andPOP » Russell Peters

Pamela Anderson’s New Role: The Virgin Mary

Natalia Buia — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 20:06:28 +0000

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The headline isn’t a joke, guys! It makes complete sense that the woman who basically invented the sex tape and starred on Baywatch in that itty bitty red bikini will play the Virgin Mary in an upcoming Christmas special.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals she’ll play Jesus’ mommy on A Russell Peters Christmas Special airing on the Comedy Network December 1.

Clearly, she’ll be spoofing the whole nativity scene but it’s still absurd to see her dressed as the Virgin Mary. I’ve never seen this much articles of clothing drapped on Pamela before.

The star-studded Christmas special is full of beloved Canadians like Russell and Pamela. Michael Buble and Scott Thompson will also make cameos. Can’t wait to watch Pamela’s break-out role!

Russell Peters’ ‘Breakaway’ Trailer

andPOP Staff — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:20:20 +0000

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Rajveer has been obsessed with hockey since childhood, but being raised a traditional Sikh meant he had to wear a turban which prohibited him from playing. Having a natural talent for the game, but being of an ethnic minority in a traditional white-man’s sport, Rajveer decides to takes matters into his own hands and creates an all-Sikh hockey team!

Just For Laughs Twitterviews Russell Peters and More!

andPOP Staff — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:18:47 +0000

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The world’s biggest and best comedy festival, which runs July 5^th – 31 is ready to give audiences one of the best line-ups on record. They’re also grabbing social media by the horns and have completely changed their site, the result… it kicks ass.

Not only is the site a great destination for comedy, it’s now dong a series of what they’re calling TWITTERVIEWS… interviews on Twitter. Just For Laughs is interviewing the hottest comedians coming to the fest. So far their impressive roster includes Jeremy Hotz, Ari Shaffir, Kenny Hotz, and on Tuesday, June 28, at 3PM Eastern… one of the biggest names in the comedy world… RUSSELL PETERS.

Fans will have the chance to tweet their questions to Russell during the interview as well as follow along by hashtagging #JFLInterview

Just For Laughs will be asking questions that they tell us will be fun, comedic and interesting. Russell is hosting one of the biggest shows at the fest called RUSSELL PETERS: BEST NIGHT EVER (http://www.hahaha.com/en/montreal/act/1062).

For this show, Russell personally selected a line-up of his favourite and funniest comedian friends. It features special guest Jeremy Hotz. Also, Jimmy Carr, Dom Irrera, Sebastian Maniscalco, Nick Thune and others will be joining Russell as well.

If Russell wasn’t enough, they snagged the star of the hit sitcom MODERN FAMILY, Eric Stonestreet, who plays Cal. Eric will be doing a Twitterview Thursday, June 30 at 4:30PM Eastern. Fans can tweet their questions and follow along.

It’s an interesting approach to an old form of entertainment… the interview. It’s a great chance to try and ask your fav comedians your questions and follow the interview.

Offline and live on stage, big shows coming to the festival this summer include Craig Ferguson’s International House of Comedy, and Decline of the American Empire!? hosted by The Daily Show’s John Oliver.

For Just For Laughs ticket info, check out the newly revamped site at www.HaHaHa.com. Newly designed, this site has great features including a new mobile app, and creative English and French blogs that take you inside the fest in a comedic way.

Charlie Sheen Invites T.O. to Walk for Bi-Polar Awareness

@coltondaniel — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 19:42:36 +0000

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We all know that Charlie Sheen has been Bi-Winning, but tonight at 6 P.M. the Sheenius has invited you to escort him to his show in support of bi-polar awareness.

The former Two and a Half Men star is in town on his ‘Violent Torpedo of Truth’ tour and he tweeted today: “Bipolar Awareness Walk!! Come join me at 6pm and walk with me from The Ritz Carlton to Massey Hall..! Show your support..!! #BIWINNING ybw”

He then tweeted around 11:45 A.M. that he would match dollar for dollar donations through CanadaHelps.org.

His second gig in Toronto tonight is at Massey Hall and will be joined again by local comedian Russell Peters. Following mixed reviews of the show last night, this may or may not be an act of redemption.

Larry Solters, Sheen’s spokesman, said that the decision to have a walk in support of the Organization For Bipolar Affective Disorders Society was spontaneous.

“He just came up with this on his own,” Solters said to The Canadian Press on Friday afternoon. ”He’s trying to create awareness for bipolar and somehow he got hooked up with that organization, OBAD. … This just came about in the last 12 hours.”

The self-proclaimed Vatican Warlock Assassin started the 21-city tour to a disastrous crowd on April 2nd in Detroit, but as since switched up the format.

Russell Peters to Co-host with Charlie Sheen in Toronto dates

Samantha Lui — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 20:25:16 +0000

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Perhaps the show won’t be a bomb after all.

Charlie Sheen has announced via his Twitter account that Russell Peters will be joining him as a co-host for his two Toronto shows scheduled this weekend at Massey Hall.

“Anyone wanna guess who my co-host is for my 2 Toronto shows? 2 tix if you guess right! Hint: he’s one funny mother…. (you’ll love it!),” the former Two and a Half Men star tweeted.

“RUSSELL PETERS IS my co-host and guest for both Toronto shows yes!! We’ll see ya’ at the Meet & Greet!!”

While this is exciting news for Canadians, health officials will be watching the show to ensure the actor doesn’t violate the province’s anti-smoking laws.

In previous performances of his live show “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not An Option”, Sheen has lit up cigarettes on stage.

Inspectors will be monitoring Sheen’s shows both on Thursday and Friday, according to Ontario Health Promotion Minister Margarett Best. She also offered the actor smoking cessation help, suggesting that he can call her directly or contact the province’s smokers’ quit line.

Hopefully Sheen obeys this law, as being cut off from funnyman Peters would surely disappoint. With his tour receiving plenty of negative reviews from his performance in Detroit, Sheen certainly needs to win over the Toronto crowd.

Russell Peters Gets A New BFF for Next Tour

Emma Renda — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:46:51 +0000

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Russell Peters has found a new BFF – Edmonton comedian Kathleen McGee.

You know you’re funny when Russell Peters handpicks you from a roster of Canada’s top aspiring comics to open his next Canadian tour. Kathleen McGee, a comedian from Edmonton, Alta., was Peters’ choice from The SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Russel Peters’ Search for Canada’s BFF (Best Funny Five).

“I watched all the entries – not just the top 10,” Peters said. “I wanted to make sure that I found someone who made me laugh, and Kathleen made me laugh.”

Videos from thousands of comedians nationwide were submitted to the contest in the hopes of making Peters’ top 10, which aired on CTV’s The Comedy Network this October. McGee’s five-minute sketch came out on top, earning her the opening slot at one of Peters’ tour stops in 2010.

“I’m very grateful to both Russell Peters and SIRIUS Canada for giving me this opportunity to show Canadians what I’m all about,” said McGee. “This is such a huge step for me! Hopefully one day I will headline my own first big national tour, I can only hope I’ll be as gracious as Russell and always remember my comedy roots. For Russell to say that I’m funny means a lot to me!”

McGee, who currently resides in Toronto, uses her sketches to make an audience both laugh and blush at the same time. This is not her first brush with a comedy tour – she has toured Canada and has appeared on BiteTV.

Scarborough’s Jack Dani was the runner-up, and will also get the chance to share the spotlight with Peters.

“I was shocked to find out that I was selected as a wild card entry, and very honoured when I was told that Russell himself selected me out of the crowd,” said Dani. “Contests like these offer such great exposure for a comic like me and I’m thankful to both Russell Peters and SIRIUS for supporting the Canadian comedy scene and allowing me to unleash my humour on the unsuspecting masses.”

Dani’s specialty is animation and impressions, a trait that won over Peters so much he had to make the last minute wildcard selection.

“Choosing Jack as a wild card wasn’t planned, but here again, he just made me laugh,” said Peters. “I like to think that I’m sharing something new and funny with my fans when I have someone open for me – it’s like me saying, ‘hey I like this person and I think you will too’.”

Russell Peters Teaches andPOP How To Master Accents

Ilan Mester — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:51:28 +0000

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A superstar in his own right, Russell Peters is to comedy lovers what Robert Pattinson is to pre-pubescent girls. The Canadian humorist born to Anglo-Indian parents became the first comedian to sell out the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, and is one in a handful of comedians to perform at the Madison Square Garden to a sold out audience. Peters’ new tour celebrating his 20th anniversary kicks off this January.

Anyone who’s seen him perform knows that one of the many things that distinguishes Peters from other acts is his dead-on accuracy when it comes to accents. What’s his secret?

“I listen,” he tells andPOP. “You’ve got to listen to get the inflections and the intent of what people are saying. That means listening to people when they’re happy, sad, angry. That’s how you learn how they speak. I still can’t do a Scottish accent though – doesn’t matter how much I listen and try it… those tricky Scots!”

Fans can hear him and his array of accents when Peters hits the road with “The Green Card Tour” in celebration of his 20th anniversary. But rest assured the jokes will focus on a variety of cultures as usual, not only on Americans. “The reason it’s called The Green Card Tour, is because I’ll be getting my Green Card in 2010,” he explains.

And if you’ve ever dreamed of opening for Peters during one of his shows, here’s your chance. He’s looking for a Canadian BFF (not a la Paris Hilton) through SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Russell Peters’ Search for Canada’s BFF. “In this contest we’re looking for anybody’s and I mean anybody’s ‘Best Funny Five Minutes,’ ” says Peters. “This is a chance for all those people who watch stand-up and say, ‘Hey! I could do that’, to actually get up on stage and do it, with a chance to open for me somewhere in North America.”

Just like many fans out there wish they could be Peters’ “BFF” – and they can enter at www.russellpetersbff.com - he has an ideal celebrity BFF of his own. “Eddie Murphy because I grew up watching him and I want to know what goes on in his head now,” he admits.

His latesest DVD, “Red, White and Brown,” was a huge success but Peters is still not sure when he’ll release new material. “I’m trying to figure that out. We taped a lot of the shows across Canada this past summer, but I’m still not sure what we’re going to do for the next DVD,” he says. “I want to make sure that I’m giving the fans the best possible show that I can when I release my next DVD.”

Aside from the tour – that stops in the U.S. and Australia in 2010 — Peters reveals to andPOP some exciting news. “I’ve got a few things on the go right now. We’re back into developing a sitcom and there are a number of different opportunities being presented to me these days,” he shares. “We haven’t cracked series television yet, but that’s okay because some of the stuff that’s come my way hasn’t necessarily been that good, so I’d rather wait until it’s right. It’s not a race.”

He’s also working on a few other things for Showtime and a book for Canada. “Canada is all about a variety of cultures – it’s one of the things that makes us great,” says Peters. “I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am if I’d have grown up in any other country, including the States.”

For Peters, the best and only way to celebrate his anniversary is to be out on the road doing what he does best: making people laugh. “Just doing what I’ve been doing for the past 20 years, getting on-stage and performing,” he says of how he’s celebrating. “Only now it’s arenas instead of biker bars for 50 bucks in London, Ontario.”

Russell Peters Searching for a BFF

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:57:43 +0000

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It looks like Paris Hilton isn’t the only one on a nation-wide search for a new BFF. But this time, don’t count on any input from Tinkerbell.

SIRIUS Canada announced in a press release yesterday that Canadian comic Russell Peters was in partnership with the satellite radio company to find Canada’s next big stand-up comedian. SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Russell Peters’ Search for Canada’s BFF (“BFF,” in this case standing for, ”Best Funny Five”), is a national talent search to find the Canadian amateur stand-up comedian with the best five-minute set.

The winner will receive the opportunity to open with their five-minute act for Peters on his upcoming North American tour. The winning comedian will also receive a $2,500 “appearance fee,” travel and accommodation for two, VIP backstage treatment, and the chance to hang out with Peters before the show.

“The SIRIUS Best Funny Five contest is a great opportunity for someone to experience what it’s like to step into the spotlight and perform in front of thousands of people,” said Peters. ”I’m looking forward to reviewing the top ten entries and sharing the spotlight with Canada’s next comedy star.”

The contest will be promoted at sirius.ca and on CTV’s The Comedy Network.

“The Russell Peters’ BFF contest is a great fit for SIRIUS,” said Paul Cunningham, Vice President of Marketing and Sales for SIRIUS Canada Inc. “We’re excited to give an up-and-coming Canadian comic a shot at the big-time by performing with Russell.”

Starting October 5, Canadians can upload a video of their best five-minute comedy set to www.sirius.ca. The video can be of anything from jokes, to impressions, to physical comedy. After the upload is complete, entrants will be able to invite people to view and rate their video.

Then, beginning November 1, online voting will open and Canadians will be able to vote for their overall favourite comedian.

And starting November 15, Peters and SIRIUS will review the top 10 videos based on viewer votes, and will select the grand prize winner from there.

However, those who may not necessarily be the next Peters, but still feel they have something to offer, should not be discouraged. Full five-minute video uploads are not mandatory, because the highest rated videos of jokes and other comic relief have a great chance of winning runner-up prizes from SIRIUS.

These secondary prizes include SIRIUS Satellite Radios, accessories, subscriptions, and merchandise.

Peters, who has been a world-wide comic favourite for two decades, reminds those who are serious about being the BFF that it’s no Paris Hilton charade.

“There’s nowhere to hide when you’re on-stage doing stand-up,” he said. ”You’ve got to deliver.”

Russell Peters, ‘The Tudors’ Win Geminis

Eva Lam — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 03:06:48 +0000

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Comedian Russell Peters, the Henry VIII series “The Tudors” and the miniseries “The Englishman’s Boy” were some of the big winners at the Gemini Awards last night (Wednesday).

The awards were doled out at a private bash recognizing the best in Canadian drama, variety and comedy TV. It was the last of three galas held in advance of the main event in November, where the top awards including best drama and comedy will be presented.

Peters took the prize for best performance or host in a variety program or series for his work on the Junos. The awards show also won for best music, variety program or series.

Meanwhile, “The Tudors” won four trophies, including best visual effects and best performance by an actress in a featured supporting role in a dramatic series for Maria Doyle Kennedy’s portrayal of Catherine of Aragon.

“The Englishman’s Boy” also won four awards, including best direction in a dramatic program or mini-series and best achievement in casting.

Other winners included the “MuchMusic Video Awards 2007″ for best direction and “Mayerthorpe” for best TV movie.

The main Gemini Awards show, to be televised, will take place in Toronto Nov. 28.

Junos Recap: Feist Sweeps, Celine Snubbed

andPOP Staff — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 10:30:01 +0000

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Leslie Feist came, saw and conquered at this year’s Junos.

The Toronto-based, Calgary-born singing sensation known simply as Feist, walked away with awards in all five categories she was nominated- including the coveted album of the year.

“I am a soft and sucky person, and I would be soft if it wasn’t for my human shields,” the singer said just before thanking her label, her producers and her band.

Feist took home single of the year, the first award of the night, for 1 2 3 4, the ditty that took the world by storm. Feist would be back on stage to accept a few more honours proving that the night was most definitely hers.

Feist may have beat out the best in Canadian music in her categories but others were honoured during the ceremony at Calgary’s Saddledome on Sunday night.

Homegrown host and international funnyman Russell Peters kicked off the night with a low blow joke aimed at Nickelback lead singer, Chad Kroeger. Peters ran on stage quipped that Kroeger was his limo driver as fans roared with laughter knowing the singer was recently found guilty of drunk driving.

The night went on to include some spectacular performances. Finger Eleven graced the staged with a powerful rendition of their song Paralyzer, opera singer Measha Brueggergosman honoured the late Oscar Peterson with two songs, and Anne Murray did a memorable duet with Jann Arden. The show wrapped up with R&B/Soul recording of the year winner Jully Black, singing her hit Seven Day Fool.

Other winners included Halifax indie band Wintersleep getting the new group of the year trophy as Blue Rodeo was named group of the year. The Juno fan choice award went to Michael Buble, who beat out Canadian legend Celine Dion for the nod. Dion was left empty-handed in all four of her nominations.

Russell Peters Releases ‘Outsourced’ DVD

andPOP Staff — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:41:35 +0000

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Russell Peters has hit the big time.

He’s in talks to produce a sitcom with a major U.S. network, he’ll appear in a movie next year with Rosie Perez and John Leguizamo, and he’s embarking on a world tour that is scheduled to make stops in India, Singapore, England, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S.

And the Canadian comedian has just released a DVD, “Outsourced.”

After signing autographs for more than 3 hours in Toronto on Sunday, Peters spoke to andPOP about the DVD, the tour and more.

Interview by: Amy Sharaf