The Royce Files

That the first birthday assemblage ever was held. Maybe not the only one but the one that coincides with my particular DOB. I came up with the assemblage because I did not like the word party. Yeah, that's right, a word snob. So I held this gathering, er assemblage, at Lehigh on my birthday or at least on the day nearest my birthday that was not a school night. The assemblage included games, including bingo, drawings, prizes, something dramatic, and food. I hardly recall much about them besides they were well attended. I printed tickets as invitations, so people felt obligated I assume.  Here's a few pictures, but I don't think these are from the first one.  The Emmy winner Kevin Myers appears in most of these.  Above I believe we are playing one of the many games which involved creativity and prizes.  Here we are reading one of the many scripts I wrote for the assemblage. I think it was some sort of a musical comedy. I incinerated years ago.  The birthday...

I'm writing from the city of EP. I am here for a conference of sorts about creativity. I am lodging at the Hyatt Place, a posh place which I will upload pictures. I got a night as a steal on Priceline.com . Thanks, Captain Kirk. The hotel also happens to be perched above my former collaborator's, Kevin Myer, workplace, KMSP . He's the creative force behind the Emmy winning Intramural Glory web mockumentary. And this brings us back to the creativity conference. No, I'm not hawking Intramural Glory DVDs. I'm here to gain understanding on how to create environments which nurture creativity and art. Here's two freebies of insight from Ron King, who I might add looks a bit like Rob Bell but doesn't have Nooma videos nor played in an Indy band. Don't be afraid to let others run ahead of you. You may feel threatened but ultimately it will be beneficial to cultivating uninhibited expression. Plus you don't want offense getting in the way . No fear of fa...

The final chapter of the season closes on a whimsy note for Team Unglaubich. It could have ended at the previous webisode and i would have been satisfied. Of course the team had not played yet so this one completes the story. Its a bit of a denouement to me. It smooths out the arc and even gives Danny Myers some decent camera time. The strange part for me is not knowing if the Ledge was being honest or trying to win sympathy. And what about Cougar? He silently fades to the back. Old Guy and Rob don't even show for the game- probably embarrassment. This is the most chatty webisode of the series. It seems that this one time everybody wants to say something curt and witty. Boima of course is the master of this technique. As for the game, it looked phenomenal even if it was a blow out. Did Shelby's speech really inspire these guys to step it up? Oh well, I hope there'll be a season 2. Thanks Humdinger!

T he penultimate episode of Intramural Glory finds the team coming to terms with the failed expectations as they prepare for their final game. It also seems to be a 2 part conclusion of the the series, but no word on when the conclusion will come or if Humdinger will roll it into a 2nd season. So there's a bit of a cliff at the end. This by far is one of the best episodes of the series. There are so many great commentaries and get this- there's even drama. Yep, the violin would seem to be playing as Ledge attempts to discuss his friends. However, what tops that dramatic display is Shelby. Yep, Shelby comes back with strong performance. In fact it is Mark Anthony like speech to inspire the team which she nails. Too bad the Ledge misinterprets it. I think one could also see the Shelby speech much like the G.I. Joe's "Knowing is Half the Battle" epilogues. The Owen and feral cat caper could be another spin-off show after the confession he makes about handling his an...

I had to re-read the source material and realize that Intramural Glory did indeed win an Emmy in the Advanced Media Entertainment category. So I was incorrect to suspect the show was just nominated. Kevin Myers also picked up something like 2 Emmys for his work at KMSP , the Twin Cities Fox affiliate. I think the station also does UPN or whatever became of that network, too.

Looks like Intramural Glory has been nominated for a regional Emmy for broadband something or other. Not sure if Team Unglaubich's losing ways will end with an Emmy victory. I am sure there will be drinking either way. The show has been hot but viewer ship seems to sputter at times. Perhaps it will be critically acclaimed. Then of course I'll get part of that limelight. Although some would argue I am talking out of both sides of my mouth. In other IM news, Owen looks like he's in a contest to win a spot on an ABA Team. I'm not sure if his parole officer is for or against this. However, I believe he got lots of help from Ross. And don't you think Ross looked more thugish during the pre-season. Or at the very least he was hiding some dark murderous secret from his past.

W ow. This is the 2nd full episode this month! Once again you can find it on the Intramural Glory website. I blogged in February about the making of this episode here . Also don't read further if you haven't seen the episode. There are spoilers here. Click here for the latest episode, We're Talkin' About Playoffs. By making a incredible comeback in the previous game, Team Unglaublich land themselves in the playoffs. However, a snowstorm attempts to block their progress and not even the Ledge can prevent that. Well, maybe if he had a weather machine. So the team is missing a few players, notably Owen, Boima, Old Guy, and Rob. Kyle makes a surprise visit but cannot be coaxed to play. The Cougar attack saga is still being milked. To try to get to the bottom of things Shelby hires a detective. However, by some miraculous act, Cougar is ready to play. I don't think he contributes much during the game but he certainly gets lots of face time in this episode. So does thi...

I skipped reviews for the very special Ace Schonrock Intramural Glory episodes since I think the show might jump the shark. I was wrong. Ace showed the team some class and brought a tear into my root beer. Best moment was Owen's comment on the block- simple yet effective. Nevertheless, I've got another episode to review. So let's dig in. There's nearly 10 minutes of footage to episode 8 which features some decent game shots. I think this is the first episode where the flow of game shots aren't just slugs to fill space but actually get more of the story across. However, the Cougar flipped part is a bit confusing. My assumption is he threw up but there is nothing backing that up. All we see is angry, riled Cougar fuming. Besides gameplay, we also get a string of vignettes one in particular returns Kyle to the show. The Boima and Kyle knee scenes are great and for some reason Kyle looks like he just came from filming another show. Old Guy and The Ledge also was a good ...

I f you haven't seen the latest edition of Intramural Glory , you should. The rag tag Internet voted squad finally takes it to the hole in their first game but with disasterous results. Indeed, the team chemistry is not cohesive. Boima and Ledge are at their best when their mouths are open not when on the court. One team member gets injuried in pre-game warm-ups and the Old Guy probably has more than birthday party committments that prevent him from attending. After reviewing the footage here's my kudos for best performances: Shelby- best performance. discomfort and cringing provided the most excellent symbolism of the game. Rob - best line of the episode. Kyle - best supporting actor. I can't get enough of Kyle. He exudes a subtle but palatable angst in his performances. For those of you wanting to see more of Danny Myers , he only get's 3 seconds of face time and numerous uncredited back views.

Seems the ol' SoWashCo Bulletin has caught up with my former collaborator, Kevin Myers, and did a short article . Of note in the article is mention of the infamous The Kevin Myers Show, a public access show of which I was a founding member. This public access show literally became a franchise of sorts since it played in some form for almost 10 years somewhere in public access land. Most the evidence has since disappeared or is disappearing. However, with the advent of YouTube type platforms I may see the re-emergence of these shows. Myers has stated on numerous occasions that those were the days of public access trash. It was a lo-fi mid-tech piece meal production which was mediocre at its best. Looking back, however, creates a new level hilarity we never intended. I mean an impersonation of someone impersonating someone else is a bit high brow. One fellow we had on the show did George Bush and Saddam Hussein in the same sketch. He literally ripped it from the previous week's ...

A former colaborator of mine and the namesake of the old public access show "The Kevin Myers Show" has embarked on an interesting project that may catch the eyes of the media. Kevin and a cast and crew of tens are producing a made for Internet mockumentary entitled "Intramural Glory." The production values are high and the story is compelling. A number of old friends make appearances as they attempt to make an intramural basketball team. The weird part is that the team will be selected through Internet voting. Kind of like "Hoop Dreams" meets "American Idol" crossed with the " The White Shadow ." Why don't you watch the entire first 4 parts of episode 1 over this long weekend. It's on YouTube and the ratings are rising. Be part of a history making series.