Voice actor Carlson dies
For a generation of Canadians, he was the soothing TV voice that proffered recipes involving products such as Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows and Miracle Whip.
The voice of Kraft foods from the '70s and '80s, Len Carlson died Thursday of a heart attack at age 68. He was one of the country's most prolific voice actors.
Carlson was the narrator in the popular Canadian cartoon Rocket Robin Hood, the voice of several Marvel cartoon characters including Captain America and Spider-Man's enemy The Green Goblin, and the voice of Bert Raccoon in CBC's The Raccoons.
"He was very physically active, so his death was a shock," said his agent Richard Menich. Menich said Carlson began as a pro athlete, a running back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders and a pitcher for the minor League Seattle Pilots. He turned to acting after injuries ended his sports career.
Carlson was a voice character in two YTV series still in production, Atomic Betty and Cyberchase.
The actor is survived by his wife Judy and daughter Corrine. Funeral services will be held Tuesday at Marshall Funeral Home in Richmond Hill.
Documentary revisits Cdn. pop from 60's
Canuck music history doc boasts never-before-seen performances
One of the clips in Shakin' All Over is an old footage of the Squires with Neil Young, top left corner, jamming together.
You won't believe the sight of David Clayton Thomas and the Shays performing on American television in 1965.
That's not the only reason to watch the two-hour documentary Shakin' All Over: Canadian Pop Music In The 1960s. But the Thomas clip will stick in your noggin because it's so damn bizarre.
The producers of the NBC musical-variety show Hullabaloo must have thought, "Hell, these guys are Canadian, so let's go with a hockey theme. Anything else might scare 'em."
So there's the group, performing the song Walk That Walk on a ridiculous set that is painted like a hockey rink. Large logos of the six NHL teams that were in existence in '65 hang in the background, alongside a scoreboard.
The most goofy thing of all? There are some stoic female models -- mannequins maybe? -- wearing hockey jerseys and posing stiffly with sticks, amid the musicians.
The girl standing guard in front of the net is donning a Maple Leafs sweater, so feel free to make up your own joke about the current quality of the club's goaltending.
Anyway, it all comes across as comical but slightly demeaning. These days hockey has been romanticized so much that Canadians might take such treatment as a compliment, but that's a rant for another day.
The whole point of Shakin' All Over is not to demean Canadian music, but to celebrate it. The documentary deals specifically with the era prior to the 1971 Canadian-content laws that force Canadian radio stations to play a minimum percentage of Canadian music.
The great thing about Shakin' All Over is the rare clips. Even if you're familiar with standard rock 'n' roll archives, there will be dozens of performances here that you never have seen before.
But be forewarned: While there are segments reserved for big-time acts like the Guess Who, Gordon Lightfoot, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Anne Murray and Neil Young, a lot of this stuff is very obscure. That might turn you off, or on, depending upon your level of fascination with Canuck musical history.
You'll see a group called the Great Scots, fully attired in kilts.
You'll see Tom Baird, keyboard player for the Classics, playing solitaire with one hand and piano with the other.
You'll hear Jerry Mercer, the drummer for Mashmakhan (which had a big hit with As The Years Go By), recalling that the band went from playing in a church basement in Montreal on a Wednesday to a full stadium in Japan on a Saturday. "We were almost like the Beatles there," Mercer says.
Yeah, almost.
A small criticism of Shakin' All Over is that it doesn't end in a particularly succinct way. One minute Crowbar is playing a concert with a stripper, then boom, the closing credits are running.
Overall, though, Shakin' All Over is a sharp showcase for a bygone era. And whether you're a hardcore music nut or someone who just likes watching weird archival footage, you never, ever will forget the hokey hockey set on Hullabaloo. Groovy, man.
Sirius, XM expose Canadian acts to Americans
TORONTO (Billboard) - Canadian acts picking up airplay on the country's new satellite-based subscription radio services are also getting much-coveted U.S. exposure.
Sirius Canada launched December 1, with XM Canada following December 12.
Sirius Canada is a partnership among Canadian Broadcasting Corp., Toronto-based Standard Broadcasting Corp. and New York-based Sirius Satellite Radio. It offers 100 channels for a monthly subscription price of $14.99 Canadian ($12.85).
Its package includes 10 Canadian-produced channels, with four of them dedicated to music: English-language Iceberg Radio and CBC Radio 3 and French-language Rock Velours and Energie 2. The music channels are all available to Sirius subscribers in the United States.
XM Canada is operated by publicly traded Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings with a minority stake held by Washington, D.C.-based XM Satellite Radio Holdings. Its $12.99 Canadian ($11.14) monthly package contains 80 channels, eight of them Canadian-produced.
All of its Canadian channels can be heard on XM's U.S. service. They include three music strands: the English-language outlet Unsigned and French-language Air Musique and Sur Route.
"XM and Sirius are being aggressive in seeking domestic content," says Derrick Ross, EMI Music Canada VP of national promotion and media relations.
Among the acts being heard on XM's triple A-based Unsigned are alternative acts Broken Social Scene, the Novaks, Metric and Luke Doucet. Sirius' triple-A/Americana-styled Iceberg has been playing roots-based Blackie & the Rodeo Kings and singer/songwriters Feist and Colin Linden.
"XM Canada has really gotten behind the Novaks, and, to a lesser extent, Luke Doucet," Warner Music Canada VP of radio promotion Steve Coady says. "These are acts on labels we distribute that we were struggling to get airplay on."
With Unsigned, XM Canada VP of programming Ross Davies says he is "discovering this incredible depth of music that hasn't been played before on Canadian radio."
Sources at XM and Sirius say that subscriptions at both Canadian operations are running ahead of expectations, but the companies decline to provide details.
"In Canada, there aren't many people listening yet," Standard Radio president Gary Slaight admits. "Most of the people listening to us are in the U.S. The big benefit right now for Canadian acts is in the United States."
Coady says, "I suspect the effect in the U.S. will be apparent as artists start getting hits on their Web sites from Oklahoma City or elsewhere."
But according to Iceberg program manager Liz Janik, Canadian labels are not yet taking advantage of the two satellite companies reaching "over 3 million subscribers on Sirius in the U.S. and almost 6 million on XM there."
With a few exceptions, she says, "the Canadian labels are asleep at the wheel" with servicing.
Broadcast regulator the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission granted the two satellite licenses in June 2005.
Under their license terms, the satellite providers can carry less Canadian content than commercial radio overall, but must offer at least eight Canadian-produced channels with 85% Canadian programming. They can also have a maximum of nine U.S.-based channels for each Canadian channel.
That ruling looks likely to be a central topic at hearings during the review of commercial radio slated to start May 15 in Ottawa. The Canadian Assn. of Broadcasters has said it will push for modifying Canadian content quotas at the review.
"Heading into the review of radio, we're very concerned how the satellite decision will (have an) impact on Canadian content levels," says Cori Ferguson, executive director of the Canadian Independent Record Production Assn.
Sources say that media spillover from Howard Stern's launch on Sirius in the United States has increased awareness of the satellite broadcaster in Canada.
However, Sirius Canada does not carry Stern, and it seems unlikely he will be heard in Canada anytime soon.
Under the satellite licenses, XM Canada and Sirius Canada's programming falls under CRTC radio regulations dealing with abusive comment. Both services also have to abide by the standards and codes of the Broadcast Standards Council.
"If there was complaint over Stern, and the Broadcast Standards Council found the programming in contravention to their codes, Sirius would have a big headache," one source notes.
"I don't think it would be a problem," Slaight counters. "People have to pay for service and can opt out of a channel. We're still evaluating the channel lineup and how Howard is doing in the U.S."
One Huge "Momma"
Everyone seemed to head to Big Momma's House 2 this weekend.
The chance to see Martin Lawrence redon the fat suit as an undercover agent playing nanny to some kids was too tempting for moviegoers, who shelled out an estimated $28 million for tickets to the sequel, making it the biggest draw of the weekend over fellow newcomers Nanny McPhee and Annapolis.
Big Momma was apparently buoyed by good word of mouth. Fox happily pointed out that business for the PG-13 flick was 47 percent higher Saturday than it had been on Friday. The movie averaged $8,586 per screen at 3,261 sites and its gross was the second best ever for January, beaten only by Star Wars: Special Edition's $35.9 million.
Additionally the sequel bested the opening of the original Big Momma's House, which debuted with $25.6 million in June 2000. For Lawrence, it's his second best opening, way behind Bad Boys II, which was bolstered by the presence of costar Will Smith and debuted with $46.5 million in the summer of 2003.
Emma Thompson's anti-Mary Poppins tale Nanny McPhee was about half the woman Big Momma was. Literally. The family comedy about a warts-and-all nanny tending to Colin Firth's unruly kids earned $14.1 million in second place, while playing at considerably fewer theaters.
Universal declared itself extremely happy with "the well above expectation" haul for the PG adaptation of the Nurse Matilda books, which also stars Angela Lansbury. Already a huge hit on its home turf in the U.K., Nanny McPhee check in at just 1,995 sites in North America and averaged $7,068.
Nikki Rocco, Universal's distribution president, noted that while "family films work right now" this movie had the additional appeal because "it's not violent, it's a fantasy, and children really like it." Rocco's says she hopes Nanny McPhee will "linger in the marketplace for a while."
It will undoubtedly linger longer than Annapolis. The lightweight Officer and a Gentleman wannabe, set in the U.S. Naval Academy and starring James Franco, foundered in fourth place with $7.7 million.
A PG-13 entry from Disney, Annapolis averaged just $4,802 per screen at 1,605 sites. It's been a rough go for Franco of late. A Golden Globe winner in 2002 for a James Dean TV movie, Franco's Dark Ages romance Tristan & Isolde has dropped out of sight after 17 days.
Meanwhile, last week's top movie, Underworld: Evolution dropped 59 percent to third place, earning $11.1 million. Kate Beckinsale's vampire sequel has tallied $44.3 million in two weeks.
But the movies in the fifth and six slots continued to hang in strongly. The fractured fairy tale 'toon Hoodwinked dipped just 29 percent in its third week with $7.3 million and has now grossed $37.6 million. And the favorite going into Tuesday's Oscar noms, Brokeback Mountain, fell off just 19 percent with $6.3 million. The film, which earned Ang Lee the top DGA Award Saturday, has an eight-week tally of $50.8 million.
Moving up 18 slots into 10th place was another critically praised movie, The Matador, starring Pierce Brosnan as a mixed-up hit man and Greg Kinnear as a distressed salesman. Adding 819 sites to play at 885 in its fifth week, the film gained 838 percent with $3.8 million, bringing its total to $5.5 million.
In limited release, the top per-screen average was $14,704 for Disney's Roving Mars, the documentary about Spirit and Opportunity's quest for water on the red planet, which unspooled at 27 large-screen sites and grossed $397,000.
At just eight sites, Fox Searchlight's Imagine Me and You, a British comedy about a lesbian love affair in the face of a traditional marriage, averaged $6,604 per screen for $52,830.
Overall, business was up 5 percent from last weekend, but, in a bad sign for the movie biz, down 5 percent from this time last year.
Here's a rundown of the top 10 films, based on estimates compiled Sunday by Exhibitor Relations (final figures are due Monday):
1. Big Momma's House 2, $28 million
2. Nanny McPhee, $14.1 million
3. Underworld: Evolution, $11.1 million
4. Annapolis, $7.7 million
5. Hoodwinked, $7.3 million
6. Brokeback Mountain, $6.3 million
7. Glory Road, $5.1 million
8. Last Holiday, $4.8 million
9. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $4.4 million
10. The Matador, $3.8 million
Rocker Bryan Adams in Pakistan for quake relief gig
KARACHI (Reuters) - Canadian rocker Bryan Adams thrilled 10,000 fans at a concert in Karachi on Sunday, the first big show by a Western singer in Pakistan in decades, to help students affected by country's October 8 earthquake.
Adams, who performed most of his hits and moved the audience with "Summer of 69," said he was glad to discover new fans in Pakistan.
"I am here because this city has a special love for music," the singer greeted his fans at the Arabian Sea Club on the outskirts of Karachi, as hundreds of Pakistani police guarded roads and checked vehicles leading to the venue.
The Canadian rocker said before the show that he was excited to help the victims of the earthquake in northern Pakistan.
"The whole idea of coming to Pakistan is very exciting on many levels ... we are the first Western artists to come and play a big concert here," he singer told a news conference.
"We are going to raise a lot of money hopefully to help rebuild some schools in the areas that have been devastated."
Over 17,000 of the more than 73,000 killed in the quake were children who died in schools destroyed in the quake. About 3 million people were left homeless by the disaster.
Adams, who will meet President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in Islamabad on Monday, said he had no worries about coming to Pakistan.
Musharraf was instrumental in Pakistan joining the U.S.-led war on terrorism in 2001, a move that sparked a violent anti-Western reaction by Islamist radicals.
The hard-line Islamists oppose Western influences in Pakistan, especially rock music, dress and movies, which they consider immoral influences counter to Islam.
Witherspoon, Hoffman, 'Crash' lead SAG honours
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Reese Witherspoon as singer June Carter in Walk the Line and Philip Seymour Hoffman as author Truman Capote in Capote won lead-acting awards Sunday from the Screen Actors Guild, while the ensemble drama Crash, directed by Canadian Paul Haggis, pulled off an upset win over Brokeback Mountain for the overall cast award.
The best-actress honour for a television drama series went to Canadian Sandra Oh for the medical drama Grey's Anatomy.
Rachel Weisz of the murder thriller The Constant Gardener and Paul Giamatti of the boxing drama Cinderella Man received supporting-acting honours.
"Oh, my God, y'all. Sometimes, I can't just shake the feeling that I'm just a little girl from Tennessee," said Witherspoon, who plays Carter during her long, stormy courtship with country legend Johnny Cash. "I want to say my biggest inspiration for this movie obviously was June Carter. She was an incredible woman."
Hoffman, considered the favourite for the best-actor Oscar as Capote amid the author's struggles to research and write the true-crime novel In Cold Blood, had gushing thanks for his Capote co-stars.
"It's important to say that actors can't act alone, it's impossible. What we have to do is support each other," Hoffman said. "Actors have to have each others' backs. It's the only way to act well is when you know the other actor has your back, and these actors had my back, and I hope they know I had theirs."
Oh, who won a Golden Globe earlier this month, said she was gratified at how the casting of the show reflected real-world diversity.
"This is unbelievable. I thank every single actor out there. I'm so grateful for having a job," Oh said. "To all my fellow Asian-American actors out there, I share this with you, and be encouraged and keep shining."
Brokeback Mountain has been considered the best-picture front-runner at the Oscars, whose nominations come out Tuesday, with awards presented March 5. Its loss to Crash could prove a speed-bump on the film's path toward becoming the first explicitly gay-themed movie to win a best picture award at the Oscars, but Brokeback Mountain has dominated earlier Hollywood honours so it will likely continue to be considered the favourite.
It led the Jan. 16 Golden Globes with four wins, among them best dramatic film and director for Ang Lee, who took the same prize Saturday from the Directors Guild of America.
Adapted from Annie Proulx's short story about old sheepherding buddies who conceal a homosexual affair from their families, Brokeback Mountain also has earned top honours from key critics groups and the Producers Guild of America.
Sean Hayes, won for best actor in a TV comedy for his role as a gay man in Will & Grace, had a ready wisecrack about Brokeback Mountain.
"First of all, I would like to thank Ang Lee for taking a chance on me," said Hayes, who is not in Brokeback Mountain.
Last year, the wine-country romp Sideways won SAG's ensemble prize, while Million Dollar Baby went on to earn best-picture.
Crash follows the lives of a far-flung cast of characters over a chaotic 36-hour period in Los Angeles.
"This celebrates the definition of what an ensemble is all about. There's 74 of us," Crash co-star Terrence Howard said of the film's huge cast.
Weisz won supporting-actress for her role as a rabble-rousing aid worker, while Giamatti was honoured as supporting actor for playing the manager of Depression-era fighter Jim Braddock. Both had gracious thanks for their fellow actors.
"I can't imagine a greater honour than being acknowledged by my peers," Giamatti said. "Being an actor is a hell of a thing. It's a hell of a thing. It's up and down. It's great, but I found the best thing about it is hanging around the craft-service table with other actors and crew people, eating doughnuts."
"It's so special to be honoured by fellow actors, so thanks very much to the tribe," said Weisz, who also won the Golden Globe supporting-actress prize.
Felicity Huffman, who has been considered the best-actress Oscar front-runner for her gender-bending role in Transamerica, lost to Witherspoon but won the guild prize for best actress in a TV comedy for Desperate Housewives, which also won for best comedy ensemble.
"I love actors. I married one. OK, I married a fantastic one," Huffman said, of her husband, William Macy. "But even more than acting, I love the community of actors. I love the green room. I love the hair and makeup trailer. . . . I'm so happy I can make a living at it, because I was never very good at math."
Kiefer Sutherland won as best actor in a TV drama for the action series 24, while the airplane-disaster show Lost won for TV dramatic ensemble.
"A friend of mine always says if you don't have something nice to say about someone, say it," said Lost co-star Terry O'Quinn, surrounded by fellow cast members. "This is the saddest collection of climbing, grasping, paranoid, back-stabbing, screen-grabbing schmoozers and losers that you ever saw in your life. But we love each very much."
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Here is a complete list of winners of the 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards:
Movies:
Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote.
Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line.
Supporting actor: Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man.
Supporting actress: Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener.
Ensemble cast: Crash.
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Television:
Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Paul Newman, Empire Falls.
Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Epatha Merkerson, Lackawanna Blues.
Actor in a Drama Series: Kiefer Sutherland, 24.
Actress in a Drama Series: Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy.
Actor in a Comedy Series: Sean Hayes, Will & Grace.
Actress in a Comedy Series: Felicity Huffman, Desperate Housewives.
Drama ensemble: Lost.
Comedy ensemble: Desperate Housewives.
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Lifetime Achievement: Shirley Temple Black.