Fall VA Sightings!

Liza Balkan Performs New Piece in Festival!

Liza Balkan(Sailor Mercury #2), performed a new piece this weekend at Toronto's Second Annual Lab Cab Festival. Out The Window is based on the aftermath of witnessing a death on the street. Something happened. The official description from the site reads: 6 years, two trials, a coroner's inquest, a verdict and 100s of pages of transcripts later... questions remain. About truth. About sight. About the act of the witness. Liza is a director, actor, dancer, writer. Who saw something. She thinks. One critic enjoyed it and hailed it as one of the pieces not to miss. Liza directed the Pajama Game at the Bathurst Street Theatre, and can be seen next directing Bunnicula this Christmas. Fans can visit the official Lab Cab Myspace here!

A Rubeus' Presence is Felt on Wayside!

Wayside is a Canadian and American production which started this summer on Teletoon and Nickelodeon. They are based on the popular series Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar. Wayside School was accidentally built sideways with one room in each of the 30 stories instead of 30 rooms in 1 story. Viewers join the new kid Todd, as he tries to make his way in a school where it's okay to fall asleep, cows roam free, and class elections are decided by a game of... dodgeball? The series is popular among kids in both countries and we wouldn't be mentioning this if there wasn't a VA involved! Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) is a writer for this cartoon.

Rino Romano Has Two Narrating Gigs!

Rino Romano (Tuxedo Mask #1) is still continuing his role as the Caped Crusader on The Batman - which will begin its 5th Season any moment now! But Rino also has two roles in which he is narrating. The first is for the second season of Curious George on PBS Kids. The second season is focusing mostly on engineering concepts, like building a treehouse and plumbing, because every kid needs to know how to do these things in everyday life (pfft. who needs adults?). In March, Rino narrated The Story of the 2006 Diamond Bar Wolfpack , a documentary which followed the Jr. Midget Wolfpack Football team. In 2006, they were completely unbeaten through the season! The film was a winner in a worldwide Digital Video competition in June! Fans of Rino Romano can purchase this documentary on DVD and can watch a sneak peek here.

Charlie Bartlett Finally Has a Release Date!

Last May, we told you of high school comedy Charlie Bartlett, which features David Fraser (Grandpa Hino) as Dr. Jacob Kaufmann. We had read everywhere that the film was going to be out last month, but it wasn't to be found. Just recently, it was announced that the film will come out on February 1st, and the movie has an official website too! Even though the release date is so far away, we can't wait to see this movie about a teenaged boy who turns into a quasi-psychiatrist!

Spot that VA in Bakugan Battle Brawlers!

Bakugan Battle Brawlers began on Teletoon last July, and we finally got around to watching an episode ! To our surprise, a few VA's are involved in the dub of this anime. Bakugan Battle Brawlers (or simply Bakugan in Japan) is about kids who pick up cards featuring different characters, environments, and powers. They make a game with these cards , but they do not know that these cards correspond to an alternate world called Vestoria. Soon the kids are pulled into a quest to restore balance to Vestoria! Starring in this show are: Julie Lemieux (Sammy, Peruru) as Runo, the tomboy who uses light attributes, Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Mars #2, Sailor Venus #2) as Alice, who doesn't battle but advises the other brawlers, and Lyon Smith (Sapphire) as the masked Masquerade, who wants to help the Dark Side win over Vestoria and Earth!

And Finally...

We dug in the vault of old Sailor Moon articles and found a very old interview with Stephanie Beard that comes from the Globe & Mail - just as her career was starting to take off in 2001. Stephanie reveals a few tidbits about her aspirations and childhood in this interview! Sugar fans should give this a read, they may learn something new!

Stephanie Beard

Question: As co-host of YTV's The Zone, what star-like demands have you made in your contract?

Answer: One big rule -- I can't work with puppets that are bigger than me. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been scared of life-size puppets like Gonzo and Miss Piggy. My other demands included normal stuff like the newest Powerpuff Girls toys, a year's worth of ice cream and a steak sandwich.

Q: Mansbridge or Robertson?

A: Neither, actually I was thinking more along the lines of ET's Jann Carl.

Q: You have the nickname Suga Baybee now, but what did they call you when you were a kid?

A: In my family growing up, my brother and sister called me "Chub-a-lie" 'cause I was really chubby and I made up a lot of stories. My mom called me Princess Piglet, but just Princess when we had company over.

Q: Which cartoon character, past or present, would you have liked to do?

A: I always had dreams of being in an animated movie. I was able to accomplish that goal by playing Louisa in the upcoming animated feature, The Santa Claus Brothers, a new animated holiday special based on Michael Bedard's images (from Nelvana) that will air on YTV this December. Now, I have a mission to be the voice of Maggie, from The Simpsons, when her creators decide to let her speak!

Q: Recently you snagged a role on The Red Green Show. How are you going to handle all the testosterone on set?

A: The real question is, "How are they gonna handle me?" I may be little, but I pack a lot of power. I'm like a superhero, my superpower is my genuine smile makes the boys weak every time.

Q: Which of the dames on Survivor would you most like to mud wrestle with?

A: It would have to be Elisabeth. People always seem to compare us I think I could take her.