#FIRSTLOOK: JUST FOR LAUGHS VANCOUVER WELCOME DAVID LETTERMAN AND ZACH GALIFIANAKIS

Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is pleased to announce that legendary comedian and award-winning talk show host David Letterman will make his Just For Laughs debut at the Festival next month, marking his first Canadian performance since 1978. One of the most influential figures in late-night television, Letterman will appear at the 10th edition of Just For Laughs VANCOUVER with “An Evening with David Letterman and Special Guest Zach Galifianakis,” a very special in-conversation event between two extraordinary comedy legends, on February 18, 2026 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome David Letterman to Just For Laughs VANCOUVER. He is one of the defining voices in comedy history, and to be able to pair him with Zach Galifianakis for a show like this is incredibly special for us and for comedy fans in Vancouver,” said Nick Brazao, VP of Programming & Talent, Just For Laughs.

“As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, I couldn’t imagine a more fitting way to honour a decade of bringing world-class comedy to Vancouver than by welcoming David Letterman and Zach Galifianakis to the festival,” said Heather Wallace, Founding Partner and Festival Director of Just For Laughs VANCOUVER. “This year’s lineup is packed with exceptional local and international talent, and we’re proud to keep delivering these incredible moments to the fans who make Vancouver such a vibrant comedy city.”

Tickets for “An Evening with David Letterman and Special Guest Zach Galifianakis” will go on pre-sale tomorrow, Tuesday, January 20 at 10AM PT, followed by the general public sale on Wednesday, January 21 at 10AM PT at JFLVancouver.com. To access the pre-sale, subscribe to the Just For Laughs VANCOUVER mailing list at JFLVancouver.com. Tickets for the full Festival lineup are available now.

Artist Bios
David Letterman
Over 33 years on late-night television, David Letterman was the longest-running late-night broadcaster in American history. As a writer, performer, and producer, Letterman is one of the most-nominated individuals in Emmy Award history, with 52 nominations, resulting in 10 wins. Letterman is also a two-time Peabody-Award winner and a Kennedy Center Honoree. Letterman produced the Disney+ docu-special, Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman (2023). Letterman can currently be seen hosting My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, the Emmy-winning interview show streaming on Netflix, featuring guests including Barack Obama, Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, JAY-Z, Robert Downey Jr., Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dave Chappelle, Miley Cyrus, Caitlin Clark, Billie Eilish, and Adam Sandler.

Zach Galifianakis
After failing his last college course by one point at North Carolina State University, Zach Galifianakis moved to New York City. He got his start performing his brand of humour in the back of a hamburger joint in Times Square, graduating to doing stand-up in nightclubs and coffee houses across the city. While working as a busboy, he got his first acting job on the sitcom “Boston Common.” An eclectic career has followed.

Zach is most well-known from THE HANGOVER trilogy with additional credits including THE CAMPAIGN, DUE DATE, IT’S A FUNNY KIND OF STORY, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, INTO THE WILD and THE BEANIE BUBBLE. Feature animation credits include G-FORCE, RON’S GONE WRONG and most recently LILO AND STITCH. Zach created the critically-acclaimed series “Baskets,” which garnered him an Emmy nomination, and starred in the comedy “Bored to Death.” He also hosted the VH1 talk show “Late World With Zach,” as well as wrote and starred in “Dog Bites Man” for Comedy Central. He hosted the Emmy-winning internet talk show “Between Two Ferns” on which he interviewed such guests as President Barack Obama, Brad Pitt, Steve Carell, Natalie Portman, Conan O’Brien and Justin Bieber.

Zach recurred on season four of “Only Murders in the Building” and next up will be seen in the dark comedy thriller, THE GALLERIST, which will premiere at Sundance this year. He also recently completed production on the upcoming AMC series, THE AUDACITY, as well as the Taika Waititi pilot VERY YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN for FX as ‘Dr. Frankenstein.’

Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is proud to welcome its partners Creative BC and the Province of British Columbia, Destination Vancouver, SiriusXM Canada, B.C. Lottery Corporation, Stanley Park Brewing, NUTRL, Downtown Van, Vancouver Sun, The Province, DailyHive and Curiocity to its 10 Year celebration and 2026 event.

ABOUT JUST FOR LAUGHS VANCOUVER:
Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is one of Canada’s largest and most renowned comedy festivals, showcasing an extraordinary lineup of top-tier comedic talent from around the globe. Spanning multiple venues across the city, the festival brings Vancouver to life with a celebration of all things comedy. Over the years, Just For Laughs VANCOUVER has welcomed some of the biggest names in comedy, including Jerry Seinfeld, John Mulaney, Bill Burr, Trevor Noah, Hannah Gadsby, Marc Maron, The Office Ladies, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho, Maria Bamford, Ronny Chieng, and many more. In addition to hosting global megastars, the festival proudly fosters homegrown talent with its wildly popular curated series, Best of the West, shining a spotlight on the exceptional comedians emerging from Vancouver and beyond. With a legacy of unforgettable performances and a reputation for curating both established icons and rising stars, Just For Laughs VANCOUVER continues to solidify its place as a premier destination for comedy fans.

Just For Laughs VANCOUVER is a co-production between Just For Laughs and B.C. based company NorthWest Comedy. For more information, please visit

#FIRSTLOOK: “MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION WITH DAVID LETTERMAN”

Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman sixth season premieres on December 16 and features conversations with actor, director, and producer Michael B. Jordan, creator sensation and entrepreneur MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), and Emmy and Screen Actors Guild award-winning actor, producer and director Jason Bateman.

About My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman:

Combining humor, curiosity and in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman has Letterman back in the host’s chair, following a 33-year reign in late night.
The critically acclaimed series won the Emmy for Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series or Special in 2024 and has received seven Emmy nominations in its five seasons.

In 27 episodes across five seasons and three specials, My Next Guest has featured notables including Barack Obama, Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, JAY-Z, Robert Downey Jr., Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dave Chappelle, Miley Cyrus, Caitlin Clark, and Billie Eilish.
David Letterman is host; Executive producers are Tom Keaney and Mary Barclay for Worldwide Pants; Justin Wilkes, Michael Steed, Isabel Richardson, and Yolanda T. Cochran for Jax Media/Imagine Entertainment; Producers are Tommy Alter, John Nemeth and Hunter Speese for Jax Media/Imagine Entertainment.
The series is produced by Jax Media/Imagine Entertainment and Worldwide Pants, Inc.

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW CLIP FROM “MY NEXT GUEST WITH DAVID LETTERMAN AND JOHN MULANEY”

Today we get a new clip from Netflix‘s MY NEXT GUEST WITH DAVID LETTERMAN AND JOHN MULANEY.

David Letterman interviews three-time Emmy® Award winner John Mulaney for an upcoming episode of Netflix’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman. John Mulaney returns to his Chicago high school with David Letterman as they candidly discuss fatherhood, the life of stand-up comedy and addiction.

The special standalone episode of the five-time Emmy® Award-nominated series will premiere on April 30, 2024.

About My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman:
Combining humor, curiosity and in-depth conversations with extraordinary people, My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman has Letterman back in the host’s chair, following a 33-year reign in late night.

In 23 episodes across four seasons, My Next Guest has featured notables including President Barack Obama, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, JAY-Z, Malala and Billie Eilish.

Series is produced by Jax Media and Worldwide Pants, Inc.

Every season of the critically acclaimed series has been nominated for an Emmy® Award.

#FIRSTLOOK: “BONO & THE EDGE: A SORT OF HOMECOMING, WITH DAVID LETTERMAN” NEW TRAILER

Disney+ recently announced feature-length music docu-special “Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman,” in which Academy Award^®-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville captures Dave Letterman on his first visit to Dublin to hang out with Bono and The Edge in their hometown, experience Dublin, and join the two U2 musicians for a concert performance unlike any they’ve done before. Disney Branded Television President Ayo Davis made the announcement today, unveiling a first-look teaser of the docu-special during her TCA remarks. “Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman,” from Disney Branded Television, is set to premiere globally on Disney+ on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day, coinciding with U2’s highly anticipated album “Songs Of Surrender” ― a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalog, re-recorded and reimagined. The docu-special is the latest in Disney+ music specials from Disney Branded Television, including last year’s highly successful “Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium” and the critically acclaimed “Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl,” both currently streaming on Disney+. BONO & THE EDGE: A SORT OF HOMECOMING, WITH DAVID LETTERMAN arrives March 17, 2023 on Disney+.

https://twitter.com/DisneyPlusCA/status/1628816964314615809?cxt=HHwWgsDSocaZ3JotAAAA

From Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Documentaries, Neville’s Tremolo Productions, and Dave Letterman’s Worldwide Pants, “Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman” is part concert movie, part travel adventure plus a whole lot of Bono and The Edge, with Dave’s humor throughout.

As well as the concert performance itself, the docu-special will focus on the extraordinary relationship between Bono and The Edge and how it has developed across 45-plus years of close friendship and one of the most remarkable songwriting partnerships in the history of rock ‘n’ roll, plus document Dublin through Dave’s eyes as he experiences Bono and The Edge’s home city for the first time. 

“Bono and The Edge are the force behind one of the most prolific and influential acts in the history of rock and roll, and we are honored to bring this truly intimate look at their beginnings, friendship, and creative process to a global audience on Disney+,” said Davis.

“Recently, I won a radio contest,” said Letterman. “Winner gets to visit Dublin with Bono and The Edge (radio contest part not true, but I feel like a winner). They showed me around, introduced me to their musician friends, and performed some of their greatest songs in a small theater. It’s a great tour. Get in touch with them ― I’m told there are still availabilities. I’m the luckiest man on the planet. (There are no availabilities).”

Letterman, who accepted an invitation from the two U2 bandmates to join them in Dublin for his first-ever visit to Ireland, has a 25-year relationship with U2 but had previously only spent time with the Bono and The Edge in the U.S. As well as being their honored guest at an intimate concert performance at a local landmark, the former Ambassador Cinema building at the top of O’Connell Street on Dublin’s Northside, Dave embarks on his own exploration of the city. He visits the legendary Forty Foot swimming spot on a freezing cold morning and rides the DART commuter train north from Co. Wicklow. Letterman also inspires a brand new U2 song written by The Edge and Bono and narrowly escapes having to perform at a sing-song at the legendary McDaid’s pub off Grafton Street with an equally legendary bunch of artists and musicians, including Bono, The Edge, Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Imelda May, Loah, Saint Sister, Grian Chatten of Fontaines DC, and Dermot Kennedy, whose voice Bono describes as a “sonic boom.”

“I fell in love with U2 and David Letterman at roughly the same time, somewhere around my sophomore year of high school,” said director Morgan Neville. “That somehow decades later we would all come together in Ireland to make this show was an unlikely dream somehow come to life.”

“I had this incredible dream that I was in the magical city of Dublin with Bono, The Edge and David Letterman,” said producer Justin Wilkes. “And if it wasn’t for the fact that Morgan beautifully captured it all on film, I still wouldn’t believe it actually happened.”

The film was shot on location in New York and Los Angeles and, of course, in Dublin, Ireland.

Also announced this week, a new album titled “Songs Of Surrender” ― a collection of 40 seminal U2 songs from across the band’s catalog, re-recorded and reimagined for 2023 in sessions spanning the last two years, to be released in full on Friday, March 17. The first track to be made available from this brand new set of recordings is the anthemic “Pride (In The Name Of Love),” listen here. “Songs Of Surrender” is curated and produced by The Edge and sees the band revisit some of the most celebrated songs of their 40-plus year career, including “With Or Without You,” “One,” “Beautiful Day,” “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and “Invisible,” for a musical reimagining resulting in a completely new recording of each track, to include the arrangements and, in some cases, new lyrics.

“Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman” is produced by Imagine Documentaries, Tremolo Productions, and Dave Letterman’s Worldwide Pants. For Imagine Documentaries, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes are executive producers; Séamus Murphy-Mitchell is producer; and Meredith Kaulfers and Mike Sweeney are co-executive producers. For Tremolo, Morgan Neville is director and producer, and Caitrin Roger is executive producer. For Worldwide Pants, Tom Keaney is executive producer, and Mary Barclay is co-executive producer. For Disney Branded Television, Marc Buhaj is vice president, Unscripted and Nonfiction, and Marjon Javadi is vice president, Documentary Films and Docuseries.

(Photo/video credit: Disney+)

#FIRSTLOOK: WHAT TO WATCH – NOVEMBER 2020: “MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION”, “UNSOLVED MYSTERIES”, “THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR”, “HOLIDATE”, “THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT”, THE RIGHT STUFF”, “THE LIFE AHEAD”

We enjoy this time of year as the onslaught of Holiday-theme programs, Horrors and Awards Season contenders start surfacing. Here’s some of our recommendations what to watch right now!

MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION SEASON 3 (NETFLIX)

David Letterman is back in this abbreviated third season of his Talk Show MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION and true to form, he’s unafraid to ask the questions we’ve all been curious about. Robert Downey Jr. discusses his drug addiction; Dave Chappelle opens-up about that time he walked away from the spotlight; Kim Kardashian reveals what it felt like to be robbed in Paris; and Lizzo talks about her rise to fame and being “unapologetic” in an interview taped during the Pandemic. We only wish there were more episodes!

Fun fact, some of our archived Lizzo footage made the cut in her episode and we’re so honoured!

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So honoured some of my footage is featured in DAVID LETTERMAN’S MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION: LIZZO, out now on @NetflixCA! Don’t forget to check it out. Several fascinating subjects like Kim Kardashian, David Chappelle and Robert Downey Jr. this season!

A post shared by Mr. Will Wong 📸 (@mrwillwong) on Oct 27, 2020 at 4:51pm PDT

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES VOLUME 2 (NETFLIX)

As if we weren’t mortified enough by the first Volume, UNSOLVED MYSTERIES already is back with a second set of mysteries waiting to be solved. Among the stories this round are a mother goes missing after visiting a church and her body is found, without any clear leads; a convicted child killer on death row escapes prison and still hasn’t been found; two young children go missing in New York and still to this day have not been found; and the phenomenon of Tsunami ghosts which haunt communities in northeastern Japan after 2011’s catastrophic earthquake. The latter episode was our clear favourite, hitting some real emotional notes and also remaining haunting at once. Shivers.

THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR (NETFLIX)

Following the great success of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, THE HAUNTING OF BLY MANOR is the second entry in The Haunting franchise. Set in the ’80s, a young governess is hired to take care of a man’s nephew and niece at his country home, where she discovers apparitions. We learn too that some ghosts from her past might be haunting her. Victoria Pedretti returns here as Dani, the governess and is phenomenal once again and this fresh-faced Ensemble is fantastic including Oliver Jackson-Cohen, T’Nia Miller, Rahul Kohli and Tahirah Sharif. While the pacing at times suffers a bit and the jump-scares might not be as great as its predecessor, the Series keeps intact that unique tone in the Series’ sentimental mixture of Horror, Romance and Drama.

HOLIDATE (NETFLIX)

After a chance meeting at the mall, Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) both equally hate Christmas and together in their bond, these singles who are over putting-up with judgment, vow to be each other’s “Holidates” for every festive occasion in the year ahead. What initially starts off as being in good fun could lead to romance between these two. John Whitesell directs this crude Rom-Com which at once is an Anti-Rom-Com. Definitely some sentiments several of us can relate to with its cynical view of traditional love and we must we’re extra forgiving whenever there’s a Holiday theme involved!

THE RIGHT STUFF (DISNEY+)

Based on the Book by Tom Wolfe and the 1983 film of the same name THE RIGHT STUFF is an eight-episode Series which continues National Geographic’s foray into scripted programming. The Series, which is racy and gritty by Disney standards, introduces us to the “Mercury Seven” as the origins of the United States’ space program in the late ’50s is explored with NASA putting out a search throughout the country for its first set of pilots to lead its first space mission. These pilots and could either day or become immortal. Toronto’s Patrick J. Adams (Suits) gets the Lead Role, unrecognizable as John Glenn in this stylish-looking Series (think Mad Men) which nails all the details of the era including its Soundtrack.

New episodes arrive weekly till November 20, 2020.

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT (NETFLIX)

Based on Walter Tevis‘ Novel of the same name, this seven-episode Mini-Series directed and written by Scott Frank tells the story of a young woman named Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy) who was orphaned at a young age. We witness her youth, where she is played by Isla Johnston and Annabeth Kelly and she is introduced to a life of things a child shouldn’t know about, leading to her subsequent battle with both drugs and alcohol in her adulthood. Through this, her solace is her adopted mother Mrs. Wheatley (Marielle Heller) who supports her drive and ambition, with her excelling at her academics and her passion for chess, which she learns from a janitor (Bill Camp) at the home where she is raised. From this she finds herself at age 22 overcoming all odds, competing with the world’s best and overcoming expectations of her age, past and gender. Taylor-Joy as always is sensational, mastering Beth‘s focused yet world-worn gaze and fully commits, nailing nuances of the time this is set.

THE LIFE AHEAD (NETFLIX)

Sophia Loren makes her return in this adaptation of the Book The Life Before Us, directed and co-written by her son Edoardo Ponti. The Italian film centers on an orphaned 10-year-old boy named Momo (Ibrahima Gueye) who robs Madame Rosa (Loren), a former prostitute and Holocaust survivor who cares of the children of other prostitutes. She then takes him in as he navigates his life hustling on the streets and with her becoming increasingly-ill, he realizes life’s fragility and questions his own direction. With authenticity, we get a painful reminder of what it is like for a child to realize that their loved ones might not be around forever. At the heart of this Drama is the beautiful bond between this unlikely pair, each filling something of a void in each other’s lives. While their relationship often is confrontational, it blossoms and becomes a beautiful thing to watch. In addition to its lightheartedness, brought by newcomer Gueye‘s carefree-ness, the Film explores some heavier territory in Rosa as she confronts triggers which force her to examine her painful past in her own youth. Loren‘s performance feels effortless and fully lived-in, proving she still is at the top of her game.

THE LIFE AHEAD arrives on Netflix Friday, November 13, 2020.

Click on links below to read our Reviews of the following:

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

REBECCA

COME PLAY

MEMORIES OF MURDER

THE SECRETS WE KEEP

BLACKPINK: LIGHT UP THE SKY

TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL

OVER THE MOON

SPONTANEOUS

ONE THE ROCKS

#FIRSTLOOK: JAY-Z ON “MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION”

In what looks already like the best MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION with David Letterman, Jay-Z opens-up about many things we’ve been wanting to know about for a while including his mother’s recent “coming-out” as a lesbian. New clips have surfaced from the interview.

 

Jay-Z on Trump

 

Jay-Z on Blue Ivy

 

Jay-Z on his mother’s “coming out”

 

MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION with Jay-Z streams today, Friday, April 6, 2018.

 

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

#FIRSTLOOK: DAVID LETTERMAN’S “MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION” WITH GEORGE CLOONEY

We’ve missed us some Letterman!

In case you didn’t know, the late night TV legend has a new Series on Netflix called MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION. The second episode features none other than George Clooney and Letterman gets him to open-up about how he met whom would become his wife, Amal!  Other topics include his childhood and rise to fame.

See the Clip:

 

MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION streams Friday, February 9 at 12:01AM PT on Netflix.

 

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)

#VIRAL: JENNIFER LAWRENCE, MARTHA STEWART, JONAH HILL, VINCE VAUGHN & MARTHA STEWART RECITE ROB FORD ON “THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN”

OMG. We’re addicted. Seriously. The amount of publicity Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has brought upon our City is unparalleled. Check-out this hilarious Parody of Ken Burns’ Celebrity/Politician Reading of The Gettysburg Address seen on The Late Show with David Letterman.

You’ll never believe the names they got to recite some of Ford’s most memorable lines. Jennifer Lawrence. Jonah Hill. Martha Stewart. Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Vince Vaughn. Stupendous.

Watch the Parody below:

We must give thanks.

(Photo credit: CBS)