Alison Jutzi Talks Amongst Herself

Our friends Pam and Kelly got married this past fall. They have a lot of friends who sing, which is mostly Pam's fault because she's a musical-theatre person, so they couldn't pick just one or two people to perform at their wedding. In the end, they decided to host a concert a month before the wedding (because, really, the worst thing about being a bride is that moment when you realize you don't have enough things TO DO on your TO DO lists that you keep making and then keep losing, and anyway they're all kind of useless because you totally forgot to put, like, FIVE REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS on there anyway, and so to remedy this sometimes you will HOST A HUGE CONCERT in order to calm your nerves and give yourself something TO DO to alleviate all the boredom of PLANNING A WEDDING). Well, anyway, that's what Pam and Kelly did. And my hat is very extremely OFF to them for being so ambitious. It was a fabulous evening with many wonderful voices, and I was quite please...

The BMO commercial I shot a couple of months ago is now airing. Please note that my husband is Paul Lee of Train 48 fame. Also, I inherited that purse from my Wiser's commercial which should also be airing soon. Am I going to be typecast as "lady with silver purse"?

I admit it, I've been cheating. We've been to several functions recently - parties, industry events, dinners with future in-laws - and I may have had some red wine here and there, and perhaps some wheat pasta, and maybe some delicious homemade trifle. BUT I have mostly not been cheating, and I feel really good, and want to continue with the detox next week (sort of) while allowing myself some fruit and cheat days, which I REFUSE to feel guilty about. A few months ago when I tried on the fancy dress I bought in London with my "Maria" per diem, the one I'd spent good money having tailored to fit me just right , I could barely sausage myself into it. Seriously, it took me and Phil working together to make it happen, and we almost had to abort the mission. Last night before the Geminis I slipped into it quite comfortably, and even had room to spare. Good changes are happening. I'm eating more vegetables. Turns out I kind of like raw broccoli. Also, I'm making...

Yesterday I appeared on the Ellen show for the first time. Click here to see my debut. :) In other news, I auditioned for a Ford commercial last week, which is shooting today. I did not book it as it turns out, which might be a good thing. The bitter irony of saying "I love my new Ford" today would be more than I can take.

Day 7 - I wake up and happily go to the gym for an hour. I am sleeping deeply and feel great when I wake up. In the middle of the afternoon we are out and I haven't eaten enough, so I buy an apple and some seeds and nuts at a grocery store to get me through till dinner. We meet friends for dinner and I order salmon with rice and veggies, and just drink water. I am craving gingerale, but other than that I'm quite happy. Day 8 - I've slept well again, and get out of bed quite easily (even though it's a work day). Am continuing to enjoy my hot lemon drink, like every other morning since I started the detox. Try some cocoa-flavoured Quinoa cereal, but find it's way too sweet so I don't think it's a good cleanse food. Found I was hungry as soon as I got to work, so I need to have an egg or some pumpkin butter for breakfast instead. (Speaking of which, pumpkin butter is fantastic, no matter what the colour and texture may remind you of). Lunch is cottage cheese,...

Dear Dr. Joshi, I'm back! Phil and I decided to do your detox again because we really enjoyed its benefits last time (weight loss, greatly improved stomach issues, general feeling of healthiness). Recently we'd both been complaining about our bad eating habits, and our respective struggles with the scale, so this is our attempt to get back on track. THE BAD This time around I felt extremely lethargic during the first few days of the cleanse, and still do. I sleep so deeply that it's hard to get up in the morning. The first two days especially I felt very warm and uncomfortable, which I imagine to be a symptom of my body detoxifying itself. Last night I was feeling a lot of negative energy building up in me, and I wonder if this is all related to detoxing. THE GOOD I've noticed a real change in my appetite since days 1 and 2. The first couple of days, I was feeling a bit desperate about food. I noticed all the times in the day where I would have had a sugar fix (brown ...

At one of the many wedding shows Phil and I have attended this year, we were fortunate enough to win a free engagement shoot with Daniela Foster photography . We met up with Daniela a few weeks ago on what turned out to be a beautiful fall day, and we roamed from St. Lawrence Market to the Sky Dome for a couple of hours. Daniela just sent me a few teaser pics, so I thought I'd post some of them here. We had a lovely time with her, and are very happy with the photos. If you're looking for a wedding photographer, you should definitely check her out!

Dear Blog, Sorry I've been neglecting you lately. The thing is, I've been having a really fun summer so I haven't been internetting as much as usual. What have I been doing? Oh, this and that. Like... This: And that: And playing this: And hanging out with this one: And looking for one of these: And I just shot a commercial for Wiser's which will be a lot like this: Anyway, Blog, I'm sure you'll understand if I prioritize jumping in lakes and dining with friends for a bit. I predict I'll want to soak up this fine, albeit muggy, weather for the next little while and won't be visiting you again until the fall. Do take care of yourself, and I look forward to our continued relationship in the coming months. Yours Truly, Alison Jutzi

Dear Ireland, What's with you being so gorgeous, with your rolling hills of patchwork-quilt countryside and your rocky shores and your beautiful and historic castles, churches and forts? Also, what's with all your friendly people with their charming and melodic accents? What's that all about? And another thing, what's the story with all the sheep that I took all those pictures of, especially the ones that were in the middle of the road and wouldn't let the car go by, giving me the satisfaction of an authentically Irish experience. What is the deal? But most of all, Ireland: WHAT'S WITH YOUR WEATHER? I packed my sexy new rainboots and only wore them that one day in Howth because it was sunny and warm the rest of the time. What is with that? When did you suddenly get better weather than Cuba? It might have been nice if you'd warned me so I could've packed more bikinis and fewer wool socks. But I will forgive you, because you showed me a really good time. L...

Did I ever tell you that I sometimes work as a mascot? I started dressing up as a certain bear for a certain bank several years ago, and continue to do the odd gig to this day (odd being the operative word). The first thing I remember noticing about life inside the bear costume is that people really treat you differently when you're dressed as a big cuddly animal, and I mean this in both a good and bad way. Little kids generally like me WAY more when I'm in costume. Then there are those jerk kids who just want to punch me and pull my arms off 'cause "YOU'RE NOT REAL! I CAN TELL!". And of course there are the adults who are repulsed by me and the security guards who I can tell might not stick up for me if someone tries to punch me out. Last weekend I did a mascot gig in Dundas Square, where there were bands performing. One band member got on the microphone and invited everyone to kick me in the ribs. Perhaps he doesn't like the bank my costume r...

Yesterday I was waiting for my mushroom and onion burger at Fresh, slowly getting the feeling back in the upper left part of my mouth after just having come from the dentist, when Phil called me with some very exciting news: The Dora nominations had just been announced, and the show I recently did at Soulpepper has been nominated in three categories! They are: Outsanding Musical Direction (the incomparable Marek Norman), Outstanding Original Choreography (the magnificent Candace Jennings) and Outstanding Performance in a Featured Role/Ensemble - the whole cast! I really enjoyed the Doras last year, and it will be even more exciting to attend this year as a nominee! We've got a very busy June planned, including a trip to Ireland, but fortunately we'll be around for the awards ceremony on June 28th. It will be a lovely excuse to reunite with my cast members. Here is a link to a list of all the nominees.

We were recently in Guelph to celebrate my niece Eden's first birthday. Phil and I got a few nice shots of the event, but I'll just post my favourite one. I think all things in life should be approached with this attitude: "Wheeee birthday yay!!!" (although with Eden's limited vocabulary it sounded more like, "Wow! Yeah! Hi!")

Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin This is the first (of 132, as of this month) in the Babysitter's Club series, which I started reading when I was 11 years old. I don't recognize any titles after the 50-book mark, so I guess I was too busy being an awkward high school student to follow the trials of Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne, Stacey and the others past 1992. I ate this book up, much the same way I devoured four seasons of Sex and the City on DVD when I was bored for those two months in the winter of 2004. They are both giant chocolate-bars-with-caramel-inside for the brain. The plot: Kristy gathers her three friends who all have different but complementary personalities and, more importantly, varied hair colours and styles, to form a club of babysitters (a "babysitter's club", if you will) which gathers weekly to schedule babysitting appointments for their neighbours, all of whom somehow remember to call during their club meeting hours. The main charac...

Dear shoes, Why do I have so many of you? I thought I was a low-maintenance person, but when I see you, my vast collection of footwear, I am forced to consider that the opposite may be true. A lot of you are in storage. I've only kept in the front hall those of you that are essential to my every-day life at this moment (no disrespect, comfy brown winter boots with the pom-poms). Still, you are so many in number. Why? I know why you're there, silver pointy-toed flats. You are new and shiny and hip, and even comfortable (thanks, Soft Moc). White sandal pumps from Payless, I remember I bought you on a whim one day when I needed open-toed shoes to take to a pedicure appointment, and you have turned out to be one of my most-worn pair of summer shoes. Thanks for that. Turquoise high-heeled sandals from Rockport. My love for you is real. You make me feel like I'm walking on air, and though I didn't wear you as much as I meant to last season, 2010 is sure to be your year. Prett...

Recently I was doing a musical here in Toronto, and I developed a cold in my final week of the run. Colds and flus make performing way less fun than it should be, but there are ways to deal with them - and deal with them we must! Here's how I get through the inevitability of getting sick while doing a run: 1. Sleep This goes in the "duh" category. You know that sleep is important at all times, but especially when your body is trying to heal, right? So try to get as much sleep as possible before each show. If you need help with that, I would like to introduce you to my friends Neo Citran and NyQuil. 2. Oil of Oregano Buy some oil of oregano (a natural antiobiotic) at the local health food store (or even some Shoppers Drugmart locations) and take 4 drops, three times a day. You can just put it under your tongue, or have it with water or juice. It does wonders for me. 3. Drink water. When I'm sick, I make sure to have water bottles strategically placed in several places ...

Phil and I are celebrating our pre-nniversary tonight (we're getting married a year from today) and so I thought I'd post a link* to this video of us looking for songs for our wedding playlist. The quality of the video is low, but our spirits are high! (mostly due to the wine we'd consumed before recording.) * I tried to embed the video, but it ended up cutting off half the screen. Like, what's with that?

Please enjoy this video, which clearly demonstrates how NOT to be a generous actor. I desperately want to know the back-story. Was the person in the tiger costume recast from a lead role? Did he or she just have a falling out with the director? Or is this the work of a very imaginative choreographer?

"I lost a pom pom, do we have any extras?" Actor: "What's my next scene!" Dresser: "I don't know!" "Has anyone seen my frilly red underwear?" "I shouldn't have had that falafel before the show." "Sorry!" (usually following a collision as actors rush to make entrances) "Greg, that dress looks great on you. I love the sparkles." "I have to make a gunshot noise but I CAN'T FIND MY DRUMSTICK!" "Crap, the curtain's busted." "Someone tell stage management the curtain's busted." "Does stage management know the curtain's busted?" Actor: "Just so you know, the curtain's busted." SM: "Yes, WE KNOW, THANK YOU. We'll fix it at intermission." "How can I make myself pop out of this corset a little more?" Actor 1:"I feel like I'm getting a bit of a sore throat" Actor 2:"Don't touch me" "Someone...

Last week I was thrilled to have my first opening night at Soulpepper Theatre Company here in Toronto. The show runs for three more weeks, and tickets can be found here . If you'd like a sneak peek, here are some behind-the-scenes videos from the Soulpepper website:

I shot this Whiskas commercial in September, and spoke about the shoot here . I was sure they had decided not to air it, as it had been several months and I hadn't seen anything. Looks like I was wrong!

My big news of 2009 was that I got engaged. Wheee!!! Ahem. As I was saying, the big news of last year was my engagement. However, before Phil proposed I was already over the moon about something else that has now been pushed to second place in the highlight reel of my life for 2009. But second place or not, it was very exciting when I found out - and continues to be now. Last fall I was asked to perform with Soulpepper Theatre Company in its 2010 season. For audiences, Soulpepper is where you can see the best classical theatre in Toronto (and arguably all of Canada), and for artists it's a dream contract. To work with such a prestigious company is an honour. We started rehearsals for the show this week. It's called Oh, What a Lovely War! , and is a musical satire of the first World War. With Albert Schultz directing and Marek Norman as our music director, I feel like I've died and gone to heaven. Right now we're doing table work, and learning all the beautiful war-time...

Picture it: Christmas day, close to midnight. A tree with coloured lights, me in my glasses and pj's, and a dashing young fellow with a diamond ring. That, ladies and gentlemen, is my proposal story. Phil and I met 12 years ago when I was a student of the University of Toronto Theatre and Drama Studies program, and he was one of its alumni. As far as I can remember, our paths didn't cross again until I was a Facebook newbie in early 2007 and noticed I'd been poked (remember when people used to do that?) by Philip Sullivan. This started a long thread of friendly emails, a few ultimate frisbee games, and that was pretty much that. ...until last January when we ran into each other at a show. And went on some dates. And later went to New York city together. And spent time with my family at the cottage. And hung out with his mom and sisters in Toronto and Montreal. And he let me sub on his softball team. And he came to see my gigs. And we watched sports highlights together and I...

Everyone has their favourite Christmas movie and mine is the 1978 Sesame Street Christmas special, Christmas Eve on Sesame Street . Finding this clip made me very happy this morning:

I was introduced to David Hein just over a year ago at a singer/songwriter night hosted by my friend Grant Tilly . One of David's most memorable songs in his funny and entertaining set was My Mother's Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding which is BASED ON TRUE EVENTS. Amazing. Last summer I saw that he had turned the song into a show for Fringe Festival, and low and behold Mirvish picked it up this fall. Don't you love a happy ending? I saw it last Thursday and was fully charmed. David himself narrates the play, which is essentially the ol' girl gets divorced - moves to Toronto - becomes a lesbian - rediscovers Judaism - marries a witch story. The usual. It was light and funny and charming and smart, and also had several lovely sentimental moments that made me tear up a bit. Shut up. Go see this musical. It will make you smile.

7:30am I don't have to leave the apartment till 9am, but I need the hour and a half to wake myself up and eat something and go over my line. Yes, my one line. I do some dive bombs, mouth stretches and tongue twisters in the shower and silently chide myself for warming up as though I'm about to recite three hours of verse in iambic pentameter in front of an audience of thousands. 9:00am I leave the house without any makeup on, knowing that if anyone asks me where I am going they'll be appalled to learn I'm about to be on camera. 10:00am I get off the bus in Pickering and go to hail for a cab, only to realize there are no cabs to be seen and, of course, why would there be? Everyone in Pickering has a car. I find the number of a cab company and all is well, but even so I'm secretly wishing I'd had the gumption to request a pick-up and drop-off, since we weren't shooting in Toronto. 10:40am I arrive on set and I'm early. Great! But then the thing happens tha...

Hey y'all! My friend J. Sean Elliott just sent me a DVD of my opening act for his "No Refunds Tour" at the Revival last February. Here are two selections from that set: Hone My Craf t and The Birthday Song .

Dear electronic interface on the treadmill at the gym, You are so fancy. I love all your flashing lights and the chart that shows what my target heartrate should be, based on my age. I also like that with the press of a button, I can customize my workout. Sometimes I want to burn fat, but sometimes I want to work on cardio, and you give me both of those options - and more! But, electronic interface, I do have a bit of an issue to discuss with you. When I've been jogging for 15 minutes you like to tell me, with your fancy red lights, that my workout is " 25% COMPLETED ". I guess you want me to know this because you're trying to encourage me to keep going, but all I want to say is, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL ME I HAVE TO DO THIS FOR AN HOUR ?" I mean, seriously, it's a miracle I've been on there for 15 minutes. Maybe instead you should say, " HOLY CRAP WHAT ARE YOU A FRIGGIN' OLYMPIC RUNNER? " and then I'd feel really good about ...

We officially opened our production of Dry Streak at the Grand last night to a full house (800 people), including the playwright, Leeann Minogue. She's a lovely woman who seemed very pleased with the positive response we've been getting. The show went by without a hitch, and the audience laughed in all the right places, not acting at all like the typical polite-and-quiet Friday night audience. After the show, we were enjoying some drinks and food in the lobby when a gentle and continuous "ding" started sounding. It reminded me of the warning bell you hear when intermission is coming to a close and it's time to chug your coffee and shove that Haagen Dazs bar down your throat. I ignored it until one of the staff members alerted us all to the fact that it was actually the fire alarm and we had to evacuate the building! We all made our way down the stairs to the main entrance where we huddled outside in the drizzle as four (FOUR!) fire trucks came screaming towards t...

I'm in the middle of tech dress rehearsal for Dry Streak so I'm rockin' the 80's bangs. I'm really enjoying this. Perhaps a little too much.

My newest song...

I just read that Jim Carrey is gaining 50lbs for an upcoming role , which makes me think: when am I going to be offered a part that is conditional upon my gaining weight? I think I could do it. My diet would consist of: - donuts - cheese - donuts with cheese on them - cheese with a side of donuts - cheese-flavoured donuts - some more donuts - sticks of cheese - cubes of cheese - Kraft single slices - fish 'n' chips Yeah, I could do it. Y'know why? Because I'm committed to my craft . I would gain 25lbs and then people would call me brave, just like they did with Renee Zellweger when she was playing Bridget Jones. ( Dr. Joshi , if you're reading this, please do not be alarmed. I'm just kidding. Well, not about liking donuts and cheese. That's totally true.)

Do people from London, Ontario spend their whole lives saying "No, Ontario actually"? I've had this conversation a lot recently: Person I Know: So, what are you going to be doing next? Me: I'm doing a play in London. Person I Know: England? Me: No, no. London, Ontario. Person I Know: Oh. Me : Yeah...ha ha...anyway, it should be good. Person I Know: It would be more interesting if you were going to England. Okay, maybe they don't say that last part. Anyway, the point is I'm heading to the Grand Theatre in London Ontario for the next six weeks to work on a play called Dry Streak . It's a comedy written by the Canadian playwright Leeann Minogue. If you'd like tickets you can visit the Grand Theatre website here . Goodbye for now, Toronto. I'll see you in November!

Yesterday I shot a Whiskas commercial with two American Silver Tabby Shorthairs named Monty and Mikey. They arrived from L.A. (!) with their very friendly trainers, Chrissy and David. Do you know what cats having trainers means? Cats...can be TRAINED. When I went to my wardrobe call on Monday I stayed for about an hour after they'd picked my outfit so I could get to know the cats and they could rehearse their moves. Chrissy would let Mikey out of his carrying case and David would say "Mikey, jump up!" and the cat would run over to me and put his paws on my lap, at which point he was rewarded with luncheon meat. We did this a few times and then moved on to their floor routines, which essentially involved them rolling on their backs and being adorable. On the day, we shot a scene where I'm sitting on a couch and the cat jumps up on me and we cuddle, so David put chicken-flavoured baby food on my nose and we rehearsed it a few times so the cat would come directly to my ...

Crasher squirrel meets Kanye West.

People in my life are getting engaged left and right these days, which reminds me of a story. Picture it: Guelph, winter of '97. I am working my mad Barista skills at the Second Cup in Stone Road Mall, ever-fearful of my boss's watchful gaze. His motto: "If there's time to lean, there's time to clean." I have just readjusted some miniature cherry pies and oversized biscotti in the display case when a young-ish couple approaches the counter. Me: Hi there! What can I get for you today? Him: Two Columbians please. Me: For here? Him: Yes. Me: And would you like any pastries with that? (I have to say this or TimeToLeanTimeToClean gets huffy.) Him: Yes! We would! Two butter tarts, please. It's a special day. I turn around to get two plates and when I look back at the counter he has presented his womanfriend with a ring and he says, Him: Will you marry me? Her: Wha...? Are you serious? Me: Exactly. Is he serious? Really? Here? In line at the Second Cup? ...

I don't understand Twitter . I don't see the point. But I also don't see the purpose in going on ad nauseum about not understanding those who "tweet", as though I'm so much better at controlling my use of electronic communication fora, what with only having 4 email accounts, MySpace, Facebook, a blog, a website, a Wikipedia page, a Facebook fanpage (and the list goes on). Frankly, my online presence already far exceeds how present I feel in my everyday life. But isn't that the point? Aren't we all madly posting status updates and photos and random musings to assert our existence and prove to everyone how happy, popular, successful and full of life and adventure we all are? "See how good I look in that photo? Notice how the light hits my face just right ? And see how I was just doing some traveling with my very attractive friends? Don't you think that's pretty worldly of me? And do you believe yet that I'm happy? Do you?? My life is g...

I'm going to be singing at The Annex Live Music and Comedy Night tomorrow evening. This venue is the former Poor Alex, which has been turned into a restaurant and performance space. You can click here to see the Facebook invite, if you're ONE OF US in the Facebook cult. If not, then I guess you're out of luck. 'Cause I mean, seriously people, who doesn't have Facebook anymore? What, you're too good to have all your contact information and embarrassing photos on a public forum for all to see? GET OVER YOURSELF. Ahem. Anyhoo, I hope you can make it to the show. I write and sing comedic folk songs, in case I haven't mentioned that before. You can listen to a few of them on my website. And for those of you who haven't jumped on the Facebook train (and oh, you will) here are the details: The Annex Live 296 Brunswick Avenue, Toronto Wednesday, September 2nd at 8:30pm No cover.

This is a post about sports, in case you came here with other expectations. Here is a timeline of my involvement in sports: 1983 - took gymnastics at the age of 5. i think i learned to do a somersault, but not that well. 1984 - started swimming lessons. continued for several years until they started asking me to do hard things like dive. 1986 - one summer on a T-ball team. last person to receive the "MVP" award (free fries at McDonalds). only got it because it was required that every child win at least once. never really understood the rules of the game. once tripped and fell while running home, leaving me emotionally scarred for life. 1989 - played on grade 6 volleyball team. wasn't too bad at it. highlight of my life in sports. 1990 - tried out for grade 7/8 volleyball team. realized i was WAY out of my league. highschool - figured i'd better stick to musicals. And that, my friends, was pretty much it...until recently. Two years ago Phil asked me to sub a few t...

Urban Legends is a show on the History Channel that dramatizes three urban legends and tells you which of the three are true at the end of the episode. This clip just shows the part of the episode that I was in, and it tells the story of a woman in England who thought she had ghosts in her house. Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.