It had been way too long since I went onstage, so I went back to the Second City Training Centre. I just wrapped up stand-up comedy classes with a final show and it was the best thing I’ve done in a long time.
comedy
I’ve attended a couple great shows at Just for Laughs in Toronto, featuring Lena Dunham and Miranda Sings. I’m a huge fan of Jenny Slate’s acting chops, so I was thrilled to see she was part of the lineup for this year’s festival.
Yesterday I went to see a conversation with Jenny Slate at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and it was amazing. I knew I was going to like the event as soon as she said, “film sets are a lot like camp.”
There’s nothing like getting an abortion on Valentine’s Day. Or finding out that you’re unemployed. Or becoming pregnant from a one night stand. It officially sucks to be Donna Stern.
Donna (Jenny Slate) has worked in an independent bookstore for over five years, but she’s anything but nerdy. She wears lots of cardigans, but she’s hardly meek. She’s just an average 28-year-old Jewish comedian living paycheque to paycheque in Brooklyn. She would rather drink with friends than worry about her future—in a totally non-alcoholic way.
I don’t always wear my glasses, but they were a mandatory accessory when I went to Dan Levy’s party at Jonathan+Olivia. When MTV Canada’s The After Show was on air, Jessi Cruickshank stood out as a redhead, while Dan Levy’s distinguishing characteristic was his glasses.
There is “so much [comedic] talent out there and not enough time to show it all,” Sandra Bullock astutely said during the People’s Choice Awards. The award-winning star of The Heat and Gravity took home four trophies on Wednesday night, while I sat at home wishing I had her brown wavy locks.
Kat Dennings, my other favourite brunette Hollywood star, dazzled in her role as co-host. When she quoted fans’ tweets and introduced which song Beth Behrs would sing next, she quickly made that segment a highlight of the 40th People’s Choice Awards. I promised my Facebook friends that I won’t blog more about the dance move Miley popularized last year, so let’s just say Beth’s rendition of Wrecking Ball was epic. Matt LeBlanc joked about singing a song too, but claimed that he couldn’t due to time constraints. The former Friends star then announced that The Big Bang Theory (the show with a Barenaked Ladies theme song) was named Favourite Network TV Comedy.
Kaley Cuoco AKA television’s sweetest newlywed accepted the award for Favourite Comedic TV Actress. She started the year with a bang by wearing a pink Vera Wang dress to her wedding, which she decorated with an upside-down cake hanging from a chandelier. Watching her in the opening sequence on the set of 2 Broke Girls was amusing. Remember, stars are just like us. They’re busy people who care about loyalty programs at Jamba Juice.
Whereas Justin Timberlake spoke about his team in the context of how they’re obligated to deal with his neuroses, Jennifer Hudson brought her sister into the spotlight to emphasize the importance of teamwork and family. “My mother always taught us that without family, you have nothing,” she said. Cover girl material right there. Sponsorship-related pun intended.
Surprisingly, last night marked the first time Britney Spears won her a People’s Choice Award. Britney celebrated her prize and comeback in a dress that screamed Las Vegas style and reminded me how much I want to return to the west coast.