Hour/Hockey season is over and Summer begins

The Strombo Show this and every Sunday.
The Edge 102.1 (Toronto) The Fox 99.3 (Vancouver)
Power 97 (Winnipeg) Y108 (Hamilton) FM96 (London)
George and Alex share music, interviews and conversation each radio show. They will use 'technology' to get you fresh shows all summer long.
If you have a request for George message him in your usual fashion. Email, facebook, myspace and twitter. Click on the listen live at 5 (EST) or follow along on facebook.

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The Hour is on a summer taping break but the best of The Hour from this Season will be presented at it's regular time all summer long.

Monday June 15, 2009

Canada's sometimes controversial but always stylish (oops is that fur?) Governor General -Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean will be talking to George about seal hearts and other subjects.

George will also be talking to the brilliant young actor from Passchendaele and Train 48!
- Joe Dinicol

Yes I watched and loved Train 48! That was before I moved to Toronto...

Tuesday June 16, 2009

actor - Malcolm McDowell who has done everything from Star Trek to A Clockwork Orange.

& rock star/TV reality Star and music business man - Gene Simmons

KISS this!

Wednesday June 17, 2009

- David Thewlis is not just an actor, he is a director, a novelist, a poet, a painter and a musician.

& Canadian/American (?) singer-songwriter
-Alanis Morissette

Morissette has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide

Thursday June 18, 2009

-Journalist, author and pop sociologist -

Malcolm Gladwell The rock star of non-fiction will be on the show.


plus comedian - Jamie Kennedy

- not the chef Jamie Kennedy- but the American funnyman.

Friday June 19, 2009

Hollywood superstar - Tom Cruise

Who goes only by his first and middle name, and at one time wanted to become a
Catholic Priest gets to have a very long conversation with George.
He is on The Hour for the entire hour.
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We would like to thank the hard working crew of The Hour for all their efforts to put Season Five together. They have done a fantastic Job. The Million Acts of Green project to name just one. It was an outstanding success!
With cutbacks this year to the CBC The Hour is not unaffected and some of our favourite staff will not be coming back in Season Six. We know the Season Six crew will get the job done and The Hour will be a tribute to their hard work and they will come up with brilliant new ideas.
One audience favourite is attending the show and meeting George when The Hour is on the Road. The question of 'Can The Hour do shows on the road in the coming season?' would depend on sponsorship. In these tough economic times finding those sponsors would be nice. So if you have any ideas to get The Hour traveling again let 'em know.

To the crew of The Hour have a great summer! Good luck in all your endeavors.

The Blog writers will still be adding our posts all summer long. We'll write about books featured on The Hour and other summer projects... please keep following us for updates.

Sunrise, Sunset... Last week of Season 5

I'm so glad we had this time together, just to laugh or sing a song

Seems we just get started and before you know it... Comes the time we have to say.... so long.

Recognize these lyrics? If you are 30+ you should, as they're the closing lines Carol Burnett sang at the end of her seminal program -- The Carol Burnett Show. The Legendary Ms. Burnett takes to the Red Chair on Thursday for an Exclusive TV interview.

Welcome to the last fresh batch of interviews in this, the final week of a successful Season 5 of The Hour. For regular viewers, it may seem like the year has just begun, but for the team that brings you The Hour each night, my wager would be they're ready for a Margarita, a nap and a vacation.

So... sit back and drink it in... on a patio, a deck, alone in your living room. I won't judge.

Monday June 8th

Don Newman

When the news broke just over a month ago that Don was among those who've opted to take the CBC's voluntary retirement package, I can say that as a political junkie, I was truly disappointed. As the host of Politics on CBC, Don Newman demonstrates daily the integrity, confidence and knowledge that allows him to lead intelligent yet accessible discussions that demystify the often BS ridden folly of political policy and process. He has a way of relating not only what's happening on the political landscape, but what it means to us as Canadians. Among the many accolades he's received, Don is a member of the Order of Canada.

I'm confident that Mr. Newman, like most true journalists, hates BEING the story. For now though, he is. What I'd most like to hear from him are his true feelings about being caught in the network cutbacks, how he envisions political reporting will continue to evolve and what he envisions for the future of 'Politics'.

Ryan Reynolds
Vancouver native, actor and living proof that working out can pay off huge, Ryan Reynolds returns to The Hour. On his previous grilling on the 2/20 segment Ryan revealed he can smell the fear. Good to know!

From TV, where he made an impact on Two Guys A Girl and a Pizza Place to films like National Lampoon's Van Wilder, his career has been on a constant upswing. Part of the wildly successful Wolverine/ X Men films.. Ryan is set to star in a sequel featuring his character. He's currently promoting his new movie with Sandra Bullock and the amazing Betty White -- The Proposal -- in which his character makes a deal to marry his nasty Canadian boss, played by Bullock, to save her from deportation. The previews of this movie look good... kinda the ultimate date movie.

To many though, including myself... no matter how successful Ryan becomes, my favourite will always be 'Just Friends'. Any actor that can rock a fat suit and lip sync 'I Swear' into a hairbrush is good people.

Tuesday June 9th

Michaelle Jean

It's the rich tapestry of experiences that define who we are as people, inform our decisions and aspirations. In a new country like Canada, the immigrant experience is a common thread and many of our most prolific contributors to society were born elsewhere. Such is the case of our current Governor General, Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaelle Jean.

Now the representative of the Queen in Canada, Jean 's family fled Haiti when their nation was under the dictatorship of the evil Baby Doc Duvalier. After settling in Quebec she pursued her post secondary education, became an advocate for battered women, a documentary film maker and respected journalist.

Her 2005 appointment to the primarily ceremonial role of Governor General was not without controversy as detractors pointed to her arms length involvement in separatist activities. That aside, Jean seems to be more visible, involved and unafraid to rock the boat than any other Governor General in history. One of the more significant examples was her visit to the Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Following the EU's ban on seal products, the world watched as our GG took part in the butchering of a seal and consuming part of the heart... a move that has been both applauded and sharply criticized.

Wednesday June 10th

Lawrence Hill

Lawrence Hill is a perfect example of how one's experiences and unique perspectives inform their path. He's the son of a black father and white mother who moved to Canada immediately following their marriage. Growing up in a predominantly white culture inspired one of Hill's most notable works; the 2001 memoir 'Black Berry, Sweet Juice: On Being Black and White in Canada'. If his name is familiar to you... it may also be for 'The Book of Negroes' - an award winning novel that was also recently named the winning selection in CBC Radio's 2009 Canada Reads award.

Rick Hansen

Not many people have the ability to turn serious adversity into an inspiring life and career that benefits people every day. Rick Hansen is one of those people. Following a spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from the waist down, Hansen became a committed and accomplished athlete. Perhaps it was his friendship with a fellow named Terry Fox that would inspire Rick to embark on his 'Man In Motion' world tour to raise awareness, accessibility to services, and to fund Spinal Cord Research? Whatever his motivation -- it's benefited thousands.

It's startling to realize that 2010 will mark the 25th Anniversary of this incredibly successful endeavour. To continue raising funds, he founded the Rick Hansen Foundation in 1988 -- you can get involved in providing support to by taking part in Wheels In Motion events in your community.

Thursday June 11th

Carol Burnett

Comedy legend Carol Burnett will grace the stage for an exclusive TV interview with The Hour. If her life's story isn't familiar to you... where have you been? Under a rock? Star of stage, screen and television, her impact on the entertainment industry is undeniable. Few performers can crack an audience up with a funny face or eye roll. Carol can do it from 1oo paces without fail.

Raised by her beloved grandmother in extremely modest circumstances, Carol originally planned a career in journalism but thankfully decided to pursue performing.

Like many performers noted for their work in the comedy genre, Burnett has suffered many triumphs and unimaginable tragedy. Her daughter Carrie Hamilton, who had long struggled with serious drug addiction and had overcome her demons, then faced a battle with cancer which she ultimately lost at the young age of 38.

As a very young kid, I remember fondly watching The Carol Burnett Show... it was one of very few shows which the whole family could agree on. I am sure we weren't alone. Though there are too many to list, I'm sure I'm not the only one who to this day remembers the Gone with the Wind takeoff. Sweeping down the staircase clad in green velvet curtains -- curtain rods intact --- can't remember the exact dialogue, but when complimented with how elegant she looked, stated... I saw it in the window and had to have it... Nice!

***You'll watch anyway... but tune in to this interview for details on an exciting contest and your chance to meet Carol Burnett when she appears in Vancouver this Fall! ***

Friday June 12th

Sit back, relax and cruise into the weekend by revisiting a few goodies from this past season.

Norman JewisonCelebrated director, Proud Canadian, Nemesis of John Wayne?


MobyVegan. Vanguard. Music maker.



Gordon Ramsay

The F Word. Kitchen Nightmares. Hell's Kitchen. This celebrity chef is one tasty dish!

Though The Hour is done taping for the season, they will continue to provide solid Best Of' shows throughout the summer. You can also cruise through their site and youtube channel to catch some archived interviews you may have missed the first time.

The Strombo show, broadcast each Sunday on the Corus Radio Network from 5-8pm EST will roll on throughout the summer and offer some nice tunes to help you bump up the mix of the latest and greatest on your Ipod.

We will also bring you new topics and chat throughout the summer so come on by from time to time...

If you have topic suggestions - drop us a line -- stroumboulopouli@hotmail.com we'd love to hear from you... well, from most of you anyway. :)

Cheers and Happy Summer to all our readers!

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!