Cake or Death's Groovy News

[from Cambridge-news.co.uk]

Eddie Izzard breezed into Cambridge to push the boat out for pro-Alternative Vote crusaders.

The comedian and writer, a staunch supporter of the YES! To Fairer Votes campaign, donned rowing gear and joined college crews on the River Cam to help local supporters get their AV message across.

The Cambridge branch of the Yes campaign has used boat racing as a motif in the run-up to tomorrow’s Alternative Vote referendum. The referendum asks voters to say whether they want the existing first-past-the-post system for parliamentary elections to be replaced by AV, which allows people to rank candidates in order of preference.

Stephanie Ferguson, YES! To Fairer Votes Cambridge organiser, said: “First past the post is fine for a boat race, but not an election.”

Mr Izzard arrived at the Trinity Hall boathouse last night to meet campaign supporters and members of boat crews from Clare College and St Edmund’s College.

He posed for the cameras on a riverside rowing machine and then joined the crews on the river, ahead of tomorrow’s referendum.

>> REST OF ARTICLE

[from oxfordmail.co.uk]

COMEDIAN Eddie Izzard rode into Oxford yesterday in an attempt to ignite interest in voting reform.

Tomorrow voters will have their say on whether the UK should replace the first past the post election system with the alternative vote (AV).

“Vote no” campaigners are adamant people should back the status quo.

And many advocates of change fear the nation has switched off from the issue altogether.

But Mr Izzard took to the streets to enthusiastically urge people to vote yes to AV.

As previously reported in the Oxford Mail, analysis of the last year’s General Election, carried out by academics at Essex University, showed the Liberal Democrats would have won both Oxford seats if AV had been used.

Mr Izzard, who was paraded through the city on the back of a cycle rickshaw, said AV was a fairer system and, contrary to some opinion, was not complicated.

>> REST OF ARTICLE

The groundbreaking open-air comedy festival is back bigger and better than last year’s inaugural event, which featured Izzard, Dylan Moran and Reginald D Hunter over three successive nights at Verulamium Park in St Albans.

This summer’s line-up for the same venue includes Izzard once again, along with Ross Noble and Irish stand-up superstar Tommy Tiernan.

>> MORE INFO

From the production company site:

[from avclub.com]

With The Riches, Eddie Izzard was among the first to have an interesting, critically acclaimed series nevertheless meet an untimely end on FX, but apparently he’s not one for grudges: The network is reportedly developing an untitled drama with Izzard playing an ex-congressman who recovers from his own career-ending sex scandal by helping others fix their own crises using his connections and whatever means necessary, including “blackmail, theft, or even a gun to someone’s head.” You know, just like what Chris Lee is doing now, in his daydreams.

And while Izzard definitely deserves another shot, unfortunately this is a rather popular premise of late, reminiscent of both Showtime’s House Of Lies, where Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell similarly employ extreme measures in procuring information for clients of their consulting firm, and also Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes’ look at the sexy, probably love triangle-filled world of crisis management. So… perhaps it’s not too late to make all the politicians aliens, just to shake things up? (Meanwhile, Chris Barron sits by the phone, just combing his beard and waiting to hear that one of these shows will be called Spin Doctors.)

[from london-se1.co.uk]

Eddie Izzard has joined Yes to Fairer Votes key workers at Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre for the campaign’s national launch.

“I am delighted to be hosting the launch of the Yes to Fairer Votes campaign,” said the entertainer. “This is the only time we have been asked to change the way we do politics in this country and I think we should seize the moment.

A referendum on changing the voting system from first past the post to the alternative vote will take place on Thursday 5 May.

“I don’t want to wake up after the referendum and find out it’s just business as usual at Westminster,” declared Eddie Izzard.

> REST OF ARTICLE

>> BBC VIDEO

[from indiewire.com]

>> WATCH VIDEO HERE

[thanks Jean]

Meshel, Tim and Marty talk to British comic legend Eddie Izzard.

With a silky voice, the brekkie team suggest Izzard could be the perfect replacement for Morgan Freeman to “narrate everything”.

> LISTEN HERE

[thanks Jean]

Dr. Hattaras, we presume? Watch an exclusive sneak peek of Eddie Izzard’s turn as Tara’s (Toni Collette) new DID-skeptical psychology professor in the upcoming third season premiere of “United States of Tara.” Izzard is signed on to play the good (bad?) doc for eight episodes this season. “Tara” returns on March 28 at 10:30pm ET on Showtime.

> WATCH VIDEO