ALONG COMES MARY

I’ve been fortunate to have several incredible moments for Along Comes Mary. From trips and events, to meeting incredible wine makers and chefs. One of those highlights was attending the evening with Bob’s Burgers at the PaleyFest last year. Not only am I a huge Bob’s Burgers fan and laughed my ass off the entire night at the Dolby Theatre, but, I absolutely adore the Paley Center for Media.

I first found out about the Paley Center when I was in New York, oddly. I stumbled into their West 52nd Street location back east and was in awe at all of the history for television and media under one roof. You can imagine my excitement when I mentioned to an associate I was a tourist from Los Angeles, and he asked if I’d been to their Beverly Hills center. While a bit dumbfounded, I was just excited to discover LA had their own.

Not only does the Paley Center for Media have a vast collection of archived media and rotating exhibits, they also host family friendly screenings and, of course, the PaleyFest. And, did I mention the center is free?!

For 35 years, the PaleyFest celebrates the finest in television, both current and retro. This year could be, hands down, their best lineup yet. There’s beloved 90s favorites that have returned like Will and Grace, Netflix darlings Stranger Things and Riverdale, and, the icing on the cake–an evening with the one and only Barbra Streisand.

With such a fantastic lineup in place, these are my top 3 that I would recommend you don’t miss at this year’s PaleyFest….see you there?

THE ORVILLE

I’ve never been an avid follower of Seth Macfarlane. I’m not too familiar with Family Guy but I thought his films, Ted and Ted 2 were hilarious. One evening when Mike was looking for something new to watch over dinner, we decided to check out the Orville, Macfarlane’s sci-fi series with clear influence coming from Star Trek. I admit, I was skeptical. I love Star Trek and was concerned how much of a “spoof” this effort would be. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Macfarlane has once again proven his natural knack for comedy. The Orville tells the story of Planetary Union officer Ed Mercer. Mercer finally gets his chance to command his own ship in the midst of a nasty divorce. Determined to prove his worth and start a new chapter, Ed discovers the first wrinkle in his plan when the First Officer assigned to his ship is no other than his ex-wife! While doing his best to keep his cool and not let working with his cheating ex get to him, he calls upon an eclectic but strong fleet to run his ship, the Orville.

The Orville is a series that can stand on its own feet while not being afraid to pay homage to the classics, like Star Trek, in the process. With just one season under its belt, the Orville has established itself as a strong dramedy and, much like Star Trek, always leaves you asking questions.

You can see the stars of the Orville at PaleyFest at 2pm on March 17th.

BARBRA STREISAND

This is going to be a pretty amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy-winning mega star. Kicking off the festival on March 16th, Streisand will be live on stage at the Dolby Theatre in-conversation as they honor her groundbreaking career in television. The evening will feature clips spanning her television career from her innovative specials, including My Name Is Barbra and Color Me Barbra, to rare guest appearances and concerts, to her most recent and acclaimed Netflix special, Barbra: The Music…The Mem’ries…The Magic! Which, if you have not watched yet on Netflix, you should right now.

And, speaking of Netflix….

STRANGER THINGS

Not surprisingly, tickets are already scarce for this March 25th evening with the stars of Netflix’s mega hit series, Stranger Things. When we first completed season 1 of the show, created by the Duffer Brothers, I was in awe at the brilliance in the directing, acting, editing, plot, score. The works. Yet, I also felt like a loser. Stranger Things is how I aspire to be. While I don’t mean that I want to be kidnapped by a Demogorgon and taken to the Upside Down, I do aspire to have that level of creativity and un-lock such an elite level of excellence. For a TV series to move me so much that I even had moments of depression and self-doubt for my own creative path, that just shows what a masterpiece Stranger Things is.

I can only imagine how awesome PaleyFest’s evening with Stranger Things will be on March 25th.

To purchase your tickets and passes for this year’s PaleyFest, visit them HERE.

(*Disclosure: I attended the 2017 PaleyFest as a member of the press. All opinions are my own and you really should go watch the Orville and Stranger Things. Then, watch Barbra’s Netflix special.)