Russell Peters Vancouver

Aim, my favourite political scientist, has a new tenured professorship  in Asian Studies at University of Sydney, Australia.  As a doctor and international consultant, she shrieks and hoots at Russell Peters insane multi cultural Indo Canadian humour. Her husband, a serious consultant in the mining industry, shakes his whole body when Russell Peters lays it all out.  Personally I was in a rare zone of continuing laughter hearing myself outside of myself laughing cackling, coughing, meditatively out of body with continuous unceasing laughter and a shit eating grin on my face that stayed throughout the whole performance.
Typical of edgy Russell, his show opened with a local gay comedian Canucks fan D’arcy Michael whose stoner butt humour was great. I especially his line, (paraphrased) “I got married as a gay man so now don’t get sex anymore except maybe once a year on my birthday.”
New York Jewish comedian, Gregg Rogell followed with dead pan intellectual humour reminiscent of Seinfeld stand up, paraphrased, “I learned the Greeks celebrate a second easter a week later, what’s with that, did Jesus do an encore resurrection just for them?"
But Russell Peters had me laughing from the get go like I haven’t laughed at comedy since we heard Bill Cosby’s Baby Cart Wheels age 12. Masturbation jokes, Paraphrased, “this internet porn is really advanced since my age, we only had pictures and if we wanted movement we had to move them up and down with our hand.’  His facial expression of an Indian mother telling her teen age son that she wants him to become a doctor will remain with me for life. I don’t know how he made that face but it was as priceless as his demonstration of why white men shouldn’t dance.  I’ll never look at a white man dancing again.  I loved his multiculturalism, and his jokes with blacks, and whites, latinos and chinese in the audience. To one asian man, (paraphrased) “what type of asian are you?”  “Chinese’, “That’s the main kind isn’t it?”  He almost has me in tears telling tales of his family in that priceless East Indian accent, because, well, his father sounds just like my father who is Scottish Canadian. Russell Peters, potty mouth not withstanding, (paraphrased)  “It’s a good thing I could get a job in comedy because you know my mouth would have caused me countless problems in the corporate world”   transcends history and culture and brings it home to us what a great and similar human family we are.
So go to U tube, enjoy Russell Peters.  I loved his Goat Farting jokes and stories of Bombay. I’ve  been to Bombay and I love it too.  I’m so glad I made it to this ‘almost famous tour’.  It’s a highlight of the year, a packed Rogers Arena.  Something real good to be apart of. Not spiritual in the ‘god on a cloud’ sense but spiritual in the we all have hearts and genitals and assholes sense.  My chest still hurts from the laughter.

Eddie Izzard Vancouver

I'm very thankful to Marc Beaudry and Dr. Aim Sinpeng for inviting me to join them and their friends Christina and Nick to attend the latest Eddie Izzard tour.  This would be Marc's 6th show.  Marc and Aim love comedy.  I was gung-ho to come along, having laughed aloud watching clips of "Dressed to Kill" on You Tube.
Eddie Izzard, in the long tradition of British comedy, is a self proclaimed Transvestite.  Benny Hill and Monty Python might not have used that 'term' themselves but were very much into wearing frocks.  I expected Eddie to appear in a ball gown or something similarly feminine formal, so was surprised by the well tailored black suit, the only tell tale giveaways being the long red nails and high heels.
After coming out, he launched into non stop humour for the first hour and a half.  He's all over the map with improv, non sequiturs, hilarious rewriting of history and various small animals  and aliens thrown into the mix.  He's many people on stage rambling about to himself,doing the most incredible visible comedy and a range of noises, most notable a chicken voice.
He began by saying that he was delighted to be in Vancouver and thought that other British,  Captain Vancouver, must have been equally delighted to find this enjoyable west coast place that already had his same name. There followed an explanation of the advent of democracy in England with the Magna Carta, translated 'Big Card' ,in which men with lots of money and land were given the vote.  
I was sure my brain's neuroplasticity has been tested by the end of the first hour and half. But in the second hour and a half, my guts would be tested too, as his demonstration of Dressage Horseback riding, would have me nearly dying from belly laughing. He thought it lacked sufficient meaning or outcome for an olympic sporting event, so that it might benefit from being linked to cat burglary, to give some audience appeal.  With that he demonstrated a horseman sneaking his huge dressage horse through a window then parking it in a cupboard while he vandalized the place before making a getaway dressage style out the window and down the street.
I simply didn't know where the second hour went with it's Steve God and Darth Vader's brother and an endless list of brilliantly inane skits.  He even sang ballads with a Frank Sinatra voice but with lyrics the likes never heard in Hollywood.
After the standing ovations at the end and the summing return and more standing ovations he said he'd take a moment for questions and answers in the lobby at the end of the show.  Well, here was this man who'd run countless marathons for charity and was running for Mayor of London in upcoming elections.  He was learned, bright, witty and fun.  What a great after show treat.
Thank you Mark and Aim for an amazing night. Eddie Izzard rules!  Death or Cake!

The Foreigner

I laughed and laughed and laughed some more. I couldn't hear myself laughing because everyone in the packed audience was laughing right along with me. The only surprise was that the actors weren't laughing.  Deadpan comedy, slapstick and very witty repartee.  Every form of humour known seemed to play across the stage.  And I loved it!
Evan Frayne directs the Larry Shue play, The Foreigner,

 at the Pacific Theatre, 1440 West 12th Avenue at Hemlock, Vancouver. John Voth plays Charlie, the shy and boring friend of his hale merry soldier friend, Froggy, played by Ryan Scamstad.  Charlie accompanies Froggy to America where he stays the weekend with Betty played by Erla Fay Forsyth.  At this home, David, played by Mark Gordon, a minister, and his fiancee, the heiress, Catherine, played by Kaitlin Williams, are staying as well.  Ellard, played by Peter Callone, is the 'slow' brother of Kaitlin.  Owen, played by Byron Noble, is the dubious 'friend' of the minister.   These are the characters who the actors make come alive.
To tell the plot would be a spoiler but it begins with Froggy telling Betty that Charlie is a 'foreigner' who can't speak English.  From this Charlie learns secrets and schemes and enchantments.  The twists and turns are a marvel to behold. The writer's mind must be a thing of rare beauty to have come up with this genius which the director and actors have mined as gold.
Great set, great props, great special effects. All round a fabulous evening. Thank you Pacific Theatre!

Leslie Jordan

Thanks to Moon I heard and attended Leslie Jordan's comedy show, "Fruit Fly: Do Gay Men Really Become their Mothers?"  Leslie Jordan won the 2006 Emmy for outstanding guest actor in a comedy series for his work on Will and Grace.  He's also appeared in Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Monk and Murphy Brown. Tonight's sold out show was featured at the Orpheum Annex and sponsored by the Filmore Family.  The Loving Spoonful charity was advertised with Fred Lee, among others, promoting their upcoming  "Awesome Race' fund raiser.
Then Leslie Jordan was simply non stop storytelling heart stroking and more wonderful with his witty reflections on growing up gay in a military family in the Chattanooga south, his mother's favourite until the twins.  Grand photo shot backdrops in black and white and early kodak colour captured this very well dressed little boy whose family really did epitomize 'Father Knows Best' until Father died and the stepfather stepped in.  How extraordinary to hear this remarkably funny story of deep pathos, resilience and entertainment.
I was simply enthralled by the performance and the humour had me bursting out in gut wrenching laughter.  I was almost in tears when he explained that his southern belle mother getting traveller's cheques for the first time was asked by the  bank teller , "what denomination?"  answered, Baptist.
After, I bought his latest book, "My Trip Down the Pink Carpet". I  enjoyed being able to have my picture taken with the "author" at this after show impromptu signing, even if it does look like I'm groping him.
Moon who'd  seen him here when she was last visiting Vancouver shared  recollections to their mutual amusement.  Two Americans meeting again and again in Canada.  Thank you Leslie for a heart warming evening. I am so glad you keep coming back as I too  hope to see you again and again!

St. Trinian's II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold (2009)

This is chick flick humor at its finest.  Still, it stars Colin Firth who no doubt won the oscar for King's Speech based on his role in St. Trinians.  Rupert Everett is a regular monty python character who escaped from the British asylum for comedians. .  Talulah Riley, Jodie Whittaker, Juno Temple, Sarah Harding and all the girls, especially the little ones make this treasure hunt cross action flick truly entertaining.  Talulah Riley head spins like Carrie but she's more a foxy young Emma Peel. The music is great.  The costumes are terrific. The cast of characters is stupendous. All round a thoroughly enjoyable romp.  Shakespeare would definitely approve posthumously.

St Trinian's is based on a 1940's comic strip that parody's the british girl's schools of the day. Rather than the refined gentle interaction of little ladies, the comic strip showed bad girls pitch forking each other in rather rough team sports.  St. Trinian's I is was released in 2007. Definitely on the must see list now.

Old Dogs

http://disneydvd.disney.go.com/old-dogs.htmlWalt Disney's Old Dogs movie with Robbin Williams and John Travolta is best watched in an intensive care unit. I personally choked on my coke laughing. Laura cried so hard with laughter she needed a transfusion. It's that kind of movie. Beware. Don't go there without an Oxygen Tank.

Marina Park Boys and Girls - Television Series/Movie Proposal

This is a television series proposal for a North Vancouver spin off of the classics "trailer park boys"/gas station corner/seinfeld in the rough/friends without too much education/office without typewriter/and the in the city northern town series. Hawaii 5.0 figures into the dog chase scenes along with Sex in the City with overalls.

It is set in the Mosquito Creek Marina which is First Nations owned. The Roman Catholic Cathedral run by the Oblates stands in the background. Pop Eyes the second hand Marine exchange store stands around the corner. The cafe in the Marina is a truly funky little place run by a great motorcycle riding chef. The marina is stock full of real life characters. No money has to be spent on actor training, costume or make up making this a truly low budget production with high appeal.

First Nation chiefs and war canoes. The political French Canadians who believe that Chretien is the Messiah and claim he had a virgin birth and get into trouble with the locals trying to erect a statue of poor Jean and insist that all radio communication on the coast be in French and English. The really hot Lesbian solo sailor has a stocker for an ex husband.. The wry Jewish survivor of the israeli wars with ptsd lives isolated on his converted fishing boat and attends sexaholic anonymous. The old English second brother of the Earl has seen better times, and is always drunk. Bimbos in high heels loung on the decks of fancy motor yachts with big engines. All manner of down to earth craftsman with sage wisdom pass in and out of the series. There's Barry the Welder and his loveable wife Andria. Then there's the quiet genius rigger Stewart from Pro Tek. The backwoods ski guide , sometime Tugboat Captain has the gorgeous brilliant erotic Emily Carr art professor girlfriend. The boat lift operator, a truly savy character, knows everyone and everything. Nobody messes with him. He's the friend of the good guys and doesn't tolerate the arrogant. There's off shore sailors, weekend sailing idiots, power boat stock brokers and tobacco boat criminals. Alongside this mess are the good and bad boat dealers shady as the proverbial used car salesman. People are routinely buy used boats without parts while the new yacht sales man has too much integrity to make any profit

The Marina Park Boys and Girls are a rag tag collection of boat owners and wannabes. It's illegal to live aboard. Some are and some are outfitting their boats so are there but aren't. Some have jobs. Some live on pensions. There's dogs and cats and boa constrictors. It's an amazing and vibrant west coast community. The stories are hilarious and it's a constant circus of entertainment. The weekday guys are handy and the weekend guys are clutzs. The weekday 'molls' are heart of gold seen alot of life sisters while the weekend girls are innocent silly newbies wearing tevas and white shorts.

There's grease and broken hearts and tiffs and soap opera with all the drama usually left on afternoon tv.

The series open with the terrorist bomb weilding drug smuggling tobacco boats and the RCMP along with First Nations constables saving the day. The police dog poodle actually saves the day. The cammo coloured nasdiq wearing suicide bomber women refuse to go through with the bombing when they learn what Canada will do to their husbands and how they will be put up and given an education at Simon Frazer if they in their C4. They were conspicuous in the west coast marina. They've not had the cultural awareness training and not fully prepped for the bombing/theft of the amazing Jimmy Pattison yacht with helicopter pad situated outside Canada Place. The Chase scenes go around Coal Harbour and end in running chase through the white haired lawn bowling in Stanley Park.

Another scene involves the mysterious exploding Electroscan shitter Zapper.

Another scene involves the "new boat owner".

There's the party with the Jim Byrnes band to raise money for the new war canoe. The war canoes are used for a ceremonial taking over of the Parliament Buildings of Victoria to object to the polluting of the salmon run waters.

There's the Tall Ships going aground in the marina. Scuba diving and saving the killer whale expedition. The fishermen and the forest fire water bombers. Definitely there's an Irish story telling doctor and some displaced Newfies. There's the loggers living on boats and working the north shore. There's the muffin lady.

There's the moving of the sea walrus out of the harbour because thier loud love making is disturbing the evangelicals - naturally a war takes place between the Oblates and the Evangelicals whose community church is always frowning on the First Nations ways. Meanwhile Jesus actually walks on water in the harbour and the government says it's a metereological phenomena.

Aliens land in the marina and take some of the things they find in Pop Eyes saying they didn't know they could still be found anywhere in the galaxy and that they're absolultely necessary to fixing their spaceship. Barry the welder fixes a strut on the landing gear.

Meanwhile some of the guys have been working on a bathtub for the annual Nanaimo Vancouver bathtub race but there's is a unit that will pass inspection initially but has the underwater carriage to take a jet rocket removed from a ski doo to give the entrants an edge. The guys from Trinity have surreptitiously helped while the jewish guy turns out to be a computer engineer who did counter terrorist rocket propulsion stuff in the middle east. He falls in love with the Oblate nun who cures his sex addiction for Jesus. There's alot of problems with the rocket propelled bathtub that almost make it into the Darwin Awards. The only one who will drive the thing is a Chinese Chiropractor who says it's just like riding a Buell. He works out of his houseboat. In the end its disqualified but he technology is bought up by Jimmy Patterson who uses the computer technology to develop a new safe car that is produced in Canada and puts Volvo out of business because the Canadian car is safer and sexy.

There's a scene too where the Canadian label clothes designer decides to have a modelling film shoot using the dock for a run way. Some spectacular dunks occur with Italian models falling in the brink with spectacular rescues by locals. Beginning of love stories and more deck bling.

That's the gist of it.

You really wouldn't have to be too creative because the characters with their grow operations, home made wine, AA meetings and religious conversions after bizarre events are a daily feature of the Mosquito Creek/Lynnwood Marina scene.

I know. I've lived there. I got rid of my television when I found out I could just sit and watch the dock and get much more entertainment from my friends and all the local flavour. There's Shakespeare and Billy Graham, John Rauls, Keynes and Virgina Wolf all vying for attention on a daily basis. The comedy is incredible. Of course great comedy always occurs in the midst of tragedy but the laughter always surpasses the tears in the marina. Hurricanes are a fact of life as are tsunamis. The laughter gets us through.