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Social networking for comedians

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EIC
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By Kristina Charania

Sin Bin owner Chris Hall has launched a website that promotes local comedians and comedy shows

It’s not a big secret. Yuk Yuk’s are not just noises made by Ewoks, but also a central stand-up venue to Vancouver, and Russell Peters is not our sole Canadian comedy export. Despite having a lively comedy scene and talented stand-up comedians, Vancouverites seem to know very little about comedy in the country and the city. The problem is simple: those looking for a few good laughs have no idea when comedy gigs are happening, and who’s in them.

“There’s probably 20 to 25 comedy shows a week in Vancouver,” said Chris Hall, owner of The Sin Bin, “but people just don’t know about [the shows] or don’t know how to find them.”

After observing friends in the industry and their frustrations with getting audiences together, Hall founded My ComedyBook. The new networking platform is a hybrid between a catalogue like IMDb, and a promotion platform like MySpace or Facebook. “I found it weird that there was no centralized database for comedy and comedians. Even burlesque has more out there online than comedy does!” said Hall.

Designed to eliminate the void between fan, comedy booker, and comedian, My ComedyBook’s homepage lists upcoming comedy shows in your region and displays a reel of featured local comedians that have received the most ‘laughs’, similar to a ‘like’ on Facebook.  Events can be clicked on to reveal performers who have individualized profiles with a ‘Book Me’ button for event organizers. The profiles provide a user-friendly experience and allow visitors to find comedians and their future events, read a biography, and watch high-quality performance videos.

This is essential for comedians because it provides fans with a place to learn about them and pass fair judgment on their sense of humour (or lack thereof). My ComedyBook may also ease the booking struggles faced by comedy venues like Yuk Yuks, benefiting both performer and entrepreneur. “[Comedy] is not like work experience, where you can look at a piece of paper and see that you’ve performed here and here. You really have to know if they’re funny or not in order to put them in a show,” said Hall.

Some have argued that Facebook has the same basic video-sharing and event-creating functions while being even more accessible, but My ComedyBook addresses an entirely new demographic. “Rather than just advertising to their friends on Facebook, they can reach a wider demographic of people that are actively searching for comedy shows,” said Hall.

“It’s a specialized thing. If you went on Facebook right now, you would have trouble finding a comedy show tonight in Vancouver. Unless you’re friends with a comedian on Facebook, and unless you’re one of his 400 friends, other people have no way to find out about the shows that he’s doing at pubs and bars around Vancouver.”

Ideally, My ComedyBook will also function for regions outside of Vancouver. “We’re starting with North America to see how that goes, and branch out if that goes well,” said Hall. “There’s a lot in Europe as well, but I think the main demographic is in North America, with the big cities being Vancouver, Montreal, L.A, and New York. We’ll start with that.”

Sin Bin owner Chris Hall has launched a website that promotes local comedians and comedy shows

Cheese specialist arrives to judge record-breaking wheel

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EIC
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Cameron Bere, a world-renowned cheese connoisseur hailing from Switzerland arrived at SFU last Friday to huge fanfare and applause. His reason for flying halfway around the world: to examine the authenticity of claims that the Cheese Whizzes, a campus club, had successfully created the world’s largest wheel of parmesan-reggiano cheese.

The enormous cheese measures at over 50 feet across and weighs a muenster-ous 550 pounds. If the cheese meets all the standards and regulations of the European Dairy Union, it will officially be recognized as the world’s largest wheel.

The Peak caught up with the Swiss cheese expert. “Let’s brie serious, the EDU gets hundreds of these claims a year, and only a handful ever paneer out. Frankly, I’m more than a little feta up with it, I’d even go as far to as saying  drives me emmental, the things people will do just to get into that edam book of world records. I mean, we’ve seen everything, from illegal food dyes to sawdust used as filler.”

“Not to mention the rampant bribery, it’s gotten to the point where we cheese inspectors have to wall ourselves off in the proverbial roquefort just to stay impartial. But in gouda faith we still fly out to each supposedly ‘world’s largest cheese’. Hopefully this won’t be the queso this time.”

In a press release, club president Jack Colby assured the community of the veritablity of their record-breaking wheel.  “Now we know a mozza things have been said about the authenticity of Parman Sandiego (the nickname given to the world-record contending cheese), mainly by the Lactosetmasters, our rival organization at UBC.  But we’ve been over our methodology time and again and we can assure you the work is Gouda.  Futhermo—

“We’ve already done that one.”

“What?”

“We’ve already used the ‘in Gouda faith’ pun. Pick another.”

“Um, alright . . . we . . . are certain that after all the Gruyère-ling work we’ve put in on Parmen, the weeks of waking up in a curd sweat in of the night, that the EDU will have no choice but to recognize that our cheese is the world’s largest.”

The record-breaking attempt comes at the same time as the club’s annual mixer, which organizers describe the event as a real “double cheddar”

theWAREHOUSE: Punny Double Feature

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EIC
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By Carl Huber at theWAREHOUSE

Breaking into music journalism

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EIC
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By Demi Begin (The Link — Concordia University)

Pitchfork’s Mark Richardson’s words on breaking into the industry ring true for any collegiate chasing more than a 9-to-5er

MONTREAL (CUP) — In a world where even the red, flowing Rolling Stone emblem is having trouble moving magazine copies off the rack, Mark Richardson is feeling optimistic about the future of music journalism.

Editor-in-chief of the world’s best-visited independent music writing website, Richardson’s at the helm of a ship that is retaining many tricks of the old media’s trade, while succeeding in the new. In many ways, it’s still a magazine, rather than a website.

Pitchfork maintains tight editorial control, doesn’t have comment sections on its articles, and doesn’t tweet back at its followers. Yet it’s the de facto taste-making music site of the 21st century. A Pitchfork review can make — or break — a musical career. Pitchfork is at the top of its game.

Even though it now all seems rosy, it has not always been that way for Richardson. When he started out as a freelance writer, the Brooklyn resident couldn’t afford to be picky. “I would write about whatever I could for money,” he admitted.

Despite living and breathing music and music journalism, it took him several years to refine his writing style. Then, in 1998, he went from odd writing jobs to writing steadily for the then-three-year-old website. When Richardson talks about it, it seems as if he can’t believe himself how much time has passed. “You know it was very, very small back then, it was just this tiny thing,” he stressed. “So when I talk about writing for Pitchfork in the ‘90s, it was just a really different world.”

Fast-forward through the last decade and newspapers and magazines are now in precarious financial positions, while the Internet has taken over. Pitchfork itself is getting more than four million unique visitors a month. Still, for the head of such a depended-on news source, the cultural addiction to a no-cost, 24-hour news cycle has some drawbacks.

“I don’t really love the second-by-second, chit chat commentary. If someone is a reporter, they might be excited at 10:00 p.m. that something happened, and they have to sit down and write a story. I get a message at 10:00 p.m. when something happens and I’m like, ‘Huhhhh.’”

Richardson added that having to be constantly connected is probably the element he dislikes the most about his job. Pitchfork, for its part, doesn’t update on weekends. As much as the site has become a staple of the web for many media-minded netizens, its social media cousins Twitter and Facebook are not on his list of favourites.

“I don’t crave the 24-hour cycle stuff. I would rather sit and stare at the window for an hour,” he admitted. “In my dream life, I’m in a quiet study, thinking and writing and undisturbed. I don’t really love having to be plugged in all the time.”

Although the non-stop flux of information can be overwhelming for some, it’s also undeniably affecting the way print journalism is perceived. In a society where information is instantaneously updated and accessible, print media slowly losing its relevance.

“I think print still has some advantages visually, with tactile experiences and longer pieces and those type of things,” Richardson said. Still, he acknowledged that the newspaper’s heyday is unlikely to return, but he held out hope for the industry, explaining that it simply has yet to figure out a new, more profitable, business model.

“I feel like there’s a possibility that there’s something looming that we haven’t quite envisioned yet that will be of higher quality than things are now. At least, I hope so.”

Whatever the situation for the publications themselves, the reality for the people who are hoping to break into them is something else entirely. It can be difficult to hold out faith in your craft when you can’t seem to find any work.

Journalists are the new actors; many people want to do it, but only a few, either the hardest-working or most talented, will make it. Pitchfork’s success story is certainly refreshing to journalists hoping to find some work — preferably paid — in an industry of temporary gigs and unpaid internships.

To them, Richardson has only one bit of advice: patience.“If you love to write, and especially if you love writing about art and culture, there’s nothing wrong with doing that part-time, for months or years,” he said, pointing out that publications will be willing to pay writers money for their writing when they’re good enough to get noticed.

That being said, the one question every journalist is asking is simple; what does one have to do to get a job in the business? The answer, according to Richardson, isn’t all that surprising.

Every year, Pitchfork, like countless other publications, puts out a call for interns. And, putting things simply, those interns who succeed and stand out will eventually move up the ladder, paving the way for the Mark Richardsons of the future.

“It’s not too much of a mysterious process, other than we’re looking for people that want nothing more than to be involved in the world of music journalism, and also seem like they are going to work really hard,” he noted.

“Making it clear that you want to do whatever you can to help is the best thing. Those are the interns you tend to notice more, pay attention to, and then eventually want to help out.”

With Texty Results!

By
EIC
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A brother and sister spin puns with surprising e-fish-ciency, with texty results!

SFU director used expense account for B.C. Liberal fundraisers

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EIC
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By Benedict Reiners

Payments include $1,000 for tickets to fundraiser for Liberal MLA Harry Bloy

Recently, the Vancouver Sun reported that SFU’s director of government relations, Wilf Hurd, has charged donations to the Liberal Party of B.C. to his university expense account.

Although the amount charged to the SFU account over Hurd’s time as director of government relations is not known, The Sun has determined that between early January and late February of this year, he billed the university for a reported $2,045 for provincial Liberal fundraisers.

Prior to receiving the position of director of government relations, Hurd was an MLA for the B.C. Liberals between 1991 and 1997. During that time, he served as opposition critic of both education and advanced education. In 1997, he stepped down from his position as MLA to run for the Liberal Party of Canada in the then upcoming federal election, which he eventually lost. In 2002, he was given the position at SFU.

Although Hurd could not be reached for comment, Don      MacLachlan, university spokesman for SFU, stated that although there has been no previous policy against actions like those of Hurd, change is imminent, telling Sun reporters, “Let me be clear, the practice is not going to continue.”

However, evidence suggests the fact that the practices of Hurd were previously known to university officials, as Hurd had attached information on the events which he was billing to the university, as well as copies of the cheques naming the B.C. Liberals as the recipients in the paperwork required to claim the funds from the expense account. To this, MacLachlan told The Sun, “For many years we have attended events of both parties, NDP and Liberal, to further the university’s interests,” playing down the partisan nature of the donations. However, B.C. NDP caucus chair Shane Simpson, has stated that, after taking a close look at party records, they have found no evidence of such donations to their party.

The B.C. Liberal Party seemed less aware of the practice than the university. In response to the news, the party has confirmed that it will be returning the funds received in 2012 to SFU. In addition to this, they stated that they would begin to determine how much was given in previous years, in order to return that to the university as well. Echoing this statement, executive director of the B.C. Liberals Chad Pederson told reporters, “We don’t accept contributions from public entities.”

PhotoChopped: CSI: Burnaby Mountain

By
EIC
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Listless: Rejected Puns

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EIC
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By Gary Lim

  • Victims of bear attack describe events as “Grizzly”
  •  Vegans killed in chickpea avalanche; foul play suspected, possible hummuside
  •  Drug ring operating out of bee farm, busted after three month sting
  •  Yatzhee factory fire leads to dicey circumstances
  •  Tycoon makes krilling in the whale hunting industry
  •  Yogi master suspect in pre-meditated murder
  •  Paper jam edges out cardboard marmalade for county fair blue ribbon
  •  New Westminster dry cleaners found to be front for money laundering
  •  Conductor instrumental in orchestrating elaborate “symphony“ murders
  • Statutory Grapists: Raisin Hell

Pennies to be used to build new SUB building

By
EIC
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By Brad McLeod

In light of the recent federal government decision to discontinue Canada’s one cent coin, Build SFU, the SFSS proposal for building a new student union building, has a new plan to use pennies to the school’s advantage.

The plan, which will become official as soon as next week, will see the SFSS asking students to hold off on any plans to give their pennies to charity, wishing wells or railroad tracks, and instead donate them to the SUB building project.

The SFSS believes if every student gives what they can; the project can easily go ahead without the previously planned increase in student fees. The hard part, they believe, will be assembling the pennies into the structure of the building.

“Pennies weren’t in the original design plan, so it’s going to be a bit tricky to stack them like that” said one optimistic member of the Build SFU team, “but what else could we really do with a bunch of coins.”

With intricate stacking, the SUB building is expected to match the designs laid out earlier this year, with the only difference being that the building will now have the potential to collapse at any given time.

Upon its completion, it will become the first structure in the world to be made entirely of coinage. Construction of the project will be led by a voluntary group of craft makers and model enthusiasts who hope to be working with at least a million pennies.

“I haven’t done the math,” said one volunteer, “but that should be enough to cover 100,000 square feet right?”

Although construction time is expected to be drastically increased due to the meticulous work, the SFSS has maintained that the initiative will remain in the hands of students and that they will still be able to see all their ideas come to life, most likely while attending their grandchild’s graduation ceremony.

In fact, the whole penny idea is a direct result of student consultation as the idea for donations came from a sticky note on Build SFU’s Think Tank board. The student credited with the idea commented, “I don’t think they understood what I meant.”

No matter what this student may or may not have had in mind, the “penny building” has attracted its fair share of support from the student body. Despite being criticized by engineers as “impossible” and “a serious risk to student safety,” most students have expressed their approval for the plan with the majority citing “at least it won’t be gray” as their reason for doing so.

The SFSS expects the new penny-based SUB building to become the heart of the SFU campus, which it will remain for many years to come since, any renovations will not occur until the nickel is taken out of circulation.

 

 

2012 Western Conference Playoff Preview

By
EIC
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By Adam Ovenell-Carter

 

Vancouver

Prediction: lose in WCF

The Canucks, almost inexplicably, are well within the hunt for the President’s Trophy this year for being the team with the best record through the regular season, and it would be their second straight. But, we all know where that got them last year. The Canucks dominated the league through the 2010-2011 regular season campaign, but it didn’t win them the Stanley Cup. This year, they haven’t really dominated anything, yet somehow they find themselves in the thick of it again. That speaks to the ridiculous talent and depth on the roster while on one hand it could be seen as concerning that the Canucks can’t seem to put teams away with ease. The whole year has been a set-up for the playoffs, and the Canucks will have home ice advantage through at least the first two rounds. The Canucks are playing just so-so hockey, but if they can turn it up, they could go deep, again.

 

St. Louis

Prediction: lose in WCSF

The Blues have been the surprise team of the year, led by surefire coach of the year Ken Hitchcock. They can play an almost mind-numbingly boring defensive game, buts it’s undeniably effective. The Blues are easily first in the league in goals against per game, allowing just 1.86 a game — the second place Kings come in at 2.02, nobody else is even under 2.20. Goalies Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak have been nothing short of sensational, combining for 15 shutouts (nine and six respectively). Elliott is a leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best netminder, and Halak has shone in the playoffs before. For teams like Vancouver and San Jose who often rely on offense, the Blues could be nothing but a nightmare. However, the Blues struggle to score goals, and are quite young and inexperienced when it comes to the playoffs. If they run into a hot goalie, they could be toast.

 

Los Angeles

Prediction: lose in WCQF

Any home ice advantage the Kings get will be because they won their division, but do they deserve it? They are one of the most enigmatic teams in these playoffs (joined by Washington in the East), and one of the most inconsistent. Jonathan Quick has been stellar in net for the Kings, and their defensive style has put them behind only St. Louis in the goals against category. Their biggest issue is unquestionably their inability to score goals; the Kings have the third-fewest goals-for in the NHL. What’s troubling is that the Kings paid big prices to bring in big names like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, but both have been big disappointments. They say defense wins championships, but don’t expect one in Hollywood this year. A matchup against a playoff-tested team like Chicago could spell disaster for the Kings.

 

Nashville

Prediction: lose in SCF

Nashville is easily one of the most intriguing teams heading into these playoffs. They gave the Cup finalist Canucks all they could handle, and only got better this year. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are arguably the league’s top defensive pairing, and Pekka Rinne is a world-class netminder who almost stole the series against Vancouver. They added Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad at the tradeline, and paid quite a heavy price to do so. However, the Predators’ undoing last year was their inability to score, and these trades, along with the late-season addition of former Predator and KHL superstar Alex Radulov helps big time certainly helps that. The Predators finally made it past the first round for the first time in franchise history last year, and you can bet they’ll be plenty hungry to get past that this year — and you can bet they will.

 

Detroit

Prediction: lose in WCQF

Not a lot needs to be said about the Red Wings. They’re perennial contenders, and for good reason. They have Pavel Datsyuk (who the NHL’s players voted as the best player in the world), they have Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall . . . the list goes on. Oh, and that Nicklas Lidstrom guy. The Wings are a tried and true playoff team, and have the Stanley Cup rings to show for it. Jimmy Howard has finally hit his stride over the past two years, and has emerged as one of the NHL’s better goaltenders. They’re well-balanced, well-coached, and well-managed. The only problem is that they won’t have home ice advantage to start the post-season, and are matched up against the hot pick Nashville Predators in the first round. That said, they no doubt have the resources and experience to pull off the ‘upset’, it’s just a matter of whether they will.

 

Chicago

Prediction: lose in WCSF

The Blackhawks aren’t what they once were, that’s for sure. Still, Chicago isn’t a team to be taken for granted. Marion Hossa has been one of the best two-way forwards — let alone players — in the game this year, and Patrick Kane is always dangerous. Jonathan Toews, in spite of his concussion issues, is still one of the game’s best and was on pace for the NHL’s goal-scoring lead, and even a Hart Trophy before he got injured. Duncan Keith is back from his five-game suspension for his elbow on Daniel Sedin, and isn’t that far removed from being named the league’s top defenseman. The Hawks have plenty of talent in their core group, but after that, the skill levels drop pretty significantly. They might not have what it takes to win another Stanley Cup, but they definitely have a chance at pulling off an upset or two

 

San Jose

Prediction: lose in WCQF

For a long time, it was looking like the Sharks were going to miss the post-season, which could’ve put them into fire sale mode come the offseason. It could still come to that if they can’t make it deep into the playoffs, and that could be a challenge given their first-round matchup against the Blues. The Sharks know all about making it to the Western Conference Final, and made it there last year too. They looked poised to finally make it over the hump and into the Cup final, but the Canucks ousted them in only five games. With almost the same roster, they barely squeaked into the first round this year. Joe Thornton has proven he can be a playoff performer, as has the rest of the team, but they’ll all need to step up big time to make it out of round one.

 

Phoenix

Prediction: lose in WCQF

The Coyotes are eerily similar to the Predators of last year. They play an incredibly stingy defensive game that can drive fans and opponents both insane. They get by with whatever offense they can muster, and are riding an up-and-coming goaltender who has been lights out of late (Mike Smith recorded a 54-save shutout last week). That got the Predators out of the first round last year, but they lost to the Canucks in six games in round two. A Phoenix–St. Louis matchup would serve them well, as they wouldn’t have to worry too much about their offense breaking through the dam. But, a first-round series against an offensive team like Vancouver could spell their end. It won’t be easy for the Coyotes to upset anyone, but like Nashville last year, have a chance to surprise.

 


 


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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024