My Chat With Wyclef
I was very fortunate to chat with the outspoken hip hop institution known as Wyclef Jean. The Grammy Award winner dreams of a Fugees reunion and can take them to the Promised Land – but first, he says, Lauren Hill has got to get her act together. He’s not backing down about his earlier statement that Lauren is bipolar and says she should be happy someone is telling her the truth and looking out for her best interests.
Wyclef also told me to track down Nelly Furtado and ask her about the “Wyclef Story.” With further prodding, I found out what that meant…Apparently Wyclef was the one who encouraged Nelly to flex her hip hop muscles, advising, “That’s the zone. Stay in the zone.” following her collaboration with Miss Elliott. I later confirmed this story with Nelly herself.
And speaking of collaborations…There’s another track ‘Clef is itching to scratch – he’s keen on Celine Dion! Sure she might be a bit over the top, but he says when she sings – it’s like an angel on earth. That’s some pretty high praise from a man who’s worked with the best of the best.
I’m looking for the raw interview… I know it’s somewhere. We talked extensively about Haiti and how little has been done in the past to help the struggling country.
Watch the video!
Estelle’s Canadian Boy
Here’s a bit of raw footage from a segment I produced for E! News Weekend, Toronto FC’s Jim Brennan teaches Grammy Award winner Estelle some soccer moves. In turn, she takes her song ‘American Boy’ and turns it into ‘Canadian Boy’ for Jim – he attempts, rather unsuccessfully, to provide a beat for her. Stick to the soccer Jim!
Live Blogging Conan (01/21/2010)
11:33PM – Not hard to beat Leno’s show tonight. Let’s see what Conan comes up with. Oh la la, promises of “surprise guests.” Huge ovation from his audience.
11:37PM – “I’m Conan O’Brien – future donkey kong champion. I’m going to get so good at that game.”
11:37PM – On the break up – “I knew it was official this morning when NBC dropped off all its CDs and picked up its lava lamp.”
11:39PM - ”I’ve been with NBC for a really long time. Remember the Cosby Show? I was Rudy.”
11:40PM - Ohh… nasty Kirstie Alley slams.
11:42PM - Oh here comes the NBC onslaught… “The general terms of the contract are now all over the internet – but there are some you might not have heard of – ‘I must return the Etch-A-Sketch my contract was written on.’ ‘I’m not allowed to make fun of NBC programming, I have to let the programming speak for itself.’ ‘Have to watch at least one NBC show every weeknight in order to double ratings.’”
11:48PM- Pee-wee Herman on to explain the terms of the contract/settlement.
11:57PM - Another “crazy expensive” segment: ”Say hello to our new Tonight Show character. 2009 Kentucky Derby winner ‘Mind That Bird’ wearing a mink snuggie. And look at that, he’s watching restricted NFL footage.”
11:59PM - Surprise appearance by Ben Stiller…
12:06AM- Crazy man Robin Williams on… this is going to be too fast and furious to live blog…
12:08AM- Robin Williams, “7 months… so I guess it’s like an annulment? Well I guess it can’t be annulled, because there was sex involved – you got screwed.”
12:17AM- Robin Williams, “Me giving you career advice is like Tiger Woods as a marriage counselor.”
12:19AM- EPIC – Robin doing an Irish song/jig – giving NBC double middle fingers and grabbing his crotch. Being blurred. AMAZING. What a moment!
12:25AM- Oh God no… save us, Barry Manilow here to ruin the show!
12:35AM – And that’s all she wrote! Only one more show to go before Jay Leno reclaims his throne on The Tonight Show.
Live Blogging Leno (01/21/2010)
9:51PM - Or well, almost live blogging. The live blogging feature is too complicated for me to install on wordpress (which is freakishly complicated for some reason). So I’ll just update this post constantly.
9:54PM -Also, I can’t promise i’ll continue to watch Leno beyond the monologue. I have my limits.
10:01PM - Looking forward to seeing the Zoe Saldana interview.
10:03PM – Elephant in the room Jay. Elephant in the room.
10:09PM – Talking about NBC and Conan. ”I have chosen to stay on the Titanic.” - “This ship will never sink.” “We will be back on the tonight show after the Olympics.” So Jay is taking over The Tonight Show again? wtf?
10:20PM- 20 minutes in and still nothing funny. I wonder what Jay’s demo is – 50-85?
10:24PM- “From toof fairy – Billy Crithhhhtal.”
10:32M- Billy Crystal and his shtick hijacking the show.
10:54PM- Jay is apparently unaware that people tuned in to hear him talk about the whole NBC situation with Conan.
10:59PM - Well that was an epic waste of time. Thanks Jay!
Things I’ve Learned
1) Conan O’Brien is hilarious and no one likes Jay Leno.
2) Avatar is a movie about how white people are racist. And for bonus points, Sherri Shepherd from The View reminds us we should feel uncomfortable due to the film’s rampant anti-troop sentiment.
3) Right-wing nut jobs can apparently interview God and relay his quotes.
4) Renee Walker is the new Jack Bauer.
5) My dog Mojo is a Mac and can’t wait for Apple’s big announcement on January 27th – tablet iMac? Excitingggg!
6) Simple Minds is actually an amazing band. More than just one-hit songsters from a John Hughes movie, their latest album ‘Graffiti Soul‘ is rocking my world. Sounds a bit like U2 – devoid of self-indulgence.
7) The bathroom is not always the place to conduct business. Ty Burrell (ass from Dawn Of The Dead) tells Jimmy Kimmel that he witnessed someone pitching a movie to James Cameron in the bathroom at the Golden Globes – “It’s like Avatar but with Nascar.”
8 ) Ashley Ingram is a Grammy Award winning songwriter and former member of the soul group Imagination.
9) Lambchop requrires a gob rest at all times.
10) Apparently there are fans of Jay Leno (other than just Jay Leno himself) and they’re none too pleased with my tweets.
I’d Like To Thank The Academy…
Last week I attended another great Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WHE) quarterly product showcase. It was a wickedly lavish Academy Awards themed schmooze at the ol’ Capitol Theatre on Yonge.
Above, John Grant (President of Warner Bros. Canada) delivers a speech to the media faithful who attended the event. Always nice catching up with friends & foes alike from Toronto’s media scene.
A wise woman one said, “The only thing better than free stuff is more free stuff.” LexPR, who organized the evening, put together gift bags that featured products from a host of companies including – Evian, Elizabeth Grant, Hello Mag, Sally Hershberger and Gosset Champagne.
Big thanks to LexPR, Sam Santos/Pimentel Photography, JJ Thompson/Compendium Daily
Cheating Death, Celeb Style
I never really got 3D movies until Avatar. Now I’m all about the 3D. Can’t get enough of the 3D. The Final Destination 3D is out now on Blu-ray. I have yet to see any Final Destination film to date – but I’m going to check this one out tonight, curious to see how 3D works on my home screen. Also, in honour of cheating death – I’ve put together a little list of celebrity near-death experiences.
- DAME ELIZABETH TAYLOR
Two-time Oscar winner Dame Elizabeth Taylor says she had a near-death experience while undergoing surgery in the late 1950s. In an interview on Larry King Live, she revealed, “I was pronounced dead once and actually saw the light.” Along with “the light,” she also saw the spirit of her late husband, Michael Todd, who convinced her to continue living.
- GORDON RAMSAY
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is the fiery force behind Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. But while filming an episode of The F Word, Gordon fell into a nightmare of his own.
As he hunted puffin in Iceland, Gordon slipped and fell off a cliff, dropping 280 feet into the freezing-cold waters below. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh fuck!’ My boots and my waterproofs were dragging me down. I’m an extremely good swimmer, but I couldn’t get to the surface.” He tells the Daily Telegraph.
- ELISHA CUTHBERT
In July of 2007, 24 actress Elisha Cuthbert was struck by car as she crossed the road. She bounced several feet off the hood before hitting the ground. Elisha made the conscious split-second decision to throw herself onto the hood of the car to avoid being run over. She credits her quick thinking with saving her life. She says her first thoughts immediately following the accident were, “Am I dead? No I’m not dead. Do I have any bones broken? No. Purse? Still intact.”
- GARY BUSEY
Famous for his battles with drug and alcohol addiction, Oscar nominated actor Gary Busey suffered a near-fatal motorcycle crash while cruising the roads of New Mexico in 1988. He was ejected over top of his motorcycle and thrown headfirst into a curb. He was not wearing a helmet. While undergoing emergency brain surgery, Gary says he was visited by angels.
- ED ROBERTSON
Barenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson was involved in a plane crash in early 2009. A licensed pilot himself, Ed and three other passengers plummeted to the ground in Bancroft, Ontario. Brian Sears, a deputy fire chief said, “They were really lucky to get out of there. I think somebody was on their side.” However, I’m not entirely sure this one wasn’t a PR stunt to redirect attention from Steven Page’s (then) recent drug bust.
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About Ryan Emberley
Ryan Emberley is a writer, television producer and reporter based in Toronto, Canada.
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