4 fmr PMs gather again for TV competition
TORONTO (CP) - There were no fireworks but lots of smiles and handshakes Tuesday as four of the country's former prime ministers got together for this year's taping of "The Next Great Canadian Prime Minister," a TV competition aimed at finding a young person with serious leadership potential.
The CBC Broadcast Centre in downtown Toronto was heavy with security and star power as Paul Martin, Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell arrived to serve as judges for the show, airing on March 18.
Former Conservative prime ministers Clark and Mulroney, never the closest of political pals, greeted one another warmly as a svelte and stylish Belinda Stronach mingled with executives from Magna International and CBC, including president Robert Rabinovitch.
The Liberal MP's father, Frank Stronach, Magna's founder and chairman, started the popular nationwide contest in 1995.
It will be the second year the competition has been televised. CTV aired the show last season; this year, CBC snagged it with Rick Mercer as host.
For the most part, all of the ex-prime ministers - three Tories and a Liberal - steered clear of wading into current political events as they prepared to take the stage.
"I think Stephane Dion is doing very well," is all a coy Martin, the sole Liberal, would say of his successor as party leader when asked what he thought of the current federal government.
Instead, Martin focused on the show.
"It clearly reaches out to young Canadians and I understand they constitute by far the largest percentage of the audience," Martin said.
"They are the people we want to interest in public life, and what a great way to do it."'
Clark agreed.
"Aspiration is important and these are people who are very serious about their own futures and the country's future," he said.
"There's a certain advantage to calling upon the reflections of the people who had the privilege of serving in the highest office of the country, and are now beyond partisanship and able to take a look at things without the edge that there was in earlier times."'
Clark, however, did weigh in briefly on the current Conservative government's recent about-face on the environment.
"I'm glad their position's changed and I hope they actually deliver on it," he said.
Mulroney, meanwhile, held court under the glare of television lights to talk exclusively to a CBC crew. He reminisced about his years in power.
"You look back after a 10-or 15-year period and you think: 'I thought what I did was right for the country,' and either it's proved to be the case or not," Mulroney said, adding he was surprised by the vitriolic response to his free-trade stance when he was in power in the 1980s.
"I expected not a honeymoon but a bit of a walk in the park . . . but every day was a tough one."
Of the ex-PMs, Mulroney has been the most active of late. He prodded Prime Minister Stephen Harper late last year on the environment, and within months the Tories had made the issue a top priority.
Last year, Mulroney was named the "greenest prime minister" by left-leaning magazine Corporate Knights.
The winner of "The Next Great Canadian Prime Minister," whose identity won't be revealed until the show airs, gets $50,000 and a six-month paid corporate internship. The remaining four finalists each receive $5,000 and three-month internships.
The five contenders - selected from among thousands of applicants - are subjected to televised grilling by the four ex-prime ministers and judged on how they answer the questions.
Last year's winner was Deirdra McCracken of Sudbury, Ont., a political science graduate student at Laval University at the time. McCracken is now a spokeswoman for federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice.
Governor General reveals new inductees to Order of Canada
Filmmaker Arthur Hiller, anti-smoking activist Gar Mahood and authors Howard Engel, Barbara Gowdy and Frances Itani are among the latest citizens to be named to the Order of Canada.
Governor General Michaëlle Jean announced Tuesday 87 new appointments to the order, among the country's highest honours.
Fiction writers Engel, Gowdy and Itani are among the 55 new members to the order, which was established in 1967 to honour Canadians whose extraordinary achievements or outstanding service in various fields have made a difference across the country.
Others new members include:
TV personality Valerie Pringle.
Children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger.
Choral performer and music educator Sister Katherine Bellamy.
Painter Alex Janvier.
Singer-songwriter Connie Kaldor.
Visual art curator Joan Stebbins.
Theatre director Jean Roberts.
Mark Rowswell, better known throughout China as the stage performer and TV personality Dashan.
Hiller, director of the Hollywood classic Love Story, and Mahood, executive director of the Non-Smokers' Rights Association, are among the 29 people newly named officers of the order. Others include opera director Robert Carsen, journalist and writer Peter Desbarats and visual artist Gerald McMaster.
Three people were promoted to the order's highest level — companion — on Tuesday: Quebec lawyer and former Hydro-Québec executive Richard Drouin, Nisga'a leader Joseph Gosnell Sr. and Calgary business executive Ronald Southern.
The latest inductees will receive their insignia from the Governor General at a Rideau Hall ceremony later this year.
Any Canadian may be nominated for the Order of Canada, while non-Canadians may be considered for honorary appointments. The appointments are made on the recommendation of an advisory council chaired by the chief justice of Canada.
New Releases, February 20: Erasure, Ennio Morricone, Kidz Bop
Erasure "On the Road to Nashville"
This CD/DVD set captures the famed dance-pop duo during a 2006 performance at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium, which is best known for being the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Erasure was in the midst of an acoustic tour in support of the album "Union Street."
The CD features re-imagined renditions of such Erasure favorites as "Sometimes," "Love to Hate You," "Victim of Love" and "Stop!" The DVD portion includes concert footage as well as a short film.
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Various Artists "We All Love Ennio Morricone"
A star-studded cast of musicians pay tribute to the composer known for his work on such films as "The Untouchables," "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Cinema Paradiso" and "The Mission."
Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Chris Botti are among the artists who show their respect for Morricone--who is also set to receive an honorary Oscar at the 79th annual Academy Awards later this month--on this disc.
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Kidz Bop Kids "Kidz Bop 11"
The best-selling children's-music series delivers its 11th edition. The prior outing debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album charts.
This time around, the Kidz Bop Kids cover such big hits as "Put Your Records On," "Waiting on the World to Change," "Chasing Cars" and, the number that everybody seems to be covering these days, "Crazy."
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Explosions in the Sky "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone"
The Texas band, which melds prog and alt rock, returns with another batch of instrumental tunes that adds to a catalog already marked by such acclaimed works as "The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place" and the "Friday Night Lights" soundtrack. This new disc was produced by John Congleton (The Roots).
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JJ Grey and Mofro "Country Ghetto"
Florida-based swamp-rockers JJ Grey and Mofro make their debut on famed blues label Alligator Records with a set of 12 original compositions.
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More new releases:
Anberlin, "Cities" (Tooth & Nail)
Ataris, "Welcome the Night" (Sanctuary)
Toni Braxton, "Essential Toni Braxton" (La Face)
Dir En Grey, "The Marrow of a Bone" (Warcon)
ELO, "Out of the Blue: 30th Anniversary Edition" (Sony)
Everlife, "Everlife" (Buena Vista)
Judy Garland, "The Very Best Of" (EMI)
Jesu, "Conqueror" (Hydrahead)
K-Os, "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco" (Virgin)
Kittie, "Funeral for Yesterday" (Kiss of Infamy)
Steve Kuhn, "Live at Birdland" (Blue Note)
Charlie Louvin, "Charlie Louvin" (Tompkins Square)
The Silos, "Come On Like the Fast Lane" (Bloodshot)
Southern Culture on the Skids, "Countrypolitan Favorites" (Yep Roc)
Tobymac, "Portable Sounds" (Forefront)
Various Artists, "Gerald Levert: Smooth Jazz Tribute" (CC Ent.)
Various Artists, "String Quartet Tribute to Dream Theater" (Vitamin)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)" (Nonesuch)
"Rome: Music From the HBO Series" (Rykodisc)
Planned Van Halen tour hits roadblock
Van Halen (music)'s recently announced summer reunion tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth (music) has been indefinitely postponed, according to a reliable source.
Earlier this month, Van Halen issued a press release in which the group announced it was hitting the road with Roth in tow for the first time since the mid-'80s. The announcement promised 40 shows featuring Roth, group co-founders Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son, who was to take over on stage for fired original bassist Michael Anthony.
The Feb. 2 press release came from Eddie Van Halen's girlfriend, Janie Lisewski, whose publicity firm, High Profile Media, recently became the guitarist's official mouthpiece. Neither the band's management, nor the management's publicity firm, ever commented publicly on the group's plans.
Reports indicated that a Roth-era best-of set was due out from Rhino Records this spring in anticipation of the tour, but it is believed that those plans have also been shelved.
While the band's future remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: the group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a March 12 ceremony at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Traditionally, inductees perform during the event, but Van Halen's volatile state has many fans wondering if the group will honor that tradition.
Roth split from Van Halen in 1985, and was replaced by Sammy Hagar.
Hagar parted with the band on bad terms in 1996 and was replaced by former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone, who recorded one album with the group, then split after a 1998 tour in support of the set.
Hagar returned to the group for a 2004 reunion tour, but went back to his solo career at tour's end after having another falling out with Eddie Van Halen. Hagar and Anthony subsequently toured with Hagar's solo band, and last year performed at each of Hagar's tour stops as The Other Half, a group whose setlist was comprised entirely of Van Halen material.
Eddie Van Halen has since expressed his displeasure about the Hagar/Anthony venture, in the wake of which the guitarist bounced Anthony out of the group.