Last weekend I celebrated Queen Victoria's birthday with a long weekend. "Victoria Day" or "May 2-4" as it's been called, is the unofficial beginning of summer. And, when I think "summertime", I think "cottage". When I think "cottage", I think "Cottage Country"! Well, not right away, I guess. Sometimes I may think "cottage cheese", or "cottage roll".
But eventually, I get around to thinking "Cottage Country"!
In Ontario, Cottage Country is nestled in the picturesque Muskoka region two hours north of Toronto. And, nestled inside that is beautiful Lake Rosseau, where, just a couple of weeks ago, Laugh Out Loud recorded an evening of stand up at The Cottage Country Comedy Festival featuring Rob Bebenekand K Trevor Wilson.
You'll also hear a little tip of the hat to the late great Irwin Barker.
The last two episodes of this season of Laugh Out Loud will be Listener All Request Extravaganzas! Which comedian did you like so much this past season that you simply have to hear again? Let me know...but you have to let me know WHY you loved them so much!
Email your impassioned plea to lol@cbc.ca and, if we play your pick, we'll read your email on the air AND you'll get a Laugh out Loud prize pack!
Canadian veteran actor and comedian Paul O'Sullivan has died in a car crash near his home outside Peterborough, Ont.
O'Sullivan's family says the 48-year-old -- a well-known presence on the Canadian stage --died Friday.
A longtime performer with the Second City improv troupe, O'Sullivan also appeared on the small screen in shows such as Little Mosque on the Prairie, An American in Canada and Murdoch Mysteries.
His partner, the actor Linda Kash, is currently performing in Lost In Yonkers at Toronto's Jane Mallett theatre.
The show has been put on hold until Wednesday in the wake of his death.
Police say Friday's crash occurred around 2:30 p.m. local time after a vehicle left the road, crossed the shoulder and struck a parked flatbed pickup.
This week on the show you're going to be hearing two feature sets from a couple of comics that we recorded while we were in Winnipeg, Manitoba, back in April.
You'll hear a set from Johnny Bagpipeswho - as you may have guessed - has a certain "instrument" that he uses onstage. I'll give you a hint: it's bagpipes.
Plus, a comic whose perspective on life is no doubt influenced in large part by his rather unique marriage. It's Perry Perlmutar.
Shockingly, we are just five shows away from the end of this season of LOL and we want you to help us program the final two episodes!
Like last season, we're going to wave goodbye to this one with a Two Part Season Ending All Request Extravaganza!
It's your chance to let us know which comic you really loved this year and which one you want to hear again!
We've received a tonne of pitches already. So, don't be shy, get your requests into us! Hit the Contactbutton, or just email lol@cbc.ca! If we use your pick, we'll read your email on the air and you'll receive a Laugh Out Loud gift pack!
We haven't completely confirmed the lineup, but I would pencil that date in your datebook...does anyone besides me still even use a datebook?...be that as it may, set that date aside, because it is going to be an amazing evening of comedy, and I'll be on hand, hosting the whole shindig!
The three performers we have for you this week have - among many other things - appeared on stages all over the world from New York to London to Dublin to Montreal. You've seen them on late night talk shows and in Norm MacDonald's case, on Saturday Night Live.
Stay tuned to the end of the show for a preview of what you will hear next week. Bagpipes by the way - seriously - we've got bagpipes!
Today, I have some more comics that we recorded this year at a couple of exclusive, very special "Laugh Out Loud Presents" showcases.
I'm going to start the show at the Glenn Gould Studio inside the CBC Building in Toronto where you'll hear from a very funny relative newcomer, Keith Pedro, and the evening's MC, Ali Hassan.
Then, it's out to Vancouver for a set from Sunee Dhaliwal.
We are in the homestretch of this season of LOL and I want to tell you about something very special that we're doing for the final two episodes.
We want you - yes, you - to help us fill those shows!
Think about the past year of LOL.
Which comic really stood out for you? Which one would you love to hear again? Well, let us know, because our final two shows will be All-Request Specials!
Hit the "Contact" button up there. Then, tell us which comic you want to hear again. BUT, you have to tell us why! We'll pick the most passionate pitches, and read them on the air before playing your request!
But that's not all! If we play your pick you'll also get your very own Laugh Out Loud mug.
How can you refuse? (That's a rhetorical question, of course)
Next weekend, May 12th, Laugh Out Loud will be in Minett, Ontario recording a bunch of new material at The Cottage Country Comedy Fest.
Then, we'll be back that way again in August - this time in Bracebridge, Ontario - for more from Cottage Country Comedy Fest, where I'll be hosting an amazing evening of comics that you'll be hearing on LOL next season!
This week I'm bringing you the final instalment of the 10th Annual "Accent On Toronto".
Recorded last October, Accent is a celebration of diversity - in stand-up form - and it all happened at the historic Danforth Music Hall in...well, you guessed it...Toronto!
You're going to hear two very well-known, very accomplished Canadian comedians; Debra DiGiovanni and the evening's MC, Angelo Tsarouchas.
Unbelievably, we are coming to the end of another season of Laugh Out Loud. In a mere six weeks we will be shutting it down for the summer.
Yes, I know, six weeks! Why am I mentioning this now? Am I that needy?!? NO!
I bring it up because the final two episodes of this season will be programmed by YOU! Yes, you! We want to know which comics really resonated with you this past season! Hit that "Contact" button up there and tell us which comedian you want to hear again!
Now, you can't just email and give us a comic's name! We want to hear your most impassioned pitch for WHY you want to hear the comic again! If we pick your comic, we'll read your pitch on the air AND you'll get a Laugh Out Loud gift pack!
Hello! We have just returned from the Winnipeg Comedy Festival where we saw and recorded a bunch of great new material that you'll be hearing on the show over the coming weeks!
I want to take this opportunity to say a big thanks to everyone at the Festival for treating us so well and showing us such a great time! It was my first trip to Winnipeg (shameful, I know) and I loved it!
Gord started his career in 1984 at a Yuk Yuk's Comedy Club amateur night and was such a hit that they asked him back to perform regularly! He played clubs, theatres, fundraisers, and was a highly-touted and much sought-after motivational speaker.
His achievements are made all the more spectacular and awe-inspiring given that Gord had been blind since the age of twenty-two! He was just 57 years-old when he died this past Monday, April 16th. We'll be remembering Gord in the show, and playing a set from a few years back.
You'll also hear from Kyle Bottom, a comic that we recorded during the Vancouver leg of LOL's Winter Road Trip. He's relatively new, and you've never heard him on our show before, but he's well-known in the podcasting community, having done a lot of work on "Stop Podcasting Yourself".
Please enjoy this Encore Presentation of Laugh Out Loud! LOL producer, Tracy Rideout, and I are at The Winnipeg Comedy Festival this week, gathering more material for upcoming shows!
We'll be back next week with a brand new show, recorded on our Winter Road Trip in Vancouver!
This week, we present a very special edition of Laugh Out Loud! It's "radio verite" - just a small taste of our 2012 Winter Road Trip, as it really happened. We were packed into an intimate club - record button pushed - capturing the sound and we hope the feel of what comedy sounds like on stages all across Canada.
You'll hear Daryl Makk, Kevin Stobo and Cory Mack live in the intimate setting of Broken City Social Club in Calgary, Alberta. It was part of Comedy Monday Night, a weekly comedy showcase put on by James Moore (who took the photos in today's blog).
Today we're shining our spotlight on Toronto's Gilson Lubin. We recorded Gilson a few weeks back as part of our Winter Road Trip.
Hailing from Saint Lucia, Gilson has now spent most of his life in Canada. While he's spent time as a host on MTVCanada Live and acted in a bunch of television commercials, it's onstage, doing standup in front of a live audience, where I think he's at his best.
Saturdays at 6:30 p.m.
Saturdays at 3:30 a.m. and midnight, Sundays at 6:30 p.m. ET
In Ontario, Cottage Country is nestled in the picturesque Muskoka region two hours north of Toronto. And, nestled inside that is beautiful Lake Rosseau, where, just a couple of weeks ago, Laugh Out Loud recorded an evening of stand up at 
Canadian veteran actor and comedian Paul O'Sullivan has died in a car crash near his home outside Peterborough, Ont.
You'll hear a set from 
Shockingly, we are just five shows away from the end of this season of LOL and we want you to help us program the final two episodes!
I'm going to start the show at the Glenn Gould Studio inside the CBC Building in Toronto where you'll hear from a very funny relative newcomer, 
own Laugh Out Loud mug.
two! He was just 57 years-old when he died this past Monday, April 16th. We'll be remembering Gord in the show, and playing a set from a few years back.
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