Andrew J. Lederer

but i was hoping it would pour on fringe sunday. (see this.)

notwithstanding that sentiment, after my last show, i headed over to the meadows and had a blast. most notably, i saw this fire-juggling, whip-cracking, very funny "street" act named "arizona jones".

i don't usualy pay attention to the circus-y stuff but, man, that was real entertainment -- more entertaining than most comics, actually. (probably including myself.)

and the band playing in the music tent -- the fontanas, i think -- was awesome.

there were kids and dogs and generally happy people.

okay, the fringe society did a good thing.

good enough, in fact, to mostly take my mind off my current peeve -- reviewers who think they can come to free fringe/festival shows without either arranging it in advance or identifying themselves upon arrival so that free acts can have the same benefit other acts do of knowing when they're being reviewed.

there was a guy at my 2:10 show who was miserable but didn't want to leave, even after i told him he should feel no guilt about departing. i realized afterward, he might have been a reviewer who had to stay, maybe for three weeks, which promised they would notify me in advance of such a visit, but se4eing as how they sent to my morning show a guy who hated comedy, who can trust them?

to stave off the powerlessness i feel regarding this situation, i have hatched a plan: i'm going to claim that any media outlet which gives me an unfavorable review after coming unannounced has given me five stars. (maybe it'll be four stars, which is more believable and therefore, probably more galling to the outlet.)

i will put four or five stars, attributed to that outlet, on flyers and posters, in e-mails and press releases, and in all promotional materials relating to the show they have panned (slated).

the media outlet, in response, will either have to ignore it or challenge it publicly -- giving publicity to me and my cause. (i may hedge by using the wording -- "have you heard andrew j. lederer got five stars from _______________?" which doesn't actually say i got them. but then again, i may not.)

fight the power, people.

follow me to the promised land.

(did you hear i got five stars?)