Mike's Bloggity Blog

You probably know Spenny for being the loveable loser on the hugely succesful comedy, Kenny VS. Spenny.  But with his new comedy,  the days of insulting fat people, sitting on cows or wearing an octopus’ on  his head are far behind him…luckily.

In his new scripted show, Single White Spenny, Spencer Rice takes on something that he’s not even sure he can win: love.  It’s definitely a different direction for those who are used to the silly Spenny who would do anything for a laugh…literally.  Earlier this week, I got the chance to talk to Spencer and two of his co-stars, the hilarious Nikki Payne and the inspiring Deb McGrath, about their new show, who’s funnier and most importantly: revenge sex.  By the end of our chat, I felt like I had gone to comedy school, have a read, I think they’ll feel the same way.

The first episode focuses on the concept of revenge sex. Out of the three of you, who would have the most revenge sex?

(shocked) silence.

Nikki: Me. Hands down.
Deb: I’ve lived longer, but if you averaged it out, Nikki would win.
Spencer: On a per capita basis, Nikki for sure.
Nikki: My dad is from Newfoundland, the revenge sex capital of the world!

Spencer, up until now, most of your worked has been unscripted. Was it hard to go to a scripted series?
Spencer: Basically it’s a completely different process. I absolutely love it. It’s amazing for me, because I wasn’t doing anything outside of my wheelhouse of what I always do, which is essentially Spenny. The script memorizing was a little bit intimidating. But I went to an expert who just told me to practice. So two months before we started filming, I was running lines with my girlfriend about an hour a day and I just got better and better at it. Thank god I did my homework.

So do you consider yourself an actor now?
Spencer: I guess so, I see actors who are like Laurence Olivier, I don’t know if I have that kind of range, but I feel like a comedian.
Deb: You’re a comedic actor.

You went from working with Kenny, to a cast full of funny women. Did they teach you the ways of the woman?
Deb: Well I think he loved it. But I think he already knew the ways of the women. He loved being bossed around.
Nikki: He only learned what he needed to know.
Spencer: Well I love women, for many reasons. They titillate me and confound me and all of those things.

How much of Spencer is there in Spenny?
Spencer: I would say a lot. Particularly his relationship with his mom You’ve got a guy who has a very self-absorbed mother, like many kids, he ‘s gone the opposite way of his mother, so he’s trying to do all the things that society wants you to do (married, children, tax payer) but he doesn’t have the skills to do it, partly due to the fact that his mom never taught him. It really is very character driven series, every character in the show is very strong.

The series is loosely based on your life, did you have to call any of yours exes to give them a heads up?
Spencer: Well my mom, specifically, not really the exes. But it’s about comedy, it’s about writing real stories and we all draw from our lives in subtle…or not so subtle ways.

Amy Matysio plays my best friend Chelsea, who is based on my best friend, a woman named Sarah. She knows me inside out, is never afraid to tell me the truth.

You have all made you’re careers in comedy, who or what were your inspirations to be make you all so funny?
For me, my cousin Marjorie (Marjorie Gross.) She was really one really one of the pioneer female comedians out of Canada. She went on to live in New York and work at Catch a Rising Star and went on to write for The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld and Bob Newhart. I was exposed to comedy at a very young age. Comedy is what feels honest for me. I’m a fan of comedy. I’m also fan of Nikki and Deb. It goes all the way back to Chaplin, you just try to learn little pieces and try to put it all together and make it your own, as much as you can.

Deb: I’m the same, I was the kid in the school yard acting out the Monty Python episodes. I’m also with Spenny, Buster Keaton, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore! I was obsessed with comedians. I was rare because I was the girl class clown, which in the fifties and sixties was the exception. I would watch a Laugh In episode, memorize it and then perform it. I also look to the great characters in my real life, I could do a show about my family…but not while they are still alive. I always observe the absurd in people, I’m a great student of human nature.

Nikki: I’d love to tell you that I’m the same, that I was a lover of comedy for all these years, but the honest to god truth, my entire career is just a series of flukes. I was the college mascot in College, people thought I was funny, they thought I should try comedy and so here I am.

Spencer: I was a fan of both of these ladies, I had seen Nikki’s stand up plenty of times, so we went hunting for Nikki. Deb walked in and it was like “you got the job!”

Deb: It was interesting, because at my audition, as I was speaking, Spenny kept looking at the director, which I realize now was because he liked me, but I first I thought he was like, “What the hell is she doing?!”

What do you have in common with each other, to make you successful in comedy?
Spencer: I respect them…I hope they reciprocate. It’s a business, a lot of actors read for the different parts but you go with your gut. These women made me laugh and that’s why I knew I wanted to work with them. And I knew they had the intelligence and talent to get their heads around the characters.

Deb: I had a great start at Second City and when I started it was the only game in town. So if you were at Second City, you got all the commercials. But then ,I have to say, that in my forties, and I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but they don’t really know what to do with women in their forties. Fortunately, my sons were in school and I was happy to step back. And then I turned fifty and honest to god, it’s the busiest I’ve ever been and it’s the most that I’ve ever worked. I have no idea why and I’m really scared to question it. I’ve learned to things: Be the funniest person that you can be and be the easiest person to work with. Because I swear to god, one of the questions people ask when they are putting a cast together is “Are they a dick or are they easy to work with?” And I swear I’ve seen people get cast because of that. Sure, talk about people when you get home over a glass of wine. But when you’re at work, be on time, hit your mark, learn your lines and be flexible.

Nikki: For me, I feel like it is luck that I’m here. But what I’ve observed thus far, because I’ve got to work with amazing people, what seems to be similar in all of them is a real feeling of “Aren’t we lucky to be doing this,” “Isn’t this a great job?” Generally the people who are dicks to work with are the ones who are choosing to be miserable. I’ve worked real jobs, they’re not fun. This is fun.

Deb: I used to work corporate gigs and we won’t complain about little things and then we’d say, “You know what, we could be out there, with the ‘Hello My Name Is Tag’” So we are all grateful.

Spencer, If you were forced to name your character something other than Spenny, what would it be?
Spencer: McBloggity Blog Sammy!

I have it copyrighted

Spencer: It would have to be Marx Brother-ian. Neorotic Marx.

Single White Spenny premieres Thursday, June 2 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.

Any young Canadian that’s ever worked in the media would be lying to you if they said they didn’t even once dream about being a MuchMusic VJ. Well after two failed attempts on the VJ Search, I’ve gotten my chance….well…sorta.

Last week, Canadian rap superstar Shad came through town after his big win over Drake at the Junos for Rap Recording of The Year and I got the chance to interview him. Well normally, interviews are pretty standard. I do my research, bring down my recorder, do the interview and then I spend hours transcribing.

But on his recent tour, Shad teamed up with Scion to offer media a pretty cool opportunity. Shad got his “people” to tape the video for us, old school MuchMusic VJ style. I didn’t tell him then, but I was dying with excitement. First, to finally get a chance to have a good chat with him because he way too nice of a guy and secondly, to not have to transcribe. You have no idea how painful that becomes.

Check out the interview, you’ll notice I hardly got any face-time, which is sorta why I know I’ll never make a good VJ. Blogger for life!

Since last season’s debut of Republic of Doyle, actor Allan Hawco has been in hot demand and I’m not just talking about the legions of female fans he has across the country….but really can you blame them?  Not only is Hawco the star of the show, he is the executive producer and writer of the smash Newfoundland based detective show.  With the show regularly crossing over the million viewers mark against tough competition like American Idol, it’s no wonder ladies recently lined up around the block to spend the night (okay, evening) with Hawco in Calgary.  But before the party got start, I got the chance to sit down with the show’s star and talk about his and the Republic of Doyle’s journey so far and if we might ever see Jake Doyle on the big screen!

Since you are the writer, producer and star of Republic of Doyle, how protective are you of your baby?
It’s great because you don’t enough time to be sensitive about anything.  Because it is my baby, it does allow me to be more stern with the show than anyone else.  Creatively, the number one rule is that the show wins.  Whatever I think is a cool line or moment, if it gets in the way of a great story, then it needs to go away.

Do you ever get nervous that CBC might try to change the show?
Not really because quite honestly, from day one everyone wanted to make the same show.  I was able to articulate what I wanted the show to be and they were able to buy that. They were very hands-off creatively and they are very much a part of my team. But you have to take in everyone’s input and listen.  I don’t care who tells me anything, I’m going to listen to them. Although, your skin gets thick enough to follow through with your vision, it’s a good way to do it, right?

When you were creating Republic of Doyle, did you picture the show’s success?
The big thing for me was that I wanted a show that Canadians felt proud of.  If I hadn’t succeeded in that, I think I would be very sad.  And not just the province of  Newfoundland.  I wanted the people in Calgary to say, “Hey, that’s a great Canadian show.”  I wanted everyone to feel it.  I hire actors from all across the country to work with us, so the show feels more national.

What’s been the reaction of the show in Newfoundland?
The people of Newfoundland are definitely grateful for being portayed in a way that they haven’t really been portrayed before.  We wanted a series to show the world but I didn’t want to mock the country. I’m not saying that we don’t have a sense of humor about ourselves, but I feel like we have to mock ourselves in order for others to appreciate us.

Do you mean shows like Corner Gas and Trailer Park Boys?
Trailer Park Boys was inspired, they didn’t something in the first three seasons of that show, that I’ve never seen before.

What would the show be like creatively if the network made you take it out of Newfoundland?
It would be very different. But I think I would definitely like to write a show set in a different city.

As an actor, do you understand your fan’s positive reaction to the show and more specifically, you?
It’s different because I’m also the Executive Producer of the show, so in my head I’m able to rationalize anything in a very sensible way.  I’m able to think of it as a  product that we are making, people are interested in it, you have an obligation to serve the people who are interested in the project. I know how many people are involved in making this project but I know that this is not about me.  It really have nothing to do with me.   It’s about this character and I get to play and people are interested in talking about it and I’m interested in talking about him.   I know how hard it is to keep an audience, when you blink it’s over the minute you take any of it for granted. And I really appreciate that people give a shit.

Do you get nervous between the span of time between your seasons?
It’s completely out of my control, plus I have so many other things to worry about in the run of the day. And to be quite honest, it’s helpful for me when we have such a break.  When you’re editing, writing and acting, I like having that buffer. I need the time and I know it’s frustrating.   I love would to be doing a movie in between seasons!  Have it released in theatres as a pre-cursor to our season.  Movies would be easier because I wouldn’t be editing while I was filming.  That would be ideal.

Since you’re so involved in the show, when does the writer overrule the actor when it comes to the creative interest of the show?
I have a five-season arc. If we get to that place, then I think I would need to re-assess but there’s still a lot of things to come.  The actor in me loves playing Jake but after five years, I’m sure I’ll be ready to play someone else.  But I always have my theatre company where I can keep working on acting outside of Republic of Doyle.

For the dozens of Canadians that haven’t caught the show, what’s your pitch for them to start watching?
The show’s designed in that a way that you can become a part of the series very easily.  I feel like that show is an hour of television where they can escape with some characters and a story that you can have fun with.  I can’t speak for what people will think of it but I love it and I feel like it’s an hour well spent.

Republic of Doyle airs tonight on CBC!

Today is a big day for both me and Ron James.  But more importantly Ron James (I’ll get to me later.) Today the Canadian funny-guy will attempt to set the world record for the most tweets in a single day – and he’s inviting the world to follow along.  In fact, for every mention of the official hashtag #RonJames on December 15, a non-perishable item will be donated to Food Banks Canada. So if you are on Twitter, you should see if you can tweet #ronjames as much as possible! You can also follow Ron James on his marathon of tweets on his own twitter page at @TheRonJamesShow.

Supported by a crack team of technical specialists, Ron will begin his day at 7:00am and sign off sixteen hours later at 11:00pm.  Both online and on the run, Ron will be hoping to send out at least 500 tweets during the day – that’s nearly one message every 90 seconds that he’s online.  I’m not quite sure that will break the world record because I know some really annoying people on Twitter, who seem to tweet more than that.  But I certainly have my fingers crossed.

Before Ron James started on his search for the world record, I thought I should probably interview him, in what I consider to be a very serious and hard-hitting piece of journalism.

Bloggity: Why Twitter, why the Food Banks Canada?
Ron James: If I’m going to fill cyberspace with the innocuous details of my daily life, I figure I might as well try and do something useful as well.

Bloggity: Who will be your twitter inspirations: Bieber or Gaga?
Ron James: Tough call. You might as well have asked Socrates or Aristotle, Neil Young or Bob Dylan. Talk about Sophie’s Choice.

Bloggity:Why isn’t Kim Campbell on Twitter?
Ron James: Kim Campbell? What’s with the Kim Campbell question? She wasn’t in Sussex long enough to take shower.

Bloggity: What will your 432nd tweet be about?
Ron James: Where’s the Advil? My thumbs are killing me.

Bloggity:What other world records to you hope to break in your life time?
Ron James: I’d like to set the record for most consecutive viewing of Where Eagles Dare by a man in his pajamas.

Special Announcement:

This ladies and gentleman was my 3,000th blog post!  I had plans to do a big retrospective post about what the last 2,999 posts have meant to me and highlight some of my favourites.  But instead, I thought it would be way more cool to just say thanks.  Thanks for checking out the blog, thanks for coming along for the ride and most of all…just thanks. You guys are awesome. If this wasn’t a blast for me, I wouldn’t be able to get this far.  But all your comments, tweets and general interactions make this one of the coolest jobs around.  I’m a pretty lucky guy!  Here’s to 3,000 more!

Starting today Mark from Toronto is doing something that not very many people could do.  For the next 25 days, he will be living in nothing buy his underwear!  Even crazier, he’ll be living entirely in his house and will be steaming the entire experience online.

I know what you are thinking: Why is Mike talking about some guy from XTube?  But don’t worry, this guy is totally legit.  The Torontonian  is a cancer-survivor himself and for the next month will be known as “The Guy at Home in His Underwear” in an effort to raise $25,000 for testicular cancer.

Mark’s goal is that 25,000 people will “like” his Facebook page.  If he reaches the magic number,  Stanfield’s will donate the money to this super important cause.  Yup, that’s right. All you have to do to make a big difference is click a tiny little “like” button.  Why don’t you do it right now?

On one of his last days wearing clothes, I got the chance to ask Mark about his incredible challenge, what he did to get ready and why this cause is so important.

Where did such a unique idea about raising awareness for testicular cancer
[come from]?
Well being a survivor, testicular cancer is something that is personal to me and being an underwear company, testicles are very close to Stanfield’s – both literally and figuratively. Stanfield’s recognizes that it’s a tough topic for young guys to talk about so they decided to raise awareness in a way that would resonate with that audience.

Although every guy wishes he could hang out all day in his underwear, in reality, it’s going to be challenging. But if it means more guys are aware of testicular cancer – I am up for the challenge!

What sort of training did you do prepare for the entire world seeing you in
your underwear?
Oh, you know, lots of practice doing the things I’ll be doing over the next month in my underwear: playing video games, cooking, playing guitar, just hanging around. It’s really about all-around conditioning.

What part of this experiment excites you the most (hopefully not visually!)?
Ha! Yes. That could be awkward. You know what, this whole initiative is really exciting and, not going to lie, a little terrifying too! Overall, I’m excited that Stanfield’s gave me this opportunity, I am excited to meet the challenge of lasting 25 days at home in my underwear, live on camera. I am excited to make 25,000 new Facebook friends. But most of all, I am excited to raise awareness and funds for testicular cancer. As a survivor, I think I have a pretty unique perspective – I know how easy it can be to miss but I’m walking proof of why you need to pay attention to your own body.

On top of this project, what more can be done to raise awareness about testicular cancer?
I think guys just need to talk to each other and to build a self-exam into their daily routine. That myth that cancer only affects older people needs to get broken down – guys as young as 15 are affected by testicular cancer. It’s actually the #1 form of cancer found among young men.

Can you tell us a little bit about your diagnosis and thankfully, your recovery?
I was actually lucky because my cancer was detected early. I work with the medical students at the University of Toronto. They perform various check ups and tests on me to help them practice. So there I was, having a “mock” testicular cancer check up and they found a lump. The supervising doctor recommended I get it checked out. It turns out it was cancer and three weeks later I had surgery and was cancer free. I have been clear ever since but I still get examined every four to six months. I was so lucky to catch it early and really can’t stress enough how important it is for guys to check themselves.

How do you decide what to wear on day 26?
Go commando maybe? Truthfully, it will probably feel weird to put clothes on again and a little restrictive after hanging out in nothing but my Stanfield’s. I am a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy so will probably go back to the old rotation.

When Lost Girl premieres tonight on Showcase, Canada will be getting there first real look at Anna Silk, one of our biggest stars in the making.  Like Erin Karpluk, Silk is seemingly one Shonda Rhimes reading away from being  taken from Canada.

In Lost Girl, Anna plays a mysterious character named Bo, a supernatural seductress who is succubus raised by humans, who just discovered she was born of a secret line of inhuman beings called Fae.  Essentially, you aren’t going to want to watch this show in the same room as teenage boys.

You’ve undoubtedly noticed that the buzz around the show and Silk seems to get bigger and bigger every week. She was recently nominated for a Gemini for guesting on Being Erica and now she is headlining one of the coolest shows I’ve seen in a really long time.  Needless to say, she’s come a long way since playing  a stressed out flight attendant in the popular Nicorette commercials.

During her recent visit to Calgary, I got the chance to talk to Silk about her dramatic rise to lead actress, how she learned to kick some ass and if Canadian TV is living up to its reputation. And yes, I asked if Cassidy will ever come back to Being Erica!

(Context: Anna and I are actually both from Fredericton, NB. But even though we seem to know all the same people, we actually didn’t meet until a few months ago.)

There are a ton of fight scenes in Lost Girl, what sorta training did you have?
Well I had a stunt double, who is awesome.  You could always tell when it was my stunt double Jenna, because she would do the craziest stuff.  I also did a lot of training on the weekends.  And eventually they trained me so well that I was actually able to do a lot of the stunts myself, but she did anything that was crazy.  My stunt double definitely made me look good.

You’re not really known for being the kick-ass type.  Were you worried about taking on such a tough role?
I always wanted to play a tough cookie.  When I first read the outline, I  thought:  “Oh my god this was totally written by a guy.”  But it was written by Michelle Lovretta who also created it. She wrote this female character that was so strong but really, really vulnerable.  And that’s why I identified with it. And I think that is where people are going to be able to identify with Bo. She’s naive and doesn’t really know how powerful she is.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but some of scenes really scared me, is Lost Girl supposed to be so scary?
The Fae is this dark and creepy world.  It is a real education for Bo.

Canada’s history with sci-fi shows is a bit dodgy, do you think Canadians can get behind such a different show?

I hope so!  I think its appeal goes beyond the sci-fi aspect of the show. I think that we have really strong characters who are likable, even the bad ones.  We had some great actors on the show who played some amazing characters.  Bo is figuring out where she came from, figuring out how she fits into the Fae world and why did she grow up thinking she was human.

You’ve never really been a series regular before, what has the transition been like?
It is a total dream for me, it really is.  In some ways it was easier and in some ways it was harder. And I’ve been really lucky to secure some really great guest-spots.  Being Erica was wonderful, Billable Hours was also really fun. But when you get to play the same character every single day for 13 episodes, you really start to protect your own character and you get to develop them over a whole story.  In some ways it is easier because you are so immersed in your character you just go in and you do it, in other ways it is harder because you are so tired.

Do you feel pressure carrying the show?
Definitely.  But I think the pressure comes from a good place because the cast and the crew loved working on the show. It was a really cohesive group of talented people.  So in that way you don’t want to let that down.

You are from New Brunswick, was it hard to come from such a small place and try to make yourself known in a city like Toronto, when there are so many people trying to be actors that are from there?
It almost feels like the decision was made for me, but it wasn’t, obviously I made the decision, I made the move, I did the work I had to do.  But nothing felt strained, nothing felt forced, everything had its natural progression.  The only thing I say to people who are starting out thinking that it is as simple has getting an agent,  it has to be something that you love and you have to decide what is right for you and stick to it.   Otherwise you will do too much for other people and not have a career path.  I loved the journey and it is easier to say now that I’ve had a little bit success.  But even if I hadn’t, I would still be doing it because I love it.

Up until this point, you’ve stuck to television.  Do you see yourself doing film?
It wasn’t necessarily a choice.  I really love television.  I love telling a story week to week.   I’d love to do film, I’ve done very little of it, but movies moves at a different pace and it gives you some breathing room.

Once you’ve finished the promo for Lost Girl, what’s next?
Going back to LA and keep auditioning.  And my husband is Jewish and I’m actually going to be converting, so we will be starting classes next week!

And what about Being Erica season 3?  You were nominated for a Gemini for playing Cassidy, will we see her again?
Yeah!  Cassidy comes back!

There’ s been a LOT of debate lately about the quality of television.  Care to weigh in?
I think what I’ve noticed is that people are saying that Lost Girl doesn’t “look Canadian.”  And I get it, I take it as a compliment.  But I think newer shows can redefine what Canadian TV looks like.  And right now there is a so much great Canadian TV out there, especially because there are so many people that make a great product!

You’ve had a ton of momentum since your Gemini nomination, how you pinched yourself yet?

Honestly, it is a total dream come true.  And I think: Oh god, I’m carrying a show. Can I do that?  And then I look around the set and see that everyone is there doing something for something that I’m about to do, not by myself obviously, I had lots of support.  It was nice to have people believe in me. I would help anyone because so many have helped me.  I’ve always believed that from the very start that it is a “Pay It Forward” type of business. Even when you are a nobody, always pay it forward.  If you walk into a room  and if you have this sense of entitlement, forget it, just forget.

When I first moved to Toronto, I would read against these girls who were so strong, beautiful and I thought I had to change to make this work. But I didn’t have to.  I just had to be really strong on the path that I was on.  I believed that there was a place for me in the industry that was a good place, that I could contribute and be creative. where I could be happy and be creative.

And you have to really love it.  Because you give 150% into an industry that doesn’t give a dime back to for many years. It is not give and take at the beginning. And it can also be taken away from you at any second, you just don’t know.

*****************************
I don’t think Anna has anything to worry about.

Lost Girl premieres tonight on Showcase.

Click here to read my full review.

It is not secret that Being Erica finished its second season with the mother of all cliffhangers….would it come back for a third season.  Luckily CBC did the right thing and renewed the most buzzed about show in Canada.  Sure the ratings have never been through the roof, but the show is good and has lots of story to tell.  Me and all of Being Erica’s fans were relieved that CBC felt the same way.

A couple of week ago, I got the chance to visit the set and chat with Being Erica’s star Erin Karpluk.  It was during this interview that Erin spilled a lot of secrets about the upcoming third season.  Check out what Erin has to say about returning characters, this season’s big changes and why she doesn’t want Erica to have a happy ending!

So many people wanted Being Erica to be renewed for a third season, but it wasn’t a sure thing. What were your thoughts leading into this season?
You know what, I was hopelessly optimistic. Based on things that you here through the grapevine. But I always have a little safety-guard on myself from previous experiences. And I like to be a realist and prepare for the worst and if it does happen, then I’m somewhat prepared for it. But obviously it is doing great on CBC and SoapNet and we’ve been picked up by over thirty countries, so we were hoping we’d get another shot at it.

Despite all the buzz, the ratings for Being Erica have never been through the roof. Are there things that we can expect in hopes of brining in bigger ratings?
Honestly we just keep wanting to better and better and better. But this year it feels there is more of masculinity to it. It kinda got “man-ed up” a little bit. It just isn’t a show for girls.

How so?
Certainly by the new characters that are introduced. With the last two seasons, the first halves always felt like we were warming up to the second half, but the third season just starts off with a bang! And it is a darker Being Erica. I don’t want to offput people who might think it is a different show, there is still comedy but the writers have gone darker.

Is it harder to play darker?
I prefer to play the comedic beat, but that said, Erica is a really well-rounded character and the highs come with the lows. It is definitely a balance, the darker we go, the lighter we go too and it pushes the envelop more. I think some of this year’s storylines will shock people, but in a good way, much like in the past.

Will there be lots of big changes this year?
Goblins is still around, the coffee is really good. There will be renovations to the shop too. And we get to meet Dave who has a business partner and significant other and it leads to a lot of comedy.

A huge aspect of the show is Erica’s family. What can we expect from the Strange family this year!
We just finished an episode about Leo. Yup Leo is back! And it isn’t like the first season finale. I’ve made amends with the death of my brother, there is no way you could tie that into a new show. So we are doing one with Leo and it is a little darker, but it helps Erica answer some questions about her brother’s struggles in school. It is very intense but I think people will identify with it. And we get a lot more into Barbara Strange and my sister Samantha. But there are some dark things that happen to Erica’s family that brings us together.

And how about Erica’s new business with Julianne?
Business is good. They are still struggling to make her way up in the world. But at least she is in a better place then she was.

And what about Brent?
Yup Brent will be back! I love working with Morgan Kelly!

Ethan and Erica have finally broken up, have we seen the last of him?
There will be a whole episode devoted to Ethan! But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is in it either. And Clare comes back too. There are some pretty cool things that happen between Claire and Erica.

Will Erica find love this season?
I think so. Where just getting to the point in the season where I’m like: “Where is this going!?!” I don’t have the scripts yet, but it is nice to her single because she hasn’t been single for the past two seasons.

What’s the fan reaction been like in the States?
I haven’t had as much time down there as I would like. But the ones I’ve had are very similar to Canada. But what I didn’t realize was that a lot of the show is edited. A lot of the more risqué stuff is chopped out. It is a lot tamer there. The bad words and of course the orgasm in the canoe were all cut out. There is going to be a lot of stuff they’ll have to edit this year too!

Heaven forbid this is the last season. What do you think will happen to Erica?
I hope it is not happily ever after, because it never is in real life. I’m not saying that to be pessimistic. But we have highs and lows in life and there is good days and there is bad days and it is what we choose to do with those obstacles that come in our way. I would love to see Erin fall in love and have children. We just a scene where she wonders if she could see children in her life. And I think that is a question that we all ask ourselves. Especially our generation.

Being Erica’s third season premieres September 21st.  To catch up on the show, picked up the season two DVDs on September 14th.

When So You Think You Can Dance Canada premieres tonight on CTV, the dancers better keep one thing in mind: Hip-Hop King Luther Brown is watching you.  The immensly popular judge is returning for his third season of the hit dance show and I got the chance to talk to him about he’s looking for, how to be a succesful dancer in Canada and a surprising new project that is going to “take over the entire world!”

What can you tell us about this year’s crop of dancers?
They are definitely sexier.  It is going to be a really sexy,  a lot of showmanship, a lot of performance.

After two seasons, are the dancers getting smarter?
They are.  I think on top of being smarter, we have a batch of kids that really want to be stars.

What are the dancers doing differently?
You can tell that there are people who know how to connect with the camera. It is not just what you wear and what you look like.  It is that energy that they comes out and a lot of people brought that personal energy out. And it doesn’t hurt that a lot of people came with body too.  It is going to be great candy for the eyes and mind.

When you are judging, what you specifically looking for?
First of all, I don’t want a boring show.  So when I’m looking for people, on top of having big skill, I look for people that have stage presence and know how to dance big.  I look for dancers who know how to make the moves look bigger and come to life. And they need to be able to adapt to any type of situation.

Dancers are now being considered major celebrities, did you ever think that would happen?
It is crazy!  Dancers have always been celebrities, but with all the new shows and success on the internet, it is putting them on a whole new platform of celebrity.

When you are casting your own projects, do you try to draw from SYTYCDC alumni?
Yeah, if someone is great, they are in your mind and you always want to use them for other stuff.  I’ve always used them for different things after the show.  I’ve worked with Nico, Vincent and Natalie, I’ve worked with them alot.

Besides judging the show, what else do you have on the go?
I have an artist that I just signed to my label and signed a major deal with Capital Records. She’s about to come out and take over the entire world.  Her name is Trish and it is about to be a beast!!!!     Outside of that, I’m still working with lots of artists, writing and just travelling and teaching and working in Vegas.  I’m also working right now on the tour with The Backstreet Boys. And I’m about to start with Keshia Chanté.  Always going, going, going.

Since you are so busy, how do you keep happy?
You know what, I think when you love it, it automatically makes you happy.  So even when it gets really busy or really stressful, I just need a vacation. But every time I get back into a room and need to make up a routine, it feels good, you know? And everytime I go across this world and talk to these kids and teach them routines, how they look back at you makes up for it.

Do you have to be a on SYTYCDC to a be a successful dancer in Canada?
I don’t think it is a pre-requisite.  It definitely helps you.  After being on a show like this, your visitbility factor is major.  People know you, you become a household name.  It adds to the “pros”.

If a dancer auditioned and didn’t make the show, what advice to you have for them?
They need to do what dancers do.  Before we had the show, Canada had a ton of successful dancers working all over the world. It is not like you don’t make it on the show you need to go get a day job.  You need to just keep focus and doing what you do.

So You Think You Can Dance Canada premieres tonight on CTV.

Can’t wait?  Check out my interviews with host Leah Miller and judge/choreographer Blake McGrath.

I actually don’t want you to read this interview.  Well not if you value your time or enjoy the fresh outdoors.  It may sound silly, but I know that as soon as you read this interview with Shay Mitchell from the insanely addictive Pretty Little Liars you are going to want to watch the show. Which would be fine if you would only be able to watch just one episode, but I’m telling you now, you will not be able to stop watching this murder-mystery series which has developed into a heroin-like mix of Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl and I Know What You Did Last Summer.

Shay Mitchell plays the sexually confused and possible murderer Emily Fields and this interview is going to make you want to watch the show and that will inevitably lead to ignoring your friends and family while you devour ten delicious episodes of the series that airs on MuchMusic.  What makes this interview even worse is that Mitchell is ridiculously nice.  You’ll drool over the fact that the Vancouver-native is all too excited to about her love of Canada, how she misses being understood and even lets a few secrets of the Summer finale slip out.

You’ve been warned.

Mike’s Bloggity Blog: The success of the show has almost been immediate.  What has the past couple of months been like for you?
Shay Mitchell: It was like riding a wave and it still is. And it was just one thing after another and it just kept getting more and more amazing and I don’t even know how that’s possible because it was amazing from the start. The reactions from fans around the world has been crazy too. And I’m just living in the moment and enjoying it the best that I can!

MBB:The show’s story lines always have so many twists and turns, do you ever try to guess who the real killer is?
SM: I could try and I always wonder what else they are going to do, but then when we actually get the script it is always completely different. I don’t know how the writers do it but it just keeps on getting crazier and crazier. I’ve learned to not expect anything and just see what they have in-store for us!

MBB: It’s been revealed that your character Emily is coming to terms with her sexuality, can you talk about what that experience portraying that has been like?
SM: I think I really do understand where Emily is coming from. People still think that the lines of sexual orientation are black and white, but they really aren’t. And there are so many people that are in the middle, they aren’t either/or. They don’t want to be labeled. And I think with Emily she is just enjoying the relationship she is having with these people. I’m just going along for the ride with her. At no point in time is it every awkward for me.

MBB: So much of the show revolves around the girls getting mysterious text messages, what is your social media life like?
SM: Since the show, we’ve all gotten twitter (@shaymitch) and facebook. I would say that I am that type of that girl, I do have my phone on me a lot. Although when I go home to Vancouver next week, I’m going to try to leave it at home as much as possible.

MBB: Are you a good secret keeper?
SM: I am, I definitely am. I think my friends tell me their deepest darkest secrets only because they know it won’t ever come out.

MBB: With the quick success of the show, how do you keep a level-head in Hollywood?
SM: When I was younger, I had gone to parties and stuff like that but now I honestly take advantage of the beautiful weather that we get here in L.A. I’ve been so active and I’ve been busy discovering new pockets of Los Angeles. Also, having such amazing friends and family who really know who I am is always great. I talk to my parents like twice a day, so I think having such a solid group of people close by really does help. There is so much more that I want to in the future. And not just acting, I really want to be able to give back and that is really what I’m looking towards.

MBB: You’ve been on Canadian shows like Degrassi and Rookie Blue are their sets much different than Pretty Little Liars?
SM: No, not really. I think here driving on to the Warner Brothers lot is pretty amazing. But when I was on those other sets, Degrassi is a really big set too. And it was really cool to be around all the police stuff on Rookie Blue. I think the biggest difference is when I talk “Canadian” on the set. I get made fun of for saying ‘eh’ or ‘washroom’ a lot

MBB: Since the Summer finale will be airing on Tuesday night and we won’t see any new episodes until January, can you give us a little scoop about the last episode?
SM: Fans will be getting introduced to a new character who will have an impact on one of us and one of the girls could possibly find out who “A” is.

The Summer Finale of Pretty Little Liars airs on MuchMusic this Tuesday at 8pm EST. You an catch on the entire season on Muchmusic.com.

Update: Pretty Little Liars also won Choice Summer TV Show at Sunday night’s annual Teen Choice Awards.  The awards air tonight on Global!

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If you’ve watched a dance show in the past five years, chances are you’ve seen Blake. Whether it was on the awesome and under-appreciated MTV reality show DanceLife, or on both the American and Canadian editions of So You Think You Can Dance. (He actually finished in the Top 6 of the show’s first season in 2005.) It is pretty hard to ignore Blake’s presence in the new world of dance.