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Do you want to see the “evil, left-wing CBC” privatized? There’s a bumper sticker for that

This speaks for itself (and your car) (Image: manybones12)

EBay is filled with many hidden treasures, and today Twitter uncovered something political: a call from one bumper sticker maker to put an end to the public financing of the CBC (or, as the Sun puts it, the state broadcaster) with the sale of a pro-privatization bumper sticker ($8.99 + $2.45 shipping). It’s being touted as a “great stocking stuffer,” so if you know any capitalist motorists who hate Being Erica, Heather Hiscox and Nancy Wilson that much, this would make the perfect present.

The Goods

From the Print Edition

November 1, 2011 | 3:00 pm

13 Comments

The List: 10 things Kevin O’Leary, the professional Dragon and author of Cold Hard Truth, can’t live without

The List: Kevin O’Leary 1| Fine wine
I have a cellar of wine from Burgundy and Bordeaux. Château Latour ’90 is my current favourite. I bought a couple of cases when they weren’t expensive, but now the Chinese have discovered French first growths, and they’ve gone way up in price. It’s hard to drink them because I know they’re impossible to replace.

The List: Kevin O’Leary 2| My vintage camera
I got hooked on photography when I was a TV editor and would take stills during filming. I have lots of cameras—both film and digital—but my most prized is a Leica M3 that has never left its box. I have the sales receipt from 1963. It’s worth thousands. If you know Leica, and you see this, it’s better than sex!

The List: Kevin O’Leary 3| My digital music
I have more than 129,000 songs in my collection, all of which I ripped from old CDs and vinyl. It was a labour of love that took me three years. Vinyl just sounds different—listen to an album like Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue, and you’ll notice the bass you can’t get with digital recording.

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The Informer

Ford Focus

October 31, 2011 | 3:15 pm

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Bill Blair comes to Rob Ford’s rescue over disputed 911 call

Bill Blair hasn’t exactly been Rob Ford’s staunchest supporter of late. But at the end of last week, the police chief came to the mayor’s defence, wading into the ongoing saga between Ford and the CBC. Blair issued a statement on Friday, offering that he had listened to the tape of the secret 911 call at the centre of the brouhaha and that the mayor didn’t use the word “bitches.” He also stated that Ford “did not describe himself as the original account claimed.” Here, we can only assume he’s referring to the whole “Rob Fucking Ford” bit. Which, really, is a shame—“Rob Fucking Ford” would look awesome on campaign materials (like these from our friends at Torontoist) in 2014. Read the entire statement [National Post] »

The Informer

Ford Focus

October 31, 2011 | 11:15 am

11 Comments

Rob Ford crushes Glenn Beck to claim Keith Olbermann’s Worst Person in the World award

The left-wing media recently took a break from its attacks on Mayor Rob Ford to present him with an award: that of, um, the Worst Person in the World. American pundit Keith Olbermann regularly hands out the award on his news and political commentary show, Countdown, and Ford snagged the top spot following an ambush interview from 22 Minutes’ Marg Delahunty. Olbermann lays out why Ford is the world’s worst person in his best mock-Canadian accent (or just the voice he uses when impersonating a simpleton—we can’t tell). Adding insult to injury is that Ford edged out Glenn Beck for the honour. In case you’ve never watched Beck’s show or heard him on the radio, just know that he’s pretty much made his career, and a small fortune, out of being a terrible person.

The Informer

Ford Focus

October 28, 2011 | 4:55 pm

34 Comments

Video: Mary Walsh calls Rob Ford a “big, loud-mouthed, bombastic buffoon,” then tells him to “chillax”

In an interview with Zoomer Media today, This Hour Has 22 Minutes Mary Walsh offers her thoughts—and a lot of zingers—on Rob Ford’s overreaction to getting ambushed by Marg Delahunty, her 22 Minutes alter-ego. At one point, Walsh compares Delahunty to Ford, describing them both as “big, loud-mouthed, bombastic buffoons” (really, she just thinks it would be nice if the simpatico personalities became friends, and that’s why Delahunty showed up at Ford’s home). She also offered a few words of wisdom for the mayor: namely, “chillax.” Of course, you should watch the video in full for yourself.

The Informer

Ford Focus

October 27, 2011 | 2:35 pm

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Rob Ford releases a statement: he admits to dropping an F-bomb, but claims things are not be as bad as they once seemed

Image: Christopher Drost

The story of Rob Ford’s encounter with the CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes took a potty-mouthed turn this morning with news that Ford allegedly berated 911 dispatchers and insisted that he was, in fact, “Rob Fucking Ford.” But now the Globe and Mail disputes these claims, reporting that the CBC’s story is inaccurate, as does Doug Ford, offering a competing interpretation of the events in an interview with the Toronto Star. The mayor also released a statement on his Facebook page this afternoon, providing his own take as to what went down that fateful morning. Read the entire statement, after the jump.

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The Informer

Ford Focus

October 27, 2011 | 2:00 pm

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Rob Ford’s stance of drug testing for TTC employees actually sounds kind of reasonable

Wow, Rob Ford sounds surprisingly cool on the issue of drug testing for TTC employees (unlike, say, his surprisingly uncool response to being ambushed by Mary Walsh of the CBC’s This Hour Has 22 Minutes earlier this week). “How do you know if someone has a beer or smokes a joint on a Friday and they come into work on Monday,” Ford told the Toronto Sun. Sure, he added that he’s “not quite sure how [the testing] works,” but these remarks are interesting all the same, given they’re coming from a mayor who’s not exactly known for his support of public employees. Read the entire story [Toronto Sun] »

The Informer

Ford Focus

October 27, 2011 | 10:15 am

3 Comments

Rob “Fucking” Ford allegedly berates 911 dispatchers in aftermath of 22 Minutes ambush

That a simple Google search for “Rob Ford, bitches” now returns a wealth of recent stories is definitely bad news for the mayor. The latest in the ongoing Ford-versus-CBC drama is that Ford, who called 911 twice during Monday’s ordeal, allegedly abused dispatchers. To put it more directly, he called them “bitches” and asked (we assume rhetorically) “Don’t you fucking know? I’m Rob fucking Ford, the mayor of this city!” We could point out the irony in Ford’s impatience with pushing for police cuts and then complaining about lengthy wait times. Or that the poor mayor doesn’t seem to know what 911 is actually for. But instead, we’ll just wait patiently for the recorded phone call to leak. Read the entire story [CBC] »

The Informer

The Old Normal

October 26, 2011 | 4:35 pm

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Metro Morning’s Matt Galloway once rocked dreadlocks (seriously)

A rift appeared in the space-time continuum earlier today when Matt Galloway, the clean-cut host of the CBC’s Metro Morning, revealed that he sported shoulder-length dreadlocks in university. “Long hair: interesting for a while, not for me,” he explained, audibly embarrassed. According to sports host Scott Regehr, the cut “would look interesting on the side of those CBC vans.” We wholeheartedly agree, and hope the once-bohemian broadcaster will expose his long-concealed dreads to rest of the world one day (until then, we’ll just use our imagination). Listen to the clip below.

Matt Galloway Dreadlocks by Toronto Life

(Images: Matt Galloway, CBC Metro Morning Facebook page; Dreadlocks, Kelvyn Skee)

The Informer

Ford Focus

October 26, 2011 | 2:25 pm

22 Comments

Rob Ford attempts to tell truth, fumbles, and ultimately appears less sympathetic after 22 Minutes ambush

(Image: Christopher Drost)

Okay, the tale of Rob Ford and This Hour Has 22 Minutes has become decidedly unfunny. The news this week that Ford called 911 after Mary Walsh ambushed him at his home seemed pretty laughable at first, but we were somewhat sympathetic—maybe because we understand some public figures consider their home off-limits, maybe because one of Ford’s children was allegedly involved, or maybe because of those death threats. But then we saw footage of the event and changed our minds. In the larger media world, not surprisingly, Ford’s usual defenders are rushing to his side, and Ford’s usual opponents are roundly castigating him. Yet we think there’s a little more to this than the standard ideological saber rattling.

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The Informer

Ford Focus

October 25, 2011 | 11:25 am

3 Comments

Rob Ford ducks CBC muckrakers, call the cops—and we feel surprisingly sympathetic (until we see the video)

Did you hear the news about Rob Ford and the CBC interview? No, not that one. Not that one, either. Apparently, the mayor was recently ambushed outside his home by a This Hour Has 22 Minutes “news” team and, uh, he called 911. Of course, it’s easy to claim this as evidence of Ford’s evasion of the spotlight or his inability to relax and poke fun at himself. And maybe it is. After all, awkward 22 Minutes interviews are something of a Canadian tradition (along with self-deprecation and apologizing, natch). But the mayor has been the target of death threats recently, so we’re going to give him the benefit of the doubt on this one. But that doesn’t mean we’re not looking forward to tonight’s 22 Minutes episode. Because we are. (UPDATE: This sneak peek of the clip diminishes our sympathy. Also, Ford said it was dark. It wasn’t. Busted.) Read the entire story [CBC] »

The Hype

From the Print Edition

October 7, 2011 | 1:05 pm

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Best of Fall #10: Don McKellar and Bob Martin find the funny in depression in their new TV series

Best of Fall #10: Laugh Addicts

By Stéphanie Verge | Photography by Matt Barnes

The impish comedy men Don McKellar and Bob Martin can’t get enough of the crazy—or of each other. Twitch City, the cult sitcom about an agoraphobic television addict? McKellar starred and shared the writing with Martin. Slings and Arrows, the behind-the-scenes satire about a theatre festival headed by an artistic director perpetually on the verge of a nervous breakdown? Martin wrote, McKellar co-starred. The Drowsy Chaperone, the wedding present–turned–Fringe hit–turned–Broadway show about a musical-obsessed shut-in? Martin starred, Martin and McKellar wrote, and they both won Tonys.

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The Hype

Prime Time

September 29, 2011 | 5:03 pm

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Being Erica recap, episode 1: wherein Erica reveals herself to be better than everyone else

This episode: Josh drunkenly kisses Erica in Florida (1998), Josh tells Erica he has always loved her during the Toronto blackout (2003) and we witness a smug Erica Strange remind us how far she’s come (2011)

Being Erica returned for its fourth—and possibly final—season on Monday, and the question on every viewer’s mind was, “Who is Erica’s first sort-of patient?” ‘Sort-of patient’ because, as Dr. Tom is sure to remind Erica Strange about a billion times, she’s a “doctor-in-training.” Patient #1 wasn’t the obnoxious but lovable Julianne, whose problem childhood was outlined in a holiday special after last season’s finale, or Jenny, because, well, she’s now relegated to the past, like in last night’s time-travelling adventure to the summer of 1998 (where Jenny danced up on a gentleman named Jesus and got in a bar fight with his saucy girlfriend; why isn’t this show about Jenny, again?). Instead, the gloved hand tapping Erica on the shoulder at the end of Season 3 belonged to Josh, her sister Samantha’s ex—a man who is rude to Erica, hated by Erica and, of course, secretly in love with Erica (because every straight man who ever comes into contact with the Strange sister becomes infatuated). We track Strange-isms and discuss the drama between Erica and Josh after the jump.

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The Informer

The Harrowing Present

September 21, 2011 | 10:55 am

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The provincial election is now officially less important than hockey

That’s right—the CBC will be airing the Toronto Maple Leafs opening night match-up with the Montreal Canadiens on October 6 on its network news station rather than coverage of the results of the Ontario provincial election, which just so happens to fall on the same night (but, never fear, viewers with cable and satellite can still keep up with the political goings-on at CBC News Network). Apparently stuck between a rock and a hard place yesterday, the Corporation decided to crowdsource the decision, asking its audience which event they would rather watch. The results speak for themselves. Now, we won’t pretend this election has been particularly exciting thus far. In fact, we’ve made an effort to point out just how boring it’s been. But really? The CBC is a national broadcaster with a mandate to serve the public interest, and although neither Ontario politics nor the Leafs are expressly national issues, who forms the government of this province is probably more important than hockey—even if the Habs are in town. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

The Hype

Awards Season

August 4, 2011 | 2:35 pm

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Gemini nominations announced: Flashpoint leads, once again, and controversial Kennedys miniseries gets some nods

The 26th annual Gemini Award nominations were released today and, like last year, Flashpoint features prominently across all categories—the show got 17 nods this year, including Best Dramatic Series. Close on its heels is Call My Fitz, the new HBO Canada series, with 16 nominations and TMN/Movie Central’s Living in Your Car, with 10 nominations. Also nominated for Best Dramatic Series alongside Flashpoint is the now-defunct MTV show Skins, as well as The Borgias, Endgame and The Tudors.

Perhaps the most surprising nominations of the day go to the Kennedys miniseries—shot in Toronto and starring Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes, the series had trouble getting picked up in the United States (and not just because of Katie Holmes’ atrocious New England accent). The Kennedys finally screened on ReelzChannels across the U.S. and History Television in Canada and has picked up 10 Gemini nominations, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Barry Pepper, Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series and Best Dramatic Miniseries or TV Movie.

Alongside The Kennedys is The Pillars of the Earth, based on the novels by Ken Follett and featuring Gordon Pinsent, Donald Sutherland and Alison Pill, with another 10 nominations, including Best Performance by an Actor and Actress in a Leading Role for Ian McChane and Hayley Atwell, Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries and Best Dramatic Miniseries or TV Movie.

The Gemini Awards will be broadcast live Sept. 7 on CBC Television.

See the full list of nominees in the program and performance categories, after the jump.

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