The Woo Show- my dream

Whats up everyone?

Just wanted to let you all know where the concept of The Woo Show came from. So here goes.....

I have always been a fan of comedy. From when I was kid watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air, to watching The Simpsons, to sneaking out of my bed to catch glimpses of In Living Color when it came on late at night. Even watching Allo Allo, the hit Brit comedy back in the days. Ive always loved comedy.

It was only suiting that when I found my passion for film and directing, that I make my fist big step in the direction of comedy.

So why The Woo Show you ask?? Well since moving to Toronto about 14 years ago, I realized that Toronto is a city filled with talent. An untapped talent at that. There are so many people out there that have yet to be discovered, and I have yet to hear about a huge movement in comedy coming from T Dot.

So I started thinking, what if I combine all the different angles of comedy and mix it into one bowl? What if I put a label on that bowl that read 'MADE IN TORONTO'? What if?? Hmmm?

So to make a long story short, I started my business in video production called it WeShine Productions- We Seek Heaven IN Everything Productions. My first order of business was to get started on this idea I had. Like I said, Ive always loved In Living Color, Ive also loved Whose Line Is It Anyways, Dave Chappelle, Mad TV. So what If I make this new comedy idea into a sketch show like those shows, but combine it all? I have never seen anything like it in Toronto. All I hear about in Toronto are film makers, making short films, or music videos. I wanna be different than them.

So i did. I put out a casting call to get the best mix of "funny people" I wanted to represent Toronto the best way. A multicultural clash! I think, so far I did that.

I made my cast, started to shoot different ideas for sketches and threw in some stand up, street stuff, improv, musical scenes, and The Woo Show was born. Very random I know, but it goes with the concept of the show ;)- Random!

So right now, The Woo Show is at the stages of getting the pilot done to pitch to a network. I just want to take this time to ask everyone for their support and I also want to thank everyone who has supported and contributed in any way to the soon to be success of the show. Thank you, and continue to support.

My cast is also the best. Period! Get to know them. Check out the preview sketches on youtube and all over the net.

The Woo Show- random, unique, funny, kick-ass, different, new, fresh, crazy, entertaining, Toronto, Worldwide!

Thanks yall!

Rodney Wo0

creator/director

Oscar thoughts

Okay, so the 82nd Academy Awards AKA the biggest kiss-butt party in all of Hollywood which I hope to part of in the future, just happened on Sunday.
I will admit to say that I did not watch the telecast. I was instead at my friend's place, Tazito G, who is also an Actor/Model/Stuntman/Writer/Martial Artist/ and he teaches Capoeira. Join his fan page on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tazito-G/305653422350?v=wall

Anyways, I was at his place with other friends watching Jackie Chan movies. Tazito is also a huge fan of Uncle Jackie, and has even met the great one! We did a Jackie Chan marathon over the weekend. Drunken Master, Snake in Eagle's Shadow, Legend of Drunken Master, Project A, Project A 2, Dragon Lord, Police Story 1, 2, 3, Supercop, New Police Story. Ah, fun times.

But, being into this crazy film industry and with aspirations of going to networking parties in LA and telling James Cameron that he truly is the King of the World--which he is--I was interested and checked out the results Monday morning.

What-The-Frig????

Now, this is only my opinion but it must be shared. What the Frig was that with The Hurt Locker? Now, I like the movie, it was a fun action feature, but BEST PICTURE AWARD??? Get tha F outta here mang. No way did this film deserved to be a best picture award.

Honest to God, Avatar should have raked in the awards. Now, I say this not liking both Avatar and The Hurt Locker. They were both good movies, but not the stand out BEST from 2009. Honestly, that award should have gone to Up In The Air, the film by Jason Reitman starring Clooney. Up In The Air was a fantastic film, then again, this is just my opinion on it. To me, I found that Up In The Air was the one film out of the bunch that deserved the best picture win. But, again, I felt that Avatar should have won. Here is why:

Avatar recons back to the epic films which Hollywood is capable of. I'm not talking about Transformers or Batman, that is not epic. I mean, EPIC. The Greatest Story epic. Ben-Hur epic. Gladiator epic. Braveheart epic. Lord of the Rings epic. Films that define the word. Today we throw the term "epic" like it was flapjacks at Dennys to films which are mediocre at best. I remember to what Mr. Incredible said in the film, The Incredibles. "We're giving him a medal to mediocrity"-or something like that. It is true, today we salute mediocrity.

Avatar should have taken the best picture award. I bet you next year, are you even going to remember The Hurt Locker? No. But, I do remember when Titanic took all the awards. I remember when Mel Gibson won for Braveheart in best film and best direction. I remember when Gladiator won. Those were epics, and, Avatar should have swept the Oscars. I guess, it just goes with tradition.

Why it did not win, my theory, it was the Academy's big F-U to Cameron. Fine, whatever, but award it to another film, not The Hurt Locker. See, here is the thing, these Academy Awards are sorely based on marketing. Producers behind the scenes market their film to the academy to win rather than honestly accepting the best pure performance. When there is momentum, buzz, and marketing behind it, it is sure a win...most of the time.

Take for instance, Mo'Nique in Precious. WoW...that was the biggest travesty of her winning I have ever seen!!! What in the hell did she do to deserve an Oscar for best supporting? Really? Someone tell me? And, don't tell me she gave an amazing performance. There is another word we just throw out for mediocre things. Amazing in what? All she did in that film was cuss at Precious, tell her that she doesn't like eating cold pig feet, throw things at her, smoke, and cuss some more. Wow, really, you award a statue for that? Basically being a jerk?
My boss is a jerk, award him an Oscar too. Ike Turner was a jerk-ass, give him a statue. Get the F outta here mang.
Honestly, what the hell did she do in that film? Don't come her and tell me about her speech at the end. What? Really? For one scene you're giving her a statue. To quote Nunu, Woo Show cast member, from his line in Kindergarten Gaga: "That's just plain dumb!"
The same thing happened with Judi Dench where she won a statue for just 10 minutes of screen time. This whole supporting actor/actress category is really a messed up won. Sometimes they get it right, most of the time, WRONG!
You know who really deserved a nod from Precious, Paula Patton. She played Ms. Rain in the film and was an anchor to Precious. She gave an incredible performance and deserved a nod. Instead, we get Mo'Nique who said something about it was about the performance and not the politics.

Yeah, okay there Mo. Your win is total POLITICS! Get the F outta here mang.

Sandra Bullock winning. Yeah, I won't touch that. How can you win a Razzie for worst performance and win an Oscar in one weekend? Only, Bullock I suppose.

Back to the main point, Avatar should have won and swept this year's Oscar awards.
I like Bigelow, I like her films and the way she directs. I like the fact she is a woman who does action films. And she is pretty HOT for a 50 year-old, WOW. James, why did you let her go? Winning for The Hurt Locker? Nah, wrong film to win it.

The Hurt Locker is pretty generic. A friend of mine told me it does a lot of damage for the millitary than anything. Also, another travesty, Jeremy Renner getting a nod for his performance. What did he do that was so memorable? He was basically a one-note character. If that is the case, why not give the Col. in Avatar a nod too? He was one-note, but he was memorable though. You know who should have gotten a nod in acting from that film, Anthony Mackie who plays Sgt. JT Sanborn. His character goes through an arc and a change. His character drives the film, Renner's is just along for the ride.

I guess it goes back to my theory of the Academy giving a big F-U to James Cameron. But, why at the expense of The Coen Brothers, Reitman, and Up?

Oh man, UP!!! Let me take back what I said about Up In The Air. UP truly is the best film. Yes, it is animated but it is amazing. The montage scene of UP is just incredible and totally destroys most of the full features that came out in 2009. Here, have a look at what I mean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GroDErHIM_0&NR=1

Now, in these 4 minutes and 17 seconds, you are given an entire life of two people. You understand the dynamic of both of them, their character, what they did, who they are, and a tearful but sweet end. All in 4 MINUTES humanoids. Do you realize this??? These 4 minutes practically told you an entire story where ass Avatar, Up In The Air, The Hurt Locker and Precious needed past 90 minutes.

I am glad that it won best animated, but, you can substitue most of the best animated films and put them in the best picture category. The Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up, Coraline, these are great films. Don't underestimate them just because they are animated. Pixar always gets a heartful reaction out of you when top celebrities/movie actors cannot do it one bit!

Well, another Oscar done and gone. Feel free to post your remarks or whatever. I do have a feeling that anyone that does comment, I'm going to be saying "Get tha F outta here mang".

Visit The Woo Show fan page on facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/The-Woo-Show/298675079703?ref=ts
Do not forget to subscribe to this blog from entries from The Woo Show cast.

Ease.

Two Musical Artists to Check Out!

A big part of The Woo Show, or this TWS Blog is having the cast get a chance to express themselves. A great avenue so that you guys can really see how diverse and amazing this TWS project really is.
The TWS cast represents the mission of The Woo Show by bringing a diversity into one package.

This blog entry from me illustrates that diversity and also another criteria of The Woo Show in letting unknown or non-established artists a platform to be seen.

For instance, two Musical Artists--repeat--Artists I have come across and really enjoy.

First up is Wolfgang Diondavich AKA Robert Lee Edge III

A fantastic artist which I would say is a mix of today`s "futuristic" sound. I get a feeling of the Neptunes, some Timbaland and Prince. In fact, Wolfgang's music and sound (his voice) reminds me of a Intergalactic Prince. If that makes any sense, well, that is what I hear.
You might have a different perception but you gotta check out his tracks.

Have a listen to his songs on his CherryTree Profile: http://www.cherrytreerecords.com/profile/Wolfgang

He has three tracks, Saturday's Piano; I Don't Want No More; and If I Kiss You.
Saturday`s Piano is a wonderful piano and drum beat track which signifies what the title is. I Don`t Want No More to me is very experimental in the sense that you get a feeling of a radio friendly track but you can hear the changes and experiments that Wolfgang has taken with it. Which I applaud him for doing so. You can hear his creativity.
If I Kiss You, well, this is where the whole Intergalactic Prince thing comes in. Be sure to purchase his The Boy & His Monsters album.

Have a listen and also be sure to check out his Wiki, very interesting guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Robertedge3/WolfgangDiondavich

The second artist which I recommend you check out is a brotha named Anonymous

Charles Russell from San Antonio, Texas. A Producer/Rapper making beats since the age of 17. Charles AKA Anonymous is...wait, hold up, GO TO HIS PROFILE PAGE NOW:

http://www.cherrytreerecords.com/profile/Anonymous

The man is a BEAST at the age of 21. Check out his entire library of tracks on his profile page. You will not only find variety in that his music ranges from Hip Hop to Electronica and Dance. He has catchy hooks, very technical lyrics, and he is really a great product of where music is truly heading.

One of his main influences is Lady Gaga, you can hear it on some of his tracks.

Let me highlight some of this dude's dopest tunes.

Women 2 Die 4--WOW, I just love the beat and his flow on this track. Precise and to the point. Reminds me of a very laid back RZA track to be honest, and I am Wu-Tang 4 Lyfe...The Saga always continues. This is a great track to listen to, highly recommended.

Ninja Assassin--Huh, why isn't this dude collaborating with The RZA for a new Wu track? The best part, his lyrics and flow is like RZA. My personal favorite track on his profile. You could have sworn that this was a Killer Bee dart from the Wu catalogue, but it is not. Amazing.

Space Opera Symphony--My second favorite. Very well laid out and well done. Killer track you can play in the club, in your car, or even when chillin' with your peoples. You know how you have a song to introduce your friends to a certain artist, this is one of those tracks. Exceptional. And I love the sound effects.

Alexa--A very well made Electronica track. Me personally, I am not into Electronica music, House, Techno, whatever. You ask me about this category or categories, I just tell you I like the song from Blade. You know, the track when they have the blood bath and Wesley Snipes comes in like a bad mofo and establishes that Blade is THE man. So, when a person like me likes this track then it is something because it is coming from a view that is completely outside. Excellent stuff here.

Radio--This reminds heavily of old skool Def Jam/Rick Rubin/Russell Simmons/LL Cool J/Eric B. & Rakim. From the beat, the flow, the lyrics, everything, I really enjoyed this track. What is great is that this track shows off how diverse his stuff is. Wait for a great surprise at 3:45 on the track. In fact, if you do love some old LL Cool J, this track is inspired by it actually. Thumbs up by me!

Those are my personal favorite, you might have different views or tracks, but YOU MUST LISTEN TO THEM!!!
In March/April of this year he will independently release his first full lenght album titled...Anonymous--Alpha: The Beginning.
You can also check back on his CherryTree Profile for his tracks because he will upload the entire album as well.


There you have it. Two exceptional artists which you must check out. Wolfgang and Anonymous is WHAT WE NEED IN MUSIC PEOPLE!!!

You will enjoy their stuff, guaranteed, and let others know about them.

Don't forget, SUBSCRIBE to this blog for more gems presented by The Woo Show from it's cast.
AND...join The Woo Show fanpage on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/The-Woo-Show/298675079703?ref=ts

Ezzz.

How I feel about the olympics

You know what I hate about the Olympics? You hear so much about them….. from how amazing our teams are and how fun it is to watch. You ever notice how every time you watch the Olympics it’s always the most boring and stupid sports? Honestly, Every time I flip the channel I sh*t you not, the only thing on is curling. And it’s on every frigin channel! What the hell? Why is this always on? What the heck happened downhill skiing or figure skating or something? These people are making this so hard for me! And like, I’m trying so hard to watch these games, cause everyone always talks about it all the time and let’s just face it, you don’t want to be that guy who has no clue of what their talking about, that fringing sucks!

“Hey bob! Did you catch the hockey game last night? Oh, MAN that was insane!”

“Oh my god, man I KNOW! It was so f*cking good man. Did you see it J.-J.?”

“(looks at them dissapointed) …… I watched curling………(sniffles)”

“(they both laugh at him)”

I hate that! So here I am…… watching curling. Little did I know that a game lasts like 3 and half hours….. IT TAKES FOREVER! Christ, I can watch the last Lord of the Rings movie in that amount of time, you know what I’m saying? IT’S LOOOOOONG! Let’s speed this up, fella! We have lives to be livin’! You wanna know the worst part about this story? I watched curling so f*cking much, I got into curling. I know the terms, the rules, everything!! How sad is my life that I look forward to watching curling now? How boring can someone life get when someone asks you on a Friday night,

“Hey! You want to go see a movie?”

“No man I can’t….. curling is on! I have to watch those old cronies! I’d be crazy to miss this one!”

So the next time you think about watching the Olympics, avoid curling at all costs. Or you might end up enjoying it and……who knows, one day you might be one of those unattractive cronies.

Drunken Beaver Productions--DBP!

We are here at The Woo Show like to help out our peoples.

Case in point, Drunken Beaver Productions www.drunkenbeaverproductions.com

Our latest video, and our best one to date, is Kindergarten Gaga. If you do not know about it, what if Lady Gaga took over a kindergarten class? Well, find out here why don't cha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W6a1dSAJ0I

For this special video, I called on some of my friends whom I work with. Drunken Beaver Productions is a Toronto based Film & Video production company specializing in theatrical & short films, television, events, commercials, 3D animations and much more. Their main goal is like all of us in this crazy industry, to get to that level where their product will endure the test of time. It is only just a matter of time before that happens. And the cool thing is, myself get to be part of the ride!

Drunken Beaver Productions is a three man group. Lance Fernandes, Mark Capone and Sid Nagenthiram. These guys are the epitome of professionalism. Everything they put out is the highest and purest quality. No joke. Take a look again at that Gaga video. Even if you do not like the video or do not get the jokes, the one thing you cannot say is that it looks cheap. That video is amazing to watch and that is because of these guys. When you call DBP for something, you are guaranteed quality. Content and Quality, two words that define Drunken Beaver Productions.

What is so amazing about this three man team is that they take on many different hats. Lance both Directs and Edits, he has an amazing eye for the camera. He is my local Scorcesse or Spike Lee or Fincher or Kurosawa. You know directors who have a great eye for the camera. That is Lance buddy. Sid, he is a great writer and director as well. In fact, he comes up with some of the best story ideas to put down. And, Mark. Well, take a look at his YouTube page to see what this man can do: http://www.youtube.com/user/mcapone85

They have covered weddings and events, take a look at their YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/DrunkenBeaverFilms

Take a look at some wedding videos they did for their friends. They are parodies made for the Bridal party and the Groomsmen. The Bridal party took on a parody of Paris Hilton's BFF or whatever it is called. The Groom party was a parody of Ocean's Eleven and IT IS A MUST SEE!!!!

Bridal Party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZUm9NF976A

Grooms Party: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEp3d77pFFE

Now, lets take a look at the Ocean's Eleven parody, entitled, Choi's Eleven. When I got sent that video I was like, "Lance, this is AMAZING! This is exactly like the trailer...except for the Phillippino guys of course, lol." It really is amazing, they went in to meticulous detail to get everything proper, the lighting, placements of bodies, even the jewelry on the guy who plays the Elliott Gould character. All this for a wedding video? See, these guys come correct.

Also have a look at the trailer for a short film they made called, Flirting with Disaster: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mj3sri0jrPU This is special because not only did I help with the crew but I also got to be featured in the film. They allowed me to, :D Also, it features gore and makeup effects by Toronto's own, The Gore Brothers. Wait for the real surprise at the end of the clip.

See, Content and Quality guys. Also on the website and page is their great demo reel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdWSrcEhNX8&feature=channel

A great Zombie-themed video for the Scene Card contest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkgld_patks&feature=channel

A short animation film for the Nine Inch Nails Obsolete Film Festival. A must watch and very poignant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPQw5s2STPY

Some silly Batman tribute video. (Note: I HATE Batman. I CANNOT STAND Batman. He sucks. DAREDEVIL for the win!) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjZd2D2ykjo

All you comic book lovers, take a look at their motion comic of Wolverine VS. The Hulk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80qVAeZUYDA Amazing stuff here guys. HULK SMASH!

Keep out on the look for DBP, in 2010, I will have the privilege of working with them again on their future & great projects, but they will also take part in The Woo Show as well. Hey, we gotta help and stick together. If we don't, who will right?

Drunken Beaver Productions. Remember it.

And, come on. That is the greatest name for a production company EVER and it is SO Canadian. After all, we do have the best beer and the best beaver...ZING!

Something fresh, new, exciting and different is coming to Toronto.

That thing is...The Woo Show!

The Woo Show, or, TWS, is a brand new comedy & variety series, but, what is it exactly. Well, imagine if you are making a smoothie. And instead of fruits and some whey protein, you include these ingredients: In Living Color, Saturday Night Live, The Chappelle Show, Second City, The Benny Hill Show, and Monty Python. You mash it up, the end result is the refreshing TWS. Mmmm...this is something you can't bottle up.

As the brainchild of creator Rodney Woo--hence the name, duh--TWS is an incorporation of many things that is comedy. From written sketches, improv, stand up, street performance, musically themed sketches, and even some animation, TWS is clearly the true definition of a variety show.

However, what makes TWS really unique is it's cast. The ensemble cast is so varied and diverse, it is what makes this project so special. Seeing as we hail from Toronto, Canada, a true melting pot of cultures, we bring that into TWS by our influences. For instance, myself, I grew up on BBC comedy such as The Benny Hill Show, Faulty Towers, Allo Allo, Only Fools & Horses, but also American sitcoms such as Sanford & Son, In Living Color, and my personal favorite, Married...with Children. My musical influences go from The Troggs, Little Richard, Wu-Tang Clan, Prince, and Public Enemy. We have cast members which represent the old skool and the new skool.

I one main problem I see with comedy groups is that you get a core group who are like minded, but also that one anomaly which brings in a different audience. Remember when Eddie Murphy joined SNL? Or, when Jim Carrey was on In Living Color? What they have in common is that they tapped into an audience which might not have enjoyed those programs if it weren't for their involvement. What is truly special about TWS is that we tap into ALL audiences and genres. Everyone is invited to take into TWS.

You will witness that first hand with this blog as the cast will be posting their thoughts, feelings, and progress of the show. You will see how diverse we are. Just when you think you have seen everything, we change the picture.

You can quote me on that.

The Woo Show is coming...stay tuned.

Alright...so I guess I get to be the first. So where to start...If everyone hasn't seen them yet, here all the previews of "The Woo Show":

First, the one that started it all.... Two fans who love Arnold Schwarzenegger... you could call them the Negger Lovers...

This one we did 2 days after the infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift debacle at the MTV Music Awards. In this one, I don't know who's funnier; Kayode The Entertainer's Kanye West, or the City of Toronto's Taylor Swift.

Cassius is one talented mother...(shut your mouth)...but I'm just talking about Cassius. This one was done just a week after the untimely death of The King of Pop...Micheal Jackson. And Cassius uses it to pick up chicks...too soon??

Ian Kelk does his thing in this one as "The Scottish Therapist", who is overly dramatic and gets every patient's problem wrong all the time. Pretty funny...

And finally, here's our biggest production to date. All done inside Steve's church, if you can believe that. Steve Kasan is a funny guy...and Julia could get a job as a Lady Gaga impersonator if The Woo Show doesn't pan out for her. The premise...Lady Gaga becomes a substitute kindergarten teacher. I guess because the whole music thing didn't pan out for her. (Of special note...I did all the choreography for this one...that's right, I rule.)

This is all just a small taste of things to come. On the horizon, Toronto and Vancouver square off, an English girl teaches other English girls how to get themselves a French man and the debut of Kempo Kelly. It's The Woo Show, bitch. Bettah axe somebody.