Distinguished Artists
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Distinguished Artists is an intimate Canadian interview television series that focuses on all aspects of the arts with the goal of celebrating their guests' careers and achievements to inspire young artists. It profiles big names in music, comedy, drama, and literature.
Hosted by Emmy Award-nominated writer Lorne Frohman, this interview series is filmed at Assembly Hall, near Humber College Lakeshore Campus. It is written, produced and crewed by Humber College students for them to gain valuable set experience, mentorship by industry professionals and graduate with on-screen credits in key positions, allowing them to jump-start their careers.
The Humber School of Media Studies, Television: Writing and Producing program created, produced, wrote, shot and edited the series. Music students from the Humber School of Creative and Performing Arts wrote, arranged, and performed the series' theme song.
Distinguished Artists is in fact the first network television show produced entirely by students of a college or university. It is produced by The Production League, a production company created by Executive Producer Brian Ainsworth and formed from the elite students of the Humber College Television Writing and Producing Program. Their proven successes to date include Distinguished Artists (5th season, over 80 episodes), School of Chef (1st season, 13 episodes completed), Earley Bird (currently in production), youWHO (currently in production) and they continue to enhance their reputation with every program produced.
The show airs on Canadian Learning Television (Saturdays at 6 p.m., 2 a.m.) and BookTelevision (Sundays at 10 a.m., 8 p.m., and 4 a.m.; Mondays 2 p.m., 11 p.m.). Starting in January 2008, Distinguished Artists will be syndicated nationally on a soon-to-be-announced network.
[edit] Interviewees [Incomplete list]
Date of initial broadcast listed after the name.
- Season 1
- Joan Rivers, 2 April 2005; comedian, talk show host, awards pre-show host
- Joe Flaherty, 9 April 2005; comedian, voice actor
- Alistair MacLeod, 16 April 2005; short-story writer and novelist (No Great Mischief)
- Bill Holman and Jane Bunnett, 23 April 2005;
- Pat LaBarbera, 30 April 2005; saxophonist
- Andrea Martin; comedian
- Colin Mochrie, 11 June 2005; improv comedian
- Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara, 18 June 2005; comedy duo
- Edward Albee, 25 June 2005; playwright
- Michael Brecker; saxophonist
- Fiona Reid; actress
- Paul Quarrington; author
- Jane Bunnett; jazz musician
- Jayne Eastwood; actress
- Season 2
- Ed Robertson; singer/songwriter, Barenaked Ladies
- David Cronenberg; director
- Smothers Brothers; musical/comedic duo
- Bruce Jay Friedman; novelist, screen writer and playwright
- Sarah Polley; actress
- Sharon Gless; actress
- Ha Jin; author
- Richard B. Wright; novelist
- Scott Thompson; actor, comedian
- DM Thomas; author
- Barry Unsworth; author
- Diane Dupuy; theatre owner
- Ranee Lee; musician, actress
- Season 3
- Eugene Levy; actor, comedian, (taped 12 January 2005)
- Louise Pitre; musician, (taped 3 November 2005)
- Vivica A. Fox; actress
- Graham Greene; actor
- Patrick McKenna; actor
- Clark Johnson; actor, director
- Karen Kain; dancer
- Jackie Burroughs; actress
- Joseph Boyden; author
- Francine Prose; author
- Wayson Choy; author
- Andy Kim; musician, producer
- Jeanne Beker; television host, publisher
Season 4
- Shirley Douglas; actress
- Arsinee Khanjian; actress
- Mark Breslin; author, comedian, founder of Yuk Yuk's
- Russell Peters; comedian
- Rex Harrington; dancer