Andre and Jack hang out with Hip on the set of After Hours.
Bill Diamond on the set of the After Hours bar.
Bill Diamond's workshop is filled with puppets.
John Olley, of BBE Designs, assists on the After Hours show and made friends with this monster.
June 04, 2009
Two popular radio DJs are bringing their out-sized personality to a new television show being produced in a television studio in Cornwall. The show, After Hours, targets the adult viewing audience with a mix of live music performances and interviews that bring the viewer into a comfortable living room setting or private bar. It can be seen every Monday on Time Warner Cable Channel 6 at 9 p.m.
Jack Hammer and Andrew Kane are the hosts of the Electric Morning Show on WBPM (92.9) where they are known for their on-air antics and stunts that keep listeners laughing through the morning rush hour. In February, while getting a cup of coffee at the radio station, they ran into Bill Diamond, a puppeteer and TV producer with studios off Mill Street in Cornwall, and they clicked immediately.
Some three weeks later, Andre and Jack, who dresses in motorcycle boots and black shirt covered with red flames, were sitting on a new set in one of Diamond’s two TV studios, ready to tape their first show. Their musical guests, Robbie Dupree, best known for his hit “Steal Away,” and Larry Hoppen, famous as the lead singer of Orleans, performed in the studio before sitting down to talk about their music. Up next was Tony Darrow, who played a wise guy on The Sopranos, among other roles on stage and TV. The hosts also go out to local bars and restaurants to see what's up around town.
Diamond, the executive producer of the show, says that After Hours is a “man show,” that appeals to both men and women who like rock music, motorcycles, and racing. These are subjects that Diamond likes, too. He is a multi-talented producer who first launched a career in the world of puppetry with the creation of The Stuffin Puppets, followed by Snuffy the Dragon, Dr. Rock’s Dinosaur Adventures, and the Monster TV network, which features life-size puppets of monster geniuses like Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi.
Diamond came to Cornwall after his studio in Peekskill burned down in a fire eight years ago, destroying some 300 of his puppets. Here, he built the new studio facility by himself, from the walls to the electrical work, with skills he has developed in his 30 years in production. He works closely with his two sons, Mark and Rich, who direct and help produce the show.
When he’s not in the Cornwall studios working on After Hours or a second show, Mike Bennett On the Road, Diamond can be found down at the facilities of YES TV, the Yankees station, where he provides a number of production services, or riding his motorcycle over the back roads of Orange and Ulster counties. “This guy could climb up the side of this building in a second flat,” Jack Hammer said of Diamond. “He hangs off the lights and never speaks an unkind word.”
Diamond does get a chance to let his smart-mouthed alter ego come out when he gets behind his puppet bartender named Hip on the set of After Hours. Hip is an old dude who keeps the conversation going at the bar and doesn’t hesitate to tell unruly customers to get packing if the doesn’t like their act.
Jack and Andre say they have a number of exciting guests lined up for future shows, including Terry Schappert, host of the show Warriors on the History Channel, along with leading sports figures and someone from the Discovery Channel show Deadliest Catch. Diamond says he is bringing in people from across the country and wants to see the show distributed nationally.
All shows are taped in front of a live studio audience and the public is invited to get tickets to be part of the audience. The next taping will be on Sunday, June 21. If you want to find out how to get a ticket, send an email to [email protected].
Here's a preview of what you can expect on After Hours:
Comments:
I love Jack Hammer. He can visit my living room any day!
I love Jack and Andre they are the best, I love After Hours too.Carrie While Jack is visiting you in your living room Andre can come visit me in mine.Love you guys.
