News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 86

4 NEWS-PRESS GULF COASTING, FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1994 COVER STORY By BUNNIE NICHOLS News-Press staff writer IF YOU GO Comedian John Caponera's NBCsitcom, "The Good Life," was canceled last Friday, but by Tuesday he'd landed a new job. Caponera just signed a contract with the Comedy Central cable network to host a new sports-comedy show "Balls!" which will 'ebut this summer. And the first show will be filmed at 6:45 tonight at the Lee County Sports Complex, where Caponera will dress out with The Miracle and do his impression of Harry Caray the Chicago Cubs' flamboyant announcer before the team plays the St. Lucie Mets. During a phone interview from his home in His sitcom canned John Caponera carries on with a sports-comedy show I WHAT: A special appearance by comedianactor John Caponera at The Miracle vs.

St. Lucie Mets game for the filming of his new Comedy Central TV show, "Ballsh" and The Southwest Florida Spring Comedy Jam II starring Caponera, David Sayh, Alan Prophet, Michael Petit, Gerry Kurtz, Gene Merola, Robert Elam, Tom Drake, Father Frank and The Juice blues band. I WHEN AND WHERE: Caponera appears at 6:45 tonight and the Miracle game is at 7:05 at the Lee County Sports Complex. The comedy jam is at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Barbara B.

Mann Performing Arts Hall and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Charlotte County Memorial Auditorium. i ADMISSION: The Miracle game: $3 for adults, $2 for children and senior citizens and $4 for box seats. The comedy jam: $12. I INFORMATION: The Miracle game, 768-4210.

The comedy jam, Studio City, earlier this week, the Chicago native said he has always fantasized about being a pro baseball player and is an avid Cubs fan. "I played baseball for two years in college and wanted to go on to the pros, but things never panned out," Caponera said. Caponera, 37, said his dream is sort of coming true thanks to movie star Bill Murray, a minority owner of The Miracle and the person who was instrumental in approving his appearance. "I understand Bill saw me perform recently and really loved my Harry Caray impression," he said. "This is like being Michael Jordan for a day." Caponera, who has been a comedian for 15 years, described "Balls!" as a sportsshow with a comedy edge.

"I'll be covering real sports events such as the Americas Cup race and all-star games but from a comedian's viewpoint," he said. "And I'll also be doing funny sports skits." Speaking of comedy, Caponera is also in town to headline the Southwest Florida Spring Comedy Jam II, which will be staged at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Charlotte County Memorial Auditorium.

A new 'Life' Caponera said the show may not really be over for "The Good Life," which he calls the Chicago version of "Home Improvement." He said Disney Studios, the show's producer, is shopping the sitcom around and the Fox network might buy it. "Fox is really high on 'The Simpsons' and 'Married with Children' and two of the writers for 'The Good Life' Jeff Martin and Kevin Curran have written for those shows," he said. with Children' would be a perfect lead in for 'The Good Disney, Caponera said, isstill very high on "The Good Life" and is very disappointed with NBC for dropping it. "Thousands of fans wrote letters to NBC, including whole schools, but the show was still canned," he said. "People seemed to love it, but the powers that be didn't care because the ratings weren't high enough.

I don't understand the whole thing. They didn't even have the courtesy to call and tell me my show was canceled. I had to read about it in Sunday's paper. You've got to give a new sitcom a chance to build ratings like NBC did for quite a while with "We just went on the air in January and the powers that be did nothing to help us get started," Caponera said. "They didn't give us a comedy lead In, like but they put us up against a Top 1 0 sitcom, 'Full And then they ran half the shows, took us off for the Olympics, and brought us back in a different "He's based on who I would've become had I married youngand never finished college," he said.

"Disney executives were so amused by this character when they saw me do him in one of my shows that they of ered me my own sitcom." John Bowman is a union guy, a wry but well-intentioned Archie Bunker type, who has a simple job as a warehouse supervisor on Chicago's South Side and a wife and three kids. "The most important thing in the world to him is his family," Caponera said. "He lives life vicariously through his kids." Caponera whose big break came in 1 985 when he appeared on "Star Search" and lost the final round to talk show hostcomedian Jenny Jones writes all his own material. "Everything and anything inspires me," he said. "I'm an observational comic who has been influenced by comedic actors such as Jackie Gleason, John Byner, Robert Klein, Jonathan Winters, Dick Van Dyke and Richard Pryor.

My Southwest Florida shows will address a variety of topics such as sports, marriage, politics and relationships." Caponera, who trained as a dramatic actor at Los Angeles' famed Melrose Theater along with Holly Hunter, said his dream is to try movie acting. "I've always thought of comedy as a vehicle to act," he said. "I've played dramatic roles on TV showssuch as the NBC mini-series, 'Drug and Law, and I also co-starred in the Melrose Theater's production of When he's not performing, Caponera plays golf, which he plans to do here, and volunteers as a Big Brother. "I had a traditional upbringing with a fireman father, housewife motherand five sisters and brothers," he said. "So, since my wife, Gina, and I don't have any kids yet, I wanted to give a fatherless boy an opportunity to have a male role model.

I've been a Big Brother to the same boy for three years and It's great. I've learned a lot about myself, too. My dad motivated me through Intimidation, which I've discovered doesn't get the best results. My parents didn't know any better. But I've learned a positive influence isa much better motivator." NBC ALREADY GONE: Family was Important to John Caponera's character on the sitcom "The Good Life." Playing the family, from left: Justin Berfield, Caponera, Jake Patellis, Eve Gordon and Shay Astar.

time slot. How were we supposed to get the very funny. It failed because NBC didn't stay show going? It seems like they did everything with it long enough." in their power to screw things up." His own material Caponera said he'll be disappointed if the sitcom isn't sold to another network, but he's determined to move on and pick up his career. Caponera, incidentally, created the "I know the show wasn't canceled because character he portrays in the sitcom, John of its actors," he said. "It was a good show and Bowman, for his stand-up routine..