I was never much for Mixtapes. My friends had tapes for driving, for being at the beach, for the script they were writing and different ones for the different girls they were dating. They still do the same with their iPod Playlists or spend a lot of time thumbing the "Shuffle" button. But I've always been monogamous to one album at a time -- at least for one summer. I think it all started with the Beatles "Rubber Soul" which...

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Well, here we are! And how can you not be excited by this matchup? Boston, following an absolutely fantastic game against Tampa, rises as the Beast from the East to tackle Vancouver. An original six team that hasn't drunk from the Cup in 21 years versus one carrying the banner of a nation and representing a city that has never even held the goblet. The stories within the story that will unfold over the next 4 to 7 installments...

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Although we've got one contender for the Stanley Cup in place, the other won't be decided until tonight. So, I'm making the executive decision to hold off declaring a Week 7 leader until tomorrow morning. This also increases my Saturday blog traffic which impresses the nice people at Google Ads -- who haven't advertised here since they found the site contains "swears" -- and also haven't told me how to collect all the money...

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If you want to understand the roots of "Western Alienation" look no further than the online pages of this morning's Toronto Star compared with the local papers from Winnipeg to the Left coast. The Sports pages to be specific. While much of the nation basks in the glow of Vancouver's win over San Jose yesterday afternoon, the Star features minor hockey and more sophisticated fare like soccer and the French Open. Nothing to...

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Great artists are always looking for something new and exciting and innovative to prime their creative juices. Among two of my favorite film artists are director brothers Ridley and Tony Scott, who, between them, are responsible for some of the finest films in contemporary cinema. The older of the two, Ridley, has given us  "The Deullists", "Alien", "Blade Runner", "Legend", "Thelma and Louise", "Black Hawk Down",...

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Well, they couldn't pull the clip off youtube fast enough. CBC immediately removed it from their online repeats of the game -- and apologized. Apparently some "in-house" camera over which they had absolutely no control. And both the Canucks and the NHL issued statements "appreciating" fan enthusiasm -- but hoping it would be displayed more "appropriately" in future. Gawd, it's the playoffs! Get over it and enjoy the fun!!!...

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A couple of things worth passing on crossed my desk this afternoon. The first was the current issue of New York magazine featuring insights into making television from a coterie of exceptional showrunners. The second was an essay by Roger Ebert on Hollywood's "Summer of the Sequel". The third was a video about cows. And, although you might not think they have much in common, they do. I grew up around farms and ranches,...

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Toldja we were getting to the good stuff! The conference finals are where the stars begin to shine and everybody on the ice realizes they're just four wins away from going to the big show. Tampa's Young Guns exploded! Boston realized that the all-star goalie who got them this far is going to need some help! Vancouver found its passion for playing hard and nobody can ever call San Jose's Joe Thornton a quitter again. We're...

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I spent most of this week in an anti-histamine induced state of narcolepsy. Spring brings out the pollens and I'm allergic to a vast array from grasses and trees and whatever-else-you-got. Judging by how much the drugstores jack up the price of a box of Clairatin this time of year, I assume I'm not alone in the affliction. But unfortunately, I've never been able to find anything that stops the torrential eyes and nose without...

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Here we go. The conference finals. And there is no truth to the rumor that Ashton Kutcher will be moving in to play goal for the Canucks. Even if it would boost interest among the 18-25 demographic South of the border. The Conference finals are the time when a lot of peripheral fans decide to take an interest. I saw a hand-made sign in a West Coast Chinese restaurant yesterday that read "Go CaLucks!" Not sure if it was...

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Well, Boston got the job done this weekend. But Vancouver and San Jose -- "You keep me hangin' on!" Yep, San Jose flubbed not one but two chances to send Detroit off to the golf course -- where in many cases they'll qualify for the Seniors discount. And Vancouver -- Man, what can you say about Vancouver… I called a friend there after the second period on Saturday night and his wife said he'd taken the dog for a walk because...

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One of the first Rock concerts I saw after moving to Toronto and the first of any kind I attended at its acoustically perfect Massey Hall featured "Atomic Rooster", "Savoy Brown" and "The Doobie Brothers". I loved "The Doobie Brothers". Hell, I still love 'em. And I've never understood why they're not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Listen to the Music", "Jesus is Just Alright", "Long Train Runnin'", "China Grove", "Black...

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While the rest of us were consumed with elections and Royal Weddings and keeping up a regular work schedule despite overtime sleep deprivation, it looks like Uncle Willis made it to a Predators game. And it also looks like we finally know one of the reasons Nashville doesn't have trouble filling its arena anymore. Because it sure isn't by playing firewagon hockey! Whew, is that Nashville/Vancouver series boring to watch...

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Last night Canadians elected a majority Conservative government led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper. I spent most of the day leading up to that vote working for a Conservative candidate, including several hours as a scrutineer at one of the local polling stations. After the count and the parties were over, I came home and switched on Twitter and Facebook to catch up on what I'd missed from my friends and associates. And...

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I've always felt that the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs must be the hardest to play. The emotional high of just making it into the big show is over. That'll come back in Round Three for the conference championship when it's down to two teams. And it'll definitely be there for the finals. But in Round Two, the thrill has worn off. The adrenalin is mostly helping stave off the pain from bruises that won't get a chance...

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Over the coming weeks, minions employed by our Arts Bureaucracies will meet with "industry stakeholders" as part of Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Media Fund's strategy of selling new ways to justify the continued subsidization of Canadian film. It's already obvious to anyone paying attention that Canadian movies don't do squat at the box office. There may be good reasons for that, legitimate problems within the system that...

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