So a comedian walks into Rideau Hall and gets a medal
On Nov 20, 2018, I had one of the proudest moments of my life. I stood on a dais in a beautiful room in Rideau Hall, the Governor General’s residence in Ottawa, and received the Order of Canada, the...
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The laughs and bombs of Netflix comedies
Around New Year’s, Netflix dropped an incredibly ambitious assortment of stand-up specials onto its streaming service – 47 half-hour sets, to be precise. Titled Comedians of the World, the show...
View ArticleTJFF screens vintage Canadian film about comedy
In 1983, a Canadian film Funny Farm was released to little fanfare and even less box office. The movie, written and directed by Ron Clark, is a comedy/drama about the then nascent comedy scene in Los...
View ArticleBreslin: Can the Holocaust ever be used for humour?
I am no stranger to offensive comedy. In fact, I usually love it. But I watched something this week on Netflix that made me queasy. Jeff Ross is a Jewish comic from L.A., who is called, with some...
View ArticleMel Brooks: The other Jewish comedy legend
The two great comedian filmmakers of the 1960s and ’70s were Woody Allen and Mel Brooks. Allen has been the subject of countless books and magazine articles, yet comparatively little has been written...
View ArticleBreslin: Mad is dead. What, me worry?
I have delivered many a eulogy for recently departed comedians, but this may be the first time I’m doing so for a comedy institution. Last month, Mad magazine announced it would be ceasing publication,...
View ArticleBreslin: Mixing high finance and low humour
After more than 40 years in the comedy business, you’ve pretty much seen it all: mostly, it’s people standing in front of a brick wall. Sometimes there’s a contest – “Ooh, who’s the funniest?”...
View ArticleBreslin: Why I brought Louis C.K. back from the dead
Last month, I booked Louis C.K. in my Toronto club for eight shows over five nights. It was the most controversial booking I have ever made, in a history of controversial bookings that have included...
View ArticleAdam Sandler, Oscar nominee?
Adam Sandler, Oscar nominee. Crazy words, perhaps, but maybe you should get used to hearing them. At the Toronto International Film Festival, and subsequent film festivals, his work in a little film...
View ArticleComic rabbi seeks soulful laughs
In a world of multi-position jobs, rabbi/comedian may be a rarity – not unheard of, though. Jackie Mason trained as a cantor before deciding jokes yielded a larger congregation. David Steinberg, the...
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