One of the staples of stand-up comedy is the difference between men and women. For instance, guys and girls have a very different relationship with clothes. Girls share clothes. But guys would never share their clothes.“Hey man. That’s a nice shirt.”“Yeah, I found it at The Big and Tall Shop. As soon as I put it on it looked like I lost five pounds.”“Yes, I noticed. Mind if I borrow it?”Also, girls can be sweet to each other. They can even use...
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I was lucky enough to catch a few shows at this years’ Just For Laughs comedy festival. It was very strong lineup of comedians, indeed. What I noticed this year is how much of what used to be called “blue” material has now spread into the mainstream. Even though it is still a cliché that you hear from people who don’t know anything about comedy that a comedian doesn’t have to be dirty to get laughs....
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The parking lot at Beaconsfield High School was full. The line at the door was so long people had to be turned away. Inside the auditorium of Beaconsfield High, a standing-room-only audience was bubbling with excitement. The Fab Four were in the building.Backstage, a transformation was taking place. Four regular looking guys were getting into their Shea Stadium suits, the brown ones that look a little like military uniforms; putting on the regulation Beatle boots, the Spanish...
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Here’s a thought that, although it might run counter to the idea of our city as the epicentre of laughter, might go well with the weather we have had so far this summer – we should learn to cry more.   ...
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It has been pointed out that many Canadians are suffering from “Obama envy”. We wish we had someone like him – someone we actually liked – in our political arena. But I am not afflicted with this longing....
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Driving home from Sudbury last week we decided to have some fun with my Global Positioning System, or GPS. We found a function that would change the voice. We could pick an English, American or even an Australian voice. So we picked the Aussie and called her Sheila. It was fun listening to her directions. It was like having a new girlfriend.But like all foreigners she didn’t really know how to pronounce all our locations. So as we got close to home she said: “Leave highway...
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Idea City is an annual Toronto event featuring exceptional people who present their ideas and experiences in a seminar style. It is the brainchild of ex-Montrealer Moses Znaimer.I say “ex-Montrealer” not lightly. Ex-Montrealers do make up a “nation” of influential people all across Canada and indeed throughout the world. They are another resource that was lost by the you-know-what of the last 30 years. Along with the other resources like money and power....
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A month ago on a quiet Sunday evening there was a big birthday bash at Bourbon Street West for Jerry Mercer. Jerry has been a legend among Montreal musicians for many years. ...
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Last week I was in Memphis, Tennessee. While I was there, I saw the National Civil Rights Museum, built on the spot where Martin Luther King died. It is very moving. It tells the tale of an oppressed people who eventually achieve equal rights. As I flew back to Quebec I couldn’t help but notice similarities. One of the major hurdles to equal rights was segregated schools. Southern states didn’t allow blacks and whites to send their children to the same schools....
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While I was visiting California, recently, I met a friend at the Paradise Cove Café in Malibu. He let out a big sigh. "What's wrong?" I inquired. "It’s Proposition 8, the one banning gay marriage." "Oh yeah, you’re having a referendum. But what’s the big deal? So gay people want to get married, too? It's been legal up in Canada for years." "But why would they want to do that? That...
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