Tom Green |
| Written by YH STAFF | |||
| Sunday, 27 September 2009 | |||
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Quirky, zany, and eccentric are words that don't even begin to describe Tom Green. From a hit show on MTV to a short marriage to Drew Barrymore, this is a guy who knows how to break the rules and captivate an audience with his unconventional style.Born in Pembroke, Ontario, Canada, Green has definitely always had a humor all his own. But comedy was preceded, oddly enough, by a rap career. In the early 90's, Green was a part of a rap group called the Keeping it Real Crew which featured DJ EZ Mike of the Dust Brothers. He received offers from rap artists including Bushwick Bill of the Geto Boys and has gone on to perform with Mickey Avalon and Jurassic 5.At Algonquin College, Green hosted a show on the University of Ottawa's campus radio station which was originally a rap music show. He teamed up with friend, Glenn Humplik, and together they hosted The Midnight Caller Show in which listeners would call in to the duo and in turn would be made fun of. Callers usually ended up hanging up, but the show's originality made it an underground hit in the Ottawa area.In 1994, Tom had his own cable access program in Ottawa called The Tom Green Show. This show would later be picked up by Canada's Comedy Network and then MTV in 1999. It is MTV where he gained popularity in America. His format was much like that of a late night talk show where he had guests and bands play, but his zany and outrageous pranks were the clincher for most fans. These pranks involved many unsuspecting people including Tom's parents. From having an X-rated lesbian scene painted on his father's car to bringing a slew of farm animals into his parent' home, Tom was relentless with his stunts. He gave his co-host's office number out on the air and even serenaded and kissed Pierce Brosnan at a press conference.From there, Tom began a film career after gaining such notoriety in the U.S. He had roles in movies including, Road Trip, Charlie's Angels, and Freddy Got Fingered. After gaining this fame, it was more difficult for Tom to target people on the streets for his show. He, then, began ambushing unassuming senior citizens. During one segment an elderly man threatened to beat him up.Green was diagnosed with testicular cancer in March of 2000 and stopped production of the show. He did a one-hour special episode which followed him through his treatment and included graphic footage of the surgical procedure. The special gained wide critical acclaim.In July of 2000, Green became engaged to Drew Barrymore. Barrymore, who had been a fan of Green's show, also asked Green to appear in Charlie's Angels which she produced and starred in. The couple often joked with the media about when and where they were going to wed and even staged a fake wedding on SNL where by the end of the show Barrymore got cold feet. After really marrying in July of 2001, the couple filed for divorce in December '01.Currently you can catch Tom's zany antics and interviews on his nightly live show www.tomgreen.com. The live show is featured on the website along with Tom's home phone number where callers can call in and talk to Tom and his guests.
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From AOL TV
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From ZAP 2 it
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From TooFab
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