This week in Strombo Aug 5 - 9

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight this week
The summer continues with some of the best interviews of the season as the staff at GST gear up for the new season. 

Monday Aug 05
Hardest working comedian in Canada, Ron James

Panel guest Jonny Harris

Tuesday Aug 06
Actor Emmanuel Lewis talks about his involvement with Dreamcatcher Charitable Foundation

Panel guest, humourist and author Linwood Barclay

Wednesday Aug 07
From The Lang and O'Leary Exchange, Amanda Lang

Justin Bieber's mom, author Pattie Mallette

On the panel, actor/singer/comedian John Catucci 

Thursday Aug 08
Canada's most enterprising actor Dan Aykroyd

Plus the panel features Inessa Frantowski

Friday Aug 09
Special half hour interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger

 
 

This week in Strombo May 13 - 17

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight this week
Because of the hockey playoffs thing look for the show to air 11:30pm and 2:30am local times.
This is also the last week of taping for the season. Tickets are mostly sold out.
See info on special event at the bottom of this post.

Monday May 13
The Tenors a group of Canadian singers have a new album Lead With Your Heart

Zombie film genius and legend George A. Romero

The never fluffy sometimes funny Ed The Sock is on the panel.

Tuesday May 14
Children's performer the one and only  Raffi

Funny comedian compliments the panel Jen Grant

Wednesday May 15
This actor has been president and a doctor among his many roles Bruce Greenwood

On the panel tonight the very funny Lawrence Morgenstern

Thursday May 16
No introduction needed Ron MacLean and Don Cherry

From Murdoch Mysteries Jonny Harris is on the panel

Friday May 17
Canadian Actress and activist Margot Kidder

Stanley Cup champion and gold medal winner Theo Fleury

On the panel of the Flying Bellevilles podcast, comedian Ryan Belleville

The Canada Lives Here Experience
If you live in the Toronto area CBC Toronto is having an Open House May 16 to 19. 
There are a lot of interactive events scheduled but the one where you can best see George Stroumboulopoulos in action is 

Thursday, May 16

12:15pm – 1:00

Titans of Talk

CBC News Chief Correspondent Peter Mansbridge Goes One-on-One with Pop-Culture and Current Affairs Guru, George Stroumboulopoulos.

Featuring: George Stroumboulopoulos, Peter Mansbridge

Don't miss it!

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight: March 11-15, 2013

 George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight this week
This week features some interesting guests. Four of the guests have a connection to This Hour Has 22 Minutes and six of them have a connection to the CBC. Seven guests are from the East Coast with one from Saskatoon, another from Scotland and two others from outside Canada.  So without any further adieu, let us get to know our guests a little bit more.

MONDAY

Mary Walsh was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland. She grew up in a troubled home and left to study theatre at Ryerson University in Toronto. She did not complete her degree in pursuits to work with CODCO, produced on the East Coast, which ran on CBC from 1987 to 1992. CODCO transformed into This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
The 60 year old award winning actress, comedian and social activist lives with macular degeneration. The condition affects older adults with a loss of vision due to a damaged retina. Mary uses her experiences to occasionally serve as the spokesperson for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind. She married an English professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Don Nichol, in 2002.

Maggie Cassella is the youngest in a family of six children. Her Italian heritage and Catholic-Jewish roots have influenced her along with her degrees in Philosophy and Women’s Studies. She taught Philosophy and Religion to Connecticut students in a boarding school. She later became a lawyer for 8.5 years helping marginalized individuals and the gay community.
She fell in love with a girl from Toronto and relocated where she became a Stand Up Comedian. She performed Because I Said So in Provincetown for 21 years before appearing regularly on STAR. She turned that experience into her own talk show called Because I Said So, which allowed her to interview high profile celebrities and produce a stint at TIFF. She’s written a book and two screenplays while doing comedy on radio.
 She currently stars in The Vent and has a production company, A Sweet Little Production Company, in Toronto.  

TUESDAY

Trailer Park Boys is a Canadian mockumentary takes place in the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The series ended in 2008, but the films continued afterwards in 2009 and 2013.
Mike Smith was born in New Glasglow, Nova Scotia and grew up in Thorton. He has an English degree from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He was once considered a guitar prodigy and even played in the band, Sandbox. He has played with Rush and Guns N’ Roses.
Rob Wells and John Paul Tremblay grew up on the same street in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia. They attended the same high school. Rob was born in Moncton, New Brunswick and moved to Cole Harbour when he was eight. Rob is also a distant cousin to Stephen Harper.    

Frank Spadone attended Humber College in the Photography program, which led to his career as a Comedian. He worked with some of the top photographers and entertained crew with his sense of humour and imitations. He began his career as a Stand Up Comedian in 1997. He credits Second City and his grandparents for perfecting his craft. He also starred in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle like another guest coming up this week.  In addition, he has appeared on CBC's Laugh Out Loud.

 WEDNESDAY

David Sutcliffe was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He has an English degree from University of Toronto where he played varsity basketball and served as a waiter before he sustained a knee injury. He has worked with Sandra Oh, Diane Lane, Antonio Sabato Jr, and Heather Graham in his television and film career. The 43 year old actor has appeared on Will and Grace, Friends, CSI, Private Practice, and Gilmore Girls.  
He currently stars as Aidan Black on Cracked as a police offer who transfers to Emergency Task Force after struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The show revolves around people with mental illness.

Shaun Majumder was born in Burlington, Newfoundland 40 years ago to a European mother and Bengali Hindu Indian mother. He has explored his roots in the Canadian version of Who Do You Think You Are?
He also explores his background in his HBO documentary, Every Word Is Absolutely True. Shaun’s new show, Majumder Manor, aired their season finale two weeks ago. It tracks his quest to build an eco-luxe and modern four to five bedroom house in Burlington NL.
Shaun has a long career in theatre, stand-up comedy, and improv. The Gemini winner has appeared in Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Pushing Tin, Unhitched, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, 24, Republic of Doyle and The Firm.  He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Shelby, and their dog Jazz.

THURSDAY

Ron James was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia but later moved to Halifax. He has a History and Political Science degree from Acadia University and intended to be a History Teacher. James headed into theatre instead and eventually joined Second City in Toronto. After spending time in Los Angeles doing mostly voice work for Star Wars: Ewoks and appearing in TV shows like Wings, he came to Canada where he won a writing award for This Hour Has 22 Minutes. He separated from his wife in 2011 and currently lives in Toronto.

Jonny Harris is originally from Whitehorse, Yukon before spending most of his life in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He currently stars as George on Murdoch Mysteries where he has received two Gemini nominations for Best Supporting Lead in a Dramatic Series.  He’s also been a guest writer on This Hour Has 22 Minutes along with a long career in comedy.  

 FRIDAY

Billy Connolly has an intriguing past. He first appeared with the Scottish Opera in 1978 after working as a welder in the shipyards and performing a folk band called The Humblebums. He has released videos, books and acted in London’s West End, The Royal Albert Hall, Hammersmith Oden. He broke the Hammersmith’s record for longest run in 1991. He has traveled across Australia, New Zealand, Mozambique, Ireland, Canada, The Middle East, Hong Kong, USA, and the UK.
He’s starred with Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Whoopi Goldberg, Dame Judi Dench, Malcolm McDowell, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robin Wright Penn, Renee Zellweger, Gerard Butler, Ken Watanabe, Timothy Spall, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and Dustin Hoffman. He married Pamela Stephenson in Fiji in 1990. He’s enjoyed a long career in comedy, theatre, BBC, and film.

Chuck Byrn has been a professional comedian for 19 years. He’s done several comedy festivals, commercials and appeared in Monk and Last Comic Standing.

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight: January 7-11, 2013

One of the greatest aspects of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight is its promotion of Canadian content and this week is no exception. We get to meet our nation’s stars and listen to some fantastic in depth interviews. Here is what this week has in store for us.

MONDAY 7 JANUARY 2013

Yannick Bisson may have been born in Montreal, but he began acting when he moved to Toronto as a teenager. He starred in the TV movie Hockey Night with Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables) and Rick Moranis.  Although he has starred in other Canadian series and features such as High Tide, Soul Food, Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye, and other projects he is often associated with his lead role in Murdoch Mysteries which has its sixth season premiere tonight at 9pm (9:30NT). Yannick is married to Chantal Craig and has three adult daughters Brianna, Dominique, and Mikaela. Yannick will discuss his career and life with George. Our panel includes

Lauren Hammersley When Lauren isn’t doing photography and stand-up comedy, she is acting full time. She has starred in Stag, Jon Dore Television Show, and Mr. D.

TUESDAY 8 JANUARY 2013

David Sutcliffe is originally from Saskatoon and holds an English Literature degree from University of Toronto. David’s varsity basketball career was short lived as he had sustained a knee injury and later moved to waiting tables at a greasy diner while he pursued acting. He is most known for his roles on Gilmore Girls, Private Practice and has now moved onto Cracked, an hour long crime drama on CBC. George will discuss acting, psychology and TV with David. And our panel features 

Shaun Majumder was born in Burlington, Newfoundland to a European descended mother and Bengali Hindu Indian father. He started his career on YTV’s Clips, but is most known for his work on CBC’s This Hour has 22 Minutes. Although he is associated with his alter ego, Raj Binder, Shaun has appeared on other shows like Republic of Doyle and The Firm. He also played Kumar’s brother in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.  Shaun is also proud of his Newfoundland heritage and it shows in his HBO documentary Every Word is Absolutely True. 

WED 9 JANUARY 2013

Adam Rueben Beach is a Canadian Saulteaux actor who was born in Ashern, Manitoba. He grew up on the Lake Manitoba/Dog Cree First Nation Reserve and lost his mother when he was eight years old to a drunk driver. Eight months after his mother’s death, his father drowned in a nearby community unable to deal with his grief. He and his brothers were put into residential schools before embarking on his illustrious career in television and film. Adam has starred in Smoke Signals, Walker Texas Ranger, Flags of our Fathers, Windtalkers, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Law and Order: SVU, Skinwalkers, Thief of Time and now the lead on Arctic Air. He is also currently involved in the Idle No More campaign. George discusses acting, filming up north, and getting older with Adam. The panel features stand-up comedian Darrin Rose

Darrin Rose can be seen as Bill on Mr. D. Audiences may also know him from his time on Videos on Trial.

THURSDAY 10 JANUARY 2013

Ron James was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and has a degree in History and Political Science from Acadia University. He originally intended to be a History Teacher, but fell under the influence of Helen Starr Bogg who ran the theatre program there. Upon graduating he moved to Toronto where he worked at Second City and later moved to LA where he had an interesting career. He has also done voice work in animation for shows including Star Wars: Ewoks and RoboCop: The Animated Series. James also played a bank security guard in Tommy Boy. Ron is mostly known for his stand-up comedy and associated with The Ron James Show, which debuted its fourth season premiere earlier this week.

Plus, our comedy panel features stand-up comedian Jonny Harris

Jonny Harris is a Canadian comedian from Pouch Cove, Newfoundland and can be seen as George on Murdoch Mysteries, which had its sixth season premiere on Monday night. He has also appeared on the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Halifax Comedy Festival, The Debaters and The Sketchertons. 

Friday’s show will feature the best of the week. 

Remember to tune into CBC Radio 2  tomorrow night to hear the conclusion of The Hundo on on The Strombo Show where George will count down the top 50 songs of 2012.

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight: Dec 24-28

On behalf of everyone at The Stroumboulopouli, I would like to wish everyone happy holidays. This week's line up on George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight features a holiday special and the best of the season. 

MONDAY 24 DECEMBER 2012

Dolly Parton is a country music icon who is most known for her hits I Will Always Love You, Jolene, and 9 to 5. She has also starred in several movies including Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk.  She began composing music when she was four years old. She can also play the autoharp, banjo, drums, dulcimer, fiddle, guitar, harmonica, flute, pennywhistle and piano. Not only is she one of the bestselling artists of all time and has her own theme park, her work has been adapted for the stage and featured on American Idol. Listen to her talk to George about country music, holidays, life story, charity work, and her new book.

Michael J Fox will be sharing a holiday memory. He is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner who is most famous for his work on Family Ties, Back to the Future, Spin City and guest roles on Boston Legal, The Good Wife, Scrubs, Curb Your Enthusiasm,  and Rescue Me. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 1991 and disclosed his condition in 1999. He has received honorary doctorate degrees for his work advocating a cure for Parkinson’s.

The panel will feature Mamma Yamma.

MammaYamma is the host of KIDS CBC and is portrayed by puppeteer Ali Eisner. Mamma is a yam who represents Ontario as the owner of a fruit and vegetable stand in Toronto's Kensington Market. She has mentioned her crush on George in her videos and tweets. She recently posted a sweet picture of George giving her a kiss on her twitter feed.

Also, tune in for a special presentation of Choir!Choir!Choir! singing. The Choir not only features previous and current members of the George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight crew, but has a rotating membership of 3000 members. 

TUESDAY 25 DECEMBER 2012

CBC will air festive programming tonight, but audiences can take this moment to enjoy George’s radio show that broadcasted on Dec 23.

This Sunday’s broadcast was one of the best of the season. George speaks about his first Christmas without his Baba (grandma), memories of the 24^th and holidays, putting Christmas lights in his car and a little tree in his house, his take on Instagram, and hear him sing a Tom Waits song. Some of the songs played during the broadcast include:

Burl Ives – Overture and a Holly Jolly Christmas

The Moonglows – Hey Santa Claus

Stevie Wonder – Someday at Christmas

Dolly Parton – Hard Candy Christmas

Donny Hathaway – This Christmas

Sinead O’Connor – I Believe in You

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (excerpt)

Run DMC – Christmas in Hollis

Daryl Hall and John Oates – Last Christmas

Bob & Doug McKenzie – The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Darkness – Christmas Time

Tom Waits – Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis

Kermit The Frog and Tiny Tim – Christmas Scat

The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl – Fairy tale of New York

Harry Belafonte – Mary’s boy child

Tom Jackson – The Huron Carole

The Beatles – All You Need is Love

Bahamas – Christmas Must Be Tonight

Sarah McLachlan – Wintersong

Coldplay – Christmas Lights

John & Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band with The Harlem Community Choir – Happy Christmas (War is Over)

You can listen to the broadcast on Strombo's mobile app or his website. 

 WEDNESDAY 26 DECEMBER 2012

Cesar Millan is a Mexican born American who taught himself to train and communicate with dogs. He focuses on rehabilitating aggressive dogs and has written three books that has sold over two million copies and available in 14 languages. He has a monthly magazine and TV series Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan. 

Jonny Harris is on the panel tonight. He is a Canadian comedian from Pouch Cove, Newfoundland and can be seen on Murdoch Mysteries. He has also appeared on the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Halifax Comedy Festival, The Debaters and The Sketchertons.

THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

Ron MacLean and Don Cherry are on tonight. Ron McLean is a CBC Broadcaster and host of Hockey Night in Canada. He was born in West Germany and has lived in Nova Scotia, Yukon, and Alberta before starting in radio in 1978. He is joined by his co-host of Coach’s Corner, Don Cherry. Don’s rise to fame and life was featured in the tv movies Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story and The Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story 2.

Darrin Rose can be seen as Bill on Mr. D. Audiences may also know him from his time on Videos on Trial.

 FRIDAY 28 DECEMBER 2012

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian and literary icon. She is a poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She holds a degree from University of Toronto and Harvard. She’s lived around the world, shaped Canadian identity, influenced politics and feminism, and her work has been translated into 40 languages. She is here to speak about her latest novel.

Arthur Simeon is on the panel tonight. He is a Ugandan Canadian comedian with a degree in Economics from Trent University. He has appeared at Yuk Yuks Comedy Club, Just for Laughs Comedy Festival, Halifax Comedy Festival, The Debaters and Funny as Hell.

George Strombo this week Oct 29 - Nov 2

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight this week
Back from Vancouver George gets back to important conversations with...

Monday October 29
Jack McBrayer

Robert Zemeckis

Panel guest Cory Doctorow

Tuesday October 30
Deepa Mehta

Jesse Palmer

Panel guest James Cunningham

Wednesday October 31
The Tenors

George A.Romero

Panel guest Ed The Sock

Thursday November 1
Ron Maclean with Don Cherry

Panel guest Jonny Harris

Friday November 2
Best of the week.