Latest news with #Groundlings
Los Angeles Times
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Fortune Feimster and Jacquelyn ‘Jax' Smith are heading for divorce after 5-year marriage
Fortune Feimster and her wife of five years, Jacquelyn 'Jax' Smith, are divorcing, the former couple posted Monday on social media. 'Together, we have made the difficult decision to end our marriage,' they wrote in a statement posted on their Instagram accounts. 'We've been separated for a little bit, both of us dealing with tough health situations in our families, so it wasn't something we were ready to talk about.' They continued, 'While we are sad to see this chapter of our lives come to a close, we wish each other nothing but the best as we move forward. We've had 10 years together, and there's so much to celebrate about that and so much we will look back on fondly.' 'The Mindy Project' actor, a Groundlings veteran, requested privacy in the wake of the news. Smith was a kindergarten teacher and later joined Feimster's creative team, executive producing three of her comedy specials, 'Sweet & Salty' in 2020, 'Good Fortune' in 2022 and 'Crushing It' in 2024. The two met at a 2015 Pride event in Chicago, dated long distance for a few years, got engaged in 2018 and married in a small ceremony during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The women's families attended the wedding via Zoom. 'I want people to know me and Jax are like everybody else,' the 44-year-old comedian told People in October 2022. 'We happen to be gay but our story is not much different from other people's. ... You don't have to be gay to relate to an engagement story.' Divorce? Definitely — albeit unfortunately — relatable. Feimster credits Chelsea Handler with launching her career as a writer-performer-standup comedian. She is credited as a writer on almost 600 episodes of 'Chelsea Lately' between 2011 and 2014. 'She was putting people on TV that no one else was putting on TV,' Feimster told The Times in 2023, 'and not really caring if you fit the mold of who should be on TV. ... She was the first person who gave me the 'yes' when everyone was telling me 'no.''
Geek Tyrant
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Review: PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF Was a Beautiful and Captivating Tribute to Paul Reubens — GeekTyrant
I was able to view the two-part HBO Documentary Pee-wee as Himself ahead of its release tonight on Max, and as a lifelong fan of the Paul Reubens character, I was anxious to see how it was created, and what was happening behind the scenes. I grew up watching and rewatching Pee-wee's Big Adventure , quoting it with my sisters and framing my own sense of humor around it. I watched Pee-wee's Playhouse, and I played with my drawstring Pee-wee doll all the time. Pee-wee was the pinnacle of humor and zany fun. It was cool to see how this doc highlighted Reubens' upbringing, and he told viewers about the kids shows he loved, which influenced him when he made his series. He talked about his time at college and in the Groundlings, which allowed him to play and create tons of characters alongside some awesome colleagues you'll definitely recognize. Reubens took so many photos and videos throughout his life, it was like having a front row seat to his life and career, including the birth and rise of his biggest character, Pee-wee Herman. But as with any great rise, there was also a fall. As a kid, I heard chatter about the trouble Paul Reubens had been in, but I didn't know the details, and I frankly didn't care. It didn't change the memories I had made in watching him onscreen, and it felt to me like it came and went. This documentary didn't shy away from the scandals Reubens faced, and he was open and honest about his struggles. He was also funny in his interviews in a quirky and quiet way that really had me laughing. The end of the documentary was shaped by the fact that Paul Reubens passed away unexpectedly to most people, as he had kept his struggle with cancer a secret. I knew it was coming, but the footage chosen for the final moments of the doc did make me tear up. My husband and I passed our love of Pee-wee on to our kids, and the day we learned that Reubens had died, my daughter said, 'I guess Pee-wee is on to his final adventure.' I'm glad his final months were unknowingly documented, and we were able to get a glimpse into his thoughts and memories before he was gone. This was a special watch for fans, and I hope you enjoy it. Pee-wee as Himself parts 1 and 2 will air back to back on HBO tonight, Friday, May 23rd, and will then be available to watch on Max.
Boston Globe
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
‘Pee-wee as Himself' is a bittersweet look at the price of fame
Former Groundlings Laraine Newman (of 'Saturday Night Live' fame) and Cassandra Peterson (a.k.a. 'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark') appear as talking heads here. The late Phil Hartman, alum of both 'SNL' and The Groundlings, is seen in archival clips. Hartman, along with Reubens and Michael Varhol, wrote the 1985 box office hit, 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' the movie that put both Pee-wee and its novice director, Tim Burton, on the map. Additionally, Laurence Fishburne and S. Epatha Merkerson appear to remind us they were on ' A frame of Tim Burton and Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman while filming 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure" at the Alamo in the documentary "Pee-wee as Himself." Warner Bros. With documentaries like this one, I've often wondered how much control, if any, was ceded by the filmmakers in exchange for access. Especially when the subject is credited as an executive producer, as the late Reubens is here. Wolf pulls back the curtain by providing clips of Reubens talking about how upset he is at not being in control of the footage. There's even a scene at the beginning of the second episode where Reubens FaceTimes Wolf to ask if he can submit questions for the other interviewees. Advertisement 'You know the answer to that question is no,' says a stunned Wolf after a brief pause. We're privy to Wolf's relieved response when Reubens reveals that he's pranking him. 'Do you trust me?' Wolf is heard asking at another point. Reubens responds that he never will, though he admits there might be a little bit of trust between them. It's occasionally hard to ascertain how serious Reubens is in his responses; even without his trademark makeup, the familiar, mischievous Pee-wee smirk appears in those moments. Actor Paul Reubens transforms himself in the mirror into his character Pee-wee Herman in May 1980 in Los Angeles. MichaelThe title 'Pee-wee as Himself' is an intriguing summation of the documentary. Reubens, The title is also bittersweet. As the first, and more interesting, episode reveals, Paul Reubens was always himself until he tasted enormous success. Those of us old enough to have seen 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' in theaters, or watched the five seasons of the CBS hit 'Pee-wee's Playhouse,' remember the darker elements that populate the second episode. Advertisement But despite watching ' 'I was as out as you can be,' he tells us, 'and then I went back in the closet. Because I could pass.' Being identified as gay was always potentially career-ending, which is why so many Hollywood stars, like Rock Hudson and Tab Hunter, stayed closeted at the height of their fame. Reubens's situation is the opposite, and much of 'Pee-wee as Himself' implicitly deals with the psychological repercussions of going into the closet after tasting the freedom of avoiding it for so long. A frame of Pee-wee Herman's playhouse in the documentary "Pee-Wee as Himself." Warner Bros. Still, there was plenty of gay subtext on 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' (and some of the clips here highlight how sneaky the show could be). But not enough to negate plausible deniability. And when folks expressed concern about the believability of Pee-wee's relationship with his girlfriend in 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure,' Reubens counter-attacked by staging that ridiculously long kiss between him and Valeria Golino in the box office flop, 'Big-Top Pee-wee.' In a way, the success of Pee-wee Herman was a reward for Reubens hiding his true self. I found this idea to be so profoundly sad that the overall documentary left me somewhat depressed. I can imagine how painful it would be if I had to go back into the closet, so my reaction is strictly personal. Advertisement The saddest part of 'Pee-wee as Himself' is that Reubens's death from the cancer he privately battled for six years prohibited him from appearing on camera to speak about his most devastating scandal. Not the 1991 Overall, 'Pee-wee as Himself' is a worthwhile documentary for fans of Pee-wee Herman and for folks who want to know more. But even at its most entertaining, it can be an emotionally difficult viewing experience. PEE-WEE AS HIMSELF Starring: Paul Reubens On: HBO Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How to watch 'Pee-wee as Himself': Documentary premiere, where to stream
How to watch 'Pee-wee as Himself': Documentary premiere, where to stream Show Caption Hide Caption The most anticipated TV shows of 2025 USA TODAY TV critic Kelly Lawler shares her top 5 TV shows she is most excited for this year You know him as "Pee-wee Herman," but in a new documentary, he wants you to know him simply as Paul Reubens. "Pee-wee as Himself," a two-part HBO series, shows a side of the beloved children's television star that few have seen before. Described by HBO as a portrait of Reubens painted through a "soul-baring interview," the doc promises viewers a never-before-seen glimpse into the personal life of the man behind the character. Using 40 hours of interview footage taken before his 2023 death from cancer, archived footage, home videos and thousands of personal photos, the film explores everything from Reubens' childhood growing up amongst circus folks in Florida to his time in the Groundlings improv comedy troupe alongside Phil Hartman. Directed by Matt Wolf, a fact that Reubens seemed to take some issue with, the documentary doesn't pull any punches in addressing everything from Pee-wee's origins to Reubens' later arrests. Here's how to watch. When does 'Pee-wee as Himself' premiere? "Pee-wee as Himself" premieres Friday, May 23 at 8 p.m. ET/ PT. How to watch 'Pee-wee as Himself' "Pee-wee as Himself" is an HBO original documentary. Both parts will air back-to-back on HBO and will be available for streaming on Max. HBO is traditionally an add-on option to standard cable packages that can be selected through your provider. Max subscription plans begin at $9.99 a month with ads, while ad-free subscriptions cost $16.99 a month. The highest tier, which is $20.99 a month, includes the ability to stream on four devices and offers 4K Ultra HD video quality and 100 downloads. HBO also offers bundles with Hulu and Disney+. Watch the 'Pee-wee as Himself' trailer We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Movie Review: 'Pee-wee as Himself' unmasks Paul Reubens
Some bio documentaries are carried mostly by the reflective, archival footage that send you back to the subject's heyday. But in Matt Wolf's 'Pee-wee as Himself' — as wonderful as much of the archival stuff is — nothing is more compelling than when Paul Reubens is simply himself. Before his death from cancer in 2023, Reubens sat for 40 hours of interviews with Wolf. His cooperation is clearly uncertain and sometimes strained in the film — he stopped participating for a year before talking about his infamous 2001 arrest — and his doubts on the project linger throughout. Reubens would rather be directing it, himself, he says more than once. The man many know as Pee-wee Herman is used to controlling his own image, and he has good reason for being skeptical of others doing so. But beyond that tension over authorship of his story, Reubens is also delightfully resistant to playing the part of documentary cliche. 'I was born in 1938 in a little house on the edge of the Mississippi River,' he begins. 'My father worked on a steamboat.' Talking heads have gotten a bad rap in documentaries in recent years, but in 'Pee-wee as Himself,' nothing is more compelling than Paul Reubens simply sitting before the camera, looking back at us. Pee-wee may be iconic, but Paul Reubens is hysterical. And Wolf's film, with that winking title, makes for a revealing portrait of a performer who so often put persona in front of personhood. In that way, 'Pee-wee as Himself,' a two-part documentary premiering Friday on HBO and HBO Max, is moving as the posthumous unmasking of a man you can't help but wish we had known better. Reubens was a product of TV. He grew up transformed by shows like 'Howdy Doody,' 'The Mickey Mouse Club' and, later, 'I Love Lucy.' 'I wanted to jump into my TV and live in that world,' he says. Part of the delight of the first half of Wolf's film is watching the wide range of inspirations — the circus culture of Sarasota, Florida, where his family moved to; Andy Warhol; performance art — coalesce into a singular creation like Pee-wee. That name, he says, came from a tiny harmonica that said 'Pee-wee' on it, and a kid named Herman he knew growing up. 'It was a whole bunch of things that had never really connected connecting,' says Reubens. Wolf carefully traces the birth of Reubens' alter-ego through the Groundlings in Los Angeles, on stage at the Roxy and then out into the world, on 'The Gong Show,' on Letterman, in the 1985 Tim Burton-directed 'Pee-wee's Big Adventure' and, ultimately, on 'Pee-wee's Playhouse.' 'I felt in a way I was bringing the character out into the wild,' he recalls. 'I just stayed in character all day.' That came with obvious sacrifices, too. For the sake of his career, Reubens stayed closeted as a gay man. He grew intensely private and seldom appeared in public not in character. Reubens also jettisoned some of his close collaborators, like Phil Hartman, as his fame grew. There's tragedy, both self-inflicted and not, in Reubens' increasing isolation. When Reubens was arrested in 1991 and charged with indecent exposure, Reubens' carefully guarded persona came crashing down. The scandal was worse because people knew only Pee-wee and not Reubens. There was also injustice in the whole affair, particularly the 2002 arrest that followed on charges of child pornography that were later dropped. In both cases, homophobia played a role. When Reubens does get around to talking about it, he's most resistant to painting himself as a victim, or offering any, as he says, 'tears of a clown.' Wolf, the director of films like 'Recorder,' about Marion Stokes, who recorded television all day long for 30 years, and 'Spaceship Earth,' about the quirky 1991 Biosphere 2 experiment, is better known as a talented documentarian of visual archives than as an compelling interviewer of celebrities. 'Pee-wee as Himself' would have probably benefited from less one-sided interplay between subject and filmmaker. But Wolf's time was also limited with Reubens and just getting this much from him is clearly an accomplishment. Above all, Reubens says he's doing the film to clear a few things up. In the end, the full portrait of Reubens — including all his playful, self-deprecating charm in front of the camera — add up to a much-needed retort to some of the misunderstandings about Reubens. The day before he died, Reubens called Wolf to say one last thing: 'I wanted to let people know who I really was and see how painful it was to be labeled as something I wasn't.' "Pee-wee as Himself,' a Warner Bros. release is unrated by the Motion Picture Association. Running time: 205 minutes. Three stars out of four.
