As you, dear reader, may or may not remember, back in July of last year, Greg Proops had let it slip that there was a possibility of Whose Line returning, with Drew at the reigns of structuring the new/returning show. However, Greg later stated in August that it looked like those plans had come to a screeching halt. (Go to Greg Proops Net and scroll down to read the quotes.) Just when we were getting hopeful that Whose Line might live again, it seemed that that hope was shot down.

      I am here to tell you that hope is taking wing and soaring once more. And this time, a solid step has been taken in the right direction. Please read on...

      I attended Improv Allstars on February 6th, 7th, and 8th of this year (just a few weeks ago), which was held, per usual, at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino at the Hollywood Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. And when I entered those golden doors, there was one thing I instantly noticed: film cameras.

      Sure enough, the shows on both Friday night and Saturday night (though not Sunday night) were filmed. There was a full camera crew there, with professional lighting. The stage was also done up in a manner that was far different from usual, featuring a ladder in the corner, a pile of rope by the piano, an odd brick wall of sorts slanted sideways upstage, a hoarde of spotlights and key lights with barn doors, and the stools were much closer to the edge of the stage.

      One could assume that they were filming another television special, like they did back in 2001 for HBO. And this was originally what I thought.

      That is, until Drew Carey said, during the course of his opening stand-up act, the magical words, "We're filming a pilot tonight."

      During both nights, the show was filmed from beginning to end, including Drew's stand-up and concluding on the game 'Fairytale'. The performers included Greg Proops, Ryan Stiles, Drew Carey, Chip Esten, Jeff B. Davis, Kathy Kinney, Jonathan Mangum, and a brand new woman named Heather Anne Campbell (check out some basic information on her here). The music was composed by Bob Derkach (of Second City fame; he tours with Whose Live Anyway?).

      I thus made it my mission to learn more about this mysterious "pilot". After the second taping, I brought it up in my conversation with the delightful Chip Esten. It went as follows:

Diane: Do you know anything about this pilot?
Chip: Well, it's not quite a pilot.
Diane: Ah, because Drew said 'pilot'.
Chip: It is a pilot, as much as usually a pilot means that you know who is looking at it to buy it. This is kind of a pilot where they are going to shoot it, produce it, and then see who wants to buy it, see if anybody's interested.
Diane: Oh nice!
Chip: Yeah. So they can do whatever they want. We've shot over two nights and then take best 20 or 30 minutes you can out of that. So think good thoughts.

      I was too engrossed in my other conversations with Greg after the shows to ask him about the pilot, so I sent him an email inquiry later instead. He replied and told me that he had yet to hear of any news concerning the status of the pilot. However, he did say that he'd (in his words) 'hip me when something goes down'.

      Thus, we are back to waiting, and wondering, and wondering, and waiting. I will let you all know the status of things the moment I learn anything new. I will be keeping in touch with Greg to try and find out more about Drew's plans, and just what this new show would consist of.

      Based on what was filmed for the 'pilot', we can assume that the new 'Whose Line' would be simply Improv Allstars, which is obviously a different format than the original game-genre show. There is no person behind the desk or buzzers in Improv Allstars. There are a lot more players on stage at a time. There are new games in Improv Allstars that were never played on Whose Line (or even on Green Screen Show, for that matter). There is a lot more suggestive humor (the pilot was obviously not censored). Some questions I might have is whether or not, if the show was to be picked up, if it would continue to be filmed in Vegas, or if it would move to Hollywood. I also wonder about the casting. I'm sure a lot of Whose Line fans would be eager to know if Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood would again be joining the ranks, or if perhaps more totally new faces - like that of Heather Anne Campbell - would fill their shoes instead. At this point, we can only guess and speculate and, as Chip said, have good thoughts!

      But overall, I find the news very exciting! Please stay tuned for further updates as more information presents itself. Keep your fingers crossed, folks.

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      Today, April 22nd, 2009, marks a huge milestone in Mr. Stiles' life - his 50th birthday! Yes, today Ryan turns the big 5-0, and everyone at Ryan Stiles Net would like to wish him the happiest of birthdays. Ryan, we sincerely hope that you have a lovely, relaxing, most wonderful day! We thank you for everything and all that you do. May there be many more years of laughter still to come!

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      Word has it that Ryan is set to star in a new family sitcom along with female comedian Anita Renfroe. The sitcom currently sounds like it has a fairly typical storyline - a couple trying to raise their children. The pilot is currently in the works, and is catered towards ABC. There is no word yet on when or if the pilot will be picked up, or if filming has even commensed. We will provide you with more news as it unfolds! Here is a bit of a further synopsis:

      Anita Renfroe and Ryan Stiles ("The Drew Carey Show") star in a new family sitcom centered around the thought that family comes first, by any means necessary. Anita has a unique brand of estrogen flavored comedy and blend of sass, edge and slightly offbeat take on all things female.

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      The last time a Whose Line DVD was released, it was fall of 2007 with the second DVD of season 1. Since then, we have eagerly been anticipating the next DVD release, believing that season 2 would follow. However, that doesn't seem to be the case, as it was recently announced that the next DVD would instead be "The Best Of Whose Line Is It Anyway?".

     "The Best Of Whose Line" will be a two disc DVD set consisting of ten episodes that are supposed to represent the absolute best of Whose Line. The region one (US & Canada only) DVD will be released on June 9th of this year.

     Below is text from a statement released on tvshowsondvd.com that describes the DVD release in more detail:

     Drew Carey hosts this American version of the British improvisational comedy series as an ensemble performs unrehearsed "games" before a live audience. No one gets voted off the show. That would be too easy. Instead contestants face crueler fates: be a fish on a TV dating show, Adam and Eve when they first converse, a doo-wop group singing about a girl (and a tragic taxidermy accident). We're not making this up. They are.

     Host Drew Carey, a clever crew of comedy regulars and special guests (David Hasselhoff, Florence Henderson, Jerry Springer, Richard Simmons, bodybuilder Jane Tricker and more) come up with funny-on-the-fly in the hit series that crosses a game show with mad improvisation. Discover 10 of the show's best episodes with all of the censor bars and bleeps removed, so you can enjoy every bit of the delicious and daring funny business in all its glory. Uncensored means that the potential for laughter is unlimited!

     Warner Home Video has announced that a DVD release titled Whose Line Is It Anyway? - The Best Of will come to stores on June 9th. This 2-disc, 300-minute release contains 10 favorite episodes of the classic, kooky series, at a cost of $24.98 SRP. Below is a list of those episodes:

Show No. 308 "Ryan smashing head" (First Aired: Thursday June 14, 2001)
Show No. 401 "good show with Wayne as Singing Bass and kissing Colin" (First Aired: Thursday September 6, 2001)
Show No. 413 Too Hot For Whose Line (First Aired: Wednesday October 3, 2001)
Show No. 512 "with Florence Henderson" (First Aired: Monday September 30, 2002)
Show No. 521 "with Richard Simmons" (First Aired: Friday June 20, 2003)
Show No. 610 "with Kathy Griffin & David Hasselhoff" (First Aired: Friday June 27, 2003)
Show No. 611 "with bodybuilder Jane Tricker" (First Aired: Friday July 11, 2003)
Show No. 505 Valentine's Day Show "with Loyola Marymount Cheerleaders" (First Aired: Saturday August 7, 2004)
Show No. 419 "Fluff your Garfield" show
Show No. 612 Jerry Springer in "Dubbing" game / Colin dancing in "Greatest Hits" game

▫ Read More At The Stiles Sentinel

      Memory Lanes is a sitcom written by Ryan Stiles and Sean Masterson that has been in the works for years. Slowly, yet surely, the program has been making process, and now it looks like it just actually might become a reality. The pilot has already been filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and three more scripts have been ordered. If the show goes on air, it will be airing on Canadian television (with hopes that US stations will eventually pick it up). Current prospects are looking at a possible fall premiere of the show, though nothing is set in stone yet. Stay tuned for more Memory Lanes updates!

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