Anyway, I went last night to the taping of After Hours, hosted by Darron Story and Cara Kahn. It was filmed last night in a KCPT studio room, although it’s not clear which TV station will pick it up. About 50 people showed up to be part of the studio audience, some of us lured by the many bulletins sent from After Hours’ MySpace page in recent weeks.
The free reservations included a chicken dinner, plus your choice of Busch Light, Bud Lite or screw-top wine. While that was a nice gesture, no amount of booze could atone for the boring experience of sitting in on a television recording.
And, really, the almost-unlimited alcohol put some of the crowd in the wrong state of mind. One 20-something blond guy clapped and yelled after everything the hosts said, whether or not it was funny. In between segments, another dude, perhaps not even 21 and with the same bad haircut as the other guy, started loudly hitting on some 30-year-old women who were dressed like sorority girls.
Another cynical reporter and I arrived too late to snag seats, so we stood in what seemed to be the back of the room, until it came time to film Story and Kahn’s opening remarks. Those took place right next to us. Kahn had one off-camera “diva moment,” in which she apparently seriously asked that her glass be filled with wine and water. This was a puzzling request considering that the baggy shirt and leggings outfit she wore gave the impression she could be preggers.
Surprisingly, the official interplay between Story and Kahn was much funnier than the Regis and Kelly stuff I expected. Kahn, who was on Real World: Chicago, is a cussing, merciless teaser. The self-proclaimed washed-up reality TV star mocked her co-host for being a bald, one-hit wonder (his R&B act Lo-Key had a 1992 hit) with too many children. Although probably not as off the cuff as it seemed, the ribbing seemed fresh and natural. The only time they seemed to be talking down to the audience was when Story whipped out visual aids for tired social commentary on such recent scandals as the Michael Vick controversy.
The program’s guests included Mark Funkhouser, the publishers of Urban Times magazine, candy maker Christopher Elbow, a comedian and a musician. The first interview - with the Funk - was pre-recorded. He was smart to not stick around. The filming, which was supposed to begin promptly at 6:30, didn’t kick off until close to 7, and was plagued with delays and re-shoots. I can’t blame the After Hours folks for wanting to put out a quality product, but the tedious process of creating one is no fun for a spectator. My pal and I cut out at about 8:30, following the Urban Times chit chat, fearful that if we stayed, the experience might actually turn into an after-hours party.
While we were there, the folks in charge were vague about where and when the episode will actually broadcast. If it does make it to the airwaves, the show will be worth watching, even though the studio experience wasn’t. -- Crystal K. Wiebe
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