Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - November 10, 2000, Winnipeg, Manitoba The itch gives comic a hand to scratch the stars by Brian Gorman someone with a taste for really bad puns might say Jessica Holmes has an itch to succeed in what else could explain Why the somewhat shy Twenty something actress a self described Low talker would have subjected herself to two years of live performing in the most brutal Arena of show business standup comedy and then be Good enough at it to land gigs with Montreal just for laughs comedy festival and a Slot in the second City touring the Best of the very All of which earned her several comedy award nominations while she sounds like shed rather Cut off her feet and eat them than return to the comedy club she has to admit the experience handsomely paid this Holmes enters the world of series television when she joins Veteran Toronto comic Jason Jones As cohost of the weekly show the premiering on the comedy the half hour sketch series is produced by Halifax Salter Street Home of Cocos Newfoundland Humour mafia and the nest of subversion that produces such groundbreaking Canadian comedies As this hour has 22 minutes and made in the itch is forged from the same Lead and steel As 22 but it is aimed at a different like its sister which has been strafing parliament Hill for the past seven the itch blends satirical commentary and sketch comedy to mow Down the the ridiculous and the caught in its Cross hairs is the entertain ment tonight style celebrity were looking to prove the Point that you dont need to idolize Holmes or if you idolize dont idolize then behaviour just idolize their there Are too Many people out there acting like Holmes grew up in the mormon Faith in the daughter Ofa feminist social worker Mother and a computer Programmer father who worked for the National research she credits her background with exposing her to a wild Range of experiences and she set her sights on a Showbiz career went to a local performing arts High and studied radio and to at Toronto Ryerson poly technic she also spent two years work ing with the mormon Church in Venezuela and several Summers in the Public service of haying parents who Are such different people made it easy for me to be she says with a the influence i from my Mother and father just covers the whole Ive met every single religious and Ive met every Type of Strong feminist based Ive met so Many different types of people and theres a sketch in every pne of even when she doing she she was really working on sketch her Rou Tine consisted of her assuming the Persona of a really timid and insecure someone who had been told by her you can do comics Jason Jones and Jessica Holmes portray shallow television hosts Barry and Tricia in the a new sketch comedy series premiering tuesday on the comedy and i Felt really nervous about i just it won her a following at Toronto laugh resort decided i didst want to do it any so my comedy club and also was the source of a particularly ugly experience that illustrates just How Tough the comedy club life can be on a i was doing standup at Yuk and the per son who introduced me was whoa look at who comic she says doing a Beav is and butt head and by the time i got on the i Felt like i was a piece of you want to get on stage feeling really and some body you by Here comes something to ook instead Here comes someone who really Fiir Guys in the front Row started put your hand up her look at it was just the most disgusting there i a feeling really nervous about my standup and no one was everyone just Felt embarrassed for Holmes forged but shed lost her taste for because i was Only Able to do that one charac standup career lasted maybe six but that was Long enough to get Holmes the Job she really wanted doing sketch where she could create Range of characters to play in a medium where a Low talker Only has to worry about projecting her voice into a microphone and not to the Back of a comedy club or an and she loves being part of a team with a com Mon Harpoon people such As Celine Kathie Lee Gifford and Darva Conger with wicked and often devastating sketches that aim to under mine the very notion of these Are the people everyone idolizes right More than More than real Holmes a big part of the reason started doing celebrity impressions in the first place want because i was Good at because i was so angered by the effect they have on in not a Good debater or essay so this is How i chose to go after tvo ate features Syndicate Winnipeg free press 27 ;