Canada’s final flag bearer to be Joannie Rochette – Was it switched from Charles Hamelin because CTV-Rogers consortium wanted better TV and ratings?

photo: Toronto Star/Steve Russell via @TOstarphoto
(HoundsTV – Vancouver) It seems a little flag bearer controversy has emerged from an otherwise celebratory Canadian Olympic Committee (COC)
It has now been revealed that Joannie Rochette will carry the Canadian flag for tonight’s Closing Gala ceremonies at the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Rochette has been considered a story [...]

OLYMPICS: Stephen Colbert tapes the REPORT at Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver before thousands (and signs a few autographs too)

Stephen Colbert signs on arrival for Colbert Report taping at Winter Games in Vancouver (photos courtesy CanadaGraphs)
(HoundsTV – Vancouver)
Comedian Stephen Colbert made his long promised journey to Vancouver to record segments for his popular Colbert Report television show.
Colbert jumped on the Olympic Winter Games bandwagon when he got word that the U.S. Speed Skating team [...]

NEWS: It’s Batman Vs. Superman as their original Comics each sell for $1,000,000 this week

It was a big week for the comic book industry. In a widely reported story earlier in the week, what has long been considered to be the most valuable comic book – Action Comics #1 – the very first appearance of Superman – sold for $1,000,000. This figure surprised a lot of collectors as [...]

KayvonTV gets ready to make the jump from ONLINE VIDEO to REAL TV – But what happened to Kayvon’s popular YouTube channel?

photo: Hockey superstars Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull make an appearance on KayvonTV.
KayvonTV is to become one of the first online shows in Canada to make a jump from small screen to big one (that is, from online video to cable television.)
Kayvon’s brand of guerrilla-style reporting was born online, through his website and YouTube channel. [...]

PHOTOS: Olympic stars and celebrities on the red carpet for Winter Games Club Bud party

(HoundsTV – Vancouver) N.H.L and Olympic fever met up at the Club Bud Party which took over Granville street.
Sponsored by Budweiser – spotted on the red carpet were Michael Buble, Jon Hamm, Tara Lapinski, U.S. snowboarder Louie Vito, Glee star Matthew Morrison and many more.

OLYMPICS: It’s WAR bitches in Men’s Hockey between U.S. and Canada – Did President Obama also celebrate the victory in Washington?

(HoundsTV – Vancouver) Another miracle on ice for the Americans?
Certainly not yet (hello, this was only a qualifying Olympics round) but don’t let that stop the U.S. media machine from cranking out headlines and ratcheting up the drama.
It didn’t go unnoticed to Toronto Star Washington Bureau chief Mitch Potter. And this is one of [...]

Business Case Study: Using Social Media for crisis communication with General Motors Christopher Barger at PodCamp Toronto

At the recent PodCamp Toronto 2010 social media conference – I had the pleasure of taking in the talk by Christopher Barger – the Director of Social Media for General Motors U.S.A.
Mr. Barger came to Canada for a weekend to discuss how GM made extensive use of online social media in a presentation titled, “The [...]

MUSIC: Guitar God Eric Clapton takes a Toronto street stroll before ACC concert with Jeff Beck – Does he look in the mood to sign autographs?

photo courtesy CanadianTabloid.com
(HoundsTV – Toronto) Guitar god Eric Clapton arrived in Toronto on Saturday – the day before an Air Canada Centre show with fellow music legend Jeff Beck. Just after arriving in Toronto, Clapton took a stroll along a popular Toronto street visiting a few high-end retail shops.
UPDATE: On a very beautiful Sunday [...]

FILMING: Sexy Olivia Newton-John autographs Grease memorabilia on Toronto set of Score: A Hockey Musical

Olivia Newton-John on set in Toronto – Feb 12, 2010 courtesy R. Budman / shot7.com
(HoundsTV – Toronto) Grease was the word for a few autograph collectors that greeted Ms. Olivia Newton-John on the Toronto set of Score: A Hockey Musical.
Olivia was spending a few quiet days filming the movie in town. Newton-John has kept [...]

PHOTOS: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic in Toronto – Is Clinton releasing new music with Sly Stone?

photos courtesy Richard Budman / shot7.com
(HoundsTV – Toronto) The funk came back to Toronto when George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic played a Valentines Day show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre.
Clinton and his latest lineup of Parliament Funkadelic got a surprisingly young crowd going with all the classics -One Nation Under A Groove, Tear The Roof [...]

OLYMPICS: It’s been a media circus at Vancouver YVR for arriving Olympic athletes like Patrick Chan

Patrick Chan arrival in Vancouver photos courtesy CanadaGraphs
(HoundsTV – Vancouver) It’s no surprise the Winter Olympic Games can be a bit of a media circus. And it starts quick for arriving athletes.
Like as soon as they get off the plane. The Vancouver airport is also a popular hit with media because its one [...]

OLYMPICS: Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger carries Olympic Torch for NBC – Can Arnie save the Games for the American broadcaster?

(HoundsTV – Vancouver) The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger made the trip up to Vancouver, Canada to carry the Olympic flame just before the opening of the 2010 Winter Games.
While the Governator’s appearance was cheered by thousands – and Arnie does love the people. There was another purpose to the visit.
And that was a [...]

OLYMPICS: Which way is better to light the final Olympic flame – 1996 Atlanta and torchbearer Muhammad Ali or Gretzky at 2010 Vancouver games?

(HoundsTV) Talk about blowing it in Vancouver.
That is, the final Olympic torch lighting.
We know our Canadian athletes will hold up far better under the pressure of Olympic competition then these Opening Gala organizers did in Vancouver.
I was sitting with friends watching the 2010 Opening Ceremonies when like the rest of Canada’s largest ever television [...]

OLYMPICS: With lots of security, Team USA skiing champ Lindsey Vonn arrives for Vancouver Olympics and proves to be a “class signing act”

photos courtesy CanadaGraphs
(HoundsTV- Vancouver) One of the most talked about athletes of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games – American skiing star Lindsey Vonn arrived in Vancouver to much fanfare on Tuesday (February 9th.)
The super-model looking Vonn was greeted by a large group of fans, autograph collectors, and media as one of Team USA’s best medal [...]

OLYMPICS: Let the games begin! (that is, the autograph hounding) at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Lindsey Vonn

photos courtesy CanadaGraphs
(HoundsTV – Vancouver) I often spend a lot of time on stories occurring in Toronto on HoundsTV. And in reality, Toronto can often be the center of the Universe here in Canada. For at least the next couple of weeks, the attention will surely shift to Vancouver – and the 2010 Winter Olympic [...]

REVIEW: Guns N’ Roses bring Chinese Democracy tour across Canada – Axl Rose taking stage at unpredictable times at shows in London, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City, and Halifax

shot7 photo of Axl Rose exiting a King St, Toronto club in the early morning of January 29, 2010
(HoundsTV – Toronto) If there is one thing Guns N’ Roses 2010 Canadian tour has confirmed – Axl Rose still lives and loves the rock star lifestyle – relentless touring, late night partying, and lots of pretty [...]