Latest news with #Degrassi
Vancouver Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Anger looms large in entertaining new novel from Family Law showrunner
Susin Nielsen 's move from novels for readers aged eight to 12 to adults began with a not-so-great interaction with a child. Well over a decade ago Vancouver's Nielsen , who at the time had written for the TV shows Robson Arms and Degrassi, was in Toronto speaking to a gym full of kids about writing for TV versus writing books. During the talk, the author of seven middle-grade-aged novels including The Reluctant Journal of Henry K. Larsen (2012), winner of the Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award, showed a picture of a large group of people in order to show the team that it takes to make a TV show. Then, she moved on to showing the team that it takes to write a novel at home. The picture she presented was a snapshot of her cat. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. At the end of her presentation, the floor was opened for questions. One Grade 7 boy put up his hand and, thinking he was funny, asked an inappropriate question about the cat photograph. You can probably guess the basic gist of his sexual innuendo query. 'His friends were goading him, giggling and laughing,' said Nielsen, who is the creator and showrunner of the Vancouver-shot TV series Family Law . 'I just saw black; it was just fury. I was mortified.' Nielsen wrapped up the presentation and right after a teacher made a 'beeline' toward her. 'I thought, 'OK, thank God she's going to tell me they're going to deal with that little s–t,' ' said Nielsen. 'And you know what she said to me? She said, 'You worked on Degrassi, did you meet Drake?' ' Nielsen hadn't met Drake. But, that day, she did meet that disruptive kid when she waded into the crowd and read him the riot act about his lewd and disrespectful questions. The child whimpered an apology and Nielsen left angry. And inspired. 'I remember I was so upset, but I also remember thinking, 'You know, this could be a really funny opening of a book,' ' said Nielsen 'He did give me a gift, weirdly.' He also gave her an apology in the form of a letter. Flash-forward and Nielsen's first adult novel, the funny and thought-provoking Snap, opens with 55-year-old Frances, a writer of popular Y/A novels who is emotionally wrecked after her marriage ends. During a talk at a school library, Frances is repeatedly interrupted by a rude boy. Frances snaps and grabs the boy and shakes him. Because it's today and everyone has a camera, the incident is recorded and shared, turning Frances's world upside down. By law she is required to attend anger management classes and there she meets Parker, a 23-year-old wardrobe assistant on a hit TV show, and 41-year-old Geraint, a mechanic and family man. Both also snapped and lashed out. The three quickly become friends as they try to move forward with the help of each other and a couple of nice doses of what Nielsen calls 'authorial vengeance.' While the incident with the kid in Toronto was the early seed of Nielsen's idea for an adult novel, the plan really took root while she was writing her last Y/A novel, 2021's Tremendous Things. '(I) remember feeling as I was writing that I was aware that I may start repeating myself and that was a bit of a terrifying feeling. I thought I just don't want to start churning out the same thing,' said Nielsen. Nielsen was further inspired to age up through her work as a TV writer. 'I was doing Family Law for a number of years and I was in this world where I was writing predominantly grown-up characters,' said Nielsen about her work on the show. 'I loved it, and I loved writing for Abby (main character in the series played by Jewel Staite). And I've done that before in television, where I've written for adults, but I found Abby's voice, so compelling … I just thought, 'Well, what the hell, why not try?' 'I'm not trying to be the next Margaret Atwood or Ann-Marie MacDonald, but I wanted to write a light, funny, hopefully sometimes poignant book. And I just thought, 'F–k it. I'm gonna try.' ' While Nielsen has left the children behind for now, she hasn't changed her approach to storytelling, which always utilizes humour. In Snap, she has Francis coming home from a disastrous online date and settling in with her daughter and a drink. The pair switch on the TV and watch Family Law reruns so 'Frances could have a laugh and be soothed by the presence of Victor Garber.' 'Isn't that terrible?' said Nielsen, laughing about the self-promotional nod to her TV show, which stars the Canadian icon Garber. 'My husband says I'm the queen of laughing at my own jokes. So yeah, I do think it made me laugh when I wrote it.' While there are plenty of funny moments in Snap, the storylines of the three main characters grow out of very serious situations. 'I can't write anything that doesn't have humour. I feel like that's been my saving grace in life,' said Nielsen. With the move into more adult-themed stories, Nielsen, who is currently working on another adult novel, hopes readers who discovered her novels when they were kids will now, as adults, continue to seek out her work. 'I know that's what my agent and publisher hope,' said Nielsen, with a laugh. 'Maybe some of (my young readers) will follow me into this world. I would love it.' Dgee@
Newsweek
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
What Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's 'GNX' Albums Have in Common
Both Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar kicked off the year on a high note. At long last, Bey won the coveted album of the year award at the 67th annual Grammy Awards in February. That same night, Lamar won song of the year and record of the year for his Drake diss track, "Not Like Us." Though these two artists have long put in work and delivered quality albums, these wins proved they are still in their prime. As Bey's Cowboy Carter tour and Lamar's Grand National Tour—which he's coheadlining with SZA—are underway, the artists and fans are seeing the full visions of these respective eras. And as these stories come to life, listeners and viewers are connecting the parallels of Cowboy Carter and GNX. Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar are pictured. Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar are pictured. Photo IllustrationBoth of these albums were born at a time when outside factors disturbed their peace. Shortly before Cowboy Carter's release, Bey wrote on Instagram that her venture into country music was inspired by an experience years prior in which she "did not feel welcomed"—likely referring to the 2016 CMA Awards. In the months leading up to the release of GNX, Lamar was embattled with Drake in a very public rap beef. Through each of these albums, the two boldly lay claim to a landscape that was always theirs, pushing the musical envelope through vivid sonic shapeshifting and vivid storytelling. Cowboy Carter features country icons like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. And the album pays tribute to artists like Linda Martell—the first commercially successful Black female artist in the realm of country music, whose legacy has long gone overlooked in the conversation of country music legends. Bey also took it upon herself to feature other Black country music artists, like Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Shaboozey—all of whom were considered up-and-coming at the time of Cowboy Carter's March 2024 release. In his own right, the Pulitzer-winning Lamar is also a legend, but like Bey, his is not resting on his laurels. GNX boasts the chart-topping SZA collaboration "Luther," but some of the high points of the album come from the collaborations with newer, fresh voices. Songs like "dodger blue" feature LA natives like Siete7x and Wallie the Sensei. "Don't say you hate LA when you don't travel past the 10," Lamar repeats throughout the song, slamming those who disparage his hometown. Lamar is using his platform to spotlight pure hip-hop talent, as opposed to using the culture for his own gain—of which, he accuses Drake of on "Not Like Us" ("No, you not a colleague, you a f**kin' colonizer"). Since the beginning of his career, Lamar has been regarded as a "conscious rapper," often highlighting issues like mental health and socioeconomic inequality. During the Drake feud, the former Degrassi actor released a track called "Family Matters" on which, he accuses Lamar of "always rapping like you 'bout to get the slaves freed." With GNX, Lamar doesn't shy away from his signature poetic bars, he delivers his raps, bass-heavy hip-hop beats, subtly decrying those who claim his music isn't club-ready. Songs like Cowboy Carter's "YA YA" also highlight how contributions by Black people in country music—and America as a whole—are frequently overlooked. "Whole lotta red in that white and blue / History can't be erased," Bey sings on the song's intro. A press release accompanying the album revealed that Bey's Cowboy Carter character was "inspired by the original Black cowboys of the American West. The word cowboy itself was used in a derogatory way to describe the former slaves as 'boys,' ... destroying the negative connotation, what remains is the strength and resiliency of these men who were the true definition of Western fortitude." The visuals for the Cowboy Carter tour are riddled with southern imagery, with Bey wearing cowboy hats and denim suits throughout performances, and video clips of her smoking cigars in dive bars playing throughout the concert. The GNX tour pays tribute to neighborhoods like Compton, as graffitied walls, lowriders, and scenes from various streets play in interludes through the duration of the show. In one clip, SZA chides Lamar during a trip to a convenience store when he can't pronounce chamoy, a savory sauce. "Your fans are Mexican!" she exclaims. During the Cowboy Carter tour, a message displays on screen that serves as an overarching message for both the Cowboy Carter and GNX eras—"Never ask permission for something that already belongs to you." The reign of Lamar and Beyoncé isn't slowing down in the near future, as their albums and tours continue to raise the bar for musical narratives. While their lyrics and melodic arrangements set the scene, their ongoing tours realize their full vision—showcasing the fluidity of their respective genres while paying homage to the places they call home, and to reclaim art forms that have been watered down through the mainstream. Lord help the next person who ails Bey or Lamar's spirits. Because, as we've seen time-and-time-again, these two will not be taking it sitting down. Alex Gonzalez is an art and culture journalist based in Dallas, Texas. His work has also appeared in Variety, Billboard, Paste, and The Hollywood Reporter. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Drake Pulls the Plug on Tour Weeks After Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Jab
The Super Bowl may be over, but the aftershocks are still rolling in. While Kendrick Lamar used the halftime stage to take a swipe at his longtime rival, Drake, and now, just weeks later, the 38-year-old Canadian rapper has now called off the rest of his Australia and New Zealand tour. On Tuesday, February 25, it was confirmed that Drake had canceled the final four dates of his sold-out Anita Max Win Tour due to a 'scheduling conflict.' A rep for the rapper stated, 'We are actively working on rescheduling these dates along with adding some additional shows.' They also assured ticket holders that refunds would be available for those who preferred not to wait for the new dates. More from Spin: Resurfaced Video of Kendrick Lamar Attending UCLA Class Goes Viral Game Over: Kendrick Lamar Roasts Drake At Super Bowl Kendrick Promises 'Hard Raps, Good Beats' At Super Bowl Halftime Show The former Degrassi star already completed stops in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Sydney, and the tour marked his first return to Australia and New Zealand since 2017. Drake's cancellation comes on the heels of Lamar's viral Super Bowl performance, where he made a clear nod to their ongoing feud which began over ten years ago. While performing 'Not Like Us' — the diss track that dominated the Billboard charts last summer — he smirked at the camera and quipped, 'I want to perform their favorite song, but you know they love to sue,' a direct shot at Drake's ongoing legal battle with Universal Music Group. The 'God's Plan' rapper didn't fire back directly but did tweak a lyric at his Melbourne show one day later. In his song 'Knife Talk,' he originally rapped, 'Beef is live, spoiler alert — this n***a dies.' Instead, he switched it up, saying, 'Beef is live, spoiler alert — I never die.' To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Columbine Survivor Dies 25 Years Later of Complications From Shooting
Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was shot in the back during the 1999 Columbine shooting, was found dead in her home Sunday, according to the Denver Post. Sue Townsend, whose stepdaughter Lauren was killed in the shooting, formed a close relationship with Hochhalter after the shooting, which left 15 people dead. She and her husband told the Post that Hochhalter's death appears to be from complications she suffered from the shooting. 'She was fiercely independent,' Sue Townsend told the newspaper. 'She was a fighter. She'd get knocked down — she struggled a lot with health issues that stemmed from the shooting — but I'd watch her pull herself back up. She was her best advocate and an advocate for others who weren't as strong in the disability community.' Hochhalter was a 17-year-old junior at Columbine High School in Colorado eating lunch outside when one of the two shooters shot her in the back. Hochhalter told People in 2004 that when she was first shot, she thought it was from a paintball gun. 'I was bleeding to death,' Hochhalter told People in 2004. 'It didn't look bad on the outside, but inside it felt wrong — it felt wet.' The shooting left Hochhalter paralyzed and wheelchair-bound. In 2016, Hochhalter wrote in a Facebook post that she holds no bitterness toward Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the shooters. 'It's been a rough road for me, with many medical issues because of my spinal cord injury and intense nerve pain, but I choose not to be bitter towards you,' Hochhalter wrote. 'A good friend once told me, 'Bitterness is like swallowing a poison pill and expecting the other person to die.' It only harms yourself. I have forgiven you and only wish you the best.' School shootings have risen over the past 25 years, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and in 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy declared gun violence to be a public health crisis. If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Teen And Friends Held At Gunpoint After 'Ding-Dong Ditch' Gone Wrong, Police Say This 'Degrassi' Plotline Was Inspired By Columbine — And It's Just As Relevant Today
