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For
a job that's all about making people laugh, stand-up comedy
isn't much fun. That is the none-too-original message of
the NFB documentary The Next Big Thing, airing in three
parts tomorrow through Thursday at 10 p.m. on TVO.
But the underlying
pain and angst of the comic's life has never been shown
more clearly or compellingly than it is in this fascinating
program.
Covering a period of 18 months, the film chronicles
the fortunes of six comics who have already attained
what passes
for success in the Canadian comedy circuit -- headlining
gigs at suburban Yuk-Yuk's clubs, occasional TV and radio
appearances, flattering ink in newspapers and magazines
-- and who are all living a hand-to-mouth existence while
suffering through endless mood swings and oceans of self-loathing.
By the end of the film, one of the six will have landed
a coveted but dubious prize -- a spot on a U.S. network
show that promises much more than it is ever likely to
deliver.
In a way, The Next Big Thing is kind of like a stretched-out
version of the comedy competition on the CBS talent contest
Star Search, on which Ottawa comic Tracey MacDonald won
$200,000 U.S. and a development deal last month, or like
Last Comic Standing, the elimination reality series that
debuts on NBC and Global June 10. The difference is that
competitors on The Next Big Thing take the possibility
of a prize on faith, and lay bare their lives before, during
and after each triumph and defeat.
The profiled comics are Shaun
Majumder, an Indo-Newfoundlander who's done late-night
network TV in the U.S., had roles in Hollywood films, been
nominated twice for Geminis but still has to live with
his dad; Kristeen Von Hagen, named best
female stand-up at the 2002 Canadian Comedy Awards; Dave
Martin, Von Hagen's sometime boyfriend,
and a regular on Open Mike With Mike Bullard; Nikki Payne,
a frenetic Nova Scotian who's turned a speech impediment
into as asset; Laurie Elliott, a lank-haired bundle of
nerves who does stand-up, sketch comedy and voice work;
and Jason Rouse, a dark comic stylist whose almost self-destructive
compulsion to push the envelope can leave audience weak
with laughter or downright surly.
Conceived by journalist Andrew Clark (Stand and Deliver:
Inside Canadian Comedy) and filmmaker Murray Battle (April
One), The Next Big Thing is a relentless invasion into
the personal space of people who frankly don't need the
added stress: they're neurotic enough as it is. But the
persistence of the filmmakers results in a story rich in
emotion and drama, beginning in Toronto, making its way
to the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal, and
ending, with a twist, in the Promised Land: Los Angeles.
The film darts back and forth among its subjects, contrasting
the good performance of one with another's crash-and-burn,
the energy and confidence on stage with the nerves and
depression away from the footlights. And always there is
a sense of a thirst that can't be slaked, a hunger for
a prize that can't quite be defined.
Over everything, the comics trowel on a thick layer of
irony. Majumder displays the cheque he got for a recent
film appearance, a role which earned him $9,000 U.S. After
legal fees, commissions for his agent and his manager and
taxes, his share amounts to $362.95, he says. After a long
pause, he adds with a smug grin, "U.S."
The Next Big Thing will make you laugh, make you squirm,
and make you thank the restless spirit of Lenny Bruce that
you're not a stand-up comedian.
Also coming up:
Hey Joel: Tomorrow at 10:30 p.m. on Bravo! This cartoon
about a tactless celebrity interviewer on a music-video
channel (VH-1) pokes fun at the music industry and television.
Joel stumbles through life with an over-inflated sense
of self-worth and little perspective about what's really
important. The show includes animated caricatures of various
musical performers including Tom Petty, Eric Clapton, Sade
and Canadian rapper Snow. It's based on an idea from Joel
Stein, a pop culture writer for Time magazine and Entertainment
Weekly.
The Wire: Tomorrow at 10 p.m. on TMN. The second season
of this gritty HBO drama moves away from the drug trade
and into the Baltimore dockyards as it explores the relationships
between unions, shipping companies and the cops. The series
still paints a picture of working class life in which the
lines between good and bad fascinatingly are blurred.
Redskins, Tricksters and Puppy Stew: Wednesday at 8 p.m.
on Bravo! This NFB film makes an interesting companion
piece to The Next Big Thing. It profiles aboriginal comedians,
sketch performers and comic writers, including Ottawa stand-up
Don Kelly, author and radio personality Tom King (Green
Grass, Running River, The Dead Dog Cafe), and playwright
Drew Hayden Taylor.
Locked Horns: The Fate of Old Crow: Wednesday at 8 p.m.
on CBC. The remote Yukon community of Old Crow, a small
settlement of the Vuntut Gwitchin people above the Arctic
Circle, is under siege from powerful forces, and this pointed
documentary chronicles their efforts to fight back. George
Bush is leading the charge to develop oil reserves in an
Alaskan wildlife reserve, threatening to disrupt the breeding
cycle of the 12,000-head Porcupine caribou herd that has
been the backbone of the community's independent lifestyle
for 10,000 years.
© Copyright 2003 The Ottawa Citizen
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