Peters Pimps for TO

Comedian Russell Peters, Toronto’s new global ambassador for tourism, says he tells friends they should come here instead of visiting other parts of the country.

“People keep going up to Vancouver and I’m like, `Why? Are you a heroin needle? Why do you need to go there? Why don’t you come to Toronto, the good city in Canada?’”

Hmm I’m pretty sure there’s heroin in Toronto along with enough guns to make Navarone envious.

This is funny:

Asked what he tells would-be tourists they need to see in Toronto, Peters replied, “Besides the CN Tower and the SkyDome (Rogers Centre)? The Eaton Centre. In wintertime you can go ice skating at Nathan Phillips Square. We have Chinatown, Greektown, Little India, Little Italy.”

Peters said he also enjoys the yearly street festival on Yonge St.

Told that city council had cancelled the event last year, Peters didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, good, I didn’t want that anyway.”

Possible explanation of Dane Cook’s success

As the human brain evolved, humans were able to laugh before they could speak, according to a new study.

But here’s the punch line: Laughter and joy are not unique to humans, the study says. Ancestral forms of play and laughter existed in other animals long before humans began cracking up.

“Human laughter has robust roots in our animalian past,” said Jaak Panksepp, a professor of psychobiology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

GTA IV just got even better

Speaking to Shortlist magazine, Ricky Gervais, co-creator of The Office and Extras, has revealed that he will make a cameo appearance as himself in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft auto IV.

Gervais will be found in Liberty City’s comedy club performing a short stand-up routine featuring three minutes of new material plus extracts from his Fame tour.

I need to go change my pants.