Check out comedian Graham Kay’s new special on Crave!

 A good sense of humour is often described as an important skill to leading a fulfilling and successful life. For Ottawa native Graham Kay humour is a lifestyle and career. As an award-winning stand-up comedian, actor and TV writer, Kay has been described as “quick, clever, deliciously sarcastic and brilliantly

Coming Out with Scott Thompson

 “Now I may have been born yesterday, but I still went shopping.” -Buddy Cole From coming out of the closet and into The Hall, comedy to cancer, Buddy to bombings, Brampton to Baghdad and all stops in between, Ottawa Life Magazine presents a career spanning interview with Kids In The Hall's

DeAnne Smith to Headline ‘Laugh Out Proud XII’ at Yuk Yuk’s Ottawa

 None other than the hilariously talented DeAnne Smith will be headlining Yuk Yuk’s 12th annual Laugh Out Proud Show to celebrate Pride Week from August 17th to 19th. Audiences around the world have reveled in DeAnne’s fast-paced wit, at the renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, the

Matt Watts and Bob Martin: Still crazy after all these years

 There’s a moment in the second episode of CBC’s revived Michael: Every Day where actor and series co-creator Bob Martin’s character David Storper, while racing down a hotel hallway thieving food off a room-service cart before opting to just take the entire thing wheels and all, states how he hasn’t “had

The Ottawa Improv Festival: Making It up as They Go Along

 Quest of the Dragon King. All photos courtesy of the Ottawa Improv Festival.  Before we had the movies, Broadway, opera, Shakespeare and even the ability to write scripts, our early ancestors were thespians of perhaps our oldest form of entertainment, improvisational theatre. It may surprise you that the first documented

The Fantastic Phoenix Players

 Now in their 14th season, the Phoenix Players have been thrilling audiences with their entertaining and thought-provoking productions since 2001. The Players are a community theatre group on a mission to produce quality and an accessible theatre experiences for all. The group offers the opportunity for anyone to join the

Theatre-Inception at the Gladstone – Anton in Show Business

 Photo courtesy of Three Sisters Theatre Company. From now through March 5th, theatre-inception is happening nightly at the Gladstone Theatre. (Theatre-inception? What’s that – a play within a play?) Anton in Show Business – a satirical comedy billed as “Seven women. Thirteen characters. Two scripts. Mayhem.” – is an insightful

What Happened to ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ After They Robbed the Casinos?

 The American Comedy Ocean’s Eleven (2001) was an unusual work by Steven Soderbergh. The light hearted movie was a remake of a 1960 movie bearing the same title. The movie had an all-star cast, featuring big names like George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. The two sequels, namely Ocean’s

A Plan for a Vibrant and Sustainable CBC

 The Senate Standing Committee on Transport and Communications has released a report on the future of the CBC. I was a part of that study, but I could not support the report. Some Conservative members of the committee spent too much time denouncing the CBC and not enough time on

Feel the Love with Odyssey Theatre

 All photos by Maria Vartanova. Odyssey Theatre, the open-air theatre in Strathcona Park that specializes in telling stories with the use of masks, opened its 30th season on Sunday night, and this year’s theme is love. With a nod to three Spanish literary giants, (Cervantes and Tirso de Molina from

9th Hour Brings Comedy and Conflict to the Stage

 Above: Johnny Eaton, Mary Beth Pongrac, David Plouffe, George Dutch, Benoit Trudel, Robin Guy. Photo credit: Andre R. Gagne. The Ottawa premiere of Arthur Miller’s The Creation of the World and Other Business is here! 9th Hour Theatre Company is bringing this thought-provoking production to the Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre from July

The Kids are Alright

 Photo credit: David Hawe There is only one place you should be on Sunday night at 8 p.m. and that is at the National Arts Centre to catch the only Ottawa performance by Kids in The Hall (KITH). Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson have

Joking around for over 30 years

 As a mainstay in the Canadian comedy scene, Yuk Yuk’s entertains audiences with laughter across the country. This past year marked the franchise’s 30th anniversary. A lot has happened in the last three decades. Formed with the intention of providing an outlet to local comics in Toronto, Yuk Yuk’s performances

Take a stroll in Moss Park

 Photo: Mark Halliday Any play by Canadian playwright George F. Walker is a satisfying theatre experience. Sometimes disturbing, funny, moving or sad—sometimes all at the same time. Walker’s work is always thought provoking and entertaining. Last year, the Great Canadian Theatre Company’s season included the hilariously brilliant moral-questioning Walker comedy,

Schitt’s Creek: A Levy Twist on TV Comedy

 Photos courtesy of CBC Something new is coming to the CBC, and it has the makings of a big hit. The highly anticipated CBC comedy Schitt’s Creek premieres tonight, Jan. 13, and with this all-star Canadian cast, we will definitely be tuning in. The show follows the filthy rich Rose

Calling All Comedy Lovers

 For Luigi Saracino, acting has been a life-long involvement. Having been an actor for nearly 30 years, Saracino has seen many different sides of the industry. He is now taking on a new challenge with fellow actor friends Peter M. Dillon and Gregory Wilson. CBC is running a contest called

Making the Most of Fall and Winter: 2014/15 Ottawa Event Guide

 “I’m bored! What should we do?” This familiar question far too often doesn’t have an answer. Stop right there! Look no further! OLM’s Fall and Winter Event Guide is here to relieve your boredom. With the turning of the seasons comes many new activities to kick the fall and winter blues

Emmy Awards Recap

 Did you watch the 66th annual Emmy Awards on Monday night? We were tuned in from the red carpet to the finale. The fabulous fashion and the hilarious hosting job by SNL-alum Seth Meyers made for a fantastic evening of entertainment. We were ecstatic to see that some of our

Come Blow Your Horn: Perth’s Classic Theatre Festival

 Calling all theatre lovers! The fifth annual Classic Theatre Festival is happening right now in Heritage Perth, Ontario. With plays going on until the end of August, you will not want to miss a show. One play gaining much praise is Neil Simon’s comedy Come Blow Your Horn-- based on

Diary of a Jazz Fest Goer

 When I lived with my parents, Saturday afternoons meant it was jazz time. Actually, any time was really jazz time, but Saturday afternoons especially. Latin Jazz would heat up my living room as Café Latino host Laura Fernandez shared her favourites. Whether my family was busy or not, we would

Thai Films Start with Comedy, End with Horror

 The Canadian Film Institute (CFI), in collaboration with the Royal Thai Embassy, is presenting a series of contemporary Thai films. Entitled With or Without a Soul?: Thai Film Series, the presentation encompasses ?ve ?lms, from September 7 to 14, 2013, in Ottawa, and is offered free for the general public.