I've been out of town, so I'm just catching up on the news.  When I read that "Wheels" from Degrassi had died, it was sort of a nonplussed disbelief. And it immediately brought me back to the Bayshore Shopping Centre in Ottawa.  Somewhere around 1990 they were doing a mall tour with the "stars" of Degrassi High, in this case "Wheels" and "Liz" (Neil Hope and Cathy Keenan).  A group of girlfriends and I went.  We never liked Wheels, I mean, let's face it, he was a terrible actor, but it was something to do.  Plus, we'd been watching the... More »

Last night, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre kicked off their North American tour in Toronto. I was delighted to be on hand to capture some of the magic and excitment they create.... More »

When you say Harry Potter, is there anyone who doesn't immediately think of the sweet smiling Daniel Radcliffe?  A huge fan of both the books and the films, it was a thrill for me to be able to photograph and interview him, even if it was in the chaos of a "Red Carpet" experience.   Watching Daniel work the carpet is like watching a rain drop slide down a window: slow, hypnotic, relaxed and yet there's a pure drive and determination behind it.  He knows what his goal is and he's going to get there, but he takes it all in stride, and at his own pace.... More »

Being pretty and being smart do not have to be mutually exclusive traits, but sometimes we're made to feel like they are.  I liked playing with Barbie, but I never wanted to grow up & be her.  We all have self-esteem issues, but all for vastly different reasons. One of the harshest fields is modelling.  When you realise that today, Marilyn Monroe would be considered too big for a plus sized model, it puts into perspective how beauty is being viewed and presented. As a self-proclaimed Top Model junkie, I was taking the question to Jay Manuel.  Unfortunately, my nerves... More »

The nominees for this year's Genie Awards were announced in Toronto today.  We really do have a remarkable amount of talent in this country.  But I have a pressing question for you: take a look at the list and tell me, do you know any of them?   BEST MOTION PICTURE A DANGEROUS METHOD - Martin Katz, Marco Mehlitz, Jeremy ThomasCAFÉ DE FLORE - Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin, Jean-Marc ValléeMONSIEUR LAZHAR - Luc Déry, Kim McCrawSTARBUCK - André RouleauTHE WHISTLEBLOWER - Christina Piovesan, Celine Rattray ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGNJEAN BÉCOTTE - FunkytownAIDAN LEROUX, ROB HEPBURN - Edwin Boyd: Citizen GangsterJAMES MCATEER - A... More »

I'm doing this instalment as a "Wordless Wednesday" because really, is there anything to say?  A new season of Republic of Doyle starts tonight with Russell Crowe, our friend Kevin Durand and the ever affable Allan Hawco.  It's a great episode and worth a watch.  ... More »

Before Gerry Dee became one of the country's hottest comedians, he was a teacher.  So when I sit down with him, my first question is about schools.  Private or public? "This is my theory: there's great kids at public schools and there's great kids at private.  There's bad kid at public school and there's bad kids at private.  At public school, there might be theft, but at a private school, you have cocaine and dealing with issues like the rich father who flies a lot and isn't there." Actually, I meant from an educational standpoint. "I think what happens in the private... More »

CBC's winter season is about to start and they asked me to come in and chat with some of their stars.  Adam Beach is a familiar face on both sides of the border, with am impressive resume ranging from North of 60 to Flags of our Fathers; yet somehow the first thing I ask him about is Twilight. People talk a lot about Taylor Lautner, being this young leading man who's also a native actor...  Adam quickly cuts me off. "Well, it's very controversial, cause he isn't native.  And there's speculation of a couple of other "native" actors who aren't native. ... More »

  A lot of people came down hard on the Grapes in 2011.  But the funny thing is, when I sat down with Don Cherry, it wasn't a loud-mouthed lout I was chatting with, rather a laid back, relaxed guy, who reminded me an awful lot of my father-in-law. I came with a list of questions from Twitter and Facebook, and he didn't shirk at any of them.  How often do you visit your tailor?Too much.  When I get a suit done, I really do get the cloth, some of them, at Fabricland, believe it or not.  And I bring... More »

Last night I was photographing  the opening of American Idiot in Toronto.  It's very rare that I come out of a show speechless, but in this case, I did.  One of my fellow UrbanMoms asked if that was a good thing.  In my 140 character tweet, I answered "it's exuberant, energetic, thought-provoking & really loud with a very talented cast." I do know some of the cast, but bias aside, I actually went in thinking I wasn't a Green Day fan.  I quickly realsed I knew most of the songs, and the ones I didn't were so engaging, it didn't matter. Watching the show... More »