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Carlton Street, Suite 1032, Toronto, ON
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LE NEWSLETTER
October 8, 2009
Thanksgiving weekend ... enjoy the feasting, family and
friends. I know it can be a busy time but try to take some time to tell
those whom you are thankful for, why you're thankful for them. And for
those that challenge us, be thankful for them too! HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL!
I have failed to
mention for the past couple of weeks that I have some new photos in my PHOTO GALLERY from
various events around the Toronto International Film Festival - so check them
out! Be proud of some of our local talent and celebs!
Please take the time to read the moving, shocking and compelling story
of abuse that Tyler Perry confesses and which drew him to the
movie Precious. Just when I thought I couldn't adore
this man any more ....
Need some more friends on Facebook guys - add me on FACEBOOK!!
::HOT EVENTS::
Irie
Food Joint Closing - Sat. October 10th; Harlem Underground Opening
In 2005, Carl Cassell finished building Irie Food Joint. By 2005, he had met so many musicians
and artists and there was this constant need to have live music in the space …
a limitation that he had not foreseen. Harlem was born out of that
need. So, he is returning home to Irie, tweaking it for a while (read:
renos!) and will re-open it as The Harlem Underground. As a
hint of what is to come, check out the patio at Harlem. Says Carl “I am taking
graffiti indoors like it’s never been done before and you will get to leave
your mark.”
So, in order to say ‘goodbye’
officially to Irie Food Joint, which has served us so well over the years, we
ask that you join Carl and the crew on Saturday, October 10th to celebrate all
good times under that roof and all the more to come as Harlem Underground.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10
FAREWELL TO IRIE PARTY
745 QUEEN ST. WEST
The party gets going at 9pm
Music by The Invincible DJ Carl Allen
::TOP STORIES::
Tyler Perry Details His Own Childhood Abuse
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 06, 2009) *Tyler Perry's latest e-mail
message to fans explains his attraction to the film "Precious," which
he is executive producing along with Oprah Winfrey.
The film, which arrives in theatres Nov. 6, tells the story of a 16-year-old
Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a high-school student with nothing working in
her favour. She is pregnant with her father's child—for the second time. She
can't read or write, and her schoolmates tease her for being overweight.
Her home life is ruled by a mother (Mo'Nique) who keeps her imprisoned both
emotionally and physically. Precious's instincts tell her one thing: if she's
ever going to break from the chains of ignorance, she will have to dig deeply
into her own resources.
The film's message struck a chord with Perry, who also had to overcome horrific
obstacles in his childhood. Below is an excerpt from his latest e-mail message.
[Read the entire version here: http://www.tylerperry.com/_Messages/]
I'm tired of holding this in. I don't know what to do with it anymore, so,
I've decided to give some of it away...
Memories at 40: Not long ago, I was asked to speak at an engagement. I
walked in and I was told that they had assigned a person to take care of me
while I was there. She walked up to me, all of 5'2" of her, and asked if I
needed anything. I looked at her and started to sweat. It took me back
thirty-something years to her apartment. I couldn't have been more than 10
years old when I went over to play with her son and Matchbox cars.
She opened the door in skimpy lingerie. There was a man sitting on the
couch, smoking. She told me that her son was in the bedroom. I was there
playing with him about 20 minutes when I heard the man arguing with her. He
said he was leaving and slammed the door. She came into the bedroom and told me
that I had to go home. She told her son to take a bath and she locked him in
the bathroom. I was at the front door trying to get out, when she came in and
laid on the sofa and asked me if I wanted the key. I told her I had to go home as
it was getting dark. She put the key inside of herself and told me to come get
it, pulling me on top of her.
Memories at 40: "What the f*#K are you reading books for?! That's
bull*#*T!"
"You F*#*ing jackass! You got book sense but you ain't got no mothaf*#*en
common sense! You ain't sh*t and ain't never gonna be sh*t!" I heard this
every day of my childhood. As my father would beat and belittle me, he played
all kinds of mind games with me. He knew I loved cookies as a kid, most kids
do. So he would buy them and put them on top of the fridge and when I would eat
them he would beat me mercilessly.
My mother was out one night, as she loved to play bingo, and my father came
home...mad at the world. He was drunk, as he was most of the time. He got the
vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the
skin was coming off my back. To this day, I don't know what would make a person
do something like that to a child. But thank God that in my mind, I left. I
didn't feel it anymore, just like in PRECIOUS. How this girl would leave in her
mind. I learned to use my gift, as it was my imagination that let me
escape. After he was done with his rant he passed out. Since my aunt
lived two doors down, I ran to her. She saw me and was horrified. She loaded
her 357 and went to kill him. Holding a gun to his head, her husband came and
stopped her.
Memories at 40: I got a call not long ago from a friend. He told me that a
man that I knew from church when I was a kid had died and he didn't have any
insurance. His family was trying to reach out to me to see if I would pay for
his funeral. I quickly said no, but I wish I would have said yes.
There is something so powerful to me in burying the man that molested me.
I wish I would have dug the grave myself.
Memories at 40: I was about 8 or 9 years old. I had a crush on a little girl
across the street. She would come over to my house and we'd play. She was about
12 or 13. One day she stopped coming and when I asked her why, she told me that
my father was touching her. I didn't believe her, so I talked her into staying
one night. We were both asleep -- she was in one bed and I was in another. I
opened my eyes to see my father trying to touch her and her pushing him away. I
moved in my bed trying to make him think I was waking up. He looked over at me
and left out of the room. Not long after that, he beat me mercilessly for
something again. Another mind game set up, so I told my mother what he had
done. The blood drained from her face. We left that day. We were at my Aunt's
house and he came there about 1am. Not long after that we were back at home.
Nothing would compare to the random, drunken, violent beatings I would receive
from then until I was 19.
Memories at 40: We would spend the summers in the country, with my father's
adoptive mother. As a kid I was always sick. I had asthma and he hated it. He
hated that I wasn't strong and viral like him. He hated that I couldn't be in
the sawdust, pollen and the raw lumber like him. He hated that I liked to read
and write and draw. He hated that me and my middle sister were darker-skinned
than him. He didn't think he could make a dark baby. He just hated everything
about me I guess. Anyway, I had to go to the doctor every Tuesday to get shots
to control my allergies. When his mother found out she said, "Ain't
nothing wrong with that damn boy...he just got germs on him. Stop wasting all
that money." When my mother left to visit some friends I heard what
sounded like water running in a tub but it was sporadic. She came and got me
out of the living room leaving my Matchbox cars on the floor. She said she was
going to kill these germs on me once and for all. She gave me a bath in
ammonia.
Grateful at 40: I was asked recently how I made it through all of this,
(half has not even been told) and my answer to that is...I know for a fact that
there is a GOD. When my father would say or do those things to me, I would hear
this voice inside of me say, "That's not true" or, "Don't
believe that" or, "You're going to make it through this". I
didn't know at the time what "it" was, but today I surely have no
doubt that "it" was GOD. That voice always gave me comfort. It
allowed me to hold on. It kept me from being strung out on drugs, from dying
when I wanted to commit suicide. It kept me from being a gang banger or drug
dealer. Worse than all of those things put together, it kept me from being him.
It brought angels to comfort me after every foul, harsh word or every welt on
my legs or back. GOD, only GOD.
Source: www.thestar.com - Ashante Infantry, Pop & Jazz Critic
(October 04, 2009) It may be her tenth album, but Calgary singer/songwriter Jann Arden, who was in Toronto when Free was released last Tuesday, gave its debut the same regard as its predecessors.
"I walked down Yonge St. to HMV and bought three copies," said the performer in an interview at a nearby hotel a few hours later.
"I do every time I have a record come out. And I just leave it in the wrapper with the receipt on it, so I can see which day I bought it.
"It was funny because my credit card was declined ... I used another credit card, but I was like `Ha, sorry.' (The clerk) said `We'll give it to you at cost.' And I said `No, I'll pay the full price. I want everyone to win.'"
The disc is Arden's first collection of original material since sorting out business woes that resulted in the dissolvement of her management company. It was recorded primarily in Nashville, where she collaborated with local writers and pedal guitar, dobro, banjo and mandolin players who contribute to the album's lushness.
Though she said the songs were not borne of any personal heartbreak, Arden, 47, who describes herself as "in between relationships" delivers on the love drama for which she is noted.
"There could be some residual stuff that creeps in," said the wise-cracking entertainer, "because I can be perfectly fine and content, which I certainly am right now, but when I sit down to write I can have every intention of rocking and rolling, next thing you know my pen's going this way and that and I enjoy it, so I don't try and wrestle with it too much."
The singer, who hits Massey Hall on Jan. 27 and 28 with a new band, was a bit peeved by an early review that criticized her for always focusing on coupledom.
"I don't want to recreate myself. I'm happy to have the niche that I have and do what I do. I can't force myself to be Madonna. I think, `Someone's got to do what I do, why not me?'
"I don't know what they expect: a haircut, or you re-invent who you are? And I never will. I will always write about relationships. I don't know what else is pertinent or important.
"What am I supposed to write about: gum, or your purse or `The couch was so nice we sat on it all day?' If you listen to U2 or Coldplay or anything else, I challenge you to tell me that those aren't relationship driven songs – she left him/He left her/ He left him ...
Arden is particularly proud of the ballad "All the Days." "It's kind of, not an obituary – that sounds way too morbid – but it's someone, hopefully it's me, as an old person looking back and reflecting about life. It wasn't perfect, but that the things were most important to me were people and the people that I loved and remembering them.
"It's very simple little things like that that you write down and you just have faith that they can stand on their own and I try not to pick them apart too much. I wanted to be a schoolteacher. I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity in the last two and a half decades to do something like this."
She recalled an encounter with a stranger who wasn't a fan of her music.
"I was having a cup of tea sitting outside at this restaurant. This guy went by me and then he came back. I thought he was going to ask for a buck or something.
"He said `Hey you're that singer ... I hate your music, but you know what? I really like you. You're really cool in interviews and stuff. Okay, have a good day.' And he just flits off.
"But I appreciate that. He actually made my day. `Thank you for making the separation, I can take that.' It would have killed me for him to say `I love your music, but I don't like you.'"
Whip It: Juno Joins The Roller Derby
Source: www.thestar.com - Linda Barnard, Movies Editor
Whip It
(out of 4)
Ellen Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, Marcia Gay Harden and
Andrew Wilson. Directed by Drew Barrymore. 151 minutes. At major theatres. PG
(October 02, 2009) Whip It, Drew
Barrymore's fledgling outing as a director, stars Ellen Page in an engaging,
affirming tale that's more sk8r grl saga than hell-on-wheels ride. Think of it
as Juno laces up and joins the roller derby.
Despite a thin, predictable script courtesy of Shauna Cross's source novel Derby
Girl, there's something very likeable about Whip It and its strong,
sometimes goofily sweet female cast, especially the way they all roll together.
There's also enough down-and-dirty derby action to satisfy and a wide-ranging
rocking soundtrack – which includes Landon Pigg, who makes a
less-than-impressive movie debut as Page's love interest – to keep things
rolling.
Halifax-born Page is adorable as clever and quirky small-town Texan Bliss
Cavendar. She may only be 17, but Bliss knows she wants more out of life than
reliving her mother's faded-past dreams of beauty pageant glory.
In a return to Juno MacGuff territory – minus the pregnancy and some of the
sass – Bliss is a serious, aimless, social misfit who's too smart for her tiny
town. By day, she's in high school and night and weekends she's toiling at the
local barbecue pit, the one with the big pig on the roof.
In between, her mom (Marcia Gay Harden) grooms her for the Miss Bluebell
Pageant, an event Bliss approaches like one making the long walk to the
gallows.
Once she sees some rough-and-ready roller derby gals in action – teams like the
Fight Attendants and the Black Widows – tearing it up in a warehouse in nearby
Austin, Bliss eagerly chooses the track over tiaras.
These tattooed and tough skaters also have their soft side and at the urging of
maternal type Maggie Mayhem (Kristin Wiig), Bliss straps on her Barbie wheels
and learns to skate.
The only thing in Bliss's way is her age (you need to be 21 to sign up) and
getting around her parents. Crafty lies take care of both. Since Bliss is so
darned endearing, we can't fault her for either if it helps her end up as Babe
Ruthless, the newest member of the Hurl Scouts.
The sassy names these high rollers adopt form a running gag in the flick – such
as the hopeful who announces her derby handle is "Jabba the Slut."
Babe Ruthless morphs into an aggressive derby doll who can more than keep up
with teammates Bloody Holly (Zoë Bell), Rosa Sparks (Eve) and the delightfully
vague party maniac, Smashley Simpson (Barrymore).
Meanwhile, Bliss relies on the support of her best friend, Pash (Arrested
Development's Alia Shawkat) and finds romance with a cutie named Oliver
(Pigg).
The Hurl Scouts seem content to be in the league basement, much to the chagrin
of their determined oddball coach Razor (Andrew Wilson, the Wilson brother who
got the acting talent in the family).
That's not the plan for Iron Maven, the top skater with the Holy Rollers, who's
out to give the young upstart Bliss her comeuppance. Casting Juliette Lewis (Natural
Born Killers; Cape Fear) as the just-this-side-of-crazy Maven was
genius. After a three-year hiatus to work on her musical career, it's good to
see the talented Lewis back onscreen, a standout in a sea of strong females.
Whip It does best when it hones in on the skating sisterhood and the
changing, challenging relationship between Bliss and her mother, reminding us
of a universal truth: When an enforcer named Black Eyed Skeez sends you flat on
your ass, get up and skate.
Lady Gaga To Tour Without Kanye West
Source: www.thestar.com - Associated Press
(October 05, 2009) Lady Gaga isn't letting her ill-fated tour with Kanye
West keep her from her fans. A day after her joint tour with the rapper was
cancelled, the pop star said she'll be hitting the road solo. The West and Lady
Gaga tour was supposed to kick off Nov. 10 in Phoenix. Lady Gaga said the two
"mutually decided to cancel the tour." She says West is "going
to take some time off, but I'm not." Gaga says her tour will start in
mid-November. She made the comments before accepting the Rising Star honour at
Billboard's annual Women in Music event Friday. Beyoncé was honoured as
Woman of the Year.
Kanye West And Lady Gaga Tour Cancelled
Source: www.thestar.com
- Nekesa Mumbi Moody, The Associated Press
(October 01, 2009) NEW YORK–Kanye West and
Lady Gaga's highly
anticipated tour is over before it even began.
Just days after announcing dates for an ambitious joint show that was to kick
off next month, the tour was cancelled.
Live Nation announced the news in a brief statement Thursday that did not offer
any explanation. Refunds are available for those who brought tickets for the
tour. It was to kick off Nov. 10 in Phoenix and was scheduled to run through at
least January.
The name of the tour was to be "Fame Kills" – a sentiment West may have
been feeling in recent weeks. The Grammy-winning rapper has endured a firestorm
of negative publicity since he hijacked the award-winning moment of country-pop
sweetheart Taylor Swift at last month's MTV Video Music Awards.
Swift had made history as the first country act to win at the VMAs, and was
giving her acceptance speech after nabbing a trophy for best female video. West
– who has a long history of awards-show meltdowns – grabbed the microphone and
declared that Beyonce's ``Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" was one of the
"best videos of all time."
A crushed Swift did not finish her speech then but did later when Beyonce
brought her back on stage after winning video of the year.
West endured boos from the celebrity crowd that night, and the negative
reaction kept growing – even President Barack Obama was caught calling him a
"jackass" during remarks to reporters that the White House believed
were off-the-record.
An almost tearful West gave one of three apologies for his behaviour during the
premiere of The Jay Leno Show last month. He said that hadn't fully
taken time to grieve for his mother, who died suddenly in November 2007, and
hinted that a break would be coming.
"So many celebrities, they never take the time off," he said. ``I've
never taken the time off to really – you know, just music after music and tour
after tour. I'm just ashamed that my hurt caused someone else's hurt. My dream
of what awards shows are supposed to be, 'cause, and I don't try to justify it
because I was just in the wrong. That's period. But I need to, after this, take
some time off and just analyze how I'm going to make it through the rest of
this life, how I'm going to improve."
But shortly after that, the "Fame Kills" tour – which had been in the
works for months – was announced.
Publicists for both West and Lady Gaga did not immediately return requests for
comment. A representative for Live Nation said there was no further
information.
Lady
Gaga Says Kanye 'Feels So Bad'
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 01, 2009) *Lady
Gaga is the latest to comment on the Kanye West incident with Taylor Swift, saying of her tour partner
that he still regrets interrupting the teen singer's acceptance speech to say
that Beyonce should've won the award.
“It’s funny cuz while it was going on I was thinking, ‘Oh gosh … But I
would say he’s a good guy and everybody makes mistakes, and he feels so f***ing
bad," Speaking to a Las Vegas radio station, Gaga told a Las Vegas radio
station. "He really does, he really feels bad.” She continued: “If you
listen to the radio right now, with the exception of myself, really, and, like,
probably Taylor Swift, Kanye is responsible for everything we’re listening to.
Everyone likes to focus on gossip, but he’s changed music and he’s really
prolific and an incredible person, and I think it’s unfair to judge somebody on
one mistake they’ve made. “He’s really kind of shown me a lot, as a friend,
planning this tour — it’s all about the fans … I felt like that [VMA] moment
really portrayed him in a way that he really isn’t. It was just a random
moment.”
Club
Dilemma: Watch Or Drink?
Source: www.thestar.com - Raju Mudhar
(October 02, 2009) One of the most interesting things about Friday's
Clubland documentary (airing at 8 p.m. on Global's Currents) is
that it manages to both glamourize and demonize this city's embattled
Entertainment District.
Originally screened as part of this year's Hot Docs festival, the cut-for-TV
version makes Toronto look like a fun, hedonistic, Bright Lights, Big City party
that will be appreciated by anybody who's ever had a night out where their life
was saved by a deejay.
It also does a pretty good job of outlining the frustrations of residents in
the King-Spadina neighbourhood, reflected by Toronto Councillor Adam Vaughan's
war on fun.
There are plenty of shots of drunk kids and macho dudes beating each other up
after last call.
As a reporter who has covered the club beat for a long time, I'd say it does a
pretty fair job of summing up most of the issues and mindsets of all of the
players, including the cops, promoters, club kids, visiting 905-ers and high
profile club owners.
But it is limited by focusing only on the downtown core and is already a little
outdated.
And it doesn't provide any answers to the condo vs. clubs, mixed-use conundrum
that has plagued the area for almost a decade – not that I really expected it
to.
It also doesn't consider that beyond the big fight in the city's core, there
are plenty of skirmishes elsewhere, like the growth of the Ossington Ave. club
scene, which I think should be considered an unqualified success, even though
it has sparked a city moratorium on new clubs.
Another new hot spot that has sprung up since the doc was made is Harbord Ave. Toronto Star restaurant
critic Corey Mintz recently reported on a dispute between Deputy Mayor Joe
Pantalone and the Ici Bistro restaurant he opposes at Harbord and Manning.
Pantalone argues that it doesn't fit the area.
Being a homeowner in my mid-30s, as I watched this doc, the famous words of
Danny Glover in Lethal
Weapon kept echoing in my head – "I am too old for this
s---" – and I would undoubtedly be concerned if a big club tried to open
on my block.
But as an entertainment reporter, I wish the doc had tried to find some
mechanism to work toward a peaceful coexistence.
Also unfortunate is the Friday night time slot, since one group of people with
a very vested interest – the clubgoers – will be far too busy pre-drinking to
watch.
The only real constant about clubland is change and, in the time since this doc
was shot over 17 nights two summers ago, one of the key players interviewed,
former New York club kingpin Peter Gatien, has left Circa. There are plenty of
rumours flying that club might not be long for this world.
The next real big change to come in the area will be completion of the Bell
Lightbox, the Toronto International Film Festival's new headquarters and,
fittingly, accompanying condo tower. The project will definitively have a
transformative effect on the area and, in a funny way, could be the lifeline
for the clubs that manage to stick it out for a few more years.
One possible way to alleviate the pressure gasket when all the clubs empty
after the 2 a.m. last call is to extend drinking hours to 4 a.m., like they do
during the film festival, when the celebrities make their annual pit stop in
town.
After all, if late closings are okay for the stars and their fans when they are
visiting, why not for the rest of us who happen to live here?
Raju Mudhar
is a Star entertainment reporter. Email: rmudhar@thestar.ca
Trekking in Nepal
Source: www.thestar.com
- Ben Stubbs, Special To The Star
(October 02, 2009) KATHMANDU, NEPAL–The
Sagamartha National Park in northeastern Nepal is a wonderland of icy peaks, mountain streams, glacial lakes – and more
than 140,000 kilograms of rubbish.
This section of the Himalayas is the gateway to Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Cho
Oyu, which are just a few of the 8,000-metre mountains in this park at the top
of the world. Since 1953, when New Zealand climber Sir Edmund Hillary conquered
Everest, the Sagamartha National Park has gradually been pried open for
tourism.
As our trekking group headed up the Dudh Kosi valley to Gokyo Ri 3,000 metres
above, you could see how tourism was putting the world's most spectacular mountains
under pressure.
Our guide Satish resembled a Nepalese Beatle, with a pudding bowl haircut and a
pair of canary-yellow trekking pants. He was in charge of the 20 porters and
Sherpas (ethnic mountain guides) who accompanied us. We set off from the tin-roofed
hamlet of Lukla, past alpine forests and Buddhist prayer flags clinging to the
rickety bridges that ford the milky river below. Along the four-hour walk, past
grazing mountain goats and peeling golden birch trees, we saw cafés selling
Mars bars and apple pies and riverside resorts offering log fires and hot
showers on demand.
Setting up camp on an abandoned rice paddy under the shadows of the 6,367-metre
Kusum Kanguru, Satish told us the trekking routes have changed dramatically
since he started working as a guide 15 years ago. When he began his work in the
mountains there were only a few modest tea houses.
That first evening of the trek, the temperature fell to minus-10 degrees in the
tents, and there were a few complaints the next morning as aching knees and
hips thawed on the climb to Namche Bazaar at 3,440 metres.
Satish explained the more eco-friendly camping treks like ours may be a little
harder, but they have much less impact on the fragile environment. Kerosene was
used to cook and portable dining and toilet facilities were taken with us in
response to the growing number of tea houses and cafés that strip the area of
its resources. We were still astounded each night as our cooks whipped up
spaghetti bolognese, fried chicken and French toast on demand.
Satish explained that porters and cooks, who would otherwise be unemployed,
have a steady source of income during the trekking season.
As we ascended from the rice fields and rivers of Ghat we climbed more than 600
metres in six hours to Namche Bazaar. Indiana Jones-style bridges swung
in the breeze as teams of yaks and naks (female yaks) lumbered along the
winding path with bells clanging. Along one particularly beautiful switchback
we got our first glimpse of Everest, the snowy dome looking down like a
lighthouse across the sea of fir trees below.
Namche has been a trading post for generations. The town lies in a valley
connecting the Namche pass to Tibet. Today, Tibetans sell Chinese radios and
trekking shoes on grubby tarps on the edge of town, while German bakeries,
tourist hotels and Internet cafés inhabit the cobbled alleys of the settlement.
With a day to acclimatize to the thinning air, we visited the Namche Bazaar
museum, which revealed the evolution of the region. There are now more than
25,000 trekkers in the National Park each year.
Across the top of the valley above Namche we saw the green bins and rubbish
pits introduced in an effort to clean up the area.
The evidence of our passing was minimal as the trails became more deserted.
Trekking through Phortse, Dole and Macherma, the porters cleaned the way like
Hansel and Gretel picking up our crumbs. We wended through the valleys of birch
trees past occasional musk deer and timid Impean pheasants hiding in the grass,
looking like miniature peacocks with iridescent blue, green and black feathers.
After a fresh blanket of snow at Macherma we trekked across frozen streams with
water still trickling beneath. As we climbed to 4,410 metres past Amadablam,
the black earth was strewn with boulders and hardy shrubs, and the prayer flags
on the ridges whipped in the wind.
At our final campsite at 4,700 metres, on the shores of Gokyo Lake, the
evidence of tourism had thinned out to just a few huts burning yak dung. Satish
had a huge grin as our weary group scrapped up the final hill to the look out
at Gokyo Ri. From our 5,475-metre vantage point we could see unobstructed views
of Everest and 360-degree mountain views that fell away to the Nasumbula
glacier and the turquoise Gokyo Lakes that were ringed by bright red juniper
bushes. A group of bandy-legged porters accompanied us up to the lookout and
Satish told me this was what they all live for. "Trekking is my second
wife," he said.
Heading back through the Dudh Kosi valley, the impact of tourism was visible
again. Locally run tea houses, the odd hotel and garbage bin appeared. It
didn't seem like such a big deal. But if the Sherpas and porters of the
Sagamartha National Park are going to continue living this life, the
responsibility really falls on the ordinary tourist to take nothing but
photographs and leave nothing but footprints.
Ben Stubbs is a freelance writer based in Buenos Aires.
::MUSIC NEWS::
AUX: A Quick Scan Of Our Newest Music Station
Source: www.thestar.com
- Bill Brioux, Special To The Star
(October 04, 2009) Being kind of partial to
names that end in `X' I was happy to take The Star's request to graze through
Canada's brand new music channel, AUX. Would it mark the spot on the Canadian TV music scene after a year of
baby steps on the Internet?
Canada's latest music station leapt from lap tops to plasma screens this past
Thursday (on Rogers Cable 107) with a look and vibe that smacked of the `70s,
both in style and spirit.
Now, Canada needs another TV station like the NHL needs another team in
Phoenix. In this tough ad environment, networks are dumping channels, not
adding them.
Still, a back-to-the-music-video-roots station would seem to fill a niche now
that established services like MuchMusic and MTV Canada – both now owned by CTV
– have turned down the music in favour of lifestyle programming.
Stripped down and aggressively low-tech, AUX serves a far less corporate
master. Parent company GlassBox TV, out of Mississauga, operates the similar
Web-powered, youth-oriented Bite TV. Co-CEO Raja Khanna, himself a musician,
declares that AUX will focus first on providing a platform for new and emerging
Canadian artists.
As a 24-hour startup, it faces the same challenge every other TV programmer
faces today – the thirst for original content. The same videos kept popping up
whenever I sampled the station this week. If you can't get enough of the video
for Funki Porcini's "Rocket Soul," with its grainy blend of NASA
spacewalk footage and Kennedy clips, AUX is the station for you.
That clip was typical of several I saw that spoke to kids of the digital age
who somehow dig the crude analog look of parent-era videos. The soupy, Telecine
visuals were the best we could come up in '81, cranking out community cable
videos at places like Etobicoke's long-defunct McLean-Hunter cable TV. That
crude and grainy look seems to be romanticized at AUX as some sort of indie art
form, all experimental, cool and dangerous. To me, it just looks like it was
shot through a nylon stocking with a leg still in it.
Other videos – such as "Flutter" by Bonobo (which some might remember
as the theme to CBC's short-lived jPod) – look trippy, like they were
shot through a lava lamp.
Clearly, the big music companies are taking a wait-and-see attitude with AUX.
What was welcome about the new channel's more obscure and artier video line up
was that it was a Beyoncé-free zone. Viewers aren't force-fed the same dozen
artists; you can watch AUX and not feel like you're being spun.
Upcoming AUX originals showcase the station's serious music-cred ambitions. Longtime
DJ Alan Cross brings ExploreMusic, a gab-go-round in the fashion of
TSN's Off The Record. Music industry players Moe Berg (former Pursuit of
Happiness frontman), George Pettit (Alexisonfire), photographer Ingrid
Johannson, sound engineer Laurence Currie and several others serve as on-air
talent for AUX originals. Breaking these shows first on the Internet lets AUX
open them "out of town," to bring them up to speed for broadcast.
A special now in rotation on AUX offered glimpses of local acts such as K'naan,
Zeus and The Stills live at venues like the Mod Club and the Courthouse. The
iffy lighting, spastic editing and dodgy camerawork are all part of the charm
in an era when anybody with a slick cell phone is a videographer.
Mind you, videos are not the only thing in high rotation at AUX. The same
half-dozen commercials air all the time and are slammed so hard up against
content it is hard to tell where videos end and the commercials begin.
AUX can only hope that their commercial base diversifies as much as it does on
Much, where the new Personal People Meter ratings are showing more people are
watching than was previously thought. That's the kind of sell-out AUX could
embrace.
Eminem Announces K'naan Producing 2 Records On Relapse 2
Source: www.hiphopcanada.com
Eminem
has broken his silence on the highly-anticipated Relapse 2 album and said fans should
expect to hear 50 Cent on the project along with production from Just Blaze.
While not naming any song titles, Slim Shady said his collaboration with the
G-Unit leader features them exchanging eight bars.
"Me and Fif did a couple of records, couple of months ago in Vegas, one
song for my record and another for his," Em revealed in an interview.
"We just wanted to like, I just had an idea to like 'Yo, why don't we do
something we ain't done yet.' And kinda go back and forth, we've kinda done it
on other records but not to the extent of what we're doing on this one...The
way that it's going now, K'Naan has two
[produced] tracks on the record and Just Blaze has four, possibly five...I
definitely feel like I'm in a little different space right now. I don't know,
with the last record, it felt like a lot of it had to do with me being
sober...With Relapse 1 -- a lot of that album, I wanted to rap at fire and do
punchlines." (Shade 45)
CBC Radio Holds On To Top Spot In Toronto, For Now
Source: www.thestar.com
- Greg Quill, Entertainment Columnist
(October 01, 2009) CBC Radio One once again wins bragging rights in the
summer 2009 (July-August) ratings period, topping the Toronto radio pile with a
slightly decreased share of 8.8 per cent of hours tuned by listeners over the
age of 12, down from 10 per cent in the spring.
In second place is perennial favourite, Rogers-owned adult contemporary music
station CHFI-FM (98.1 FM), with an 8.4 per-cent share, down from 9.2 in the
spring ratings period, according to figures released yesterday by the
industry-run BBM audience measurement bureau.
But if there's any chest-thumping to be done, it won't last long.
Sometime in the next two weeks, a new set of figures based on new technology –
portable people meters, or PPMs, which automatically register the stations to
which sample listeners tune in, when and for how long – will radically alter
the radio landscape, and will probably knock Radio One off its perch, broadcast
industry analysts predict.
"With PPMs replacing diary numbers as the trading currency for programmers
and advertisers, offering the best long term stability, certain types of
stations usually suffer," says David Bray, senior vice president of the
Toronto broadcast media advertising company, Hennessy & Bray
Communications.
"Heritage stations generally perform better (than they should) in diary
reporting systems, which rely on the listener's memory. That 'halo' effect
disappears with the passive recording of PPMs.
"CBC Radio One or Two, which get a bit of what I'll call 'aspirational
reporting' in the diary system, may lose that benefit with the PPM
system."
In the ratings report that Bray calls "the end of an era",
CTVglobemedia's CHUM-FM (104.5 FM) continues a seemingly unstoppable downward
trend, posting a 7.8 per-cent share of all-age listeners (down from 8.1 in the
spring), while continuing to dominate the female 25-54 demographic group, with
a 12.8 per-cent share (down from 15.1). In that important demographic, CHFI-FM
is in second place, with 10.6 per-cent share (down from 13).
CHUM-FM also holds the top position for females 18-34, delivering a 15.6 per
cent share (down from 17.7).
For male listeners, Corus Radio's classic rock station Q107 is once again on
top in Toronto, with a 12 per-cent share of the 25-54 age group (down from
13.4). Corus's The Edge (102.1 FM) retains its lead with males 18-34, turning
in a 14.4 per-cent share (down from 18.3).
Also noteworthy is an improvement in the performance of Astral Media-owned
Virgin Radio (99.9 FM), up to 5.5 per cent from 4.4 in the share of all-age listeners,
with an increased share, 8.6 per cent, of female listeners aged 25-55. Those
numbers are considerably higher than former champ, Astral-owned CJEZ-FM's (97.3
FM) 5.1 per-cent share of all-age listeners and 7.8 per-cent share of females
25-54.
Building A Home For Jazz In T.O.
Source: www.thestar.com
- Ashante Infantry, Pop & Jazz Critic
(October 01, 2009) After 48 years of
marriage, Ray and Rochelle Koskie's current undertaking may be their most
ambitious: spearheading the construction of a permanent home for jazz in
Toronto.
The Jazz Performance and Education Centre, which was incorporated last year and
attained charitable status this spring, aims to replicate New York's Jazz at
Lincoln Centre to "inspire and grow audiences for jazz music" in
Canada.
Plans call for a 9,000-square-foot space that can accommodate a performance
hall, recording studio, classrooms, archives and restaurant.
It's a pricey proposition that takes its first major step Thursday with a
$250-per-person musical tribute at the Glenn Gould Theatre for Lincoln
Alexander, Ontario's former lieutenant governor and the group's honorary
co-chair with Ontario Chief Justice Warren K. Winkler.
Former elementary schoolteacher and set designer Rochelle and former pension
lawyer-turned-consultant Ray are lifelong jazz fans. They're working with a
well-connected board of directors that includes former Montreal Bistro owner
Lothar Lang and Jim Galloway, artistic director of the TD Canada Trust Toronto
Jazz Festival.
Thanks to the reach of the centre's board, tickets have sold well for the
tribute, which features an all-star band assembled by trombonist/musical
director Russ Little, with guest trumpeter Guido Basso, pianist Joe Sealy and
singer Molly Johnson.
The organization's long-term viability is not assured in a city that hasn't
been good to the genre in recent years, evidenced by the closure of three
marquee jazz clubs; the inability of giants like Sonny Rollins and Ornette
Coleman to sell out concerts this year; and the funding challenges of the
similarly focused (minus the building goal) Art of Jazz.
Can a high-priced gala at the 337-seat Glenn Gould Theatre kick-start the
cultural embrace required to support a permanent jazz institution?
"We know we have to expose the younger generations to jazz in its many
different forms," said Ray, 71, pointing to the centre's reasonably priced
concert series. It begins next month at the Bluma Appel Theatre with Montreal
pianist Oliver Jones. A children's jazz music program also launches at Casa
Loma next spring.
The centre boosters believe a one-stop destination is key.
"Some people say, `All we want is just a club,' but we figure that in
Toronto, having a private not-for-profit jazz club doesn't work," said
Rochelle, 69. "The opera, ballet ... everyone else has a home, but there's
no meeting place to converse about jazz. We graduate 400 jazz musicians every
year in Ontario. Where do they go? Where is the hub?"
Music Helps Rexdale Youth Band Together To Heal A Community
Source: www.swaymag.ca - BY: Lisa Sterling
(Fall issue) Street violence, gangs and guns have plagued Toronto's black
community, resulting in the
tragic deaths of young men and women, now only remembered as victims of
circumstance. One of the most high-profile incidents of gun violence resulted
in the death of Amon Beckles, 18, shot dead on the steps of Toronto West
Seventh Day Adventist Church while attending the funeral of a young man. In a
response to the neighbourhood's criminal element and intimidation faced by
congregation members, the church, in association with the African Canadian
Christian Network, created the Rexdale Outreach
Choir (R.O.C.), a
pro-peace, non-sectarian youth group choir for people between the ages of 13
and 24.
Paulette Lewis, chair of the project, explains the motivation behind R.O.C.'s
creation: "So many negative images arise when people hear ‘Rexdale.'?
R.O.C. gives youth an opportunity to both give back to and promote their
neighbourhood in a positive light."
Only two years out, R.O.C. already boasts a powerful, 45- member force.
Directed by Vernon Smith and Deon Flash, R.O.C. performs gospel, among other
music genres, at special events, churches, nursing homes and shelters where
audiences often start singing and clapping along. At the R.O.C.'s 2009 summer
showcase, soloist Letesha Byran, 17, was visibly shaken. "It was the Holy
Spirit," she says. "It comes and takes over you, and you feel like a
weight has been lifted off your shoulders. God was moving."
And the dynamic group's talents go beyond music. They also dance and act in
skits that demonstrate excellence regardless of situation or circumstance. In a
skit titled Diamonds in the Rough, R.O.C. members can be heard shouting
statements of self-actualization: "We have hopes and dreams and we're
looking for opportunities. We want to go to college and university; some of us
are in college or university and we're heading in the right direction!"
What's next? ? Choir manager Janice Smith shares her vision enthusiastically:
"Our goal is to ensure that individual R.O.C. members continue to learn
valuable skills that will make them successful, positive contributors to
society, so they can turn around and give back to Rexdale." Then
concludes: "We want the choir to perform on a larger scale too... where we
have the whole world R.O.C.-ing!"
Source: www.thestar.com - Vanessa Lu, Paul Moloney, City Hall Bureau
(October 03, 2009) A decision to restrict parking along Dundas St. W. so streetcars can pass more easily could mean businesses like Lula Lounge will call it quits.
"It's not about picking up and going somewhere else. We started here, it's a one-shot deal," Lula co-owner Jose Ortega said yesterday of city council's move this week.
He opened the Latin- and world-music club in 2002 with partner Jose Nieves.
It's popular but, he says, "it's a money-losing business."
The city plans to remove 71 pay-and-display spots along Dundas St. between Dovercourt Rd. and Lansdowne Ave., and add 51 pay-and-display spaces on side streets. Business owners say the loss of 20 spots means their customers will be competing with permit holders for parking spaces.
Councillor Adam Giambrone, who also chairs the TTC, pushed for these changes and left-turn restrictions to improve traffic flow, especially for the 505 Dundas streetcar.
Ortega worries that regular customers, who come from across the GTA, will simply stay home if they can't find parking in the area.
As it is, he says, some simply park in a no-parking zone on Dundas St. and pay the $30 ticket. But new zones that don't permit standing or stopping will bring bigger fines and even tow trucks.
Ortega plans to try to negotiate for night-time parking at nearby churches or schools.
Giambrone defended the proposal during debate late Thursday, saying most residents favour the restrictions.
"It allows for the vitality of our neighbourhood. We're not taking away parking in any substantial number – 20 spots over 12 blocks," he said. "And at the end of the day, this will move cars faster, which will help commuters. ... I think (it's) a compromise that is more than reasonable."
If it doesn't work, the city could always reverse the decision, he added. It was approved in a 21-8 vote.
Ortega said a reversal could come too late for small businesses that can't risk trying to hang on until then.
"You couldn't print my reaction," Sylvia Draper Fernandez, chair of the Dundas West BIA, said of the decision. BIA members say more spaces than Giambrone suggests – about 100 – are being lost between Lansdowne and Ossington.
"The bakeries are worried that Portuguese workers who go there to get their morning coffees and lunches, if they can't park here, they might go to a strip mall or Tim Hortons," she said.
Businesspeople will meet soon to plan a response.
"Do we just sit back for a year and hope there'll be a political change?" Draper Fernandez wondered. "Or do we keep beating our heads against the wall?"
For Ortega, the next election will come too late. "We can't afford to see what happens."
Spectacular in Pink
Source: www.thestar.com
- Nick Krewen, Special To The Star
(October 01, 2009) Alecia Moore certainly
knows how to make an entrance.
As a shirtless dancer in yellow suspenders began to churn a handle to a
conspicuously placed jack-in-the-box on a ramp about a third of the way down
the Air Canada Centre Wednesday night, the floor of a mini-stage magically
opened and the Philadelphia-born singer and songwriter, otherwise known as Pink, was pulled into the air, a four-metre train
of orange tail feathers transforming her into a flying bird of paradise before
an adoring crowd.
After she landed back on a stage that resembled a carnival funhouse – replete
with mirrors, a couple of slides, a drum set bumper car enclosure and an
eight-piece band that included Toronto's own Kat Lucas on guitar and keyboards
– Pink launched into "Bad Influence" from her latest album Funhouse
and really got the party started.
A handful of costumed dancers accompanied Pink with elaborate choreography, all
the more impressive due to the fact the well-toned singer herself was leading
the pack in a pair of red high heels.
From there she segued into the electrifying rocker "Just Like a
Pill," singing at the top of her lungs along with the 18,000-plus Pink
fanatics who hung and harmonized on her every word.
By then, Pink had the crowd firmly in her grasp, delivering a dazzling
spectacle that was visually impressive, physically dynamic, alternately sassy
and humorous, romantic and ... incredibly steamy in parts.
At one point, Pink writhed around in lingerie on a valentine-red couch, singing
as hands and arms pierced the fabric and caressed her.
This was the only Canadian date of her 117-show Funhouse tour, and Pink mixed
up the set list to perform a trio of acoustic numbers showing her topical
depth, including a stunning version of "I Don't Believe You"
accompanied by guitars, violin and cello, a vocally powerful "Dear Mr.
President," and a celebratory "Trouble."
A tour-de-force rendition of "Please Don't Leave Me," with Pink
baring her heartstrings to piano accompaniment, also brought the house down,
but it was only one of the endless highlights during the two-hour show.
Her appeal is completely understandable and equally beguiling: a scintillating
and intoxicating mix of rock and pop songs that are as thoughtful as they are
rebellious, anthems for those who revel in independence but realize that life
is experienced in shades.
The audience enjoyed a wide spectrum of those shades musically and visually. By
the end of the thrilling encore of "Get the Party Started," it was
clear that everyone was tickled Pink.
Hip
Hop Legend Rakim Finally Returns
Source: Diego Vargas, Cornerstone, diego@cornerstonepromotion.com
(October 05, 2009) *New York, NY -- After months, if not
years of Internet speculation and rumour, the man many call The God MC's
management and label officially confirm that Rakim
Allah will release his long awaited new album The Seventh Seal
on November 17, 2009.
Guest artists include Busta Rhymes,
Jadakiss, Maino, Tracey Horton, IQ, Styles P, and others, including Destiny
Griffin, Rakim's own daughter. The artist's Ra Records shares the imprint in a joint
venture with Tuscan Villa and SMC Recordings and is distributed through
Fontana/Universal Music Group.
Since its release, the album's lead
single "Holy Are You" has won praise from critics and fans alike.
USA Today states:
"The God MC previews his
long-awaited The Seventh Seal with a lyrically adept reminder of how he earned
the name," with Billboard proclaiming "Rakim is in top form, richly
merging self-mythologizing reflections on his legacy with religious
imagery."
His first full album of new material in
almost a decade, The Seventh Seal is Rakim's contemporary observation of the
Hip-Hop culture he helped define.
While staying loyal to his New York
roots, Rakim has created a body of work that encompasses the very best of
regional, underground and mainstream styles that are reformed and delivered
through his intricate lyricism and the seemingly effortless flow for which he
is revered.
He has enlisted a slew of production
talent including Needlz, Nottz, Jake One, Nick Wiz, Ty Fiffe and more on the
album's well-rounded tracks.
"The Seventh Seal is my own
revelation…my way of taking the best of what Hip-Hop has to offer, what we as a
culture and a community have to offer, putting my stamp on it and leading us
forward while constantly respecting what we've already accomplished,"
Rakim says."When you've been blessed with a career like mine, you develop
a deep relationship with the music, and that love is recognized by the true
heads that share it with you. You'll see us keep building as we break through
each Seal ... showing the best of what I can do in many forms, bringing the
energy and having fun, but first I'm laying that foundation and give my
longtime fans the conscious fire they expect."
ABOUT RAKIM ALLAH:
Universally referenced as one of the
Masters of the Microphone and an influence and inspiration to his peers and
followers alike, Rakim first exploded onto the scene with the release of iconic
Eric B. is President in 1986 with long time collaborator Eric B.The single
marked a turning point in the Rap world - raising the bar for future emcees and
revolutionizing the way rhymes are delivered.
Rakim's intricately, intellectual lyrics draw their force from his
worldly experience, inner faith and progressive contemplation, fuelled by a deep
understanding of not just Hip-Hop, but also the Jazz and R&B influences
that have surrounded his family since his youth. Rakim's recordings - including the all-time
classics, Paid In Full, Follow the Leader and The 18th Letter - have sold in
the multi-millions worldwide. Billboard,
Rolling Stone, MTV and a host of others consistently refer to Paid in Full as
"the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time" - a claim often repeated in
audience polls. The Seventh Seal marks the first album under his own imprint,
Ra Records, allowing a true freedom in creative control unparalleled since his
monumental first recordings.
ABOUT SMC RECORDINGS:
Established in March of 2005, SMC
Recordings is home to independent music and artists. Based in San Francisco,
CA, the company's prized accomplishment is its unique philosophy of artist
development, where artists are encouraged to participate with the label from
inception through maintenance of their career. This innovative structure has
garnered industry veterans to join the company and aid in its growth. SMC's range of artist owned label partners
includes national heavyweights like Rakim and Killer Mike along with a staple
of regional acts constantly being developed such as Messy Marv, The Jacka, and
the Town Thizzness brand…SMC is distributed by Fontana, the indie subsidiary of
Universal. It is SMC's humble regional beginnings and loyalty to their artists
and their careers that will guarantee the company to always be on the precipice
of creativity and expansion in the music game.
Reggae Fans Rejoice!: Newest
Edition Of '18 Karat Reggae Series' At Itunes Now
Source: (Top40
Charts/TCOOO)
(October 05, 2009) *New York, NY - The latest album in
the "18 Karat Reggae series" is now available digitally, for reggae
fans who cannot wait for the CD.
Although the official album release is
not until November 17, fans can now download the pre-release on Itunes, Amazon
and other major download sites. The latest instalment in what is a yearly
release of the best reggae out of Jamaica is called "18 Karat Reggae:
Stepping out of Babylon."
It has long been said that reggae is
being dominated by her offspring dancehall. Now the saying is that dancehall
has sold out to hip-hop as artists and producers become more interested in
commercial success than they are in keeping the beautiful reggae genre alive.
The 18 Karat Reggae series shows that
not only is reggae music alive and well, but it is as beautiful as it was in
the 80s and 90s. The series showcase reggae greats such as Beenie Man, Luciano,
Sizzla, Turbulance and Dawn Penn, to name a few; performing on authentic reggae
and dancehall rhythms.
"It is great to see that the effort
is being made to preserve real reggae and dancehall music", said King
Jammy the legendary dancehall producer out of Jamaica. Whether it is live
reggae instruments or digitally produced dancehall beats, listeners will know
that they are listening to real reggae as oppose to some crossover attempt.
The series also features hot newcomers
like Boom Viniyard, Massicker and Jango Fresh. Boom Viniyard's song "Thank
you Jah" is being heralded as song of the year by reggae fans all over the
world. Even though Massicker's appearance on the 18 Karat Reggae series is his
first published recording, he has already been listed in Itunes as a future
reggae superstar among other young stars such as Collie Budz, Damian Marley,
Mavado, Vybz Kartel and Busy Signal.
Reggae superstar Sizzla whose single
"Smoke good marijuana" appeared on the "Axum" album in the
18 Karat reggae series gives full support to the series. "18 Karat Reggae
is for the true reggae / dancehall fans. The fans that do not want their music
watered down", said the top-flight sing-jay. All the albums in the 18
Karat Reggae series are now available for download on Itunes, Amazon and other
major download sites.
Source: www.globeandmail.com - Guy Dixon
(October 02, 2009) When Jimmy
Page, U2's the Edge and Jack White
of the White Stripes met on a mammoth Hollywood sound stage for a summit
meeting on the almighty guitar, there was the likelihood that one would be the
odd man out once the cameras started rolling.
Page and White are, broadly speaking, all about rechanneling roots and Southern
blues through high wattage; and they famously aren't averse to long solos. The
Edge originates from the punk generation's mission to undercut all that: to
sever rock's dependency on mid-tempo blues as its crutch and remove the
pomposity of guitar soloing for the adoring minions in the audience. The Edge's
generation had, by the tail end of the 1980s, been so successful at reducing
the guitar's paramountcy that the new guitar documentary, It Might Get Loud
, would have seemed hopelessly irrelevant back then.
How times change, and yet, how everything circles back.
That's the ultimate story in Davis Guggenheim's documentary, which opened
yesterday, and which tries to create a guitar enthusiast's wet dream, profiling
three guitar greats from successive generations, having them reveal a few
secrets – and their love of certain equipment – and then having the three meet
and play together on giant Stage 16 on the Warner Bros. movie lot.
“Each generation, when it comes – each new band – it's part of their job to
destroy the band that came before them,” Guggenheim said in an interview
earlier this week. “U2 was a rejection of the white-boy blues bands that Led
Zeppelin was. And the White Stripes are a rejection of everything before them,
including highly produced U2 songs.” Jack White, he adds, “wants raw, dirty,
unprecious stuff.”
So, says Guggenheim, “immediately Jack and Jimmy had this connection, which is
roots-blues music. But as time went on, their differences grew.” The
documentary's strength lies in part in how they ultimately find commonality
while emphasizing those differences.
For instance, the Edge's love of effects pedals and gadgetry doesn't push him
outside an orthodox view of what's “real” and what isn't, Guggenheim says.
White explains in the film that he's just as reliant on specific equipment,
notably his old plastic guitars; Page, too, with the distortion pedals that he
used early in his career. The point came home as they were preparing to film
the summit meeting. “On the day before, Jack showed up with his guitar
[technician], with one amp and a couple of guitars. Jimmy's got two or three
amps and maybe 10 guitars. And then the Edge comes, and it's a truck with 15
huge cases,” recalls Guggenheim.
But in the end, he adds, their music – and the film – is less about the
machines and “more about how they need to find a way to get their voices out.”
The doc also visits the musicians in the places that directly nurture their
music. Page is shown in his house outside London, among his record collection,
picking out favourite tracks – which for fans could easily be a documentary in
itself. “I felt like every time I cut something out, I was disappointing 10
million Led Zeppelin fans,” says Guggenheim, who is himself a long-time Page
fan and a closet guitarist.
The Edge was filmed at U2's Dublin office and studio space – known simply as HQ
– by the River Liffey, showing his array of gadgetry. White's solo scenes, shot
at his home outside Nashville, are the most straightforward. Despite his
ambiguous persona, his love of the blues and vintage guitars is as upfront and
raw as his music. “Each of them understood two opposing thoughts: One, that rock
stars depend on a certain kind of mystique, the more mystique the better. At
the same time, a good documentary is successful because you really penetrate
that mystique. And this documentary, in particular, wanted to penetrate that –
to get to know them as songwriters as opposed to rock gods,” says Guggenheim.
“A lot of people think that Jack is the most guarded, and he still presents
these artifices. At the same time, he writes a song on camera [Fly Farm
Blues, available now as a digital single]. And he also really is very
emotionally raw when he says, ‘Am I really allowed to write this music? How do
I do this?' What's nice about it is that each of them opens up in different
ways.”
But from the moment Hollywood producer Thomas Tull originally contacted Guggenheim
to direct the documentary, the emphasis was on making a cohesive film, rather
than a historical record. “You gotta make a good movie first,” Guggenheim says.
Getting Page, the Edge and White to agree to participate wasn't the hard part.
The main problem was scheduling. At the time, Page was rehearsing for Led
Zeppelin's O2 Arena reunion show. U2 was recording its latest record. The White
Stripes were on tour.
In the end, there were no tussles between the three. And no fistfights, as
White jokingly predicted there would be. There's some of the mystique still,
but mostly it's about their shared enthusiasm, Guggenheim says. In one scene,
standing among his record collection, Page plays air guitar to Link Wray's mean
1958 instrumental, Rumble , a classic rock tune based around proto power
chords.
Just consider that for a minute: Jimmy Page playing air guitar. It's a poignant
moment on film, showing the spark that still ignites him. But it's also a
laughable role reversal, given the millions who have air-guitared to Led
Zeppelin. “Who imagined,” says Guggenheim, “that Jimmy Page would do that!”
To Africa And Back: Madagascar Slim Brings The Blues – Today
Source: www.thestar.com
- John Goddard, Staff Reporter
(October 04, 2009) The name "Madagascar Slim" says it all.
By his own admission he is overweight, grew up in the African island nation of
Madagascar and regularly interrupts his driving Malagasy guitar work with
blazing blues solos.
"It's almost unconscious, not like I'm making a real effort," the
guitarist with a bluesman's name says of how he combines African dance rhythms
with American blues progressions.
"It's what comes out of me."
Nowhere are his contrasting styles more generously offered than on Good Life
Good Living, his first CD in 10 years, launched last weekend at Hugh's
Room. Today at 5 p.m., Slim and his band highlight the annual Festival Bana
Y'Afrique with a free show at Metro Hall.
"I think it's the feel," he says of the commonality between genres.
"I'm not technical enough to know if there is a definite link between
Malagasy music and blues, but the feel is there."
Slim grew up as Randriamananjara Radofa. He started playing guitar at 9, a fan
of Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King and a local band called Ny Antsaly.
In 1979, when he was 23, he arrived in Toronto to study accounting, then joined
a French-Canadian folk troupe led by Catherine St.-Cyr, now his wife.
For most of the 1980s he played blues bars. At Chicago's Diner on Queen St. W.,
he jammed regularly with Jeff Healey and Steven C. Barr of Steven C. and the
Red Rockets, but by the mid-1990s he started to feel homesick for the 6/8-time selegy
rhythms of his youth.
On a Canada Council grant, he returned to Madagascar for several months. By the
time he arrived back in Toronto, he was playing island dance music again and
singing in his native tongue.
Slim has since proved endlessly adaptable. OmniSource, his only other CD
with his own band, won a Juno for world music in 2000. He also won Junos with
African Guitar Summit and the folk guitar trio Tri-Continental, including
Lester Quitzau and Bill Bourne.
A German tour is in the works this winter with one of his childhood heroes,
Malagasy guitarist D'Gary, who plays African music in a way that almost sounds
like blues.
Michael Bublé: Pretty, But
Vulnerable
Source: www.globeandmail.com - Marsha Lederman
(October 02, 2009) Vancouver — Sure, Michael
Bublé has sung his share of gloomy standards over the years,
but Crazy Love , his new release, is a first: a thematic album all about
heartbreak and starting over, your classic breakup record.
Emily Blunt, are you listening?
Not to be flip; this is serious stuff for Bublé. He may be a
multimillion-selling adult-contemporary Adonis adored by swooning fans (and
radio programmers) the world over, but he's a person, too. And if you prick
him, he does bleed.
“Love is a very complicated thing.
Breakups are complicated and relationships are complicated,” said Bublé, 34,
during a recent interview in Vancouver that he joked felt more like a therapy
session. “The breakup was tough for me. It was, for me, one of the toughest things
I've dealt with.”
Singer Michael Buble jumps in the air and clicks his heels after winning the
Juno Fan Choice Award in Calgary, April 6, 2008.
“ I think that in every relationship in my life … I was insecure and therefore
controlling – you know, more abusive, not physically, but definitely
emotionally. I think, very basically, I looked in the mirror and I went: You
can be a better dude. ”
The breakup, for those who haven't been following Bublé's personal life in the
tabloids, was with British actor Blunt ( The Devil Wears Prada ), his
long-time girlfriend. Their relationship came to an end last year amid
gossip-rag speculation that Bublé had cheated.
It was a terrible time, Bublé says, but it also led to some introspection and
self-discovery that allowed him to make an album like Crazy Love .
The breakup, says the Burnaby, B.C., native, was “one of the worst things
that's ever happened to me and one of the best things that's ever happened to
me, because it gave me an opportunity to really take a look at myself and to
become a more conscious human being and, I think, to have a chance to like
myself more, and not to allow my insecurity to get in the way of my business or
my art or my personal relationships or even relationships with my family.
“I think that in every relationship in my life … I was insecure and therefore
controlling – you know, more abusive, not physically, but definitely
emotionally. I think, very basically, I looked in the mirror and I went: You
can be a better dude.”
Um, Michael Bublé – insecure? He of the No. 1 singles ( Home , Everything
), the more than 22 million CDs sold ( It's Time , Call Me
Irresponsible ), the Grammy and Juno Awards? What on earth is there to be
insecure about?
“Oh, come on: the way I look, my intelligence, my [sense of] humour.
Everything. I'm a person. Of course I have insecurities. Will this last? One
day, I think I'm brilliant. One day, I think: God, I'm a good entertainer and a
good artist and a great musician. And the next day, I think: God, they're going
to find out … I don't know what I'm doing.”
Bublé is also insecure, he says, about the fact that he can't read sheet music.
That didn't stop him from writing (in a bathtub, by the way) the dramatic
opening to the new album's first track, Cry Me a River (anyone who
caught his last tour may remember it from the opening strains of the live show)
or from writing two songs on the record, including the first single, Haven't
Met You Yet (which debuted at No. 1 on Canada's adult-contemporary radio
charts).
The album – 13 songs, including a bonus track ( Whatever It Takes ,
recorded with Ron Sexsmith) – marks a turning point in Bublé's recording
process. After pleading with producer David Foster to allow him to do so (“He
put his balls on the line for me,” Bublé says), they recorded most of the songs
live, in-studio onto eight tracks. So, for example, on Stardust , which
Bublé sings with the group Naturally 7, the guys all stood around three
microphones – Bublé not even wearing headphones – with the rhythm section a
couple of metres away in the same room. They went through the song three times,
and chose, ultimately, the first take.
No isolated vocals. No endless takes. No tweaking and adjusting.
It was a scary process, Bublé says, and the results, he acknowledges, are not
always perfect: Sometimes the strings are a little flat, or he's a little
pitchy, or something's just a bit off. “But man, it felt good. It just felt
good. And I think now, more and more, I keep believing that flaws are what make
me love the music, you know. When there's such perfection, it just becomes
really sterile.”
Bublé says he will never go back to recording any other way.
He also says he was much more present when performing these songs. He didn't
want to just sound good; he actually forced himself to think about the words,
think about the emotions, and draw on his own experiences to convey the pain
(or joy) of the lyrics. Sometimes it was so difficult, he couldn't get through
the song. He had a particularly tough time recording a cover of End of May
– which ultimately didn't make it onto the album.
“Before the breakups … I don't think I used to concentrate enough when I sang
songs,” says Bublé, who was engaged to a Vancouver actress before dating Blunt.
“I think that I used to try to sound pretty.”
There's no question Bublé looks pretty, and perhaps that has contributed
to his reputation as a womanizer – a reputation he swears is unfounded. At
least these days.
“I can look at myself in the mirror and truly be really okay with myself and I
can't worry about changing the perception and trying to go back and change the
past. I can only worry about making sure that, day by day, if I've given myself
a reputation or I've done things that I'm not proud of, I just make sure that
every day I continue to be the best guy I can be. And that will all go away at
some point.
“I think I've grown up a lot. I think there's a difference between being a
ladies' man and a douche bag.”
These days, Bublé is in a better place. Blunt, with whom he's still in touch,
is engaged (to The Office star John Krasinski), and he says he's happy
for her. He's been dating Argentine actress Luisana Lopilato for about eight
months now, going back and forth between his home in West Vancouver, a new
place he's bought in Los Angeles, and her home in Buenos Aires, but he won't
say much more than that.
“I have a great girl, but I just can't give away my personal life, because
there's so little that I have that's only mine now, that I have to be so
careful. But I'm really happy. Really happy.”
Crazy Love will be released on Friday.
Quebec Student Video A Web Hit
Source: www.thestar.com
- The Canadian Press
(October 01, 2009) A YouTube video of
students at the Université du Québec à Montreal lip-synching the Black Eyed Peas hit
"I Gotta Feeling" is quickly becoming a phenomenon on the web.
The walking, first-person video takes the viewer on a tour of the university's
downtown Montreal campus, snaking through the hallways as students sing and
dance to the hit.
It was No. 11 on the Viral Video Chart as of Wednesday evening, with more than
415,000 views.
Luc-Olivier Cloutier and Marie-Eve Hébert, the students behind the Internet
hit, say it was a tremendous task to coordinate the roughly five-minute video,
which was filmed in just one take.
"We really had to plan everything in advance, starting with the
itinerary," said Cloutier, 22, who was the cameraman.
"We had to write, line by line, who would do what, everything had to be
timed."
Six students worked on the concept for over a month and volunteers were
recruited using Facebook, but they had no idea how many would actually show up
until the day of filming.
A total of 172 students took part in the video, which was filmed in the span of
about two hours.
Local and international media have also taken notice, with CNN interviewing the
creators on Sunday night and an NBC interview in the coming days.
The clip is available on YouTube using the keywords "lip dub" and
"UQAM."
Pianist Minsoo Sohn Left Home To Pursue His Heart's Desire
Source: www.thestar.com - John Terauds, Classical Music Critic
(October 03, 2009) He dreamed of being a
baseball player, but music touched his heart.
Korean born-and-raised Minsoo Sohn is now a classical pianist, but follows every move of the Boston Red
Sox in his adopted hometown.
He may be based in the United States, but he owes much of his recent success to
winning the Canadian Honens International Piano Competition in 2006.
The triennial contest awards a cash prize and sets up ongoing concert and
recital bookings for its laureates over the three-year cycle.
One of those bookings is allowing to Sohn to make his Toronto public debut
tonight at the Glenn Gould Studio. Next week, he's off for his first gig at
Carnegie Hall.
Sohn has a gorgeous album of Liszt piano pieces under his belt and a growing
list of engagements.
But, in conversation during a brief Toronto stop last month, the quiet,
unassuming man dismisses public acclaim. He credits the personal hold music has
on his soul for keeping him company on the long, hard slog from music school to
a professional career.
Although he started piano lessons at age 3, Sohn says that he hadn't devoted
his attention to it until just before high school. "If there's such a
thing as destiny, my path was to be a pianist," he explains.
When Sohn's father was transferred to Seoul, Minsoo enrolled in a conservatory.
"I made lots of musician friends and I began to listen to a lot of
classical music, which touched my heart," the pianist recalls. "It
felt like this was what I was supposed to do."
Sohn listened to as many recordings as he could find, and decided to study with
one of his favourite interpreters at the New England Conservatory of Music.
At age 18, he left Korea, all by himself, to start a new life in Boston.
Like a lot of music students, he hit the competition circuit as soon as his
teachers thought he was ready, to try and stand out from the hundreds of other
dewy-eyed hopefuls.
The self-effacing Sohn plays with spark and authority – and formidable
technique. The judges at the Honens competition noticed.
The 33-year-old is happy his competition days are past. They are hard on the
soul: "You are dealing with someone's feelings and how they're
interpreting music."
For his Toronto recital, Sohn has included Beethoven's difficult Diabelli
Variations, which have been in his repertoire since student days. Also on
the program are Liszt transcriptions of pieces by Mozart, Schubert and Chopin.
The program should give listeners a wide-ranging appreciation of a significant
young talent.
Sohn's upcoming projects include recording J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations,
another set of pieces that has been with him a long time. He speaks enviously
of Bach.
"He didn't travel but was able to compose stars and the universe,"
Sohn says. "Somehow, his music manages to connect with the mind and the heart."
It's a double bond that the pianist tries to share with his listeners.
Just the facts
WHO: Minsoo Sohn
WHERE: Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front St. W.
WHEN: Tonight @ 8 p.m.
TICKETS: $15-$25 @ 416-872-4255 or www.roythomson.com
Sheri Jones-Moffett: A Woman 'Renewed'
Source: www.eurweb.com - By Mona
Austin / mediamindedpro@yahoo.com
(October 06, 2009) *In recording
"Renewed" her first solo CD, gospel singer Sheri Jones-Moffet thought there
are just some things a woman has to do alone.
Jones-Moffet has made her rounds on the mic in numerous groups throughout her
career. Having sang with the late O’Lando Draper and as a long-time member of
her mentor Donald Lawrence’s choir, the acclaimed Tri City Singers, she
has stood in the shadow of gospel greats.
She also enjoyed a sister-brother relationship singing Stellar-award winning
songs as half of the tandem Ted & Sheri, but said this time she needed to
express emotions only a woman could convey.
“I was experiencing some personal things that other women could relate to
(weight, self esteem). I wanted to say to other women that they weren’t alone,”
the Tennessee native said.
Five years ago in New York just after a performance with the now retired
Tri-City Singers, her career came to a screeching halt as she encountered an
unexpected crisis that would test her endurance as both a woman and Christian.
Pregnant with her first child and hundreds of miles from home, Jones-Moffet had
begun having excruciating stomach cramps, but her baby was not due for several
months. She was rushed to the hospital where her daughter, Khadera Zion, now 4
was born pre-maturely at one and a half pounds. Doctors predicted her baby girl
wouldn’t live and if she did she’d have respiratory problems. Today, declares
the thankful mom, “She is perfectly normal.”
That experience gave special significance to the words she would later sing as
the soloist on the popular Tri-City Singers single Encourage Yourself:
“Sometimes you have to encourage yourself. Sometimes you have the speak victory
during the test. As I minister to you, I minister to myself. Life can
hurt you so ‘til you feel there’s nothing left.”
(“A lot of people didn’t know that was me singing,” she recalls about people
not recognizing her voice.)
The work on "Renewed" will have listeners asking where she has been
vs. was that you?
"Renewed" is both her personal trial-to-triumph testimony and
confidence booster set to music, an artistic affirmation that the songstress
has so much more left to give and receive personally and professionally.
Using her authority as the producer, Jones Moffett boldly expands her musical
trajectory beyond the traditional sound with which she is associated (although
there are two slow organ-backed selections to satisfy those who appreciate a
good old fashioned church solo.) The 10 cut album is a smorgasbord of musical
styles and straight up good singing that emphasizes healing and being an
over-comer, like on the New Orleans jazz inspired I Feel Your Spirit, a
tribute to Hurricane Katrina survivors.
Throughout the album, Jones-Moffet’s very memorable voice always bears a twinge
of a quiver that sounds like she’s on the verge of tears or catching the Holy
Ghost, heard especially on the disco-soul driven title cut and the techno funk
infused Wonder, a tribute to her baby girl’s miraculous development. My
personal favourite, Your Grace is an R&B styled ballad that bottom lines
how she got renewed: “Don’t need another cliché when you’ve had to deal with
real pain. I wouldn’t be standing here today, no if not for the grace of
God.” Topped off with a live version of Encourage Yourself, Renewed is
well above average for a first-time producer.
Jones-Moffett credits her success to having a good team and being a pupil of
Donald Lawrence's for over 12 years. (She has been nominated in several
categories on the preliminary Stellar Awards ballot including Best New Artist.)
Fans have been anticipating the release of Renewed for nearly two years. During
this waiting period the artist gave birth to a son, Jamal Reuben Douglas and
said traveling was off limits.
“Creatively I was moving in a different direction due to some unplanned
experiences personally,” she explains as another reason for the delay.
Only she could give voice to the metamorphosis in her life and since EMI gospel
allowed her to take her time, she did.
In the process she lost some weight and gained the fortitude to surmount life's
challenges. Joyfully she tells me she truly feels like a new person.
Renewed bears witness that Sheri Jones-Moffett has a new lease on life and is a
"new" woman in her mind, body and spirit.
"Renewed" is in stores now. Hear cuts from the new album at http://www.myspace.com/sherijonesmoffett.
MUSIC TIDBITS
CoverGirl Presents Queen Latifah’s Ignite yYour Persona
Competition
Source:
www.queenlatifah.com
Calling All MCs, Rappers And Singers With Skills-Here's Your Chance To
Bring Your A Game!! Create a
one-minute video performance that showcases your talent and tell us how you
Ignite Your Persona. You could be handpicked to be the opening act for one of
my upcoming 30 tour dates - plus earn the opportunity to be featured in a
COVERGIRL Queen Collection ad, and snag a record deal with Flavor Unit Records
plus lots more! Show us what you got-Ignite Your Persona now!
T-Boz
Reveals Secret Battle With Brain Tumour
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 05, 2009) *Tionne
"T-Boz" Watkins revealed
that she has been waging a secret battle against a brain tumour that was
diagnosed in 2006. In the Oct. 12
edition of People magazine, the 39-year-old said that she underwent a
seven-hour surgical procedure back in 2006 during which doctors peeled the
tumour from her brain stem by making a cut behind her ear. The divorced single
mother of one said she was battling the tumour earlier this year during filming
of NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice" but didn't want to make it known to
the public. "I didn't want pity. I
was there to help sick children," she told People. T-Boz, who also suffers from the blood
disorder sickle cell anemia, competed on Donald Trump's reality series to raise
funds for the Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia. She said people are "shocked" when
she tells them the news, but added "I won't let you feel sorry for
me."
Steve
Martin Competes For Top Bluegrass Honours
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Joe Edwards, Associated
Press
(October 01,
2009) Nashville, Tenn. — Comedian and banjo picker Steve Martin is competing for an honor at the 20th
annual International Bluegrass Music Awards. Martin has already collected Grammy
and Emmy awards. He said a few days before the show, to air on satellite radio
from Nashville on Thursday night, that he was excited and said winning a
bluegrass award “could be better than an Oscar.” Martin's first music album, The
Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo , has topped the bluegrass chart
this year. Dan Tyminski, a guitarist and singer, and his band had nine
nominations, including entertainer of the year. The duo Dailey & Vincent
has seven nods. Martin is a finalist for six awards.
BBC
To Air Six-Part Jackson Series
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Reuters
(October 01,
2009) London — Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine, who was a member of The
Jackson 5, will appear as a judge on a new BBC talent show Move Like
Michael Jackson , the public broadcaster said on
Thursday. The six-part series will be aired on BBC Three later this year.
“Michael was a superb dancer who inspired people across the world to master his
moves and create their own unique routines,” Jermaine said in a statement.
Executive producer for BBC Entertainment Commissioning, Karl Warner, said the
show wanted to “hear from anyone who's ever been inspired by the Moonwalk, the
‘Smooth Criminal' lean or the crotch grab and find out if they can move like
Michael Jackson.” Mr. Jackson died suddenly of a drug overdose on June 25. He
was 50 years old.
Jay-Z,
Keys Film Video Near Ground Zero
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 02, 2009) *Jay-Z
and Alicia
Keys – without Lil Mama – filmed the music video for their
New York ode "Empire
State of Mind" in spots around Tribeca
and around Ground Zero on Wednesday.
lBefore performing the song at the "MTV Video Music Awards"
last month, Keys told the network how the collaboration for the track on
Jay-Z's "Blueprint 3" album came about. l"Working together on 'Empire State of
Mind' was incredible," Keys said. "I've admired Jay-Z for a long
time. 'Reasonable Doubt' is my all-time favourite album, period, and he's been
on the scene for long time. I always figured that we would do some type of
collaboration, and finally, it came together with this. He reached out to me
and said, 'I have this big New York record. I feel its right for us to do it
together. It has this big Frank Sinatra, take-it-there feeling. I feel like you
could really do something with it.'
l"I went by [the studio], took a listen to it," she continued.
"I really felt the energy of New York all through it. It felt classic, it
felt so good; the piano obviously was in there. I said, 'I love it, so let's do
it.' We communicated a lot during the process. I think we both are really happy
with how it came out."
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys video "Empire State of Mind"
::FILM NEWS::
Tonya Lee Williams Crosses The Border
Source: www.swaymag.ca - BY: Austin Maxwell
(Fall issue) Canadian actress Tonya Lee Williams
— former star of The Young and the Restless and
founder of the Reel World film festival — is back in our nation's public eye with
her new role on the upcoming season of CBC's The Border. In the series,
Williams plays an iron-willed bureaucrat with a mandate to tighten up security
at the US/Canada border. Sway spoke with Williams at her home in Los Angeles.
What's the most interesting thing about your new role in The Border?
I like playing strong, intelligent, educated characters. Seeing black women in
those types of roles helps break down stereotypes. I like it that my character
has to deal with a tough American counterpart, but at the same time brings a
certain “Canadian-ness” of being reasonable to the scenes. Unfortunately, my
character is based in Washington, so there are no plans to do any shooting in
Toronto.
You spoke about breaking stereotypes — what differences do you see between
the Canadian and American television industries?
“In Canada, people of colour have more viable options onscreen, whereas in the
US, they're mostly still in stereotyped roles. The Border, for instance, is a
multiracial production and being Canadian, this isn't unusual. Although there
are more opportunities for black actors in the US, it's primarily because of
the size of the market. It's still a problem that most of those roles are
supportive of stereotypes. It's something you have to take into account as a
working actor.
What are some of the challenges specific to black actors in the
entertainment industry?
In the US, black males are still gangsters and Asians are still behind the
counter at convenience stores. It still takes a lot to get acceptance for a
role of a multi-dimensional black character. I'm very thankful for the
opportunities that I've had — I don't think I would have had as easy a time
breaking into the industry if I had started off in America then. I know racism
isn't any less [of a problem] in Canada, but it's expressed differently. In the
US, it's segregated, therefore, more visible and present. When I come to
Toronto, it's unusual if I don't see a biracial couple or multiracial kids
hanging out together. In the US, it's unusual if you see any of that.
You've won an NAACP and Harry Jerome Award. Are you OK with being labelled
as a role model?
If you're a black person who is successful at anything — sports, entertainment,
politics — you don't have a choice in being a role model. With President Obama
in the White House, we are under even more of a microscope than ever. Obama
isn't just the president of the US, he's the black president of the US and is
expected to act as the most visible representative of all black people.
Fortunately, I've never had to bring extra effort to being a role model. It
just happens to fit with the way I live and the way I was brought up — to help
out, be thoughtful, to set an example by doing.
Muhammad Ali,
Through The Eyes Of His Opponents
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Marsha Lederman
(October 7, 2009) Vancouver — Like many
boys growing up in the 1970s, Pete McCormack hungrily followed the career of
the great Muhammad
Ali. He watched him on TV, read about him in The Ring magazine, and
handed in unassigned essays about the boxer to his teachers, complete with
drawings of Ali. “Which is really saying something,” McCormack, a Vancouverite,
jokes. “Because at 10 or 11, I surely wasn't handing anything else in.”
Now 44, McCormack has submitted a grown-up version of those essays: a film that
traces the three-time world heavyweight champion's life and truly stupendous
career, through the eyes of 10 of his opponents.
Facing
Ali (based on the book by The Globe and Mail's Stephen Brunt)
has its Canadian premiere at the Vancouver International Film Festival Thursday
night, but the main event will be at a smaller, private benefit screening in
Vancouver – which Ali himself is scheduled to attend.
“I must say it's kind of a surreal thing, but it'll be great if I can give him
a hug,” says McCormack, who ate, slept and breathed Ali for the two years he
worked on the film (produced in partnership with Muhammad Ali Enterprises), but
has never met him.
McCormack interviewed 10 boxers for the project, including Joe Frazier and
George Foreman, whom he felt had a significant impact on Ali.
The result, he says, is the opposite of the post-game, locker-room cliché-fest.
These men are complex, smart, funny and honest. They are pugilist poets, with
colourful descriptions of the fighters they were and the man they faced.
Together, with their words, they bring the life of the 11th man to the screen.
“He can't speak for himself, but we can speak for him,” says Ron Lyle in the
film. (The man who could once float like a butterfly and sting like a bee has
been suffering from Parkinson's disease since the mid-1980s.) McCormack uses
their memories as a sort of reminiscent play-by-play. The boxers describe their
old fights in fine detail, while the archival footage plays on the screen.
Inter-cut are shots of the aging fighters re-enacting some of the moves they
tried out as young men against Ali.
The vintage footage (much of it originally found on YouTube) is exhaustive. It
traces not only Ali's climactic moments in the ring but also his political
story: his conversion to Islam and name change from Cassius Clay, his refusal
to be inducted for army service during the war in Vietnam and his resulting
conviction for draft evasion and suspension from fighting.
And finally the viewer is exposed to Ali's decline, including the sad comeback
attempt against Larry Holmes in 1980. “You knew he was a magic man and yet he
wasn't there,” says McCormack. “It's kind of like when you realize your dad
doesn't have all the answers.”
The film tells the lesser-known stories of these 10 men as well: how they
became boxers; how they came to face the greatest fighter of all time; how they
fared in the ring against him; how that moment, sharing Ali's spotlight, shaped
the rest of their lives.
Lyle, who faced Ali in 1975, was in jail for second-degree murder when he
discovered a talent for boxing. Paroled, he fought as an amateur and later
turned pro, going on to face Ali – and lose. Ken Norton was a struggling single
father, for whom a hot dog represented a gourmet meal. Having the opportunity
to fight Ali, he says, meant food and clothing for his son (Ken Norton Jr., who
grew up to be a linebacker who helped to win three Super Bowls).
There is even some Canadian content. Ali travelled to Toronto in 1966 to fight
George Chuvalo, and Chuvalo is one of the film's highlights. Articulate, honest
and funny, he offers some of the documentary's best commentary.
“Muhammad Ali went to the hospital with bleeding kidneys and me, I went dancing
with my wife,” he recalls about their fight at Maple Leaf Gardens. Chuvalo also
provides the film's most harrowing moments, as he recounts the drug-related
deaths of three of his sons and the suicide of his wife four days after their
second son died.
This film is about fighting, almost more than it is about boxing. Ali is
celebrated for sticking to his principles and refusing to fight in Vietnam (for
which he lost three prime fighting years) and for his position as a role model
for the African-American community.
“He never backed down from saying black people are beautiful. And I think of a
young girl in 1962 … hearing this guy saying ‘You're beautiful and I'm
beautiful,'” says McCormack. “And I really do believe that when he was saying
‘I am the greatest' he was saying ‘we are the greatest.'”
Ali, 67, continues to fight for causes he believes in, these days by raising
money as opposed to speaking out. Tomorrow's $3,000-a-ticket fundraiser will
benefit Kentucky's Muhammad Ali Center, an educational centre dedicated to his
ideals of peace and tolerance.
McCormack will be there to meet his childhood hero – a thrilling prospect
especially after making this film.
“I feel like I've been having an affair with him for the last two years.”
Coco. Not
Source: www.thestar.com - Richard Ouzounian, Entertainment Reporter
(October 02, 2009) The French gamine who
charmed the entire world as a wide-eyed waitress in the 2001 movie Amélie,
is poised to do the same as a sad-eyed designer in Anne Fontaine's new film, Coco avant
Chanel.
Audrey Tautou is on the phone from Montreal sounding neither like an innocent angel
or a world-weary sophisticate, a reassuring message for those who like to think
that a real actor portrays other people instead of just recycling themselves.
"I was asked a few times before this to play Chanel," she admits,
"and I guess it's because physically we have a little family resemblance.
We have dark eyes and a slim silhouette."
And it's true that there are moments in the movie when Tautou looks like she
could have stepped out of an album of photographs taken of the French couturier
whose emphasis on simplicity as the basis of all style revolutionized the
fashion industry in the 20th century.
"But there are more similarities than just our looks," Tautou chimes
in, almost anticipating the next question. "People who really know me are
aware that I can be as strong-minded as Chanel and that is truly the way in
which we are the closest."
Anyone doubting that can remember that as soon as Tautou became a world-class
celebrity from Amélie, she didn't stay around to bask in the klieg-lit
glory of it all but fled to the jungles of Indonesia to assist at a sanctuary
devoted to an endangered species of monkeys.
"I'm a bit more experienced now," she suggests carefully when asked
if she might repeat a similar strategy after Coco avant Chanel has
finished its world premieres, "and I no longer feel the need to
escape."
Tautou has enjoyed a rich and varied film career in France, but other than Amélie
and Coco avant Chanel, English language moviegoers only know her from
her quirky performance in Dirty Pretty Things and her
fade-into-the-background romantic lead in The Da Vinci Code.
"I would love to experience another American movie," she offers
tentatively, "but I'm not working for that. I am more comfortable working
in my own country, in my own language."
Tautou eagerly shares that she enjoyed working with director Anne Fontaine on
the film because "her approach to the character was very clever and
subtle. Neither of us wanted this to be a movie about clothes or fashion. We
wanted it to be about the birth of a woman's soul."
The film gives her two lovers, both based on real people from Chanel's early
life. Étienne Balsan was the older wealthy man who plucked her out of
provincial poverty and gave her a door into the world of society, while Arthur
"Boy" Capel, young and dashing, was the one true love of her life,
who gave her passion.
After he died tragically in 1919, it is said that Chanel never really opened
her heart again, and it is shortly after that when Coco avant Chanel ends.
"There was something very intense, almost chemical between them,"
explains Tautou. "What we call un coup de foudre (a thunderbolt).
It gave me the most wonderful emotions to portray."
But, as always, once the project is finished, Tautou is anxious to distance
herself from the role she has played.
"For years I kept telling people I was not truly like Amélie. Now I
suppose I will have to tell them I am not truly like Chanel.
"I may be as strong-minded as she was," Tautou allows, "but I'm
not as confident or as ambitious as she was."
She giggles. "And I don't care about fashion. That's a shocking thing for
the woman who just played Coco Chanel to admit."
Lynn Whitfield Speaks Against Breast
Cancer
Source: www.eurweb.com - By Audrey J. Bernard, Lifestyles/Society Editor
(October 02, 2009) *October is Breast Cancer
Awareness Month and to
help African American women nationwide get as much information about this
horrific disease, the American Cancer Society has hooked up with Novartis
Oncology to sponsor a “Taking Chare of Breast Cancer” initiative.
This is a timely and necessary program that can help African American women
nationwide. Emmy Award-winning actress Lynn Whitfield is the national spokeswoman for the new awareness initiative.
The daughter of a breast cancer survivor, Whitfield is spearheading this new
campaign as a means of broadening awareness of the disease and the importance
of early detection among African American women.
“As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, I felt it was important to work
with Novartis Oncology on this initiative and lend my voice to promote
awareness of breast cancer and the importance of early detection,” stated
Whitfield.
Whitfield kicked off the campaign in New York City on Saturday, September 26,
2009 where she was joined by Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, an organizer of the Breast
Cancer in Women of Color: Living Well to Spite Breast Cancer Conference in
conjunction with The New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Dr. Joseph is a breast cancer surgeon at the Columbia University Medical Center
Comprehensive Breast Center and the medical director of Women at Risk at New
York Presbyterian Hospital.
Breast cancer is a disease that does not discriminate. However, breast
cancer is the most common cancer among African American women, and African
American women are more likely than all other women to die from the disease.
Novartis Oncology is sponsoring “Taking Charge of Breast Cancer” to educate
African American women on the importance of early detection, treatment and ways
to prevent breast cancer from recurring.
“Through the ‘Taking Charge of Breast Cancer’ initiative, we are delivering a
message of hope and empowerment to African American women,” stated
Whitfield. “We encourage them to be more proactive in their lifestyle
choices and in managing their health by getting yearly mammograms, conducting
self-breast exams at regular intervals, eating right and exercising.”
The “Taking Charge of Breast Cancer” resource guide and educational DVD is
designed to educate African American women about the lifestyle choices and
other factors that may increase their risk for breast cancer as well as
resources available for early detection.
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for women in the
United States and it is the most common cancer among African American
women. According to the American Cancer Society, although African
American women are diagnosed with breast cancer less frequently than white
women, African American women die more from the disease due to lack of
screening and diagnosis. In fact, the five-year survival rate of breast
cancer for African American women is 77%, compared to 90% for white women.
Early detection and treatment may help increase a woman’s chance of beating
breast cancer and this is an important message for all women. In addition
to early detection and treatment, women should be aware of certain risk factors
for breast cancer.
These include age, family history, previous breast cancer or recurrence, being
overweight, following a healthy and well-balanced diet and leading a sedentary
lifestyle. For those who are diagnosed with the disease, we encourage
them to seek treatment early, ask questions of their physicians and stay
positive.
Complimentary copies of “Taking Charge of Breast Cancer” DVD and Resource Guide
are available at www.acs.org, courtesy of Novartis Oncology and the American
Cancer Society; or directly through the American Cancer Society at
1-800-227-2345.
The free information can also be obtained by visiting the prevention and early
detection section of the “In My Community” page on the American Cancer Society
website at www.cancer.org.
“As an actress, I believe that my greatest roles are ones that inspire and
uplift,” said Whitfield. “I am therefore wholly committed to my latest
role in the ‘Taking Charge of Breast Cancer’ campaign, as it is a role that can
inspire women and their loved ones to take action and control over their health
and their lives.”
Whitfield is thrilled to be able to raise awareness among women of color about
this life changing disease. “I am honoured to work with Novartis in
support of their efforts to advance this cause as we work to raise awareness,
encourage dialogue and inspire others to do the same.”
About Whitfield
Growing up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Lynn Whitfield first watched the likes of
Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and Bette Davis in
"All About Eve" from her grandmother's lap.
As a budding actress, Whitfield loved classic movies and with child-like
confidence, she could see no reason she could not become an actress and some
day play those same types of roles.
Over the course of nearly three decades, the talent of the little girl who
dreamed of being on the silver screen has taken her to the heights of the
acting profession and earned the respect of the public and her peers.
After gaining attention on the stage as one of the young women of color in
Ntozake Shange's poetic panorama of the black female experience, "For
Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow Is Enuf."
Whitfield began appearing in supporting roles in such films as "Doctor
Detroit" (1982) and "Silverado" (1985).
However, she did not achieve real success until starring in television films
("The George McKenna Story", "Johnnie Mae Gibson: FBI",
both CBS 1986) and miniseries (the acclaimed "The Women of Brewster
Place" ABC 1989).
Whitfield vaulted to international attention in the title role of "The
Josephine Baker Story" (1991), the HBO biopic requiring her to age from 18
to 68 to portray the Follies Bergere star turned Resistance and civil rights
fighter.
In a highly-publicized search that rivalled that of the hunt for Scarlett
O'Hara in "Gone with the Wind," she beat out more than 500 women
considered world-wide for the role and won an Emmy, achieving "the greatest
sense of accomplishment and realization of my vision. It absolutely
called upon everything I thought I could do at that point," she said.
Her triumph as Baker, however, proved both a blessing and a curse as she became
so closely identified with the Jazz Age legend that other opportunities were
slow to come along.
Whitfield had worked as a regular in two ABC series ("Heartbreak" and
"Equal Justice") prior to playing Baker, and the dearth of good
offers encouraged her to return to the small screen opposite Bill Cosby in
"The Cosby Mysteries" (NBC, 1994-95).
Gradually, the parts started coming her way again, and though critical response
to such vehicles as "A Thin Line Between Love and Hate" and
"Gone Fishin'" (both 1996) was tepid, these features increased her
exposure.
Whitfield roared back into the winner's column with "Eve's Bayou"
(1997), her part as head of a prosperous, socially prominent black family in
Louisiana drawing heavily on her blue-blooded Baton Rouge upbringing.
Whitfield returned to a similar milieu as snobby Martha's Vineyard matron
Corinne Coles in the ABC miniseries "The Wedding" (1998), executive
produced by Oprah Winfrey, who had also executive produced the earlier
"The Women of Brewster Place."
More recently, Whitfield joined forces with fellow Louisiana native, Tyler
Perry, who handpicked her for a memorable role the popular screen adaptation of
his play, “Madea’s Family Reunion” (2006).
Whitfield will soon be seen in the upcoming film, “Mama I Want To Sing,”
joining music legend Patti La Belle and outstanding newcomer Ciara, in a
re-make of the off-Broadway play on the life of R&B singer Doris Troy.
The ability to tell stories about such a diverse array of women, along with her
seminal portrait of Josephine Baker, embodies the career Whitfield envisioned
for herself as that little Louisiana princess so many years ago.
Beyond acting, however, Whitfield is venturing into a new role as a producer
and modeling with her teen-aged daughter Grace, herself an aspiring actress and
dancer, with whom she lives in New York City.
Audrey J. Bernard is an established chronicler of Black society and Urban
happenings based in the New York City area.
Will And Jada To Co-Host Nobel Concert
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 01, 2009) *Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith will serve as co-hosts for this year's Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, which will take place on Dec. 11, organizers announced Wednesday The concert, which comes the day after Nobel prizes are given out, will feature performances by Wyclef Jean, Toby Keith, Donna Summer, Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi as well as Amadou & Mariam, a blues and jazz duet from Mali. "The opportunity to recognize the laureate's contributions to the world peace movement will be an awe-inspiring experience," the Smiths said in a joint statement. "We are both humbled and honoured to take part in the Nobel Peace Prize Concert this year." The winner of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize is to be announced in Oslo on Oct. 9. The award is always handed out Dec. 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel's death in 1896.
George Tillman Circles 'Faster'
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 01, 2009) *George Tillman is in final negotiations to helm "Faster," a revenge drama that has Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson attached to star, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Johnson plays an ex-con named Driver who seeks to avenge the death of his brother in a botched heist 15 years earlier. He winds up hunting down those responsible for his brother's death even as he's pursued by several men bent on killing him. Phil Joanou, who worked with Johnson on the football coming-of-age story "Gridiron Gang," had previously signed on to direct but fell off the project. CBS Films and Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group are co-producing the movie, which aims to begin shooting in January. Tillman is best known for helming the military drama "Men of Honor" and the urban breakout "Soul Food." He most recently directed rap biopic "Notorious," which Fox Searchlight released to $37 million in box office earlier this year.
Jamie Foxx Makes A 'Date'
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 02, 2009) *Jamie Foxx joins Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis in the Warner Bros. movie "Due Date," a road-trip comedy from "The Hangover" director Todd Phillips. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the story follows a high-strung father-to-be (Downey) who's forced to hitch a ride with a college slacker (Galifianakis) to make it to the birth on time. Foxx will play Downey's longtime pal who once dated his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and secretly keeps in touch with her. The Oscar winner next stars in the thriller "Law Abiding Citizen" and recently wrapped the romantic comedy "Valentine's Day."
::TV NEWS::
Battle Of The Blades: Faceoff
On Figure Skates
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Gayle MacDonald
(October 05, 2009) From the huffing and puffing Tie Domi
is doing as he skates off the ice at Upper Canada College – and is that a black
eye? – one would think the former Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer had just dropped
the gloves and gone another round with his former NHL nemesis, Bob Probert.
But the person responsible for Domi's fatigue and bruises is nothing but a slip
of a thing – former Olympic figure skater Christine Hough-Sweeney – whom he's
been hoisting and twirling for the past three hours, trying to nail a routine
the pair hope will ensure them a spot in the finals in CBC's brand-new reality show,
Battle
of the Blades. The show debuts Sunday night, with voting episodes to
air Monday nights for seven consecutive weeks.
“Yeah, it's much harder than I thought,” said Domi ruefully of his unfamiliar
turn as a member of a figure-skating pair. “Yesterday, I got a shiner. Our feet
got tangled and we fell. My elbow is killing me, but luckily she fell on me.
The back of her head hit me right here,” he adds, pointing to a tender spot
above his right eye. “Everything's so different – just getting the timing down,
the routine down. When you play hockey, you just chase the puck and bash into
people,” said the long-time Leaf, who, in his career, amassed an amazing 3,515
penalty minutes.
“Luckily, I've had many shiners in my day. I iced the eye pretty good last
night. I didn't want it to get too big. Too purple. How to explain to people,
yes, I have a shiner with figure skates on?” chuckles the bruiser.
Despite Hough's diminutive size, the native of Waterloo, Ont. (who now lives in
Boston with her husband, former Boston Bruin Don Sweeney, and their twin boys)
is not fragile. Hence, her nickname – Tuffy. Hair in pigtails and dressed in
black Lululemon tights and a long-sleeved undershirt, she looks more like a
lissome teenager than a mom with two 10-year-olds. And like Domi, she says it's
been a real education learning how to match her stride to a hockey player's.
“Everything they've been taught is the opposite of what we've been taught. They
skate more bent over their skates, and we are straighter. Their strides are
shorter and choppier so they can get to where they have to go. Ours are
longer,” says the 5-foot-2 skater, who partnered for years with Doug Ladret (a
coach on the show), competing five times at the World Figure Skating
Championships and twice at the Winter Olympics.
The brainchild of veteran sports agent Kevin Albrecht and Olympian
skater/coach/choreographer Sandra Bezic, Battle of the Blades has been
21/2 years in the making. Albrecht says he got the idea after seeing Dancing
With The Stars, reasoning that the combination of hockey players and figure
skaters would produce the same kind of magic as dancers and celebrities –
particularly for a Canadian audience.
The winners get to donate $100,000 to the charity of their choice, and each
week's cast-off team gets $25,000 to direct where they choose.
But as Domi and Hough can attest, the preparation has been no cake walk, with
the teams practising 60 to 100 hours in cold arenas around the country since
the end of August.
Watching the pair rehearse, you can see the challenges. Domi, looking like the
bulldog he's always been in his sweats and Helly Hansen sweatshirt, is careful
with Hough, raising her easily up in the air over his head, and later, slipping
(well, fairly gracefully) through her tiny legs.
Several times, though, he grimaces – once when he accidentally hits his partner
in the chest. It's clearly hard work for a hockey guy used to throwing muscle
around the ice, not a breakable woman. For her part, Hough's a sport – although
the odd look of terror does cross her face when Domi's trying to get the hang
of a one-legged spin with her head a few scant inches from the ice.
Domi says he's gained a new-found respect for the athleticism of figure skaters
– and for the time they put in.
“Our routine is 3 minutes. In hockey, your longest shift is a minute. Halfway
through, you start to get fatigued and the first thing that goes is your
concentration. It's at that point you have to bear down because if your brain
ain't going, you can screw the whole thing up,” says Domi, one of three hockey
players on the show who have opted out of wearing skates with picks for fear of
doing a face plant. “Before this, the closest thing I came to figure skating
was taking my youngest daughter, Avery, to her lessons,” says Domi, laughing.
(He has two other children, and son Max has Type 1 diabetes; his and Hough's money
will go to the Diabetes Hope Foundation.)
Albrecht says most of the skaters, both male and female, are “covered in bumps
and bruises. … I don't think some of the hockey players realized how dangerous
some of it is. We did an off-ice lifting class where Ladret told them about a
horrible accident he had [with Hough] in the eighties. He had her in a high
lift, hit a rut and knew she was going to go down and hit her head. The first
rule is get yourself between the girl and the ice, which he did, and fractured
his skull,” recounts Albrecht. “Doug told that story and the whole room went
silent.
“We also had to give them a class on how-to-grab-a-girl 101. To teach them that
if they're in a situation – and they're going down – to grab the girl anywhere.
It doesn't matter because they've already been grabbed everywhere before. All
the guys were mulling that over when Ken [Daneyko] chimes in, ‘Well, does that
work in reverse too?'“ In addition to the two regular judges, Bezic and
two-time gold medalist Dick Button, the show features weekly guest judges such
as Kristi Yamaguchi and Don Cherry, and is hosted by broadcaster Ron MacLean of
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and Kurt Browning, four-time figure-skating
world champion.
“Every hockey player who watches it might have a smile on their face, but
they'll also think, man I don't think I could do that,” predicts Albrecht.
“When Ken – who won three Stanley cups with the New Jersey Devils – walked into
the Gardens [the show is taped at Maple Leaf Gardens], he said it was the most
nervous he's ever been in his life. You have to have guts to do this.”
Plus, Albrecht hopes Battle of the Blades breaks down some stereotypes.
“I got a letter from a mom in Kingston, thanking whoever created the show. She
has an 11-year-old son who plays hockey and is in a skating club. But he gets
teased for the figure skating. She wrote that as soon as he found out Domi was
figure skating, he felt great about it. I hope that thinking spreads 100-fold
across the country.”
As for Domi, his immediate goal is to simply make it through Round 1. “My
daughter said to me, ‘Dad if you go out first, that's just embarrassing.”
Battle of the Blades premieres tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on CBC-TV.
CBS Producer Pleads Not Guilty In Letterman Plot
Source: www.thestar.com - David Bauder, Associated Press
(October 02, 2009) NEW YORK–A CBS News
employee pleaded not guilty today to trying to blackmail David Letterman for $2 million in a plot that spurred the TV
host to acknowledge sexual relationships with women who worked on his show.
Robert J. "Joe" Halderman, a producer for the true-crime show 48
Hours, entered the plea in a Manhattan court as he was arraigned on one
count of attempted first-degree grand larceny, punishable by five to 15 years
upon conviction. Bail was set at $200,000.
Assistant District Attorney Judy Salwen told the judge Halderman was in debt,
but did not elaborate. "The evidence is compelling,'' she said. "It
shows the defendant is desperate, and he is capable of doing anything.''
The prosecutor said Halderman gave the talk show host a package of materials
that "contained clear, explicit and actual threats that indicate this
defendant (wanted to) destroy the reputation of Mr. Letterman and to submit him
and his family to humiliation and ridicule.''
Halderman, hands cuffed behind his back, stared at the floor during most of the
hearing and said only, "not guilty.''
His lawyer, Gerald Shargel, said Halderman worked at CBS for 27 years and had
no prior criminal record. He described him as an involved father, who coached
soccer, baseball and football for his two children, ages 11 and 18.
"This story is far more complicated than what you heard this
afternoon," Shargel said outside of court, but he would not elaborate.
Halderman was ordered in 2007 to pay his ex-wife $6,800 per month in child and
spousal support until May 2011, when the payments will be reduced to $5,966
until May 2014, according to papers filed in Stamford Superior Court.
He had asked for a reduction to $2,039 per month because his ex-wife, Patty
Montet, was sharing a house in New Canaan with a man. But Montet argued – and
the judge agreed – that her living arrangement was for convenience and not
romantic.
Montet also claimed Halderman was getting $1,500 a month from his live-in
girlfriend, Stephanie Birkitt, who was an assistant to Letterman on the Late
Show and frequently appeared on camera with the host in comedy bits.
Halderman earned about $214,000 in 2007.
"Mr. Halderman claims he is struggling financially, but it is difficult to
see what, other than mismanagement and extravagant spending, is the reason for
this," Montet's attorneys said in the court file. "His is a world of
golf trips, vacations, increasing 401K assets, comprehensive benefits, security
in employment, earnings as an award-winning producer for CBS, and home
ownership.''
Prosecutors say Halderman demanded $2 million last month in exchange for not
releasing information that would ruin Letterman's reputation. Letterman told
his viewers Thursday that the threat concerned sexual liaisons with female
staffers.
The district attorney's office said Halderman left a letter and other material
for Letterman early Sept. 9. He wrote that he needed ``to make a large chunk of
money" by selling Letterman a screenplay treatment – an
entertainment-business term for a synopsis used to pitch a screenplay.
The supposed treatment said Letterman's world would "collapse around
him" when information about his private life was disclosed, leading to
"a ruined reputation" and damaging his professional and family life,
prosecutors said.
The note also mentioned Letterman's "beautiful and loving son,"
prosecutors said.
It was not clear whether the reference was meant as a threat to harm the boy.
Letterman was the victim of a 2005 plot by a former painter at his Montana
ranch to kidnap his nanny and son for a ransom.
After receiving the materials, Letterman immediately contacted his lawyer, who
arranged a meeting with Halderman. At the meeting, Halderman demanded $2
million to keep the material secret, the district attorney's office said.
After the meeting, Letterman and his lawyer contacted the DA's office, and the
investigation began.
In an extraordinary monologue before millions of viewers, the late-night host
admitted that he had sexual relationships with female employees. Letterman said
that "this whole thing has been quite scary," but he mixed in jokes
while outlining what had happened to him.
It was a shock because the 62-year-old Letterman had married longtime girlfriend
Regina Lasko in March. The couple began dating in 1986 and have a son, Harry,
born in November 2003. It was not immediately clear when the relationships to
which Letterman admitted took place, or how long they lasted.
Three weeks ago, Letterman said, he got in his car early in the morning and
found a package with the letter saying, "I know that you do some terrible,
terrible things and that I can prove that you do some terrible things." He
acknowledged the letter contained proof.
He said it was terrifying "because there's something insidious about (it).
Is he standing down there? Is he hiding under the car? Am I going to get a tap
on the shoulder?''
A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that the district
attorney's office set up the undercover sting operation at the swank Jumeirah
Essex House hotel in Manhattan. The official spoke on the condition of
anonymity because the investigation continues.
Detectives were in an adjoining room with recording equipment and surveillance
as Letterman's attorney met with Halderman and discussed terms of the
extortion, the official said.
"At one point he told the attorney that he didn't want to have to work for
the rest of his life, and the number he came up with was $2 million," the
law enforcement official said.
There were two subsequent meetings, with the man given a phoney $2 million
check at the last one. Letterman joked on his show it was like the giant
ceremonial check given to winners of golf tournaments.
He told the audience that he had to testify before a grand jury on Thursday.
"I was worried for myself. I was worried for my family," he said.
"I felt menaced by this, and I had to tell them all of the creepy things
that I had done.''
He said, "The creepy stuff was that I have had sex with women who work for
me on this show. My response to that is yes, I have. Would it be embarrassing
if it were made public? Yes, it would, especially for the women.''
Whether they wanted to make the relationships public was up to them, he said.
"It's been a very bizarre experience," he said. ``I felt like I
needed to protect these people. I need to protect my family. I need to protect
myself. Hope to protect my job.''
CBS said in a statement that "we believe his comments speak for
themselves.''
Letterman won't be taping a show Friday. Friday night's show was taped
Thursday.
Herds Of Fans For Horses And A Heartthrob
Source: www.thestar.com
- Sarah Deveau, Special To The Star
(October 04, 2009) CALGARY–Teen girls across
Canada are eagerly anticipating tonight's season premiere of Heartland, the family drama holding CBC's illustrious
Sunday 7 p.m. slot. This coveted hour was once home to Canada's longest-running
dramatic series The Beachcombers, but Heartland star Graham Wardle isn't going to speculate on whether his show
will have that kind of staying power.
"Everyone's been telling me that it's this sort of classic Canadian time
slot," he says from the show's set in south Calgary, where interior scenes
are shot. "I hope that whatever the show's lifespan is, that it lives up
to its potential."
At just 21 years old, the affable Mission, B.C. native has been busy living up
to his own. Wardle's career has quietly gained momentum since his childhood
start in the business. He starred opposite Meg Ryan and Adam Brody in 2007's In
the Land of Women after years of roles on shows such as The X-Files,
The Sentinel, The Outer Limits and Supernatural. However,
he experienced his first few small-screen successes at a time when his family
didn't even own a TV.
"When I was six or seven my mom decided to take the TV away from us, so I
didn't have TV from six to 17 or so. I was home schooled until Grade 6, and
then went to public school. I was out of the loop of a lot of stuff," he
says, but it didn't kill his appetite for entertainment technology. Wardle
stays in touch with his fans through the show's IloveHeartland.com website, the
CBC show blog, and through Twitter, as he tweets from set. The actors and crew
feel this connectivity the show has cultivated with fans is integral to its
growing audience.
A feel-good family drama parents watch alongside their teen daughters,
Heartland is adapted from an international best-selling series of novels of the
same name. The show, entering its third season, revolves around sisters Amy and
Lou Fleming, who are healing from their mother's death by helping injured and
traumatized horses on their Alberta ranch.
Wardle's boy-band good looks, hazel eyes and aw-shucks personality have proven
irresistible to some girls. He may not be up there with fellow British
Columbian Taylor Kitsch, who has gained a substantial following as Tim Riggins
on Friday Night Lights. But in playing Amy's boyfriend Ty Borden, Wardle
has portrayed a likeable guy fans have connected deeply with.
"We can all relate to him," says Lisa Johnson, a 14-year-old from
Gloucester, England, and avid ILoveHeartland.com poster. "He started off
the series as an obnoxious kid, but we've seen him grow and mature over the
seasons into a kind, caring person. I think Graham portrays this character very
well – he's a very believable actor."
This season will see the couple's relationship deepen as Amy is faced with
overnight stardom from an Internet video of her miraculous work with a horse.
Set in the Rocky Mountain foothills and featuring strongly Western Canadian
storylines, the show has nonetheless captured attention from audiences across
Canada and even the international market. Heartland airs in France,
Germany, Spain, Africa, Australia and South America, among others. It will
crack the American market in the fall of 2010 when it enters U.S. syndication.
Some of that distinctly regional flavour may be one reason the show hasn't
amassed a huge following in Toronto, where cast members have made annual
appearances at the Royal Winter Fair. But in general, Wardle notes the show's
setting shouldn't be an issue.
"It is Canadian, but that's a bonus, because it's really about the story.
You can't bank the show on being all Canadian. It's Canadian, that's awesome,
but I want good stories, and I want good characters. We want to tell good
stories that are current and relevant ... eastern viewers can see a part of
themselves in the storylines, and the western atmosphere is just a nice change
of pace."
Stargate Universe's Date with Destiny
Source: www.thestar.com
- Susan Shaw, Special To The Star
(October 01, 2009) Canadian actor Louis
Ferreira – who may be better known to many television viewers as Justin Louis (Durham
County's Ray Prager) – eyes the crew cut-sporting waiter taking our order
and comments "Nice haircut, soldier." It seems his character is
bleeding over into his real life.
Ferreira's latest role is Colonel Everett Young in Stargate Universe, the latest instalment in the science
fiction Stargate franchise, which sprouted from the1994 movie starring
James Spader and Kurt Russell. Stargate SG-1, starring Richard Dean
Anderson, lasted an amazing 10 seasons, beginning in 1997; the spin-off Stargate:
Atlantis ran five seasons, having just ended earlier this year.
Stargate SG-1 followed a secret military team as they explore the
Stargates, which are basically tunnels through space that connect with each
other, allowing instantaneous travel to other planets. Stargate: Atlantis
moved the show to another galaxy, where a group of military personnel and
scientists discover the secrets of the ancient city and battle alien threats. Stargate
Universe (SGU) moves the franchise in a whole new direction.
The new series, which also stars Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty, Trainspotting)
as Dr. Nicholas Rush, features a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians
who are forced to jump through the Stargate to an unknown destination when
their hidden base comes under attack. They emerge on an ancient spaceship – the
aptly named Destiny – with limited food, water and air, and apparently
very little chance of making it back to Earth.
Ferreira is impressed with the decision of co-creators Brad Wright and Robert
C. Cooper to switch things up with the new show.
"I was a fan of SG-1, and I was a fan of the idea that they wanted
to change the show, or evolve it, maybe would be the right word. It's grittier
and edgier. There is no reason for them to change a format that works, so it's
very ballsy, for lack of a better word, for them to go in a different direction
and get someone like Robert Carlyle to be the lead. I was very impressed with
that execution."
When any television show moves in a new direction, there is always the chance
of alienating old fans. Ferreira doesn't seem too worried about it.
"Hopefully fans of the old series will see it as an evolution and give it
a chance. Fans of shows like the CSIs, Lost and House will
give it a chance because it's a serial drama with the backdrop of space.
Hopefully the two come together and merge into just good television."
Instead of focusing on the alien "threat of the week" idea that
prevailed in much of SG-1 where Earth was often in danger from various
alien species, the new series goes deeper into the individual characters.
The people on board Destiny are worried about their own survival, which
brings much more realism to the show than could be seen in either SG-1
or Atlantis. SGU's darker tone and more serious, character-driven
storylines call to mind comparisons with Battlestar Galactica, a show
which Ferreira says "bridged the gap between the old Stargate and
(serial dramas) and found something completely unique, that has its own
niche." It looks like Stargate Universe might fit nicely into that
niche as well.
Stargate Universe premieres 9 p.m.Friday on Space, followed at 11 p.m. with
a behind-the-scenes look at the show on Innerspace.
Michael Ealy Joins Abc's 'Flashforward'
Source:www.eurweb.com - By Kenya M. Yarbrough (interview by
Audrey Bernard)
(October 05, 2009) *Michael
Ealy has signed on to
join the cast of ABC's time-travel drama "FlashForward," according to
the Hollywood Reporter.
The freshman series follows a team of FBI agents led by Mark Benford (Joseph
Fiennes) dealing with the aftermath of a global event where everyone blacks out
for 2 minutes, 17 seconds. Ealy will play the recurring role of Benford's
nemesis.
The ABC Studios-produced program also stars Courtney B. Vance as Benford's
boss, Stanford Wedeck, Director of the Los Angeles Field Office of the FBI.
Meanwhile, Ealy next appears in Screen
Gems' "Takers," opposite Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Jay
Hernandez, Tip “T.I.” Harris, Chris Brown and Hayden Christensen.
Due Feb. 19, 2010, the plot follows a
notorious group of criminals (Elba, Walker, T.I., Brown, Christensen and Ealy)
who continue to baffle police by pulling off perfectly executed bank robberies.
They are in and out like clockwork, leaving no evidence behind and laying low
in between heists. But when they attempt to pull off one last job with more
money at stake than ever before, the crew may find their plans interrupted by a
hardened detective (Dillon) who is hell-bent on solving the case. Watch the
trailer below:
Late
Nights Ready For Mo'!
Source:www.eurweb.com -
(October 05, 2009) “I'm not competing with nobody. What’s
meant for me, I'm gonna get. What's meant for them, they're gonna get.”-- Mo'Nique
*Queen of Comedy Mo’Nique is going where no African American woman has gone
before – the host desk of a late-night talk show.
“The Mo’Nique Show” premieres tonight on BET with first guest, Mo’s good friend
and fellow comedic actor Steve Harvey. Yes, it's another first for blacks and
black women specifically. But how did it happen?
“The same way that I got called on to
the ‘Apollo’ is the same way that I walked into this talk show,” Mo’Nique said
of the pioneering opportunity. Just as she had received a call from show
producer Suzanne DePasse about hosting “Showtime at the Apollo,” she got a call
from another African American female pioneer for her new show.
“This amazing sister named Loretha Jones, who is now president of programming
at BET called me up and said, ‘I am going to be the new president at BET, and I
would love to be in business with you. Can you come in and talk and have a
meeting?’ I said, ‘Sure.’ When I went in and sat down with her, I immediately
knew that she got it,” she said. “I’ve met with every executive that’s ever
been at BET, but when we walked out of the room with that sister, we knew that
she got it.”
Monique said that it was her husband, who also co-executive produces the show
with her, who came up with the idea for a late-night show for her.
“I actually had three other talk show pilots. The first one I had with Disney.
It was me, Wendy Williams, and they kept switching up the third lady, so we
didn’t know who that was going to be. That didn’t go,” Monique said.
Incidentally, Williams’ Fox talk show is syndicated on BET and will air after
Mo’Nique’s.
“Then I had another talk show deal with Fox at the same time Queen Latifah had
her deal. They took both our shows to the President of Fox at the time and he
said, ‘No one knows Mo’Nique, but we know Queen Latifah.’ I said, ‘Go ahead
Queen, ‘cause it will make it easier for the next one of us coming through.”
Not too long after, Mo’Nique got another talk show deal, this time with
Telepictures. However, a month later, as Mo’ described, Tyra Banks came through
the door.
“I see the shift going to Tyra,” Mo’Nique recalled.
After speaking about the issue with company execs, they finally explained that
they couldn’t “sell” Mo’Nique to the higher ups. And as history has revealed,
Tyra’s show took off.
“But I was happy for Tyra. I said, ‘If you get in there, it’s going to make it
easier for the next one coming in. So this time, there was no pilot. It was me,
my husband, and Loretha Jones. That’s how we came up with ‘The Mo’Nique Show.’”
The comedic star said that she didn’t take any of the failed attempts as a
negative and she said that she completely understood that execs weren’t
confident in her name at that time.
“I wasn’t in a place where I could say, ‘I can't believe he said that nobody
knows me.’ It wasn’t my time for that. When it’s my time, it’s the time for
it,” she said. “I’m appreciative for those experiences. I am appreciative of
Queen and Tyra. They made it so that I didn’t have to do a pilot. I thank those
sisters. I thank Oprah. I thank Whoopi.”
With trailblazers like that, Mo’Nique is pretty confident about taking on any
other talk show competition if she believed in external competition, that is.
“I’m not competing with nobody. What’s meant for me, I’m gonna get. What’s
meant for them, they’re gonna get,” she said of fighting for the 11:00
pm TV audience. “The only person I compete with is me. I want to be the
best Mo’Nique I can be. If I start paying attention to that one and that one
and that one, I stop paying attention to me.”
“The Mo’Nique Show” is an original BET show, executive produced by Mo’, her
husband and Merlin Gill. The show premieres with guests Steve Harvey and
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. This week, Mo’ will welcome the cast of
“Lincoln Heights,” Chris Rock, Hill Harper, and more.
“It’s called ‘The Mo’Nique Show,’ but it’s our show; it’s ours, and it’s going
to take all of us to make it work,” she said.
Mo’Nique also discussed her next big film project and head
turner,"Precious," which showcases her impressive dramatic acting
skills.
She also took the time to clear up what seems to be a misconception about the
film. She told EUR's New York correspondent, Audrey Bernard, that “Precious”
was not conceived and produced in the Tyler Perry/Oprah camp.
“I have not yet had the privilege of working with Tyler, but we’re involved in
this project together,” she said of the film. “People are under the impression
that it is a Tyler Perry film or an Oprah Winfrey film. It’s not. It is a Lee
Daniels film. It is Lee Daniels Production. It is Lee Daniels who directed it.”
“What happened was, the two most powerful black people that we know of – Oprah
Winfrey and Tyler Perry – saw the film and said ‘Let’s come together and put
our name in to say we’re supporting it,’ she continued. “It was just brothers
and sisters coming together, but in reference to the film itself, it is Lee
Daniels’. It was that brother who had the vision to take that book and put that
incredible piece of work on film.”
Mo’Nique’s performance in the film is said to be stellar. So impressed, talk
maven Winfrey herself called Mo’ and asked her what dress she’d be wearing to
the Oscars.
While fans await such a nomination, they can catch Mo’Nique every night at 11
pm Eastern/Pacific (10 pm Central) on BET for “The Mo’Nique Show,” which
promises more than chatter and comedic newcomers.
“Not only will we have new comedians, we’ll have new authors, new designers,
new singers, and new poets. When we go on other shows we have to be so on the
top of it that we have to have exceeded so much. This show is for us. It is for
the singer in Harlem that wouldn’t get a chance unless she’d sold 25 million
copies. I want the sister or brother that wrote that book, but nobody would
give them an opportunity, but it’s the best piece of literature you could pick
up. That’s what this show is. Very grass roots.”
For more information on “The Mo’Nique Show,” visit the BET website at www.bet.com.
Ken Finkleman Set To Make Series For TMN
Source: www.thestar.com - The Canadian Press
(October 05, 2009) Ken Finkleman, creator of the acclaimed CBC series, The Newsroom, is returning with a new show about a neurotic TV star named George. Shaftesbury Films says Finkleman will write and star in Good Dog for The Movie Network and Movie Central. Billed as "a hilarious half-hour tragedy," the series revolves around George, a man with a TV show loosely based on his life. George lives with a gorgeous woman half his age and his friend Doug bears the brunt of George's neuroses. Production is set to begin later this year. Finkleman earned an international Emmy for his work on the satirical late-'90s series, The Newsroom, which featured a self-absorbed, neurotic TV news director named George Findlay.
Sherri Shepherd's Sitcom Teased Tonight
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 05, 2009) *Lifetime will air a sneak peek of Sherri Shepherd's new autobiographical comedy "Sherri," tonight at 7 p.m. before it settles into its regular 10 p.m. Tuesday timeslot beginning Oct. 13. In the show, Shepherd plays a newly single mom, paralegal and part-time comedienne/actress who tries to get back into the dating scene and move on with her life after divorcing her cheating husband. Sherri finds solace and support among her girlfriends at the office while juggling her hectic life. The series co-stars Tammy Townsend ("Lincoln Heights"), Kali Rocha ("Grey’s Anatomy"), Elizabeth Regen ("The Black Donnellys") and Kate Reinders ("Ugly Betty").
::THEATRE NEWS::
Chazz Palminteri Returns Hit Movie To Its Off-Broadway Roots
Source: www.thestar.com
- Richard Ouzounian, Theatre Critic
(October 03, 2009) LAS VEGAS–If you've seen
TV and movie tough guy Chazz Palminteri in any of his dozens of showcases, from Bullets Over Broadway to
The Usual Suspects, you'd probably think he's not afraid of anything.
But even he thought twice before bringing his stage and film hit A Bronx Tale to Sin City, where it's opening at The
Venetian Hotel's Showroom on Oct. 7 for a two-week run. "Everybody says to
me `Things don't work in Vegas. You'll be sorry!' But I say, `Yeah? We'll see, we'll
see, we'll see.'"
That familiar raspy voice that became a fixture in most North American
households during the ad campaign for Vanilla Coke is a bit more muted when it
comes to you across a table in a plush Italian restaurant, but that broad brow,
determined gaze and thick-lipped scowl stay the same.
"I always wanted to do this show here," he says, poking his finger at
me emphatically in true wise-guy fashion. "I know it's good. I know it's
going to work."
This isn't false bravado. Palminteri was a solid, if unknown, TV and film actor
before he sat down in 1988 to change things. "I'll write a one-man
show," he reasoned. "That way they're going to have to notice me. Now
what can I write about?"
Palmenteri went back to his childhood and recalled something that happened when
he was 9 years old in the Bronx and saw a gangland execution happen five feet
away from him, setting into motion a series of events that would shape his
whole young adulthood.
The resulting property wound up as an off-Broadway hit and – after Palminteri
resisted dozens of offers to turn it into a film without him – was made into a
smash 1993 movie by Robert DeNiro.
Then in 2007, Palminteri realized that "there was a whole generation out
there who might have seen the movie, but never knew it was a stage show
first" and so he brought it back to Broadway this time, for a successful
five-month run.
A well-received national tour followed and now it's on to Las Vegas, where
Palminteri thinks he's got the odds beat.
"Hitchcock used to say there were only three things you could do to an
audience: make 'em laugh, make 'em cry and scare 'em. Well, in A Bronx Tale,
I do all three!"
Kate Hennig:
Billy Elliot's new Mrs. Wilkinson
Source: www.thestar.com - Richard Ouzounian
(October 03, 2009) NEW YORK—You could say
that Kate Hennig has been lucky, but once you've spent 10 minutes in the presence of
this brisk, bright woman, you'll quickly realize that luck has had nothing to
do with all the success she's known in her career.
This Tuesday night on Broadway, the Ontario-based Hennig takes over the leading
role of dancing teacher Mrs.Wilkinson in the smash Tony Award-winning musical Billy
Elliot.
While it may seem that chance played a part in this latest big break, Hennig is
a prime example of how what's important aren't the cards that fate deals you,
but how you manage to play them.
Almost two years ago, one of the lead performers in the Toronto production of White
Christmas lost her voice less than 72 hours from the opening. Hennig stepped
into the role, playing it with such aplomb that the New York creative team
insisted she play the same part in the following year's tour.
Consequently, she was in Gotham a year ago when Billy Elliot opened to
rave reviews, and was beginning to cast about for replacements. Do the math.
Hennig is now making her debut on Broadway.
"All these things fall into place," observes Hennig over a hearty
breakfast in New York's theatre district before starting a long day's
rehearsals. "It feels like something bigger than me is at work here."
And she's right. Although she's worked pretty steadily for the past
quarter-century, you'd have to be a theatre buff to clock Hennig's face and
name.
Her four seasons at Stratford offered no starring roles ("although I got
to play some nice little stuff"); her Dora Award-winning breakthrough turn
in 1993's Ratbag was in one of the most disliked shows in CanStage's
history; when she played Rose in Gypsy at the Shaw Festival, she was
only the alternate; and her much-hailed performance in The Danish Play was
seen only by limited audiences during its two short Toronto runs.
But none of that has mattered to Hennig. "It's the quality of the work
that counts, not the money you make or the prizes you get," she sagely
observes, adding dryly, "Of course, it's also nice to pay your bills on
time."
The 47 year-old Hennig ("I'm proud of my age!") was born in Harlow,
northeast of London, to Canadian parents.
Her father, she relates, "was a Lutheran minister who went to England to
convert the heathens," and when that gets the expected laugh, she
explains.
"There had not been a Lutheran Church in England since Queen Elizabeth I,
and after World War II the Lutherans decided they would try to establish a
church in England, so my father started knocking on doors."
In light of her latest job, it's interesting that her primary memory of those
early years is "my best friend, Hillary, who was older than me and a
ballerina.
"I was this little, short, fat butterball and all I wanted to do was
dance. My parents looked at me and said `Well, maybe the piano ...'"
Although Hennig wouldn't settle on show business as a career for some time yet,
she recalls that "it seems to me I've always been performing," and
one of her first memories is at the age of 4 in a Christmas pageant,
"singing a solo while putting together a little crèche.
"I have no idea why I liked it so much, but it was just as natural as
running or bike riding were to other kids. It made me feel good. Something I
was born with."
At the age of 7, Hennig and her family moved to Edmonton, and it was there she
had her first real audience experiences at the Citadel Theatre. But she still
couldn't decide if her career should be "law or medicine or playing the
first trombone."
But then her high school drama club started lunchtime cabarets where "we'd
serve dessert and entertain the other students. I'd be singing `I learned the
truth at 17,' even though I was only 15. I had accelerated a grade, so I
thought that was okay."
But, joking aside, the relationship with the audience made Hennig feel that
"Oh yes, this is what I want to do!"
After high school, she went to York University "for about 20 minutes. Then
I realized it was way too slow for me, dropped out and got a job after the
first audition I ever got, back in 1981."
Over the years, Hennig kept working steadily in Toronto, but when her
then-husband, Ian Prinsloo, was named artistic director of Theatre Calgary in
1997, she followed him there.
"Calgary was very important to me," she says.
"I played roles I never would have gotten to play in Toronto. I learned
how to carry a show. Stoppard, Albee, amazing writers, amazing parts."
The climax of that period (and the role she remembers most fondly) was Sally
Bowles in Cabaret, which she played in 2001, after her marriage to
Prinsloo had ended and she was on her way back to living in Toronto.
"I was too old and so wrong for the part in so many external ways,"
she admits, "but right in so many internal ways and so it worked.
"I came out on stage in a corset and tights and I seemed to be saying, `My
big fat ass is going to stick right out over all of you in the audience and
you're going to love it!"
After that, she went to London and earned her MA in Voice Studies at the
Central School of Speech and Drama, then began teaching at the National Theatre
School.
But the choice roles kept coming her way, such as The Danish Play and
her involvement with the Royal Shakespeare Company/National Arts Centre
co-production of Margaret Atwood's The Penelopiad.
It was during that period Hennig discovered her considerable skills as a
blogger, which she'll be resuming with Billy Elliot, as of Tuesday (at www.billyelliotbroadway.com).
But the voluble Hennig suddenly grows quiet, contemplating her upcoming
Broadway debut and how she got there.
"There are so many things from my life that have come together here:
dance, teaching, musical theatre. I look at all these roads converging and say `I
guess this was meant to happen.'"
Source: www.thestar.com - Robert Crew, Special To The Star
Neon Nightz
(out of 4)Created and performed by Sasha Von Bon Bon and Kitty Neptune. Until Oct. 10 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre, 12 Alexander St. 416-975-8555.
(October 01, 2009) The stage, fringed with lights, is dominated by two 16-ft. strippers' poles. Smoke drifts in and around the cabaret-style table and chairs. Shadows dance as coloured lights flash here, there and everywhere.
The atmosphere (created by designer And Moro) is that of a Montreal strip club in the 1990s. And Sasha Von Bon Bon, who worked in such clubs at that time before making her name as a sex columnist, is our affable, non-threatening guide to this exotic demi-monde.
Neon Nightz, created and performed by the Scandelles' Von Bon Bon and dancer/choreographer Kitty Neptune, marks the opening of Buddies in Bad Times' season. It's a joyful beginning – filled with colour and female nudity, with humour and scraps of wisdom.
This is strip-club-as-refuge, strip-club-as-confessional. Men, Von Bon Bon says, talk to strippers about their wives all the time, and with an abundance of love and affection. But the men are incomplete. Their day-to-day life requires a secret life not only to make it whole but sometimes just so that they can function at all.
Basically, Neon Nightz is storytelling punctuated with a series of lively, exotic dances. There's no particular arc to the stories, just a look at human life and sexuality in all its twists and turns.
Sasha, for example, tells a quite lovely story about an older couple, Pierre and Marie, owners of a hardware story who were in the habit of hiring her to dance for them (actually for Marie, rather than Pierre). The story contains several surprises and ends with a glorious, life-affirming punchline delivered by Marie.
Another highlight of the show: a spoof of a lesbian exotic dance, extravagantly performed by the duo and laced with humour.
Von Bon Bon is smart, observant and witty while dancer Neptune looks wonderful (with and without clothes) and performs acrobatic miracles on those poles. There's also a live soundtrack, beautifully performed by one Countess Christsmasher (Babs Vermeulen).
The show, directed by David Oiye is somewhat loose and unfocussed, however. The dances occasionally flow out of what has gone before but, as often as not, seem to be pleasant erotic decoration.
This is entertaining burlesque, to be sure; there's just a nagging feeling that it could possibly be a whole lot more.
1 Fine Play, 3 Fine Actors
Source: www.thestar.com - Richard Ouzounian, Theatre Critic
Rock 'n' Roll
(out of 4)
By Tom Stoppard. Directed by Donna Feore. Until Oct. 24 at the Bluma Appel
Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 416-368-3110
(October 02, 2009) It may not be perfect, but it's still Rock 'n' Roll to me.
Tom Stoppard's amazing play about revolutionaries and the music in their lives
opened the Canadian Stage Company season on Thursday night and it certainly
deserves a visit thanks to the virtuosic brilliance of the writing and the
searing power of its three leading actors.
Kenneth Welsh, Fiona Reid and Shaun Smyth give performances so public that they
speak to a whole generation and yet so private that they dig deep inside the
human spirit into shadowy places usually left unexplored by lesser mortals.
Like a manic-depressive juggler, Stoppard fills the air with brightly coloured ideological
spheres so numerous that you wonder how one man could keep them all aloft.
At one point, he's simultaneously discussing the history of the former
Czechoslovakia, the decline of socialism in England, the private life of Pink
Floyd, the nature of Sappho's poetry, the psychological ramifications of breast
cancer and the inner workings of a most fascinating, yet dysfunctional family.
It's all too much, you might say, as your head starts spinning, but treat it
like you would any spectacular ride at an amusement park and hold on for your
intellectual life.
What do we have to cling to at the end? Stoppard's answer is simple. We've only
got rock 'n' roll and each other, but that better be enough.
It's a stunning script and it meets its match in its three leads. Kenneth Welsh
is Max, the old British communist lion, roaring through the winter of his
discontent with a mixture of bravado and terror. Watch how the bold confidence
of Welsh's voice is belied by the need in his eyes. It takes a rare man to be
that strong and that weak, but Welsh fills the bill.
Fiona Reid is right by his side, playing both his academic wife dying of breast
cancer in Act 1, and their daughter, 20 years later, in Act 2. This amazing
woman delivers speeches of a candour and pain unmatched in my memory as she
talks about what losing her body, piece by piece, has meant to her.
And then she reappears after the interval as a totally different woman, sharing
the DNA of the one she created before. Reid as a dippy hippie, trying to hold
on to self-respect in the present as well as good times from the past, brings a
new definition to awesome.
And then there's Shaun Smyth, as an unwilling Czech revolutionary who loves
rock music more than life and liberty, or so he thinks. It's astonishing to
witness Smyth move from the hips like a socialist panther in the play's first
section, only to tighten up into frigid, abject despair in the second. His work
is subtle and wonderful.
Alas, after that, the compliments stop, since most of the supporting cast are a
pretty mechanical bunch, best left unnamed.
Director Donna Feore may be sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of this
complex play, but she has staged them in a singularly flat-footed way on
Michael Gianfrancesco's series of shallow horizontal risers that causes all
scenes to soon look the same and have people constantly facing sideways.
The contrasting worlds of Cambridge and Prague (one leafy green, the other grey
and desolate) aren't sufficiently distinguished and, after a while, it all blends
together in a most unfortunate way.
A play this intellectual needs all the richly textured reality a director can
give it, but Feore's slickly stylized approach ultimately robs us of some
necessary emotion.
There are nicely zappy transitional videos by Cameron Davis, but they only make
the basic scenic approach seem more monotonous.
It's a great play with three knockout performances, which is more than the
Canadian Stage Company has given us in recent seasons. Let us pray it's a sign
of things to come.
THEATRE TIDBITS
Actor
Douglas Campbell Dead At 87
Source: www.globeandmail.com
- Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
(October 7, 2009) Toronto — Douglas Campbell, a Glasgow-born actor known
for his long association with the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, has died at
age 87. A spokeswoman at the
southwestern Ontario theatre festival confirmed the actor's death. Campbell joined the Stratford company in 1953
and performed for 25 seasons. His major roles included Falstaff, Othello and
Oedipus Rex. His son, Benedict, is a
member of the Shaw theatre festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Campbell's accolades include the Order of
Canada and the Governor General's Performing Arts Award. Campbell died in Montreal. In 1954, he founded the Canadian Players, a
touring group borne from the Stratford festival. He also appeared in the CBC-TV
show The Great Detective in the late 1970s. He leaves his wife Moira Wylie and six
children.
::TECHNOLOGY NEWS::
Scribble Through Endless Possibilities
Source: www.thestar.com
- Darren Zenko, Special To The Star
Scribblenauts
(out of 4)
Nintendo DS
$34.99
Rated E
(October 03, 2009) From Felix the Cat's magical "bag of tricks" to
Green Lantern's extraterrestrial Swiss Army ring, the idea of being able to
instantly evoke whatever object or artefact your situation calls for is pretty
great fantasy material. Frisbee stuck on the roof? No problem, just whip out a
ladder or a flying magic carpet. Late for work? One wave of your magic whatsit
and you've got a teleportation machine ... or a majestic Pegasus on which to
soar above the traffic. This kind of anything-you-can-imagine power is the
promise of Scribblenauts – and it almost delivers.
As a puzzle game, Scribblenauts's hundreds of levels each presents a
whimsical problem: a cow, fleeing from the butcher's cleaver, is blocking a
highway; some vampires threaten a village; a caveman wants an dino-egg
omelette, and a fire to cook it. In order to solve these problems, you're going
to have to come up with some creative solutions, willing whatever you need into
existence simply by writing its name on your magic notepad – Helicopter!
Garlic! Matches! – and placing it into the play area so that it does what
you're hoping it will.
The wonder of Scribblenauts is in its vocabulary. The game's developer,
5th Cell, has really pulled off an incredible feat here, stocking their
gameworld with many tens of thousands of evocable nouns. If you're like me,
you'll probably spend your first few hours with Scribblenauts trying to
stump the dictionary, and it's not easy. Medusa, Kraken (I was on a bit of a Clash
of the Titans kick), noodles, stadium, muzzle, God, Satan, tornado, all the
elements of the Periodic Table, Cthulhu, burqa, wendigo, optician, nerd,
fisherman, stilts, garden gnome ... and so on. There aren't many blind spots
here, other than nothing is X-rated, no nationalities ("Canadian" was
the first thing I typed), and no drugs or alcohol. Just write it down and there
it is, with its mass, materials, physical and behavioural properties modelled
and interacting with the other objects around it. Super cool.
So, that's fun and new and all ... but how does it play out as a game? Rough,
fussy and frustrating, to be honest. The stylus is used to move and manipulate
the objects you create, and it's also used to move your character, so you end
up with a lot of moving by mistake as you try to say, grab the loose end of a
rope.
Overall, play feels floppy and chaotic, barely under control and only vaguely
predictable, which is a real drag when you're trying to set up an intricate
mechanism – the puzzles are generally quite tight, with success or failure
riding on a pixel's edge, so the lack of precision often means multiple retries
of even the simplest levels. The problem is further compounded by a very narrow
field-of-view with no way to zoom out, and a camera that automatically snaps
back to your character whether you want it to or not – you'll set up a fight
between, say, an angel and a dinosaur, and miss all the action as the camera
zips away.
These are very real flaws, flaws that would doom another game. But even if it's
often a pain to actually play, Scribblenauts still comes out far ahead
on the balance sheet simply because its core idea is so awesome and audacious,
and so much fun when it comes together despite the wiggy play mechanics.
Xbox All Set For Xmas
Source: www.thestar.com
- Marc Saltzman, Special To The Star
(October 03, 2009) It's going to be a green
Christmas if Microsoft's X'09 event on Tuesday is any indication.
Designed to give Canadian media a chance to test-drive upcoming first- and
third-party Xbox 360 video games, Microsoft's annual soirée – this time held at the This is London
downtown nightclub – proved that the green-logoed gaming giant is optimistic
about holiday sales of its console, games and online services.
"This is really our kickoff to the holiday season, the place to play with
the biggest and best games on the horizon," Craig Flannagan, platform
manager for Xbox Canada, said at the event.
Despite the ailing economy, Flannagan said the industry remains positive about
the all-important season.
"We're optimistic – I think it's a great time to be a gamer, not just
because of amazing content but there's some good deals out there."
Microsoft also announced an "Xbox 360 Elite Holiday Bundle" for $299,
which includes a premium Xbox 360 Elite console (with 120 gigabyte hard drive)
and two family-friendly games: LEGO Batman: The Videogame and PURE.
An entry level Xbox 360 costs as little as $149.99. (Sony and Nintendo recently
dropped the prices of their video game systems to $299.99 for the PlayStation 3
and $219.95 for the Nintendo Wii.)
Flannagan said the Xbox 360 offers uses beyond gaming, such as upcoming support
for 1080p movie streaming, TV shows and social networking including Twitter and
Facebook access.
But X'09 was mostly about the games, such as Microsoft Game Studios' Forza
Motorsport 3 (shown with three-monitor support and vibrating racing pods)
and third-party titles from the likes of Activision, Ubisoft, Rockstar Games,
Electronic Arts, MTV Games and Valve Software.
Along with the awesome-looking Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction from
Ubisoft Montreal (seen at the last two XO events, but finally on track for a
March release), the following are a few highlights:
DJ Hero: Given the extraordinary success of the Guitar Hero series,
it's no shocker that Activision is looking to expand its rhythm game offerings
to other genres. Move over rock, it's now time to dance. Due out Oct. 27, DJ
Hero challenges you to spin and mix more than 100 songs like a club DJ by
mashing up two songs into one – such as Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom
Pow" vs. Kid Cudi's "Day 'N' Nite," Beastie Boys'
"Sabotage" vs. Foo Fighters' "Monkey Wrench" and Nirvana's
"All Apologies" vs. Rick James' "Give It to Me Baby."
Bundled with a peripheral that resembles a turntable, you must earn points by
pressing the correct buttons at the right time, scratching and cross-fading
between the tracks. Some tracks also let you connect a guitar peripheral.
Forza Motorsport 3: Award for loudest game of X'09? Forza Motorsport
3, which lets you slip behind the wheel of 400 tunable dream cars – be it
an American muscle car, sleek European sports coupe or high-tech Asian import –
and tackle more than 100 tracks and road courses from around the world. Third
time's the charm with this photorealistic sequel, which features 10 times more
car details than its predecessors. While vehicle handling is authentic, those
who need driving assists can turn them on with the press of a button. Xbox Live
subscribers can access multiplayer matches and tournaments as well as
downloadable extras and can have the ability to share custom paint jobs with
other racers.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Despite being a "behind closed
door" demo, the game that garnered the most buzz at X'09 was Activision's Modern
Warfare 2. Due out Nov. 10, this intense sequel drops players into a
fictional near-future in which a Russian ultranationalist threatens world
security. As demonstrated in the graphically intensive single-player and
split-screen co-op levels, the first-person shooter once again gives you an
assortment of powerful weapons, vehicles and interactive environments in which
to fight, ranging from the snow-capped mountains of Kazakhstan to the gritty
streets of Rio de Janeiro.
::OTHER NEWS::
Dalton Higgins’ New Book Sums Up Today’s Hip-Hop Culture
Source: www.swaymag.ca - BY: Alison Isaac
(Fall issue) So begins the enlightening journey into Hip Hop World, the latest
book by media specialist, pop
culture critic and Harbourfront music programmer Dalton
Higgins.
As a vocal member of the industry, Higgins offers his two cents on the
multi-billion-dollar business and culture that’s changed the globe. While
chronicling the rise of the urban subculture that has gained international
influence, Hip Hop World provides a fresh take on hip-hop’s controversies and
accomplishments. Perhaps most importantly, Hip Hop World broadens readers’
tunnel vision to a perspective that extends beyond their backyards into scenes
across continents.
Tell me about the process of putting this book together.
It was a very organic process. I am, first and foremost, a hip-hop
generationer. I’ve been around since the music’s inception. I like to travel
and check out different things in the Afro-diasporic music tradition, and that
certainly includes hip-hop culture, because this is the music of my generation.
When we talk about youth culture and globalization, I think we’re seeing it
through as clear a prism as one can see it because Toronto is, arguably, the
most multicultural city on the planet. So my analysis on the hip-hop world is
as genuine as any.
What’s the difference between cultural appropriation and genuine
participation in a foreign culture?
I would say, for any non-black, non-Latin American person that partakes in the
culture, there always needs to be recognition of the black innovators of the
genre. That’s where for me, the appropriation, the co-optation, comes in. Rap music
is black music. What I find also with folks that aren’t black participating in
the culture, oftentimes I’ll hear them say, “it’s not black anymore, everybody
plays a part in it.” These are folks who, sometimes, haven’t stepped a day in a
black neighbourhood, have no real connection to the people. It’s not just
music, it’s a voice of a community, so in it is a lot of pain and a lot of
anguish and a lot of beauty and joy. To listen to a music and disconnect it
from the people from whence it came doesn’t register in my book.
In Hip Hop World, you mention that, although there are no definite numbers,
it seems the audience for black conscious rap is, ironically, mostly white.
It’s almost a privilege to shell out $35 to go see dead prez, Mos Def, Chuck D
— this type of so-called conscious rap. It’s costly, and a too-large segment of
our community is still fending for themselves to put food on the table because
it’s not a level playing field. Racism is still alive and well and hip-hop does
not exist on a separate island.
I think there is some power in M1 spitting rhymes to a large non-black
audience, in that sometimes it gets tiring preaching to the converted. It’s one
thing for a black kid to say, “I’m discriminated against,” but think about the
power of a white kid saying, “discrimination is wrong.”
Playing to audiences that aren’t black, you’re looking for neo-abolitionists. I
have some friends that I consider to be just that. They are Caucasian, but they
feel as strongly about anti-racism as I do. They’re not trying to mimic me,
they don’t want to grow their hair like me, they are proudly Caucasian, but
have taken up this cause.
What can Western practitioners learn from their counterparts
internationally?
I think what our Western rap brethren and sistren can take from M.I.A., Telmary
Díaz, K’naan and Emmanuel Jal, is how activism and speaking about real issues
is so seamlessly a part of their music. The music sounds just as hot, but it
actually carries a message. So that means it’s entirely possible to spit the
hottest verse and still be saying something.
How do you see the future of the music industry and the future of hip-hop?
There’s a reason record labels are now being converted into condo developments,
and it’s corporate greed — selling recorded products for $20 when they cost a
mere few dollars to produce. Is it any surprise that some savvy folks on the
web have now subverted that whole system of being economically exploited? Music
is art, music is life and it needs to be more accessible. It’s karmic energies
coming back around.
Hip-hop is not dead, it’s now just grown up, left the ’hood and is travelling
the world racking up Air Miles. It’s also mutated into other things. Some of
the best electronica music out there — dancehall, etc. — they’re all hip-hop
influenced. They are not hip-hop in name, but at the root they’re hip-hop.
Why do you continue to listen?
It’s more than just music, it’s how you walk, it’s how you talk. It’s a
swagger, it’s a lifestyle. It’s something that you can’t shed, you can’t lose,
it’s just a part of you.
WE CAN Creates A Vibrant Community For Black Entrepreneurial
Women
Source: www.swaymag.ca - BY: Laina Dawes
(Fall issue) When asked if she could send a photo of herself to accompany this
article, Lisa A. Small gently
corrects me: “I can send you a group photo of us.” As a co-founder of Women’s
Enterprise Canada (WE CAN), she
emphasizes that despite being the spokesperson, she is certainly not running
the show alone. She believes that the key to WE CAN’s success is the shared
objectives of her team.
The Toronto chapter of the International Women’s Enterprise Network is the only
one that focuses on black businesswomen. “I think what happened is that the
other chapters reflect their communities, but the communities are not as
culturally diverse as Toronto,” says Small. More importantly, she feels that
the group addresses the isolation that many black female entrepreneurs feel.
It was the surprising number of black business owners that Small met as a
community radio host in 2007 that encouraged her to investigate further.
“I had a start-up business and was looking to expand. I visited other groups,
but they didn’t talk about the issues or provide the follow-up that I was
looking for. There were women who were just interested in networking to apply
for other jobs, or just [looking for] golf buddies,” she laughs. “I needed a
network that was going to help me promote my business and help me grow and
develop. [Radio station] CHRY allowed me to interview black women who were
selling books and services and coaching, and explore ideas with them — as well
as with women who were listening to the program — to learn how to be better
business people.”
Soon after, she and a small group of volunteers started the chapter of the
enterprise network with an online presence. The next year they decided to hold
a “call to action” gathering to decide what the next step in their organization
should be. To their surprise, their first meeting in November of 2008 was sold
out.
In June of 2009, WE CAN introduced their signature series, Meeting of the
Minds. The meetings, which are held on the last Thursday of each month, serve
as an opportunity for women to present their business plans to a group of
seasoned executives for focused advice. “We analyze their business plans and
give them a plan of action, providing advice in various areas, from financial
to advertising. By focusing on one area at a time, they understand what they
need to do,” Small explains. “We receive and review the business plans
beforehand and tackle the ones that, regardless of their individual [type of]
business, need the same type of help. This way, each woman still gets
individual attention and they can see that they share the same problems with
another business person.”
“We don’t really get the mainstream profile that men usually do — especially
when it comes to business,” adds Rayonne Caesar-Chavannes, founder of ReSolve
Research Solutions Inc., a clinical research consulting and site management
company. “I have never come across an organization that really promotes women,
promotes their businesses and is inspirational, letting them know that we as
entrepreneurs are going to struggle, but eventually we’re going to rise up. WE
CAN gives us a platform and helps us promote our businesses. The ability to
converse and share experiences together is fantastic.”
Despite many of their members having the confidence to start their own
businesses, they still need community support. Small says a common refrain is
“I just need to know where to start. I’ve been doing this all by myself.
“They have been trying to figure it out and have never found an organization
that could help them get over the hurdles and get the support — as a
businesswoman first.”
? Meeting of the Minds sessions take place 7-9pm on the last Thursday of every
month at the Radisson Hotel, 249 Queens Quay W. 416-966-1712. Membership to WE
CAN is free. For more information, go to womenenter.com.
Toronto Chef Philman George Cooks Up Rhymes And Recipes — Island
Style
Source: www.swaymag.ca - BY: Glynnis Mapp
(Fall issue) What do hip-hop, romance and coconut panko-covered shrimp have in
common?
"Everything," says Philman George,
the executive chef at the Toronto Island Yacht
Club and the host of The Rhyming Chef
Barbuda on Bite TV where he raps from the scenic West Indian island
of Barbuda (just north of Antigua). And while not everyone can whisk off to an
island destination for dinner, George gives you a first-class ticket to the
best in island-style cuisine.
"Music and food make for a perfect recipe every time. If you want to
impress someone, the best way to do that is to cook a meal. It’s personal,
intimate and, set to the right music, you can’t go wrong," he says.
George shows viewers the right way to woo. On the show, George whips up recipes
with fun and funny hip-hop instructions to help nervous first-daters create
easy-to-make vodka pastas, "Seal-the-Deal" salads, "She’s-a-Keeper"
morning-after omelettes, fruit shakes and from-scratch raspberry pancakes.
George follows the musical instruction sessions with a conversational
step-by-step explanation of each 10-minute recipe. His mission: help amateur
cooks — especially men — get into the kitchen and impress their special
someone.
"It’s so important to get it right in the kitchen," George says. He
admits that he wooed his own fiancée (producer Ngardy Conteh of Mattru Media)
with his shrimp skills, creating a recipe that he says swept her off her feet.
"It’s true, one of the best ways to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
But women are just as susceptible to a little fine cuisine!"
For George, music and food have always been a perfect match. Under his hip-hop
moniker, I.E., George is also host and co-producer of Aux Television show
Cypher, showcasing the underground hip- hop scene in Toronto.
Canadian-born George always helped in his mother’s kitchen growing up in
Toronto’s Regent Park. And despite a few broken plates and overcooked meals, he
kept at it, learning traditional Caribbean dishes from his mother and later
enrolling in the Culinary Management program at George Brown College. George
also received special attention under the tutelage of executive chefs Louis
Panotier and Daniel Villet, cuisiniers from the French-speaking island of
Martinique. He also spent time in Perth at The Red Herring, Australia’s Gold
Plate Award–winning restaurant.
While doing the show in Barbuda, he also finds time to work at his father’s beach
bar and grill, Uncle Roddy’s, Barbuda’s first solar-powered restaurant. While
he has to battle with the island elements during taping — including rogue yard
fowl flying overhead, sweltering forecasts and the odd storm cloud — he is
happy being back home. George has also been named the executive chef of the
Light House Bay Resort in Barbuda and is working on the second season of the
show, hoping to take it to other islands in the West Indies.
"Each year, I return to Barbuda with my skills, and each time I’m met with
pure love," he says. "The Caribbean is a great place to be, no matter
what area, but there’s just something about Barbuda. I feel blessed that I can
share it with everyone."
- The Rhyming Chef Barbuda airs Thursdays at 9pm on Bite TV. go to therhymingchef.com.
Monopoly
With Real Currency
Source: www.thestar.com - Peter Goddard
(October 02, 2009) If there's one core event at Nuit Blanche, a single signifying gesture indicating the collective
mojo of the dusk-to-dawn art crawl and its 280 or so artists, it's found at
Monopoly with Real Money (2009) by Iain Baxter.
A swanky big money/big ego setting is provided for 30-plus local celebrities –
urban studies theorist Richard Florida, rapper K-OS and model Yasmin Warsame,
to name a few – who are taking part in six two-hour
Condé Nast Shuts
Down Gourmet Magazine
Source: www.thestar.com
- Amy Pataki, Restaurant Critic
(October 05, 2009) Gourmet magazine, the culinary compass of adventurous
North American home cooks for almost 70 years, is folding.
Condé Nast Publications announced Monday it is closing down Gourmet along
with three other money-losing titles, Modern Bride, Elegant Bride and
parenting magazine Cookie. Declining ad revenue is to blame.
Gourmet has a million or so subscribers. The November issue will be its
last.
Editor-in-chief Ruth Reichl tweeted hours after the announcement: "Sorry
not to be posting now, but I'm packing. We're all stunned."
Gourmet, founded in 1941 as "the magazine of good living,"
encouraged North Americans to move away from condensed soup casseroles to such
novelties as pesto, hand-rolled pasta and heirloom vegetables through
approachable recipes and mouth-watering colour photographs.
Monthly subscribers joined dinner clubs to take turns preparing boozy theme
dinners. Writer Judith Moore remembers "gourmania" sweeping her Oregon
college town in the 1970s as adventurous gourmets strove to outdo each other
with Greek or Provençal menus, complete with home-butchered rabbit.
For a budding foodie like me, my mother's 1963 Gourmet cookbook was the
passport to a world of profiteroles and rosemary-scented chicken.
Others, like chef-owner Martin Kouprie of Pangaea in Yorkville, remember
leafing through their parents' back issues.
"It's one of the magazines that inspired me," says Kouprie. "I
came to this career, honestly, through Gourmet magazine."
John Sinopoli, chef-partner of Table 17 on Queen St. E., describes Gourmet as
an "institution," one that "helped create an American food
identity."
But Gourmet had a wider audience. "They were interested in
everything worldwide, and so are Torontonians," says Alison Fryer of the
Cookbook Store.
"It was more than just recipes."
This refers to Gourmet's envelope-pushing articles on food politics
under Reichl's stewardship, such as the late David Foster Wallace's 2004 think
piece on the ethics of boiling lobster.
The Gourmet Today cookbook has just hit stores. Reichl, a former New
York Times restaurant critic, will be host of the upcoming Gourmet's
Adventures show on PBS.
Gourmet recipes will be searchable on www.Epicurious.com,
shared with down-market sister magazine Bon Appétit.
Losing
Control: Loving a Black Child with Bipolar Disorder Book Review by Kam Williams
Source: Kam Williams
“Paediatric
bipolar disorder manifests itself similarly in the African-American population
to the way it does in the Caucasian population. The disease has no cultural
boundaries. However… if an African-American child manifested the same symptoms
as a Caucasian child, he or she would receive a different diagnosis and a
different treatment. This is the clear danger of ignoring cross-cultural
commonalities.
The black
child who evidences the symptoms of paediatric bipolar disorder is seen as
being oppositional, with perhaps a conduct disorder or worse. But these
diagnoses result in misdiagnosis and mistreatment of these children Dr. Joubert
has alerted us to the fact that we need to be very careful in our assessment of
the African-American child who is evidencing symptoms suggestive of a mood
disorder, and courageously shares her journey with her own child with us.”
n Excerpted
from the Foreword by Dr. Ira Glovinsky (pages 11-12)
It wasn’t long after the birth of her daughter that Dr. Cassandra Joubert
noticed that something was wrong. After all, this was her second child, so she
naturally compared Maya to her relatively easy-to-raise, 4 year-old son, Josh.
The girl proved problematic even in infancy, from her refusal to breastfeed to
her resistance to being rocked and cradled. And the symptoms only got worse as
she grew into a toddler, between temper tantrums and disobedience acts which
couldn’t be corrected by either positive reinforcement or spankings.
Because Dr. Joubert was a health professional herself, she wisely consulted a
psychologist when the acting out continued after Maya entered the 1st grade.
Regrettably, the school’s shrink misdiagnosed the child’s hyperactivity as Attention
Deficit Disorder (ADD) and started her on a regular regimen of Ritalin. Thus
began for Maya what would turn into a years of experimentation with drugs, with
doctors prescribing everything from Zoloft to Adderall to Buspar to Concerta to
Depakote, as her acting out escalated into both self-destructive and
anti-social behaviours.
By the time she was in the 6th grade, Maya was already
compulsively sexually-active, and even confessed to having slept with two boys
at once. Therefore, her frazzled mother had no choice but to add birth control
pills to her daughter’s daily Rx cocktail, to make sure the situation wasn’t
compounded by an unwanted pregnancy. But she still had to a host of other
issues to deal with, including promiscuity, suicidal tendencies, juvenile
delinquency, body piercings, sleep walking, profanity, assaulting classmates,
cigarette smoking, experimenting with alcohol, and an addiction to Marijuana.
The big tragedy, here, is that everything snowballed because of Maya’s initial
misdiagnosis. Consequently, not only did the unfortunate girl’s life evolve
into a total mess, but her parents’ marriage fell apart when she was very
young. This burden, in turn, exacted a heavy physical and emotional toll on Dr.
Joubert, who did her best to raise her two kids on her own.
That courageous effort is the subject of Losing Control, a heartbreaking memoir
of a mother’s desperate quest for fair treatment for a child allowed to slip
through the cracks by a mental health system too quick to pigeonhole black youngsters
as troublemakers rather than face up to the fact that a more complex assessment
might be in order. A cautionary tale issuing a clarion call for early diagnosis
and treatment of African-Americans with bi-polar disorders.
To order a copy of Losing Control, visit HERE.
Source: www.toronto.com - by Renata Valz
(September 29, 2009) Guys and ghouls are about to hit the streets clad in their best, raunchiest and most elaborate costumes. But, from costume selection to last-minute buys, this candy-fuelled affair can often be stressful. This year, don’t fret – we’ve got you covered. From kids to adults, plus size to last minute, we scoured the town and found the spot for you.
ADULT COSTUMES
Characters from summer blockbusters are always a hit; keep your eyes peeled for Harry Potter, Iron Man, Transformers and G.I. Joe costumes. If you’re not the DIY type, here are some sure bets:
Creepers Yorkdale (3401 Dufferin St., Toronto)
Just for the season, Creepers has opened a Yorkdale location to ensure uptown residents can deliver a scare. Great for weapons, accessories, superheroes, and last-minute or throwback costumes.
Seduction (577 Yonge St., Toronto)
For those who thrive on risqué, Seduction’s options rise to the occasion. From leather to lacy and everything in between, your investment can last year round. Good for accessories and plus-sized costumes.
Hollywood Costumes (7718 Yonge St., Thornhill)
Be part of movie magic as you don Hollywood’s high-quality costumes. Rent or buy costumes and accessories for kids and adults. From Harry Potter to Star Trek, pirates to period pieces, this is the go-to spot for theatrical types.
Malabar (14 McCaul, Toronto)
Heading into Malabar is enough to give you chills. This Queen Street haunt has some scary stories to tell – just ask the clerks. Malabar stocks fake flesh and all the trimmings. Great for accessories, weapons and plus-sized costumes.
Joy Theatricals (129 Davenport Rd., Toronto)
Joy Theatricals boasts ornate, custom-made pieces that fit like a dream. Shoppers can also opt for ready-made pieces or exquisite rentals at a pocket-friendly price.
Ms. Dress-Up (1461 Dundas St. W., Toronto)
It was the week before Halloween when all through the city, Torontonians were flocking to this Dundas West store. For those who absolutely can’t wait, their website is available 24/7 and is highly recommended; costumes often sell out.
It’s My Party (423 Danforth Ave.)
A kid-friendly locale with traditional frocks, It’s a good spot to shop for weapons, wigs, supplies, and traditional outfits.
VINTAGE COSTUMES
It’s already been predicted that Michael Jackson-inspired costumes have returned to the fore. It may take some digging, but the rewards are great. Check out any of the vintage shops in Kensington Market and Queen Street West. Here are some of our faves:
69 Vintage
Vintage lovers can relive MJ’s glory days by buying vintage by the pound or opt to rent one of 69’s intricate military-inspired band jackets, which defined Michael’s style. Good for vintage accessories and last-minute buys.
Exile
With two locations in Kensington Market, Halloween shoppers are bound to find something in the stacks of vintage clothing that includes dresses, coats, wigs, masks, makeup and mainstream costumes.
Courage My Love, (14 Kensington Ave.)
DIY-types can’t get enough of Courage; too many choices, too little time. Perfect for beads, sunglasses, clothing and jewellery.
Value Village (locations across Toronto)
Anyone on a budget will tell you that Value Village is tops. While its cheapness has been dwindling in recent years, this hasn’t kept customers (read: broke students) away. Good for last-minute costumes and those with a creative eye.
KIDS COSTUMES
Gone are the days of homemade costumes and tons of tears. Parents who are too busy can stop feeling guilty. Try one of these picks instead:
Real Canadian Superstore (locations across Toronto)
This year, Loblaws has really upped its game. Star Trek, G.I. Joe and Transformer costumes can all be found here, at roughly $25 to $35 a pop. Also great for adult plus-sized costumes, last-minute costumes, weapons, face paints and accessories.
Balloon King (374 Bathurst St., Toronto)
While this stop doesn’t look like much from the outside, one peek inside proves otherwise. Relive your childhood as you root through their large kid and infant costume selections.
Costume Witch (975 Eglinton Ave. W., Toronto)
Great for superhero, medieval and Harry Potter lovers. Boys and girls, teens and adults who embrace their inner-nerd are sure to find something here. Tip: Nightmare Before Christmas Lovers can spot a Jack Skellington mask here.
Candy’s Costume Shop (511 Mount Pleasant Rd.)
Located on Mount Pleasant Road, this costume shop caters to both kids and adults. Good for occupational costumes, superheroes and a handful of movies. Get your hats, wigs, weapons and other accessories here.
Kids Costumes (539 Mount Pleasant Rd., Toronto)
Toddlers and children up to 14 can be almost anything they want: Harry Potter, Darth Vader, members of the royal court, pirates, animals – the list goes on.
Dilemma: How To Let Dancers Dance
Source: www.thestar.com
- Michael Crabb, Special To The Star
(October 03, 2009) Ten leading National Ballet
of Canada dancers returned on Thursday from a
three-city sortie to British Columbia. The trip to Victoria, Nanaimo and
Vancouver was all that could be salvaged from an aborted full-company tour of
Western Canada featuring its lavish production of The Sleeping Beauty.
At close to 70 dancers, it is the only Canadian company with the resources to
present the full-length classics in all their splendour. It abandoned touring
Eastern Canada years ago – too small a market – and these days rarely visits
Montreal. The company has nevertheless endeavoured to live up to the
"National" in its title by visiting the West every other year and
would have this September if it could have afforded to. In April, faced with
the possibility of losing buckets of money, the ballet decide to cancel.
Touring Canada's biggest ballet company is hugely expensive – almost $2 million
to go west – and, as executive director Kevin Garland explains, when the ballet
goes on the road, it's almost invariably "at our own risk."
Support for touring from the Canada Council for the Arts and private sponsors –
if they can be found – still leaves a hole that tickets sales must fill. As it
was, the council had reduced its contribution from $475,000 in 2005 to $400,000
for the planned 2009 tour. When tour plans were made, the economy was beginning
to soften but the full meltdown was yet to come – with dire consequences.
The company is expected to declare an operating deficit of nearly $1 million
when 2008-09 financial results are revealed at this month's annual general
meeting.
The decision not to tour meant the ballet's remaining 54 dancers – less a
pregnant ballerina or two – were denied the chance to dance for Alberta and
B.C. audiences.
The stage is where dancers truly come alive. Everything else – the years of
training, daily class and hours of rehearsal – leads naturally to that
culminating moment of performance. This season, it's proving a frustratingly
long wait before they can take to the boards again.
The full company last performed on June 14. Until a few years ago, it could
look forward to fully sponsored, late-summer open-air shows at Harbourfront
Centre, followed every other year by a fall tour. Now, most of the dancers must
wait until Nov. 5, when the company opens a three-performance run of Sleeping
Beauty at Ottawa's National Arts Centre.
The ballet's predicament is one shared by other large companies that would like
to be seen across the country. The smaller, less-costly-to-tour Royal Winnipeg
Ballet will dance in 10 Canadian and eight U.S. cities during this, its 70th
anniversary season. Yet, can anyone remember when the venerable Winnipeg ballet
last appeared in downtown Toronto?
Montreal's Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, larger than the Winnipeg company but
scarcely half the size of the national one, has been more successful in
developing touring markets outside Canada than within. When it last played
Toronto in 2004 – at its own risk – it lost a bundle.
One way or another, taxpayers across the country make a substantial
contribution to maintaining these organizations but, depending on where they
live, have limited opportunities to see the full range of good work their money
is doing. Even the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, once a useful surrogate
purveyor of Canadian ballet to TV viewers across the land, has essentially left
the field.
For National Ballet artistic director Karen Kain, who, as the company's prima
ballerina performed in lengthy cross-country and foreign tours, it's a problem
she's eager to resolve – certainly in time for the company's 60th anniversary
in 2011. Without additional resources, which almost inevitably would have to be
public funds, it's not going to be easy.
::SPORTS NEWS::
First-Round Pick DeMar DeRozan Hopes Athletic Gifts Will Lead To
Success
Source: www.swaymag.ca - BY: Lisa Sterling
(Fall issue) DeMar DeRozan is excited
about moving to Toronto. As he looks toward beginning his
rookie season in the NBA, he can't wait to show Raptors fans what he can do on
the court.
"I can't wait to get a reaction from the crowd and see everyone get on
their feet [after a dunk]," says the soft-spoken six-foot, seven-inch
swingman.
The 20-year-old DeRozan grew up in Compton, California. And despite having
never been to the city before his pre-draft workout in late May, DeRozan speaks
confidently about his new home, praising the people for their support and the
city for its beauty. However, there is one thing that DeRozan realizes will
provide a rude awakening in the upcoming months.
"When I played the McDonald's All-American game, when there was like six
feet of snow everywhere, that was something new for me. I've never seen
anything white like that before."
And yet, he knows the snow is only part of what awaits him in Toronto.
Interacting with fans through his Twitter account (@DeMar_DeRozan), DeRozan
says the support has been overwhelming and that, above all, fans are just happy
he's working so hard to get ready for the NBA season. He has been spending his
last few weeks in California working on his game, running at UCLA with the
likes of Paul Pierce and Danny Granger, DeRozan works hard envisioning opening
night at the ACC.
Though he is initially shy, DeRozan begins to open up, revealing his youth
while also expressing a hunger and desire to make an impact in the NBA sooner
rather than later.
"I'm a big kid who likes to goof around and have fun" is barely out
of his mouth before he jumps back to thinking about opening night, and the
moment on a basketball court that he loves the most. "Getting a steal and
going coast to coast with a dunk [is my favourite]. That whole moment on the
fast break when you're about to go up and dunk, you hear the crowd get louder,
louder, louder and then you dunk. That's it."
For fans wondering if he can bring the airborne excitement back to Toronto,
DeRozan is building a nice case for himself. Besides recording a 38.5-inch
vertical at the rookie combine Ñ second only to Jonny Flynn Ñ and throwing down
some vicious slams in Las Vegas during summer league, he grew up admiring a
face that's familiar to Toronto.
"My favourite dunk? Vince Carter dunk. Dunk contest, the 360 windmill, no
question."
With a personality that is sure to be a fine fit here in Toronto and a game
that looks like it is already translating well to the professional scale, get
ready to see lots more from the newest kid on the block. And if he's a little
slow to warm up in his interviews, remember it can be cold up here for a
California guy.
Axe Falls On Jays' Ricciardi
Source: www.thestar.com
- Richard Griffin, Sports Reporter
(October 03, 2009) The curtain finally came
down on the J.P. Ricciardi era as general manager this morning.
The Jays issued a terse release at 10:38 a.m. announcing that Ricciardi has
stepped down from his role that he had filled since Nov. 14, 2001, eight
seasons without a post-season berth.
"This was a tough decision and a difficult one for me personally, as I
have enjoyed J.P.'s friendship and his perspective on the game," team
president Paul Beeston said in a written statement.
"J.P. has put an incredible amount of effort into improving the team and
he has brought along a number of great young players. However, I feel that it
is time for a change and accordingly we have decided to move on."
Replacing him will be 32-year-old Alex Anthopoulos, a native of Montreal. He
joined the Jays in 2003 and was named an assistant GM under Ricciardi after the
2005 season. Anthopoulos attended McMaster University, majoring in economics,
getting his first job in baseball with the Expos in 2000, in media relations.
He moved into the scouting department in 2001, advancing quickly through the
organization.
Ricciardi leaves with an eight-year record of 642-651, highlighted by reducing
payroll in 2002, winning 86 games in his second season, 2003, winning 87 in
2006, 86 in 2008 and watching the development of draft choices Aaron Hill, Adam
Lind and Ricky Romero in 2009.
The change takes place immediately. Anthopoulos and Beeston will address the
Jays in a clubhouse meeting prior to tonight's game at Camden Yards in
Baltimore.
The trend in baseball has been towards younger GMs with no playing experience
but knowledge of running a farm system and scouting department. In the AL only
Mike Flanagan (O's), Kenny Williams (White Sox) and Billy Beane (A's) are
former major-league players.
SPORTS TIDBITS
Freestyle Skier Dionne Retires Due To Brain Tumour
Source: www.thestar.com - The Canadian Press
(October 02,
2009) VANCOUVER – Canadian freestyle skier Deidra Dione has a brain tumour that will force
her to retire. Dionne made the announcement at a news conference today in
Vancouver. The tumour is not cancerous. Dionne was in a fight to earn a spot on
the Canadian team that will compete at the 2010 Winter Games. She was dropped to
the national development team this spring after failing to crack the top 10 in
any World Cup events last season. Dionne won a bronze medal at the 2002 Salt
Lake City Olympics, but then was almost paralyzed when she injured her neck in
a training accident in September 2005. Dionne was out of action for about two
years after undergoing surgery to fuse two vertebra together. She battled back
to compete at the 2006 Turin Games, where she was 22nd.
Serena
Williams Back At No. 1
Source: www.eurweb.com
(October 7, 2009) *Tennis superstar Serena Williams regained the world number one
ranking on Tuesday with an easy win at the China Open, reports AFP. Williams, the tournament's second seed and
current world number two, breezed past Russia's Ekaterina Makarova, 6-3, 6-2,
into the round of 16, ensuring that her name will be atop the WTA rankings when
the new list is issued on Monday. The path to the top spot was cleared for the
28-year-old Williams, who last held the top ranking in April, when current
number one Dinara Safina crashed out of the tournament on Monday, losing to
Chinese wild card Zhang Shuai. "It feels pretty good. I'm really excited.
I don't want to put too much pressure on myself. I'm obviously happy to be
there because I feel like I've been working so hard all year," said
Williams.
::FITNESS NEWS::
The
Better Butt Diet: Super 6-Week Plan
By Raphael Calzadilla, BA, CPT, ACE, RTS1, eDiets Chief Fitness Pro
I've designed a simple and effective six-week plan to steer you in the
direction, toward a smaller and tighter butt.
I can't create miracles in six weeks, but I can provide a realistic starting
point.
Let's begin with a reality check. You can't get a good-looking butt if you have
excessive body fat. I'm not suggesting that you have to attain a perfect body
to get a good-looking butt; after all, we need to respect different
shapes, forms and genetic structures. However, don't expect to have great
glutes with excessive body fat.
You need to consume fewer calories than you burn, but that doesn't mean
starving yourself and eating as little as possible.
The key to manipulating nutrition is eating the correct foods in the correct
amounts at the correct times. If you're an eDiets member using one
of our specially designed nutrition programs,
you're automatically on track with this necessary piece of the formula.
What I like about my six-week plan is that it's easy to follow and
includes a schedule that calls on you to progress each week. This will help you
to burn more and more calories each and every week. The pace of progress calls
for in this plan exercise isn't easy, but it's also not complicated. And my simple
nutrition tips are sure to make a difference if you follow them each and
every week for the entire six weeks.
WEEK
1
1. Walking Lunges -- (Watch the video below!) Stand with your feet
hips-width apart, grasp a pair of dumbbells or cans with your arms straight at
your sides, palms facing your body. Take a long step forward and lower your
body so your front knee lines up with your ankle. The back knee is almost
touching the floor. Push off with your back foot and take a long step forward
with your other foot. Walk-lunge 15 steps and then turn around and return to
the start (one set). You should contract your glutes on the lowering of each
movement. Perform two sets on two alternate days per week.
2. Power Walking -- Power Walk for 30 minutes. Generally, a good speed
is between 3.5 and 4.0 mph on a treadmill. You're walking briskly, but you
should still be able to hold a conversation. Begin slowly and build to your max
speed. Walk for 30 minutes four days per week.
3. Eat breakfast every morning. Eating a healthy
breakfast will help to regulate blood sugar and help to prevent
binge eating.
WEEK
2
1. Walking Lunges -- (See the video
from Week 1) Use the same parameters as week 1. Perform two sets on two
alternate days per week.
2. Extension Step-Ups -- Grasp a pair of dumbbells or cans by your sides
with palms facing the side of the body. Stand behind a 6- to 12-inch high step
or bench (normally used in aerobic step classes) and keep your arms straight.
Step onto the middle of the step with your right foot and then lift your left
knee high (to hip height). Step down with your left foot, and then repeat on
the right side. Perform one set of 15 steps on each leg -- two alternate days
of the week.
3. Power Walking -- Increase the time to 37 minutes and keep the days
the same (four days per week).
4. Assess Your Pantry/Refrigerator -- Eliminate foods that you tend to
binge on and that have empty calories .
WEEK
3
1. Walking Lunges --
Perform three sets on two alternate days per week.
2. Extension Step-Ups -- Increase to two sets but keep to two alternate
days per week.
3. Power Walking -- Add a fifth walking day and keep the time the same
(37 minutes).
4. Water -- Consume 64 or more ounces per day. Think that sounds like a
lot? Here are 10 easy ways to
get your water.
WEEK
4
1. Squats -- (Eliminate the Walking Lunge exercise). Place a broom stick
or barbell across the back of your shoulders. Be sure it's not resting on your
neck. Your feet should be shoulders-width apart. Lower the weight, keeping your
knees behind the toes at all times. Think of sitting back into a chair and
contract the glutes on the lowering phase. Stop when the knees are at a
90-degree angle. Return to the starting position and repeat.
Inhale while lowering the weight, and exhale while returning to the starting
position. Do not let the knees ride over your toes (you should be able to see
your feet at all times), and don't arch your back. Perform two sets of 15 reps
on two alternate days per week.
Watch the video below for a helpful guide.
2. Extensions Step-Ups -- Remain with three sets but add a third
day (alternate days of the week).
3. Power Walking -- Increase the time to 40 minutes and keep the days
the same (five days).
4. Junk Food -- Eliminate one junk food item from your diet this week.
WEEK
5
1. Squats -- (Need help? Watch the video
from Week 4.) Increase the sets to three and increase the reps to 20 (two
alternate days per week).
2. Extensions Step-Ups -- Perform three sets but increase the reps to 20
(three alternate days per week).
3. Bent Knee Push-ups -- (Video below!) Start with your hands and knees
on a mat. Your hands should be shoulder width apart and your head, neck, hips
and legs should be in a straight line. Do not let your back arch and cave in.
Lower your upper body by bending your elbows outward, stopping before your face
touches the floor. Contracting the chest muscles, slowly return to the starting
position. Perform one set of six to 10 reps or as many as you can do on two
alternate days per week.
4. Power Walking -- Increase the time to 45 minutes and keep the days
the same (five days).
5. Carbohydrates -- Slightly decrease the amount of starchy
carbohydrates at two of your meals. For example, if you're having pasta for
dinner, decrease your normal serving.
WEEK
6
1. Squats -- Continue with three sets but increase the reps to 22 (two
alternate days per week).
2. Extension Step-Ups -- Perform three sets but increase the reps to 22
(three alternate days per week).
3. Bent Knee Push-ups -- Perform two sets as many as possible. Increase
to three alternate days per week.
4. Power Walking -- Add a sixth day and perform 45 minutes each day.
5. Brown Bag -- If you work outside of the home, bring a bagged, healthy lunch at
least three times this week.
After six weeks you can tailor the program to your liking. My job is to help
jump-start you in the right direction.
As always, check with your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
::MOTIVATION::
|
Motivational
Note |
|
Source: www.eurweb.com -
George E. Allen |