JOE BIZ — FEBRUARY 4

If there’s one certainty in the acting business, it’s that you never know exactly when your big break will happen, or if it ever will. And while many of today’s crop of actors has followed a lifelong dream to achieve fame, for others, opportunity simply lands in their lap. Or in their back seat, as was the case with Cory Monteith. The 25-year-old Vancouverite — who stars as Charlie in the sci-fi drama Kyle XY and Gunnar on MTV’s Kaya — was actually driving a when he picked up a fare who suggested he should pursue showbiz. “I used to drive a taxi in Victoria,” Monteith tells me, “and I had a fare that was in the industry and he suggested very simply that I should become an actor. He definitely planted the bug.” Embarking upon a new career path at the age of 20, things continue to look good for the lad. In addition to his two network starring vehicles, Monteith has also appeared on other locally shot hits series such as Supernatural and Smallville.

THE WORST SINGER IN THE WORLD
Held over onstage for an extra week is the Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of Glorious: The True Story of Florence Foster Jenkins, the Worst Singer in the World. The immensely talented Nicola Cavendish continues to wow the crowds in the title role and will do so now until March 2 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Glorious tells the tale of a tone-deaf diva whose innocence and unshakable confidence is “a symbol to all those who dreamed but never dared.”

ALL WE WANT
Local rockers Elias are continuing to see their fortunes soar as the Vancouver band release their first full-length album this week, All We Want, and are hosting a CD release party this Saturday at the Anza Club on West 8th Avenue. After performing countless nightclub and all-ages shows, their hard work paid dividends as Canada’s famed booking agency Sam Feldman and Associates heard the reviews and actually sought them out to add to their roster of talent. That’s quite an accomplishment for the rock foursome.

FRANCOPHONE IDOL
Meantime, Jonas is known in his home province of Quebec as one of their best-kept musical secrets. But given his star status back home, where he’s graced the cover of numerous magazines and entertainment pages and headlined at Montreal’s hallowed hockey shrine, The Bell Centre, he’s now embarking on a cross-Canada tour, spreading the word as the opening act for Collective Soul dates. His incredible success story is made even more remarkable given the fact that Jonas has become a big star in his native province while singing in English. While no Vancouver date has been slotted just yet, Jonas promises me that he will return in the spring to work here on new material and we’ll likely see a performance then.

LUCKY THERE’S A FAMILY GUY’
Mark the date February 15 on the calendar as Seth MacFarlane, the creator, executive producer and voice actor of one of television’s most bankable franchises, Family Guy is coming to town to host the 2nd Annual Elan Awards, honouring the best of electronic and animated arts at The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts. MacFarlane — whose animated series was reborn as a primetime Fox hit following its record-breaking DVD sales figures — is excited to bring Peter Griffin north. “I am extremely excited to be hosting as I am, of course heavily involved in animation,” he says, “but most of all, I’m excited to purchase inexpensive prescription drugs and smuggle them back into the United States.”

GASTOWN FACELIFT
In the nightclub world, there’s been another upgrade on Water Street, as one of our city’s oldest hot spots, The Lamplighter Pub has reopened in Gastown, albeit with a major facelift. It’s the latest acquisition for the Donnelly Hospitality Management Group, which also own The Bimini, Library Square Public House, Bar None, The Modern and Granville Street’s chic nightspot, The Republic. The overall look and ambience has vastly improved while the venue still maintains some of its heritage and historic charm.

MEDIA SHUFFLE
Finally, it didn’t take long for former Citytv General Manager Brad Phillips to find work following his abrupt departure from the station late last month, as he’s been named to the position of Vice President and General Manager of Crave-FM (95.3 FM). It’s a homecoming of sorts as Phillips was at the helm when the once mighty and powerful Z95 as it was then known, first took to the airwaves in 1990. Since then, the station’s fortuned have plummeted, and it’s no surprise that changes are likely to be on the horizon.

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