Apr 20, 2010
I love hearing from former show staffers
My favorite thing is to hear from former show staffers and see what everyone is doing now. Most of them are still working in television, three of them at Oprah, and a whole bunch in L.A. I don’t hear much from the old crew in Chicago – Mike, Billy, Hippie, Joe, Rich…. How about it? Remember this staff trip to Cancun? Drop me a line!
Can you and your staff get together and start another Jenny Jones talk show? I miss rushing home from school to watch your talk show.
Food for thought
I’m looking for Scott. He used to be an associate producer for The Jenny Jones Show in 1997. He’s tall, thin with blond hair. Could you please tell Scott “Blanche wants to talk to him”. I miss him. Thank you.
Sorry, we are not able to help you locate this person.
Hey Jenny!
Glad to see you are doing well. I miss the old days at the NBC Building…it was a special time.
I am still in Chicago, still a Cubs fan. Family is phenomenal…Richie is about a year away from his PhD at Indiana, Rachel is in Theater, she writes and to pay the bills is the Marketing Director at the Piccolo Theater in Evanston…Sandy covets your nacho recipe and slogs away at WBBM-FM radio scheduling commercials. It would be great if we could get a Jennie Show reunion in the works. Rich Bykowski
Hello Jenny. I was a PA on your Las Vegas test shows and went on to Chicago with you guys along with my buddy Susan (lower right of the season one 1990 staff pic). I just wanted to say “Hi” to you and Denis. I saw your site a little while back and was remember the good times and excitment of my first pro gig. I am now the Production Specialist for Clark County Parks & Recreation here in Las Vegas. I head up the production aspects for concerts, theater and special events. Not much TV anymore (except for our County station) but I’ll never forget my first real gig, the great staff and the “Chicago Adventure”. I hope this note finds you and Denis doing well. Thanks for being a cool boss and throwing a good Christmas party 🙂
John, what a nice surprise to hear from you. It looks like you’re doing great, too. Who knew those test shows in Vegas would bring us where we both are today. Thank you for remembering me.
Hi Jenny,
Hope all is well….I’m still waiting for you to make an appearance on Dancing with the Stars! LOL I’d vote for you! I have great memories of working on the show and with the amazing staff. 🙂
Hey JJ!
i wrote you an email through your site awhile back…. not sure if you got it.
Glad to read you are doing well and are happy!
Hello to Denis!
Cristin, it’s good to hear from you. Denis and I are doing great.
Hi Jenny,
I was so happy to see “All My Critters” as one of your favorite videos from the show. It was one of my favorite segments to write! It’s been a long time since that first year of The Jenny Jones Show! I went on to write some film and theater, and even had my own newspaper column. I’ve written for some other local Chicago tv shows (Even won a Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for writing) I own a theater outside of Chicago in Naperville, Illinois called The Comedy Shrine … we perform live improv comedy, have an open mic night for standup comedy and teach improv and comedy writing classes here! I would love to talk to you! it’s been way too long!
Dave
Hi Dave … How are you?
Fine Dave, thanks for asking?
Did you just contact Jenny for a favor?
No, Dave … you know me better than that!
Yeah Dave, you’re right … sorry,
Besides Dave, what possible favor could I, we, you ask Jenny to do for me, you … us?
Duh Dave! Didn’t you apply for one of Jenny’s grants for your theater?
Yeah Dave, but that was before I even saw this “former staff contact thingy” on her website!
Right Dave, like Jenny’s gonna believe that’s true!
It’s true Dave … you were with me when I saw it days after I applied for the grant.
I’m always with you, Dave. And you’re starting to cramp my style.
Excuse me for living Dave.
You call what we have a life? You, I, we … were supposed to be the wacky neighbor on a sitcom by now … instead you own a comedy theater in Naperville, Illinois!
A theater that attracts over 10,000 people a year … Mr “I coulda been on According to Jim!”
If you’re, we’re, I’m so successful than why do you need a Jenny grant?
This isn’t about the grant Dave! I just wanted to say hi to Jenny and Dennis!
Yeah right, Dave!
You know … I’m not too fond of you, me, us either.
Boo Hoo Dave … go sit in Oprah’s audience ,,, maybe she’ll give you a grant!
It’s not about the grant, Dave … hi Jenny!
Dave, I swear to God I thought I wrote you back. If you walked in my shoes, you’d see how busy my days can be (actually, you looked good in my pumps back in the day :)) so please accept my apology. It looks like you’ve done okay since the JJ show and I am really glad to hear from you. Congrats on the club. It was comedy clubs that eventually got me the talk show. Denis is doing well. We see Jayne once in a while. I stay busy with my foundation, websites, blog, pictures, cookbooks, etc., but I’m not saying my life is stress-free. Just this morning, I had to clean bird poop off my tennis court.
Have you ever thought about doing standup again? I happen to know a guy who owns a cool comedy theater. Hint. Hint. I’ve had a few old Second City buddies come out. Most notably would be Tim Meadows. I’d love to get Jane Lynch and Steve Carrel here too. I toured with Jane for over a year and did shows with Steve as well.
Did you know Steve Carrel’s first national appearance was on The Jenny Jones Show; in a skit I wrote for you about women who are attracted to bad guys. He played the nerd who was actually the real bad guy in the skit!
Consider my offer for you to do some standup at The Comedy Shrine as a challenge! My best to Denis!
Dave, I haven’t done standup in decades! Even if I had an act, I still wouldn’t do it again so I have to decline your invitation. But please understand, I turn down just about everything that comes my way. And I had no idea about Steve Carrel. I hope I can find that show!
I had a copy of the skit on a reel of skits I wrote on the show … but I have no idea where it is. If I find it I’ll get it to you. Carrel was very young when we shot the skit. I wrote his part based on a character I’d seen him play on the mainstage at Second City. Some fun memories there … I hope you or I can find the tape of it. He is performing with another Second City actor John Rubano.
I’m in the process of trying to find a new space for my theater/comedy museum. I’m hoping to keep this 5 year adventure alive!
I love that photo, glad you posted it. Still in Chicago waiting for the next big show!
Miss you and the all the fun times we had.
Yea, Nick, we did have some fun, didn’t we? I miss it so much. You were great to work with! The next big show will be lucky to have you.
Jenny
Hey Jenny, Think of you often and still waiting for you to call me… Where can I send the dollar???
Miss you and all the fun we had!
Fletch
Fletch! I was just thinking of you and Russ the other day! I remember once when we had something erupt on the set, and Russ took a guy down to the ground……ole mild mannered Russ really sprang into action. How are you doing these days? Are you keeping the streets of Chicago safe?
Dana;
I have retired from the police department. I am still working for Telepictures in charge of security for the Judge Mathis and Judge Pirro television shows. Russ also works with me there. I really would like to see you if you ever get up to Chicago.
Fletch….I miss you too!!! I think we saw you on TV one day doing security for a baseball game. Was that you? How are you doing? What are you doing? Aren’t you a little long-on-the-tooth for taking down bad guys? 🙂 Denis says hi. Now he says I shouldn’t have said that “long-in-the-tooth” thing but so what? You want a piece of me?? Bring it, big guy!!!
xoxoxoxo
Jenny;
You are correct I still work security for the White Sox, I was able to travel with the team when they won the world series in 2005.I still do security for Judge Mathis and Pirro television shows but nothing will ever beat working for you!! I retired from the police dept in 2002 enough was enough. If you and Denis get back to Chicago I relly would like to see you guys. You know you can always come back and do another show!!!!!
Fletch
Helllll GEAH!!! I miss FERNITA she was me and larry’s out of state mom we was like 18 goin on there The Puff And Ma$e Look A Likes Was on there like 10 TIMES TORNADO was hella cool to always looked out for us….MISS THE SHOW WISH I HAD THE CLIPS STILL good times…I STILL HAVE MY BEST MALE CELEB LOOK A LIKE TROPHY HAHAHA
@EastOaklandRoy
http://www.youtube.com/RoyPacShakur
-East Oakland Roy
Hey Jenny! Think of you often and all the gang and fun we had… Believe it or not I am still working out of the NBC building! I am AD on The Judge Mathis Show and Judge Jeanine Pirro. I run into the guys occasionally… Mike’s triplets are finishing up the freshman year in high school (!), Joe A. is working at NBC, Billy is Chief Photographer at NBC and doing great, Joe C. is still running his biz and running Chicago! I run into Hippie infrequently but last time I saw him he was doing well working for WGN. You should get on facebook… we’re all there!
My girls are 10 and 8, if you can believe it!
Hope you and Denis are well!
Megan Anderson
Hi Jenny!
Things are going well on this end,,, can’t remember the last time we caught up. I opened an interior design firm about a year and a half ago and am working to combine that business with my real estate business – – here is a link to my website: http://www.thesomogyigroup.com
Do you ever make it back to Chicago or are you in CA full time these days? How is Dennis?
Steve
Steve, Wow you have come a long way! I wish you much success with the Somogyi Group.
Hey, Jenny!
What fond memories I have working with you. They were very special times.
I’m now based in Toronto and work internationally as a show consultant, producer and developer. I series produced the Canadian version of Next Top Model, featuring Jay Manuel, and was awarded a “Best Reality Series” Gemini. A few years back, I also devised and launched a live daily talk show for Britain’s Sky One.
Opportunities have come to me, and all because of my time with you on JJ!
When I was a kid in Liverpool I would dream about working on a US talk show. Years later, you make that dream come true for me! I will be forever grateful for that…
Best wishes always,
Ron C.
Ron, I loved working with you. You were a top notch producer so I’m not surprised at all your accomplishments! Denis is doing great. Please stay in touch.
Hi Jenny. I saw your name in the Tribune so I thought I would go to your web site and e mail you. I am not in television anymore. I work for a manufacturing company close to my home. Been there for seven years already. Still live in Roselle. I think about the old gang sometime we had lots of fun. I stay in touch with Dana. Her daughter is my god child. She calls me her fairy godmother because she has never met me. I read your blog from time to time. Hope all is well with you. Say hello to Dennis. All the best, Patti Sansone
Dana was here last summer and shared many fond memories of us all working together. What a great mom she has turned out to be. You’d be proud.
Patti! Wasn’t sure where you ended up… glad to hear you are doing well! Please tell Dana I said “HELLO”… I would love to get intouch with her!
Hey there Patti and Megan! We live in Columbia, MO now after Grant accepted a job down here last summer. Hannah is 11 1/2 and very tall. She loves to play basketball and we have finally found her a competitive team down here. We got to see Jenny last summer and had such a great time. JJ had an old contact sheet and that was a riot going through it…..brought back so many fun memories of the show! Sounds like you keep in good touch with the old crew Megan….can’t believe Mike Frehe’s twins are in High School! Wow how time flies! Dana