VA Sightings March 2008 (Part 2)!

Naz Edwards' Souvenir Continues!

Naz Edwards (Queen Beryl) continues to perform as the singer who can't sing across Michigan! She is currently in Lansing at the BoarsHead Theatre performing in Souvenir, a musical about Florence Foster Jenkins. She liked to believe she could sing, when in reality she could not. Naz is a very accomplished jazz and cabaret singer, and we wonder how hard it might have been for her to train for this role (or rather, learn how not to sing). We've read a few reviews of the show and we have heard that it's really good, and recommend any fans in the area to go check it out!

Jeff Lumby Plays Showbiz Dad!

Jeff Lumby (Dr. Tomoe) can currently be heard playing Leonard, who is better known as the nerdy father of Ricky Sprocket in Ricky Sprocket, Showbiz Boy! The flash-animated TV show can be seen on both Nickelodeon in the United States, and Teletoon in Canada. The show uses a kid-friendly approach to talk about society's infatuation with celebrity. Ricky is constantly fighting battles between how he should grow up, and how he should act in the public - or how he should avoid being seen the wrong way by the ruthless paparazzi! Jeff is still a radio host at Dave FM in Cambridge, Ontario. Fans can read his blog, here!

Dennis Akiyama Comes To Degrassi!

Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian TV show which is making waves all over the world. It has been a staple on CTV and has now begun on Nickelodeon's The N and also the CW. Though sometimes controversial, we think this is a good drama for teenagers to watch as it's very close to being true-to-life. Degrassi follows high schoolers and the challenges they face in and out of school. In the Season 7 episode "Death or Glory Part II", school strongboy Gavin "Spinner" Mason was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Dennis Akiyama (Malachite) appeared in the show as the Oncologist (Cancer Doctor) who talks to Spinner about his options for treatment. Fans can check out the episode streaming online at CTV or The N.

Tracey Hoyt Dwells Into the Lives of Hockey Wives...

Tracey Hoyt (Rini #1) appeared on the last episode ever of CBC's drama http://www.cbc.ca/mvp/. She played, (for the second time in her career) a nurse inj Mad Scramble. Though this time, she was in a more intense situation. The first time she played a nurse was in the movie Godsend, during the delivery of a baby. This time, she played a psychiatric nurse and got to inject tranquilizers into an athlete who was a little delusional. She handled that syringe quite fiercely! If you are in Canada, CBC has all of the episodes streaming online at the official site. We'll warn our readers though,this series has some mature content.Tracey has also been teaching voice with Pirate Voice. Toronto's CityTV went over there recently to pick up a few tips, and Tracey was there to teach them! Fans can watch the video they have posted here to see Tracey in action!

... And so did Allison Sealy-Smith!

Allison Sealy-Smith (various Monsters of the Day) also appeared on the episode playing Cadde Lawrence, a psychic who helps another wife in search of a missing child. Allison also appeared in the movie, How She Move. This is a Canadian film about Jamaican dance culture and identity. Allison played Mrs. Davis, and fans can try to spot her in some video clips here. The movie was released on January 25th to only a limited amount of cinemas in Canada. Allison also appeared in Global's black hairdresser comedy, 'da Kink in My Hair. The series is based on the play of the same name by Trey Anthony, and was inspired by the many West Indian salons in Toronto's Eglinton suburb. Trey talked about her inspiration to the National Post last year. Allison played Leanne in the episode Empty Bag Can't Stand Up . Unfortunately, it seems Global has removed the show from its site, so we can't provide you a link to watch episodes. We can link you to a trailer, where you can spot the short-haired Allison Sealy-Smith for a quick second!



Julie Lemieux on Global Warming Cartoon!

Julie Lemieux (Sammy, Peruru, Young Darien) was heard as the voice of Becky Sue in the movie Chilly Beach: The World Is Hot Enough. It was just released on DVD , and follows the successful 3-season Canadian series all about life in the way-up-North!. Canucks Dale and Frank are tired (like we all are) of Canada's infamous deep-freeze winters. So they experiment with climate control, but end up destroying the planet in the process. Now it's up to them to go back in time and undo the damage before they do it! We hope to catch it soon, as we've mostly seen Julie play younger male roles more than she has female roles.

More VAs Appear on Little Mosque on the Prairie!

Last season, Maria Vacratsis appeared on the groundbreaking comedy, Little Mosque on the Prairie!. Now, it seems two more VAs have visited Mercy, Saskatchewan. These include David Huband (Serena's Dad) playing a Radio Manager in Crush and Meet J.J., and Norma Dell'Agnese (Prisma) who played the hairdresser Marsha in the episode, Wheat Week.Martha has blinds in her windows, which allows for Muslim women to get a haircut without men seeing them without their Hijab. Of course, things change when Martha takes away the blinds. David plays the manager of Mercy's only radio station, and is easily swayed from making decisions by getting bribes from Fred, the disc jockey who is desperate to save his job. It seems this show is airing all over the world these days except for the United States. We recommend fans look around for episodes posted on Youtube or Veoh to catch these VAs in action! Fans may be interested to know that while the show still features lots of shots of Regina and area, the production moved to Toronto after the pilot episodes were shot. In the first season, you may have noticed shots of the "Novia Cafe" - the Cafe actually exists and is one of the greasiest places to eat in the city!

Wendy Lyon in Two Movies!

Wendy Lyon (Queen Serenity)had a role playing Luanne in Kaw, a Canadian film about ravens that attack a small town. The indie flick also stars Sean Patrick Flannery. From the reviews of this movie that we've read, it didn't have more to the plot than that and it was not very well received. For those of you adventurous enough to watch it, the movie is on DVD. Wendy can also be seen in a TV Movie based on the horrible Mayerthorpe Incident in 2005. Four RCMP officers visited the tiny town of Mayerthorpe in the hopes of capturing a farmer who was growing marijuana in a barn. Unfortunately, the farmer shot and killed all four officers in an attempt to evade the law. The movie aired in February on CTV, featuring Wendy as Sally Ranfield.

And Now, We Leave You With...

A wonderful performance from Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailors Mars & Venus #2)! Here she is singing O Pato on Quebec's Belle et Bum show! Check out her blog to learn all about what she's been up to! We wish you the best of luck Emilie-Claire - the National Jazz Awards are just around the corner!

Flashpoint Continues To Dominate!

Flashpoint's ratings for it's encore showing on Sunday pulled some good numbers! On CBS the show scored 2.6 out of 5, or for those of us who understand other numbers, 4 million viewers, which was 1 million more than a rerun of Desperate Housewives on ABC. In Canada, the show has been gaining lots of viewers in the 18-49 age group, and holding on to its numbers in the 25-54s. Both age groups are returning numbers in the 400,000s. Flashpoint's success in the United States has helped pave the way for other TV shows from Canada to cross the border. ABC is now collaborating with CBC on a pilot for a Montreal sitcom called 18 to Life. This one is about two 18-year-old neighbours who marry on a dare only to face criticism from their parents (YIKES!). Fox has also acquired the rights to produce a U.S. version of CBC's homegrown-now-international hit, Little Mosque on the Prairie. We're a little disappointed because a few VAs have appeared on the show with really good performances, and they probably won't be seen by any of their American fans. Maria Vacratsis' (Queen Metallia) performance as Mother Hamoudi was one to see!

In more random Flashpoint trivia news, Enrico Colantoni (Sgt. Gregory Parker, the negotiator) loves being back home in Toronto. He still has a lot of family there, and was recently quoted "I've always got somewhere to go on Sunday. There's always a warm place with pasta to eat at my uncle's house." Aww, isn't that nice to have somewhere to enjoy pasta with family and friends after a long week on the job! For all of you Pink Ranger fans, Amy Jo Johnson's song Dancing In-Between will be on this week's episode Asking For Flowers. We're really excited for this episode as the SRU has to face the tough choice of what to do with one of their own: an abusive cop's sister-in-law can't bear to see his battered wife in pain any longer. She takes matters into her own hands - with his gun. There is a short clip of the song on Amy's website, and CTV has also put up a page with all the music used in the series here. There's a mistake though, Episode 4 is not called Attention Shopper.

Quick News Roundup!

VA Nominated for a Gemini Award!

Breaking News from the Canadian Entertainment front! The 22nd Gemini Award Nominees were announced this morning and one lucky VA has been nominated! Maria Vacratsis (Negaforce) has been nominated as part of the cast of Showcase's comedic hit, Rent-a-Goalie for the Best Ensemble Performance in a Comedy Program or Series Award. They face competition from such Canadian favorites like Corner Gas, Royal Canadian Air Farce, Comedy Inc., The Business and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. We would have also thought she'd be nominated for her well-played guest performance in Little Mosque on the Prairie. It will be around for another two seasons on Showcase in Canada and Season Two will start sometime soon! We wish Maria the best of luck on October 17th!

Sailor Moon Champions the Toei Polls!

I wanted to write a bit more about the poll when it first came out but due to time constraints I couldn't. I was elated to read earlier today that Sailor Moon held an overwhelming majority in the poll with 2535 votes out of 3979! Toei has said that these will probably be the Japanese episodes with English subtitles, but we think quite a few fans are hoping that the English Dub will be a part of this service. Fans on the boards also expressed some interest in DVDs more than the On Demand service. In many fans' opinions (including some of our staff members) the dub still holds a place in their hearts and as I have mentioned many times before, Canada barely got a chance to own the dub on DVD as many stores didn't carry the ADV DVDs of the first two seasons. The dub also had better background music than the originals for transformations etc. and we are sure many fans would love the chance to see this again. What is interesting is that it appears that Toei would like to release Sailor Stars under this new On Demand service, as the poll did not indicate that this particular season would be left out. Obviously that will get a fresh first translation, and we have to wonder if the others will be retranslated as well, and if episode 67 will finally make it's way to North America! Thank you to all the fans who voted in this poll to make their voices heard to Toei!

A Few More VA Sightings!

Per always, our VA's are always up to something new! So here come a few new sightings, and we have big news concerning Naz Edwards so we will be finishing the article with a larger bit on her than the last update!

Notes from the Underbelly Renewed for a Second Season!

ABC's recent sitcom hit Notes from the Underbelly has been renewed for a second season, and the new episodes will probably air next spring by some estimates. Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) plays Ben, the slave/assistant to the show's demanding, workaholic lawyer, Cooper (played by Rachel Harris). This screenshot we have provided is from the last episode of this season. He is on his third date when Cooper calls him asking to pick up a present for a man whose birthday party she is currently attending! Ben is frustrated but complies when Cooper threatens to fire him. He appeared in a few episodes this season in person and in voice (yelling from outside of Cooper's office), and is probably likely to return when the new episodes roll around. Congratulations Robert, and all of us at Moon Chase really hope Cooper leaves your character at peace for an evening!

Maria Vacratsis Plays Scary Mother in Law!

Little Mosque on the Prairie is a Saskatchewan Production that has received International Attention! The show is about the challenges of Muslim life in the small, fictional, prairie town of Mercy, Saskatchewan. It features an interesting perspective of how Muslims and Non-Muslims interact! At the center of it all is Yasir Hamoudi (played by Carlo Rota), a Lebanese Canadian who runs a construction business , and is married to a caucasian woman named Sarah (played by Sheila McCarthy). Sarah converted to Islam when they married, and they have a daughter named Rayyan who is the most devout to the faith in the family - following prayers regularly and wearing a Hijab. In the seventh episode of the first season "Mother-in-Law", Yassir's Mother comes to visit, and Mother Hamoudi is played by none other than Maria Vacratsis (Queen Metallia)!

Mother Hamoudi comes to visit the family bearing grim news: Yassir's cousin Samira has recently become widowed and is very lonely. As the Mother with all the power, she proposes Yassir take a second wife and mary Samira! This comes to the dismay of Sarah and the rest of the episode tells the story of a culture clash between western society (where polygamy is illegal) and middle-eastern society (where in some countries it is acceptable to have more than one wife). This daring episode can be watched by clicking these links for part 1, part 2, and part 3.

Sailor Moon Connection to Barbados's First Big Hit!

Alison Sealy-Smith (various Monsters of the Day, pictured second from right) stars in Barbados's first film to ever be distributed nationally, Hit for Six ! Alex Nelson (played by Andrew Pilgrim) is the son of a West Indies cricket star and has a lot to live up to. He has to fight for his spot back on the cricket team after a layoff. This is especially tumultuous as he has to overcome a nasty scandal, and also mend relations with his estranged father who has been living in England for the last 30 years. Alison plays Ianthe (Alex's mother), in this indie hit which has been a huge hit in Barbados and is headed for international release later this year!

Liza Balkan is Onstage!

Liza Balkan (Sailor Mercury #2) has been appearing across Canada on stage in some very diverse productions! Last March she appeared at the Winnipeg Jewish Theatre in Manitoba performing in Soap and Laughter. The show featured Liza in her own 20 min comedic sketch. In late 2006 at WJT she also starred as Golda Meir in Golda's Balcony, a play based on the Jewish icon and former Israeli Prime Minister. In April, she was featured in a roundtable discussion on the nature of indie productions and career paths for the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts. And in December of this year, she will be directing the Waterloo Entertainment Centre's production of Bunnicula! This play is a huge children's hit all over the country and is based on the popular book series.

Naz Edwards to play... a terrible singer?

This is breaking news moonies! Naz Edwards (Queen Beryl) has just been chosen to play a socialite who can't sing for her life in the play Souvenir at the Performance Network Theatre in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The play is based on the real life story of Florence Foster Jenkins, who was the William Hung of the thirties and forties, so to speak! This should be funny to see and we can't wait for the date for this play to be announced!

Flashpoint Reminder!

Hey Moonies! Just a reminder that Flashpoint is returning to both CTV and CBS this Friday, January 9th - please watch it and continue to give Stephanie Morgenstern (Sailor Venus #1) and her husband Mark Ellis your support! These episodes are really amazing, and we encourage all our readers to catch them on TV - we will be! The first of the four "lost episodes" from Season 1 begins this week, and the new episodes begin on February 6th. All we know is that there is a new female member named Donna who will present quite the challenge to the SRU. CBS has posted a new promotional interview with show star Enrico Colantoni (Sgt. Greg Parker) and this interview is playable (unlike some clips on CBS's site) in Canada! We have also uncovered an older interview of Enrico along with co-star David Paetkau (Sgt. Sam Braddock). And as always, our summaries will return shortly after the show airs!

In other fantastic Flashpoint news, the show has finally been nominated for it's first of what we hope will be many awards! The Canadian Film and Television Association announced its nominations for the 2009 CFTPA Indie Awards, and Flashpoint is nominated for Best Prime Time Drama Series and faces competition from ReGenesis, Intelligence, and The Border. We wish the best of luck for Flashpoint and we really hope that it wins! Other productions which VAs have made appearances were nominated - The Border featured two VAs, Intelligence has featured Sabrina Grdevich in the past, Little Mosque on the Prairie which has featured not one, not two, but three VAs in its run, and Mayerthorpe which starred Wendy Lyon (Queen Serenity) in a supporting role.