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.
Second City’s new show, The Meme-ing of Life, which examines technology’s impact on modern relationships, induces nostalgic feelings for a time when people spent more time talking than texting. From sifting through online dating profiles on Lavalife’s website to coping with YouTube addictions, The Meme-ing of Life essentially covers everything in today’s zeitgeist.
One wonderful sketch features a driver (Jan Caruana) intensely frustrated with a border crossing guard (Nigel Downer). The majority of Torontonians seem to have a funny story about discretely indulging in shopping sprees abroad or hiding beer in the trunk, so this is remarkably relatable material. Next time you and your partner drive to the United States and they ask if you have anything to declare, perhaps you should test out the following line as your response: “Yes, officer, our love.”
While it’s easy to bond over stories about crossing the border, few local experiences compare to encounters with sketchy people on the TTC. Another sketch effectively pokes fun at how single people can potentially find love amidst all the smelly commuters. Through interactions that gradually become flirtatious, a man’s efforts to sit in the seat a woman reserves for her purse eventually lead to a make-out session on public transit. Local newspapers are filled with stories of missed connections, so theirs is perfectly suitable for a dating story about Generation Y’s hook-up culture.
It won’t be included on his next album, so there won’t be a music video to accompany it, but you can listen to it here and enjoy.
After sending a pitch to Lady Gaga’s manager, Lady Gaga asked to hear the song in addition to reading the lyrics and then said that she would not allow Weird Al to include it in his upcoming record.
Here’s how he described his clever parody, as posted on his blog:
The basic concept is that I, as a Lady Gaga doppelganger of sorts, describe the incredibly extravagant ways in which I perform on stage. Meat dresses and giant eggs would most likely be referenced, but also much more ridiculous made-up examples of bizarre wardrobe and stage production. As with all my parodies, it would be respectful of the artist, while having a bit of fun with her larger-than-life image.
In the meantime, we can only imagine what else the comedian has in store for fans. Who knows, perhaps Lady Gaga will change her mind about the song on a w-h-i-m.