cake or death: an eddie izzard site: ARCHIVED NEWS

Eddie Izzard makes his living ‘talking total bollocks.’ But the star of FX’s ‘The Riches’—currently touring a new stand-up act—absolutely hates making lists. (We nudged him.) --from Black Book (thanks Annette!)

There so many reasons to love Eddie Izzard - he's funny, he's a good actor, he really knows how to be stylish when dressing in drag, and maybe my favorite, he's willing to give impromtu history lessons to total strangers. He did the latter this morning as he was leaving our studio. Coming upon a map of our tri-state area on the wall in our newsroom, and seeing me notice, he immediately launched into the lesson, "...and back in the ice age, glaciers slid down from the Arctic and cut the valley that we now know as the Long Island Sound dumping their residue creating Long Island." I said to him that even today Long Island still seems to be a dumping ground. Eddie's reply? He said he believed that the mafia has always been quite adherent to history & tradition, and the whole thing made sense to him. Eddie also talked about his show The Riches. The second season premieres Tuesday night on FX. And, in case you may have missed his month-long run at the Union Square Theater in Feb-March, he will be back in town at Radio City on Friday, June 27th, Saturday, June 28th, and Sunday, June 29th, check here for tickets & information.

WATCH THE VIDEO (thanks Colleen)

Eddie on Fuse's "The Sauce" which airs April 10th at 6pm (check local listings).

MORE PHOTOS

Taken leaving the ABC studios after taping with the shrews...I mean taping The View.

"Dear Eddie Izzard, I love you. Please bring your tour to T.O. so I can stalk you silly. Sincerely, A Secret Admirer." (from thestar.com | thanks mamymamo)

EDDIE PODCAST
Emmy winning comic-actor Eddie Izzard, who plays Wayne Malloy on FX's "The Riches,'' joins TV critic Tim Goodman for this episode of the TV Talk Machine podcast. Izzard, considered one of the best standup comics of our time and an emerging dramatic actor, talks about his career, the future of The Riches and his interest in European politics. Go

HERE to listen.

IF THE SMUT FITS
Eddie Izzard is a nakedly funny dude. He’s always out there. So much so, he’s baring all—as it were—for his new comedy tour, Stripped, which is traveling to such dusty snob environs as Dallas in the coming months. On top of that daunting attempt, he has his quasi hit The Riches on FX with Minnie Driver going up for a second season. H mag's Susan Michals sat down with the Brit dude, who mainly couldn’t stop slobbering over Susan’s stilettos. Who does he think he is, spiked-heel addict Benicio Del Toro? Regardless, S.M. sucked out the following two babies, which I adore: Eddie Izzard, "Stripped" tourOn the poster art for his new cross-country show: "I'm not going in girlie mode—I'm going in boy mode this time around; I'm happily wandering between the two." On how Eddie describes his par-tick brand of bawdy stand-up: "I call it sex...with Martians," he chirps. "It's stand-up, although the image of stand-up in America is all dick jokes. But in Britain, it's a highly revered art form." No wonder Madonna loves those British baddies. (eonline.com)

V&S gets 'Visionary' for Absolut
Vin & Sprit has launched an initiative for its Absolut vodka brand involving media, arts and entertainment luminaries as part of its 'In an Absolut World' campaign in the US.

The Swedish state-owned company said yesterday (28 February) that the programme, named Absolut Visionaries, has signed up the likes of Kanye West, Eddie Izzard and Perez Hilton to encourage consumers to participate within its online community.

Absolut vodka brand director Ian Crystal said: "When we created the 'In An Absolut World' campaign, we asked ourselves 'What if everything in the world was approached with the same ideal as we approach Absolut vodka?' With the Visionaries programme, we are opening that question to the rest of the world to spark conversations and challenge the status quo. Absolut has a history of collaborating with the artistic community, and we will continue in that tradition, while also inspiring consumers to engage with us and each other."

Two of the first Absolut Visions will be available to consumers in real time, as well as online, said the company, adding that through Absolut's sponsorship of the Live Earth Film Series, it will be "touring the film series, a collection of ... dialogues about the effects of global warming, to more than 70 film festivals around the country this year".

Through the Absolut Visionaries programme, the company said that it aims to create "the world's biggest community of visionaries".

V&S added that "once a consumer submits their vision, the vision will be open for viewing and voting. If a vision acquires enough points and is rated among the most interesting, witty, provocative and inspiring, Absolut will then bring that vision to life. Realised visions will be posted on www.absolut.com".

"At that point, Eddie Izzard whistled, loudly, to get everyone to shut up. Kate Schelter ignored him and kept talking. "I'm going to get them to turn the volume up," Izzard grunted, and bounced off to find the keeper of the remote. Alan Cumming was not intimidated, either. "I think I'd like to do George Clooney, just to see what it was like," he mused aloud. "For research purposes, because everyone swoons about him. I'd like to see if he's got the goods" Then Eddie Izzard came back with the remote control, turned the volume up, and drowned everyone out." (NYMag.com)

"New York magazine had a lively party at the Spotted Pig and it was really hard to concentrate on the screen(s). For awhile, Eddie Izzard was shushing people — he said he came to watch the Oscars, of all the silly things — but most of the other media celebs were drinking There Will Be Bloody Marys (wish I'd thought of that) and posing for one another's picture-phones. Probably the most animated discussion came early on in regards to Jennifer Hudson's twin inflatable life rafts (a "uniboob," according to former Gawker enchantress Emily Gould), which made many of us avert our eyes in sadness. Who let that happen? (I'm told the metallic bolero was the brainstorm of Andre Leon Talley.) "

Comedian Eddie Izzard has praised plans for a nationwide network of speakers' corners.

The stand-up star, speaking on BBC One's The Politics Show, said Nottingham's Speakers' Corner, which will be launched on Friday, is the first to be created in the UK since the Hyde Park original 150 years ago.

The site in Nottingham will be pedestrianised and landscaped during the summer and is set to be inaugurated as the first modern-day Speakers' Corner in the UK in the autumn.

Speakers' Corner Trust, the charity behind the initiative, hopes to create a nationwide network of Speakers' Corners following the Nottingham launch.

The charity hopes the corner will provide "a powerful symbol of citizens' rights, a focus for civic pride and a platform for free public exchange in the midst of Nottingham's daily hustle and bustle."

Izzard said: "Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing and it matters because I think the strength of Britain is based on it.

"It's good that Nottingham is doing this and I think other towns should do it too. It's a great thing."

Tim Desmond, chair of the Nottingham Speakers' Corner Committee, said: "We see our Speakers' Corner not only as a new platform for debate in the city but also as a flagship for Nottingham and it's great to see the positive publicity it's already attracting."

The Literary and Historical Society (L&H) of the University College Dublin presented Eddie with the James Joyce Award on Thursday February 5th. (thanks Annette & Ivana)

Romance and Cigarettes is finally out on

DVD. If you don't know what this movie is,

GO HERE.

Eddie Izzard is clearly not letting Hollywood go to his head, but is loving his novelty status.

The 46-year-old comedian has confirmed he is mixing in A-list circles in celeb land, he said: "Well of course I'm hanging out with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, although I haven't been on the back of his bike yet - he's a mad driver.

“I don't like to trouble them, but I have been round to dinner a couple of times. That's what you get when you're a card carrying tranny, you get called upon to provide some glamour." (London Blog)

Eddie Izzard recently returned to Yemen, his country of birth, for the first time since he left as a baby. He had his camcorder out, filming the airport. "Not a good idea," he tells me at a secret gig at Soho's Arts Theatre. "I got swooped on by security. When I yelled, 'I'm a tourist,' that was a bad idea too, because 'tourist' sounds a lot like 'terrorist'. They fell on me!" (from teletext.co.uk | thanks annette!)

...his show that is. Thanks to Annette for the

LINK. Eddie appears around the 2:45 mark.

BBC Radio's Today program asks Doug Fishbone and Eddie Izzard if there are national barriers to humour.

LISTEN HERE (RealAudio)

Thanks to Annette for posting this link of Eddie on Dawn French's Boys Who Do Comedy -- there's a minute or two at the 4:30 mark in the video.

VIDEO

Eddie was a presenter at the Critics Choice Award showing at 8pm on VH1. Their live blog said: "10:21: Someone will have to transcribe Eddie Izzard’s crazy talk speech tomorrow. It will show us how much we need the writers back. Ditto for list of country’s that feature government-sponsored heath care. Good thing he took the time to work the list, because Michael Moore’s Sicko earns top prize."

Cinefile said: "10:24 - Eddie Izzard just made up for D.L Hughley's inability to tell a decent joke. Sicko wins for Best Documentary."

Update: Comedian Eddie Izzard provided his own chilling example of awards-show writing during the strike. "Okey dokey from WGA came during teatime, so some speechy talk not so good as other mans," he said. "This was wrote in toilet, so only first draft and a bit la-la."

"The best laugh came from Eddie Izzard, whose razor-sharp mockery of the lame and stilted podium banter (since the writers are on strike it was worse than usual) cooked up by the blurb whores known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association, was a riot." (from the Front Row)

Thanks for the suggestion through the

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Another report from BNAT 9 has revealed the voice of Reepicheep: Eddie Izzard (stand-up comic, voice of Bee Army General in Bee Movie) will be the voice of Reepicheep in the Prince Caspian movie.

Eddie Izzard to performed at “Write Aid” a benefit performance to help those affected by the Hollywood writers strike. “Write Aid” also features comedians Lewis Black, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt and Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass)

DOWNLOAD the University of Sheffield magazine with Eddie on the cover. (thanks Lisa)

Several of the Riches cast are interviewed including Eddie who comes on at 2:20 and makes a great argument for the strike and solidarity. (thanks Clay)

Fox has informed retailers this morning that FX's successful first-season run of The Riches - Season 1 is out on DVD. It will be a 4-disc set running $49.98 SRP in the USA and CA$69.98 SRP in Canada. Besides 13 episodes running 616 minutes, expect special features to include Commentary Tracks on the first and last episodes by Star Eddie Izzard and Show Creator Dmitry Lipkin, 9 webisodes from FX.com, a couple of featurettes ("Casting Session" and "World Premiere"), and possibly a gag reel as well (the latter is iffy, and all extras are not yet finalized and could be subject to change). Stay tuned for updates and box art, just as soon as we get them.

UPDATE:
The DVD cover has been released as well as the Special Features including: Audio Commentary w/ Eddie Izzard and Creator Dmitry Lipkin on "Pilot", Gag Reel (pending availability & clearance), Audio Commentary w/ Eddie Izzard and Creator Dmitry Lipkin on "Waiting For Dogot".
(from tvshowsondvd.com; thanks Annette)

"In our last dispatch from the Day Three picket lines for today, a reader reports on some high-profile drop-ins and some possible scab-related intrigue at Culver Studios: "I'm a SAG actor (a nobody) walking the WGA picket lines at Culver Studios today. Minnie Driver shows up with her dog Bubba to hang out with her writing staff. Eddie Izzard shows up and starts handing out blue wristbands that say 'All for One and One for All' that loop into a Gordian knot. He ordered these up himself and said 'they're not official.' Minnie takes off after a couple of hours and then Eddie goes "Norma Rae" on everyone. Lost in the shuffle was Josh Duhamel who didn't showboat at all. The buzz on the line is that the Las Vegas writers had spotted a former writer who was no longer on staff coming onto the lot. As I left, they had not stormed the lot yet."

Singer Damien Rice has joined the campaign to encourage UN intervention in Burma.

Other celebrities that have already backed the calls for the international organisation to venture into the country include Jennifer Aniston, Jim Carrey, Eddie Izzard, Elijah Wood and Dustin Hoffman.

Campaigners are attempting to secure the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been imprisoned as a dissident by the country's military regime.

The group has written a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stating: "[Aung San Suu Kyi] is the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner. She has been held under house arrest in Burma for 12 of the past 17 years.

"Aung San Suu Kyi is not just a charismatic leader, she is the elected leader of the Burmese people. In Burma’s last election, she won 82% of the seats in parliament, yet the military regime cruelly locked her up along with many members of her party."

Eddie Izzard has revealed he plans to step up his assault on Hollywood, after narrowly missing out on an Emmy nomination.

The 45-year-old comedian, who stars alongside Minnie Driver in US TV drama The Riches, said he "must rise" to Minnie's level if he hopes to win awards, the Daily Express reports.

He said: "They released the list of the top 10 in the voting and I was in that. But I'm a slow starter, I take the fine wine approach to acting. But I'm competitive. Minnie has done some really good work on the show and it means I must rise to her level."

But Eddie's role as swindler Wayne Malloy in the show, to be shown in the UK later this year, has already landed him a part in a more serious acting project.

He's set to star alongside Tom Cruise in the war film Valkyrie.

"I see it as my passing out ceremony. There is no comedy in it and so I feel I have arrived at the real start of my acting," he said.

(FromThisisNottingham.co.uk)

(from defamer.com) Sunday 8/5 -- Patiently listening to his iPod while waiting among the hoi-polloi at the gate for a fog-delayed flight to San Francisco was Eddie Izzard. He did that "yes, I notice you recognizing me, but I am being low-key" eye-lowering thing when I smiled real cheesily at him, so I decided he didn't want me to tell him "Cake or Death" is my favorite phrase ever. Eddie had absolutely no star attitude about waiting in line to board and then sitting in coach for the flight; this is why I love the British. (thanks annette)

NEW YORK/HOLLYWOOD REPORTER -- There's a lot of action in and around the Weinstein Co.'s CG-animated monster movie "Igor." Eddie Izzard has replaced Jeremy Piven as the insane Schadenfreude, and producer Exodus Film Group has inked a deal for a series of comic books based on the film with IDW Publishing.

This is interesting...I got this from a "reliable source" that Eddie will be appearing in live action trailer for a new animated movie called "Bee Movie" starring Jerry Seinfeld. It doesn't release until November 2007 but they might start showing the trailer next month. There are 2 trailers which are supposed to portray them shooting the movie with Jerry dressed as a bee....one involves a window and a flower pot and the other is a windshield. Anyway, in the trailers Eddie is cast as the director. In the windshield trailer, Jerry goes to ask Eddie if the scene was good. Apparently Eddie showed up onset wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a parka (I think) and sun glasses...and that's what he wears as the director in the trailer. So anyway, some nice unsubstantiated gossip to start your week :) p.s. He's not actually IN the movie...just the trailer.

UPDATE2: From one of the extras in the trailer "the shoot was fun even though my lines got cut faster than the block of columbian primo resting in the underwire of a certain executive transvestite's gym bag." Doh.

UPDATE3:

THIRD TRAILER

FOURTH TRAILER
Note: Eddie's name has started to show up on several sites as being the voice of the "Bee Army General" so maybe he is in the movie. I guess we'll find out November 2nd when the movie is released.

"And what was the Almighty thinking when he made sharks? "He said `Right, no ears for this fer. Jesus, give me the box of teeth. Right. Another box.'," Izzard speculated during a wonderful 75-minute free-associating magic carpet ride that covered the development of language, why Hannibal used elephants to cross the Alps (they had run out of skis), the Bible and fox hunting, among other things. Jesus, Izzard reminded us, fasted in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights "which is really 40 days," he said. "The 40 nights is implicit. You can see the Bible writer padding it out: 40 days ... and 40 nights ... and 40 lunchtimes." The dresses and makeup were left behind this time out, but the British comic's show was otherwise pure Izzard: one man, his strange thoughts and a microphone (which, incidentally, proved useful for a set-opening primer on its confidence-building properties.) No props, no prompters, and, apparently, no plan. Izzard's without-a-net observational standup comedy is not unlike Jerry Seinfeld's, albeit with more of a post-Python sense of absurdity. And with so many comedians out there who have little to peddle but shock value and easy-way-out scatology, he's always a breath of fresh air."

It's been a couple of years time for another chat. Greg Proops comes back to the Just For Laughs Festival with the Greg Proops Chat Show, at Kola Note on July 19. The fast, wise and funny improv master brought the show to Just For Laughs in 2005 and invited British comic Eddie Izzard and New York comedian Judy Gold to drop by. "It's everything that the Tonight Show isn't," Proops said of his chat show during a recent telephone interview. "Being a guest on the show requires the ability to swing free. You have to be able to roll with it. Run fast. Nothing is censored." While Proops doesn't censor his show for naughty content, but he does have one line drawn in the sand. "I never pick on people who can't defend themselves," he said. "But celebrities and government officials are fair game because they are public figures. "I love the freedom of the chat show the freefall. I try to get my guests to do things they wouldn't normally do. It's break-neck comedy." Proops's career has thrived on the unpredictable. The San Francisco native is probably best known in North America for his work on the ABC television improv comedy show Whose Line is it Anyway? (He was also a regular on the British version of the show.) His numerous television appearances include visits to The Wayne Brady Show, the Late Late show with Craig Ferguson and last year he hosted the Just For Laughs Comedy Tour. The guests for the chat show this time around will depend on the coordination of busy schedules, but Proops is hoping to invite Izzard again. Izzard performs at the Imperial Theatre on July 20. Proops would also like to invite fellow American Lewis Black. Black is booked for The Masters (July 20-21) and The 25th Anniversary All-Star Gala (July 22). But if Izzard and Lewis can't make it, Proops isn't worried. "It's the Just For Laughs Festival. There's such a huge talent pool. I'm spoiled," Proops said. Proops has been doing the chat show thing in the United Kingdom and North Amercia since the turn of the century. So who was his wildest guest? "I don't know about wild, but (actor) John C. Reilly told a great story about getting high with Jack Nicholson and going to a U2 concert," Proops said. Naughtiest guest? "Joan Rivers is pretty naughty," he said. "I'm a huge fan. She taught me a lot about everything." And who would be his ultimate guests? "In the category of comedian, maybe Jonathan Winters. He is everything I think is great about comedy," Proops said. Actors? "Maybe Jack Nicholson. Anyone would be dazzled to even just sit near him like sitting near a super nova. I know I would be. Musicians? "Keith Richards. We'd do a few shots. Chat about stuff." (thanks Lori)

"It has been brought to our attention by fans that some websites are selling pirated low quality copies of Eddie’s live shows and representing them as being commercially released. Please avoid these as they are very poor quality and do not support Eddie at all. This is a description of them:

“The DVD's are in a plastic case, each are blank DVD recordable media with what looks like label maker script that just say Eddie Izzard, 1 of 4, 2 of 4 and so on.”

Any DVDs that you see for sale that are region 0, on DVD-Rs, or only being sold for a few dollars are obviously fake and we would strongly advise you against buying them.

Some of you may remember the fundraiser we did during the Katrina tragedy and the most popular items in the auction were these Eddie Bags that were made and donated by Brandi. Well she FINALLY has a site up and where you can have any non-copyright image made into a bag or wallet! Very cool. Stop by beholdenbags.com and support a fellow Izzard Fan!

The internationally-renowned comedian who spent his boyhood in Bexhill and who has lent generous support to local causes, principally in Sidley, has accepted an invitation to become the museum's patron.

The news comes at a key time for the museum. Rother cabinet has just agreed to plug a £297,208 funding gap after tenders for the extension scheme came in over budget.

Eddie will open the new museum when redevelopment is complete.
This week, museum curator Julian Porter announced: "The Society of Bexhill Museums is delighted that Eddie Izzard has become the museum's patron.

"When the society was formed in 2003 the board realised that they needed a patron who was well known and respected and who was interested in Bexhill's heritage and concerned for its future development.

"In this regard we exceeded our expectations when Eddie Izzard generously agreed to accept this position.

"Eddie is the most famous Bexhillian and internationally well known his acting and stand-up comedy.

"The museum is proud to have the endorsement of a celebrity who shares our enthusiasm for Bexhill's history and wishes to involve the town's younger generation.

"With our bold plans for the expansion of Bexhill Museum we wanted a patron who would embody what Bexhill could achieve and inspire young people to discover the town's fascinating history and be part of its future.

"The redevelopment of Bexhill Museum will provide an exciting new facility for the town that for he first time will do justice to the area's heritage.

"There will be a new costume and fashion gallery exploring 200 years of design and including recent work by local students.

"To reflect Bexhill's status as the birthplace of British motor sport there will be a motor racing and technology gallery.

"This will feature the replica of Leon Serpollet's 1902 steam car Easter Egg that was built with the assistance of Bexhill High School and the 1993 Volta which was built by students from St Richard's Catholic College and is still the fastest electrically-powered care of its weight class in the world.

"And to complete the trio an example of Bexhill's own racing car, the Elva. The society is currently preparing the restoration of a Mk III 1958 Elva sports racer.

"Eddie Izzard will open the museum when the redevelopment is complete."

Eddie appeared on Fox's Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. You can stream it at

Mike and Juliet. (thanks Teri & Cassie)

An interview with Eddie was aired May 10th in Canada at 11pm on the CBC Television show

THE HOUR .

A new academic report has studied the mechanics and linguistics of stand-up – and concluded that the key is a set-up followed by a punchline.

Douglas Glick, an assistant professor of anthropology at Binghamton University in New York, analysed two of Eddie Izzard’s routines for a paper to be published in the scientific journal Language & Communication.

He said that stand-ups follow a complex formula, employing linguistic techniques.

Glick said Izzard is a ‘complicated performer - especially when you see how many pages it took me to describe analytically what is two to three minutes of material at the most’.

He said that many stand-up routines follow three steps: ‘foregrounding,’ which is coming up with an unexpected concept or situation; then setting up a comparison; then the pay-off ‘that makes the comparison between what we expected, and what happened, funny.’

Glick says one comic technique is the use of ‘chronotopes’, or the use of imaginary characters to play out scenes, and ‘poetic parallelisms’ when a comic repeats patterns in delivery or material.

The academic illustrated his theory with an Izzard routine in which he imagines Britain as a spoiled child who travels the world conquering it

Asif Agha, associate professor in the department of anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, told the Discovery Channel that ‘Glick’s analysis is an important step in analyzing how such humour works, why it is socially acceptable, and why it appeals to so many people who otherwise find political issues, to a degree, taboo’. (From Chortle.co.uk)

You can now download the pilot episode (and subsequent episodes as they appear) from iTunes for $1.99.

EPISODES ON iTUNES

"FX may have yet another hit on its hands with the Eddie Izzard vehicle, The Riches, as the Monday night premiere drew 3.8 million total viewers and 2.52 million adults 18-49 in its 10 p.m. time slot.

When the 11 p.m. encore presentation of The Riches was factored into the overall ratings equation, FX lured a cumulative audience of 5.2 million viewers and 3.3 million adults 18-49.

The Riches stands as FX’s first series to premiere on a Monday night. The network generally favors Tuesday night as a proving ground for its original dramas, which include The Shield, Rescue Me and Nip/Tuck.

The 2.52 million members of the core demo who tuned in to The Riches represent the second largest A18-49 audience for a series premiere in FX history." (From Mediaweek)

Fans of QI have won their campaign to get the show released on DVD – after an internet petition convinced distributors there would be a market for it. Next month’s release of the first series of Stephen Fry’s highbrow comedy quiz is one of the few times such online lobbying has proved successful.

The DVD, which features 12 episodes, deleted scenes, out-takes and the original pilot episode with Eddie Izzard that has never been shown on TV, is now available.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

BUY FROM AMAZON UK

With Spike (Milligan), Norma visited many countries including America, Australia and New Zealand through the success of the Goons. The show's legacy can be seen through the shows that followed it including Monty Python, The Goodies and through to today's comedians. "When I see Eddie Izzard I can see the link between him and Spike," said Norma. "I think there is a definite connection between the two of them. "The way their minds work, they can pick up on a little idea and run with it and turn it into this very funny joke. "It's a unique gift."

READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE

Get Eddie on your Sat Nav! Is your TomTom voice driving you round the bend? Well, liven it up with Eddie's new TomTom directions. Who knows where you'll end up with Eddie guiding you all the way, but you should get to your destination fully refreshed and ready for action!

CLICK TO SEE DEMO/DOWNLOAD

Eddie Izzard, Chevy Chase and "Absolutely Fabulous" star Jennifer Saunders were among the comedians lined up for a new "Secret Policeman's Ball" to aid Amnesty International. The show, set for Oct. 14 at London's Royal Albert Hall, revives a series that boosted the human rights organization's profile during the 1970s and '80s. The first "Secret Policeman's Ball" in 1979 featured Peter Cook, Billy Connolly, Rowan Atkinson and several members of Monty Python's Flying Circus, and was turned into a feature-length film. It was followed by "The Secret Policeman's Other Ball" in 1981, "The Secret Policeman's Third Ball" in 1987 and "The Secret Policeman's Biggest Ball" in 1989. The new show, which will be recorded for broadcast on Britain's Channel 4 television, will also feature music from Gorillaz and The Magic Numbers, Amnesty International said Friday. "Now, as in the days of the early Secret Policeman's Balls, governments are really keen on locking up people they don't like," said Monty Python member Terry Gilliam. "Artists require freedom to do what they do, freedom to speak out and freedom to propose radical ideas. Amnesty defends that freedom."

Buena Vista Home Entertainment released The Wild on September 12th. In this CG-animated film - featuring the voices of Kiefer Sutherland, Jim Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner and Richard Kind - a teenage lion from the New York zoo is accidentally shipped to Africa, so his animal friends unite to bring him back. Bears an uncanny resemblance to DreamWorks' Madagascar, doesn't it? According to Disney, however, their movie was in the works for nine years. Either way, it came and went from theaters this past April without much hullabaloo... The disc will include a family-friendly anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks. Extras include deleted scenes, a "Meet Colin: The Rock Hyrax" featurette, "Bloopers and Blunders: Eddie Izzard Unleashed" and Everlife's "Real Wild Child" music video. Retail will be $29.99. (thanks Media Bear)

AMAZON

AMAZON UK

BLOOPER SCREENCAPS

YOUTUBE

Eddie appeared in a one night only show in Dublin during a break in filming his new mini-series

KITCHEN . You can read a

REVIEW of the Dublin show.

You can read the FULL ARTICLE from where this quote was taken out of context (it's at the end).

Yemen-born comedian Eddie Izzard has received an honorary degree, 25 years after originally attending the University of Sheffield. Izzard flew in especially from Los Angeles to collect the award, where he is filming a TV pilot with Minnie Driver. He was accompanied by his proud father Harold, who has always wanted his son to get a degree. "It's very nice to be given this," said a smiling Izzard, dressed in a smart navy suit, with no nail varnish in sight. "It's only taken me 25 years to get a degree! Now I can put Doctor at the beginning of my name." REST OF ARTICLE
UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD NEWS RELEASE

"...And so it goes, from the olden days to now: Kenneth Williams (alone), Sid James (alcoholic), Tony Hancock (dead), Steve Coogan (berserk), Paul Whitehouse (depressed), even Eddie Izzard, seemingly permanently perky raconteur, even as more and more of the globe succumbs to his winsome ways, believes he is something of a wretched loser. “I’ve got to work harder,” he blubbed in late 2004, “there’s places I’d like to be. In the film world. With stand-up there’s not really much further to go. The challenge is that I’ve got to get better. Okay, you can play Wembley, fine, but you can lose it and think, ‘I’m just playing big rooms‚ I’m actually a coward and all I’m doing is testing my level of cowardice.’ I’m about controlling fear and that’s what everyone’s life is about really. And the battles are won and lost in your head.”
FULL ARTICLE

Eddie Izzard finds the comedy in being dumped
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

Although he rose to stardom on the strength of his outrageous comedy, Britain's Eddie Izzard has kept things on the serious side when it comes to acting — until now. His role as Professor Bedlam, spurned wannabe love of Uma Thurman in 20th Century Fox's July 21-opening "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" is "my first really comedic part," he notes. "He could have been just the bad guy, but it's also playing on his bitterness over being dumped. I constantly attack her whilst being emotionally in love with her all the time. I do know that feeling," he adds wryly. "I think everyone has gone through being dumped." Busy Izzard filmed his role as Mr. Kite in Julie Taymor's forthcoming Beatles-themed "Across the Universe" movie while he was making "Super Ex-Girlfriend" with Thurman and Luke Wilson — on different soundstages at the same New York studio. The peripatetic star was flying around with Prime Minister Tony Blair for comedic purposes last month, and his impressions landed on the Internet, a European podcast and the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper. But that doesn't mean he's prepping another Izzard comedy special — a la his Emmy-winning HBO special "Dress to Kill" — anytime soon. Though he's constantly doing live comedy gigs, when it comes to concert specials, "I actually like to keep it kind of rare. It can get confusing with my doing comedy and drama." He's hoping his prospective FX series, "Low Life," will "merge the two together." In "Low Life," he plays "an American-Irish grifter, father of a family, and Minnie Driver is the wife. He's at a crossroads, thinking that all the cons and scams add up to a wasted life. Then, they have the opportunity to steal the identities of another family after a car crash." The pilot is undergoing reshoots right now.

Eddie Izzard has publicly thrown his support behind Labour amid the funding scandal engulfing the party. The comic has lent his name to a full-page advert in national newspapers saying he was ‘proud to help fund the Labour Party’. Izzard has previously donated £10,000 towards Labour campaigning. Now, on the day after Labour’s chief fundraiser, Lord Levy, was arrested as part of the ongoing loans-for-peerages inquiry, the party has listed its less controversial backers, in a bid to remove the stain on the image of political donations. Among other names listed in the advert include Star Trek actor Patrick Stewart, advertising guru Trevor Beattie and financier Nigel Doughty. They all put their names to the statement: ‘We believe in a Britain where enterprise and aspiration are combined with fairness and social justice. That's why we're proud to help fund the Labour Party.’

Answer: “With shows like Dress to Kill, this cross-dressing Brit has audiences rolling in the aisles.” First response: Dame Edna(!) Second, and correct response: Eddie Izzard . The person with this right answer went on to win the game. Of course. (Thanks Tomalyn)

Eddie wrote an article for THE GUARDIAN about his recent trip to Brussels with PM Tony Blair. You can also listen to a podcast HERE.
PHOTOS HERE

(from The Independent) Try as he might, Eddie Izzard just can't seem to get a decent run on the Hollywood treadmill. The cross-dressing comedian has been a star on the stand-up circuit over the years, but is still looking for his first big film break. Izzard's big chance came a couple of years ago when he was offered the chance to appear in the blockbuster Ocean's Twelve, only to discover his role was reduced to a walk-on part. Now, he's hoping the film's sequel might fare better. "George Clooney told me he was making another Ocean's film, so I agreed to be in it, even though I haven't read the script," Izzard tells me. "I only had two scenes in Ocean's Twelve, so maybe by the time I make Ocean's Ninety-Six, I'll have 184 scenes"

"VERSATILE funnyman Eddie Izzard has had a new job during the Cannes Film Festival - as translator to the stars. The multi-lingual comedian has been indispensable to celebs such as Samuel L Jackson, Bruce Willis, Beyoncé Knowles, Kanye West and Ethan Hawke, who can't speak a word of French. So instead of shouting and pointing, they have enlisted the cheeky trannie to voice their terribly important opinions and get our Gallic cousins on their side with a few choice jokes.

I managed to catch up with Eddie, 44, who speaks fluent French and German and has performed stand-up in both. As we chatted away at the Sagatiba Football party at Pierre Cardin's Bubble Palace, he told me: "I should just set up a French class for them while we're here. "Willis, stop chewing gum! Jackson, take off that Kangol cap - this isn't a fashion show. "I've certainly found my calling in life." Tres bien. . . " (From the Daily Star | thanks Mimi)
ADDITIONAL CANNES PIC (thanks Cherie)

Eddie was on the Henry Rollins Show May 20th on the Independent Film Channel at 10pm EST. You can view it on YouTube.
PART I
PART 2

Apparently Kevin Smith (director of Clerks, Jersey Girl, etc.) had a Spoken Word Event at his house to benefit his children's school because as he said the people that needed the cash was, "... that neediest of causes: kids in private school." ha.

Here's Eddie's intro: "Our next reader brings a screeching halt to the all-dickless reader streak we’ve been on, but while he’s all man, he’s also been known to get tarted-up a bit. In the year 2000, he took home two Emmys for his brilliant stand-up show “Dress to Kill” that played every other hour on HBO. If you haven’t seen his prior shows “Definite Article” and “Glorious”, you’re a fucking disgrace. He’s played both Lenny Bruce on stage and Charlie Chaplin on film, but he’s a legend in this house for introducing the phrase “Cake or death? ” into our lexicon. One of the funniest human beings to ever walk the earth, ladles and jelly-spoons, I give you… EDDIE IZZARD."

The Fabulous Annie is responsible for this mini-recap and these fantastic

PICS! (thanks Annie!)

"The show was very, very good. He did some stuff about Bexhill, and him growing up, plus a bit about Kings dying, and the Bayeux tapestry, which all ties in with the fact that the area is "1066 Country" - the Battle of Hastings. And some stuff about the shipping forecast on the radio. Eddie also did the Queen with a cake on her head, and his gran avoiding Death from Glorious, and Deathstar Canteen from Circle. Hunter/Gatherer, Flies, Sharks, Wasps, Childwearing, Foxhunting from Sexie and Sexie2@Soho. There was some stuff about cats and dogs, including the whole 'Easy Ginger, I'll walk you down' bit, and about cats/dog flaps, and dogs chasing cars. Oh, and lots of other stuff which was really funny, but of course I can't remember. As usual, any stuff we'd heard/seen before had a different slant as he went about the subject in a slightly different way. Oh, and just remembered, when he came on for an encore, he did the 'controlling the audience volume with his hand' type thing, which I first saw in Dress to Kill (I think?), and was fab to be a part of."

Not really. It's a name of a website with some great photos of Eddie from the Edinburgh Fringe. Andrew was kind of enough to send along some more photos!

VIEW MORE PHOTOS (thanks Andrew )

GO TO SITE
UPDATE: Please credit Andrew and his site if you will be posting any of his photos.

"At another end of the giant room was a vintage Porsche with a psychedelic paint job, and at another was a small airplane, with a bicycle frame and paper wings, that the comedian Eddie Izzard will soon fly through a hogshead of real fire, as in the Beatles song "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite."

Eddie's performed in a Christmas Cabaret at Ronnie Scott's in Soho, London December 22, 2005 at 2pm. This performance was recorded for BBC Radio 2

FAN REVIEW HERE |

Listen HERE

You can now order (or preorder) the soundtrack from The Wild which releases April 14th (US).

BUY THE SOUNDTRACK
Tracklist:
1. Real Wild Child 2. Good Enough 3. Big Time Boppin' (Go Man Go) 4. Really Nice Day 5. Tales from the Wild 6. You Can't Roar 7. Lost in the City 8. To the Wild 9. Alien Shores 10. The Legend in Action 11. The Mythology of Nigel 12. The Ritual 13. Found Our Roar 14. Really Nice Day (Finale)

Three fundraising comedy gigs by Eddie Izzard raised more than £80,000 towards a new education studio at an arts and entertainment centre in his home town.

Izzard performed the sold-out shows for free over the Easter bank holiday weekend at the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, East Sussex.

Pavilion director Alan Haydon said: "It is fantastic what Eddie and his friends have done for us."

Izzard was raised in Bexhill from an early age and said his father had become "very much involved" with the town's ongoing regeneration.

"I think Bexhill has got to be a living, vibrant town or it's just going to die," he said before the Easter shows.

It still needs more than £700,000 to be spent on the education unit and finishing the exterior renovation.

Mr Haydon said: "The shows will give us a real boost towards the completion of the studio.

Eddie Izzard: We've explored space, but we haven't drilled down. You all remember Journey to the Center of the Earth. Why don't we just drill down to the center and see the...what's it called?

Eddie Izzard: Yeah, we'll get a heat resistant camera and we'll see the magma. And they'll make a documentary--

Guy: No, the air would be too dense. As you approach the center of the earth, the density of the air increases.

Eddie Izzard: Oh, well I guess you would know better than I. You must be some sort of scientist?

Eddie Izzard has made the top five bestsellers on iTunes; making his the bestselling stand-up album digital download ever. His latest album, Circle, is currently No 5 on the UK chart – between the Sugababes and The Prodigy. It has been available as an exclusive pre-release on the Apple music site for the past week, ahead of its release on Monday. Mike O’Brien, of record label Laughing Stock, said he was delighted with the success of the success of the MP3. Circle – in which discusses such topics as the Crusades, mad cows, and the Deathstar canteen- was recorded live in New York in 2000, and was released on DVD three years ago.

(From a 2002 Telegraph article) ...Oh, God. Charles and Kiri are only two of the large cast of interesting walk-ons who pop into Hillsborough: Elton John, Richard Branson, Bono, Hillary Clinton, Kenneth Branagh, Eddie Izzard. Eddie Izzard? What the hell was he doing at the Irish peace process? Well, in her fun and enjoyable way, Mo tells us:

"We [Mo, husband and in-laws] had invited him to visit us for a meal if he had a moment when he was in Belfast performing. He came with two friends and we had a long discussion over lunch about Europe. He argued passionately that co-operation in Europe and more broadly in the world was going to be necessary if any solutions to some of the serious problems we face are to be found."

Blimey, Eddie. Get you. Mo plods on: "Some of the more interesting political discussions I had when in government were with comedians or people from the music world. They bring to a discussion a different perspective."

Eddie at FX Network's 3rd Season Premiere Screening of "Nip/Tuck" at the El Capitan in Los Angeles.

Eddie recently participated with former cricket greats in the Entertainers V World Classics XI charity match. Other participants included Damian Lewis, Katie Razzall, Oliver Milburn and John Lever. The event was held at the Ealing Cricket Club, London.

PHOTOS HERE (updated 09.02)

UPDATE: (From the Evening Standard) "When actor Oliver Milburn and his new bride, Channel 4 news presenter Katie Razzall, were caught in the tsunami on their honeymoon, they promised to help survivors in Tangalle, Sri Lanka. So, on a glorious afternoon, Milburn got all his actor friends together for a jolly good game of cricket at Ealing Cricket Club. Eddie Izzard was the star of the show: he hadn't played in 30 years, was dashing in his whites and chaired the auction after with such zeal that it raised £50,000." (thanks Mimi)