Co-host Yulia Petrauskas gets into L.A. COMPLEX star, Joe Dinicol‘s bed to ask him some candid questions and invade his personal space (literally as well as figuratively).

Host Tony Babcock slips under the sheets to interview Tommie-Amber Pirie for the first episode of YEAA Toronto’s SLEEPING WITH THE STARS! They talk about her nomination for an ACTRA Award for her work in CBC’s MICHAEL: TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, other projects, and her sleeping habits.

Upcoming:
Supporting lead role in D Films’ “The Corridor” (Canada release: April 3rd), a principal role in Picnicface’s “Roller Town” (April release), and a lead role in a new play from playwright Tom Walmsley, “The Nun’s Vacation” opening March 23rd (FB event page).

Past Projects:
-Hobo With a Shotgun
-Moby Dick
-Haven

On The Corridor:
Glen joins an ensemble cast composed of young Canadian talent. The horror/suspense film, which tells the story of a group of estranged best friends regathering at a cabin in the woods for some male-bonding, takes a turn for the worse when the men discover something inexplicable, something otherworldly out in the woods.

“I’m so proud of this film, and the path that it’s taken to get a North American release. Touring around to various genre film festivals, you always get such an honest response from those crowds, and we’ve seemingly created a film that strikes a cord with audiences. I personally love the film because it’s all about the characters, at no point does the film lose track of who these people are, even amidst absolute madness.”

The Corridor is scheduled for a April 3rd release in Canada (details TBA), and March 30th in the United States, in theatres and VOD via IFC Films. Trailer: http://youtu.be/7pD_7pZm5Cg Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Corridor/159701027375091

On Directing:
“I took my first stab behind the camera a couple months back, directing my first short film ‘Room Service‘, and it felt fantastic. I love working with actors, be it in front or behind the camera. I’m really looking forward to finishing this one off and tackling an even bigger project.”

Demo reel: http://youtu.be/auU7PdQ_NxY
Website: http://www.GlenMatthews.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/GlenJM
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3238674/

Current Projects:
Lead as “Tariq Muhammad” on Muchmusic’s “The L.A. Complex“

Recent Projects:
-Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
-Soul

On the “The L.A. Complex”:
In the show, Waston plays “Tariq” a struggling hip-hop songwriter from Montreal, working as an intern (read gopher) under an L.A. record producer. “My character goes through some of the same things that I’m dealing with. Having the same aspects in my own life is very interesting,” states Watson.

Trivia:
Originally hailing from Jamaica, Watson’s family moved to Toronto when he was 10, just as he was discovering his love of the arts. Unafraid to admit that when they were young children, he and his sister used to pretend they were Power Rangers, Watson knew from a young age that acting was where his heart truly belonged. “My mother wanted me to be a nurse or have some sort of a stable job to provide for myself in the future but I refused to make a job decision based on money,” says Watson. Despite his parent’s advice, he enrolled in the Acting for Film and Television Program at Toronto’s Humber College.

“There is a bigger picture in the world. For the past few years I have been working with disabled adults through several organizations such as Harmony Place Support Services and Banbury Camp,” Watson explains. ”And on Sundays I work with an autistic adult. No matter where I am in the world I always come back to Toronto in December and work at Harmony Place for Christmas. These experiences and organizations give me the power to see the world in a different light.”

Ben Watson’s IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2360244/
Muchmusic’s “The L.A. Complex”: http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/thelacomplex/

Current Projects:
Lead as “Nick Wagner” on Muchmusic’s “The L.A. Complex”

Recent Projects:
-Passchendaele
-Life with Derek
-Diary of the Dead

On the “The L.A. Complex”:
In the show, Dinicol’s character Nick is a stand-up comedian from Edmonton struggling to establish himself. “Stand-up is a profession I do not generally partake in,” laughs Dinicol. “I did a number of things [to prepare for the role].the most terrifying was getting up and actually doing stand-up myself.” The result? “When it goes well, it’s the greatest feeling in the world. And when it doesn’t, there is nothing worse!”

Trivia:
“Even though I made the decision to focus my career in the film and television world, theatre has always been my passion,” said Dinicol. The youngest in a line of three generations of Canadian actors (grandson of John Neville and son of Keith Dinicol), Joe spent his childhood backstage and on stage at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. “I started a theatre company (The Red One Theatre Collective) with some friends and we specialize in putting conventional theatre in unconventional spaces. We have been kicked out of spaces, extorted by bikers, and even performed shows in the pitch black when we blew the power. But I love what I do and I love to work. And when I don’t work, I am happy to do theatre and bus tables to get by. It’s an actor’s life for me!”

Joe Dinicol’s Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Dinicol
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0227710/
Muchmusic’s “The L.A. Complex”: http://www.muchmusic.com/tv/thelacomplex/
Red One Theatre Collective: http://redonetheatre.com/Home.html

Our hosts Tony and Yulia give you the run down on FirstWeekendClub.ca, a soon to be released Video-On-Demand service created specifically for Canadian films!

Current Projects:
-Lead as “Claire Webb” in the CBC series Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays (M:T&T)

Recent Projects:
-TMN’s Living in Your Car
-CBC’s The Border
-Global/ABC’s Rookie Blue
-Jay Baruchel’s sister in the feature film The Trotsky

On M:T&T:
To be a part of a crew that includes high-profile Canadians like Don McKellar, Bob Martin, Doug Koch and Patricia Rozema was fantastic and intense. We joked that it was acting summer camp. And it was so refreshing and inspiring to be on set with Patricia Rozema, someone so devoted to her work, that it opened my eyes to the possibility of directing down the road.

Trivia:
(M:T&T) Ottawa shoot was a chance for Pirie to revisit her hometown where she grew up as a competitive figure skater. “I trained 5 days a week, gave up my social life to be at the rink, skated for Canada and thought that my destiny was to be at the Olympics.” Pirie feels she owes her acting career in part to her time on the ice. “There is something to be said for understanding at a young age what it means to harness motivation, determination, hard work, perseverance and responsibility for something that you love.”

Pirie’s website: tommie-amberpirie.com
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1690432/
CBC Michael: Tuesdays & Thursdays website: http://www.cbc.ca/michael/index.html

Current Projects:
-Degrassi:  The Next Generation
-Combat Hospital
-Rookie Blue
-Co-produced, wrote and starred in comedic short  “Clive Houston, We Have a Problem”

Short Profile:
Brendan recently completed shooting a seven episode arc on Degrassi.  You can also catch Brendan in episodes of ABC/Global dramas Rookie Blue and Combat Hospital. Clive Houston, We Have a Problem, a comedic short written, co-produced and starring Brendan, is complete and being submitted to film festivals.  It made its U.S. premiere at the Nevada Film Festival in December 2010 where it was selected as Best Foreign Film.

In Brendan’s Words:
Having been acting for a quite a while, since I’m naturally quiet and friendly I’ve always struggled to be considered for those “tougher, edgier” roles. I remember once I auditioned for a rough drug dealer character and instead booked the student that speaks up against racial profiling at a Town Hall meeting in the same episode of the show. As such, I was especially delighted at landing the role of Vince on Degrassi, who is described as dangerous and manipulative…

Website: http://www.BrendanJeffers.com
IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2060581/

With the passing of Jack Layton last week (CBC link), we at YEAA thought it was important to share and reflect on Jack’s words to young Canadians…

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

Jack Layton
1950-2011