Today Matt Wacowich was on the show, co-director of the documentary "Jump: the World's Greatest Streakers." He was joined by the world's most prolific streaker Mark Roberts (who boasts 479 jumps to his name). I found the film insightful and hilarious, and I couldn't help but laugh at Mark's unauthorized on-field antics. However, I realize that many and people find jumpers disruptive as they can often interrupt the flow of the game and players' concentration. What do you think? Do you appreciate the occasional streaker? Is streaking a fad that's now become a part of sports? And are jumpers who take sponsorships from renegade marketers sell-outs?
-RM, Q Producer

Posted by Q at 01:04 PM
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Sure, a wonderfully done accent is something we can admire in a performance, but they are so often so poorly done that actors should just give up. That's the proposal from Guardian writer Veronica Lee on Q today. I have to admit, when I hear a really badly done accent, I do find myself wondering why the director let the performer do it. It can ruin an otherwise solid performance. And wouldn't it in fact help our suspension of disbelief to drop the accent altogether? But we still reward any actor who tries (and even fails) with award nominations... What do you think? Should we encourage actors to stop trying? Or are accents too important to performances? (And what's the worst-done accent you've ever heard an actor do?)
-LR, Q producer

Posted by Q at 10:16 AM
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One of the biggest videogames of 2010 arrives in stores today, and it's got an unusual back story. "Bioshock 2" is largely based on the works of controversial author and philosopher Ayn Rand. Q Screenboy Jesse Wente runs down some of Ayn Rand's top pop-culture influence.

Continue reading "JESSE WENTE'S LIST OF AYN RAND POP CULTURE REFERENCES" »

Posted by Q at 10:11 AM
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Hello Q land, Peter Mitton here, producer of the Americanization of Mental Illness story on Monday's show. One thing journalist Ethan Watters brought up while discussing his new book, Crazy Like Us, struck me as particularly relevant to the Western world's ongoing efforts to help in Haiti. Watters suggested that sending trauma counsellors to disasters zones like Haiti and Sri Lanka has the potential to do more harm than good. What do you think of his argument, that different cultures understand the human psyche differently, and react to trauma differently? Do our attempts at staving off PTSD in other cultures miss the mark by imposing an American idea of the human psyche there? Should we rethink the practice of sending trauma counsellors to places like Haiti?

Posted by Q at 11:29 AM
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For those of you suffering from a little POST AVATAR DEPRESSION (is that really a legit condition?) take refuge in the three dimensional corners of the internet. Search Youtube videos tagged with "yt3d:enable=true", order some free glasses from the NFB'S 3D SECTION or click through for a bunch of my hand-picked selections (plus some regular 2D links too).

Continue reading "Mio on the Down-Lo: In 3D So Put Yo Glasses On " »

Posted by Q at 08:22 AM
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It's Kathryn here at Q. Call me crazy, or lazy, or a bad steward of popular culture, but I somehow managed to see a pathetic two of the ten Oscar nominees for Best Picture this year. And the ones I actually did see would have never made it on to the list had the little gold man not doubled the number of eligible nominees this year. I sobbed like a child throughout "Up", and was utterly transfixed by the prototypical Coen Bros "all humans are doomed and life means nothing" thematic of "A Serious Man". And I wish with all my little heart that they had a fighting chance at winning the statue. But let's face it, it's going to go to the buzz films: "Up in the Air", "Avatar" or "The Hurt Locker". I turn the floor to you. What films do you think were overlooked? Are there any nominations that disappointed you? Give us your thoughts.

Posted by Q at 02:40 PM
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Well this year's Oscar nominations have finally been revealed. Forgive Q's Screenboy Jesse Wente if he seems dubious. With another of his classic lists, Jesse points out that Oscar isn't infalliible.

Continue reading "Jesse Wente's Top Ten Worst Oscar Mistakes (Or, How I Grew Up and Learned Not to Trust the Academy.)" »

Posted by Q at 01:57 PM
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A new documentary about America's obesity crisis is in the works. Academy Award winning filmmaker Barry Levinson is directing... and weight loss drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline is footing the bill. The drug company says it will have no say in what goes into the film, but is it right for a doc maker to highlight an issue for a company that stands to profit from it? On Q today, Robin Bronk of the Creative Coalition defended her group's participation in this project, but acclaimed documentary filmmaker Peter Raymont shared his misgivings. What are your thoughts: Can a project like this be seen as anything but an infomercial? Or do the benefits of raising awareness about such a serious issue outweigh the questionable optics?

Posted by Q at 10:13 AM
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Last night seemed like it was going to be a big night for Canadians at the Grammys. With all the attention their Grammy nods got from the press up here, both Leonard Cohen and Neil Young (heretofore embarrassingly ignored by the Grammy academy) were to get their due with lifetime achievement honours and a tribute to MusiCares. And so it was all the more outrageous when each only got a few seconds on the televised show...

Continue reading "Did you feel the Grammy show snubbed Leonard Cohen and Neil Young?" »

Posted by Q at 12:30 PM
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As you may have heard, one of the most influential and enigmatic figures of the past century -- author J.D. Salinger -- recently died. He's best known for his 1951 novel, "The Catcher in the Rye", and for that book's protagonist, Holden Caulfield: the disaffected youth who affected so many readers. It was "The Catcher and the Rye" and a handful of other books and short stories that established Salinger's reputation as one of the most important writers working in America. We'd like to know how Salinger's stories affected you. Are his works still relevant today? What do you think his legacy is? Give us your thoughts..

Posted by Q at 04:16 PM
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...whatever became of me...I'm living on the air in...

IIn my defense, when I blogged MENTAL BEAST a few weeks ago, I said I might revisit it on-air. After a second look, I feel it deserves extra scrutiny because it does what I always wanted from the classic radio-on-TV show WKRP in Cincinnati. It actually offers episodes of the fictional radio program the characters are supposedly hosting in the behind-the-scenes drama. As well, there is the Xmas compilation album, EGGNOG EXPERIENCE, featuring original songs and covers from Vancouver bands.

Click through for more shtuff...

Continue reading "Mio on the Down-Lo: Baby, if you've ever wondered... " »

Posted by Q at 08:14 AM
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The first image I saw after Haiti's disastrous earthquake was of a stunned and injured young girl, just rescued from the rubble of her home or school -- it wasn't clear. I wondered who took the picture and how it might have felt to be documented in a moment like that.

Continue reading "What's your opinion on the coverage of Haiti's earthquake?" »

Posted by Q at 12:21 PM
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On Friday, Mel Gibson returns to the screen for the first time in six years, with the movie "Edge of Darkness." It's based on a British miniseries from the 1980s and it's an old-school political thriller. Here with one of his classic lists, Q’s Screenboy Jesse Wente offers a guided tour of the best polical thrillers to ever hit the big screen. Send us your picks for the best and worst.

Continue reading "JESSE WENTE'S TOP FIVE POLITICAL THRILLERS" »

Posted by Q at 10:11 AM
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On Friday, Q featured a special program dedicated to relief efforts for Haiti and the Haitian people. Given that Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere, the rebuilding process promises to take many years. What are your hopes for the future of Haiti? What's the best way to rebuild Haiti? Give us your thoughts.

Posted by Q at 10:30 AM
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If you want it then you shoulda put a ring on it ... When the book "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough" arrived on my desk recently, my first impulse was to drop-kick it across the room and turn my attention back to the poster of a Chinatown-era Jack Nicholson I keep taped above my computer monitor.

Continue reading "Is the contemporary approach to romance -- and relationships -- wrong?" »

Posted by Q at 09:49 AM
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One of the guys, Paul Sak, behind the SARCMARK tells me there is a punctuation mark for sarcasm in Ethiopian and a rarely used one for irony in French. So why not one for the English language? He also thinks that sarcasm is less anti-social than in previous generations, more on the humourous side now, but a regular happy face just doesn't do it justice. Talk to me...unsarcastically...are you pro or con sarcasm? Waddya think about the need for something like Sarcmark (which costs $1.99 by the way)?

More good links after the jump...

Continue reading "Mio on the Down-Lo: I am soooo happy to meet you" »

Posted by Q at 08:17 AM
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Today on Q we got some straight talk from English professor Anne Trubek on the state of handwriting. No, she hasn't issued a cry for the lost art. Just the opposite -- she says we should acknowledge that handwriting isn't the best technology for us to capture our thoughts anymore, which is why she argues for the end of handwriting lessons in primary schools.

Continue reading "Should schools stop teaching cursive handwriting?" »

Posted by Q at 11:36 AM
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Awards season in Hollywood has begun in earnest. Time to prepare ourselves for nights filled with champagne, fancy gowns, statuettes, and acceptance speeches. But not all thank yous are created the same. Q’s Screenboy Jesse Wente offers a guided tour of the best and worst. (Enhanced with links!) Send us your picks for the best and worst.

Continue reading "JESSE WENTE’S TOP FIVE BEST & WORST HOLLYWOOD ACCEPTANCE SPEECHES" »

Posted by Q at 09:47 AM
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Bob Barker, the former Price is Right host and television legend, joined us on Q Thursday to talk about his involvement with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society... and his support for their "direct action" tactics.

Listen to Bob Barker on Q here:

Continue reading "Bob Barker: Eco-Warrior" »

Posted by Q at 02:19 PM
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On Wednesday's show, we featured a debate about cigarettes in films marketed to young movie-goers. This issue was reignited recently by scenes from the smash hit "Avatar" depicting Sigourney Weaver as a nicotine-addicted scientist. Some anti-smoking groups think films with smoking should automatically be classified as "restricted". What do you think?

Continue reading "The On-Screen Smoking Debate: All Smoke and No Fire?" »

Posted by Q at 09:20 AM
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