As if your life couldn’t be easier…
Astronaut Sally Ride on Dumb Questions
PBS’ Blank On Blank is uncovering lost interviews with the icons of science, technology, and innovation – people who helped make the world we live in today. And some guest animators are bringing these conversations to life.
One of those people is Sally Ride. These days, just about every space mission has women on it. It’s just not a big deal. But in 1983, it was very much a big deal – that’s the year Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.
Back in 1963, Russia sent Valentina Tereshkova as the first woman to fly to outer space. But it took two more decades for the Americans to follow suit.
At the time, journalist and icon of the feminist movement Gloria Steinem had an ABC interview series, called ‘In Conversation with…” As part of that program she interviewed Sally Ride – and we found the tape in Smith College’s archive dedicated to the life and work of Steinem – The Gloria Steinem Papers, part of the Sophia Smith Collection.
Now at the time of this interview, as far as the public – and it turns out the press – were concerned, space was for clean-cut alpha males with names like Buzz. Then Sally Ride came along.
Kendrick Lamar On His Grammy Nominations: ‘I Want to Win Them All’
Kendrick Lamar is an amiable guy with a quick smile, but he’s at his most effusive onstage and in the recording booth. Out of the spotlight, in the company of strangers, he can be diffident; glad-handing isn’t his thing. But surreal times call for extreme measures, which is why Lamar devoted several weeks on either side of the new year to an industry charm offensive. He taped a concert for the venerable PBS live-music broadcast Austin City Limits and made the rounds to NPR, The New York Times and other press outlets. In short, Lamar has undertaken an old-fashioned Grammy lobbying campaign. He makes no bones about his desire to run the table at the awards. “I want to win them all,” he says.
Via Billboard
Charlotte Cornfield Announces “Future Snowbird” Album Release Show In Toronto
Last week Charlotte Cornfield finished up a successful month-long date residency at The Cameron House in Toronto where she was joined onstage by many friends and guests, including Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene), Tim Darcy (Ought). Now, she is ready to take the show on the road with a string of tour dates to support her upcoming album Future Snowbird. The tour kicks off on March 3 and the Toronto songwriter returns home on March 11 for a very special album release show at The Burdock to coincide with the album release date.
To help kick off the tour, Cornfield recently treated listeners to “Big Volcano, Small Town”, a true ‘on-the-road’ track from her upcoming album. “I wrote this song while I was travelling with my friend Adrienne in the Pacific Northwest one summer,” says Cornfield. “We were taking greyhounds and checking out little towns and hanging by the ocean. I remember feeling so nomadic, like I could go anywhere and anything could happen.”
On Future Snowbird Cornfield sings clever, heart-wrenching songs in a lived-in, streetwise drawl. Set for release on March 11 via Consonant Records, the album grew from Cornfield’s time living in New York and the background noise of her moments in the city: a formative relationship, a vicious bout of psoriasis, and an overall constellation of ups and downs.
The album was recorded live off the floor at Rooster Studios in Toronto with Cornfield’s longtime bandmates Sam Gleason, Damon Hankoff, Kathryn Palumbo, and Sam Rosenberg, and produced and engineered by Don Kerr (Ron Sexsmith, The Rheostatics), with guest performances by Tim Darcy (Ought) and Johnny Spence (Tegan & Sara). The result is Cornfield’s strongest statement to date, each song a moodscape all its own.
Recently Charlotte Cornfield completed a residency at the prestigious Banff Centre, where she recorded and collaborated with Brendan Canning, Kevin Drew, and Charles Spearin of Broken Social Scene. Aside from her work as a solo artist, Charlotte Cornfield has held down the drum chair for Ben Caplan, Peter Nevins, and Adrian Underhill. She recently began working on a new project with Tim Darcy of Ought, and beyond her own discography she has a vault of recording and performing credits as a drummer and singer with The Provincial Archive, Anais Mitchell, The Reverend John DeLore, and The Keys. Her songs have appeared in films and television shows internationally, and she’s shared stages with the likes of Sharon Van Etten, Sun Kil Moon, and Lake Street Dive.
CHARLOTTE CORNFIELD TOUR DATES
Mar 3 – Kingston, ON – Sleepless Goat
Mar 4 – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo
Mar 5 – Ottawa, ON – Pressed
Mar 10 – Hamilton, ON – Casino Artspace
Mar 11 – Toronto, ON – Burdock
Mar 12 – Peterborough, ON – The Spill
Mar 17 – Guelph, ON – Ebar
The Allan Slaight Radio Institute Opens At Ryerson University; Alan Cross Broadcaster In Residence
Ryerson University announced today the opening of the Allan Slaight Radio Institute at the RTA School of Media in the Faculty of Communication and Design. Named for broadcasting pioneer Allan Slaight, the new radio institute was created through a $3 million gift from The Slaight Family Foundation to support the next generation of radio innovators and entrepreneurs.
The Allan Slaight Radio Institute is a state-of-the-art broadcast and teaching facility that will strengthen Ryerson’s position as the educational leader in radio broadcast and production. The Slaight family gift is also fostering excellence through newly created student awards, support for independent student productions and hands-on practical experience at Ryerson’s digital radio station, ‘SpiritLive.’
Gary Slaight, president, The Slaight Family Foundation, said, “My dad started in radio at 16 in Moosejaw Saskatchewan and became a trailblazer in Canadian broadcasting. It is fitting that the Allan Slaight Radio Institute is the launch site for future careers and innovation in radio and broadcasting. Our family is very pleased to help make this happen for students.”
In conjunction with the opening of the Allan Slaight Radio Institute, Ryerson is also pleased to announce that award-winning broadcaster and program director Alan Cross has been appointed Allan Slaight broadcaster in residence. Alan is a nationally recognized broadcaster and rock musicologist, and will bring his experience and insight to the Allan Slaight Radio Institute as guest lecturer and student-project mentor.
Charles Falzon, dean, Faculty of Communications & Design, said, “An entrepreneur himself, Alan Cross will inspire our students to find new and exciting opportunities in the radio and broadcasting industry.”
Lori Beckstead, director, Allan Slaight Radio Institute, said, “the creation of the Institute has sparked new interest in courses on radio and podcasting. Students are excited to work in the well-equipped and leading-edge facility. The Allan Slaight Student Production Fund has already provided financial support to several students creating innovative radio programs, with another round of applications coming this month. The Institute is fast becoming a vibrant hub of production activity.”
Mohamed Lachemi, interim president and vice-chancellor, Ryerson University, noted that “we are grateful to the Slaight family for this inspirational generosity. It is from here that young people will continue the work of Allan Slaight, and take the industry in new and exciting directions.”
Ryerson University is Canada’s leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 41,500 students, including 2,400 master’s and PhD students, 3,200 faculty and staff, and nearly 170,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past five years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada’s leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca .
The Most YouTube Views From Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection Of Canadian Music Box Set
Oh What a Feeling: A Vital Collection of Canadian Music was a 4-CD box set released in 1996 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Juno Awards. A second box set, Oh What a Feeling 2, was released in 2001 to mark the awards’ 30th anniversary, and a third set, Oh What a Feeling 3, was released in 2006 for the 35th anniversary. All of the sets feature popular Canadian songs from the 1960s onward. The original 25th anniversary box set peaked at #3 on the Canadian Albums Chart and was certified Diamond in Canada (250,000 sales times 4 discs…see how that works?) Although hard to find, I’ve seen a few on eBay for a few hundred dollars.
What were the most popular songs on there? According to YouTube and this great infographic from Completely Ignored, it’s these:
Steven Wilson Talks ELO, Prince and Tears For Fears In New Technics TRACKS Spotlight Video
The iconic and newly formed Technics recently launched ‘Technics Tracks’ enabling music lovers to rediscover tracks and albums from an exceptional catalogue of 24-bit hi-resolution audio.
January 22 saw the release of a new Steven Wilson album “4 ½”, so titled because it forms an interim release between Steven’s recently released fourth album Hand. Cannot. Erase. and the next studio album. You can find it on, hey, Technics Tracks, and the legendary musician and producer talks about his favourite albums like ELO’s Out Of The Blue and Tears For Fears’ Songs From The Big Chair in this short, but fascinating video.
I’ve been lucky enough to hang out with Stephen doing PR for his last dozen or so records with Porcupine Tree and solo releases, and I can’t tell you what a musical guru he’s been for me. Just talking about Talk Talk and Tears For Fears alone makes my month.
https://youtu.be/VhNajqGkT5Q
Helen Mirren talks to drunk drivers in this epic, hilarious Super Bowl ad
The world’s favorite British actor recently shot a Super Bowl ad for Budweiser that takes aim at drunk driving. And it’s one of the best ever to start a movement that stands apart from the typical drunk driving PSA by calling on drivers to #GiveADamn and protect their lives and the lives of others.
In the time it took Mirren’s PSA to garner over 180,000 views, almost 30 people have died from drunk driving — one death every 53 minutes — according to the stats.
“Hello. I’m Helen Mirren, a notoriously frank and uncensored British lady. The collective we are dumbfounded that people still drive drunk. So I’ll sum it up like this. If you drive drunk, you, simply put, are a short-sighted, utterly useless, oxygen-wasting human form of pollution. A Darwin award-deserving, selfish coward. If your brain was donated to science, science would return it. So stop it. Now the chances are you’re a fun, solid, respectable human being. Don’t be pillock. Your friends and family thank you. The friends and family of other drivers thank you. Your future self thanks you. This is suppose to be fun. Cheers.”
https://youtu.be/Rb2VXVmUga4
2016 Grammys Add Justin Bieber, Chris Stapleton, Pitbull, Alice Cooper & More as Performers
Music’s Biggest Night just got bigger with can’t-miss moments and more than 11 new performers just added to the star-studded lineup. Nominee Justin Bieber will join fellow nominees Diplo and Skrillex to perform their GRAMMY-nominated hit “Where Are Ü Now,” marking the duo known as Jack Ü’s first live television performance. Album Of The Year nominee Chris Stapleton will be joined by GRAMMY winners Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt to pay tribute to legendary blues artist B.B. King. Nominee Pitbull will light the GRAMMY stage in collaboration with Travis Barker, Robin Thicke, and surprise special guests. Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry promise an electric television debut with their rock supergroup The Hollywood Vampires.
Previously announced performers include Adele, James Bay, Andra Day, Ellie Goulding, the Broadway cast of “Hamilton,” Sam Hunt, Tori Kelly, Lady Gaga, Kendrick Lamar, Little Big Town, Carrie Underwood, and The Weeknd.
Entertainment icon and two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J is set to host Music’s Biggest Night for the fifth consecutive year. Taking place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards® will be broadcast live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Monday, Feb. 15, 2016, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Additional performers will be announced shortly.
Justin Bieber is currently nominated for Best Dance Recording for “Where Are Ü Now” with Diplo and Skrillex.
This will be the first performance on the GRAMMY Awards telecast for Diplo, who is nominated for three awards this year: Best Dance Recording for “Where Are Ü Now” with Justin Bieber and Skrillex; Best Dance/Electronic Album for Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü with Skrillex; and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.
Pitbull is nominated for Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album for Dale.
This will be the first performance on the GRAMMY stage for six-time GRAMMY winner Skrillex. Skrillex is up for two awards this year: Best Dance Recording for “Where Are Ü Now” with Justin Bieber and Diplo; and Best Dance/Electronic Album for Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü with Diplo.
Chris Stapleton is up for four awards this year: Album Of The Year and Best Country Album for Traveller; and Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for “Traveller.”
A rock collective founded by heavy metal powerhouse Alice Cooper, The Hollywood Vampires are past GRAMMY-nominees Cooper and Johnny Depp, and GRAMMY-winner Joe Perry. Joining the Vampires will be GRAMMY-winner Matt Sorum on drums, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan on bass, Tommy Henriksen on guitar, and Bruce Witkin on piano and guitar. Artist proceeds from the Hollywood Vampires’ self-titled album will benefit The Recording Academy’s health and human services charity, MusiCares, which provides emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery resources for music people in need.
Legendary blues guitarist, 15-time GRAMMY winner, and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient B.B. King died at age 89 in May 2015. King’s discography totaled more than 50 albums, including 1965’s Live At The Regal, one of four King recordings to be inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame®.
How Hard Can It Be to run a half-marathon without any training? Here you go.
How hard can it be to run a half-marathon without any training? Andrew Younghusband, host of the Discovery Channel’s popular show “How Hard Can It Be?”, finds out at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2015.