Reflecting on TIFF

As a fourteen year veteran of TIFF (in the words of the etalk reporter that interviewed me!) I feel obliged to report on this year's event. I have had a lot of feedback from friends and family that say they look forward to my TIFF photos each year. This year did not supply stellar results. However, it was a very fun day with friends.

In September 2000, my friend Lisa asked if I'd like to go to the Toronto International Film Festival with her. Earlier that year, she had returned from a trip to LA where she got tons of autographs outside Elton John's Oscar party. She was enamored with Hollywood and the idea of seeing the stars up close and personal. While I admired her book full of scribbles and the stories that accompanied it, I could not imagine why she wanted to go to Toronto. I asked "Who are we going to see? Jim Carey?" She then explained that TIFF was a big deal. Second, only to Cannes. Well, well...that changed everything.

Together with our other friend Janice, we booked a hotel and set off to do some star gazing. We were really not sure where we would end up, who we would see or what we were doing...so we came prepared, with ball gowns. Ha ha ha. So hilarious as I look back on the experience.

The first premiere we attended was for "Almost Famous" which remains one of my favourite movies. There were about 25 people there to see the stars parade in on the red carpet. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jimmy Fallon, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson... it was all very exciting. Fortunately we had left the ball gowns at the hotel.

After that first night, we picked up this new hobby and were riding the subway like native Torontonians - navigating our way to the different premieres. At the advice of our entertainment reporter, Janice Zolf, we had drinks at the Four Seasons hotel the next morning. (Drinks being $11 orange juice!) She suggested we might spot some celebs there. And, it paid off. Lisa returned from the washroom in a flurry of excitement, encouraging Janice & I to go to the lobby as Dan Aykroyd was there. We met Dan as well as Mike Bullard and Al Waxman.

Over the years, our "gets" got better and better until our books were filled with the who's who of Hollywood. The best autographs are the ones that come with a story. Like the time Keanu Reeves surprised us all by showing up in a cab. When Lisa dropped her sharpie and Sissy Spacek picked it up for her. When Benicio Del Toro paused to ask if I was ok when the people behind me were particularly pushy. When Pierce Brosnan spoke and took my breath away. And when George Clooney (best celeb ever) signed for hundreds of waiting fans with a broken hand!

Two years ago, Lisa and I decided we were retiring from this annual event. The crowds just kept getting bigger and you had to arrive earlier to get a good spot. And, sitting on the sidewalk isn't as easy as it used to be! So, in 2013 we did not attend TIFF. We both admitted that we missed the adrenaline rush that goes with that weekend. So, when my friends Karen and Kim asked about going with me this year...I said sure!

It was fun to take 2 noobies with me and show them the ropes. TIFF has become a huge deal in Toronto now with King Street completely closed down the day we were there. While we were waiting, we were interviewed by etalk, scored some free lipstick from L'Oreal and free coffee from McCafe as well.

We managed to snag a few autographs when the stars arrived, but happened to be in an area they tended to skip over. Boo to that. Tina Fey, however, walked straight toward me with sharpie in hand. She was ready...and so was I.

Another TIFF has come and gone. Will I return next year? Not sure yet. But, it is kinda fun that most any movie I watch, I can say ..."I have their autograph".

Bring DNTO to London!

Sometimes the most incredible things fall into place randomly. And sometimes social media helps the process along.

For example, one day I was simply retweeting some great songs by an artist I love and he sent a song out just for me! And that led to a friendship and a campaign to bring him to London. A year later, it worked. Reid, Carolyn and John came to London and played at the East Village Coffeehouse.

Similarily, we (LdnOnt) brought CBC Q and Jian Ghomeshi to London through the power of social media.

So, it should come as no surprise to me that the following story unfolded as the result of a few tweets.

Last week CBC's Definitely Not The Opera asked their twitter followers to tweet photos of themselves with celebrities. Well, anyone that knows me, knows that I have plenty of those! I chose a select few and sent them out into the twitterverse. Immediately they were favourited and retweeted by DNTO. And a few minutes later, they replied to say if there's a good story behind my pics, please contact their producer.

I sent a message off to let them know that I'm not completely crazy or a stalker, but just something Lisa & I do once a year.

Well, we've had a few back and forth emails and it turns out I just might convince DNTO to take the show on the road and come to London! I mean, if it worked for Jian and Q, why not for SookYin and DNTO? How fun is that? Well, for a CBC fan like myself, it's a hoot.

And, as a side note, David Spade (the REAL David Spade) favourited my tweet that included my pic with him. It's always fun when you get feedback from a celebrity!

So stay tuned as this story unfolds. Can't wait to see what's in store!

Good Bye Mr. Dressup

Twelve years ago today, I was working in the newsroom. I had finished the morning show and was preparing our noon show. It was one week after 9-11 and things were still surreal. There were so many stories coming out of NYC and all over the US. Stories of tragedy. Horrific images that I never expected to see.

I'll never forget when I heard the little "alert" notification go off on the computer and our producer Chris say "Mr. Dressup is gravely ill." Before I had time to process what she said, I heard her say "Mr. Dressup has died."

Mr. Dressup was my absolute favourite childhood TV show. His show was full of a great cast of characters, music, crafts and imagination. Even as I got older, I would still enjoy an episode if I happened to turn on CBC at the right moment.

My mom had taken me to see him at Petrolia Playhouse when I was six and it was beyond my comprehension that I could say hello and get an autograph from my hero. I nearly wore out that cassette tape Wake Up Mr. Dressup (and could probably still sing all the words to all the songs!)

In my college years, I was fortunate enough to score an interview with him when he retired. What a highlight!

And yet, here I was, in the middle of a working newsroom when I heard of his death. A newsroom that really could care less about the passing of a Canadian icon, given the situation happening around us.

During the days that followed 9-11 my emotions were on alert. Swinging from panic and fear to sadness and disbelief. It was a traumatic event for everyone. When I heard about Mr. Dressup, my eyes welled up. I had to get out of the newsroom before anyone saw me. So, I went to the staff lounge and called my mom. (really, who else would you call in such a time?) I had a little cry and it felt good to release some emotion.

What really surprised me was the reaction from my coworkers when I went back to the newsroom. Everyone knew of my fondness for Ernie Coombs and expressed such kind words. Even when I got home that day, I had several messages on my answering machine. Everyone had thought of me when they heard the news.

As I realized today was the anniversary of this event, I wanted to share my thoughts on a man that inspired so many children. A Canadian legend that taught us songs, talked about feelings and asked advice from an owl hanging on the wall :) A time when children's television didn't have to be loud and obnoxious and last 2 minute intervals. A time when the tickle trunk opened a world of possibility. Thanks Mr. Dressup.

Homeward Bound

I'm sittin' in the railway station, got a ticket for my destination.

Anyone who knows anything about Simon and Garfunkel will recognize those words as the opening of Homeward Bound. (Quite possibly my favourite S&G song)

And, anyone who knows anything about Janice Mills will know that Paul Simon and his partnership with Art Garfunkel rank at the top of my favourite music.

So, imagine, if you will...

The year is 2000. I've just completed a three week tour of Europe and am now in England meeting up with my Grammie in Manchester who is serendipitously also in England. I've decided to take the train to Liverpool to see the birthplace of the Beatles.


The train inexplicably stops. There is a garbled message on the loudspeaker and everyone starts disembarking. I wasn't sure what was going on, but another passenger informed me we had to switch trains. I gathered my belongings and stepped off with the others. We had to wait a good 20 minutes to half an hour for the next train to arrive.

In the meantime, we all waited. There was not a lot to this train station, just a platform for waiting. Actually, there was supposed to be something else at this train station that would have caught my attention, had I seen it. But, it was missing. Literally...it had been stolen recently. (I didn't realize this until I returned to Canada and heard about it in the news) The commemorative plaque claiming that Paul Simon wrote Homeward Bound at this very train station. Can you believe it? I sure couldn't!

It was while we were waiting that I discovered this amazing tidbit. The gentleman next to me commented "Of all the stations to be stuck at, of course it would be Widnes. There's not even a toilet here. No wonder Paul Simon wrote Homeward Bound here." [insert record scratch sound effect here] I was astounded at his casual comments and immediately demanded more information. Unfortunately, it was just as the train was pulling in and my camera was packed away in my bag.

Some stories just deserve retelling and this is certainly one of them. Hope you've enjoyed my tale.

Canada's Real Country Gentleman

What a difference a week can make! Last week I was rockin' out to Dave Matthews. Last night I was singing along with Paul Brandt. The settings were as vastly different as the crowds. DMB played to a huge outdoor crowd, filled with dedicated fans wearing rain gear. Paul Brandt played to an intimate gathering of people in a church. I have been to a lot of concerts in my day, but this one was one of my favourites.

The "Just As I Am" tour is making its way across Canada and is made up of songs from Paul's recent CD of the same name. This album is filled with classic hymns that I grew up listening to/singing since I was a wee girl. Songs like When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder and It Is Well With My Soul.

This concert combined my love of country music and Paul Brandt with the sentimental feelings stirred with such old classics. It was awesome.

What really impressed me was the way Paul interacted with his fans at intermission. He signed autographs and took pictures with everyone that wanted them! He supplied his own sharpie and had someone there to take the picture for you. He asked your name and what you did and really made each person feel like he made a connection with them.

Most people with the success that Paul has had would not have embarked on such a tour. His faith is really important to him and he laid it out there for everyone to see. I already had a lot of respect for this artist, but this just proved to me he's a real gem. Forget about Tommy Hunter, this is Canada's Country Gentleman.

Dave Matthews Band

Someone once told me that the music you love in your teen years will be the music you love forever. I have found this to be true.

I discovered Dave Matthew Band while still in high school. They were the musical guests on Saturday Night Live and when they played "Ants Marching" I was smitten. Since then I have always loved their sound: an eclectic blend of horns and fiddle combined with Dave's distinct voice. Awesome.

So, when my friend Laura asked me if I'd be interested in seeing DMB this summer, I thought it was a great idea. Initially we thought about lawn tickets at Molson Amphitheatre, but opted for seats instead. Unfortunately, we missed the seats that were under the cover. Fortunately, Laura is a smart girl and when she saw the weather that morning, she called TicketMaster and was able to switch them for tickets UNDER the covered part of the amphitheatre.

Despite the rain and chilly temperature, we had a great afternoon wandering downtown. Because it was pouring rain, we lingered a bit at dinner, opting for dessert instead of the opening band. I think this was the best option, really. Who wants to get caught in a downpour and be soaked for the rest of the evening?

We found our seats just as they started to play Tripping Billies. I was happy to hear an old song, as I haven't been keeping up on studio albums for a few years. As we made our way down our row, I couldn't help but notice we were surrounded by some Über fans! I consider myself a fan, but I could not sing every word to every song. My concert neighbours could. In fact, I wondered if they looked at me & Laura with disdain because we were not part of their world.

My favourite part of the show was when they played Ants Marching. Afterall, it was the song that turned me on to the band so many years ago AND I have never experienced them do it live before.

It was a great show, awesome music and about time Laura and I did something like this! (interesting side note: I saw the same band with Laura's husband about 10 years ago!)

Fiddle Head

Eighteen years ago, while listening to CBC radio, my friend Karla Ann and I discovered a fiddle phenom from Cape Breton. We were intrigued by this celtic infused music and ventured out to "Festival By The Bay" in Sarnia to see what it was all about.

Immediately we were spellbound by Ashley MacIsaac. This young prodigy jumped around the stage attacking his fiddle and coaxing out the most amazing music. After the show, we bought a CD and had it signed. It was fun to chat with Ashley, who was just a few years older than us.

In the months that followed, we hit every show in our area that Mr. MacIsaac was performing. We, along with our friend April, became "fiddle heads". We were slightly ahead of a major trend in Canadian music in the mid 90s. Ashley MacIsaac became a bona fide superstar (in Canada, anyways!) And...we KNEW him. Ha ha. When I look back on those days, I laugh at how crazy we were, but it makes for some fun memories!

This weekend, I took a trip back in time when I saw Ashley again at Sarnia's Imperial Theatre. My cousin Josh had emailed me a while ago to ask if I'd be interested. It was actually a lot of fun and brought back a lot of memories.

The Incredible Chris Hadfield

Until recently, I didn't really know a lot about Chris Hadfield. I knew he's an astronaut and the Sarnia airport is named after him. And that's about it. However, in December, his name seemed to be popping up everywhere as he made his way into space.

There were reports about him on the news, he was doing interviews with Jian Ghomeshi, and Captain Kirk and even wrote a song with The Barenaked Ladies! His twitter feed contained stunning pictures from outer space and loads of tidbits about what it's like to be an astronaut. I started to really dig this Chris Hadfield guy.

After I was tuned in to what he was doing, his popularity seemed to explode! From elementary school kids to my Grammie, everyone loves him! He's the perfect blend of personality, creativity and science-smart.

One of my favourite moments was when he took this picture of his hometown of Sarnia. Residents of the surrounding area were urged to turn their lights on for a photo as he passed over.  So COOL!

He has taken his mission to space and made it accessible to all of us. Fielding questions about everything from what he eats to how he shaves in the morning, Chris Hadfield has invited us into the ISS. Each time I watch a video clip or read a neat tidbit on twitter, my Canadian heart swells with pride.

Kudos to Commander Chris Hadfield on becoming the first Canadian to command the ISS.

Songs and Stories

Excuse my catch-up blogging...

This morning while listening to the Vinyl Cafe podcast, I was reminded of a post I didn't have a chance to make before Christmas.

Each year, my friend Laurie & I anticipate the Vinyl Cafe Christmas show. It has become a tradition of sorts and we both really enjoy the festive feel of the night.

If you are not familiar with Vinyl Cafe, wait...what? You don't listen to CBC radio? Vinyl Cafe is a CBC radio show featuring Canadian music and stories of a fictional family. It really should be experienced, but for CBC aficionados like Laurie and myself, we are well-versed in the Dave & Morley stories. We had been looking forward to the Vinyl Cafe Christmas for a couple of months.

As the icing on the cake, this year's musical artist was Reid Jamieson. You may remember me mentioning him here before. I discovered Reid while listening to Vinyl Cafe and instantly was drawn into his rich vocals and gorgeous take on some of my favourite songs. What a bonus that I'd get to see him in person!

This year did not disappoint. Laurie and I found our seats and settled in for an evening of Christmas classics. The lights dimmed and Stuart walked out on stage. For the next few hours we were lost in holiday stories and songs. A delightful evening with a dear friend.

After the show we met Reid and had the opportunity to bestow proper praise on him for his fine work. He has made it into my top 5 artists currently. I'm absolutely loving his Songs For A Winter Night album (which he had pre-signed and ready for me in his pocket!). Have a listen here...you'll love it too!

Young House Love

After following the Young House Love blog for the past 5 or so years, I feel like I know them! I've watched them transform their first home and now they've moved on to a second. Their blog is full of great ideas and tips for your home that require minimal skill and dollars. I love it!

This fall, the pair released a book with 243 new ideas in a hardcover book. When they announced on their blog that they would be doing a book tour, I thought it was kinda cool that they were coming to Toronto and decided to go to my first book signing. Originally my friend Jodi was going to join me but scheduling didn't cooperate. So, I was off to TO by myself.

The day was not as ideal as I had hoped. I started off witnessing a serious crash and then continued on the highway in pouring rain. Talk about stressful! I was ready for a deep tissue massage by the time I got there. Oh ya, and I missed my exit for Ikea. Dang! Was looking forward to wandering through the Swedish furniture mecca.

However, once I got to West Elm and saw other DIY nerds, like myself, forming a line I started to get a little excited. We swapped stories while we waited and showed off pictures on our phones. We were even served hot chocolate and treats!

I finally got to the front of the line and got a book signed for me and one for Jodi. (supposed to be a Christmas present but she figured it out already) We got my photo snapped with them and I was on my way. I wonder what they think when people line up for hours to see them, some even bringing crazy gifts. Afterall, they are just regular people that started out casually blogging their DIY projects. Surreal!

Polkaroo

If you know me, you know my affection for Jian Ghomeshi and his CBC show Q. I've blogged about him here, here and here. You may remember that I was super-psyched to bring his radio show to London and when the date was announced, super disappointed to realize I would be in Florida.

Well folks, it has happened again. Jian recently published a book called 1982 and as you can imagine, he's been doing some book signings to promote it. I had poked around online but didn't see anything near me...until today. This morning a tweet popped up on my computer mentioning his appearance in Sarnia on Saturday. What?!? How did I not know about this? We tweeted back and forth and I discovered he's also going to be in London on Saturday. This information is NOT on his website. C'mon Jian!

Alas, it is not meant to be. I have plans to take my niece Kaelyn out for her birthday on Saturday and as much as I love Jian, I love her more. I won't disappoint her by breaking our plans.

It seems that we just cannot be in the same place at the same time...he's my Polkaroo.

TIFF 2012

Another year has come and gone since TIFF 2011. Hard to believe it's been a year since my last star studded weekend!

It all started twelve years ago when my friend Lisa asked if I'd like to go to Toronto and get autographs from celebrities at the Toronto Film Festival. I thought it sounded pretty lame and why would I want to bother getting Jim Carey's autograph? Well, it turns out that TIFF is one of the biggest film festivals in the world and there are more than Canadian celebs there! Boy, was I wrong!

Since then Lisa and I have attended many TIFFs and scored pictures and autographs of Hollywood's finest. This year's TIFF did not disappoint. Thursday and Friday were spent gaining momentum for Saturday. Saturday I saw a huge deluge of A-list celebs. Both Hotel Transylvania and Cloud Atlas were crammed full of stars and they all showed up in Toronto! Adam Sandler, Fran Drescher, David Spade, Kevin James, Halle Berry, Tom Hanks, Hugh Grant and Susan Sarandon...just to name a few!

This year, Lisa and I actually went to see a movie. Yes...in the theatre...we watched a movie. Since Lisa's #1 celebrity is Tom Hanks, we opted to go to his premiere. It was kinda cool to watch the movie with the actors that star in it (although they were so far away you had to remind yourself you were in the same room). The movie, however, sucked. I hated it. It is a parallel universe, crazy tale that involves multiple plot lines in different times in history. Weird is all I can say.

with David Spade

It was a fun weekend that ended with us spotting ourselves in the paper and on just about every website carrying TIFF photos.

it's JIM from The Office!

#JanicesSong

My day started in the best way yesterday. My phone notified me that I was mentioned in a tweet. When I checked it out...this is what I saw:

Yes! That's right. A song just for me! If you remember, I had some interaction with a great Canadian talent, Reid Jamieson, a few weeks ago. He had asked me for a request and I responded that I'd like him to perform in London or anything by Paul Simon.

So, check out my song here and Reid's website here.  For those of you in the London area, he'll be performing at the Vinyl Cafe Christmas show with Stuart McLean. Can't wait! I've already got my tickets.

Terry Fox

Sitting in the staff lounge at work, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I was on my dinner break and rather than tuning into my usual show - The Big Bang Theory, I was watching the movie Terry.

I've always admired Terry Fox and was consumed with watching his story unfold. I have a vague memory of his Marathon Of Hope when I was just tiny, but of course I don't remember any of the details.

I was overwhelmed with emotion as I watched. Terry Fox was such an inspiration. He lived through his cancer treatments and observed many others suffering around him. He felt compelled to do something about it and just look at the results! His name is synonymous with cancer research right around the world and millions of dollars have been raised in his name.

Terry's courage and determination was amazing. I'm sure there were many days when he felt exhausted, discouraged, in pain, overwhelmed and wondering if he was making a difference...but he never gave up.

The country was heart-broken when he was forced to end his journey and eventually succumbed to cancer. But his legend lives on and I am so very proud to be a Canadian.

#ReidInLdnOnt

If you know me, you know that my radio is usually tuned to CBC Radio. Listening to Vinyl Cafe is a Sunday afternoon thing for me and if I miss it, I listen to the podcast. About a year and a half ago, I was stopped dead in my tracks by the musical artist. His name is Reid Jamieson and I was smitten! I just loved his sound.

Natually, I went to his website to check him out. Over the next few weeks I spent some time exploring his music but eventually it faded from my immediate focus. My memory was jogged when I heard him again on CBC and decided to look him up on twitter. I started following his tweets and that's how we got to this point in the story.

Today Reid was tweeting links to MP3s to listen to online. I clicked on a few and was like "this guy is really great!" I retweeted them for my friends to enjoy. Then I got a mention from Reid himself who asked if I had a request. My request was a show in London, Ontario - to which he replied that he would be in London with Vinyl Cafe for the Christmas show. Woot. That is one of my Christmas traditions so I'm pumped. He asked if I could spread the word about his music so he might do a solo tour in Ontario some day. He asked the right person :) When I like something, I'm passionate about sharing it with everyone I know so they can enjoy it too! I'm determined to get #ReidInLdnOnt trending on twitter and spread the word about this great Canadian artist.

So, check out Reid Jamieson here and let me know what you think. When I went to the Reido Radio section, it was like looking at my own music collection with a lot of my favourites there! He has the coolest covers of songs like Sesame Street and  The Littlest Hobo themes and more from my favourite artists: Simon and Garfunkel, The Beatles, Neil Young, Sarah Harmer, Don McLean...seriously. Awesomesauce!

So, I recommend checking out Reid Jamieson. Like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and give him your support! Let's bring Reid to London. Show your love with the hashtag #ReidInLdnOnt.

POSTSCRIPT: On Saturday morning (the day after posting this) I settled in to my car for a weekend roadtrip. The first hour or so was on my own and flipping through the presets, I heard the familiar sound of Stuart McLean on CBC Radio2. I didn't even know Vinyl Cafe played on Saturdays at that time but it worked out perfect. I hit the highway and couldn't believe my ears when Stuart introduced the musical guest. It was Reid Jamieson! I got to hear a few songs and Stuart told the story of how Reid's "Presley Sessions" came to be. Kizmit!

Holiff at the Hyland

Last night I attended a hometown premiere of the movie "My Father and The Man In Black". I had a vague recollection that Johnny Cash's manager, Saul Holiff, was from London but hadn't given it much thought. Until this week when a tweet from LFPress caught my eye. There would be a screening of the movie at the Hyland and a Q&A with Saul's son and the movie's writer/director/producer to follow.

I believe it was a record attendance at Hyland with about 50 people turned away! The Hyland, for those that aren't familiar, is an art-house movie theatre and more than once there have been less than 10 people watching the movie with me.

As a Johnny Cash fan, I really enjoyed the "insider information" in the movie. It was full of audio recordings, phone calls and letters between JC and his manager. The movie focused on Holiff and how he handled the pressures of managing a star that was wildly out of control (he brought him through the years Johnny struggled with addictions and many cancelled shows) as well as his estranged relationship with his family.

Following the movie, Johnathan Holiff took to the stage and fielded questions from the crowd. Quite a few former neighbours, babysitters and friends of the family were there and shared stories from the past, some of them meeting the Man In Black.

PS...

I forgot to mention that I ran into Dolly Parton on our road trip. I had to get my picture with her...she's one of my faves!

Who Is Paul McCartney?

This question popped up on my Facebook feed this morning, linking here. (please excuse the ignorance and use of profanity) I'm assuming this transpired during or following last night's Grammy Awards.

It's a little shocking but also disappointing that (I'm assuming) young people today would not know who this legend is. I experienced something similar when using my Paul McCartney Starbucks card. I handed it to the teenager behind the counter and he looked at it and said "Oh, there's some guy on your card. Weird, I've never seen that one." I responded with "Some guy? That is Paul McCartney." He gave me a blank stare and proceeded with my order.

As you well know, I'm a big fan of McCartney so of course I'm appalled. But even so, I think there is something to be gained from knowing a little bit of pop history. I grew up in the 80s/90s but I still know a lot of music and TV shows from the 70's 60's and beyond. Without those pioneers, we wouldn't have our current pop culture. I think it's more than simply remembering the "good old days"...especially for me. I don't remember those days, but I certainly appreciate what happened in those days. I hope you do too :)

Live From London, This is Q ...and I Won't Be There

A few months ago, you may remember me blogging/tweeting/facebooking about the #JianInLdnOnt campaign. This was an effort to bring CBC Broadcaster Jian Ghomeshi and his show Q to London for a live show. Being a long time fan of the show and Jian, I was on board!

It was a lot of fun to be a part of the campaign, even getting Kermie involved! Of course, I was thrilled when he announced that London had won the contest and would be doing a show from London. Details would follow but it would be in February of the new year.

In the meantime...my sister Connie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had surgery in December and will soon be starting treatment. So, when she invited me to join her and Steve and Madison in Florida for a week of relaxing in the sun, I thought it was the perfect opportunity. What a great idea for me to be able to spend some time with some of my favourite people. As much as I'd like to, I just don't see them as often as I'd like during regular life.

I booked a one way ticket and am flying from Detroit to Florida and taking a road trip back to Canada with the Berrys.

Wouldn't you know that when Jian announced the London date today...it's when I'm in Florida. I'm so disappointed and people have suggested changing my trip. That is not a realistic option, so I will miss Q and the gang in London. Looking forward to Florida and catching the podcast. Hopefully they will return to the Forest City.

From London, Ontario... this is Q

We did it! The determination and creativity of a group of Londoners paid off this morning when Jian Ghomeshi announced he would bring his CBC Radio show Q to London in February.

What started off as a single tweet by a Londoner grew into a full-fledged campaign across Ontario! What fun it was to be involved...from tweets #JianInLdnOnt, Facebook "likes", blog entries, instagrams, youtube videos, heck...even our own website!

A great example of social media bringing people together. Can't wait for Mr. Ghomeshi to host from our fine city!