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So the name Kunal Nayyar may not be familiar to you, but maybe the name Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali is? Known famously for his portrayal of the an astrophysicist on The Big Bang Theory, Kunal plays Raj with so much Indian charm, it's almost impossible not to relate to him. Kunal is in town with Simon Helburg to MC the Just for Laughs A Tribute to Nerds event on July 29th.

Comprised of comedians Brian Posehn, Mark Little, Chris Hardwick and Sammy J & Randy, the evening should be fun for the hardcore nerds and the slightly nerdy alike.

I was fortunate enough to get the chance to interivew Kunal. You can listen to the interview below.

Listen to The Onomatopoeia Show for more interviews and more coverage of Just for Laughs 2011 every Sunday from 3-4pm. You can follow Robin @cartoongal on twitter or go to her website for old episodes, www.cartoongal.com.

-Robin F

Read by Emily Brass

Produced by Carlo Spiridigliozzi

Stories written by Alina Gotcherian, A.J. Cordeiro, Nikita Smith

In a rare move, 5 professionals instead of the usual 3 will  determine Guy Turcotte’s fate at his psychiatric hearing August 12. The hearing will decide whether the 39-year-old cardiologist who was accused of stabbing his two children to death last February may be released from hospital.

Turcotte was moved from prison to a psychiatric hospital after a jury ruled he was not criminally responsible for his children’s deaths. However, two-thirds of respondents in one public opinion poll disagreed with the jury’s verdict. 

The inflated hearing panel is a result of widespread public interest in the case. Members of the panel have not yet been selected, but will include two lawyers, two psychiatrists, and one social worker.

Turcotte’s psychiatric hearing will likely be open to the public. 

Seeing My Morning Jacket live this summer is a tricky proposition. Equal parts folksy rock band and dirty hippie jam band, the Kentucky-based quintet is currently cutting a trail across the continent as part of the mad summer rush to play epic-length sets to dark, sweaty rooms. Watching a 3-hour set by the band isn't nearly a way to pass the evening; it's a huge time commitment, akin to a musical marathon. You must either be enamoured with this band, or starved to see a good show in order to fully commit to the idea. It is with this understanding that I descended upon a half-empty Metropolis on July 12th to witness one of my favourite American institutions deliver a splendid set, heavy on good ol' fashion frills-free roots rock.

The band, led by Monsters Of Folk member/"dude with a sweet cape collection" Jim James (alias Yim Yames) plowed through a 26-song set, touching heavily upon their last three albums in order to pull out a sequence of songs that ebbed and flowed with ease. The danger with such a set is that if the band tacks on one too many slow numbers then you start losing an audience. The band, however, seemed fully aware of this and made sure to space things out for maximum enjoyment, assuaging fears of a snoozefest by providing a clear mix.

The set started promptly at 9 p.m., with the band kicking into the first two tracks from the recently-released Circuital ("Victory Dance" and the title track), setting the tone for the evening. The entire band impressed me sonically; the sound mix was a perfect balance in-between their signature brand of dreamy rock and the folksy territory they sometimes inhabit, a perfect mix of Creedence Clearwater Revival and My Bloody Valentine.

The dirty white-boy funk of "Honest Man" gave way to Z's "Off The Record", arguably the band's most well-known number, turning the reggae track into an exploration of musical peaks and valleys, almost tripling the studio version's runtime into nine minutes. The band continued to run through their set, playing the title track from 2008's Evil Urges and then sinking into the ethereal "Outta My System", stretching out the song's length with extended solos from both James and guitarist Carl Broemel. Broemel also provided another highlight of the evening with a sweet saxophone solo during the coda to "Dondante", the closing track to 2005's Z. The multi-instrumentalist revealed himself to be the secret weapon of the band, seamlessly switching in-between his regular guitar set-up, the aforementioned sax as well as a steel lap guitar for some numbers, proving himself a vital part of the force of their live sound.

My Morning Jacket's stage presence has also grown remarkably. I had last seen MMJ in a live setting in 2003, when they opened for the Foo Fighters on the One By One tour just before It Still Moves. Back then they all wore their hair long, enjoyed a simple uniform of jeans and plaid as well as had an affinity for slow-moving numbers that crescendoed. The band in the intervening years had grown to understand the need to sometimes speed up, to dress smartly, to explore and to take more chances on their style.

"I Will Sing You Songs", the 19th song of the evening, wrapped up the regular portion of the concert before the band took a well-deserved break and returned to play "Wordless Chorus", the first cut from Z. The throbbing organ stab that served as an intro built up tension as the band exploded into the number. They continued with Circuital stand-out "Holdin On To Black Metal", moving into the nasty slab of dancy rock contained in Evil Urges' "Highly Suspicious" before finishing the night up with "One Big Holiday", crescendoing just before midnight, leaving the crowd full and satisfied, a surefire sign of a positive concert experience.

-Brian H hosts Countdown To Armageddon every Monday from 8-10pm