For the first time in over a year, Jason Hattie will grace the Louis’ stage with his popular mock late night talk show, Talk Show.
The untelevised television show is coming back for one night only, just in time for Christmas break, and the holiday-themed episode will make for a welcome break from final exams.
“Doing a holiday themed show is just so TV,” Hattie said. “Since we’re doing a television show that doesn’t get televised, we think it’s funny to play that kind of thing up.”
Talk Show premiered at Lydia’s Pub in 2009 before soon becoming a regular Monday night event at Louis’. After two years of hosting the show, Hattie found he and his team were starting to burn out.
“We wanted to call it on a high note for everyone,” he said, adding that he does miss the program.
“I’ve missed doing the show since we stopped back in 2011.”
The Dec. 10 show will feature musical guests the Karpinka Brothers, comedian York Underwood and Saskatoon’s own celebrity chef, Andy Tait.
“The segments [Tait’s] done with us in the past have been some of the best things we’ve done and he is a riot. He’s always got something planned out so we let him do his thing,” Hattie said, adding that he has no idea what Tait will cook up for the show.
After the Talk Show cast disbanded, Hattie tried his hand running a game show night at Louis’. Though the game show didn’t catch on as he had hoped and was cancelled shortly after premiering, Hattie remarked that the experience was “a ton of fun.”
Hattie, who hosts a karaoke night on Wednesday evenings at the Fez and fronts German techno band 911 Turbo, also just started up his own dance music record label, Hairdu Records.
“It’s going to have a lot of new talent and new projects as well as a few local staples [including] Ricky Rock, 911 Turbo… and a few acts from across prairies,” Hattie said.
His label will launch in the new year with a compilation called Hairdu Records Speed Dating Mixtape.
Despite his busy schedule, Hattie hasn’t forgotten about his start on the Louis’ stage. He is excited to be returning alongside co-host Jordan McMurtry, who goes by the stage name Paul, and producer Dan Smolinski, an assistant manager at Louis’.
“We’ve toyed with the idea of bringing [Talk Show] back… whether it be regularly or just as a one night thing,” Hattie said. “When Dan and I finally found a date that made sense, it really made me remember how much I love doing” the show.
Talk Show will return on Monday, Dec. 10 at 9 p.m. The show will run until midnight.
“If you’ve never been to the show, it’s a party,” Hattie said. “It’s like if you could go to a party that was a TV show. Like, what else are you going to do on Monday? And what’s so important Tuesday morning you’re going to miss this?”
—
File photo: Margie de Jager