Corrine Grant Articles/Reviews

[cyborgsnail]

Thought I may as well put it up...This was for a technology magazine I did in media last year (yes, a technology magazine with an interview with Corinne). Somehow I managed to make the interview relevant.


[b:post_uid0]How many remote controls do you have at home?[/b:post_uid0]
I have 3 remotes: one for the telly, video and stereo. I don't think I haveever used the one for the stereo. If they invented one that would choose a CD, find it, carry it off the shelf, take it out of the cover, put it in the stereo and then delete all the songs you didn't want to listen to before playing it at the exact right volume, then I'd use it!

[b:post_uid0]What is the newest gadget you own and why did you get it?[/b:post_uid0]
Because I travel a fair bit, I've just bought a laptop computer so that I can still work when I'm out of the office. (Damn! Now I have no excuse!)

[b:post_uid0]What gadget would you most like to own?[/b:post_uid0]
I reckon it wouldbe the Sony Playstation 2. I don't own one, I've never played one, but it looks really, really cool!

[b:post_uid0]Would you consider yourself a computer whiz or computer illiterate?[/b:post_uid0]
I reckon I'm somewhere beween the two. I know a bit about computers and an usually sort stuff out for myself, but if it's really complicated then I have to get someone who's trained in computers to help me out.

[b:post_uid0]If you could invent a gadget, what would it be, what would it do and why do you want it?[/b:post_uid0]
I would own a remote control version of myself that I could send to work in my place on those das when I don't want to get up early!

[b:post_uid0]Can you use a VCR, any VCR, to play a tape or record something off the TV?[/b:post_uid0]
Yep! We've got a couple of different types of video recorders here in the office and I can use all of them. I've actually surprised myself with that ability!

[b:post_uid0]What is your favourite website?[/b:post_uid0]
At the risk of sounding like a real rev-head, it's the V8 supercar website. I'm quite a fan of the V8 Supercar Championship and watch the races all the time. The official site has heaps of updates on it and lots of articles on the sport as well.

[b:post_uid0] What is the weirdest website you have ever visited?[/b:post_uid0]
It was probably the Peter Pan website featured (On the [i:post_uid0]Rove Live[/i:post_uid0] website) a while ago. There is a man in America who dresses like Peter Pan, even when he goes to work. Very, very strange!

[b:post_uid0]When will the 'Cow Breed of The Week' page be updated on your section of the Rove Live website?[/b:post_uid0]
I've run out of cow breeds with funny names!!! I don't know what I'm going to do! I might have to think of something else I reckon, like sheep or armadillos or something like that!

[b:post_uid0]Do you actually know how to update a website or does someone else do it for you?[/b:post_uid0]
No, we have a website guy who does all of the HTML stuff for us. I would have absolutely no idea how to go about it!

[b:post_uid0]Finally is there anything else you might like to add?[/b:post_uid0]
I reckon the secret to technology is to not be scared about it. You have to try pretty hard to mess things up and as long as you use common sense, you can't really break anything. Or at least that's what I keep telling myself anyway!

[unfrufru]

http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au...E31624,00.html

Stepping down for stand-up

10mar06



BEING a human nacho sounded like a great idea at the time to comedian Corinne Grant. However, the reality of being covered in a vat of sour cream and guacamole on national TV was a little more on the nose. But she's given away all her crazy antics as a lead on Rove Live to tour her first full-length solo show in five years, Faking It, now on at the Chandelier Room.

The life changing decision to leave the successful TV post was "definitely a hard one" she said, but there are some things she won't be missing.

"Helliar," she jokes about her co-comedian Pete.

"And I won't miss being covered in food - I've been swimming in Guinness

and skiing with water melons on my feet."

Adelaide is the first stop of the tour, which next goes to Parramatta, Melbourne and then Edinburgh.

"I'm very happy to be starting solo stand-up again in Adelaide, it really is a friendly town."

The pressure was on for opening night on Wednesday when her start sequence fell through.

"At 7pm I was madly writing a new opening about bloody Thorpey!" Recent local news may also make it into her repertoire since she dedicates time every night to new material.

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http://www.theage.com.au/news/arts-r...861319566.html

Rove's former sidekick returns to stand-up with a solid, but not brilliant, show.



Corinne Grant auditioning for the part of Jesus.
Photo: Fiona-Lee Quimby



GenreComedyLocationThe Victoria HotelAddress215 Little Collins St, MelbourneDate13 April 2006 to 6 May 2006Tickets$25.90-$27.90 ($22 Tue)Phone Bookings1300 660 013Online Bookingswww.ticketmaster.com.auDetailsTue-Sat 8.30pm, Sun 7.30pm.
COMEDY FESTIVAL REVIEW

Grant is back on stage after five years away, opening with a brilliant song containing the war-cry "We've locked the doors!". She didn't need to. Predictable targets - Adelaide, weight-lifting, JetStar - were given a solid and well-scripted wallop, and she displayed great reaction to riffing with the crowd.

Grant soldiered through illness during the - at times - patchy material, with her strongest section her most personal. Tales of a country-city shift and embarrassing pratfalls got the biggest laughs, as she set up for a stirring finish that twisted with emotion.

Her attempts at political humour were too polemic to get any big laughs and the overall show was solid, but not brilliant.

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http://www.thescene.com.au/lifestyle/2007_3_15_317.html

Corinne Grant: From Corryong to Comedian.

Thursday March 15, 2007 - Contributed by: Annemiek Munro

I always knew I was a little bit different to the other kids. They were listening to Hanson, I knew every word to Paul Haynes\' Since Cheryl went feral. They gushed over Leonardo, I had a poster of Red Simons adorning my wall. He¹s not hot! my friends would protest. No, but he¹s funny I`d always reply. No surprises that my passion for comedy has only grown since then, and it may have just reached its climax when I was given the opportunity to interview one of my comedic heroes, Corrine Grant.

Even with such things as Worked on Rove Live and Performed at Edinburgh comedy festival on her resume, Corinne is still a very down to earth woman, and not afraid to use the term Man Pickle¹
After leaving her home town of Corryong, Corinne first began working as a nurse in Albury before realizing her true calling lied in performance; in particular acting. So she packed her bags, and headed off to the big smoke of Melbourne with no idea of where it would take her. It came as a surprise to me to learn that Corinne accidentally got into stand-up! It began with her trying to cure her stage fright for acting by just having a go at comedy. Over a century later and Corrine is now one of the most recognized and successful comics in Australia.

Acting however is still Corinne`s first passion, although she does admit that as the popularity of plasma screens and DVDs continue to grow, the theatre is copping a beating in the popularity stakes. Still, like most funny people in this world, Corinne still sees the glass as considerably full. \"I`m still living in some optimistic world thinking that maybe it`s a cyclic thing and it [the theatre] will come back up again.\"

After a break from stand-up, the past twelve months have been refreshing for Corinne as she has been getting back into the swing of things. Her show Faking It was well acclaimed at this year\'s Melbourne International Comedy Festival with many praising her return to the live comedy stage. Even though as a female comedian she lies in the minority of the industry it hasn¹t phased her.

In my interview I asked Corinne if there were any specific qualities a female Comedian needed to have. I imagined the comedy industry to be a harsh, barb-wired world where only the fittest survive. Turns out my image was quite wrong. \"You don\'t need any specific qualities, just the ability to recognize your personal self from your professional self.\" According to Corinne, the most trouble women have in the laughs industry is taking things too personally. Realising that a bad gig doesn\'t necessarily mean the audience hates you as a person, just your material, is an important comedic lesson.

Whilst in Perth recently Corinne was the headline act for ŒThe Girls Stand Up¹, an all female bill, that was very much hailed a success. And although images of 1990¹s Girl Power might be floating into your head, forget about it. This show wasn¹t a soapbox for feminists. Corinne doesn¹t approve of ³affirmative action just for the sake of affirmative action². The show was simply six funny women on stage doing what it is they do best.


Through out my interview I couldn¹t help but be in awe of the presence that Corinne has. Not only is she well presented and well spoken, but confidence just streams out of her. It¹s no wonder that she has become so successful in her industry. But success and fame have come as an added bonus to the country girl at heart, who was once \"Stoked to get $150 for a gig\". Corinne has also enjoyed being able to use her profile for some amazing charity work.

Corinne has been associated with Oxfam, World Vision and V-Day, where she donates her time to help out those less fortunate. In 2005 Corinne travelled to the Philippines to visit the village where her world vision child lived. Even though her career is based around comedy and laughs, Corinne still has time for serious issues in the world. This is why she particularly enjoys working on The Glasshouse, where you can incorporate both humour and politics without people getting bored. \"I try to include politics in my stand-up gigs, but it often just ends up as a bit of a rant. With the Glasshouse we already have the desired audience so it¹s much easier.\"

When I asked where we might be seeing Corinne next, the answer was left very ambiguous. References to acting as well as continuing the rollercoaster that is stand up were both mentioned, but not matter where Corinne pops up next, I¹m sure that she will only continue to become even more of an Australian comedic icon.

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http://www.smh.com.au/news/arts-revi...166964017.html

Corinne Grant: Have my stuff
Lenny Ann Low
March 10, 2007



A clean-up of her flat inspired her latest show.

Corinne Grant ... " I hate the whole idea of nice..."


Genre

ComedyLocationRiverside TheatresAddressCorner Church and Market Streets, ParramattaDate23 March 2007 to 25 March 2007Tickets29.90Phone Bookings(02) 8839 3399Online Bookingswww.riversideparramatta.com.au
Preview
Corinne Grant is two people. One is a modern city woman with a successful career, a businesslike laptop and a wardrobe full of fabulous frocks. The other is a no-nonsense country girl with a worrying appetite for hoarding and a glory box filled with out-of-date women's magazines. Ask her to define herself and the 33-year-old from Corryong in Victoria doesn't falter.
"I'm not a nice comedian," Grant says, with a wide smile. "I hate the whole idea of nice and it just makes you a bland, dull human being.
"There's this whole new movement of comedians to be nice, to only talk about positive things and be nice to their audience. Frankly, it just makes me want to vomit."
Strangely, Grant, well-known from her work on Rove Live and the recently axed The Glass House on ABC, seems very pleasant in the flesh. She is incredibly chatty, thoughtful and open and loves a cup of tea. She called her last stand-up show Nice Friendly Lady Hour and is planning to give away personal possessions to audience members at the next, titled Have My Stuff. But don't, for a minute, expect any squishy, prissy sweetness from Grant when she's on stage.
"If someone is shitting me in the audience I will tear them apart," she says, miming just such a violent act with her hands. "For the benefit of everybody else I am not afraid to do that, it's fun. My job is to make people laugh, not create some kind of Anthony Robbins seminar, and I don't need everyone in that room to like me while I'm doing it.
"It's these young boys that get on stage and talk about how their girlfriends like jam and birds. I couldn't give a shit. I think I've got to a certain age where I've turned into a crotchety old cow. I'm not far off going a little bit mental-Germaine Greer about things. Actually, God, not that bad."
Grant says she has always been down-to-earth and attributes her pragmatism to growing up in a small country town and to not wanting to take herself too seriously.
In a field dominated by men, her quick-witted, one-of-the-boys approach has allowed a robust career to continue for nearly 10 years.
"My one big theory is don't take your self-worth on the stage with you," she says. "Never go up there and think, 'Oh God, I hope they like me.' They don't know you. It's whether they like your material or not."
For all her matter-of-factness, Grant revealed a sentimental side when she became teary during the last few minutes of The Glass House in November.

"I didn't think that would be such a big deal. It just happened. I really loved working with those two boys and that whole production team and just realising that I wouldn't be able to see them all the time, after 51/2 years, it was really sad."
Grant first tried stand-up in the early 1990s at an open-mic night at St Kilda's celebrated Esplanade Hotel. She remembers singing a song called Monster Truck Driver but not much else and, after several years of average stand-up success, abandoned the stage for five years to work on TV.
"It was never my burning ambition to be a stand-up comedian," she says. "I wanted to be an actor and I just started doing stand-up as an acting exercise really."
Two years ago, while acting in a play, Die On Your Feet, with fellow comics Adam Hills, Greg Fleet and Alan Brough, Grant decided she should give stand-up another go.
"The guys were all talking about gigs they were doing and I started feeling like I wanted to get up and do that again as well," she says. "And then, I don't know what snapped in my brain, I went, 'Right, I'm going to really scare the shit out of myself and see how hard I can push myself."'
So she did. Grant wrote a stand-up show called Faking It, performing it in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne. Four months later she took another slice of stand-up, Nice Friendly Lady Hour, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a three-week season at the biggest arts festival in the world.
"I was doing what's called the Wee Room at the Gilded Balloon which is, as you'd expect, tiny," Grant says. "There was no stage, my audience was a hand's length away and I could see the whites of their eyes."
Grant was in her element. An avid conversationalist, she spent 20 minutes each night talking to the audience before starting the show, which contained tales of being a country girl in big-city Melbourne, of falling face-forward on escalators and punching Richard Branson. One critic described her anecdotes as bowling along "quite seamlessly".
Grant's strongest memory of her Edinburgh debut was not selling out her show or receiving good newspaper reviews, but a trick she played on her lighting and sound man. One night the tech asked Grant if he could put the lights up at the beginning, slip out for a drink with some mates and creep back in before show's end to put them down. Grant was shocked - until she conjured a revenge.
"I made him synchronise his watch with mine and told him he had to be back at 10 past 10 so he wouldn't wreck my last routine." After the tech left, Grant colluded with the audience to allow her to hide backstage at nine minutes past 10.

"When he walked back in, the stage was empty and the audience left it as long as they could before this one man I'd picked said, 'She went to the bar as well."' Then the audience began chanting, "Strip, strip, strip."
"He shat himself," Grant says. "It was brilliant."
For Have My Stuff, she has developed a more complicated show to help her shed a lifetime's worth of hoarding.
"I've been cleaning my flat out and there's a box labelled 'shit stuff', another box labelled 'good stuff', stuff I'm giving to the Democratic Republic of Congo and stuff I'm giving to the Salvos," she says.
"Apparently I went to Renmark in 1990," Grant says. "I have no recollection of the trip at all but I've got this chocolate bar wrapper that says 'From your trip to Renmark in 1990'. I'll be giving that one away."
She also has an Eiffel Tower key ring, three racing helmets and a copy of the New Zealand Herald from 1992, among other items, up for grabs. She is, however, keeping her glory box which was filled by her mother and grandmother.
"I had to open it to move and there was a very thin layer of normal glory box stuff on the top like linen and towels," Grant says. "But then, underneath, is every Woman's Day and Women's Weekly that ever had a member of the royal family on the cover.
"And that's my glory box. A massive camphor, ornate box full of hundreds of old magazines. I just have no idea how it's supposed to help me in my married life.