A Toast To Turning Two!

I wrote a post about the Stroumboulopouli blog. It's our second anniversary and I did a bit reminiscing. The post is not on this blog but on my original blog Trying To Be... you may find the link here.

I would like to propose a toast to the readers, contributors, past and present and to the crew of The Hour and The Strombo Show (past and present). If it were not for you, a word would not be written.

It has been an honour and a privileged to be a humble bard who is here to tell the tale set in the land of CBC, in the princedom of The Hour where the handsome and evil prince interrogates the helpless subjects in front of a mob of merry ... oh no wait, that's the wrong story.

It is an honour to contribute to a blog about the Host of The Hour, George Stroumboulopoulos. To celebrate the show that sparks creativity, humanity and curiosity and some other things that end in 'ity that I won't go into now...

Raise a mug to turning two! CHEERS!

Janna's going to FREAK!

A HUGE thank you goes out to Jill, one of our readers.
YOU rock!

Here it is folks:
THE shower story!


*Last day to submit your entries for the contest, everybody.

"Doctor of Thinkology" Contest ROUND TWO

*

QUESTIONS - ROUND TWO

(Please read the contest rules below before playing. Good luck!)

1. Where did George get his first job in broadcasting?

2. When George first arrived at the CBC, which CBC personality gave George the grand tour on his show, which included hiding from Peter Mansbridge on The National set?

3. Season Three of The Hour premiered on the CBC main network on October 9, 2006. Who was George's first interview?

4. Which celebrated Canadian activist and author gave her last interview with George in season three?

5. In the opening skit of the 2007 Gemini Awards show, what did George say that fueled local outrage?

6. Which puppets were at the center of the Puppetgate controversy in 2007?

7. Who came to The Hour to visit George with trainer David Salmoni on January 28, 2008?

8. Who is the only living former Prime Minister of Canada that has not appeared on The Hour?

9. On the January 6, 2008 edition of The Strombo Show, which Canadian rocker announced she was battling breast cancer?

10. What is the significance of the white bracelet George wears on his right wrist?

CONTEST RULES

Overview:

The contest will run in two rounds:

Round one will commence Sunday, May 4, 2008 and conclude Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:59 pm PST.

Round two will commence Sunday, May 18, 2008 and conclude Friday, May 30, 2008 at 11:59 PM PST.

Participating in the contest:

1. For each round, entrants will be required to submit via email (notpaidbythehour_contest@hotmail.com) the answers to ten (10) trivia questions.

2. Entries are to include the following:

• The entrant’s FIRST and LAST name
• Complete mailing address including postal/zip code
• The telephone number associated with the mailing address (for mailing purposes only)
• A valid email address
• Trivia answers clearly numbered 1-10

3. Only one (1) entry per person per round will be accepted.

Prize description:

Round one: to be determined

Round two: to be determined

How the winners will be determined:

• At the conclusion of round one, the judging panel will review each eligible entry. The entry with the most number of correct answers will be deemed the winner.
• At the conclusion of round two, this process will be repeated.
• In the event of a tie, eligible entries from each of the rounds will be placed in a drum (one drum for round one and a second drum for round two) and a random draw(s) will occur Sunday, June 1, 2008.

Notification:

• The winners of the contest will be posted on “The Stroumboulopouli” blog on Monday, June 2, 2008. Winners will be notified via email that same day.

Miscellaneous rules:

• The administration of this contest is solely the responsibility of the bloggers contributing to “The Stroumboulopouli”. Neither the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, nor any of its employees or affiliates assumes liability for this contest.
• Only entries submitted to notpaidbythehour_contest@hotmail.com will be accepted. Entries to any other email address will be disqualified. Contest administrators are not responsible for lost, misdirected or incomplete email entries.
• Immediate family members (including spouses/partners, siblings, parents, children) or persons living under the same roof as “The Stroumboulopouli” bloggers are not eligible to participate in this contest.
• The decision of the judges is final.
• The winners (2) accept the prizes as awarded. There will be no substitutions.
• By entering the contest, winners agree that “The Stroumboulopouli” may post their FIRST name and general geographic location on the blog at the conclusion of the contest.
• All information is collected for the purposes of mailing out the contest prize. The personal information gathered will be used only for the purpose stated and outlined in the rules above and will be destroyed after the contest is over. It will not be shared, sold or used in any other fashion then stated above. If you have concerns regarding the use of your information please contact us at notpaidbythehour_contest@hotmail.com.

The Hour in the last week of May

The Strombo show this Sunday

Last week Dame was on the Strombo Show.
I was there taking pictures. I love Dame!

This week Sloan will be on the show:
The boys from Sloan sit and chat with George and Bob - maybe spin some of their favorite tunes.

Missed the show? Check out the podcast!


The Hour this week
Monday May 26 th
Taping of Monday's show is at 9:45 am, this one time only.

General Rick Hillier is back on The Hour.
Hillier may talk about his stepping down as Canada's top soldier.
also

Jeopardy is going into it's 24th season!


George talks to the legendary quiz show host Alex Trebek on The Hour.

Tuesday May 27 th
The host of Canadian Idol and eTalk, Ben Mulroney will be on. I have seen Ben at the Sean Cullen show and he impressed me a man that does not take himself too seriously. He can be a lot of fun.
Ben and George are good friends and it should make this host talking to host interview that much more interesting.
update!
Author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Barbara Kingsolver is on the show talking about how we eat.
Wednesday may be pre-empted for the Stanley Cup Finals! You may need to look for Barbara's interview next week, but it will be worth the wait!

Wednesday or Thursday (depends on hockey)

Award winning actress and active socialist.
Sex in the City's
Kim Cattrall

Mike Holmes
My favourite handyman, will be coming back on The Hour.

Friday May 30 th
will have the best of the best...

Don't forget Sunday June 1st The winners of the Doctor of Thinkology contest round one and two, will be drawn and announced on The Strombo Show.

Doors Open Toronto ~ The CBC Broadcasting Centre

If you happen to be in the Toronto area, you may wish to check out the very awesome Doors Open Toronto event taking place this weekend (May 24 & 25). If you are not familiar with this event, bascially it is an opportunity for the public to visit 150 buildings that are of architectural, historical or cultural relevance to the City of Toronto. One of the reasons that I love this event is that visitors can access buildings that are typically not open to the public. Admission to all buildings is free.

As in previous years, one of the buildings available for viewing will be the home of The Hour, the CBC Broadcasting Centre. Event details indicate that the sets of both The Hour and Steven and Chris will be available for tour. So if you have never been able to make it to a taping, here is your opportunity to at least check out the studio and other behind-the-scenes goodies.

What's Coming Up This Week...

Happy May 2-4 Everyone....

Lucky enough to be up at the cottage having a bonfire or the best BBQ ever? Steak... yum or for the less carnivorous of you... grilled portabello mushrooms and peppers.... yum.

Perhaps you were shivering in a tent because you were mistakenly convinced that THIS would finally be the May 2-4 with weather warm enough to tent? Does history not tell you anything people... hope you're warmed up cause here's what's HOT this week on The Hour.

The week kicks off as always with Sunday's Strombo Show on the Corus Radio Network. This week, George welcomes Dame live in studio for a performance. While they're still in their teens, these ladies rock... they'll play acoustic tonight.

Switching over to TV Land now... This Week on The Hour presents an eclectic mix of well known guests and a couple you may not be familiar with to keep it honest.

Holiday Monday - May 19th

Repeat-A-Palooza - Enjoy the fireworks and tune in for a classic assemblage of Hourly goodness.

Tuesday - May 20th

Doris Roberts

Emmy award winning actress, perhaps best known for her role as Marie Barone on 'Everybody Loves Raymond'. My personal favourite episode - when Marie goes on a temporary health kick and made a tofu-turkey for Thanksgiving. Jiggly. Disgusting. Hilarious. Those paper frills on the fake turkey legs made of toothpicks? Awesome.

Besides the totally yummy Pierce Brosnan - Doris was the best part of Remington Steele.

Taras Grescoe

Taras Grescoe's new book Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood, is his epicurean and ethically driven quest for the perfect seafood dish. Much more than a tirade against commercial fishing, however, Bottomfeeder is a food lover's highly entertaining and provocative delight.

Damn... if he tells us that eating Kung Pao Shrimp is unethical, this could present a real problem.

Wednesday - May 21st

Gavin Crawford

A member of the cast of This Hour Has 22 Minutes, Gavin Crawford has achieved great success in his comedy career including a turn on a little show appropriately if not so originally titled 'The Gavin Crawford Show'.

Sam Dunn and Scot McFadeyn - Global Metal

Many have a love/hate relationship with Metal. When it's good... it's very good. When it's bad -

well - anyone see 'Rock the Cradle'? Yeah. In the documentary 'Global Metal' they explore how metal has impacted cultures far and wide - well beyond the boundaries of North America & Europe.

Pre YouTube, I recall a friend's sweet little 3 year old daughter spinning around and belting out Rammstein. NICE!

Thursday - May 22nd

Crispin Glover

Marty McFly's dad in Back to the Future - Glover has lead a very diverse career... film, television and music have all played a part. His portrayal of Andy Warhol was amazing...uncanny!

An acknowledged eccentric - you may recall an extremely bizarre interview with David Letterman. If George's convo with Crispin is even a tenth as strange, I feel a LOT of Youtube hits in the near future!

Gregory Levey

Levey is the author of "Shut Up, I'm Talking: And Other Diplomacy Lessons I Learned in the Israeli Government". He has served as Senior Foreign Communications Coordinator and English Speechwriter for Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. Looking forward to this interview... book is on the nightstand as we speak!

Friday - May 23rd

The week will end just as it began with a Best Of Compilation show. Served up for you in a neat and tidy little package.

And in Other News...

Enter, Play, Win...

Round Two of Our Doctor of Thinkology Quiz has just launched. You don't have to work tomorrow, so why not spend a few minutes surfing around for the answers and send us your entry? Some very nice Strombo swag is up for grabs. You can't win if you don't play.

In or planning a visit to the GTA? Want to see the Hour taped LIVE?

The last slate of tape dates for this season have now been posted and the last day to come on down and see your "Boyfriend" is June 11th so get those ticket requests in fast! The team at The Hour love it when you come by to say hello. It's easy ... just go on www.cbc.ca/thehour and fill out the user form. All you have to do is laugh at the jokes, clap & be your charming and lovely self.

I wish you all an amazing SHORT week at work for the Canadian readers. Be sure to post your thoughts on the guests as the week progresses!

If you blink... things change!

If you're a faithful viewer of The Hour, you've probably noticed a few changes to the show over the past few months like the new version of the opening credits, some new bumpers and segments like 2-20.

Well, another change came down this afternoon... The Hour website now has a brand spankin' new look.


Go... take a look around... peruse the site. Check things out. The basic elements of the site are still there, but everything is in a new place.

So what do you think? Do you like it? Hate it? Totally indifferent?

The Hour wants to know what you think... go to The Hour's blog and post your comments there, or email them at thehour@cbc.ca. At the same time, don't forget to tell us what you think.

"Doctor of Thinkology" Contest ROUND ONE

QUESTIONS - ROUND ONE

(Please read the contest rules below before playing. Good luck!)

1) Where did George go to school to become a broadcaster?

2) In the 2004 CBC series, The Greatest Canadian, who did George advocate for?

3) When did the very first episode of The Hour premiere on CBC Newsworld?

4) Name one of the two things that George did in the summer of 2006, that created a bit of controversy among fans and the media?

5) Which Canadian band did George present at the 2007 Canada's Walk of Fame Gala?

6) How many Gemini Awards did The Hour win in 2007?

7) In November 2007, the University of Calgary honoured George with what?

8) Which of the following cities has not hosted a broadcast of The Hour?

a) Calgary, Alberta

b) Montreal, Quebec

c) Regina, Saskatchewan

d) Vancouver, British Columbia

9) Which Canadian band performs the song for the current Hour opening sequence?

10) The Strombo Show premiered on the Corus Radio Network on Sunday, November 5th in what five Canadian cities?

CONTEST RULES

Overview:

The contest will run in two rounds:

Round one will commence Sunday, May 4, 2008 and conclude Friday, May 16, 2008 at 11:59 pm PST.

Round two will commence Sunday, May 18, 2008 and conclude Friday, May 30, 2008 at 11:59 PM PST.

Participating in the contest:

1. For each round, entrants will be required to submit via email (notpaidbythehour_contest@hotmail.com) the answers to ten (10) trivia questions.

2. Entries are to include the following:

• The entrant’s FIRST and LAST name
• Complete mailing address including postal/zip code
• The telephone number associated with the mailing address (for mailing purposes only)
• A valid email address
• Trivia answers clearly numbered 1-10

3. Only one (1) entry per person per round will be accepted.

Prize description:

Round one: to be determined

Round two: to be determined

How the winners will be determined:

• At the conclusion of round one, the judging panel will review each eligible entry. The entry with the most number of correct answers will be deemed the winner.
• At the conclusion of round two, this process will be repeated.
• In the event of a tie, eligible entries from each of the rounds will be placed in a drum (one drum for round one and a second drum for round two) and a random draw(s) will occur Sunday, June 1, 2008.

Notification:

• The winners of the contest will be posted on “The Stroumboulopouli” blog on Monday, June 2, 2008. Winners will be notified via email that same day.

Miscellaneous rules:

• The administration of this contest is solely the responsibility of the bloggers contributing to “The Stroumboulopouli”. Neither the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, nor any of its employees or affiliates assumes liability for this contest.
• Only entries submitted to notpaidbythehour_contest@hotmail.com will be accepted. Entries to any other email address will be disqualified. Contest administrators are not responsible for lost, misdirected or incomplete email entries.
• Immediate family members (including spouses/partners, siblings, parents, children) or persons living under the same roof as “The Stroumboulopouli” bloggers are not eligible to participate in this contest.
• The decision of the judges is final.
• The winners (2) accept the prizes as awarded. There will be no substitutions.
• By entering the contest, winners agree that “The Stroumboulopouli” may post their FIRST name and general geographic location on the blog at the conclusion of the contest.
• All information is collected for the purposes of mailing out the contest prize. The personal information gathered will be used only for the purpose stated and outlined in the rules above and will be destroyed after the contest is over. It will not be shared, sold or used in any other fashion then stated above. If you have concerns regarding the use of your information please contact us at notpaidbythehour_contest@hotmail.com.

A Fantastic Week Ahead!

Tonight: Monday , May 12
Feist

Leslie Feist, is tearing up the music industry. The Juno-Award winning and Grammy-nominated Canadian singer/songwriter, talks about her remarkable year.
~ As Tracy says, "helping our children learn to count improperly" ; )

Dr. James Orbinski

Fighting to give a higher quality of life to those affected by HIV. He discusses his new book, "An Imperfect Offering", and how humanitarian aid can best be provided in war-torn countries.
~ I've really been looking forward to this one!


Tuesday , May 13
Ted Danson

Award winning film and television actor; a leading activist for ocean conservation.
~ Shhhhh.....I was always secretly attracted to Sam Malone.


Wednesday, May 14
Sam Roberts

This Canadian rock singer/songwriter from Montreal has won numerous Junos.
~ I don't care WHO knows, this man is HOT!
(Oh yeah....and he's a hell of an artist.)

Ivan Reitman

Famed director and producer delves into his profession and personal life.
~ His son Jason Reitman hasn't done so badly himself - 'Juno', 'Thank You For Smoking', etc.


Thursday , May 15
Ben Stein

Starring in the film. 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.'
~ Somehow it always goes back to school, with this fellah.

Doris Roberts

An Emmy award winning actress best known for her role as the mother from 'Everybody Loves Raymond.'
~ Man, you should read her filmography. This is one hard working lady!


Friday, May 16
Morgan Spurlock

Could this award-winning director/filmmaker have found Osama bin Laden?
~ I'm still grossed out from 'Super Size Me'.

Gordon Ramsay

Celebrity chef straight from Hell's Kitchen, with a new book, 'Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food.'
~ From a recent convo with some friends, "Gawd, could you imagine what he'd be like as a lover?
; )

.......Keep those contest entries coming in folks!

"You should Google that!"

I suggest googling some of the questions for our trivia contest.

It might give you the edge in winning the Strombo swag.

George and The Hour are in the news again.

George Stromboulopoulos is becoming an Internet star according to a recent article by the Canadian Press.

The article goes on to mention CBC showcasing of The Hour on YouTube gets millions of hits. The shows popularity is becoming global.

I think they will have to come up with a new ratings system to take all the ways The Hour is now getting viewed, into account.

What's New on the Hour?

Well, we are gonna have a heartbroken Host of the Hour this week but no lack of interesting guests. And did I mention ALL NEW EPI'S this week!

Monday:

Comedian and Actor, Pauly Shore is on talking about his new

DVD Natural Born Komics.

http://www.paulyshore.com/

Tuesday:

Canadian Legend Singer/Songwriter Gordon Lightfoot is on the program.

Wednesday:

IS A MYSTERY! You know the drill go to: http://www.cbc.ca/thehour for updated info

Thursday:

I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY EXCITEMENT FOR THIS INTERVIEW!!!!!

I absolutely ADORE this man.... GORDON RAMSAY is on... chatting with George about his new book available in stores now and his new TV show scheduled to air this fall.

Well folks... it looks to be an interesting week... Filled with Gordon's.

Make sure to go check out our DOCTOR OF THINKOLOGY contest!

The Last One... in the shower anyone?

Okay... so there is a reason I picked this clip.
http://http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1270

What I actually wanted was to show the part before where this interview starts.
The best moment in my mind on the Hour EVER was the story George told on Jan 04, 2007.
Basically it was a story about him being stopped in the shower by a fan as George was washing himself.
I had taped the show that night and was laughing so hard... I was crying and I had to rewind it THREE times. I thought it was sooo great.
Alas alack... I have searched high and low for the clip. To no avail. If you have a copy to link of the "Shower Story" let me know. And if you have never seen the clip. I am sorry, because it really was in my opinion George's Best Story Ever and you should really watch it.

Having said ALL of that...I really adore Peter Mansbridge when he is on. I am fairly certain George does too.
So enjoy!!!

James Appathurai

http://http//www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1907

I think George set this up quite well.

When I tried to do some research on the man.... I got almost nothing... so... I will direct you to the clip.

I thought James was well spoken and really interesting. He seems like the kinda guy you would invite over to dinner just because you can. And I wish that the interview had been EVEN LONGER... as this clip clocks in at a whopping 11:05.

If Montreal loses tonight, besides having a heartbroken host, Canada will no longer have to endure OUR best of's... having said that... I have a GREAT clip for tomorrow.

I just really enjoyed James and I thought all you might as well.

666

And last but not least...
AH HA!!!! My turn... now thta I have a captive audience I can change the way you think. Turn you all to my side.... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Alright, Alright, So it is a well known fact (or maybe not so well known depending on who you are) that I am a DIEHARD Season Two fan.

I think George and The Hour crew should get rid of the audiene, bring back the Closers and have more news-ish stuff and less Entertainment-ish stuff.

George blissfully pretends to not hear me and not so subtly tells me to "fuck off" about my wanting to axe the audience.

I know ther are those fo you out there that agree with my love of Season Two. Most of you are closet S2 lovers but that is okay I proudly announce it.

So let me tell you why I chose this clip.

1. This was the first time I actually had an inner dialogue with myself about The Hour . It went something like this.

"There is no way that I am going to watch this interview and ACTUALLY like what they have to say. I can't believe that George is going to do this interview, WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?? Some kind of rebllious pst teen who is just doing it as a response to his mother's potentially over zealous Christian indoctrination????? LAME. He should pick his guests more carefully."

2. After I watched this interview I was SO IMPRESSED and so utterly ashamed of my earlier dialogue.

3. This interview and entire episode urged him to make the sweetest most endearing comment to his Mom I have ever heard a son utter. I became a fan then and there.

4. I decided the Hour could stay. Stay on the air that is. Any show that would do a legitimate interview like this and actually hold my attention but educate me deserved to come back next season for another go around.

5. It's just kinda different and fun.

All the other girls, set up their clip but I don't want nor feel I need too.

If you want more info on them go http://www.churchofsatan.com.

Otherwise....fair readers/viewers....taken from the Hour's vault. Without further adieu....

I give you: http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1034 http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/video.php?id=1034

Making the Big Announcement