North American VA Update – Summer 2011

Toby Proctor (Tuxedo Mask #2) can be heard in two episodes of Turbo Dogs, an animated series. He is joined by other Sailor Moon voice actors, including: Catherine Disher (Mimet), Ron Rubin (Artemis), Colin O’Meara (Andrew) and Lyon Smith (Sapphire). The episodes where you can hear them are titled “The Muffled Mess-Up/Return to Lender” (aired December 2010) and “Best Buds Forever/Alsatian Aces” (aired January 2011). He also appears as a police office in an episode of XIII: The Series, a Canadian action series based on a Belgian comic book. The series is about XIII, who is trying to uncover the truth about his past life while being hunted by a dark anti-government organization. Toby appears in episode 7, “Undertow.”

Barbara Radecki (Sailor Neptune) appeared in an episode of Good Dog as Julia, the ex-wife of the main character. The dramatic comedy is about a TV producer who “caves in to network demands and asks his young girlfriend, Claire to move into his house, but she doesn’t move in alone.” (description from IMDb). This is another series by Shaftesbury Films that includes cast from Sailor Moon (Murdoch Mysteries also had Julie Lemieux and Wendy Lyon guest star in 2009, in separate episodes). The episode featuring Barbara is called “Jack Nicholson.” During this episode, the main character, George, gets a table at a restaurant by claiming that Jack Nicholson will be meeting him for dinner, but his ex-wife is sitting at the next table so he makes excuses to try to leave. In a later episode of this series, David Fraser (Grandpa Hino) appears as Executor, when the main character “deals with the fallout of promising a non-existent television show to the most beautiful woman in the world.” (description from IMDb)

Speaking of David Fraser, he’s been busy! He’s appeared in four different TV series recently. In addition to Good Dog mentioned above, the following is a list of his other appearances. Breakout Kings premiered in March, and David was in the sixth episode, “Queen of Hearts,” as Milt Langley which first aired in early April. The show is about a group of ex-cons working with U.S. Marshals to track down prison escapees. What’s Up Warthogs is about some teenagers who make the morning announcements into a show. David appears in the seventh episode, “The Fall of Warty,” as Jerry the janitor which first aired in late April. Almost Heroes is comedy about brothers forced to take over their father’s failing comic book store after his untimely death. David appears as Baker in the fifth episode, “Terry and Peter vs. Their Hero.”

Jill Frappier (Luna) appears as a recurring character in the Canadian television series Life Unjarred as Helene. So far she has appeared in episodes 4-6, 11, and 13.

TBGO - Chair, shoesEmilie Barlow (Sailor Mars #2, Sailor Venus #2) will be performing on August 13th at Scene Desjardins in Levis, Québec. She will also be performing on the Harmony Square stage at the fourth annual TD Brantford International Jazz Festival, a free outdoor show which will be running September 16th-18th. Her performance is schedule for 5:00 p.m. on September 17th. In October, fans can see Emilie in Québec and Ontario. She will perform on October 27th in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec at l’Espace Rona at 8:00 p.m. On the 29th, she will be in Terrbonne, Québec and performing at Salle Desjardins – Le Théâtre du Vieux-Terrebonne at 8:30 p.m. On the 30th, she will be in Burnstown, Ontario, on the Schoolhouse stage at Neat Coffee Shop at 8:30 p.m. In December, she will be in Brampton, Ontario on the first, performing at the Rose Theatre at 8:00 p.m. On the second, she will be in Markham, Ontario, at the Markham Theatre performing at 8:00 p.m.

Fans in the United States who would like to hear Emilie’s voice in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, which we previously reported about, can catch the series on The Hub and Canadian fans can find it on Treehouse TV.

Vince Corazza (Alan/ Tuxedo Mask #3) appeared in episode 16, “the Magnificent” of the Supah Ninjas TV series, as Mallini the Magnificent. We also have a release date for Rock and Roll: The Movie, which we’ve previously reported about. The US film release date is July 30th, so interested fans can look out for it soon!

Dream House Poster

David Huband (Serena’s Dad) will be appearing in a TV short called Dave vs Death. The comedic short is about a man named David Kane who, on his deathbed, challenges Death to a game of chess. “If Dave wins, his life is spared. For every piece lost, someone he cares about will die.” (description from IMDb). A poster is now available for the thriller film Dream House (see right), which we previously reported will premiere in theatres on September 30th. A trailer is also available, but if you watch past 1:11 it may spoil the plot. You can see David around 50 seconds into the trailer. He’s the police officer on the left.

David Huband in Dream House

Harvey Atkin (Bumboo/Pox) has reprised his role in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The latest episode featuring him as Judge Alan Ridenour was “Delinquent” and it first aired in May 2011.

Maria Vacratsis (Negaforce) appeared in episode six of Skins, which we previously reported as including Sabrina Grdevich (Anne/Lizzy/Sailor Pluto #1) in two other episodes. The series is about a group of teenagers in Baltimore.

Liza Balkan () is featured in The Drowning Girls which is on stage at the Thousand Islands Playhouse Firehall Theatre, until July 30. Described as “the wettest show you’ll ever see, The Drowning Girls is an acclaimed and highly theatrical mystery based on a real life series of murders called “Brides in the Bath” from Edwardian, England.” (description from Kingston This Week) Showtimes are Tuesdays to Sundays at 8 p.m., with Friday and Saturday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available at 1000islandsplayhouse.com. A review of the play is available here.

(Images from Emilie Barlow’s Flickr pool, IMDb, and North Country Public Radio)

North American VA Update – Spring 2011 (Part 2)

Emilie Barlow can be heard in the series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as Cheerilee. Her character appears in the episode “Show Stoppers” which debuted on March 4th.

As for her singing career, we have quite a few things to report!

To start off, here is Emilie performing “Sunshine Superman” with her band on on Télé-Québec’s Belle et Bum:

Emilie spoke to l’Étoile about her singing career, saying:

«Après avoir terminé chacun de mes albums, je me sens drainée de toute mon inspiration, ce qui est bien en un sens, car j’ai tout donné à mon projet … Chaque fois, je me dis que je vais prendre une pause, prendre du temps pour moi. Mais finalement, je me remets peu à peu à avoir des idées et à vouloir commencer un nouveau projet.»

Translation:
After having finished each of my albums, I feel myself drained completely of inspiration, which is good in a sense, because I have given all to my project … Each time, I tell myself that I will take a break, take time for me. But finally, I remember little by little having ideas and wanting to start a new project.

About her song choice for The Beat Goes On:

«J’ai adoré écouter ces chansons. J’ai choisi une longue liste et ensuite je me suis assise au piano avec une feuille de partition et un crayon – un peu une vieille méthode! – et je me suis mise à créer des arrangements pour les pièces qui me parlaient le plus. J’ai trouvé intéressant de constater que mon choix s’est porté sur des pièces de styles très différents. J’ai quand même voulu faire quelque chose qui avait une certaine cohésion et qui me ressemblait»

Translation:
I’ve loved hearing these songs. I chose a long list and then I sat at my piano with a score sheet and pencil – a bit of an old method! – and I put myself to creating arrangements for the pieces which spoke to me the most. I found it interesting seeing that my choice was focused on pieces of very different genres. I still wanted when making each choice to have a certain cohesion and that resembled me.

The article says that being a francophile and very popular in Québec, Emilie also wanted to include a couple French songs on this album. She chose songs that were popular with Québeckers because they are always enthusiastic about her and she has performed multiple times at the Montréal Jazz Festival. One of the songs she chose to include was “T’es pas un autre” which her mother adored and wanted to hear on an album. Emilie said that although she couldn’t include it before, for this album it was perfect.

Emilie also said that she loved the “job” of making an album. She credits her husband with keeping her grounded and offering his perspective during the creative process.

For fans who are interested, here is Emilie performing “T’es pas un autre” on Télé-Québec’s Belle et Bum:

Regarding the Junos, she indicated that she’d love to win an award but having recognition from her peers is great in itself. Still touring The Beat Goes On, Emilie hasn’t indicated when she’ll work on her next album, but she’s sure the desire to make another will find her before long.

As reported in an article for Here New Brunswick, Emilie says her “voice work has helped her discover the different parts of her voice, which in turn has complemented her singing, [Becoming] intimately aware of what your voice is capable of doing is extremely helpful in both cases. I’m always using my voice.” The article also mentions that for her new album, Emilie “stripped down ’60s pop songs … and rebuilt them using sparks from her imagination inspired by the originals.”

From an article in Times & Transcript, Emilie described creating her latest album as being “about taking pop songs from the ’60s, completely stripping them down and then trying to rebuild them in my own style with a jazz flair.” This article also reported that she considers herself an interpreter of song rather than a song writer and Emilie is quoted as saying “I do not feel inspired to write songs at this point. My creative satisfaction comes from arranging and trying to reinvent songs and doing my part to keep those songs alive. In the absolute best case scenario, I have the opportunity to introduce these songs to a whole new set of ears.” She also said that having a Juno nomination is a win in itself because “it gives the record another burst of life and another wave of publicity.”

An article in Saint City News also reported on the success of Emilie’s recent album. She is quoted as saying “Strictly from a business standpoint, sales-wise, it has surpassed my other albums, and it has been in the top 10 jazz albums in the country since it came out, so that part of it is very gratifying. But I’ve also been thrilled with the actual feedback I’ve gotten from listeners. I read all the emails I get, and the feedback has been pretty positive.” She also said that arranging is “its own kind of writing, and I’m really inspired to write arrangements and try to reimagine existing songs.”

She didn’t rule out songwriting as a future possibility, but did note that she doesn’t feel that it’s her strength. Regarding voice acting, the article reports that being a voice actress started as something of an extension of her work as a session singer and being in the recording studio. Emilie also said there are some parallels between singing and voice acting: “I have a lot of vocal stamina because my voice is being constantly stretched; it keeps my voice warm, you could say. In order to really give a great performance, you have to be able to leap off the edge. You have to be able to put yourself out there, which is very similar to being on stage in front of an audience.”

An article in the Edmonton Journal reported on Emilie’s recent album as well. It mentions that Emilie feels it was an advantage to have not experienced most of the songs she re-interpreted when the first hit radio airwaves. She said “I think there’s something to be said for not having such strong attachments to the originals. I was able to look at them more as an observer with some distance. I don’t want it to sound as if I don’t respect the songs. In fact, there were some other ’60s songs I tried to do but couldn’t because I love them and I couldn’t hear them any other way.” The article also mentions that, in addition to the album maintaining a spot in the jazz Top 10, it has sold 11,000 units in Canada since it was released.

In an article from North Shore News, Emilie discussed what it was like to record songs by artists and composers who are still active today. She said that she hoped they would like her renditions and that she received an email from Neil Sedaka that said her version of “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do” was “one of his favourite covers and that he considered himself a fan.” In response, she said she “couldn’t believe it. That’s just the best thing that could possibly happen. The fact that he liked it, which I was just thrilled about, and the fact that he took the time to send me a note and let me know. To say it made my day is a huge understatement.”

Awards:
Emilie did not win Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the Juno Awards, but we wish her luck in winning a Juno in the future.

For some good news though, Emilie won in the category of favourite jazz artist/group of the year in the Indie Awards. We mentioned where fans could vote a while back on our Facebook page, since we received notice shortly before voting would end. Congrats, Emilie!
Emilie’s upcoming Tour dates are:

Emilie Barlow Nominated for a Juno

Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) has been nominated for a Juno Award, for her latest album The Beat Goes On, in the category of Vocal Jazz Album of the Year. Her competition includes the late Jeff Healey (Last Call), Nikki Yanofsky (Nikki), Kellylee Evans (Nina), and Laila Biali (Tracing Light). According to Emilie’s official newsletter, despite just being released this past October, her album was one of the top 10 best selling jazz albums of 2010 and the album continues to top the charts in early 2011.

This is Emilie’s fourth Juno nomination, which she described as “icing on the cake. It’s just that extra bonus that you get, that kind of recognition. I’m going to continue making records, regardless if I win […] but it certainly gives you a boost.” She also said that “It’s great to be in a category that represents a lot of real musicians. People [who] are true consummate musicians.”

Since Emilie will be performing a show on tour on the night of the Juno Awards, she’ll be watching the television broadcast of the 40th annual awards show, along with other Canadians. The awards show will be airing from Toronto on Sunday, March 27th on CTV.
source: CBC.ca

And from Emilie’s newsletter, here is a list of her upcoming tour dates:

North American Voice Actor Update for January 2011

Here’s our first update on the North American voice actors for the new year. They’ve been busy, so there is lots to report!

The Kevin Spacey film Casino Jack is said to include songs in the soundtrack sung by Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) and Cadence, an a capella group who even imitates musical instruments. Cadence was introduced to the film’s composer, Jonathan Goldsmith, by Emilie. Together they were hired to work on 25 minutes of the score for Casino Jack. They spent two long days in the studio together, learning the music on the spot, with direction from the composer and music director. Readers may recall that we have reported that David Fraser (Grandpa Hino) plays Karl Rove in the film (pictured, left; photo from IMDb). This film is now playing in select cities, check your local showtimes to see if it’s in your area.

Upcoming tour dates for Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) include: February 25th in Montréal at l’Astral at 8 pm; February 26th in Sherbrooke, Québec at Centennial Theatre at 8pm; March 17th in Moncton, New Brunswick at Capitol Theatre at 8pm; March 22nd in Winnipeg, Manitoba at Park Theatre at 8pm; March 24th in Whitehorse, Yukon at the Yukon Arts Centre at 8pm; March 25 in St. Albert, Alberta at the Arden Theatre at 8pm; and March 27 in Vancouver, British Columbia at the Capilano Performing Arts Centre at 8pm. Please visit the theatre websites for ticket information. (Photo from Emilie-Claire’s Flickr album)

Canadian fans may be interested in catching Sidekick on YTV, an animated series about Eric Needles, the young sidekick of a superhero called Maxum Man. Although Maxum Man is mysteriously missing, Eric “lives in the superstar superhero’s fabulous mansion with Maxum Brain, the super computer, and has access to the most amazing jets, cars, lasers, gadgets and teleportation devices ever invented.” Familiar voices in the series include Tony Daniels (Jedite/Wiseman) as Maxum Brain and Ron Rubin as the villain Master XOX (pictured, left; photo from YTV). To find out more about the show, fans can check out the official Facebook page or the show information on YTV’s website, which includes pictures and videos.

Also on YTV is the recently launched Almost Naked Animals, a comedic cartoon featuring animals wearing underwear. We’ve previously mentioned that Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) plays Bunny in the series. We’ve also recently discovered that Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) plays Howie in the series. Additional voices include Tony Daniels (Jedite/Wiseman) and Julie Lemieux (Sammy). (images from official website)

We’ve previously mentioned Vince Corazza (Allan/Tuxedo Mask #3) as being a part of Rock and Roll: The Movie. Interested fans can now watch a trailer for the film on IMDb here. We recommend that younger readers be cautious if following through to watch the trailer, as the movie includes mature themes and is described as “an off the wall, T&A, rock and roll comedy.” Vince plays Bill, a friend of the alcoholic, has-been Steve Taylor whom a young man named David is attempting to assist gain a record deal, in order to win a bet. You can first catch Vince in the trailer at about 37 seconds in, and he has another line at about 1:18. It’s unclear if this film has been released in theatres as yet, but we will let you know if we find any more details.

Tony Daniels (Jedite/Wiseman) can also be heard in The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That! in three different episodes. Other familiar voices on the show include the previously reported Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) as Fish and other voices, Tracey Hoyt (Rini #1) as Sally’s Mom, and Jeff Lumby (Professor Tomoe) as Aiya and other characters. Additional cast we have noticed are Julie Lemieux (Sammy) as Bart in four episodes and Linda Ballantyne (Sailor Moon #3) as Katie and other characters (in a total of three episodes). Tony Daniels was also in an episode of Arthur in the fall, as Johnny/male announcer.

Tracey Hoyt (Rini #1) appears in Servitude as a lousy mom. The comedic Canadian film is about “A group of frustrated waiters at a kitschy steakhouse [who] take over their restaurant for one final, glorious, revenge-filled night when they discover they are all about to be fired.” (description from IMDb). This film is currently in post-production.

Robert Tinkler (Rubeus) is part of a new television series called Mudpit. He plays Slime. “This CGI animated/live-action series follows four real-world teens and their rock band, MUDPIT, as they follow their dreams of fame and fortune. The series takes place in a gaming café and a fantastic, virtual world known as MUZIKA. Their online avatar rock band personas battle for a coveted record deal, while their real life selves engage in the daily comedy and drama of teenage life.” (description from TV, eh?)

We previously reported that Tracey Moore (Sailor Moon #1) is in the cast of the Care Bears to the Rescue Movie. The movie is now available for pre-order on DVD and will be released on February 8th.

Dennis Akayama (Malachite) appeared in an episode of Being Erica entitled “Gettin’ Wiggy Wit’ It” in November, as Dr. Kotara. He will also be appearing in the upcoming Canadian film Hello October, as Oliver. this romantic comedy is currently in post-production.

Fans can now see Barney’s Version in select theatres. Harvey Atkin (Bumboo/Pox) appears in the film as the second Mrs. Panofsky’s father. A trailer is available for viewing on IMDb here. Currently the film is airing in the Toronto and Montréal areas, with an extended release to begin January 14th, across Canada. More details about the movie can be found on the official website.

Rino Romano‘s (Tuxedo Mask #1) voice was heard in an episode of CSI as Sqweegel (which was also the episode title), an episode first aired last October. The character was a serial killer who punished local heroes with hidden secrets.

Here is a promo for the episode:

Kirsten Bishop (Zoicite/Kaori Knight/Emerald) appeared in an episode of the new Nikita TV series, as Mrs. Harcourt/Irena. The episode was called “Phoenix” and a description is available on IMDb here.

As previously reported, Naz Edwards (Queen Beryl) played a tipsy (“drowsy”) grand theatre dame in Drowsy Chaperone. Her character was assigned to keep a young star away from her fiancé, so that the star doesn’t abandon her career in favour of getting married. It is described as a comedic and wacky musical, set in the 1920’s. The play ran from November 11, 2010 through January 2, 2011 at the Performance Network Theatre in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo from The Detroit News, who gave the play a “grade A” review.)

NA Voice Actor Update: Emilie-Claire Barlow and Stephanie Beard

We recently received a tip about Emilie-Claire Barlow (Sailor Venus #2) appearing in a series of video interviews with Chris Potenza, her co-star in Total Drama Island and 6teen. In the various video clips, Emilie talks about her voice acting career and singing career. She mentions working on Sailor Moon quite a few times too, fans can see the videos on Youtube here: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5 (or watch the embedded videos below!). As mentioned in the video interviews, Emilie plays Bunny in the upcoming series Almost Naked Animals, which viewers can expect to see on YTV in the fall.

Here are the video interviews!

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

part 5

And now, on to Emilie’s musical career. Her latest album, “The Beat Goes On,” is inspired by the 1960’s. It will be in stores on October 12th. Canadian fans can also catch her performing live on Canada AM on CTV on October 12th. Tune in at 8:50am to catch her performance, she will be on during the last ten minutes of the program. The CTV schedule is here, for Canadian fans who want to check when the show airs in their region.

On October 21st, she and her band will be performing live on JAZZ FM 91.1, at 7pm EST. the hour long show takes place in front of a live studio audience and will feature songs from her new album. Her official newsletter also notes that she will be interviewed by JAZZ.FM91’s Ross Porter. Toronto area fans can catch the radio show on 91.1 FM. The station will also be broadcasting online via www.jazz.fm.

On November 26th at 8pm, she will be performing at Aeolian Hall, in London, Ontario. And, in December, at 8pm on the 15th, she will be performing at the Grand Théâtre de Québec in Québec City, Québec. Additional tour dates are available on her official website.

Stephanie Beard’s (Rini #2) previously untitled project now has a name! Live with It is a comedic account of a 25-year-old guy’s cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease. (description from IMDb). Stephanie will be playing a character named Susan.

We also have minor updates for her other two upcoming films. In A True Story. Based on Things That Never Actually Happened…And Some That Did, her character is named Amanda. A new trailer is available in HD on Youtube here. We suggest only our older readers click through to watch due to strong language and mature themes. Stephanie appears in the trailer at 27 seconds in. In Not Quite College, her character is named Jessica. No official release dates yet for either film, but we will keep you posted.

Stephanie has also appeared in two episodes of the latest season of Weeds, which is described by IMDb as a “comedy about a suburban mother turned marijuana dealer.” You can catch her as Fiona in episodes three and four of season six. Canadian fans can catch the series on Showcase or watch episodes online (episode 3, “A Yippity Sippity,” can be seen here and episode 4, Bliss, can be seen here). Fans in the US can catch the series on Showtime Network. Showtime has the first episode of season 6 available online as well.