By Bebe Vocong
Hotnuts and Popcorn is like a 90’s version of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, with a couple of exceptions: first, it is based in Calgary and thus all of the show’s guests are local talent and celebrities; second, the material is not under the thumb of any censor board or sponsor, so the show is absolutely outrageous, original and hilarious.
With actor Derek Flores as Carson and Eric Amber as sidekick Ed McMahon, it comes as no surprise that the pre-Leno Tonight Show is a favourite of Flores (although the late talk show Thicke of the Night is a very close second.) The show, of course, has a four-piece band called the Last Minute Orchestra featuring three members of local band Interstellar Root Cellar. Another unique element to the show is their ubiquitous technician. Terry the Tech’s candid remarks and brass attitude often brought down the house. Just seeing Terry is worth the price of admission. It is hard to tell if this long-haired, sweats-attired, high-top sporting Bowness resident is part of the act. He gives a Wayne’s World feel to the show. Another aspect of the show is their use of video clips. During the show, the first video clip involved their experience of waiting in line for The Phantom Menace tickets. The second features Flores and Amber goofing off behind Darr Maqbool while he does a weather forecast, causing Maqbool to swear with an intensity shocking to any A-Channel viewer. Finally, as an added twist, that’s not water in their coffee mugs.
“As drunk as I’ve ever been on stage and as silly as I’ve ever looked, I’ve never been as drunk as some of our guests,” reassured Amber.
It’s kind of fitting then that the inspiration for their weekly show came about three or four years ago from a little cart that said “Hotnuts and Popcorn.”
“We thought that would be a great name,” recalled Amber.
“Of course we were on acid, so we thought it had more relevance at the time,” added Flores.
“One of the original ideas was Derek playing this East European guy named Yurgi and he would actually host a telethon, and it sort of developed into the idea of what we’re running with now,” said Amber.
Amber and Flores have known each other for 10 years and have worked together for at least seven, mostly with the Loose Moose Theatre Company. Some may know them from their work in the comedic trio The Three Canadians. Hotnuts and Popcorn evolved not only out of their desire to pay homage to vaudeville, but as a chance to pursue a dream job.
Talking to Flores and Amber, it is apparent they love doing the show, as their routine and jokes seemed effortless and spontaneous. As Flores notes sarcastically, “Every single [show] we do is a pure gem.”
Former guests have included a six-foot-tall Belgian (a local drunken chocolatier) re-enacting a bunny rabbit and handing out chocolate to the audience.
A variety of local talent was jammed into last week’s entertaining hour and half show. The first guest was Henry Burris, a Calgary Stampeder quarterback, followed by the stand-up comedian Marty Hanenberg. Later Carol-Lynn, owner of Polka Dots and Moonbeams, presented a quirky fashion show featuring clothes from her store. The final guest was A-Channel weatherman Darr Maqbool. The musical act for the night was the African band Kojo. The $5 price of admission was a bargain considering the privilege of hearing Maqbool exclaim, “We’re going to get pissed on tonight,” or hearing his sexual innuendos during his chat with the hosts.
This Friday’s show will include guests like Assistant Big Rock Brew Master Jason Leithead, the Dixie group The Johnny Summers Band, and Calgary Sun columnist Rick “The Dinger” Bell. Chances are, having a brew master and “The Dinger” on the same card will provide audiences with yet another memorable show.
Hotnuts and Popcorn runs every Friday at 11:00 pm at Loose Moose Theatre.