ALONG COMES MARY

Ever since I moved to Los Angeles, each year I hear of this magical week in Spring in Hollywood called “PaleyFest”.  Having been to both The Paley Center of Media in Beverly Hills and New York, I vow each year that I must do an evening or two of seeing some of my favorite television stars live and in panels discussing their show with the fans.

Then, I end up reading an article (like this one), that PaleyFest has passed and was a great success. This year? I was thrilled to be invited to cover The PaleyFest’s night celebrating one of my favorite animated series, Bob’s Burgers!

When I arrived at Hollywood and Highland’s Dolby Theatre (home of The Oscars), it was hilarious to be surrounded by easily some of Bob’s Burgers most devoted fans. There were rabbit-ear hats galore and some awesome Tina impersonations in the building. Nearly everyone had a Bob’s T-shirt and were a really fun crowd. As the evening started and their famous jingle opening began, the audience went nuts and it truly felt like my seat was shaking from the excitement!

In the house was the entire cast (H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal and Eugene Mirma) as well as some surprise guests and show creator, Loren Bouchard, who served as the moderator.  The evening began with a fun introduction about how Bob’s Burgers came to be. Little did the cast know that when they unveiled themselves at Comic Con 2010 to promote the new cartoon coming to Fox and bribing attendees with burgers (of course) that they were creating a truly remarkable fan base.

And, its been a cult favorite ever since. The cast is quick to acknowledge that the show has been the success it is due to the outpouring love their fans have given them.

That being said, Bouchard and crew have a very exciting treat in store for the Fall season premiere. It will be completely fan drawn. Bob’s has been accepting submissions for drawings and the winners work will make up the entire half hour episode. The episode? “Brunch Squnch”. The Belcher’s have decided to start serving weekend brunch. Just hearing that, I knew we were in for something good.

Lucky for me, the scheduled table reading of an up-coming episode was indeed Brunch Squnch. From Linda’s bottomless  “Ma-mosa” creation and meeting The Dame of Brunch Blogger, to Louise on a secret assignment she put herself in to hide Felix Fischoeder in the basement (with her hidden agenda being money to get a dog), this lively table reading had all of us on the floor and it was fascinating  to watch these incredibly talented actors bring their characters to life. No animation needed. They become the people you know and love.

Something to look out for when Brunch Squnch premieres: Bob’s egg jokes. They are corny. They are bad. They are Belcher. And hilarious.

And, another favorite element to attending PaleyFest is hearing exciting announcements about your favorite shows. For Bob’s, a music album of nearly 200 songs will at last be available in May (anyone who watches Bob’s Burgers know the jingles that come out of nowhere is a staple to the series) as well as the return of Bob’s Burgers Live which will happen June 17th at The Orpheum Theatre.

PaleyFest will go on through tomorrow, with up-coming shows being honored include Pretty Little Liars and West World.  While PaleyFest happens once a year, do yourself a favor and make The Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills apart of your life. With free weekly screenings for all ages (this month, each Saturday is a tribute to Desi Arnez as well as The Powerpuff Girls) and a library of classic television and archives to boot, Paley is a must for any TV fan.

(*Disclosure: I was a guest of The PaleyFest on behalf of this review. All opinions are my own.)