Truly Outrageous!

My childhood memories just collided with my present musical tastes in the most unexpected way possible. I've learned that Britta Phillips (ex of Luna and current member of Dean & Britta with real life love - and former Luna front man - Dean Wareham) used to provide the singing voice for animated 80s pop star/Barbie interloper Jem. For those of you who've blocked that entire era from your minds:




Somehow, this news make me like Britta even more. Though, I don't think she'll be pulling out that little gem (see what I've done there) at any upcoming D&B gigs, including their opening slot for Paris-via-NYC chanteuse Keren Ann in Toronto on February 9. Not such a disappointment when we've got tunes like the following to enjoy.


Words You Used To Say



Still, she hasn't given up the voiceover work entirely and can currently be heard lending her pipes to Adult Swim's Moral Orel.

Quelle Scandale!

Playboy French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his bombshell lady love Carla Bruni must be lying low this week because the only thing our Gallic friends could see fit to get worked up about was Vanessa Paradis being "caught" lip-syncing at the NRJ Awards this past Saturday (January 26).

I'm really don't think that this incident counts as an actual full-blown controversy (a la the Ashlee Simpson/SNL fiasco) since, judging by the video below, our dear Vanessa couldn't even be bothered to hide the fact that she wasn't singing live. She's clearly not mic'd and though she is mouthing along to the song, it has to be the most disinterested, half-assed karaoke performance I've seen in my entire life.





It's been reported that Vanessa hadn't wanted to attend the awards at all and only reluctantly agreed to perform when the sponsoring French radio station threatened to pull her popular song, Dès que j'te vois, from rotation.

New Erykah Badu Music

Yeah, that's right.

The song is Honey, the lead off track from her (8 years in the making) upcoming fourth album New Amerykah.




So fierce!

The Room Is On Fire

Lightspeed Champion (aka Dev Hynes, ex of Test Icicles) celebrates the release of his new album with a sort of secret show at the London club White Heat on January 22. He performed under the name Pun Lovin' Criminals and was joined onstage by musician friends including Alex Turner (Arctic Monkeys) for a cover of The Strokes song Reptilia. Dev speaks about that night on his personal blog.







Lightspeed Champion will be touring throughout Europe and North America over the coming months - you can find dates (including a free show March 4 at the Horseshoe in Toronto) via his MySpace page.

Related videos from the White Heat gig can be found at the source.

Ellen Gets A Karaoke Birthday Card

A slew of celebrities helped comedienne/talk show host Ellen Degeneres mark her 50th birthday* with a special video that aired on her show last week. Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal and Victoria Beckham were among those lip-syncing (some better than others) to the Gloria Gaynor classic I Will Survive.




*Ellen Degeneres is 50?!? Damn! I never would have guessed. Well, whatever she's doing she should keep on doing it because she looks good.

Homer Goes Grunge

Last night's (January 27) episode of The Simpsons accomplished a number of things, not the least of which was to pretty much rewrite the chronology of the Simpson clan. The show also parodied the musical history of the 90s, from the r&b/pop of groups like BoysIIMen and Color Me Badd to the rise of the grunge era represented, of course, by Nirvana. There was even a parody of a parody courtesy of Weird Al Yancovic.















The episode also featured a couple of actual songs from that era: one that I'm always glad to hear (Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve) and one that I'd hoped had died with the decade (Closing Time by some piece of crap band).

Edit 30/01/08: As noted in the comment section below, the videos I posted have been yanked from YouTube, presumably by Fox network brass. Funny that they'd be so sensitive about protecting their own content when they don't seem too bothered about anyone else's. Anyway, I'm going to leave the clips up even though they're no longer active - I like the way they look as stills.

Late Night TV Preview: January 28 - February 2, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Note: * indicates an encore episode.



MONDAY

• The Whigs - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)
• Wyclef Jean - Jimmy Kimmel Live* (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
• Matt Costa - Last Call with Carson Daly (1:35am - NBC)
  

TUESDAY

• Shelby Lynne - Tavis Smiley (11pm - PBS)
• Say Anything - Carson
  

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

• Vampire Weekend - Letterman

Vampire Weekend A-Punk


SATURDAY

• Ryan Adams - Henry Rollins Show (9pm & 2:45am - IFC Canada)
  

Hipster Olympics

Obvs, I don't really think this video is funny - I'm only posting it ironically.

Whatev.





Deleted Scene

Apparently, Aragorn Is A Dylan Fan

Viggo Mortensen sings an a cappella version of the Bob Dylan song Masters of War earlier this month. The performance was being recorded for an upcoming TV mini-series entitled The People Speak, based on the book A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn. Kerry Washington, John Legend and Marisa Tomei were among others who performed at the event.

Moldy Peaches Promote Toothpaste In South America

Sort of...but not really.

The Moldy Peaches song Jorge Regula is being used without permission in a South American ad for Pepsodent toothpaste.

Vocalist/songwriter Adam Green told the NME:

"The only reason we found out about the commercial was we started winning awards for best commercial of the year in Argentina," Adam told us. "Friends of mine would come back and say 'Hey, I was just on holiday in Chile and you song is on the TV and radio all the time!'. [source]

Here is the offending (though, admittedly, quite adorable) ad.

So Haute

There's been way too much grim news as of late so I figured an injection of frivolous, fantastical fashion would certainly be in order.

The Spring/Summer 2008 haute couture collections are underway in Paris - below you'll find video of selected footage from the Christian Dior and Chanel presentations.



Dior





Chanel

Coachella Welcomes Back The Reformed And Resurfaced

Coachella organizers revealed the full lineup for this year's festival yesterday and the list includes a bunch of names we haven't heard from for awhile.

A relatively old-school contingent of The Verve, Portishead, Spiritualized, Love & Rockets, Roger Waters and The Breeders will join the likes of M.I.A., Tegan & Sara, Justice, My Morning Jacket, Kid Sister, Spank Rock, Gogol Bordello, The Streets, Metric and a host of others over the 3 days spanning April 25 to 27.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 25 at 10am. Click here for all the festival details.

Whoopi, I'm Really Glad You Asked That Question

In case you missed it, here's footage of the performance by The Moldy Peaches on The View yesterday (January 21).




I'm not sure who looks more nervous, Kimya and Adam or the Stepford Wife -populated View audience.

Also (kind of off topic), I'm apparently the last person to know that Kimya is a cousin of Fabrizio Moretti from The Strokes.

The Streets Torch The Beats

Mike Skinner and co. (aka The Streets) bid adieu to their imprint record label, The Beats, by staging a rather elaborate mock memorial ceremony and a fiery, quasi-Viking-style funeral.





I'm pretty sure the whole to-do is meant to be a piss-take on similar over-the-top music industry spectacles, such as the Puff Daddy name change ceremony and the "funeral" staged by Rick Rubin when Def American Records switched to the moniker American Recordings.

Late Night TV Preview: January 21 - 26, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night (and morning) TV in the coming week. Note: *indicates an encore episode.


MONDAY

• The Moldy Peaches (aka the composers of the original music for the film Juno) - The View (11am - ABC, CTV)
  
• Ringo Starr - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)
• Velvet Revolver - Jimmy Kimmel Live* (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
  
• The Subways - Late Night with Conan O'Brien* (12:35am - NBC, A-Channel)

The Moldy Peaches Anyone Else But You (song starts at about the 3:40 mark)



TUESDAY

• Cheap Trick - Conan*

WEDNESDAY

• The Redwalls - Letterman
• Common - Conan*

THURSDAY

• Super Furry Animals - Letterman
• John Mayer - Conan*
• Ringo Starr - Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:35am - CBS, E!)
  
  Super Furry Animals Hello Sunshine
  
  
  

FRIDAY

• Wilco - Conan*

SATURDAY

• Marilyn Manson (panel guest), Peaches (musical performer) - Henry Rollins Show (9pm, 2am & 4:55am - IFC Canada)

That's So Graham

Graham Norton is an Irish comedian who's gained success as a talk show host, helming the popular series So Graham Norton and V Graham Norton for the BBC.

The Graham Norton Show is his most recent endeavour, having made a 13-episode run in the UK last year and now being aired on this side of the pond (somewhat inexplicably) via BBC Kids.

TGNS premiered January 11 (pardon my tardiness) and continues every Friday at 10pm and Saturday at 9pm. Check out the video below for a taste of what you're in for.

Joanna Lumley/Jon Bon Jovi

A Cheap And Cheerful Night In

As I wait to find whether or not I'm going to have to be pulling my purse strings extra tight for the next little (or long) while, I've decided to err on the side of caution and just take it easy this evening.

To that end, I'll be catching up on my bootleg online video viewing by tracking down a Kylie Minogue special that aired in the UK a couple of months back. Appropriately titled The Kylie Show, it's a simultaneous celebration of the release of her most recent album X as well as a retrospective o her 20 year career. Filled with music, skits, special guests, fab costumes and generous helpings of good old-fashioned camp, TKS makes it that much easier for me to stay in and avoid this frigid winter night.

Nice Try, But I Can't See It Happening

THE REMATCH

Though, I must admit, I'd definitely be tuning in, if only to witness the inevitable Noel/Liam smackdown.

Magneta Lane Rocks The Riv

Toronto indie/garage rock trio Magneta Lane will be playing, what the band describes as, an "intimate and special" gig tonight at The Rivoli to showcase new material from their upcoming album.

Doors are at 7pm, show starts at 8pm - tickets are $5 at the venue.




Wild Gardens (from the 2006 release Dancing With Daggers)


k-os Born To Run

The band pose as backing musicians though I don't believe they actually play on the track.

The Only List That Matters

If, like me, you hate the barrage of year end/top 10 lists that mark the final weeks of the calendar, well, I've got one more for you.

Top Ten Best Ever.
BY PETER FERLAND
- - - -
1. "Standard" by Generally Beloved
2. "Obvious" by Everyone's List
3. "Understandable" by Debatable but Worthy
4. "Totally Obscure" by Feel Suddenly Inferior
5. "Universally Forgotten" by Curiously Vehement Reverence
6. Whole body of work by Your Ignorance Limits You
7. "Otherwise Underwhelming" by What Was Playing That Time Specific to Me When Everything Came Together Just as It Should Have
8. "Footnote" by Guess Which Were My Drugs
9. "Other-Culture Techno Trance Experience" by See How Well-Rounded I Am
10. "Children's Version of See Above" by We've Got Kids Now

[source] via [source]

Canucks Rack Up Brit Award Noms

Nominations for the 2008 Brit Awards were announced yesterday and it was pretty much the usual suspects of the UK music industry that appeared on the nominee list including Arctic Monkeys, the ubiquitous Mark Ronson, Sugababes and, um, Take That. I was also glad to see a few under the radar, personal favourites - Bat For Lashes and Richard Hawley - get recognized but also shocked and dismayed that that the brilliant M.I.A. failed to garner a single nod.


M.I.A. Paper Planes



Canadians did well in the international categories with a total of five nominations including two for Arcade Fire (International Group and Album), one for Feist (International Solo Female) and one each for Rufus Wainwright and Michael Bublé who will battle it out in the International Solo Male category.

The full list of nominees appears below. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on February 20, 2008.


British Male Solo Artist

• Jamie T


• Mark Ronson


• Mika


• Newton Faulkner


• Richard Hawley

Richard Hawley Serious





British Female Solo Artist

• Bat For Lashes


• Kate Nash


• KT Tunstall


• Leona Lewis


• PJ Harvey

British Group

• Arctic Monkeys


• Editors


• Girls Aloud


• Kaiser Chiefs


• Take That

British Album

• Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare


• Leona Lewis - Spirit


• Mark Ronson - Version


• Mika - Life In Cartoon Motion


• Take That - Beautiful World

British Breakthrough Act

• Bat For Lashes


• Kate Nash


• Klaxons


• Leona Lewis


• Mika

Bat For Lashes What's A Girl To Do







British Live Act

• Arctic Monkeys


• Kaiser Chiefs


• Klaxons


• Muse


• Take That

British Single

• The Hoosiers - Worried About Ray


• James Blunt - 1973


• Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby


• Kate Nash - Foundations


• Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love


• Mark Ronson - Valerie (featuring Amy Winehouse)


• Mika - Grace Kelly


• Mutya Buena - Real Girl


• Sugababes - About You Now


• Take That - Shine

International Male Solo Artist

• Bruce Springsteen


• Kanye West


• Rufus Wainwright


• Timbaland


• Michael Buble

International Female Solo Artist

• Alicia Keys


• Bjork


• Feist


• Kylie Minogue


• Rihanna

Feist My Moon My Man







International Group

• Arcade Fire


• Eagles


• Foo Fighters


• Kings Of Leon


• The White Stripes

International Album

• Arcade Fire - Neon Bible


• Eagles - Long Road Out Of Eden


• Foo Fighters - Echoes, Silence, Patience, Grace


• Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times


• Kylie Minogue - X

Outstanding Contribution Award
Paul McCartney (previously announced)

[source]

The Power Of Celine

I previously posted about a This is Not a Reading Series event that looked at the phenomenon of pop culture icon Celine Dion. I was able to attend and, along with 100+ other people packed into the relatively tiny ballroom of the Gladstone Hotel, enjoyed the talk as well as the several performers who "paid tribute" to the French Canadian powerhouse. Among the performances, my personal highlight was Owen Pallett (aka Final Fantasy) who did a spare and stirring rendition of the 1993 Dion hit The Power of Love (which was originally recorded by Jennifer Rush in 1985). Below is video footage of the performance.




I think now is a good time to say that I actually have a favourite Celine Dion song. I don't want to make a whole big thing about it but there it is. It's a French song called Ziggy* and I sincerely think it's really sweet. The song is also accompanied by a pretty awesome video which you can view below (and is kind of NSFW - seriously).




I also happened to catch a special about the music of the late Michel Berger (who wrote the song) and hosted by French pop icon France Gall (and Berger's widow) on TV5 this past weekend. Below is video of Celine at her awkward, melodramatic best performing Ziggy (for some reason, directly at France). That special, entitled Tous...pour la musique, will be rebroadcast tonight at 11:30 pm on TV5 and also features performances by Johnny Hallyday and Vanessa Paradis among others.



*For those of you who don't speak French, the song is about a girl who is in love with a boy named Ziggy who happens to be gay. A tale as old as time.

Late Night TV Preview: January 14 - 19, 2008

Here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Note: while all off this week's programming will be original, NBC has taken to withholding their show guest schedules for the length the WGA strike.


MONDAY

• Ice Cube (panel guest), Xavier Rudd (musical performer) - Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
  
• Lupe Fiasco - Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson (12:35am - CBS, E!)

TUESDAY

• Kate Nash - Ferguson

Kate Nash Pumpkin Soup



WEDNESDAY

• Wyclef - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)

THURSDAY

• The Mars Volta - Letterman
  

FRIDAY

• Kings of Leon - Austin City Limits (11:30pm - PBS) Edit: Booooo! This was completely wrong. Instead of four hot, Tennessee rockers I got two bloated, "new country" chicks. Again I say booooo! I'm not very pleased with my Rogers digital TV listings right now.
  

Kings of Leon Four Kicks



SATURDAY

• Henry Rollins: Uncut From Israel (8pm - IFC Canada)
  
• Dinosaur Jr - Henry Rollins Show (1:45am - IFC Canada) Note: this episode is from season 1, season 2 episodes begin airing January 26. My apologies for last week's error.

Saunders Strikes Again

In what counts as her 475th creative endeavour (I'm guesstimating on that figure), British comedienne Jennifer Saunders triumphantly returns with The Life and Times of Vivian Vyle.

Saunders once again takes on writing duties as well as the title role of Vivian Vyle, a tabloid talk show host whose frank, unapologetic and no-holds-barred style belies her own fragility and the turmoil that plagues her personal life. Also starring the brilliant Miranda Richardson as Vivian's ambitious and wildly unhinged producer Helena.





The Life and Times of Vivian Vyle premieres tonight at 10:30pm on Showcase. Original episodes air every Sunday with repeats throughout the week. Click here for more details. Edit: the show also airs every Tuesday at 9:40 starting tomorrow (January 15) on BBC Canada - it follows Absolutely Fabulous, one of Saunders' earlier series.

That British Bloke From The Daily Show

I'm a big fan of show Green Wing but I guess I'd never actually seen the premiere episode until it was repeated last night on BBC Canada. It was funny as hell, just like the rest of the series, but there was an extra nice surprise during the first few minutes of the program: there, playing a luxury car salesman, was John Oliver currently a writer and on-air "correspondent" on The Daily Show.





During it's two series run between 2004 and 2006 on Britain's Channel 4, Green Wing presented a fresh take on the standard TV sitcom, boasting sublimely absurd plot lines, a stellar comic ensemble cast (including actors from Coupling, Smack the Pony and the original UK version of The Office) and creative filming techniques. The world class sport of "Guyball", among other signature Green Wing staples, lives on forever in my heart.

Green Wing airs Friday nights at 10pm on BBC Canada. John Oliver tries desperately to avoid having his work visa revoked on A Daily Show (the current WGA strike version of The Daily Show), Monday to Thursday at 11pm on The Comedy Network.

Work Issues

I usually don't like to bring up the "w" word here and I won't get into specifics now but, suffice it to say, these are trying times for myself and my fellow employees. I only wanted to take a moment to tell everyone to stay strong and also to show my support by posting a couple of (kinda melodramatic but nonetheless appropriate) videos.




Christina Aguilera Fighter


White Stripes Seven Nation Army

VB For MJ

Fresh from being ranked as Blackwell's #1 worst dressed celebrity of 2007*, Victoria Beckham does the obvious by appearing in ads for a "May-jah!" fashion designer. Below are photos of Beckham in the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2008 campaign.

These pictures are hilarious! They perfectly express the silly side of our Vicki B that was showcased in her Coming to America special. However, much as I usually like Marc Jacobs, I have to say those shoes are absolutely ridiculous. Somebody needs to pull that man-child designer aside and give him a good slap for having the audacity to think that women (or drag queens) would actually put those things on their feet.

*You know that Blackwell bitch is just jealous of our fierce as hell VB and her smoking hot hubby David.

Dizzee, If You Wouldn't Mind...

I have been up to my ass in alligators today people so I'm just going to make this post a quickie.

Please enjoy the video for Flex, the latest single from Dizzee Rascal off his most recent album Maths + English. Special cameo by Mike Skinner aka The Streets.

Bill Gates Retires, Seeks Hobbies

This video of Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates' keynote retirement address earlier this week has been circulating the old interweb for the last couple of days and, having finally just seen it, I can understand why. It is absolutely inspired and truly hilarious.

Gates has no problem taking the piss with himself (retiring a multi-billionaire can go a long way towards developing and maintaining a good sense of humour) and the cameos from the likes of Jay-Z, Bono, Matthew McConaughey, Jon Stewart and a couple of US Democratic presidential candidates are really clever.

Check out the fun below.

Happy Birthday Bowie!

Click here for a glimpse of the Thin White Duke as a lovely, chubby baby.


Arcade Fire feat David Bowie - Fashion Rocks (US) 2005

Goldfrapp Go Old School

Yay! It's a video for the new Goldfrapp single A&E, taken from the upcoming album Seventh Tree. YouTube embedding has been disabled so you'll have to be satisfied with this link.

This track is very reminiscent of the mellow electronica sound from their Felt Mountain days, which means you may be in for a shock if you're only familiar with the glammed up Black Cherry and Supernature material. I'm a fan of all of it but, I'll admit, I'm kind of digging this return to the old ways.

The clip itself combines rural bliss with that touch of the bizarre that we've come to expect from the Goldfrapp visual presentation. I love it.

Seventh Tree is released February 25 in the UK, February 26 in North America.

The Strange Effects Of The "Strike Beard"

I think I now have something of an understanding of the reason that certain people become entertainers. There's that undeniable need to perform and to have people see them perform. Left to their own devices they can go a bit loopy as is demonstrated by Conan O'Brien on his recently reinstated Late Night program.





Though, when he did finally return to the air he was just as...interesting.




I blame the facial hair.

Late Night TV Preview: January 7 - 12, 2008

...and we're back!

Sort of.


The WGA strike is still going strong after more than 10 weeks but a few of the late night programs have made deals with the Guild so that they can start airing new shows without their regular writing staff. Conan, Leno, Letterman, Ferguson and Kimmel started up again just after the new year last week while Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert will pick up again beginning tomorrow (January 7). Carson Daly is still in reruns.

In the meantime, here are some of the musical artists scheduled to appear on late night TV in the coming week. Not all the shows have their full week schedules available yet so check back for updates throughout the week.


MONDAY

• Vanessa Paradis, KT Tunstall - Taratata (11:30pm - TV5)
• Dropkick Murphys - Late Show with David Letterman (11:35pm - CBS, OMNI)
• Velvet Revolver - Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:05am - ABC, CityTV)
• Morrissey - Last Call with Carson Daly* (1:35am - NBC)

Vanessa Paradis Divine Idylle


TUESDAY

• MGMT - Letterman

WEDNESDAY

• Lupe Fiasco - Tavis Smiley (11pm - PBS)

Lupe Fiasco Kick Push


THURSDAY

• Ayo - Letterman

FRIDAY

• Dropkick Murphys - Letterman
• Alicia Keys - Carson*

SATURDAY

• Henry Rollins: Uncut From NYC (spoken word concert film) - 8pm, IFC Canada
• Marilyn Manson (panel guest), Peaches (musical performer) - Henry Rollins Show (2:15am - IFC Canada)

Sure, Why Not

The Polyphonic Spree provide musical accompaniment for the Oscar De La Renta Spring 2008 ready-to-wear show.




Light & Day pt. 1


Light & Day pt. 2


Soldier Girl

This Is Not A Celine Dion Concert

The good folks at Pages Books & Magazines are kicking off the new year with the latest installment of their This Is Not A Reading Series. Host Mark Kingwell will moderate a talk with author Carl Wilson about his book Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste. The two will discuss the major theme of the book: the pop culture phenomenon otherwise known as French-Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion.


Anne from Little Britain does Celine Dion


Why does Celine Dion inspire both passionate love and virulent loathing? Renowned music critic Carl Wilson will have a lively onstage discussion about such aesthetic conundrums with noted philosopher Mark Kingwell at the launch of Wilson's much anticipated new book, Let's Talk About Love: A Journey To The End Of Taste. Also on the bill are performances of Celine Dion songs by 2006 Polaris prize winner Final Fantasy, Laura Barrett and The Blankett, an excerpt from the one-woman show "Celine Speaks!" by Laura Landauer, and DJ sets by Brian Joseph Davis...[source]

This free event take place this Wednesday (January 9) at 7:30pm at the Gladstone Hotel.

Extras In Full

Awww yeah!

Canadians are finally going to get the opportunity to see the full two seasons of the Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant sophomore comedy hit Extras. The series originally began airing on these shores in 2006 via CH but somehow got lost in the shuffle when the station was absorbed first by Global CanWest and more recently by E! Entertainment Television. Now, The Comedy Network has stepped it to give Extras the proper, mostly uninterrupted run it deserves. Of course, you could have just watched all the episodes on YouTube like everybody else...but I digress.

Similar to the duo's previous collaboration, The Office, Gervais takes centre stage on Extras as put upon protagonist Andy Milman, who makes a living as a background performer in TV and film while nurturing greater expectations as an accomplished writer and director. However, unlike his previous alter ego, paper company manager David Brent, Andy is painfully aware of his less than glorious status on the entertainment industry food chain. Ugly Betty regular Ashley Jensen plays Andy's well-meaning but witless best friend Maggie while Merchant steps out from behind the scenes, playing Andy's (mostly useless) agent.

The icing on the cake with Extras is that it's cup runneth over with guest appearances by honest to goodness A-list celebrities playing exaggerated versions of themselves. Season 1 boasts appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller and Patrick Stewart among others while season 2 features the likes of Orlando Bloom, David Bowie, Sir Ian McKellan and Daniel Radcliffe. Here's a taste.



The painfully awkward fun begins on January 22.

Celebrating Oscar

Kicking off the new year in a reflective and generous mood, Roy Thompson Hall has decided to do it's part in honouring the life and career of legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson (who died on December 23, 2007) by hosting a concert free of charge to the general public.

Oscar Peterson - Simply the Best will take place at 4pm on January 12, 2008 and feature appearance by opera star Measha Brueggergosman, former Ontario premier Bob Rae and Governor General of Canada Michaëlle Jean.

Admission details are still being finalized but you can check back at the RTH website for the most up to date information.