Hilary M on Strombo and the Career Fair

We invite you to take an extra click and go over to Hilary's Blog and read her recap on this weekends Calgary Career Fair, and her take on meeting George. As always, she writes with a witty humour that paints an excellent picture.

Coming up, thanks to the CBC

THE HOUR
on CBC-TV: Upcoming Guests* Oct. 30 - Nov. 2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 30
Josh Groban
Lewis Lapham
Kardinal Official

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31
Fear Special: George Stroumboulopoulos takes the Fear Doctor down a dark
alley to find out how pervasive fear is in our lives

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Jared Leto
Rick Hansen

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2
David Suziki
Olympia Dukakis

*Guests subject to change

THE HOUR broadcasts on CBC Television at 11:00 p.m. on CBC Television
and 8:00 p.m. ET on CBC Newsworld.

For more information on THE HOUR, visit www.cbc.ca/thehour


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would like to share a letter addressed to us but it goes to all fans of The Hour, George S., and all the fans of CBC.

Dear Stromboulopouli,
I am contacting those of you who I could find contact info for and hoping
that you'll spread the word. I don't know if you are just George fans or CBC fans in general,
but if you are willing I could use your assistance.
From what I understand the Hour last Sunday got only 69 thousand viewers
for the Tragically Hip show. I can only assume that this means people
didn't know it was on. If I announced right now that there was a free Hip
show in downtown Toronto tonight, it's a safe bet it would draw 69 thousand people.
Anyway, being a sometimes CBC employee who doesn't work there right now I am free to do as I please without checking with managers or having to
answer to anyone so I have started a friends of the CBC myspace, http://www.myspace.com/cbclove a CBC google group http://groups.google.ca/group/theCBC , Created a web button that people can use
on their web sites http://www.publicbroadcasting.ca/support.html have a little 'we love the CBC' petition thing going http://www.petitiononline.com/Love4CBC/petition.html etc., all in the hope of getting the word out about, and generating interest in things CBC through other than official channels.

If any of you would like to participate in, help with or help get the word
out about any of this it would be greatly appreciated. Oh, in case you
don't know, I'm also the one who does publicbroadcasting.ca

Cheers!
Justin


I would like to reply to Justin as a fan of the CBC and a stroumboulopouli, I am very happy to support the CBC. I am now proud to be a 'friend' of the CBC on myspace.
But I am curious about the ratings quoted. I would like to know if the ratings are added up by how many watch the show on CBC Newsworld (that time varies by timezone), plus on CBC main at 11 and do they count the thousands who watch the show online... It's on what.... 3 times a night plus anytime you want online... are they counting all of that?
No, I don't think so.
I was confronted by a 'pro-con' on insidethecbc who said The Hours ratings 'can't get any lower'.
I am curious where people are getting the numbers and what do the numbers represent...
Barbara W.

Billboards

This was up across from the MTV building yesterday morning.











Then when I came out of work at lunch everything had changed.
As I was taking a picture of the new billboard they thoughtfully put up for me, a crew from MTV was getting in my way on the corner of Yonge and Church...
Hey, MTV stop trying to tape a segment I am preparing for a blog here.
















The song that George whispered about last night at the end of The Hour is Shine a Light by Spiritualized


Do links work now?
Here is the Globe and Mail article about George and his motorcycles.

Dear The Hour,

It’s not you, it’s me.

No, actually, it’s not me either; it’s whoever came up with that god-awful schedule this season.

Do you remember how last season and the season before, we would meet up every night at 9:00, which was a perfect time, as all the chores had been done and we could all sit down and enjoy each other’s company? The whole family would pile onto the couch together and we would discuss the news that you presented and we would debate the issues that you raised. It was perfect and we rarely missed an episode in two years.

Imagine our dismay when we found out that if we wanted to become engaged in our favourite show this season we had to watch at either 6:00 or 11:00pm. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but around our house those are pretty much the worst evening hours to attempt to watch television. The Hour might as well be on at 4:00am.

Frankly, I don’t see how anyone west of Manitoba or east of Quebec could routinely tune in to The Hour this year. In fact, if I were to subscribe to any sort of western alienation theory, this would be perfect fodder to fuel complaints of centralist bias in the CBC. I don’t think this is the case, but it sure looks bad from out here in the provinces.

And please don’t tell me I can tape The Hour and watch it at a more convenient time. For a variety of long and boring reasons, usually involving the necessity to watch the taped show in a cold grungy basement on a broken couch with a spring sticking into my ass, taping is just not a workable option. Lord knows I’ve tried; I keep taping the show and I keep not watching those tapes. But that, of course, is my problem, not yours.

I do appreciate the fact that you put each show in its entirety on the website. I’ve even watched parts of some of those shows. But The Hour is the type of program that you want to watch as a community. I want to be able to sit down with my entire family and really watch the show as a group, to use it as a springboard for some scintillating discussions. Huddling over a one-inch square video clip on a computer screen, sadly, just does not lend itself to that sort of activity.

We did manage to catch most of the special episode on Sunday night, featuring the Tragically Hip and that was great to see. And it is a little easier to make those sorts of arrangements on a Sunday night, rather than on a week night. Even so, I still had to move heaven and earth to accomplish that.

Please consider either making the 8:00pm episode to be on National Time, so that it is on at 8:00 across the country, much as the 11:00pm show is on at that time nationally, or adding some other options so that people who aren’t in the central time zones have an opportunity to enjoy The Hour, as we have in the past.

Otherwise, I’m afraid that, for our family anyway, The Hour will shift from being an essential program that we cannot miss, to one that we will catch occasionally, under special circumstances.

I really hate to say goodbye, but I fear this is The End.

Barbara B.

This here is George (from his myspace bulletin)

This bulletin is copied and pasted with only a few minor alterations. It's done without permission from the author (but he can call me if he has a problem with it.)

The Strombo Show is back LIVE tonight (Sunday).

Hello.
What's happening?
The Radio show is going on between 9-11pm ET.
It's two hours of shooting the shit about your lives and our lives.
Call us and get in on it. 1-866-866-7387.
We're here to talk about feelings... (ok, maybe not, but maybe...) the world, politics, music and movies.
Plus we're offering free advice. (Basically we're just trying to save you from Dr. Phil :-)
Listen, call, write to go@strombo.com , post on myspace... or do whatever you like... I'll support ya ;-)
And remember... we're trying to find listeners all over the world... do you know anybody in North Korea, Cuba, China or any/everywhere else...?
Let's get them on board...
Here are the details...Listen online - www.cfrb.com Toronto - CFRB 1010 AM Montreal - CJAD 800 AM

THE STROMBO SHOW TONIGHT 9-11 PM ET.

Bgood,George.

We are not George!

We are not George. We are not even paid by The Hour.
I am not sure why people have been e-mailing this blog with letters to George. We only ask for email from people who have ideas to post. Guest contributors. You can also feel free to write us if you just want to say how much you like or don't like the blog... :-) we may reserve the right to post that too.
I am sure you don't want us to post (put up on the blog) the personal letters to George, do you?
I don't even know if he reads this blog. I don't see how he even has time to read all the email he gets. His blackberry is always going off though, so he is aware you are trying to contact him.
Here are the addresses again go@strombo.com (for the Sunday nights radio show), george@strombo.com (his own websites email) and you can go to The Hour at www.cbc.ca/thehour/ and contact him there. Or his myspace shortcut is on the sidebar and you can contact him there.
Copy those addresses, paste them in your address book!
Contact him yourself directly. We are not the way, I'm not your mother and I am not Georges mother. She is sweet though. :-)

Next week on The Hour

The Tragically Hip rock an exclusive performance and
intimate interview with Gemini winner George Stroumboulopoulos on THE
HOUR Special with The Tragically Hip airing Sunday, Oct. 22 at 11 p.m.
on CBC Television and 8 p.m. ET on CBC Newsworld.



CBC-TV's THE HOUR UPCOMING GUESTS:

THURSDAY (Oct 19) Actor Barry Pepper (Flags of Our Fathers 2006, The
Snow Walker, 2003) In-Studio

SUNDAY (Oct 22) THE HOUR Special with The Tragically Hip

MONDAY (Oct 23) Musician Alice Cooper

TUESDAY (Oct 24) Musician Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges In-Studio

WEDNESDAY (Oct 25) Margaret Trudeau In-Studio

THURSDAY (Oct 26) Toronto Argonaut Ricky Williams In-Studio

I would just like to add this...
Fridays he may be out somewhere enjoying Toronto's night life...
Saturdays he might be watching Hockey... I'm just sayin'
Oh and every Sunday on CFRB 1010 in Toronto and CJAD 800 in Montreal from 9 'til 11 you can hear him, Bob and Alex and maybe some other guests via the radio or online (link is on the sidebar), then you can watch The Best of The Hour at 11pm.
See how they worked it so he does not compete with himself.
Two Geminis won by The Hour, one more to win!

The Hour wins Best Talk Series

The Strombi would like to send congratulations to George and the whole gang at The Hour for winning Best Talk Series at this years Gemini's. Well deserved, well deserved!

The Hour goes Porno

From the first notes, the new season for The Hour has kicked off to a grand start.

Let's backtrack to Season Two. Yeah sure, so last year, but follow my train of thought for a second, and I promise I will get back to Season Three again. During Season Two, right smack in the middle of the program, just in time for "the news" (or entertainment gossip) and right after the commercial, the viewing audience is pelted with the hard hitting song "Romantic Rights" from the musical duo know as Death From Above 1979. After the disbandment of DFA 1979 over the summer, it is fitting that the theme song for the show has changed too. For season three, The Hour begins with the charming tune "Use It", by the immensely talented Canadian indie band, The New Pornographers. "Use It" is a more than appropriate introduction.

"if you've got something that sheds some light /use it tonight, tonight /heads down thumbs up /two sips from the cup of human kindness"
lyrics from "Use It" - The New Pornographers

George Stroumboloupoulos and The Hour have proven willing to turn the spotlight up to a highbeam - right into the eye of whatever might be happening in our world and sometimes onto us. Catch up on current events from the world, our country, entertainment, and music. Go ahead, curl up on the couch but keep those ears perked and a notebook at hand to scribble down important facts, such as relevant internet sites and musical artists fresh to the scene or particular favorites of George. That said, The New Pornographers, are certainly of the last two categories. "Use It" is track # 3 on the most recent release for The New Pornographers, Twin Cinema (2005). Twin Cinema was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize, this year. It is a fantastic album.

The New Pornographers consist of the following artists: A.C. Newman, John Collins, Kurt Dahle, Neko Case, Dan Bejar, Blaine Thurier, Todd Fancey, Katheryn Calder, Nora O'Conner, Dave Carswell, Shaun Brodie, Todd MacDonald, Tyre Jami. The list reads as long as the members of Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene. And the combined talent is equally revered in the indie rock scene. A.C. Newman and Neko Case are celebrated solo artists.

In their own words, A.C. Newman has stated on the New Pornographers' website (and "myspace") that on the song "Use It", drummer Dahle used beats from Iron Maiden, Kiss's "Detroit Rock City", and Led Zeppelin's "Fool in the Rain" to create this "Frankenstein's Monster". With Halloween nearing, one can't help but regard The Hour with the same wonder ... the tactful and monstrous creation of the CBC, altering perspective and viewing the world with an innovative eye.

Here's to Season Three my friends...

{guest contributor}

Serah

Get music codes at Bolt.

Stand Up

Think back to July 2, 2005. What were you doing? Typical Saturday morning routine, get to sleep in and relax? On that particular morning I awoke at 5am in Vancouver and promptly turned on CTV, the Live 8 concert was starting in London. The concert had made the headlines for weeks, bands quick to sign up everyone wanted to help, show their support. The concert was an attempt - before the 2005 G8 summit - to apply pressure to the world leaders towards relieving poverty. The music was just the backdrop.

Since that day, not a day passes where I don't see a white band on someone. I regularly get emails from the Canadian Make Poverty History campaign, and was thrilled when I read this;

Dear Make Poverty History supporter: ?This time we aren't asking you to send another letter to a politician. We just wanted to report back on how much we have accomplished with your support and participation. And we want to remind you to participate in the Stand Up Make Poverty History events on Oct. 15 and Global White Band Day events on Oct. 17


On Tuesday I'm going to be one in the many of people taking part in Stand Up. I'm participating here in Kingston, doing a building wrap. Remember you can participate physically or symbolically. Wearing the white band helps more than you might think.
For more information on the Canadian campaign click here and here for the International one.

Bulletin from the CBC

THE TRAGICALLY HIP ROCK CBC-TV'S THE HOUR

WITH AN EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF THEIR
MUCH-ANTICIPATED NEW ALBUM, SUNDAY, OCT. 22

THE HOUR will broadcast a one-hour exclusive performance and intimate
interview with The Tragically Hip, Sunday, Oct. 22 at 11 p.m. on CBC
Television, and 8 p.m. ET on CBC Newsworld.

Host George Stroumboulopoulos is a veritable encyclopedia of music
knowledge. His famous fans include U2's Bono, who once stated, "George,
I am a fan." Stroumboulopoulos has a slew of high-profile interviews
under his belt, including musical artists such as Radiohead, the Sex
Pistols, Mariah Carey, Green Day and Snoop Dog.

Taped in front of a live studio audience, Sunday, Oct. 15, THE HOUR
Special with The Tragically Hip will feature The Hip's first public
performance of songs from their new album World Container, which will be
released two days later on Tuesday, Oct. 17. The much-anticipated album
was produced by Bob Rock, whose extensive credits include Metallica, Bon
Jovi, The Cult, Bryan Adams, Simple Plan and The Tea Party.
For more information on CBC Television's THE HOUR, visit
www.cbc.ca/thehour


The official news release

Ouch.

From Tuesday's show, George's YouTube debut:

The Hip @ The Hour

Is this technically live blogging?

Okay, so I'm watching the second show of the new season at this moment, and George has just finished talking about The Tragically Hip's upcoming appearance on the show to promote their new album World Container, on October 15th. Personally, I'm stoked for the album and I can't wait to see them perform on The Hour, but to make the deal even better, George and those at The Hour have passed out the invite to get tickets to the show to see The Hip's performance.

If I lived in Toronto or in any surrounding area, I would be jumping all over this. The Hip are an incredible Canadian band who could not get any better in a live venue, and I want to help make it possible for you to see them at The Hour, since I cannot.

However, there's one problem. George has made it a little harder to land these tickets, demanding you answer a question about The Tragically Hip first. The question? Name one hockey player other than Bill Barilko (who is more than just mentioned in "Fifty Mission Cap") that The Hip have sung about. I instantly knew the answer, and George helped a little bit by singing a small verse from the song with the answer in it.

The song?

"Fireworks".

And because I am such a wonderfully helpful person, take a listen to the song yourself! And if you're in the Toronto area and can make the show on Sunday, October 15th, contact The Hour to enter the contest HERE, with the answer to the skill testing question.

If not, just enjoy the song, it's great!

- Alana


Get music codes at Bolt.

First show, third season.

I was at the season premier tonight but I was only half there... To get there for this afternoons taping I drove in from Montreal starting out early this morning. I saw George and Bob and Jian and Jeremy and all the crew and friends... The new set was full of backdrops with busy graphics or the name of the show. The set was raised but the audience was not. They ran out of budget for bleachers... We saw what we could see from ground level. The shows format has not changed that much. The music changed, the set changed, and in some small ways George has changed.
You can point out to me what I missed as far as format goes when you watch the show.
I have to say my guests and I enjoyed tonight's show. There was politics with Belinda and a talk about a new film by Monty python's Terry Gilliam and a feature on a career I would not be interested in getting into, cleaning up crime scenes, oh and George defending the goal dressed as a Hab.
George was his usually friendly host self, talking to the audience, before and after the show. His mom was in the audience so he hugged her sweetly and kept his swearing to a minimum . I thought about taking a picture of that hug but I won't cross the privacy line...
I did however, take pictures of the new set.
Oh, and a picture of George taken with my cell phone,
I apologize for the poor quality of the photo.

Strombo.com

Just wanted to let you know that George's website : Strombo.com will be launched tomorrow (Tuesday). Here's what the main page says :

HELL HAS FROZEN OVER!

Hells yeah, this website has finally been launched - well officially tomorrow (Tuesday) but I thought that I would put my first post online today with the premiere of the third season of The Hour.

This is will be where you can find me most of the time... Well, this site and my myspace page as well :-)

So, what's going to be on my site? Well, there will be updated headlines from some highly respected organizations, below them and on the right you'll see some places to find me and my friends, and yes, I'll also be blogging regularly along with some of my close friends.

If there are any links that you think should be on the site then I'll be more than happy to oblige. And here's where you come in... I want to post your awesome stuff, so if you have work that needs to be seen by people... Lemme know... And up it goes... Cool? Cool!

You can always reach me at george@strombo.com.

At any rate, thank you very much for checking the site out... Hope to hear from you soon.

Bgood,
George.

Top Five For Geminis!

George made it into the top five (and he certainly deserves to, in my opinion)!
Anyway, you can still VOTE!
(Now I know some of you guys want to vote for Debbie Travis, and as fun as watching 'Facelift' and 'Painted House' is, it's George we're talking about here :P)
So vote now, and remember to get everyone you know to (even if it means bribing co-workers), because we only have about a month until the winner is announced on November 4, 2006!

-Becky

To a New Season

As we gear up for the start of The Hour's third season we thought it was a fitting time to launch our new design layout. Since the blog began back in June, Alana and I have struggled coming up with a better layout, as we were part of the 'layout team.' We tried many different avenues, but they didn't produce the look we were going for. About a month ago I mentioned to my friend Todd (who also does web design on the side) about our woes, he said he'd work on something. Two days later he produced a brand spanking new layout! Can you believe that? All the Strombi are very grateful. We send numerous high fives to you! So leave a comment and tell us what you think! Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, which is almost upon us.