BEN FALCONE and MELISSA MCCARTHY at L!veTalks LA

Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy at L!veTalks L.A at the Ann and Jerry Moss Theatre in Santa Monica, California.

May 21, 2017

Writing and Photography by TourBusLive.com

Yeah, you probably know about MELISSA McCARTHY– the brilliant comedic actress with her perfectly-timed humor and her ability to morph into just about any character (case in point: Spicey!) – but you may not know that her Bridesmaids character Megan Price’s on-screen mile-high challenge Air Marshall Jon and Tammy’s Topper Jack boss Keith Morgan (“Don’t let a deer hit you on your way out.”) is actually McCarthy’s real-life co-star (they wed in 2005) BEN FALCONE – comedian, actor, writer, director, and often straight man to McCarthy’s funny.

Yep! Married! Just imagine these witty wellspringers at home, raising their daughters (Vivian, born 2007 and Georgie, born 2010) – and what an amazingly hilarious childhood those two girls must have.

Well, you don’t have to just imagine it – you can actually read all about it in Falcone’s new (and first) book, Being a Dad Is Weird: Lessons in Fatherhood from My Family to Yours – “a funny and intimate look at fatherhood that combines stories about his own larger-than-life dad and how his experiences raising two daughters with his wife, Melissa McCarthy, are shaped by his own childhood.” Trust me, you’ll be riveted (and laughing) in the first few lines.

And speaking of ‘funny and intimate’, that’s exactly what this event was for those of us lucky enough to get a ticket – L!veTalks L.A. brought this capricious couple together to talk about Falcone’s new book, with McCarthy conducting the actual interview! She began the night asking her husband questions (from notecards she’d prepared) that revealed fascinating insights into Falcone and his motivations and stories behind writing his book – a feat which initially came as a surprise to the actress, who wasn’t even aware that her spouse was penning the memoir. The questions she chose to ask encouraged multiple stories from Falcone about his life, including his own upbringing with his compassionate and very involved father, and about his own biggest role as of yet – being a father himself. McCarthy later opened up the interaction to field questions (which fans and audience members had sent in ahead of time). We learned a lot about the author, including that he is a huge Bowie fan, that he suffers from mild hypochondria (join the club!), and that he actually knows every word (thanks to his own father) to the Broadway musical Camelot! (demonstration included).

From the moment the playful pair took the stage (literally making us laugh in the first few seconds with a chair-choice mix-up) to the last moment when they gave a wave goodnight before disappearing backstage, the couple was completely engaging, the storytelling engrossing, and the laughs, which were honest and organic and completely unscripted, were hearty and plentiful and literally side-splitting enough to make my belly hurt!

And then, to make the night that much more intimate (and that much sweeter), both Falcone and McCarthy joined the audience members out in the lobby who chose to stay for a book-signing session that lasted until every last person got their book signed and got to spend a few personal moments with these compassionate parents – and even got to take a ‘selfie’ or two if they wanted. What a great surprise!

So, be sure to pick up a copy of Falcone’s book (Dey Street Books) – you can grab one JUST IN TIME FOR FATHER’S DAY!

https://www.amazon.com/Being-Dad-Weird-Lessons-Fatherhood/dp/006247362X

ABOUT L!VETALKS L.A. – Producer (and custom-made red-clog-clad) Ted Habte-Gabr is known for cleverly putting together on-stage conversations between leading authors, athletes, actors, musicians, artists, chefs, and other notables – often in iconic combinations – to discuss their new projects, life, and the world around us all. To find a list of their upcoming events, click here: