VA Sightings December 2007!

Robert Tinkler Appears on Season Two of Notes From The Underbelly!
Season two of ABC’s hit pregnancy comedy, Notes From The Underbelly began on November 26th, in the wake of the still looming Writers Guild Of America Strike. Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) appeared as Cooper’s (played by Rachel Harris) assistant on the second episode of the season, The Blackout. During a blackout, Julie (Melanie Deanne Moore) reveals that she has a video blog on the internet, dedicated to her newborn son. Cooper learns from her boss that her coworkers, or "cubicle drones" are quitting because she is just too rude to them. She is told that if another one quits because of her, she will lose her bonus. So in an attempt to get to chummy with her coworkers, she calls on Ben, or rather their "King". She learns that the coworkers were all enjoying a movie about babies acting stupid, and mentions Julie’s blog to them in an attempt to socialize. Eventually Cooper becomes popular with the crowd, even inviting them into her office to watch the blog. She even brings in Julie (their newly found idol) for a couple visits! But her plan falters when she snaps at one when she quits to move with her husband to another town. Cooper thought she was quitting because of her! Nonetheless, we hope to see more of Robert Tinkler this season than we did in the last one - we really like seeing him in comedy! Robert is the one holding the can on the right side, seated on the floor next to Cooper on the sofa.


Liza Balkan Is Directing All Around Ontario’s Theater Circuit!

Liza Balkan (Sailor Mercury #2) just finished directing the Waterloo Entertainment Centre’s production of Bunnicula and it was met with rave reviews. It was based on the popular children’s book series by James Howe about a rabbit that sucks the juice out of vegetables. If only they really existed, then every child wouldn’t have to eat their dinners! She thought she was going to play Chester the Cat, and was initially disappointed that she was asked to direct. But later she was thrilled to do it! The show implored a puppeteer who manipulated the bunny, and a cast of six talented actors. Though seemingly aimed for children, it entertained all ages, even having a few adult references for humor. She described it as "a wonderful mix of Bugs Bunny, the Far Side, a little bit of the Marx Brothers and lots of music." Liza will next be directing Opera on the Rocks, on January 8th and 9th . This is an opera that takes place amidst a bar, where the singers are sitting among others, and singing about love, life, and loss. It will be taking place at the Pauper’s Pub in the heart of downtown Toronto! If any of our readers have attended any of her productions we would love to hear from you!

We Find Something Old And Something New About Stephanie Beard!

We really wish we could tell you lot hanging out in the cold of Stephanie Sugar Lyn Beard’s official forums what she’s been up to - and we really hope to hear something big soon. In the meantime, we discovered something old and something new. Before Stephanie broke out into the world of voice acting with her role as Rini in Sailor Moon S, she was a radio DJ for former radio station KISS FM in Toronto. On the side, she also did a show with DJ Smylz called SugaSmylz Radio, where they would showcase whatever music they felt in the groove for! We stumbled upon a few lost episodes on podcasts at Red Monkey Radio and on Smylz' official website. We don’t hear her voice, but fans can get a look at the very diverse taste Stephanie has in music! And now for the something new, we stumbled upon Stephanie’s page at Voice123, a website where voices are for hire! Fans can see her credits, what she can do, and hear a demo. We’ve never heard her do any European accents and we’d love to hear that on a demo! We've heard about sites just like this on the news and that they are the first place a business will turn to if they need a voice for their advertisements as they don't have to deal with the hassle of going through a talent agency. They can here the voices here for themselves and hire them "on the spot". We’ll caution fans though that unless they have a serious, paying voice job for Stephanie, don’t contact her through this website. It’s never a good idea to send fanmail to a business site. You’re probably better off catching her by leaving a comment on her MySpace.

Konnichiwa from Emilie-Claire Barlow!

Picture Credit: Official Site. Official Site.

Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailors Mars & Venus #2) is having a great time in Japan! She is going around to different cities and performing Christmas shows! She has been chronicling her adventures on her blog, and fans can read about her shows, sightseeing, and a few clips here. We really love the shots of the strange signs she’s seen when she’s out and about! We wonder if she payed homage to Sailor Mars by visiting the Hikawa Shrine when she went to Tokyo? For those who want to listen to some of her excellent renditions of Christmas tunes, click here for the iTunes link to last year’s Winter Wonderland - which we reviewed here. It’s a really good album and all of you should check it out! For more of Emilie-Claire’s tunes, click here.