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According to yesterday’s CBC News article about the upcoming summer season of the Charlottetown Festival:

Sketch-22 heads for the Big Dance

Local comedy troupe Sketch-22 has been picked up by the festival. The group will perform at the Mack Theatre.

“This is awesome we’re so excited, we put so much work into this
show for five years, I think this is sort of a sign to us our hard work
is paying off,” said founding member Andrew Sprague.

“This validates Sketch-22, and because of this we promise to make much less fun of the Confederation Centre of the Arts.”

Sketch-22 is well known for its sometimes crude spoofs of Island life.

The Big Dance?  Anyway, I was just impressed in the size of the font we received compared to any of the other performances mentioned.

And, while we (Sketch22) have been assaulted in the past by critical reviews from Guardian and CBC commenters, I have a feeling we’ve just entered into a whole new realm and level of attack.  To wit:

In the comments to the above-linked article, WILMOTDAVE had this to say about the news:

Sketch 22?
Wow how new and innovative to justify poor comedy at the expense of the rest of us.
One day Obama which was for change and now going backward to a cesspool of asinine and weak comedy.

With that Obama mention, is he insinuating that our comedy is akin to the Presidency of George Bush?  If so: Ouch!

Still, I am inclined to have “cesspool of asinine and weak comedy” added to any future PR for our group.

Let the backlash continue!!

Wait for it!!

So, for a long, long, time, I’ve had this idea where I get a big group of people together, a choir, and we dissect a song and each of us in the choir take one dissection of that song and interpret it using only our mouths. So, one person (or more, depending on difficulty) would make the bass guitar sounds, some more would “sing” the percussion sounds, others would sing the guitar sounds, etc.
I’ve had a desire to do this for a long time, as I’ve said.  I thought it would be challenging and original. As recently as last week, I was thinking about what song would be a good one to do.

But now, this morning, my desire to do it has disappeared because, this morning, I saw this video.  And now that it’s done, I don’t have to do think about it any more.

This might be the best thing ever:

Grahpic Design by the amazing Laura O’Brien
Chimp Logo by Russell Stewart (also amazing)

“THUNDERCRACK!” IS ON ITS WAY – NOV 18

Track Listing:

1. The Living End
2. Boy Likes Girl
3. Nectar
4. Killer Bees
5. So Exquisite Harbour
6. Love Song for David Arquette
7. Tonight (Alright)
8. Pillow Talk
9. Poot
10. Red Asphalt
11. Retarde d’Amour
12. We Be Chimp

Don’t miss the fantastic Thundercrack! CD Release Party, November 15th at Babas.  A list of performers to blow your mind, all covering these 12 Chimp songs.

FOX has a new show this season, called "Hole In The Wall".  If you haven’t seen it, check it out immediately.  And by "immediately" I mean "never".

What a terrible, boring show.  Here’s the concept:  There are two teams of three.  All are dressed in silver jumpsuits (it’s not gay porn).  In turn, the two teams’ members stand on the playing area, and a giant foam wall moves towards them.  There’s a shape cut out of the foam wall, and as the wall passes by, the contestants have to emulate the shape so that the wall passes by free and clear.  If they fail, the wall pushes them in the water.

That’s the show.

I’ve seen clips of the Japanese version on YouTube and they are mildly amusing in a "highlights of clips" format.  But watching the sections between the "action" is interminably dull.  The host stands, inexplicably, high above the action, and does little but yell.  There’s also an on-the-floor co-host, a woman who yells everything in an irritating high-pitched tremble.

The contestants are equally annoying and ugly.

Action from this sucky show.

If you want to see a much more entertaining American rip-off of a Japanese game show, watch Wipeout (ABC, I think).  It’s a pretty entertaining show.

Tonight and Saturday night are the final two Sketch22 performances for this season.  Maybe forever?

Come see the fun, at The Guild.

I hadn’t heard much about this documentary, other than it being a doc about a couple of guys who are good at playing Donkey Kong.  Hearing that little bit about it, I went "meh" even though it was getting good reviews.

Well, last night I decided to give it a try.  I watched it and absolutely loved it.  It has everything you want from a good movie – drama, comedy (even if it’s inadvertent to those involved), suspense, heroes, villains, minions, gaming nerds, espionage, and, as they say, so much more.

Basically, it’s about two guys.  One is the reigning Donkey Kong champion, and the other is a guy who attempts to challenge the world record score.  The events that unfold are too good to be true, but I have no doubt it’s all true.  I don’t want to give anything away in case you watch it, but believe me, you couldn’t write a better story.

Even if you think it’s not your cup of tea, go and watch this film.  You’ll love it. 

Here’s the trailer.  To me it misses the mark of what this movie is about. What it doesn’t show you is the awesomeness of the how drawn in you will become to the events that unfold.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters – Movie Trailer

I may have already spoiled it.  Below is a video of a baby laughing, but the sound is slowed down.  I watched the first half of it, and couldn’t help but laugh myself.  Laughter is infectious, it seems, even at half speed.
Go have a look and listen now.  Because if you keep reading and then go and watch it, you won’t be able to enjoy it as laughter.  And it should be enjoyed as laughter.
Seriously, go and watch it, then come back.
Okay, you watched it. Now go and watch it again (actually, don’t watch, just listen), but this time, don’t listen to it as if it’s laughter.  Listen to it as if it’s someone crying.
Like, really wailing.  Imagine they’ve just broken up with their girlfriend, and is home alone, late at night, crying.  (Once you do, you won’t be able to hear it as laughter anymore).

I think I’ve just discovered that crying is just laughter slowed down.  What are the implications of that?  Is crying just enjoying yourself, but at a really slow pace?

Check out this video: Slow Motion Baby Laugh

http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf 

Add to My Profile | More Videos

 

Here’s a notice that went out to the people signed up to receive the Sketch22 Newletter or any info about Sketch22:

Sketch-22 is seeking a female in her twenties or early thirties to play a major role in a short video they are shooting on the weekend of June 21 & 22. Previous acting experience is not necessary. Sketch-22’s irreverent humour takes aim at the car chase movies of the seventies, so the candidate should be comfortable with tearing around the Island in a classic muscle car. Interested? Send your contact info, including a picture of yourself to mail@sketch22.ca. The video will be screened during Sketch-22’s summer production, opening July 3rd at The Guild and playing Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m. until September 5.

 

If you received this URL in an email and you’re not a subscriber it’s FREE  to join to receive enlightment in your mailbox via comedy. [THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN APPROVED BY PUNCHY, THE PUNCHLINE PERAMBULATOR 2000, AS COMEDY.] Here’s the car we’ll be using: So, we need a female to play a part in a video that kind of spoofs 70’s car chase movies.  Someone, ideally, who wouldn’t mind tarting up, in a 70’s kind of way, and get a bit sexified.  Short shorts, maybe and halter top kind of thing… ??  You’d be acting with me, mostly.  I’ll be playing Rita MacNeil playing an Anne of Green Gables type character. It’d probably be a one-day shoot, at various locations in Queens county.  We’ll provide transportation. If you’re interested, or know someone who might be interested, email mail@sketch22.ca