On-Camera Hosting for Canada Business Ontario January 13, 2012
Canada Business Ontario, a joint agency of the federal and Ontario governments that helps entrepreneurs start and expand small businesses, recently released a series of promotional videos, co-hosted by me, in both English and French. To check them out, click here (for English) or ici (for Français).
My First Lead in A Dramatic Short: Taken November 13, 2011
On November 11, 12, and 13, 2011, I was on location shooting a new dramtic short film, tentatively entitled Taken, in the Cambridge, ON area, about 2 hours west of Toronto. It's a psychological thriller that poses a moral dilemma--can taking a life ever be justified? In the film, I play a man who is on the edge after he learns of a crushing betrayal by his wife; when he decides to right the wrong by taking the law into his own hands, tragic results soon follow. For pictures from the set, click on the new Taken gallery here.
QCC Performs at the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival on November 9 at 10 pm November 5, 2011
We are so psyched for this show! The Festival headliners are 2 of the Kids in the Hall (Scott Thompson and Kevin McDonald), plus the freshest funny faces on the Comedy Network, Halifax's Picnicface! My troupe, the Queer Comedy Collective, will be performing a short 20-minute set on Wednesday, November 9, 2011 at 10 pm at the Lower Ossington Theatre, 100A Ossington Avenue, Toronto, ON. You can buy tickets online by clicking here. And check out our Facebook event page by clicking here.
First Promo for the new QCC Show on Oct. 27, 28, and 29 October 6, 2011 Mark your calendars, 'cause this show's gonna' rock!
A New Sketch Comedy Troupe Is Born! June 26, 2011 My brand new sketch comedy troupe, the Queer Comedy Collective, debuted its first show ever on June 22, 23, and 24, 2011 at Bread & Circus in Toronto. Although we kept promotion to a minimum (since we wanted to see how things would actually turn out before telling the world about our little project!), we did nevertheless manage to get a bit of media coverage (in particular, in local Toronto weeklies, Faband Xtra). On our last night, we played to a packed house, and got some amazing feedback from all 3 shows, which was very gratifying. So based on popular demand, we are now planning to remount the show later this year for a longer run and even bigger audiences! Stay tuned!
The QCC players, taking their final bows on June 23, 2011! (From l. to r.: Lindy Zucker,
Andrya Duff, Susan Fischer, Robert Keller, and Darryl Dinn.) My Feature Film Debut July 2010
Here are some stills from a new independent romantic comedy that I shot this summer in Toronto. In it, I play Baz, a middle-school teacher with a major chip on his shoulder. Hi-LAR-ious! The movie is in post-production, and we are hoping it will make the festival rounds at some point in 2011. Stay tuned for details!
Showin' the kids who's boss in my classroom.
Our overnight shoot at a luxurious, unnamed restaurant. (It rhymes with
"Pile Stones.") Apparently, I was in the middle of negotiating a real estate deal.
My Debut at the Atlantic Theatre Company November 2009
This past October, I was featured in Ice Cream (Anti-)Social, an evening of one-act plays, including pieces by Christopher Durang, Mary Gallagher, and Howard Korder, presented by the Conservatory Class of 2010 of the Atlantic Acting School, at Atlantic Stage 2 in New York.
New York comedy... in Montreal! Sept. 2009
On August 20, 21, and 22, 2009, I premiered The Manhattan Comedy Project, a new live comedy show, at the Theatre Ste. Catherine in Montreal, Canada. I hosted, and the show featured comedians Paul Case, Shawn Hollenbach, Leah Dubie, and cult musical sensation Wendy Ho. Plus Quebec chanteuse Celine Dion, who recently announced her latest pregnancy, dropped by too! We got some great media coverage and had four jam-packed shows. Future dates and locations are in the works for 2010, so check out the show's website (www.manhattancomedyproject.com) for more information and to find out if the The Manhattan Comedy Project is coming to a city near you some time soon!
Rehearsing with comedienne Leah Dubie at
Theatre Ste. Catherine in Montreal, on August 20, 2009.
Fashion Can Be a B%$#! Sept. 2009
In May 2009, I taped a pilot for a new dramatic series entitled Green Room, which takes you behind the scenes at a bustling NYC fashion sales agency. I play Phillip, the irascible and eccentric fashion publicist. Our pilot has was chosen as an "Official Selection" in the Independent Pilot Competition of the 2009 New York Television Festival. (So look out Ugly Betty!) Viewing events took place from late September 2009 in Midtown Manhattan. (Click here for pics.) For more details, visit www.nytvf.com. And you can watch the trailer here:
Here She Comes, Miss International June 2009
On May 31, 2009, while I was out in L.A. living la vida California for a month, I was fortunate enough to be asked to take part in a live, one-night-only comedy extravaganza at the famous Acme Comedy Theatre, crowning the new Miss International Princess! (I was not the winner.) I was playing Zachary Z., "world-renowned" celebrity stylist (to huge stars like Morgan Fairchild, Joyce DeWitt, and Charro), and I got to comment on each of the contestant's evening wear. Among Zachary's choice catch-phrases were: "Zantastic!"; "Z-plus!" and "Girl, in that outfit, I wanna ZEX you up!" (Please, please--hold your applause! I'm blushing, already.)
The show was hosted by comedian, actor, and author Paul Ryan, who recently appeared on Desperate Housewives as Bruce (the guy with the scary facelift--check out the hilarious clip here).
I'm on the far right, holding a flower-print, draw-string bag--in a very masculine way, naturally--
standing next to Paul Ryan, who in real life is SO not as scary looking as Bruce from "Desperate Housewives."
It was truly an awesome night! The show was sold out, and we got a huge response from the audience.
I also got to schmooze with the celebrity judges, including Estelle Harris, who played George Costanza's mother on Seinfeld (among other famous cranky old yentas).
Yes, Estelle Harris is that old and cranky in real life.
Celine Has A Message about the Beijing Games Sept. 2008
On August 22, 2008, Celine stopped by the studios of here! TV to offer a special message of hope to that little Chinese girl who wasn't allowed to perform the theme song of the Beijing Games' opening ceremony because she was "not cute enough." Here is a clip from the 08.22.08 podcast of here! TV's Busted:
The Money Minute May 2008 Here is a comedy short that I wrote and produced, which pokes fun at the "financial advice" segments that you see on cable news and public television. Enjoy. (And leave me comments, youtubers!)
