Maggie Cassella
Encyclopedia
Maggie Cassella is a former lawyer
, stand-up comedian, writer
and American
-Canadian
actress who hosted the Canadian talk show
television series Because I Said So.
in Connecticut teaching philosophy and religion.
Finding private school teaching salary left little after repayment of student loans she went to law school.
After almost ten years as a lawyer and dealing with cases involving people with AIDS , trans issues around marriage and bringing the test case for gay adoption to Connecticut , Maggie quit.
Maggie's comedy was a mix of rants and raves from the start (1989). Obsessed with the fact that she could get an unlimited supply of material from just reading the paper, Maggie settled in on her Because I Said So™ format of sit down comedy tearing through news topics from law, to entertainment, to technology, to religion, and finishing up with the things that just made her mental. She has performed Because I Said So™ for 20 summers in Provincetown, as well as in a whole mess of other places in North America.
Eventually, Maggie landed on a full time job AND the love of her life (now her wife). Nice landing, we know. One of the original on-air talents on STAR!, she parlayed that job into her own talk show called Because I Said So™. (You'll note that funny trademark sign keeps popping up. We're not sure why Maggie bothers. As you may recall, Universal recently released a movie with the same name. Silly rabbits, trademarks are for kids. What?)
BISS, as it was referred to around the station, allowed Maggie to have some fun and interview some big time celebrities. She continues to do those interviews (even though BISS went bust) as a field producer during the Toronto International Film Festival for the syndicated US entertainment show, Extra. Over the years Maggie has had the privilege of interviewing comedy legends such as Phyllis Diller, Bea Arthur, Joan Rivers, and performers such as William H. Macy, Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robert Downey Jr., Laura Linney, Eartha Kitt, k.d. Lang, and too many others to list here.
In the meantime and in between time, Maggie wrote a book and two screenplays with Lea DeLaria (the book got published-hey, one out of three isn’t bad), and has written for various publications and television networks.
Maggie has had a hand in radio since 1996 when she started doing daily bits for two US stations based in New Jersey. She’s been heard in Canada on CBC’s The Current, CFRB, AM640, 104.5 CHUM FM, and eventually landed “The Maggie Cassella Show” a drive home show she hosted from April to August 2007.
Maggie recently completed six episodes of The Vent!, a thirty-minute show she co-created and produced, that focuses on one topic from a variety of angles. (Think social commentary without the finger wag). Her production company - A Sweet Little Production Company - is located in Toronto and she continues to work on developing shows and films.
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, stand-up comedian, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
actress who hosted the Canadian talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
television series Because I Said So.
Biography
Her double degree in Philosophy and Women's Studies lead her at a private boarding schoolBoarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
in Connecticut teaching philosophy and religion.
Finding private school teaching salary left little after repayment of student loans she went to law school.
After almost ten years as a lawyer and dealing with cases involving people with AIDS , trans issues around marriage and bringing the test case for gay adoption to Connecticut , Maggie quit.
Maggie's comedy was a mix of rants and raves from the start (1989). Obsessed with the fact that she could get an unlimited supply of material from just reading the paper, Maggie settled in on her Because I Said So™ format of sit down comedy tearing through news topics from law, to entertainment, to technology, to religion, and finishing up with the things that just made her mental. She has performed Because I Said So™ for 20 summers in Provincetown, as well as in a whole mess of other places in North America.
Eventually, Maggie landed on a full time job AND the love of her life (now her wife). Nice landing, we know. One of the original on-air talents on STAR!, she parlayed that job into her own talk show called Because I Said So™. (You'll note that funny trademark sign keeps popping up. We're not sure why Maggie bothers. As you may recall, Universal recently released a movie with the same name. Silly rabbits, trademarks are for kids. What?)
BISS, as it was referred to around the station, allowed Maggie to have some fun and interview some big time celebrities. She continues to do those interviews (even though BISS went bust) as a field producer during the Toronto International Film Festival for the syndicated US entertainment show, Extra. Over the years Maggie has had the privilege of interviewing comedy legends such as Phyllis Diller, Bea Arthur, Joan Rivers, and performers such as William H. Macy, Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robert Downey Jr., Laura Linney, Eartha Kitt, k.d. Lang, and too many others to list here.
In the meantime and in between time, Maggie wrote a book and two screenplays with Lea DeLaria (the book got published-hey, one out of three isn’t bad), and has written for various publications and television networks.
Maggie has had a hand in radio since 1996 when she started doing daily bits for two US stations based in New Jersey. She’s been heard in Canada on CBC’s The Current, CFRB, AM640, 104.5 CHUM FM, and eventually landed “The Maggie Cassella Show” a drive home show she hosted from April to August 2007.
Maggie recently completed six episodes of The Vent!, a thirty-minute show she co-created and produced, that focuses on one topic from a variety of angles. (Think social commentary without the finger wag). Her production company - A Sweet Little Production Company - is located in Toronto and she continues to work on developing shows and films.
Filmography
| Film | Year |
|---|---|
| Burgeon and Fade | 2007 |
| Do Not Bend | 2007 |
| Roots | 2006 |