Cake or Death's Groovy News

[from itv.com | thanks Beth!]

The comedian Eddie Izzard has been awarded an honorary doctorate in recognition of his contribution to entertainment and the millions of pounds he has raised for charity.

He was given the award by the University of Sunderland alongside hundreds of students collecting their degrees.

He had this advice for them – ‘shoot for the stars and you might reach the moon”.

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SAT, NOV 17
8:00 PM
UCSB/CAMPBELL HALL
$44 – $55 – General Public
$17 – UCSB Students (Current ID required / Limited availability)
Call Box Office: (805) 893-3535

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[Thanks Ramona!]

• Eddie will appearing at the Largo Coronet in LA this Sunday 17 June.
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• Eddie will be at CalPoly November 3rd.
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[thanks beth]

“Eddie Izzard and I discuss apes, and whether having a pink bum still means anything in human terms. We decide that apes probably have different criteria when it comes to body hair and bums. There is an awkward silence.”… READ MORE

[from contactmusic.com]

British actor Eddie Izzard has pulled out of his charity marathon challenge after suffering “unforeseen medical complications”.
The comedian had planned to run 27 marathons in 27 consecutive days in honour of former South African president Nelson Mandela.
He worked out his running route around sites important to the anti-apartheid leader’s history, including where Mandela grew up, and kicked off the challenge last week (ends20May12).
But he’s been forced to abandon his attempts to complete the mega-marathon due to health concerns and tough running conditions.
In a post on his Facebook.com page on Thursday (24May12), he writes, “I set out to run 27 marathons in 27 days as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and his 27 years spent in prison.
“Having completed four marathons, unfortunately, I have had to put my attempt on hold due to unforeseen medical complications that have arisen due to a multitude of factors including severe terrain, humidity and altitude. But I wish to say that my attempt is not over and I will return to South Africa and run the 27 marathons and finish this story.
“I owe that to Nelson Mandela who has inspired the world to struggle and succeed no matter what obstacles are thrown at us.”

British actor Eddie Izzard will pay tribute to Nelson Mandela by running 27 charity marathons in 27 consecutive days to represent each year the former South African president spent in jail during the apartheid.

The comedian, 50, announced plans for the South African mega-marathon on Thursday at a reception for the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Johannesburg.

Revealing how he came up with the challenging idea, he explained, “I was thinking about what I had done to demonstrate against apartheid and I realized that I did nothing.”

Izzard, who hopes to race the majority of the distance barefoot, will map out his running route based on sites important to the anti-apartheid leader’s history, including where Mandela grew up, where he went to university and on Robben Island, where the now-93 year old was imprisoned after campaigning against racial segregation in his country in the 1960s.

The mammoth adventure, which will take place this summer, will be filmed for a U.K. TV documentary expected to air in the autumn.

Izzard previously set himself the task of running 1,100 miles in seven weeks across Britain for the Sports Relief charity and he successfully completed the race in 2009 – but he’s not planning on doing much physical preparation for the new task.

He says, “I don’t really do training, I just get on with it. I have actually only done one marathon since I ran all those marathons three years ago but I’ve been mentally training.”

If you want advance tix go to http://www.eddieizzard.com/ & get on the mailing list by 4pm UK Time 1st May.

“What About Dick” (co-starring Eddie) will be at the Orpheum in LA April 26-29. Izzardfan, Chrissy has 2 tickets for sale at face value, first row mezzanine! The tickets are for Friday, April 27. You can view them for sale on Stubhub. Or you can contact Chrissy directly and by-pass Stubhub’s service charge 🙂

THE STORY OF DICK…
“The astonishing cast we have assembled to work on my Dick is a comedy writer’s wet dream…“It’s comedy porn.” – Eric Idle

Idle calls WHAT ABOUT DICK? an “Emotion Picture for Radio,” set between 1910 and eight o’clock, which tells the story of young Dick (Russell Brand) who is studying philosophy and gynecology at Oxford; his two cousins: Emma, (Jane Leeves) an emotionally retarded English girl; her kleptomaniac sister Helena (Sophie Winkleman) and their dipsomaniac Aunt Maggie (Tracey Ullman) all live together in Kensington in a large, rambling, Edwardian novel. When the Reverend Whoopsie (Tim Curry) discovers a piano on a beach, a plot is set afoot that can be solved only by a private Dick, the incomprehensible Scottish sleuth Inspector McGuffin (Billy Connolly) who with the aid of Sergeant Ken Russell (Jim Piddock) finally reveals the identity of the Houndsditch Mutilator.

Described by Idle as “Oscar Wilde on acid, or like Downton Abbey, only even funnier,” “Dick”begins with the birth of the personal vibrator, invented in Shagistan in 1898 by Deepak Obi Ben Kingsley (Eddie Izzard), and tells the story of the subsequent decline of the British Empire as seen through the eyes of a piano.

John Du Prez plays the piano, and Eric Idle appears in his own play as The Narrator. The Grammy Award-winning duo who brought you SPAMALOT (which begins a run at The Pantages Theater February 28-March 3) and NOT THE MESSIAH (a comic oratorio performed at The Hollywood Bowl in 2009) have written eight new songs for the production.

Eddie Izzard is in final negotiations to co-star in NBC’s Munsters reboot.

The comic actor will costar and have a producer’s credit on writer-producer Bryan Fuller’s dramatic revamp of the campy classic sitcom, which is now titled Mockingbird Lane. Izzard, who’s been circling the role for weeks, will play the ancient vampire and shape-shifter Grandpa in the show. Bryan Singer will direct.

The pilot project was pushed back from spring to summer as production partners focused on improving the show’s creative aspects. Fuller’s other NBC drama pilot Hannibal, a small-screen take on the Hannibal Lecter films, has been going full steam ahead.

>> ARTICLE LINK | >> ANOTHER ARTICLE

[from adn.com | thanks Ramona!]

Popular comedian and actor Eddie Izzard will perform at UAA’s Wendy Williamson Auditorium next month, returning to his roots in stand-up comedy after an extensive career as both a film and Broadway actor. A prominent figure in comedy since the early 90’s, Izzard has gone on to star in movies such as “Ocean’s 12,” “Ocean’s 13” and “Romance and Cigarettes” opposite such actors and actresses as Kate Winslet, Susan Sarandon, George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The British comedian is primarily know for mixing things up, drawing bizarre connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, as well as his tendency to cross-dress both on and off the stage.

In addition to winning two Emmys and having been twice named Top Stand-Up Comedian of the year by the British Comedy Awards, Izzard went on to break box office records by selling out a five-week tour of the U.K. in less than 48 hours.

Where: Wendy Williamson Auditorium
When: Friday, April 20
Tickets: $35 advance, $40 door and $15 advance, $20 door for UAA students. On sale Friday, March 9, uaatix.com.

Read more here: http://community.adn.com/adn/node/160001#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy