Celebrities flock to Brantford for good cause

 

Comedic filmmaker and “Silent Bob” himself Kevin Smith took the stage for a live podcast in

Brantford, Ont. as part of a charity sporting event earlier this month.

 

Smith, well known as the screenwriter and director of such films as Clerks, Chasing Amy and the controversial Dogma, assembled a street hockey team that included himself, friends and filmmaking partners to play in a trio of round robin games.

 

Smith et al came to town to participate in the Walter Gretzky Recreational League Tournament, an annual event now in its 11th year and hosted by its namesake, Walter Gretzky, the father of “the Great One,” Wayne Gretzky. The senior Gretzky is an active member of the Brantford and Brant County community, where Wayne was born and spent his early years.

 

The team roster boasted producer and friend Scott Mosier and Smith’s wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, as well as Canadian documentarian Malcolm Ingram, long-time friend Bryan Johnson and adult film star Katie Morgan.

 

Following their second game on Saturday evening, Smith and Mosier hosted a “SModcast” (“Smith-Mosier podcast”) in front of a full audience at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, Brantford’s community theatre. The two filmmakers, with appearances from their fellow teammates, entertained the packed auditorium for over two hours. Ticket proceeds were donated to the Brantford Sports Infrastructure Fund.

 

Upon taking the stage, Smith was greeted by raucous cheers and applause, to which he responded with a jovial, “let’s go take Quebec!”

 

Though the vast majority of the event consisted of Smith and Mosier sitting across from each other and casually chatting, the podcast drew a near-constant stream of laughs from the crowd.

 

The sold-out show was the definition of “blue” material, with topics including a sordid NY Islander Stanley Cup celebration, gay trolls and a poor recounting of the film Jacob’s Ladder.

 

Throughout the show, Smith and his company poked fun at their own lack of practice and physical ability. Speaking of himself and Malcolm Ingram, Smith joked, “there was a moment where you were on your back, and I was on my back, and every person that ever hated us was like, ‘photo op!’”

 

Smith and Mosier have been recording and releasing SModcast on a near-weekly basis since early 2007. This recent episode was the 88th in the archives and given the overly—and humorously—descriptive subtitle of “11 Short of 99, The Number of the Great One, Wayne Gretzky, Son of Walter and Phyllis from Brantford, Ontario, Where This Was Recorded Live, Onstage at the Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts, June 6, 2009, eh?”