The Palm Springs Cultural Center
June 19th was the Filmmakers Gallery – SMOTHERED SEASON 2: LAUNCH PARTY.
In SMOTHERED Season 2, Our entitled boomer-aged gay couple Randy and Ralph still can’t stand each other and still can’t afford to get a divorce.
A bickering gay couple who can’t stand each other but can’t afford to get divorced. The “boys” attempt to salvage their hideous relationship in therapy hell. It’s a hysterical, touching, psychotic exploration of love, crashing to bits like cheap china from the Olive Garden. It’s also a celebration of diversity, Little People, Transsexuals, Asians, Latin X, Blacks, Whites, Jews, Closet Cases & a fluid dog.
The Hollywood Times met up with Jason and Mitch in Palm Springs. Enjoy the conversation:
It’s going to take a lot more than the Jewish mafia, harebrained shrinks, and heavy meds to keep them together before they kill each other and everyone else!
Starring: Jason Stuart and Mitch Hara
Director: Acclaimed theatre director Carlyle King is helming this season, making her Television début.
The cast for Season 2 is:
Amanda Bearse, Linna Carter, Jasper Cole, Robert Costanzo, Ivan Davila, Nic Few, Kareem Ferguson, Armand Fields, Ellen Gerstein, Carole Goldman, Byron Quiros, Aida Rodriguez, Jai Rodriguez, Krishna Smitha, Samantha Tan, Karen Tarleton, Joshua Bardier, Mercedes Steele, Nicole Lynn Evans, Robb Padgett, Susan Hooper, DawnMarie Ferrara, Vasilios Filippakis, and Carole Ita White.
The Hollywood Times also spoke with Event Producers Paul Belsito and Steven Roche:
Bringing their unique filmgoing experience special events with direct affiliates to their featured presentations, The Filmmakers’ Gallery insures to deliver out something memorable, educational & most importantly entertaining to the Coachella Valley,
Co-founders and partners Paul Belsito and Steven Roche bring to you…
“The Filmmakers’ Gallery Special Guests Screening Series”
Award-winning filmmakers themselves, Paul and Steven will be producing an ongoing series of screenings and fundraisers with special guest appearances by friends from their “Gallery” of entertainment industry colleagues. The Filmmakers’ Gallery originally founded in Long Beach, CA in 2012.
About Jason Stuart
When you think one of the most prolific character actors, who’s also an outrageous openly gay stand-up comedian, one name comes to mind…. Jason Stuart. As an actor he is best know for his major role as a slave owner in The Birth Of A Nation. Recently he won The Indie Series Award For Best Actor In a Comedy Series for his Amazon comedy series Smothered. Jason has also appeared in the award winning films Tangerine, Love Is Strange, Gia, Kindergarten Cop and Vegas Vacation. He has wowed TV audiences with guest roles on such shows as Goliath, Swedish Dicks, Love (Judd Apatow), Sleepy Hollow, Real Rob, Entourage, The Closer, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, House, Everybody Hates Chris, George Lopez, Will & Grace, Charmed and as “Dr. Thomas” on My Wife and Kids. As a stand up comic he just won the Worldwide Comedy Award for Best LGBTQ Comedian. And you have laughed with him on Gotham Comedy Live, Red Eye, One Night Stand Up, Wisecrack, Comics Unleashed and his own comedy special, Making It To The Middle. His new comedy album I’m The Daddy and I Have Candy and autobiography Shut Up, Im Talking! From CCB Publishing.
About Mitch Hara (Actor/Writer/Director)
Raised by speed-freak alcoholics, an experience that shaped his unique voice and eccentric view of the world.
Drugs, cookies and chaos also helped inform his artistic flare.
He escaped to New York City at age 19, when he was invited to join the acclaimed Actors Studio. There, he performed in several plays off-Broadway as well as comedy clubs, Studio 54 and a few rehabs.
While pole dancing on 42nd Street, he was called to L.A. to do a burp-and-it-was-gone pilot, Eddie Dodd with Treat Williams.
He’s guest-starred on numerous series, including a recurring role on ER as Stanley a suicidal mental patient, several pilots and film roles including a snuff-film producer, Latin Jerry in THE ART OF DYING with Wings Hauser.
He scored 11 more indies playing everything from a “Harley-hitman” to a “bipolar nurse.” Hara’s got a unique talent for infusing humor and humanity into the darkest characters.
He’s written, directed and performed in 5 critically acclaimed plays, winning an “Outstanding Performance” award from Backstage for his portrayal of “Sister Coco Call-Me-Ishmael,” a mental-patient-drag-queen-nun, in The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun.
More recent acting credits include a co-starring role in the pilot I RUN HOT for AMC/Peacock directed by Ilana Glazer and the pilot, “SUNNY’S CLOSET” as TayTay, the gaslighting, scheming, executive assistant.
His short form series, SMOTHERED Season 1, co-written with and co-starring Jason Stuart, went viral on Amazon Prime and voted “Top 10 to Binge.” SMOTHERED Season 2 just dropped on AMAZON, REVRY, YouTube & internationally. The premiere was held at Sony Pictures in the John Singleton theatre.
Mitch is on stage in Hollywood doing his award-winning solo show MUTANT OLIVE 2.0 gaining rave reviews and getting ready to tour NYC, Chicago, London & Edinburgh. Directed by the fabulous Carlyle King, who also directed SMOTHERED Season 2.
Other projects currently in development, include his screenplay, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? a gay Aunty Mame meets Rain Man meets Kramer vs. Kramer (about his relationship with his amazing 11-year-old nephew with Aspergers), the black comedy PARTY TIME (about destiny, annoying angels and cancer) and the TV series version of MUTANT OLIVE, currently called SWEET DREAMS.
He’s also pitching SMOTHERED to studios as a full-on series.
Hara worked, directed or had sex with John Travolta, Maura Tierney, Susan Luccci, Sally Kirkland, John Savage, Angela Lansbury, Doris Roberts, Joe Manganiello, Karen Black, Marlon Wayans, Eliot Glazer, Colton Haynes, and half of NYC.
Mitch says, “I never take ‘no’ for an answer. For me, everything is YES. So ‘no’ is just a slow yes.” His inner child is alive & well and ready to play!
