Here’s everything you need to know about the 2018 Big Slick Celebrity Weekend:
The basics
Hometown hosts Paul Rudd, Jason Sudeikis, Rob Riggle, Eric Stonestreet and David Koechner are scheduled to host a record 37 famous guests June 1-2 to raise money for the Cancer Center at Children’s Mercy hospital. So far Big Slick has raised more than $6 million for the cause. See bigslickkc.org.
The big events
▪ The celebrity softball game at 5 p.m. Friday at Kauffman Stadium. Anyone with a ticket to the Royals vs. Oakland Athletics game at 7:15 p.m. that night can come early to watch the celebrity game beforehand. If you purchase through royals.com/bigslick, $5 goes to the charity. You can also watch the game on the Royals’ Facebook page.
▪ The bowling tournament at Pinstripes in the Prairiefire shopping center in Overland Park on Saturday is sold out. But there’s a free outdoor block party from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., which includes the celebrity red carpet arrival around 9:30 a.m. or so.
▪ The charity auction at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland is sold out. But through Saturday, anyone can bid at bigslickkc.org on some auction items, including a Weird Al concert VIP package, the opportunity to hang out with Rich Eisen at NFL Network and tickets to see late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel and James Corden.
Special broadcast
For the first time, one of the guests, the NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, will bring his sports talk show to Big Slick. He will broadcast from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at Kauffman Stadium. His guests? The five Big Slick co-hosts and some of the other weekend celebrities. Tune in on AT&T Audience Network (Channel 239) or his website, richeisenshow.com.
On “The Rich Eisen Show” in 2016, Paul Rudd wore a full Royals uniform, except for the stirrups.
YouTube screenshot
Who’s coming
Because of busy schedules, some of the guests might have to drop out at the last minute. But for now the guest list totals 37, the most ever, and 12 of them are first-timers at the festivities.
Michael Ian Black: The comedic actor, writer and director is best known for his role on VH1’s decade nostalgia “I Love the 70s/80s/90s” series. He also appeared in Rudd’s “Wet Hot American Summer.”
Hilarie Burton: The actress portrayed Peyton Sawyer on “One Tree Hill,” was a VJ on MTV and has appeared on TV’s “Lethal Weapon.”
Sarah Chalke: On TV’s original “Roseanne,” Chalke became Becky No. 2, replacing the young actress who left the show. In the rebooted “Roseanne,” she plays a woman who hires grown-up Becky as her surrogate. (ABC this week canceled the show.) Chalke has also appeared on “Scrubs,” “How I Met Your Mother” and “Cougar Town.”
David Cook: The Blue Springs native and “American Idol” winner is a Big Slick favorite, tearing up the softball field (one time in a “Star Wars” Wookie mask) and singing on the celebrity auction stage. He is coming off his Broadway debut — a limited engagement in “Kinky Boots” — and the release of his EP “Chromance.”
Eliza Coupe: Among her many roles, she’s a warrior straight out of a video game on Hulu’s time-travel comedy “Future Man,” on which Koechner plays a crazy uncle. This is her first Big Slick.
David Dastmalchian: This Shawnee Mission South grad plays a Russian hacker in Rudd’s “Ant-Man” movies — the sequel arrives in July. He’s also featured in Fox’s “Gotham,” CW’s “The Flash” and Showtime’s “Twin Peaks” reboot.
Chris Daughtry: The singer rose to prominence after finishing fourth on the fifth season of “American Idol.” He went on to form the band Daughtry and released one of the fastest-selling debut rock albums of all time.
Charlie Day: The actor co-starred with Sudeikis in both “Horrible Bosses” movies and stars in FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” It’s his first Big Slick.
Adam Devine: The actor starred in the first two “Pitch Perfect” movies and “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” and got to know Stonestreet through a recurring role as Andy on ABC’s “Modern Family.” It’s his first Big Slick.
Beth Dover: On Netflix’s “Orange Is the New Black” she’s the warden’s partner in crime — and in bed. She also appeared on Rudd’s “Wet Hot American Summer — Ten Years Later” and Sudeikis’ “Son of Zorn.”
Rich Eisen: As the main man for the NFL Network, this sports journalist has periodically invited the Big Slick hosts as guests to talk Chiefs, Royals, KU, K-State and other teams they root for. He’ll have them on all at once on his “Rich Eisen Show” broadcast from The K June 1.
Will Forte: The comedian created the Emmy-nominated Fox show “The Last Man on Earth.”
Ian Gomez: The actor is married to actress-writer Nia Vardalos and appeared in her “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” films. He’s also been featured in “Cougar Town,” The CW’s “Supergirl” and ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat.”
Tony Gonzalez: It’s a big year for the former Chiefs tight end turned Fox Sports analyst: He was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame. And he’ll be a Big Slick guest for the first time.
Chris Harrison: He’s best known as the host of “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette” and “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.” This is his first Big Slick.
Seth Herzog: He appeared with Rudd in “Role Models,” directed by David Wain, another Big Slick guest this year.
Josh Hopkins: Another “Cougar Town” neighbor, he was also an FBI agent on “Quantico.”
Taran Killam: The “Saturday Night Live” alum will appear with Riggle in the upcoming Kevin Hart comedy “Night School.” This is his first Big Slick.
Angela Kinsey: Best known for her role as Angela Martin on NBC’s “The Office,” she’s also been featured on over 20 shows, including Netflix’s “Haters Back Off!” and ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat.”
Samm Levine: This Big Slick regular appeared with Rudd in “Wet Hot American Summer,” as well as in “Freaks and Geeks” and “Inglourious Basterds.”
Joe Lo Truglio: The actor co-stars on the recently resuscitated “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and appeared in “Superbad,” “Paul” and Rudd’s “Role Models.”
Laura Marano: She co-stars with Riggle and Robert De Niro in “The War With Grandpa,” which was supposed to open in February but got postponed indefinitely because of the troubles with its studio, The Weinstein Co. She also co-starred in the Oscar-nominated “Lady Bird.”
Katherine McNamara: This Lee’s Summit native is a veteran of the stage (Broadway’s “A Little Night Music”) and movies (“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials”) and stars in the Freeform network’s “Shadowhunters.” This is her first Big Slick.
Eugene Mirman: The comedian appeared on “Flight of the Conchords” and is the voice of Gene, the middle child on “Bob’s Burgers.” He’s a Big Slick first-timer.
Haley Joel Osment: This last-minute addition, announced this week, is best known for seeing dead people in “The Sixth Sense.”
Kevin Pollak: This Big Slick regular appeared on TV’s Golden Globe-winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” but is best known for the films “A Few Good Men” and “The Usual Suspects.”
Kevin Rahm: The TV actor co-starring in the new “Lethal Weapon” series is also known for “Mad Men,” “Madam Secretary,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Judging Amy.”
Mary Lynn Rajskub: She’ll appear with Riggle in “Night School” but may be best known as Chloe O’Brian on TV’s “24.” It’s her first Big Slick.
Al Roker: NBC’s “Today” show anchor and weatherman visited Children’s Mercy in 2016 for a story on Big Slick, but this is his first time as an official guest for the weekend.
Bret Saberhagen: The two-time Cy Young Award-winning Royals pitcher and 1985 World Series MVP should be a huge asset on the Big Slick softball field.
Robert Smigel: The longtime writer for “SNL” co-wrote the “Hotel Transylvania” films, which featured the voice of Riggle. He is also the hand behind Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.
Martin Starr: He’s “Silicon Valley’s” Gilfoyle, a computer programmer and self-proclaimed Satan worshipper. But he also co-starred with Rudd in 2007’s “Knocked Up” and Sudeikis in 2011’s “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy.”
Jake Tapper: This journalist is the Emmy Award-winning host of CNN’s “The Lead With Jake Tapper.”
Charissa Thompson: She hosts “NFL Kickoff” for Fox Sports, the network where Riggle brings humor to football. She previously worked on the entertainment news magazine “Extra” and at ESPN. This is her first Big Slick.
Sarah Tiana: This comedian co-hosts the podcast Riggle’s Picks, where she and Riggle talk sports and pop culture. This is her first Big Slick appearance.
Blake Vogt: This magician found new fame on “America’s Got Talent” and last year showed off his tricks for Children’s Mercy kids.
David Wain: Three of the best-known films written and directed by Wain have starred Rudd: “Role Models,” “Wanderlust” and “Wet Hot American Summer.”
Other ways to support
A $100 donation at bigslickkc.org gets you a limited-edition Charlie Hustle KC shirt. It’s also available at the Charlie Hustle shop on the Country Club Plaza.
What were they in again?
Here’s what makes the hometown hosts such a big deal:
Paul Rudd, Shawnee Mission West grad: “Ant-Man” and its sequel, “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” opening July 6. Also: the Avengers films, “Role Models,” “Anchorman,” “Clueless.”
Jason Sudeikis, Shawnee Mission West: “Downsizing,” “Horrible Bosses,” “We’re the Millers,” “The Angry Birds Movie,” “Saturday Night Live.”
Rob Riggle, Shawnee Mission South grad: “12 Strong,” “21 Jump Street,” Fox NFL Sunday, “Dumb and Dumber To.”
Eric Stonestreet, Piper High grad: “Modern Family,” “The Toy Box,” “The Secret Life of Pets.”
David Koechner, Tipton, Mo. (but wife Leigh is from Overland Park): “Superior Donuts,” “CHIPs,” “Anchorman,” “Get Smart.”
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