After a quarter of a century as Calgary’s favourite morning radio trio, Don Stevens, Joanne Johnson and Jamie (the Coach) Herbison are splitting up. And no. It’s not a nasty divorce. Rather, it’s simply the right time to call it a day. Leave when you’re on top is the conventional wisdom.

On  Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. on their XL103 morning show, Don and Joanne hung up their headphones and said farewell for the last time. Coach will stay on as a co-host and will be joined by Buzz Bishop and Heather Prosak in a new format. A tough act to follow, to be sure, as the chemistry between Don, Joanne and The Coach is a rarity in media — and a 25-year run is unheard of.

Your faithful social scribe had the distinct pleasure of calling into their show Thursday mornings for many years for a segment called Schmooze Man. Heck, I even had my own jingle to intro the piece. But I have this niggling feeling it was thanks to yours truly that the now standard eight-second delay on live radio was implemented. You see, once I was on a junket in Darjeeling, India, and had arrived well after midnight (India time) at the Windamere Hotel — precariously perched atop Observatory Hill high in the Himalayas. The white-knuckle trek to the hotel (did I mention I suffer from debilitating vertigo?) was only achieved thanks to the consumption of copious amounts of duty-free vodka, handily accessible in my luggage. That I called into the radio station to hit my 7:40 a.m. Calgary time spot with my pals Don, Joanne and The Coach was perhaps not a wise thing to do. The jury is still out as to which was higher. The elevation of the hotel or yours truly. Rumour has it the segment was funny — although my recollection as to what was said is fuzzy, at best.

However, I do remember with great fondness the dozens and dozens of segments we did together for all those years and I am truly thankful for having had the experience. And for the scores of Don, Joanne and The Coach fans, mornings will not be quite as much fun now that their show is no more.

Family, friends and colleagues gathered Nov. 23 in Gasoline Alley at Heritage Park to toast and roast Don and Joanne and wish them well on their retirement. A wonderful video featuring a sampling of the many memories, tributes from notables and heartfelt thanks were but a few of the evening’s highlights.

Among the several hundred guests in attendance were: Newcap Calgary general manager Vinka Dubroja; Calgary Jewellery’s Bernard Florence; MLAs Richard Gotfried and Ric McIver with his wife, Kids Cancer Care founder Christine McIver; A Dose of Happiness’ Karen Judge; Olympians Al Coulter and Michelle Cameron Coulter; Children’s Cottage Society CEO Patty Kilgallon with colleague Elisha Jackson; CTV’s David Spence and his wife Susan Spence; Herald/Sun colleague Louis Hobson; Cottonwood Golf Club’s Tiffany Gordon with Kim Schamp; Global National’s Reid Fiest with Cody Parrish; QR 77 Talk Radio morning host Gord Gillies; and Johnson’s proud mom Betty, brother Marc and partner Kim Carrington.

From your friends at the Herald, thanks for the memories and best of luck in the future.

CTV’s David Spence and his wife Susan Spence.

From left: Marc Johnson, Joanne Johnson, Betty Johnson and Kim Carrington.

Children’s Cottage Society CEO Betty Kilgallon (left) and colleague Elisha Jackson.

From left: MLA Ric McIver, Kids Cancer Care’s Christine McIver and MLA Richard Gotfried.

Tiffany Gordon (left) and Kim Schamp.

Global National’s Reid Fiest, QR 77 Talk Radio morning host Gord Gillies and Cody Parrish.

From left: Don Stevens, Newcap Radio GM Vinka Dubroja and Calgary Jewellery’s Bernard Florence.

From left: A Case of Happiness’ Karen Judge, Olympian Al Coulter and his wife, Olympian and Inspiring Possibilities’ founder Michell Cameron Coulter.

As your faithful social scribe pours through the hundreds of pictures taken at myriad events this past year, it reinforces two things: one, we live in the most generous of cities; and two, I have the best job there is. Sure, there are times that a night at home in front of the fire, rather than being out covering an event and having to be ‘on’, would be welcome. But at the end of the day, were I not at an event giving ink to those who give so much of their time and treasure, how else would readers know of the amazing work done by so many?

And amazing doesn’t even begin to describe the hours and hours many of you spend helping raise funds — and awareness — for causes as varied as prostate cancer and homelessness to mental health and poverty. Imagine the state of our beloved city if fundraising events were not as successful as they are? Sure, 2017 was economically challenged, but Calgarians can always be counted upon to step up and help, all the while having great fun doing so.

Enjoy this look back at some of the events that made 2017 such a memorable year. It has been my pleasure to cover you at work and play and I look forward to seeing you out and about in 2018. Here’s wishing you a new year full of joy, prosperity and love. God bless.  

Pictured at Tourism Calgary’s annual Open House on Jan. 19 at the Grey Eagle Casino are, back row from left: James Starlight, Bruce Starlight Jr., Faith Starlight, Bison Starlight and Terrance Starlight. Front row from left: Charm Fox, Leo Starlight and Wild Manywounds. All photos (unless noted), Bill Brooks

Joining Jennifer Martin, president and CEO of TELUS Spark at the Feb. 3 gala opening of Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience were Star Trek actors, from left, LeVar Burton (a.k.a. Lt.-Commander Geordie La Forge), Garrett Wang (a.k.a. Ensign Harry Kim) and Jonathan Frakes (a.k.a. Commander William Riker).

 The annual Hong Kong Canada Business Association (HKCBA) Calgary Section Chinese New Year Gala held at the Regency Palace Restaurant was a feast for the senses. More than 550 guests attended the Year of the Rooster celebration. Pictured are HKCBA president Manford Quan and his sister Scotia Wealth Management’s Audrey Kwan.

The Calgary Flames Ambassadors and the Calgary Flames 12th annual Flames Ambassadors Celebrity Poker Tournament held at the Grey Eagle Casino raised an impressive $415,000 for the Calgary Flames Foundation, bringing the total raised through the poker event to $4.3 million in 12 years. Pictured at the tournament are Brian Burke, left, president of hockey operations, and Ken King, president and CEO.

The third edition of The Heart Truth Fashion Show held Feb. 11 at Eighth Avenue Place was an enormous success and raised considerable funds and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Pictured, from left, are the event’s invaluable volunteer co-chairs Shar Savizi, Ashley Tyler and Jacqueline Tyler.

Pictured with reason to smile at the 68th Grand Highland Military Ball held Feb. 25 at the Calgary Hyatt Regency were event organizer, CEO ARC Financial and Honorary Lieut.-Col. Lauchlan Currie and his wife Karen Currie. It was the largest Grand Highland Military Ball in the 68-year history of the event. 

Pictured with reason to smile at the 30th annual SAM Awards held April 8 in the Telus Convention Centre are Brookfield Residential chief operating officer Trent Edwards and his wife Victoria Edwards, who is with the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. Brookfield was crowned Builder of the Year at the awards event that salutes the best in the residential construction industry.

The 2017 Gordie Howe C.A.R.E.S. Pro Am weekend was a great success and raised considerable funds for the Gordie Howe Centre for Alzheimer’s Research and Education Society, a not for profit charity founded and located in Calgary. Pictured with charity and event chairman Brookfield Residential’s Allan Klassen (centre) are Gordie Howe’s sons Mark Howe (left) and Marty Howe.

Pictured at the CUPS Moonlight Lounge Gala 2017 held April 26 at the Hyatt Regency are CUPS board chair Michael Lang and executive director Carlene Donnelly. The hugely successful event raised more than $210,000 for Calgary Urban Project Society.

Many called it the party of the decade. Soul Men 60 was an incredible fundraising bash held May 13 in support of Resolve. That none other than Dan Aykroyd (pictured) took to the stage with Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts ensured the more than 1,500 guests had an unforgettable evening.

Former prime minister Joe Clark and his sister-in-law Sunny Clark, a Calgary Foundation board member, attended the Resolve reception held in the home of Resolve cabinet member Ann McCaig on May 25.

Pictured at their annual Canada Day celebration are hosts with the most, Michael and Linda Shaikh. The Shaikhs have been hosting the celebration in their Mount Royal home for many year, but this year had special resonance with it being Canada’s 150th birthday.

From left: UNICEF Canada president and CEO David Morley, UNICEF Patrons Council chair Sue Riddell Rose, Mike Rose and Ann McCaig pictured at the UNICEF Water for Life Gala held Oct. 14 at the Hyatt Regency.

The Banff Centre Midsummer Ball Weekend is surely one of the best events of the year. The 38th annual, held July 21-23, was a huge success, raising more than $1 million for the Midsummer Ball Artists’ Fund. Pictured are Banff Centre board chair David Weyant and his wife, Madam Justice Charlene Weyant.

Pictured at the 5th annual NutAle Fundraiser held July 6 at Bottlescrew Bills in support of Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre were KOOL FM’s Christy Farrell and Village Brewery’s Jim Button. The cheeky fundraiser sells specially crafted Village Brewery celebrity beer made with the surprise ingredient of bull testicles. Since inception,  the event has raised more than $50,000.

The annual Scott Stomp, hosted by Scott Land and Lease, celebrated its 20th anniversary July 6. Hundreds of those who work in the oilpatch attended. Pictured are Scott Land’s Hunter Scott and his brother Ryan and their father, Scott Land founder Gregg Scott.

The Distinguished Business Leader Award, co-presented by the Haskayne School of Business and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, has recognized outstanding leaders in the Calgary business community since 1993. Pictured is this year’s recipient Leslie O’Donoghue with her family: son Connor Ross, husband Hugh Ross and son Brendan Ross.

The Rockyview Invitational Pro-Am Tournament Players and Partners Reception held at Barcelona Tavern was attended by scores of sponsors and golfers. Pictured are tournament chairs Brad Deets, senior vice-president, NGL commercial and facilities, Plains Midstream Canada; and Jayman BUILT chairman and CEO Jay Westman. The amazing tournament has, since inception four years ago, raised more than $3.4 million for Rockyview General Hospital.

Pictured, from left, at the Sobeys Better Food Fund Charity Golf Classic reception July 19 at Heritage Park are, from left: Jason Potter, Sobeys executive vice-president of operations; Sobeys president and CEO Michael Medline; and TSN’s Gord Miller. Golfers would take to the links at Priddis Greens the following day.

Perfect weather ensured the Priddis Greens Charity Classic, held Aug. 16-17, was an enormous success, raising $350,000 for the Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC). Pictured at the tournament gala evening Aug. 15 are from left: PCC board chair Jon Truswell of Bennett Jones, PCC executive director Pam Heard; and tournament chairman Ross Babcock.  Photo, courtesy Prostate Cancer Centre

All smiles at the official launch of the new Women For Men’s Health (WFMH) initiative at the Prostate Cancer Centre are WFMH founder and Centre board member Dr. Shelley Spaner with launch co-hosts Hotel Arts’ Mark Wilson (left) and Herald scribe and Centre board member Bill Brooks. Mark Feb. 2, 2018, on your calendar for the inaugural WFMH Gala. The glove-themed fundraiser will take place at Hotel Arts.

Willow Park Wines & Spirits 24th Charity Wine Auction held Nov. 4 was a success, raising funds for six different cancer-based organizations. Pictured at the fab jungle-themed fundraiser are event co-chairs Scott and Suzanne Henuset. The dynamic couple were named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in 2017 by Avenue Magazine.

Pictured at Immigrant Services Calgary’s 21st Annual Immigrants of Distinction Awards 2017 on Mar. 10 at the Westin are IDA chair Josephine Pon with new Alberta PC leader Jason Kenney.

Pictured, from left, at the inaugural Top 7 Over 70 Gala held Oct. 2 at the Hyatt Regency are honourees Dr. Amin Ghali, Al Moorhead, Gerry Miller, Don Seaman, Vera Goodman, Alan Fergusson, Dr. Richard Guy and Marjorie Zingle. The event saluted amazing seniors who make our city the best in which to live, work and play.

2017 was, for many, a year that will not be remembered with particular fondness. And yet, if you were one of the lucky ones to attend the inaugural Calgary Firefighters New Year’s Eve Gala at the Hyatt Regency, you will no doubt have wonderful memories of an evening that was the perfect way to close out the year.

That the event was not only fabulous, but philanthropic as well, ensured all in attendance welcomed 2018 full of hope and promise. Lucky 13 was the number of charities supported through the gala. Recipients of funding included: the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society at the Foothills Hospital and the 12 charities selected by the 2017 Calgary Herald Christmas Fund. And these 12 charitable organziations are: Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre; Calgary Counselling Centre; Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society; Further Education Society; Centre for Newcomers; NorthernStar Mothers Milk Bank; Renfrew Recovery Centre; Calgary Sexual Assault Response Team; Discovery House; Reset Society of Calgary; I Can for Kids; and The Mustard Seed. Funds raised this night were matched (up to $150,000) by the Calgary Health Trust.

Kudos to all involved on the great success of the gala: chair Ann McCaig and her tireless volunteer committee comprised of: Fire Chief Steve Dongworth and colleagues Jay Watson, Jim Fisher, Mike Carter and Thomas Kerr; gala producers Advance Your Cause’s Tom Dodd and Samantha Morahan; Clare Sheerin; Dr. Duncan Nickerson; Gio Pena; Jane McCaig; Hyatt GM Amy Johnson; Kim Berjian; Mona Hunter; Sarah Geddes; Teresa DeMare; and Herald colleagues Lorne Motley and Laura Linnell.

Highlights of the evening were numerous, from fabulous decor and food to lovely libation, raffle items, awesome entertainment and more. Heartfelt thanks to sponsors who supported the gala including: host sponsor Canada Safeway/Sobeys; Stonegate Private Counsel; J. Vair Anderson which donated an Omega Seamaster Divers watch for raffle; Calgary Institute of Plastic Surgery which donated an Advanced Aesthetics Wellness Package for raffle; Barbecues Galore on donating a Big Boy Kamada Grill; LGFG Fashion House on donating a Men’s Bespoke Tailored Suit; and gala chair Ann McCaig for donating a one-week stay in a private villa in Barbados for four people, with Airmiles provided for flights by Safeway Sobeys.

Amazing performances from trumpet virtuoso Jens Lindemann, Tyler Hornby on drums, Jeremy Coates on bass, Richard Harding on sax and Devin Hart on keyboard had guests in the ballroom dancing the night away while the ‘young ones’ rocked it big time on the main floor at the Station 54 disco. A big nod to the talented folks at Orange Frog Productions on the stellar staging and lighting this night and well-done sentiments go out to emcee, Global’s Jordan Witzel, as well as the Hyatt staff for ensuring guests were well looked after.

Here is wishing all a new year filled with love, joy, health and prosperity. I’ll not be seeing you until mid February as Hong Kong and Australia await!

Looking fabulous at the Calgary Firefighters New Year’s Eve Charity Gala at the Hyatt Regency Calgary are J. Vair Anderson’s Annette Toro and her husband Harold Huber. J. Vair Anderson donated a stunning men’s watch worth close to $8,000 as one of the five raffle times up for grabs at the fab fete.

Pictured with reason to smile at the Calgary Firefighters New Year’s Eve Gala are event producers, Advance Your Cause’s Tom Dodd (left) and Samantha Morahan (right) with Herald social scribe Bill Brooks.

The gala fundraiser supported the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society as well as the 2017 Calgary Herald Christmas Fund recipients. Pictured, from left, back row, are Calgary Fire Department Honour Guards Derek Jobson, Shawn Butler, Colin Senkow, Craig Monnin, Grant Rinas and front row, from left, Darren Crowder, Tobias Breuer, Jen Hall.

Toasting the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018 are Avenue Magazine’s Joyce Byrne (left) and XO Treatment Room’s Annie Graham.

The Calgary Firefighters New Year’s Eve Charity Gala was a great success thanks to sponsors, such as Safeway Sobeys. Pictured, from left, are Cory Hopfner, Arlene Woo, Safeway Sobeys’ Ken Woo, Renee Hopfner and Bruce Bowman and Lisa Bowman. The glam gala supported 13 charitable organizations.

Looking glamorous at the Calgary Firefighters New Year’s Eve Charity Gala are Laura Linnell, Postmedia manager of advertising sales, and her husband Gord Linnell.

Boyden Executive Search’s Brent Sherry and his wife Gail were among the hundreds of guests.

Trumpet virtuoso and Order of Canada recipient Jens Lindemann, centre, was a musical headliner this night. He was photographed with his proud parents Helga and Horst.

Mike Smillie and his wife, Gala committee member Kim Berjian, along with Gala committee member Mona Hunter and her husband Derrick Hunter.

Gala committee member and Press + Post’s Sarah Geddes with her husband, Canoe Financial’s Steve Mantrop.

Gala committee member Jane McCaig and her husband Rich Waller.

From left:  Safeway Sobeys Renee Hopfner, gala producer Advance Your Cause’s Tom Dodd and gala chair Ann McCaig.

David and Leslie Bissett.

From left, Dr. Jeff Biernaskie, Dr. Duncan Nickerson, Dr. Fiona Schulte, Robbin Alexander, Jamie Nickerson and Dr. Vincet Gabriel.

For British writer Dick Clement and his longtime writing partner Ian La Frenais, creating the book for Jukebox Hero, a musical featuring the songs of Foreigner, was just a neighbourly thing to do.

Calgary theatrical promoter Jeff Parry, Foreigner’s manager Phil Carson, and Foreigner’s founding member Mick Jones are teaming up create a Mamma Mia! style musical to launch in Calgary and Edmonton in August 2018.

“Ian is a great friend of Mick Jones and Phil Carson lives just a few doors up from me in Los Angeles. These are the kind of connections that make a venture like Jukebox Hero possible,” says Clement, who with La Frenais wrote the screenplays for such films as The Commitments, Across the Universe, Flushed Away and The Bank Job and such iconic British TV series as Lovejoy, The Likely Lads, Porridge, The Two Ronnies and Thick as Thieves.

Clement says he and La Frenais didn’t start to write with Foreigner’s songs, but rather hammered out “a story that would work on the stage and be pertinent and relevant.

“What we settled on was the plight of a town that has lost its main industry and which needs the help of its most famous son, a rock star, to come back and do a concert that will raise money for all the people who will be unemployed.

“We felt that Foreigner’s It Feels Like the First Time could open the show if we just changed a few of the lyrics. Instead of a guy who’s lost his love, it’s a whole town that has lost hope.

“We knew we had to end the first act with I Want to Know What Love Is and then everything seemed to fall into place.”

Clement says he and La Frenais used a similar approach to create Jukebox Hero as they did to write the screenplay for the Beatles film Across the Universe.

“Ian and I drove all around Los Angeles listening to Beatles songs and tossing around ideas of how they could be staged in a film. When we listened to Happiness is a Warm Gun, we both agreed it would be a great song for guys recovering in a veterans’ hospital, that kind of thing.”

Clement admits he and La Frenais’ biggest worry was that “Mick wouldn’t like what we’d done with his music.

“We’d have really been worried if he was worried that the story we had didn’t work for his music, but the reaction we got from him when he read the script was really supportive.

“He said the story gave new life and meaning to his music and lyrics.”

The first time Clement and La Frenais collaborated on a stage musical was back in the early 1970s when they turned the Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall play, Billy Liar, into a musical called Billy starring a young Michael Crawford.

“Ian and I are actually trying to revive Billy. It never made it to Broadway in its first incarnation and we think it could transfer to Broadway this time if it is received with as much acclaim as it was the first time around.”

Clement says before they can approach producers, they have to find “a young star who is funny and can dance, sing, act and put bums in seats, and that’s not as easy as it sounds.”

One of the duo’s biggest TV successes was the 1974 sitcom Porridge about a pair of petty criminals serving time. They revived the concept and the first new episode of Porridge aired earlier this month in England.

“We’ve updated it so that now the grandson of the original character is in jail for an Internet crime.”

Clement and La Frenais have been writing together for 55 years, living close to each other in the same Los Angeles neighbourhood.

“Ian lives two streets away from me. He arrives at 9:30 every morning and we go to work.

“It’s a routine we never intend to break.”

Jukebox Hero is scheduled to premiere at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary Aug. 10-12, 2018, and then move up to Edmonton’s Jubilee Auditorium Aug. 16-19.

An Intimate Evening with Sarah McLachlan was the perfect way to spend a chilly winter’s eve at the Jube — all the while raising funds for the Owen Hart Foundation. The Grammy and Juno Award-winning Canadian icon headlined the 18th annual foundation fundraiser — much to the delight of the hundreds of guests in attendance. No surprise that the concert was sold out weeks’ prior. 

The captivated audience had a chance to reminisce with McLachlan as she perfectly executed some of her most emotional ballads that served well to display her fine-tuned mezzo-soprano vocal range. There is no doubt that Sarah’s hits have had a tremendous impact on many of our lives, including her rendition of the tune When She Loved Me. McLachlan dedicated the song to artist Oje Hart and his sister Athena — the son and daughter of the late Owen Hart and his wife Martha Hart — founder of the Owen Hart Foundation. Oje had sketched a special pastel drawing of the Toy Story 2 character Jesse, whom the melody was written for, and presented it to McLachlan in appreciation for a song that had been so important to him growing up.

McLachlan joins the impressive list of performers who have been featured at past Owen Hart Foundation events including Robin Williams, Elvis Costello, Jerry Seinfeld, Ringo Starr and Steve Martin to name but a few. 

Guests in attendance having a marvellous time this evening included: auction sponsors Trapped Escape Room Experience’s Darcy Anderson and Kelly Patterson; Owen Hart Foundation’s Virginia Xavier; WestJet Airlines’ Jereme and Karli Kincaid; Cinnamon Girl Clinic’s Virgillia Chichoine with Mitch Chichoine; Evolve Sponsorship and Engagement’s Valerie Pek; Canadian Western Bank’s Dustin Jones and Jeff Bowling; Brookfield Residential’s Careen Church; Dentrix Dental Care’s Dr. Brian Killick; LAR Business Concepts’ Linna Morgan and Mary Ann Steen; Stantec Oil & Gas vice-president Dean Mullin; Postmedia columnist and Sportsnet analyst Eric Francis; University of Calgary’s Dr. Nicole Letourneau; journalist and Owen Hart Foundation committee member Tammi Christopher-Buchanan; For the Love of Children Society’s Kavita and Ashid Bahl; Century 21 Rockies Realty’s Colleen Standen; Shoe Muse’s Dani Izzo; Air Canada’s Lisa Jarvis; Sue Miller; Barb Simic of The Calgary Educational Partnership Foundation; WestJet’s Pino Mancuso and his wife Atonietta; U of C’s Dr. Paul Wellings and his wife Magdi; Romana Kraft of Collectors Gallery; and event producer David Howard of The Event Group.

Oje Hart of the Owen Hart Foundation presented Sarah McLachlan with a drawing he sketched of a character from Toy Story 2 to commemorate her rendition of the song When She Loved Me. Photos courtesy, Owen Hart Foundation.

From left: event sponsors Dr. Brian Killick of Dentrix Dental Care; and LAR Business Concepts’ Linna Morgan and Mary Ann Steen.

From left: Dean Mullin, vice-president, Stantec Oil & Gas; Postmedia columnist/Sportsnet analysist Eric Francis; and Dr. Nicole Letourneau of the University of Calgary.

From left: Mitch Chichoine; Cinnamon Girl Clinic’s Virgillia Chichoine; and WestJet’s Jereme and Karli Kincaid.

From left: journalist and Owen Hart Foundation committee member Tammi Christopher; For the Love of Children’s Society’s Kavita and Ashid Bahl; and Century 21 Rockies Realty’s Colleen Standen.

From left: event sponsor Shoe Muse’s Dani Izzo; Air Canada’s Lisa Jarvis; and Owen Hart Foundation supporter Sue Miller.

From left: Valerie Pek of Evolve Sponsorship and Engagement; with event sponsors Dustin Jones of Canadian Western Bank; Careen Chrusch of Brookfield Residential; and Jeff Bowling of Canadian Western Bank.

From left: Owen Hart Foundation’s Virginia Xavier; with auction sponsors Trapped Escape Room Experience’s Darcy Anderson and Kelly Patterson.

Admit it. You, too, have taken great delight watching the television phenom Dancing With the Stars.

Calgary Dance Foundation president Dawn Litzenberger felt that we could have our own Dancing With the Stars, but with a philanthropic focus. Proceeds would support young Calgary dancers vying for a place on the podium at the annual Canadian Ballroom Dance Finals. It was six years ago that Litzenberger gathered local ‘celebs’ and partnered them with dance pros to launch the inaugural Dancing with the Calgary Stars. Yours truly had the distinct pleasure of participating the first year. And let me tell you, it’s not nearly as easy as it looks on television! Yes, Tango Terror Brooks took to the stage to ‘compete’. Let’s just say that I’ll not soon be hanging up my camera for a career as a dancer. Celebs competing over the years have included: Kathy Hays; Fred Balm; Rick Titan; Michelle Cameron Coulter; Pat Moore; Debra Ross; Michael Bailey; Maureen Mannix Eberts; Chima Nkemdirim; and Coun. Sen Chu, to name but a few.

This year, the sixth annual, held recently at the Polish Canadian Club, partnered with the Calgary Multicultural Orchestra. Proceeds raised will not only support young Calgary dancers vying for a place on the podium at the 2018 Canadian Ballroom Dance Finals, but provide the members of the Multicultural Orchestra (ages 6-17), who would not otherwise be able to be part of an orchestra, the opportunity to expand their love of music as well.  

Stars strutting their stuff on the dance floor this night included: Roxanne “Sexy Samba” McCaig; MLA Graham “Romantic Rumba” Sucha; Elizabeth “Tantalizing Tango” Burke-Gaffney; and Robbie “The Bull Fighter” Schuett.  

Among those cheering on their fave celeb were: Calgary Dance Foundation dance director Martin Lefebvre; foundation vice-president Kathy Hays; International Avenue Arts & Culture Centre board chair Scott Beaton and his wife Lorna Beaton; orchestra maestro Jose Duque; wine sponsor Strike Group’s Mark Bonnell; Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Dagmar Jamieson; Branch Out Neurological Foundation’s Crystal Phillips; Jerome’s Elaine Stadel; Ann and Jane McCaig; Betty Stein; and professional dance partners Iveta Milciute, Ryan Anderson, Stephanie Jurkova, Donna Hammerschmidt and Bryan Senn.

International Avenue Arts and Culture Centre board chair Scott Beaton and his wife Lorna Beaton.

Pictured from left, Ann McCaig, Roxanne “Sexy Samba” McCaig and Jane McCaig.

 Foundation Fighting Blindness’ Dagmar Jamieson (left) and Branch Out Neurological Foundation executive director Crystal Phillips.

Liberal Party of Canada, Alberta chairman Robbie “The Bull Fighter” Schuett and his dance partner Iveta Milciute.

Professional dancer and teacher Ryan Anderson and Donna Hammerschmidt strike a pose for the lens.

MLA Graham “Romantic Rumba” Sucha and his dance partner Stephanie Jurkova.

Roxanne “Sexy Samba’ McCaig and her dance partner Ryan Anderson.

In what’s become a bit of a trend, a Calgary chef is joining the menu of the next season of Top Chef Canada.

Jinhee Lee, 38, from Foreign Concept in Calgary will put her skillet to the test against 10 other chefs from across the country. Competitors in Season 6 of the popular Food Network show hail from Vancouver to St. John’s Nfld. 

The contestants take part in weekly Quickfire and Elimination challenges and their dishes must impress the judges: Mark McEwan, Janet Zuccarini, Mijune Pak and Chris Nuttall-Smith.

The winner of Top Chef Canada wins the coveted title but also a grand prize of $100,000 along with a $25,000 Monogram kitchen and $5,000 worth of Cuisinart appliances.

A year ago, Lee, executive chef at pan-Asian restaurant Foreign Concept, won gold at the Canadian Culinary Championships. 

Herald food writer John Gilchrist, who was a judge at the national competition, said Lee gave an outstanding performance, winning all three challenges and rightfully named People’s Choice winner.

“What stands out with her cooking is the way she can balance flavours and textures, and bring so much out of a plate of food,” he said. “She plates so cleanly, so precisely. When you look at the plate, it’s a work of art.”

Season 6 of Top Chef Canada will see some well-known guest judges including Lynn Crawford, Susur Lee and Rob Gentile. Some Top Chef Canada alumni will also return as guest judges including Top Chef Canada: All-Stars’ winner Nicole Gomes of Calgary’s Cluck ‘N’ Cleaver. 

Along with Gomes, other Calgarians who have competed on Top Chef Canada include Charcut and Charbar co-chef and owner Connie DeSousa, chef and cookbook author Pierre Lamielle, chef Gabriela Neda, and pastry chef Karine Moulin.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? Said trip will have more resonance for those of us of a “certain age.” I was but a wee child, but I do remember the opening of Chinook Centre on the site of the then Chinook Drive-In Theatre and the adjacent Skyline Drive-In and driving range. The year was 1960.

Since then, Chinook Centre has undergone myriad transformations. Holt Renfrew was once there. So, too, were Bretton’s, Woodward’s, Zellers, Target and Sears — which was replaced with Canada’s first Nordstrom store in September 2014. And in a huge boost of confidence for Calgary’s retail landscape, the former Target site has been lavishly transformed into Saks Fifth Avenue, the third Saks to take root in Canada and the first to open west of Toronto.

The opening of the luxury retailer is manna from heaven for shoppers with discerning taste and a hefty budget. The new 115,000-square-foot store was a buzz of activity Feb. 21 as hundreds of invited guests attended a private cocktail reception and exclusive store preview prior to the official opening the next day. The preview was philanthropic as well, with sales proceeds benefiting the Calgary Public Library Foundation, Theatre Calgary and Women in Need Society.

Who was not in attendance would make a much shorter list as seemingly everyone who loves to shop was there. Hosts with the most, Saks’ Larry Bruce, director of stores; Andrew Taylor, vice-president, public relations; and Lydia Seifert, vice-president and general manager, hardly had the opportunity to sample the fabulous fare on offer this night. Guests perusing the marvellous merchandise included: Business in Calgary editor Melanie Darbyshire with actor Camille McCreath; the fashionably fabulous Kerry Brennan and her daughter Reilly Nash; Nicholls Family Library’s Greig Nicholls and his wife Brenda Nicholls; Calgary Public Library Foundation vice-president Brent Buechler and his wife Vicki Buechler; Mode Models founder Kelly Streit; violinist and composer Sophie Serafino and her husband Dr. Dionysius David; head-turners Jade Davis and Erin Donnelly-Ferguson; Dee Clair and Jackie Gomes; Dorothy Woolstencroft; Tara Mathison; Sonya Brown Tisdall; Theatre Calgary board chair Margo Randles with artistic director Stafford Arima; and Herald colleagues, columnist Valerie Fortney and deputy editor Monica Zurowski.

Welcome to Calgary Saks Fifth Avenue. We are delighted you are here.

Toasting the exclusive preview of the new 115,000-sq.-ft. Saks Fifth Avenue store at Chinook Centre Feb. 21 are, from left, Nicholls Family Library’s Greig and Brenda Nicholls with Vicki and Brent Buechler, vice-president, Calgary Library Foundation. The foundation shared equally in sales proceeds this night with Theatre Calgary and Women in Need Society.

Business in Calgary editor Melanie Darbyshire (left) and actor Camille McCreath.

Kerry Brennan and her daughter Reilly Nash.

Saks Fifth Avenue vice-president, public relations Andrew Taylor, and Mode Models’ owner Kelly Streit.

From left: Erin Donnelly-Ferguson, Saks Fifth Avenue Calgary vice-president and general manager Lydia Seifert, and Jade Davis.

Sophie Serafino dazzled the crowd with her performance at the Saks Fifth Avenue Calgary exclusive store preview Feb. 21.

Dee Clair (left) and Jackie Gomes.

Tara Mathison (left) and Sonya Brown Tisdall.

Herald columnist Valerie Fortney (left) and deputy editor Monica Zurowski had great fun perusing the fashions at Saks Fifth Avenue exclusive store preview.

Theatre Calgary (TC) board chair Margo Randles with TC artistic director Stafford Arima.

Put on your dancing shoes, because Ellen DeGeneres is headed to Calgary.

The voice of the forgetful, animated Dory in Finding Nemo films and host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show will be in the city next month for a conversation with Calgarians.

A Conversation with Ellen DeGeneres will be a moderated Q&A session at the Scotiabank Saddledome on April 21, and will give fans a chance to speak with the host of the popular daytime TV show.

Organizers say the event will highlight DeGeneres’ one-of-a-kind humour, warmth and kindness.

“She is obviously a huge icon globally,” said Christian Darbyshire, partner with tinePublic, which is organizing the event. “People love her everywhere and love to watch her show.” 

With 10 Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Talk Show/Entertainment, The Ellen DeGeneres Show holds the record in that category. In total, the show has received a total of 59 Daytime Emmys across all categories.

On March 23, tinePublic will also host a sold-out night with former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, at the Calgary Stampede Corral.

The group has previously hosted sold-out engagements in Calgary with Oprah Winfrey and the late Stephen Hawking.

Tickets for A Conversation With Ellen DeGeneres go on sale Wednesday at 10 a.m., and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.ca or calling 1-855-985-5000.

The event runs on April 21 at 6 p.m. at the Scotiabank Saddledome.

RRumbolt@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @RCRumbolt

A painting of Emerald Lake in the Rocky Mountains by Winston Churchill has sold at auction for much more than expected.

Churchill painted the work during a visit to the area near Field, B.C., in 1929 in the years before he became prime minister.

The heavily damaged painting was initially listed on the Sotheby’s of London auction site and was estimated to sell between $11,000 and $15,000.

The painting sold for $87,257.

“My family and I are obviously delighted at the sale price,” owner Bill Murray wrote in an email to The Canadian Press from his home in Devon, England, Tuesday.

“Even in its damaged state, it is a wonderful painting and the link with Sir Winston’s visit to your area in 1929, is just about unique.”

The painting was a gift from Churchill to Murray’s father, Sgt. Edmund Murray, who was his bodyguard from 1950 to 1965.

“Having read all the pre-sale reports in the Canadian media, I am not really surprised that this great painting attained such a high figure. Churchill paintings are much sought-after,” Murray said.

“Had it not been damaged, it would have fetched a much higher price and perhaps ended up in a private collection in Russia or China, never to be seen again.”

There’s no official word on who bought the painting or where it will ultimately end up, but Murray said he has his suspicions.

“I am pretty sure that it will go to Canada, although Sotheby’s are very discreet when it comes to letting out information about the buyer, even to the seller.”

The painting was originally mislabelled as Lake Louise, but Calgary historian David Finch saw a photo of it and let it be known it was Emerald Lake.

“To be clear, I’m the obnoxious Canadian who challenged the location of the painting, came to be involved but I am not an expert at painting or Churchill history — an innocent bystander,” said Finch.

Finch said Churchill had been painting for years, a hobby he picked up to cope with depression. He said the trip to Canada and the U.S. gave him a chance to escape his troubles at home.

“He’d been run out of England with his tail between his legs. His government had fallen. He’d lost his own seat. He was desperate for an escape from all his trials and tribulations so he and his brother and his two sons came on a tour of North America,” said Finch.

Finch said he’s no art critic but Churchill painted a lot of paintings over the years and this likely isn’t his best work.

“I don’t think much of it but somebody obviously does to pay that kind of money for it,” said Finch.

She’s hosted the Emmys and the Oscars and counts major celebrities like Jennifer Aniston, Justin Timberlake and Oprah Winfrey among her pals. She’s an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, her work recognized in 2016 with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed upon her from none other than then-U.S. President Barack Obama.

Two decades after she came out as gay to 44 million fans on her hit TV sitcom Ellen — a brave act that many credit for paving the way for today’s more diverse landscape on both the small and big screens — Ellen DeGeneres still reigns as one of the most beloved entertainers of her generation.

Her talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been going strong for 15 years, with millions tuning in for their daily dose of the 60-year-old host’s unique brand of charm, self-deprecating humour, kindness and unbridled fun.

Now, the onetime standup comic who hails from Louisiana is making her first Calgary appearance, at the Saddledome. A Conversation with Ellen DeGeneres, taking place on Saturday even, is hosted by Calgary’s own Dave Kelly.

Herald columnist Valerie Fortney is providing live updates at the love-in for the multiple award-winning DeGeneres and 15,000 of her loyal Calgary fans.

She came, she spoke and she conquered the hearts of tens of thousands of Calgarians.

On Saturday evening, Ellen DeGeneres swept into the Saddledome and gave her fans everything they’ve come to expect from the consummate entertainer and comedian. They got the laugh out loud moments, the beautiful stories that brought tears to their eyes and of course, a whole lot of dancing.

Of course, this wasn’t a crowd that needed any convincing of the fun that can be had when in the presence of the 60-year-old host of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, one of the most popular daytime TV talk shows in history. The close to 15,000 fans packing the Saddledome for “A Conversation with Ellen DeGeneres” were more than familiar with her many funny skits and background as a standup comic, and of her courage in coming out as gay.

Ellen DeGeneres greets the crowd in Calgary at the Saddledome on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Jim Wells/Postmedia

Those fans tune in by the millions to enjoy DeGeneres’s unique mix of talk, celebrity, comedy and musical performances — and of course, her penchant for dancing along with her audience.

No surprise, then, that DeGeneres kicked off the conversation with a happy song. Still, she showed her big heart from the get-go, carrying a hockey stick as she walked onto the stage.

“My heart breaks for everyone, it hurt all of us,” said DeGeneres, who carried the hockey stick in honour of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team, which lost 16 of its players and staff in a bus crash on April 6. “Let’s try to shine some light and love and dedicate this night to them.”

Host Dave Kelly played the perfect sidekick to the veteran performer. Kelly, a talented singer, dancer and actor who is a master of ceremonies fixture at Calgary fundraising events throughout the calendar year, asked DeGeneres about everything from her coming out as gay in the late 1990s to her friendship with music icon Prince and first time on the iconic Johnny Carson TV talk show.

Ellen DeGeneres (R) chats with host Dave Kelly in Calgary at the Saddledome on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Jim Wells/Postmedia

Throughout the engaging question-and-answer session, many members of the packed arena yelled out, “We love you!” and audience members cheered and stomped their feet as DeGeneres talked about her love of pranks on her show. “I don’t ever want to grow up,” she said, “and scaring people is really fun.”

Coming out as gay, she told the crowd, meant the death of her first TV sitcom, but a freedom she’d never before known. “I had tremendous shame over the fact I was gay and hiding it,” she said, adding a dream she had about a bird in a cage convinced her to live her life out loud.

Ellen DeGeneres greets the crowd in Calgary at the Saddledome on Saturday, April 21, 2018. Jim Wells/Postmedia

At the show’s conclusion, the down-to-earth DeGeneres offered her loyal fans some advice: “Push through any fear you have,” she said. “The only real thing we have is love.”

It’s a testament to Cary Elwes formidable skills as a storyteller that he can hold a crowd’s attention for more than three minutes with a story about flatulence.

The star of Rob Reiner’s Princess Bride, where he played the heroic and dashing Westley, was describing his first day on set of the 1987 classic working with Andre the Giant.

The late professional wrestler, who was 7’4 and weighed in at 520 pounds, played the kind-heared giant Fezzig in the film. The first scene he shot with Elwes involved Westley, Fezzig and Mandy Patinkin’s Inigo Montoya concocting a plan to storm a castle and save Princess Buttercup. It was during this scene, when Andre allegedly cut an epic, 16-second fart.

 Elwes wasn’t speaking ill of the dead. A recent HBO documentary on Andre the Giant revealed he was quite proud of his alarming flatulence. Still, it took everyone but Andre but surprise.

“The sound of it was insane,” Elwes told an audience Sunday afternoon at the Stampede Corral as part of the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo.  “It had various notes. It went up, it went down. I looked over at Andre and he had this beatific look on his face, he was waving from side to side like he finally let go of something he had been holding onto forever. For some reason there was steam coming out of the top of his head. I don’t know why, but there was. So  it was the combination of the ginormous fart and the steam and I just lost it.”

Over his 30-year career, Elwes has played everyone from Robin Hood to serial killer Ted Bundy. It’s been a multi-faceted career for the actor and writer, so there was  plenty to talk about on Sunday. That includes the recent news that he has been cast as a sleazy politician in Season 3 of the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things. But most of the conversation Sunday revolved around the 1987 classic fantasy-comedy, which he wrote about in his 2014 memoir As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride.

He told the story of being pressured by Andre the Giant to take a ride on his ATV, which had been brought to set to help the largely immobile giant get to various locations. Elwes ended up breaking his toe, which forced Reiner to reschedule the epic sword fight between Westley and Inigo Montoya.

That fight, considered one of the most iconic in film history, required intense training by Paul Diamond and Bob Anderson, the British expat who was an Olympic fencer and eventually oversaw training for the Canadian Fencing Association.

Unlike with many sword fight scenes, Reiner demanded that no stunt doubles be used for Elwes or Patinkin.

“We trained every day, every single day for three weeks before shooting,” Elwes says. “Even before we were shooting, Bob Anderson and Peter would be off camera with swords under their arms. Every time Rob yelled cut, they would grab us — even with full hair and makeup and costume – and have us rehearse every single time they had a free moment with us.”

Other interesting tidbits about the Princess Bride included the fact that Wallace Shawn, also a Calgary Expo this year, feared he would be fired and told his fellow cast that he was just a stand-in until Danny DeVito showed up, who was rumoured to be first choice for the role of self-described genius and ruthless kidnapper Vezzini.

Billy Crystal, who had a cameo as “Miracle Max” based the look of his somewhat decrepit character on his own grandmother and former right-fielder and Yankees manager Casey Stengel.

While it may be hard to believe now, Elwes also reported that The Princess Bride only lasted one week in the theatre. It had opened the same weekend as Fatal Attraction.

“We had no idea the picture would have the effect it would have eventually,” he says. “When we were making the film, obviously we thought it would be fun and we enjoyed making it —  I can’t remember a single day without laughter on the set — but that doesn’t always translate onto the screen.”

The film gained most of his popularity after its theatrical release, becoming a hit on VHS.  

“I still meet folks who have held onto their copy and say ‘This was my grandmother’s and my mother’s and now it’s mine and my kids are going get it,'” Elwes says. “There’s tape coming out and you’ll never play it again. People started renting it and then buying it and then giving it to their friends and family for gifts. I remember thinking this film, that had been mostly dead for 10 years, was suddenly alive again.”

British billionaire Sir Richard Branson says innovative ideas from up-and-coming entrepreneurs is the key to lifting Calgary out of its economic downturn.

“You haven’t done too badly, actually, when I look at the figures for Calgary,” Branson said Tuesday morning during an appearance at Chinook Centre.

“I think one of the reasons you haven’t done too badly is the amount of entrepreneurship that is taking place in Calgary. The new jobs were all created from entrepreneurs and from new companies and, sadly, the big companies generally end up losing jobs. The more you can encourage people to be entrepreneurial the better.”

The Virgin Group founder was at the mall to announce the winner of Virgin Mobile Canada’s Pitch to Rich Contest, which encouraged Canadians to pitch a mobile-related business idea for a chance to win $10,000 toward their idea. The winners also received a mentorship meeting with Branson.

“Entrepreneurs getting in there and competing with big companies make big companies better, and entrepreneurs are just wonderful in that they’re coming up with ideas to fill gaps in the market, improve people’s lives, because that’s the only way that entrepreneurs are going to survive, all the time,” he said.

Contest submissions were evaluated based on the criteria of the business idea being easy to understand, answering a consumer need, being viable and making people’s lives better.

The winning entry was Swob, a mobile app co-founded by brother and sister Alexander and Stephanie Florio of Toronto, which matches students and potential employers in the retail and food services industries through a Tinder-like swiping system.

Branson pretends to run away with the cheque after announcing Stephanie and Alexander Florio from Toronto winners of the Pitch to Rich contest.

Branson said his advice to young entrepreneurs like the Florio siblings is to learn through experience.

“My phrase is ‘screw it, just do it,’ and just get out there and learn the hard way,” he said.

He said there’s a need not just in Calgary but Canada as a whole for young innovators to take the reins of the economy by selling their ideas.

“I think Canada’s getting better,” Branson said. “Canada was and still is dominated by a lot of very big companies, but big companies get fat and flabby and therefore that leads to good opportunity for entrepreneurs to come and stick their finger in their stomach and shake them up a bit.”

shudes@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/SammyHudes

As your faithful social scribe pours through the hundreds of pictures taken at myriad events this past year, it reinforces two things: one, we live in the most generous of cities; and two, I have the best job there is. Sure, there are times that a night at home in front of the fire, rather than being out covering an event and having to be ‘on’, would be welcome. But at the end of the day, were I not at an event giving ink to those who give so much of their time and treasure, how else would readers know of the amazing work done by so many?

And amazing doesn’t even begin to describe the hours and hours many of you spend helping raise funds — and awareness — for causes as varied as prostate cancer and homelessness to mental health and poverty. Imagine the state of our beloved city if fundraising events were not as successful as they are? Sure, 2017 was economically challenged, but Calgarians can always be counted upon to step up and help, all the while having great fun doing so.

Enjoy this look back at some of the events that made 2017 such a memorable year. It has been my pleasure to cover you at work and play and I look forward to seeing you out and about in 2018. Here’s wishing you a new year full of joy, prosperity and love. God bless.  

Pictured at Tourism Calgary’s annual Open House on Jan. 19 at the Grey Eagle Casino are, back row from left: James Starlight, Bruce Starlight Jr., Faith Starlight, Bison Starlight and Terrance Starlight. Front row from left: Charm Fox, Leo Starlight and Wild Manywounds. All photos (unless noted), Bill Brooks

Joining Jennifer Martin, president and CEO of TELUS Spark at the Feb. 3 gala opening of Star Trek: The Starfleet Academy Experience were Star Trek actors, from left, LeVar Burton (a.k.a. Lt.-Commander Geordie La Forge), Garrett Wang (a.k.a. Ensign Harry Kim) and Jonathan Frakes (a.k.a. Commander William Riker).

 The annual Hong Kong Canada Business Association (HKCBA) Calgary Section Chinese New Year Gala held at the Regency Palace Restaurant was a feast for the senses. More than 550 guests attended the Year of the Rooster celebration. Pictured are HKCBA president Manford Quan and his sister Scotia Wealth Management’s Audrey Kwan.

The Calgary Flames Ambassadors and the Calgary Flames 12th annual Flames Ambassadors Celebrity Poker Tournament held at the Grey Eagle Casino raised an impressive $415,000 for the Calgary Flames Foundation, bringing the total raised through the poker event to $4.3 million in 12 years. Pictured at the tournament are Brian Burke, left, president of hockey operations, and Ken King, president and CEO.

The third edition of The Heart Truth Fashion Show held Feb. 11 at Eighth Avenue Place was an enormous success and raised considerable funds and awareness for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Pictured, from left, are the event’s invaluable volunteer co-chairs Shar Savizi, Ashley Tyler and Jacqueline Tyler.

Pictured with reason to smile at the 68th Grand Highland Military Ball held Feb. 25 at the Calgary Hyatt Regency were event organizer, CEO ARC Financial and Honorary Lieut.-Col. Lauchlan Currie and his wife Karen Currie. It was the largest Grand Highland Military Ball in the 68-year history of the event. 

Pictured with reason to smile at the 30th annual SAM Awards held April 8 in the Telus Convention Centre are Brookfield Residential chief operating officer Trent Edwards and his wife Victoria Edwards, who is with the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter. Brookfield was crowned Builder of the Year at the awards event that salutes the best in the residential construction industry.

The 2017 Gordie Howe C.A.R.E.S. Pro Am weekend was a great success and raised considerable funds for the Gordie Howe Centre for Alzheimer’s Research and Education Society, a not for profit charity founded and located in Calgary. Pictured with charity and event chairman Brookfield Residential’s Allan Klassen (centre) are Gordie Howe’s sons Mark Howe (left) and Marty Howe.

Pictured at the CUPS Moonlight Lounge Gala 2017 held April 26 at the Hyatt Regency are CUPS board chair Michael Lang and executive director Carlene Donnelly. The hugely successful event raised more than $210,000 for Calgary Urban Project Society.

Many called it the party of the decade. Soul Men 60 was an incredible fundraising bash held May 13 in support of Resolve. That none other than Dan Aykroyd (pictured) took to the stage with Jim Belushi & The Sacred Hearts ensured the more than 1,500 guests had an unforgettable evening.

Former prime minister Joe Clark and his sister-in-law Sunny Clark, a Calgary Foundation board member, attended the Resolve reception held in the home of Resolve cabinet member Ann McCaig on May 25.

Pictured at their annual Canada Day celebration are hosts with the most, Michael and Linda Shaikh. The Shaikhs have been hosting the celebration in their Mount Royal home for many year, but this year had special resonance with it being Canada’s 150th birthday.

From left: UNICEF Canada president and CEO David Morley, UNICEF Patrons Council chair Sue Riddell Rose, Mike Rose and Ann McCaig pictured at the UNICEF Water for Life Gala held Oct. 14 at the Hyatt Regency.

The Banff Centre Midsummer Ball Weekend is surely one of the best events of the year. The 38th annual, held July 21-23, was a huge success, raising more than $1 million for the Midsummer Ball Artists’ Fund. Pictured are Banff Centre board chair David Weyant and his wife, Madam Justice Charlene Weyant.

Pictured at the 5th annual NutAle Fundraiser held July 6 at Bottlescrew Bills in support of Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Centre were KOOL FM’s Christy Farrell and Village Brewery’s Jim Button. The cheeky fundraiser sells specially crafted Village Brewery celebrity beer made with the surprise ingredient of bull testicles. Since inception,  the event has raised more than $50,000.

The annual Scott Stomp, hosted by Scott Land and Lease, celebrated its 20th anniversary July 6. Hundreds of those who work in the oilpatch attended. Pictured are Scott Land’s Hunter Scott and his brother Ryan and their father, Scott Land founder Gregg Scott.

The Distinguished Business Leader Award, co-presented by the Haskayne School of Business and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, has recognized outstanding leaders in the Calgary business community since 1993. Pictured is this year’s recipient Leslie O’Donoghue with her family: son Connor Ross, husband Hugh Ross and son Brendan Ross.

The Rockyview Invitational Pro-Am Tournament Players and Partners Reception held at Barcelona Tavern was attended by scores of sponsors and golfers. Pictured are tournament chairs Brad Deets, senior vice-president, NGL commercial and facilities, Plains Midstream Canada; and Jayman BUILT chairman and CEO Jay Westman. The amazing tournament has, since inception four years ago, raised more than $3.4 million for Rockyview General Hospital.

Pictured, from left, at the Sobeys Better Food Fund Charity Golf Classic reception July 19 at Heritage Park are, from left: Jason Potter, Sobeys executive vice-president of operations; Sobeys president and CEO Michael Medline; and TSN’s Gord Miller. Golfers would take to the links at Priddis Greens the following day.

Perfect weather ensured the Priddis Greens Charity Classic, held Aug. 16-17, was an enormous success, raising $350,000 for the Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC). Pictured at the tournament gala evening Aug. 15 are from left: PCC board chair Jon Truswell of Bennett Jones, PCC executive director Pam Heard; and tournament chairman Ross Babcock.  Photo, courtesy Prostate Cancer Centre

All smiles at the official launch of the new Women For Men’s Health (WFMH) initiative at the Prostate Cancer Centre are WFMH founder and Centre board member Dr. Shelley Spaner with launch co-hosts Hotel Arts’ Mark Wilson (left) and Herald scribe and Centre board member Bill Brooks. Mark Feb. 2, 2018, on your calendar for the inaugural WFMH Gala. The glove-themed fundraiser will take place at Hotel Arts.

Willow Park Wines & Spirits 24th Charity Wine Auction held Nov. 4 was a success, raising funds for six different cancer-based organizations. Pictured at the fab jungle-themed fundraiser are event co-chairs Scott and Suzanne Henuset. The dynamic couple were named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in 2017 by Avenue Magazine.

Pictured at Immigrant Services Calgary’s 21st Annual Immigrants of Distinction Awards 2017 on Mar. 10 at the Westin are IDA chair Josephine Pon with new Alberta PC leader Jason Kenney.

Pictured, from left, at the inaugural Top 7 Over 70 Gala held Oct. 2 at the Hyatt Regency are honourees Dr. Amin Ghali, Al Moorhead, Gerry Miller, Don Seaman, Vera Goodman, Alan Fergusson, Dr. Richard Guy and Marjorie Zingle. The event saluted amazing seniors who make our city the best in which to live, work and play.

Much as I am a royal fan, getting up at 4:30 in the morning on May 19 to watch the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was not going to happen. A more civilized, exclusive event — The Royal Wedding Watch Party starting at 9:30 at Royale on 17th Avenue — proved the perfect way to take in all the highlights of the ceremony for the newly christened Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Hosted by Britster, the fab fete was attended by a select group of guests dressed in their finest garden party attire. The event featured a red carpet experience, BBC coverage streamed on large screens, a showcase of world-class British brands, raffle items and live commentary by Katrina Olson-Mottahed, royal fashion correspondent and emcee Jimmy-Lee Vennard, butler at Azuridge Estate Hotel.

Caroline Saunders, British Consul General for Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, was at the party wearing a custom fascinator made by Kensington Florists. Saunders awarded best-dressed winners with Buckingham Palace souvenirs, which included wine openers and commemorative Royal Wedding souvenirs. Herald food writer and author Julie Van Rosendaal showed off her culinary cleverness by sporting a fascinator featuring a large scone. Others having a marvellous time this morning included: Neals Yard Remedies CEO Lisa Shelley; EdgeMark Capital’s Bruce Edgelow; Alberta Ballet’s Debbie Nordstrom; Pomp and Circumstance architect Robert Pashuk; Hotel Arts’ Brad McCarty; Heather Campbell; Judi Kendall; Citrus Capital’s Ken McKinnon; Felicia Bortolussi; Nancy Jarjour Szabo, president, Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut; and Award executive director Ashley Tedham.

Proceeds from the event supported the not-for-profit Duke of Edinburgh Awards — a world leading, youth leadership and self-development program.

The Alberta, Nunavut and Northwest Territories division has become one of the fasted growing in the country and has expanded to include more than 300 communities across Alberta.

From left: Pomp and Circumstance architect Robert Pashuk, event producer Lisa Shelley and Hotel Arts’ Brad McCarty.

EdgeMark Capital’s Bruce Edgelow and Alberta Ballet’s Debbie Nordstrom.

From left: Judi Kendall, Citrus Capital’s Ken McKinnon and Felicia Bortolussi.

Ashley Tedham (left), executive director, The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Alberta, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, with Award president Nancy Jarjour Szabo.

Heather Campbell

Herald food columnist and author Julie Van Rosendaal (left) and British Consul General in Calgary, Caroline Saunders.

Pictured from left at the Royal Wedding Watch Party are fashion commentator Katrina Olson-Mottahed and emcee Jimmy-Lee Vennard, butler at Azuridge Estate Hotel.

Surely the best “guys night’ one can hope to attend is the annual Calgary Italian Sportmen’s Dinner, now in its 56th year. The dinner is not only a ton of fun, but philanthropic as well. Since inception, the event has raised more than $1.89 million for organizations as varied as the Calgary Italian Cultural Centre and Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, to Calgary Firefighters and SAIT Bill Powers Memorial Scholarship Award, to name but a few. Further, the dinner honours high school students of Italian descent who excel in both athletics and academics by awarding $5,000 scholarships and bursaries between $500 and $1,000.

The annual dinner’s list of guest speakers reads like a who’s-who in sports. Greats the likes of Joe Montana, George Chuvalo, Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull, to name but a few, have taken to the podium to share their insights and humorous anecdotes over the years. And this year, the 56th annual on May 10 at Notre Dame High School, featured PGA golf great Rocco Mediate and NFL Hall of Famer Franco Harris.

Frank Mafrica and Tony Spoletini were back again this year as masters of ceremonies and did a fantastic job keeping the crowd rolling in the aisles with their politically incorrect humour. Fantastic food and libation galore ensured all in attendance had a wonderful time.

Among the hundreds of guests in attendance were: dinner president and Scott Venturo Rudakoff partner Domenic Venturo; Monterey Dental Clinic’s Wayne Young; Haywood Securities’ Tony Migliarese and Paul DiPasquale; Petrus Resources’ Lucas Tiberio; Endo Perio Calgary’s Stephen Torriero; Fit Capital Solutions’ Mac Sarro; City of Calgary’s Frank Sarro; Jim O’Brien, sports columnist and author of The Heartbeat of the Pittsburgh Steelers; Calgary Dinos coach Dan Van Horne; Gary Cioni, dinner board member and retired Provincial Court judge; Plava Ventures’ Carlo Plava; Fiera Capital’s John Adams and Claudio Gagliardi; dinner board member Stante Realty’s Sano Stante; dinner board member FluroTech’s Danny Dalla-Longa; and scholarship/bursary recipients Carlos Bagni (Bishop Carrol), Justin Gotta (William Aberhart), Hudson Maggipinto and Nicolas Auvigne (St. Francis), and Aidan Miele (Notre Dame).

From left: Franco Harris, Monterey Dental Clinic’s Wayne Young, Rocco Mediate and Haywood Securities’ Tony Migliarese and Paul DiPasquale.

From left: PGA player Rocco Mediate, Franco Harris and retired Provincial Court judge Gary Cioni.

Co-emcee Tony Spoletini (right) hams it up with co-emcee Frank Mafrica.

From left: Carlo Plava, John Q. Adams and Claudio Gagliardi.

From left: Stephen Torriero, Frank Sarro, Mac Sarro and Lucas Tiberio.

From left: Rocco Mediate; dinner chairman Domenic Venturo of Scott Venturo Rudakoff LLP; and Franco Harris.

From left: Rocco Mediate, Stante Realty’s Sano Stante and Franco Harris.

Scholarship recipients from left: Carlos Bagni (Bishop Carrol), Justin Gotta (William Aberhart), Hudson Maggipinto (St. Francis), Aidan Miele (Notre Dame) and Nicolas Auvigne (St. Francis).

Calgary-native Jann Arden will star in a new comedy series coming to CTV later this year, Bell Media announced Thursday.

The original series, titled “JANN,” will feature Arden as a fictionalized version of herself as the eight-time Juno award winner deals “with the harsh reality that her former music career is now on a slow, relentless slide into obscurity.”

The character also struggles with being newly single, the possibility her sister may disown her, and her mother beginning to suffer from the early stages of dementia.

“Although Jann’s personal life is in shambles, she’s convinced that the cure-all is to rebrand her image in order to reclaim her celebrity status, so she embarks on a quest to return to greatness but gets tangled in the pressures of her ‘real’ life,” Bell Media stated in its press release. “Jann is at the crossroads between who she was, and who she wants to be, if she can just figure out what’s really important.”

The new CTV comedy was part of Bell Media’s announcement of its first wave of original Canadian content for 2018-19.

Related

• Jann Arden's 2016 'tar sands' tweet prompts call to boycott Fort McMurray concert
• Jann Arden reflects on her struggles and triumphs with These Are The Days

When she was just 17 years old, she was declared Ford Models’ Supermodel of the World. In the 1990s, her image could be found everywhere from Elle and Vogue magazines to Victoria’s Secret and Playboy; her lithe five-foot-10 frame graced the runways of such renowned design houses as Chanel and she starred in ad campaigns for the likes of Versace and Dolce & Gabbana.

Tricia Helfer’s modelling heyday is two decades behind her now, though, and she is the first one to admit it.

“I’m a little nervous, is it like riding a bike, will I remember how to do it?” she asks on a recent day, adding in a self-deprecating joke: “Maybe people will wonder, ‘who’s the old lady on the runway?’ ”

Fat chance of that happening when she’s back in Calgary next week, since Helfer’s second career act — that of a TV and film actor — has been even more successful than her earlier foray into the fickle world of fashion.

The now 44-year-old farm girl from central Alberta is set to return to her old stomping grounds on Wednesday, June 13, the star model in the Holt Renfrew Stampede fashion show. The annual event combines a runway show and shopping event that also benefits the Calgary Health Trust’s fundraising efforts for its neonatal intensive care unit (for more info, contact the Holt Renfrew store directly at 403-269-7341).

Tricia Helfer was a popular cover girl on many magazines.

Her decision to hit the Calgary runway for the first time since the mid-1990s, she says, came about for two reasons. First, she likes the charitable aspect of it. “The Calgary Health Trust is a good cause,” says Helfer, who in the past few years has become an outspoken advocate for animal welfare, among other causes.

Then there is the loyalty factor towards the man who got her started on the path to fame and fortune, modelling agent Kelly Streit. “I’m coming back to do a favour for Kelly and for the community,” says Helfer of Streit, the founder and CEO of Mode Models. The pair reconnected when Streit, who recently returned to the industry after a years-long hiatus, got in touch. “It was like old times,” she says.

It’s a pretty nice favour to do, considering the hectic schedule Helfer has had for the past while. She just came off a two-year run for the Fox TV series Lucifer, a comedy/drama where she played the bitter ex-wife of God, no less.

The role that catapulted her to fame, though, came in 2004, when she played the lead character Cylon Number Six in the critically acclaimed sci-fi TV series Battlestar Galactica. In between, Helfer has appeared on everything from the crime series CSI to the sitcom Two and a Half-Men, along with a handful of films.

While she now has her own fan clubs and admirers around the world, Helfer says that even today, she can often walk down the street without anyone being the wiser. “I have a very chameleon quality about me,” she says, adding that when people see her with close friend and Battlestar Galactica co-star Katee Sackhoff out in public together, they’ll recognize Sackhoff but not her. “It’s a bit of a blessing,” she says.

Still, she hasn’t completely evaded the downside of celebrity, despite an understated life that has kept paparazzi at bay. When she separated from her lawyer husband Jonathan Marshall last year, their breakup was trumpeted in London’s Daily Mail newspaper; photographs of her new home in Los Angeles’ Sherman Oaks neighbourhood were recently published in the entertainment industry’s bible, Variety magazine.

That might explain why, despite her candid thoughts on everything from renovating her new home to the divisiveness of the Trump era, Helfer, who has dual Canadian and American citizenship, won’t say exactly how many cats are currently wandering around her house.

“I have a few,” says Helfer, who has no children. “I’d rather not put it in print,” she says, adding with a laugh, “but I am a proud, crazy cat lady.”

Tricia Helfer in her role on Battlestar Galactica.

Helfer says she’s been able to keep her head above the Hollywood fray partly because of her down-to-earth Prairie upbringing that taught her the importance of hard work and keeping balance in life. “I have great friends and I have a lovely lifestyle,” she says, one that includes exploring on foot the natural trails around her home and whipping down the open road on her BMW R1200R motorcycle.

“I’m a Porsche car girl and a BMW bike girl. I like the German engineering,” she says, adding with a laugh, “somehow my Helfer German roots came out in my vehicle preferences.”

Her goals for the coming years include doing some producing along with continuing to perform, though she is well aware that especially for women, ageism sets in early in her business. “I’m at the point in my career where I don’t just want to work, I want to do something I’ve never done before,” she says. “I’m fortunate that I don’t have to sign on to anything I don’t want to — it’s more about being patient and waiting to find the next thing I’ll enjoy doing.”

While the stop in Calgary next week will be a short one — “I fly in for the day and out the next,” she says — it will be a meaningful one for Helfer.

“My parents will be making the three-and-a-half hour trek to see the show,” she says, concluding our fun conversation with one more self-deprecating joke. “I might fall on my face, but it’ll all be for a good cause.”

vfortney@postmedia.com

Twitter: @ValFortney

Country music singer Paul Brandt and Canadian Country Music Association president Tracy Martin announced the Canadian Country Music Awards will be coming to Calgary in 2019, before a small concert at the Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre, on Tuesday.

During a ceremony before the concert, Brandt placed his Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame plaque on the wall as part of his induction into the hall of fame, which first began in 2017. Studio Bell is the official home of the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame collection.

“Being recognized at the National Music Centre in Calgary is the equivalent of winning a Stanley Cup for a Canadian musician,” said Brandt.

Brandt, who’s a Calgarian, said it was surreal to be honoured for his more than 20 years in country music.

“There’s something about Calgary … that connects with the music community,” said Brandt. “It’s not surprising to me that so many people have come from Alberta and made it on the world stage. There’s something about it in the air. It’s exciting that there’s something like this dedicated to honouring musicians and artists from here in Canada.”

Brandt also unveiled the Paul Brandt Legacy Collection: YYC to BNA, which is the first of two exhibitions introducing the collection at Studio Bell.

“From early on in my career, the goal has been that the Paul Brandt legacy would not be about me,” he said. “The focus has been on providing family-friendly, world-class country music, entertaining and enlightening, providing an escape and engaging friends and fans alike and developing a platform to raise money and awareness for causes and projects that I believe the world needs.”

Brandt said his favourite part of the Legacy Collection is a Garth Brooks T-shirt made by his mother that he wore during one of his first talent competitions, which he won, kicking off his music career.

After Brandt spoke about his hall of fame honour, Martin was excited to announce the country music awards would be coming back to Calgary.

“It feels like we are coming home. We haven’t been here since 2005 and we can’t wait,” said Martin.

In September 2019, the Canadian Country Music Association will host a week of country artist performances, fan experiences and the “crown-jewel”, the Canadian Country Music Awards.

“The thing that we love the most about being in Calgary is the spirit of the city, it’s actually the people. There’s an engrained thread of love for country music here,” said Martin.

“I think, it’s one of our favourite cities.”

Andrew Mosker, National Music Centre CEO and president, said he’s excited for Studio Bell to become a hub for the country music awards.

“There’s going to be music everywhere in this building. We have, incidentally, an amazing collection already of Canadian country music items that tell our country’s story,” said Mosker.

“The Paul Brandt Legacy Collection: YYC to BNA is really the beginning to kick this off because next year this is going to be hometown as Canada celebrates country music on so many levels.”

sbabych@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @BabychStephanie