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Triumph reunites to lay it on the line at Stanley Cup final in Edmonton

Triumph reunites to lay it on the line at Stanley Cup final in Edmonton

Toronto Star05-06-2025
Gil Moore can barely go a day without hearing someone belt out the words to one of his biggest hits.
'It's hard to get through a Tim Hortons lineup without people singing, 'Lay It on the Line,'' he said. 'I'm playing golf and I'm lining up my putt, and guys are yelling at me, 'Lay it on the line!''
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Barbra Streisand finds ‘The Secret of Life' on her new duets album with Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney
Barbra Streisand finds ‘The Secret of Life' on her new duets album with Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney

Winnipeg Free Press

time24-06-2025

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Barbra Streisand finds ‘The Secret of Life' on her new duets album with Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney

EMBARGOED UNTIL 12:01 AM ET 6/24 Barbra Streisand was worried. She had just spent six days a week for six weeks recording the audiobook version of her 2023 memoir 'My Name is Barbra' — which became more than 48 hours of discussing her storied, EGOT-winning career and the unexpected life that came with it. But now, it was time to record a new album with a stunning lineup of duet partners that ranged from current hitmakers Hozier and Sam Smith to legends Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and James Taylor. And when producers played the songs for her, she couldn't sing along. Her mighty voice would just squeak. 'My voice was shot,' Streisand, 83, told The Associated Press, calling from her home in Malibu, California. 'I mean, I literally prayed to God in front of that microphone, 'Let my voice be there for me.' And I don't know how, but it was there.' Fans will be able to hear that for themselves on Friday, when her album 'The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2' arrives in stores and on streaming services. And despite her misgivings, Streisand shows she can still deliver the performances she wants, while also coaxing them out of others. Bob Dylan: 'Would you sing with me?' Her duet with Dylan had been decades in the making. In 1970, Dylan sent Streisand a bouquet of flowers and a note — written in what she believes was crayon — asking, 'Would you sing with me?' But they did not connect until decades later, when their styles had converged a bit. When Streisand started work on her new album, she sent Dylan a copy of her memoir with an inscription referring to their time separately performing in Greenwich Village as teenagers and hoping it was time to finally sing together. Choosing to rework the Ray Noble standard 'The Very Thought of You' — popularized by everyone from Nat King Cole and Tony Bennett to Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald — turned out to be a surprise. It's not one of her personal favorites, though it is her longtime manager Marty Erlichman's favorite song. Dylan, one of the most revered songwriters in music history, only wanted to sing a standard, not one of his own classics. 'Isn't that great?' Streisand said. 'I would've sung anything with him.' She also agreed to his request to keep everyone else out of the studio when they recorded — including Streisand's husband, James Brolin, who often goes to her sessions. 'I had heard he wrote 'Lay, Lady, Lay' for me,' she said. 'So I thought, 'Let's make this lush, romantic track.'' Though Dylan has a reputation for not taking much direction from producers, Streisand said he was very receptive to her suggestions. 'He was totally open to 'Why don't you maybe try this?' or 'Phrase it this way' or 'Try something else' — just like I do as a director in movies and he was my actor that day,' she said. 'To capture his originality and his voice and his phrasing, it was just an exciting experience.' McCartney worries about his 'Valentine' Her experience with McCartney was more daunting. There was a full film crew on hand, led by Oscar-winning director Frank Marshall, to capture the recording of two of the world's most successful artists for an upcoming documentary on Streisand's life. Streisand said that added to the challenges of the session. 'He was kind of shy about it and I understand him,' she said about recording 'My Valentine' with McCartney. 'I walked into a room of 25 people (to sing) and I don't like that.' McCartney told his website he was 'terrified' during the three-hour session. 'I thought, 'Well, this will be easy because it's my song, it's 'My Valentine.' What can go wrong?'' he said. 'But what I'd forgotten was that they'd arranged it so that it had to go in Barbra's key and then in my key. So, to get from Barbra's key into mine was kind of difficult. … It wasn't easy at all!' They quickly worked it out. 'It turned out great,' said Streisand, who released the song in May as one of the album's preview singles. It's another single, though, that is resonating even more. 'Letter to My 13-Year-Old Self,' Streisand's duet with Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey, hit No. 1 on the iTunes chart earlier this month, topping Sabrina Carpenter's 'Manchild' and Mariah Carey's 'Type Dangerous' on release day. Streisand related to the song because it reminded her of a middle-school report she wrote called 'My Thirteen Years,' which meant so much to her that she still has it. In neat, cursive writing, she recalled what her life was like, her love of Shakespearean sonnets and the death of her father, Emanuel. 'I was too young to realize what had happened,' she writes in the report. Streisand connects to her '13-Year-Old Self' It was at age 13 that Streisand also made her first record, when her mother brought her to Nola Studios in Manhattan to record 'You'll Never Know' and 'Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart.' 'When I was 13, that's a very distinguished year in my life,' Streisand said. 'So I hear this song … and it really hit me.' She worked with Laufey to turn the original, which Laufey sang solo, into a duet. They settled on Laufey singing as the 13-year-old and Streisand as her mother. Streisand said she was 'absolutely thrilled' with how it turned out and how fans have responded to it. Sure, duet success is nothing new to Streisand, who has topped the charts with Neil Diamond on 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers,' and Donna Summer on 'No More Tears (Enough Is Enough),' and a string of albums including 'Duets,' 'Partners' and 'Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway.' But 'The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume 2' is different. Streisand said her worries about the world and President Donald Trump's second administration may have subconsciously contributed to her selection of some of the album's more serious tracks — like Sting's 'Fragile' and her reworking of 'Love Will Survive' from last year's 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz' series into a duet with Seal. 'I'd like to be happier,' Streisand said. 'But every time I turn on the television — and I'm a glutton for punishment, obviously — I'm fascinated and horrified at the same time, you know?' At a recent dinner with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., Streisand said he described the current state of Washington as 'created chaos, corruption and cruelty.' Streisand added, 'I thought, 'That kind of sums him (Trump) up.'' However, Streisand, who has retired from touring, said she does plan to work on achieving the goal she set out in her memoir: To enjoy life more. 'The Secret of Life' — named from the James Taylor classic, as well as a children's book she reads her grandchildren — has sparked thoughts about what enriches her life. 'The secret of life is spending time with people you love,' she said, adding she plans to release a string of photos of her and her 'secrets,' including her husband, her son Jason Gould, and other friends, family and, of course, dogs. Streisand is in her 'stop and smell the roses' era. 'I'm getting older by the day, by the minute, and you have to take a look at your life from that point of view again, you know?' Streisand said. 'I look in the mirror and go, 'How much time do I have left?' … I've had several projects I've never fulfilled, but I have such fulfillment now with people that I love.'

32nd Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival makes waves at Mooney's Bay
32nd Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival makes waves at Mooney's Bay

CTV News

time22-06-2025

  • CTV News

32nd Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival makes waves at Mooney's Bay

Ottawa's annual Dragon Boat Festival is taking place at Mooney's Bay this weekend. CTV's Camille Wilson caught up with some of the attendees. The annual Dragon Boat Festival is back for it's 32nd year in Ottawa. The event is the largest festival of its kind in North America, drawing teams from all over the world. This year's festival has about 145 teams with 72 cities participating. Along with teams all across Canada, paddlers competed in at least two 500 metre races at Mooney's Bay on Saturday. 'The community side is just incredible because it brings together all walks of life,' says John Brooman, CEO and president of the Tim Hortons Dragon Boat Festival. 'It doesn't matter whether you're a first-time paddler or if you're on the national team. People are just out here having a wonderful time. It raises a ton of money for charity,' It is one of the biggest sporting and entertainment events in the nation's capital and is part of a larger Chinese cultural tradition that goes back 2,400 years. 'I grew up with the Dragon Boat Festival as a kid in the UK and I really loved it,' said attendee Kyan Cheng. 'I really wanted to take my three-year-old son to experience it for the first time here. I've talked about it and it's part of our culture. He's just really loving it.' Ottawa Dragonboat Festival The Arctic Char Dragon Boat team from The Netherlands getting ready to compete. (Camille Wilson/CTV News Ottawa) Sandy Foote, captain of Fleet of Foote, says his team has participated in the event from the very beginning. 'This is our 32nd year at the Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. We come every year and have a lot of fun,' Foote said. 'It's our biggest festival that we do. We do seven festivals every year. This one is the best one.' The festival is raising more than $250,000 for charity this weekend and has raised more than $6 million over the years. The two-day celebration also includes exhibitors, food, a Breast Cancer Survivor Challenge, traditional flower ceremony and dance performances. 'It's great to see such big crowds out for this type of event,' said Chris Bell. 'Lots of big smiles on people's faces. It's been a good, good experience.' There is free admission to all the races and free parking at the Canada Post parking lot. Races are every 10 minutes and will run until Sunday.

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