Entertainment
Iconic Canadian band Northern Pikes Sunday at the Krossing
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There was a time when the Northern Pikes were one of the hottest bands in the country. It was a time of Blue Rodeo and Grapes of Wrath. The Pikes are all Saskatoon lads who formed in 1984. After 4 years of relentless bars, clubs and demos, they rose to stardom across North America with the release of 1987’s Big Blue Sky. Hit singles like “Teenland”, “Things I Do For Money” and “Dancing In A Danceclub” brought the band’s music to a whole new audience as they became regulars on Much Music and MTV.
I met Jay Semko when in 1987 I moved to Saskatoon to launch a brand new TV station; what is now Global television. Personable, humble, polite, and quiet; he didn’t seem like a typical rockstar. I was already a fan of the band and meeting Jay cemented my interest. I was further hooked the moment I heard Crystal Taliefero of John Mellencamp fame wail at the 1:12 mark of the song “Girl With a Problem”. When I saw the band in concert, I was blown away by their energy and musicianship. They epitomized the hope and promise that the prairies have always held for me. They can do it. So can all of us!
The Northern Pikes have been part of musical fabric in this country for more than 3 decades. In that time, they’ve toured the world, pursued solo projects, notably Jay Semko who in the early 90’s wrote the theme song for what would become Canada’s most successful internationally syndicated TV series, “Due South”. The series was the first Canadian-made drama to debut and air on a major network in the USA (CBS-TV). More than 65 episodes were made from 1993-98.
Jay has 10 solo releases and has recorded with such music luminaries as Garth Hudson (The Band), John Sebastian (Lovin’ Spoonful), Crystal Taliefero (known for her work with John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, etc), Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies), Melanie Doane, Ashley MacIsaac, Ken Greer (of Red Rider and the Road Hammers), Bob Egan (of Wilco and Blue Rodeo fame), Serena Ryder, Patricia Conroy, Matt Andersen and Greg Godovitz (Goddo), and worked in the studio with Grammy-winning engineers/producers/mixers Bob Clearmountain, Hugh Padgham, Ed Stasium, and Bob Ludwig.
The Pikes bring their special 30th anniversary edition of their debut album, Big Blue Sky to The Krossing. I know that I, for one, will be right there in the front soaking up some of the most iconic songs Canada produced in the late part of the last century, performed by a band with energy and enthusiasm that is surpassed only by their longevity.
Arts
Trump’s Hollywood envoys take on Tinseltown’s liberal monopoly
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Quick Hit:
President Trump has appointed Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as “special envoys” to Hollywood, aiming to restore a “Golden Age” and challenge the industry’s entrenched liberal bias. According to RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson, the move highlights the necessity of reclaiming cultural institutions from leftist control.
Key Details:
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Trump’s Truth Social post described the trio as his “eyes and ears” in Hollywood, advising on business and social policy.
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Hollywood’s leftist dominance, as seen in Disney’s political agenda and the cancellation of Gina Carano, has alienated conservatives.
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Watson argues that Trump understands “politics is downstream from culture” and that influencing Hollywood is vital to shaping American values.
Diving Deeper:
President Trump’s latest move to reshape Hollywood has the entertainment industry buzzing. By appointing Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as his “special envoys” to Tinseltown, Trump is signaling that conservatives no longer need to cede cultural institutions to the left. As RealClearPolitics’ Ethan Watson writes, “Donald Trump understands something many right-wingers haven’t for a long time: It’s time to take back institutions.”
Trump, who has long criticized Hollywood’s liberal slant, sees the entertainment industry as a battleground for shaping public opinion. “Although studies have shown that many Americans, particularly younger people, are unaware of the biggest news story of the day, nearly all of them consume media produced by Hollywood,” Watson notes. This cultural dominance, Watson argues, has been exploited to push a left-wing agenda, alienating conservative voices.
The case of Gina Carano exemplifies Hollywood’s intolerance toward dissent, Watson writes. The former “Mandalorian” star was fired by Disney in 2021 after posting a historical comparison on social media. “In truth, her cancellation was most likely due to her mocking pronoun virtue signaling and COVID-19 precautions that were essentially an entrance fee into the upper echelons of Hollywood,” Watson states. The politicization of entertainment didn’t stop there—Disney executive Latoya Raveneau openly admitted to inserting a “not-at-all-secret gay agenda” into children’s programming.
Watson pushes back against the idea that conservatives should simply “build their own” Hollywood, arguing that the industry is too integral to American culture to be abandoned. “Casting it aside would be like trying to create an alternative to Mount Rushmore or baseball – it’s irreplaceable,” he writes. Trump’s decision to highlight conservative-friendly stars like Stallone, Voight, and Gibson sends a powerful message: conservatives in Hollywood no longer have to stay silent.
Trump’s envoys are a step toward restoring balance in an industry that has become a one-party echo chamber. “Hollywood, along with social media, has become the ‘town square,’ the medium by which Americans share ideas,” Watson explains. With leftist cancel culture stifling dissent, Trump’s initiative is not just about entertainment—it’s about ensuring freedom of expression in America’s most influential industry.
Business
Donald Trump appoints Mel Gibson, Sylvester Stallone as special ambassadors to Hollywood
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From LifeSiteNews
In a surprise post on Truth Social, Trump announced, ‘It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California.’
In an unexpected move, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has selected Mel Gibson, along with Sylvester Stallone and Jon Voight, to be “special ambassadors” to Hollywood in his next administration.
“It is my honor to announce Jon Voight, Mel Gibson, and Sylvester Stallone, to be Special Ambassadors to a great but very troubled place, Hollywood, California,” Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday.
Elaborating on his decision, Trump continued:
They will serve as Special Envoys to me for the purpose of bringing Hollywood, which has lost much business over the last four years to Foreign Countries, BACK—BIGGER, BETTER, AND STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE!
These three very talented people will be my eyes and ears, and I will get done what they suggest. It will again be, like The United States of America itself, The Golden Age of Hollywood!
All three of the Hollywood stars are baptized Catholics and have, to varying degrees, professed and defended their beliefs both in God and in conservative principles more generally.
The appointments come just days after Gibson, who is well-known as an outspoken Catholic actor and director, appeared on the popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, making headlines for defending the resurrection of Christ, talking about the post-Vatican II crisis in the Catholic Church, and speaking candidly about the important role his faith has played in his life. Gibson’s house was also one of many to have burned down in the fires ravaging Los Angeles, describing it as a form of “purification.”
Similarly, Stallone, who talked about his return to Christianity in the early 2000s after drifting away in his younger years, was also in the news recently for saying for the first time publicly that he is the survivor of abortion.
As for Voight, he was raised Catholic and attended the Catholic University of America, and is well-known for holding conservative views and talking openly about his belief in God. He is also the father of famous actress Angelina Jolie.
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