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Canadian Finals Rodeo ‘Cabaret Corral’ Live Music Line-Up Announcement

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The 49th Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR 49), set to run November 1-5, 2023, is right around the corner, and we are excited to announce this year’s ‘Cabaret Corral’ country music entertainment
lineup.

With doors opening at 4:00 pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and 10:30 am Saturday, the nightly free event features live music immediately following each rodeo performance in the Prairie Pavilion, showcasing some incredible Canadian talent, including:


Wednesday, November 1st – Brandon Lorenzo

Brandon Lorenzo is a homegrown country artist with a modern twist. Lorenzo was honoured with the titles of Male Vocalist of the Year and Male Entertainer of the Year at the North American
Country Music Awards International (NACMAI) in Nashville in 2023. Additionally, he has received nominations for two categories at the upcoming Jose Awards in Nashville in October. Brandon is an Eight-time Country Music Alberta Nominee, the 2020 Global Country Canada Winner and the 2020 YYC People’s Choice Award Winner.

Lorenzo released his latest single, “One of a Kind”, to country radio in August, showcasing his evolving musical style. Lorenzo has an ever-growing presence in the Canadian Country Music Industry and has gained international recognition, opening for names such as Randy Houser and Brett Kissel, to name a few. He is a rising star, leaving an indelible mark on the country music scene.


Thursday, November 2nd – Shantaia

2023 SCMA Female Artist of the Year Shantaia is a Nashville based singer/songwriter who was born and raised in the tiny town of Spiritwood, Saskatchewan. Showcasing powerful and unique vocals, Shantaia’s voice, much like her name, is unforgettable.

Shantaia recently toured with The Washboard Union, and has also opened for names such as, Kane Brown, Chris Lane, Ryan Hurd, Emerson Drive, Charlie Major and more.

Shantaia has played festivals all over Canada, including Cavendish Beach Music Festival, North by North East, Dauphin’s Country Fest, Country Thunder Saskatchewan, and because of SaskMusic
and Breakout West, Shantaia played an official Americana Fest Showcase in 2019 in Nashville.

 

Friday, November 3rd – Quinton Blair

Honest as a day spent on a tractor and driven like the drifting Prairie snow. A 7-time Manitoba Country Music Association award winner, Quinton Blair is a road-running, tale-spinning singer/songwriter. Playing his brand of 90s-infused country from the Shield to the Rockies.

Sharing the stage with countless Canadian and American country acts, Blair has performed his brand of a troubadour, storytelling country that carries heavy undertones both of 70’s outlaw
country and 90’s dancehall country flavour with fans all over North America.

 


Saturday, November 4th – Drew Gregory – Back by POPULAR Demand!

There is an undeniable authenticity and truthfulness to Drew Gregory’s music. The songs of this award-winning Alberta country music sensation are infused with a down-home realism, a gritty
honesty, and a vibrant sense of rootedness that comes from years spent working the land as a farmer – an aspect of his life that is deeply connected to his talent as a musician, singer, and
songwriter. Over his burgeoning career, to name a few, he has shared the stage and opened the concert and festival dates for Miranda Lambert, Kip Moore, Old Dominion, John Michael
Montgomery, Big & Rich, Emerson Drive, and Chad Brownlee.

These incredible artists will once again be backed by the “CFR All-Star Band,” a collection of Canadian musicians that boast dozens of Canadian Country Music Awards and CCMA Hall-of Fame Honours among them, playing with Canadian icons such as Dallas Smith, High Valley, Gord Bamford, James Barker Band, and many, many more.

The CFR Night Shift continues with the nightly Buckles Presentation at approximately 9:30 pm, and the music rolls on late into the night with DJ B-Town returning to keep the good times
going until the nightly 1:00 am last call.

Additional entertainment announcements will follow in the days ahead. All Cabaret Corral entertainment is free for everyone of all ages to attend and is the place to be for both pre and post rodeo performances at the Canadian Finals Rodeo. Find details, including performance times, at CFRRedDeer.ca.

About the CPRA: With headquarters in Airdrie, Alberta, the CPRA is the official sanctioning body for Professional Rodeo in Canada. The CPRA approves 55 events annually with a total payout exceeding $5.7 million. The organization oversees the Pro Tour Finals each fall, holds their premiere event – the Canadian Finals Rodeo (CFR) – at Westerner Park in Red Deer, AB and endorses the Maple Leaf Circuit Finals in late Nov, as part of Canadian Western Agribition.

About Westerner Park: Westerner Park is Central Alberta’s largest tradeshow, agriculture, sports, entertainment, and convention facility. A not-for-profit organization and agricultural society, Westerner Park generates $150 million annually in economic activity hosting over 1,500 events with 1.5 million visitors each year.

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Pedro Pascal launches attack on J.K. Rowling over biological sex views

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Quick Hit:

Pedro Pascal, star of HBO’s The Last of Us, ignited backlash this week after publicly hurling an expletive-laced insult at author J.K. Rowling in response to her support for a landmark UK ruling that upheld the legal definition of sex as biological. Rowling celebrated the decision, which affirms the rights of women to single-sex spaces—a view shared by many who advocate for the safety and integrity of women’s rights. Pascal, a vocal progressive and LGBTQ+ activist, labeled Rowling a “heinous loser,” aligning himself with calls to boycott HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter reboot.

Key Details:

  • Pedro Pascal responded on Instagram to Rowling’s post celebrating a UK court ruling that legally defined “sex” as biological.

  • Pascal echoed an activist’s call for a fan-led boycott of the Harry Potter reboot, saying Rowling’s stance was “heinous LOSER behavior.”

  • HBO has downplayed concerns of a boycott, citing the blockbuster success of Hogwarts Legacy despite similar activist campaigns.

Diving Deeper:

The latest clash in the culture war surrounding Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling and the trans activist movement reached a new level of hostility this week when actor Pedro Pascal, a key face of HBO’s entertainment slate, stooped to name-calling on social media. His remarks came in response to Rowling’s defense of the United Kingdom’s recent court decision, which reaffirmed that sex, under British law, means biological sex—a ruling many women’s rights advocates hailed as a long-overdue step toward protecting vulnerable female spaces such as shelters, hospital wards, and sports.

Rowling, whose views on the importance of distinguishing biological sex from gender identity have made her a target of trans activists for years, posted a pointed but unapologetic reaction: “I love it when a plan comes together.” She added, “I get the same royalties whether you read [my books] or burn them. Enjoy your marshmallows!”

In the comments of a post by activist Tariq Ra’ouf—who had attacked Rowling and promoted a boycott of HBO’s Harry Potter reboot—Pascal added his own vulgar commentary: “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior.” While Pascal did not explicitly mention Harry Potter, the post he endorsed included calls to tank all future franchise content, including theme parks and merchandise.

Pascal’s involvement with HBO places the network in a difficult position. As the Emmy-nominated co-lead of The Last of Us, one of HBO’s crown jewels, Pascal’s comments are being widely interpreted as an implicit endorsement of the boycott. While HBO has attempted to downplay the activist push, the tension is palpable. Casey Bloys, HBO’s chief content officer, previously noted that the 2023 video game Hogwarts Legacy, which also faced calls for boycotts due to Rowling’s views, still became the year’s top-selling game.

Pascal’s activism is personal as well as political. His sister, Lux Pascal, publicly transitioned in 2021, and he has frequently signaled support for trans activism. At the UK premiere of Marvel’s Thunderbolts, Pascal wore a shirt that read “Protect the Dolls,” a slogan popularized in trans activist circles.

Rather than “heinous,” Rowling’s remarks represent a reasoned defense of biological reality and a pushback against an increasingly aggressive ideology that demands conformity and punishes dissent. Her critics, like Pascal, resort to vulgarity and character attacks instead of engaging with the substance of her argument. But Rowling has stood firm in supporting women’s rights and advocating for clarity in laws that impact everything from sports to safety in single-sex spaces—positions grounded in truth, not hate.

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California planning to double film tax credits amid industry decline

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California legislators have unveiled a bill to follow through with the governor’s plan of more than doubling the state’s film and TV production tax credits to $750 million.

The state’s own analysis warns it’s likely the refundable production credits generate only 20 to 50 cents of state revenue for every dollar the state spends, and the increase could stoke a “race to the bottom” among the 38 states that now have such programs.

Industry insiders say the state’s high production costs are to blame for much of the exodus, and experts say the cost of housing is responsible for a significant share of the higher costs.

The bill creates a special carve-out for shooting in Los Angeles, where productions would be able to claim refundable credits for 35% of the cost of production.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his proposal last year and highlighted his goal of expanding the program at an industry event last week.

“California is the entertainment capital of the world – and we’re committed to ensuring we stay that way,” said Newsom. “Fashion and film go hand in hand, helping to express characters, capture eras in time and reflect cultural movements.”

With most states now offering production credits, economic analysis suggests these programs now produce state revenue well below the cost of the credits themselves.

“A recent study from the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation found that each $1 of Program 2.0 credit results in $1.07 in new state and local government revenue. This finding, however, is significantly overstated due to the study’s use of implausible assumptions,” wrote the state’s analysts in a 2023 report. “Most importantly, the study assumes that no productions receiving tax credits would have filmed here in the absence of the credit.”

“This is out of line with economic research discussed above which suggests tax credits influence location decisions of only a portion of recipients,” continued the state analysis. “Two studies that better reflect this research finding suggest that each $1 of film credit results in $0.20 to $0.50 of state revenues.”

“Parks and Recreation” stars Rob Lowe and Adam Scott recently shared on Lowe’s podcast how costs are so high their show likely would have been shot in Europe instead.

“It’s cheaper to bring 100 American people to Ireland than to walk across the lot at Fox past the sound stages and do it and do it there,” said Lowe.

“Do you think if we shot ‘Parks’ right now, we would be in Budapest?” asked Scott, who now stars in “Severance.”

“100%,” replied Lowe. “All those other places are offering 40% — forty percent — and then on top of that there’s other stuff that they do, and then that’s not even talking about the union stuff. That’s just tax economics of it all.”

“It’s criminal what California and LA have let happen. It’s criminal,” continued Lowe. “Everybody should be fired.”

According to the Public Policy Institute of California, housing is the single largest expense for California households.

“Across the income spectrum, 35–44% of household expenditures go to covering rent, mortgages, utilities and home maintenance,” wrote PPIC.

The cost of housing due to supply constraints now makes it nearly impossible for creatives to get their start in LA, said M. Nolan Gray, legislative director at housing regulatory reform organization California YIMBY.

“Hollywood depends on Los Angeles being the place where anybody can show up, take a big risk, and pursue their dreams, and that only works if you have a lot of affordable apartments,” said Gray to The Center Square. “We’ve built a Los Angeles where you have to be fabulously wealthy to have stable and decent housing, and as a result a lot of folks either are not coming, or those who are coming need to paid quite a bit higher to make it worth it, and it’s destroying one of California’s most important industries.”

“Anybody who arrived in Hollywood before the 2010s, their story is always, ‘Yeah, I showed up in LA, and I lived in a really, really  dirt-cheap apartment with like $10 in my pocket.’ That just doesn’t exist anymore,” continued Gray. “Does the Walt Disney of 2025 not take the train from Kansas City to LA? Almost certainly not. If he goes anywhere, he goes to Atlanta.”

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