Author: Joey deVilla

…or so I think.

Last Sunday, I was led to believe that Milla Jovovich graced us Kickass Karaoke regulars with her presence at The Rivoli, since some of the cast of Resident Evil: Apocalypse, which is currently shooting in town (who knew the original did well enough to warrant a sequel?), dropped by. I was later corrected by Kickass Karaoke host Carson T. Foster, who told me via email that “Milla” was in fact another actress named Siena, who bears a resemblance to her. Milla’s appearance changes quite a bit from movie to movie, and actors often look different in real life, so I thought, hey, it’s an honest mistake.

Last night, while hanging out with my friend Leila after the Bjork concert, the topic changed to Kickass Karaoke.

“Did you meet Milla Jovovich at karaoke?” asked Leila.

“I was told it wasn’t Milla, but someone else in the movie who looks like her named Siena,” I replied. “I checked IMDB but didn’t see anyone named Siena in the cast list. Maybe she’s a stunt double.”

“No, I talked to her for fifteen minutes, starting with ‘Hey! You’re Milla Jovovich!'”

“Really?”

“Yeah. We talked a lot about her name.”

So was that Milla or was Siena having a bit of fun with Leila? Celebrity experts (or obsessed fanboys) can check see these photos and decide (the Mystery Girl is in the pink shirt).

Let me know in the comments, willya?

Another check of IMDB’s page for Resident Evil: Apocalypse shows a Sienna Guillory playing the part of “Jill Valentine”. Hmmm…

Uttered by a woman at a party at the 61st World Science Fiction Convention this past weekend:

“What a wide selection of available men in this room. I can have any pear-shaped guy I want.”

This Friday at 8:00 p.m., I will be on the W Network’s new show, Living Romance. Here’s the description of the show as it appears on their site:

Living Romance on W Network invites the viewer to experience life as a romantic adventure. Hosted by Jonathan Torrens and Ramona Milano, the series will celebrate romance from the first date to the Golden Wedding Anniversary. We’ll explore the various ways to find romance, from traditional matchmakers to modern-day speed dating. You’ll learn how to put the romance back in your relationship and be inspired by stories of enduring love. From Romantic Get-aways to Fun, Fresh Dating, luxurious lingerie to wonderful weddings, Living Romance offers the essential A-Z for romantic living.

(Did they have to use the word “romance” in every sentence? I feel as if that descriptive paragraph just mugged me with a truncheon hidden in a bouquet of roses.)

This episode is about serenading. There are three segments:

• A mariachi band
• A guy who wakes up his girlfriend every morning and tucks her in every night by playing the violin for her (I’ll bet that got really old really quickly)
• The “comic relief” segment in which some guy tries to pick up women on Queen Street armed only with his accordion and his wit

I’m as in the dark about what the show is like as you are; like you, Friday will be my first opportunity to catch the show. The songs they asked me to perform were made up on the spot (so as to avoid having to buy rights), so be warned that it’s not my best work. However, I was feeling pretty energetic on the day of the shoot, so I’m hoping that my enthusiasm, hamminess and chutzpah outshines my terrible extemporaneous lyrics.

In honour of this momentous occasion, there will be a barbecue and viewing at my house, followed by silliness to be determined. The fun will start at around 7, and the viewing at 8. I’ll tape it so that latecomers can watch the glorious train wreck.

Drop me an email or leave a note in the comments if you’re interested!

On a lark, I ran a Google search on the phrase “Crazy Go Nuts University”. Queen’s University, my alma mater, came up first! It must’ve been all those times I linked the phrase Crazy Go Nuts University — a name I borrowed from Strong Bad’s Email — to my old school.

I think it’s an appropriate name, as my years there — all seven of ’em — could best be described as “crazy go nuts”. I hope neither Queen’s nor the Chapman brothers (the creators of Strong Bad and all the other characters at HomestarRunner.com) mind.

I don’t watch much TV, but there was something I couldn’t resist about Joe Schmo, the reality show in which only one hapless contestant — the Schmo — is real. Everyone else is an actor playing a reality show archteype:

• The Buddy
• The Asshole
• The Grizzled Veteran
• The Schemer
• The Rich Bitch
• The Gay Guy
• The Virgin
• The Quack
• The Smarmy Host

All the “drama” is scripted and treads the fine line between over-the-top and believable (rather like some of the stories in this blog, come to think of it). Normally, reality shows fail to capture my interest for terribly long because they’re so terribly contrived. However, by actually increasing the contrivance to Truman Show levels, scripting the “drama” and giving the viewer that “in on the joke” feeling, I think they’ve actually made the show feel more “real” than any reality TV show.

Of course, I’m assuming that the Schmo isn’t also an actor faking that he doesn’t know that it’s fake.

I think I would’ve loved being on the writing team for Joe Schmo.