June is bustin' out all over... what's new this week???

Well we've got just two more weeks of new episodes of The Hour before season five draws to a close and it looks like it's going to be an exciting week.

MONDAY, JUNE 1

It's not uncommon these days to see CNN's Chief Business Correspondent, Ali Velshi, appear on the network at all hours of the day, from CNN News Morning to the late night Anderson Cooper 360 talking up the latest scandal or crisis to rock the business world. Velshi recently penned the book "Gimme My Money Back - Your Guide to Beating the Financial Crisis" , a quick response to the current economic crisis. He will also make an appearance at Toronto's ideaCity09 on June 19th.

When Farley the dog died in the comic strip "For Better or Worse" , the outcry was astonishing. Even Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts characters, wrote to Lynn Johnston threatening that Snoopy would be hit by a bus if she didn't bring the pooch back to life... Well just in time for the 30th anniversary of "For Better or Worse" the beloved doggie is back in the book "Farley Follows His Nose" , Johnston's first foray into the world of children's literature.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2

Moby's latest album "Wait For Me" will drop online and in stores on June 30th. Can't wait that long to check it out? Check out the mp3 and the video from the album's first single on Moby's website.

So what do you do when you're a business owner whose your business takes you into some of the most dangerous regions around the world? You call on anti-terrorist expert Alan Bell. As president of the security management firm Globe Risk, Bell claims that kidnappings for ransom, like the case of Alberta's Julie Mulligan in Nigeria, will become more and more common.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3

In the 90s, the go-to music festival was Lolapalooza, founded by Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Ferrell. After a bit of a rough go and a few missed years, Lolapalooza is back this year in August.
THURSDAY, JUNE 4

Best known for his novel, "Thank You for Not Smoking", Christopher Buckley now describes himself as a "55 year old orphan" after losing both his mother and father within a year of each other. His new book "Losing Mum and Pup" chronicles this year in his life.

As one of the founding members of the Guess Who and Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Randy Bachman was "honoured and humbled" to receive the Order of Canada last month. Bachman is currently preparing to return to the road in mid-June on a tour with his partner Burton Cummings.

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And in blog news, over the weekend the blog turned the grand old age of THREE.
We would like to thank all of our readers for checking us out week after week, all our former writers for their contributions over the years and to the staff of The Hour and The Strombo Show for all their support over the past few years. As we move into our fourth year, let us know what features you'd love to see on the blog. Either post a comment here or send us an email at stroumboulopouli@hotmail.com.

Cheers!

Sneak Peek: Larry King on The Hour

Make sure you tune into The Hour on Thursday, May 28th for George's interview with broadcast legend Larry King. I was in the studio when they pretaped this interview last Friday when King was in town to promote his new biography, and I have to say that I think this is one of George's best interviews.

A few stills from the interview:

Here's a quick tease from the interview:

Thanks to The Hour for providing the stills and the video.

Remember, The Hour airs on the Main CBC Network at 11pm local time. You'll also be able to catch this interview on Friday on CBC Newsworld at 8pm. And don't forget to check out cbc.ca/thehour!

After the interview, come back and let us know what you think. Cheers!

The Week of May 25-May 29

So are you easing into the summer groove? Finding the best patio in your city for a cold beverage after a long day of work? What's your summer plan? Well don't stray too far yet... the Strombo Show and The Hour are still rocking the house.

Sunday, May 24

Tune into the Strombo Show on the Corus Radio network from 5-8 EDT, to help ease your way back into the dreariness of the work week.

Monday, May 25th

A recent Toronto Star article labels environmentalist James Lovelock as "anti-people" because of his assertion that the exploding global population means certain doom for planet earth. His new book, The Vanishing Face of Gaia: A Final Warning, Lovelock explores this concept and how mankind's wreckless abandon may be the final nail in the Earth's coffin.

What's your poker face like? Think you'd have what it takes to take on some of the best poker players in the world? Well, at 21 Daniel Negreanu thought he did when he packed up and moved from Toronto to Las Vegas to try his luck. The first trip down there wasn't exactly successful, but he didn't give up and now he's the proud titleholder of 2 World Poker Tour Championships and 4 World Series of Poker bracelets.

Tuesday, May 26th

There comes a point in everyone's life where they just have to take a stand and balk at the status quo. Until a couple months ago, Jeff Rubin was the very successful chief economist and chief strategist at CIBC World Markets with a solid twenty year career behind him. But that all changed when he decided to publish his book Why Your World is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller, a look into the socio-economic impact of rising energy costs, which forced him to leave CIBC and his old career behind.

Appearing in popular films like Wedding Crashers and popular television shows like Nip/Tuck, Bradley Cooper has carved himself a niche in Hollywood. His latest film is the comedy titled The Hangover, and there are rumours swirling around his taking a role in the remake of "The A-Team" and him taking the role of The Green Lantern.

Wednesday, May 27

Founder of the Canadian Film Centre, Norman Jewison is one of a handful of renowned Canadian film directors and producers that Canadians can actually name off the top of their heads. He was recently awarded The National Arts Clubs' Medal of Honour for Film in New York City.

Thursday, May 28

Broadcast legend Larry King was in Toronto last Friday for the only Canadian stop on his book tour promoting his biography My Remarkable Journey. Larry King sat down with George in The Hour studios on Friday. Even if you're not a Larry King fan, make sure you tune in to this interview, it's one of George's best.
Also on the show is musician Steve Earle. His latest CD, Townes, celebrates the songs of Earle's friend and inspiration Townes Van Zandt.

If you're in the Toronto area over the next three weeks, there is still time to pick up tickets to attend a taping of The Hour. Check out The Hour's ticket page for available dates.