LIfe appears calm here in South Carolina, the top news of the day being the ongoing debate over whether or not Beyoncé sang live at the presidential inauguration ceremony Monday.
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Category Archives: Media
let’s all reconsider Toronto
I don’t recall ever mouthing the words “I hate Toronto.” But I do recall an occasion when the thought might have struck me.
It was during the NHL playoffs. It was an early round, but few Canadian teams had made the cut and, as a result, Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts found the storied Montreal Canadiens alternating nights with the sorry Toronto Maple Leafs. On Leaf nights, Molson ran a brainwash-worthy series of ads featuring hockey highlights juxtaposed with the following declaration, emblazoned across the screen: “GO LEAFS GO!” So there I was watching my Habs struggle as only the post-1993 Habs can, when a Molson ad invaded my TV, complete with hockey highlights and, you guessed it, the declaration: “GO LEAFS GO!” Again, the Leafs were not playing that night; it was the turn of a more successful Canadian franchise. I was briefly dazed, left wondering whether my eyes had deceived me. But, soon enough, that confusion turned to rage. Did Molson, or CBC, or whomever, truly believe I was watching the Habs only because the Leafs had the night off? “Geez, no Leafs game tonight? Well, I guess I’ll watch this for now. Maybe a Leafs game will break out.” Continue reading
Filed under Media
holiday wishes
As I prepare to begin my Christmas shopping for family and friends, thoughts turn to a phrase we’ve heard bellowing from every mall and grocery store this month. “I wish it could be Christmas every day,” Roy Wood memorably sang four decades ago. It’s a sentiment echoed (not just in cover versions) countless times each year at this time. And as I hear those hopeful words, I am invariably reminded of one of the many unfinished screenplays I have on file. Or, at least, in mind. Continue reading
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to know which way the wind blows
The weather outside is… oh, what’s the word?
Snow. Slush. Freezing rain. The Apocalypse.
Where, oh where, can we find a good, reliable weatherman to show us the way? Here in Capital City, we essentially have two contenders from which to choose. CBC’s Ian Black “knows weather,” we’re told. Ah, but Ottawa knows J.J. Clarke, a longtime fixture over at CTV. True, climatologist Ian is “the only CMOS-endorsed weather forecaster in Ottawa,” it says here. (I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what CMOS is.) But J.J. is, according to CTV Ottawa, a “weathercaster.” So while Ian can tell you what sort of summer we’re likely to have next year, or how global-warming is progressing, J.J. is here to tell you whether to bundle up for your journey to work tomorrow morning. Not that Ian isn’t willing to have a go at that, too. Continue reading
Filed under Media
the Ives of merch
There has been a steady flow since the beginning of December, but this week the TV networks are increasing the concentration of holiday “classics” for us to enjoy. All the favourites will be there: Alistair Sim as Scrooge; A Charlie Brown Christmas; Frosty the Snowman; and, of course, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, narrated by that lovable snowman Burl Ives. Rudolph has already brought his reindeer games our way this season, but you’ll have at least 19 more opportunities to catch him between now and Dec. 25. That’s nearly two dozen visits with Mr. Ives, a man forever to be remembered as Sam the Snowman.
The actor and singer is less well-remembered, however, for his equally powerful role as a friendly witness during the McCarthy hearings. In March of 1952 Ives volunteered to sit down in front of the House un-American Activities Committee and fess-up to his socialist/liberal/pinko past, while ratting-out a handful of peers. Ives later admitted to giving unwelcome shout-outs to four colleagues — among them, fellow folk-music troubadour Pete Seeger. Other sources, including the influential leftist publication Sing Out!, placed the number of names named at well over 100. “I believe,” Ives told the committee as he concluded his career-killing laundry-list, “that in no Communist country would such a hearing be possible at all.” The man with the funny way of laughing soon saw his then-dormant career begin to flourish. Seeger, meanwhile, joined dozens of artists unable to find much in the way of work. Ives’ friend Richard Dyer Bennet, a key figure in the folk-music revival, saw his career effectively end in the wake of Sam the Snowman’s name-dropping. Continue reading
Wig Bubbles 