Aaryan (Himesh Patel) spends much of “The Assessment” fiddling with skin, having developed a tactile virtual simulation of an animal to replace the creatures that were sacrificed in a near-extinction level event some time prior. The flesh is too tough sometimes, too synthetic at others, but he’s certainly onto something and it’s hard not to feel the same way about the sci-fi candy coating on Fleur Fortuné’s strong, darkly amusing feature is. In fact, the debut, which launched with a world premiere at the Toronto International Festival, is so idiosyncratic that it might’ve been even better if it had dropped its genre trappings entirely.
But removing that dystopian future could deprive Fortuné of such a convincing showcase for her as a clearly gifted visual stylist and the license for some knockout production design from Jan Houllevigue and a bold score from Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, both of which...
But removing that dystopian future could deprive Fortuné of such a convincing showcase for her as a clearly gifted visual stylist and the license for some knockout production design from Jan Houllevigue and a bold score from Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch, both of which...
- 9/13/2024
- by Stephen Saito
- Variety Film + TV
The “old world” is a wasteland. People still live there, but not for very long. Those in the “new world” live hundreds of years thanks to a drug that slows aging. It’s groundbreaking technology that comes at a price: the combination of scarce real estate on which to live safely and figurative immortality means less to go around for a populace that never decreases. The compromise was thus to take China’s now-defunct “one-child policy” to the nth degree and render the conception of all children illegal. Unless you’re granted a waiver by the government, but that permission is understandably not easily won. You must prove yourselves worthy as a couple via a seven-day evaluation.
This is the sci-fi backdrop to Fleur Fortune’s The Assessment. Originally written by Mrs and Mr Thomas (Nell Garfath Cox and Dave Thomas), the script ultimately passed through John Donnelly’s hands...
This is the sci-fi backdrop to Fleur Fortune’s The Assessment. Originally written by Mrs and Mr Thomas (Nell Garfath Cox and Dave Thomas), the script ultimately passed through John Donnelly’s hands...
- 9/10/2024
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Filmmaker Fleur Fortuné says it was necessary to take Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Olsen, the cast of her thrilling debut feature The Assessment, into “a danger zone” for them to fully comprehend the implications involved in making a movie set in a dystopian future where couples have to grovel for permission to have a child.
The film is an emotional minefield where people are harshly appraised by assessors to judge whether or not they would make suitable parents.
Fortuné says that she knew it was vital for her and the two actors to meet together before the shoot. “I wanted to put them at ease,” she says.
The Paris-based director had already conversed with Vikander. “When I met with Alicia, she was like, ‘This scares me a lot, but I really want to do it.’ That’s good, because I felt if she tells me that, it means that she...
The film is an emotional minefield where people are harshly appraised by assessors to judge whether or not they would make suitable parents.
Fortuné says that she knew it was vital for her and the two actors to meet together before the shoot. “I wanted to put them at ease,” she says.
The Paris-based director had already conversed with Vikander. “When I met with Alicia, she was like, ‘This scares me a lot, but I really want to do it.’ That’s good, because I felt if she tells me that, it means that she...
- 9/8/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
The hot dog imbalance — eight buns in a bag to 10 dogs in a pack — is an oft-spoken-of Americana annoyance, but it’s not the only bread-to-meat ratio that just doesn’t make sense. We’re talking, of course, about Wendy’s square hamburgers served on a round roll. Classic IndieWire stuff.
Wendy’s and Paramount are hammering out a deal to launch a new menu item at participating Wendy’s restaurants: the Krabby Patty. Yes, the sandwich of preference from the “SpongeBob Squarepants” cartoons is coming above sea level, a source confirmed to IndieWire. And you thought saucey nuggs would be the breakout Wendy’s menu item of 2024.
In the world of the Nickelodeon sea-sponge, the Krusty Krab is essentially the Wendy’s of the sea. It is also the employer of SpongeBob and Squidward. The Krab’s signature sandwich, the Krabby Patty, is about to wash ashore at your local...
Wendy’s and Paramount are hammering out a deal to launch a new menu item at participating Wendy’s restaurants: the Krabby Patty. Yes, the sandwich of preference from the “SpongeBob Squarepants” cartoons is coming above sea level, a source confirmed to IndieWire. And you thought saucey nuggs would be the breakout Wendy’s menu item of 2024.
In the world of the Nickelodeon sea-sponge, the Krusty Krab is essentially the Wendy’s of the sea. It is also the employer of SpongeBob and Squidward. The Krab’s signature sandwich, the Krabby Patty, is about to wash ashore at your local...
- 8/29/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" is likely not remembered by many people, except for Billy Crystal himself. The variety/talk show ran from January 30 through February 27 in 1982, lasting a grand total of five episodes. Crystal was already a successful comedian and beloved figure in the industry thanks to the popularity of his 1970s stand-up work and his role in the 1977 sitcom "Soap," so he had connections. He was able to secure guest appearances from many of his famous comedian friends, including Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Robin Williams, and John Candy for the debut episode. Subsequent guests included Morgan Fairchild, the Manhattan Transfer, Nell Carter, Shelley Duvall, Cindy Williams, Al Jarreau, and Smokey Robinson.
"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" fell right in between "Soap" and "Saturday Night Live" on Crystal's professional timeline, and it might be considered something of a dip in his career. The show was canceled after only two episodes aired,...
"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" fell right in between "Soap" and "Saturday Night Live" on Crystal's professional timeline, and it might be considered something of a dip in his career. The show was canceled after only two episodes aired,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Joe Flaherty, an original cast member of Canadian sketch comedy series Sctv who will also be remembered for roles in Freaks and Geeks and Happy Gilmore, has died at the age of 82.
The actor and comedian died on Monday, April 1st, after a brief illness, his daughter told The Toronto Star.
Flaherty got his start with the Chicago comedy troupe Second City before relocating to Toronto in 1973. Alongside Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Harold Ramis, Flaherty starred as an original cast member of Sctv, the influential Canadian sketch comedy series that ran for six seasons through 1984. For his efforts, Flaherty won Emmy Awards for outstanding writing in 1982 and 1983.
Flaherty later starred on Eugene Levy’s early ’90s sitcom Manic Mansion, based on the 1987 video game of the same name. He also had a role on Freaks and Geeks, playing A-1 Sporting Goods owner...
The actor and comedian died on Monday, April 1st, after a brief illness, his daughter told The Toronto Star.
Flaherty got his start with the Chicago comedy troupe Second City before relocating to Toronto in 1973. Alongside Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Harold Ramis, Flaherty starred as an original cast member of Sctv, the influential Canadian sketch comedy series that ran for six seasons through 1984. For his efforts, Flaherty won Emmy Awards for outstanding writing in 1982 and 1983.
Flaherty later starred on Eugene Levy’s early ’90s sitcom Manic Mansion, based on the 1987 video game of the same name. He also had a role on Freaks and Geeks, playing A-1 Sporting Goods owner...
- 4/2/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Film News
Joe Flaherty, a writer and performer on the influential and beloved sketch comedy series Sctv and a series regular on Freaks and Geeks, died Monday following a brief illness. He was 82.
His death was announced by his daughter Gudrun Flaherty, who said in a press statement, “After a brief illness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with this immense loss. Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s. His insights into the golden age of cinema didn’t just shape his professional life; they were also a source of endless fascination for me. In these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”
Last month, Flaherty’s former...
His death was announced by his daughter Gudrun Flaherty, who said in a press statement, “After a brief illness, he left us yesterday, and since then, I’ve been struggling to come to terms with this immense loss. Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s. His insights into the golden age of cinema didn’t just shape his professional life; they were also a source of endless fascination for me. In these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”
Last month, Flaherty’s former...
- 4/2/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Joe Flaherty, the two-time Emmy-winning writer and Second City alumnus who sparkled as Guy Caballero, Count Floyd, Big Jim McBob and Sammy Maudlin as an original castmember on the landmark Canadian sketch comedy series Sctv, has died. He was 82.
His daughter, Gudrun Flaherty, told the Canadian Press he died Monday after a brief illness.
“Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s,” she said in a statement. “His insights into the golden age of cinema didn’t just shape his professional life; they were also a source of endless fascination for me. In these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Flaherty also was known for his stint as A-1 Sporting Goods...
His daughter, Gudrun Flaherty, told the Canadian Press he died Monday after a brief illness.
“Dad was an extraordinary man, known for his boundless heart and an unwavering passion for movies from the ’40s and ’50s,” she said in a statement. “His insights into the golden age of cinema didn’t just shape his professional life; they were also a source of endless fascination for me. In these last few months, as he faced his health challenges, we had the precious opportunity to watch many of those classic movies together — moments I will forever hold dear.”
A native of Pittsburgh, Flaherty also was known for his stint as A-1 Sporting Goods...
- 4/2/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Joe Flaherty, founding member of “Sctv” and ubiquitous comic actor for decades including a stint as the Dad on “Freaks and Geeks,” has died at the age of 82, according to multiple reports.
The Pittsburgh-born performer (a rare American in the Canadian comedy sphere) got his start with the Chicago-based Second City Theater, first appearing on the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” before resettling in Toronto to become part of Second City’s core in the Great White North. He was one of the initial writer/performers on “Sctv,” a vanguard sketch comedy series co-starring John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis (for a little while), Dave Thomas, and, later, Martin Short, that mixed parody programming with behind-the-scenes shenanigans at a low rent television station in “Mellonville.” Indeed, if “Sctv” could be said to have a main character, it would be Flaherty’s Guy Caballero, the corrupt,...
The Pittsburgh-born performer (a rare American in the Canadian comedy sphere) got his start with the Chicago-based Second City Theater, first appearing on the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” before resettling in Toronto to become part of Second City’s core in the Great White North. He was one of the initial writer/performers on “Sctv,” a vanguard sketch comedy series co-starring John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis (for a little while), Dave Thomas, and, later, Martin Short, that mixed parody programming with behind-the-scenes shenanigans at a low rent television station in “Mellonville.” Indeed, if “Sctv” could be said to have a main character, it would be Flaherty’s Guy Caballero, the corrupt,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
The comedy realm is dealt another big blow as the world says goodbye to Joe Flaherty. According to Exclaim, the Sctv legend had been dealing with a sickness and was said to be “very ill.” In late February, Flaherty’s Second City brother, Martin Short, sent a message to their Sctv peers to fundraise for his home care in his last days, which amounted to $20K a month. Short had said that they had been made aware of the gravity of his condition and Flaherty chose to spend the rest of his life at home with his daughter rather than at a facility. The message would hit social media.
In Short’s fundraising message, he says, “We are writing to our friends because we believe Sctv meant something to you, and that would not be the case if it were not for Joe Flaherty. He was a mentor, a director,...
In Short’s fundraising message, he says, “We are writing to our friends because we believe Sctv meant something to you, and that would not be the case if it were not for Joe Flaherty. He was a mentor, a director,...
- 4/2/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
In a career on stage, screen and television that has endured for more than 50 years, writer, actor and comedian Martin Short got his start in a 1972 Canadian production of the stage musical “Godspell” in a cast that included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Dave Thomas and Gilda Radner, all of whom would work with Short on subsequent projects in the years to come.
Short’s first exposure to American audiences was as a member of the Second City troupe in the sketch show, “Sctv Network 90,” which aired on NBC from 1981-83 and earned Short his first Emmy for writing. There he created such signature Short characters as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick. He went on to be cast in Season 10 of “Saturday Night Live” (1985-86) along with Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Short then began his starring roles in films with 1986’s “¡Three Amigos!” alongside Steve Martin...
Short’s first exposure to American audiences was as a member of the Second City troupe in the sketch show, “Sctv Network 90,” which aired on NBC from 1981-83 and earned Short his first Emmy for writing. There he created such signature Short characters as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick. He went on to be cast in Season 10 of “Saturday Night Live” (1985-86) along with Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Short then began his starring roles in films with 1986’s “¡Three Amigos!” alongside Steve Martin...
- 3/26/2024
- by Tom O'Brien and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In a career on stage, screen and television that has endured for more than 50 years, writer, actor and comedian Martin Short got his start in a 1972 Canadian production of the stage musical “Godspell” in a cast that included Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Victor Garber, Dave Thomas and Gilda Radner, all of whom would work with Short on subsequent projects in the years to come.
Short’s first exposure to American audiences was as a member of the Second City troupe in the sketch show, “Sctv Network 90,” which aired on NBC from 1981-83 and earned Short his first Emmy for writing. There he created such signature Short characters as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick. He went on to be cast in Season 10 of “Saturday Night Live” (1985-86) along with Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Short then began his starring roles in films with 1986’s “¡Three Amigos!” alongside Steve Martin...
Short’s first exposure to American audiences was as a member of the Second City troupe in the sketch show, “Sctv Network 90,” which aired on NBC from 1981-83 and earned Short his first Emmy for writing. There he created such signature Short characters as Ed Grimley and Jiminy Glick. He went on to be cast in Season 10 of “Saturday Night Live” (1985-86) along with Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest. Short then began his starring roles in films with 1986’s “¡Three Amigos!” alongside Steve Martin...
- 3/25/2024
- by Tom O'Brien and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The legendary 1972 Toronto production of the musical Godspell – a staging that launched the careers of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Paul Shaffer, Andrea Martin and Dave Thomas, among others – will be the subject of a feature length documentary exec produced by Judd Apatow.
“As a bona fide comedy nerd,” said Apatow in a statement, “I’ve long wondered what exactly brought that amazing group of people together to produce not just a fantastic theatrical event, but what came after: Second City Toronto, Sctv, and of course Saturday Night Live – not to mention a host of movies and TV from Splash to The Three Amigos to Schitt’s Creek and Only Murders in the Building. None of that would have happened in the way that it did without the Toronto Godspell.”
The film will be produced, directed and co-written (with Jane Mendelsohn) by Nick Davis, whose most recent film,...
“As a bona fide comedy nerd,” said Apatow in a statement, “I’ve long wondered what exactly brought that amazing group of people together to produce not just a fantastic theatrical event, but what came after: Second City Toronto, Sctv, and of course Saturday Night Live – not to mention a host of movies and TV from Splash to The Three Amigos to Schitt’s Creek and Only Murders in the Building. None of that would have happened in the way that it did without the Toronto Godspell.”
The film will be produced, directed and co-written (with Jane Mendelsohn) by Nick Davis, whose most recent film,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Canadian actress Catherin O'Hara was bumping up against "Saturday Night Live" for years before she landed a job on the show. Early in her career, O'Hara performed with the Toronto branch of the famed comedy troupe The Second City, serving as an understudy for comedienne Gilda Radner. O'Hara stepped into Rander's shoes when the latter left to get a job on "Saturday Night Live." The remaining Toronotoites stayed back and founded their own sketch comedy series, "Sctv," which debuted in 1976. "Sctv" proved to be fertile ground for upcoming comedy superstars. In addition to O'Hara, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, and Harold Ramis all broke through. "Sctv" was huge in Canada, but remained secondary to "Saturday Night Live" down in the United States.
"Sctv" lasted for six seasons and ran 135 episodes, while "Saturday Night Live" (beyond all expectations) persists to this day.
"Sctv" lasted for six seasons and ran 135 episodes, while "Saturday Night Live" (beyond all expectations) persists to this day.
- 1/29/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Brian McConnachie, the Emmy-winning writer with the offbeat sense of humor who worked on Sctv Network and Saturday Night Live and appeared in Caddyshack and several films for Woody Allen, has died. He was 81.
McConnachie died Friday of complications from Parkinson’s disease in Venice, Florida, Michael Gerber, editor and publisher of The American Bystander, told The Hollywood Reporter. The duo relaunched the humor magazine in 2015 after McConnachie — an original staff member at National Lampoon — originally got it going in 1981.
“Every day, on every page, he has been our North Star,” Gerber said in a statement. “From his days at National Lampoon, Brian was ‘every comedy writer’s favorite comedy writer,’ crafting an unmistakable one-of-a-kind laid-back eccentricity that inspired generations.
“He is the only person I know who wrote for the Holy Trinity of Seventies Comedy — National Lampoon, SNL and Sctv. This speaks to not only his writing talent, but...
McConnachie died Friday of complications from Parkinson’s disease in Venice, Florida, Michael Gerber, editor and publisher of The American Bystander, told The Hollywood Reporter. The duo relaunched the humor magazine in 2015 after McConnachie — an original staff member at National Lampoon — originally got it going in 1981.
“Every day, on every page, he has been our North Star,” Gerber said in a statement. “From his days at National Lampoon, Brian was ‘every comedy writer’s favorite comedy writer,’ crafting an unmistakable one-of-a-kind laid-back eccentricity that inspired generations.
“He is the only person I know who wrote for the Holy Trinity of Seventies Comedy — National Lampoon, SNL and Sctv. This speaks to not only his writing talent, but...
- 1/9/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
I remember the day — March 4, 1994 — when I learned that John Candy, big of heart and large of funny bone, had died from an apparent heart attack at age 43. I was a movie critic and a film writer in the Life section of USA Today, distracted by the Winter Olympics TV coverage of Nancy Kerrigan’s silver medal comeback. But the minute I heard that one of the warmest and funniest actors around had passed away, I poured myself immediately into writing his appreciation.
As someone who grew up in Buffalo, I was lucky to have early access to “Sctv,” the Canadian sketch-comedy counterpart to “Saturday Night Live,” long before the series was picked up by NBC. I was cued into the genius of Candy and his clowning cohorts Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as they inhabited sundry out-sized characters who worked at a fictitious television station.
As someone who grew up in Buffalo, I was lucky to have early access to “Sctv,” the Canadian sketch-comedy counterpart to “Saturday Night Live,” long before the series was picked up by NBC. I was cued into the genius of Candy and his clowning cohorts Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as they inhabited sundry out-sized characters who worked at a fictitious television station.
- 10/28/2023
- by Susan Wloszczyna, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Sctv alum Dave Thomas has teamed with actor and son Harrison Thomas to develop the dark comedy The Orange for the CBC and BBC Studios.
The father-son sitcom, produced by Canada’s Project 10 Productions, follows a family that witnesses a gangland bombing and is placed by The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a witness protection program in Rye, England. Only when they reach their new U.K. home does the family realize the Mounties have been dumping all their witnesses and informants in Rye, including Canada’s most hardened criminals who are now their next-door neighbors.
Canadian comic and actor Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis played Sctv‘s and Saturday Night Live’s beer-loving McKenzie brothers during the 1980s. Their act, which was launched to mock government mandated Canadian TV content rules, was spun off into the 1983 cult comedy Strange Brew, and that year also made the late-night transition stateside to SNL.
The father-son sitcom, produced by Canada’s Project 10 Productions, follows a family that witnesses a gangland bombing and is placed by The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a witness protection program in Rye, England. Only when they reach their new U.K. home does the family realize the Mounties have been dumping all their witnesses and informants in Rye, including Canada’s most hardened criminals who are now their next-door neighbors.
Canadian comic and actor Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis played Sctv‘s and Saturday Night Live’s beer-loving McKenzie brothers during the 1980s. Their act, which was launched to mock government mandated Canadian TV content rules, was spun off into the 1983 cult comedy Strange Brew, and that year also made the late-night transition stateside to SNL.
- 7/4/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The UK-Germany co-production is set to shoot in Cologne this year.
Alicia VIkander and Elizabeth Olsen have signed to star in The Assessment, the debut feature from French filmmaker Fleur Fortuné, which is gearing up for a shoot in Cologne this summer at Mmc Studios.
The futuristic drama is a co-production between Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen’s UK-based Number 9 Films and Germany’s augenschein Filmproduktion, and has received €1m from Cologne regional film fund Filmstiftung Nrw. German distributor Capleight is already in place to release the film.
Fortuné has made a name for herself with a series of visually stunning shorts,...
Alicia VIkander and Elizabeth Olsen have signed to star in The Assessment, the debut feature from French filmmaker Fleur Fortuné, which is gearing up for a shoot in Cologne this summer at Mmc Studios.
The futuristic drama is a co-production between Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen’s UK-based Number 9 Films and Germany’s augenschein Filmproduktion, and has received €1m from Cologne regional film fund Filmstiftung Nrw. German distributor Capleight is already in place to release the film.
Fortuné has made a name for herself with a series of visually stunning shorts,...
- 6/21/2023
- by Martin Blaney
- ScreenDaily
Saturday Night Live is the show everyone thinks of when they think about sketch comedy. Though not the first and certainly not the last, SNL has been on NBC live since 1975. So it has dominated a lot of pop culture real estate. If you are looking for more sketch comedy with a different point of view, or just a different cast, here are 12 other options.
L-r: Mike Myers and Dana Carvey | Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images ‘Sctv’ was the Canadian sketch comedy competition to ‘Saturday Night Live’
The Second City comedy troupe got into the sketch comedy TV business one year after SNL. Their premise was that the Second City Television network would air different sketches. Comedy legends John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Martin Short and more starred in the show’s five seasons.
Moranis and Thomas’s Strange Brew McKenzie brothers began here.
L-r: Mike Myers and Dana Carvey | Raymond Bonar/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images ‘Sctv’ was the Canadian sketch comedy competition to ‘Saturday Night Live’
The Second City comedy troupe got into the sketch comedy TV business one year after SNL. Their premise was that the Second City Television network would air different sketches. Comedy legends John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Martin Short and more starred in the show’s five seasons.
Moranis and Thomas’s Strange Brew McKenzie brothers began here.
- 3/20/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The new episode of our The Black Sheep video series doubles as a Christmas viewing recommendation, as we’re taking a look back at the 2005 horror comedy slasher Santa’s Slay (watch it Here) – which stars professional wrestler Bill Goldberg as a very unpleasant Santa Claus. To find out all about the movie and why we think it deserves to be seen by more genre fans, check out the video embedded above!
Written and directed by David Steiman, Santa’s Slay has the following synopsis: It turns out that Santa Claus is not really the sweet old fellow that we all know and love. In fact, he’s a devil and the only thing that’s kept his bad side in check was a bet he lost with an angel. After 1000 years of playing nice, the bet is up and Santa is about to open up a can of Whoop-Ass! The only...
Written and directed by David Steiman, Santa’s Slay has the following synopsis: It turns out that Santa Claus is not really the sweet old fellow that we all know and love. In fact, he’s a devil and the only thing that’s kept his bad side in check was a bet he lost with an angel. After 1000 years of playing nice, the bet is up and Santa is about to open up a can of Whoop-Ass! The only...
- 12/21/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Canadian brands are showing their support for those who decide to embrace their grey hair, and this time it’s fast food giant Wendy’s that’s stepping into the natural aging arena.
Wendy’s Canada updated its social media profile pictures Thursday, swapping out its mascot’s recognizable red pigtails for a shade of grey.
Because a is a regardless of hair colour. #LisaLaFlamme #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/g7i7kqwYrw
— Wendy's (@WendysCanada) August 25, 2022
“Because a is a regardless of hair colour,” they wrote, using the hashtags #LisaLaflamme and #NewProfilePic.
Wendy’s Canada is the latest brand to back former CTV News anchor Lisa Laflamme, who made headlines last week after she shared that she had been unceremoniously let go by Bell Media.
In a video posted to social media, Laflamme says she was “blindsided” as Bell Media ended her contract at CTV National News after 35 years, a “business decision...
Wendy’s Canada updated its social media profile pictures Thursday, swapping out its mascot’s recognizable red pigtails for a shade of grey.
Because a is a regardless of hair colour. #LisaLaFlamme #NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/g7i7kqwYrw
— Wendy's (@WendysCanada) August 25, 2022
“Because a is a regardless of hair colour,” they wrote, using the hashtags #LisaLaflamme and #NewProfilePic.
Wendy’s Canada is the latest brand to back former CTV News anchor Lisa Laflamme, who made headlines last week after she shared that she had been unceremoniously let go by Bell Media.
In a video posted to social media, Laflamme says she was “blindsided” as Bell Media ended her contract at CTV National News after 35 years, a “business decision...
- 8/25/2022
- by Anita Tai
- ET Canada
Sally Kellerman, who was Oscar nominated for her supporting role as Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in Robert Altman’s “Mash” feature film, died Thursday in Woodland Hills, Calif. She was 84.
Her publicist Alan Eichler confirmed her death, and her daughter Claire added that she had been suffering from dementia for the past five years.
Among her other roles were a cameo in Altman’s “The Player,” a professor in Rodney Dangerfield’s “Back to School” and a Starfleet officer in the “Star Trek” episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
The willowy blonde actress with the characteristically throaty voice appeared in two Altman films in 1970; the other was the more experimental “Brewster McCloud,” in which she starred with Bud Cort and Michael Murphy. In this film, which did not have a conventional narrative, Kellerman played Louise, the mother of Cort’s bewinged character, Brewster.
She next starred opposite Alan Arkin...
Her publicist Alan Eichler confirmed her death, and her daughter Claire added that she had been suffering from dementia for the past five years.
Among her other roles were a cameo in Altman’s “The Player,” a professor in Rodney Dangerfield’s “Back to School” and a Starfleet officer in the “Star Trek” episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before.”
The willowy blonde actress with the characteristically throaty voice appeared in two Altman films in 1970; the other was the more experimental “Brewster McCloud,” in which she starred with Bud Cort and Michael Murphy. In this film, which did not have a conventional narrative, Kellerman played Louise, the mother of Cort’s bewinged character, Brewster.
She next starred opposite Alan Arkin...
- 2/24/2022
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Late director Ivan Reitman's military comedy feature "Stripes" (1981) will be rebooted as a series for Sony Pictures Television and CBS TV, from a teleplay by Trevor Moore, Sam Brown and Zach Cregger:
The original film starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, and John Candy, with John Larroquette, John Diehl, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield and Bill Paxton:
"...'John Winger' is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend. Realizing he has no prospects, he decides to join the Army.
"Talking his best friend 'Russell Ziskey', a teacher of English as a second language, into joining him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.
"Upon arriving at 'Fort Arnold', they meet their fellow recruits,...
The original film starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, and John Candy, with John Larroquette, John Diehl, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield and Bill Paxton:
"...'John Winger' is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend. Realizing he has no prospects, he decides to join the Army.
"Talking his best friend 'Russell Ziskey', a teacher of English as a second language, into joining him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.
"Upon arriving at 'Fort Arnold', they meet their fellow recruits,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Producer-director Ivan Reitman, whose wildly successful comedies of the ‘70s and ‘80s included the blockbuster spookfest “Ghostbusters,” died in his sleep on Feb. 12 in Montecito, Calif., his family confirmed to the Associated Press. He was 75. The cause of death was not released.
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” his children, director Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said via a joint statement. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”
Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada (where he first met such young comics as his later stars Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis), Reitman made his first major impression as the producer of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), the madcap,...
“Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life,” his children, director Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman and Caroline Reitman said via a joint statement. “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”
Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada (where he first met such young comics as his later stars Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis), Reitman made his first major impression as the producer of “National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978), the madcap,...
- 2/14/2022
- by Chris Morris
- Variety Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission.
Egot musician and activist John Legend is now officially a shoe designer. The Voice coach and his longtime stylist, Dave Thomas, have teamed with Sperry on a collection of men’s footwear, which landed Sept. 20 on sperry.com and at Nordstrom online and in select stores.
Legend and Thomas reimagined three of the heritage boating-shoe brand’s silhouettes, infusing the singer’s musical influence and personal style along with his penchant for comfort and luxe materials such as suede, leather and buttery-soft lambskin. The ...
Egot musician and activist John Legend is now officially a shoe designer. The Voice coach and his longtime stylist, Dave Thomas, have teamed with Sperry on a collection of men’s footwear, which landed Sept. 20 on sperry.com and at Nordstrom online and in select stores.
Legend and Thomas reimagined three of the heritage boating-shoe brand’s silhouettes, infusing the singer’s musical influence and personal style along with his penchant for comfort and luxe materials such as suede, leather and buttery-soft lambskin. The ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, we may receive an affiliate commission.
Egot musician and activist John Legend is now officially a shoe designer. The Voice coach and his longtime stylist, Dave Thomas, have teamed with Sperry on a collection of men’s footwear, which landed Sept. 20 on sperry.com and at Nordstrom online and in select stores.
Legend and Thomas reimagined three of the heritage boating-shoe brand’s silhouettes, infusing the singer’s musical influence and personal style along with his penchant for comfort and luxe materials such as suede, leather and buttery-soft lambskin. The ...
Egot musician and activist John Legend is now officially a shoe designer. The Voice coach and his longtime stylist, Dave Thomas, have teamed with Sperry on a collection of men’s footwear, which landed Sept. 20 on sperry.com and at Nordstrom online and in select stores.
Legend and Thomas reimagined three of the heritage boating-shoe brand’s silhouettes, infusing the singer’s musical influence and personal style along with his penchant for comfort and luxe materials such as suede, leather and buttery-soft lambskin. The ...
- 9/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Welcome to this week’s Aew: Dynamite review, right here on Nerdly. I’m Nathan Favel and we have the fallout from Cm Punk’s official arrival into Aew. He’s All Elite! Wouldn’t it be better to just call him Elite? Calling every new signing All Elite is bad grammar…Kelsey Grammer. Scrambled eggs! On this show, we have a bunch of matches I don’t remember and Malakai Black fighting Brock Anderson, because Tommy End still wants to mooch off of his mediocre WWE run instead of investing in his fantastic run before the WWE. If I were Tommy, I’d be less obsessed about my failed WWE run and more intent on getting people to ask if I had wrestled somewhere before the WWE under a different name. Well, since I am about to go out on a date with Dave Thomas from Sctv, I think...
- 8/27/2021
- by Nathan Favel
- Nerdly
When things get back to normal on the production side, director Ivan Reitman's military comedy feature "Stripes" (1981) will be rebooted as a series for Sony Pictures Television and CBS TV, with Reitman set to direct the pilot from a teleplay by Trevor Moore, Sam Brown and Zach Cregger:
The original film starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, and John Candy, with John Larroquette, John Diehl, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield and Bill Paxton:
"...'John Winger' is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend. Realizing he has no prospects, he decides to join the Army.
"Talking his best friend 'Russell Ziskey', a teacher of English as a second language, into joining him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.
The original film starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, and John Candy, with John Larroquette, John Diehl, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield and Bill Paxton:
"...'John Winger' is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend. Realizing he has no prospects, he decides to join the Army.
"Talking his best friend 'Russell Ziskey', a teacher of English as a second language, into joining him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.
- 1/15/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Rick Moranis was one of the biggest comedy stars of the 1980s and appeared in countless box office hits and cult classics like Ghostbusters, Brewster’s Millions, Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Parenthood, but following the death of his wife in 1991, the actor started slowing down his output to look after his children, before eventually leaving the industry altogether.
The 67 year-old hasn’t appeared in a live-action movie since 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and in the 23 years since, his only feature film credits have been three animated efforts, two of which went straight to video. Many fans were crossing their fingers that he could be convinced to join the rest of the original cast in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but despite rumors that he might be involved, he’s said to have passed on the opportunity.
However, Moranis has agreed to star in upcoming Honey, I Shrunk the Kids...
The 67 year-old hasn’t appeared in a live-action movie since 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and in the 23 years since, his only feature film credits have been three animated efforts, two of which went straight to video. Many fans were crossing their fingers that he could be convinced to join the rest of the original cast in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, but despite rumors that he might be involved, he’s said to have passed on the opportunity.
However, Moranis has agreed to star in upcoming Honey, I Shrunk the Kids...
- 9/10/2020
- by Scott Campbell
- We Got This Covered
As a kid obsessed with not just television, but also the business of television, I was enamored with “Sctv Network” from the first time I saw it. Not only was it wickedly sharp — even to an 8-year-old — but its depiction of a faux television network, and the eccentric characters who ran it — stuck with me. Of course I didn’t know it at the time, but I was also watching a cast of comedy stars who would become iconic, and go on to write, produce and star in so many memorable and hit movies and TV shows.
While “Saturday Night Live” was already an institution in the early 1980s, I know I’m not the only one who felt an even more personal attachment to “Sctv” and its stars, including John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Dave Thomas and Eugene Levy. The show actually had multiple iterations,...
While “Saturday Night Live” was already an institution in the early 1980s, I know I’m not the only one who felt an even more personal attachment to “Sctv” and its stars, including John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Dave Thomas and Eugene Levy. The show actually had multiple iterations,...
- 8/12/2020
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Ask any handful of cinephiles and television heads about their favorite performance from Eugene Levy’s almost five-decade-long career, and you likely won’t receive the same answer twice.
From his days in the 1970s with the Second City improv troupe in Toronto that turned into “Sctv” in the 1970s, to partnering with Christopher Guest for a series of mockumentaries, including “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show” and a “Mighty Wind” in the 1990s and early aughts; to turning a protagonist’s parental figure into an icon with “American Pie”; voicing a fish in “Finding Dory”; and starring as his real-life son Dan Levy’s on-screen dad in “Schitt’s Creek,” Levy is the kind of actor who captivates with every comment and creates comedy with even the simplest of looks.
“He’s a good man and I respect him. Every day is fun and funny and peaceful and enjoyable,” says Catherine O’Hara,...
From his days in the 1970s with the Second City improv troupe in Toronto that turned into “Sctv” in the 1970s, to partnering with Christopher Guest for a series of mockumentaries, including “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show” and a “Mighty Wind” in the 1990s and early aughts; to turning a protagonist’s parental figure into an icon with “American Pie”; voicing a fish in “Finding Dory”; and starring as his real-life son Dan Levy’s on-screen dad in “Schitt’s Creek,” Levy is the kind of actor who captivates with every comment and creates comedy with even the simplest of looks.
“He’s a good man and I respect him. Every day is fun and funny and peaceful and enjoyable,” says Catherine O’Hara,...
- 8/6/2020
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
Kelly Preston died today her husband John Travolta has revealed.
The 57-year old Twins and Jerry Maguire star passed away Sunday after a long fight against breast cancer.
Hawaii-born Preston’s spouse of nearly 30 years and her Gotti co-star took to social media late tonight in a heartfelt post:
View this post on Instagram
It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for...
The 57-year old Twins and Jerry Maguire star passed away Sunday after a long fight against breast cancer.
Hawaii-born Preston’s spouse of nearly 30 years and her Gotti co-star took to social media late tonight in a heartfelt post:
View this post on Instagram
It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for...
- 7/13/2020
- by Dominic Patten and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
When things get back to normal on the production side, director Ivan Reitman's military comedy feature "Stripes" (1981) will be rebooted as a series for Sony Pictures Television and CBS TV, with Reitman set to direct the pilot from a teleplay by Trevor Moore, Sam Brown and Zach Cregger:
The original film starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, and John Candy, with John Larroquette, John Diehl, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield and Bill Paxton:
"...'John Winger' is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend. Realizing he has no prospects, he decides to join the Army.
"Talking his best friend 'Russell Ziskey', a teacher of English as a second language, into joining him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.
The original film starred Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, P. J. Soles, Sean Young, and John Candy, with John Larroquette, John Diehl, Conrad Dunn, Judge Reinhold, Joe Flaherty, Dave Thomas, Timothy Busfield and Bill Paxton:
"...'John Winger' is a cab driver who, in the span of a few hours, loses his job, his apartment, his car and his girlfriend. Realizing he has no prospects, he decides to join the Army.
"Talking his best friend 'Russell Ziskey', a teacher of English as a second language, into joining him, they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training.
- 4/13/2020
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Two of Canada’s greatest comedy heroes, Bob and Doug Mckenzie, are now the subjects of a life-size bronze statue unveiled in Edmonton this week.
The statue of Sctv’s brother duo appeared on 103 Street and 103 Avenue Tuesday night, according to the Edmonton Journal. The pair are holding open beer bottles.
More from Deadline'Schitt's Creek' Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara On Scorsese's 'Sctv' Doc, & How 'We Don't Consider Ourselves Comedians'Martin Scorsese To Direct Untitled Netflix Comedy About Sketch Comedy Show SCTVAndrea Martin On TV Mothering, A Possible Sctv Reunion & Surviving The High Wire Act Of Show Business - The Actor's Side
The statue is an effort by Edmonton sculptor Ritchie Velthuis, who joined with the nonprofit Sctv Monument Committee and Calgary’s Bronzart Casting to create the images.
The actors behind the McKenzies, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, were also involved.
“The only thing that was stipulated is they wanted to...
The statue of Sctv’s brother duo appeared on 103 Street and 103 Avenue Tuesday night, according to the Edmonton Journal. The pair are holding open beer bottles.
More from Deadline'Schitt's Creek' Eugene Levy & Catherine O'Hara On Scorsese's 'Sctv' Doc, & How 'We Don't Consider Ourselves Comedians'Martin Scorsese To Direct Untitled Netflix Comedy About Sketch Comedy Show SCTVAndrea Martin On TV Mothering, A Possible Sctv Reunion & Surviving The High Wire Act Of Show Business - The Actor's Side
The statue is an effort by Edmonton sculptor Ritchie Velthuis, who joined with the nonprofit Sctv Monument Committee and Calgary’s Bronzart Casting to create the images.
The actors behind the McKenzies, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, were also involved.
“The only thing that was stipulated is they wanted to...
- 3/27/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Canada is known for giving us maple syrup and Ryan Reynolds, not to mention their undying love for hockey and inexplicably endless politeness. But when I think of Canada, there are two lovable hosers that come to mind, and that’s beer-chugging, hockey-loving brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis in […]
The post ‘Strange Brew’ and ‘Sctv’ Hosers Bob & Doug McKenzie Immortalized As Statues in Edmonton, Canada appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Strange Brew’ and ‘Sctv’ Hosers Bob & Doug McKenzie Immortalized As Statues in Edmonton, Canada appeared first on /Film.
- 3/26/2020
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
Hillarious and well researched, Heather Ross’ For Madmen Only is an American Splendor-esque portrait of Del Close, a genius that is likely little known outside of the niche world of comedy geekdom. His impact is far and wide, working with legends like Bill Murray (who isn’t in the picture) to Adam McKay, all influenced by his revolutionary improvisational style which he called “Harold” for no good reason at all.
Ross traces the stations of his life using interviews, archival footage, animations (inspired by his stint writing DC Comics’ Wasteland in the late ’80s), audio recordings, and recreations of certain moments in Close’s life played mostly straight by James Urbaniak, Matt Walsh, Patton Oswalt, and Paul Scheer. Narrated by Michaela Watkins, the film bounces around somewhat maddeningly in the spirit of the talent, first starting late in life as he looks back with Wasteland editor Mike Gold on insane stories that often baffle readers.
Ross traces the stations of his life using interviews, archival footage, animations (inspired by his stint writing DC Comics’ Wasteland in the late ’80s), audio recordings, and recreations of certain moments in Close’s life played mostly straight by James Urbaniak, Matt Walsh, Patton Oswalt, and Paul Scheer. Narrated by Michaela Watkins, the film bounces around somewhat maddeningly in the spirit of the talent, first starting late in life as he looks back with Wasteland editor Mike Gold on insane stories that often baffle readers.
- 3/25/2020
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: We have confirmed that the Sctv alum and comedy star of such hit pics as Ghostbusters, The Flintstones, Spaceballs, Parenthood has closed a deal to return to the next Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel Shrunk. The movie will be made for the theatrical side, not Disney+.
Disney was trying to quiet rumors that Moranis was returning, but our breaking news today is that Rick Moranis’ deal, is a done deal.
As previously reported, the pic’s original director Joe Johnston will be back with Josh Gad also starring. The movie centers around Gad’s character who is the son of Rick Moranis’ Wayne Szalinski. Son is aspiring to be a great scientist like his father, but accidentally shrinks the kids.
The Honey I Shrunk the Kids movies following the 1989 release spawned Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, the direct to video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. The first two...
Disney was trying to quiet rumors that Moranis was returning, but our breaking news today is that Rick Moranis’ deal, is a done deal.
As previously reported, the pic’s original director Joe Johnston will be back with Josh Gad also starring. The movie centers around Gad’s character who is the son of Rick Moranis’ Wayne Szalinski. Son is aspiring to be a great scientist like his father, but accidentally shrinks the kids.
The Honey I Shrunk the Kids movies following the 1989 release spawned Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, the direct to video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves. The first two...
- 2/12/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Chicago – He has The distinctive rock voice among his generation of 1970s lead singers, and catapulted the group Rush into the stratosphere with hits like “Tom Sawyer,” “Fly by Night” and “Freewill.” He defies all bass player jokes in his years of playing and influencing with that rhythm instrument. Geddy Lee came to Chicago to promote his “Big Beautiful Book of Bass.”
Geddy Lee in Chicago, July 17th, 2019
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Geddy Lee was born in Canada and dropped out of high school to pursue music. The band Rush formed in 1968, and started playing out in Toronto. Their reputation began to heighten in the early 1970s, when they’d open for bands like Aerosmith and Blue Öyster Cult. The mid ‘70s brought mainstream success, as the classic albums “2112,” “A Farewell to Kings” and “Hemispheres” launched FM hits and solidified their hard rock legacy.
Geddy Lee in Chicago, July 17th, 2019
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Geddy Lee was born in Canada and dropped out of high school to pursue music. The band Rush formed in 1968, and started playing out in Toronto. Their reputation began to heighten in the early 1970s, when they’d open for bands like Aerosmith and Blue Öyster Cult. The mid ‘70s brought mainstream success, as the classic albums “2112,” “A Farewell to Kings” and “Hemispheres” launched FM hits and solidified their hard rock legacy.
- 7/22/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
On Monday, July 8 6pm Green Room 42 will present An Evening With Adam Gwon Ordinary Days, 'Submissions Only'. The special event will feature performances by Taylor Iman Jones Head Over Heels, Dave Thomas Brown American Psycho, Arielle Jacobs Aladdin, Jessica Vosk Wicked, Bonnie Milligan Head Over Heels, Ben Fankhauser Newsies, Deborah S. Craig The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Raymond J. Lee Groundhog Day, Sarah Lynn Marion Ordinary Days, Destinee Rea Book of Mormon, Sevan Greene Aftermath, and a special preview of songs from Adam Gwon's new musical Scotland, Pa.Click here for tickets.
- 7/2/2019
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
In the 1980s, Walkmans and slap bracelets were popular, but comedians like Bill Murray and Chevy Chase were king. And a new book reveals that their lives were just as wild as the movies that they starred in.
For instance, Bill Murray, known for both kind and bizarre acts, once reportedly broke a heckler’s arm.
“According to people attending a performance of The National Lampoon Show in New York, after folk singer Martin Mull talked loudly throughout, [Bill] Murray attacked him backstage, bellowing, ‘I’LL Kill Him! I’LL Kill That F—–!'” Nick de Semlyen writes in Wild and...
For instance, Bill Murray, known for both kind and bizarre acts, once reportedly broke a heckler’s arm.
“According to people attending a performance of The National Lampoon Show in New York, after folk singer Martin Mull talked loudly throughout, [Bill] Murray attacked him backstage, bellowing, ‘I’LL Kill Him! I’LL Kill That F—–!'” Nick de Semlyen writes in Wild and...
- 5/30/2019
- by Sam Gillette
- PEOPLE.com
Max von Sydow turned 90 this month, which is a milestone for most people, but age has always seemed incidental to the actor. When he played the elderly, frail Father Merrin in “The Exorcist,” von Sydow was 44 — meaning he was the same age Bradley Cooper is today.
In the 1950s, von Sydow had his big breakthrough in a trio of Ingmar Bergman films — “The Seventh Seal,” “Wild Strawberries” and “The Magician” — while still in his 20s, but with the wisdom and sadness of the world in his eyes. Von Sydow has appeared in such fan favorites as “Game of Thrones,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Rush Hour 3” and David Lynch’s “Dune.” But to most, he’s synonymous with his 11 films for Bergman and “The Exorcist.” In A.D. Murphy’s enthusiastic Variety review of the latter on Dec. 24, 1973, he said of von Sydow, “His performance is one of controlled dedication.
In the 1950s, von Sydow had his big breakthrough in a trio of Ingmar Bergman films — “The Seventh Seal,” “Wild Strawberries” and “The Magician” — while still in his 20s, but with the wisdom and sadness of the world in his eyes. Von Sydow has appeared in such fan favorites as “Game of Thrones,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Rush Hour 3” and David Lynch’s “Dune.” But to most, he’s synonymous with his 11 films for Bergman and “The Exorcist.” In A.D. Murphy’s enthusiastic Variety review of the latter on Dec. 24, 1973, he said of von Sydow, “His performance is one of controlled dedication.
- 4/19/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – It was 25 years ago today – March 4th, 1994 – that comic actor John Candy died on the set of the film “Wagons East.” It was his 45th feature film, that extended back 21 years. One of his co-stars was John C. McGinley, best known as the irascible Perry Cox on the sitcom “Scrubs.” In a HollywoodChicago.com exclusive soundbite below, McGinley describes the atmosphere on the fateful day the cast was told of Candy’s passing.
John Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. After college he had a bug for performing, and eventually ended up in Toronto with the Canadian branch of “The Second City,” which included fellow performers Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy. Radner and Aykroyd went to “Saturday Night Live,” and Candy, O’Hara, Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis and Dave Thomas went on to form the hilarious “Sctv,” which gained cult...
John Candy was born in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. After college he had a bug for performing, and eventually ended up in Toronto with the Canadian branch of “The Second City,” which included fellow performers Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy. Radner and Aykroyd went to “Saturday Night Live,” and Candy, O’Hara, Levy, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis and Dave Thomas went on to form the hilarious “Sctv,” which gained cult...
- 3/5/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Legion M, billed as the world’s “first fan-owned entertainment company,” has promoted David Baxter to vice president of development, where he will oversee the company’s development slate of film, television, and Vr projects with COO and head of content, Terri Lubaroff.
Baxter has been in the spotlight in recent days as a key event producer of the high-profile Star Lee tribute scheduled for Wednesday at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The event will be hosted by Kevin Smith who, like industry veteran Baxter, knew and admired the late Marvel Comics icon for decades.
With more than 25 years in the entertainment industry as a development executive, producer, and award-winning WGA writer, Baxter joined Legion M as the head of content-developing services when the company was formed by Paul Scanlan and Jeff Annisonin in 2016. The company uses the equity crowdfunding laws enabled by the federal Jumpstart Our Business Startups...
Baxter has been in the spotlight in recent days as a key event producer of the high-profile Star Lee tribute scheduled for Wednesday at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The event will be hosted by Kevin Smith who, like industry veteran Baxter, knew and admired the late Marvel Comics icon for decades.
With more than 25 years in the entertainment industry as a development executive, producer, and award-winning WGA writer, Baxter joined Legion M as the head of content-developing services when the company was formed by Paul Scanlan and Jeff Annisonin in 2016. The company uses the equity crowdfunding laws enabled by the federal Jumpstart Our Business Startups...
- 1/29/2019
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
I remember the day — March 4, 1994 — when I learned that John Candy, big of heart and large of funny bone, had died from an apparent heart attack at age 43. I was a movie critic and a film writer in the Life section of USA Today, distracted by the Winter Olympics TV coverage of Nancy Kerrigan’s silver medal comeback. But the minute I heard that one of the warmest and funniest actors around had passed away, I poured myself immediately into writing his appreciation.
As someone who grew up in Buffalo, I was lucky to have early access to “Sctv,” the Canadian sketch-comedy counterpart to “Saturday Night Live,” long before the series was picked up by NBC. I was cued into the genius of Candy and his clowning cohorts Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as they inhabited sundry out-sized characters who worked at a fictitious television station.
As someone who grew up in Buffalo, I was lucky to have early access to “Sctv,” the Canadian sketch-comedy counterpart to “Saturday Night Live,” long before the series was picked up by NBC. I was cued into the genius of Candy and his clowning cohorts Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as they inhabited sundry out-sized characters who worked at a fictitious television station.
- 10/31/2018
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
The New Group has just announcedcomplete casting and the design team forClueless,The MusicalbyAmy Heckerling. This world premiere production, with choreography byKelly Devine, directed byKristin Hanggi, featuresEphie Aardema,Lori Alan,Sara Andreas,Gilbert L. Bailey II,Dove Cameron,Will Connolly,Danielle Marie Gonzalez,Tessa Grady,Talya Groves,Chris Hoch,L'ogan J'ones,Darius Jordan Lee,Justin Mortelliti,Brett Thiele,Dave Thomas BrownandZurin Villanueva withScenic Design byBeowulf Boritt Costume Design byAmy Clark Lighting Design byJason Lyons Sound Design byGareth Owen Projection Design byDarrel MaloneyMusic Supervision, Arrangement and Orchestration byEthan PoppandMusic Direction byMatthew Smedal.Previews beginNovember 20in advance of an Official Opening Night onTuesday, December 11. A limited Off-Broadway engagement is slated throughJanuary 12atThe Pershing Square Signature CenterThe Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, 480 West 42ndStreet.
- 10/9/2018
- by Alexa Criscitiello
- BroadwayWorld.com
Toronto — Loud and abundant hometown love set the tone in Toronto’s historic Elgin Theatre on Sunday, as seven stars of the legendary “Sctv” reunited for a lively conversation filmed in front of a live audience for inclusion in an original Netflix comedy special, set to air in 2019. Beauty, eh? Announced last month, the as-yet-untitled special, directed by Martin Scorsese, will explore the legacy of “Sctv” —the beloved Canadian sketch-comedy series that ran six seasons, between 1976 and 1984, and chronicled the singular oddball characters and outrageously ambitious programming of a small, perpetually underfunded station in fictional Melonville. Three days before the Sunday taping, local excitement heightened when it was confirmed that Rick Moranis — who in 1997 took a hiatus from regular onscreen work — would join previously confirmed “Sctv” members Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas onstage. After the tech checks, the curtain rose on panel moderator Jimmy Kimmel,...
- 5/15/2018
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety Film + TV
A little bit of the DC TV universe is coming to Marvel: Annette O’Toole, who played Clark Kent’s adoptive mother Martha Kent on Smallville, has joined the Netflix drama The Punisher, our sister site Deadline reports.
O’Toole will appear in Season 2 as Eliza Schultz, the conniving wife of Anderson Schultz (Psych‘s Corbin Bernsen, also joining the series), who is an extremely wealthy man not above implementing less-than-legal means to get his way.
Previously announced new cast members for the sophomore season include Floriana Lima (Supergirl), Josh Stewart (Shooter) and Giorgia Whigham (Scream).
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets?...
O’Toole will appear in Season 2 as Eliza Schultz, the conniving wife of Anderson Schultz (Psych‘s Corbin Bernsen, also joining the series), who is an extremely wealthy man not above implementing less-than-legal means to get his way.
Previously announced new cast members for the sophomore season include Floriana Lima (Supergirl), Josh Stewart (Shooter) and Giorgia Whigham (Scream).
Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets?...
- 5/10/2018
- TVLine.com
Comedy legend Rick Moranis will appear in Netflix's upcoming <em>Sctv</em> reunion, <em>An Afternoon With Sctv</em>, after all.
Moranis, who along with Dave Thomas played <em>Sctv</em> and <em>Saturday Night Live</em>'s beer-loving McKenzie brothers during the 1980s, was not named as part of the original castmembers set to participate. The live taping will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday in Toronto.
But Netflix on Thursday confirmed Moranis will appear alongside Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short and Thomas in the comedy special, which is set to launch in 2019. Canada's CTV also boards the project.
Netflix ...
Moranis, who along with Dave Thomas played <em>Sctv</em> and <em>Saturday Night Live</em>'s beer-loving McKenzie brothers during the 1980s, was not named as part of the original castmembers set to participate. The live taping will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday in Toronto.
But Netflix on Thursday confirmed Moranis will appear alongside Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short and Thomas in the comedy special, which is set to launch in 2019. Canada's CTV also boards the project.
Netflix ...
- 5/10/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
If you are familiar with the Canadian sketch comedy series Second City Television, you'll be happy to learn that Martin Scorsese is going to direct a retrospective comedy special for Netflix that revolves around Sctv.
The special will explore the legacy of Sct and it will reunite original stars Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Joe Flaherty. They will come together to discuss the series with Jimmy Kimmel who will be moderating the discussion.
The panel will be called An Afternoon with Sctv, and thanks to Variety, we have the following information on how the series will come together:
The panel, which will be filmed in front of a live audience at Toronto’s historic Elgin Theatre on May 13, will be included as part of the special, and will be produced by longtime Sctv producer Andrew Alexander, along with Emma Tillinger Koskoff of Scorsese...
The special will explore the legacy of Sct and it will reunite original stars Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Joe Flaherty. They will come together to discuss the series with Jimmy Kimmel who will be moderating the discussion.
The panel will be called An Afternoon with Sctv, and thanks to Variety, we have the following information on how the series will come together:
The panel, which will be filmed in front of a live audience at Toronto’s historic Elgin Theatre on May 13, will be included as part of the special, and will be produced by longtime Sctv producer Andrew Alexander, along with Emma Tillinger Koskoff of Scorsese...
- 4/13/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Netflix continues to score new comedy specials attached to big names. The streaming service announced that Martin Scorsese will direct an upcoming special about the sketch comedy show, Second City Television.
Sctv aired from 1976 though 1984 in Canada; during several of those years, it also ran on NBC in the U.S. The show was nominated for more than a dozen Emmys, and it won the award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program in both 1982 and 1983. Harold Ramis was heavily involved with Sctv before making Animal House,...
Sctv aired from 1976 though 1984 in Canada; during several of those years, it also ran on NBC in the U.S. The show was nominated for more than a dozen Emmys, and it won the award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety, Music or Comedy Program in both 1982 and 1983. Harold Ramis was heavily involved with Sctv before making Animal House,...
- 4/12/2018
- Rollingstone.com
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