[mr.John]

Stupid product of the week goes to the HD-vision wraparound sunglasses, these cheap ugly plastic shades are ideal for anyone who wants to look like a blindman or women (European styling my ass)....white cane not included

[harls]

BUT the commercial that takes the ass-tasting cake last month is that stupid "cheeses of the Bergeron family". Fakest Quebec accents I've ever heard, and the cheese in that commercial stinks more than the one they're selling or for that matter the one they put on the Pizza hut pies.

I thought there was something wrong about those accents.

Same goes for that Lilydale chicken guy.

[MolsonExport]

^ever heard the annoying IKEA guy on the radio? and his strange, unplaceable accent?

[Rathgrith]

The Pizza Hut here closed..... Their food is disgusting. You don't need a litre of oil to prevent something from sticking to a metal pan! Some places just use flour and that works great!

Anyone here listen to CBC Radio Overnight? Radio Sweden has repeated the same episode for three days now. Lazy bastards.

I think you need to go to sleep at that time.

[Rico Rommheim]

Where are they now? Actors who fell victim to the fickle mistress of Hollywood

http://blstb.msn.com/i/27/62BCD946969933298E142F68E39EAD.jpg
Mark Hamill
Despite starring in the “Star Wars” trilogy, arguably the three most famous films ever made, Mark Hamill’s movie career never really got off the ground. After a few dodgy sci-fi titles (slipstream anyone?) and cameo appearances in video games, Hamill has settled nicely into voice animation work. He does a mean Joker in the animated Batman.

http://blstb.msn.com/i/58/99A52CCC1350DD38955C25F449C4.jpg
Rick Moranis
The star of “Ghostbusters” and “Honey I Shrunk the Kids” has seen his movie career perform a similar disappearing act, with innumerable shrinking sequels delivering diminishing box office returns. Perhaps his style is a little too broad for modern movie audiences. Last seen voicing children’s cartoons.

[Jay in Cowtown]

http://blstb.msn.com/i/58/99A52CCC1350DD38955C25F449C4.jpg


Isn't that the former Coach and current General Manager of the Edmonton Eskimos? :haha:

[manny_santos]

Stupid product of the week goes to the HD-vision wraparound sunglasses, these cheap ugly plastic shades are ideal for anyone who wants to look like a blindman or women (European styling my ass)....white cane not included

Those have been big on university campuses for at least four years. Every good-looking Western soph girl wears them. I used to call them Irv Weinstein glasses, because they were so big.

[vid]

I think you need to go to sleep at that time.

No, I sleep between 8am and 4pm right now.

There is a Tim Horton's commercial on the radio now that makes me want to bomb the place. Oh, he might be screaming "paradigm shift" but that's just because of the insanity brought about by the syphilis he caught in the bathroom. He's really trying to say "the coffee is shit".

[SpongeG]

i like that informercial for the new portable magic bullet

especially when that woman crawls out of the tent cigarrette hanging out of her mouth - lol

[harls]

There is a Tim Horton's commercial on the radio now that makes me want to bomb the place. Oh, he might be screaming "paradigm shift" but that's just because of the insanity brought about by the syphilis he caught in the bathroom. He's really trying to say "the coffee is shit".

There's a new one with Sidney Crosby.. his bus breaks down and there just happens to be a timbits game going on a rink right next to him.. so he plays with the kids until his bus gets fixed. some idiot dad comes back with coffee saying 'did I miss anything'?

What I want to know is why would Crosby be riding on a bus.. and why would he be the only one to get out and play hockey with those kids? are the other members of his team all assholes?

[Rico Rommheim]

There's a new one with Sidney Crosby.. his bus breaks down and there just happens to be a timbits game going on a rink right next to him.. so he plays with the kids until his bus gets fixed. some idiot dad comes back with coffee saying 'did I miss anything'?

What I want to know is why would Crosby be riding on a bus.. and why would he be the only one to get out and play hockey with those kids? are the other members of his team all assholes?

Sounds like a good reason for the Habs to correct this shameful Crosbyan error. OUr victory tonight will be for you my friend.

[harls]

^:D

Also, forgot to mention.. in the commercial the Timbits triple-teamed Crosby and shoved him into the snowbanks a number of times. Crosby's temper got the best of him and he got into fisticuffs with multiple 5 year olds.

[harls]

Anyone going to see this movie?

1EM9r83Dv2A

[MolsonExport]

^probably if on video. Doubt it will be played here. Incidentally, I knew one of the victims.

[harls]

Shit.. that's terrible, Molson.

[harls]

This billboard used to be home to the "diamond shreddies (http://www.flickr.com/photos/blix613/2331685346/)" bullshit I posted a while ago, now it's home to this garbage...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3361/3251324664_e1c44810f9_b.jpg

[MolsonExport]

^wow, just the time it takes to creep through Rim Whoreton's drive-thru.

[harls]

Exactly. Last Saturday in Kanata I was at Tim's and I witnessed at least 50 + cars in the drive thru, so I thought.. "there can't be anyone at the checkout... right... WRONG... Some goddamned woman and her brood of 15 children were there.. and she had the gall to call her husband as she approached the checkout... "what do you want again?" I could have waited in line in the vehicular line up and been ahead of you, you void twat.

I hate being addicted to coffee.

[Rico Rommheim]

Anyone going to see this movie?

1EM9r83Dv2A

Saw this preview at the AMC, totally caught me off guard. can't sat I'll go see it though.

But seriously, the dude they chose just looks like a mean mutha fucka, good casting I guess.

[agrant]

Some good old CBC series.

PINxfouNQFw

FteZimbz59I

NF8V9g61n9s

FdJ1oGh3QGo

Classic! They don't make em like they used to.

[SpongeG]

how could you forget this classic

wm8REOibmgA

[manny_santos]

Some good old CBC series.

PINxfouNQFw

That one was CTV.

[agrant]

That one was CTV.Ah. You are right. It seemed so CBCish though.

[jimj_wpg]

Ah. You are right. It seemed so CBCish though.

LOL, a farm tractor... Musta been taped in Sask.

[SpongeG]

LOL, a farm tractor... Musta been taped in Sask.


it was filmed everywhere

the littlest hobo spread his good deeds far and wide across this great nation of Canada ;)

[Rathgrith]

Gross. The Corner Gas version was good.

[MolsonExport]

There's a voice, that keeps on calling me...

[manny_santos]

VDN has reportedly switched Montreal's U.S. cable feeds from Burlington-Plattsburgh to Boston, except for the two PBS stations WETK and WCFE.

Cogeco has done the same thing in a number of Ontario cities, including replacing all the Rochester stations except WUHF (FOX) in Belleville with the Buffalo stations. And in Windsor, the CBS and ABC affiliates from Toledo have been removed, which means area viewers no longer have an alternative when Detroit's WXYZ shows Matlock marathons in place of ABC programming.

[SpongeG]

Videotron has reportedly switched Montreal's U.S. cable feeds from Burlington-Plattsburgh to Boston, except for the two PBS stations WETK and WCFE. Montreal received WCAX (CBS), WPTZ (NBC), and WVNY (ABC) for decades, and WFFF (FOX) more recently. All likely due to the impending analog shutdown.

Cogeco has done the same thing in a number of Ontario cities, including replacing all the Rochester stations except WUHF (FOX) in Belleville with the Buffalo stations. And in Windsor, the CBS and ABC affiliates from Toledo have been removed, which means area viewers no longer have an alternative when Detroit's WXYZ shows Matlock marathons in place of ABC programming.

oh man when I lived in Belleville those Rochester channels were the worst nothing but infomercials - never watched so much Canadian TV as I did during my belleville years :haha:

[HomeInMyShoes]

There's a voice, that keeps on calling me...

and that voice is...LIQUOR :)

[agrant]

There's a voice, that keeps on calling me... ...down the road, that's where I'll always be...

[Acajack]

Videotron has reportedly switched Montreal's U.S. cable feeds from Burlington-Plattsburgh to Boston, except for the two PBS stations WETK and WCFE. Montreal received WCAX (CBS), WPTZ (NBC), and WVNY (ABC) for decades, and WFFF (FOX) more recently. All likely due to the impending analog shutdown.

Cogeco has done the same thing in a number of Ontario cities, including replacing all the Rochester stations except WUHF (FOX) in Belleville with the Buffalo stations. And in Windsor, the CBS and ABC affiliates from Toledo have been removed, which means area viewers no longer have an alternative when Detroit's WXYZ shows Matlock marathons in place of ABC programming.

It's happened all over the place. Most of the cable systems that used to carry border stations from small cities have opted for stations in much larger cities. Ottawa and Gatineau cable systems had the Rochester stations for the longest time (and before that WWNY in Watertown, NY), but switched them over to Detroit a few years ago. Same thing in the Maritimes I think, where they had stations from Bangor, Maine, now replaced with the Boston stations.

[Rathgrith]

Looks like the Rock Gods have heard our complaints.... sorta.



This is Nickelback

Sure, they may seem laughably Spinal Tap-esque to you, but the titans of Alberta rock just received five Juno nominations. Maybe it's time we sat up and took notice

Vanessa Farquharson, National Post Published: Wednesday, February 04, 2009

When the nominees for the 2009 Juno awards were announced yesterday at a press conference, it was no surprise that Nickelback-- the big rock band from small-town Alberta -- took the lead with five nominations.

"Come on, you're supposed to be excited!" said CTV president Susanne Boyce to the assembled journalists, who expressed an ambivalent reaction to the news.

Indeed, critics have been rolling their eyes at the success of Nickelback since the group first emerged in the late '90s and shot to fame with their hit single How You Remind Me. The quartet have now been nominated some 45 times for Junos, Grammys and MuchMusic Video Awards.

Yet their persistent success is met with persistent loathing.

Despite a whopping 624,415 fans of the band on Facebook, there's also a group on the website called "I bet I can find 69,000 people who hate Nickelback" with 21,573 members, as well as another called "Every time Nickelback is played, God kills a Llama" with 19,762.

So what, exactly, do the haters hate about this band?

"They're just the undying bastion of hoser rock," says Stuart Berman, editor of EyeWeekly.comand a music writer for Pitchfork. "[Front man] Chad Kroeger is this dude who basically drinks a lot of beer and writes songs about having sex with girls and really confirms these stereotypes about Canada that many of us are trying to transcend." Clearly, Berman doesn't consider himself a fan of Nickelback. Still, he points out that, regardless of what he may think, the group at least deserves credit for the sheer number of albums they continue to sell.

"It's remarkable," he says. "Nickelback capitalized on the two most popular music trends of the '90s -- grunge and new country -- and almost formed their own hybrid genre. But they also retain their popularity by sticking to the exact same formula, relying on the exact same chord changes."

He mentions the songs How You Remind Me and Someday, which sound very similar.

"And there's something to be said for their lyrics, too," Berman adds. "You have to admire how unsubtle they are with metaphor, like in the song Something in Your Mouth, for instance."

However, support remains high for Nickelback at Calgary's CJAY 92FM, the radio station that first aired the band before they became huge.

"I love the guys," says DJ Red Dawg. "I'm actually friends with a couple of them. I partied with Chad at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto and was onstage with him drinking beer. But seriously, he really has a Midas touch when it comes to writing music."

Red Dawg believes most of the hatred surrounding Nickelback stems from envy and insecurity.

"This band single-handedly brought arena rock back," he says. "No one else can say that. And yes, Chad drives around in a Lamborghini and lives in a Playboy mansion, so of course people are going to be jealous."

Red Dawg's fellow on-air personality Russman is not a big fan himself, but he doesn't understand why so many people loathe the band with such passion.

"There's this other radio station here in Calgary, X92.9FM, that actually has a 'No Nickelback Guarantee,' " he says, "which says a lot, considering the group's from Alberta.

"But what it comes down to," Russman adds, "is that when a band is 10 years into thir career and easily selling over seven million copies of an album, that deserves some respect."



Why are more radio stations not like this?

[manny_santos]

It's happened all over the place. Most of the cable systems that used to carry border stations from small cities have opted for stations in much larger cities. Ottawa and Gatineau cable systems had the Rochester stations for the longest time (and before that WWNY in Watertown, NY), but switched them over to Detroit a few years ago. Same thing in the Maritimes I think, where they had stations from Bangor, Maine, now replaced with the Boston stations.

And people protested pretty fiercely in Fredericton when NBC was switched from Bangor to Boston. Even when U.S. network affiliates come from far away, viewers tend to have an attachment their particular stations, I don't know why. Detroit's WDIV newscasts have been made fun of on local radio here actually.

[kirjtc2]

That's correct...there were articles in the paper, letters to the editor, etc. I wrote one basically saying shut up and they named it letter of the day.

On the Fredericton cable lineup now, the SD NBC feed is Boston and the HD one is Detroit. So you get your choice of which uber-hyped-tabloid local newscast you want.

[SpongeG]

they have been running these ads on radio about something to do with canadian music week or month

so who do you supposse they get to do the ads?

they have Colin James and Bif Naked

what? why? who?

[vid]

Those ads are stupid. "Canadian radio: It's where it's at!"

Yeah, unless you're a Canadian band with talent, in which case they want nothing to do with you.

Jealous? Ok, yes. They are jealous that Nickelback has been able to release the same album five times and each one sells a lot of copies. They're especially jealous because they know that their music is much better than anything Nickelback ever has or will make.

Let's put it this way: McDonald's sells billions of its hamburgers every year. Does that mean their food is good? And by good, I mean quality.

[MolsonExport]

Red Dawg believes most of the hatred surrounding Nickelback stems from envy and insecurity.


No. Their music is putrid and overplayed.

[mr.John]

Jealous? Ok, yes. They are jealous that Nickelback has been able to release the same album five times and each one sells a lot of copies. They're especially jealous because they know that their music is much better than anything Nickelback ever has or will make.

You can also say the same thing about ACDC

[harls]

"I love the guys," says DJ Red Dawg. "I'm actually friends with a couple of them. I partied with Chad at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto and was onstage with him drinking beer. But seriously, he really has a Midas touch when it comes to writing music."

give me a break. (http://artists.letssingit.com/nickelback-lyrics-rockstar-n5122m8)

[Bigtime]

"I love the guys," says DJ Red Dawg. "I'm actually friends with a couple of them. I partied with Chad at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto and was onstage with him drinking beer. But seriously, he really has a Midas touch when it comes to writing music."

Ah yes, good old CJAY 92. The station that no longer exists on my radio settings. Nickleback must be good because I've partied with them and we hang out and stuff. :rolleyes:

Folks this is why I pretty much exclusively listen to X92.9 when I'm listening to the radio in the car. A vastly superior station to the absolute garbage that CJAY has become.

The best way to treat anything said by anyone at CJAY is to just think of them like Sun Media. Problem solved.

[Ayreonaut]

I haven't listened to CJAY in years, I usually listen to CDs, but if it's radio, it's Q.

[highdensitysprawl]

Exactly. Last Saturday in Kanata I was at Tim's and I witnessed at least 50 + cars in the drive thru, so I thought.. "there can't be anyone at the checkout... right... WRONG... Some goddamned woman and her brood of 15 children were there.. and she had the gall to call her husband as she approached the checkout... "what do you want again?" I could have waited in line in the vehicular line up and been ahead of you, you void twat.

I hate being addicted to coffee.

Are you sure there were 50 + cars in the d/t...the one on Hazeldean can only hold about 18 cars before you are spilling out on to the side street...which Tim's crack house of coffee was it.

If they can spit out customers at 1 per minute, that would be a 50 minute lineup for crap coffee..the mind boggles.

[harls]

Yes, that was that one.. (Terry Fox and Edgewater). The line up was through the parking lot, and it actually shortened to nothing while I was in line, then filled up again, like someone pinching a garden hose off and on.

[SteelTown]

Canwest considers possible sale of 5 TV stations across Canada
1 hour ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5h2DfdcSq7gWqkY3lZyzYJm74RsrA

WINNIPEG — Canwest Global Communications Corp. (TSX:CGS) says it is exploring the sale of five conventional television stations in Montreal, Hamilton, Red Deer, Alta., Kelowna, B.C. and Victoria, calling them non-core assets.

Canwest president and chief executive Leonard Asper said late Thursday that, given the current recession, the company wants to focus instead on its faster growing specialty channels and Global television brand.

"Canwest has come to the determination that operating a second conventional TV network in Canada is no longer key to the long-term success of our broadcasting business," Asper said in a statement after stock markets closed.

"Going forward, this allows us to invest in the areas that provide the greatest return."

The outlets being shopped are part of the company's E! network; including CJNT-TV in Montreal, CHCH-TV in Hamilton, CHCA-TV in Red Deer, CHBC-TV in Kelowna and CHEK-TV in Victoria.

Asper said that, "as they are currently configured, these stations are not core to our television operations going forward."

Canwest said a sale is one of "several options" being considered by the company following an internal review, and that the media company has hired RBC Capital Markets to help with the process.

"We believe this process will lead to significantly enhanced shareholder value," Asper said.

Analysts say the stations, which the company picked up nearly a decade ago, have been losing money for years.

The question now is who will want to buy them in the current economic environment, where shrinking advertising revenues are already taking a chunk out of broadcaster revenues.

Earlier this week, Canwest said it was looking at divesting non-core assets as it reviews strategic alternatives.

The announcement came as Canwest also said its bankers have limited borrowing under the Canwest Media division's $300-million senior credit facility.

The company said its bankers will limit additional borrowing under Canwest Media's credit line to $20 million until Feb. 27. There is already $92 million drawn on the facility.

Canwest acquired many specialty TV stations as part of its $2.3 billion acquisition of the former Alliance Atlantis broadcaster two years ago. That deal, mostly financed by Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs, was the biggest deal since Canwest bought the former Southam newspaper chain and other businesses from the Hollinger group for $3.1 billion in 2000.

The Hollinger deal saddled Canwest with a huge debt of about $3.7 billion, a liability that has dragged down the company's finances for years.

[canucklehead2]

Interesting... So it looks like Global really couldn't make a go of it's second network... I wonder how A-channel is doing for CTV... I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Quebecor buy up those stations and expand their SUN TV network into the west...

[srperrycgy]

Ah yes, good old CJAY 92. The station that no longer exists on my radio settings. Nickleback must be good because I've partied with them and we hang out and stuff. :rolleyes:

Folks this is why I pretty much exclusively listen to X92.9 when I'm listening to the radio in the car. A vastly superior station to the absolute garbage that CJAY has become.

The best way to treat anything said by anyone at CJAY is to just think of them like Sun Media. Problem solved.

Couldn't agree more. Only listen to X92.9 and The Edge on Shaw Digital Channel 406. Seeing CJAY's transit ads makes me want to take a Sharpie and creatively edit them. Only to the ad wrap, not the bus of course. The bus is far more valuable than the mullet rock played on CJAY. :cool:

[kirjtc2]

Interesting... So it looks like Global really couldn't make a go of it's second network... I wonder how A-channel is doing for CTV... I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Quebecor buy up those stations and expand their SUN TV network into the west...

I've been hearing Jim Pattison as a rumour. They already own a couple of E! affiliates in BC.

[SteelTown]

Torstar might be interested in CHCH.

[vid]

You can also say the same thing about ACDC

Speaking of ACDC, listening to it with a low volume from a distance, it sounds like someone is having a coughing fit set to crappy music. Terrible stuff. Worse, even, than Nickelback. Any yet people like it?? :shrug:

[jimj_wpg]

Interesting... So it looks like Global really couldn't make a go of it's second network... I wonder how A-channel is doing for CTV... I wouldn't be surprised if you saw Quebecor buy up those stations and expand their SUN TV network into the west...

Now that would be nice, I think. They play a lot of classic tv reruns. SunTv could take over CIIT (UHF 35) anyday, and I'd be happy.

[Jay in Cowtown]

You can also say the same thing about ACDC

I highly doubt Nickelback will be selling out stadiums in 25 years... AC/DC are fucking legends of rock!

[habfanman]

I highly doubt Nickelback will be selling out stadiums in 25 years... AC/DC are fucking legends of rock!

I've worked in many music venue bars and no matter what style was being played; no matter how much people have professed to hate AC/DC: you play them and people can't help themselves! They're basic, 3-chord rockers who drive into the inner-rocker soul of everyone. I'm not a fan, but I love them!

[SteelTown]

CHCH likely to survive: analyst
More than just a small player

February 07, 2009
Lisa Grace Marr
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Business/article/509117

While Hamilton may consider CHCH as its own TV station, it is not just a little player, says the spokesperson of a Canadian media watchdog group.

"It's not the smallest and weakest TV station in Canada," said Ian Morrison of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting. "Hamilton has the extra advantage of having about seven million people in its line of sight."

In addition, he said, CHCH is broadcast through cable and satellite stations throughout the province, bolstering its value.

He spoke following the announcement this week by parent company Canwest Global that it would explore the idea of selling CHCH, and four sister stations.

Canwest made the announcement as bankers moved to limit the company's borrowing power due to its massive $3.6-billion debt.

Shares in Canwest Global Communications went up eight cents yesterday to 50 cents on the news. Analysts say it's unlikely the company will find a buyer in the current recession and a money-saving closure is more likely.

But Morrison suggested there are several plausible outcomes for the station aside from closure:

* Astral Media, a major media player in Quebec with some presence in the rest of the country, may jump at the chance to pick up an English TV network.

* Torstar Corporation, which owns The Hamilton Spectator and The Toronto Star, made a bid for a licence to open television stations in southern Ontario in 2002 but was denied by the CRTC. This week, it announced its Transit Television Network in the United States was filing for bankruptcy. Morrison said there's no comparison between the transit network and CHCH. "The Spectator and a television station under one roof has some synergies."

* Corus Entertainment, based in Calgary, is a specialty TV and radio company that may seize an opportunity to expand.

* Rogers Media branched into TV last year with its purchase of CHUM and may have an appetite for more.

* CTV would likely be very interested, said Morrison, but it would also be very unlikely to be approved by the CRTC, given the conglomeration in the industry.

Mario Frankovich, president and CEO of Burgeonvest Securities, said the station has been under the eye of Bay Street investors for the last few weeks while Canwest's troubles were brewing. "It's hard to say what will happen ... it has value. (Closing the station) would be like putting a torch to money. A licence has value."

The challenge for the station is that its highest expense is its most valuable asset: local coverage.

Morrison said it's too early to throw in the towel on CH.

"I think a lot of people are kicking the tires, checking out profitability, what the obligations are under regulations. It's a fire sale ... but it's a very complicated situation."

[manny_santos]

I highly doubt Rogers would be allowed to own CHCH, since it already owns CITY-TV and the two OMNI stations in Toronto.

Astral is certainly another possibility, as they own two CBC affiliates in BC. Astral may be in better financial shape too.

I doubt CTV will be able to get its hands on the station. As for TorStar, broadcasting is not currently their core business (although diversification can be a good thing, especially with the way the newspaper industry is nowadays), and I would worry they would aim the station more towards Toronto than Hamilton.

A more radical idea would be to get rid of Global Ontario in Southwestern Ontario, and make CHCH the Global station for Hamilton and the Southwest.

[SteelTown]

My bet is on Torstar.

In 2002 Torstar wanted what is now Sun TV and it would have a seperate transmitter to have local content, one for Hamilton, one for K/W and I think one for London. So I wouldn't be surprised if it would to do the same and have CHCH a province wide channel much like the old ON tv.

[jimj_wpg]

Sun Tv is the new Citytv of yesteryear.

[0773|=\]

Pardon the random change of subject, but I think this is the best thread to put this in...

I just came back from watching Slumdog Millionaire. What an excellent film! I really appreciated its deliberate avoidance of pretenses to the life in urban slums. So many personal assumptions about human survival just get thrown out the window. There were a fair number of Bollywood references making the movie pretty funny, but the whole package... wow.

It's a really cool movie, highly recommended!

[Rathgrith]

Pardon the random change of subject, but I think this is the best thread to put this in...

I just came back from watching Slumdog Millionaire. What an excellent film! I really appreciated its deliberate avoidance of pretenses to the life in urban slums. So many personal assumptions about human survival just get thrown out the window. There were a fair number of Bollywood references making the movie pretty funny, but the whole package... wow.

It's a really cool movie, highly recommended!

Does that mean they break into a random musical during the movie?

[highdensitysprawl]

Does that mean they break into a random musical during the movie?

You mean like a completely choreographed song that starts out with people popping out from behind a palm tree and then the lead male and lead female come close together but never quite kiss.

[Rathgrith]

^Yes. I have watch many a Bollywood films and I am always confused as to its meaning in accordance with the plot.

[Rico Rommheim]

Finally saw that Timbits-Crosby commercial. Is it me or did Michel Therrien pull a cameo at the end?

[Ayreonaut]

I think the rest of the team must be douches.

[Rico Rommheim]

Apparently MSN suggests vacation spots....


Canada's most romantic places

Looking for a Valentine's Day weekend getaway a little closer to home? Check out our destination ideas and money-saving tips.

Winery regions, Nova Scotia

What better way to spend a romantic weekend (or a girl-only getaway) than sipping award-winning wine, dining on gourmet food and sampling chocolate? Those looking for a little decadence won't want to miss the Nova Scotia Winter Icewine Festival.

The celebrations start just before the Valentine's weekend and there's a little something to suit every palate. Restaurants and wineries in the area are hosting events from February 12 to 22. Imagine fresh gelato drizzled with Icewine, an outdoor ice bar to with Icewine and food pairings, a chocolate and wine tasting session or dessert and wine pairing events. There's even an Icewine Gala on Valentine's Day evening. (Read the list of events for more information).

Hotels in the area are offering accommodation packages throughout the festival, and the DesBarres Manor Inn has a special offer for the last weekend of the festival. Prices start at $289 per person (for double occupancy) and the packages include amenities such as gourmet breakfasts, cross country skiing, picnic lunch and a five-course Winter & Wine dinner.

Toronto, Ontario

Whether you're part of a couple, travelling with your family or single-and-fabulous, there's a lot going on in Canada's largest city. In addition to the ongoing theatre productions, there will be singles parties, family tours, special concerts and events lunch teas and brunches at sites throughout the city.

Can museums be romantic? You bet. The Bata Shoe Museum will be transformed into a ball room for the occasion -- complete with dance lessons. The Royal Ontario Museum currently has two eye-popping collections of gems on exhibit: Light and Stone , which features over two hundred pieces from the private collection of Michael Scott (Apple's first CEO), and the Nature of Diamonds, which explores the popular gemstone. (See the ROM website for details).

And for some risqué shopping, try the Toronto Erotic Arts and Crafts Fair at the Gladstone Hotel.

Québec City, Québec

You don't have to "cross the pond" to enjoy some old-world romance. You'll see the influences of European tradition and architecture as you tour this city, and it's also the season to celebrate. The famous Carnival de Québec continues through the Valentine's weekend and there are plenty of events for couples as well as families. Enjoy a sleigh ride at Place Desjardins and take in one of the Night Parades. If you and loved one start to feel a chill, warm up at the Arctic Spas Village. In addition, history lovers won't want to miss the old-fashioned Regency Ball. (See the Carnival website for a full list of events and information).

Looking for a place to sleep? Start with the event website for packages at hotels like the Château Laurier and Château Frontenac that include a passport to Carnival , and check out VIA Rail's train packages to avoid some potentially-snowy driving. And if you're looking for a unique -- though potentially chilly -- experience, try the Night of Winter Romance package the Hôtel de Glace.

If staying indoors sounds more appealing, pick up a museum card for the weekend and take advantage of admission to 10 different museums and free bus access. For information on other events and attractions, see the Québec City Tourism website.

...

Yellowknife, North West Territories

Think of how often the sky figures in to our romantic fantasies: moonlit walks, starry skies and falling stars. However, Yellowknife is known as one of the best places to see another dazzling natural phenomenon: the aurora borealis (Northern Lights). Head up to the Bush Pilot's Monument for a full view, or take a tour to nearby Aurora Village. Trips include hot drinks, a marshmallow roast and heated viewing seats to enjoy the show.

Other popular outdoor activities include snowmobiling and snowshoeing, but you can also take a dog sledding tour and even learn how to drive a team yourself. If you prefer to drive in a car, take an ice road tour for a unique road trip.

To get in from the cold visit the provincial legislature, the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and stay in a cozy cabin instead of a hotel or motel.

Watch for winter getaway packages departing from Calgary or Edmonton. And if you can't make it for Valentine's Day, try March instead. That's when some of the city's main events are in full swing, like the Caribou Carnival, Canadian Championship Dog Derby and Snowking Winter Festival.

[SpongeG]

^Yes. I have watch many a Bollywood films and I am always confused as to its meaning in accordance with the plot.

its entertainment

a lot of the audience lives in rural india and they like the old school big over the top glamour and musical numbers

the last one i saw - lucky by chance - didn't really do their music that way - they made sense in the plot and the film - it was well handled

[SpongeG]

Al-Jazeera English aims at Canada, U.S.

Station's video stream hits increased 600 per cent in Gaza war

Published: Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The only international television network broadcasting graphic images of death and destruction during the recent Gaza hostilities was a network unavailable on all but a few North American TV screens: Al-Jazeera.

Israel's decision to prohibit foreign journalists from entering the Gaza Strip left the field open to Al-Jazeera, and just might have given the Qatari-funded network's English-language news service the credibility it needs to break into the 600-channel universe found in most Canadian and American homes.

This is the hope of Tony Burman, the Canadian managing director of Al-Jazeera English, who said Tuesday his network could be broadcasting in Canada later this year.

A sponsoring cable carrier will soon apply to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission for the right to broadcast Al-Jazeera English, Burman said.

The 60-year-old former editor-in-chief of CBC News was in Vancouver to speak on a panel marking the 10th anniversary of the University of B.C. School of Journalism.

Burman said his station's Web video stream saw a 600-per-cent spike in worldwide viewership during the Israeli attack on Hamas in Gaza, with about 60 per cent of those hits coming from Americans.

"I think now, particularly because of the phenomenal numbers of Americans who watched Al-Jazeera's coverage of Gaza on the Internet, the market argument for broadcasting Al-Jazeera in the U.S. and Canada is really quite persuasive."

Burman and others have suggested Gaza could do for Al-Jazeera what the 1991 Gulf War did for CNN: give it a critical audience boost.

Al-Jazeera is carried now in the U.S. only by cable companies in three American cities: Washington, D.C., Toledo, Ohio and Burlington, Vt.

Al-Jazeera's Arabic channel was launched 12 years ago and quickly became seen by many western governments, including the Clinton White House, as promoting democracy in Arab countries ruled by oppressive regimes, Burman said.

But after the attacks of 9/11, the Bush administration portrayed Al-Jazeera as hostile to American and Israeli interests. The resulting controversy meant American cable companies were reluctant to take a chance that it might be a public relations headache.

But the American response to Al-Jazeera's web-based coverage of the Gaza conflict shows there is an audience, one that will grow as American networks continue to cut back on foreign coverage, Burman said.

The election of U.S. President Barack Obama may signal that the negative slant many conservative policy-makers have on Al-Jazeera is "old baggage that relates to an American political era that has ended."

Burman said it is ironic that Al-Jazeera is unavailable in North America, partly for political reasons, when the same network is available in Israel, where its reporters regularly interview Israeli politicians and people.

"I spend a lot of time in Israel and have a great sympathy for the anxiety many people here have for Israel. But that shouldn't be a reason to deny a major news channel from being available in Canada."

While Al-Jazeera covers the Israeli perspective -- including the country's outrage over rocket attacks launched by Hamas -- it also provides more coverage of the Arab view than most Western networks, he said. Al-Jazeera, for example, titled its coverage of the recent conflict "War On Gaza" rather than "War In Gaza."

"It was clear after several days of the conflict that this wasn't a war on Hamas. It was a war on all of Gaza as a way to pressure Hamas," Burman said.

http://www2.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=87d0ee3d-dec4-4ee6-9b44-59ca8d972dc0

[Ayreonaut]

Finally saw that Timbits-Crosby commercial. Is it me or did Michel Therrien pull a cameo at the end?

Is he the guy calling Crosby back to the bus?

[harls]

That Enterprise Rent-a-car hag gets on my nerves.. "really? sounds expensive" .. with her dumb-ass 40 year old live-at-home son in the back seat trying to ensure her it's cheap.

the Enterprise employee has one of the weirdest expressionless faces I've ever seen... she looks like some sort of robot covered in latex, sort of like the Terminator.

The commerical with the male employee features the same moronic expression, a face you'd get if you were talking to someone face to face and you hadn't used mouthwash in a month.

[0773|=\]

Yeah, Enterprise has another version of that same ad south of the border... it's almost as bad.

Worst Canadian ads:

-Anything Rogers has come up with... from the "hip" teenagers to the whole "2001 Space Odyssey OMG I GET RECEPTION HERE!?!?!!1!!"

-Almost everything Tim Hortons has come up with... they try too hard to be funny, and they're NOT.

-That recent McDonald's ad with those two dads having burgers at 2 AM. Maybe it's because you see that one EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL break, but it's really starting to get on my nerves

-For any living in Manitoba, MTS is pretty brutal as well. Those talking Bison are getting old, and I've only been here for 4 months...

-Enmax Energy (possibly only in Alberta), with their evil Sidney Crosby look-alike. It barely makes sense.

We're actually quite deprived of clever or funny TV ads.

[harls]

-That recent McDonald's ad with those two dads having burgers at 2 AM. Maybe it's because you see that one EVERY SINGLE COMMERCIAL break, but it's really starting to get on my nerves


My wife saw that commercial and threatened to kill me if I ever thought of dumping her alone with a crying kid.

why didn't they show the real clientele at a McDonald's at 2 am? Hobos and drunkards?

[MolsonExport]

Scotiabank: You're Richer than you Think!


http://blog.internetnews.com/apatrizio/orly_owl.jpg
Source: Craig Oliver, CTV News, Ottawa.

Everyone that I know feels a lot poorer today than they thought they were just a few months ago.

Oh, and fvck off Telus and your commercials with meerkats (EVERY FUCKING TIME AT THE MOVIE THEATRE). What the hell do meerkats have to do with cellphones?

http://www.collective-behavior.com/meerkats_1024.jpg
Source: Tell-us some lies about cellphone packages.

[kirjtc2]

Am I the only one who's getting nauseous at all this blatant Olympic promotion by CTV national news?

[mr.John]

Things I would love to see happen in TV commercials, that annoying lunatic bitch in those grey power auto insurance ads go crashing through her car's windshield climaxing with the car bursting into flames

[harls]

I would love to see all of those Lotto 6/49 happy dancers dance their way onto a shooting range, each one picked off with marksman quality shots between the eyes.

...or maybe they could dance onto the street and be mowed down by the Grey Power woman :hmmm:

[mr.John]

"You don't drive like her why should you die like her" as the camera focuses in on her burnt corpse

[harls]

I would buy insurance from them, with an ad like that. :D

Foor hundred doolers per year... FOOR hundred doolers per year.. How many times does that burly ape-man have to repeat that shit?

[Ayreonaut]

One commercial that bugs me is that H&R Block one where the couple is choosing their adviser or something like that.

When they ask the second question, the lady says "ooh that's still a lot" even before the people have a chance to sit down. The when she says "you must have a cat named Louie" everybody's already sitting down before she's even finished. The timing is just all off for the whole commercial.

[Rico Rommheim]

Is he the guy calling Crosby back to the bus?

not anymore.

[Ayreonaut]

Ha!

[Rico Rommheim]

I don't know what's going on here, there's always a lot of Ontario plates in Montreal usually, but today no joke, no exaggeration, I saw no less than 50 or 60 in the span of 2 hours, in 3 different areas of town....weird.

[SpongeG]

family day - long weekend for ontario

[vid]

Looking at the TV guide a moment ago, I read "L'Auberge du chien noir" as "black dog eggplant". :crazy:

[Rico Rommheim]

Auberge = Inn

Aubergine = eggplant


don't try to be smart, french ain't that easy ;)

[Ayreonaut]

Closer than I would've guessed.

[manny_santos]

Auberge = Inn

Aubergine = eggplant


don't try to be smart, french ain't that easy ;)

Off-topic a little, but Spanish words can be even more ambiguous than French. Kind of like English.

Imagine "la bouteille" and "le bouteille" meaning something entirely different. The article in front of some Spanish words means everything. But then at least in Spanish they have that indicator. Don't have that for the word "bow".

[vid]

Auberge = Inn

Aubergine = eggplant


don't try to be smart, french ain't that easy ;)

I've seen auberge before but forgot what it was, so I went to aubergine. This isn't the first time I've figured out something absurdly wrong while eating French. In grade two, I think, I wrote something in French that basically translated to "I like to eat my mother on Wednesdays".

Mme. Talarico kept laughing and laughing and... :(

[Ayreonaut]

"eating French"?

[Rathgrith]

^mange français?

[vid]

LOL

I meant writing. That was a case of getting too far ahead in my thoughts while writing. :(

mange à trois. :)

[Greco Roman]

LOL

mange à trois. :)

Are you sure you didn't mean "menage a trois"? ;)

[Rathgrith]

Yes Vid, remember a ≠ à en français. :)

[vid]

I meant mange a trois.

[MolsonExport]

I've seen auberge before but forgot what it was, so I went to aubergine. This isn't the first time I've figured out something absurdly wrong while eating French. In grade two, I think, I wrote something in French that basically translated to "I like to eat my mother on Wednesdays".

Mme. Talarico kept laughing and laughing and... :(

...then you asked her what was wrong with that? ;) :D

[jimj_wpg]

I meant mange a trois.

Translates to "eat a three".

And to group sex in its non-literal meaning.

[SpongeG]

would there not be a lot of eating in a 3some?

[vid]

If the amount of holes was limited or the participants were inflexible, I imagine there would. All of my experiences, unfortunately, have been solo. :(

[crooked rain]

You could always hire one of those famous Thunder Bay hookers...

[Rico Rommheim]

If the amount of holes was limited or the participants were inflexible, I imagine there would. All of my experiences, unfortunately, have been solo. :(

uh, uh I'm not quite sure what to make of this post, save from the last part. :(

[habfanman]

uh, uh I'm not quite sure what to make of this post, dave from the last part. :(

Sounds like a case of mainage!

[MolsonExport]

^the five knuckle-shuffle. :D