Atwood says Tories out to 'squash the arts'
Canadian author Margaret Atwood has torn a strip off the current Conservative government over its arts policies.
The Tories are out to "squash the arts into the dust," she said in Montreal just ahead of the opening of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival.
She was deeply critical of the Harper government's cuts to the arts, especially the literary arts.
"They basically just hate us," she said in an interview with CBC Radio. "You know it’s people who have never seen any arts in their own lives — they would rather not have gardens, they would rather have parking lots. They just think it’s a frill probably."
It was particularly short-sighted to cut funding for cultural tours that allow Canadian artists to develop fans overseas, she said.
"When selling artistic things abroad, that money comes into Canada and is taxed in Canada, so it’s a net gain for Canada," she said.
"Would they like to guess how much Yann Martel’s novel The Life of Pi generated abroad? Would they like to know … how much my foreign editions bring in? Would they like to know how much [Canadian producer] Robert LePage generates abroad?"
The arts are being neglected despite bringing economic activity and prosperity to the country, Atwood said.
Events such as the opening of the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre in Toronto bring in millions of dollars from international guests, she said, yet the centre is one of six Toronto cultural projects still awaiting a funding announcement from Ottawa.
'Would they like to guess how much Yann Martel's novel The Life of Pi generated abroad? Would they like to know … how much my foreign editions bring in?'—Margaret Atwood
"Well, it is really a great mystery for a section of the economy that supports so much. It is so that the government supports all kinds of infrastructure for hockey and sports, they support all sorts of stuff for business, so why are they being this way about the arts, a sector which contributes a great deal."
Atwood will be awarded the $10,000 Grand Prix at the Blue Met Festival, which starts Wednesday.
The Montreal festival itself lost $150,000 in funding this year, Atwood said.
Atwood is one of three giants of Canadian literature who are in the running this year for the Man Booker International, one of the richest prizes in literature.
She will be interviewed on stage in Montreal Friday at 8 p.m. by CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
CanWest to bring celebrity-focused E! Network to Canadians
The U.S. cable network that popularized "where are they now?" celebrity exposés and red carpet reporting by Joan Rivers is heading north of the border.
CanWest will bring E! Networks to Canada by rebranding its CH network E! as of Sept. 1, CanWest MediaWorks announced Tuesday.
In an agreement with the U.S. network, the upcoming Canadian version of the celebrity and entertainment-focused channel will feature a mix of E! programming as well as Canadian-produced content, CanWest said.
Current E! offerings include the popular celebrity documentary series E! True Hollywood Stories, the Playboy mansion-set reality show The Girls Next Door and a news show hosted by American Idol's Ryan Seacrest.
CH stations will continue to have relaunched local news and information programming, CanWest said.
"We are very confident that the powerful combination of the E! brand and content, alongside our Canadian and local programming, will resonate strongly with Canadian audiences," said Kathleen Dore, CanWest's president of Canadian television.
The Walrus dominates in magazine awards finalists
For the second consecutive year, The Walrus has dominated the nominee list for the upcoming National Magazine Awards, which celebrate their 30th anniversary this year.
Organizers announced the nominees for awards in 37 categories at an evening event in Montreal on Monday. More than 300 articles from 78 different titles are vying for the annual prizes.
General interest magazine The Walrus, which launched in 2003, scored 51 nominations overall. Earning the second-highest number of nods was perennial favourite city title Toronto Life, with 23 nominations.
Other Canadian magazines that have won multiple nominations include Maclean's, Toro, Report on Business and L'actualité.
Competing for the magazine of the year honour are L'actualité, Explore and The Walrus.
Early winners announced in Montreal
At Monday night's event, aside from unveiling this year's main nominees, organizers announced the winners of three special honours.
Buffy Cram won the second annual best student writer award for her article "Man Hands," which appeared in Prairie Fire.
Jeremy Klaszus was named best new writer for articles like "Big Oil on Trial" and "Trouble in the Field," both published in Alberta Views.
The National Magazine Award Foundation will also pay tribute to longtime publisher Neville Gilfoy with its Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Established in 1977, the foundation honours excellence in the Canadian magazine industry with categories that recognize writing, photography and visual presentation.
The 30th annual National Magazine Awards will be presented at a lavish ceremony in Toronto on June 15.
Zach Braff Is Out Of Fletch
When it was supposed to be written directed by Kevin Smith and star Jason Lee, remaking Chevy Chase’s Fletch seemed like a fun idea. When Paramount refused to allow Jason Lee to play the lead and Kevin Smith left the project, it still seemed like it might be cool since word was that ‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff would step in to play Fletch. But maybe now is a good time to just forget about the whole Fletch remake thing, since TV Guide says Zach Braff has turned down the part.
The good news is that Zach ditched it to run off and write and direct his own movie, a project called Open Hearts. Personally, that’s what I’ve been saying he should be doing all along. His first film, Garden State was a critically acclaimed hit, yet instead of getting back behind the camera he’s been wasting time doing voice work in bad Disney cartoons and acting in other people’s less than great movies. Doing his own thing is where Braff should be.
Braff’s ‘Scrubs’ boss Bill Lawrence is still attached to direct the movie, Fletch Won, so it’s not lost in development hell quite yet. He’s out looking for another Fletch. However, unless he hires Jason Lee, my excite-o-meter for this project has dropped to zero.
Best. Theme Park Ride. Ever.
NBC-Universal's theme parks are planning a ride based on 20th Century Fox's animated smash "The Simpsons."
The company announced on Tuesday (April 24) that families will be able to experience the world of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson at the Universal Orlando Resort and at Universal Studios Hollywood starting in the spring of 2008.
"The ride is designed to duplicate the Simpsons home-viewing experience, only at high speed and with lots of screaming," quips "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.
Dana Walden and Gary Newman, presidents at 20th Century Fox TV add, "'The Simpsons' is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon and nearly 400 episodes in, the multiple Emmy-Award winning show continues to be as hilarious and inspired as ever. Creating an attraction based on this landmark series is a fantastic opportunity for our viewers to experience The Simpsons in a whole new way, as well as potentially expose it to an even wider audience."
The official release boasts that visitors will be able to "experience a side of Springfield previously unexplored as they enjoy the new ride's interpretation of thrill rides, dark rides and 'live' shows that make up a new fantasy amusement park dreamed up by the show's cantankerous Krusty the Clown." Of more interest is the announcement that all of the voices on the attraction will be provided by the show's original vocal cast.
"I am particularly thrilled since, like most people, I'm forever looking for a way to cut the line at Universal Theme Parks," adds James L. Brooks.
The 400th episode of "The Simpsons" will air this May, toward the end of the show's 18th season. After seemingly endless rumors and ample anticipation, "The Simpsons Movie" will hit theaters everywhere on July 27.
Raconteurs In The Thick Of Recording New Album
The Raconteurs are in a Nashville recording studio working on the follow-up to their 2006 debut "Broken Boy Soldiers" and hope to have a new album out sometime next year.
The group, which features Jack White of the White Stripes, Brendan Benson, and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes, has been recording at Blackbird Studio in Nashville for a week-and-a-half and currently has 12 songs written, White tells Billboard.com.
The group is attempting to get as much of the as yet unnamed sophomore album done before the White Stripes start touring in support of their next album, "Icky Thump," due June 19 on Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records. That outing also is slated to begin in June.
White, who once again is serving as the producer for the Raconteurs, cautions that the band may not have a completed product in place by the time it wraps its scheduled three-week recording session. "We don't know if were going to finish but we wanted to get everything down before we got busy," White says. "We have a lot bigger ideas about certain things, so we will see how far we get."
The Raconteurs are working with engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, The Shins, Frank Zappa), who also teamed with the White Stripes on "Icky Thump," which likewise was recorded at Blackbird.
The band is signed to White's Third Man Records but remains in need of a marketing and distribution partner in the U.S. in the wake of the shuttering of
V2 Records in January. Warner Bros.' deal with Third Man covers only The White Stripes, sources say. However, the band hopes to have that situation sorted and an album out by 2008.
White is keeping mum on the sound of the new Raconteurs songs. However, he describes them as "very different" from the first album. So far, he's pleased with the results. "It's coming out great, man," he says.
Disfigured film critic Ebert defies paparazzi
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Borrowing a line from "Gone With the Wind," film critic Roger Ebert is telling the paparazzi to take all the pictures they want when he appears in public after surgery that has left him temporarily disfigured.
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Ebert said in a column published on Tuesday in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Pulitzer Prize winner and co-host of the syndicated television show "Ebert & Roeper" had surgery last year for salivary gland cancer that spread to his lower jaw.
Part of his jawbone was removed, and two replacement operations have failed, he said. He is awaiting a third operation.
Ebert, 64, also had a tracheotomy that left him unable to speak. While he has written some movie reviews during recovery, his TV show has used guest critics.
This week Ebert kicks off his annual Overlooked Film Festival in Urbana, Illinois, south of Chicago. As he has for the last eight years, he will host the event.
He said people had urged him not to attend because the paparazzi would take unflattering photos and gossip columns would dish up mean-spirited comments about him.
"When I turn up in Urbana, I will be wearing a gauze bandage around my neck, and my mouth will be seen to droop. So it goes," Ebert wrote.
"We spend too much time hiding illness. There is an assumption that I must always look the same. I hope to look better than I look now. But I'm not going to miss my festival," he added.
Ebert said he now communicates "with written notes and a lot of hand waving and eye-rolling." If a planned surgery is successful, "my speech will be restored."
Upcoming CD releases
April showers bring May flowers, and this year, they've also brought a flood of CDs.
Major releases will be springing up like weeds over the next couple of months.
Here's our quick guide to the toppermost of the poppermost. Mark your calendars, but do it in pencil since this is subject to change.
May 1
MICHAEL BUBLE
Call Me Irresponsible
We have called Mr. Bubble many things over the years. Irresponsible would be a big step up.
May 1
DINOSAUR JR.
Beyond
J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph reunite after 18 years. Our ears are sore already.
May 1
TORI AMOS
American Doll Posse
Big Red's ninth CD is a concept album with her portraying five different characters. Yikes.
May 1
FEIST
The Reminder
The Broken Social Scenester cut her mellow sophomore disc in France -- and in her pyjamas.
May 1
RUSH
Snakes & Arrows
Geek alert! It's another set of mathy prog epics from Canada's beloved power trio.
May 1
BJORK
Volta
Just when you thought Bjork couldn't get weirder, she teams up with -- get this -- Timbaland.
May 8
LINKIN PARK
Minutes to Midnight
Hey guys, Iron Maiden called -- they want their album title back.
May 15
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Release the Stars
Rufus releases a set of bleak, bare-bones ballads recorded in Brooklyn and Berlin.
May 15
WILCO
Sky Blue Sky
Jeff Tweedy and Co. return to a more traditional alt-country sound on this sixth studio album.
May 15
MAROON5
It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Adam Levine and his boys embrace the sound of '80s acts like Police, Talking Heads and Prince.
May 22
OZZY OSBOURNE
Black Rain
We noticed if you move one letter, this album is called Lack Brain. Just saying.
May 22
USED, THE
Lies for the Liars
The Utah screamers take it to the next level with this ambitious third album.
May 22
R. KELLY
Double Up
RK does his lawyer a favour by toning down the horndog R&B balladry for upbeat hip-hop.
May 29
SATELLITE PARTY
Ultra Payloaded
Perry Farrell and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt front this groovy guitar-rock outfit.
May 29
VELVET REVOLVER
Libertad
Scott Weiland, Slash and the boys add some depth and texture to their second CD.
May 29
CHRIS CORNELL
Carry On
Ex-Soundgarden/Audioslave wailer takes another ill-advised stab at solo success.
June 5
MARILYN MANSON
Eat Me, Drink Me
Says this is his most personal CD. That's scarier than anything he could make up.
June 5
RYAN ADAMS
Easy Tiger
It's been over a year since his last CD -- and it's still his fourth album in two years.
June 5
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Live in Dublin
The Boss and his Seeger Sessions Band kick it in Ireland.
June 5
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Era Vulgaris
Trent Reznor and Julian Casablancas guest on the latest robo-rock fest from gigantic singer-guitarist Josh Homme.
June 12
THE WHITE STRIPES
Icky Thump
Everybody's favourite fake brother-and-sister drums-and-guitar duo returns with another disc of minimalist indie-rawk.
June 19
BON JOVI
Lost Highway
He's a cowboy -- no, really. The hair-rocker and his band go country on this album. Oh, goodie.
June 19
BRYAN FERRY
Dylanesque
Apparently, the crooner's crooner loves him some Zimmy.
June 19
PAUL MCCARTNEY
TBA
Get a Big Mac at Starbucks when the ex-Beatle debuts on the coffee giant's Hear Music label.
TBA
GUNS N' ROSES
Chinese Democracy
Psyche! Give it up, kids; this sucker is never coming out.