Today’s word of the day is extempore. Extempore is an adverb that means “in an extemporaneous manner,” according to Merriam-Webster in another one of those really annoying circular definitions (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/extempore). Fortunately, Dictionary.com gives us “on the spur of the moment; without premeditation or preparation; offhand” or “without notes” or “(of musical performance) by improvisation” (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/extempore). Yourdictionary.com says that it can also be an adjective meaning “Spoken, carried out, or composed with little or no preparation or forethought” (https://www.yourdictionary.com/extempore).

Dictionary.com provides for the pronunciation / ɪkˈstɛm pə ri /, with the emphasis on the second syllable and the last syllable ending with a sound that rhymes with bee. But the other two websites give this for the pronunciation: / ɪk’stɛm pə re/, again with the emphasis on the second syllable but with the last syllable ending with a sound that rhymes with day. To me the second pronunciation would be correct.

The word entered the English language in the “1550s, from Latin phrase ex tempore ‘offhand, in accordance with (the needs of) the moment,’ literally ‘out of time,’ from ex ‘out of’ (see ex-) + tempore, ablative of tempus (genitive temporis) ‘time’ (see temporal (adj.1)). Of speaking, strictly ‘without preparation, without time to prepare,’ but now often with a sense merely of ‘without notes or a teleprompter.’ As an adjective and noun from 1630s” (https://www.etymonline.com/word/extempore#etymonline_v_32877). Now, when we say, “out of time,” we usually mean that there was some sort of time limit on what we were trying to do, and we have exceeded that: “Down 3-2, Manchester United pressed Chelsea very hard, but ultimately they ran out of time.” But that is not what this “out of time” means. It might be more accurate to say that one never had any time to prepare to begin with.

Today I want to talk about Wayne Brady.

Wayne Brady is probably well known to many of you as an improv artist on the show Whose Line Is It Anyway and perhaps as the host of the revived Let’s Make a Deal. He also hosted his own variety show, The Wayne Brady Show, and has his own podcast.

Brady was born in Georgia but moved to Orlando, Florida, where he was raised by his grandmother. At around 16, Brady got involved in community theater and joined an improv group, SAK Comedy Lab. From there he got some work at Universal in Orlando. At around 24, he moved to Los Angeles to advance his career. That led to involvement in Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which was hosted by Drew Carey.

From that point, his career took off. He has performed on television as an improv artist, played characters in TV series, worked on Broadway, and hosted a game show, the revival of Let’s Make a Deal. He has won several Emmy awards for his television work.

Now, there are other performers who have won more awards and are more famous, so why would I choose to talk about Wayne Brady. I have done some improv. I was actually a theater major of sorts in college, and my involvement in community theater let to a brief time when I was part of a semi-professional improv group, AEIOU (Actors, Entertainers, and Improv of the Upstate). I really enjoyed doing improv, and I didn’t find it incredibly difficult. You just learn to say “yes” to whatever your improv partner offers you, though sometimes it’s a “yes, and” and other times a “yes, but.”

And the other improv artists on Whose Line Is It Anyway? are very good. But Wayne Brady, who is somewhat of a singer and has released an album, can make up songs on the spot. The schtick is that the host gets audience members to suggest a musical style (country, R&B) and a theme or idea, and when the music starts, in the appropriate style, Brady just starts singing, manufacturing a tune and the lyrics extempore. Here’s an example.

Now, perhaps being able to free style songs is not the most important or most beneficial skill in the world. But it is pretty cool, and I wish I could do it.

Today’s image is from the 55^th annual Emmy Awards, honoring “Wayne Brady for Outstanding Individual Performance in a variety or Music Performance (Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)” (https://www.accessonline.com/galleries/wayne-brady-through-the-years#1).