I’m Tracy Au and I have a 2 year diploma in Professional Communication from MacEwan University. I am an aspiring screenwriter, so this blog is used to promote my writing and attract people who will hire me to write for your TV show or movie.
I post a lot of articles about jobs, entertainment (TV, movies, books), news, and my opinions on it. I also write about my daily life. I have another blog promoting my TV project at www.thevertexfighter.blogspot.com.
Friday, December 2, 2022
"Teach comedy? That's a good one" (Humber College)/ "If You Laugh at These Dark Jokes, You’re Probably a Genius"
May 23, 2016 "Teach comedy? That's a good one": I cut out this article by Andrew Clark on Nov. 29, 2010 in the Globe and Mail:
I am the director of the Toronto-based Humber College Comedy Program.Launched in 2000, it is North America's only diploma-granting course dedicated to the study of stand-up, sketch, improvisation and comic writing.
This makes for interesting conversation fodder at cocktail parties. When I tell someone my occupation the typical response is: "You run a what? How can you teach that? You're either funny or you're not."
Then they ask me to tell them a joke.
I don't take their skepticism too personally. Most people think comedians emerge fully formed from the womb. We like to think folks are born funny. This is a notion reinforced, to a large degree, by comics themselves, who like the public to see them as genetically engineered comedy geniuses.
The truth is that in comedy, like everything else, natural ability will only get you so far.
You may have a beautiful singing voice but, in order to become a great singer, you must train your gift. This goes double for the humour business.
It takes 10 years of work until you know what you're doing and another five until you truly have your own voice.
Comedy is a technical, demanding career that requires skill, discipline and drive and - oh yeah - funny, lots of natural funny.
At Humber, each year we accept 60 students into the first semester of our two-year program. These are selected from hundreds of applicants who are vetted through a gruelling February-to-May audition process. Some have a bit of experience. Others are completely raw.
We get them straight out of high school or after a few years of university, and we have enrolled ex-police officers, lawyers, reformed criminals, and pretty much every other profession you can dream up.
We once accepted a student who said if he didn't get into the program he was going to spend the rest of his life working in a poultry abattoir (luckily he was funny).
When students first arrive, they are surprised to find that the work load is heavy. Those who think that they'll be spending the semester doing Chris Farley impressions are shocked. About 45 make it through to second year.
For the first week we make nice. Then we throw them off the deep end.
We believe that you learn comedy by performing in front of audiences. By day, our students study in the classroom and at night, they are in comedy clubs. Mondays, Humber has a weekly sketch show at The Comedy Bar.
On Tuesdays, we have a show at Yuk Yuk's. Most of our pupils are out five or more nights a week, taking their chances on stage and then, refreshed by a few hours sleep, showing up for class to hone their technique.
It's probably the only school in which a professor will spend time in class philosophizing about the appropriate use of profanity.
It's a crazed lifestyle and they love it.
Early stand-up clubs, such as The Comedy Store and The Improv, were originally seen as workshop venues where performers could hone their craft. In Canada, there used to be no formal training centres.
A hopeful comedian tried his luck on amateur night; if he had some success, he bought himself a used car and the feature acts hired him to open for them. That was the tuition.
I'm often asked if I am a comedian myself. I'm not. I cut my teeth writing journalism and humour for magazines and newspapers. My first book, Stand and Deliver, was a history of Canadian comedy.
Over time, I branched into screenwriting and I now write the weekly Road Sage column for the Globe's Drive section. This distance is an asset, because running a comedy school is a bit like weathering a hurricane on a daily basis.
We have graduates working in every aspect of the business.
Many fine comedians today went through our program, such as Debra DiGiovanni and Nikki Payne.
Humber alumni have written for shows such as The Office and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Jake Labow, head of original programming for the Comedy Network, is a Humber grad.
Yet the program does not just train comedians. The skills required for comedy
- risk taking,
thinking on your feet,
working in a group,
creatively solving problems
- are skills that can be applied in any field.
We have Humber Comedy grads who are police officers, paramedics, venture capitalists, you name it.
Feb. 16, 2017 Humber College: Comedy Writing: I had written this down on a before and now want to type it up.
Our Program Humber’s Comedy Writing graduate certificate program provides you with the opportunity to develop comedic writing across different forms, styles and genres of humour. You will examine theories of comedy and the evolution of comedic writing.
The program includes peer feedback components in which students will be required to write and revise and give and receive constructive criticism on works-in-progress.
You will gain a practical understanding of the comedy writing industry through engagement with comedy writing professionals.
You will produce original comedic works ready for publication or recording and gain a practical understanding of the comedic writing and print humour process.
Your Career Ontario is home to a large and diverse writing community that consistently employs writing graduates in a wide range of rich and fulfilling careers.
Graduates from this program will be well prepared to enter industry and find employment opportunities in areas including, but not limited to, freelance writing, publishing, reporting, new media, corporate communications, editing, scriptwriting and content development. Our Industry Partnerships This program is taught by industry experts, providing you with the most up-to-date and relevant curriculum.
Mar. 16, 2017 "If You Laugh at These Dark Jokes, You’re Probably a Genius": This article is by Brandon Specktor on MSN:
A man walks into a rooftop bar and takes a seat next to another guy. “What are you drinking?” he asks the guy.
“Magic beer,” he says.
“Oh, yeah? What’s so magical about it?”
Then he shows him: He swigs some beer, dives off the roof, flies around the building, then finally returns to his seat with a triumphant smile.
“Amazing!” the man says. “Lemme try some of that!” The man grabs the beer. He downs it, leaps off the roof —and plummets 15 stories to the ground.
The bartender shakes his head. “You know, you’re a real jerk when you’re drunk, Superman.”
Let’s ignore for a moment whether or not that poor rube survived his fall (if it makes you feel better, lets say Trampoline Man was waiting for him on the ground).
The real question is: Did you find this joke funny? Sick? Maybe a little of both?
According to a new study published in the journal Cognitive Processing, your reaction could indicate your intelligence.
In the paper, a team of psychologists concludes that people who appreciate dark humor— defined as 'humor that treats sinister subjects like death, disease, deformity, handicap or warfare with bitter amusement and presents such tragic, distressing or morbid topics in humorous terms'
—may have higher IQs,
show lower aggression,
and resist negative feelings
more effectively than people who turn up their noses at it.
To test this correlation between sense of humor and intellect, researchers had 156 male and female participants read 12 bleak cartoons from The Black Book by German cartoonist Uli Stein.
(One of them, which paraphrases a classic joke, shows a mortician reaching deep into a cadaver as a nurse muses, “The autopsy is finished; he is only looking for his wrist watch.”)
Participants indicated whether they understood each joke and whether they found it funny, then took some basic IQ tests and answered questionnaires about their mood, aggressive tendencies, and educational background.
The results were remarkably consistent:
Participants who both comprehended and enjoyed the dark jokes showed higher IQs, and reported less aggressive tendencies, than those who did not.
Incidentally, the participants who least liked the humor showed the highest levels of aggression and the worst moods of the bunch.
The latter point makes sense when you consider the widely-studied health benefits of laughter and smiling; if you aren’t able to greet negativity with playful optimism, of course you will feel worse.
But what about the link to intelligence? According to the researchers, processing a dark joke takes a bit more mental gymnastics than, say, a knock-knock joke
—it’s 'a complex information-processing task' that requires
parsing multiple layers of meaning,
while creating a bit of emotional distance from the content so that it registers as benign instead of hostile.
That emotional maneuvering is what sets dark jokes apart from,
say, puns, which literally pit your brain’s right and left hemispheres against each other as you process a single word’s multiple meanings,
but usually don’t force you out of your emotional comfort zone.
Tina Fey sums up the difference pretty well: 'If you want to make an audience laugh, you dress a man up like an old lady and push her down the stairs.
If you want to make comedy writers laugh, you push an actual old lady down the stairs.'
The takeaway: Pretty much any joke that relies on wordplay will put your brain to work—dark jokes just require a bit more emotional control to earn a laugh.
Give your brain a spin with these jokes proven to make anyone sound smart, or, if you do want to test your black humor cognizance, consider the following dark jokes from the Reader’s Digest comedy crypt to exercise your hardened funny bone:
• '‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I apologize’ mean the same thing. Except at a funeral.' —Demetri Martin
joke flops/ funny and annoying/ funny wedding video
The Sausage Factory: I've told you this one before. Cut to Tracy is 16 and S is 19. Tracy is watching TV and laughing. It's The Sausage Factory where Zack and Lisa are having a serious conversation. It's a TV sitcom without a laugh track, and was on Comedy Network. This confirms it's supposed to be funny.
S: What are they talking about? Tracy: She thinks he needs a kidney transplant, and he thinks they're talking about him having a VD. S gasps and looks scared. S: Yeah, well did he have sex? Tracy: No. S: Yeah, well I don't think they should be joking about something so serious.
I predicted she would not find it funny and be offended by it, but I didn't forewarn her. I didn't predict that she would be scared.
Blue: C'mon, a few months prior to it, I told her the joke during the British boy band Blue interview.
Tracy: The question was: "Do you guys own any pets?" Then Lee says: "My cat committed suicide." S: Suicide is nothing to joke about.
In the interview Antony burst out laughing. Lee: Why are you laughing? My cat committed suicide- that is nothing to laugh about! Antony: Sorry mate.
I thought it was kind of unintentionally funny. Antony laughed, so I thought my sister might find it funny. Hence, she did not.
"This man will pay you $10,000 to find him a girlfriend"/ "Matchmaker, make me a match"/ "Autistic teenager found more than two years after disappearing in California"
Apr. 17, 2022 Friends matchmaker: This was way back in 2006. My sister majored in business at university and so did my friend Angela. Angela came over to my house, and at dinner, she met my sister and they talked about school and work. They got along. However, they didn't really stay in touch after that like they could add each other on Facebook.
Here is another example:
Summer Heights High:
"The life of a public school epitomized by disobedient student Jonah Takalua, self-absorbed private school exchange student Ja'mie King, and megalomaniac drama teacher Mr. G."
Season 1, Episode 4: This is the episode where Jonah draws a picture of his dad touching his privates, so he can get out of English class.
"Ja'mie undermines her relationship with her new friends; Mr. G holds auditions for his new musical; a suggestive drawing puts Jonah's irate father on the defensive."
Nov. 24, 2022 "From vacuums to air fryers, auction houses are cashing in on online shopping returns": Today I found this article by Paula Duhatschek on CBC:
On a bright but chilly Saturday, the parking lot at Ollive's Auction in Calgary is bustling with a steady stream of customers arriving to pick up the treasures they'd won the week before.
Among them: a $7 vacuum cleaner, an $11 hair dryer brush and two tricycles for $13, sold at a steep discount.
"I don't want to advertise this place because it's a gem," said shopper Pat Knecht, who picked up the vacuum cleaner along with a lamp, some storage bins and a dozen picture frames. "You can get some really good deals."
Items at Ollive's Auction can be found at a steep discount because they've likely been purchased and returned once already. The business is among a growing number of auction houses whose bread and butter has become selling off returned and excess merchandise.
That line of business has grown as online shopping, and online returning, have become ever more popular — with some research suggesting 30 per cent of what's bought online ends up being sent back. For retailers, the price of shipping, processing and restocking returns can be steep, and liquidation is one way to deal with it.
Nov. 26, 2022 Black Friday: I didn't go shopping and I never really do on this day. I read the business news on CBC and BNN Bloomberg, that most Canadians are more cautious with their spending during the holiday season due to inflation.
I hardly buy things to own.
Nov. 25, 2022 Tao of Dana: This was on her Facebook page:
“It’s 100% off if you don’t buy it.”
I’m always reminded of that little phrase during massive holiday sale season, when it’s so tempting to buy things that aren’t needed or wanted because… it’s a great deal!
That said, I’m deep into Black Friday shopping and it’s definitely fun.
But, it’s really empowering to take stock of all you already have. Especially before a big shopping spree!
Whether you make gratitude lists , tell people how much you appreciate them, literally take stock of all you have in your closets , drawers, pantry and thank all of it… even thank your home, your neighborhood, speak words of gratitude before eating a meal…
This is where things become richer, more energized, more fulfilling and magnetic.
You’ll likely find you want to shop less— or shop far more selectively—and you’ll have far less to declutter every year!
The free Feng Shui Declutter Class is starting soon and you can sign up now at the link in my profile @thetaoofdana .
That post led to nearly $10,000 of donations within 2 weeks! I send all my love to you and to every single person from the PostSecret community and beyond who contributed, as well as those who weren’t able to contribute but still saw the post and hoped on my behalf. You all have made something amazing happen for this 25-year-old woman who is now so excited for the life of independence, freedom, and trust Tango and I are building together.
Thank you for hearing me and helping me that chilly day in Connecticut several years ago, Frank. The secret I shared in that auditorium was one of despair, believing I would never be able to partner with a service dog of my own. I am so grateful to be able to look back on that day and smile because I just didn’t know yet what good fortune was coming my way.
If you would like to make a difference in someone’s life this Giving Tuesday, please consider the following non-profits.
Nov. 29, 2022 The end of the year: I'm writing an email/ blog post where I reflect about all the things I have done this year.
Did I achieve my goals?
Is there anything else I need to complete?
There is still a month left of the year.
Wheel of life: I have seen this when I read, watch, and listen to these self- development videos and articles. I have some goals in different areas of my life.
Nov. 30, 2022 "These students are facing real-world economic pressures. Mandatory financial literacy classes may help": Today I found this article by James Dunne on CBC.
I like this article because it's about helping and teaching students on how to manage their finances:
Gary Rabbior is the president of the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education (CFEE) in Toronto, a non-profit that develops financial literacy programs and tools for schools.
He says financial matters — from online shopping, to investing, to managing debt — have become much more complex than they used to be and believes there should be a mandatory financial literacy course taught in high schools across Canada.
"We owe it to our kids to be able to educate them, to empower them to make the best decisions they can make."
"4 reasons for thrift store gifts this year": Kelsey Sheehy Of Nerdwallet, on BNN Bloomberg. It's cheaper, good for the environment, support small businesses and the items have a history:
“Estate sales are the gold mine for me,” Clews says. “You can find such magnificent objects that have history, care and wisdom all wrapped up into something meaningful.”
Neighborhood listservs, Facebook marketplace and Buy Nothing groups can also yield treasure, especially if there are children on your to-gift list. Kids age out of toys rather quickly (assuming they take to them at all), and you can often find like-new toys for a few dollars — or better yet, for free.
Black Friday shopping and it’s definitely fun. 
, tell people how much you appreciate them
, literally take stock of all you have in your closets 
, drawers, pantry and thank all of it… even thank your home, your neighborhood, speak words of gratitude before eating a meal… 
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