At andPOP we are all about creating efficient interviews that get straight to the point. In that spirit here is our interview with Chris Rock after the Toronto premiere of Good Hair.
Quite arguably one of the biggest events of the year, Virgin Fest again for 2009 was amazing. On Day 1 Jenn had a sit down with Thunderheist, Grizzly Bear and Paolo Nutini. She also found Waldo from “Where’s Waldo” and learned how to poll dance. Look out for Day 2 coming soon!
When you think Daughtry understandably American Idol comes to mind, however there is more to the story. Daughtry is a band that actually makes music that people want to listen to, and more importantly music that people actually want to buy! That is no small accomplishment in this day in age. So we caught up with the boys to talk about music, life, G.I. Joe’s, but NOT American Idol.
Where do Toronto Film Fest buffs, WWE RAW fanatics, free concert goers, and Maple Leaf hopefuls converge at 11:59PM on a Monday? Why Future Shop at Yonge and Dundas in down town Toronto for the midnight release of EA Sports’ NHL 10, hosted by Xbox Canada of course!
AndPOP was in tow to witness the launch of what may very well be this year’s best hockey title. In a town that loves their hockey hundreds lined up early, a pick-up street hockey game was going on across the street, and anticipation was high for the clock to strike midnight. Read more…
Glazing the city of Toronto in celebrity magic for one week in September, the Toronto International Film Festival has always boasted the ability to create a buzz and shed the spotlight on industry newbies.
Such is the case for Toronto native Mike Lobel -widely formally known as Jay Hogart from Degrassi: The Next Generation- who is experiencing his first induction into TIFF this year with the rock n’ roll comedy vampire-flick Suck.
Ever wanted to look like Avril Lavigne? Well now is your chance. Canada’s punk princess has conquered the music world and now is out to conquer the fashion world with her new line Abbey Dawn. Jordan spoke with Avril and her husband Deryck about the newest project during the Toronto launch.
With her first full length Spanish album Mi Plan debuting September 15, Grammy Award winning Canadian-Portuguese singer Nelly Furtado has already made it into the history books.
Manos Al Aire, the album’s first single, has pegged the no. one spot on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, which makes her the first North American artist to reach that feat with a song that was originally written in Spanish- and not a translated version of an English song.
The single is also a massive success internationally, grabbing the no. one spot in Italy, Colombia, Chile and Central America, while settling in the top five spots in Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Germany.
Known for her broad spectrum of musical interests, Furtado invited internationals artists Alejandro Fernandez, Josh Groban, Juan Luis Guerra, Julieta Venegas, La Mala Rodriguez, Buika and Alex Cuba to give the record a unique touch.
Furtado will also begin a promo tour for the album on September 13, which will take her to the top Latin and American TV shows across the U.S., as well as a visit to European countries such as Germany, France, Spain and England.
The artist has sold over 18 million albums in her career, with close to ten million in sales from her previous album Loose- which was the no. one global album in 2007.
Dan having fun with The Von Bondies. He tried to steal a kiss but no dice.
Sean Kingston and Dan. He gave us girl advice.
Bo from MEW and Dan
Mutemath and Dan at V-fest - Day 2
Eight seasons running. A cult in Canadian pop culture. Winners of the Gemini, Teen Choice and Directors Guild of Canada Awards.
And now Degrassi: The Next Generation finally boasts its first red-carpet TV movie.
But known as a “show of the people”, the season 8 finale Paradise City: Degrassi Goes Hollywood premiere last Wednesday night at Toronto’s Bloor Cinema, allowed tons of lucky special-bracelet-wearing fans bask in Degrassi glory. A free-for-all for snagging autographs and pictures from their favorite cast members, and what’s more- the opportunity to enjoy the movie side-by-side with them too.
And the word got out not only to lucky fans. Among a packed-to-the-brim theatre audience was Camp Rock 2 stars Jordan Francis and Matthew “Mdot” Finley, So You Think You Can Dance Canada winner Nico Archambault, MuchMusic VJ Devon Soltendieck and MTV Live‘s Nicole Holness.
We’re twittering (@andpop) live from Virgin Fest in downtown Toronto. Here are some photos from the show. Jenn hung out with Thunderheist, Paolo Nutini and Grizzly Bear today. Can you also spot Waldo?
Thunderheist & Jenn
Chris from Grizzly Bear & Jenn
Waldo and Jenn Read more…
The Dodos! This was an interview that I was extremely excited for. The two-piece (now a three-piece) is releasing their highly anticipated album, “Time To Die,” this fall. Last year’s album “Visiter” garnered a great deal o…f praise for its aggressive – albeit beautiful – tunes. It was great to chat with the band and hear all about their upcoming album, and I’ve also included some video of their set. Check out myspace.com/thedodos if you like what you hear.
So let’s assume for a second aliens came down to Earth – how do you think we would react? Would we try to work with them to help further both of our civilizations, or would we try and round them up and put them in camps? I don’t know but District 9 explores this scenario and we sat down with Sharlto Copley, the star of District 9, to get his views. We also had a quick interview with one of the aliens from the District 9. It’s a long story but you will see.
So we have done a lot of interviews at andPOP but we are always coming across something new when we interviews musicians, actors, etc. What was the cool thing from this interview? Franz Ferdinand used human bones as instruments on this album. Yes human bones. Definitely unique but if their position on the charts is any indication, it seems to have worked.
Apostle Of Hustle, the latest project from legendary musician Andrew Whiteman. Dan caught up recently with Andrew to talk about the new Broken Social Scene book, life in AOH, and how he didn’t have his first real job interview until he was 30.
Yes more Jeremy Piven content (do you get the feeling we love this guy?) We met up with Jeremy on Thursday to talk about his newest movie, The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, in theatres August 14th. We asked some questions about Entourage and he gave us the low down into the rest of Entourage Season 6. Please accept our apologies for the shabby editing as we wanted this up ASAP. Also check back for the full interview coming soon.
Before the event with Jeremy Piven, our editor here at andPOP told me to “hug it out” with the “Entourage” star. Piven didn’t get a hug from me, but it’s okay because he got more than just a hug from someone else (see photo).
On Thursday (June 30), Piven made an appearance at the Rogers Centre in Toronto to become an honourary team member of the Argonauts.
With a wide grin, Piven told reporters he’s a huge sports fan, saying this is “the closest I’ll ever come” to being a football player. A jersey with the actor’s name was presented to him by Quarterback Kerry Joseph, Defensive Tackle Adriano “The Kissing Bandit” Belli and Vice Chair Michael “Pinball” Clemons.
For all the bands out there, here’s a question for you. How do you know when you have been around for a while? The answer? When you recognize kids from 10 years ago who were at your shows that are now doctors and teachers. That’s happening to Taking Back Sunday and they sat down with andPOP to talk about life during the past decade.
Yes the MuchMusic Video Awards was a few weeks ago, but we aren’t done with our footage. You may not know this but at every major awards show, there is always a gift lounge for the VIPs, and andPOP had a look at the MMVA Gift Lounge for 2009. We had a glimpse of what the celebs were taking home along with speaking with Tila Tequila, Robin Antin (founder of Girlicious), NHL star Alex Ovechkin and more!
Draco Malfoy (or Tom Felton, whatever you prefer) sits down with Jordan to discuss the newest release from the Harry Potter franchise, Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince. Also take note to the cool Harry Potter storefront created in downtown Toronto where we filmed the interview.
So news about Ubisoft coming to Toronto isn’t exactly new, but this comic sure is!
Anyhow, it’s pretty fun stuff knowing what’s going to change around the city. Can you imagine andPOP actually having a full fledged interview with Ubi and their TO studio!!!??
Pretty cool stuff.
What else can we nab for our fine city?? How about Michael Practer?
As always click on the image to enjoy the comic in full sized glory!
