It's the week of December 13th!

Are you ready for Christmas or are you already participating in Chanukah festivities? Are your halls decked? Cookies baked? Shopping done...or even started? The two weeks leading up to Christmas always seem to be the busiest weeks of the year. But, in all the holiday hustle and bustle, you must recharge your batteries with a little downtime. Speaking of (ya, crappy segue), this is the last week that The Hour will be taping until January 2010. I just checked and as of now there are still some tickets available for this week.

As always, the week begins with a new edition of The Strombo Show on CBC Radio 2. Find your frequency here.

Unfourtunately, we have not yet received a list of the guests scheduled to appear on The Hour this week. Therefore, the following may be subject to change...time will tell.

Monday, December 14th

Head of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, Paul Kennedy.



Canadian heavy metal band Anvil.

Tuesday, December 15th

Portuguese-born, Toronto raised actor in Stargate Universe, Louis Ferreira.

A few weeks ago, George had mentioned the story of six year old Elena Desserich. Elena, suffering from brain cancer, knew she was dying. In the time she had left, she began leaving hundreds of notes hidden everywhere in her family home. Her parents, Keith & Brooke Desserich have compiled these notes into a book, Notes Left Behind 135 days with Elena. Keith will be on The Hour. I could write more, but instead I would ask that you watch the brief clip below, as it will preview Elena's story far better than I could.

Wednesday, December 16th

Founder of Samasource and Huffington Post contributor, Leila Chirayath Janah.

Canadian musician, author and activist Matthew Good makes a return visit to The Hour.

Thursday, December 17th

Actor, writer, animator, director and Monty Python alumni Terry Gilliam.

In case you missed the memo, the world will be coming to Vancouver in February! No one is more aware of this fact than John Furlong, Chief Executive Officer for the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Presumably, Mr. Furlong will be providing an update on the Vancouver preparations as the Olymic Torch is currently making its way across Canada. This week "the flame" will be passing through my community. Has it come to your town yet? Let us know!

Friday, December 18th

This "best of show" includes Stephen King, Shawn Ashmore and Anika Noni Rose.

In other news...

Did you happen to catch the holiday special Deck the Halls with Steven and Chris? You can watch it here. George participated in the show and created a rather 'interesting' gingerbread house, now up for auction on Ebay. Proceeds from the sale of George's creation will go to Serve Canada, an organization that "empowers youth to become caring, confident, and contributing members of their community through experience-based learning". Also still up for grabs on Ebay is that infamous Toronto Maple Leafs jersey!

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CBC Learning has released a five volume DVD set of The Hour for use in the classroom. The set includes "The Hour’s best interviews on key curriculum-relevant subjects, including politics, civics, the environment, business and character education". If you are an educator, you may want to check it out. Also, if you have someone on your gift list who is a fan of CBC programming, be sure to check out the CBC Shop Online.

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And finally...don't forget to cast your vote for The Moose Award.

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How will you remember?

"We must remember. If we do not, the sacrifice of those one hundred thousand Canadian lives will be meaningless. They died for us, for their homes and families and friends, for a collection of traditions they cherished and a future they believed in; they died for Canada. The meaning of their sacrifice rests with our collective national consciousness; our future is their monument."

Heather Robertson,

A Terrible Beauty,

The Art of Canada at War.

Toronto, Lorimer, 1977.

The Hour has hosted several guests who have witnessed war from various perspectives...a "leader", Ret. General Rick Hillier, "a wounded warrior", Master Corporal Paul Franklin and a "storyteller", embedded journalist Scott Kesterson. As television viewers we gain insight from their reality...one that is often harsh and painfully sad. As Canadians, on November 11th, we are afforded the opportunity to acknowledge and reflect upon the sacrifices made, both past and present, of our military.

How will you remember?

Often the individual act of remembrance is a personal one. For some it may simply involve wearing a poppy over the heart. For others it may mean attending a local Remembrance Day ceremony. Each year part of my Remembrance Day involves sharing a story with elementary school age children. Sometimes the story is to share a significant historical fact, while others have been designed to encourage empathy. This year the theme is simple...returning home. Attention will be paid to the now, all too familiar, Repatriation Ceremony.

Although not evident unless you look closely, the photograph above involves such a ceremony. The gravemarker is located at the Cabaret Rouge British Cemetery, Souchez. This particular grave once contained the remains of a Canadian soldier killed during WWI. In 2000 the grave was exhumed and the remains entrusted to Canada in a ceremony that took place in Vimy, France. The remains were returned to Canadian soil in the most well-publicized Repatriation Ceremony ever. These are the remains that have been laid within the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in a sarcophagus placed at the foot of the National War Memorial in Ottawa. I vividly recall watching this event on television. I thought about that fact that to us, this soldier was an unknown victim of war. But at that one time he was a son and perhaps a brother, husband or father...he meant something to someone. Now he means a great deal to an entire nation.

Unlike the ceremony that surrounded the 'unknown' one, we now know the names of our fallen. We watch the grief on the faces of their loved ones, as a flag draped casket comes home. In recent years, the Repatriation Ceremony has taken on a new dimension. It simply started with everyday folks lining the overpasses of Highway 401 between Trenton and Toronto. They stood, with Canadian flags in hand, to await the motorcade of a fallen Canadian soldier on the way to the Coronor's Office in downtown Toronto. The movement grew and eventually led to this portion of the route being renamed the "Highway of Heroes". The impact of this simple gesture has been tremendous. The event even has its own song, aptly named Highway of Heroes.

Written by Newstalk 1010's Bob Reid (host of Rock Talk), the single was released on CD/itunes last week. A portion of sales will be donated to Wounded Warriors, a charity that "delivers quality of life, financial, benevolent and moral assistance" to Canadian soldiers. This is another way one can participate in an act of remembrance and support a very worthy cause.

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Talented Writers dominate 1st week of Nov.

The Strombo Show is coming to Radio 2 NEXT Sunday!

George Stroumboulopoulos will be landing at Radio 2 with a new show launching November 8th called The Strombo Show.

The Strombo Show will feature four hours of music from all generations and will focus on what George does best - talking about music, interviewing musicians, and bringing listeners a scope of music from the known and popular to the new and unexplored.

in these pictures George, Alex and Bob M.jr. in the former studio of The Strombo Show. George will debut the look of the new studio on Nov 8th.

George will be recording the show in his new home studio with Bob Mackowycz Jr. (writer, Strombo Show co-host and the man everyone loves), and Mike Sullivan (Strombo Show, ExploreMusic) who will be contributing their talents each week along with the show's producer Darby Wheeler (The Hour, Much Music) . Maybe Alex Liu (The Hour, Strombo Show) will drop by but, he is a busy new Dad now so... we'll see.

Musical guests will occasionally perform in G's living room and video of the radio show will be available for your viewing pleasure.

You can make song requests 24/7 by leaving a message on The Strombo Show's line... 416-205-6626 is the local GTA number for now. They will be getting an 800 # soon.

You can hear The Strombo Show Sunday nights from 8pm to midnight, right after Vinyl Tap, starting Sunday November 8th!

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On The Hour this week:
Lawyers and Authors and one outstanding comic.

MONDAY NOV 2
Former Kennedy speech writer and prize winning author and Lawyer Ted Sorensen talks with George about his career and experiences at the White House.

And
George once hosted a Just for Laughs show with stand up comedian

Sugar Sammy
who hails from Montreal and has traveled all over the world with his multicultural brand of humour
Here is a clip of his top comic style. (14+)

TUESDAY NOV 3
Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the Clinton Tapes Taylor Branch is on The Hour.

and

Juno Director Jason Reitman who is neither a lawyer nor an author may be talking to George about music... or his new movie Up In The Air.

Here is a video Jason has on his myspace page with Ellen Page singing about him...

Juno Sings- Michael Cera and Ellen Page Sing about Jason

Jason Reitman | MySpace Video
plus it's Tuesday so...
Battle of the Blades' eliminated talent will drop by the studio.

WEDNESDAY NOV 4

George sits down with award winning Novelist, Poet, Author and Canadian Icon
Margaret Atwood

Also on the show

US Ambassador to Canada David Jacobson (also a Lawyer) is new to the job of ambassador and has to deal with the hot topic of the Buy American policy among other issues.

THURSDAY NOV 5

RCMP's new controversial appointee Commissioner William Elliott.
William Elliot is a lawyer and a civil servant and has never served on a police force.

FRI NOV 6
Snoop Dogg in his best interview ever!

and

Anne

Murray
as you have never see her before except if you saw the original airing... then you will see it again and it will be worth it.

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Hour Books: Losing It

I'll be honest, this book was never really on my list to read. I thought the interview on The Hour was interesting, but not something I wanted to pursue beyond that one segment. However, I was at my local library last week and found "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound At A Time" by Valerie Bertinelli staring at me from the featured book display. Since I was on Summer Vacation at the time, I was looking for a different kind of read so I picked it up.

I was surprised, it was a good read. It's an interesting journey through Bertinelli's life, from her first encounter with acting to the night her son started touring with her ex-husband as Van Halen's new bassist. I liked that this book didn't glamourize her issues unlike some celebrity biographies I've read in the past. I liked that she was seemingly frank about how her life felt totally different than how it was perceived by the outsiders.

I'm not sure how I feel about using the whole weight loss thing to tie the book together, but it's used as her catalyst to happiness. I did come away from the book with the notion that we all have a story to tell, and on some level everyone's story is similar.

Make sure you check out Valerie Bertinelli's 2008 interview on The Hour.

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Hour/Hockey season is over and Summer begins

The Strombo Show this and every Sunday.
The Edge 102.1 (Toronto) The Fox 99.3 (Vancouver)
Power 97 (Winnipeg) Y108 (Hamilton) FM96 (London)
George and Alex share music, interviews and conversation each radio show. They will use 'technology' to get you fresh shows all summer long.
If you have a request for George message him in your usual fashion. Email, facebook, myspace and twitter. Click on the listen live at 5 (EST) or follow along on facebook.

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The Hour is on a summer taping break but the best of The Hour from this Season will be presented at it's regular time all summer long.

Monday June 15, 2009

Canada's sometimes controversial but always stylish (oops is that fur?) Governor General -Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean will be talking to George about seal hearts and other subjects.

George will also be talking to the brilliant young actor from Passchendaele and Train 48!
- Joe Dinicol

Yes I watched and loved Train 48! That was before I moved to Toronto...

Tuesday June 16, 2009

actor - Malcolm McDowell who has done everything from Star Trek to A Clockwork Orange.

& rock star/TV reality Star and music business man - Gene Simmons

KISS this!

Wednesday June 17, 2009

- David Thewlis is not just an actor, he is a director, a novelist, a poet, a painter and a musician.

& Canadian/American (?) singer-songwriter
-Alanis Morissette

Morissette has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide

Thursday June 18, 2009

-Journalist, author and pop sociologist -

Malcolm Gladwell The rock star of non-fiction will be on the show.


plus comedian - Jamie Kennedy

- not the chef Jamie Kennedy- but the American funnyman.

Friday June 19, 2009

Hollywood superstar - Tom Cruise

Who goes only by his first and middle name, and at one time wanted to become a
Catholic Priest gets to have a very long conversation with George.
He is on The Hour for the entire hour.
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We would like to thank the hard working crew of The Hour for all their efforts to put Season Five together. They have done a fantastic Job. The Million Acts of Green project to name just one. It was an outstanding success!
With cutbacks this year to the CBC The Hour is not unaffected and some of our favourite staff will not be coming back in Season Six. We know the Season Six crew will get the job done and The Hour will be a tribute to their hard work and they will come up with brilliant new ideas.
One audience favourite is attending the show and meeting George when The Hour is on the Road. The question of 'Can The Hour do shows on the road in the coming season?' would depend on sponsorship. In these tough economic times finding those sponsors would be nice. So if you have any ideas to get The Hour traveling again let 'em know.

To the crew of The Hour have a great summer! Good luck in all your endeavors.

The Blog writers will still be adding our posts all summer long. We'll write about books featured on The Hour and other summer projects... please keep following us for updates.

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We Return You to Your Regularly Scheduled Programming.

Sunday brings so many things... a desire to sleep in, perhaps a brunch featuring strong coffee and good friends. In Radioland, Sunday brings The Strombo Show for 3 hours of good music, interesting chat and perhaps even a live performance for good measure. Tune in From 5-8pm on the Corus Radio network or Listen online HERE.

Meanwhile, back on the Tube....

You couldn't avoid in the many CBC Promos. Hockey season is thankfully winding down and so for your viewing pleasure, The Hour will return to it's normal time slot at 11pm with all new interviews.

As well, tune in to see a week long Serial or 'Everything You Wanted to Know' on the topic of Identity Theft and Computer Fraud featuring youthful Canadian hacker extrordinaire - Mafiaboy. My key question... if someone steals my identity, are they liable to pay the balance on my Mastercard? Pretty please? Monday May 4th

Dr. David Waltner-Towes

Remember the good old days when only Michael Jackson wore a surgical mask in public? Swine flu is top of mind these days. Is the situation truly an epidemic headed to a pandemic? What are the true origins? The good Doctor will likely have much to say about Canada's preparedness. As a Professor at the University of Guelph, expert in the field of food borne illness and the author of 'Food, Sex and Salmonella', I'm sure all hope for a frank yet ultimately reassuring discussion.

Tuesday May 5th

Bruce Greenwood

Some actors have it. The swagger. The presence. Bruce Greenwood has it in spades. Whether he's in a small indie picture or a big budget studio film, the man owns the screen. He's worked to great acclaim in collaboration with another of this week's guests - Atom Egoyan in Exotica and The Sweet Hereafter. I still love his turn as a man who gets what's coming to him in 'Double Jeopardy'. Oh yes.. he's also in some little 2009 release called Star Trek.

Nandan Nilekani

Software entrepreneur, Chairperson of Infosys Technologies and author of Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century, Mr. Nilekani is a powerful force for change in the economy of India. In a world where there's still a lack of understanding of how India impacts our markets and global competitiveness, this promises to be a telling discussion.

Wednesday May 6th

Atom Egoyan

Brilliantly talented Canadian writer and Director Atom Egoyan's work is never mainstream, yet incredibly accessible should you give his movies a chance. From Exotica to The Sweet Hereafter and many more films, Egoyan paints stories in his own unique style.

His latest is Adoration which looks phenomenal. Most recently he wrapped shooting on Chloe starring Liam Neeson. Egoyan has publicly praised Neeson's professionalism and commitment to the movie in the wake of his return to complete his final scenes mere days after the death of his wife, Natasha Richardson.
Daniel Sekulich

As informed as folks try to be, I can't be alone at my initial surprise at the many recent incidences and desperate actions taken by these modern day pirates. It's 2009 after all! To put some perspective on this, author of 'Terror on the Seas: True Tales of Modern Day Pirates', Daniel Sekulich will take to the Red Chair.


Thursday May 7th

Christopher Hitchens

Famed for his Atheist themed writings, he's always provocative and often polarizing... Christopher Hitchens returns to The Hour. A contributing writer to Vanity Fair and author of 'God is Not Great', love him or hate him, Hitchens is an interesting chat.

Joseph Boyden

It doesn't get much more prestigious in Canadian literature that to be the recipient of the coveted Scotiabank Giller Prize but Boyden has done it. In 2008 his novel about the Aboriginal experience living in urban centres 'Through Black Spruce' achieved that honour.

Friday May 8th

Friday brings an encore performance of some highlights of some recent interviews you may have missed the first go-round.

Bruce Greenwood

A rerun of Tuesday's chat...

Diana Krall

Not just Mrs. Elvis Costello, songstress, proud mom and Chatelaine Cover Girl Diana Krall makes a return visit. Her new Album 'Quiet Nights' - much more mellow than previous efforts is another huge hit.

Lewis Black

The maniacally funny comedian who got his big break on 'The Daily Show', this interview is high energy as expected. A couple fun factsfor you? Black's elderly dad is a boob man and the photo below is his Driver's Licence photo. Okay, okay, only ONE of those statements is true.

Hope everyone has a great week and enjoys these new shows!

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