Thursday, December 31, 2009

Canada's 2010 Men's Olympic Hockey Roster Announced

The home team at the 201o Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament has been determined.

Steve Yzerman, Executive Director of Team Canada announced the line up for Canada's Men hockey team for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic games during the World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on Dec 30.

Among Canada shoe-ins Pittsburgh Penguins' Sidney Crosby, Calgary Flames' Jarome Iginla, Anehiem Ducks' Scott Niedermayer, and Philadelphia Flyers' Chris Pronger , some surprises include LA Kings' sophmore defenceman Drew Doughty and Boston Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron.

Much of the talk following the announcement were of the notable omissions - Tampa Bay Lightning's Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Sstamkos; Calgary's defense corps Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf and Robyn Regehr; and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals.

The 2010 Winter Olympic men's hockey tournament will take place February 11 - March 1.

Read the CTV Olympics story for the complete line up.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Lists of the Decade

The proverbially end of a decade (technically the decade ends Dec 31, 2010), always brings about a gluttony of end-of-decade lists flooding our screens and pages.

Here are a few that, for one reason or another, got my attention

The Toronto Star offers: Five things we've grown to hate over the last decade
The piece's headline reads: "If they would only go away when the decade ends." The article is illustrated with a picture of Amy Winehouse and I think #4 involves someone named Hilton. You can guess where this goes...

www.t5m.com's Nicholas Deigman does much of the heavy lifting in his compilation: The Top 10 'Top 10 of the Decade list' of the Decade...List
Deigman lists include:
Top Ten Most Influential Internet Moments of the Decade
Top Ten Most Unwinnable Arguments of the Decade
Top Ten One Hit Wonders of the Decade
Top Ten Hockey Fights of the Decade

The blog artmusicfilmwhatever presents 106 Best Films of the Decade.
The list consists of the ususal suspects: Oscar-winning blockbusters (The Aviator), charming indie fare (Once), sub-titled offerings (Dare mo shiranai), whistle-blowing documentaries (Bowling for Columbine), fun animation (Finding Nemo) and the extremely overrated (Donnie Darko).

SoulBounce.com comments on Entertainment Weekly's Top 10 albums of the last ten years.
I am not too sure how I feel about a music critic - regardless of musical taste - that has never listened to Funeral by Arcade Fire.

BabyCenter's list of the most-popular baby names of the year and the decade
Some of my favourites include Kayla, Emma, Sydney and Ava for girls and Jacob, Lucas, Jackson and Ethan for boys. I assume this is an American list.

betterPropaganda present their list of their 100 Artists of the Decade, as well as their list of 100 Albums of the Decade.

The MNE's Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade as voted for by NME staff (past and present) plus a selection of musicians and industry figures that included Arctic Monkeys, Carl Barat, The Killers, Jarvis Cocker, Pete Doherty, Elbow, Johnny Marr, MGMT, Ian Brown, The Big Pink, Snoop Dogg, Alan McGee, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Michael Eavis and many, many more.

RIP Brittany Murphy

For many of those coming of age in the mid to late 1990's, Brittany Murphy and her roles in Clueless and 8 Mile were a reflection of the many of those who were looking for direction in life.

Rest in piece, Ms Murphy...

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Minnesota Wild Equipment Catches Fire

A van carrying equipment for the Minnesota Wild caught fire on December 18. The accident left the team scrambling ahead of its Saturday game against the Ottawa Senators.

The fire started when the cube van carrying the equipment to Scotiabank Place, the Senator's home arena at about 2:30 p.m. The Wild had practised at a community complex about a five-minute drive from the arena, as the building was booked for a concert that night. No one was hurt and the cause has yet to be determined.

It was initially thought that all the equipment was destroyed but the gear of nine players were recovered intact.

The Wild chartered in new equipment, including skates, pads and sticks , however some of the players decided to take matters into their own hands. Defenceman Nick Schultz spent $200 on a pair of shoulder pads at a local sports store. Left winger Andrew Brunette had to re-call a gift. A stick he had given to a friend's son after practice was retrieved and replaced with a new one.

Many NHLers are superstitious and some have used the same equipment since their days in junior. And although the Wild players had to adjustto the new gear for their 4-1 loss on December 19, they did not want to use it as an excuse.


Watch the TSN clip

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Henry admits hand ball

France’s World Cup play-off victory over the Republic of Ireland on November 18 was laced with controversy, and Thierry Henry has confessed that his part in the decisive goal was indeed illegal.

As the midway point approached in extra time, les Bleus scored the decisive goal, William Gallas heading in from close range after Henry had knocked the ball across the six-yard box. The Irish protested furiously, adamant that the Barcelona man had handled the ball, and replays proved them to be correct.

Even Henry would admit his guilt after the match. “There was a hand, but I'm not the referee,” he told the press.

The former Arsenal star's foul play spurred comparisons to the infamous "Hand of God" during the 1986 World Cup. England were knocked out of that tournament's quarter-finals after Argentina's Diego Maradona punched the ball into the net over goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

The Gallas goal tied the score at 1-1. Before the goal, Ireland had been leading 1-0 and the match was level on aggregate.


Carlton Cinemas to close down

The Carlton Cinemas - the downtown Toronto spot for many independent and limited release films - will close after a 28 year run at the corner of Yonge and Carlton. Management and staff were told of the news this past weekend by owner Cineplex Odeon who have decided to shut down the cinema rather than sign a new lease with the building's landlord. The last day will be December 6th.

I remember watching many a matinee at the Carlton while playing hooky from work or during those periods of time I was unemployed (perhaps a result of playing hooky to watch movies). The small and intimate theatres were also my cinema of choice for first dates.

Read the Globe and Mail story.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Arkansas 10-Year-Old Won’t Pledge Allegiance Until Gays Gain Equality

A 10-year-old Arkansas boy name Will Phillips has decided that he cannot in good conscience pledge allegiance to the flag as long as the country for which it stands refuses legal equality to its gay citizens.

That stand has brought Will anti-gay taunts in the lunch room, but admiration from around the gay community

The West Fork School District fifth grader clashed with a substitute teacher for his refusal to stand for the pledge, prompting a call to Will’s mother, Laura Phillips. When the principal acknowledged that Will has the right to refuse to say the pledge, Ms. Phillips asked that her son receive an apology--a request that the principal declined to honor.

Good on Will and his parents for having the guts to stick to their beliefs!

Read the Edge San Francisco story

Friday, November 13, 2009

Conducting leadership styles

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word. In this charming talk, Itay Talgam demonstrates the unique styles of six great 20th-century conductors, illustrating crucial lessons for all leaders.

Watch the TED.com clip

Addictions and bad dreams

My current obsessions, time wasters and indulgences, in no particular order, are:

The Jesus Lizard
Talia Shire, circa 1975
mary-janes
babysitting
homemade vegetable soup
practicing my new golf swing

The Golf Bra

Triumph, a lingerie company from Japan (where else?) is going green, and pleasing sports fans at the same time. The company has created a bra that converts into a putting green.

According to the maker, the Nice Cup In Bra — which is not yet for sale — was created in response to the growing popularity of golf among females in Japan, and is designed to appeal to busy working women looking for a unique and convenient way to practice their putt.

See the Telegraph story

Sunday, November 1, 2009

McDonalds pulls out of Iceland

Iceland is losing its only three McDonald's restaurants as a result of the poor economic situation in the country.

McDonald's said it had become financially prohibitive to continue operating in the island nation because of the very challenging economic climate in the country and the fact that their products were imported from Germany.

The three stores closed at midnight on October 31, but they will reopen as an independent chain called Metro, with more domestic ingredients and fewer imported products.

McDonalds opened in Iceland in 1993.Burger King closed its outlets in Iceland late last year.

Read the CNN iReport

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Dozens of Tickets Issued in Dallas for Not Speaking English

After it was revealed that a rookie officer, Gary Bromley, had issued a citation on Oct. 2nd to Ernestina Mondragon for being a non-English-speaking driver --- a bogus offense --- it has now been revealed that dozens of tickets have been written in Dallas for similar "crimes."

Read the weinterrupt.com story

Rammstein to Release Box Set — with Six Dildos

German metal band Rammstein is issuing a special edition box set of their album Liebe ist für alle da, which was released earlier this month. It comes in a metal case and includes five B-sides, as well as six dildos, each of which corresponds to the member of each band... um...member. Also included: a bottle of lube and industrial-strength handcuffs.

Read the Exclaim.ca story


You Learn Something New Everyday

Jean Harlow was the first actress to appear on the cover of Life magazine.

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously

Dirty Harry's badge number is 2211.

The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible which does not mention the name of God.

A full moon always rises at sunset.

My Eggplant Parmigiana

A friend recently put out a request for a recipe for an Eggplant or Zuccini Parmigiana and thought I'd post mine here. This recipe evolved from my Chicken Parmigiana recipe that I had learned from the tradition of the Basile family, one of the many Italian families that I grew up around in Brampton, Ontario.

I can say this recipe is world famous, as I have cooked it in at least eight cities on three continents.

Eggplant Parmesan
also works well with very large zucchinis.

1 large eggplant
Tomato sauce (I recommend using your favourite homemade sauce)
mozzarella cheese (shredded)
grated parmesan cheese
all purpose flour
3 eggs
bread crumbs
vegetable oil
dried oregano and dried basil (optional)
salt and pepper

Slice your eggplant into 1/2 inch thick disks. Salt and strain for about 20 minutes or so.

Set up a breading station:
First bowl: all purpose flour, seasoned slightly with salt and pepper
Second bowl: eggs, beaten
Third bowl: bread crumbs, seasoned slightly with salt and pepper, pinches of dried oregano and dried basil

Coat the slices of the eggplant, one at a time, in the flour. Then dip the eggplant slice into the egg and let excess drip off. Then lay the slice in the breadcrumbs, covering both sides. Repeat this process, adding more breadcrumbs as needed. If you fill the bowl with too many crumbs at a time, the crumbs will get sticky and chunky.

Add oil to a medium fry pan, but just enough to coat the bottom. Brown each slice; you can brown about 4-5 slices at a time. Don't overcook; just let them get crispy on the outside. Add oil as necessary; don't let the pan dry out or burn.

Transfer slices to a paper towel. Once all are browned, place a layer in the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish (approx. 9-11 inch dish). Cover the slices with a layer of sauce. A generous portion of mozzarella and parmesan should top each slice. I have experimented with adding mushrooms, red/green peppers, and/or onions to the sauce while baking. Cover with foil and put in a 375 degree oven until slices are tender but not mushy.

Add another another layer of cheese to each slice and broil uncovered until cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Serve with pasta, tossed in tomato sauce. Top with a light sprinkle of italian parsley, extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper.

R.I.P Soupy Sales

Soupy Sales, a comedian from the golden era of television, died October 22.

The rubber-faced comedian, whose anything-for-a-chuckle career was built on 20,000 pies to the face and 5,000 live TV appearances across a half-century of laughs, died at Calvary Hospice in the Bronx, New York

During the early 1960s, the comic's pie-throwing schtick became his trademark, and celebrities, from Frank Sinatra to Alice Cooper, lined up to take one on the chin alongside Sales.

"The Soupy Sales Show," with co-star puppets White Fang (the meanest dog in the United States) and Black Tooth (the nicest dog in the United States) made Sales one of the best-known faces in the nation, said his former manager and longtime friend, Dave Usher.

"If President Eisenhower would have walked down the street, no one would have recognized him as much as Soupy," said Usher.

Sales is survived by his wife, Trudy, and two sons, Hunt and Tony, a pair of musicians who backed David Bowie in the band Tin Machine.

Soupy Sales was 83.

Read the New York Times story.

Friday, October 16, 2009

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Addictions and Bad Dreams

My current obsessions, time wasters and indulgences, in no particular order, are:

NHL regular season
Flash Forward
Presidents Choice chips - Loaded bake potato flavor
The Nicholas brothers` Stormy Weather routine.
My niece`s seven teeth
antibiotics
scarves - the lingerie of winter outerwear
cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie
TED.com

You Learn Something New Everyday

Some of the words that my computerized opponent used in Wordscraper today.

Fley –verb, fleyed, fley⋅ing. Chiefly Scot. to frighten; terrify.

Haar –noun Scot. and North England. a thick, wet fog along the seacoast.

Ogive –noun
1. Architecture. a. a diagonal vaulting rib. b. a pointed arch.
2. Statistics. the distribution curve of a frequency distribution.
3. Rocketry. the curved nose of a missile or rocket.

Saturday, August 15, 2009

R.I.P Les Paul.

Les Paul, the virtuoso guitarist and inventor whose solid-body electric guitar and recording studio innovations changed the course of 20th-century popular music, died Thursday in White Plains, N.Y. He was 94

Read the L.A Times story.




Sunday, April 26, 2009

R.I.P Bea Arthur

Beatrice Arthur, the award winning actress best known for her roles as television's Maude and the sardonic Dorothy on The Golden Girls, has died of cancer.

Arthur died on the morning of April 25 at her home in Los Angeles with her family by her side.

In 1978 Arthur began playing Maude Findlay, an outspoken liberal living in the affluent community of Tuckahoe, New York. The revolutionary show, which won Arthur an Emmy, was a spin-off from All in the Family, on which Arthur had appeared a couple of times in the same role, playing Edith Bunker's cousin, a feminist, and antithesis to the bigoted, conservative Archie Bunker.

In 1978 She then went on to play Dorothy Zbornak in the hit sitcom The Golden Girls, co starring Estelle Getty, Betty White and Rue McClanahan as four older women sharing a home in Miami Florida

She is survived by her sons Matthew and Daniel and grandchildren Kyra and Violet, he said.

She was 86.

Read the Post-Gazette story

Addictions and bad dreams

My current obsessions, time wasters and indulgences, in no particular order, are:

My veggie hummus/provolone wraps at work
hosting brunch
Junction neighbours -- I'm meeting a whole bunch of them
sinking 30-foot chip shots
my new bike seat
the start of golf and bocce season
watching three Japanese girls with stilettos trying to play keep-ups in a parking lot
no sleep, no sleep

Bill Mahar's New Rules For April 24

HBO television show Real Time with Bill Maher's New Rules segment for April 24. This week: Beauty pageant contestants, Somali pirates, Kenny Loggins, Kentucky Fried Chicken, the American conservative base.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Math - Bunker style

A classic television comedy moment with the cast of All in the Family and the Jeffersons.


Friday, April 10, 2009

Tofu License Plate X-rated

A Colorado woman's love for tofu has been judged X-rated by state officials. Kelly Coffman-Lee wanted to tell the world about her fondness for bean curd by picking certain letters for her SUV's license plate. Her suggestion for the plate: "ILVTOFU." But the Division of Motor Vehicles blocked her plan because they thought the combination of letters could be interpreted as profane.

Read the Associated Press story

Watch the AP video story

Thursday, April 9, 2009

You Learn Something New Everyday

There are 2,598,960 five-card hands possible in a 52-card deck of cards.

A 'jiffy' is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

Pinocchio is Italian for "pine eyes."

On Sesame Street, Bert's goldfish were named Lyle and Talbot, presumably after the actor Lyle Talbot.

You would have to count to one thousand to use the letter "A" in the English language to spell a whole number.

Rescue Shelter Boys?

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) placed a request to pop band Pet Shop Boys to change their name to Rescue Shelter Boys because the organization wanted the British duo to “help raise awareness about the cruelty involved in the pet trade.” However, since Pet Shop Boys have been using the name since 1981 — making them only one year younger than PETA — they have politely declined, even though they admit it “raises an issue worth thinking about.”


Read the Exclaim.ca story

Billy Bob Goes off on the Q

While appearing on the April 8 edition of CBC radio program Q with his touring band The Boxcars, Billy Bob Thorton became upset with host Jian Ghomeshi's references to Thorton's acting career by being vague and/or unresponsive to questions.

In my personal opinion, BBT should be grateful that he has a successful acting and directing career, because if he hadn't, his band would probably not get the exposure the get. If any other bottom-to-mid-level band (which The Boxcars are, essentially) did this on CBC radio, they would have gotten cut off as soon as BBT started acting like a spoiled brat.

Get over it!

Read the Canadian Press article

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

New York Times Co. to Close Boston Globe?

The Boston Globe, one of the most acclaimed and profitable U.S. newspapers ever, may be closing down.

Analysts say the 137-year-old Globe, which was bought by the New York Times Co. in 1993, has been a money-loser in recent years and the Times, now $1.1 billion in debt, is threatening to shut down the Globe unless it gets $20 million in union concessions. The company was in negotiations with the union as of April 6.

The threat to the Globe, announced April 3 on the Globe’s website, has shocked some industry insiders, who say it shows no one is safe in the troubled economic times.

Stay tuned.


Read the Marketing Magazine story


Monday, April 6, 2009

'Lap Dancing Nun' to Perform for Cardinals and Bishops

A former stripper from Italy, who is now a nun, will be performing a form of "mystical" choreography, which she calls "Holy Dance", in front of senior Catholic clerics next week at one of Rome's best known churches.

Anna Nobili, 38, spent two decades dancing for men in Milan but then decided she wanted more from life and joined the Sister Workers of the Holy House of Nazareth order. And now she is putting her past life as a dancer to use as a 'ballerina for God' in a show for cardinals and bishops called Holy Dance dedicated to episodes from the Bible. She turned to a life of spirituality in 2002 after being 'inspired' during a visit to the shrine of St Francis at Assisi.

The dance programme is called La Bibbia Giorno e Notte (The Bible Night and Day).

Among the guests expected to attend will be Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, who is in charge of the Vatican's Cultural Department.

Read the Daily Mail story.

Bill Mahar's New Rules For April 3

HBO television show Real Time with Bill Maher's New Rules segment for April 3. This week: Protesters, Michelle Obama's wardrobe changes, awful clothing designers, Glenn Beck, trash in space and the ocean.

His Airness headed to Hall of Fame

In an announcement that suprised no one, NBA legend Michael Jordan has been elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The announcement was made in Detroit on April 9, site of the men's Final Four. Fellow players David Robinson, John Stockton, Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer are the other memebers of the class of 2009.

Induction is Sept. 10-12 in Springfield, Mass., home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Read the TSN story.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

You Learn Something New Every Day

The Looney Tunes song is actually called "The Merry-Go-Round is Broken Down."

The U.S state with the longest coastline is Michigan.

King Kong is the only movie to have its sequel (Son of Kong) released the same year (1933).

The saying "it's so cold out there it could freeze the balls off a brass monkey" came from when they had old cannons like ones used in the Civil War. The cannon balls were stacked in a pyramid formation, called a brass monkey. When it got extremely cold outside they would crack and break off

Only two countries border three oceans -- the United States & Canada.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Addictions and bad dreams

My current obsessions, time wasters and indulgences, in no particular order, are:

Hand-made pita bread
Places called Frenchy's
My new hat
The final season of ER
Jim Lafleur
Green beans

Bill Mahar's New Rules For March 27

HBO television show Real Time with Bill Maher's New Rules segment for March 27. This week: Phil Spector and Donald Trump's hair, Victoria Secret, Praying Pilots, Get the U.S troops out of Germany and Japan.

Life on Mars from Serious Moonlight Tour

David Bowie's 1983 Serious Moonlight Tour film was in support of Let's Dance - a monster tour and record that pretty much put Bowie in the pop culture mainstream. Arguably the best recording from the video is Life on Mars from 1971's Hunky Dory


Sham Wow Guy Arrested

I usually don't report on "celebrity" police reports - so keeping that in mind, the ShamWow guy has be charged with felony battery on a prostitute. Vince Shlomien, the on-air peddler of the super-absorbant chamois, was arrested last month on a felony battery charge following a violent confrontation with a prostitute in his South Beach hotel room.

Read the Smoking Gun story



Sunday, March 22, 2009

Playboy Posts Free Archive

Legendary men's magazine Playboy and parnter Bondi Digital Publishing have unveiled PlayboyArchive.com. It's a 53-year archive, with one issue from each year, completely digitized (including ads), viewable and searchable -- all free of charge.

The issues cover the years 1954 through 2007, Bondi Digital Publishing, scanned and re-typed each of the issue of Playboy.

Playboy was never really my cup of tea, but I am sure this is much easier than rifling through your uncle's ratty collection, yeah?

Read the Technologyexpert blog entry.

Shining: A Romantic Comedy

Check out this re-cut of the trailer of the Shining. Funny stuff.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

R.I.P Natasha Richardson

Tony Award-winning Actress Natasha Richardson died on March 18 after suffering a head injury when she fell on a beginner's trail during a private ski lesson at the luxury Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec. She was hospitalized Tuesday in Montreal and later flown to a hospital in New York City.
A member of the Redgrave acting family, she was the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and producer Tony Richardson.

Survived by her husband Liam Neeson and their sons Micheál and Daniel, Natasha Richardson was 45 years old.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Forever 21 Rips Off Logo From Minor Threat

Skinny teenage clothing retailer Forever 21 has been caught selling a T-shirt bearing a strikingly similar logo to that of Minor Threat’s 1983 album, Out of Step.

Minor Threat's label Dischord says the use of the logo is unauthorized and falls under the “‘unacceptable’ category.” The label went on to say it was looking into the matter and would be asking Forever 21 to cease and desist.

This is not the first time the seminal DC-based punk band has been involved with copyright infringement. In 2005 Nike copied the cover of the band’s first EP in its campaign “Major Threat,” and was forced to issue an apology following a backlash from fans and the group’s Ian MacKaye. Also in 2005, Fox ran into trouble with Dischord after using a snippet of Minor Threat’s “Salad Days” during an NFL broadcast, again without the band’s permission.

Read the exclaim.ca story.

BIll Mahar's New Rules For March 13

HBO television show Real Time with Bill Maher's New Rules segment for March 13. This week: Court room sketch artists, flavoured vodka, Michelle Obama's arms and Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal.

Bonus: Lovely Sarah Silverman sits in.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Addictions and bad dreams

My current obsessions, time wasters and indulgences, in no particular order, are:

my three-month old niece
Lebanese food
blackout bingo
Season Five of Hell's Kitchen
DnBradio.com
3-2-1 dodge ball!
french vanilla ice cream with peanuts

BIll Mahar's New Rules For March 6

HBO television show Real Time with Bill Maher's New Rules segment for March 6. This week: Black is slimming, movie credits, Michael Jackson, GM dealerships, Donald Trump, Republicans.


Eraserheads final set

The legendary Filipino rock band the Eraserheads performed their last set on March 7, 2009 in Pasay City in Manila. This was a continuation and/or conclusion of the Eheads reunion show that occurred August 2008, but had to be cut short due to lead vocalist/guitarist Ely Buendia's reoccurring heart problems - exacerbated by the stressed caused by the death of Buendia's mother two days prior.

This time around, a healthy Buendia, drummer Raimund Marasigan, bassist Buddy Zabala and guitarist Marcus Adoro performed over 30 songs spanning their career, including their very first hit "Pare Ko", which made them national celebrities, and "Superproxy", which they performed in memory of the band's friend and collaborator on the track, rapper and TV host Francis Magalona, who passed away the day before, losing losing his battle with cancer.

R.I.P FrancisM

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Dr. Joseph Lowery delivers Inauguration Benediction

Very short clip of the very cool Dr. Joseph Lowery delivering the benediction at President Obama's Inauguration. 

I'm expecting him to say "shiyyyeeeeet!" a la Clive Davis


The 44th President of the United States of America - Barack Hussein Obama

Barack Hussein Obama was sworn as the 44th President of the United States of America today.

No other words can describe it other than historic.

Watch Obama's Inauguration and speech.




Read Toronto Star article




Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Rock n Roll Hall of Fame 2009 Inductees

Jeff Beck, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Metallica, Wanda Jackson, Run DMC, Spooner Oldham, D.J. Fontana and Bill Black have been named the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame class of 2009 inductees.

The induction ceremony is scheduled for April 4 in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Hall of Fame and Museum are located. The show marks the first time since 1997 that it will be staged in Cleveland after several years in New York.

Read the ABC News story.

R.I.P Ricardo Montalban

Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor whose regal bearing and sonorous voice led to roles as a science-fiction villain, the host on the mysterious “Fantasy Island” and pitchman for the “soft Corinthian leather” of the Chrysler Cordoba, has died.

Although a charismatic actor who was a star of stage and screen, the Montalban was probably best known as the White suite-wearing Mr. Roarke on the popular television series Fantasy Island (1978-1984)50's,

Montalban died at his home in Los Angeles. He was 88.

Read the bloomberg.com article.