Showing posts with label actor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label actor. Show all posts

Comedy For A Cause: Last One Laughing - Canada

Photo credit: IMDB

Last One Laughing Canada is a six-part comedy romp that you can stream so far on Amazon Prime Video that brings some of the funniest Canadian comedians together for a cause. The rules are pretty simple; try not to laugh, but make your fellow comics laugh in order so they will be ousted from the competition.  As the title goes, The “Last One Laughing” after six hours wins $100,000 for their selected charity. So pretty much it’s a win-win for everyone, no matter who remains.

Host, Jay Baruchel is huddled away in a control room, getting his voyeuristic fill of watching everything go down and anxiously awaiting a simple snort or full out giggle so he can hit that buzzer and dash into the room to present either a yellow card for a smile/laughing infraction, or the dreaded red card – which is immediate elimination. If he misses something while picking his nose, there are over 30 cameras watching too, so no worries there. 

The host and 10 competitors. 

πŸ’œJay Baruchel – I remember him from Million Dollar Baby, which was an incredible dramatic film that you need to see. Also, he was the voice of Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon.  He’s uber quirky and uses the word f*ck a lot.

πŸ’œCaroline Rhea – Best known as Aunt Hilda Spellman, from the iconic Sabrina the Teenage Witch. A lot of her comedy comes from real life experiences, which always makes things funnier. I just love her self-deprecating humour – she makes it seem effortless. 

πŸ’œDave Foley – Admits he has to pee a lot (who doesn't right?) and of course he is from one of the best Canadian sketch comedy shows -The Kids in the Hall.  Ridiculously funny with that sprinkle of sarcasm and sharp wit. Plus he does make some snazzy fashion choices.

πŸ’œColin Mochrie – This man can make me laugh just looking at him! His improv skills are top-notch and I love his quick-witted humour. Watch reruns of Whose Line Is It Anyway?, you’ll be happy you did.

πŸ’œTom Green – Shock comedy at its weirdest! Oh Tom, you're quite something. If you remember the movie; Freddy Got Fingered that you snuck into the theatre to see and was voted one of the worst movies ever (even more reason to see it!) as well as The Tom Green Show, this guy will do just about anything. His stoic face and commitment to whatever concoction of insanity he’s brewing for a laugh this time around, makes you burst into tears on the show.

πŸ’œAndrew Phung – Big and bold personality, quite funny and has a style of his own. He’s a multi-award winner for his performance on the Canadian series; Kim’s Convenience and I have watched a few episodes of his latest family show called Run the Burbs.

πŸ’œK. Trevor Wilson -  A burly, rugged smart-aleck comic, straight out of the hit show, Letterkenny. I absolutely love his dead-pan humour. 

πŸ’œJon Lajoie – I had to look him up on Youtube, as so many of his videos have gone viral and I can see why.  This guy is ridiculously funny and talented.  He feels like the neighbour you’d want to have, yet put up a privacy fence for too. 

πŸ’œDebra DiGiovanni –Oh the sass with this one! Saw her perform at the Chrysler Theatre here in Windsor, Ontario many years ago and her stardom is well-earned.  Bold and unapologetic, no wonder she’s a multi-award comedy champ. 

πŸ’œMae Martin - Part of the LGBT2Q+ community, and another comic I had never heard much about before. Well-known for the Netflix comedy series; Feel Good.  I love the super awkwardness and self-deprecating style Mae brings to the table, or rather the room in Last One Laughing. 

πŸ’œBrandon Ash-Mohammed – What a firecracker on stage!  In all honesty, I never really heard of him up until now, but I’m convinced if I see him in real-life, he’ll be in a monster truck with eyelashes.  Oh and check out The Ethnic Rainbow - created by Brandon, it's Canada's first and only stand-up comedy show to showcase solely LGBT2Q+ comedians of colour.


Final thoughts: 

From the very first episode, there are zero f*cks to give, as anything is fair play for joke material. It’s raunchy, it’s a little risquΓ© and might be a bit shocking too at times. Everyone seems to be having a good time though.  It’s going to delight and equally offend, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles, so that’s your warning. It's geared for mature audiences, so don't let you Paw Patrol kiddo sit in.  If anything, it’s a spontaneous smorgasbord of comedy relief that I think many of us can use right now. 

I have my bets set on who I think is going to be in the top 3, but let me say clearly that if you enjoy delicious cheese sandwiches, yes, delicious cheese sandwiches, you’re going to love this show.

πŸ’œDrop me a note and let me know if you're tuning in and who you think is going to be the Last One Laughing!

Emmy-nominated T.O.N.E.-z gets Justified!

With an incredible 4.2 million viewers in its opening season, Justified had its highest debut on FX. Now in 2012, it has remained the top television drama series on the FX channel, (for Canadians; Super Channel) with several Emmy nominations, especially for well-known rap-artist T.O.N.E.-z, who created the hard-hitting theme song “Long Hard Times To Come” which truly showcased the essence of the show.

After his guest appearance on Justified, I had the pleasure to interview T.O.N.E-z and learn what it’s like to go from being a rapper to an actor!


T.O.N.E-z

Enjoy the interview below.

Melissa Arditti: Justified has become such a popular series on the FX series channel, and now going into its 3rd season, how did you feel when you got the news that you would be on the show?

T.O.N.E-z: OMG!!! I felt like I was smacked in the head by Tyson, (in his early years) Derek Jeter & 18 angry in-mates!! Seriously, I flipped out! I was and actually still am extremely happy!


M.A: You were quoted as saying that “the whole cast and crew are the best people to work with and the coolest people period!” Did you feel that moment of being “star-struck” working with any of the cast members?

T: Oh I was completely star-struck! Here I was standing next to Mykelti Williamson! I told him “I love your work!” and he replied back with “your music is amazing!” Everyone was so kool. Timothy Olyphant is a fan of my music and told me that I am amazing. The whole cast showed me so much love.


M.A: Justified is quite an intense show, not just in its storylines but also with the characters.  How did you prepare emotionally for the role of “Barnes?”

T: Simple: I just looked, listened and learned! 


M.A: For a talented artist like yourself, memorizing lyrics must come as second nature to you. However, with acting, did you find there was a difference in how you were able to remember your lines?

T: It’s just as easy, if not easier.


M.A: Some artists get stereotyped into certain roles when they make the crossover to acting. What role would you like to embrace someday that you know would completely knock your fans on their feet?

T: If I could play a role like “V” from the movie V for Vendetta, I know that i’d wow the world! You know, that role was so intense. It embodied pain, sorrow, anger, vengeance, tears, laughter and compassion.


M.A: What went through your mind when you found out that the theme song “Long Hard Times to Come” was being nominated for an Emmy?

T: I thought to myself “damn it took me 20 minutes to do the lyrics in my head and less than 7 to lay them down and look what just happened… AN EMMY NOMINATION!


M.A: It’s addictive getting bitten by the acting bug! Is this is the last fans have seen of T.O.N.E-z on tv or should we expect more appearances?

T: Oh hell (to the) nah! I am already pursuing new projects as I typed this, so the world will see more appearances of me in tv and some feature films are in the works.


M.A: I’m sure you’re itching to get back into the studio after having such a wonderful experience on Justified. With the sky being the limit on opportunities that seem to be coming your way, what’s next musically for you?

T: My new album “High Voltage” is out now and available on Itunes. It contains a new song called “Trapped” that was inspired by Season 3 of Justified. (fyi: you might just hear it on the show!) :)


Thanks to T.O.N.E.-z  for taking time out of his insanely busy schedule to make this interview possible!