“The Penguin” was in my neighborhood yesterday. Good thing Detectives Harvey Bullock and Jim Gordon were around as well. The trio of actors who play these iconic characters on the hit TV show “Gotham” – Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue and Robin Lord Taylor – were in town to be part of the 55th Annual Center for Disabilities Telethon. And they helped make this an event to remember, taking time out from their shooting schedule (“Gotham” is filmed in Brooklyn) to come to Albany for the day to be part of this worthy cause.
I’ve been attending the Center for Disabilities Telethon for over 10 years, having met the likes of Ryan Seacrest, Randy Jackson, Jane Lynch and Seth Meyers at the event. But the scene yesterday was unlike any I’ve ever experienced. The “Gotham” guys were mobbed by fans from the moment they arrived, and they did a tremendous job pitching for donations while on the air with the telethon hosts, and signing autographs and posing for photos when they were off-camera.
I had the chance to talk with them during one of their breaks, and they couldn’t have been more excited to be helping-out the Center, which provides services to disabled children and adults so they can live happy, healthy and productive lives. And the actors are also thrilled with the success of “Gotham”, which, in its first season, is one of the highest-rated network shows, developing a huge following among rabid fans of the “Batman” saga community.
McKenzie (“The O.C.”) and Logue (“Sons of Anarchy”) have each enjoyed prior success on other TV series’, but for Taylor, being a famous celebrity is something new, and it was fun to see how much fun he was having with his fans. And Albany-native Mark Pettograsso, who recently joined the cast of the show as Robert “Frogman” Jones, surprised the trio by dropping by, adding even more “Gotham” buzz to the day.
And the best of all – McKenzie, Logue and Taylor, along with all the workers from the Center, telethon staff, volunteers, and everyone watching at home, helped raise a record total of over $2 million dollars for the Center. Congratulations to everyone involved, in particular whoever it was whose job it was to book the special guests this year. Bringing “Gotham” to Albany was a huge success.
However, with all that money involved, Bullock and Gordon better keep an even closer eye on The Penguin.