One moment it’s January and you start planning to do something big for TIFF, and the next it’s September and you’re a few days away from the festival. The last eight months have been a blur, but it’s been nothing less than a thrill ride all along the way, with challenges, and rewards, at every turn.
My family raised me on country music. When I was a kid, my mother and grandmother listened to nothing but old school country, and that certainly rubbed off on me. My tastes are all over the place, but country still speaks to kid in me that grew up on it, so when I got an invite to come down to Chicago to cover the Windy City Smokeout country music festival, I was excited for a whole bunch of reasons.
Summer is around the corner, I just got back from a Canada 150 road trip with Ford, and there are only 85 days until the Toronto International Film Festival. There is a lot going on, but the festival is front of mind since I’m prepping The GATE’s Interview Lounge at TIFF, and my accreditation application came in Monday too.
Samsung gave me an early look at the Galaxy S8 last week, two days after their Samsung Unpacked event in New York City. Demoing the new devices to media last Friday, Samsung showed off some of the big changes, including one of the big new ways you can use the S8.
March is almost over and it’s been a fun month, and just a tad more relaxed than I expect in April. A little down time is welcome, and it’s certainly easy to hibernate when the weather is not so hot out. There has still been a lot to do though, and this weekend would have been a lot busier if I’d been able to make the Juno Awards, but I’ll be watching the festivities from Toronto.
Welcome backstage to the press room at the 2017 Candys, or as they’re also called, the Canadian Screen Awards. The afternoon started with the red carpet arrivals, and now we’ve moved on to the live telecast where the stars are coming back to chat.
It’s not every day that you get invited to a Canadian icon’s home. Last Saturday, before he went to the ACTRA Awards, I dropped by Yannick Bisson’s house to talk about his career, Murdoch Mysteries, and a special new project that he’s working on with his wife. It was really a relaxed chat with one of Canada’s most recognized stars.
This week’s excitement started with the media preview for the Canadian International AutoShow at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The AutoShow opened for the public yesterday, and it’s bound to be another big year for the event–there’s a lot to see and do: classic cars, concepts, prototypes, and new vehicles that are either coming out, or making their way to market late this year.
Canadian television has been very strong for well over a decade now, but the last couple of years have definitely been a peak, and 2017 starts with no less than four great new series: Pure on CBC, Mary Kills People and Ransom on Global, and Cardinal on CTV.
Thank-you, 2016. Yes, it was a tough year, both personally and as a fan of popular culture and its icons, but it was also one of The GATE’s best years. It’s worth taking a moment now at the end of 2016 to look back on some of the awesome that came our way over the last 365 days.
