Season Five Kick-off...Simply Awesome

Last year around this time I was lamenting the fact that work commitments would prevent me from attending last year's season opener. I was bound and determined that this year things would be different! And so it happened...the moon and stars aligned and indeed I was able to attend today's taping and watch the start of The Hour's fifth season unfold in person.

By the time you read this, I assume most have already watched today's show. For those who have not yet seen it (and why not??), I will not provide many spoilers. Here are a few observations from today:

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  Peter Mansbridge was a good sport in playing along for the Cold Open.


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  A new theme song...my dog will be happy...he really disliked the old one.


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  Both the Tim Robbins and Ricky Gervais interviews were FANTASTIC. Gervais, in particular, was, as always, a riot. What a way to launch a new season.


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  The staff of The Hour are all extremely friendly and pleasant people. I met a few new faces today.


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  It was freakish to me that another audience member identified me as one the Stroumboulopouli bloggers...she had been at the last public taping in June when one of the writers pointed us in the crowd. My fellow audience member, you have great facial recognition skills! :-)

As someone who has attended quite a few tapings in the last year and likes being an observer, it is always interesting for me to witness people on their 'virgin' trip to The Hour. This afternoon Mich, Lisa (friend-of-the-blog) and I met a young woman who made a solo trip from northern Ontario to see the taping and meet George Stroumboulopoulos. I had told her while we waited in line that she would not be disappointed.

Without a doubt The Hour lives and breathes primarily on the charisma of the host. As I wrote in my inaugural post [July '07], it is George's genuine nature that draws people in. I witnessed it yet again tonight...long after the cameras have stopped rolling and the audience is free to go, people sit in their seats listening to the impromptu Q & A. What goes on 'behind the scenes' is as interesting as the finished product. I cannot over-emphasize that if you are in the Toronto area seeing a taping of The Hour is a MUST.

Steph :-)

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Season Premieres have always held a special place in my heart, so I'd been looking forward to today since... well, since season four ended in June. Wanting to kick of the new season with a bang, the gang at the Hour brought in two powerhouses in the entertainment industry, and both definitely made an impact. Tim Robbins is always interesting to listen to and Ricky Gervais is just freakin' hilarious! It's always interesting to people watch at tapings, and today I really noticed the cross section of people who watch the show... young and old, male and female... you could really see how the show can appeal to everyone.

There's one big change this year, the opening credits have a new song, "The Good in Everyone" from Sloan. There are other subtle changes, the background guest titles have a new look, along with a variety of little changes. The season's kicking off in style, and it will be interesting to see what interesting little things will pop up over the season.

The Kingston Whig-Standard published an article today about The Hour, which focussed on George's interview "style":

"I don't have a set plan when I walk into an interview," Stroumboulopoulos said. "I'm just trying to connect with somebody and see if I can get them to open up, and the only way to do that is to have people skills. Hopefully the older you get, you learn more about listening. And it's also learning to not try to conquer the mountain in every interview.

The rest of the article is available on the Whig-Standard website.

Don't forget to check out The Hour's website to watch last night's show again or to get tickets to a taping or to find out who's coming on the show in the near future.

Let us know what you think of the season premiere. Anything you really liked? Really hated? What do you want to see on The Hour this season?

Welcome to Season Five!

~Mich

It's baaack!!!

The wait is over...

The Hour

returns for its fifth season this week!!!

Guests scheduled to appear include:

Monday, September 15th

"I'm from a little place called England - we used to run the world before you."

~ Ricky Gervais, 2003 Golden Globe Awards

Whether it's his stand-up routine, or his portrayal of memorable characters on the BBC series The Office or Extras, British comedian, actor and writer Ricky Gervais is one funny man. This Friday, Gervais' new movie Ghost Town opens and he makes a return appearance on The Hour. If you missed his first visit, check it out here.

"If I'm a commodity, it wouldn't be a wise idea to buy stock in me - although, in the long run, maybe I'm a slow growth investment."

~ Tim Robbins

Bull Durham. The Shawshank Redemption. Dead Man Walking. Mystic River. Cradle Will Rock. These are just a few of the projects credited to actor, screenwriter, director and activist Tim Robbins. Tim was recently in town for the Toronto International Film Festival to promote his latest movie The Lucky Ones.

Tuesday, September 16th

“There is a lot of pressure put on me, but I don't put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel if I play my game, it will take care of itself.”

~ LeBron James

Once upon a time there was an 8 year old boy who played basketball in his hometown of Akron, Ohio. Fast-forward sixteen years and that little boy, who now stands 6' 8", is referred to as "The Chosen One". LeBron James, is the superstar forward of the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a member of the US Basketball team at the Beijing Olympics, he can also add gold medalist to his list of accolades.

The story of "King James" and his friends has been chronicled in Kristopher Belman's documentary More Than a Game, which won the first runner-up People's Choice prize at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.

Wednesday, September 17th

"Do you remember, Or should I rewind, To that summer when you caught my eye, I played it cool, The weather was hot, You had the beauty and the beach on lock."

~ From "Summertime", New Kids on the Block

The popularity of New Kids on the Block is...well...undeniable. Their first collaboratation in fifteen years has debuted at #2 on the coveted Billboard 200. And if that were not enough they are ALSO going to be on The Hour! So as not to upset my friends who are huge NKOTB fans, that is all I am going to say about that! Moving on...

Thursday, September 18th

"Somebody gonna get a hurt real bad..."

~ Russell Peters

If you are a fan of Canadian Russell Peters, then you know what the aforementioned quote is all about. If you have have never caught his act, you can check it out here.

Currently, Russell is hosting the nine episode Comics Without Borders series on Showtime. At the end of this month his latest dvd/cd entitled Red, White and Brown will be released through Warner Music Canada.

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Other stuff...

• If you are in the Toronto area be sure to check out a taping of The Hour...you will not be disappointed!

• If you are not already a member, be sure to join both the "I Love The Hour" and "The Strombo Show" Facebook groups!

The countdown is on!

One week from today...

Website Update

Are you enjoying your summer? Enjoying revisiting all your favourite (and not so favourite) interviews from the past season on The Hour reruns? Ready for some new episodes of The Hour? They're coming... soon.

Season Five is slated to premiere just over six weeks from now on Monday, September 15th. That may still seem like a long time from now, but down in The Hour offices, they are already working hard to bring us a fresh and exciting season. One of the first new things we've noticed is that the "About The Hour" page on the The Hour's website was updated today. With an updated description of the show, and an updated rundown of George's career accomplishments, the page even gives us a little teaser about where the show may go in Season 5:

In fact, next season, we plan to broadcast several shows from Los Angeles.

A bit of a change from London and Vancouver, but maybe they'll visit other cities as well. If you could pick where The Hour visits this season, where would you send George and the crew? Let us know where and why.

Cheers!

Confirmed... Season Five!

In a media release late last Friday, CBC confirmed that The Hour will return in the 2008/2009 season for its fifth season "with A-list interviews and his take on world events".

CBC's new dramas The Border, Heartland and The Tudors will return with their second seasons.

Also returning to CBC next season, our favourite Canadian comedies: The Rick Mercer Report, Air Farce Live, Little Mosque on the Prarie and This Hour Has 22 Minutes.

And for the Steven and Chris fans, they will continue to "to add a little bit of fabulous to daytime programming" next season!