Upcoming Comedy
Monday, May 14 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Wednesday, May 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, May 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday,June 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, June 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, June 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine every second Saturday
Coming up Next: Commitment

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Dan Brodribb's Wrestling Blog can be found at maritalartgallery.blogspot.com

I'm planning a trip to Vegas in June. It will be fun to travel again. Next on my list is Montreal and Quebec City. Maybe I'll try for the summer so I can be down there for Just For Laughs. The next U.S. cities I'd like to visit are Seattle and San Francisco (and possibly Salt Lake City so I can finally watch the Utah Jazz live--although they're giving me heart failure against the Rockets this spring).

The word for the weekend was--diverse. The writer's group was a lot of fun. Saturday, A friend invited me to check out this organic food store. ORGANIC POTATO CHIPS ARE AWESOME!! Seriously, there's no competition. I may swear off Lay's forever.

I also went dancing Saturday night with DAWN DUMONT my co-columnist. Since we're singles columnists, I wonder if the money we spend on cover charges is tax deductible.

Monday, I got a tour of KROCK radio station, courtesy of JAMES BALL. It was pretty cool. I've been on the radio twice and I don't think I'm very good at being intervewied. I guess I'll just have to get my own show.

I've got a photo shoot on Thursday for the next few Living articles, so time to get my funny face on...and to start picking out my outfits.

NOTE: Looks like the MPW show is postponed. I'll let everybody knows when it's resecheduled. I also found out through DINO, the manager at Smackdown is coming to town this summer. Life is good.

Saturday Morning Musings

Upcoming Comedy
Monday, May 14 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Wednesday, May 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, May 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday,June 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, June 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, June 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton


Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Journal
Friday, April 27 - Party On

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine every second Saturday
This week's Topic: Pre-Date Rituals

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Other Appearances
Friday, May 4 - MPW War Path, Kingsway Hangars, Edmonton

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Dan Brodribb's Wrestling Blog can be found at maritalartgallery.blogspot.com

Looks like one of my articles ran yesterday in the Journal. I nearly missed it.

Thursday, I went to the opening reception for a May Week art show, celebrating art and the labour movement. It was a lot of fun. I know the woman who helped put it all together, and she did an awesome job. I got to meet a couple of the artists too, which is fun. I really admire people who can do visual arts. You need to be creative, but you also have to have hands-on skills too. I couldn't do it.

I've spent some of the last few days going through my old notes for articles and cleaning them up. It's interesting reading things I've written and realizing I don't relate to it anymore. A few years ago, I was as close to rock bottom as I could get. Somehow I learned to stop blaming the world or myself for the things I didn't have, and now I'm as happy with my life as I've ever been. I'm looking forward to the future--even if the future includes eating vegetables.

Everyone I know is addicted to Facebook. I'm not sure what the big deal is, but I seem to be getting sucked deeper and deeper into the morass. I DID reconnect with one of my best friends from elementary/junior high. We used to write together and watch horror movies and listen to heavy metal music in his basement. It was great hearing from him, especially since he was so influential on my writing during my formative years--for better or worse. Although most of our stories contained the phrase "shards of splintered bone," usually in relation to exploding heads.

Looking forward to the Writing Group tomorrow. Looks like an All-Star Cast will be there.

Fruits and Sexually Crazed Scotsmen

Upcoming Comedy
Monday, May 14 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Wednesday, May 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, May 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday,June 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, June 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, June 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton


Upcoming Writing
A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine every second Saturday
This week's Topic: Pre-Date Rituals

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Other Appearances
Friday, May 4 - MPW War Path, Kingsway Hangars, Edmonton

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Dan Brodribb's Wrestling Blog can be found at maritalartgallery.blogspot.com

-Is there any sweeter sound than the laughter of a roomful of people? There's no better feeling than seeing a crowd enjoying themselves.

-I have a new business idea, but I want to keep it to myself for a bit. For it to succeed I need to be good at a) computers and b) business. I suck at both--but life is about learning experiences, and I owe it to myself to try.

-I was pleasantly surprised by the crowd at the Crown & Anchor comedy contest. For a bar show they were really good. Well, except for the drunk old Scotsman who mooned Kathleen McGee and then rubbed up against her while she was onstage. Sexual assault aside though, it was a decent show. It was cool catching up with DANA ALEXANDER who eventually won the comedy contest. The not cool part was that I'm trying to improve my diet so instead of fries, I had vegetables on the side of my meal. I was a very sad Dan. I love fries. Vegetables, not so much. But I'm going to do this thing. I even bought fruit the other day--apples, bananas, pears, carrots and walnuts. Those are all fruit, right?

-I got a sneak peek at DAWN DUMONT's entry for this week's 'A Pair of Singles' in ed. It's easily one of the funniest things she's ever written. Check out A Pair of Singles this Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal.

Black Leather Jacket

Spring is here and I'm wearing my black leather jacket. It looks like a normal black leather jacket until you look inside--the inside lining is torn to crap. I doubt it will last much longer.

I got this jacket for my sixteenth birthday. Years later, when my brother got a motorcycle, he inherited the jacket. When he died last summer, it came back to me. It still has a pin on it that I earned long before he took it.

I miss my brother.

Oh yeah. Dates.

Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, April 19 - The Crown & Anchor Pub, Edmonton
Wednesday, May 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, May 31 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday,June 1 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, June 2 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, June 3 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton


Upcoming Writing
A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine every second Saturday

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Other Appearances
Friday, May 4 - MPW War Path, Kingsway Hangars, Edmonton

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Dan Brodribb's Wrestling Blog can be found at maritalartgallery.blogspot.com

Happy Easter

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, April 11 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, April 12 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, April 13 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, April 14 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, April 15 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, April 19 - The Crown & Anchor Pub, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Section, Edmonton Journal
Friday, April 13

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine every second Saturday
This Saturday - Advice for Single People

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Well, I'm back. Did anyone miss me?

Hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. I had Easter dinner with my family, which was great, but I may have put on a few pounds. That might not necessarily be a bad thing.

I have an article this Friday in the Journal, and the latest Pair of Singles will follow on Saturday. I'd tell you what it's going to be about, but I have no idea which one they're going to run. I"ve also got shows this week, so hopefully I'll see you out there. As always, feel free to come say 'hi' after.

MPW Regeneration was on Saturday. The show was great, but it has occurred to me that not everyone in the world shares my love for wrestling so I'm starting a new blog for wrestling discussion. If you want to ask questions, leave comments, and/or read my opinions on various wrestling related things, here's the link: martialartgallery.blogspot.com

Of course, now I have no idea what I'll write about on this blog.

How I Spent My Weekend

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, March 28 - Riverside Pub, St. Albert
Wednesday, April 11 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, April 12 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, April 13 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, April 14 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, April 15 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, April 19 - The Crown & Anchor Pub, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine every second Saturday
Thjs Saturday - Rocking the Cradle (Age Difference)

Other Apperances
Saturday, April 7 - MPW Regeneration, The Hangars 11410 Kingsway Ave, Edmonton

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

lBe Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb


Caught part of the battle of the bands Friday at NAIT. It's interesting how my way of judging bands has changed. When I was in a band myself, I used to care about how good they were musically. Now I care more about groups with stage presence that make a connection with the audience. Most of the bands I saw that night were good at it, certainly better than I was when I was doing music.

Saturday I went to a fashion show. It was fun. Although during one set (exhibit? group?) the models were so similar that it wasn't until they all came out at the end that I realized they weren't all the same woman. Once I saw them standing next to each other I realized they looked nothing the same at all. The only thing they really had in common was the same model-airplane-paint silver (you know the color I mean, right?) colored lipstick they were wearing.

Monday I hosted Hit or Miss night at The Strip. There were a few guys trying it out for the first time so they could write an article on it for the Gateway (writing articles about stand-up is actually how I got my start in writing so Godspeed you guys). I felt I let the show down with my own performance though. I was tired, but that's no excuse. I dissected the tape, next show will be better. I'll be working out some kinks tomorrow at Riverside to get set for my next stretch of shows in April at the Comic Strip.

That's the thing about comedy. You can never take it for granted. You have a string of great shows and you get complacent. Comedy, you have to earn it every time--that's what makes it so satisfying.

The next MPW show is April 7. As well, I'm looking forward to the next Pair of Singles article. I was quite happy with it, so I'm interested to see how it does.

More Cowbell--I mean Update

Upcoming Comedy
Monday, March 26 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming WritingLiving Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Friday, March 23 - Vancouver

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, March 17 - Married People

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

The shows were great this weekend. The crowds were good every night, including a sold-out Saturday late show. The early show was also packed. Interestingly, I thought Sunday was a tough crowd, but they seemed to enjoy it and a number of the folks stayed to hang out with us after the show.

Meeting people is the coolest part of being a writer/comic. It just really widens your perspective--which is good because it gives me more stuff to write about.

One of the questions I most get asked by women who find out I'm writing a relationship column is "how do I get a guy to approach me?" I've always found that a tough question because a) I'm not a woman and b) you can't MAKE someone approach you. The nice thing about being proactive with women/men you're interested in is you have a measure of control--you go in and talk to them or you don't (The woman I'm seeing now ended up doing just that). But getting someone to come up to you...I don't know. I mean, there are certainly things you can do to make yourself more approachable (One book with a pretty good chapter on that very subject is "Why Mr. Right Can't Find You" by Mike Kearns), but there are no guarantees. I'd be interested in hearing what others have to say on the subject.

The word on BOBBY SHARP is a cracked pelvis. He'll be out for a couple months. Crappy, but it could have been a lot worse, I suppose. Get well soon, Bobby.

March 7 Update

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, March 7 - The Comic Strip, EdmontonThursday, March 8 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, March 9 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, March 10 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, March 11 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Monday, March 26 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Friday, March 23 - Vancouver

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, March 17 - Married People

Friday, March 23 - Vancouver - Living Section, The Edmonton Journal

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

I've got shows all this week at The Comic Strip opening for KIVI ROGERS, so I hope people will come check it out.

One thing I didn't mention about the Great Canadian Laugh Off last week was KERRY UNGER withdrawing from the contest since he wouldn't be able to make the date in Toronto if he want. Thus MARK SALAMANDICK was able to perform and had a great set. It was a classy gesture, and just one of the reasons KERRY is so well-regarded in the local comedy scene--the other being that he is a very funny guy (His new RYan Smyth joke is hilarious).

MPW Infinity was great. We drew a great crowd and they were really into the show. EVAN INFERNO and AJ SANCHEZ vs BIG JESS and BOBBY SHARP was an awesome match, marred by an injury to Bobby Sharp coming off the ropes onto the floor. I haven't heard much about his condition yet, but hopefully it's nothing too serious. The truly ludicrous DISCO NINJA is becoming more and more entertaining each outing, putting on a nice old-school style match with WAVELL STAR. The BROTHERS IN FLIGHT vs. AMERICAN PATRIOTS featured some awesome storytelling and an elbow drop from ADAM KNIGHT that has to be seen to be believed. And of course, HEAVY METAL and NITE headlined with a ladder match. Ladder matches have a tendency to turn into 'car crash matches' but Nite and Metal went out there and told a story, and if you've read my blog for any amount of time, you know that that's how I prefer my wrestling. This was the first time we didn't do the commentary live which meant I got to sit back and enjoy the show with my family. Bobby Sharp is my Mom's new favorite wrestler--sorry, STEVIE SAINT. Hopefully the matches will be edited and posted and be on television soon for your viewing pleasure.

Sunday I got together with J.P. FOURNIER, SHAWN GRAMIAK, and JAMES BALL to work on material. Fun was had.

Yesterday would have been my brother's birthday. I am sad.

GCLO Results

Congratulations to SEAN LECOMBER who won the Great Canadian Laugh Off last night. I finished in second place, third prize went to KATHLEEN MCGEE, and TYLER HAWKINS won a special honorary mention. I will talk more about the night in my next regular post.

Thanks to everyone who came out and supported the shows. We couldn't have done it without you.

Update

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 28 - Yuk Yuks, Edmonton (GREAT CANADIAN LAUGH OFF FINALS)
Wednesday, March 7 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, March 8 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Friday, March 9 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Saturday, March 10 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Sunday, March 11 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Monday, March 26 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Friday, March 2 - Great Expectations

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, March 3 - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Saturday, March 17 - Married People

Other Apperances
Saturday, March 3 - MPW Infinity, Kingsway Hangars, Edmonton

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Wednesday is the Great Canadian Laugh Off Regional finals at Yuk Yuks (show starts at 8pm). If you're in Edmonton, hope to see you there. There's some great comics on the bill, and you're guaranteed a good time.

Sunday was MPW wrestler HEAVY METAL's birthday. I was at the celebrations along with CHI CHI CRUZ, 'YOUNG LION' BOBBY SHARP, BIG JESS, SHANE O'RYAN, MR. INTENSITY, EVAN INFERO, and THE WORLD'S MOST POLITE TAG TEAM (DANNY MANNERS and BRADY ROBERTS). And of course, RIPPER was there to make sure everyone got home safe. It was the first time I've been out drinking since the weeks following my brother's death, and I overdid it a little. On the plus side, Evan Inferno got a picture of me drunk with my head in a strip club toilet--fantastic. Britney Spears eat your heart out. I sobered up as the night went along--just in time to see BIG JESS lashed to a stripper pole. I think I was better off blind drunk.

Yesterday, I MC'd at The Comic Strip, which is always fun. I bumped into BILL GEE before the show and we hung out a bit. He even bought me a drink--of water. I think I've done my drinking for awhile.

As well, don't forget the MPW show this Saturday. Also, MITCH FATEL is coming to town the third week of March, so check that out at The Comic Strip. He's one of the best there is.

Thank You

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 21 - Yuk Yuks, Edmonton
Monday, February 26 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Wednesday, February 28 - Yuk Yuks, Edmonton (GREAT CANADIAN LAUGH OFF FINALS)

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Friday, March 2 - Great Expectations

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, March 3 - Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
Saturday, March 17 - Married People

Other Apperances
Saturday, March 3 - MPW Infinity, Kingsway Hangars, Edmonton

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

I was fortunate enough to win the audience vote in the Great Canadian Laugh Off Wednesday night and along with Judge's choice KERRY UNGER will advance to the finals on Wednesday, February 28 at Yuk Yuks in Londonderry Mall in Edmonton. I'll be joining my co-writer DAWN DUMONT, SEAN LECOMBER, KATHLEEN MCGEE, and a host of other in the finals where the winner will move on to Toronto.

This would probably be a good time to say thank you to all the people who have supported me over the last couple years. Everything I achieve is because of you and I always remember that. Regardless of who wins the contest, the crowd noise from the people who cheered for me Wednesday is something I"ll never forget. Thank you so much.

Dan

Update

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 21 - Yuk Yuks, Edmonton
Monday, February 26 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Friday, March 2 - Great Expectations

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, March 3
Saturday, March 17

Other Apperances
Saturday, March 3 - MPW Infninity, Kingsway Hangars, Edmonton

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on MySpace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Hey everybody. Hope all is well and that you all had a good Valentine's Day.

Tonight is the Great Canadian Laugh Off. There's still a few tickets left, so call the Yuks box office if you're interested in coming down. I'm pretty excited. It's been a while since I've been on Yuks' stage and I'm looking forward to it.

Not much to report otherwise. I've seen a couple plays over the weekend "Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad" which was fantastic and "Les Liaisons Dangereueses" which is one of my favorite scripts. I think I've been watching too much wrestling though--when the sword-fight happened in Liaisons...I spent the entire fight analyzing the storytelling. I liked most of it, and the set-up was good, although the finish could have been a little more clear (or maybe it was a blown spot).

Feb 15 Kokanee Komedy Battle Postponed

Hope this gets to everyone before you head out. Apparently the Sidetrack Cafe has closed its doors, so the Kokanee Komedy Battle has been postponed until Kathleen can find another venue.

This sucks. The Sidetrack was the birthplace of Edmonton comedy as well as being an integral part of the Edmonton music scene. Hopefully we'll know more about what happened soon.

Upcoming Comedy
Thursday, February 15 - Kokanee Komedy Battle, The Sidetrack Cafe
Wednesday, February 21 - Yuk Yuks, EdmontonGreat Canadian Laugh-Off
Monday, February 26 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Sunday, February 11 - Valentine's Day

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, February 10 - Valentine's Day
Saturday, February 17 - Bar Stars

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Congrats are in order to my writing partner, DAWN DUMONT, for advancing past the first round of the Great Canadian Laugh Off. I will be performing next Wednesday, February 21st at Yuk Yuks, so I hope people come down as well. If you want to come down and support me and all the other comics, call in advance and make a reservation, as I expect these shows to do well.

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Between the Living Column and A Pair of Singles, I've written everything on Valentine's Day that I can possibly think of. I'm told the Ottawa Citizen picked up one of the A Pair of Singles articles, so that's awesome news. I'm hoping we can continue doing it. Dawn and I will be performing together on the 15th at teh Sidetrack Cafe as part of the KOKANEE KOMEDY BATTLE's Valentine's Day special. I am quite excited.

Mo Update

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 21 - Yuk Yuks, Great Canadian Laugh-Off
Thursday, February 15 - Kokanee Komedy Battle, The Sidetrack Cafe
Monday, February 26 - The Comic Strip

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Sunday, February 11 - Valentine's Day

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, February 10 - Valentine's Day
Saturday, February 17 - Bar Stars

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

I just learned DAWN DUMONT, who co-writes A Pair of Singles with me in ed Magazine (this week's topic: Valentine's Day) and I will be going onstage at the special Valentine's Day Version of the Kokanee Komedy Battle Thursday, February 15 (http://www.myspace.com/kokaneecomedybattle ). As well, KATHLEEN MCGEE will be on with her boyfriend, RYAN and AMBER-LYNN of Mayhem will be there, and so will the unlikely pairing of POWERMANN and ANDREW IWANYK, aka the Humbugs. With the exception of a couple of joke battles and an ill-considered vaudeville routine with Powermann at the old Sidetrack, I've never done a two man show before. I have no idea what Dawn and I are going to do at this point, but I'm really looking forward to it. If we had someone to design a cool set for us, we could put on an advice show. At least I won't be alone on the day AFTER Valentine's Day. And isn't that the most important thing?

Update (Edited)

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 21 - Yuk Yuks, Great Canadian Laugh-Off
Thursday, February 15 - Kokanee Komedy Battle, The Sidetrack Cafe
Monday, February 26 - The Comic Strip

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Sunday, February 11 - Valentine's Day

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, February 10 - Valentine's Day
Saturday, February 17 - Bar Stars

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

The MPW taping was awesome. It was great to see everyone again, and the cameras were rolling to catch all the action for Season 2 of MPW MADNESS, tentatively scheduled to start airing in April. NITE and HEAVY METAL headlined with at 2-out-of-3 falls match, which was cool a) because you don't see many best of three matches anymore, and b) it was a great opportunity to showcase the "up and comers" in MPW. They lived up to the challenge and put on a great match. As well we saw SYNN return to action and WAVELL STARR, a legend in Canadian Indy wrestling made his debut. Plus we got to see STEVE RIVERS wrestle lucha libre style which was pretty hysterical.

The writing class looks to be great this term. I have seven students, and they are strong writers and the group is very open and friendly. It should be an excellent few weeks.

Don't forget about The Great Canadian Laugh Off happening Wednesdays at Yuk Yuks. I will be performing February 21st. Hope to see you there.

Last Friday Dawn and I went out to the bars to "research" our dating column. Truly, I have the best job in the world.

Back From Vancouver

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, February 21 - Yuk Yuks, Great Canadian Laugh-Off
Monday, February 26 - The Comic Strip

Upcoming Writing
Living Articles in the Edmonton Journal
Sunday, February 11 - Valentine's Day

A Pair of Singles (with Dawn Dumont) in ed magazine
Saturday, February 3 - Kissing on the First Date
Saturday, February 10 - Valentine's Day
Saturday, February 17 - Bar Stars

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

The Great Canadian Laugh-Off is underway. I will be performing February 21 at Yuks along with a number of other hopefuls. These contests usually provide great shows since there are always some good acts on the bill. I believe my night also features KERRY UNGER and TODD K, so come down and vote for your favorite. At the end of the night two of us will advance to the finals. Part of the decision is based on audience vote, so if you're interested in coming down, let me know and I'll see how many people I can hook up on my guest list.

Vancouver was phenomenal. In addition to performing at Yuks, I got a spot at Lafflines Comedy Club (Thanks to DAVID TSONOS for hooking me up with the number). Both shows were great. I also really enjoyed meeting some of the Vancouver comics (and one Calgarian on vacation). If I tried to name them, I'd probably forget someone and feel bad about it, but they know who they are. Thanks for making me feel welcome, guys.

Now that I'm back, I realized just how much work I have coming up. More headLINEs, more photo shoots, more articles with Dawn, more prep work for the Writing course...more stress, but also more fun. I never knew life could get this good.

Update

Update
Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, January 24 - Yuk Yuks, Vancouver
Monday, January 29 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Friday, January 26 - Sharp Dressed Man, Living Section, Edmonton Journal

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

My flight to Vancouver leaves tomorrow. I'm excited.

I picked up an extra show, opening for LARS CALLIEOU in Camrose. Another comic cancelled at the last minute, and Lars rode out to save the day. POWERMANN was unable to make it as an opener, so I went in his stead. It's been a long time since I've done a two-man show, so I felt a little rusty, but the crowd was phenomenal, and of course it was nice to be out on the road.

The writing Science Fiction and Fantasy course that I teach through Metro Continuing Education will start February 5 instead of January 29, as advertised. What course is this? I hear you ask. It's a writing course I teach every year and forget to promote on the blog. I don't know if registration is still open (What a professional I am), but if you're interested in writing fantasy, SF, or horror for a living, you can get in touch with Metro and see if there's still space. And you'll get to spend fifteen hours in my august presence listening to me rattle on for fifteen hours (not all in a row). Here's the link: www.metrocontinuingeducation.ca

Got some great reader response to the first Dawn & Dan column which was called A Pair of Singles. I think the folks at ed did a phenomenal job with the layout, so it looked really good. The next one is on kissing on the first date, and should run in a couple weeks.

Update

Upcoming Comedy
Wednesday, January 24 - Yuk Yuks, Vancouver
Monday, January 29 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Saturday, January 20 - Single in the City (w/Dawn Dumont) ed magazine in the Edmonton Journal
Friday, January 26 - Sharp Dressed Man, Living Section, Edmonton Journal

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Perception is interesting. Usually, I wear glasses onstage, but I was going to see a show after, and so I was in my contact lenses and Rock and Roll-ier clothing than I usually wear. I ended up doing a guest spot and it was interesting the way the audience seemed slightly confused at first, because my appearance didn't 'fit' the material as strongly. I love comics who perform with their entire body--their voice and mannerisms and physcial presence work with their jokes to create their act--but I wonder if some of the mannerisms I use have become a crutch. I don't mind being the 'nervous little guy' because it's a quick way to establish a stage identity, but I think its important to keep experimenting. Sometimes finding something that works means you stop looking at other ways to do things, and I think its important as an entertainer and in real life too, to keep trying new things (except for maybe seafood. I'm not a fan.).

The co-article with DAWN runs this Saturday in ed. I have no idea what we're going to call it, if anything, but I hope people check it out.

Thursday was fantastic at the Sidetrack KATHLEEN's done such an awesome job at building up the room. KEVIN FOX also proved to be an able attraction and even sacrificed most if not all of his winnings on bets with the audience. Either he's the consummate showman or he has a serious gambling issue. I'm always amazed at just how cool most comedians are. From the headliners on down, it's just an amazing community to be a part of.

Yesterday (Monday) I was back at the Sidetrack trying some new jokes. I think a few of them may have potential, which is exciting.

For those of you who have been writing in about the future of MPW on television, we're working on it. The plan is to tape a bunch of upcoming shows and start production work on them in a few months. I'll keep you posted once a timeline becomes more clear. Hopefully we'll be back on the air soon and better than ever. In the meantime, the next show is February 3 at the Hangers (www.monsterprowrestling.com).

If you're bored in Edmonton the TALES society runs a storytelling circle the second Friday of every month. (You can find the ads in SEE or look them up here: http://www.ecn.ab.ca/~tales/). I'd never been before last week and it was a really cool experience.

Update (edited)

Upcoming Comedy
Tuesday, January 9 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton
Thursday, January 11 - Kokanee Comedy Battle, The Sidetrack Cafe, Edmonton
Wednesday, January 24 - Yuk Yuks, Vancouver
Tuesday, January 30 - The Comic Strip, Edmonton

Upcoming Writing
Friday, January 12 - Living Columns in the Edmonton Journal

Single in the City (w/Dawn Dumont) - ed magazine in Saturdays Edmonton Journal (Dates TBA)

Dan Brodribb's headLINES appears every Saturday in the ed section of the Edmonton Journal

Be Dan Brodribb's friend on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/danbrodribb

Tonight is the Shaw cable audition. I'm very excited. I also have a spot on KATHLEEN MCGEE's Kokanee Comedy Battle this Thursday, January 11. These are great shows because Kathleen goes out of her way to get a variety of acts on the show. Also, the audience gets a pretty strong role in the show, because they vote on the winner, who gets money.

(if you're a funny person and are living or visiting Edmonton and want to participate in the Kokanee Comedy Battle, here's the myspace URL: http://www.myspace.com/kokaneecomedybattle . Your contact name is Kathleen.)

I'm also excited about the upcoming feature with Dawn. It's scheduled to premiere either this Saturday or the Saturday after and run every couple weeks until Valentine's Day. I'm excited about it, and I hope people check it out.

Monday was a really gratifying night as RYAN and AMBER-LYNN collectively known as MAYHEM were offering us a look at their new TV show GUINEA PIG, which will be airing on the Discovery Channel. It always feels good to see people's hard work pay off, especially when it's folks you know. Afterwards, I snuck down to the Sidetrack to do some work of my own polishing some new jokes. It's always interesting to see which jokes resonate with an audience and which ones don't. It's like the audience determines your act, because ultimately they decide what's funny and what stays in your set.