The main telecast for the 2023 Juno Awards (hosted for the second year in a row by actor Simu Liu) might not be happening until tomorrow, but the trophies for many of the awards started getting handed out last night in Edmonton.
Fred Penner has been bringing music to the ears of children worldwide for over 40 years. He's a multiple JUNO Award Winner, a Member of the Order of Canada, and helped teach a generation of Canadians about everything from folk music to curiosity and creativity through his long-running CBC show, Fred Penner's Place.
The most interesting part of any TV series is the second season. The show runners know what they like, what they don't, what works, what they can add, what the audience loves, and what they can make bigger. The voice is now stronger and more focused. A shot gun blast becomes a laser.
Don't get me wrong, the shot gun blast is fun.
In the fall of 2017, Toronto comic Courtney Gilmour was coming off the biggest professional accolade of her comedy career: being named the co-winner (along with Montreal's DJ Mausner) of the Homegrown Comics competition at Just for Laughs Festival.
Every spring since 2002, some of the best stand-up comics from across Canada -- and a few from the U.S. and Europe -- have converged on the Canadian prairies for the Winnipeg Comedy Festival.
After decades in the business, Jeremy Hotz is a tried-and-true name in Canadian comedy. While he's lived south of the border for close to 20 years, he always manages to spend time in Canada, both personally and professionally.
Winnipeg comedy fans should be familiar with Steve Patterson (@patterballs on Twitter), the longstanding host of CBC's The Debaters (@cbcdebaters).
I was first introduced to the comedic mind of Daryn Jones on his early 2000s Comedy Network show Buzz, which featured he and Mista Mo in various sketches and random bits and interviews on the streets of Toronto.
The Winnipeg Comedy Festival has long been considered a comics' festival. The comedians who come to the prairie city to perform over a week in April absolutely love their time here. The festival treats the performers incredibly well, and the crowds are friendly, responsive, and plentiful.
The Winnipeg Comedy Festival has been steadily growing, adding performers, shows, and days to the festival year after year.
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