popgoesthenews.com

Sunwing under fire for bogus bubbly boasts

2012-01-22T23:16:00.003-05:00

Sunwing fails to mention it does not serve real champagne.

PopGoesTheNews.com A Canadian travel company could find itself in hot water over the way it sells beach vacations.

Sunwing Vacations advertises "champagne vacations" in radio spots, newspaper ads and on its website — complete with an image of two nearly-full champagne flutes — hoping to give budget-conscious travelers the illusion of luxury. But passengers who are promised a "bon voyage glass of champagne" are really being served less than a dollar's worth of domestic sparkling wine.

The Toronto-based travel company, which also owns Signature Vacations and SellOffVacations, uses the word "champagne" all over the Sunwing website, which currently shows a pair of flutes three times. "Our award winning Champagne service has been voted #1 by customers and travel agents for the last four years," reads a message on the home page.

According to several international trade agreements, the word "champagne" can only be used if the grapes and the wine are produced in the Champagne region of France. In Canada, the word can be used as long as it is clear to consumers that the sparkling wine is not from Champagne — but virtually all Canadian winemakers have stopped using it on their labels. SAQ, the government body that regulates the sale of alcohol in Quebec, prohibits sparkling wines labelled "champagne" unless they come from the Champagne region and consumers in Ontario won't find bottles of domestic sparkling wine labelled "champagne" at LCBO stores.

A passenger posted a pic of the bubbly on a Sunwing flight.

Canada will ban the use of "champagne" on sparkling wines that do not originate from the Champagne region of France beginning Dec. 31, 2013, as per a 2003 agreement with the European Union.

Passengers on a recent Sunwing "champagne vacation" claim they were served about three ounces of Andrés Baby Canadian Champagne in plastic cups at the beginning of their outbound flight — not exactly the generous flutes of "champagne" depicted in Sunwing ads. A 750 ml bottle of Andrés, a B.C. bubbly with an alcohol content of seven per cent, retails for about $8. (By comparison, a bottle of popular champagne brand Veuve Clicquot at the LCBO starts at $65.30 and has an alcohol content of 12 per cent.)

Sunwing ignored repeated requests to provide the brand name of the bubbly it pours.

The company's sparkling promotion (the perk, despite being virtually worthless, is widely mentioned in favorable terms on travel review sites) could land it in trouble with the industry association that polices advertising claims. The Canadian Code of Advertising Standards clearly states that ads can't contain "inaccurate or deceptive claims, statements, illustrations or representations, either direct or implied, with regard to a product of service." Complaints can be submitted online.

Celine Dion's former home can be yours for a song

2012-01-14T17:18:00.002-05:00

The pool area of Celine Dion's former Florida home.

PopGoesTheNews.com Could it be that no one wants to live in a home custom-built for Canada's beloved chanteuse Celine Dion?

The Quebec-born superstar's first Florida home has been on the market for 20 months and its asking price has been slashed from $15.5 million to a mere $9 million.

Located at 370 Eagle Drive in the posh Admiral's Cove gated community in Jupiter, Florida, the 14,749-square-foot waterfront mansion is still fit for the queen of Canadian schmaltz even though Dion and husband René Angélil haven't lived there in nearly a decade. Boasting nine bedrooms and a whopping 15 bathrooms, the house has a domed stained glass skylight in the grand foyer, intricate crown moldings, two winding stairwells, a tiered theatre with a stage and a pool with custom mural privacy wall.

Dion's former abode has a sun deck on the third floor and views of the intracoastal waterway that, like the heart, go on and on.

Each bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and sitting room, while the master suite consists of (curiously) separate "his" and "her" bedrooms and bathrooms, wood-paneled walk-in closets and covered terraces.

The home was the backdrop for the first official photographs of Dion's first-born son, René-Charles, who was born in January 2001.

Dion's former house features this theatre with a stage.

Dion sold the palace, which was built in 1998 for her and Angelil, to enterpreneur Richard Santulli and his wife Margaret in 2002 for $9 million (plus another $7 million for furnishings). They put the property on the market in May 2010 with a list price of $15.5 million, which was reduced to just under $14 million last August.

Dion currently has a sprawling multi-million-dollar beachfront estate on Jupiter Island, just north of Palm Beach.

Thousands of dollars sent to feds remains unclaimed

2012-01-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Canada, you're richer than you think.

Hundreds of payments issued to the federal government have evidently never been deposited into the public purse, according to data from the Bank of Canada. PopGoesTheNews.com has learned that more than $240,000 sent by Canadians to the Receiver General and Canada Revenue Agency in the late '90s alone is currently sitting unclaimed by the feds.

When a certified cheque or bank draft is issued, the funds are taken out of the payer's account and held by their bank. If the cheque hasn't been deposited by the payee within 10 years, the funds are transferred to the Bank of Canada, a Crown corporation. Payees can claim the funds by presenting the original cheque or taking an oath.

Among the payments made to the Receiver General is $3,301.50 issued in August 1991 by pharmaceutical company Bristol Myers Squibb and $1,594.75 paid to Canada Revenue Agency in July 1993 by The Highland Inn in Osoyoos, BC.

The vast majority of payments – ranging from $2.11 to $9,600 – came from individuals. Amounts over $1,000 are held by the Bank of Canada for 100 years and those under $1,000 for 30 years.

Among the monies that never reached the accounts of the Receiver General are $1,000 from Toronto law firm Blake Cassels & Graydon, which issued certified cheque No. 0300002012 in July 1994, and a total of $190 from law firm Baker & McKenzie paid by three separate certified cheques in July 1992 and May and July of 1993. Certified cheque No. 459090 for $250, issued in August 1990 by Vancouver law firm Edwards Kenny & Bray was never processed. Vacheresse & Associates Consulting, a Vancouver legal services firm specializing in immigration cases, sent the Receiver General certified cheque No. 491693 for $550 in April 1993.

Fileco Limited Partnership, a records management and document shredding company in Concord, Ont., sent the Canada Revenue Agency a certified cheque for $886.22 in December 1992 that was never processed. In February 1992, the West Coast Crab Bar in Tofino, BC sent the taxman $141.19 that remains unclaimed.

The Bank of Canada does not charge a fee to search its records nor to make claims so it's not clear why the government hasn't collected funds that have been held by the Bank of Canada for a decade or longer.

Montreal is set to shine as Hollywood North

2012-01-10T00:38:00.000-05:00

Steven Spielberg

PopGoesTheNews.com • Robots, nanobots and little blue creatures are heading to Montreal. Throw in one of the world's most famous magicians and you've got the makings of a blockbuster year of filmmaking in Canada's second-largest city.

Cameras will roll this summer on Steven Spielberg's Robopocalypse, a sci-fi flick about life on Earth following a robot uprising. Based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Daniel H. Wilson, the $100-million-plus movie focuses on an attack against mankind by machines known as Archos.

Production is scheduled for July to September at Mel's Cité du Cinema studio in Montreal. Robopocalypse will hit cinemas in early July 2013.

Spielberg has worked in "la belle province" before. He shot scenes for 2002's Catch Me If You Can starring Leonardo DiCaprio in Quebec City and made the 2004 Tom Hanks flick The Terminal inside Montreal's Mirabel airport.

(Spielberg is also executive producer of the made-in-Toronto series Falling Skies, the TNT series about humans coping with an invasion of robots from outer space.)

Also shooting in Montreal this year is The Smurfs 2, a sequel to last year's live action/CGI hit starring Hank Azaria and Neil Patrick Harris. It goes into production at the end of April and is scheduled to open in theatres in August 2013.

Director Roland Emmerich, who made part of the 2004 disaster flick The Day After Tomorrow in Montreal, is set to return to the city later this year to begin work on Singularity, a $125-million sci-fi film about a boy who received superpowers thanks to nanotechnology who's on the run from the corporation that developed the technology.

Sony Pictures is also considering Montreal as a base for its Houdini biopic directed by Francis Lawrence (Water for Elephants). It focuses on the famed escape artist as he sets out to expose a troubled spiritualist as a fraud only to become obsessed with her.

A number of movies have been made in Montreal in recent years, including 300, Source Code, Immortals and this year's highly anticipated Snow White flick Mirror Mirror starring Julia Roberts and Lily Collins.

Alec Baldwin brings celebs north for a good cause

2012-01-06T21:45:00.000-05:00

Alec Baldwin

PopGoesTheNews.com • Stargazers will want to strap on skis next weekend as celebs descend on the mountains of Alberta for the annual Banff Springs Sport Invitational.

Alec Baldwin and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are once again co-hosting this year's weekend of fun in support of the Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization that advocates for the protection of rivers, lakes, streams and coastlines around the world.

Among the Hollywood stars shining in Banff Jan. 12-15 are William Shatner, Marcia Gay Harden, Alicia Silverstone, Brad Garrett, Peter Fonda, Mimi Rogers and Camryn Manheim. They'll be joined by former supermodel Christie Brinkley, reality show personality Melissa Rivers, singer Kenny Loggins, actresses Julia Jones and Amy Acker, and athletes Mark Messier, Jennifer Heil and Karen Percy-Lowe.

They'll compete in various events on the slopes of Sunshine Village Ski Resort during the day and then retire to the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. It all wraps up with a gala dinner and concert by Michael McDonald.

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is offering a Star Gazer package starting at $1,599 or individual tickets to the gala dinner — which also includes a cocktail reception and auctions — for $500.

Baldwin, who stars on 30 Rock, is so committed to helping Kennedy's Waterkeeper Alliance that he missed picking up his award at the Golden Globes in 2010 due to the event. (Last year's Banff Springs Sport Invitational was cancelled.) Baldwin is up for Best Actor in a Comedy again this year at the Globes, which take place Jan. 15.

You read it here first!

2012-01-04T21:59:00.001-05:00

When you want to know what's going on in Hollywood North, you've got to read PopGoesTheNews.com! Once again, mainstream media outlets waited nearly 24 hours to report movie news that first appeared here on this website.

On Tuesday at 4:32 pm ET, PopGoesTheNews.com reported that Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon are heading to Ontario to shoot the feature film The Black Marks with Canadian actor Jay Baruchel.

The story, which was also promoted on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon, was picked up by Bleeding Cool, which credited PopGoesTheNews.com as its source.

Today, entertainment trade publication Variety posted the same "news" about the casting of Russell, Dillon and Baruchel at 12:13 pm PT (3:13 pm ET), followed by the Hollywood Reporter at 12:35 pm PT (3:35 pm ET).

It's just the latest example of PopGoesTheNews.com giving you the scoop first!

FOR UPDATES FOLLOW ON TWITTER!

Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon to shoot in Ontario

2012-01-03T16:32:00.002-05:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Two iconic Hollywood leading men are braving the cold of a Canadian winter to work on a new movie.

Kurt Russell and Matt Dillon are co-starring with Canadian actor Jay Baruchel in The Black Marks, a comedy about a mediocre motorcycle daredevil and semi-reformed art thief who teams up with his brother to steal one of the rarest books in the world.

Kurt Russell, left, and Matt Dillon are working in Ontario.

It's the second feature-length film for Canadian director Jonathan Sobol, whose A Beginner's Guide to Endings starring Scott Caan and Harvey Keitel debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2010. Cameras are scheduled to roll on The Black Marks from mid-January until the end of February.

Russell, 60, is no stranger to Ontario. He and his longtime girlfriend, actress Goldie Hawn, have spent a string of summers at a cottage in the Muskoka area. Russell, whose long list of credits include Escape from New York and Silkwood, was in Toronto last May for a charity event in support of Mount Sinai Hospital.

Dillon, 47, was a big-screen heartthrob in the '80s thanks to roles in films like Little Darlings and The Outsiders. He has worked steadily since, most recently in the comedy You, Me and Dupree and the action drama Armored. Dillon, whose film Crash debuted at TIFF in 2004, made 1995's To Die For with Nicole Kidman in and around Toronto.

Born in Ottawa and raised in Montreal, 29-year-old Baruchel has starred in films like She's Out of My League and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. His made-in-Winnipeg hockey comedy Goon opens in theatres on March 30.

A look back at 2011...with a twist

2012-01-01T18:21:00.005-05:00

Robert Pattinson on the Toronto set of Cosmopolis.

PopGoesTheNews.com What a year! A year with more ups and downs than Omar Sachedina's eyebrows. Ambrosial pop star Justin Bieber was accused of making a "baby, baby, baby, oh" with a fan; a law student knocked up (and then married) Sarah Polley; one Kate Hudson (the actress) got engaged while the other (aka singer Katy Perry) got separated; Kim Kardashian and Sinead O'Connor continued the heterosexual trend of mocking the sanctity of marriage; Gene Simmons finally married his Canadian baby mama; Lloyd Robertson signed off CTV National News after 35 years (without revealing if he ever, in fact, wore trousers on the air); Newlyweds William and Kate sparkled as they made a summer stop in Canada; people who find the Sun papers too in-depth celebrated the launch of Sun News Network; former Sun TV host Chris Van Vliet of Pickering, Ont. was named Cosmopolitan's Hottest Bachelor; Scotty McCreery won Idol, Javier Colon won The Voice, Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. won America's Got Talent, and Melanie Amaro won The X-Factor — propelling them to the ranks of such superstars as, er, Lee DeWyze and Bianca Ryan; CTV finally put So You Think You Can Dance Canada out of its misery; eight of the 10 top-grossing movies were sequels, proving that audiences want the familiar; three of the 10 biggest box office flops of the year were made in Canada, proving...well, nothing; Occupy Toronto protesters camping in St. James Park lined up daily for coffees from struggling independent businesses like, um, Tim Horton's and Starbucks while welcoming Canadian millionaires like Rachel McAdams and Gordon Lightfoot.

WE BELIEB • Justin Bieber proved the naysayers wrong by extending his 15 minutes of fame into another full calendar year. In fact, two years after releasing "One Time," the pubescent pride of Stratford, Ont. is more popular than ever. His year started with the big-screen documentary Never Say Never, which raked in $73 million at the box office and millions more in DVD sales, and ended with Under The Mistletoe, the first Christmas album by a male artist to debut at No. 1. In between he stayed in the spotlight with a tour, a romance with teen star Selena Gomez, countless TV appearances including the MMVAs, and several generous charitable contributions — all without forgetting from where he came. The Biebs brought Gomez home to Stratford in the summer, made donations to food banks in Stratford and Toronto, and spent the holidays with his grandparents (and took in a Raptors game). Nearly 16 million Twitter followers can't be wrong.

RUN THE WORLD (GIRLS) • The year ended with three guys from the north atop the Billboard charts: Burnaby, B.C.'s Michael Bublé, London, Ont.-born Justin Bieber and Toronto's Aubrey Graham (aka Drake). But these formidable forces in the music business competed for headlines in 2011 with a Canadian singer who hasn't released an album of new material in almost a decade and one who hasn't released an album in four years — Shania Twain and Celine Dion.

Twain kicked off the year by getting married on a beach in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day to Frederic Thiebaud, the ex-husband of the woman who allegedly broke up Twain's marriage to Robert "Mutt" Lange. In March the duo were in Toronto for the JUNO Awards, where the Windsor-born star was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Twain was back in the city in May to promote her autobiography, From This Moment On. At the same time her reality series Why Not? with Shania Twain debuted on OWN to record ratings.

In June, Twain released to iTunes a single called "Today Is Your Day," produced by legendary Canadian producer David Foster, that failed to take off (it peaked at No. 66 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart). She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and also announced a two-year deal to headline at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas starting December 2012. In October, Twain testified via video link in a Toronto courtroom at the trial of Ottawa physician Giovanni Palumbo, who later pleaded guilty to stalking her. That same month, it was announced that Twain's duet of "Endless Love" with Lionel Richie will be released on his album Tuskegee in March.

And before the year was over, Twain's vocals were heard on "White Christmas," a duet featured on Bublé's hit holiday album.

Celine Dion, meanwhile, didn't slow down in 2011 despite welcoming twins at the end of the previous year. In February, the native of Charlemagne, QC made her 27th appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show and then performed the Charlie Chaplin-penned classic "Smile" at the Academy Awards. Dion kicked off a return engagement at Caesars Palace in March, where she's scheduled to perform 210 shows over three years.

In September, Dion launched Signature, her 14th perfume, performed with Andrea Bocelli in Central Park, sang on the MDA Labor Day Telethon, and appeared on the highly-rated TV special Celine: 3 Boys and a New Show on OWN. On Boxing Day, CTV re-aired the tour doc Celine: Through the Eyes of the World.

As she told Vanity Fair in December: "I don’t just sing for free. It’s my work. You’re paid for what you do. And I work hard. But a lot of people work hard and they don’t have anything. I was very fortunate, and people have bought my albums year after year, and they come to see the shows, and it’s expensive, and they still come."

BUILT FORD TOUGH • In his first full calendar year as mayor of Canada's biggest city, Rob Ford proved he's as big a buffoon as we suspected. Ford, whose follies could easily fill a separate blog, surprised many of the city's "left-wing pinkos" when he stopped fighting with his wife Renata long enough to pose for a picture at the $1,000-a-plate Shine fundraiser in February.

Whether it's calling the cops on a TV crew, flipping the bird at another motorist, scrapping a transit plan and vehicle tax that will cost taxpayers millions, charging the cost of business cards printed by his company to taxpayers or ignoring the city's most-read newspaper, Ford made Mel Lastman seem sophisticated. Mark your calendars: The next municipal election is Oct. 27, 2014.

Elisha Cuthbert on The Marilyn Denis Show.

WHAT THE PUCK • He's on the road a lot with the Toronto Maple Leafs and she's in Los Angeles a lot shooting episodes of Happy Endings — but Edmonton-born Dion Phaneuf and Calgary-born Elisha Cuthbert were frequently spotted picking up groceries or Starbucks near their Bay Street condo last year. Country music star Carrie Underwood gave up her status as part-time Ottawa resident in 2011 when her hubby, Peterborough, Ont. native Mike Fisher, was traded from the Senators to the Nashville Predators. In California, Hilary Duff and her Edmonton-born husband (and heir to The Brick) Mike Comrie announced last year that they're expecting their first child.

BAD NEWS • It was a bad year for copy editing at the Toronto Star, as readers noticed more and more typos in the paper and, more frequently, on its website. The National Post was left red-faced by an error in one of its TV commercials. The Globe and Mail was publicly shamed when it failed to cut one of its contributors a cheque in a timely fashion. The Ottawa Citizen figured a fatal explosion was a good time to refer online readers to its delicious summer BBQ recipes. CBC News Toronto, sloppy at the best of times, needed geography lessons again in 2011, and CTV News in Toronto continued its habit of making statements on air that are neither attributed to a source nor supported by its own video footage when Andria Case declared a million people attended the Caribbean Carnival parade.

But the biggest media slip-up happened in June, when newspapers, talk radio hosts and TV news reporters made a big fuss over Toronto mayor Rob Ford's decision not to attend the city's Pride parade. It was old news, of course. In an interview with Metro published on Dec. 26, 2010, Ford gave notice that he wouldn't be in the parade. "I have gone away every July," he explained. "I take my family up to the cottage — sort of our getaway time." Shame on everyone who waited six months to freak out.

A PRIME TIME FOR CANADA • It was a decent year for Canadians on prime time U.S. television – except for Toronto-born actors Dave Foley (CBS's How to be a Gentleman) and Leah Renee Cudmore (NBC's The Playboy Club), whose series were cancelled after only a few episodes. Victor Garber of London, Ont. also lost his gig as the voice of Charlie when the reboot of Charlie's Angels on ABC flopped.

Karine Vanasse of Drummondville, Que. showed up on the highly-hyped ABC series Pan Am, which failed to really take flight and could be grounded next year, and Degrassi alumnus Landon Liboiron of Jenner, Alberta starred in the new Fox adventure series Terra Nova, which is reportedly facing extinction.

But Emily VanCamp of Port Perry, Ont. did well with the new ABC drama Revenge alongside Canadians Henry Czerny and James Tupper. Former MuchMusic host Hannah Simone's comedy New Girl on Fox was a hit, as was NBC's Up All Night starring Toronto's Will Arnett and 2 Broke Girls on CBS co-starring Noah Mills of Toronto. The Secret Circle, starring Calgary's Jessica Parker Kennedy, Adam Harrington of Hamilton, Ont. and Springdale, Nfld. native Natasha Henstridge debuted well for The CW.

Plenty of other Canadian talent returned to the small screen in 2011, including Calgary's Cory Monteith (Glee), Vancouver's Joshua Jackson (Fringe), Calgary native Elisha Cuthbert (Happy Endings), Sandra Oh of Ottawa (Grey's Anatomy), Nathan Fillion of Edmonton and Stana Katic of Hamilton (Castle), ex-Vancouver resident Grace Park (Hawaii 5-0), Vancouver's Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother), Len Cariou of Winnipeg (Blue Bloods), Montreal's Robert Joy (CSI:NY), Oshawa, Ont. native A.J. Cook on (Criminal Minds), Toronto's Shenae Grimes and Vancouver's Jessica Lowndes (90210), and Toronto-raised Nina Dobrev (The Vampire Diaries).

Canada itself was well showcased on U.S. television in 2011, even though it mostly stood-in for America. British Columbia was home to the ABC fantasy drama Once Upon a Time, Fox's Fringe as well as The CW's Supernatural and The Secret Circle. (Fox's mid-season series Alcatraz, debuting this month, is also primarily shot in B.C.) Toronto provided the backdrop for TNT's hit Falling Skies, SyFy's Warehouse 13, USA Network's Covert Affairs and Suits, The CW's Nikita and ABC's Rookie Blue. (The Firm, debuting this month on NBC, and Cinemax's upcoming Transporter: The Series were also shot in Toronto.)

Ottawa native Jon Cassar had plenty of reasons to smile in 2011. The made-in-Ontario mini-series he directed, The Kennedys, aired in April and nabbed 11 Emmy nominations (it won three, including one for Canadian actor Barry Pepper) and he was an executive producer, and directed five episodes, of Terra Nova.

Toronto-based DJ Deadmau5 thrilled fans around the world in 2011.

A RELATIONSHIP THAT NEEDS TO END • There's plenty of evidence to suggest CTV Toronto supports women (it sponsors the Weekend to End Women's Cancers) and gay people (it sponsors Pride Week). So it's no wonder a lot of people criticize the network for continuing to be a booster of the Salvation Army, a conservative religious organization with a long history of not supporting women or gay people.

CTV is a proud sponsor of the Salvation Army's Toy Mountain drive, which collects toys for needy children – and no one is suggesting it's not a worthy cause. But surely the network can find an organization that isn't so unabashedly opposed to homosexuality, equal marriage, and a women's right to choose.

According to a position statement on its Canadian website, "The Salvation Army believes marriage is the covenanting together of one man and one woman for life in a union to the exclusion of all others." On homosexuality in general, the Salvation Army "believes that God’s will for the expression of sexual intimacy is revealed in the Bible, and that living fully in accordance with biblical standards calls for chastity outside of heterosexual marriage and faithfulness within it. We believe that we are accountable for the ways in which we express our sexuality."

It's also vehemently against abortion. "The Salvation Army believes in the sanctity of human life because human beings are made in the image of God. Each person is of eternal value and each life a gift from God worth cherishing, nurturing, and preserving. We are committed to the protection and care of the unborn, and to the promotion of societal systems that promote wholeness, freedom, quality of life and the development of the potential of all persons."

In fact, the Salvation Army makes no effort to disguise its preference to welcome only the faithful. "Membership in The Salvation Army church body is open to all who confess Christ as Savior and who accept and abide by The Salvation Army's doctrine and discipline."

A week before Christmas, CTV's Dana Levenson reported that the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle campaign was a whopping six-million dollars away from its goal. A little journalistic investigation into the organization would likely have revealed one of the reasons for the shortfall: People living in a diverse (and increasingly non-Christian) city don't want to fund a religious group that calls on gay people "to embrace celibacy as a way of life" and reminds women of the rights of "unborn children when considering the matter of abortion."

BLOGGING IN CANADA • In 2011, two popular celebrity blogs by Canadians shut down — Zack Teperman's zacktaylor.ca and Chris Corsini's and David Tumey's DrinkTheGlitter.com. So where will we get our northern pop culture fix in 2012? There's still Elaine Lui's laineygossip.com, Mike Morrison's mikesbloggityblog.com and Chris Mejaski's outisthrough.com. And if Will Wong stops making stuff up and pulls back on the celeb-stalking that got him kicked out of events last year, his mrwillw.com could become a hit with readers older than 12.

Homegrown photo blog canadiantabloid.com, from veteran Toronto paparazzo Todd Gillis, may have an amusing amount of spelling and grammatical errors but it's often got pics no one else gets (and Gillis' recent spot-on rant about Leah Miller is a must-read). Other notable Canadian photo blogs include John White's tceb.ca and Richard Budman's shot7.com. (Let's not forget StarsInCanada.com!)

COME OUT, COME OUT • The careers of out stars like Neil Patrick Harris, Jim Parsons, Jessie Tyler Ferguson and Adam Lambert continued to flourish and NKOTB member Jonathan Knight, CNN anchor Don Lemon and actor Zachary Quinto came out publicly in 2011. Out talk show hosts Ellen DeGeneres, The Talk's Sara Gilbert, and Nate Berkus (whose self-titled show won't be back next season) were joined last year by Rosie O'Donnell (The Rosie Show on OWN) and Anderson Cooper's syndicated Anderson.

Still, others fought hard to stay in the closet or keep their private lives private. Colton Haynes, who nabbed a role on the MTV series Teen Wolf, tried to wash the Internet of photos of him making out with a guy that originally appeared in a magazine for gay youth. Dustin Zito of MTV's The Real World: Las Vegas insisted he didn't actually have sex with the naked guys he hung out with on the Fratmen websites — even after clips of him giving oral sex and receiving anal sex resurfaced. And the PR team behind rising action star Luke Evans revised his Wikipedia profile hoping to erase references to his being openly and proudly gay.

In December, someone attempted to out Taylor Lautner — whose sexuality isn't exactly a well-kept secret in Hollywood (or Vancouver, where he made the Twilight flicks) — by posting a fake People cover online. That same month, a Republican politician came out after it was revealed he bought something at a gay adults-only store in Toronto.

In the same month that Ottawa teen Jamie Hubley took his own life after years of being tormented for being gay — and, across the river, teen Tanner Moskuil went online to share his despair about being teased for his sexuality — homophobic rapper Tyler the Creator performed a sold-out all-ages show in Toronto. "Whoa yo, yo, no homo, I'm not gay, faggot," he raps. "Come take a stab at it faggot/I pre-ordered your casket."

An organization called Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere raised eyebrows in September when it held its annual gala at Toronto's Ritz-Carlton, a hotel owned by Marriott International, a company founded and run by Mormons. CEO and chairman Bill Marriott is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who held a leadership position known as an Area Authority in the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy — a territory that includes Canada. The 79-year-old, as a devout Mormon, pays a tithe (a minimum of 10 per cent of his income) to the Church, which has long supported the fight against equal marriage.

There was some hope, however. Early in 2011, Toronto-born NHL star Sean Avery said he'd support any young hockey player who wants to come out. "I'll stand beside him in the dressing room while he tells his teammates he is gay," he told a reporter. "Maybe if Sean Avery is there, they would have less of a problem with it." Then in May he recorded a video in support of the campaign to legalize equal marriage in New York — a move that earned him some scorn within the hockey world, including Rogers Sportsnet host Damian Goddard (who was prompty fired).

ALL ABOUT RYANS • Canada's two Ryan exports – London, Ont.-born Ryan Gosling and Vancouver's Ryan Reynolds – had a busy year.

The latter struggled at the box office in 2011 with two movies that performed below expectations. Reynolds' action flick Green Lantern barely covered its reported $200 million budget and his comedy The Change-Up earned only $32 million. And People's 2010 Sexiest Man Alive fell to No. 15 on its Most Beautiful People list in 2011

At home, things weren't much better. Reynolds' divorce from Scarlett Johansson was finalized on Canada Day and the star declined to appear at his induction ceremony on Canada's Walk of Fame because he was in Boston (less than two hours away by air) working on R.I.P.D. Then, TVTropolis started airing his cringe-worthy 1998-2001 sitcom Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place.

Gosling, meanwhile, headlined two movies in 2011: the moderately successful Drive and The Ides of March, which supported a report here in September suggesting that his buzz is bigger than his box office. (Gosling was also in the ensemble cast of the comedy Crazy, Stupid, Love).

The star remained connected to Canada, visiting his mom and friends during the year and stopping in at a cosmetic surgery clinic in Burlington, Ont. He also started dating Eva Mendes, his co-star in the forthcoming The Place Beyond the Pines.

THE YEAR AHEAD • Predictions for 2012? A former Canadian prime minister will pass away this year, as will the mother of a famous Canadian actor. Virgin Atlantic will start flying between Toronto and London again, probably in the spring.

Speaking of a heads-up, despite breaking several news stories and bringing you exclusive content in 2011, the most-visited post on PopGoesTheNews.com was — go figure — the great Canadian bacon challenge, where thousands of readers tried their hand at identifying famous homegrown penises. If you missed it, click here (NSFW).

Photos by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com.

Conservative U.S. politician comes out after shopping in Toronto's gay village

2011-12-18T11:28:00.001-05:00

Greg Davis and his family.

PopGoesTheNews.com A right-wing U.S. politician has come out of the closet after an audit of his expenses revealed he shopped at an adults-only store in Toronto's gay village.

Greg Davis, the Republican mayor of Southaven, Mississippi — and a married father of three — told a Memphis newspaper on Thursday: "At this point in my life and in my career, while I have tried to maintain separation between my personal and public life, it is obvious that this can no longer remain the case. I think that it is important that I discuss the struggles I have had over the last few years when I came to the realization that I am gay."

His revelation comes after a state audit indicated he used his city-issued credit card for $170,000 in personal expenses, including booze and dinners at upscale restaurants. The audit also revealed Davis spent $67 at Priape, a store described on its website as "Canada's premiere gay lifestyle store and sex shop." Davis visited the Church Street shop during a trip to Toronto with warehouse developers from his state. The mayor told The Commercial Appeal he doesn't recall what he purchased at Priape, which sells underwear, sex toys and adult videos.

Southaven, a 20-minute drive south of Memphis, is Mississippi's third-largest city. Davis was elected in 2009 to his fourth-term as mayor. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Congress in 2008 on a conservative family values platform.

Davis, 45, apologized to his constituents but said he will not resign. "I was not honest enough with myself to be honest with them. But I have lived my life in public service for 20-plus years, and in order for me to remain sane and move on, I have got to start being honest about who I am."

Davis has been married to his wife Suzann for 19 years and has three young daughters. According to his official biography, the family is active in Southaven's Heartland Baptist Church. On his campaign website, Suzann boasts that her husband is a great father who can "do one of the best ponytails you have ever seen!"

'Amelie' director to work in Canada

2011-12-14T20:24:00.000-05:00

PopGoesTheNews.com French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet has chosen Canada for his next cinematic adventure.

The director of 2001's acclaimed Amélie will shoot the 3D flick The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet in both Alberta and Quebec next summer. Adapted from Reif Larsen's novel of the same name, the film focuses on a young boy who discovers a secret family history while traveling from Montana to Washington, D.C. to visit the Smithsonian Institution.

Filming is scheduled to take place near Calgary and in Montreal from July to October. Casting is underway.

Alberta has stood-in for the American west on the big screen before, most notably for 2005's Oscar-winning Brokeback Mountain and 2007's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Dozens of feature films have been shot in Montreal, including this year's Immortals and Source Code.

The Bay gets cocky in its holiday flyer

2011-12-13T18:01:00.001-05:00

The flyer shows the outline of a model's penis (circled).

PopGoesTheNews.com Holiday shoppers flipping through a flyer for The Bay this week got a little more than they bargained for in the men's underwear section.

In one of four photos showcasing different styles of briefs, the outline of the head of the model's penis is clearly visible.

Typically, photos of men's underwear in mainstream retail catalogs and flyers are quite tame and any glimpse of genitalia is digitally erased. So, the decision to show the model's penis resting slightly to one side in his Calvin Klein briefs — as innocuous as it is — is rather bold for the 130-year-old department store chain.

The image appears in the Dec. 9-15 "Holiday Gifting" flyer for The Bay, which is owned by U.S. company NRDC Equity Partners, and was inserted into daily newspapers across Canada.

Marketing expert Daniel Bridge speculates that The Bay is being deliberately er... head-strong. "These images are scrutinized by a lot of people and heavily manipulated in post-production," he says. "Something as obvious as this would never end up in a flyer by accident." And while it's highly unusual, Bridge doesn't see anything wrong with the image. "It's going to sell a lot of underwear."

Loblaws bringing more food options to downtown Toronto

2011-11-26T17:09:00.001-05:00

Then and now: Maple Leaf Gardens

PopGoesTheNews.com As it puts the finishing touches on a new supermarket at Maple Leaf Gardens, Loblaws is entering the increasingly competitive grocery scene in one of downtown Toronto's most densely-populated neighborhoods.

The highly-anticipated 70,000-square-foot store — described by the company as "Food's Greatest Stage" — opens Wednesday morning with the promise of free gift cards for the first 250 customers who pass through its doors at the corner of Carlton and Church St.

Located on the ground floor of the iconic Art Deco structure, the new Loblaws features a fresh food hall (including omelettes made with five free-run egg whites), an eat-in sushi bar, Tea Emporium (with 100 flavors of loose-leaf tea), a Patisserie (with handcrafted chocolate, Bruce County Fudge and fresh baked goods), a full Ace Bakery, a pharmacy with an in-store dietitian, and an 18-foot wall of cheeses (including a 100-pound wheel of Stilton — one of only 100 in the world — and the rare artisanal Louis d'Or from Quebec). The company's clothing brand, Joe Fresh, has a shop on the second level, where the LCBO is also opening. Customers get an hour of free parking underground and the store is equipped with free Wi-Fi.

The supermarket is only 300 metres east of the corner of Yonge and College St, which until recently was only serviced by a cramped Metro on the basement level of College Park (formerly the first Eaton's store) and a grocery aisle at Shoppers Drug Mart — both open 24 hours a day. (Loblaws will be open 7am to 11pm daily.)

Last month, a bright new Sobeys Urban Fresh opened on the ground floor of 777 Bay Street — the office/retail complex adjacent to College Park. And next month, the former Tridel sales centre (and one-time Pizza Hut restaurant) on the northeast corner of Yonge and Carlton St. becomes a Bulk Barn. The store promises more than 4,000 products including candies, spices, baking ingredients and grains.

In addition to serving the thousands of people who live in the neighborhood's numerous apartment buildings, the grocery chains are targeting condo dwellers. New buildings include the 30-storey Lumiere condo at 770 Bay St and the 45- and 37-storey towers of the Murano at Bay and Grenville St. They join an area already dotted with condos like the 43-storey Met at 21 Carlton St. and 33-storey Encore at 25 Carlton St, the Residences of College Park at 761-763 Bay St (51- and 45-storey towers), the 17-storey Royalton at 801 Bay St, 18-storey Ellington at 7 Carlton St, the Conservatory Tower at 736 Bay St and the three-tower Liberties condos at Bay and Gerrard St.

Moving into the neighborhood is the 48-storey Burano at 832 Bay St, and Canada's tallest residential tower — the 75-storey Aura — just south of College Park. The latter features a shopping mall anchored by the city's first Bed Bath & Beyond as well as Alice Fazooli's and Canyon Creek restaurants and a food court. A block north of College Park, construction is set to begin next year on the 52-storey Karma condo tower on Grenville St. A developer has also proposed twin 58-storey condo towers on Yonge St between Alexander and Maitland.

The new Loblaws has size on its side as well as a lot of history. Built in 1931, Maple Leaf Gardens was vacated in 1999 when the Toronto Maple Leafs moved to the Air Canada Centre. During its 68-year life as a hockey shrine, MLG was home to a number of Stanley Cup victories and to the first ever NHL All-Star Game. The arena hosted the one-and-only season of the Toronto Huskies basketball team in 1946-47 and 16 home games for the NBA's now-defunct Buffalo Braves from 1971 to 1975. The Toronto Raptors played six games at MLG in the late '90s.

Maple Leaf Gardens was also a popular concert venue, hosting the likes of Sting, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Rush and Bruce Springsteen. The Beatles performed three concerts at MLG from 1964 to 1966 and Elvis Presley played a rare Canadian date there in 1957. Some of MLG's musical moments were immortalized on film: The Who Rocks America was shot there in 1982 and Duran Duran filmed the video for their hit "The Reflex" at the Gardens in 1984.

After MLG was shuttered, Loblaw and Home Depot both flirted with the idea of taking over the iconic building but balked at the projected costs. The arena was periodically rented out for special events and for film productions (Robin Williams' 2002 dud Death to Smoochy, the 2005 Russell Crowe boxing drama Cinderella Man and the 2006 Tim Allen flop Zoom) and for TV shows (Flashpoint's season two finale and the first season of Battle of the Blades). In 2009, Loblaw (which paid $12 million for MLG in 2004) struck a deal with Ryerson University to share the space. An athletic centre, including gyms and a 2,600-seat hockey arena, will open on the upper levels of the building next year.

Last summer, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment went to court seeking to prevent Ryerson from using the Maple Leaf Gardens name or using its new arena for events that compete with the Air Canada Centre. Ryerson says the athletic centre will have a title sponsor by the time it opens.

A retro-inspired marquee outside the building shows both "Ryerson University" and "Maple Leaf Gardens" (and Loblaws is promoting its new store as "Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens").

Loblaws operates other grocery stores within walking distance of its new Maple Leaf Gardens supermarket, including No Frills on Sherbourne and on Parliament and the Bloor Street Market inside the Manulife Centre. The area also has several Rabba stores (on Wellesley St E, Wellesley St W, Charles St E and Isabella St), a Sobeys Express on Yonge at Breadalbane as well as a Food Basics (owned by Metro) on Wellesley St E and a Metro on Gould St.

But the stores with the most to fear from the new Loblaws are the independents retailers north of Maple Leaf Gardens like Super Freshmart, Pusateri Fruit Market and About Cheese — all on Church St. "To say we're scared of Loblaws opening is an understatement," Pusateri owner Tony Cerminara is quoted as saying in the Nov. 17 issue of Xtra! (His store doesn't open Sundays.)

Toronto Public Health shuts down snack bar on city-owned property

2011-11-13T17:20:00.000-05:00

PopGoesTheNews.com The City of Toronto shut down a snack bar on one of its own properties this month after discovering a string of health code violations.

A Toronto Public Health inspector ordered the Farm Kitchen at Riverdale Farm closed on Nov. 2 and issued it a summons for failing to prevent a rodent infestation. Operated by Friends of Riverdale Farm volunteers and located in the Simpson House, the Kitchen was also cited for inadequate food temperature, failure to ensure food is not contaminated and to ensure food safety, failure to properly wash surfaces and equipment, and failure to provide adequate pest control. It was also busted for a by-law infraction requiring the presence of the holder of a valid food handler's certificate.

All but one of the infractions was rated either "Significant" or "Crucial."

No one knows how long the problems have existed at the Farm Kitchen because the Nov. 2 inspection was the first by Public Health this year. Although it passed a Sept. 29, 2010 inspection, it was given only a Conditional Pass on Aug. 5, 2010 for inadequate food temperature control, failure to properly wash surfaces and failure to provide adequate pest control.

The Farm Kitchen, which mostly sells homemade goods and refreshments, is normally open Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 4pm. The 7.5-acre Cabbagetown farm is owned and operated by the City of Toronto. In July, a city consultant's report recommended closing Riverdale Farm as a cost-saving measure.

Spelling mistake in 'National Post' ad surprises columnist

2011-10-30T21:05:00.003-04:00

The ad should read "its", not "it's".

PopGoesTheNews.com The National Post has been left red-faced by a TV ad containing a glaring spelling error.

In the commercial, which appeared during tonight's episode of 60 Minutes on Hamilton-based station CHCH, the contracted form of "it is" — "it's" — is used instead of the possessive form — "its" — which would be correct.

The quote, attributed to Christie Blatchford, comes from the headline of her June 22 column, which is grammatically correct in its online version. (Typically headlines are written by editors. Blatchford actually wrote: "Canadian soldiers are better, more reliable and infinitely more trustworthy bearers of what is good in this country, and of the public trust, than Canadian political leaders.")

It's all news to Blatchford, who is currently covering a high-profile trial for the Post. "Because I've been in Kingston and busy, I haven't seen [the ad] or the error," she explains. "I'll pass it on."

Wendy's opens its first Canadian concept restaurant

2011-10-26T16:14:00.000-04:00

The new-look Wendy's on The Queensway in Etobicoke.

PopGoesTheNews.com With McDonald's in the midst of a billion-dollar blitz to renovate 1,400 of its restaurants in Canada and A&W adding "urban concept" outlets to the market, fast food chain Wendy's is testing a spiffy new look.

The company opened its first Canadian concept store today in Toronto with plans for another in Kingston in December. Designed by San Francisco-based Tesser, the new restaurant features several kinds of seating options in a dining room decorated with natural colours, brick and wood as well as a fireplace. It has digital menu boards, a new ordering process and free WiFi. Employees dressed in updated uniforms serve food in redesigned packaging.

Wendy's has also added its proprietary Redhead Roasters coffee and fresh baked goods including oatmeal bars, cookies, muffins and brownies.

It's an attempt to keep up with McDonald's, which is revamping its outlets with new seating, fireplaces and plasma TVs and McCafé counters featuring coffee beverages, smoothies and baked goods.

Earlier this year A&W opened several urban concept restaurants in Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary with plans for more across the country. They feature self-serve ordering kiosks, reusable mugs and plates and new menu items like salads.

In June, the owner of more than 200 KFC outlets in Ontario and B.C. announced plans to renovate its outlets.

Online community rallies for Canadian teen

2011-10-23T09:06:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com "I'm Tanner. 14 years old. Gay. I hate people. And life."

This is the description Tanner Moskuil of Gatineau, Quebec — part of the national capital region — displays on his blog, Make Me Feel Broken.

The words and images he has posted since creating the Tumblr page on Oct. 18 have sparked a global online campaign in support of the high school student. People around the world are sending Moskuil words of encouragement and personal video messages. His Twitter account has surged to more than 1,000 followers.

Moskuil's blog is a very public cry for help. He has posted images depicting self-cutting and suicide, including a photo of a boy jumping in front of a subway car and an image showing nothing but the word "suicidal" over and over again.

In one post, Moskuil described his life at school as "HELL." He then related an exercise in his drama class in which he had to remove his shirt, prompting a classmate to call him an "anorexic gay fuck." He wrote: "I hate my fucking body. Who is going to want someone whose 85 pounds. nobody. i hate people thinking im 10 years old and shoving me into walls. im done with it ... i wish i could dissapear."

Moskuil also shared a message he received from an anonymous visitor to his blog. "faggot go kill yourself and eat shards of glass, your 14 how do you even know your gay yet you sick fuck kids like you should die."

Someone else wrote: "i think i wanna kill you right about now" to which Moskuil replied: "me too."

But in the most disturbing post, headlined "I Hate My Life," Moskuil wrote: "why do I even bother anymore? I have nothing to look forward too." Then, "it would be nice, to start over."

He later posted: "just wait till you all regret what you said."

Moskuil's expressions of anger and despair come days after Ottawa teen Jamie Hubley killed himself after being bullied for being gay. Hubley's blog, in which he chronicled his struggles, was named You Can't Break...When You're Already Broken.

But reaction to Moskuil's plight was swift. Online supporters were quick to report a Facebook page titled "Tanner Mosquil likes it in the bum," and got it removed. And people have been submitting heartfelt messages for Moskuil via a Tumblr page called We Love You Tanner.

The movement was sparked by a young man identified only as "Seanothan," who posted a call to arms on Reddit. In a video message to Moskuil, he admitted that he hoped "a couple of people would send you a message and say that you're awesome and loved and please stick around. Don't let what a couple of people say make you do something drastic.

"Instead, it snowballed into this thing where hundreds of people just instantly wanted to support you and have your back."

It appears that Moskuil is feeling the love. On Oct. 20 he said the messages of support have made me cry. "I cant even believe how many people have written to me ... Im nothing great to deserve this but now when i came home from school today to see so many people care makes me feel important to someone. now im smiling, and its thanks to you… people who dont even know me, made me get hope back."

Stars heading to Hollywood North for Canadian films

2011-10-22T18:29:00.005-04:00

Eva Longoria in 2006's The Sentinel.

PopGoesTheNews.com Stars like Eva Longoria, Andy Garcia and Benjamin Bratt will be in Ontario next month working on new films.

Longoria, who made 2006's The Sentinel in Toronto, is taking a break from Desperate Housewives to shoot The Truth in chilly Sudbury from Oct. 27 to Nov. 16. Garcia co-stars in the thriller about corruption in the water industry along with Steven Bauer and Canadian actor Devon Bostick. Forest Whitaker and Kevin Durand are also rumored to be a part of the flick, directed by Canadian producer/director/screenwriter Damian Lee.

Both Garcia (born Andrés Arturo García Menéndez) and Bauer (born Esteban Ernesto Echevarría Samson) hail from Cuba and appeared in 2005's The Lost City. Longoria and Garcia co-star in the Mexican war drama Cristiada.

Bratt will be in Ontario to make the coming-of-age drama The Lesser Blessed for Canadian writer/director Anita Doron. The film, about a First Nations teenager trying to fit into the modern world, is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Richard Van Camp. Bratt will play Jed, the boyfriend of the main character's mother.

In 2007, Van Camp told the CBC he hoped the movie version of his book would be filmed in the Northwest Territories, where it is set. But although producers held auditions there earlier this month, a source said the film will likely be shot around Sudbury from mid-November to early December.

Preview tracks from Drake's new album

2011-10-22T14:19:00.015-04:00

Drake

PopGoesTheNews.com Take a listen to three of the new tracks on Take Care, the sophomore album from Toronto hip-hop artist Drake that comes out Nov. 15.

Drake, 25, is currently on the charts with the first official single "Headlines". The follow-up to last year's successful Thank Me Later album includes collaborations with The Weeknd ("Crew Ride"), Andre 3000 and Lil Wayne ("The Real her"), Rihanna ("Take Care"), Kendrick Lamar ("We'll be Fine"), Nicki Minaj ("Make Me Proud"), Rick Ross ("Lord Knows"), Lil Wayne (Hell Ya Fuckin' Right") and Stevie Wonder (Doing It Wrong"). Other tracks include "Over My Dead Body," "Shot For Me," "Marvin's Room," "Under Ground Kings," "Cameras/Good Ones Go," "Look What You've Done," "Practice" and "The Ride."

Bonus tracks on some editions of the album are "The Motto" featuring Lil Wayne and "Hate Sleeping Alone."

After the jump, click to preview three tracks.

Click below to preview three tracks from Take Care.

(Playback may not be available on mobile devices.)

Make Me Proud - Drake featuring Nicki Minaj

The Motto - Drake featuring Lil Wayne

Marvin's Room - Drake

This posting has been revised from its original version.

Photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com. Music streaming via a third-party site. PopGoesTheNews.com encourages you to purchase music you enjoy.

Davisville eatery shut down for health violations

2011-10-19T19:04:00.007-04:00

Marc Tournayre of Jules Café Patisserie.

PopGoesTheNews.com A popular French pastry shop with a history of health infractions — nearly 35 this year alone — has finally been shut down by Toronto Public Health.

Jules Café Patisserie on Mount Pleasant at Manor Road was ordered closed on Tuesday for failing to provide adequate pest control and failing to prevent an insect infestation. An inspector also cited the eatery for six other infractions including failing to properly store solid waste, to properly wash equipment and surfaces, and to provide separate hand-washing facilities.

According to its website, Jules Café Patisserie serves "some of the best, authentic French croissants and pastries in Toronto baked by pastry chef Marc Tournayre. The café also serves salads, sandwiches, quiches and other light meals. A Toronto Life profile boasts that chef-owner Tournayre holds his own in a neighbourhood "saturated with European patisseries" and raves about its lemon curd tarts and Swiss-style pizzas topped with egg.

A 2009 customer review posted at blogto.com mentions a lack of cleanliness at Jules. "The servers, especially this female server, is slow and not very hygienic. You can notice how disorganized the counter/work areas are, and the staff are very slow to clear the 3 tables for new customers. Good food, poor service," it reads.

Indeed, Jules Café Patisserie has a bad track record with Toronto Public Health, which has given it only a Conditional Pass after three inspections this year. On June 6 an inspector found 10 violations, including failure to use proper procedures to ensure food safety, to provide accurate indicating thermometers, to properly wash surfaces, and to provide adequate pest control.

A follow-up inspection two days later resulted in nine violations, including failure to use proper utensils to ensure food safety, to maintain a mechanical washer, to provide sufficient garbage containers and to provide adequate pest control. Hoping to keep customers in the dark about the Conditional Pass it received on June 6, the café did not post the yellow inspection certificate at its entrance — and was later fined $1,130. On June 13, Jules was given a Pass.

A February 15 inspection uncovered seven infractions, including failure to provide adequate pest control, to provide adequate lighting and to "ensure the presence of the holder of a valid food handler's certificate." A Conditional Pass was replaced with a Pass following an inspection on Feb. 24.

In February 2010, Jules Café Patisserie earned only a Conditional Pass after an inspection turned up six violations, including failure to ensure food safety, to provide headgear and to properly wash surfaces. It was also cited for failing to produce the food safety inspection report upon request.

Tournayre has more than 25 years of experience in Canada and France, where he co-owned a high-end restaurant. He worked as Pastry Chef at several restaurants in Toronto before opening a pastry shop in the Beach.

UPDATE (10/21) • Jules Café Patisserie was re-inspected on Oct. 20 and received a Pass. It is open for business again.

Canadian named Cosmo's Hottest Bachelor of 2011

2011-10-19T10:47:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com A Canadian has been named Cosmopolitan's Hottest Bachelor of 2011. Chris Van Vliet of Pickering, Ont. was given the title — and $10,000 — at an event in New York City last night.

Van Vliet, 28, will donate his prize money to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Cleveland. The former Toronto-based SUN TV entertainment reporter is now working for 19 Action News on WOIO, the CBS station in Cleveland.

A graduate of Pine Ridge Secondary School in Pickering, Van Vliet studied communications at Waterloo's Wilfrid Laurier University and learned the ropes at Rogers Television before landing a gig as a news reporter on Peterborough's CHEX. He moved to Vancouver to host an entertainment show on Citytv and Razer but returned to his home province to host SUN TV's Inside Jam!. He left the show in early 2010 to take the WOIO job south of the border and, a year later, earned an Emmy nomination for his work.

Van Vliet represented Ohio in Cosmopolitan's annual Hottest Bachelor competition, which is decided by online votes. In his profile he said he likes when women compliment his eyes. "That tells me you've looked into them, which is intimate," Van Vliet said, adding he also appreciates a woman who flashes him a smile.

Last year, Van Vliet was named one of Cleveland's 11 hottest bachelors by the syndicated TV show Inside Edition.

Photo courtesy Cosmopolitan.

Rap star challenges Canada's hate speech laws

2011-10-15T10:20:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com A Toronto concert venue is opening its doors to two controversial performers who have been widely criticized for lyrics that could contravene Canada's hate speech laws.

The Sound Academy is hosting a show Tuesday night by hip-hop act Odd Future featuring Tyler the Creator, whose hateful raps target women and gays. On Nov. 4, the club welcomes reggae artist Beenie Man, who sings about killing gays and lesbians.

Free speech is protected in Canada under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms but the Criminal Code prohibits speech that publicly incites hatred against an identifiable group or advocates the killing of members of a group based on colour, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual orientation.

Tyler the Creator

Tyler the Creator (aka Tyler Okonma), who was voted Best New Artist at this year's MTV Video Awards, spews anti-gay lyrics on his album Goblin and uses the words "fag" or "faggot" at least nine times.

"I hate gays, gangbangers and fucking jerkers/Unless it's gay gangbangers that's fucking jerkers/Whoa yo, yo, no homo, I'm not gay, faggot," he raps. "Come take a stab at it faggot/I pre-ordered your casket."

He also promotes rape ("Fuck rap, I'll be a landlord so I can rape the tenants daughter/Leave my house with a new stomach and a baby in it."), assaulting pregnant women ("I'm shovin' blunt wraps in bitches ovaries/Punches to the stomach where that bastard kid supposed to be.") and murder ("Let's buy guns and kill those kids with dads and mom/With nice homes, 401k's, and nice ass lawns/Those privileged fucks gotta learn that we ain't takin' no shit/Like Ellen DeGeneres clitoris is playin' with dick.")

In one song, Tyler appears to talk about raping and killing a woman. "Compliment her tits and then it's off to hump her/Fuck her in a Hummer while I rape her/Then I put her in a slumber/It's not a figure of speech when I tell you that I dumped her."

In May, Sara Quin of Canadian indie act Tegan and Sara took to her blog to publicly criticized Tyler the Creator: "When will misogynistic and homophobic ranting and raving result in meaningful repercussions in the entertainment industry? When will they be treated with the same seriousness as racist and anti-Semitic offenses? While an artist who can barely get a sentence fragment out without using homophobic slurs is celebrated on the cover of every magazine, blog and newspaper, I’m disheartened that any self-respecting human being could stand in support with a message so vile."

Quin accused the media of glorifying and excusing Tyler's misogyny and homophobia, as well as "the community of artists that doesn't seem remotely bothered by it."

(Tyler responded via Twitter: "If Tegan and Sara need some hard dick, hit me up!")

Tyler the Creator has downplayed the messages in his music, telling NME earlier this year that he's not homophobic. "I just think 'faggot' hits and hurts people. It hits. And 'gay' just means you're stupid," he explained. "I don't know, we don't think about it, we're just kids." Tyler told MTV News that he has gay fans who don't find his lyrics offensive.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has criticized Tyler the Creator, insisting that anti-gay slurs are harmful. "They have the power to fuel intolerance and hostility," spokesperson Kimberley McLeod has said. "It's an irresponsible message for him to send to his young fans."

The sold-out concert at Sound Academy, which accommodates more than 3,000 people, is an all-ages event.

Beenie Man (aka Anthony Davis) has been banned in Britain and barred from the 2004 MTV Video Awards for inciting hate with lyrics like "Hang chi chi gal wid a long piece of rope" [Hang lesbians with a long piece of rope] and "Tek a bazooka and kill batty-fucker" [Take a bazooka and kill gay men]. Protests have resulted in his shows being cancelled in several countries, including Belgium, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

01/13 • Virgin Mobile helping raise money for conservative religious organization

09/02/19 • Pepsi's deal with anti-gay company sparks call for a boycott

Spa offers free services to Stanley Cup rioters

2011-10-13T09:28:00.004-04:00

An ad for Eccotique Spa.

PopGoesTheNews.com A Vancouver spa is hoping the promise of pedicures or waxes will convince Stanley Cup rioters to turn themselves in to police.

Eccotique Spa is offering anyone who smashed a store window or lit a car on fire a "$50 Calm Down & De-Stress" gift certificate if they show an official police arrest form from Vancouver Police.

"Suspects can finally come to terms with their conscience, while the police can see justice is done," said spa president Milajne Soligo, in a release. "These people obviously had a lot of pent-up anger during all the chaos. We think they need to learn how to calm down and relax, which fits perfectly with our spa offerings."

The spa has created an eye-catching marketing campaign to promote the offer. One ad reads: "You didn't pay for anything at the riots. Why stop now?"

The company operates seven spas in the Vancouver area offering massages, facials, pedicures, manicures and other services. Soligo insists the gift certificates are not rewards for those who wreaked havoc on June 15. "We want to see as many charges laid as possible."

Vancouver Police have posted photos of more than 100 alleged rioters on its website in hopes of identifying suspects. The force said 52 individuals have either turned themselves in, are under investigation or have been arrested. To date, no charges have been laid against rioters.

Health inspections expose problems at Church St. eatery

2011-10-11T17:52:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com The food is cheap and the decor is decidedly retro at the Studio Restaurant Tavern, a fixture on Church Street south of Carlton for more than three decades. But, according to Toronto Public Health inspection records, the restaurant could use a good scrubbing.

Inspectors ordered Studio Restaurant Tavern shut down back in March for a string of health violations and then, during two subsequent visits after it re-opened, cited it for several more infractions.

On March 5, Toronto Public Health ordered the restaurant closed and issued the owners with a summons after finding a serious infestation of cockroaches. The restaurant was also cited for nine other infractions including failure to use proper utensils to ensure food safety; failure to properly wash multi-use utensils, surfaces and equipment; failure to properly maintain equipment (including a dishwasher); failure to provide an accurate thermometer; and failure to provide adequate pest control.

Studio was given the green light to re-open on March 10 but, a month later, it was slapped with a Conditional Pass for again failing to provide adequate pest control. Then, on Aug. 31, it received another Conditional Pass and cited for failing to ensure its food is not contaminated and for not properly maintaining equipment. The restaurant was also ticketed by inspectors for failure to properly wash large utensils and to provide adequate pest control.

The restaurant is located on the ground floor of a half-empty apartment complex owned by Toronto Community Housing that has small dorm-style rooms with shared kitchens. Daybreak Diner, a restaurant located in a building adjacent to Studio, received a Conditional Pass in July 2010 for failing to provide adequate pest control and to ensure food is not contaminated. Across the street, gay dance club The Barn was cited in October 2010 for failure to provide adequate pest control and improper sanitation of washrooms.

Stage collapses on 'Resident Evil' set in Toronto

2011-10-11T11:16:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Nearly a dozen crew members and actors dressed as zombies were taken to hospital this morning after part of a stage collapsed on the set of Resident Evil: Retribution.

The accident occurred inside Cinespace Film Studios in Toronto's west end at around 8:00 am on the second day of shooting scenes for the fifth installment of the franchise. A police spokesperson said the injuries were mostly fractures and bruises.

The actors were playing zombies that are being slayed in a sequence that was scheduled to take four days to complete. Make-up effects made it difficult for paramedics responding to the accident call to accurately assess injuries.

Production has been halted while investigators look into the cause of the accident.

The movie stars Milla Jovovich and is directed by her husband Paul W.S. Anderson. It has scheduled 55 days of production in Toronto.

Dave Foley loses his job and faces arrest

2011-10-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Actor Dave Foley, who faces arrest if he returns to his native Canada, got more bad news last week: CBS shut down production of his new sitcom How to be a Gentleman last week.

The 48-year-old Kids in the Hall star, who owes more than $500,000 in child support for his two sons with Toronto writer Tabatha Southey, recently said he was "only just starting to get paid" for his gig on the new show, in which he plays a magazine editor worried about losing his job.

How to be a Gentleman debuted to negative reviews and only 9 million viewers. Late last week the network bumped the show from its Thursday night time slot to Saturday.

Foley has two sons – Ned, 20, and Basil, 16 – with Southey. The pair divorced in 1997 after six years, while Foley was starring on the hit series NewsRadio. Monthly support payments of $10,700 have increased to $12,301.30 in addition to $5,000 a month towards paying down arrears.

Southey’s lawyer Jacqueline Mills said last year Foley also owes thousands for mortgage payments, private schools and tutoring and health care.

Foley, who has eight-year-old Alina with his second wife Crissy Guerrero (whom he divorced in 2008) recently told Toronto weekly The Grid: “I have a daughter here in the United States who is basically not getting any money because all the money is going to Canada to my other two children."

Since NewsRadio went off the air in 1999, Foley has taken small parts in forgettable films, worked on low-budget Canadian shows and had a handful of recurring roles on series like Will & Grace and Desperate Housewives.

The Toronto-born star claims he simply hasn’t earned enough to fully pay his child support order.

Ontario's Family Responsibility Office, which has gone to court seeking Foley's arrest, has a reciprocal relationship with the U.S. to enforce support orders.

Foley was in Toronto last November working on the Canadian flick Servitude with Margot Kidder, Enrico Colantoni and Joe Dinicol.

Photo courtesy CBS.

Fun facts about one of the season's worst new shows

2011-10-07T16:39:00.003-04:00

Rachael Taylor, Minka Kelly and Annie Ilonzeh

PopGoesTheNews.com If you haven't yet caught an episode of the new Thursday night show Charlie's Angels, time is running out. Ratings for the reboot continue to fall and it's only a matter of time before ABC cancels the show Hollywood Reporter critic Tim Goodman described as "beyond heinous."

Charlie's Angels, starring Rachael Taylor, Annie Ilonzeh and Minka Kelly as the titular crime-fighting beauties, debuted to nearly 8.8 million viewers in the U.S. but dropped to 7.1 million in its second week and then to 5.9 million for episode three. In Canada, 955,000 tuned in to the premiere on CTV but only 795,000 came back for episode two.

Why? According to Goodman, Charlie's Angels "contains some of the worst acting of the last decade on network television."

So, before it's too late, here are a few interesting facts about the new series. It's likely not enough to convince you to start watching — but at least you can surprise friends and loved ones with your trivial knowledge as soon as the show is cancelled.

Tough act to follow

To be fair, it was easier for a show to be a hit in the '70s when there were far fewer viewing options. The original Charlie's Angels series ran for five seasons starting in 1976 and became a phenomenon, propelling Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson to stardom. "When the show was number three, I figured it was our acting," Fawcett has said. "When it got to be number one, I decided it could only be because none of us wears a bra." It remained in the top five in its first two seasons but started to drop off and was cancelled after 110 episodes. Two big screen adaptations starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu in 2000 and 2003 grossed more than half-a-billion dollars worldwide.

Bonus fact: A spin-off called Toni's Boys, about a wealthy friend of Charlie (played by Barbara Stanwyck) running a detective agency with three good looking guys, never made it to air. In 1988, the Fox network tried unsuccessfully to revive the Angels franchise with a new series starring Téa Leoni.

FOR MORE ON MIAMI BEACH, CHECK OUT GoingToMiamiBeach.com

Miami's nice

The new Charlie's Angels is set in and around Miami — and while it's not the first prime time series to use the city as a backdrop, it's only the second to actually be shot there since Miami Vice went off the air in 1990. The USA Network series Burn Notice has been filmed in the Miami area since it debuted in 2007. (Before you start firing off an email, CSI Miami and Dexter are almost entirely filmed in Los Angeles.)

Bonus fact: A lot of movies have been shot in the Miami area, including Scarface, Bad Boys and There's Something About Mary.

The Savoy Hotel doubles as the Angel's office.

Location, location, location

On the new series, the address displayed on the Townsend Agency building is 1976 Ocean Drive, a fictitious address — the real Ocean Drive only goes up to 1501. The street number on the show reflects the year that the original Charlie's Angels premiered on ABC. The building used for exterior shots of the Townsend Agency is, in fact, the Savoy Hotel at 425 Ocean Drive.

Bonus fact: Both the 1976 series and the 2011 series debuted on Sept. 22.

Angels gotta fly

Six actresses played Angels in the original series and Tanya Roberts held the distinction of being the one in the least number of episodes — only the last 16. But, 30 years later, her record as the shortest-lived Angel was broken by Nadine Velasquez (My Name is Earl), who was killed off in the first half-hour of the premiere episode of the new Charlie's Angels. (When the series is cancelled, its three Angels will also have beaten Roberts' record.)

Bonus fact: Jaclyn Smith is the longest-serving Angel and the only one to appear in all five seasons of the original series.

Who's the Bosley?

Four actors have portrayed Bosley, the Angels' trusted leader, on TV and the big screen. In the new Charlie's Angels, Puerto Rican actor Ramon Rodriguez plays John Bosley, a role originated by David Doyle, who starred in all 110 episodes of the original series. Doyle died in 1997 at the age of 67 so the character was played by Bill Murray in the 2000 film. For the sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle in 2003, Bernie Mac appeared as Jimmy Bosley.

Bonus fact: Early in the first episode of the new series, a David Doyle lookalike shows up in a pool party scene.

Charlie's eh!ngels

Canada has contributed some talent to the Charlie's Angels franchise. In addition to London, Ont. native Victor Garber as the voice of Charlie in the new series, Ottawa's Tom Green and Sudbury's Alex Trebek both popped up in the first Charlie's Angels movie.

Bonus fact: Garber took over as the voice of Charlie following the death last year of John Forsythe, who supplied the voice in all but one episode of the original series and in both movies.

Drew crew

At this year's Emmy Awards, the three new Angels came out on stage with Drew Barrymore. She wasn't there because she played an Angel on the big screen, though — Barrymore is their boss! The star owns the screen rights to Charlie's Angels via her company Flower Films. Barrymore's name shows up in the credits of the new series as an executive producer.

Bonus fact: The co-creators of Charlie's Angels, Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, were nominated for an Academy Award in 1958 for writing Man of a Thousand Faces.

Cast photos by Nathan Bell, courtesy ABC. Savoy Hotel photo courtesy Mary Ann Sullivan.

Toronto music venue to relaunch with new name and special show with Noel Gallagher

2011-10-06T11:34:00.005-04:00

Noel Gallagher

PopGoesTheNews.com One of Toronto's premier live music venues is getting a makeover — and will launch its new look with the help of a British music icon.

The Mod Club on College Street has signed a long-term partnership deal with Virgin Mobile Canada to re-brand the venue as the Virgin Mobile Mod Club beginning Nov. 5 with an intimate acoustic performance by ex-Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher.

The makeover comes on the club's ninth anniversary and will include a new logo and some "cheeky" touches inside. The two-level space accommodates up to 600 people.

"The Mod Club has showcased some of the hottest up and coming acts from around the world," said Andrew Bridge, managing director of Virgin Mobile Canada. "This new partnership to create the Virgin Mobile Mod Club is a great way to shine the spotlight on great music while bringing more access and benefits to our Members."

Virgin Mobile customers will be offered VIP lines at shows, discounted or pre-sale tickets, and chances to win free concerts or to meet the acts. The club will also reserve some of the best seats in the house for Virgin Mobile members.

During his 30-minute set, Gallagher will showcase tracks on the self-titled album from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. The band performs Nov. 7 and 8 at Massey Hall.

The Virgin brand, founded by Sir Richard Branson, has its roots in music. Branson and a friend operated a small record store in London that grew into a successful record label and retail chain (the office of Virgin Records Canada was once in a historic mansion on Jarvis at Gloucester St. in Toronto and the country's only Virgin Megastore was at Robson and Burrard St. in Vancouver). Astral currently operates Virgin Radio stations across Canada, including one in Toronto.

Virgin Mobile Canada, owned by Bell Media, staged several Virgin Festivals in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax before pulling the plug in 2009. At the 2008 Virgin Festival in Toronto, Gallagher was injured after Daniel Sullivan ran onto the stage and tackled him from behind. Sullivan pleaded guilty in 2010 and was sentenced to a year of house arrest.

Click here for a chance to win access to Gallagher's acoustic show at the relaunch of the Virgin Mobile Mod Club on Nov. 5.

Canadian stars to help mark Frank Sinatra's 96th

2011-10-05T13:40:00.003-04:00

Pamela Anderson and Matt Dusk (inset)

PopGoesTheNews.com He's one of the most iconic singers ever and, on what would have been his 96th birthday, Ol' Blue Eyes is being celebrated in style — with some help from Canadians.

A Swingin' Affair, inspired by Frank Sinatra's 10th studio album, is a special gala set for Dec. 11 to benefit the Alzheimer's Association's California Southland Chapter. Hosted by B.C.-born bombshell Pamela Anderson, it will feature performances by Canadian crooner Matt Dusk.

Organizers hope to bring back the glory days of Sinatra by staging the fundraiser at three historic locations in Palm Springs. It kicks off with an exclusive afternoon cocktail party for 150 VIP ticket-holders at Sinatra's former Twin Palms estate featuring a poolside performance by Dusk. Then, 1,000 guests will gather at the Riviera Palm Springs Resort & Spa — where Sinatra held plenty of parties in his day — for a three-course dinner and lavish party that will include performances by Dusk as well as Frank Sinatra Jr. and his Big Band Orchestra, America's Got Talent season six finalist Daniel Joseph Baker, Broadway star Lainie Kazan.

The evening ends with an after-party in the Riviera's Starlite Lounge that will feature more live performances and a special cake-cutting ceremony in Sinatra's honor.

But don't dust off your fedora and fly away to Palm Springs unless you're ready to open your wallet. The whole experience will cost you $1,000 a ticket or you can buy tickets to the gala only ($450) and after-party ($250). For more information, click here.

For Dusk, who lives in Toronto, the chance to perform at Sinatra's estate is likely a career highlight. The 32-year-old jazz singer has released four major label studio albums and has performed extensively (he'll be in the Netherlands next month for a 10-city tour). His latest album, Live from Las Vegas was released earlier this year.

Photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com. Inset photo courtesy MattDusk.com.

Canadians abound on prime time U.S. shows

2011-10-04T16:11:00.001-04:00

Ex-Degrassi star Landon Liboiron on Terra Nova.

PopGoesTheNews.com NBC's announcement today that it pulled the plug on The Playboy Club means there is one less Canadian on U.S. prime time television this season. Toronto's Leah Renee Cudmore, who played Alice, was until today one of about 30 Canadians with a major role on the five main networks south of the border.

Will Arnett, who is also from Toronto, is now the only Canadian with a starring role on NBC's prime time schedule — as Chris in the comedy Up All Night.

At Fox, Landon Liboiron of Jenner, Alberta stars as Josh in the new adventure series Terra Nova. He's best known for his role as Declan in the made-in-Toronto series Degrassi. Former MuchMusic VJ Hannah Simone, who was born in England but spent time in Calgary and Vancouver, plays Cece on the sitcom New Girl.

Returning to Fox this season are Calgary's Cory Monteith (Finn) in Glee and Vancouver's Joshua Jackson (Peter) in Fringe, which is shot in his hometown.

ABC employs plenty of Canadians. Calgary native Elisha Cuthbert is back as Alex in the second season of Happy Endings; Sandra Oh of Ottawa returns for another season as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey's Anatomy; and Nathan Fillion of Edmonton and Stana Katic of Hamilton are back in the lead roles of Richard and Kate on Castle.

Elisha Cuthbert is back in Happy Endings.

The new drama Revenge stars Emily VanCamp of Port Perry, Ont. as Emily alongside Toronto's Henry Czerny (Conrad) and Robbie Amell (Adam) and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia native James Tupper (David). The sexy cast of Pan Am includes Karine Vanasse of Drummondville, Que. as Colette and on the reboot of Charlie's Angels, London, Ont. native Victor Garber provides the voice of Charlie.

CBS is doing its part to keep Canadians working. Grace Park, who has called Vancouver home since she was an infant, is back for another season as Kono on Hawaii 5-0. Also returning this season are How I Met Your Mother star Cobie Smulders (Robin) of Vancouver; Len Cariou (Henry) of Winnipeg on Blue Bloods, Montreal's Robert Joy (Dr. Sid Hammerback) on CSI:NY; and Oshawa, Ont. native A.J. Cook (Jennifer) on Criminal Minds.

Two Toronto actors are starring on two different CBS comedies: Dave Foley is Jerry in How to be a Gentleman and Noah Mills plays Robbie on 2 Broke Girls.

The CW shoots Nikita in Toronto but the series doesn't have any Canadian leads (Toronto's Rob Stewart has a recurring role as Roan and many guests stars are homegrown). It's the same deal with Supernatural, which is filmed in B.C. with American stars.

The Secret Circle, a new series on The CW, is shot in B.C. and features Jessica Parker Kennedy (Melissa) of Calgary, Natasha Henstridge (Dawn) of Springdale, Nfld. and Adam Harrington (Ethan) of Hamilton.

Two returning series with Canadians in starring roles are 90210 — with Toronto's Shenae Grimes (Annie) and Vancouver's Jessica Lowndes (Adrianna) — and The Vampire Diaries with Nina Dobrev (Elena/Katherine), who was born in Bulgaria but raised in Toronto.

Photos courtesy Fox (Terra Nova); ABC (Happy Endings).

Celebrity gossip blogger is calling it quits

2011-10-03T08:56:00.014-04:00

Zack Teperman

PopGoesTheNews.com One of the most popular and controversial celebrity gossip blogs in Canada, ZackTaylor.ca, is shutting down.

Zack Teperman, the 24-year-old Toronto native behind the website, confirmed he will announce this week that he's sold the domain to CheaterVille, Inc., the Las Vegas social media company behind CheaterVille.com and CupidVille.com

"It's been a fun ride," Teperman told PopGoesTheNews.com from his home in Los Angeles, where he works for Lexicon Public Relations (whose clients include CheaterVille, Inc.). "I will definitely miss it but I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life."

Teperman, who declined to divulge the purchase price, said the new owner plans to re-brand the site to focus on celebrity cheating scandals. "What they have planned, which has never been done before, is going to blow people's minds," he said.

Teperman created ZackTaylor.ca after first launching gossip site IsThisHappening.com in 2007 using the name of a character in a popular children's series. ("It'll be nice to finally get rid of my Power Rangers name and go back to being a normal guy. See ya later, Taylor!") He worked tirelessly to develop the blog by covering events, producing video clips, and hosting parties at nightclubs across Canada.

Teperman recalled how some stories he posted resulted in "being sued by some A-list celebs," but there have been some successes, too. The site made headlines in 2007 after he posted nude photos that then-Maple Leaf player Jiri Tlusty sent to females in Toronto and, last year, the site was credited for breaking news about a 12-year-old boy who alleged that Justin Bieber assaulted him during a game of laser tag in Vancouver.

Still, like most blogs of its kind, the vast majority of the content on ZackTaylor.ca is rehashed — and, occasionally, boldly plagiarized — from other websites and Teperman has been criticized for a lack of sourcing. The site's reverse-text format and frat boy tone has also limited its appeal and Teperman wasn't able to attract significant advertising support.

In a draft press release announcing the acquisition of ZackTaylor.ca, CheaterVille Inc. founder and CEO James McGibney referred to "millions of viewers who currently visit his site on a daily basis." It was revised today to read "millions of viewers who have visited his site since it first launched back in 2007."

Based on average daily visitors and pageviews in the last three months, Alexa ranks ZackTaylor.ca at around 371,000 in the world and nearly 67,000 in Canada. By comparison, LaineyGossip.com by Vancouver-based Elaine Lui is ranked at around 13,000 in the world and 914 in Canada and PerezHilton.com is ranked at 935 globally and 281 in Canada.

ZackTaylor.ca is not the first Canadian celebrity gossip site to go offline this year. DrinkTheGlitter.com by Toronto residents Chris Corsini and David Tumey (aka David Robert), infamous for its bogus star sightings and bad grammar, shut down earlier this year without explanation. The domain name is currently on the market for $2,800.

Teperman believes the explosion of gossip websites in recent years has made it difficult to get noticed and to be viable. "There are so many that are all the same and have very little exclusive content," he said. "It's very hard for newcomers to make a living off just running a website."

Soon, those who relied on ZackTaylor.ca for the latest dirt on Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and various porn stars and Playboy models will have to click elsewhere.

"I've updated it every single day, almost every hour," said Teperman. "It's going to be weird not having a website to update, but I'm very excited to see what my little site from Canada is going to turn into worldwide."

Photo courtesy ZackTaylor.ca. This post has been revised.

Is Ryan Gosling's buzz bigger than his box office?

2011-09-30T17:58:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com It's hard to miss the official poster for The Ides of March, which shows the faces of the political drama's two male leads Ryan Gosling and George Clooney blended together. The striking composite image is a big risk for the studio behind the flick (opening Oct. 7) because Gosling's visage hasn't exactly been a big money-maker.

Movies marketed with the 30-year-old Canadian actor's face have generally not done well at the box office. The four in which he received top-billing — and appeared solo on the official posters — have taken in less than $38 million combined (all figures are domestic box office). Drive has earned a little more than $23 million since it opened in mid-September and The Believer, Half Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl made only $14.4 million in all.

When Gosling is portrayed as the romantic male lead the results are slightly better. The three movies in which he co-starred, and appeared on posters, with actresses have earned a total of $91 million at the box office. But this respectable figure is almost entirely thanks to The Notebook ($81 million) because All Good Things ($582,000) and Blue Valentine ($9.7 million) were duds.

Better still are the movies in which Gosling has been marketed as part of an ensemble cast. Crazy Stupid Love had him sandwiched between Steve Carell and Julianne Moore and earned $82.3 million; Stay, showing Gosling in the middle of Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman made $3.6 million; Fracture, showing the actor below Anthony Hopkins, earned $39 million; and The United States of Leland, where Gosling shared the poster with co-stars like Don Cheadle and Kevin Spacey, took in less than $350,000.

When Gosling was left off the posters completely (Remember the Titans, Murder by Numbers) the total box office haul was an impressive $150 million.

Gosling has appeared solo on posters for four movies.

The Ontario-born actor has been in front of the cameras for 18 years, he's good (his role in Half Nelson earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor) and he's often been touted as Hollywood's next big leading man — but the buzz about Gosling is bigger than his box office.

According to Box Office Mojo, Gosling's films have averaged $21.6 million — a long way from Clooney's $53.3 million and only slightly more than Hollywood has-been Pauly Shore ($18.6 million). In fact, Gosling's box office average is less than fellow Canadians Ryan Reynolds ($39.6 million), Keanu Reeves ($45.8 million) and The Notebook co-star Rachel McAdams ($71 million).

The Ides of March could prove Gosling has what it takes to sell movie tickets and he's got several new flicks to come: The Gangster Squad with Sean Penn and Josh Brolin and The Place Beyond the Pines co-starring Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes. Only time will tell if Gosling's average will reach the heights of leading men like Tom Cruise ($95.7 million), Will Smith ($132.7 million), Harrison Ford ($104.6 million) or Tom Hanks ($105.6 million).

Perhaps it's more fair to compare him to an actor who's around the same age and has almost the same number of credits to his name — an actor with a box office average of $37.7 million. But when was the last time you went to a Josh Hartnett movie?

See also...
07/25 • Ryan Gosling exits cosmetic surgery clinic in Ontario
04/19 • Ryan Gosling comes home for a break

Company allows fans to get into character

2011-09-28T14:29:00.000-04:00

Some of AbbyShot's outfits inspired by sci-fi and fantasy.

PopGoesTheNews.com Do you wish that you could dress up as your favorite sci-fi character or video game villain long after Fan Expo and Halloween have passed? You can, thanks to a company that specializes in creating clothing inspired by sci-fi, anime and gaming — and it's Canadian.

AbbyShot Clothiers, based near St. John's, NL, offers everything from a $29.95 Eleventh Doctor bow-tie to a $1,799 leather duster inspired by anime/manga classic Trigun, allowing fantasy fans to personify the fictional characters they love.

"We sell euphoria," says CEO Bonnie Cook, a former home seamstress. "The customer feels the power of that character when they put a garment on."

The company took off in 2002 after Cook and two partners were overwhelmed by demand for a black trench coat they created based on one in the sci-fi flick The Matrix. Though the company now has licensing agreements with Universal Studios and the BBC for reproductions of clothing seen in shows like Dr. Who, most of the garments are marketed as "inspired by."

Seven employees in Newfoundland design, develop and market the collection but manufacturing has been contracted out overseas to keep costs down. There are plans to add 3D technology to the company's website so clients can enter their measurements and see what the clothing will look like on them before they buy it.

Check out the collection by clicking here. AbbyShot's clothing is also available at several retailers across Canada (including Toronto's Silver Snail).

Robert Pattinson back in Toronto

2011-09-27T23:22:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com One of the world's busiest vampires, Robert Pattinson, flew into Toronto today — and the paparazzi were there to welcome him.

The 25-year-old star is reportedly in the city to do looping for Cosmopolis, the David Cronenberg flick he shot in Toronto earlier this year.

Pattinson is soon embarking on a press and promotion tour for his new film Bel Ami, in which he plays Georges Duroy, a poor ex-soldier who seduces a string of women in 1890 Paris to gain wealth and status. It co-stars Christina Ricci and Uma Thurman.

The film is due in cinemas on Oct. 19, just a month before The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1, in which Pattinson reprises his role as Edward Cullen. Cosmopolis is scheduled to open next year.

To see photos of Pattinson arriving in Toronto today click HERE.

Pattinson landed in Toronto on the same day Nina Dobrev of The Vampire Diaries was in the city to co-host We Day at the Air Canada Centre. Stephen Moyer, who plays a vampire on True Blood, is also in the city to shoot a feature film called The Barrens.

Canada's Walk of Fame rolls out the red carpet

2011-09-26T23:10:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Rapper Drake, TV doctor Sandra Oh, funnyman Russell Peters and — guess who! — Burton Cummings, are among the stars walking the red carpet this Saturday outside Toronto's Elgin Theatre.

The occasion is the 14th annual Canada's Walk of Fame induction gala, which will be hosted by homegrown star and America's Got Talent judge Howie Mandel. In addition to Oh, Peters and Cummings, inductees include tennis ace Daniel Nestor, astronaut Roberta Bondar and the late author Mordecai Richler. Drake is receiving the Allan Slaight Award, which goes to a young Canadian making a positive impact.

As first reported at twitter.com/jrkm_pop on Sept. 20, this year's other inductee, actor Ryan Reynolds, will not attend the ceremony, which is being taped for broadcast on Global and Slice on Oct. 23.

The inductees and celebrity presenters are scheduled to arrive at the Yonge Street theatre beginning at 3:45pm but fans will be treated to a performance by rocker Suzie MacNeil on the red carpet at 3pm.

Canada's Walk of Fame celebrations kick off on Thursday with a Massey Hall show by Cummings, followed by Chantal Kreviazuk on Friday and K'naan with Bedouin Soundclash on Saturday. There are also free performances all weekend long at David Pecaut Square on King St. by acts like Parachute Club, Ashley MacIsaac, John Kay & Steppenwolf, Trooper, Jully Black and Serena Ryder.

Second City alumni coming to Toronto gala

2011-09-21T10:44:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Toronto will play host to a mini Second City reunion in November — and it's all in the name of one of the improv company's most beloved alumnus, Gilda Radner.

Second City veterans Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard are set to take the stage of the Sony Centre on Nov. 19 at the It's Always Something Variety Show. The event, celebrating its 10th anniversary, raises funds for Gilda's Club Greater Toronto, a cancer support facility.

Radner, who died in 1989 at the age of 42 after a battle with ovarian cancer, joined the Second City troupe in Toronto in the early '70s after co-starring with Short and Levy (as well as Victor Garber and Andrea Martin) in the Toronto production of Godspell.

Late Show with David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer, who served as musical director for Godspell, is also scheduled to take part in the Nov. 19 gala, which will be hosted by Russell Peters. Other musical acts include Andy Kim, Lighthouse and Measha Brueggergosman.

Tickets for It's Always Something go on sale on Sept. 23. The show has netted nearly $3 million in its first nine years.

Canadian Air & Space Museum evicted over rent arrears

2011-09-20T12:15:00.001-04:00

The Avro CF-105 Arrow replica at the museum.

PopGoesTheNews.com The Canadian Air & Space Museum at Downsview Park in Toronto has been evicted for non-payment of rent.

The museum has been the home of a full-size replica of Canada's iconic fighter jet, the Avro CF-105 Arrow, and many other planes and artifacts for more than a dozen years.

Employees and volunteers were quickly removing the contents of the building this afternoon after receiving notice that bailiffs intend to padlock the doors today because the non-profit organization is reportedly $118,000 in arrears on rent.

Formerly known as the Toronto Aerospace Museum, it opened in 1997 at the federally-operated Downsview Park in the former home of de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. The oldest surviving aircraft factory in the country, it's the birthplace of the famous Beaver and Otter bush planes as well as the first Canadian satellite, Alouette I. Restoration of a Lancaster bomber built in 1944 was taking place at the museum.

Admission to the museum was $11 for adults and it was a popular destination for school groups.

The museum's annual general meeting, and a special members meeting, was scheduled for this Saturday.

Photo courtesy the Canadian Air & Space Museum.

Social marketing campaign ruffles feathers on Twitter

2011-09-19T13:59:00.009-04:00

Maria Bello in Prime Suspect.

PopGoesTheNews.com A campaign to promote the new Global TV series Prime Suspect via Twitter created some mystery of its own today when several people who thought they had been hired by a marketing firm to spread the word complained they were left hanging.

"@Global_TV Next time try hiring a marketing agency that isn't itself a #PrimeSuspect in unethical business practices. #gearwerxsucks" reads a Twitter message from Jeff Robson (@zapata_36). His partner Lesley Steeve (@steeve_wonder) tweeted: "@Global_TV Did you know @gearwerx takes your customers' personal information by promising them a one-day job and money?"

Robson and 14 others responded to a call earlier this month from Montreal-based Gearwerx for people to participate in a Twitter campaign about a street-level promotion of Prime Suspect in Toronto. It promised $300 for one day of work.

On Sept. 13, Robson received an email from the company's human resources director Erika Puckering that read: "You have been selected to be one of our 8 tweeters candidates for our campaign for Global TV." Steeve also received an email from Puckering asking if she was available for "a quick training" prior to today's campaign. "Also, if you know anyone else, can you please pass on this info? I still have 5 spots available."

In both emails, Puckering indicated the hours were 6am to 7pm with three two-hour breaks.

But as today's date got closer, Robson and Steeve heard nothing further from Gearwerx. Robson emailed Puckering on Sunday and received a response that read: "My apologies but you were not one of the selected tweeters."

Robson angrily replied to Puckering: "Does the company usually tell people they have been chosen for something, collect personally-identifying information, and then fail to even contact them to inform them that they've been 'deselected'?"

Global publicity manager Grace Park declined to say if the network was aware of Gearwerx recruitment practices and, like Puckering, referred inquiries to the company's president Adam Starr.

"The words that we used to reply to individuals were 'you have been selected as a candidate.' That was a very poor choice of words on our part," Starr admitted to PopGoesTheNews.com. "It should have said 'you have been selected as a potential candidate' or 'you are still under review.' We did not articulate that properly."

Starr says he accepts responsibility for the emails and understands that the seven people who thought they had been hired may have kept the day open in anticipation of working. So, like any good mystery, this one has a happy ending. "We will be paying them for a day's labor," says Starr.

Prime Suspect debuts on Global this Thursday at 10pm.

Update (09/21): Lesley Steeve thanked Starr on Twitter today for "genuinely good business practices."

TIFF 2011: The best (and the rest) of the fest

2011-09-18T12:23:00.005-04:00

Peace out: Bill Nighy closes TIFF.

PopGoesTheNews.com It had hundreds of films, dozens of stars and more red carpets than the waiting room of an Irish gynecology clinic. The Toronto International Film Festival has wrapped for another year and now that the velvet ropes are rolled up and the curbside puke at party venues is washed away, it's time to look at some of the highlights — and lowlights — of TIFF 2011.

Best Programming Decision • With one recent exception (2009's Creation) TIFF has given the opening night honor to a Canadian film that no one will likely ever pay to see after the fest (oh really, you went to see Water?). Sure, it showcased a taxpayer-funded flick at a taxpayer-funded fest but it didn't generate global buzz because of a red carpet filled with homegrown actors in their Winners-best who took the subway to RTH. This year, TIFF wisely kicked things off with a documentary about U2 that brought out Bono and The Edge (not to mention the director's wife, actress Elisabeth Shue). For the first time in a long time, TIFF made Friday morning's headlines.

Biggest Losers • One of the easiest news stories this year was the impact TIFF's new home on King Street had on the tony Yorkville neighborhood. Most business owners interviewed put on a brave face and downplayed the effects. "Yorkville is still the place where beautifully fashionable people come to see and be seen," Park Hyatt general manager Paul Verciglio told The Toronto Star. Zoran Kocovski of Sassafraz added defensively: "Why do we need to look at it with one area versus another?" Clearly neither man spent any time during TIFF on King St. from University to Spadina, which was packed with people, or outside the Ritz-Carlton on Wellington and Intercontinental on Front St. Meanwhile outside the Park Hyatt and Sassafraz crowds were as scarce as a black guy on an episode of Frasier. Next year, the luxury Shangri-La hotel and Trump Hotel will be open just blocks from TIFF's headquarters, sucking even more stars away from Yorkville.

Get A Life • To everyone who took time off work or school to stand outside TIFF venues hoping to get an autograph or a picture with a celebrity: It's time to take a deeper look at your life. Years from now you will look back and understand how none of it means anything. Lining a red carpet: Cool. Hanging out in an alley or at the airport: Sad. And if you're an adult male trying to get close to 14-year-old Chloe Moretz, you need to turn yourself in to the nearest police station.

Hottest Name • It ranked as only the 30th most common name for girls born in the U.S. last year, but "Sarah" was easily No. 1 at TIFF this year. There were directors Sarah Polley and Sarah Goodman as well as actresses Sarah Gadon, Sarah Paulson, Sarah Silverman and Sarah Bolger — and a documentary called Sarah Palin: You Betcha!.

Why Pay More? • We live in a world with plenty of people who feel that paying $100 for a ticket to a musical stage production like Dirty Dancing or Legally Blonde sure beats renting the movie on Netflix. So it's no wonder people lined up at the TIFF box office and forked over their hard-earned cash to see movies they can soon see at home. For example, the festival's opening night film, From The Sky Down, is airing on U.S. cable channel Showtime on Oct. 29 (a Canadian broadcast is still to come) and its closing night film Page Eight is a BBC production that airs on PBS on Nov. 6. Similarly, flicks like Drive and Killer Elite were screened at TIFF just days or weeks before opening in cinemas, where tickets are cheaper and the line-ups are shorter.

We Missed You • Several celebrities on the official guest list bailed out of TIFF for a variety of reasons, including Jane Fonda (illness), Sir Anthony Hopkins (illness), and Michelle Williams (scheduling). Blake Lively didn't bother showing up for Hick and Carey Mulligan skipped both Shame and Drive. Michael Fassbender missed his first movie, A Dangerous Method, but showed up for Shame. And Jennifer Hudson pooh-poohed the idea of showing up for Winnie.

Thanks For Coming! • Some stars lingered at TIFF for days (we're talking to you, Geoffrey Rush) while others spent only a few hours in Toronto. The award for shortest TIFF visit goes to both Robert DeNiro and Madonna. He flew in to support the Sept. 10 screening of Killer Elite and then flew back to NYC in time for the 10th anniversary of 9/11; she came in to promote W.E. and then took off because, well, she's Madonna.

Forget Madge, Let's Talk Vadge • It's not the first time TIFF has served up a generous portion of naughty bits on screen — who can forget the explicit sex scenes in 2005's Lie With Me or 2001's Y tu mama también — but this year's festival was decidedly horny. Take This Waltz has threesomes and a full-frontal shower scene and movies like W.E., 360, Sleeping Beauty, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Damsels in Distress, Melancholia and Killer Joe all show plenty of naked flesh. And although male masturbation was de rigueur (with Matthew Goode firing up his wick in Burning Man and Michael Fassbender proudly whacking off in Shame) most of the nudity was of the female kind.

TIFF's, um, Biggest Star • Michael Fassbender aside, we have no way of knowing how well endowed every male celebrity at TIFF is, of course, but after peeing at an adjacent urinal we can tell you with certainty that The Hunter's Willem Dafoe is a big star. Certainly makes up for having to live with a face like that.

Youngest TIFF Guests • Oh sure, Butter's Yara Shahidi is adorable and Hick's Chloe Moretz is a darling — but they weren't the youngest ones to walk the red carpet at TIFF. That honor goes to the fetuses inside Jennifer Garner and Bryce Dallas Howard, who both brought bulging bellies to the fest.

Oh No You Didn't! • At the TIFF press conferences there were the usual assortment of inane questions and a handful of reporters who made pathetic attempts to insert themselves into the coverage (at the W.E. press conference, Cineplex magazine's Mathieu Chantelois brought up hydrangeas in front of Madonna. Crickets.) But a few journos managed to create memorable moments. During the presser for The Ides of March, George Clooney shot down People reporter Paul Chi, who asked him about the pressure of dating in the spotlight. "I knew someone would do it," Clooney replied. "I’m a little disappointed that it’s you. Honestly. I think it’s tremendous you asked the question. Go back and tell your editor you asked the question." And someone at the Trespass gathering got Nicolas Cage to reveal that he was once the victim of a bizarre home invasion involving a naked man and a Fudgesicle.

Most Epic Fail • You would think when TIFF designed and built its new year-round headquarters it would take into consideration the needs of its biggest annual event: the festival. You would be wrong. The sparkling new TIFF Bell Lightbox proved to be simply not able to properly accommodate TIFF. Only two tiny elevators (in which, inexplicably, a security guard used up precious space) shuttled hundreds of media personnel and their equipment to a tiny room on the sixth floor for the daily press conferences. Throw in TIFF staffers trying to access other floors and the result was gridlock, especially on the second day of the fest when only one elevator was in service. (Never mind the tales of media being herded like sheep, barred from stairwells and chased out of washrooms.) TIFF is infamous for its palpable disdain of the media (indeed, it has no trouble getting coverage) and there are more than a handful of obnoxious self-important journalists — but it needs to show a little more respect for the practical needs of the media when planning the festival. Press conferences on a floor serviced by only two small elevators? Just plain stupid.

Who Needs an Electrical Outlet When We've Got Churros? • The night before TIFF opened, the CBC hosted the Gemini Awards in its headquarters on Wellington St. and provided journalists covering the event with a spacious media room that was air-conditioned and filled with lines of tables equipped with power bars. "Too bad TIFF can't see how a proper media room is set-up," one journalist said to a crowd of nodding heads. Sure enough, this year's TIFF did nothing but set-up a small room on the third floor as the "Shangri-La media lounge" — a room not planned by anyone with any knowledge of the basic needs of the media. Journalists wishing to plug in their laptops or recharge mobile devices had to fight for one of three available power outlets (while four outlets in the tiny room were being used to power TVs showing black-and-white movies with no sound). Then there was the cheesy lounge music that made it difficult for journalists to make phone calls or transcribe interviews, as did the well-intentioned servers who constantly interrupted with offers of food and drink (all of it delicious and free). And what genius decided it made sense to set-up the food table at the opposite end of the room from where the food was being brought in? Here's hoping the Shangri-La is better at running a hotel.

Love Was In The Air • Jennifer Garner didn't bring hubby Ben Affleck and Emily Blunt left John Krasinski at home but some stars got support from their famous significant others at TIFF. Brad Pitt was joined on the red carpet by his spousal equivalent Angelina Jolie, his Moneyball co-star Chris Pratt brought wife Anna Faris, From The Sky Down director Davis Guggenheim brought wife Elisabeth Shue, Jay Baruchel was joined by fiancée Alison Pill, and George Clooney brought Stacy Keibler.

Oh, They're Exes • It's always fun to hope that famous ex-lovers will run into each other at TIFF — and it happens more often than we probably know (those Hollywood sluts!). What if Sean Penn showed up and made things awkward! for ex-wives Robin Wright and Madonna? This year, the closest Brad Pitt got to Jennifer Aniston was at the press conference for Moneyball, where he sat behind a bottle of SmartWater (for which Aniston is spokesmodel). Funnyman Jimmy Kimmel was in town shooting segments for his late night show but no one's sure if he ran into his ex Sarah Silverman, here for Take This Waltz. Toronto resident Rachel McAdams flew out of town during TIFF, thereby dashing our hopes of a reunion with ex Ryan Gosling. And Hick's Eddie Redmayne was likely pleased that ex Carey Mulligan was a no-show.

Photo by Dominic Chan/DominicChan.ca.

Check out our TIFF coverage at StarsInCanada.com!

Estella Warren leaves rehab for rally

2011-09-17T18:01:00.003-04:00

Estella Warren

PopGoesTheNews.com Model-turned-actress Estella Warren, who pleaded no contest to a DUI charge last month, was in Toronto today taking part in a car rally.

The Planet of the Apes star is one of the celebrities in the Rally for Kids with Cancer, an annual fundraising event benefitting the Sick Kids hospital. Warren, 32, is on a weekend pass from an L.A. rehab centre and accompanied by a "sober companion," according to her lawyer Darren Kavinoky.

Warren, who was born in Peterborough, Ont., was arrested May 23 on suspicion of DUI, hit-and-run, resisting arrest and battery on a police officer. She was accused of slamming her Toyota Prius into three parked cars and then fleeing the scene. When cops found her, she allegedly kicked an officer and later tried to escape from a police station.

On Aug. 19, Warren pleaded no contest to DUI and was sentenced to four months in a residential rehab facility and five years of informal probation (the other charges were dropped). Warren is due back in court on Oct. 7 to find out if she must pay restitution.

In a statement after sentencing, Warren said: "I take my actions and their consequences very seriously. Moving forward I am focusing all my efforts on my career, my family and being a good influence on others.

During today's car rally around Toronto, Warren was a passenger in a silver luxury convertible.

Warren, a former Canadian synchronized swimming champion and successful model for brands like Chanel and Victoria's Secret, was named Maxim's Hottest Woman in 2000. Her TV and film roles include 2003's Kangaroo Jack and a 2005 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

To see another photo of Estella Warren in Toronto, go to StarsInCanada.com!
Photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com

Horror master scares up another T.O. flick

2011-09-10T10:25:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Director Darren Lynn Bousman, who spooked audiences with three Saw sequels, is back in Toronto getting ready to make another frightening flick.

Bousman is busily scouting locations and casting for The Barrens, a movie he penned about a family fighting for their lives on a wilderness vacation after the father starts believing they're being stalked by a horned beast.

Bousman, a Kansas native, directed the first three Saw sequels as well as Repo! The Genetic Opera in Toronto and made last year's Mother's Day in Winnipeg. Arriving in Toronto last month for pre-production of The Barrens, he took to Twitter to declare: "Oh Toronto how I have missed you."

The director's next movie to hit cinemas is 11.11.11 (opening on...well, you can figure it out), a thriller about an entity from another world that enters the earthly realm through Heaven's 11th gate.

The Barrens (not to be confused with the Canadian classic novel Lost in the Barrens by Farley Mowat) is scheduled to shoot from Sept. 26 to Oct. 21.

'Take This Waltz' star might miss premiere

2011-09-08T19:25:00.002-04:00

Michelle Williams, right, with director Sarah Polley.

PopGoesTheNews.com When Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz celebrates its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, one of its stars might not be there.

According to sources on the Michigan set of Oz: The Great and Powerful, Michelle Williams won't be making the trip to Toronto. "She's scheduled to be working this weekend," the insider said. "I can't imagine she'll make it to TIFF."

Williams is currently filming the Disney flick with James Franco, Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis at Raleigh Studios in Pontiac, near Detroit — a one-hour flight to Toronto.

Take This Waltz also stars Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby. All three are scheduled to attend Saturday's gala screening at Roy Thomson Hall and a press conference on Sunday with Polley, who wrote and directed the film.

In Take This Waltz, which was shot last summer in Toronto and in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Williams plays Margot, who falls for Daniel (Kirby) even though she's married to Lou (Rogen).

Photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com.

See also...

11/09/06 • Sarah Polley expecting her first child
10/08/23 • Michelle Williams and Luke Kirby prep for sexy threesomes

FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR NEWS & POP CULTURE UPDATES!

Michael Keaton to get creepy in Canada's capital

2011-09-08T18:06:00.001-04:00

Michael Keaton

PopGoesTheNews.com Canada's capital is getting a bit of star power this fall as the original big screen Batman swoops in to make a movie.

Michael Keaton, who played the caped crusader in 1989's Batman and 1992's Batman Returns, will co-star with Michelle Monaghan in the thriller Penthouse North. Production will get underway in Ottawa in November.

Keaton plays Hollander, a sadistic criminal looking for a hidden fortune in a New York City penthouse where a photojournalist (Monaghan) haunted by a past tragedy lives. Joseph Ruben (The Forgotten) is directing with a script by David Loughery, who wrote the thrillers Obsessed and Lakeview Terrace as well as Nurse 3D, currently filming in Toronto.

"Michelle Monaghan is an incredible actor whom audiences love and connect with completely," Ruben said. "And Michael Keaton can do it all. He has a special talent for creating complicated villains who are dark, charming and ultimately terrifying. Put these actors together and you've got the makings for a hell of a thriller."

Monaghan, whose credits include M:I III and Gone Baby Gone, starred opposite another Batman, Val Kilmer, in 2005's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. She spent last summer in Montreal making Source Code with Jake Gyllenhaal.

Keaton made 2007's TNT mini-series The Company in Toronto and Hamilton.

Ottawa is an increasingly popular choice for film producers. Among the flicks recently shot in the city include House at the End of the Street starring Elisabeth Shue, Sacrifice with Cuba Gooding Jr. and Christian Slater, and The Day with Dominic Monaghan and Shannyn Sossamon.

FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR NEWS & POP CULTURE UPDATES!

Blogger busted for sponsorship claims

2011-09-07T11:47:00.005-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com A Toronto blogger with a record of stretching the truth has been busted for falsely claiming that his coverage of TIFF is sponsored by Acura.

In a Sept. 2 posting that included an Acura logo, Will Wong (who calls himself Mr. Will-W) boasted that Acura is "a proud partner" of his blog. "Earlier this week I received word that Acura was interested in sponsoring ... my TIFF 2011 Adventures," he wrote. "I'm proud to announce that Acura will be providing my mode of Transportation from Premiere to Celebrity Sighting to Party this year." Wong also announced the sponsorship deal on Twitter.

But the partnership came as news to Honda Canada, the company that makes Acura. According to Richard Jacobs, manager of public relations, "Acura is not partnering with Mr. Wong nor his blog, and Acura is not sponsoring him."

The company demanded that Wong remove its logo from his site and cease "all references that purport to partnership or sponsorship by Acura," said Jacobs. On Tuesday, he complied and revised the posting to explain that he — like several other bloggers — is test-driving an Acura during TIFF. Wong did not post a retraction.

This isn't the first time Wong has been caught fudging the facts. In March he claimed that his site went down due to the volume of traffic (it did not) and in July he boasted that his YouTube channel had reached 4 million views when, in fact, it had fewer than 20,000 views. (The 4 million figure was the total number of views of his more than 130 videos posted on YouTube since 2006.)

Wong did not respond to an email inquiry from PopGoesTheNews.com today seeking an explanation for his claims about an Acura sponsorship.

See also...
03/15 • Blogger busted for bogus boasts

FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR NEWS & POP CULTURE UPDATES!

Sarah Polley expecting her first child

2011-09-06T18:53:00.004-04:00

Sarah Polley and husband David Sandomierski.

PopGoesTheNews.com Sarah Polley, whose film Take This Waltz debuts at TIFF, has another reason to glow on the red carpet: She's pregnant.

The 32-year-old actress, director and screenwriter is expecting her first child with husband David Sandomierski, a doctoral law student at the University of Toronto, in March. The couple married last month in a private ceremony.

Polley wrote and directed Take This Waltz, which has its world premiere at TIFF on Saturday. Shot in Toronto and Nova Scotia last summer, it stars Michelle Williams, Sarah Silverman, Seth Rogen and Luke Kirby. Polley earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for her directorial debut Away from Her in 2006.

She and Sandomierski are co-writing Didi and the Bean, a children's book about a man who befriends a talking bean.

A graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton who earned his M.A. in Political Science at the University of Toronto, Sandomierski was a Parliamentary Intern and studied law at McGill University. He also served as a clerk to the Chief Justice of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin.

Toronto-born Polley, who is unabashedly active in political issues, rose to fame on the Canadian series Road to Avonlea before appearing in films like Dawn of the Dead and Splice.

Sarah Polley photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com. David Sandomierski photo courtesy McMaster University.

FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR NEWS & POP CULTURE UPDATES!

U2 members to answer fan questions

2011-09-05T22:55:00.003-04:00

The Edge and Bono of U2.

PopGoesTheNews.com A day after they walk the red carpet at the opening night gala of the Toronto International Film Festival, U2's Bono and The Edge will walk into the TIFF Bell Lightbox to answer questions from fans.

The two musicians will be joined on stage Friday afternoon by Davis Guggenheim, director of From The Sky Down — the documentary about U2's 1991 album Achtung Baby that opens TIFF on Thursday night.

Fans can submit questions before Friday at 12 noon via Twitter using the hash tag #THESKYDOWN.

Bono and The Edge are scheduled to answer questions starting at 1:30 pm during a 45-minute session that will be streamed live at tiff.net and U2.com. There is no public access to the event.

From The Sky Down will have its world premiere at Roy Thomson Hall on Thursday night, kicking off the 11-day film festival. It's the first time TIFF has opened with a documentary.

Guggenheim's previous rock doc It Might Get Loud brought The Edge to TIFF in 2008 along with Jimmy Page and Jack White.

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

FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR NEWS & POP CULTURE UPDATES!

Hollywood icon Connie Stevens honored in Toronto

2011-09-05T18:59:00.001-04:00

Connie Stevens at the Italian Walk of Fame ceremony.

PopGoesTheNews.com Actress, singer, humanitarian and entrepreneur Connie Stevens got some concrete proof today that she's a beloved icon in Canada: She unveiled her star on the Italian Walk of Fame.

Stevens, who was born Concetta Rosalie Ann Ingoglia, waved to the crowd as she arrived on the red carpet outside the CHIN building on College Street. Later, the 73-year-old sat clutching a modest bouquet of flowers from a fan while listening to her career highlights — from her big screen breakthrough in 1958's Rock-A-Bye Baby and her role as Cricket Blake in the popular series Hawaiian Eye through to her business success with the Forever Spring skin care line.

Briefly married to singer Eddie Fisher, Stevens is the mother of actress Joely Fisher, who made the series Zoe Busiek: Wild Card in Toronto from 2003 to 2005.

Before unveiling her star on the sidewalk on College Street, Stevens told the crowd she has always had a strong fan base in Canada. In an eerie coincidence, after talking about her ongoing support of U.S. armed forces personnel, a fighter jet taking part in the Canadian International Air Show roared directly overhead. "I hope that was for me!" she exclaimed.

Stevens already has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and on the Star Walk in Palm Springs. Later this month, she will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Temecula Valley International Film & Music Festival.

Other inductees today included singer Bobby Curtola, actor Franco Nero, Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, and businessmen Luigi Aquilini and Alfredo DeGasperis. The Italian Walk of Fame, which honors the "extraordinary achievements of Italians in all fields," has previously recognized stars like Enrico Colantoni, Armand Assante and Connie Francis.

To see photos of Connie Stevens and her fellow inductees at the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, go to StarsInCanada.com.

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

FOLLOW ON TWITTER FOR NEWS & POP CULTURE UPDATES!

Health inspectors shut down a McDonald's

2011-09-02T10:21:00.004-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Inspectors from Toronto Public Health paid a visit to a busy McDonald's on Wednesday — and they weren't lovin' it.

The "open 24 hours" McDonald's at 345 Bloor Street East remains closed today after health inspectors shut it down for numerous violations. A sign posted next to the city-issued order reads: "We are currently close (sic) for renovation and cleaning. Sorry for the inconvenience." It's not known when the restaurant will re-open.

The restaurant was closed due to "inadequate pest control" and for failing to "prevent an insect infestation" (reportedly cockroaches). Inspectors rated the severity of the violations as "significant" and "crucial" respectively. Inspectors also cited it for "failure to protect food from contamination" and "improper maintenance/sanitation of non-food contact surfaces/equipment." The report notes McDonald's failed to properly wash surfaces and equipment.

In addition to the closure order, the restaurant was issued a summons and health hazard order.

The McDonald's, located in Greenwin Square — and popular with employees of the nearby Rogers campus — passed an inspection in May 2011 but was given a Conditional Pass in October 2010 for failing "to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated" and for improper equipment and maintenance.

A neighboring Panzerotto Pizza outlet and a Swiss Chalet in the same mall have both passed all their inspections.

This McDonald's is apparently the first to be closed by Toronto Public Health in at least two years. According to records, four locations (595 Bay St., 61 Front St. West, 1000 Gerrard St. East and 2365 Dundas St. West) received Conditional passes after inspections last year but quickly rectified the problems.

Update: Toronto Public Health inspected McDonald's at 345 Bloor St. E. on Sept. 2 and the restaurant passed.

Photo by John R. Kennedy/PopGoesTheNews.com.

Dermot Mulroney to work in Toronto

2011-08-29T15:22:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com Dermot Mulroney, best known for his role opposite Julia Roberts in 1997's My Best Friend's Wedding, is Toronto-bound to work on a flick for U.S. cable channel TNT.

Mulroney, 47, co-stars with Anne Heche, Judd Hirsch and Michael Cudlitz (Southland) in Silent Witness, a drama based on Richard North Patterson's novel of the same name. The story focuses on a criminal attorney faced with defending an old friend accused of murder — an old friend who once stood by him when he was a murder suspect.

Silent Witness shoots Sept. 14 to Oct.7.

The TNT series Falling Skies (airing in Canada on Super Channel) was also shot in Toronto. It has been renewed for a second season.

This post has been updated.

CBC revisits Stephen Leacock's classic tales

2011-08-29T14:51:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com The CBC is bringing Stephen Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Small Town to television again — six decades after making it into a series.

Gordon Pinsent, Martin Short and Shaun Majumder will shoot a TV movie based on the late Canadian humorist's 1912 collection of stories starting mid-September in the town of Millbrook, south of Peterborough, Ont., for director Don McBrearty (Murdoch Mysteries).

Millbrook — featured in films like A History of Violence and Ice Princess — will stand in for the fictional town of Mariposa on the shore of Lake Wissanotti. Leacock wrote: "Mariposa is not a real town. On the contrary, it is about seventy or eighty of them. You may find them all the way from Lake Superior to the sea, with the same square streets and the same maple trees and the same churches and hotels."

The original CBC adaptation, which aired for one season beginning September 1952, was shot in Beaverton, Ont. It was the first English-language drama to air on the network.

Meanwhile, cameras are about to roll on Global's six-part drama Bomb Girls starring Meg Tilly, Jodi Balfour, Charlotte Hegele, Ali Liebert, Anastasia Philips, Lisa Norton and Antonio Cupo. Set in the 1940s, the mini-series tells the stories of women who risked their lives working in munitions factories during the Second World War. It will be filmed in Toronto.

'Resident Evil' returning to Toronto

2011-08-29T14:20:00.001-04:00

Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: Afterlife.

PopGoesTheNews.com Actress Milla Jovovich and her husband, director Paul W.S. Anderson, are coming back to Toronto for another chapter of Resident Evil.

Cameras are set to roll Oct. 10 on Resident Evil: Retribution, the fifth installment in the lucrative franchise — and the fourth to be primarily shot in Toronto. The 3D production will take over Cinespace sound stages until just before Christmas. Additional filming will take place in Tokyo.

On Twitter, Jovovich teased that the new movie will have an action sequence set in Moscow's Red Square and "epic" fights between her character Alice and Sienna Guillory's Jill. According to reports, Wentworth Miller and Ali Larter are expected to reprise their roles from last year's Resident Evil: Afterlife and True Blood's Ryan Kwanten might be joining the cast.

All the Resident Evil movies except 2007's Extinction were filmed in Canada.

Photo courtesy Screen Gems.

Bikes of the world pedal into Canada

2011-08-14T09:24:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Users of the Bixi bike rental system in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal can now ride around their hometown on bikes from similar systems in cities like Melbourne, Australia and Washington, DC.

Bikes from Melbourne, Ottawa and Minneapolis spotted in Toronto.

A number of bikes painted and branded for six other cities have been added to the ubiquitous racks.

"Tell us what you think of their color, their characteristics or even share your experience with those who have traveled and already tried these bikes in their respective cities," reads a message on Bixi's Toronto website.

On Facebook, the promotional stunt is getting positive reviews with comments like "That's pretty cool!" and "This is frickin' awesome." Users are posting photos of the out-of-town bikes they've spotted around the city.

Photos by Richard Compton/PopGoesTheNews.com. Click on images to see full size.

Martin Short is coming home

2011-08-12T21:49:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Canadian funnyman Martin Short is going back to his roots next month – and it will all be captured on camera for an upcoming CBC special.

The comic actor is shooting I, Martin Short, Goes Home in mid-September in Hamilton and Toronto. A co-production of the CBC and Second City, the show comes 22 years after Short's HBO special I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood first aired.

Short, 61, was born in Hamilton and got his acting start in the Toronto production of Godspell with future stars like Victor Garber, Gilda Radner and Eugene Levy. His work on SCTV and Saturday Night Live led to a successful career in films and on television and Broadway.

Although he lives in California, Short makes frequent trips home to Canada for both work and pleasure (he owns a cottage in the Muskoka area). In 2004 he shot the box office dud Jiminy Glick in Lalawood in Toronto.

Short, who is currently working on a memoir, has made millions laugh in spite of great sadness in his own life. His wife of 30 years, Nancy, died last August of cancer. Short was 12 when his older brother was killed in a car accident; 17 when his mother died of cancer; and 19 when his father died following a stroke.

'The Help' star Jessica Chastain is Toronto-bound

2011-08-12T21:25:00.001-04:00

Jessica Chastain

PopGoesTheNews.com • One of the stars of The Help is coming to Toronto. Jessica Chastain, who plays Celia Foote in the critically-acclaimed drama now in cinemas, has reportedly signed on for the lead role in Mama, shooting in the city during October and November.

The feature-length adaptation of Andres Muschietti's short film of the same name is being executive produced by Guillermo del Toro, who will be in Toronto from October through April directing the action flick Still Seas.

Mama is a horror flick about a woman who uses two young girls abandoned in the woods to bring her own children back from the dead. Muschietti will direct Chastain, who recently starred opposite Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life and can be seen next in Texas Killing Fields with Sam Worthington.

You can watch Muschietti's original short film Mama here.

Another Spanish director coming to Ontario this fall is Analeine Cal y Mayor, who will be shooting The Boy Who Smelled Like Fish in September. It's the story of a boy named Mica who lives in the former home of a legendary Mexican singer – and, yes, he smells like fish – who discovers a girl named Laura. The feature is a co-production of Spain's Mecanismo Films and Toronto-based Rhombus Media.

Luke Evans stays quiet about being gay as his career takes off

2011-08-10T14:07:00.012-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • It looks like rising star Luke Evans – who's in two big movies this year – is going back into the closet.

The 32-year-old Welsh actor stars as Aramis in October's The Three Musketeers and as Zeus in the made-in-Montreal epic Immortals, opening in November. Last year, Evans portrayed Apollo in Clash of the Titans.

Evans, who stars in next spring's The Raven opposite John Cusack, is currently in New Zealand playing Bard the Bowman in two Hobbit films, An Unexpected Journey and There and Back Again.

But before he hit the big screen in movies aimed at teenage boys, Evans starred in such stage productions as Rent and Avenue Q. And while promoting the Boy George musical Taboo in 2002, he was asked about his decision to be frank about his sexuality. "It was something I'd spoken to a lot of people about, including my boyfriend at the time," Evans told The Advocate. "I never tried to hide it. It's who I am."

Evans said he wasn't interested in taking roles from anyone who had an issue with his sexuality. "If that means I'm going to be a poor man at 60, then at least I've lived a happy, open, gay life and not had to hide it from anybody."

Last year, though, Evans' camp decided being openly gay might not be an asset to his burgeoning film career. Suddenly British fashion industry insider Holly Goodchild claimed she was dating the actor. "We're really old friends and it just sort of happened," she told reporters. "We are nowhere near engaged but things are really good."

A longtime entry on Evans' Wikipedia page stating that the actor is "openly gay" was replaced with: "Luke lives a private life and rarely speaks about his personal life ... In the last 10 years Luke Evans stance has always been to remain quietly dignified and focus solely on his career, family and friends which are incredibly important to him." When gay website AfterElton.com started making inquiries about the actor's sexuality, the "Personal Life" section of his Wikipedia page was deleted and editing of the page was disabled.

In a statement, a rep for Evans said the actor talked openly about his personal life "once, a long time ago when he was an inexperienced, young actor and now with maturity and hindsight, he has learned not to engage the press in his personal life again."

In the Advocate interview, Evans said he'd never have anything to hide. "Whether I'm successful or if I weren't successful, at least I'll never have that skeleton in the closet they can rattle out," he said. "As far as I'm concerned it's not a big issue. You come out, that's it, the end."

Photo by Magnus Hastings.

See also...
06/09 • Real World star Dustin Zito lies about gay porn past right to the end
06/02 • MTV star Colton Haynes gets more exposure thanks to steamy pics

Whose willy is it? Take the great Canadian bacon challenge!

2011-08-09T13:10:00.007-04:00

More than a handful of Canadian actors have dared to bare all in movies — some early in their careers and others decidedly later. Do you know which ones?

To test your knowledge of Canadian bacon, PopGoesTheNews.com has grabbed a few big screen peens!

After the jump, check out seven scenes where Canadian actors have had the balls to go full frontal (or close to it) before the director called "cut!". Try to guess which homegrown actor is attached to each penis and in which film it popped up.

Send your answers HERE. One person selected in a random draw of all correct entries will win a $50 Cineplex gift card so you'd be nuts not to give it a shot. Heads up: The contest is a bit hard and it ends Friday at the stroke of midnight, so start poking around for the answers!

The lucky wiener...er, winner and all the answers will be posted here on Saturday, Aug. 13.

Content after the jump is NSFW!

Here are the seven famous dicks (clicking on the image will make it bigger):

UPDATE (08/13) • When it comes to identifying the famous penises everyone came up short. Several people correctly identified all but one of the homegrown actors attached to the appendages and the films in which they popped up. So which willy had everyone stumped? The one pictured in the top right, which belongs to a famous Canadian funnyman.

Here are the correct answers:

Top row: Shawn Ashmore in Blood Moon (2001); Chad Faust in Descent (2007); Roy Dupuis in J'en suis! (1997); Jim Carrey in All in Good Taste (1983).

Bottom row: Jason Priestley in Calendar Girl (1993); Kevin Zegers in Transamerica (2005); Dave Foley in Postal (2007).

Former celebrity bodyguard speaks about fatal DUI accident

2011-08-05T16:59:00.001-04:00

Tobin (right) with Justin Bieber and Drake.

PopGoesTheNews.com • Jack Tobin, who once parked the luxury cars of guests arriving at Toronto's chic Hazelton Hotel and served as local bodyguard to celebs like Justin Bieber, delivered a tear-filled message today in an Ottawa courtroom. "The consequences of drinking and driving are deadly, they are real, they are enduring," he said, "a nightmare from which you never wake up.”

Tobin, 25, addressed the family and girlfriend of Alex Zolpis, who died on Christmas Eve after falling under the wheels of a pick-up truck driven by Tobin. The two were part of a group of friends fooling around on the top level of a parking garage after a night of boozing.

"I know how difficult these past eight months have been. I know that no amount of words will ever fill the void in your hearts, or in any way replace the loss that you have suffered," he said. "I want to tell you how truly sorry and utterly ashamed I am for the unforgivable mistakes that I have made. It is impossible for me to put into words the absolute grief, sadness and regret that I feel knowing the role I played in Alex’s death."

Remembering Zolpis as a "true friend" he "profoundly valued and treasured," Tobin told the packed courtroom life will never be the same without him. "I think of him every day. I think of all the good memories we shared and the adventures we had, I think of the qualities in him I admired — his loyalty, his wisdom, his sense of humour. I think of everything that’s now been lost and everything he will never experience."

The two attended Lisgar Collegiate Institute in Ottawa and Dalhousie University in Halifax. Tobin is the son of former Newfoundland premier Brian Tobin.

"I truly wish that I had been the only victim of my actions that night, and not Alex. I take full responsibility for what happened — for the hurt, the pain and the anguish that I have caused you, your families, my family and friends. I know how senseless this has been and how preventable Alex’s death was. There are simply no excuses."

Tobin, who pleaded guilty to a charge of impaired driving causing death in May, will be sentenced on Aug. 31. Although the maximum is life in prison, the Crown is seeking five years behind bars and a 10-year ban on driving. Tobin's lawyer asked the judge to consider 18 to 30 months in jail and a five-year driving ban.

Tobin was a familiar face at the front door of the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville, where he greeted VIP and celebrity guests and was often seen parking high-end cars (in court it was revealed that Tobin has a history of reckless driving). Employed by Source Security and Investigations, he was frequently hired to provide security for celebrities in town for events like the Toronto International Film Festival.

Tobin's bail conditions include living at his parents' home in Manotick, Ont. and not drinking alcohol.

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

Canadian captures a face in the clouds

2011-08-03T22:51:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • A man videotaping storm clouds in New Brunswick captured what appears to be a giant face – and it's a viral hit!

Denis Farmer was shooting the fast-moving clouds from his backyard in Grand Falls, about two hours north of Fredericton, when the image of a man's face in profile emerged. It can be seen for less than a minute starting at the 1:23 mark in the video, which Farmer posted on YouTube on Monday. "A face! Holy frig!" he exclaims.

As of tonight, the video has been viewed more than 21,000 times. One person suggested the face resembles Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter.

Image from video by Denis Farmer. Click here to see video.

New series starts production

2011-08-03T19:16:00.000-04:00

Joe Dinicol

PopGoesTheNews.com • Production has begun in Toronto on a new series about young people searching for fame in Hollywood.

Six one-hour episodes of the drama with the working title Highland Gardens are being shot for CTV and Much.

Inspired by the real-life Oakwood Gardens apartment complex in Burbank, the show follows the highs and lows of several young Canadians (as well as an Aussie and American) trying to break into show business. According to producers, it's "full of heart-rending moments, salacious temptations and hilarious escapades."

The series stars 27-year-old Canadian actor Joe Dinicol as Nick, a stand-up comic from Edmonton described as "always the best friend and never the boyfriend." Dinicol, whose credits include the film Passchaendale and TV series Life With Derek, recently finished working on the Canadian comedy flick Servitude.

Highland Gardens also stars Jonathan Patrick Moore, who just wrapped Savages with an all-star cast including Blake Lively and John Travolta. Andra Fuller and Canadian actors Chelan Simons, Benjamin Charles Watson, Jewel Staite and Degrassi graduate Cassie Steele round out the cast.

Production will move to Los Angeles at the end of September.

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

Bands set for free show in Toronto

2011-08-02T10:21:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • A parking lot in downtown Toronto will be rocking on Thursday as Samsung stages a free concert to celebrate its latest mobile devices.

Though the company is being coy about who's performing, the show will reportedly feature Hamilton's Arkells and Toronto-based The Midway State. The concert kicks off at 5:30 pm on the southwest corner of Wellington St. and Blue Jay Way.

Fresh from playing the Osheaga festival in Montreal last week, The Midway State is back in Toronto for a gig at the Festival of Beer on Friday night. The Arkells play their hometown Festival of Friends on Saturday.

Last year, Samsung sponsored a free concert by Metric in front of Union Station to boost its line of mobile products. The company's Galaxy smartphones and Gravity devices are available from providers such as Virgin Mobile.

Production is booming in Ontario

2011-07-31T23:39:00.003-04:00

James Van Der Beek

PopGoesTheNews.com • James Van Der Beek, who moved away from Dawson's Creek years ago, is now on the shores of Lake Ontario.

The 34-year-old actor is in the province starring in Salem Falls, a movie for U.S. cable channel Lifetime based on the 2001 novel by Jodi Picoult. He's sharing the small screen with local actress Sarah Carter (of the made-in-T.O. series Falling Skies) and AJ Michalka (Super 8, Lovely Bones).

Van Der Beek is the third Dawson's Creek star to work in Toronto in the last two years: Katie Holmes and Michelle Williams were in the city last summer making the miniseries The Kennedys and the movie Take This Waltz respectively. (The University of Toronto sued the producers of his 1999 film Varsity Blues for using the name of its team and received a settlement that reportedly included the creation of athletic scholarships.)

Another Lifetime movie shooting in Toronto this summer is Secrets of Eden, based on Chris Bohjalian's bestseller of the same name. Casting details have not been released.

Two weeks of production begins in mid-August on Wish List, a one-hour pilot for the CBC. The drama from homegrown writer Sean Reycraft (The Vampire Diaries) focuses on three women on a road trip who are forced to grant wishes after one of them is caught stealing coins from a fountain.

Cameras are about to roll in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. on The Story of Luke, a feature film about an autistic young man searching for his own life after years being sheltered by his grandparents. It stars 26-year-old actor Lou Taylor Pucci in the lead role. Production is scheduled to wrap in early September.

Paz De La Huerta of Nurse 3D.

Actress Paz De La Huerta (Boardwalk Empire) is in Toronto next month to star in Nurse 3D, directed by Douglas Aarniokoski (whose last project was the made-in-Ottawa thriller The Day starring Dominic Monaghan). She will play Abby Russell, a dedicated nurse who also targets and punishes dishonest men.

There's early buzz for the R-rated horror flick – which will shoot for about a month – thanks to a promotional poster showing De La Huerta nude and covered in blood.

The actress was ordered by a court last week to do one day of community service and attend 12 weeks of alcohol counseling after she pleaded guilty to harassment for threatening to hit reality TV personality Samantha Swetra at an NYC bar last March.

Also filming in and around Canada's biggest city is the NBC series The Firm starring Josh Lucas and Juliette Lewis; the action series Transporter with Chris Vance (and an Audi A8) for Cinemax; the second season of USA Network series Covert Affairs starring Piper Perabo; season two of The CW's Nikita with Maggie Q and Shane West; the feature film Total Recall with Colin Farrell and Jessica Biel; and several Canadian series like Flashpoint and Murdoch Mysteries.

Later this year Charlie Hunnam and Charlie Day start work on Still Seas, a big screen action flick for director Guillermo del Toro.

A number of film and TV productions in Toronto are coming to an end this month:

• The Lifetime show Against The Wall, starring Rachael Carpani, Kathy Baker and Treat Williams, wraps its first season on Aug. 31. The Hollywood Reporter recently described the series – which debuted in the U.S. tonight – as "a pleasant surprise" and "a procedural with promise."

• The SyFy series Alphas, starring David Strathairn, completes production on its first season at the end of this month. The series, which airs in Canada on Space, was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "sit-up-and-take-notice show."

• Suits, a series for the USA Network starring Gabriel Macht, is almost done shooting its inaugural season. Reviews have been mixed since it debuted last month. It premieres on Bravo! in Canada on Aug. 22.

Top photo courtesy Splash News. Bottom photo by Tim Palen / Lionsgate. Click on images to see full size.

CTV News busted (again) for exaggerating crowd size

2011-07-31T00:21:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • An aerial view of the Caribbean Carnival parade broadcast on CTV News tonight showed sparse crowds along the route – but it didn't stop Andria Case from declaring that "as many as one million people were there."

Not only is it not true, but Case didn't attribute the figure to a source.

CTV's website also reported there was a crowd of "approximately one million people" along the route but did not indicate who made the guess.

Only minutes before Case made the wild exaggeration, CTV National News anchor Sandie Rinaldo told viewers – more accurately – that "hundreds of thousands" of people attended the event.

Last year, CTV reporter Galit Solomon gushed that "up to 1.5 million" people took in the festival and on the national newscast, Dan Matheson said more than "a million" spectators were at the parade and reporter Natalie Johnson stated there were "1.5 million people." None explained where the figures came from.

Why does CTV News continue to broadcast the inflated attendance figures – even when it belies its own video footage? Some blame the network's spot as a media sponsor of the Scotiabank Caribbean Carnival, formerly known as Caribana. (To be fair, rival CBC News reported online that "more than a million" spectators were at the parade.)

There was better journalism today at the city's newspapers. Both the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail reported online that "thousands" saw the parade. A Canadian Press report said "thousands of people from around the world are expected to attend the various Caribbean Carnival events."

Oddly, the most responsible reporting came from the Toronto Sun: "Final crowd attendance will not be available until Sunday. Each year the planners boast of a million people attending annually. But Toronto Police sources estimated there weren’t as many people as in previous years."

"In reality, estimating the size of crowds at mass public events is much more about public relations than a quest for truth," explained Steve Doig, a journalism professor at Arizona State University, in an article posted on MSNBC. "No crowd that doesn't go through a turnstile can be counted without some margin of error."

Organizers of Toronto's annual Pride parade are also guilty of using the fictitious "million people" claim.

"There is no way a million people show up to watch any parade in this city," Toronto Star editor Norris McDonald was quoted as saying in an op-ed column by the paper's public editor Kathy English in 2009. She warned that reporters should explain where crowd figures come from and be skeptical of those provided by event organizers.

Telus "expert" has never heard of company's shared hosting service

2011-07-27T16:28:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Imagine calling the customer service number that appears on the website of Telus shared hosting — and reaching an operator who has never heard of Telus shared hosting.

It's a shocking new low in a country where complaints about customer service agents at the call centres of the three biggest telecommunications companies are common.

A box on the right-hand side of the main page at telushosting.com reads: "Talk to one of our experts" and gives the toll-free number 1-888-699-0930.

After a wait of nearly 15 minutes, an operator named Pedro took the call. "I don't know what you're calling about," he said. "I've never heard of Telus hosting." Asked if he seriously has no idea that the company he works for has a shared hosting service, Pedro replied: "Are you sure you have the right number? You are calling Telus."

When the customer asked to be transferred to an operator who is perhaps more familiar with the company's services, Pedro said he is not able to transfer calls — and although he admitted having a supervisor, he said he is not able to transfer calls to him/her either.

Not surprisingly, the long-time customer then contacted Telus at another telephone number and canceled the nearly-$300-a-year hosting service.

EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Gosling exits cosmetic surgery clinic in Ontario

2011-07-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

Ryan Gosling leaves clinic on May 7.

PopGoesTheNews.com • He's one of the hottest actors on the big screen today — so why did Crazy Stupid Love star Ryan Gosling go to a cosmetic surgery clinic?

The 30-year-old, who last year ranked 16th in Glamour's Top 20 Sexiest Men poll, made a number of discreet visits to The Plastic Surgery Clinic in Burlington, Ont. this spring, PopGoesTheNews.com has confirmed.

Entering through the rear door, Gosling spent about an hour inside during appointments on April 17 and May 7. The clinic was closed to other patients.

Both times, the actor arrived shortly after flying to Toronto and driving himself in a rented SUV about 60 km southeast to Burlington, where his mother Donna lives. She accompanied Gosling to his April 17 appointment.

The Plastic Surgery Clinic is home to Dr. Leonard Harris, a Plastic Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeon and head of the Plastic Surgery Division at Joseph Brant Memorial Hospital, and registered nurse Angela Taplin, a certified electrologist specializing in injectables and skin rejuvenation procedures.

It's not known why Gosling went to the clinic. One of its most popular services is Botox, a procedure wherein Botox is injected into facial muscles with a narrow gauge needle. Follow-up appointments are often required but the benefits can last four to six months. It's a common procedure for celebrities.

Gosling leaves the clinic on May 7.

Gosling, who has never publicly admitted having any cosmetic procedure, has been dogged for years by speculation that he had a nose job. According to the website CelebrityPlasticPics, Gosling made "a bold decision to get rid of his hooked nose" and "with his nose tip elevated and hump removed the actor has turned into a classical Hollywood hot guy." The website MakeMeHeal claimed in 2007 that early photos of Gosling "show a much longer and wider bridge and tip elongating his face, while the new and improved nose stops shorter with less of a projection and a narrower bridge, creating a more oval face."

Calling the rhinoplasty rumor "ridiculous," a rep for Gosling has said: "There is no truth to it."

Gosling, who was born and raised in Canada, was named one of People's 50 Hottest Bachelors in 2004. His latest movie, the comedy Crazy Stupid Love, opens in cinemas on Friday and he'll be seen this fall opposite George Clooney in The Ides of March.

Related post...
04/19 • Ryan Gosling comes home for a break

Canadians can now expose cheaters

2011-07-17T21:57:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Canadians cheat, too, eh?

A popular U.S. website that exposes infidelity has expanded north of the border. CheaterVille.com — which until this weekend did not recognize the country's postal codes — now accepts information about Canadian cheaters.

"Canada is our second highest source for daily internet traffic," explains James McGibney, founder and CEO of the Las Vegas-based site. "We're excited to add [Canadians] to our database."

McGibney sees his site as the antithesis of Toronto-based AshleyMadison.com, a website that caters to cheaters.

CheaterVille.com, which launched only five months ago, allows people to anonymously post the names and photos of alleged cheaters and allows visitors to search for suspected two-timers. The service is free and supported by advertising.

The website screens posts for threats of physical harm as well as specific details like contact information and home or business addresses. But despite a rule that users must ensure the information they post is "true, accurate and complete," there are likely a significant number of malicious posts from spurned lovers, grudge-holders and troublemakers. McGibney says CheaterVille.com doesn't play judge nor jury.

"At the end of the day we don't know if everyone on CheaterVille.com is an actual cheater," he concedes. "We are governed by the same Internet laws as other social networking sites such as Facebook. If you posted an alleged cheater on your wall, Facebook doesn't monitor and review that post to validate it. Neither do we."

An example of why some of the profiles should be taken with a grain of salt is that of user "WhatUknowboutthat", who identifies alleged cheater Jessie Sulidis of Toronto as 100 years old and weighing 522 pounds. The posting about the reality show star reads: "She would cheat on her bf for publicity more then anything else ew. go away. no one knows who you are you wanna be somebody. Take ur fake attitude and body somewhere else. She has gone on exs profiles to email girls and delete them off her page when she fooled around all the time. Even went on a desperate dating show. ha pathetic."

One of the first Canadians to be exposed as an alleged cheater is Brian Clasean, a married 41-year-old from Montreal. (There's a photo of him on the posting but, curiously, no one named "Brian Clasean" comes up in an online search nor in Montreal's telephone directory.) A message posted by "morningglory" reads: "Does Missy's husband know that you two meet up every Wednesday after work to f*ck each others brains out? I'll assume by the 'pregnancy scare' that she references on her text to you on June 16th means that you don't even use protection? ... you arrogant disgusting fat ass piece of sh!t."

A user named "stinker" has this to say about Calgary 27-year-old Craig Anderson: "He only uses girls for sex then keeps them around until he finds another girl and is always having sex with multiple girls. He cannot just be with one but he will make you think that you are the only one."

Alexandre Trudeau welcomes his third child

2011-07-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Alexandre Trudeau, the middle son of the late Canadian prime minister Pierre E. Trudeau, has welcomed his third child.

Trudeau, 37, and his wife Zoe Bedos welcomed a baby girl early today. The couple already has son Pierre-Emmanuel, 4, and daughter Gala Simone, 2. The latest Trudeau is a niece for Liberal MP Justin Trudeau and a granddaughter for Margaret Trudeau.

The girl's name has not been announced but both she and her mother are said to be doing well following this morning's birth. She is the couple's first child not to be born during the Christmas holidays (Pierre was born Dec. 20, Gala was born Dec. 24). Both Alexandre and his brother Justin, 39, were born on Christmas day. (Their younger brother Michel died in an avalanche in 1998).

Justin and wife, eTalk reporter Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, have son Xavier, 3, and daughter Ella-Grace, 2.

Alexandre, known to many as Sacha, is an acclaimed documentary filmmaker. He and Bedos live in the former Montreal home of his father, who died in 2000 at the age of 80.

See also...

2008/07/22 • Trudeau expecting second baby
2010/03/07 • Ben Mulroney and wife expecting twins

You read it here first!

2011-07-14T19:51:00.004-04:00


*Top: PopGoesTheNews on July 11; Daily Mail on July 13. Bottom: TMZ on July 14; eTalk* on July 14.**

Once again, PopGoesTheNews.com was first! Media outlets on both sides of the Atlantic have picked up on a story that was posted here on Monday.

Two days after PopGoesTheNews.com reported that Charlie Sheen and his ex-wife Brooke Mueller wore the same T-shirt (Charlie Sheen shares shirt with his ex?), Britain's Daily Mail posted a similar story. Today — three days after PopGoesTheNews.com — TMZ.com reported the same observation and CTV's eTalk followed with a report of its own. On its syndicated TV show, TMZ credited staffer Dax with putting it together.

With apologies for the shameless self-promotion, it's only the latest example of how you can often find stories first at PopGoesTheNews.com.

Shoppers Drug Mart workers under fire for laughing at transsexual customer

2011-07-14T11:36:00.005-04:00

Enza Anderson

PopGoesTheNews.com • A prominent Toronto transsexual says she was humiliated by employees of a Shoppers Drug Mart store.

Enza Anderson posted a warning on her Facebook page this morning. "If you walk into Shoppers Drug Mart at Yonge and College and you are a unique and different person the staff will ridicule and laugh at you."

Anderson, who works at a nearby BMO branch, is fighting back. "I will simply not tolerate these actions," she said, adding that she has contacted both the store manager and the company's head office.

Online, Anderson is getting plenty of support. "That store just lost my business until you get a satisfactory response," wrote Ian Flett. Others have suggested that Shoppers Drug Mart provide sensitivity training for employees of the store, which is located on the edge of Toronto's vibrant gay village. Kerri Corail said Anderson deserves an apology. "Until they make it up to you (if they ever do) I will boycott that location."

Anderson, a well-known personality who had a long-running column in Metro, has been a candidate for Toronto mayor and ran twice for a seat on council. She was grand marshal of the Pride Toronto parade in 2008 and has raised thousands of dollars for a variety of community charities.

"No one deserves this, and especially you," opined Anya Kravets on Facebook. Another user has started a Facebook page urging a boycott of Shoppers Drug Mart stores across Canada.

Calls to both the store's pharmacist/owner and the corporate affairs office of Shoppers Drug Mart were not answered.

UPDATE: In an email sent to PopGoesTheNews.com late Thursday, Tanya Gough, Manager of Content and Community for Shoppers Drug Mart, said the company's Director of Consumer Affairs Lilian Relph "will be happy to speak" about Anderson's experience at the store. No phone number was provided so three questions were sent to Ms. Relph via email this morning. As of 1:55pm Friday, she has not responded.

UPDATE: Just before 4pm today, PopGoesTheNews.com received an email from Relph in which she failed to answer the three questions that were sent to her. Instead, in what reads like a form letter, she wrote: "First, let me assure you that Shoppers Drug Mart takes these matters very seriously. At Shoppers Drug Mart our entire philosophy is based on the understanding of care and concern for all of our customers. We embrace diversity as an essential part of how we conduct our business. We value our people, customers and the diversity that each person brings. In addition to the policies and procedures in place to support this commitment to diversity, we also recently launched our Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities (AODA) and Diversity training to our Associate-owners and their employees and expect this training to be completed over the next few months."

In regards to Anderson's experience, Relph wrote: "Upon becoming aware of this incident, we immediately launched an investigation with the store and will take immediate and appropriate steps as required upon completion of this investigation. As well, I have left a message for Enza Anderson to contact me at her convenience so that we could obtain further information about this incident."

Toronto's Virgin Radio cans one of its morning hosts

2011-07-13T18:10:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Toronto's Virgin Radio has put an end to one of the city's long-time morning show duos, Mad Dog and Billie.

According to a source, Billie — whose real name is Amanda Dunn — was canned from the station today after five years. She and Mad Dog (whose real name is Jay Doudelet) previously worked together for three years on 98.1 CHFI following a stint at KISS 92.5.

Dunn's termination comes on the heels of the end of her marriage to Peter Luciano, a business lawyer with Toronto firm McCarthy Tetrault and former member of Canadian boy band VIP. The couple are parents to a two-year-old daughter.

"I happen to have the best job in the world and am so lucky they have me,” Dunn said in an interview with Women's Post last year.

As of this posting, Billie remains on the Virgin Radio website and her Twitter account has not been updated. She is scheduled to act as "honorary bride" at a special event on Thursday night at Toronto's Flirty Girl Fitness.

Update (07/14): A memo to employees from station management confirms this report. "We will be taking the Virgin Morning Show in a new direction ... as a result we will not be renewing Billie's contract at the end of July," it reads. "I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Billie and wish her success and happiness in her future endeavors."

A peek at Hugh Jackman's T.O. home

2011-07-13T17:26:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • This is a look inside the luxury home where actor-singer-dancer Hugh Jackman is staying while in Toronto earning raves from critics and audiences alike for his live show.

The Australian star and his wife, actress and producer Deborra-Lee Furness, have left behind their 11,000-square-foot New York triplex overlooking the Hudson River for a contemporary two-storey home backed by a wooded ravine in a tony Toronto neighborhood.

Jackman's two-week run at the Princess of Wales Theatre ends on Sunday. Toronto Star critic Richard Ouzanian described Hugh Jackman in Concert as "the definition of awesome."

The temporary home of People's 2008 Sexiest Man Alive isn't a well-kept secret — neighbors stream by throughout the day hoping to catch a glimpse of the affable actor, nearby contractors stop working and stare when a vehicle pulls into the driveway, and paparazzi often sit in vehicles up the street hoping to get candid photos.

Featuring four bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the Modernist abode feels spacious thanks to high ceilings, numerous floor-to-ceiling windows and an open-concept living area — but wood floors and ceilings, interior brick and plenty of natural materials give it a rustic warmth.

The kitchen is a natural gathering place with a counter and three stools as well as a table for six. The star and his family have also been making good use of the private backyard, which boasts beautiful landscaping, a terrace and a swimming pool.

Originally listed at just under $5.2 million, it was on the market last September for $4.9 and reduced to $4.5 million by December (with property taxes of $9,005). It was sold earlier this year.

See also...

2010/09/03 • Inside Katie Holmes' summer home

Sports daily set for launch in T.O.

2011-07-12T09:05:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Toronto commuters will soon have another free daily publication to read.

According to sources, a sports publication called Game Time is launching July 18 with trial distribution at two east-end subway stations.

It's not known who's behind the project but one of the people involved is reportedly Michael Sale, a 37-year-old database coordinator at Postmedia. He declined to answer questions about the new publication or even confirm its name.

The city already has four free dailies: Torstar's Metro and Metro Play, Sun Media's 24hrs and the independent t.o.night. There are also four paid English-language daily papers, two free weekly papers and a number of free niche-market publications.

At least one media insider suggests Game Time will struggle. "Most free dailies are targeted at female commuters who are coveted by advertisers and generally not interested in sports," said the expert, who asked not to be identified. True fans, he added, get their fix from morning radio — Toronto has Sportsnet Radio Fan 590 and TSN Radio 1050 — or via their mobile devices before they leave home.

Game Time might also have to face-off against the Hockey Hall of Fame which has used "Game Time" for a decade. And, according to the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, "Game Time" has been in use as the name of "print publications containing sports information of interest to the public generally" since 1998 and was trademarked by ex-lawyer Deveryn Ross, now a Brandon Sun political columnist, in 2001.

Charlie Sheen shares shirt with his ex?

2011-07-11T17:01:00.002-04:00

Charlie Sheen in Toronto in April; Brooke Mueller in L.A. in July (inset).

PopGoesTheNews.com • They don't share a life anymore but Charlie Sheen and ex-wife Brooke Mueller apparently still share clothing.

Or did she literally take the shirt off his back in their bitter divorce?

Photos surfaced today that show Mueller wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs T-shirt identical to the one Sheen sported in April outside the Ritz-Carlton in Toronto.

Sheen and Mueller — who have both had public battles with addiction — had a tumultuous relationship that included Sheen's Christmas 2009 arrest for assaulting Mueller at their Aspen vacation home. Sheen filed for divorce in November 2010 after a little more than two years of marriage. The divorce was finalized on May 2 — two weeks after the former Two and a Half Men star brought his Violent Torpedo of Truth tour to Massey Hall.

Only days after departing Toronto, he was in a Los Angeles courthouse fighting for custody of the couple's twins Bob and Max after Mueller allegedly failed a drug test.

Mueller, who just finished a 45-day outpatient drug rehab program, previously had a restraining order against her ex-hubby and, according to TMZ, she recently served Warner Bros. with legal papers demanding the studio pay $55,000 of Sheen's residuals directly to her every month to ensure she gets child support. Their divorce settlement also prohibits Sheen from talking about her drug abuse.

But if Sheen and Mueller are truly at war, why is she wearing what appears to be his shirt?

In an episode of The World According to Paris on U.S. cable channel Oxygen, Mueller blows off a blind date to visit Sheen. In a previous episode of the reality series, Mueller confessed that she misses her ex. "He's the father of my kids," she said.

Photo by Adam Frisk/SplashNewsOnline.com. Inset photo courtesy X17online.com. Click on image to see full size.

It's a wrap for Marie Osmond's foot

2011-07-11T11:18:00.005-04:00

Marie Osmond's left foot is bandaged (inset).

This posting has been updated.

PopGoesTheNews.com • Showbiz icon Marie Osmond's foot has got some people scratching their heads.

The "Paper Roses" singer appears to be wearing a bandage on her left foot — a bandage that looks as if it was spray-tanned to match her legs. This photo (at right) taken on Sunday also reveals a tan-line just above the bandage. (Click on the image to see full size.)

Donny Osmond confessed to the Roz and Mocha Show on Toronto's KiSS 92.5 FM that he's to blame for Marie's wounded foot. "I stepped on it during the dance challenge a couple of nights ago," he said. "I thought I broke it."

If Osmond is in pain, she's not letting it show on stage at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, where the 51-year-old star is entertaining audiences nightly while wearing a selection of fancy footwear, including high-heeled boots and stilettos. Reviews have been good, with one critic singling out Marie for her "surprisingly skillful high soprano."

Osmond and her famous older brother, on a hiatus from their show's run at the Flamingo in Las Vegas, kicked off Donny & Marie Live! in Toronto on July 5 — exactly 17 years after Marie starred in a touring production of The Sound of Music at Toronto's O'Keefe Centre (now the Sony Centre). Donny starred in the Toronto production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which opened in 1992.

Donny & Marie Live! runs until July 17 in Toronto.

Photo by Dominic Chan/DominicChan.ca. Click on image to see full size.

William vows he and Kate will visit Canada again

2011-07-07T22:30:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • William and Kate will be back!

"Canada has far surpassed all that we were promised," said the Duke of Cambridge at a reception in Calgary tonight. "Our promise to Canada is that we shall return."

William said the royal tour, which kicked off in Ottawa on June 30, exceeded the couple's expectations. "We have been hugely struck by the diversity of this beautiful country."

Earlier, the couple took a break from their public duties to enjoy the tranquility of the remote Skoki Lodge in Banff National Park. Joined by their private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the Queen's Canadian Secretary Kevin Macleod and their Canadian equerry Capt. Jean Leroux, William and Kate explored the area around the lodge on foot.

William's speech at the BMO Centre followed an address by prime minister Stephen Harper, who announced that Canada's gift to the couple is the naming of a Parks Canada Youth Ambassadors Program in honor of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Beginning next spring, two young Canadians will visit various Parks Canada destinations and use social media to share their experiences.

The Duke concluded his remarks with a reference to history. "In 1939, my great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, said of her first Tour of Canada with her husband, King George VI: 'Canada made us.' Catherine and I now know very well what she meant."

The royal couple will help kick off the Calgary Stampede parade tomorrow before jetting to California for a three-day visit.

Photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com

See also...
03/30 • Fake royal ring marketed in tricky ways

For more images of William and Kate in Ottawa click here.

Alannah Myles coping with neck injury

2011-07-06T16:41:00.004-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • The singer who rocked the charts 20 years ago with hits like "Black Velvet" and "Lover of Mine" is today suffering a debilitating medical condition.

Alannah Myles stunned fans on July 1 when she was carried on stage at Woodbine Park and seated on a piano bench, two canes at her sides. The 52-year-old Grammy winner later explained that she suffered serious spinal damage after too many chiropractic treatments and is unable to move her head and neck.

In a statement to PopGoesTheNews.com, Myles said she has chosen "not to draw negative attention to the entire practice of chiropractic" and is moving forward "privately."

Though more widely accepted than it was once, chiropractic remains controversial and has been linked to crippling injuries and deaths. In a systematic review of case reports published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice in June 2010, Edzard Ernst concluded "the risks of chiropractic neck manipulations by far outweigh their benefits."

The injury is the latest setback for Myles, who recently told an interviewer she was left "bereft of funds" after selling millions of records. According to her website, she took an eight-year hiatus from the music business to "gain control of her creative assets." In January, Myles announced that she owns the copyright for "Black Velvet" and is licensing it for commercials, film and TV — typically lucrative for song owners — for the first time since its release.

The acclaimed Toronto-based singer recently performed a number of shows in Europe and is reportedly working on new material.

See also...
2009/09/19 • Canadian singer Luba ordered off Caribbean island

'SYTYCD' star admits the show's tough on gay dancers

2011-07-06T11:47:00.001-04:00

Travis Wall

PopGoesTheNews.com • Travis Wall, a frequent choreographer on So You Think You Can Dance and season two runner-up, admits the show's gay competitors often feel pressure to flirt with host Cat Deeley or their female dance partners in order to earn votes from the largely teen-girl audience.

Wall, who had a boyfriend while he was on the show in 2006, says he was able to have chemistry with his dance partners but found it "stressful" talking about himself on the show. "I never had to put on a front ... but it's true that I wanted to be in the top 10, and I wanted to go all the way closer to the top, and maybe it's not necessary to come out and talk about that stuff when it's a dance competition," he told AfterElton.com. "It was me dancing, and maybe that's all you needed to know."

The winners of the first two seasons of SYTYCD — Nick Lazzarini and Benji Schwimmer — are gay but never talked about their sexuality on the show. Other male contestants, like last season's runner-up Kent Boyd, were portrayed as straight and single. (Asked by Deeley to describe his ideal woman, the 18-year-old replied: "Ummm someone that… like my mom… (or) Beyonce!")

Wall defends the dancers who appear to be playing coy. "Some of those contestants you think, 'Oh come on...' about — they actually don't know themselves until halfway through the show! And then they're like, 'I'm gay, oh shit!' There's a lot of people that have gone on that show that don't even know yet."

Wall famously choreographed an emotional same-sex dance for Boyd and Neil Haskell that was downplayed on air as being about best friends. Asked if the piece was inspired by he and an ex-lover, Wall told AfterElton.com: "I'm not going to go into it too deeply because ... I respect the person that I went through this with. And it was just the worst... you know, we had to part ways, and there was a lot of twisted things about it."

SYTYCD judge and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe has been accused of homophobia for allegedly discouraging gay contestants from being open on the show (and on his other competition show, American Idol). Lythgoe has denied the accusation, saying: "I’m never worried if anybody’s gay. What I don’t like on the dance show, to be frank, is effeminate boys that mince around the stage. I don’t care if they’re gay or straight. That’s got nothing to do with it for me."

Wall, 23, who has been dating champion gymnast Dom Palange for three months, is working on a reality show with Lazzarini. Wall can be seen next on the July 13th episode of SYTYCD.

What happened to those TV butlers?

2011-06-22T14:43:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • These days it seems like no one on TV has a butler. For decades, though, the small screen had plenty – usually black or British (or both) and always cracking wise, sharing wisdom and barely serving families like the Banks, Owens and Sheffields. Most were only known by their first names.

TV butlers (from left) Benson, Mr. Belvedere, Niles, Geoffrey and Max.

The dearth of TV butlers today may have you wondering whatever happened to those loveable man-servants. So here's the latest on a few of the most memorable ones.

Robert Guillaume, now 83, played butler Benson DuBois in 50 episodes of Soap from 1977 to 1980 and in 158 episodes of the spin-off Benson until 1986. He won Emmy Awards for playing the character on each of the two series. (Guillaume was replaced on Soap’s final 14 episodes by Roscoe Lee Browne as Saunders.) Since Benson went off the air Guillaume has worked steadily in television, film and on stage – including starring in a short-lived self-titled comedy series. He was also the voice of Rafiki in The Lion King and its spin-offs. Guillaume’s most recent project was starring opposite Melissa Joan Hart in this year’s straight-to-video feature Satin.

British actor Christopher Hewett played butler Lynn Belvedere on Mr. Belvedere for 117 episodes between 1985 and 1990. The family sitcom role actually came more than three decades into his acting career. Hewett had only a handful of projects after Mr. Belvedere ended. He died in 2001 at the age of 80.

From 1993 to 1999, Daniel Davis portrayed butler Niles on The Nanny. His impeccable British accent belied the fact that he’s a native of Arkansas. Now 65, Davis is still in front of the cameras – he recently had a role in the never-aired HBO pilot The Miraculous Year – including guest appearances on Ugly Betty and Frasier.

Joseph Marcell played Geoffrey, the wisecracking butler, on the hit sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in 124 episodes starting in 1990. He continued acting after the show went off the air in 1996, including recurring roles on the U.S. soap The Bold and the Beautiful and UK series EastEnders. Now 62, the St. Lucia native lives in England and recently finished a British thriller called Fever.

Another long-running TV butler is Lionel Stander, who portrayed Max on the mystery series Hart to Hart from 1979 to 1984. In addition to those 111 episodes, he appeared in five Hart to Hart movies that aired up until 1995. Stander, whose acting career started in the 1930s, had only a few jobs after the success of Hart to Hart. He died in 1994 at the age of 86.

MMVAs: Wasn't that a party?

2011-06-20T15:42:00.011-04:00

Selena Gomez

PopGoesTheNews.com • It's the day after the MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVAs) and the air around Queen and John St. in downtown Toronto is eerily devoid of the sound of screaming girls. Hosted by Selena Gomez, who slipped out of town early this morning, this year's show was another success for the station that doesn't even play much music anymore.

You watched the performances, you saw the red carpet photos (if you haven't, click here) and you know who won. But here are a few notes and observations from one MMVA veteran:

THE AWARD THAT WASN'T PRESENTED Every single person involved in the planning and execution of the MMVAs deserves to take home a trophy (or rectangular block). Putting together such a massive show on public streets, in a parking lot, and in what is mostly an office building is an epic undertaking. How they manage to coordinate all its elements – from the show itself to necessities like security and catering – is simply mind-boggling. It's no wonder that jaded performers and presenters alike seem sincere when they marvel at what they see. Best of all, the show looks awesome on television and – unlike so many other productions in the city – it isn't afraid to showcase Toronto's skyline.

...BUT THERE'S ONE PET PEEVE Viewers of the red carpet show, which aired from 8 to 9pm, saw and heard this warning after every commercial break: "This show is live. In spite of our best efforts anything could happen and some viewers might be offended." But the red carpet show isn't, in fact, broadcast live so if someone cursed (Avril?) or there was a wardrobe malfunction (Kreesha?) it would have been cut out. There's no shame in pre-taping the red carpet show but why tell viewers it's "live?"

Simple Plan

BEST RED CARPET ARRIVALS There were no ice cream trucks or tanks this year – and we were spared the sight of Jacob Hoggard's hirsute heiney – but that didn't stop some artists from making eye-catching entrances. It was all about balls on Sunday night as Canadian rockers Marianas Trench showed up inside inflatable ones and Simple Plan came dressed in shorts that barely covered theirs. No complaints.

WORST RED CARPET ARRIVALS It's loud and chaotic – and you have to answer a lot of inane questions – but it's simply not polite to slip into the MMVAs without walking the red carpet. So shame on the likes of Snoop Dogg, Lady Gaga and Drake who didn't have time for the fans and media. And note to Blake McGrath: Jesus wants you to stay home more often. The dancer, SYTYCDC judge and aspiring pop star has been on more red carpets than an Irish lesbian. Take a break.

Ian and Nina

WORST PERFORMANCE BY COUPLES You're a couple. Get over it. Twilight star Nikki Reed and her fiancé, American Idol finalist Paul McDonald, were more than happy to pose together on the red carpet but refused to kiss for the cameras. Gomez and Justin Bieber arrived separately to avoid being snapped ensemble on the red carpet (and during the show Bieber shook his girlfriend's hand and joked: "Nice to meet you.") Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev of The Vampire Diaries got out of the same limo but wouldn't pose together on the red carpet. And Avril Lavigne's beau Brody Jenner was in the city with her but didn't join her on the red carpet.

DEAD SEXY The MMVA show is a big party, indeed, but this year there were hints of darkness. From Far East Movement arriving in a hearse with three female "corpses" to the skeletal arm-wavers backing up Down With Webster, death was everywhere. Let's not forget the presence of Somerhalder and Dobrev, who play dead on The Vampire Diaries, and Gaga's shout-outs to her late grandfather and to musician Clarence Clemons.

STRIKE A POSE It's true that the hip hop and rap scenes are all about street cred and projecting an urban image no matter where you come from (we're talking to you, Vanilla Ice) but it's still awkward to watch Canadian rappers trying so hard. Drake walked the walk and talked the talk on Sunday but it wasn't quite enough to make us forget that he's Aubrey Graham, a Jewish kid from the tony Forest Hill community of Toronto (and he's Jimmy from Degrassi, for goodness sake!). Likewise, Classified dressed the hip hop part but couldn't shake the fact that he's Luke Boyd from tiny Enfield, Nova Scotia. And it's not just the rappers: Likeable Toronto pop singer Shawn Desman actually thanked his "security" on stage. Really?

FAN DE-PHONE-IUM For fans, there is probably no better event in Toronto than the MMVAs, where hundreds of young people – who spent hours lined-up on the hot pavement – show genuine excitement (and impressive bladder control) during the two-hour show. But what's so perplexing is that after camping out to get wristbands and camping out again to get close to the stage, so many of them spend the whole show with their cameras and mobile devices in front of their faces. Yes, we live in the age of social media but if you want to watch the MMVAs on a screen, stay home and turn on the TV. Those are real live people up there on stage, kids.

PHOTO FINISH Dozens of photographers are accredited each year to cover the MMVAs. Some love to be there, some wish they didn't have to be there – and all of them like to grumble about the way they're treated by publicists and George Pimentel. But what's most fun is watching the veteran snappers from the major newspapers who don't have a clue who they're covering and the earnest paps who take their job just a little too seriously by hustling to supply content for pennies-per-picture blogs.

Photos by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on images to see full size.
This posting has been revised.

Kiefer Sutherland visits his ailing mom

2011-06-17T19:51:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Actor Kiefer Sutherland has returned home to Toronto to spend time with his ailing mother, actress and social activist Shirley Douglas.

The 24 star arrived at Toronto's Pearson International Airport today on an Air Canada flight from St. John's, Newfoundland, where he's been since early Wednesday. Sutherland is visiting Douglas, 77, who is confined to a wheelchair due to a degenerative spine condition.

Douglas' last public appearance was in February when she received an honorary degree from the University of Regina at a ceremony in Toronto. She gave a speech while relying on a cane and the help of an assistant, admitting that she suffers "immense pain."

Douglas is the daughter of former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas. During her four-year marriage to actor actor Donald Sutherland, which ended in 1970, she gave birth to Kiefer and his twin sister Rachel.

Sutherland is about to start work in L.A. on the Fox pilot Touch co-starring Danny Glover.

YouTube star branching out into porn

2011-06-17T13:54:00.001-04:00

Chris Crocker in 2007 (left) and now (right).

PopGoesTheNews.com • Wondering what happened to Chris Crocker, the young man whose tear-filled "Leave Britney Alone" rant has been viewed almost 40 million times since it was posted on YouTube in 2007?

Four years after becoming an online superstar, Crocker is ready to appear in a full-length gay porn. On his blog this week he confirmed a "deal is in place" to shoot the video this summer. Although no details are given, Crocker said he will be the "top" in the video.

The 23-year-old, who has tried to capitalize on his YouTube fame by launching a music career, has posted a number of NSFW photos on his blog in recent weeks.

Lawsuit filed in 'Rock of Ages' photo ban

2011-06-15T20:59:00.003-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Prohibiting people from taking pictures of stars like Tom Cruise and Russell Brand on the Florida set of Rock of Ages is unconstitutional, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday.

The South Florida chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and The South Florida Gay News (SFGN) sued the City of Fort Lauderdale and its police chief Frank Adderley demanding the court issue an emergency injunction.

The lawsuit alleges that the movie production and presence of stars like Alec Baldwin and Catherine Zeta-Jones "are newsworthy events which the local media is entitled to report on."

Signs posted around the Revolution Live nightclub in downtown Fort Lauderdale, where Rock of Ages is shooting, threaten the arrest of anyone taking pictures in the area. (The word "subject" is misspelled on the signs.) The city ordinance cited on the signs has nothing to do with photography or trespassing.

A police department spokesperson says no one has been arrested yet but a number of paparazzi have been warned to put their cameras away. A city official told reporters that the presence of photographers at the film location is a "public safety issue."

Attorney Norm Kent, publisher of SFGN, says the signs are having a "chilling effect upon the exercise of First Amendment rights" and police officers – including off-duty officers hired by producers of the film – are "unwitting agents of unconstitutionality."

The National Press Photographers Association has also questioned the legality of the warning and said it violates the public's right of free speech and access to public property. In a letter to Adderley, the group claims officers have been "harassing, intimidating and threatening" photographers.

"Photography may not be restricted in a public place to accommodate the whims of Hollywood or the desire by your officers to please their 'second-job' employers," wrote attorney Mickey H. Osterreicher.

If the city doesn't rescind the photography ban, protesters are planning to descend on the area with cameras for a "lunch-in" on Friday.

Producers have filming permits for three blocks in the city until June 24.

"Freedom of expression, which includes photography, cannot be controlled by movie studios from Hollywood," said Kent, "even if Tom Cruise is in the film."

Colin Firth pays tribute to Canadian opera icon Maureen Forrester

2011-06-15T14:21:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • British actor Colin Firth is adding his voice to the chorus of tributes to the late Maureen Forrester as the Stratford Summer Music festival prepares to honor the Canadian opera icon.

Colin Firth

Forrester died in Toronto on June 16, 2010 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was 79.

In a letter to be published in the official program for A Serenade for Maureen Forrester at the Avon Theatre on July 25, Firth recalls "her generosity, her formidable intelligence, her trust, her eccentricity, her candour, her experience and her wisdom."

Firth, 50, and Forrester's son Daniel Kash were roommates while both studied at London's Drama Centre in the early 1980s. (Today, Kash is a prolific actor whose recent credits include guest roles on such made-in-Toronto series as Nikita, Murdoch Mysteries and Skins.)

One day, Firth played Kash a favorite piece of music without knowing that the voice belonged to Forrester, who had recorded it while pregnant with Kash. "I'd spent years in love with the voice of the woman who was singing with my future friend inside her!," Firth recounts.

Despite Firth's connection to Forrester (he stayed at her summer home on Lake Muskoka), he didn't see her perform live until 1986 when she sang Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde at a university in Missouri. "That night, Maureen sang magnificently – thrilling her audience, not only with her voice, but also with her wit, warmth and her mighty energy," remembers Firth.

In his tribute, Firth shares the joy he felt when Forrester acknowledged him backstage following that performance with a "howl of delight and surprise, which she let out from across the room when she saw me." It was the last time he saw her.

"That cry of welcoming recognition is my abiding memory. From the same voice that had captivated me onstage a few moments before and in my home as a child," he recalls. "All those things, as well as her words of advice and encouragement, are gifts I will always carry. Her friendship, her acceptance, her voice, her family and my cherished lifelong friendship with Daniel."

Others paying tribute to Forrester in the nearly 100-page souvenir program include former prime minister Brian Mulroney and Canadian tenor Richard Margison.

Tickets for A Serenade for Maureen Forrester are $30 to $50 and available from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival box office or by calling 1-800-567-1600. Click here for more on Stratford Summer Music.

Photo by John R. Kennedy/SplashNewsOnline.com.

Virgin founder Richard Branson vows to bring airlines back to Canada

2011-06-10T17:44:00.003-04:00

Sir Richard Branson in Montreal.

PopGoesTheNews.com • With Astral Media's Virgin Radio stations in cities across Canada and Bell's successful Virgin Mobile, the UK-based brand has caught on in Canada – but attempts to establish airlines Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America failed after only a few months.

"Every time we start an airline here we seem to get squeezed out," Virgin Group chair Sir Richard Branson said today, "which is strange because in every other country in the world we seem to fight it."

Virgin Atlantic briefly offered flights between Toronto and London in 2001 and Virgin America (of which Branson is only a minority shareholder) introduced flights between Toronto and Los Angeles and San Francisco last year but pulled out after less than a year.

Branson said he's not sure why the Virgin airlines haven't been able to soar in Canada, where operating costs are among the highest in the world. "Just before we come the other carriers put on tons of extra capacity," he said. "They don't seem to like the idea of us staying around." But the entrepreneur added the company isn't going to admit defeat. "We'll be back. We're not going to give up, I promise."

In an interview with PopGoesTheNews.com in Montreal, where Branson is cheering on the Virgin racing team at the Grand Prix, Branson also spoke about the upcoming auction in Toronto of 14 gowns that once belonged to Princess Diana. He won't be one of the bidders.

"I was close to Princess Diana and she used to come to Necker Island with her children so I think I'll keep my memories rather than keep her gowns," he said, adding the late royal would probably "be delighted" if money from the sale of the dresses went to charity. (Waddington's auction house has committed to donate a portion of its commission to the National Ballet School.)

Branson's own charity work continues with a plan to swim across the Irish Sea with UK pop star Ronan Keating at the end of August to raise money to fight cancer.

"When I agreed to swim across the Irish Sea I thought [it would take] maybe seven or eight hours, I can train for that. When I was told it was 36 hours I thought: 'What the hell have I said yes to?!' But I'm committed and hopefully we'll raise a million dollars."

How is the soon-to-be 61-year-old training for the event? "I'm swimming around the island where I live every day," he explained. "It's a one-and-half-hour swim so I'm getting as fit as I can for it."

There's one thing he can't prepare for, though. "The Irish Sea is going to be a lot colder."

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

For pics of Richard Branson and Glee star Cory Monteith in Montreal, go to StarsInCanada.com!

'Real World' star Dustin Zito lies about gay porn past right to the end

2011-06-09T10:56:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Dustin Zito, one of the stars of The Real World: Las Vegas, is either a pathological liar or has a very different definition of sex.

Appearing on the reunion show for the MTV reality series last Wednesday, Zito denied ever having sex with guys during the years he spent as "Spencer" on the Fratmen websites, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Dustin Zito still denies having sex with guys.

Although most of the photos and videos show him simply frolicking nude with other guys, masturbating and anally stimulating himself, there are photos and videos showing him performing oral sex on at least three other models and in one live-streaming show he and another model performed oral sex on each other, shared a double-headed dildo and then had anal sex, with both young men giving and receiving.

But during the reunion show, Zito was asked by host Maria Menounos: "Are you saying you've never had sex in those videos?" He replied: "No." He went on to suggest that the photos and videos depicting him having sex with guys are fake. Later, he admitted only that he's had "dicks in my hand."

Zito's Real World cast mate Michael Ross called him "a chronic liar."

"I think you can't tell the truth so when I see a picture of you with a condom on your dick and a dude on top of you, I think you fucked him," he said. Zito's response? "You're just angry. Keep your comments to yourself."

Zito has repeatedly tried to erase the fact that he spent several years living and sharing sexual experiences with other guys. On one episode of The Real World, Zito talked about the possibility of having a gay housemate on the show. “Over the years, you get a level of paranoia," he said. "You’re walking and you see a gay person and you get nervous. And some of them approached me and I’m like, dude, you gotta back this up."

In an April interview with reality TV blogger Andy Dehnart, Zito admitted that lying is "one of the things that I do. Ah! I don't know why I do that. I get so scared."

Main photo courtesy MTV. Inset and screen grabs courtesy Fratmen.tv.

Katy Perry fans urged to help youth

2011-06-09T10:55:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Giving your time to help others has its rewards but it's not often one of them involves getting to see a pop star in concert.

Katy Perry

Virgin Mobile Canada, presenting sponsor of Katy Perry's California Dreams Tour, has launched a campaign to encourage people to volunteer to support homeless and at-risk youth organizations in Canada.

"Thanks to the amazing support from Katy Perry, volunteers can be rewarded for their hard work," explained Virgin Mobile Canada president Robert Blumenthal in a news release.

For a chance to score tickets to one of Perry's shows this summer, fans can go here to sign up for volunteer opportunities at organizations in their community. Among them are Eva's Initiatives in Toronto, Youth Services Bureau in Ottawa, Vancouver's Broadway Youth Resource Centre, Street Culture Kidz in Regina, Calgary's The Doorway and the Boys and Girls Club, and Resource Assistance for Youth in Winnipeg.

The initiative is part of Virgin Mobile Canada's RE*Generation movement, which has previously used stars like Lady Gaga to get the word out. "It is all about inspiring a generation to help its own," said Blumenthal, "and with this program we're empowering and rewarding people across Canada to take the initiative to help youth organizations in need."

A similar campaign was recently staged in Montreal to give fans a chance to volunteer at Dans la rue (an organization that helps street kids and at-risk youth) and meet Virgin chairman Richard Branson and Glee star Cory Monteith.

There are nine Canadian dates in eight cities on Perry's California Dreams Tour starting June 29 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Related posts...
08/11/30 • Lady Gaga pays a visit to Toronto youth centre
09/11/19 • Glee star joins Richard Branson to support youth

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

Girls are on top in two new productions

2011-06-04T13:17:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Girl power is coming to Ontario with two new productions showcasing strong female leads – the pilot for Saving Hope and the feature film Foxfire.

Not to be confused with the Fox comedy series Raising Hope (which will debut on Citytv in Canada next season), Saving Hope is a potential series for CTV about an idealistic neonatal doctor and a cancer surgeon who "take on the fundamental questions that define medicine today." Erica Durance, best known for playing Lois Lane on the made-in-Vancouver series Smallville, has signed on for the title role. The pilot is scheduled for 10 days of production in Toronto beginning mid-June.

Foxfire, which kicks off 10 weeks of shooting on July 5, focuses on five teenage girls who form a gang to fight the humiliation and discrimination they suffer at the hands of men in the early '50s. Set in a working class neighborhood in upstate New York, the flick will be shot in Sault Ste. Marie. Laurent Cantet, who won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2008 for The Class, will make his English-language directing debut.

Foxfire is adapted from the popular 1993 novel by Joyce Carol Oates (it was previously made into a movie starring Angelina Jolie) and will star five unknowns in the lead roles.

MTV star Colton Haynes gets more exposure thanks to steamy pics

2011-06-02T20:07:00.005-04:00

Colton Haynes, on the left in each photo, stars in MTV's Teen Wolf.

PopGoesTheNews.com • These are the photos that actor Colton Haynes apparently doesn't want you to see now that he's starring in MTV's new series Teen Wolf.

Bryan J. Freedman, a lawyer for the model-turned-actor, is demanding that websites remove images of a then-teenaged Haynes "partially or possibly completely nude, engaging in or simulating sexual conduct." Freedman claims photos of Haynes kissing another boy while in a jacuzzi are "private, obscene, lewd and pornographic."

But the photos, which Freedman also insists were "privately taken" and violate Hayne's "right to privacy," were published in the March 2006 issue of gay youth magazine XY.

Freedman's inaccurate description of the photos as "private" and "pornographic" – they are neither – has some wondering if the legal campaign to purge the photos from cyberspace is nothing more than a publicity stunt for Teen Wolf, which debuts June 5 on MTV in the U.S. (In Canada, the series debuts June 6 on MuchMusic.) Haynes has a supporting role.

Haynes, a former Abercrombie model, has had guest roles in shows like CSI: Miami, Pushing Daisies and Melrose Place. He was reportedly in the running for the part of Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies – a role that went to Robert Pattinson. Now 22, Haynes has not publicly come out as gay. In one interview he said: "Anyone can go online and write anything they want about people they don’t even know and most of the time, that is fueled by hate." Today, he posted "Every Bully is a Coward" on his Twitter page.

Earlier this year, Dustin Zito of MTV's The Real World: Las Vegas tried to erase his gay past. While performing as Spencer on a gay website he masturbated and had oral sex with guys on camera and both gave and received anal sex with a guy in a pay-per-view show. On The Real World, the now 24-year-old Zito insisted he was straight and had only done porn for the money.

Click on images to see full-size.
This post has been revised.

Stars come out to tout new shows

2011-06-02T14:23:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Unlike its competitors Shaw Media (Global) and Rogers (Citytv), CTV invited the country's top photo agencies to its annual upfront presentations – including a press conference this morning inside the MuchMusic studio on Queen Street West.

The stars of new fall shows Pan Am, Smash, Whitney and Anderson were on hand as well as four cast members from Canada's highest-rated series, The Big Bang Theory.

The Pan Am cast, Anderson Cooper and Whitney Cummings in Toronto.

Simon Helberg, who plays Howard Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory, spoke at length about being able to experience Tim Horton's coffee while in Canada and co-star Mayim Bialik admitted it wasn't hard to master her character's complicated lingo because in real life she has a Ph.D in neuroscience.

Christina Ricci, who plays one of several flight attendants in the new series Pan Am, paid tribute to the women who worked the skies in the 1960s. "In this male-dominated world, in that famously openly chauvinistic culture, these women were really taking the reins and running their lives in a way most women didn’t," she said.

Former Will & Grace star Debra Messing stars in Smash, a show about the making of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. The actress said the iconic film star remains "really fascinating and complicated" and that she is "a perfect subject of a musical." Messing said she was impressed by the acting abilities of co-star Katherine McPhee, a former American Idol contestant and recording artist, and distanced the show from Glee. “I think tonally, the shows are very different. The music in our show will be written by a Tony Award-winning writer."

Cast members from The Big Bang Theory and Debra Messing of Smash.

CNN's Anderson Cooper, host of an eponymous daytime talk show, addressed the issue of personalities blurring the lines between news and entertainment by suggesting that if he were alive, venerable news anchor Walter Cronkite would probably have a fishing show on another network. He said his daytime show and his prime time show will be as different as, well, day and night. “I think there’s a way to do some thing in depth in a way you can’t at night,” Cooper said.

Comedian Whitney Cummings promised to bring a dose of real-life to her sitcom Whitney – including characters using keys to open their doors and not waking up with perfect hair and make-up – and to portray women as more than merely comic fodder for the male characters.

CTV and CTV Two are also adding The X-Factor, Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Unforgettable, Up All Night, Man Up, Free Agents, The Sing Off and Charlie's Angels to the line-ups.

Neither Shaw or Rogers invited photo agencies like Splash, WENN and Mavrix to its upfront presentations.

Photos by John R. Kennedy / SplashNewsOnline.com. Click on images to see full-size.

Ottawa paper uses BBQ link with news of fatal explosion

2011-05-26T15:37:00.009-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • One of several students making barbecues at an Ottawa high school was killed in an explosion – and the local newspaper figured it was a good time to steer its online readers to great summer barbecue recipes.

Shortly after it posted coverage of the tragic accident today, The Ottawa Citizen website listed "Barbecuing and Grilling" in the "Related Topics" section to the right of the article (circled below).

Click on the image to see full-size.

Police said the student suffered life-threatening injuries in the blast, which occurred at Mother Teresa Catholic High School reportedly while he was cutting an oil drum.

The inappropriate link was eventually replaced with "Emergency Medicine" and "Emergency Services."

This post has been revised.

'Transporter' brings Chris Vance to T.O.

2011-05-21T08:39:00.000-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • The streets of Toronto are about to get a little more exciting. A TV series based on the thrilling Transporter movies will be shot in the city starting in early July.

British actor Chris Vance (Prison Break, Dexter) will take over the role of professional driver Frank Martin – portrayed by Jason Statham in all three movies – in the Transporter series for U.S. cable network Cinemax.

“It’s high octance,” Vance told EW.com. “Fast-paced. Action-packed. Car chases. Stunts. Fights, Beautiful girls. Villains. Heroes. Guns. It should be a lot of fun.”

Filming is also scheduled to take place in Europe. Canadian production is scheduled to wrap up at the end of November.

Photo by Patrick Curtet.

'Pacific Rim' shooting in Canada

2011-05-21T08:22:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Strange creatures are set to invade Toronto later this year as Mexican director Guillermo del Toro brings his latest project, Pacific Rim, to the city.

The visionary behind films like Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy II: The Golden Army will shoot the sci-fi epic at Pinewood Studios this winter. British star Charlie Hunnam (Children of Men) has reportedly signed on for the lead.

Pacific Rim is set in the future after beasts from a parallel dimension start emerging from a portal five miles down on the ocean floor and begin wreaking havoc on coastal cities in the U.S. and Asia, starting with Japan. Hunnam will play one of the military pilots dispatched to destroy the creatures. (Producers hope images of this year's devastation in Japan will be a distant memory by the time the film hits cinemas in 2013.)

According to reports, Tom Cruise is in talks to take a role in the movie.

Pacific Rim is the second big-budget production this year to take advantage of the 46,000-square-foot soundstage (the biggest in North America) on Toronto's waterfront. Production has begun on Total Recall starring Colin Farrell, Ethan Hawke and Kate Beckinsale.

Competitor attacks Virgin Radio host

2011-05-19T13:53:00.002-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • Dean Blundell of Toronto radio station 102.1 The Edge has declared war on a competitor he accused of copying him.

"I'm going to make it my responsibility to get that prick off the radio," Blundell said yesterday of 99.9 Virgin Radio morning show co-host Jay "MadDog" Michaels. "I'm going to go at him until his boss says, 'Listen, you're such an embarrassment to this company I have to fire you.'"

Jay "MadDog" Michaels

Blundell, the outspoken and controversial host of The Edge morning show, didn't pull any punches during a nearly 10-minute discussion with his on-air colleague Derek Welsman about Michaels. "He's a tool. He's an a-hole. He's a wannabe a-hole," Blundell fumed. "What a dick. I hate his ass."

It's not the first time Blundell has accused Michaels (whose real name is Jay Doudelet) of ripping off his schtick. In January he referred to him as a "two-bit five-time loser" after Welsman claimed that Michaels took notes about Blundell's show and tried to do the same material the next day.

Yesterday, Blundell was back on the attack, calling Michaels "a cancerous hairy mole with no talent and no ability whatsoever to be on the radio."

"All he's doing is trying to be like me," he continued. "It's gross. He's gross. He's a disgusting prick and I hope his GPS takes him into a lake somewhere."

Blundell joked about forcing Michaels to perform oral sex on him. "I seriously hope he gets a disease," he later hissed. "I'll take pretty much any disease."

Michaels hasn't publicly responded to Blundell's tirade.

Is Toronto being taken for a ride?

2011-05-18T17:02:00.002-04:00

A Bixi station in Old Montreal.

PopGoesTheNews.com • The bikes are the same. The docking stations are the same. So it's no wonder many people are wondering why it costs as much as $80 more per year to join a bike-share program in Toronto than in eight other cities worldwide with similar systems.

Cyclists in Toronto pay $107.35 for an annual Bixi membership, giving them access to 1,000 bikes at 80 docking stations throughout the city core while riders in Montreal (with 5,000 bikes at 400 stations) and Ottawa (with 100 bikes at 10 stations) pay nearly $30 less – only $78 per year.

According to Michel Philibert of the Montreal-based Public Bike System Company – which owns Bixi – Toronto riders pay more because they get five more months of access. "In Toronto the system is in service all year round," he explains. "In Montreal and Ottawa it is in service only from April 15 to November 15."

In Canada, Bixi has tried to downplay the price difference by promoting the pre-tax cost of annual memberships ($95) on its Toronto website while using the tax-included price ($78) on its Montreal and Ottawa websites.

South of the border, cyclists are getting better deals. Nice Ride, an affiliated system in Minneapolis, offers annual memberships for $40 US (with a $10 discount for students) and Denver's B-cycle service costs $65 US. In Boston, where the Hubway bike-sharing program is launching this summer, memberships are $85 US. All three systems are shut down in the winter months.

Other cities with year-round access to bike-sharing services are still charging less than Toronto. The Capital Bike Share service in Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia costs $75 US. In London, England and Melbourne, Australia cyclists pay the equivalent of $71 and $51 respectively. A year of access to the Velib system in Paris costs $40 (and only $26 for students) and Barcelona's Bicing is $40 annually.

But Toronto's bike-sharing program isn't the most expensive. In Miami Beach, DecoBike memberships cost $15 US a month – or a whopping $180 US per year. Casual users can pay $14 a day, compared to only $5 (plus tax) in Toronto.

Photo by John R. Kennedy / PopGoesTheNews.com.

'Daily Show' subject fights back

2011-05-17T09:54:00.001-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • The head of an asbestos mine in Quebec says he regrets appearing in a segment for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart that aired last Thursday.

Calling it "an inappropriate parody" and "in poor taste", Bernard Coulombe, executive director of Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, claims the satirical report's only purpose was to discredit him and make the people of the region look like "ignorant imbeciles."

"It was already too late by the time I realized that this program was not a serious news show and that all the host wanted was to make fun of me and the town's representatives, to insult us and to deliver anti-asbestos propaganda," Coulombe says in a statement issued today. "Had we known what he had in store for us, obviously I never would have agreed to involve myself."

The mine, located about 150 km east of Montreal, is the last of its kind in Canada and exports to mostly developing countries. Though the toxic elements of asbestos have been linked to cancer, the government claims it is not dangerous if handled properly.

In the Daily Show report, titled Ored to Death, Aasif Mandvi asked Coulombe: "Does asbestos mean something different in French than it does in Engligh? Because in English, it means slow, hacking death." Mandvi later calls Coulombe a "douchebag" for sending asbestos to India.

The asbestos cited on The Daily Show is chrysotile, a fibre that is typically encased in cement or asphalt. Says Coulombe: "Although chrysotile does pose a risk to health (like numerous other products we live with on a daily basis), it does not present any measurable risk" when used properly.

It's not clear how Coulombe could not have known that The Daily Show, now in its 16th season, is a comedy program. It airs in Canada on The Comedy Network and CTV.

U.S. networks axe Canadians

2011-05-13T16:44:00.006-04:00

PopGoesTheNews.com • The major U.S. networks have unveiled their fall schedules and it hasn't been good news for a number of Canadian actors. More than eight stars from north of the border had their series cancelled and two others found out their new shows did not make the cut.

ABC announced the cancellation of the drama Brothers & Sisters, where the cast included Ontario-born Luke Macfarlane as Scotty, as well as the cop drama Detroit 1-8-7 starring Shaun Majumder of Newfoundland. Also off the schedule is Off The Map starring Rachelle Lefevre and Caroline Dhavernas, both of Montreal.

Mr. Sunshine, a comedy created by and starring Ottawa-raised Matthew Perry, was also cut. The network axed the sci-fi series V, which not only starred several Canadians (including Toronto's Laura Vandervoort) but was filmed in Vancouver. Same goes for Stargate Universe, which was cancelled by U.S. cable channel Syfy, and Human Target, which was axed by Fox. The Vancouver-shot Smallville is also toast.

CBS will not bring back S#*! My Dad Says starring Canadian thespian William Shatner or Mad Love starring Ontario natives Sarah Chalke and Tyler Labine.

As for potential new series, NBC took a pass on the drama 17th Precinct, which starred Albertan Tricia Helfer, and the comedy My Life as an Experiment with New Brunswick native Donald Sutherland.

It's not all bad news for Canadians working on U.S. television. ABC renewed Calgary-born Elisha Cuthbert's series Happy Endings and NBC picked up a new comedy called Up All Night starring Toronto's Will Arnett. CBS is adding the sitcom How to be a Gentleman featuring Dave Foley of Toronto and keeping Blue Bloods with Winnipeg native Len Cariou.

There is good news for The CW series Nikita, which will return to Toronto for another season of production. (The original Nikita series, which was also shot in Toronto, ran for five seasons.)

This post has been updated.