Lady Gaga praises Ontario high school student for anti-bullying struggle
Postmedia News
The Fame Monster herself is putting her popularity to good use — Lady Gaga recently acknowledged a Toronto student’s tremendous endeavour to raise awareness and put an end to bullying.
Jacques St. Pierre, 17, was motivated to make a change after being bullied himself growing up. As the student council president of the Etobicoke School of the Arts, he organized a school assembly with an anti-bullying theme.
“I got called the gay kid, the fag, because I liked to be in the school plays,” St. Pierre told CBC. “I lost my best friend because he joined in with the bullies. It’s not fun, I’ve been there, I’ve been bullied. Before that, I didn’t know bullying could affect people so severely.”
Gathering pledges from fellow students and contacting an array of celebrities for their support, St. Pierre was overjoyed and emotional after he received Gaga’s heartfelt video voicing her unconditional support for his actions.
“I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you for being such a strong advocate of the LGBT community in your school. There should be more little monsters like you,” Gaga said. “It is important that we push the boundaries of love and acceptance. It is important that we spread tolerance and equality for all students.”
St Pierre said Gaga’s high profile will help spread a positive message. “Young or old, people know who Lady Gaga is, because she’s such as character and she does so much to stand up against bullying in any way she can. And someone as inspiring as her, taking 20 minutes out of her day to write down a speech, sit in front of a Teleprompter, get all made up and read it to us directly at our school. It’s fantastic,” he told CBC.
Gaga’s video was revealed at the assembly organized by St. Pierre, which also screened Rick Mercer’s recent anti-bullying rant from October.
Source: vancouversun.com
RBO tasse François Pérusse
Marc-André Lemieux
journalmetro
La série documentaire RBO 3.0 prend la place de Pérusse cité dans la grille hivernale de Radio-Canada La comédie animée de François Pérusse sera diffusée au printemps
Les téléspectateurs devront patienter quelques semaines de plus avant de voir la série consacrée au 30e anniversaire de Rock et Belles Oreilles.
D’abord prévue pour le temps des fêtes, RBO 3.0 prendra l’antenne de Radio-Canada le lundi 9 janvier à 21 h 30, dans la case horaire que devait occuper Pérusse cité, la comédie animée de François Pérusse. À l’origine, les huit épisodes de RBO 3.0 devaient être présentés en rafale du 12 au 22 décembre, mais la direction de la SRC a tellement aimé ce qu’on lui a montré qu’elle a décidé de transformer cette quotidienne en série hebdomadaire. Elle a même demandé au gérant de RBO, Jacques Primeau, de lui fournir des demi-heures additionnelles, histoire de bien remplir sa grille hivernale. «On regarde ce qu’on peut faire», indique M. Primeau.
Radio-Canada a donc repoussé la diffusion de Pérusse cité au printemps. La série sera retransmise les lundis à 19 h 30, un créneau qui lui sied davantage, selon Nathalie Moreau, la porte-parole du réseau.
Animée par Stéphan Bureau, RBO 3.0 jumellera les sketchs marquants du groupe aux téléromans, publicités et événements d’actualité qui les ont inspirés. Parmi les parodies présentées hier aux médias, signalons celles des vieilles pubs du Bon Marché, de Wal-Mart et d’All Bran, Les Filles de Caleb, Parler pour parler et la fameuse «noune inclusive» de Pauline Marois.
L’idée de confronter les pastiches de RBO aux extraits originaux desquels ils sont tirés ne date pas d’hier. Jacques Primeau et son équipe avaient voulu exploiter le filon lors du 20e anniversaire du groupe, mais ils avaient finalement par abandonner le projet, faute de temps.
La numérisation du matériel et la négociation des droits d’auteur ont nécessité beaucoup de travail. «C’était une tâche colossale, dit M. Primeau, qui a trimé dur pour obtenir l’autorisation de présenter certaines images d’archives.
Comme on s’y attendait, certains ayants droit ont refusé donner au sextet la permission de ressortir les scènes dont il s’était moqué. «On a ri d’eux pendant des années. Ils ont enfin trouvé l’occasion de prendre leur revanche», affirme Bruno Landry.
La SRC célèbrera aussi les noces de perle de Rock et Belles Oreilles sur ses ondes radio. Du 5 au 9 décembre, la Première Chaîne offrira Génération RBO : parodie d’une époque, une série de cinq épisodes dans laquelle Guy A. Lepage, André Ducharme, Bruno Landry, Yves Pelletier, Richard Z. Sirois et Chantal Francke relateront leur parcours de 1981 à 1995 : de leurs années derrière le micro de CIBL, CKOI et CKMF à leur arrivée au petit écran, en passant par leurs prouesses sur scène.
Réalisée par Charles Plourde, Génération RBO comptera notamment sur la participation de Mario Dumont, Serge Grenier, Daniel Bélanger, Louise Harel et Jacques Chevalier.
Les internautes ne seront pas en reste puisqu’à partir de lundi, ils pourront surfer sur The Voûte, un site qui se garnira progressivement de centaines de sketches audio et vidéo du groupe.
Source: journalmetro.com
B.B. King en concert à Montréal
Émilie Clément-Émond
Showbizz.net
B.B. King s’arrêtera à Montréal dans le cadre de sa tournée canadienne. C’est la Place des Arts qui accueillera le vétéran du blues le 29 mai 2012.
Lauréat de quinze prix Grammy, intronisé au Rock and Roll Hall of Fame et au Blues Hall of Fame, B.B. King est sans conteste un des plus importants musiciens encore vivants. Depuis ses premières séances de studio à la fin des années 40, B.B. King a produit plus de soixante albums, dont beaucoup sont considérés des classiques du blues. À la guitare, il a développé un des styles les plus reconnaissables du monde. Il en va de même de son chant riche et mélodique. Le son unique de B.B. King intègre le blues traditionnel, le jazz, le swing, le jump et la pop grand public.
Maintenant âgé de 86 ans, B.B. King clôturera sa tournée canadienne de six concerts avec la métropole québécoise. Les billets seront en vente dès le 5 décembre à midi. Vous pourrez vous les procurer directement à la billetterie de la Place des Arts, ou par téléphone au 514 842-2112. Le numéro sans frais est le 1 866 842-2112. Les billets sont également en vente sur le site de la Place des Arts : www.laplacedesarts.com.
Pour les spectacles ailleurs au Canada, les billets seront en vente dès le 3 décembre à 10h. Pour consulter les dates, ou pour toute autre information, consultez le site de B.B. King : www.bbking.com
Source: showbizz.net
Jennifer Lopez Breaks Down in Tears Over Break Up
Jennifer Lopez began crying on stage during a concert in Connecticut Saturday night … breaking down while introducing the song “If You Had My Love” … and telling the crowd, “A lot has changed since then.”
Lopez was performing at the Mohegan Sun casino … when things became emotional and the singer — who recently split from hubby #3 Marc Anthony — began to tear up in front of the crowd.
FYI — “If You Had My Love” was released in 1999 … right around the time Lopez was dating Diddy … who was still going by the name Puff Daddy at the time.
After Lopez rocked out an acoustic version of the song, she told the crowd, “I took a trip down memory lane.”
Lopez announced her split with Anthony back in July — they have 2 children together.
Source: tmz.com
John Lennon’s tooth up for auction
Chris Kokenes
CNN
New York (CNN) — No one knows whether the tooth fairy will be in attendance, but a tooth belonging to former Beatle John Lennon will go on auction in England on November 5.
American comedians have long derided the English about their teeth, but is anyone going to spend thousands of dollars on what could be one of the more unusual pieces of Beatles memorabilia?
Karen Fairweather, the owner of Omega Auction house, chuckled when asked why anyone would want to buy the molar and noted that some have expressed interest, while others think it’s gross.
“We get a lot of people buying memorabilia as investments,” Fairweather said. “Or it could just be a fan that really, really wants a part of John Lennon.”
The molar, which has some discoloration and a cavity — probably why it was removed by a dentist — will be available with a reserve bidding price of just under $16,000.
Lennon gave the tooth to Dorothy “Dot” Jarlett when she worked as his housekeeper at his Kenwood home in Weybridge, Surrey, according to her son Barry. Jarlett, who was employed between 1964 and 1968, developed a warm relationship with Lennon, her son said.
“She was very close with John, and one day whilst chatting in the kitchen, John gave my mother the tooth (he had been to the dentist to have it removed that day) and suggested giving it to my sister as a souvenir, as she was a huge Beatles fan,” he said. “It has been in the family ever since.”
With the exception of the last two years, the tooth has been in Canada for 40 years after Dot Jarlett’s daughter married a Canadian.
Barry Jarlett, who said his mother is now 90 years old, said it was the right time to pass it on rather than to risk the tooth getting lost.
Fairweather said that the tooth is too fragile to conduct a DNA test but that she has no doubt about its authenticity. “Because it’s coming directly from Dot, we don’t doubt the provenance of the item,” she said.
Some fans will sink their teeth into anything if they feel it’s worth plunking down thousands to get closer to their idols. A clump of hair believed to have been trimmed from Elvis Presley’s head when he joined the Army in 1958 sold for $18,300 in 2009 at Chicago’s Leslie Hindman auctioneers.
Jarlett said Lennon gave his family many gifts over the years. He plans to keep a leather wallet, and his mother still has a pearl necklace Lennon gave her when he returned from Japan.
Source: cnn.com
Duran Duran: les joyeux survivants
Alain De Repentigny
La Presse
Hier soir, vers 19h, une chanson de Spandau Ballet jouait dans un Complexe Desjardins désert. Plus personne n’écoute ce groupe qui faisait tellement «années 80». Duran Duran est sans doute l’un des rares survivants de la décennie maudite.
Nous sommes en 2011 et le Centre Bell n’était pas bondé pour les Duran. Pourtant, les 5750 fans venus revivre leurs années de jeunesse compensaient par leur enthousiasme spontané. «Peut-être le meilleur public pour lequel on a jamais joué», a dit le chanteur Simon Le Bon au rappel. Je pense qu’il ne blaguait pas.
Plus d’une demi-heure après le début du spectacle, les fans de Duran Duran étaient encore debout à danser. Et ce, même si, jusque-là, Simon, Nick, John, Roger et leurs quatre complices avaient pigé abondamment dans leur plus récent album, paru plus tôt cette année. Mais voilà: les chansons d’All You Need Is Now se glissent pour la plupart tout naturellement parmi les classiques du groupe.
D’entrée, la nouvelle Before The Rain a fait son effet pendant que des images de défilés militaires étaient projetées sur les trois écrans en fond de scène. Tout de suite après, Planet Earth a été accueillie par les cris des fans des débuts. Puis ce fut A View To A Kill avec ses silhouettes de Bond Girls musiciennes et la récente All You Need Is Now, du Duran Duran vintage.
On a bien senti une baisse de tension pendant l’enfilade de quatre autres nouvelles chansons, entrecoupées de Come Undone et de The Reflex, que Simon Le Bon a lancée au pied de la scène en compagnie d’une admiratrice, mais le public ne s’est pas fait prier pour chanter la récente Girl Panic avec un Le Bon très en voix.
Il n’y avait pas, dans cette moitié de Centre Bell, le cachet intimiste du petit National en avril dernier. Pourtant, on n’y perdait rien au change. Le Duran Duran de 2011 a ce petit quelque chose de vrai, de senti. La pertinence, ce n’est pas nécessairement John Taylor qui demande aux fans de tweeter pendant Tiger Tiger ou Simon Le Bon qui fait référence à la libération de la Lybie. C’est surtout la très belle Ordinary World, le funk de Notorious ou le plaisir coupable de Hungry Like The Wolfet, en rappel, Wild Boys, jumelée à Relax de Frankie Goes To Hollywood, et Rio, qui ont semé le délire.
Si Duran Duran a survécu aux années 80, c’est parce que ses chansons tiennent la route.
Source: cyberpresse.ca
Alleged celebrity email hacker apologizes
A Florida man who allegedly hacked into the personal email accounts of Hollywood celebrities, including Scarlett Johannson and Christina Aguilera, apologized and said he was ready to face the consequences.
Christopher Chaney told Action News of Jacksonville, Fla., on Wednesday that the scheme “started as curiousity and it turned to just being addictive.”
Chaney, 35, of Jacksonville, was named in a criminal indictment Wednesday by the FBI in Los Angeles.
“What did you do with the info you found in those emails?” Chaney was asked in the interview.
“Nothing, it was almost like a completely uncensored blog,” Chaney said. “I wasn’t saving the emails to blackmail someone.”
“So, why did you do it?” he was asked.
“It started as curiosity and it turned to just being addictive,” answered Chaney. “Seeing the behind-the-scenes of what’s going on with the people you see on the big screen.”
Mining details of the stars’ personal lives in celebrity magazines and websites as well as Twitter and Facebook posts, Chaney looked for potential passwords that would give him access to their accounts, the FBI said.
The name of a dog. A favorite movie. An old address. A sibling’s nickname.
Once he cracked the password, officials charged, he hit a gold mine, gaining access to the stars’ address books as well as any photos and other files saved in their email folders.
He used an email forwarding program that automatically duplicated any messages the stars received into his account. So even when the celebrities changed their passwords, he would know about it, officials said.
Chaney, who officials said appears to have been unemployed, was arrested this week in Jacksonville on various hacking charges and faces up 121 years in prison if found guilty on all counts.
Chaney says his thrill for celebrities turned into such a strong addiction he says he didn’t know how to stop.
“I was almost relieved when they came in and took the computers inside,” he told the TV station.
“I deeply apologize,” Chaney said. “I know what I did was probably the worst invasion of privacy someone could experience. I’m not trying to escape what I did. It was wrong. And I have to just face that and go forward.”
Source: latimes.com
Robert Charlebois: spectacle-bénéfice à Montréal
Julie Rhéaume
Showbizz.net
Robert Charlebois, le président d’honneur de la Fondation IFRAD, présentera un spectacle-bénéfice le 11 novembre 2011 au Monument-Mational, à Montréal. Cet organisme est voué à la lutte contre la maladie d’Alzheimer.
Lors de ce spectacle, Robert Charlebois présentera de nouvelles chansons et des classiques. Il sera accompagné de trois musiciens et de plus de 40 instruments. Il «survolera 40 années de sa musique et vos oreilles vous diront Je me souviens», indique la Fondation.
Jérôme Charlebois, le fils de Robert et le porte-parole d’IFRAD, se produira en première partie.
On peut notamment se procurer des places pour cette soirée au Monument-National et dans le réseau Admission.
Source: showbizz.net
Snoop Dogg Gets NBC Sitcom Deal
Gil Kaufman
Mtv
He started out as a Long Beach hustler, made his bones as a breakout rap star and has played everything from a loveable stoner to Huggy Bear and an undead gangster in the 2001 horror flick “Bones.”
But is America ready for Snoop Dogg family sitcom star? According to Deadline Hollywood the d-o-double g’s family comedy project has landed at NBC with a script in the works from veteran comedy writer Don Reo (“Blossom,” “Everybody Hates Chris,” “My Wife and Kids”).
Snoop, the family man who has managed to strike a balance between lascivious rhyme dropper and pee-wee football coach, will play a dad in the show, which he will also produce. Snoop has already worked with Reo on the Fox sitcom “Brothers,” a show about a former NFL player on which he played the role of cousin Kenny the Lawyer.
He’s already done a dry run as the man of the house in his E! reality show “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood,” which followed his home life with his wife and three kids over two seasons. Snoop has seesawed between music and movies for years and was recently cast in the title role of the biopic “The Legend of Fillmore Slim,” the story of the 1970s San Francisco blues guitarist and pimp who was often referred to as the “West Coast Godfather of the Game.”
Deadline noted that NBC has had mixed success with rapper sitcoms, ranging from the hit 1990s run by Will Smith in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” to the notoriously awful 2001 pilot starring “Thong Song” star Sisqo and comedy icon Bob Newhart.
Source: mtv.com
Prosecutors focus on drugs in Jackson’s home
Anthony McCartney
Today.com
LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors will focus Thursday on the multitude of drugs found in Michael Jackson’s home — propofol, lidocaine, lorazepam and others — as they try to convince a jury that Dr. Conrad Murray is guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the pop singer’s death.
The Houston-based cardiologist insists he is not.
Prosecutors will begin explaining the interaction between the drugs to the jury of seven men and five women and how they led to the pop superstar’s death. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren has said he is calling a toxicology expert and a coroner’s investigator to testify.
It took Walgren more than an hour Wednesday to explain the bottles of medicine with the help of a coroner’s investigator. The drug display came hours after Walgren played a more than four-minute recording of a rambling, slurring Jackson found on Murray’s cell phone just six weeks before the singer died in June 2009.
In the call, Jackson is heard telling Murray he planned to use proceeds from his comeback concerts to build a world-class children’s hospital. After saying he hoped the patients would be spared some of the pain of his own life, Jackson’s voice is heard at the end of the recording, mumbling ominously, “I am asleep.”
Authorities contend a combination of the drugs, the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives, killed Jackson after Murray administered them. Defense attorneys have an alternate theory — the King of Pop gave himself the fatal dose when the cardiologist left the singer’s bedroom.
Many of the medications were found on the third search of Jackson’s mansion, two days after Murray spoke with detectives about the treatments of propofol and other medications to try to help the entertainer sleep. Coroner’s investigator Elissa Fleak catalogued the items, including an empty vial of propofol found on the initial search of Jackson’s bedroom, and her testimony Wednesday led to a drug lineup.
It was a visual display of what jurors had been told for days — in the weeks before Jackson’s death, Murray had been receiving shipments of medications in California, where his only patient was the singer.
Prosecutors appear to be in the final stages of their case, calling the investigators who pieced together the timeline of Murray’s actions on Jackson’s final day. Some of the remaining witnesses will explain how that happened; others will be brought in to explain exactly how Jackson died and try to support the prosecution assertion that Murray was reckless and distracted while giving Jackson propofol, an anesthetic intended for use in hospital settings.
Walgren played a portion of the May 10, 2009 recording of an impaired Jackson speaking with Murray during opening statements last week. The segment focused on the singer’s ambition to top all other entertainers, but the audio played Wednesday revealed both the singer’s plans for the future and his past pain.
“That will be remembered more than my performances,” he says. “My performances will be up there helping my children and always be my dream. I love them. I love them because I didn’t have a childhood … I feel their pain. I feel their hurt. I can deal with it.”
Source: today.com
