January 31st, 2012

I was featured on the top rated radio show in Ventura last Saturday. Tom and Sandy's 805. I had met the charming, exuberant, celebrity hosts at our last overnight mystery adventure at the historic (and haunted)Glen Tavern Inn last Halloween. They are total pros. It is always a joy to see masters of their craft at work and being on the radio is particularly cool because who gets to "See" a radio show? "Sharpo Says" radio on Sharpo.AM is very different - being an internet radio show done from the privacy of my office... So much more exciting to go down to the radio station and see the magic happen.

No exaggeration - I get about 100 pieces of spam per hour that I must sift through to correspond with clients. (I have abandoned regular email for friends and family, using Facebook messages instead for that. The sheer volume of junk has me questioning the value of our monthly email y events updates. We like to stay in touch with our subscribers but of course everyone is as frustrated as we are from the spam.

One of the coolest, spookiest, and murder mysteriest places we have ever played is the The Hollywood Castle. This is, quite literally a castle in the hills of Hollywood with a moat, and probably dragons too if I am not mistaken. We had the pleasure of playing there this month and the review is now posted at our Letters page.

February promises a lot of excitement with a visit to El Camino Country Club, El Centro's Mirage Club, a return to the 94th Aero Squadron in Lake Balboa. BTW, we are coming to the Doubletree in San Pedro by the Port of Los Angeles in May for Cinco De Mayo! Reserve Early. 2012 is off to a very good start!

December 23rd, 2011

A great season in an amazing year. My daughter turned one a couple of weeks ago. My joy knows no bounds. We made it through the bumpy economy and actually enjoyed a great balance between work and family. I was involved in a fun comedy pilot that will play in January and the pilot I did last summer is playing now. See Under Management.

In 2011 I never did solve a fake murder while escaping from a real straight jacket but I did invent the Laughing Queen Magic Routine which is receiving magical acclaim. I gave up on the Fushigi moments minutes after receiving it as a gift last holiday season but I did perfect many of my closeup routines including the Missing Monte.

Looking ahead into 2012: We already have many live mystery and magic events on the boards for 2012 including a trip to Morrow Bay in January, Valentines at Glen Tavern and our triumphant return to the Mirage Club in El Centro. We are coming back to the 94th Aero Squadron in January and adding 2 venues in the O.C. in March. The dinner shows will rotate Murder Mystery, Magic, and the exciting, one of a kind interactive event, Dinner Court.

I am already scheduling several new broadcasts of Sharpo Says on Sharpo.am, The Sharpo Mystery Movie is in story board stage and we are tentatively scheduled to shoot a teaser in June.

There sure seems to be a renewed excitement in the air. I feel refreshed and grateful for the many blessings in my life. I wish the same for everyone reading this right now. Happy Holidays to all and Success for the new year.

November 15th, 2011

We are now into our "Busy Season" for private parties and company events. As a result we will have to resume public dinner shows in the New Year. We are currently in talks with various venues for our murder mystery dinner show and our Dinner Court Trial Show in January.

How many mystery theater companies now boast they are the largest? I wonder why that would be a selling point for a customer anyway. When throwing a party isn't the whole point to be special, unique, different? Wouldn't you think a hands on personal party planning company would be the smart choice? I think so.

When you Call Sharpo In (CSI) for your party you won't be calling national marketing company that has little involvement over the actual execution of your event entertainment. Instead, you will speak with us directly. Family owned and operated. Happy to be your personal party entertainment company.

Have you noticed that many of the largest or self proclaimed most popular entertainment companies do not have an "About Us" page that tells you anything about them? Are they a legitimate business? Sharpo, Inc. is a California Corporation. We are proud to tell you who we are, what we have done, who our amazing clients are and openly interact with our buyers and visitors. We produce diabolically clever and exciting mystery and magic events. The mystery shouldn't be who you are dealing with!

October 21st, 2011

It is the spooky season when the veil is thin between this realm and unseen dimensions. Shadows stretch and trick the eye The other senses follow suit. Yes it is a magical and mysterious time of year. Time to double down on your dreams and desires. Time to ponder and wonder and look beyond. There is more than meets the eye.

September 30th, 2011

We had to find another way. The social coupon craze came on like a tidal wave offering huge discounts on everything - including dinner shows. Everyone wants a deal! Nora and I love a great deal ourselves.

The social coupon deals are great for shoppers. Half price for dinner and a show!?! Super. Problem is most of the coupon sites take 50% of the half priced event leaving the merhant with 25% of the retail price. Since our prices were already low, the money would not have been enough to pay our regular venue for a 3 course dinner, tax, and wait staff tip. Everyone knows that waiters live on the tips. Oh, and there also would not have been any money left over to produce our legendary theatrical production. Great deal for shoppers - Horrible deal for dinner show producers and promoters.

We could have done what others have done... Marked up the event 200% before offering it at half price through the coupon sites but that would drive our regular customers away. Hyperinflation - Not our style.

The coupon companies said to use them for those unsold seats. That is no good either. We simply do not want to create a culture where everyone waits last minute for bargain seats. Secret: We rely on advance registration and reservations to produce the event! The coupon companies said we would reach a much wider audience this way and get customers that we would not have been visible to before. Not good. That is like saying we will lose money on every sale but make it up in volume. The only hope would be that people would buy and not redeem but that is not good. We want every seat filled for a better show and great word of mouth which, if you ask me, is the absolute best way to get new customers.

The Social Coupon business model just did not seem to work for our enterprise. So we needed another way and we found it! We needed to add a discount room for our hit show. We have our regular priced venue - currently - the fabulous 94th Aero Squadron in Lake Balboa. Amazing fun atmosphere and 3 course prime rib dinner and Sharpo interactive show - all for the very reasonable price of $59 per person - including tax and tip (and plenty of free parking). Compared to dinner shows on the Sunset strip, which are $68 plus parking and Sunset strip drink prices, our Aero Squadron Sharpo Dinner Show is already a fantastic deal.

Still, we want to be sure everyone can see our shows and enjoy a great night out without busting their wallet so we looked and we found the Santa Fe Cafe in Northridge. What a special surprise. A family owned and operated venue featuring delicious and healthy Mexican food. They also have a full (cash) bar. Now don't worry - we still play the Aero Squadron on a regular basis and LOVE it there. The Santa Fe is an additional option for our customers - Not a replacement.

The best part is we can offer the dinner show package there for $46 per person when you order online at our secure server at sharpo.com. It took a little while to catch on but we are proud that we are now building a nice audience at this happy little room on a regular basis.

So coupon shoppers - if you want a great deal on a great night out - here it is! The same event we do at Country Clubs and Five Star Resorts - all for much much less than the other guys. And you do not even need a coupon to take advantage of this great deal. The way this offer is structured, the customer wins, the production does not lose money and the venue and waiters still make a living. Fair - Consistent. Transparent. There is plenty of mystery in the show - Don't need more mystery in the pricing. Ingenuity and integrity win again.

September 27th, 2011

People often ask what the optimum number of attendees is for a Sharpo Murder Mystery or Crime Scene Theater experience. I am proud to say that our programs work for any size group. The trick is to be adaptable to the performance situation. We often do very small dinner parties for under 25 guests. On the flip side, We just had a fantastic murder mystery event for 450 or so attendees at the fabulous Fantasy Springs casino on September 24th. The venue has an amazing sound and lighting system plus we utilized multimedia elements to make sure the program was seen, and heard clearly by all. Thanks to the amazing talented cast as well as an extremely proficient crew at the resort, we were able to create an intimate and exciting program for a sizable banquet crowd. The audience was able to play along and never missed a beat. It was nice as well to play the same venue that Billy Idol will be rocking in just a couple of weeks.

August 18th, 2011

We loaded up a pick up truck with old clothes and toys and hauled it off to the Goodwill. Happiness is an empty garage. No big discovery but worth mentioning: Space is worth more than stuff. It goes with my oft repeated philosophy that it is better to collect experiences than things.

Our summer is flying by. We are doing events at our usual summer pace and escaping the heat by visits to the the mall, the pool, and other suburban rituals.

My summer has included a trip to Chicago for a University of Notre Dame leadership retreat. I provided the mystery and Gibson's Steak House provided incredible hospitality and exquisite food. I was fortunate enough to stay at the Palmer House Hilton. The ceiling in the lobby is something like 100 feet high with an amazing tapestry of art that makes it impossible to look away. I came back and got to perform a special function private party murder mystery for a VIP birthday at The Spare Room in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. The Spare Room is very cool hang out featuring handcrafted games and two bowling lanes. The decor is... Speak Easy Retro? I felt like I was in the Halodeck on Star Trek. After mingling, Guests dined on the bridge where our mystery game really began to unfold. We went from there to the Cavernous Teddy's Nightclub on the level below where the game continued. It was a smash hit. We had planned to utilize the Ball Room (Home of the very first ever Academy Awards) but it was booked for a Wedding. The event took me back to when I played the Academy Room there in the 90's in a mystery created by myself with legendary television writer and true crime writer, Martin Roth. I was featured on the cover of Key Magazine for that event. I am sure I have written about it before, probably recently.

In between these amazing adventures I continue to be the Tank Top CEO, running my company in the most casual way. The interruptions of working from y home office are a minor concern and the joy of being able to step out of my office and hug my kids far outweighs any distractions that occur. I will call this my summer of Balance because in a rare feat, I have managed to find the perfect blend of work, play and service. I hope to strike this chord often moving forward... I know the key - the solution to that mystery - is gratitude.

July 17th, 2011

47 days since my last blog? Really? I have been posting on Twitter and facebook but that isn't really the same, is it? Thank you to everyone who has Liked our Sharpo page into the 1000s.

June was as eventful and exciting as promised and all our events went really well. I especially loved performing at the Altadena Town and Country Club, The Pasadena Scottish Rite, and just the other day at the delightful Spagos in Beverly Hills. There is a special feeling that comes when you are at the top of your game and I have to say (with all due modesty) that my cast and I were definitely firing on all cylinders! . Of course, I was performing in La Pintura Frecuentada (The Haunted Painting) which is our most famous murder mystery play - written by Nora and I. It is also the most popular event produced by our company. Our interactive program has evolved over time as we listen to the audience and polish up the act. That is the beauty of being the producers as well as actors. We have the freedom to change things up. The fact that our theater is always on location at fantastic and different venues also forces us to continuously adapt.

This modern world allows entertainers so many opportunities and I am so grateful that I get to write my own ticket. At Sharpo shows people ask me when I am going to be on Television and movies again. I am very proud to announce that I am once again taking meetings with Agents in Hollywood and am ready to dive back in to the mainstream biz. Years ago, when I started producing Sharpo shows and this website I must confess, my attention shifted and the excitement of producing took center stage. Then when Nora and I had children it seemed a course had been charted. Nevertheless, we are always seeking to reach a wider audience so don't be surprised if I appear soon on a screen near you.

We are back at the 94th Aero Squadron this month for two private party dinner shows and next month we come back to the Santa Fe Cafe in Northridge. We are also hashing out details for our next overnight murder mystery hotel adventure at the historic Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula. So that's what is going on here. We are very late on the July newsletter due to personal family circumstances but we will shoot one out this week to announce a fundraiser mystery in August in Long Beach. Why not enjoy a great dinner show while helping to raise money for a worthy cause - and for less $ than our regular priced show! Details will follow.

May 31st, 2011

The balancing act continues as Nora and juggle our family life/ work situation. June promises to be very exciting as our teenager graduates the 8th grade and our three year old moves out of diapers. Our 6 month old daughter is keeping us hopping too. In between the joys of parenting...We have several exciting events lined up in June. We are back at Yorba Linda Country Club for another private party murder mystery on Friday. We are also working on a fundraiser mystery event for the Pasadena Scottish Rite. This event is open to everyone and is a real deal. It is a real Murder Mystery Dinner featuring top talent in an exciting and mysterious setting. It costs a lot less than many dinner shows in town and the proceeds will help the new Children's Language Center in the same building.

On June 30th, we are back in San DIego for the Navy's MWR program. We have been chatting with the Serial Killer of Comedy, Mike Muratore who may join us for that show. We also continue to offer discount priced dinner theater in the San Fernando Valley at the Santa Fe Cafe for Mystery and Magic shows. The Santa Fe Cafe is an intimate room with very limited seating and great, healthy food. It also features a full bar and a really cool Chandelier right in the center. Perfect for the Crime Scene Theater and our Parlor Magic Show.

After talking with Haunted Housecalls Master of Magic, Micah Cover who is also a past Vice President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, Hollywood Chapter, I have decided to sell some of the magic routines I have invented/discovered. Check it out at Sharpo Magic Tricks and Secrets. The other recent change is that we have created a page for the featured radio interviews I did with notable authors with links to their books. That page is at Sharpo.AM. The radio show has taken a long hiatus due to the balancing act but we are lining up interviews with Recording artist Carol Crittendon and Martial Arts Expert, "Q". So we should be back on our blog talk radio show in the next two weeks. Laugh and let laugh...

ERIC HOWELL SHARP'S SUGGESTED READING LIST:

This month I recommend: "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" by Al Ries and Jack Trout. This is an easy quick read that was instrumental in building my business. The truths revealed in this book are very powerful. "The Four Agreements" changed my life and I do my best to implement them in my daily affirmations. "Over the Edge", by Jonathon Kellerman is just one of a series of Alex Delaware Mystery Novels. I started reading Kellerman years ago on long flights for out of State events. These books are real page burners. I read them from start to finish at a feverish pace. Psychology and Mystery... Great fun. Of course, I can't resist Dr. Seuss. I enjoy reading these to my son, Benny every night. Reading Seuss out loud every day has actually made me a stronger, more articulate speaker. Mumbling actors everywhere should do this every day! Happy Readin, Y'all.

Nora and I were approached last Autumn during our busy Holiday season by the Make A Wish Foundation. They told us that a young lady had a wish to be a Spy! They aked us to create a spy adventure game that would span several days and several locations in and around Los Angeles. Of course, we said yes, even though murder mystery adventure - our main purveyance - is a very different animal than the spy genre. To be honest, I did not even know where to start. Nora, on the other hand, had an immediate muse working and mapped out an outline for a four day event that would have our spy tackle objectives while evading the bad guys and eventually saving the world.

Once Nora had her brilliant outline approved by the Make A Wish people, I then had the daunting task of fleshing out the adventure with a solid script, multi media elements, and graphics that would really create the world of intrigue and espionage that was called for. After the ~Reality~ was established Nora and I went for high camp, melodrama, and I was channeling some serious Adam West, Don Adams, William Shatner style ~High Stakes~ commitment to what we were doing.

We just finished our adventure last Thursday. We had the participation of several terrific and talented actors in the production including Duffy Hudson (Tattered Angel), Dallas James (Stranger Than Fiction Show), Jon Zadok (Sketchlers), Jack Zullo, (Live From The Grave, Its John Belushi!), Nicole Neuman, Amy Jennings, Sid Wilner, and of course Nora and me. All of these incredibly talented and generous performers gave everything they had to this adventure and their roles and to our Make A Wish Girl. Some were Secret Agents and some were bent on World Domination. I have to tell you, I was astounded and overjoyed at the success of this production.

Our Make A Wish Girl (and her big sister) played the leads, of course and their mission was no less than to save the whole planet. They relished the part with style and played so well - Hollywood could sure use them! They wore costumes and went undercover and answered only to their code names. Our adventure took us to so many exciting places in and around Los Angeles. Many vendors and venues gave so generously of their hospitality and services, I was humbled and grateful that this spirit of giving still exists in our mad mad mad world.

Our main contact at Make A Wish was a true partner in making the event work and coordinating the adventure. I had confessed to Tamika early on that we were nervous. This was the first Spy Game we had created or produced and what if it was not amazing or up to the standards expected by Make A Wish? We did not want to dissappoint.

Well, I am proud to say it was better than I ever could have imagined. I miss my friends, code named Sydney and Daphne, and their parents. We spent 4 days together fighting evil and winning. This was truly one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had as a performer or as a writer/producer and I will cherish the memories. My father told me early on when I started the Sharpo company. He told me to just say yes to opportunities and you will find a way. Dad, you were right...again. What else? Give it all you got...and then some. ~EHS ~

March 11, 2011

8.9 Earthquake that rocked Japan is a jolt to the brain and the heart. It is a wake up call for our family in California. Family meeting! Time to have a plan ready. These devastating images are coming in at lightning speed - not just from Japan - but from all corners of our round world - The social media is first to report and the stream keeps streaming. What is Charlie doing this morning? Keep up, keep up, keep up!

The stream moves so fast that many are missing what matters... This is where we find our mission. Sharpo Says "Focus Up!" My radio show returns Tuesday morning. Listen on demand: Sharpo.AM

Scream Bloody Murder! Sharpo Murder Mystery is coming to Magnolia Downtown LA. Our Crime Scene Theater will play this chic, exciting location monthly, starting April 16th, 2011 and of course we continue our mystery and magic dinner shows at the fantastic 94th Aero Squadron in the San Fernando Valley.

You know what I say. I say, "Laugh now or forever hold your piece...er...peace." Yessir, things are pretty crazy out there these days. Ain't it time for some fun? I say it is. I say let's laugh a little more and put life into perspective.

I need to talk about discount ticket services and why we have so far avoided them. One of our "Competitors" doubled their prices at a popular social coupon site so they could offer "50%" discount. The supposed 50% discount was still MORE than the regular advertised price on their own website. Ugggh. I hate gimmicks. I don't care for that kind of nonsense. I don't care for price clubs, or coupons. I like every day low prices. When we started this company years ago, we made a firm decision to implement a fair and consistent pricing policy. Guess what? Our already low prices are a better deal than many "discount" offers and we pride ourselves on providing the same world class service that our customers have come to expect from the Sharpo brand. Nora and I know how important our customers' celebrations are. These are the moments in life that matter most - Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, retirements, engagement parties, rehearsal dinners, wedding receptions - It means so much to us that we get to participate in these events and we just love that we get to be a part of the fabric of families' lives. That is why we put our heart and soul 1000 % into every production. It is possible that we will succumb and take part of the social coupon and online discount scene. For now, we are taking a pass. If something seems too good to be true it probably is. If you want the straight scoop on the best entertainment for your event...Just pick up the phone and C.S.I. "Call Sharpo In."

January 30th, 2010

I did a murder mystery party for a 25th Wedding Anniversary yesterday in Banning, CA at Russo's Italian Kitchen. This was a very memorable event. We started our mingling reception and then there was a slide show of 25 years of memories for this husband and wife and their family. Images of Nora and me and our children kept flashing in my mind as I watched the slide show and I kept thinking, I want our 25th anniversary to be like this! That is in 21 years so we'll keep you posted. The room at Russo's was great. Warm and inviting and very intimate. The food was AMAZING. Best Eggplant Parm I have ever had. Our client took the time to read our FAQ page and took our suggestions. The evening flowed smoothly and was a smash hit.

So we pulled the plug on the vast sprawling Murder Mystery Evening dot com web site and have kept the domain name. We now forward it here. Our motto in 2011 is "Keep It Simple". We are making many little and subtle changes to our site and will continue to streamline in the weeks to come to make it easier for our customers to navigate through our site and get the answers they need quickly. By the way, we have a new Newsletter sign up . When you sign up there you will get an email asking you to confirm your subscription. This will,we hope, cut down on spam and fakers. We only do one email a month to our list and we never share the information with third parties. We just like to stay in touch and keep everyone up to dates on where we are playing. We also will include special discounts for our loyal customers.

BIG...NEWS...We are almost there. We are adding a Dinner Theater Magic Show event that will be open to the public at our San Fernando Valley location starting in March. This event will be interactive like our murder mystery dinner show and will feature strolling, close up magic as well as exciting parlor magic. The bill will include Magic Castle member magicians and members of the Society of American Magicians. This promises to be an unforgettable evening of magic and illusion. Our home page will have prominent links soon.

The 'Sharpo Says' radio show is really getting a following! Sharpo.AM. The format has evolved into an interview style show that spotlights exciting entertainers, writers, directors, inventors, lecturers, casting directors, talent agents, orchestra leaders and more. This is not a departure from our Mystery and Magic services. We strive to add mystery and magic to all our endeavors. I know that sounds a little corny. Nevertheless, our lives our so blessed and enchanted that I feel the need to remind everyone I interact with that the universe is filled with infinite wonder. Tune in, its fun!

By the way, I was interviewed on Party Pop TV. Part One and Part Two. Hope you get a chance to watch.

Do you miss TV? I clicked around and couldn't find any good new sit-coms. SO, with Jason Benjamin Reed, we created our own. We have a funny new show and are preparing to shoot a short pilot presentation that we will put up here and on other sites. We are pretty close to shooting this. We have the script, the cast, the location, the camera, sound and grip packages all in place. Now we just need to coordinate...We are hoping to have this done by the end of February...

BUT FIRST, we are coming back to the haunted GLEN TAVERN INN for our weekend Murder Mystery Adventure for Valentines weekend. 98% Sold out....Very excited. Glen Tavern is one of the most special places we have ever performed. Join us if you can. More news as it unfolds...See you on Facebook. Go to Facebook.com/Sharpo

December 15th, 2010

Our baby daughter was born less than two weeks ago. She is beautiful. Life in our home is very joyful this holiday season and we are grateful for all the blessings bestowed upon us. We have posted some and video of Naomi and Ben and Joseph on Facebook on the Eric Howell Sharp page.

We aren't sleeping much and there is never enough hours in the day but thankfully, the Business is rolling right along! We are producing many events including a mystery for a packed audience at El Cid LA this Friday, the 17th. On New Years Eve we have two live party events that are open to the public. The first is at the 94th Aero Squadron in van Nuys and the second is at Pacino's in Tehacapi. Links are on our home page. It took while but our "Sharpo Says" radio show on BlogTalkRadio is finding a solid listener base. The show is attracting very exciting guests who have a lot to share. 2010 has been challenging, exciting, and full of life on life's terms and as we head into the new year Sharpo says, "Count Yer Blessings!"

November 10th, 2010

Halloween was so exciting and busy - we are still recovering from the madness. Our LA murder mystery dinner theater show was packed and our overnight murder mystery adventure was such a smashing success we have already scheduled the next one for Valentines weekend. Thanks to my pal, Micah Cover, from the magic castle, we were able to include amazing parlor magic as part of the excitement and everyone who came got passes to the magic castle. Of course, I got to do plenty of closeup magic, myself and promise you now that in 2011, I will escape from a straight jacket on a regular basis.

We keep getting calls asking for our mock murder trial, "Dinner Court". We are doing some private party and corporate events featuring this dynamic, interactive courtroom circus show. We will bring it back for open to the public dinner shows in January. Why do people try so hard to get out of real jury duty? Those chairs look so uncomfortable and those jurors look hungry. We have solved that problem by having our trial over a delicious meal in a great restaurant. Our jurors don't want to leave!

We see our "friendly" competitors who all say they are the largest, or oldest, or best, or most popular murder mystery in Southern California. Nora and I always try not to make any wild claims. We let our patrons decide for themselves. Still we feel it is safe to say, we are your "Friendly" Murder Mystery Company! We treat you like "Family".

Sharpo.AM radio is returning soon. The fact is, our events business is so busy right now, I have to hold off until after our new baby girl is born...which is very soon. Also, in 2011, we will be launching some exciting brand new Television Content for Sharpo.TV. Our pilot is ready, shooting location lined up, talent in place...Just need to block out the time. It has gone through many changes as a good script must. We are very excited about the production. Stay tuned...

October 13th, 2010

October is our busiest month so far this year and we have many events scheduled including a trip from Los Angeles to Sacramento to perform for HELP KIDS This is a big fundraiser and I am excited to take part. Aside from the murder mystery, I am also going to be the auctioneer. Very exciting. Our overnight at The Glen Tavern Inn in Santa Paula is a huge success and is selling out very quickly. In between all of this, the radio show rolls right along. I am also producing a pilot with Nicole Neuman and Jason Owsley Reed and continuing to work on the screenplay for the Haunted Painting. Whew. What a life!

September 5, 200

I am adapting our murder mystery play, La Pintura Frecuentada, into a screenplay featuring Detective Ernie Goodenough. In between, I am hosting Sharpo Says radio...tomorrow my guest is Serial Killer of Comedy, Mike Murature. Nora and I are also producing the murder mystery entertainment for the Loving Heart Hospice Foundation fundraiser for September 17th and we return to LA dinner theater on the 24th and the Aero Squadron in Van Nuys on th 25th. All in all a busy month and for that I say THANK YOU!

August 12, 2010

Dinner Court was a laugh riot last Friday at the 94th Aero Squadron in Van Nuys. Jason Reed played the prosecutor, I was the defendant and Janice Fischer played the judge. We had a great little crowd who played along the whole time and it was the most fun I have had in ages. Nora and I are thrilled to see our new interactive play take off and get such a great response from the audience. Dinner Court is back in session on 8/20/10. Reservations are required. Tomorrow is our Friday the 13th Murder Mystery. I'm not scared. Maybe a little.

Just so you know, Nora and I have made a firm decision to keep our box office prices low. All Friday night dinner shows are still only $49 and Saturdays are $59. Compare our prices and value to the other dinner theaters in town. Come September, Dinner Court Mock Murder Trial, and our Murder Mystery Dinner Shows will play select Fridays and Saturdays, and we are planning a NEW Magic Show Dinner Theater for Thursdays featuring Strolling and Parlor Magic. You will see the updates on our home page and on our facebook page. We hit 700 "likes" last night. To celebrate, we are giving bumper stickers to all attendees of tomorrow night's show. Help us get to 800 likes by September 1st! We have to get rid of these bumper stickers...

July 23, 2010

These are busy exciting days. I am doing my best to balance my life between family and work. I just finished shooting my role as Officer Sherman Brickowsky in the new media series, "Under Management" for Cosmic Noise Productions, Inc. This was an exciting, fun experience and as soon as its on-line I will post links. Even though, I was playing a uniformed police officer instead of my usual role as plain clothes detective, there was a familiarity about the role. Good cops have an air of authority about them whcih is absolutely essential in maintaining order. I tried to incorporate that quality into the performance. I was lucky to have a great script by Robert Kane, an excellent director, Anand 'Andy' Ramachandran. I was also lucky to play opposite Christine Kane and Jeff Tjinn. All total pros and a joy to work with.

Now, we are preparing a brand new murder mystery show for El Cid on the 30th. It is the debut for this particular plot line but it follows our same tried and true format that is a proven success for years. Look for a synopsis soon on our catalog page. Next week we open with our mock trial at the Aero Squadron and we couldn't be more excited. Today, though, is family day. Balance. Can't wait to take my children swimming. See you at the mystery!

June 21, 2010

After a wonderful Fathers Day with my wife and children I am back at my desk. The family took me to the 94th Aero Squadron in Van Nuys for their famous brunch. We sat right by the runway and my two year old was thrilled to watch the planes take off and land as we enjoyed the wonderful morning. I am told that this is the busiest private general aviation airport in the world. It is also the valley home of our Sharpo Dinner Theater shows. Tracy, the manager, greeted us warmly and stopped by our table again to see how we were enjoying our off duty visit to his fine establishment. The place was humming. Evidently the 94th is packed every Sundays and not just holidays. While we ate our delicious brunch, our website box office was open and seats began selling for our courtroom circus play, "Dinner Court" which opens on August 6th, 2010 and will play Fridays at this fun, exciting location.

I came home and called my dad and told him I loved him and I wished him a Happy Fathers day as well. He was traveling to Avon by the sea in New Jersey - Living it up - and he deserves it. The rest of the day, My children played in our yard while Nora and I had a date in the garden, weeding, raking, shoveling. What a great day in the California sun. I am so grateful for the life I have. With all of the madness in the world today, it is really important to step away from the tube and the web, and the bombardment of information and just quiet the mind. "Serenity Now" - as 'Frank Costanza' would suggest. So, I am once again refreshed, renewed, centered and balanced on this summer solstice and once again ready to fight the good fight. May 17, 2010

I wrote an article about mysteries, secrets, puzzles, and riddles. Mystery

May 12, 2010

I posted a snippet of a new as of yet untitled murder mystery story that I am writing with Nora. It is a first draft. It features Detective Ernie Goodenough. Our murder mystery plays usually feature a fictional LAPD Homicide Detective who bears my name. We chose the private investigator as the hero for the novel to set the tone of the story with a more vintage detective thriller murder mystery feel. That said, the story takes place in the present day in LA. I had planned to share the segment on 'Sharpo Says' on Blog Talk Radio but we aren't back on the air until next week so I thought I would post it up anyway. Speaking of 'Sharpo Says', we have designated Sharpo.am for the radio program so it is less typing. This seems more and more important as "fat finger" syndrome is creating havoc on the mobile web. Please check out the show live at 10 AM on the 18th as we interview actor, Johnnie Walker (Sarah Silverman Program, Drew Carrey Show) and Micah Cover of Haunted House Calls and the Magic Castle. It is going to be a great show.

April 28, 2010

If you looked at the above link you will see and hopefully hear "Sharpo Says' on Blog Talk Radio. If you do give it a listen, you will also probably notice I am having a ball interviewing Duffy Hudson about his Edgar Allen Poe show, I chose Duffy as my first interview since Poe is credited as the creator of Detective Fiction and I thought that was appropriate for our foray into radio blogging. Next week I am interviewing Janice Fischer, the author of the Warner Brothers smash hit movie, "The Lost Boys". I hope you will tune in on Tuesday, May 4th at 10 AM.

I wrote a rather wordy article about the proliferation of murder mystery companies in Los Angeles. I probably should have posted it here but somehow I put it Here instead. Thanks for stopping by.

March 24, 2010

The big news is...Dinner Court! We have a date to launch this innovative new interactive show for dinner theater audiences. Friday, April 23rd, 8 PM at the fabulous 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. We have been doing our murder mystery dinner show there and it is a great venue! The next mystery dinner is Saturday, April 3rd. ... In the meantime, many members of Team Sharpo, myself included, are working on a Webisode project called "Happy Morning People". MORE: We have been saying for years that CSI means "Call Sharpo In". This year we can also say, CBI means "Call Bonnie In". We have added Bonnie Call from Call Financial Services, Inc, to our team as the new business management office for our company. Yes, this is a year of changes. One thing that is constant is our visits to the MIRAGE CLUB in El Centro. We are bringing A.R. GURNEY'S wonderful play, "LOVE LETTERS" to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation department on April 10th... So that is the blog this month. Mostly rambling but who has time? Please join our fan page at Facebook.com/Sharpo and Twitter.com/Sharpo See you at the show!

Feb 23, 2010

We are gearing up for another great evening of murder and mystery at the 94th Aero Squadron in Van Nuys. Our first night there was on February 13th and it was a blast. 101 people turned up for an exciting evening. The Squadron staff was friendly, and professional in attending to our customers. II am very proud of our cast, especially Janice Fischer who hit a home run. This Saturday we are expecting the same turn out. It seems we are off to the races with this new venue.

We also had the pleasure of playing down at Leonesse Wine Cellars in Temecula, California on Feb 14 to a crowd of 169. This was a wild evening of merriment and murder! If you are traveling in that neck of the woods you must stop and visit this incredible winery. It is truly breathtaking.

We have a show scheduled this week for the lovely and elegant Dove Canyon Country Club in Orange County, CA. Seems like Golf and Murder just go together.

Nora and I are working hard to launch our Dinner Court murder trial show this Spring and are devoting much time and energy to this effort. The three productions we did for the MWR of this new, innovative, interactive comedy courtroom were really well received. This works really well for private parties too as guests participate as witnesses and jurors.

Quick congrats to our pal, Micah Cover, who is returning to the Magic Castle in march for a one week engagement. We book Micah frequently for our top clients. he is a master magician and premier entertainer.

As always, thanks for reading and supporting our little corporation. Please join our facebook page!

December 30th, 2009

Thank you, everyone, for making our dinner theater such a smash hit in 2009. I am finishing this year with an abundance of gratitude for my family, my friends, colleagues, and patrons. I am very excited about 2010. We are excited to bring our Comedy Dinner Court to El Centro's Mirage Club on January 16th and then finally launching this innovative new interactive show for an open run in Los Angeles. We are continuing our run at the El Cid with the January production of "Resolution...Murder". Turning over a new leaf and turning up some new bodies too.

We'll be sending our email newsletter in a few days so you will get the full scoop. Nora and I just want to wish all of you who visit us here and on stage a very happy New Year!

November 24th, 2009

An SEO expert told me I have to do a blog every now and then because the search engine spiders love fresh content. So here I go, fresh and relevant. Your Los Angeles Party Entertainment Company is also becoming San Diego's party entertainment company. Seems we had as many Murder Mystery, Comedy, and Magic Show events in San Diego this month as we did in LA. We have one more - on Thanksgiving - our troupe heads down to the naval base in San Diego to entertain the servicemen and women as part of the Navy's Morale, Welfare, and recreation program. In December, we are all over California doing a few select private parties. Please friend us at facebook.com/sharpo and twitter.com/sharpo. Thanks for staying in touch and Happy Thanksgiving.

October 16th, 2009

My son, Benjamin is 17 months old now. He is amazing. He is running wild and climbing and jumping and clapping and laughing and squealing with delight. He is talking and using verbs! Now, I have not read through my previous blog posts or old tweets since I believe in being very stream of consciousness in my writing so I apologize if I have talked about the following already. Before my son could talk he taught me a very important lesson. That is: That there is great satisfaction in knowing you are understood. Before he could talk and he said Wa instead of water I instinctively knew he was not talking about Washington Mutual. So I said Do you want some water? and he laughed and nodded and clapped his hands. He enjoyed being understood as much as he enjoyed the water. I experience the same joy when I am working an audience and try a new joke and the room laughs (or groans) in unison. That means they got it! I have been understood! It really is one of the greatest satisfactions in life. It is probably my original motivation for getting into show business - a deep desire to be understood.

That is why we are big fans of contracts here at Sharpo Inc. They bring clarity (and money, which we like even more.) We are a very transparent company too, we place all of our terms and conditions on line at sharpo.com/Terms.html and we even put them in a font size you can read without a magnifying glass. Why do we do this? Because it is fair. Speaking of contracts: Don’t wait too long to book your holiday party! Our December schedule is filling up fast and we want to be available for your group! Call us today or use the info request form in the menu bar and we’ll get you a fair and consistent price quote right away. Thanks for reading. See you on the twitter.

September 22nd, 2009

Blog First day of Autumn. Feeling Optimistic. Nora and I are now finishing our fourth month producing our Murder Mystery Dinner Theater in Los Angeles and moving into our 5th month with a Halloween Vampire Murder Mystery featuring Jan Fischer who authored "The Lost Boys" for Warner Brothers. We are rehearsing "Play It Again Sam" by Woody Allen (Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French) for a performance this Saturday in China Lake and featuring the talents of Duffy Hudson and Kerri Schmidle. Sharpo!® returns to the Sidecar on Sunday for our first open-to-the-public murder mystery in Ventura in over a year. I even recently auditioned and got a call back for an MD Selig project called "Gun Runner Billy Kane". Yes, you can say we are busy!

As we bid adieu to Summer, we say thank you to Allie Mackay from KTLA Channel 5 news for the high profile TV segment she did on our mystery dinner theater. Also thanks go to DJ Ross Star for featuring us on his web cast, thanks to Twitter and Facebook for their amazing services which allows us to re-invent the interactive dinner theater experience for our murder mystery attendees. Thank you to our cast of actors who work tirelessly with us to create good theater. Most of all, we thank our customers because you are the most important people in our business.

August 21st, 2009

Life balance is so essential and yet so elusive. Yesterday I helped my father-in-law, The General, Don Daniel, put up our new front yard fence. The man is a machine and at 70 years old he is stronger than me at 43. I know this because my shoulders were spent in five minutes using the post hole digger and he kept going all day. The air was clean and fresh - very strange for the San Fernando Vally - and Nora, Joseph and Benny were with us too. Everyone doing their thing. Here's the big news. Benny started walking on his own. 15 months old. I am watching him grow right before my eyes. I am so proud. This fence is going up in the nick of time! He will most likely be jumping over it by noon! This was a great day in a month unlike any other for my family, and for our business.

August has turned into an amazing month for Sharpo Inc. The brilliant and wonderful Allie MacKay from KTLA Channel 5 news came down to the dinner theater and did a televised story on us. The segments are embedded here at our Video Page. This was, of course huge for Sharpo Inc, and raises our profile considerably. I am glad this event is getting the coverage it deserves since the show really is a smash hit. We are selling out more often than not and the actors are leaving more than a pint of blood on stage with every performance. By that I mean they are working their tails off! Nora and I really have the best team going! One of the big angles for the story was the fact that we are among the first to use social media like Twitter and Facebook in our shows. We tweet clues prior to murder mystery events and then during the show in real time. This innovation makes our interactive show even more of a game.

And our team just got bigger. We held casting sessions down at the LA Dinner Theater last Saturday and I am pleased to announce that we have selected 12 exciting , dynamic extremely talented performers to add to our Theater Company. I will be posting their headshots and bios here soon.

So September brings a different mystery to our public dinner shows in Los Angeles. So far, we have done The Haunted Painting, Murdertopia and Look Both Ways Before Crossing The Mob, which has 2 more shows left. Tonight is all sold out, and next Friday which will sell out. The next one up is Silence, Greed, and Murder which opens on Friday, September 4th and will play every Friday in September. We have added Saturday, September 5th as well too to accommodate our Labor Day weekend party goers. Also in September we have several private parties and an appearance at the Yorba Linda Country Club. Real quick: Make your Halloween plans now! 10/31/09 is on a Saturday this year! Join us at the haunted Glen Tavern Inn for an overnight murder mystery. Thanks again for reading, everyone. Please join our fan page at Facebook and follow us on twitter!

July 19th, 2009

Nora and I created our Dinner Court courtroom circus show for interactive theater enthusiasts who love Murder Mystery Plays, Mock Weddings, Pirate Adventures, and Ren-Fair type of audience participation events and games. Think of it as a sequel of sorts to our murder mystery. We developed the show over the last couple of years in between our busy mystery-comedy-magic events schedule and then brought Dinner Court to our repeat clients who wanted another interactive type of game to follow up with. These audiences raved about our ridiculous and outrageous play and now we are bringing Dinner Court to Los Angeles in September. The show will go up as a special Sharpo public event on Sunday, September 20th as a matinee dinner theater. New dates will be added as our schedule allows.

Nora and I are very proud of this production and the original cast members, Tom Paliferro, Jason Reed, Duffy Hudson, & Nicole Neuman. We hope to make this a regular event. Dinner Court is interactive and includes a mingling reception like our murder mystery. The program is a little more structured than our mysteries but audience members serve as jurors and may be called to take the stand as witnesses. The program is little shorter too. Our murder mystery dinner usually runs about three hours and Dinner Court runs about 2 1/2 hours. If you want to come on September 20th, 2009 to see the show, call now. We are already half sold out!

Sharpo remains dedicated to providing excellent entertainment for all audiences at affordable prices. Our murder mystery dinner theater, LA is currently the best deal in Los Angeles- even before our group discounts. Compare with our competition and see for yourself.

Sunday, September 27th-Chef Tim Kilcoyne's Sidecar restaurant in Ventura.

Saturday October 31st Overnight Halloween Murder Mystery at Glen Tavern Inn, Santa Paula.

2010 Murder Mystery Cruise on the Mexican Riviera! Sets sail on May 16th.

June 22nd

Business is murder. We have had a standing company policy to refer and recommend other murder mystery, magic, comedy troupes for dates and gigs for which we are unavailable. Callers seem surprised we would send prospects to other companies, especially when they know how much time, energy, and marketing has gone into getting our phones ringing off the hook and our website traffic through the roof. Well, the fact is that if we cannot be of service for a particular opportunity, the prospect is going to keep shopping anyway. Our experience is that by helping prospects find what they are looking for within or without our company, we are creating good will and these people remember us by bookmarking our site or keeping us in their Rolodex. The only trouble comes if these outside companies don't deliver a good program for these prospects. Unfortunately, that has happened lately, as has the annoying situation of one of these suggested companies expressing sour grapes toward our company. Can you imagine a customer's reaction when Company A recommends Company B and then Company B tells them how rotten Company A is? Not only does Company B lose this opportunity but the prospect tells Company A of this and now Company A stops recommending Company B. Oh well, our new answer is to find a way to accommodate all requests within our own company. Being of service is the key to success in any business.

We are in the party business so the party starts as soon as we answer the phone. Here are some Sharpo!® slogans that have our customers laughing even before they call. "Life is fun, life is murder. We offer both", "Frame someone you love for murder", "Solving fake murders since 1989". This last one needed an exception to be posted on Google who doesn't want any phony services posted in ads! That made me laugh since we only deal in phony murders. That's just one of the ways we stay out of prison. "CSI means Call Sharpo in", "Trust your inner detective". There are more slogans. Many of them already on our Sharpo!® prizes and promotional items.

Okay, I just have to finish this entry by saying how great the staff is at our dinner theater show in LA. We have been playing there all June with our Haunted Painting mystery and the service is excellent! The place is just perfect for our murder mystery show. This Friday is the last chance to see "La pintura Frecuentada" this summer. On July 3rd, we open "Murdertopia" there. Reserve now online or call us (818)909-9605. Hope to see you there on Friday nights!

May 20th

It seems that the bigger the company, the worse the customer service is. Consumer trust in big corporations is at an all time low. People are angry and frustrated and spend hours on hold an their in-store experience is the same. So the chiefs keep throwing money at image management, attempting to create the perception that they are the company to trust, to rely on with friendly, professional service and a guarantee of satisfaction. That is a big disconnect with reality. Meanwhile the conventional wisdom is that employees are scared. They are afraid of losing their job in a rough economy. Some managers think that this culture of fear is somehow going to produce a better, more efficient workplace with more profitable results. I disagree. I think this culture of fear breeds resentment and creates an atmosphere of distrust, disloyalty and disgruntled staff. Corporate managers, have you forgotten that the human resource capital is your most valuable asset?

Now more than ever, it is important to maintain your systems at every level within a company. I am a big believer that employees who are expected to give their energy and time to a corporation must receive more than financial compensation. They need to feel appreciated, and that their work is important - that they are an integral part of their company's success. That is why team building is so important. Since most companies are not in the position to increase salaries and wages at this time, they should consider more staff incentives and rewards for their team.

One of the biggest problems is that the team building adventures is that it is often requested and performed for executives and managers only. The way I see it, many of the corporate systems we see are broken at the point of purchase. The people who need to be brought into the team and feel appreciated and valued are the people on the floor. When the staff isn't smiling and thanking the customers in a sincere manner, there is a problem. Can these people be motivated to work for the team as if they were the brand? Can employees take pride in being "part of"? I say yes they can, but not when they fear they may get the axe at any moment. Why would anyone work harder, smarter and labor to build some corporate entity's profits when they feel exploited or uncared for or that they are so expendable. Wow. That sounds pretty harsh. It sounds pretty unpleasant and it doesn't sound humanistic at all.

The solution is simple. Make the staff excited to spend one third of their waking hours being part of a team. When the team wins, so should every member of that team. Motivation and Morale boosters should be a regular part of the schedule for management. Sorry, Madison Avenue, but I reiterate: companies should divert some funds from the huge image management business to the business of actually transforming their staff into excited representatives of the company. When employees take pride and dignity in their work, customer service will improve and the image of professional friendly reliable service will be restored - across the board.

April 8th, 2009

Spring has sprung. Boinggg. The pace is picking up. Nora and I want to wish all of you a Happy Holiday this week. We are working on many exciting projects including our upcoming weekend murder mystery at Glen Tavern Inn on may 2nd and 3rd. We are also producing a tribute show for Leo Baeck Temple's Angels and Heroes dinner at the Lux Hotel, may 9th. The fantastically brilliant Jan Fischer (THE LOST BOYS) is writing the sketches with us. Of course, we are also doing plenty of private parties and corporate events big and small. Oh, and on top of all this we are going back into rehearsals for PLAY IT AGAIN SAM by Woody Allen for performance at San Diego Naval Base (by special arrangement with Samuel French). Whew. Grateful to bring Sharpo!® Inc. entertainment to so many.

HEY, I downloaded Skype. I have been skyping it up with family and clients. I love seeing my nephew and niece on my screen. It is like they are in the same room with me. Soon. Very soon, screens will be huge. They will take up a whole wall of your home. The resolution will be so fine that it will be indistinguishable by sight to determine if the image on the screen is in the same room with you or thousands of miles away. I am very excited about this and of course I am imagining the possible applications for Sharpo!® mystery, comedy and magic entertainment.

I am twittering away at sharpo.com/twitter - giving bonus clues for the weekend murder mystery, I am on the Facebook several times a day. I am a real "Nettie" (did I make that word up?) I also signed up at mypodcast.com . User name: "Sharpo". I am preparing my first podcast, "Sharpo Says". I am working on the format now. I hope you will tune in. Until next time, BE LUCKY.

March 18th, 2009

Vampires, beware. I am a garlic maniac! I started on a garlic kick last month when I was sick and now am eating several cloves a day. I am one stinky person but I have never felt better! You know the saying, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away, and an onion a day keeps everyone away?" Well garlic kicks onion's ass. I am just saying. Don't worry, I make every effort to smell minty fresh when I perform in my interactive events.

QUICK PLUG - After the recent success of PLAY IT AGAIN SAM at the Mirage Club in El Centro, the MWR (Morale, Welfare and Recreation) has asked us to bring the play to San Diego Naval Base for one performance on June 16th. I have already written to Samuel French in the hopes to secure the rights again. Kudos to Duffy Hudson, Kerri Schmidle and especially my wonderful wife, Nora Sharp.

Back to the vampires, or blood sucking parasites! I usually try to keep my political opinions to myself. I am an entertainer and I do not want to alienate my audiences by pontificating on areas best left to thieves and gangsters but I feel I must sound off on the Bailout BS.

I am torn about the executive bailout backlash. On the one hand, I am in the corporate event business so when the taxpayers bailed out AIG last year and the execs all took a trip to CA for Team building or what-not, I was actually okay with that. I liked the thought that those funds were going to pay service industries from hotels, dining, entertainment etc. That is money into the economy. Stim-U-Luscious. But I am also an executive (President and CEO of Sharpo, Inc, thank you very much) and I find it outrageous to see AIG just loot the taxpayer and pay these retention bonuses to people who ran the company into the ground. I read one report saying AIG stands for "Arrogance, Incompetence, Greed". That sums it up for me. These people clearly have no respect for the rest of us and that makes it hard for me to ever want to do business with them. I vented my frustration by switching my auto insurance from AIG to Infinity. Here comes the contradiction - If they hire my company to entertain I will have to say yes. It would be stim-u-luscious for me, for my company, my team, and then we would use that money to re invest in more Sharpo promotional coffee mugs. I really believe that coffee tastes better in a Sharpo Mug. Thanks for reading. Twitter me, will ya?

February 21st, 2009

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Sharpo is changing our phone / data systems. There may be interrupted telephone/email services between February 25th through March 2nd. We are working hard to insure a smooth transition and thank you for your patience.

Friends, Do you need a break? At Sharpo! Incorporated, we believe that life is a celebration and no matter what challenges we face in our daily lives, we should laugh together whenever possible. In fact, the more stress we are experiencing, the more we need to let go and have some fun. That is why we should enjoy ourselves today.

SO, ARE YOU READY TO PARTY!?!?! Sharpo! Is Your Party & Event Entertainment Company. Special Anniversary? Big Birthday? Family Reunion? Need a Fundraising Activity? Team Builder? Morale Booster? Sharpo.com has the SOLUTION! Why not throw a MURDER MYSTERY PARTY? Stocks are down, murder is up. It is time to think positive. Positively Murder! We can bring our hit interactive murder mystery event to any private area. You can host a Sharpo murder mystery on a boat, train, banquet room, we can even produce a murder mystery in your own home. Choose your party scheme:

�MURDERTOPIA� A professional best selling mystery writer is a special guest speaker at your event. Is someone at your party trying to kill her just like one of the characters in her books? (This program features a full professional cast of 5 or a Skeleton Crew of 3)

�LOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE MOB� Has someone at your party betrayed a powerful crime boss? This program features federal agents , femme fatales, rats, and of course, the Don himself! (This program features a full professional cast of 5.)

�LA PINTURA FRECUENTADA� � Is the Curse of a haunted painting the real cause of a triple homicide at your party? (This program is available with a full cast, skeleton crew, or Eric Howell Sharp�s One Man Mystery, Comedy, Magic Show.)

DINNER COURT DINNER THEATER � This is our interactive mock trial play! Read all about this exciting new live event! at Dinnercourt.com

ANY PLAY ANY WHERE - Sharpo!® Inc recently produced PLAY IT AGAIN SAM, by Woody Allen by special arrangement with Samuel French, for The Mirage Club in El Centro, California. The play is a smash hit! We can bring you just about any play your budget will allow, anywhere in North America. Just remember, we need time to secure the performance rights, cast the show with top talent, and rehearse. Sharpo is now truly bringing BROADWAY to your event!

Einstein in La Jolla � On March 16th, Duffy Hudson, brings Albert Einstein to life in his all new One man Show for one day only at the La Jolla, CA library. Duffy�s critically acclaimed One man Edgar Allen Poe show is available through Sharpo, Inc for your event (Perfect for Luncheons, Socials, Book Clubs, Halloween Parties, etc)

More to come! Stay tuned and think positive. Positively Murder.

January 21st, 2009

I still haven't figured out how to move my wordpress blog over to Sharpo.com, so...never mind. Instead, I will just start typing and then link to the old entries at Sharpo.wordpress.com. While I ponder what to say, why not read this interview (already dated - sometime in 2008?) of me by Andrew Enriquez?

Andrew Enriquez Interviews Eric Sharp

Usually, Eric Sharp�s introduction is �Hi, I�m with the band. My name�s Ernie,� as he works a crowd undercover playing tunes on his ever-present blues harp. Sometimes, �Shoot or I�ll freeze,� or a number of other opening taglines he employs after a corpse crashes some Fortune 500 company�s holiday party. While most Americans know him as Sharpo the Clown from the Jim Carey blockbuster comedy Liar, Liar, Sharp is a rock star in the interactive murder mystery industry. Owner, producer, and lead detective of Sharpo.com, Sharp�s been involved in live mystery productions since 1989, when he started acting for a company in New Jersey. Now he�s played everywhere from NBC/Universal's holiday party in Studio City, CA to the Sheraton Towers in Chicago, country clubs, military bases, and convention centers all across the US.

We were driving from Hollywood to play a casino near Yosemite national park, and the downtime was the perfect opportunity to get a few straight answers about his Sharpo! Inc.�s new website, detectivesharp.com. That, or play Punch-Buggy. Sharp�s got giganto guns, so I pull out the laptop instead.

Me: What is detectivesharp.com?

ES: �Detectivesharp.com is an opportunity for me to investigate other areas beside murder mysteries. I�ve been a comedy murder mystery event detective since 1989, and I�d like to investigate the universe--as far as time travels, life on other planet, the paranormal, the evidence that angels exist, the unusual, the strange. I want to share that with my readers and appear live for audiences and present these topics objectively for education, and entertainment.�

I�m playing journalist again for the first time since I won at North Idaho College those Associated Collegiate Press awards, about which I constantly talk. (Notice the proper grammar?) As a self-made man himself, Sharp has a way of recognizing, utilizing, and rewarding all his actors� talents, and I�m no exception.

So, what can you find on detective sharp.com?

�You can find links to just about everything that�s a mystery. Soon you�ll find original content. For instance, we are arranging to interview Janice Fischer (screenwriter of the hit Warner Brothers feature film The Lost Boys) to speak about the history, possibility, and nature of vampires.� Here he chuckles a little. �And I�m laughing because it�s all a little ridiculous, and I think we all need a little of the ridiculous in our lives. Life is fun, life is a mystery: we offer both.�

Mystery being his business, he�s played comic detective for real cops to rave reviews, and does such a convincing card sharp impression he was escorted out of a Pittsburgh show by security. He�s told me he�s got so into character once he flashed his facsimile badge and told off a CHP officer who pulled him over: �Do you know who I am? I play a police detective!� Those were the bad old days. Now, he�s diversifying from mere comic detective into cosmic investigator. He laughs about the scope of this investigation: �I�m an optimist. I investigate mysteries to find evidence and provide evidence that god loves us; that the universe if basically good; that everything is connected; and that learning never stops. The bottom line is, we want to have an objective place on the web that is not controlled by the corporate media, or the fringe groups, but somewhere in the middle--and talk about the fun stuff, meaning we�re staying away from politics. Instead, we�ll explore Roswell, black holes, ghosts--a peek behind the curtain.�

But what about bias? Is his ideology colored by personal beliefs, a journalistic heresy?

�Good old-fashioned American values--(laughs) meets New Age wacko!�

This is Sharp�s easy, edgy style of humor, a non-sequitur, turn-on-a-dime-style, like when he jams �taps� on his harmonica after asking mystery audiences for a moment of silence for the people who really died--on the Titanic. He continues:

�It�s a family-friendly site. Our audience is anyone who wants to learn. To live, to celebrate the unusual and absurd.�

You�ve mentioned �absurd� a couple of times now. Could this be construed as a judgment against some of the theories presented?

�Yes, some.�

What experience do you have as an educator?

�None. I�m an entertainer. I happen to be a very good speaker. I have an associate�s degree from Brookdale Community College in the area of theater and public speaking. People tell me I�m a very good communicator. I think they�re lying.�

Sharp is a good communicator. When he�s on, he can get an audience of 300 drunk lawyers to giggle like fifth-graders when he waggles an eyebrow. Since his background is theatrical and not academic, it makes sense he�d be a better live educator than printed.

�We already do three hundred events a year in murder mystery theatre, comedy shows, magic, so why not add to that with appearances from our own detectives, exploring these fun topics in classrooms. I think that there�s room for this in a corporate environment as well.�

He also sees the website as a natural evolution of his personal style of marketing. Describing this, he momentarily slips into a style of ironic dramatic insincerity that�s impossible to describe in words. It�s some intangible contortion to his face and in rasp in his vocal tone that lets you know he�s joking.

�We�re a brand. It�s a simple matter if entrepreneurial, megalomaniacal branding.�

Then, blithely honest: �We see a future TV show: Detective Sharp Investigates. Every week, Detective Sharp and his Scooby-Doo-ers investigate. Each week we run a new reel: let�s go the Loch and investigate. The next is ETs, then time travel. It�s Abbot and Costello meets Columbo, meets Star Trek meets Bewitched, with a little Gilligan thrown in.�

Is detectivesharp.com for profit?

(Breaking into TV infomercial voice) "Attention advertiser!�

Where do you see detectiveharp.com in a few years?

(Dramatic) �Bigger than Google! Um, I don�t know. I�m just investigating the universe.�

As we hybrid-Ford Escape through an expanse of wide-open rocky rolling hills populated, it seems, only by anorexic broccoli-like black oaks and the occasional cud-chomping cow, the enormity of his investigative quest awes me a little. I�m skeptical anyone could pull it off. If philosophical and scientific knowledge have served me at all, it�s just been to keep me humble about my place in the universe, remind me of finitude and mortality. But Sharp�s an optimist.

�Do you ever wake up in the morning and you feel like you want to learn about something? You know, a philosopher doesn�t just study one topic: we shouldn�t just specialize in one thing. We all have a thirst for knowledge. That�s the great thing about the web. We get to say: today, �I want to learn about this thing.� Like, 70 percent of Americans believe in angels. I think that�s great, because I believe in angels, and now we have a site with links that are screened by detectivesharp�s editors to meet our strict standard for family entertainment.�

I dig a little deeper, and ask about his own personal philosophy, about major influences on his worldview. He answers with silence for a moment, and I clarify: Like life lessons, that sort of thing.

�Let�s come back to that.�

That�s a rhetorical invitation, so I move on and ask what he�s proudest of as an entertainer.

�I�m very proud to be the executive producer of Sharpo! Incorporated and Sharpo.com, um, to produce events for Fortune 500 companies, putting a lot of talented people to work. This is after working in film and TV and that was great and I still want to do it, but this is fun. When I wake up in the morning and go to work for the corporation, I want to know that I�m helping people laugh and learn.�

He thinks a moment, then:

�It�s important to stress I�m not taking this very seriously: When I hear about a crop circle, I don�t think that�s a very serious topic. Stonehenge, maybe, but isn�t there a fun way to learn about that? I mean, I�m an entertainer, how serious can that get. Detectivesharp.com�s a little tongue-in cheek.�

What do you think is the value of lifelong learning? In terms of--

�You�re right; there is no value! Let� just be as dumb as possible! While we�re at it, let�s eliminate math.�

This is disingenuous again, dripping with irony like a car�s draining oil pan, then another 180 turn to sincerity:

�Why even live if you not going to continue to learn? I mean, after we got the survival thing down; you�ve got a roof over your head--because this site won�t do much good to you if you don�t�you�ve got a roof over your head, three squares meals a day, a means of income. I imagine some people just want to drink beer after that. I�m not one of those people. That�s why I don�t play comedy clubs any more. We want to interact with thinking people. The closer you look at any of the topics on this site, the more you see everything�s connected, and everything�s a little bit funny.�

I pause to let my weak keyboarding catch up, and he adds:

�Don�t ask me, ask Fibonacci.�

Where do you see Detectivesharp.com in a few years?

�I�m hoping we get big enough that some major corporation buys us and uses us as a tool for disinformation.�

Do you feel, as an entertainer, that you have a public educative responsibility?

�No. I�m just attracted to this kind of material: This is the kind of thing I�d like to research and talk about, and I think a lot of people do. I think we�re going to have a very big audience here. (Beat) It keeps me from running for office. From doing something crazy like running for governor.�

He doesn�t think detectivesharp.com needs to worry about its impact on culture and journalism as a whole, as long as it connects with individuals.

�I think that our fame on the internet is imminent, and that we will be bigger than Tila Tequila, only not as pretty. And I don�t shake it-shake it.

You say �not as pretty�, but (Detectivesharp.com contributor) Nora, your wife, is very attractive.

�Beautiful! And incredibly wise, and educated in many areas outside the medical field where she�s trained. On our first date, we talked about the Fibonacci code over sushi. It was love. After that, we were inseparable. She�s stunningly beautiful. Everyone thinks she maybe a little nearsighted--she ended up with me--�

But I�ve seen you in action at murder mysteries, and you�re pretty popular with the ladies in those audiences
�No comment. Just trying to solve a mystery.�

He�s humorous when I ask what topics he�d like to get more play in mainstream media:

�I don�t think we have enough Britney. More Britney, all the time, that�s what we need. I need to know what J-lo is wearing, that�s very important to me. And what Lindsey Lohan isn�t wearing. Mainstream media, honestly. We have more sources of information than at any time in history. Anyone who is curious can learn about anything and everything. (Pauses) I hope people will always consider the source.�

Since a lot of what detectivesharp.com links to can be pretty contentious despite his distaste for controversy, he disavows responsibility for contents of sites his to which his link. To Sharp, the intuition of the conscientious is the ultimate fact-checker.

�The real answers come from intuition. Silent meditation brings a connection with my Higher Power, then all information that comes in is checked against that information. You�ve heard �nose for news�, �I smell a rat�, things like that: It�s all--all intuition. The language gets in the way--So don�t read any further! Get some sleep--but first, visit my sponsors.�

I laugh pretty heartily. I know Sharp well enough to intuit his tone as sarcastic, but someone else might be confused by the aboutface from earnest philosophizing to pretend cynicism. I wonder if people with ADHD have a hard time reading Sharp�s sense of humor, ranging alpha-omega from the vaudeville-broad to the pop culture topical, wit dry and tawny as Sandeman port to Don Ricklesian insult comedy.

I pull what I call an �Oprah�, a sort of verbal Rorschach test that would be equally at home in James Lipton�s or Redbook magazine�s repertoire:

If detectivesharp.com were an animal, what animal would it be?He answers immediately.

�A horse.�

For horse sense?

�Maybe. I was born in the Year of the Horse (1966), I like to gallop along through life; horses are strong animals who are friendly to man. Maybe a winged horse. You know, what are they called?�

A Pegasus.

�Right, a Pegasus. Maybe we�re a unicorn, cause I�m a little horny.�

This bit of improv gets a good laugh, so I ask him to finish a story for me: So, an alien walks into a bar, sits next to a vampire. What happens next?

�Oh. I�ve never been good at this. I need to go back to The Groundlings. Okay, so an alien walks into a bar, sits next to a vampire. �What�re you drinking?� he asks the vampire, and the vampire says �Your blood!� and bites the alien in the neck, so the alien vaporizes him. The end.

�That�s why I don�t play comedy clubs. Now you know the secret to that.�

And the moral?

�You didn�t tell me there had to be one of those! The moral is: If you are a vampire, only go after human beings. If you are an alien, always have a vaporizer ready. Of course, in this case, the alien was bitten first, so shouldn�t he become an alien vampire?�

He�s right on some hypothetical level. I�ve wondered myself: If vampires are invisible in mirror because they have no souls, why are their clothes invisible, too? Can garments by saturated with emanating evil essences as well? But, back to business:

Now, there are actually reports of vampire aliens. That�s the sort of thing you�ll investigate on the site?

�Not alone, and not a night. Always have your holy water ready.�

I know, dear reader, what you�re asking yourself, because I asked it next:

Have you ever had a paranormal experience?

�Yes. I was doing a murder mystery in Hotel Colorado, which is said to be haunted, and early in the morning after sleeping in--in my room it--felt like someone sat on the foot of the bed. I awoke with a start, and there was a depression in the mattress, like someone was sitting there. I got cold sweats. I don�t remember what I did next.�

Here he switched into a surreal Rod Serling voice:

�Then I woke up in my car 300 miles away. No, no, but the part before is real. Always around Halloween I feel a little closer to the spirit world, that the veil separating the two worlds is thinner. I�ve often felt that-uh, angels, were guiding me and helping me, catching me when I fall.�

Any specific incidents?

�I fell out a moving car when I was four. That is the truth. The car kept going, and I started walking after the car, and on the freeway the cars behind me were honking. My mom told me not to tell my grandma, and the first thing I did was say �Guess what, Gramma? I almost died today!�

Previously, you�ve talked about positive thinking. Do you think this is a positive interaction site, in the sense of sending out good karma, perhaps?

�I never really thought of myself as an innovator. But I do have an �attitude of gratitude�, and I think that if we remember to count our blessings that�ll affect every area of our lives and everyone we interact with. (Suddenly comic flower child) Yay, flowers for everybody!�

Squirting flowers?

(Laughs) �That�s right!�

Now, do you think online interaction or virtual reality will ever develop to the point where artificial intelligence will be able to help humans on their quest for knowledge?

�I think they�re going to take over and we�re going to be their slaves. How�s that for optimism?

By now, you�re starting to �get� the irony, I bet.

�Yes, I think they will, and Arnold Schwarzenegger is a robot from the future. �Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.��

So, Star Trek was a major influence in your childhood.

�Yes. George Reeves as Superman, Shatner as Kirk, Adam West as Batman, are my earliest heroes, beside my dad. And, uh, I look at all male bonding as a relationship as: Which one is Kirk and which one is Spock? Star Trek is very optimistic; the world doesn�t end in 2012, like in the Mayan calendar.�

That�s something that�s addressed on the site. Do you think in 2012 we world will end?

�Every day the world ends for somebody. That�s what my dad has always said, somebody�s world will end every day. And if the world does end, I want to watch it on the big screen, in full color.�

Do you think that the ephemeral nature of the web reflects that in some way?

�He feigns ignora nce of the word �ephemeral�, a typical self-effacing technique he uses to ingratiate himself to audiences and ease them into playing along. He�s been consistently referred to as Columbo-esque in this regard, and there sometimes is a distinct resemblance in personality. So I play the hubristic Columbo villain, like John Cassavetes, and rephrase:

I mean, the temporariness--the temporary nature of the web. Constantly changing, pages are gone every day, somebody might not read your blog, and--

�Andy Warhol and his 15 minutes of fame? It is up to the minute, and I want it that way. As far as being relevant, I don�t want 15 minutes of fame, I want a half hour. Anyone who has something to say should get at least a half hour.�

Funny you should say that, �cause you had a TV show called My Half Hour.

�Yeah, that�s hysterical. (Laughs, back to sarcastic self) I guess that was where I was going with that one too.�

You mean the topics you covered?

�The same things as Detectivesharp.com investigates, only not as thorough.�

You say that you see all male bonding relationships in terms of �Kirk� and �Spock�. Am I like the Spock to your Kirk? I feel Spockian sometimes--

�Yes, I think you�re a Vulcan. Can you please show some human emotion?�

We both get a good chuckle out of this.

�I�m a detective, not a busboy. The question is illogical. You are thin and tall, with rather prominent eyebrows.�

Here he breaks into stuttering burlesque Shatner impression:

��And I�am�Captain-Kirk (takes both hands off steering wheel to gesticulate corny Kirkian kung fu), and we--come-in-peace.� I always loved that. Kirk throws a punch, then says �We come in peace.� Being on Star Trek Voyager was a great thing for me, one of my life goals. You can look up my episode online at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki.�

That�s right, you played an alien map-seller

�Map vendor, selling maps to direct you through the expanse of the universe.�

That�s kind it�s like on the site, you�re guiding your readers through the expanse of the internet universe

��Internet universe�. Whatever. You�re stretching now.�

Maybe I should wrap this up. Any final words for your readers on detectivesharp.com?

�Yeah! Stay curious, laugh and let laugh. Live, love, learn. Visit sharpo.com and drink milk after every meal. Milk? I�m not so sure about that last one�

�How �bout this? Live it up.�

These are his words to live by. I wrap up the official interview portion of the morning as we wind through rocky valleys and stunning Central California landscapes. When we roll into The Chukchansi Casino (in the show he ad-libs the malapropism �Too-Chancey�) to work the job with the rest of the cast, it�s like Ocean�s Five, and I feel like Matt Damon. Eric Sharp�s Detective Danny Ocean in black Dickies. ---SNIP-----