.:: Staten Island Advance 4.27.05 ::.

'Dinner' with Favreau - An actor ('Swingers') and director ('Elf') becomes a triple threat as the host of his own showbiz chatfest
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
By TODD HILL - ADVANCE STAFF WRITER , STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

Jon Favreau is fast becoming a victim of his own success.

When we first sat down with the actor/writer/director/producer five years ago the line on him was basically, "Isn't he that guy from 'Rudy?'"

He is indeed, having appeared as D-Bob in the 1993 movie about Notre Dame football, which starred Sean Astin. But Favreau has come a long way in 12 years, appearing in over a dozen more films since then, and having even more success behind the camera. It was his second directorial effort for the big screen, the 2003 Will Ferrell movie "Elf," that was his turning point.
     
"My stock went up as a director after 'Elf,' and I want to make the most of it," said the 38-year-old Queens native during a recent interview. "But directing is this time-intensive black hole, and there's not much left."

One of those things Favreau is now struggling to fit into his very full schedule is "Dinner for Five," a surprisingly successful showbiz talk show that airs weekly on the Independent Film Channel (IFC). Its fourth season is currently airing Fridays at 10 p.m. (with repeats Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Tuesdays at 10 p.m.).

Favreau, who hosts "Dinner for Five," a dinner-table conclave loosely based on the famed Algonquin Roundtable that features insiders from the worlds of film, TV, music and comedy, has now taped 49 shows -- "more than we thought."

HARD BOOKING

"I originally thought it was just going to be a special, and that I was going to be doing no more than four shows a year," he said. The experience was particularly taxing for Favreau with this latest batch of shows, as he was simulataneously deep into directing a movie called "Zathura," due out next Christmas.

Filmmaker Kevin Smith ("Clerks," "Jersey Girl") actually volunteered to host the last "Dinner for Five" episode this season.

"The booking is the hardest part of the show," said Favreau. "We want to make sure that they're comfortable with each other. Not all the guests need to be recognizable, but some should be familiar."

Indeed, discovering who's on "Dinner for Five" each week is often the most amusing aspect of the show, with names as varied as Marilyn Manson and Rod Steiger, Gina Gershon and Burt Reynolds sitting down to share their experiences.

This season features, among many others, Bill Maher, Henry Winkler, Alanis Morissette, Mark Hamill and Christina Ricci, discussing everything from terrorism to getting fired by Jane Fonda, on-screen nudity to silent burping.

"We don't want any heavy intellectuals, nor a life of the party, but guests who are comfortable sitting around with their sleeves up," said Favreau. "We want it to have a certain artistic cachet, that looks very fondly on the history of Hollywood."

TENDER EXCHANGE

Of course, there was also this recent tender exchange among actors Timothy Olyphant, Jay Mohr and Michael Rapaport, edited for your safety:

Olyphant (to Mohr): "You're an (compound expletive)."

Mohr: "Yeah, call me an (expletive). We've been friends a long time, and I'm sitting here and you go, 'You're an (expletive)!'"

Rapaport: "How can you complain about what he was saying? You're the biggest (expletive) here."

Mohr: He was genuinely calling me a (compound expletive) on television. He just looked over with that fake-(expletive)-marshal mustache and goes, 'You're an (expletive).' You're a (expletive) -- you know what you are? You're a (new expletive). I'm an (expletive)? Go (expletive) yourself!"

"That was an exciting, fun table to have," said Favreau. "Afterward I asked, 'Is everybody cool with what was being said?' And they were."

Favreau said IFC has been very supportive of "Dinner for Five," which helps to anchor its programming on Friday nights, "because it helps to distinguish them."

MEGAWATT INTEREST

"There are a lot of channels out there," he said. "It has a small but strong following."

And as the show's profile has grown, so have the number of industry names who have expressed an interest in being on the program.

"People have been surprisingly eager to do this kind of thing. Some people seek us out, but they're usually the ones who aren't easy to get on," said Favreau, citing the filmmaker Brian De Palma and megawatt movie star Tom Cruise.

"Sometimes it's a liability for them to be on camera that way."

Favreau doesn't profess to being surprised at "Dinner for Five's" success, even if the program consists of nothing more than a group of celebrities dishing gossip. In fact, that may be precisely why it's caught on.

NATURAL CURIOSITY

"There's a weird confluence today, with people fascinated by celebrities, that natural curiosity, and yet relating to them, what they're like," he said.

"And people are fascinated by something real, and don't demand high-production values. They're comfortable not being spoon-fed. It's been fortunate timing."

Of course, it's also forced Favreau into a precarious balancing act, as he now has to decide on whether to focus on efforts in front of the screen or behind it in the future. Will directing ultimately win out?

"I think so. As an actor you can have a great experience, but then you kind of have to shut down your engines for a year waiting for the film to come out," he said." "I get offers to act, and it's flattering, but I have a family."

As for where "Dinner for Five" fits into all that, stay tuned.