CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK

Degrassi producers Stephen Stohn and Linda Schuyler started hearing rumours of Hope’s death two weeks ago, Cohen said.

Stohn, who is currently outside the country on vacation, released a statement via Twitter on Thursday.

“We have respected the privacy of the family by not saying anything until now, but our entire team is very emotional about his passing,” he wrote.

A Facebook group called “Let’s Bring The Real Neil Hope (“Wheels” from Degrassi) To Facebook” features a post from Jan. 12 of this year written by Hope’s sister-in-law, Tracy Northrup Hope, saying that Hope died of natural causes on Nov. 25, 2007.

Christina Boulard, the actor’s fiancée, released a statement on Thursday saying, “The family regrets to announce that Neil passed away in Hamilton, Ontario on November 25, 2007 of natural causes. There was some confusion regarding his passing that they do not wish to go public with, which is why they are only announcing his death now to the public and the media.”

Cohen said she did not know what that “confusion” might refer to. Nor does she know the specifics of the cause of Hope’s death. Compounding the mystery, Cohen said she also does not know why the Hope family has now publicly announced the actor’s death. Neither Boulard nor Hope’s sister-in-law could be reached for comment.

Hope was 35 when he died. He last appeared on the Degrassi series in 2003 in an episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Born in Ontario to alcoholic parents, Hope took up acting at a young age, first as Griff on The Kids of Degrassi Street and then as Wheels on Degrassi Junior High. He would eventually go on to discuss his parents’ alcoholism in a series called Degrassi Talks, in 1992. Hope also made a documentary about children of alcoholic parents, called The Darker Side.

“His life was not an easy one but the time he spent with us was a shining example of determination, hard work and hopeful optimism and he is sorely missed,” Stohn and Schuyler said Thursday in a joint statement.

Family and friends of Whitney Houston attended a private burial ceremony for the singing star at a New Jersey cemetery on Sunday, a day after an emotional farewell celebrating her life.
A golden hearse carried the pop star to suburban Westfield, where she was to be buried next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.
Fans and onlookers lined the route as the motorcade entered the grounds of Fairview Cemetery for a strictly private ceremony for Houston, who was found dead eight days ago in her Los Angeles hotel room, aged 48.
On Saturday Hollywood stars, music greats and loved ones had gathered for an emotional farewell ceremony in the Newark baptist church where she sang as a child, which was watched worldwide.
The nearly four-hour service Saturday ended with pallbearers carrying the pop diva’s coffin out of the church as a recording of Houston singing her signature hit, “I Will Always Love You,” was played.
The recording was from the soundtrack of the 1992 box office smash film “The Bodyguard,” in which she co-starred with Kevin Costner, one of several who paid tribute to Houston in remarks at the funeral.
“I urge us all inside and outside, across the nation and around the world, to dry our tears, suspend our sorrow and perhaps our anger just long enough, just long enough to remember the sweet miracle of Whitney,” the actor said.
Although Houston’s musical success took her away from New Jersey across the world, countless friends and relatives told Saturday of how she never lost sight of Newark and the community that shaped her.
Clive Davis, the legendary producer who became Houston’s mentor, told the service he was spellbound when he first met her in 1983.
“You wait for a voice like that for a lifetime. You wait for a face like that, a smile like that, a presence like that, for a lifetime. And when one person embodies it all, well, it takes your breath away,” Davis said.
Costner, in a frank recollection of his time spent with Houston, recalled how the singer almost missed out on her role in “The Bodyguard,” on account of her skin color and lack of acting experience.

A Free session for Parents, children are welcome!
Subject: Invitation to Parents Session, Wednesday, February 29 @ 7 p.m.

DOES YOUR CHILD ACT OR MODEL?
INVITATION TO AN INFO SESSION FOR PARENTS
FOR ACTRA MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 29TH 7:00 P.M. TO 8:30 P.M.
CITY PLAYHOUSE in Thornhill at 1000 New Westminster Drive, (part of the Benjamin Vaughan Complex) which is just off Bathurst Street between Hwy. 7 and Centre Street.
TOPICS:
Starting Out P Finding a Good Agent P Rules and Reg­ulations P
Protecting Your Child P Expectations for Parents P Spotting a Scam
P Presenting the newly-revised Stage Parents Guide

SPEAKERS:
Tabby Johnson, ACTRA Toronto Child and Youth Advocate
Theresa Tova, ACTRA National Child and Youth Advocate
Shari Quallenberg, Talent Agent, AMI Artist Management Inc.

RSVP BY Friday, February 24 to klee@actratoronto.com
www.actratoronto.com

SLACKER CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK WELCOMES ONE OF ROCK’S MOST INFLUENTIAL GUITARISTS JEFF BECK…

CMW is pleased to welcome guitar legend Jeff Beck in an exclusive one-on-one celebrity interview on Friday, March 23 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. Delegates will have a chance to look into the career of a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer as Beck shares his memoirs and reflects on his longevity in the music business. On Thursday, March 22, the evening before his appearance, Beck will be taking the stage for a show-stopping performance open to the general public at The Phoenix Concert Theatre.

A groundbreaking artist, Jeff Beck’s inimitable combination of primal shredding and cool perfectionism has left an indelible mark on everything from hard rock and jazz fusion to rockabilly and techno in a remarkable career that has spanned almost half a century. His talents are infamous with such acts as The Yardbirds (with Eric Clapton), The Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood), and Beck, Bogert and Appice (with Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice).

The Carnegie Hall Show!

“The geniuses behind the Carnegie Hall Show make their high wire act look easy

…A MUST SEE” NNNN’s – NOW Magazine’s GLENN SUMI

Travel back in time with four of Toronto’s finest comic minds as they celebrate the ordinary and glamourize the mundane with a celebratory look back through the ages.

Witness The Greatest Improvised Scenes Ever Performed! made up from scratch before your very eyes! The talented cast weave a story replete with witty dialogue, commercial breaks and occasional emotional breakdowns!

Featuring: Matt Baram (The Second City), Naomi Sniekus (The Second City, CBC’s Mr. D.), Ron Pederson (Mad TV) and Chris Gibbs (The British one!)

The Second City is delighted to welcome this popular show will now and these talented, award-winning performers back to our stage.

DEBUTS FRIDAY MARCH 2nd,

and continues the first Friday of each monday

Doors Open 10:30. Showtime 11pm.

General Admission $12

Student Tickets $6

Tickets & Info available online, or at The Second City box office

The L.A. Complex To Air In The U.S. Sooner Than Expected
More and more, with production costs ever rising, Canadian networks are looking to partner up with American broadcasters on content deals both countries can share.

It doesn’t always work. For every Flashpoint you have a couple of Combat Hospitals. That shot-in-Toronto series was the most watched scripted hit in Canada last summer, but when it failed to find an audience on ABC it was shut down, an example of a Canadian hit being cancelled by a U.S. network.

Still, costs being what they are, there are enough Can-Am successes for executives at CTV, City and Global, as well as CBC, to continue to explore deals with ABC, CBS, NBC and vice versa.

“Rookie Blue is the poster child for that,” says Paul Lee, ABC’s entertainment president. The ABC/Global drama is a consistent summer hit in both countries and begins its third season in June. “Audiences love it and it is very on brand for us,” says Lee. “Obviously it doesn’t cost us at the levels of the big launches we have at fall. So yeah, we love co-productions.”

being on brand may be the key to landing a two-country content deal. a good example is The L.A. Complex, a shot-in-toronto drama about aspiring young canadian actors in hollywood just picked up by the cw network.

“we’re leaving no stone unturned, we’ll look at everything,” says thom sherman, head of development at the cw. sherman says the l.a. complex was brought to him by ctv and the agency that represents the project for international sales, william morris endeavor.

“we loved it,” says sherman. “it’s an authentic look at people trying to make it in los angeles. it was edgy and smart, funny and fresh, and it just felt like a show that belonged on our network.”

the original plan was to air the series in summer, but the cw is so high on the l.a. complex, which hails from the people behind the degrassi franchise, the plan now is to put it on after One Tree Hill ends in April or May.

Check out Cassie’s latest song here: cassieteele.com

Thanks to Trend Collective for designing our new site!

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