Cosby in Canada
Bill to headline Montreal fest
Bill Cosby has been named as the star attraction at this year’s Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal.
The veteran stand-up will perform two high-profile shows on July 22, three years after he last made an appearance at the international event.
Seinfeld star Jason Alexander will also be attending, headlining the Friday-night gala – one of the big theatre shows that are televised around the world.
Another gala, dubbed the O’Gala, will be dedicated entirely to Irish comics, with festival favourite Tommy Tiernan headlining and Ed Byrne as compere.
The English-language section of Just For Laughs runs from July 13 to 23. Tickets go on sale tomorrow from the official website.
Meanwhile, Cosby has again landed in trouble with black activists by urging residents of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, Louisiana, to ‘cleanse’ themselves from the city's history of crime, violence, drugs and teenage pregnancies.
He told a meeting in the city’s convention centre: ‘You had the highest murder rate, unto each other. You were dealing drugs to each other. You were impregnating our 13-, 12-, 11-year-old children. What kind of a village is that?’
However, some civil rights leaders are upset that Cosby blames the black population for creating its own problems rather that wider society.
Published: 6 Apr 2006
