harlan williams

BIG NEWS ROUND-UP NOVEMBER 2011

There’s a lot going on in the world of Toronto comedy. I can’t always cover it all. I know, bogus. Thankfully, there are other news outlets that occasionally cover the local scene. Here’s a selection of some of the top comedy news stories from the past month.

Who says nice, sensitive, apologetic, charming, sensitive, gentle, shy, sensitive guys who are maybe sexually attracted to their moms finish last? Eric Andrews comes across looking like a good guy and not at all Oedipal in this amusing Torontoist profile.

Post City Magazine published a list of 40 “Toronto” jokes by “40 top jokers” meaning people from from Matt O’Brien to Russel Peters to Harlan Williams. Some are good, some are awful but it’s worth a glance because, as the headline reminds us, “sometimes you just gotta laugh.”

In the lead up to the Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Kevin McDonald tells The Grid about how the Kids in The Hall basically started the sketch comedy scene in Toronto from scratch. No comment yet from Joe Flaherty, Catherine O’Hara or John Candy (I get that it’s kind of different but, c’mon).

More KITH news: AV Club Toronto engaged Scott Thompson in a thorough conversation about fruit that delves deeper into the subject than one might’ve thought possible. Also this month Thompson’s podcast returned from a six month hiatus. In the first episode back, Scott chats with Dave Merheje, arguably TO’s hottest comic, both buzz-wise and attractiveness-wise according to ST.

And it was just announced that Demetri Martin will be stopping by the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on January 13. Can one assume Martin’s regular opener Levi MacDougall will get a chance to shine in front of his hometown crowd? We’ll keep you updated. Get your tickets here.