RATE IT! Today's the Day!

If there ever was a reason to indulge in a refreshing, decadent Dairy Queen Blizzard, today would be *it*.


Thursday, July 12 is Miracle Treat Day in Canada, a day where your generosity (and love for DQ Blizzards) helps raise needed funds for the Children's Miracle Network, a hard-working non-profit organization that aids over 170 children's hospitals across North America. 2010 sees the 8th annual Miracle Treat Day in Canada - its overwhelming success here has sparked American Dairy Queen's south of our border to follow suit as well.


Yesterday in Toronto, Canadian & World Champion figure skater Kurt Browning, Buffalo Sabres star Steve Montador, and SickKids Miracle Child Tobin Haas launched this year's initiative along with several children and families who have been helped by the Children's Miracle Network. 

Was there ever a better reason to give? Spoil yourself on this hot, humid day with your favourite ice-cold Blizzard, and participating Dairy Queen's will donate the proceeds to an incredible charity that helps so many families. 


The ultimate win-win!

RATE IT! Battle of the Blades Reborn

Yes!! CBC was listening to its viewers and has announced that it is bringing back 'Battle of the Blades' for a sophomore season this Fall!


Whoo hoo! A Canadian reality show that *really* clicks, pairing figure skaters with former NHL players, it was a HUGE hit here and has spawned similar franchises around the globe. Hello Sweden, fancy enlisting Mats Sundin for your show?


Apparently, the 2nd season here will feature former Toronto Maple Leaf, Russ Courtnall and Calgary Flame, Theo Fleury. Say it ain't so!! 


CANNOT WAIT! I have hockey jerseys for both of these players so maybe I'll just have to haul them out of storage for the occasion.  

HATE IT! London's 2012 Olympic Mascots

And to think that people were giving Vancouver aggro this year about their Olympic mascots!

Believe it or not, these weird beings are the official 2012 Olympic mascots for the London-based Games. Meet Mandeville and Wenlock. Yeah, they REALLY sum up Britain, London and the Olympics, don't they?


Kid-friendly? Don't think so. They're ugly and not in a good way. Ugly Dolls can rest safe in the knowledge that kids like creatures with some personality - Mandeville & Wenlock have all the warmth and cuteness of a TV tower.


(photo: Matt Dunham/AP)

RATE IT! The Storybook Ending

Team Canada 3 - Team USA 2 (OT) -- thanks, Sidney Crosby!

The Olympic hockey result pretty much speaks for itself which is actually a very good thing. I've lost much of my voice after last night's Team Canada triumph over the good ol' US of A.

It was no surprise that the impromptu street level celebrations that went down across Canada went off without any problems, any violence. That's just us... polite! It was a blast! Waving the flag, screaming and partying with our fellow Canucks. There's nothing like Canada earning gold in our national sport to bring all of Canada together. Nothing sweeter!

Team USA really pushed Team Canada to the limit. The perfect ending to a wonderful Olympic Games in Vancouver. So happy, so bloody wiped out! Finally... we can get some rest!

(Team Canada photo: Jeff Vinnick, Hockey Canada)

RATE IT! Separated at Birth?

Flamboyant American figure skater, Johnny Weir and "Tainted Love" Soft Cell-er, Marc Almond....

Okay it's a bit of a stretch...but both have a flair for sequins and blazing their own unique career paths. Not afraid to stand out in order to portray their "art." The mop of jet black hair & their skill with the liquid black eyeliner definitely helps too!

I love Marc Almond -- he has a voice like no other -- and I think Johnny Weir brings an interesting take to the figure skating world. Sometimes a serious genre needs a little shaking up and Johnny does just that.

The world would be a boring place if we all wore the same things, never made mistakes & did everything we could just to fit in and be like everyone else. For being true to themselves, I salute both Marc and Johnny -- and wish just wish that I could be as adept with black eye liner as these two!

RATE IT! Virtue & Moir

Bit bleary eyed this morning, but the reason was SO WORTH IT! Last night....late last night the best moment of the Vancouver Winter Olympics -- at least for this Canuck -- was the coronation of the new Olympic ice dance champions.

Canada's Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir, skating one of the most beautiful ice dances I've ever seen - flawless, poetic and passion-filled. Classy. One of the few pairs without gimmicky costumes (step forward 3rd place Russians). Thank goodness the judges did their job and awarded the highest marks of the competition to Tessa & Scott, clearly the most deserving.

So brilliant was their performance that skating experts are speaking of Virtue & Moir in the same breath as Torvill & Dean. Yep, they were that good!

CONGRATULATIONS, TESSA & SCOTT. WE ARE SO PROUD!!

Check out Tessa & Scott's official website here.

RATE IT! Tom Brokaw Explains...

...Canada to the US.

A must-see clip from NBC's pre-Winter Olympics coverage.

RATE IT! Official Olympic App

How did we survive the Olympics without phone apps?

Depending on where you're geographically located, you may be privy to several phone apps for the Winter Olympics. In Canada, there are at least three: CTV's official broadcast app, NBC's official broadcast app, and the 2010 Guide: the Official Mobile Spectator Guide.

Hands down, the 2010 Guide is THE app to have. Where the CTV and NBC apps end, the Official app -- brought to us by Bell -- goes above and beyond. All sports are represented with thorough descriptions of each event, plus venue details, maps and medal standings. Best of all, the information is continually updated. Say for example you're watching women's figure skating live on TV...open the 2010 Guide app and select women's figure skating. The app will automatically update the standings, skater info (including what music they're performing to) and more! While the app won't completely eliminate the need to watch the Games on television, it will enrich the viewing experience. On the go? This app will keep you completely on course & in the know.

Scroll through the latest Games' news, keep track of your favourite events and check out what non-sport activities (concerts! performances!) are happening in Vancouver & Whistler - you can even follow Twitter feeds! It's all here, and it's wrapped up in a cool, easy to navigate style.

Best Olympic app by far -- and it's FREE! No wonder it's the #1 free app on iTunes at the moment! With a week of the Games still left to go, there's still plenty of time to enjoy this useful & fun app.

RATE IT! Patriotic Pastry

With the Vancouver Winter Olympics in full swing, Canadians from coast to coast are bursting with pride for their team and country.

It would only be fitting for Canada's premier coffee establishment, Tim Horton's, to show their national joy as only they can... with patriotic pastries, of course!

Meet the Canada Donut. 220 calories of sugary joy in the guise of a classic donut topped with vanilla fondant & red maple leaf sprinkles.

IT. IS. DELICIOUS! Canadians KNOW their donuts -- this one is not to be missed.

Get 'em before they're gone. Just like the Winter Olympics, Tim Horton's Canada Donut will only be around for a limited time only.

RATE IT! Whose Game??

...OUR GAME!

So happy that it's back!!! Coca Cola Canada has resurrected the exhilarating hockey commercial they lovingly created (with McLaren McCann Advertising in Toronto) for the previous Winter Olympics.

It's brilliant, it's exciting...and just in time for the Canadian men's hockey team to take to the ice for their first game of the tourney later today. Canada's women are already crushing the competition, winning 18-0 and 10-0 --- now tell me whose game it is? Yep, still OURS!

Got goosebumps? I do!

RATE IT! Vancouver Olympics

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT!

And thankfully, Rod Stewart won't be in sight! Sorry, Rod!

After years of preparations & secrecy, the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics will kick off in grand style this evening. I CANNOT WAIT!

The cute mascots, the fantastic winter sports, the spirit of cheering for your country -- and it's all in CANADA this time!

Rumours have been circulating like mad about who will be the final torch bearer -- everyone from Wayne Gretzky to Betty Fox have been touted -- and the mystery just gets more and more enthralling with news that both Walter Gretzky (yep, the Great One's beloved Dad) and Rolly Fox (wife to Betty, and father to our greatest Canadian, Terry Fox) have been torch runners today.

Petitions on the web, on Facebook & elsewhere have been flying for months hoping to add fire to the campaign to have Betty Fox bring the torch to its final home in Vancouver. If the rumours are true, there won't be a dry eye in the place - or in my home. I'm stocking up on tissues just in case.

GO CANADA!

RATE IT! Olympic Appetite

If you're one of the lucky ducks heading to next month's Winter Olympics in Vancouver, the perfect respite is on the menu for you!

Take a break from an overdose of sporting action & refuel with 'Edible British Columbia' -- an adventure embracing food, shopping & cooking. Sample the delights of the BC foodie scene with two-hour chef guided market tours, whiskey dinners (really!) and more.

With so much on offer to satisfy every appetite, who could blame you for skipping the ski jump and figure skating? Not me!

Not taking in the Games? Fear not.... 'Edible British Columbia' is a year-round celebration that will continue even when the Olympic Games have moved on.

(photo courtesy: Edible British Columbia)

RATE IT! Where's Rob?

The Improv Everywhere gang get up to the usual hijinx -- this time at a NBA basketball game.

Too funny!

HATE IT! Tiger Trash

Tiger Woods strips off, not for a new mistress, but for the next issue of 'Vanity Fair' magazine.

The article examines the golfer's recent difficulties in wake of his *indiscretions*. Broke but still snappin' famous photographer, Annie Liebowitz, scored the photo shoot. Nothing like a scandal to make everyone want to cash in (looking to boost circulation, VF?!). To be fair to Annie L., she shot Woods before home-wrecker-palooza came to Tiger town.

And now the world can see some of what Tiger's 15+ mistresses (and his poor wife, Elen) were privy to...

Is it just me? I just think "ew!"

Lying, cheating trash.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wishing all my family, friends and fabulous readers a very Happy New Year, and all the best for 2010!

With the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, Sex & the City 2, the Lord of the Rings trilogy on Blu-Ray DVD, and the World Cup in South Africa -- all arriving in 2010, it looks to be a fantastic year -- pop culture wise!

HATE IT! Ron & Barbara Get Iced

Shoot!

My love-in for 'Battle of the Blades' is on hiatis this week. One of my favourite couples, Barbara Underhill & Ron Duguay were voted out after the elimination skate last night.

Their survival was pinned to a skate-off with crowd fave, Tie Domi and Tuffy Hough-Sweeney. I think Tie and Tuffy did a fantastic job but honestly, I think Ron added more flair to his performance than Domi. And Ron took the plunge, donning ice skates instead of hockey blades (Domi!) making his performance all the more remarkable. His partner, Barbara is a skating living legend, and it's a shame that she's no longer part of the competition. Tie & Tuffy were a lot of bouncy fun -- the live audience loved them.

Personally, I wouldn't have placed Barbara & Ron in contention for elimination *at all* this week -- that honour should have gone to the too kooky duo of Ken Daneyko & Jodeyne Higgins. I almost expected the keystone cops to make an appearance during their skate - it was just too cutesy, all silly story line and not enough pretty skating. Did viewers forget to vote on Sunday night, or what? It should of been Ken & Jodeyne waving farewell, not Ron & Barbara.

I'm willing to give the judges last night the benefit of the doubt, BUT I think they made a major mistake saying bye-bye to one of the most popular skating couples in the competition. The CBC website for 'Blades' boasts that Duguay & Underhill have the most registered fans, so don't cry the blues if the ratings take a slide, CBC!

RATE IT! Battle of the Blades

Canadians love ice skating and hockey, they're in our blood. The Great White North is a nation that spends a quarter of its year shivering, enduring bone-rattling frigid temperatures, blustery snow, ice...the works. To keep our sanity, we need sports like skating & hockey that embrace that chill. With such a robust winter sports heritage it's actually surprising that not one Canadian TV genius thought of producing something as entertaining as 'Battle of the Blades' sooner.

Better late than never! Step up to the winners' podium, CBC!

Two weeks ago, the CBC debuted this reality/competition extravaganza, matching Canadian & World Champion female pairs skaters with grizzled National Hockey League vets. Before this series took to the ice, I don't think anyone with any sports knowledge could picture tough guys, Tie Domi or Bob Probert on figure skates gracefully lifting *anything*, spare the Stanley Cup, high into the air. Now these hockey stars are orchestrating death spirals and overhead lifts with (almost) the greatest of ease. The resulting program is downright addictive! Is it any wonder that it's grabbing ratings gold on Sunday & Monday nights?! It's like that cute movie, 'The Cutting Edge' -- come to life...only BETTER.

I grew up watching these hockey greats play in the NHL. I collected (and still have) their hockey cards, autographs... heck, some of them I even got to meet (note to my sister: no, I won't air your Ron Duguay story or photo on the blog!) -- so to see them come to terms with toe picks & satiny skating costumes, and perform like ACTUAL *REAL* pairs figure skaters is a homegrown treat that is very long overdue.

Critics might grumble that it's all a bit 'So You Think You Can Dance' on ice, or that the Brits actually dreamed up the idea first with their 'Dancing on Ice' glitterfest -- but the beauty in the Canadian version is the marriage of ice skating and our beloved NHL stars. It's not just any ol' C-list celeb sliding around out there.... it's our hockey heroes. It's our heart and soul. And you can't get more Canadian than that.

Top marks, CBC! 10.0

RATE IT! Her Name is Rio...

...and she has won the 2016 Summer Olympic bid!

South America has never been given the honour of hosting the Olympic games -- until now.

Brazil triumphed over the bids of Madrid, Chicago and Tokyo in what some would say is a surprise victory. Many so called 'experts' on American television all but gave the Games to Chicago, a city that boasted a very expensive presentation *and* the awe-inspiring triple threat (aka, cheerleading team) of Oprah, President Obama, and the First Lady, Michelle. All three. In person in Copenhagen. Ooh, the pressure. You can imagine the disappointment when Chicago didn't even make it past the first IOC ballot! Chicago came FOURTH! OUCH!! Bet Barack is really pleased he went all that way for a big batch of defeat - in person. Is it just me, or shouldn't he be doing more important things than playing rah-rah for his hometown's Olympic bid? And as for Oprah, obviously she is not one of the IOC's 'Favourite Things.'

No wonder CNN and several of the American news outlets dropped the story from its position as #1 talking point of the day.

All I can say is, don't count your chickens, peeps...

Congratulations, Brazil! I'm looking forward to an incredibly vibrant Games in 2016.

RATE IT! More NHL for Canada!

The news of the financial demise of the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes has been met with unbridled enthusiasm by my fellow Canadians. The mega-rich Canadian head honcho of Research In Motion, Jim Balsillie has the brains & the cash to move this crippled and fan-starved franchise up to our Southern Ontario neck of the woods where it would be virtually guaranteed a thriving bank balance *and* rabid fans filling the seats. As a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, I think it's a smashing idea! Some healthy hockey competition in the province, more opportunities for fans to see games in person... and another rightful home for the game -- OUR GAME -- on our turf. So what's the problem?

The NHL's troll of a Commissioner, Gary Bettman. Small man, small mind. Wee Gary hates the idea of teams fleeing from the US. Mr. Bettman has turned down Balsillie's previous attempts to swoop in & rescue troubled American-based NHL teams, bringing them back to life on Canadian soil. 

It's time for Gary to wake up! The NHL is not popular in most of the States. It ranks far behind the NBA, NFL, baseball, car racing... even college sports. Forcing teams into territories that have never ever seen a hockey puck is not going to make the sport grow down south. Some locales were just not made for hockey -- and for Phoenix, regardless of the involvement of Wayne Gretzky -- the BEST PLAYER EVER -- there's no hope in hell of reversing the bleed of cash and fans.

Today there are court-based hearings regarding the troubled Coyotes. Word is rife that Gretzky may step in & help Balsillie's cause. Wayne may work in the US but he's still all Canadian. Let's hope that he helps bring the club up to Ontario where it will be successful & wanted. 

(Gretzky photo: google images)

RATE IT! Saint Etienne & the Olympics?

Quintessential London pop geniuses (okay, full disclosure -- I am TOTALLY biased, I love them so!), Saint Etienne are pondering the recording of a London-centric song for the 2012 Olympics.

This admission makes complete sense! The band embraces London like no other, with the most beautifully crafted songs about the capital, and their short films such as 'Finisterre' and 'What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day'.

Speaking to the BBC, the band mentioned that former London Mayor, Ken Livingstone had agreed to an open-air showing of the group's 'Mervyn Day' in Trafalgar Square in the run up to the Olympics. Since Livingstone's exit and the arrival of Boris Johnson. those plans have been shelved. Boris needs to get with the program. Someone -- stat! -- send him over St. Et's latest release, the glorious career compilation, 'London Conversations' (more on it later!).

If the city wants to have a truly thought-provoking soundtrack & official song for the 2012 London games, they should give Sarah, Pete and Bob a call. A musical love affair with London -- it's what Saint Etienne do best!