Jul 27 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Shania Twain’s new documentary “Not Just A Girl” digs into a rich archive of video footage to tell the story of the Timmins, Ont. native’s rise from hopeful bar singer to global superstar. Along the way, the full-length film sheds light on the many struggles and triumphs that colour her nearly 40-year career. […]
Jul 26 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Drake is making room for Canadian hip-hop royalty at this year's OVO Fest by giving them their own night to shine. The Toronto rapper has announced the lineup for what he's dubbed the All Canadian North Stars concert, a show on Thursday that kicks off his annual long weekend music extravaganza. The concert […]
Jul 25 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Allison Russell is riding an emotional high after she joined several friends and music contemporaries on stage during Joni Mitchell's surprise performance at the Newport Folk Festival. Sunday's concert was the first time the legendary Canadian singer-songwriter played a full live set in more than two decades, while Montreal-raised Russell lent backup vocals […]
Jul 22 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Steven Spielberg is coming to the Toronto International Film Festival. Organizers say the 75-year-old Hollywood director will make his first-ever appearance at the fest with his semi-autobiographical drama "The Fabelmans," starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Vancouver-born Seth Rogen. The 20th century coming-of-age tale draws from Spielberg’s youth growing up in Arizona with […]
Jul 22 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — R&B vocal powerhouse Deborah Cox, retail executive Heather Reisman and the late multi-faceted athlete Lionel Conacher are among the names joining Canada's Walk of Fame this year. The first round of 2022 honourees was named at the organization's annual Music Under the Stars fundraiser on Thursday night at Casa Loma in Toronto. The […]
Jul 21 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Music producer David Foster is being inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The prolific artist, who built his name as a musician and songwriter alongside some of the biggest stars in pop music, will be toasted during an event at Toronto's Massey Hall on Sept. 24. Foster, who was born in […]
Jul 20 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Justin Bieber is set to hit the road again after stepping aside to deal with an illness that left half of his face temporarily paralyzed. Concert promoter AEG says the Stratford, Ont., pop star will resume his Justice world tour starting July 31 with a concert in Italy. He'll then play shows across […]
Jul 20 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Tenille Townes is returning to her spot as a front-runner at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter from Grande Prairie, Alta. emerged the leading contender with nominations in seven categories this year. They include both single and music video of the year for "Girl Who Didn't Care." Her release "Masquerades" […]
Jul 19 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Organizers at Canada’s summer music festivals say even as pandemic restrictions lift and live concerts return to some semblance of normalcy, it's anything but normal behind the scenes. While concertgoers descend on outdoor events, the people leading the country's largest music gatherings are facing a long list of anxieties — from travel delays […]
Jul 18 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — The Weeknd is laying down plans for his return to Toronto's Rogers Centre. After a countrywide outage of the Rogers wireless network forced him to postpone his stadium concert earlier this month, the Canadian pop singer has marked Sept. 22 as the night he'll make up for the show. Promoter Live Nation says […]
Jul 12 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Late comedian Norm Macdonald was the leading Canadian Emmy nominee announced Tuesday, with Martin Short and Sandra Oh earning nods in top acting categories. The Quebec-raised comic pulled in three nominations for Netflix's "Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special," a single-take routine he filmed at home in the summer of 2020. Macdonald died last September […]
Jul 11 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Cochrane and Marianas Trench are among the performers set for this year's comeback at the Canadian National Exhibition. After a two-year break due to COVID-19, the annual end-of-summer event at Toronto's Exhibition Place is back in action with a full schedule of musicians and a new night of standup comedy. […]
Jul 9 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Thousands of fans were disappointed and dejected on Friday as they arrived at the Rogers Centre to learn the highly anticipated start of The Weeknd's world tour in his Toronto hometown was sidelined thanks to the nationwide Rogers network outage. It was a last-minute announcement that spread across social media with little more […]
Jul 8 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Shawn Mendes says he's pausing his world tour for three weeks to focus on his mental health. The Pickering, Ont.-raised musician posted a statement on his Instagram account Friday night saying that a string of U.S. dates would be postponed so he can "heal and take care" of himself. "I’ve been touring since […]
Jul 7 2022 — David Friend, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TORONTO — Stars of "Sons of Anarchy" are joining the Hobbits and the cast of Kevin Smith's "Clerks" at this year's edition of Fan Expo Canada. The Toronto pop culture festival unleashed a list of familiar faces as it plots a return to a full-fledged in-person event from Aug. 25-28 at the Metro Toronto Convention […]