‘Star Wars' goes symphonic and the return of a cosy mystery: what the Star's Culture team is loving right now
TV: 'Poker Face'
Maybe it's because I'm old enough to remember watching 'Columbo' with my parents, but I welcome the return of 'Poker Face,' Rian Johnson's delightful — dare I say cosy? — comedy-mystery series (Citytv+, CBC Gem). With her weathered-cherub voice and ginger Troll mane, Natasha Lyonne remains a hoot as Charlie Cale, the human lie detector, and the twisty episodes so far satisfy. Season 2's opener features an Emmy-worthy turn by Cynthia Erivo as multiple siblings who think they're entitled to an inheritance from their horrible mother. The show promises even more high-profile guest stars. I can't wait. —Doug Brod
Comedy: Katherine Ryan
As Canadians are wont to do, comedian Katherine Ryan made her name by leaving her home country. The 41-year-old Sarnia native honed her standup act in England and appeared in TV series there, both as a host and an actor, before creating her London-set, semi-autobiographical Netflix comedy 'The Duchess.' Now Ryan, who expertly taps her life with her Canadian husband and three British-born kids for laughs, is back in Toronto for two shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre (190 Princes' Blvd.) on Saturday. Limited tickets were still available at press time. —Debra Yeo
Concert: 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in Concert'
Hearing John Williams's iconic score for 'Star Wars' performed live by a full symphony orchestra is an otherworldly experience — and a must for any fan of the film saga. From next Thursday to Sunday, Toronto audiences will have that opportunity when the Toronto Symphony Orchestra presents four screenings of 'The Empire Strikes Back' (the series' fifth — and best — episode) in concert at Roy Thomson Hall (60 Simcoe St.). Australian composer and conductor Nicholas Buc will lead the TSO in his debut with the orchestra. —Joshua Chong
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Album: billy woods, 'Golliwog'
In 2023, billy woods established himself as one of underground hip hop's most compelling storytellers with 'Maps,' a remarkably original (and occasionally hilarious) concept album that offered a glimpse into the chaotic misadventures of a middle-aged rapper on tour. On his new album, 'Golliwog,' woods takes a left turn into horrorcore, weaving dense lyricism into a sinister tapestry of sound — woozy string samples, staggering beats, occasional screams of terror — assembled by an all-star roster of producers. ' The English language is violence, I hotwired it / I got a hold of the master's tools and got dialed in,' woods raps on opener 'Jumpscare,' setting the stage for a brilliant and bleak journey into the heart of darkness, and an exploration of the revolutionary, post-colonial school of thought that might offer an escape route. —Richie Assaly
On 'Golliwog,' rapper billy woods dips into horrorcore.
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Winnipeg Free Press
12 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ice from Oiler hometown rinks added to Edmonton arena ahead of Stanley Cup Final
EDMONTON – Home ice advantage will take on a whole new meaning for some Edmonton Oilers as they head into the Stanley Cup Final. Over the weekend, ice from the hometown rinks of six Oilers players was scraped into Thermoses, shipped to Edmonton and added to the Rogers Place ice sheet mix for Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. Some came from the Magna Centre in Newmarket, Ont., where Oilers superstar Connor McDavid spent a few years with the York-Simcoe Express before jumping to the Ontario Hockey League at age 15. Another donation was scraped from the Burnaby Winter Club in Burnaby, B.C., which forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins called home ice during his bantam years with the BWC Bruins. Just north of Burnaby, ice from the North Shore Winter Club and minor hockey home of Evander Kane was also shipped to Edmonton. Doing the scraping in North Shore was Kyle Turris, who spent the final two seasons of his 15-year NHL career in Edmonton before retiring in 2022. 'It's just neat to have minor hockey rinks across Canada do this,' said Turris, who now manages the winter club, which he also considers his minor hockey home. 'It really unites our country through the game that we love the most and feel like we're a part of the Stanley Cup.' Rogers organized the project. 'When the puck drops at Rogers Place for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Canadians across the country can claim this is our ice,' said Terrie Tweddle, the company's chief brand and communications officer. 'Hockey's biggest stage should reflect where the game truly begins — in hometown hockey rinks across Canada.' Turris said the Panthers, who crushed a city's worth of dreams by beating Edmonton in Game 7 to win last year's Stanley Cup, may have got better. But so too have the Oilers. 'I want them to have as much success as possible, so I'm really hoping they win,' he said, adding he wants to see Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner 'silence all his critics.' Skinner will also be getting a home ice boost for the final, as ice from Edmonton's Confederation Arena, where he played bantam and midget hockey, was transported from the south side of the city to the downtown arena. Ice also came from The Rink in Winnipeg, where Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard practises in the off-season, as well as a rink in Hamilton, Ont., to represent the hometown of defenceman Darnell Nurse. Kevin Lowe, a longtime Oilers player, coach and team executive, compared the endeavour to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, when a Canadian ice maker hid a loonie, a nickel and a dime in the ice for good luck. The Canadians beat the Americans in the gold medal game. 'It's another spin on that for sure,' said Lowe, who was part of the management group for the men's hockey team in Salt Lake City. 'It never ceases to amaze me … for smart people to come up with these kinds of ideas to really engage hockey fans across Canada.' Lowe, who was the Oilers' first-ever draft pick in 1979, won six Stanley Cups throughout his career. He also knows what it's like to lose in the finals only to play the same team again in a rematch the very next year. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. In 1983, the Oilers were swept by the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Final. But in a rematch the next year, the Oilers won five games and marked the beginning of what many consider the last hockey dynasty. Lowe said he sees many similarities between this year's Oilers squad and the 1984 team. 'I'm not suggesting they're going to mow Florida down,' Lowe said. 'But I'm really confident that they have all the pieces in place: the personnel, the history, the experience and probably, most importantly, the will and the want and the desire to win the Stanley Cup.' Like Turris, Lowe said he hopes the ice project at Rogers will see Canadian fans buy in and maybe see what he sees in the team. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025.
Global News
13 hours ago
- Global News
Ice from Oiler hometown rinks added to Edmonton's Rogers Place ahead of Stanley Cup final
Home ice advantage will take on a whole new meaning for some Edmonton Oilers as they head into the Stanley Cup final. Over the weekend, ice from the hometown rinks of six Oilers players was scraped into Thermoses, shipped to Edmonton and added to the Rogers Place ice sheet mix for Game 1 against the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. View image in full screen Matthew Messer, the director of engineering and operations at Rogers Place in Edmonton, is seen in this handout photo, resurfacing the ice ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, June 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Rogers *MANDATORY CREDIT* Some came from the Magna Centre in Newmarket, Ont., where Oilers superstar Connor McDavid spent a few years with the York-Simcoe Express before jumping to the Ontario Hockey League at age 15. Story continues below advertisement Another donation was scraped from the Burnaby Winter Club in Burnaby, B.C., which forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins called home ice during his bantam years with the BWC Bruins. Just north of Burnaby, ice from the North Shore Winter Club and minor hockey home of Evander Kane was also shipped to Edmonton. Doing the scraping in North Shore was Kyle Turris, who spent the final two seasons of his 15-year NHL career in Edmonton before retiring in 2022. 'It's just neat to have minor hockey rinks across Canada do this,' said Turris, who now manages the winter club, which he also considers his minor hockey home. 'It really unites our country through the game that we love the most and feel like we're a part of the Stanley Cup.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It really unites our country through the game that we love the most and feel like we're a part of the Stanley Cup." Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Rogers organized the project. 'When the puck drops at Rogers Place for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Canadians across the country can claim this is our ice,' said Terrie Tweddle, the company's chief brand and communications officer. 'Hockey's biggest stage should reflect where the game truly begins — in hometown hockey rinks across Canada.' 1:57 Edmonton Oilers advance to Stanley Cup Finals Turris said the Panthers, who crushed a city's worth of dreams by beating Edmonton in Game 7 to win last year's Stanley Cup, may have got better. But so too have the Oilers. Story continues below advertisement 'I want them to have as much success as possible, so I'm really hoping they win,' he said, adding he wants to see Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner 'silence all his critics.' Skinner will also be getting a home ice boost for the final, as ice from Edmonton's Confederation Arena, where he played bantam and midget hockey, was transported from the south side of the city to the downtown arena. Ice also came from The Rink in Winnipeg, where Edmonton goalie Calvin Pickard practises in the off-season, as well as a rink in Hamilton, Ont., to represent the hometown of defenceman Darnell Nurse. Kevin Lowe, a longtime Oilers player, coach and team executive, compared the endeavour to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, when a Canadian ice maker hid a loonie, a nickel and a dime in the ice for good luck. The Canadians beat the Americans in the gold medal game. Story continues below advertisement 'It's another spin on that for sure,' said Lowe, who was part of the management group for the men's hockey team in Salt Lake City. 'It never ceases to amaze me … for smart people to come up with these kinds of ideas to really engage hockey fans across Canada.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It never ceases to amaze me … for smart people to come up with these kinds of ideas to really engage hockey fans across Canada." Lowe, who was the Oilers' first-ever draft pick in 1979, won six Stanley Cups throughout his career. He also knows what it's like to lose in the finals only to play the same team again in a rematch the very next year. In 1983, the Oilers were swept by the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup final. But in a rematch the next year, the Oilers won five games and marked the beginning of what many consider the last hockey dynasty. Lowe said he sees many similarities between this year's Oilers squad and the 1984 team. 'I'm not suggesting they're going to mow Florida down,' Lowe said. 'But I'm really confident that they have all the pieces in place: the personnel, the history, the experience and probably, most importantly, the will and the want and the desire to win the Stanley Cup.' Like Turris, Lowe said he hopes the ice project at Rogers will see Canadian fans buy in and maybe see what he sees in the team.
Cision Canada
15 hours ago
- Cision Canada
CALLING FOR A NEW CANADIAN SUPERHERO FOR KIDS BY KIDS
OTTAWA, ON, June 3, 2025 /CNW/ - Scouts Canada (the country's leading co-ed youth organization) is nurturing the nations need for a new Canadian Superhero NOW! Canadians are embracing 'elbows up' and need a homegrown superhero now more than ever. a) Calling on our kids to get creative: Scouts is launching a nationwide contest to kids between the ages of 5-15 to create a new quintessentially Canadian superhero complete with a hand drawn picture, a name, special powers and a backstory. The top three (3) drawings/ superhero concepts will be turned into 3D action figures, sent to winning creative kids and will be showcased on the Scouts Canada website (for national bragging rights.) "Canada is currently having a proud 'national moment', and every Canadian is looking for a way to celebrate our country in their own way … so far, kids haven't had a tangible way to join in," said Liam Burns, CEO, Scouts Canada. "We wanted to let kids communicate the values and pride they feel being Canadians while tapping into the incredible creativity of our kids on a national scale." b) Don't we have Canadian superheroes? While we certainly have many real-world heroes like Terry Fox, Rick Hansen and Roberta Bondar, Canada is a little underrepresented in the fictional superhero world. We have Captain Canuck, Captain Canada and (technically) Wolverine, Sabretooth and Deadpool, but not really enough to fill a Canadian Hall of Justice. c) Aurora Paralysis, The Moose Meld, and Timbit Teleportation: To get an idea of the superhero savvy of the average Canadian, Scouts also ran a national survey of 1,000 random Canadians and asked them serious superhero questions like: Rank in order, the top 10 superpowers that a new Canadian superhero should have: Aurora Paralysis: Ability to use the Aurora Borealis to stun and blind foes. Eh+: Ability to make any event a little more fun (and maybe more polite) by tapping into 'Canuckness.' Bilingual Blaster: Speak perfect English and French — at the same time — confusing and charming foes into submission. Beaver Barrage: Ability to launch razor sharp (fully biodegradable) woodchips from front teeth. Maple Manipulation: Ability to shoot maple syrup from wrists to immobilize criminals Timbit Teleportation: Instantly transport between Tim Hortons locations. Moose Meld: Instantly mind meld with a moose anywhere in Canada to carry out dangerous missions. 'Beaver' bites (Ability to chew through wood of any kind) Tactical Tuqueing: Power to turn any random tuque into a helmet harder than a Yukon Snowbank. Zamboni Zapper: Command any Zamboni to (slowly) run over foes. d) No Respect? Are Canadian Superhero's second-class super-beings? Asked if Canadian superhero's get the same respect as American, a combined 73.5% said 'yes' (47.54%) or 'maybe' (25.50%) they don't! A further 73.70% of Canadians think Canadian superheroes are 'not well represented' in the world of superheroes. e) What do you call a collective of Canuck Heroes? Asked what to name an all-Canadian group of superheroes, Canadians said: The Eh' Team The Beaver Battalion The Mounties of Mayhem The Eh' Vengers The Sorry Not Sorry Squad The Timbit Task Force The Loon Platoon The Toque Titans The Lumberjack Legion The Flannel Force The Igloo Avengers The Poutine Posse The Evil Doer Control Board (EDCB) f) Key contest details: Starting Tuesday, June 3 rd, Canadian kids will be asked to upload a hand drawn (not AI) image of their original Canadian superhero along with a 100 word description of their name/super powers/and backstory to the Scouts Canada website HERE Kids can upload their Heroes between June 3 and June 27 th. The winning three (3) 'Hero' creating kids will be announced and showcased on Monday, June 30th and Hero action figures will be created and sent to winners by early August. Images are available HERE About Scouts Canada Kids and young adults in Scouts chart their own path of discovery. Through a variety of fun experiences with friends, outdoor adventures and contributions to their community, Scouts build resilience and skills that set them up for life. Scouts Canada is the country's leading co-ed youth organization, offering programming for children and youth aged 5-26 in multiple languages, reflecting Canada's multicultural landscape and communities. For more information, visit Scouts Canada is a not-for-profit organization (Charitable Registration No.10776 1694 RR0028) and a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement.
