The Stroumboulopouli

The Stroumboulopouli

The place to get the latest news on what’s coming up on #Gtonight. Find out what Canada’s boyfriend is up to. Share stories, pictures, favourite tv and radio episodes.

CBC TV & Radio shows plus HNIC

His work with Artists for Peace and Justice

UN Ambassadorship for The World Food Programme

Thursday, October 22, 2009

A Blonde, a General and a Headstone go into a Bar...

This Week On The Hour... George & Crew are churning out new shows for your viewing pleasure.

Monday October 26th

General Rick Hillier

Does a General use the word 'Scumbag' in public to describe terrorists? If you're Ret. General Rick Hillier, former Chief of Defence Staff for Canada, the answer is yes! While he states he never possessed ambition to be anything but a soldier, his unwavering support for his troops, unconventionally open communication about the state of the Canadian military and it's finances are legendary. His philosophy that he just wanted to be a soldier is expressed in his new book - Just a Soldier: Bullets, Bureaucrats & the Politics of War.

Juliette Lewis

In her career, Juliette Lewis has played a wide variety of characters and displays with ease the gamut of emotions - from the ridiculous - Audrey Griswold in the classic 'Christmas Vacation', to a terrorized teen in Cape Fear, to a Natural Born Killer. She's also carved out a successful musical career that's received critical acclaim. Her latest appearance is in Drew Barrymore's directorial debut, 'Whip It'. Oh yeah, she also dated some dude named Brad. Brad Pitt... if you're into that sort of thing.


Tuesday, October 27th

Lewis Lapham

Lewis Lapham is a renowned author and long time editor of Harper's Magazine who now helms his own publication, Lapham's Quarterly, where entire issues are thematically based. Far from a boring intellectual, Lapham has the ability to put together thoughtful yet accessible work. If the 'internet' can be relied upon, a fun fact about Lapham is that he has three children. One married a Prince, one married Caroline Mulroney. No pressure on the single one, right?


Suzanne Somers

She captured hearts in her brief screen appearance as the girl in the Thunderbird in American Graffiti. She sold you on her portrayal of Chrissy Snow on the TV Classic, Three's Company. She sold you 'Masters' of the Thigh and Butt persuasion. Lately though, her career has been authoring cookbooks, diet guides and medical based books touting alternative therapies - therapies she credits for curing her breast cancer. Given her lack of formal medical training, her views on many topics are controversial. Personally, I feel her penchant for making statements of a medical nature are misguided and irresponsible. I only hope that those who may be great fans of this woman seek to learn about all options before making life changing - and perhaps life saving decisions. I will watch this interview with interest.


Wednesday, October 28th

Ali Velshi
Canadian born Ali Velshi has enjoyed a steady rise in media. He's best known for his work on BNN - formerly Report on Business Television and on CNN as host of Your Money. Ali also did a loosely 'reality' based show called 'The Turnaround' where they delved into troubled small businesses, finding the faults and set owners on the path to success. If you love the Daily Show? Ali is known affectionately as H-Pod - the Hairless Prophet of Doom. C'mon. You know you would KILL for a nickname that cool!


Hugh Dillon
Who says that singers make lousy actors and actors make lousy singers? Doesn't one talent always accompany the other? Okay. Okay. I'll give you Bruce Willis and Eddie Murphy. Maybe those two, but I'm sure everyone else is awesome. Oh, yes. Hasselhoff. Damn.

So, let's switch gears and say that former Headstone Hugh Dillon has shown an ability to do both... and not just marginally well. This dude hits the mark every time. From the classic Hard Core Logo, Durham County and the current smash Television drama Flashpoint and the Trailer Park Boys Movie thrown in to boot... his career has legs.

Thursday, October 29th


Anne Murray
Canada's Snowbird. She's lived a life of great successes and tremendous heartbreak. Generations love her voice, her ability to entertain and admire her ability to survive and thrive in life. These days, Anne is getting to be known by even more fans as the mom of Dawn Langstroth, who has a burgeoning musical career of her own! Anne has written her memoir entitled 'All of Me'. A preview interview I've seen that she did with her fellow guest this night, Peter Mansbridge, reveals that she once did two well reviewed Massey Hall concerts while tanked on rum. Go Anne! Maybe she trashed some hotel rooms too?

Peter Mansbridge
Peter Mansbridge has enjoyed a long and successful career in journalism that was launched when his dulcet tones were overheard in an announcement on a plane. It's a fact - that's how he was 'discovered'. For over 20 years, he's been the anchor of The National. In the fine Canadian journalistic powerhouse tradition of Peter Jennings, Mansbridge doesn't have a lot of formal education, but with natural intelligence, inborn reporter's instincts and a flair for delivering news in a style that viewers enjoy and welcome into their homes every night, he's likely to be behind the anchor desk for years to come.
Friday October 30th

A replay of some of the best recent interviews from earlier in Season Six!

Michael Moore
From Roger & Me to his newest... Capitalism: A Love Story. Moore is a documentary filmmaker and shit disturber extraordinaire. While his films aren't always the best received critically, they don't shy away from controversy... I've yet to see Capitalism, so my favourite of his films is Bowling for Columbine. The fact that as an American, you can get a gun when you open a new chequing account makes me glad I'm Canadian. Very glad.

Peter Sarsgaard Peter's first big break was in Dead Man Walking where he was raped and murdered by Sean Penn's character. How did that play in the Annual Saarsgard family Christmas Card letter I wonder? Yikes. His work is universally praised and his latest - An Education - where he woos an underage girl would seem like a tremendously risky move. Maybe for a less gifted actor perhaps, but Peter gives him humanity.


Juliette Lewis

Didn't get enough on Monday... well here's your chance. Juliette's interview airs again tonight.


Have a Spooktacular, Ghoulish and Candy filled Halloween everyone!!!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

It seems like in the 6th season there's alread so many repeat guests. I know there are only so many people to interview but this seems like the exact same line up from last season.

Barbara said...

This Thursday is The Hour's 600th episode and your right there a many guests that come back to have more conversation with George. I find comparing the last interview and this interview you can see an evolution. I liked this recent Bill Maher's interview better than the last one. The guests might be coming back again and again but the conversations get better and better.

Who would you suggest they contact for an interview that you have not seen before?

Anonymous said...

Tom Green
Rinngo Starr
and more bands.

Anonymous said...

Eminem
50 Cent
Bradd Pitt
Angelina Jolie
Jennifer Aniston

Also, have music acts on.

Tracy said...

Hey Anon,

I would also like to see more bands. After a year break, The Hour will have a Christmas Music episode. I would wager that as George's new radio show is on CBC Radio 2, you will see more music and musicians as the cross promotion machine kicks in to overdrive.

As for Brad, Ang and Jen, I vote for having all three on the same show. The potential for a hair pulling, eye gouging incident would be too fun.

Philip said...

Hi Guys,

I just had a question to ask you. Yesterday I had a sleepless night, however I managed to check out the repeat showing of the Hour with Suzanne Somers. George seemed to be really friendly to her while she was discussing the topic of her latest book which was about alternative therapies to Cancer if I'm not mistaken She had been on the show last year, so she had a good rapport with George.

Yet an hour later I was listening to the radio (CJAD) and the morning announcer was saying that the Entertainment reporter, John Moore, who is the new morning man at CFRB in Toronto interviewed her yesterday as well, and well, that interview didn't go so well. John challenged Suzanne and told her she was totally bonkers.

I wondered what you guys thought of the interview with SS. what did you think of George's demeanor during the interview. Do you think he was agreeing with Suzanne's stance or was he just playing along because of who she is. I know he has been argumentative with guests sometimes. (Charles McVety for instance) This interview reminds me of the interview with Jenny McCarthy who believes that vaccines cause autism. George was pretty mellow in that interview too.

What do you guys think?

Trudy said...

I think George does a great job of just asking the questions and letting the guests make their own case.

But I thought Sommers was a complete dope and thought that about McCarthy too. Where do these Hollywood types get off basing medical science on their own individual experiences? I think there is room for new ideas in treatments, for sure. But they present their opinions like there is some big cover up going on....

I LOVED the McVety interview. That was some fun!

Steph A. said...

Philip,

I think that George lets people tell their story. Suzanne's experience is an interesting one, that's for sure.

I have some knowledge in the area of natural medicine of which she speaks. While she is not a doctor and her celebrity standing cannot be mistaken as that of a qualified 'expert', there is an element of truth in what she is saying. The treatments she refers to come from a different way of thinking. They are not for everyone, nor are they cheap or easily accessible to the masses, but they do exist with some efficacy.

Mich said...

The Suzanne Somers interview was not what I expected. I'd hoped that she would be called out on some of her claims, but like Steph said, George left it in a way that lets the viewers make their own decision.

I did want to comment that people should make sure to check out the Hugh Dillon interview tonight, it's a great interview.

Also, be sure to tune in for the Ted Sorensen interview in the near future. It was pretaped today and it was an absolutely captivating interview. As I said to my seatmate today, interviews like the Sorensen interview is one of the main reasons why I tune into The Hour versus the typical celebrity interview. Definitely picking up Sorensen's book.

Tracy said...

I had hoped that Suzanne Somers would be challenged and frankly, she wasn't. She 'stuck to the script' she'd developed for her publicity blitz.

My personal stance is that she is dangerous. While she has the right to express her opinion, I fear when celebrities speak, many people hold their opinion in a higher regard than trained professionals.

Like Steph mentioned, often natural medicines and protocols are inordinately expensive. The general population could never afford these treatments. Somers' financial means give her the freedom of choice that most could never enjoy.

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