Star Pick with Justin Paul Kelly

Cornwall’s second most famous actor, Tyler Murree, is proud to hold that title, following behind some guy by the name of Ryan Gosling. Recently, he spoke of his childhood dream that one day he would be able to watch one of his films on the big screen at the historic Port Theatre in his hometown of Cornwall, Ontario. An actor of the stage and small screen, Murree has had a solid career in the two realms. The man has graced the stage as part of both large Toronto productions and glorious Broadway ensembles. He took on roles in Les Misérables; The Lord of the Rings: The Musical; Dirty Dancing; The Lion King, and other such productions. Placing him in front of hundreds of thousands of people across North America, the performer has created unique characters in the truest form of acting. Similarly, Murree has dabbled in the world of television. He has had parts on quality BBC productions in Orphan Black and Copper, while also popping in on Canadian productions such as Murdoch Mysteries and Kim’s Convenience, as well as taking on roles in several Nickelodeon series, including Make It Pop and The Other Kingdom, to name but two.

This past Saturday, a wonderful event was held in Cornwall, when television personality Steve Paikin spoke to a packed audience along with author Art Milnes about their respective books, politics in North America and a number of historical topics – all to raise money for the Children’s Treatment Centre. It was both an entertaining and enriching experience that left the crowd wanting more. Paikin is perhaps best known for being the knowledgeable and euphonious host of TVO’s current affairs program The Agenda, in which he entertains experts, covering a whole range of subjects from politics to social issues. Also a well respected author, he just released his seventh book entitled, Bill Davis: Nation Builder, and Not So Bland After All – it takes an in depth look at the long serving Ontario Premier.

What is there to say about a movie like The Wizard of Oz? If I had to compile a list of films that have been seen by the most people worldwide, the Victor Fleming directed musical adventure fantasy would likely land somewhere near the top of my list. I recently chatted with acclaimed comedian Kevin Downey Jr., who has carved out an ever growing niche in the difficult world of stand-up. The funny man, who caught his big break on season eight of the hit television show America’s Got Talent (making it all the way to the quarterfinals and being championed by all of the judges, but especially Howard Stern and Howie Mandel), has never looked back, launching himself to the "A" circuit, playing large clubs across North America, while being a frequenter on the highly entertaining morning radio program "The Bob and Tom Show", as well as also making appearances on Comedy Central, What Not to Wear and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

Soon after Avatar’s release, it became evident that it was not only a movie – it was a worldwide phenomenon that was bringing people together, getting young and old to sit in darkened cinemas for over two hours and forty minutes (promptly making it the highest grossing film of all-time – ending just shy of 2.8 billion dollars). The creative piece of world building, with its vivid, alien landscape and intoxicating mythology (while also ushering 3-D back into the cinematic limelight), also caught the eye of Rudolf Schenker, a founding member (and guitar-god) of the iconic German hard rock band The Scorpions. A master song-writer, the man has concocted numerous classic rock tunes, with catchy riffs, iconic lyrics and impressive solo work. Sharing solo and rhythm duties with co-guitarist Matthias Jabs, Schenker and the band have become known for their unforgettable, high-octane, crowd-pleasing live performances.

Whilst attending Trekonderoga, the Ticonderoga comic convention that is all things Star Trek, on August 13th, 2016, I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Keir Dullea. Best known for taking on the starring role of Dr. Dave Bowman in Stanley Kubrick’s iconic space epic 2001: A Space Odyssey – he reprised the character for the film’s 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Made Contact. Dullea has played a variety of intriguing roles over his six plus decades in the industry, getting his first lead role in 1962's David and Lisa, the actor then went on to star in 1964's The Thin Red Line, Otto Preminger’s 1965 mystery Bunny Lake is Missing, 1974's Black Christmas (often considered to be the genesis of the slasher horror film genre), and Robert De Niro’s 2006 flick The Good Shepherd, to name but a few of his film credits. The man actually highlighted a small Canadian film that he made back in 1973, titled Paperback Hero (also known as Last of the Big Guns), as being the favourite film he has worked on to this point.

I recently sat down with famed comedian Mike MacDonald, who has had much success touring North America over the past several decades. The popular comic has done it all, including performances of his stand up on Late Night with David Letterman, The Arsenio Hall Show, having comedy specials on Showtime and the CBC, as well as being a staple at the ‘Just For Laughs’ comedy festival in Montreal. He has even starred in a few movies. After his sidesplitting performance at The Port Theatre in Cornwall, Ontario (on August 19th, 2016), the funnyman was kind enough to sit down with me, telling me about some of his favourite films. He immediately referenced the parody as being his preferred type of motion picture. He eloquently and succinctly highlighted a key aspect in creating a successful parody: "when you want to piss on something, it is good for a two or three minute sketch. But to parody something for ninety minutes, you have to love the subject".