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.
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