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Meet the five Toronto contestants on Top Chef Canada season three

(Image: Top Chef Canada)

Season three of Top Chef Canada kicks off on March 18, and earlier today Food Network Canada unveiled the slate of 16 contestants, including five from the GTA (that’s one less than in seasons one and two). Returning this year are host Lisa Ray, head judge Mark McEwan and resident judge Shereem Arazm, and just like last season, the winner takes home $100,000 and a new GE Monogram Kitchen (plus a custom Caesarstone countertop installation, which was the prize in episode 12 last year). The celebrity guests will include Montreal chef-hunk Chuck Hughes, U.S. Top Chef season six champ Michael Voltaggio and Food Network regulars David Rocco and Robert Irvine, as well as the usual sprinkling of CanCon’s finest like Trish Stratus, Russell Peters and, gloriously, Jann Arden. Below, we suss out the Toronto contestants’ chances.

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The Informer

Features

December 3, 2012 | 3:00 pm

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50 Most Influential 2012: a ranking of Toronto’s top tycoons, backroom operators and supersize egos

The people driving the agenda for the city are more likely to come from outside local government than inside. This was the year our premier, rendered virtually impotent by a minority legislature, up and quit without warning. And our mayor, who listens to no one and refuses to build consensus on council, has created a city hall power vacuum.

What follows is Toronto Life’s list of the real influence peddlers—the people who, either publicly or behind the scenes, have had the greatest impact on the city. We looked for people whose power was broad enough to be felt across different sectors, or else so palpable in their immediate field that it somehow changed things for the rest of us. We looked for people whose ability to alter public opinion, raise money, rally troops or simply get stuff done was both formidable and undeniable. The result is a carefully calculated and highly opinionated look at power in the city in 2012.

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The Hype

The Fame Monsters

November 30, 2011 | 12:07 pm

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Holy mother of God—Pamela Anderson is Russell Peters’s Virgin Mary

Pamela Anderson: Virgin Mary (Image: Darren Stone)

It’s not exactly an immaculate casting choice: Pamela Anderson will be playing the Virgin Mary in A Russell Peters Christmas Special, described as an irreverent 1970s-style variety show. She’ll be acting alongside Russell Peters himself, who plays a “guido” Joseph (like Jersey Shore, you see—very timely). Peters told CTV News he picked the actress because “hey, Pam Anderson is Canadian,” and not for the infamy she garnered from Baywatch, Playboy and, um, a leaked home movie that was filmed on a boat. “I didn’t even think of the other side of Pam Anderson, which is so long ago,” Peters said. “It’s like, come on, give the chick a break already.” Give us a break, Russell. Even with plastic surgery, she’s still the sex symbol she used to be—although Peters joked that he was hoping to have a kissing scene (sorry, she’s no Whore of Babylon). Viewers hoping for some Bethlehem burlesque when the show airs tomorrow will have to be satisfied with the troupe of dancing lingerie models surrounding Michael Bublé, and we’re fairly confident that never happened in the Gospels either.

• Russell Peters defends Pam Anderson as Virgin Mary [CTV]

The Informer

Features

November 9, 2011 | 8:45 am

16 Comments

The Loaded List: we catalogue the astronomical salaries of Toronto’s ruling class

The Loaded List
It’s not particularly polite to ask rich people what they earn. But tact is overrated, and we wanted to know, so we asked anyway. When they told us to get lost, we got sneaky. We dug up disclosure documents, annual reports and the tax filings of charitable organizations. When those trails went dry, we surveyed industry insiders who know what other people make—headhunters and consultants and analysts and colleagues—and asked for an educated guess. After hundreds of calls and emails and deep-throat meetings in dark alleys, we phoned the high earners back and told them what we found. Again, with feeling, they told us to piss off.

What follows is our shamelessly gawking, as-precise-as-possible examination of the highest-paid people in the city’s top industries. When the information was available, we included bonuses and perks and, in some cases, exercised stock options. Our findings verified that a high earner in finance is almost always on a different plane (a private jet, usually) than a high earner in, for example, the lowly arts. One major discovery: Heather Reisman took a pay cut. One truth reconfirmed: no matter how rich you are, there’s always someone who makes a helluva lot more.

CLICK HERE TO START THE STORY »

VIEW BY INDUSTRY » GOLD ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT FUND MANAGERS SPORTS SHOP OWNERS MEDIA LANDLORDS BAY STREET PUBLIC SERVANTS

VIEW BY SALARY » SEE 69 OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE CITY’S TOP INDUSTRIES, SORTED BY SALARY FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 20, 2011 | 4:11 pm

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The Swag Series: The Right Hand Gal’s lounge comes with free jewelry and a message

Jason Priestley wear jewelry for a cause (Image: Phil Birnbaum)

What it is: The Right Hand Gal, a Canadian jewellery company by sisters Shawna and Randi Herlich, have created a special piece called Noble, a play on the phrase “no bull” in support of anti-bullying causes. The company launched a gifting suite this year at the InterContinental (like Ben Sherman, Alliance and the Tastemakers Lounge before them) to hand out their Noble pendant.

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 11, 2011 | 5:15 pm

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TIFF PHOTO GALLERY: Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester and Allison Janney at the premiere of The Oranges

Leighton Meester signs autographs for the fans (Image: Gary Campbell)

Last night saw the premiere of suburban morality tale The Oranges at the Winter Garden theatre (scheduled in a dueling time slot with the Russell Peters flick Breakaway, which played at the Elgin below). Oliver Platt was the first to arrive at the premiere, followed by cast members Allison Janney and Hugh Laurie. Leighton Meester emerged from a Goodnight Gansevoort limousine in a white lace Alexander McQueen dress. Unlike her co-stars who marched immediately into the theatre, 25-year-old Meester stepped off the red carpet to greet the swarming fans and sign autographs. Before the movie, first-time director Julian Farino informed the crowd that he’d only finished the film four days ago (his parents had flown over from England for the occasion).

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The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 10, 2011 | 3:21 pm

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SPOTTED: Stephen Harper (yes, that one) partying with Ludacris (yes, that one) at the Thompson Rooftop Lounge

We’d say this is the kind of pairing that could happen only at TIFF, but for all we know it’s not the first time that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shared some northern hospitality with Christopher Brian Bridges, a.k.a. Ludacris—although, admittedly, it’s a fairly remote possibility, given the rapper’s prior political scuffles and, well, lyrics. Regardless, the two were seen at the Thompson Hotel’s Rooftop Lounge last night at what our spotter called a private dinner. Apparently, the rapper, who has a part in Breakaway, performed three songs. The gathering was described as somewhat stiff, until Russell Peters showed up and made something of an inappropriate toast to the P.M. We’re eagerly awaiting news of any upcoming collaborations.

UPDATE: This video has shown up, although it’s a little hard to make out.

Find this story on our Star Spotting Map, where we plot the locations of celebrities spotted around Toronto.

The Hype

Awards Season

September 1, 2011 | 1:23 pm

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The 2011 Gemini Awards’ celebrity guests are but a whisper to TIFF 2011’s mighty roar

Jason Priestley will attend the 26th annual Gemini Awards (Image: Alan Knight)

The Toronto International Film Festival kicks off September 8, but the night before marks the anniversary of another Canadian film and television event: the 26th annual Gemini Awards. The CanCon-friendly celebration will air on CBC in a one-hour broadcast starting at 8 p.m., but while TIFF brings in the big guns from all over the world, the Geminis are, unsurprisingly, nearly A-list-free. This year’s host is one of Brampton’s finest, Russell Peters, and we’re told to expect appearances by Hugh Dillon from Durham County and Flashpoint, George Stroumboulopoulos and Brandon Walsh Jason Priestley. More of the exciting lineup after the jump.

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The Hype

Prime Time

July 13, 2011 | 2:01 pm

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Rogers Media announces Canada’s Got Talent, but who will judge?

Could Canada’s songbird be the new David Hasselhoff?

It seems another American-by-way-of-the-U.K. show is coming to Canada: Rogers Media has announced that Canada’s Got Talent is joining the ranks of Canadian Idol and So You Think You Can Dance Canada next spring, with auditions taking place this fall in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. We’re fans of the weird and wacky shenanigans that take place on both the British and American versions, but what we’re really wondering is, who is going to judge the competition? See our choices after the jump.

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The Hype

From the Print Edition

July 12, 2011 | 2:00 pm

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Russell Peters and Trey Anthony on jokes, race and jokes about race

The place: Cora’s Breakfast and Lunch in Woodbridge. The people: comedians Russell Peters and Trey Anthony. The subject: jokes, race and jokes about race
By Courtney Shea | Photography by Derek Shapton

Russell Peters has been poking fun at his fellow Indians—not to mention Brits, Jamaicans, Chinese and just about every other ethnicity—for more than two decades now, selling out the Air Canada Centre and ranking among the top 10 highest-paid stand-up comedians on the planet along the way. His latest DVD, The Green Card Tour, Live from the O² Arena, filmed in London, England, is a must-see for comedy-loving couch potatoes. Trey Anthony, the British-born Jamaican-Canadian playwright and actor, has also made it her job to send up stereotypes. Ten years ago, her career leapt from the Fringe (where her play ’da Kink in My Hair, about a West Indian hair salon, debuted) to the foreground (’da Kink became a hit for Mirvish and was turned into a sitcom). The play is getting a rejig and a remount next month at the Harbourfront Centre, before heading out on a North American tour that will spread Anthony’s brand of hysterical and heartwarming sass to audiences across the southern U.S. But the comedians have more in common than just the polarizing race card. Both grew up in Brampton, both cite their families as the ultimate source of hilarity, and both say Canadians need to get over their tall poppy hang-ups. We got them together at Cora’s in Woodbridge (one of Peters’ favourite hangouts), bought brunch (extra sausage) and listened in.

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION »

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The Hype

From the Print Edition

June 21, 2011 | 11:18 am

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Six reasons the International India Film Academy Awards are in Toronto

If you encounter more than the usual number of bhangra dancers on the streets this month, that’s because the International Indian Film Academy Awards are taking over the Rogers Centre on June 25. The gala will be watched by 600 million people in 60 countries and do more to raise Toronto’s profile than several G20 weekends. Forty thousand tourists will descend on the city’s hotels, and in the background, government and business officials will meet to build trade ties between Ontario and India. Infinitely more exciting are the many Indian movie stars who’ll be here, strolling in and out of the Thompson Hotel, signing autographs and, if we’re lucky, travelling the streets by elephant. Here, a primer to all things Bollywood in Toronto.

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The Hype

Awards Season

December 8, 2010 | 9:46 am

5 Comments

Is Drake the coolest Junos host ever?

Last week, the Junos got an injection of cool with news that Drake will be stepping in to host the 2011 awards next March. What’s that you say? The Junos were already cool? We’ll have to agree to disagree on that one, but it’s true that a number of talented acts have fronted the ceremony in the past.

See the best of the bunch in our slide show >>

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The Hype

Creative Types

November 11, 2010 | 11:49 am

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Russell Peters explains how his cars are like boobs

(Image: Shayne Kaye)

Let’s be honest: modesty has never been Russell Peters‘ strong suit. So when the Toronto-born, Brampton-raised comedian talked with the Globe and Mail about his sizable fancy car collection, he didn’t pull any punches.

So what’s in this funnyman’s garage? A 2007 Audi S8, a 2007 Infiniti M45, a 2007 Bentley Continental GTC, a 2010 Range Rover Sport Supercharged, a 1964 Impala convertible, a 2010 Porsche Panamera Turbo, a 2009 Jaguar XFR and a 2010 Lexus LX570.

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The Hype

Prime Time

November 5, 2010 | 12:32 pm

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Russell Peters is getting a sitcom on NBC

Suck it, Fox (Image: Shayne Kaye)

Not content to be the rare comedian who sells out stadiums across the world, our homegrown stand-up star Russell Peters is taking over prime time, too. He’s in talks with NBC about making a half-hour sitcom based on his life growing up in Brampton. We’ve always thought an Indian version of Everybody Loves Raymond would be rad. So far, Cheers writer Rob Long is on board. Maybe the network will be kinder to him than Fox, which filmed a pilot with Peters back in 2007 but never took the concept further.

• $#*! Russell Peters Says: Canadian comic to get NBC sitcom [The National Post]
• NBC plans Russell Peters sitcom [Variety]

The Hype

Cinemania

September 24, 2010 | 9:30 am

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Russell Peters, Rob Lowe making Indian–Canadian hockey movie set in Brampton

Russell Peters stars in and co-produces Breakaway (Image: Shayne Kaye)

The film is called Breakaway, and it’s being produced by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar (perhaps best known to North American audiences from the film Singh Is Kinng). From what we gather, the movie is a cross-cultural immigration comedy about a Sikh family in Canada (enter hockey). Shooting started in Toronto this week, which is why Rob Lowe is in town, according to Shinan Govani. Kumar has also convinced Russell Peters to both star in and co-produce the film along with his brother, Clayton Peters.

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