
Since she's well aware that the fame of reality television can be fleeting, Rossi has prepared herself for life after the cameras quit following her around. She currently has a handbag and make-up line, she consistently books appearances and hosting gigs and she's recently been asked to perform with the Pussycat Dolls in Las Vegas.
"I've never held my breath at all with the fame or celebrity that's come along with the show," she says. "When I signed up with the show, it had nothing to do with wanting to be any of that. I did it for business reasons. I saw a great opportunity to build the brands that I've always wanted to do and be in the fashion and beauty world and continue to explore the artistry of entertainment. I feel like one day in my life, if I get to say I was on Broadway, I'd be thrilled. I think all of these things are stepping stones to getting to that place. I'm not putting all of my eggs in one basket, which is why I've created companies and businesses outside of (the show) to hopefully have some income outside of the show when it's over."
Though Rossi has an interest in stand-up, she doesn't see pursuing it as a full-time gig. She says she'd love to get onto a sitcom or do comedy based movies, but for now she's focused on getting out of her own head and calming her nerves to make it through her debut stand-up performance.
"I've heard from so many people in the industry that if you go up on stage and you're not nervous, then you're no longer excited about your craft," she says. "At the end of the day, if you don't have a little bit of nervous, then you're not afraid of not doing well and I want to always be afraid of not doing well because that's going to push me to do better. I always want to have a little bit of 'I'm nervous,' because I'm going to get up there and want to kill it as opposed to 'Oh, I got this,' because then you're bored with it. I never want to be bored with it."
Online: irvineimprov.com
Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@ocregister.com
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