Roz Weston named as Kiss morning show co-host

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Roz Weston, one of the reporters on ET Canada, has been named the first co-host of KiSS 92.5's morning show.

"He's smart, he's funny, he's got an incredible work ethic, and he's an all around great guy," said program director Julie Adam in a release.

Weston, 34, was executive producer and news announcer on the former Kiss 92.5 morning show before the station switched to 92.5 Jack FM. That show was briefly co-hosted by Amanda Dunn, as Billie Holiday, with whom Weston will now be competing head-to-head (she co-hosts the Virgin Radio morning show). He and Holiday went on to co-host Last Call on the now defunct Toronto 1 station. Weston joined ET Canada when Global launched the show in 2005.

Weston's co-host has not yet been named and no launch date for the morning show has been announced. He will reportedly remain on ET Canada.

Japanese royals pay a visit to Queen's Park

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Japan's royal couple delighted onlookers outside Queen's Park today as they arrived for a luncheon with Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty and Lieutenant Governor David Onley. His Imperial Majesty Emperor Akihito, 75, and Empress Michiko, 74, smiled and waved before walking up the steps of the legislature building.

About an hour earlier, the royals visited Sick Kids hospital just a block south of Queen's Park. Their schedule today also includes a stop at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.

The Emperor and Empress, who arrived in Toronto from Ottawa on Wednesday afternoon, have been in Canada since July 3. They will head to Vancouver and Victoria tomorrow after a quick visit to the Momiji Seniors Centre and then fly on to Hawaii on July 14.

Emperor Akihito's last state visit to Canada was in 1953, when he was the Crown Prince.

Photo by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on image to see full size.

Inside Sarah Palin's bizarre resignation speech

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Sarah Palin’s resignation speech last week in Alaska raised eyebrows for being rambling, vague and occasionally incoherent. Her announcement that she is quitting 17 months before the end of her term came 12 minutes in to her monologue and failed to provide a definitive reason for her decision.

But what Palin’s double-talk couldn’t hide is the fact that she is a quitter. Conservative columnist George Will pointed out: "She made a contract with them [the people and state of Alaska] to serve out her term. And she said, in her own words, she now is a quitter.”

Palin has a history of quitting. After graduating from Wasilla High School in 1982, she attended four different colleges – including one she attended twice during nonconsecutive semesters – before graduating from the University of Idaho in 1987. Palin resigned from Alaska’s Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2004 after less than a year of service, claiming there was a “lack of ethics” among the commission’s Republican members.

Palin’s disjointed resignation speech was also hypocritical. PopGoesTheNews.com has compiled excerpts from her speech and added – in our own words – what Palin was really saying.

“People who know me know that besides faith and family, nothing's more important to me than our beloved Alaska. Serving her people is the greatest honor I could imagine.” But I’m ditching y’all now.

“If I have learned one thing: LIFE is about choices!” Except the choice to terminate a pregnancy caused by rape or incest.

“It may be tempting and more comfortable to just keep your head down, plod along, and appease those who demand: ‘Sit down and shut up,’ but that's the worthless, easy path; that's a quitter's way out.” Still, I’m quitting.

“I'll work hard for … those who will protect freedom and equality…” And when I say “equality,” I mean for everyone except the gays.

“A good point guard drives through a full court press, protecting the ball, keeping her eye on the basket... and she knows exactly when to pass the ball so that the team can WIN. And I'm doing that - keeping our eye on the ball that represents sound priorities - smaller government, energy independence, national security, freedom! And I know when it's time to pass the ball - for victory.” Of course, in a real basketball game the point guard usually keeps playing until the end of the season.

“We can ALL learn from our selfless Troops... they're bold, they don't give up, they take a stand and know that LIFE is short so they choose to NOT waste time. They choose to be productive and to serve something greater than SELF…” In other words, they are nothing at all like me because I'm quitting.

“I don't want any Alaskan dissuaded from entering politics… we NEED hardworking, average Americans fighting for what's right!” Basically, people who are the complete opposite of me.

"Over the past nine months I've been accused of all sorts of frivolous ethics violations – such as holding a fish in a photograph, or wearing a jacket with a logo on it, and answering reporters' questions." Oh, and the pending case accusing my administration of using Yahoo e-mail for state business to get around access to public records requests.

"Every one of these – all 15 of the ethics complaints – have been dismissed." Hopefully you've forgotten that in one of these cases I had to pay $8,000 back to the state for my kids' airfares.

Veteran Toronto radio host in suicide shocker

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Only weeks after losing his longtime job at Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge, announcer Martin Streek has taken his life.

Streek's body was found on Monday inside his apartment, where a note reading "Call 911" had reportedly been placed on the door. Earlier, Streek posted the following message on his Facebook page: "So...I guess that's it...thanks everyone...I'm sorry to those I should be sorry to, I love you to those that I love, and I will see you all again soon (not too soon though)... Let the stories begin."

In May, Streek was fired from the radio station where he had worked since high school. According to his website, he was also a popular party host, occasional stand-up comic and a successful commercial voice actor.

A memorial page has been set upon Facebook. A fan named Graeme posted: "Toronto radio will NEVER be the same ... to me, the voice of Martin Streek was the voice of alternative radio. No one has ever come close. You'll be missed, and the world is a poorer and a little less rocking place without you."

Toronto Star shuffles its classifieds off to Buffalo

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Calling it “a sad, sad day” in Toronto Star history, a union representative is attacking the newspaper’s decision to shut down its classified advertising department. The move means 27 of 32 employees in the department are losing their jobs.

Maureen Dawson, chair of the Star unit of the Southern Ontario Newsmedia Guild, said today the company is farming out its classifieds business to a Buffalo company.

“The newspaper that calls itself the voice of the little people is sending jobs to another country in the middle of a recession,” said Dawson. “This is the height of hypocrisy. Shame.”

Torstar spokesman Bob Hepburn blamed the popularity of online classified ads for the closure of the in-house call centre. The Star is expected to save about $1.5 million a year by laying off the six full-time and 21 part-time workers.

Celeb mags continue to be tops on Canadian newsstands

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Canadians can’t get enough of celebrities, according to newsstand sales data for 2008. Eight of the top 10 magazines in this country are celebrity-driven – and, not surprisingly, none are wholly Canadian.

German-owned In Touch and Life & Style; UK-based OK Magazine; American titles People, Star, National Enquirer and US Weekly; and the Canada-Spain partnership Hello! Canada are in the top 10.

The rankings, from Coast to Coast Newsstand Services Partnership, are based on revenues – but the chart also shows the number of copies sold during the year.

The best-selling magazine on Canadian newsstands is Woman’s World, which sold 7.4 million copies last year, followed by In Touch (6.5 million) and People (6.2 million). In terms of revenues, though, People lead the pack with $31.2 million in sales last year in Canada. Special issues, such as People Style Watch (No. 25) and People Yearbook (No. 127) added millions more to the parent company’s coffers.

Hello! Canada sold 3.1 million copies in 2008, earning it $10.3 million and the No. 9 spot last year, up from No. 12 in 2007. Its special royal edition sold nearly 84,000 copies, earning an additional $581,506.

Oprah Winfrey’s O Magazine fell from 10th place in 2007 to No. 12 last year and Martha Stewart Living dropped eight spots to No. 46. The top-selling men’s title on Canadian newsstands was Maxim (No. 14) with close to 900,000 copies sold.

The first 100 per cent homegrown magazine to make the list is Canadian Living (No. 15), which sold 1.4 million copies last year. Macleans rose from No. 32 to No. 24 as sales jumped from 420,713 in 2007 to 482,974.

American Media Inc. earned more than $45 million in Canada from its Star (No. 2), National Enquirer (No. 7), Globe (No. 11), Sun (No. 110) and National Examiner (No. 35). The company also owns Country Weekly (No. 138), Shape (No. 32), Men’s Fitness (No. 226), Flex (No. 368), Fit Pregnancy (No. 341), Muscle & Fitness (No. 129) and Muscle & Fitness Hers (No. 284).

Despite the availability of pornography online, so-called “girly” mags remain in the top 40 in this country. Hustler Canada ranked 19th overall (up from No. 24 in 2007), followed by Club (No. 33) and Playboy (No. 37).

How well did some unabashedly homegrown magazines do? Canadian Geographic ranked 133th in 2008 with just over 108,000 copies sold and Walrus fell from the No. 144 spot to No. 223 as sales sank from 102,245 copies in 2007 to only 67,201 last year.

Sitting in the No. 2000 spot on the chart is the boating mag Western Mariner thanks to sales of only $10,168.25 – though its circulation jumped from 122 copies in 2007 to 1,498.

Wang Chung and Kelly Rowland show their Pride

PopGoesTheNews.com >> Hundreds of thousands of people jammed the streets of Toronto’s gay village this weekend for the annual Pride celebrations – including 80s pop star Jack Hues of Wang Chung and former Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland.

Hues (whose real name is Jeremy Ryder) reunited with Nick Feldman nearly 25 years after hitting the charts with “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” and “Dance Hall Days.” The 54-year-old musicians are part of the Regeneration ‘80s tour that includes Berlin, Cutting Crew, Missing Persons and ABC. (Cutting Crew and ABC also performed at Pride Toronto today).

Rowland, who is on the dance charts with “When Love Takes Over,” her collaboration with David Guetta, hit the Pride Toronto stage tonight to perform her solo material. The 28-year-old Grammy winner recently hired a new manager and is seeking a record deal.

Other recording artists taking to the Pride Toronto stages this weekend include Deborah Cox and Divine Brown.

Photos by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on image to see full size.

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

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