Celebrities

Ray Romano at the Fox, has TNT deal lined up

June 15, 2009

Four years removed from "Everybody Loves Raymond," Ray Romano has pocketed his (many, many) millions, but has had a tough time deciding on his next act.

He's voiced Manny for two "Ice Age" sequels, dabbled in a couple of small films and plays in charity golf tournaments. And for a week each year, he and former "Raymond" castmate Brad Garrett hit a few cities to do stand-up comedy and reminisce about the show's nine years. They'll be at the Fox Theatre tonight.

Plus, he finally found his next TV gig: Atlanta-based TNT has picked up Romano's drama, "Men of a Certain Age," which will hit the air in January.

Q: What's the show going to be like?

A: We'll each do 30 minutes of stand-up, then take questions from the audience. I'm PG-13. No curse words. But I do talk about sex or my lack of having sex. A lot of people haven't seen Brad. They still see him as Robert. He's a little more R-rated. Think of Don Rickles with a little edge to it. It's funny. We also show outtakes from the show.

Q: When you see those outtakes, how do you feel?

A: It's weird. I get nostalgic. I miss it. It feels like another life. It was such a bubble. I was producing, writing and acting. I didn't feel I even had time to sit back and enjoy it.

Q: Has it been an easy transition for you, post-"Raymond"?

A: It's real hard. I've tried a couple of movies. But people see you as a character for nine years and you become ingrained into their consciousness. My buddy Kevin James ["King of Queens"], he's doing it right.

Q: Who would have thought he'd have such a big hit with "Mall Cop"?

A: That thing was huge! We played Vegas together a couple of weeks ago. We went out onstage and I noted that his movie grossed $145 million. So with "Mall Cop" and my "Welcome to Mooseport," we've grossed $148 million together!

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Ray Romano and Brad Garrett
8 Tuesday night. $35-$70. Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-6400, www.ticketmaster.com.

About the Author

Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.

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