You Ever Notice ....

What's the deal with Canadian comics, huh? You ever notice that whenever we have a home-grown Canadian comedian that makes it big and doesn't immediately head south, that they tend to look like Mike Bullard or Steve Smith or Brent Butt?

I mean, is it some kind of rule of Canadian comedy that they have to be slightly on the homely side? Probably the most successful career-funny guy up here is Mike McDonald. And I gotta tellya, with that gorilla unibrow look of his - yes, I would kick him out of bed for eating crackers. You know what I mean?

Norm McDonald is a Canadian comedy export but he's more goofy looking than homely. Mike Myers and Martin Short are both cute but they don't live here anymore. Rick Mercer is definitely good looking but he doesn't count because he's more of a political pundit than a comic. Can't imagine him playing the Catskills. Or Vegas. Or the Canadian Comedy Festival in London, Ont. for that matter. And the entire cast of Royal Canadian Air Farce look like barbers and accountants.

It sort of says it all that the best-looking guy still in the funny business in this country is Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall. He's ruggedly handsome and virile looking in a lumber-jack Canadian way. And he looks soooo good in a dress.

I think all of this goes back to the days of Wayne and Shuster. They showed up to audition for the Ed Sullivan show doing a dramatic reading from "To Kill a Mockingbird," and Ed told them, "Sorry boys, drama ain't in the cards for youse. You both have perfect faces for comedy."