Maggie Cassella

Maggie Cassella

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.

Biography

Her double degree in Philosophy and Women's Studies lead her at a private boarding school 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

Discography

• "Because I Said So" TM (1989)

External links

• Maggie Cassella's Official Website
• Maggie Cassella's Official MySpace page
• Maggie Cassella at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Cassella, Maggie
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