Sarah Polley, Blue Rodeo founders join Order of Canada

Actor and filmmaker Sarah Polley, Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, and retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Marie Deschamps are among the latest Canadians named to the Order of Canada.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston unveiled on Monday the 90 new appointments to one of Canada's highest civilian honours.

The Order recognizes outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.

During the past 45 years, more than 6,000 people from different sectors have been honoured for their contributions to Canadian society.

Montrealer Deschamps, who retired from the Supreme Court in 2012, is among the four new companions, the Order's highest level. She is joined by:

• Donald Mazankowski (Sherwood Park, Alta.), former Conservative cabinet minister under former prime ministers Joe Clark and Brian Mulroney.
• Margaret McCain, New Brunswick's first female lieutenant-governor and philanthropist, now based in Toronto.
• Contemporary composer, music educator and environmentalist R. Murray Schafer (Indian River, Ont.).

Blue Rodeo's Jim Cuddy, left, and Greg Keelor were named officers of the Order of Canada 'for their contributions to Canadian music and their support of various charitable causes.'

Arts figures, philanthropists, activists, scholars and scientists abound in the list.

Veteran Toronto rockers Cuddy and Keelor, and former child star Polley (also of Toronto) are among those named new officers of the Order. Others include:

• Author and visual artist Douglas Coupland (Vancouver).
• Stage and screen actor Colm Feore (Stratford, Ont.).
• Daniel Ish (Saskatoon), former chief adjudicator of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat.
• Journalist and broadcaster Steve Paikin (Toronto).
• Designers Glenn Pushelberg and George Yabu (Toronto).
• Stem cell scientist Michael Rudnicki (Ottawa).
• Environmental engineer Daniel Walter Smith (Edmonton).

Fashion broadcaster Jeanne Beker (Toronto), bestselling crime writer Louise Penny (Sutton, Que.), and Sobeys Inc. founder and arts philanthropist Donald Sobey are three of the newest Order of Canada members. Others include:

• Family physician Dr. Ewan Affleck, a northern communities medical outreach specialist based in Yellowknife.
• Montreal composer and conductor Walter Boudreau.
• Choreographer, dancer and director Denise Clarke (Calgary).
• Construction executive and entrepreneurial champion Marc Dutil (Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, Que.).
• Jazz musician and composer Phil Dwyer (Qualicum Beach, B.C.).
• Community medical specialist and HIV researcher Catherine Hankins (Sutton, Que., and Amsterdam).
• Retired Banff Centre CEO Mary Hofstetter (Stratford, Ont., and Banff, Alta.).
• Inuit artist Elisapee Ishulutaq (Pangnirtung, Nunavut).
• Vancouver philanthropist Djavad Mowafaghian.
• Actor, director and Soulpepper Theatre Company director Albert Schultz (Toronto).
• Cancer research scientist Ian Tannock (Toronto).
• Sports journalist Marie-José Turcotte (Montreal).

These latest honourees will be presented with their insignias and officially invested into the Order of Canada at a later date, most likely during one of several investiture ceremonies held each year at Rideau Hall.

---

Order of Canada facts:

• The Order of Canada insignia is a stylized snowflake with six points. A red circle at the centre contains a maple leaf and the Order motto: Desiderantes meliorem patriam  (They desire a better country). The circle is topped by St. Edward's crown.
• The Order has 3 levels. Companion status (C.C.) reflects recognizes national pre-eminence or international service or achievement. Officer status (O.C.) recognizes national service or achievement. Member status (C.M.) recognizes outstanding contributions at the local or regional level or in a special field of activity.
• Officers and members can be elevated within the Order in recognition of further achievement.
• All living Canadians are eligible, except federal and provincial politicians and judges while still in office.
• Non-Canadians can be considered for honorary appointments.
• Any person or group can nominate an individual for the Order.
• The Advisory Council for the Order of Canada, a diverse group chaired by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, selects recipients twice a year.

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Catherine Bégin, Quebec actress, dead at 74

Her most recent role was in Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways

The Canadian Press Posted: Dec 30, 2013 5:18 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 30, 2013 5:18 PM ET

Quebec actress and comedian Catherine Bégin died Sunday night following a short illness. She was 74.

The news was confirmed by her agent, Ginette Achim, who said the theatre world had experienced a major loss with Bégin's passing.

Achim said Bégin was an exceptional and exquisite woman, adding that the actress gave back to younger generations by teaching them stage arts.

Known for her dramatic roles, Bégin played roles in a number of Quebec-made theatre, television and cinematic productions.

In recent years, she appeared in Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways (2012), Martyrs (2008), La secret de ma mère (2006) and Stardom (2000).

22.20 | 0 komentar | Read More

Top songs of 2013 by Arcade Fire, Jay Z, Tegan and Sara

MUSIC

Tom Power's picks: Drake, Arcade Fire and Half Moon Run

MOVIES

FILM REVIEW: The Wolf of Wall Street

YEAR IN REVIEW

Alice Munro, Miley Cyrus and Breaking Bad: A&E year in review

FILM REVIEW

American Hustle filled with outrageous, spot-on performances

QUIZ

10 questions on the biggest arts stories of 2013

CBC BOOKS

10 Best Canadian books of 2013

Video

Will Ferrell on Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

5:17

YouTube's top video of 2013 is What Does the Fox Say?

FILM

FILM REVIEW: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

LIFE AFTER DEATH

Family Guy's Brian Griffin and other revived fan favourites

Video

The pull of choir: Choral singing in Canada

Blog

Smithsonian adds video games Flower, Halo 2600 to collection

MUSIC

New music sets: Bob Dylan, Great Big Sea, Fleetwood Mac and more

Retiring?

Justin Bieber 'retiring': Prank brings forth tears of joy, grief

HOLIDAY MUSIC

Jingle Bell Rocks digs into underground Christmas music

Retro Ralphie

How 'A Christmas Story' became a cult film classic

How your province/territory stacks up in Lego

FILM

The fantastical world of Hayao Miyazaki

Rare Beatles tracks briefly on sale to extend copyright

Video

The Nutcracker's young stars brave the spotlight

Video

Evangeline Lilly, The Hobbit's newest elven warrior

4:14

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Justin Bieber's entourage accused of assaulting limo driver

Investigators believe Justin Bieber was in the limo at the time of the alleged attack. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

There are allegations a member of Justin Bieber's entourage assaulted a limo driver who was driving the pop star and several others around Toronto.

Police say it's unclear whether Bieber himself is accused in the attack or simply one of his companions.

Const. Victor Kwong says officers were called either late last night or early today, but little else is known about the incident.

Bieber, 19, was seen at the Air Canada Centre during last night's hockey game, but investigators believe he was in the limo at the time of the alleged attack.

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Going country: pop musicians find success with country

For years, country music acts have taken a page from more mainstream pop and rock, for instance with sexy music videos and more lighthearted lyrics. Now, a growing number of artists are reversing that trend: relocating to Nashville and tweaking their sound towards country.

From South Carolina's Darius Rucker, former frontman of Grammy-winning '90s pop-rockers Hootie and the Blowfish, to the Toronto singer-songwriter once dubbed "Indie Lindi" Ortega, many musicians are discovering fresh success and new audiences eagerly eating up their new country releases.

"The music's so real and that's the thing I've always loved about country music: it's about life and about things that happen every day," Rucker, who was also inducted into country music's iconic Grand Ole Opry in 2012, told CBC's Deana Sumanac.

"I think fans like that."

Watch the attached video, for Deana Sumanac's full report about the rising trend of pop musicians "going country."

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson reinstated by A&E

Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson will return to work on A&E's reality show despite his comments about gay immorality, the channel said Friday, reversing its decision to suspend him after facing a backlash and threatened boycott.

In a statement Friday, A&E said it was bringing Robertson back after discussions with his Louisiana family featured in the reality series and "numerous advocacy groups."

Last week, the channel had put Robertson on what it called an indefinite "hiatus" because of his comments in a GQ magazine article that the Bible views gays as sinners akin to adulterers, prostitutes and swindlers.

A&E said it decided to drop Robertson from the show about a wealthy family that makes duck calls because it is part of a company whose core values are "centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect."

Robertson's remarks were quickly slammed by groups including GLAAD, the gay rights watchdog organization. But A&E's move against Robertson provoked a flood of support from those who share his views and others who defended his freedom of speech.

A petition calling for A&E to bring him back reached 250,000 signatures and counting in about a week.

Robertson's well-known supporters included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who complained that his free-speech rights were being trampled. Bobby Jindal, governor of the state of Louisiana, complained that Miley Cyrus got a pass for twerking on TV while Phil got shown the door.

While reiterating that Robertson's views are not those of the channel, A&E noted Friday that he has publicly said he would "never incite or encourage hate." The show itself is more than one man's views, it added.

"It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family, a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness," A&E said.

The Robertson family said it had no immediate comment Friday.

Last week, the family said in a statement on its Duck Commander website that although some of Phil Robertson's comments were coarse, "his beliefs are grounded" in the Bible and he "is a Godly man." They also said, "as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm."

Duck Dynasty is on hiatus until Jan. 15, and the network has said that nine of next season's 10 episodes have already been filmed. That means Robertson likely wasn't needed in front of the camera before next March.

A&E said it intended to launch a national public service campaign "promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people."

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britney Spears kicks off Las Vegas residency

Britney Spears has begun her early retirement in Las Vegas with a show that looks strikingly like the eye-popping Cirque du Soleil productions found elsewhere on the Strip.

The debut of Spears's long-term casino gig Friday kept an audience of about 4,500 on their feet for 90 minutes.

The young-for-Vegas crowd was there for the danceable hits and the spectacle, which included acrobatics, a ring of fire, confetti, a live band, frenetic costume changes and a frequently airborne Spears.

The show's production values are unusually high for a casino residency, often calling to mind the golden age of music videos. Its high-concept set pieces featured a cadre of backup dancers who danced in human-sized hamster wheels and somersaulted over the Grammy-winning star.

Spears, 32, has signed on to perform 50 shows each in 2014 and 2015 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Britney Spears is one of the younger pop stars to take on a Las Vegas residency. (David Becker/Invision/Associated Press)

She cuts a different figure from the typical Strip headliner. Other successful Las Vegas acts — including Shania Twain, Elton John and Celine Dion — have generally attracted an older audience. Judging from Friday's show, her fans are more likely to be found at a casino mega-club than in front of a slot machine.

Still, the show is not immune to nostalgia, one of the prime currencies in Las Vegas entertainment. It includes several callbacks to the 1990s and early 2000s, including plaid shirts tied around dancers' waists and a recap of the barely-there sparkling costume Spears wore in the Toxic music video.

Spears' younger self haunted the show, with clips of her early performances playing on huge monitors. Notably absent from those monitors, to the displeasure of some fans in the cheap seats, were any live close-ups of what was unfolding onstage.

On his way out, Shane Sodeman, of San Diego, complained that Spears hadn't donned the sexy school girl outfit or the skintight orange jumpsuit she wore in sexier days. A version of the jumpsuit was displayed in the lobby.

Maryn Harberg, 29, spent the night dancing in her $139 seat, on the upper end of the $59 to $179 scale. She'd come to the Strip for just one night, for Britney.

"I loved it," said the beaming Boston resident.

Officials with Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns Planet Hollywood, say Spears sings her entire set. Entertainment Programming Vice-President Kurt Melien said she sings against a recorded track of her vocals to help her through the more physically gruelling parts of the set, and add the electronic undertones that characterize many of her songs. Some audience members said they thought they detected lip syncing.

Most of the show appeared physically gruelling. Spears has lost some of the crisp precision that characterized her dancing a decade ago, but she was in constant motion during the show, allowing her backup dancers to throw her through the air, and flying around in a huge angel costume for a performance of Everytime.

She spent downtime marching around stage and posing, banishing the spectre of her disastrous 2007 MTV performance, which also took place in Las Vegas, and was a career low point.

Younger divas Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry lent moral support from the audience.

Casino executives say the gig may be extended if it proves a success.

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Carly Rae Jepsen to play Cinderella on Broadway in 2014

Call Me Maybe singer debuts in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella in February

The Associated Press Posted: Dec 29, 2013 7:30 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 29, 2013 7:30 PM ET

Call Me Maybe singer Carly Rae Jepsen has had her calls returned by Broadway.

Producers of Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella said Sunday that the Canadian singer-songwriter will take over the role of Cinderella starting Feb. 4 for 12 weeks. She'll take over from Tony Award nominee Laura Osnes.

The Grammy Award nominee began performing in musical theatre in high school. She starred in Annie, The Wiz and Grease before attending the Canadian College of Performing Arts.

She'll join the cast alongside Fran Drescher playing Cinderella's stepmother. Drescher is an Emmy Award winner for The Nanny and takes over Harriet Harris' role.

The Tony-nominated musical has been given a makeover by Douglas Carter Beane, who has turned the fairy tale into a charming, witty story updated for a new generation.

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alice Munro, Miley Cyrus and Breaking Bad: A&E year in review

In 2013, stories about outrageous celebrity antics, shocking deaths, game-changers and creative excellence piqued our collective interest in arts and entertainment news. Here's a look at the top A&E stories of the past year.

Notorious

Famous figures behaving badly typically grab headlines, but this year there were several standouts. If "twerking" wasn't in your vocabulary before, former child star-turned-raunchy singer Miley Cyrus made sure you knew about it, most infamously with her tongue-wagging, bump-and-grind performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Another young star, Canadian Justin Bieber, couldn't shake the bad press from countless missteps — be it scuffles with paparazzi, several vehicular incidents and shirtless escapades to pet abandonment, graffiti tagging and alleged brothel visits — no matter how many good deeds he did, new songs he released or funny videos he filmed. Honorable mentions: Amanda Bynes, another child star who crashed and burned in 2013, and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, now beloved fodder of late-night and talk show hosts.

In memoriam

The passing of a beloved performer, artist or creator always casts a shadow over the entertainment world. Several shocking deaths – Paul Walker, Cory Monteith, James Gandofini – remained in our thoughts for a long while afterwards.

Even when a loss might have been somewhat anticipated for an veteran entertainer or arts figure, the death itself still left many stricken. Those who died in 2013 include: music icons Stompin' Tom Connors, Lou Reed, Rita MacNeil, George Jones and Mario Bernardi; bestselling writers Tom Clancy and Elmore Leonard; celebrated painter Alex Colville; performers Jean Stapleton, Jeanne Cooper, Annette Funicello and Peter O'Toole; and movie world legends Ray Harryhausen and Roger Ebert.

Game-changers and influencers

Sticking out, taking a stand and just being different: it's tough to do in our generally conformist mainstream entertainment culture, but 2013 saw several instances of influential or game-changing decisions. Digital content company Netflix gambled on the binge-watching phenomenon and won fans (see: House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Arrested Development), kudos and deals for new projects.

Actress and tabloid favourite Angelina Jolie chose to come clean about highly personal health struggles (revealing her family history, cancer risk and preventative double mastectomy) and got people everywhere — in mainstream newsrooms and hospitals, at coffee shops and dinner tables — talking about women's health and genetic testing.

Eschewing the traditional music world model of building hype, endless promotions and carving up a new release through individual singles, singer Beyoncé Knowles dropped a fully realized album (complete with videos) as a holiday season bombshell, publicizing the stealthily produced, digital-first project through a single word shared on social media: "Surprise!"

Universal acclaim

In the highly subjective world of arts and entertainment, it's usually tough to get consensus on a person or project's greatness. There were a few instances, however, of widespread agreement, celebration and tributes: Alice Munro's Nobel literature win, the epic final season of Vince Gilligan's TV hit Breaking Bad, Steve McQueen's harrowing yet crucial must-see drama 12 Years a Slave and up-and-coming actress Tatiana Maslany's celebrated performances as multiple cloned characters on Orphan Black. Honorable mention: Canadian rapper Drake, whose 2013 included a Grammy win, hit singles, a No. 1 album, a raft of high-profile collaborations and a new sideline as Toronto Raptors booster.

Top-read CBCNews.ca/arts stories of 2013

1. Paul Walker dead: Fast and Furious star killed in car crash
2. Sopranos star James Gandolfini dies in Italy
3. Miley Cyrus grinds and bumps into celebrity adulthood
4. Glee star Cory Monteith found dead in Vancouver hotel
5. Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies of liver failure
6. Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy due to breast cancer risk
7. The Young and the Restless star Jeanne Cooper dies
8. Shirtless Justin Bieber startles Polish airport officials
9. Miley Cyrus raunch, 'N Sync reunion shine at MTV Awards
10. Stompin' Tom Connors dies at 77

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tom Power's picks: Drake, Arcade Fire and Half Moon Run

Video

CBC Radio 2 Morning host taps his picks for 2013's hottest music acts

CBC News Posted: Dec 27, 2013 12:39 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 27, 2013 12:39 PM ET

Looking back over the year in pop music, CBC host Tom Power shares his picks for three of the year's best.

Montreal indie group Half Moon Run had a busy year playing a host of Canadian and international festivals — from their hometown's Osheaga Festival to the U.K.'s Glastonbury — and toured with hitmakers Mumford and Sons. Now, their album Dark Eyes has made countless year-end best-of lists around the globe.

Fellow Montreal-based troupe Arcade Fire delivered what some saw as the most anticipated album of the year with Reflektor. But the latest from the Grammy-winners was contentious: some called it genius, others called it pretentious. Regardless, Reflektor was a massive release out of Canada.

Another blockbuster Canadian release this year was Drake's Nothing Was the Same. The Toronto rapper proved his staying power with this third studio effort, which has lingered on the top of music charts since its October release.

Watch the attached video to check out excerpts from Tom's top choices. For more year-end picks, check out cbcmusic.ca.

Stay Connected with CBC News

Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britney Spears kicks off Las Vegas residency

Britney Spears has begun her early retirement in Las Vegas with a show that looks strikingly like the eye-popping Cirque du Soleil productions found elsewhere on the Strip.

The debut of Spears's long-term casino gig Friday kept an audience of about 4,500 on their feet for 90 minutes.

The young-for-Vegas crowd was there for the danceable hits and the spectacle, which included acrobatics, a ring of fire, confetti, a live band, frenetic costume changes and a frequently airborne Spears.

The show's production values are unusually high for a casino residency, often calling to mind the golden age of music videos. Its high-concept set pieces featured a cadre of backup dancers who danced in human-sized hamster wheels and somersaulted over the Grammy-winning star.

Spears, 32, has signed on to perform 50 shows each in 2014 and 2015 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Britney Spears is one of the younger pop stars to take on a Las Vegas residency. (David Becker/Invision/Associated Press)

She cuts a different figure from the typical Strip headliner. Other successful Las Vegas acts — including Shania Twain, Elton John and Celine Dion — have generally attracted an older audience. Judging from Friday's show, her fans are more likely to be found at a casino mega-club than in front of a slot machine.

Still, the show is not immune to nostalgia, one of the prime currencies in Las Vegas entertainment. It includes several callbacks to the 1990s and early 2000s, including plaid shirts tied around dancers' waists and a recap of the barely-there sparkling costume Spears wore in the Toxic music video.

Spears' younger self haunted the show, with clips of her early performances playing on huge monitors. Notably absent from those monitors, to the displeasure of some fans in the cheap seats, were any live close-ups of what was unfolding onstage.

On his way out, Shane Sodeman, of San Diego, complained that Spears hadn't donned the sexy school girl outfit or the skintight orange jumpsuit she wore in sexier days. A version of the jumpsuit was displayed in the lobby.

Maryn Harberg, 29, spent the night dancing in her $139 seat, on the upper end of the $59 to $179 scale. She'd come to the Strip for just one night, for Britney.

"I loved it," said the beaming Boston resident.

Officials with Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns Planet Hollywood, say Spears sings her entire set. Entertainment Programming Vice-President Kurt Melien said she sings against a recorded track of her vocals to help her through the more physically gruelling parts of the set, and add the electronic undertones that characterize many of her songs. Some audience members said they thought they detected lip syncing.

Most of the show appeared physically gruelling. Spears has lost some of the crisp precision that characterized her dancing a decade ago, but she was in constant motion during the show, allowing her backup dancers to throw her through the air, and flying around in a huge angel costume for a performance of Everytime.

She spent downtime marching around stage and posing, banishing the spectre of her disastrous 2007 MTV performance, which also took place in Las Vegas, and was a career low point.

Younger divas Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry lent moral support from the audience.

Casino executives say the gig may be extended if it proves a success.

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson reinstated by A&E

Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson will return to work on A&E's reality show despite his comments about gay immorality, the channel said Friday, reversing its decision to suspend him after facing a backlash and threatened boycott.

In a statement Friday, A&E said it was bringing Robertson back after discussions with his Louisiana family featured in the reality series and "numerous advocacy groups."

Last week, the channel had put Robertson on what it called an indefinite "hiatus" because of his comments in a GQ magazine article that the Bible views gays as sinners akin to adulterers, prostitutes and swindlers.

A&E said it decided to drop Robertson from the show about a wealthy family that makes duck calls because it is part of a company whose core values are "centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect."

Robertson's remarks were quickly slammed by groups including GLAAD, the gay rights watchdog organization. But A&E's move against Robertson provoked a flood of support from those who share his views and others who defended his freedom of speech.

A petition calling for A&E to bring him back reached 250,000 signatures and counting in about a week.

Robertson's well-known supporters included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who complained that his free-speech rights were being trampled. Bobby Jindal, governor of the state of Louisiana, complained that Miley Cyrus got a pass for twerking on TV while Phil got shown the door.

While reiterating that Robertson's views are not those of the channel, A&E noted Friday that he has publicly said he would "never incite or encourage hate." The show itself is more than one man's views, it added.

"It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family, a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness," A&E said.

The Robertson family said it had no immediate comment Friday.

Last week, the family said in a statement on its Duck Commander website that although some of Phil Robertson's comments were coarse, "his beliefs are grounded" in the Bible and he "is a Godly man." They also said, "as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm."

Duck Dynasty is on hiatus until Jan. 15, and the network has said that nine of next season's 10 episodes have already been filmed. That means Robertson likely wasn't needed in front of the camera before next March.

A&E said it intended to launch a national public service campaign "promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people."

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Tom Power's picks: Drake, Arcade Fire and Half Moon Run

Video

CBC Radio 2 Morning host taps his picks for 2013's hottest music acts

CBC News Posted: Dec 27, 2013 12:39 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 27, 2013 12:39 PM ET

Looking back over the year in pop music, CBC host Tom Power shares his picks for three of the year's best.

Montreal indie group Half Moon Run had a busy year playing a host of Canadian and international festivals — from their hometown's Osheaga Festival to the U.K.'s Glastonbury — and toured with hitmakers Mumford and Sons. Now, their album Dark Eyes has made countless year-end best-of lists around the globe.

Fellow Montreal-based troupe Arcade Fire delivered what some saw as the most anticipated album of the year with Reflektor. But the latest from the Grammy-winners was contentious: some called it genius, others called it pretentious. Regardless, Reflektor was a massive release out of Canada.

Another blockbuster Canadian release this year was Drake's Nothing Was the Same. The Toronto rapper proved his staying power with this third studio effort, which has lingered on the top of music charts since its October release.

Watch the attached video to check out excerpts from Tom's top choices. For more year-end picks, check out cbcmusic.ca.

Stay Connected with CBC News

Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alice Munro, Miley Cyrus and Breaking Bad: A&E year in review

In 2013, stories about outrageous celebrity antics, shocking deaths, game-changers and creative excellence piqued our collective interest in arts and entertainment news. Here's a look at the top A&E stories of the past year.

Notorious

Famous figures behaving badly typically grab headlines, but this year there were several standouts. If "twerking" wasn't in your vocabulary before, former child star-turned-raunchy singer Miley Cyrus made sure you knew about it, most infamously with her tongue-wagging, bump-and-grind performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Another young star, Canadian Justin Bieber, couldn't shake the bad press from countless missteps — be it scuffles with paparazzi, several vehicular incidents and shirtless escapades to pet abandonment, graffiti tagging and alleged brothel visits — no matter how many good deeds he did, new songs he released or funny videos he filmed. Honorable mentions: Amanda Bynes, another child star who crashed and burned in 2013, and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, now beloved fodder of late-night and talk show hosts.

In memoriam

The passing of a beloved performer, artist or creator always casts a shadow over the entertainment world. Several shocking deaths – Paul Walker, Cory Monteith, James Gandofini – remained in our thoughts for a long while afterwards.

Even when a loss might have been somewhat anticipated for an veteran entertainer or arts figure, the death itself still left many stricken. Those who died in 2013 include: music icons Stompin' Tom Connors, Lou Reed, Rita MacNeil, George Jones and Mario Bernardi; bestselling writers Tom Clancy and Elmore Leonard; celebrated painter Alex Colville; performers Jean Stapleton, Jeanne Cooper, Annette Funicello and Peter O'Toole; and movie world legends Ray Harryhausen and Roger Ebert.

Game-changers and influencers

Sticking out, taking a stand and just being different: it's tough to do in our generally conformist mainstream entertainment culture, but 2013 saw several instances of influential or game-changing decisions. Digital content company Netflix gambled on the binge-watching phenomenon and won fans (see: House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Arrested Development), kudos and deals for new projects.

Actress and tabloid favourite Angelina Jolie chose to come clean about highly personal health struggles (revealing her family history, cancer risk and preventative double mastectomy) and got people everywhere — in mainstream newsrooms and hospitals, at coffee shops and dinner tables — talking about women's health and genetic testing.

Eschewing the traditional music world model of building hype, endless promotions and carving up a new release through individual singles, singer Beyoncé Knowles dropped a fully realized album (complete with videos) as a holiday season bombshell, publicizing the stealthily produced, digital-first project through a single word shared on social media: "Surprise!"

Universal acclaim

In the highly subjective world of arts and entertainment, it's usually tough to get consensus on a person or project's greatness. There were a few instances, however, of widespread agreement, celebration and tributes: Alice Munro's Nobel literature win, the epic final season of Vince Gilligan's TV hit Breaking Bad, Steve McQueen's harrowing yet crucial must-see drama 12 Years a Slave and up-and-coming actress Tatiana Maslany's celebrated performances as multiple cloned characters on Orphan Black. Honorable mention: Canadian rapper Drake, whose 2013 included a Grammy win, hit singles, a No. 1 album, a raft of high-profile collaborations and a new sideline as Toronto Raptors booster.

Top-read CBCNews.ca/arts stories of 2013

1. Paul Walker dead: Fast and Furious star killed in car crash
2. Sopranos star James Gandolfini dies in Italy
3. Miley Cyrus grinds and bumps into celebrity adulthood
4. Glee star Cory Monteith found dead in Vancouver hotel
5. Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies of liver failure
6. Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy due to breast cancer risk
7. The Young and the Restless star Jeanne Cooper dies
8. Shirtless Justin Bieber startles Polish airport officials
9. Miley Cyrus raunch, 'N Sync reunion shine at MTV Awards
10. Stompin' Tom Connors dies at 77

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Britney Spears kicks off Las Vegas residency

Britney Spears has begun her early retirement in Las Vegas with a show that looks strikingly like the eye-popping Cirque du Soleil productions found elsewhere on the Strip.

The debut of Spears's long-term casino gig Friday kept an audience of about 4,500 on their feet for 90 minutes.

The young-for-Vegas crowd was there for the danceable hits and the spectacle, which included acrobatics, a ring of fire, confetti, a live band, frenetic costume changes and a frequently airborne Spears.

The show's production values are unusually high for a casino residency, often calling to mind the golden age of music videos. Its high-concept set pieces featured a cadre of backup dancers who danced in human-sized hamster wheels and somersaulted over the Grammy-winning star.

Spears, 32, has signed on to perform 50 shows each in 2014 and 2015 at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Britney Spears is one of the younger pop stars to take on a Las Vegas residency. (David Becker/Invision/Associated Press)

She cuts a different figure from the typical Strip headliner. Other successful Las Vegas acts — including Shania Twain, Elton John and Celine Dion — have generally attracted an older audience. Judging from Friday's show, her fans are more likely to be found at a casino mega-club than in front of a slot machine.

Still, the show is not immune to nostalgia, one of the prime currencies in Las Vegas entertainment. It includes several callbacks to the 1990s and early 2000s, including plaid shirts tied around dancers' waists and a recap of the barely-there sparkling costume Spears wore in the Toxic music video.

Spears' younger self haunted the show, with clips of her early performances playing on huge monitors. Notably absent from those monitors, to the displeasure of some fans in the cheap seats, were any live close-ups of what was unfolding onstage.

On his way out, Shane Sodeman, of San Diego, complained that Spears hadn't donned the sexy school girl outfit or the skintight orange jumpsuit she wore in sexier days. A version of the jumpsuit was displayed in the lobby.

Maryn Harberg, 29, spent the night dancing in her $139 seat, on the upper end of the $59 to $179 scale. She'd come to the Strip for just one night, for Britney.

"I loved it," said the beaming Boston resident.

Officials with Caesars Entertainment Corp., which owns Planet Hollywood, say Spears sings her entire set. Entertainment Programming Vice-President Kurt Melien said she sings against a recorded track of her vocals to help her through the more physically gruelling parts of the set, and add the electronic undertones that characterize many of her songs. Some audience members said they thought they detected lip syncing.

Most of the show appeared physically gruelling. Spears has lost some of the crisp precision that characterized her dancing a decade ago, but she was in constant motion during the show, allowing her backup dancers to throw her through the air, and flying around in a huge angel costume for a performance of Everytime.

She spent downtime marching around stage and posing, banishing the spectre of her disastrous 2007 MTV performance, which also took place in Las Vegas, and was a career low point.

Younger divas Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry lent moral support from the audience.

Casino executives say the gig may be extended if it proves a success.

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Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson reinstated by A&E

Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson will return to work on A&E's reality show despite his comments about gay immorality, the channel said Friday, reversing its decision to suspend him after facing a backlash and threatened boycott.

In a statement Friday, A&E said it was bringing Robertson back after discussions with his Louisiana family featured in the reality series and "numerous advocacy groups."

Last week, the channel had put Robertson on what it called an indefinite "hiatus" because of his comments in a GQ magazine article that the Bible views gays as sinners akin to adulterers, prostitutes and swindlers.

A&E said it decided to drop Robertson from the show about a wealthy family that makes duck calls because it is part of a company whose core values are "centered around creativity, inclusion and mutual respect."

Robertson's remarks were quickly slammed by groups including GLAAD, the gay rights watchdog organization. But A&E's move against Robertson provoked a flood of support from those who share his views and others who defended his freedom of speech.

A petition calling for A&E to bring him back reached 250,000 signatures and counting in about a week.

Robertson's well-known supporters included former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who complained that his free-speech rights were being trampled. Bobby Jindal, governor of the state of Louisiana, complained that Miley Cyrus got a pass for twerking on TV while Phil got shown the door.

While reiterating that Robertson's views are not those of the channel, A&E noted Friday that he has publicly said he would "never incite or encourage hate." The show itself is more than one man's views, it added.

"It resonates with a large audience because it is a show about family, a family that America has come to love. As you might have seen in many episodes, they come together to reflect and pray for unity, tolerance and forgiveness," A&E said.

The Robertson family said it had no immediate comment Friday.

Last week, the family said in a statement on its Duck Commander website that although some of Phil Robertson's comments were coarse, "his beliefs are grounded" in the Bible and he "is a Godly man." They also said, "as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm."

Duck Dynasty is on hiatus until Jan. 15, and the network has said that nine of next season's 10 episodes have already been filmed. That means Robertson likely wasn't needed in front of the camera before next March.

A&E said it intended to launch a national public service campaign "promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people."

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

FILM REVIEW: The Wolf of Wall Street

Video

CBC News Posted: Dec 26, 2013 9:00 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 26, 2013 8:28 AM ET

Director Martin Scorsese shows off a more playful mood with The Wolf of Wall Street, an orgy of excess starring his frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio as an unquenchable, over-the-top stock broker.

Bolstered with impressive performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jonah Hill, the black comedy based on a true story about a New York trader's spectacular rise and fall is definitely entertaining, says CBC reviewer Eli Glasner.

Watch Eli Glasner's review in the attached video.

Stay Connected with CBC News

Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines

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Alice Munro, Miley Cyrus and Breaking Bad: A&E year in review

In 2013, stories about outrageous celebrity antics, shocking deaths, game-changers and creative excellence piqued our collective interest in arts and entertainment news. Here's a look at the top A&E stories of the past year.

Notorious

Famous figures behaving badly typically grab headlines, but this year there were several standouts. If "twerking" wasn't in your vocabulary before, former child star-turned-raunchy singer Miley Cyrus made sure you knew about it, most infamously with her tongue-wagging, bump-and-grind performance with Robin Thicke at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Another young star, Canadian Justin Bieber, couldn't shake the bad press from countless missteps — be it scuffles with paparazzi, several vehicular incidents and shirtless escapades to pet abandonment, graffiti tagging and alleged brothel visits — no matter how many good deeds he did, new songs he released or funny videos he filmed. Honorable mentions: Amanda Bynes, another child star who crashed and burned in 2013, and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, now beloved fodder of late-night and talk show hosts.

In memoriam

The passing of a beloved performer, artist or creator always casts a shadow over the entertainment world. Several shocking deaths – Paul Walker, Cory Monteith, James Gandofini – remained in our thoughts for a long while afterwards.

Even when a loss might have been somewhat anticipated for an veteran entertainer or arts figure, the death itself still left many stricken. Those who died in 2013 include: music icons Stompin' Tom Connors, Lou Reed, Rita MacNeil, George Jones and Mario Bernardi; bestselling writers Tom Clancy and Elmore Leonard; celebrated painter Alex Colville; performers Jean Stapleton, Jeanne Cooper, Annette Funicello and Peter O'Toole; and movie world legends Ray Harryhausen and Roger Ebert.

Game-changers and influencers

Sticking out, taking a stand and just being different: it's tough to do in our generally conformist mainstream entertainment culture, but 2013 saw several instances of influential or game-changing decisions. Digital content company Netflix gambled on the binge-watching phenomenon and won fans (see: House of Cards, Orange is the New Black and Arrested Development), kudos and deals for new projects.

Actress and tabloid favourite Angelina Jolie chose to come clean about highly personal health struggles (revealing her family history, cancer risk and preventative double mastectomy) and got people everywhere — in mainstream newsrooms and hospitals, at coffee shops and dinner tables — talking about women's health and genetic testing.

Eschewing the traditional music world model of building hype, endless promotions and carving up a new release through individual singles, singer Beyoncé Knowles dropped a fully realized album (complete with videos) as a holiday season bombshell, publicizing the stealthily produced, digital-first project through a single word shared on social media: "Surprise!"

Universal acclaim

In the highly subjective world of arts and entertainment, it's usually tough to get consensus on a person or project's greatness. There were a few instances, however, of widespread agreement, celebration and tributes: Alice Munro's Nobel literature win, the epic final season of Vince Gilligan's TV hit Breaking Bad, Steve McQueen's harrowing yet crucial must-see drama 12 Years a Slave and up-and-coming actress Tatiana Maslany's celebrated performances as multiple cloned characters on Orphan Black. Honorable mention: Canadian rapper Drake, whose 2013 included a Grammy win, hit singles, a No. 1 album, a raft of high-profile collaborations and a new sideline as Toronto Raptors booster.

Top-read CBCNews.ca/arts stories of 2013

1. Paul Walker dead: Fast and Furious star killed in car crash
2. Sopranos star James Gandolfini dies in Italy
3. Miley Cyrus grinds and bumps into celebrity adulthood
4. Glee star Cory Monteith found dead in Vancouver hotel
5. Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman dies of liver failure
6. Angelina Jolie has double mastectomy due to breast cancer risk
7. The Young and the Restless star Jeanne Cooper dies
8. Shirtless Justin Bieber startles Polish airport officials
9. Miley Cyrus raunch, 'N Sync reunion shine at MTV Awards
10. Stompin' Tom Connors dies at 77

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Alice Munro's Nobel: Did I have a role in it?

(Douglas Kneale is dean of the Faculty of Humanities and professor of English at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.)

Whether I single-handedly helped Alice Munro come to the attention of the Nobel Prize committee, I may never know.

But there is something I do know, and will at long last confess: I have had a crush on Alice Munro ever since she gave a reading in our second-year Canadian literature class at the University of Western Ontario in 1974.

Canada's first female Nobel laureate in literature has always been, to this man, the country's most striking writer — and in more ways than one.

Ever since my first and only meeting with her, I have in my imagination applied to her what Jerry Storey, in Munro's novel Lives of Girls and Women, says to Del Jordan: "Yo' is shore a handsome figger of a woman."

Douglas Kneale was 'totally smitten' with Alice Munro in 1974 when she came to read to his second-year Canadian literature class at the University of Western Ontario in London. (Submitted from Tiffany Mayer/Brock University)

I was totally smitten that day when she came to our class to read from her first book Dance of the Happy Shades. (I still have the autographed copy in my possession: "For Doug. Best Wishes, Alice Munro.")

She sat at the front of the stage in Western's Middlesex Theatre and said she was going to read her short story "Postcard" the way she would have written it if she were writing it today. A mysterious beginning — what did she mean?

We all followed along in our copies as she read, and every word she spoke was the same as on the page, verbatim.

That is, until she got to the final paragraph — and then she stopped. She didn't read the last paragraph because, she said, "A good short story should say everything it has to say before the final paragraph."

Teaching Munro's work at university for the past 30 years, I have often begun with that statement as a way into thinking about how and what literature generally "has to say."

In "Postcard," the final paragraph — the one that Munro did not read — the narrator Helen Louise, in a brief narrative coda, reaches out to the lover who has, inevitably, abandoned her.

It is pure Canadian Gothic: "the fat fatuous" lover (as Hugh Garner described him in his foreword to the first edition of Munro's book), the classic jilted female, the paralyzed and dying mother upstairs, the small-town self-interestedness, the pathetic and rhetorically self-conscious apostrophe at the end.

Back in December 1974, for my essay assignment on Munro, I drove north out of London, Ont., to her hometown of Wingham, took black-and-white pictures on my Voigtlander and submitted a photo album containing my own shades of Jubilee country, with surrounding interpretation of Munro's text. I ended up getting the highest mark in English 138 that year.

Ages later, when I had become chair of English at Western, I nominated Alice Munro for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Nothing came of it.

Then this past year, as dean of humanities at Brock University, I submitted a fresh nomination.

This time I received a formal reply from Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Nobelkommitté, Svenska Akademiens: "The Swedish Academy gratefully acknowledges the receipt of your nomination for the current year's Nobel Prize in Literature."

And now she's won it.

Unless I hear of another nominator, I am going to take solo credit for Munro's win. At the same time, I am going to say publicly what I have felt privately ever since she walked into my imagination, and my CanLit class, almost 40 years ago.

To Alice Munro, at 82, in all her glory as Canada's first female Nobel literature laureate, from this old young man in the 22nd row: "Yo' is shore a handsome figger of a woman."

View the original document

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Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, released Pussy Riot member, slams Putin

One of two freed members of punk protest band Pussy Riot, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, said on Friday their release was aimed solely at improving Russia's image before it hosts the Winter Olympic Games and was not a humanitarian gesture.

Tolokonnikova, 24, and Maria Alyokhina, 25, walked free under a Kremlin amnesty on Monday after serving more than 21 months of a two-year prison term for performing a profanity-laced "punk prayer" protest against President Vladimir Putin in Moscow's main Russian Orthodox cathedral.

Tolokonnikova said the Winter Olympics, due to be held in February in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, were Putin's pet project and that anybody attending them would be supporting him.

"With the Olympics approaching, Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] does not want his favourite project ruined," Tolokonnikova said.  

Last week, Putin also pardoned former oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, viewed by Kremlin foes as a political prisoner, after he spent more than 10 years in jail.

"The thaw has nothing to do with humanism. The authorities only did this under pressure from both Russian and Western society," Tolokonnikova told a news conference with Alyokhina at her side, adding she feared "there could be more repression after the Olympics."

"Whether one likes it or not, going to the Olympics in Russia is an acceptance of the internal political situation in Russia, an acceptance of the course taken by a person who is interested in the Olympics above all else — Vladimir Putin," Tolokonnikova said.

Alyokhina said the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader has cast their February 2012 protest in Christ the Saviour Cathedral as part of a concerted attack on Russia's main faith, had played a role in the jailing of three band members. The third jailed woman was released last year.

Both amnestied women said they would remain in Russia and would shift their focus to efforts to improve prison conditions in Russia.

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alice Munro's Nobel: Did I have a role in it?

(Douglas Kneale is dean of the Faculty of Humanities and professor of English at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.)

Whether I single-handedly helped Alice Munro come to the attention of the Nobel Prize committee, I may never know.

But there is something I do know, and will at long last confess: I have had a crush on Alice Munro ever since she gave a reading in our second-year Canadian literature class at the University of Western Ontario in 1974.

Canada's first female Nobel laureate in literature has always been, to this man, the country's most striking writer — and in more ways than one.

Ever since my first and only meeting with her, I have in my imagination applied to her what Jerry Storey, in Munro's novel Lives of Girls and Women, says to Del Jordan: "Yo' is shore a handsome figger of a woman."

Douglas Kneale was 'totally smitten' with Alice Munro in 1974 when she came to read to his second-year Canadian literature class at the University of Western Ontario in London. (Submitted from Tiffany Mayer/Brock University)

I was totally smitten that day when she came to our class to read from her first book Dance of the Happy Shades. (I still have the autographed copy in my possession: "For Doug. Best Wishes, Alice Munro.")

She sat at the front of the stage in Western's Middlesex Theatre and said she was going to read her short story "Postcard" the way she would have written it if she were writing it today. A mysterious beginning — what did she mean?

We all followed along in our copies as she read, and every word she spoke was the same as on the page, verbatim.

That is, until she got to the final paragraph — and then she stopped. She didn't read the last paragraph because, she said, "A good short story should say everything it has to say before the final paragraph."

Teaching Munro's work at university for the past 30 years, I have often begun with that statement as a way into thinking about how and what literature generally "has to say."

In "Postcard," the final paragraph — the one that Munro did not read — the narrator Helen Louise, in a brief narrative coda, reaches out to the lover who has, inevitably, abandoned her.

It is pure Canadian Gothic: "the fat fatuous" lover (as Hugh Garner described him in his foreword to the first edition of Munro's book), the classic jilted female, the paralyzed and dying mother upstairs, the small-town self-interestedness, the pathetic and rhetorically self-conscious apostrophe at the end.

Back in December 1974, for my essay assignment on Munro, I drove north out of London, Ont., to her hometown of Wingham, took black-and-white pictures on my Voigtlander and submitted a photo album containing my own shades of Jubilee country, with surrounding interpretation of Munro's text. I ended up getting the highest mark in English 138 that year.

Ages later, when I had become chair of English at Western, I nominated Alice Munro for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Nothing came of it.

Then this past year, as dean of humanities at Brock University, I submitted a fresh nomination.

This time I received a formal reply from Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Nobelkommitté, Svenska Akademiens: "The Swedish Academy gratefully acknowledges the receipt of your nomination for the current year's Nobel Prize in Literature."

And now she's won it.

Unless I hear of another nominator, I am going to take solo credit for Munro's win. At the same time, I am going to say publicly what I have felt privately ever since she walked into my imagination, and my CanLit class, almost 40 years ago.

To Alice Munro, at 82, in all her glory as Canada's first female Nobel literature laureate, from this old young man in the 22nd row: "Yo' is shore a handsome figger of a woman."

View the original document

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Pussy Riot members reunite, discuss human rights project

Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were reunited Tuesday after spending nearly two years in prison for their protest at Moscow's main cathedral, and said they want to set up a human rights organization.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina were granted amnesty on Monday, two months short of their scheduled release, in what was seen as the Kremlin's attempt to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.

Alekhina flew into the eastern Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk early Tuesday to meet Tolokonnikova. They have said the amnesty and their release was a publicity stunt by the Kremlin ahead of the Olympics. Tolokonnikova has also called for a boycott of the Olympics.

Alekhina, still dressed in a dark green prison jacket, hugged Tolokonnikova and then shook hands.

Both women reiterated their Monday statement that they would like to focus their future work on helping prisoners, and that they will discuss setting up a human rights organization.

Their release came three days after President Vladimir Putin pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the onetime oil tycoon who had been behind bars more than 10 years in a case that critics said was Kremlin revenge for Khodorkovsky's political involvement.

Khodorkovsky, who flew to Germany on Friday, issued a brief statement congratulating Alekhina and Tolokonnikova.

"I know that the last months have been a living hell for you and I am happy to learn that this torture, unworthy of a European country in the 21st century, has ended," he said.

The band's third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on suspended sentence shortly after the three were found guilty of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in prison in 2012 for their protest at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.

The women have denied the accusations that they were driven by hatred of religion, and said their performance was aimed at raising concern about the close ties between the church and state.

Russian parliament passed the amnesty bill last week, allowing the release of thousands of inmates, including the two Pussy Riot members.

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Believe, Grudge Match among films to see on Christmas Day

For those seeking to escape the Christmas Day bustle for a few hours, or who need a warm place during a power outage, or just want an activity to do with their family, here's a selection of movies in theatres across Canada:

The Wolf of Wall Street

This R-rated black comedy following the spectacular rise and fall of a New York stockbroker is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, who was convicted of fraud and money laundering. 

Directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and more

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty. (Associated Press)

A family-friendly adventure-comedy that tells the tale of a mild mannered daydreamer's heroic and fantastical exploits. The film is based on a classic short story by James Thurber.

Directed by and starring Ben Stiller

Believe

Singer Justin Bieber's latest concert documentary, Believe, was filmed during his most recent tour. It describes his rise to super-stardom and depicts his past controversies — scuffles with paparazzi, and so on.

Directed by Jon Chu; starring Justin Bieber

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

This reverent drama is based on the life of recently deceased South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. It is the only Mandela movie ever to get approval directly from Mandela himself.

Directed by Justin Chadwick; starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris

Grudge Match

Raging Bull and Rocky face off in Grudge Match. (Associated Press)

This sports comedy depicts a pair of aging boxers who agree to come out of retirement to fight one final round.

Directed by Peter Segal; starring Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone

 

47 Ronin

A fantasy action-thriller, 47 Ronin is loosely inspired by a traditional Japanese tale of samurai fighters who seek vengeance for the death of their master after he is killed by a treacherous warlord.

Directed by Carl Rinsch; starring Keanu Reeves

Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaac and Justin Timberlake in Inside Llewyn Davis. (Associated Press)

A struggling singer-songwriter navigates the 1960s folk music scene in New York's Greenwich Village in this Coen brothers drama.

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen; starring Oscar Isaac, Cary Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake and more

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

FILM REVIEW: The Wolf of Wall Street

Video

CBC News Posted: Dec 26, 2013 9:00 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 26, 2013 8:28 AM ET

Director Martin Scorsese shows off a more playful mood with The Wolf of Wall Street, an orgy of excess starring his frequent collaborator Leonardo DiCaprio as an unquenchable, over-the-top stock broker.

Bolstered with impressive performances from Matthew McConaughey and Jonah Hill, the black comedy based on a true story about a New York trader's spectacular rise and fall is definitely entertaining, says CBC reviewer Eli Glasner.

Watch Eli Glasner's review in the attached video.

Stay Connected with CBC News

Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines

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Celebrities share holiday stories, memories and traditions

CBC News Posted: Dec 24, 2013 11:44 AM ET Last Updated: Dec 24, 2013 11:44 AM ET

From recalling favourite Christmas gifts to enacting special family traditions, celebrities savour the holiday season just like the rest of us.

In the video above, CBC's Jelena Adzic reviews seasonal customs, favourite holiday memories and upcoming plans with some famous faces, including Will Ferrell, Tatiana Maslany and Earth, Wind and Fire.

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Pussy Riot members reunite, discuss human rights project

Two members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were reunited Tuesday after spending nearly two years in prison for their protest at Moscow's main cathedral, and said they want to set up a human rights organization.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alekhina were granted amnesty on Monday, two months short of their scheduled release, in what was seen as the Kremlin's attempt to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.

Alekhina flew into the eastern Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk early Tuesday to meet Tolokonnikova. They have said the amnesty and their release was a publicity stunt by the Kremlin ahead of the Olympics. Tolokonnikova has also called for a boycott of the Olympics.

Alekhina, still dressed in a dark green prison jacket, hugged Tolokonnikova and then shook hands.

Both women reiterated their Monday statement that they would like to focus their future work on helping prisoners, and that they will discuss setting up a human rights organization.

Their release came three days after President Vladimir Putin pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the onetime oil tycoon who had been behind bars more than 10 years in a case that critics said was Kremlin revenge for Khodorkovsky's political involvement.

Khodorkovsky, who flew to Germany on Friday, issued a brief statement congratulating Alekhina and Tolokonnikova.

"I know that the last months have been a living hell for you and I am happy to learn that this torture, unworthy of a European country in the 21st century, has ended," he said.

The band's third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on suspended sentence shortly after the three were found guilty of hooliganism and sentenced to two years in prison in 2012 for their protest at Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow.

The women have denied the accusations that they were driven by hatred of religion, and said their performance was aimed at raising concern about the close ties between the church and state.

Russian parliament passed the amnesty bill last week, allowing the release of thousands of inmates, including the two Pussy Riot members.

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Alice Munro's Nobel: Did I have a role in it?

(Douglas Kneale is dean of the Faculty of Humanities and professor of English at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.)

Whether I single-handedly helped Alice Munro come to the attention of the Nobel Prize committee, I may never know.

But there is something I do know, and will at long last confess: I have had a crush on Alice Munro ever since she gave a reading in our second-year Canadian literature class at the University of Western Ontario in 1974.

Canada's first female Nobel laureate in literature has always been, to this man, the country's most striking writer — and in more ways than one.

Ever since my first and only meeting with her, I have in my imagination applied to her what Jerry Storey, in Munro's novel Lives of Girls and Women, says to Del Jordan: "Yo' is shore a handsome figger of a woman."

Douglas Kneale was 'totally smitten' with Alice Munro in 1974 when she came to read to his second-year Canadian literature class at the University of Western Ontario in London. (Submitted from Tiffany Mayer/Brock University)

I was totally smitten that day when she came to our class to read from her first book Dance of the Happy Shades. (I still have the autographed copy in my possession: "For Doug. Best Wishes, Alice Munro.")

She sat at the front of the stage in Western's Middlesex Theatre and said she was going to read her short story "Postcard" the way she would have written it if she were writing it today. A mysterious beginning — what did she mean?

We all followed along in our copies as she read, and every word she spoke was the same as on the page, verbatim.

That is, until she got to the final paragraph — and then she stopped. She didn't read the last paragraph because, she said, "A good short story should say everything it has to say before the final paragraph."

Teaching Munro's work at university for the past 30 years, I have often begun with that statement as a way into thinking about how and what literature generally "has to say."

In "Postcard," the final paragraph — the one that Munro did not read — the narrator Helen Louise, in a brief narrative coda, reaches out to the lover who has, inevitably, abandoned her.

It is pure Canadian Gothic: "the fat fatuous" lover (as Hugh Garner described him in his foreword to the first edition of Munro's book), the classic jilted female, the paralyzed and dying mother upstairs, the small-town self-interestedness, the pathetic and rhetorically self-conscious apostrophe at the end.

Back in December 1974, for my essay assignment on Munro, I drove north out of London, Ont., to her hometown of Wingham, took black-and-white pictures on my Voigtlander and submitted a photo album containing my own shades of Jubilee country, with surrounding interpretation of Munro's text. I ended up getting the highest mark in English 138 that year.

Ages later, when I had become chair of English at Western, I nominated Alice Munro for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Nothing came of it.

Then this past year, as dean of humanities at Brock University, I submitted a fresh nomination.

This time I received a formal reply from Peter Englund, permanent secretary of the Nobelkommitté, Svenska Akademiens: "The Swedish Academy gratefully acknowledges the receipt of your nomination for the current year's Nobel Prize in Literature."

And now she's won it.

Unless I hear of another nominator, I am going to take solo credit for Munro's win. At the same time, I am going to say publicly what I have felt privately ever since she walked into my imagination, and my CanLit class, almost 40 years ago.

To Alice Munro, at 82, in all her glory as Canada's first female Nobel literature laureate, from this old young man in the 22nd row: "Yo' is shore a handsome figger of a woman."

View the original document

22.19 | 0 komentar | Read More

Believe, Grudge Match among films to see on Christmas Day

For those seeking to escape the Christmas Day bustle for a few hours, or who need a warm place during a power outage, or just want an activity to do with their family, here's a selection of movies in theatres across Canada:

The Wolf of Wall Street

This R-rated black comedy following the spectacular rise and fall of a New York stockbroker is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, who was convicted of fraud and money laundering. 

Directed by Martin Scorsese; starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew McConaughey and more

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Ben Stiller as Walter Mitty. (Associated Press)

A family-friendly adventure-comedy that tells the tale of a mild mannered daydreamer's heroic and fantastical exploits. The film is based on a classic short story by James Thurber.

Directed by and starring Ben Stiller

Believe

Singer Justin Bieber's latest concert documentary, Believe, was filmed during his most recent tour. It describes his rise to super-stardom and depicts his past controversies — scuffles with paparazzi, and so on.

Directed by Jon Chu; starring Justin Bieber

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

This reverent drama is based on the life of recently deceased South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. It is the only Mandela movie ever to get approval directly from Mandela himself.

Directed by Justin Chadwick; starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris

Grudge Match

Raging Bull and Rocky face off in Grudge Match. (Associated Press)

This sports comedy depicts a pair of aging boxers who agree to come out of retirement to fight one final round.

Directed by Peter Segal; starring Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone

 

47 Ronin

A fantasy action-thriller, 47 Ronin is loosely inspired by a traditional Japanese tale of samurai fighters who seek vengeance for the death of their master after he is killed by a treacherous warlord.

Directed by Carl Rinsch; starring Keanu Reeves

Inside Llewyn Davis

Oscar Isaac and Justin Timberlake in Inside Llewyn Davis. (Associated Press)

A struggling singer-songwriter navigates the 1960s folk music scene in New York's Greenwich Village in this Coen brothers drama.

Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen; starring Oscar Isaac, Cary Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake and more

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Fast and Furious 7 gets 2015 release after Paul Walker's death

Fast and Furious 7, the delayed next instalment of the car-racing series that starred the late Paul Walker, will be released in 2015, co-star Vin Diesel has revealed via social media.

On Sunday, Diesel announced on his Facebook page that the upcoming film will hit theatres on April 10, 2015.

"P.S. He'd want you to know first," the actor added, in reference to his co-star Walker, who died in a fiery car wreck in late November.

Universal Studios confirmed the news on Monday. Walker will still appear in the film, though Universal has not said exactly how it will handle his unfinished performance.

The seventh film in the blockbuster action franchise was originally slated for release in July 2014, with about half the filming completed earlier this fall. Walker and Diesel were to be rejoined by familiar faces, including Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez and Dwayne Johnson.

The cast and crew had been on a break from filming for the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday when Walker and his friend Roger Rodas were killed. Universal temporarily shut down production after their deaths.

On Nov. 30, Rodas's Porsche Carrera GT struck a light pole and a tree in Santa Clarita, Calif., before bursting into flames, killing both the driver and Walker, who was the passenger. Authorities said speed was a factor in the crash.

The death stunned fans of the incredibly popular Fast and Furious franchise, many of whom visited the area in the days after to pay tribute to the actor, who was 40.

Among the many memorials was a high-performance vehicle convoy on Dec. 8 that saw thousands of fans, friends, mourners and car enthusiasts gather and drive past the site where he died.

The Fast and Furious series has been one of Universal's most lucrative in recent years, grossing almost $2.4 billion US worldwide since 2001. The last film, Fast & Furious 6, made $789 million US.

Best known for his role as former cop turned street racer Brian O'Conner in the Fast and Furious movies, for which he appeared in all but one, Walker also starred in films such as Varsity Blues, Pleasantville, Into the Blue, Flags of Our Fathers and the recently opened Hurricane Katrina drama Hours.

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How 'A Christmas Story' became a cult film classic

There were no epic, Oscar-winning performances in A Christmas Story. The 1983 slice of Americana filmed partly in Canada faded from theatres within a few weeks.

Yet the movie, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, has become something of a festive cult classic.

Fans recite lines with great fervour — "You'll shoot your eye out" is a favourite — and cherish every adventure or misadventure young Ralphie has, whether it's taking on bullies, putting up with a partially drunk and perhaps lecherous department store Santa or dreaming of finding a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree.

Anything related to a leg lamp, one of the iconic images of A Christmas Story, sells well for Tyler Schwartz, a superfan of the movie who also owns the Oakville, Ont.-based RetroFestive, which bills itself as Canada's pop culture Christmas store. (Submitted by Tyler Schwartz)

It is a curious cinematic evolution, one that speaks to how a relatively low-budget movie consumed with the simplest things from a 1940s life can have lasting appeal.

"I think at the heart of it is that it's a great mixture of wackiness, and then it hits you at the end with just a touch of sentimentality," says Tyler Schwartz, an Oakville, Ont., man who has become something of a superfan of the film.

"Really the whole movie is universal. Whether you're young or old, or you grew up in '40s or the '80s or even today, I think so much of it you can relate to, especially at Christmas time."

Remember the frozen-tongue scene

Maybe your mom bundled you up so tightly in your snowsuit and scarf that you could hardly move or breathe. Maybe there was a bully with a mouthy sidekick who tried to terrorize you on the way home from school.

And maybe there was one present you really, really wanted Santa to bring, even if your parents didn't seem to think it was such a good idea.

All that happened in A Christmas Story, and it is those kinds of timeless details that have helped the movie resonate no matter a person's age, says Peter Lester, an assistant professor in the department of communication, popular culture and film in Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont.

"Younger audiences, I think, certainly can relate to the young character of Ralphie as he undergoes his overwhelming sense of excitement and anticipation," says Lester.

"But also the fear, anxiety, and disappointment and even humiliation that he undergoes over the course of the film."

Period piece

The movie, which was filmed partially in Toronto and St. Catharines, is also a period piece, so it holds a strong nostalgic appeal.

Even those people who grew up in later times "can relate similarly to fathers obsessed with furnaces and Oldsmobiles, or the ever-present threat of schoolyard bullies, or the horrifying experience of barely concealed drunk mall Santa Clauses," says Lester.

For all the nostalgia, however, he sees another factor that could contribute to the movie's lasting appeal and which sets it apart from the greeting card sentimentality of other holiday film fare like It's a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Carol.

'People love the leg lamp'

Tyler Schwartz, whose Oakville-based business RetroFestive sells A Christmas Story memorabilia, grew up in Ontario's Niagara Region, where he watched the movie every year on TV. His interest expanded considerably after he met his wife, who also happened to be a fan.

They filmed a documentary focusing on the making of the movie, right down to finding the location of the Chinese restaurant featured near the end of the film (it's on Gerrard Street East in Toronto, but now serves French fare).

Schwartz made his first memorabilia sales from his basement in 2008, when revenue was about $10,000. He says sales have grown tenfold for anything related to A Christmas Story "because more and more people are finding us."

And the most popular item? The $15 leg lamp night light, patterned after the leg lamp Ralphie's father displayed with such pride in their home's front window.

"Really, anything with a leg lamp on it you can take to the bank," says Schwartz. "People love the leg lamp."

"There is a kind of dark, sort of subversive element to it that I think distinguishes the film and can speak to a lot of its appeal," says Lester.

"No one really learns the true meaning of Christmas by the end. The stakes are different ... ghosts don't revisit anyone to look back at their life. No one's saved from suicide.

"The true meaning of Christmas effectively is not the final scene of the film, which I think a lot people forget is actually Ralphie sitting in bed hugging his BB gun."

Lester also sees another historical reason for the lasting appeal, one that is not tied to the movie, but more to the expanding television and cable universe of the 1980s and 1990s.

"A lot of movies particularly around Christmas time tended to benefit from networks repeatedly playing them over and over," says Lester.

A Christmas Story in particular became the focus of a 24-hour Christmas Day marathon on U.S. cable TV, which continues to this day.

Lester doesn't hesitate to call A Christmas Story a cult film, even if its subject matter is considerably milder than other fare that earns that moniker.

Everyone, Lester says, has a different understanding of what makes a cult film, but if the term is taken to mean a movie that gathers a devoted fan base with an intense dedication to it, then A Christmas Story fits that bill.

That dedication has not gone unnoticed for Zack Ward, the Toronto native who played bully Scut Farkus in the movie.

Now based in Los Angeles, Ward has gone on to roles in television shows and movies such as Almost Famous and Transformers. But those experiences were very different.

"No one's going to be watching these movies in 24-hour marathons. No one's going to be showing them to their kids in 10 years. No one's going to be collecting items from the film because it reminds them of their cherished childhood," Ward says.

"I think it's going to be here long after I die and if I have a tombstone and it says here lies Zack Ward, you know, that guy from A Christmas Story, I would be very, very happy."

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Animator Claude Robinson wins plagiarism battle over Cinar

Cartoonist wins 20-year battle over plagiarism of Robinson Sucroe show

CBC News Posted: Dec 23, 2013 12:43 PM ET Last Updated: Dec 23, 2013 7:48 PM ET

RAW | Sylvie Lussier, union president of SARTEC TV and radio writers, reacts to Supreme Court ruling 1:19

RAW | Sylvie Lussier, union president of SARTEC TV and radio writers, reacts to Supreme Court ruling 1:19

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The Supreme Court of Canada has found in favour of Quebec animator Claude Robinson after a 20-year legal battle, ruling that Montreal-based production company Cinar violated his copyright and must pay compensatory damages.

Robinson created a cartoon character and show called The Adventures of Robinson Curiosity in the 1980s. The show, inspired by Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe, was shopped around. 

Almost a decade later Robinson saw a similar show called Robinson Sucroe — which became quite popular. He sued for copyright infringement. 

Robinson won at the Quebec Court of Appeal in 2009, which ruled that the Montreal-based production company, Cinar, had essentially plagiarized his idea. 

After he was originally awarded more than $5 million in damages, Cinar appealed to the Supreme Court.

The production company lost the legal battle Monday in a unanimous ruling. 

With files from The Canadian Press

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Inside Llewyn Davis: Oscar Isaac has breakout with Coens

Oscar Isaac has Joel and Ethan Coen to thank for his acclaimed, breakout turn in the sibling filmmakers' new movie Inside Llewyn Davis.

Isaac, a Juilliard-educated actor previously seen in secondary roles in Drive, Sucker Punch and Robin Hood, has already earned critical praise and an acting nomination for the upcoming Golden Globe Awards for his starring role in the new film.

As the movie's titular folk singer, he plays a talented but unlucky artist struggling for survival in New York's Greenwich Village in 1961.

"It's not an accident that so many actors in their films get so much recognition. They really create the stage for actors to do their best work," Isaac said of the Coens in an interview with CBC News.

"Success and failure are on a knife's edge. So many things have to go your way to succeed the way you want to, which usually means not compromising. Very few people are fortunate enough to never have to compromise, especially when they're in a creative field," he said.

"This [movie] is, in a way, an ode to all the artists who don't get that opportunity."

Based loosely on the story of 1960s-era Brooklyn folk singer Dave Van Ronk, Inside Llewyn Davis takes an unflinching, unsentimental look at the early days of the folk music scene, prior to Bob Dylan's arrival in New York and before the genre gained wider popularity.

The era has been described as "a lost moment in American folk music," Joel Coen told CBC's Jian Ghomeshi in a recent interview.

"The fact that it's less familiar makes it, to us, more exotic: a little more interesting and therefore more fertile in terms of setting a story."

In the attached videos, Oscar Isaac talks to CBC News about Inside Llewyn Davis and Eli Glasner offers his review of the bleak musical tale. In the attached audio, Joel and Ethan Coen talk to Q's Jian Ghomeshi about their latest work, their success career and their working relationship.

Already released in limited locations, Inside Llewyn Davis opens to wider release on Wednesday.

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Pussy Riot band members released from Russian prison

Two jailed members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were released Monday following an amnesty law that both described as a Kremlin public relations stunt ahead of the Winter Olympics. 

Maria Alekhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova were granted amnesty last week in a move largely viewed as the Kremlin's attempt to soothe criticism of Russia's human rights record ahead of the Winter Olympics in Sochi in February.

The third member, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was released on a suspended sentence months after all three were found guilty of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred and sentenced to two years in prison for the performance at Moscow's main cathedral in March 2012.

The band members said their protest was meant to raise their concern about increasingly close ties between the state and the church.

Russian parliament passed the amnesty bill last week, allowing the release of thousands of inmates. Alekhina and Tolokonnikova, who were due for release in March, qualified for amnesty because they have small children.

There has been an international outcry over Russia's human rights record, including for passing a law earlier this year that bans so-called homosexual propaganda among minors, which gay groups in Russia and abroad say feeds the existing enmity toward gay people in the country.

Tolokonnikova walked out of a prison in the eastern Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk on Monday, smiling to reporters and flashing a V sign.

"How do you like our Siberian weather here?" said Tolokonnikova, wearing a down jacket but no hat or scarf in -25 degree weather. Tolokonnikova said that she and Alekhina will set up a human rights group to help prisoners.

Tolokonnikova said the way prisons are run reflect the way the country is governed.

"I saw this small totalitarian machine from the inside," the 24-year-old said. "Russia functions the same way the prison colony does," she said.

Alekhina, who was released earlier on Monday from a prison outside the Volga river city of Nizhny Novgorod, said she would have stayed behind bars to serve her term if she was free to turn it down.

"If I had a chance to turn it down, I would have done it, no doubt about that," she told Dozhd TV. "This is not an amnesty. This is a hoax and a PR move."

She said the amnesty bill covers less than 10 per cent of the prison population and only a fraction of women with children behind bars. Women convicted of grave crimes, even if they have children, are not eligible for amnesty. 

Alkhina said that prison officials did not give her a chance to say goodbye to cell mates, but put her in a car and drove her to the train station in downtown Nizhny Novgorod. Before seeing her family and friends, she met with local rights activists and said she will work on defending human rights.

The release of the two Pussy Riot band members came days after President Vladimir Putin pardoned Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a former oil tycoon and once Russia's richest man, who spent a decade in prison after challenging Putin's power. Khodorkovsky flew to Germany after release and said he will stay out of politics. He pledged, however, to fight for the release of political prisoners in Russia.

Russia's Supreme Court earlier this month ordered a review of the Pussy Riot case, saying that a lower court did not fully prove their guilt and did not take their family circumstances into consideration when reaching the verdict.

Also on Monday, the European Court of Human Rights said it will review a complaint filed by band members over their treatment while on trial in Moscow in 2012.

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