AniaR
02-19-2013, 08:43 PM
A Canadian political satire show (essentially our longer running Canadian version of the Daily Show or Colbert Report) called This Hour has 22 Minutes (http://www.cbc.ca/22minutes/) hired me to do their own version of the Harlem Shake. It was a totally awesome and surreal experience, and wicked hilarious. I have been to tapings of the show as they're filmed in front of a live audience, and they're hilarious. But from this end I got to see the rest of the behind the scenes, meet the writers and producers, and all kinds of cool stuff. It all came about from a connection I made networking 1.5 years ago! So you never know when those little things end up doing big good things for you years down the road.
So the audience wasn't told I was coming, and I don't think the main cast were either. My mertender carried me in flapping my tail and people freaked out in a good way it was hilarious, and the comedians did a little improve about it. Then they sat me on a stool that spun around on top of a box and told me to "dance" to the music. LMAO. I had some expectation of what it would be- but it caught me off guard. We did two takes, 1 take of me alone, and the other with the audience and cast participation. For the first take once I started "dancing" the stool started moving ahahaha I was sure I would fall off. The second take was so cool because I got to interact with the cast. After we did the takes the cast all came up to me wanting photos with the mermaid it was so wicked and surreal and they were really funny and some of them acted in character. We got to watch the rest of the taping and I stayed in costume, then they brought me out at the end and sat me on the anchor desk so staff and audience could get photos with me. It turned out the president of my university that I graduated from (the one that recently featured me) was there! I ended up getting loads of publicity out of it, paid, free t-shirts and swag, and I met some famous Canadian comedians. When they posted it on their FB today my phone blew up hahaha.
So the idea is that it's a maritime version of the Harlem Shake, hence the fiddles and well... other characters ;) Here's the clip
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152597111220644&set=vb.29313088338&type=2&theater
Here I am back stage with some awesome ladies
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDe0gfHCUAINaCv.jpg:large
The mertender and I sitting on the set
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDd6FMZCcAALSw7.jpg:large
Here's a photo that Mark Critch one of the cast members tweeted
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbUWSFCUAAAhnc.jpg:large
Mertender and I very tired in our new tshirts before bed
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbmAzFCUAES089.jpg:large
Me with the university president
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDba5eyCcAApi44.jpg:large
and me sitting on the anchor desk on the set
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbgnaBCAAAfWlr.jpg:large
The PR lady took some official photos of me that she's going to send me soon :)
Little bit of some interesting stuff if you've never seen the show, my American friends I love you, but the show has a segment called "Talking to Americans" that basically makes fun of your lack of knowledge of Canada. They ask people their thoughts on the Seal Hunt of Saskatchewan (no ocean!) etc funny stuff... we've even gotten your presidents a few times :p
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhTZ_tgMUdo
I met both these guys and got photos with them (comedians playing characters)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz9gV5xWatA
So the audience wasn't told I was coming, and I don't think the main cast were either. My mertender carried me in flapping my tail and people freaked out in a good way it was hilarious, and the comedians did a little improve about it. Then they sat me on a stool that spun around on top of a box and told me to "dance" to the music. LMAO. I had some expectation of what it would be- but it caught me off guard. We did two takes, 1 take of me alone, and the other with the audience and cast participation. For the first take once I started "dancing" the stool started moving ahahaha I was sure I would fall off. The second take was so cool because I got to interact with the cast. After we did the takes the cast all came up to me wanting photos with the mermaid it was so wicked and surreal and they were really funny and some of them acted in character. We got to watch the rest of the taping and I stayed in costume, then they brought me out at the end and sat me on the anchor desk so staff and audience could get photos with me. It turned out the president of my university that I graduated from (the one that recently featured me) was there! I ended up getting loads of publicity out of it, paid, free t-shirts and swag, and I met some famous Canadian comedians. When they posted it on their FB today my phone blew up hahaha.
So the idea is that it's a maritime version of the Harlem Shake, hence the fiddles and well... other characters ;) Here's the clip
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152597111220644&set=vb.29313088338&type=2&theater
Here I am back stage with some awesome ladies
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDe0gfHCUAINaCv.jpg:large
The mertender and I sitting on the set
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDd6FMZCcAALSw7.jpg:large
Here's a photo that Mark Critch one of the cast members tweeted
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbUWSFCUAAAhnc.jpg:large
Mertender and I very tired in our new tshirts before bed
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbmAzFCUAES089.jpg:large
Me with the university president
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDba5eyCcAApi44.jpg:large
and me sitting on the anchor desk on the set
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BDbgnaBCAAAfWlr.jpg:large
The PR lady took some official photos of me that she's going to send me soon :)
Little bit of some interesting stuff if you've never seen the show, my American friends I love you, but the show has a segment called "Talking to Americans" that basically makes fun of your lack of knowledge of Canada. They ask people their thoughts on the Seal Hunt of Saskatchewan (no ocean!) etc funny stuff... we've even gotten your presidents a few times :p
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhTZ_tgMUdo
I met both these guys and got photos with them (comedians playing characters)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gz9gV5xWatA