Brandon Craddock's blog
Aftermath... D'Oh!
WORST EVER.
I had a taken a bunch of pics from yesterday's parade - some video too of, mostly sparse groups of people, giving it their best and trying not to let the miserable weather get em down (which was very encouraging, by the way - everyone who was out there made it all worthwhile ) but in light of the tragedy that occurred with the passing of Alexander Hamelin, I think out of respect for his family, I won't be posting any. What was supposed to be a fun & easy-going afternoon has turned into a horrible nightmare that won't be forgotten for a long, long time.. Thoughts and prayers to all of Alexander's family & friends.
25 YEARS BABY!!
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will hold its 25th annual induction ceremony tonight -- the 22nd one at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The class of 2010 comprises Genesis, The Hollies, The Stooges, ABBA and Jimmy Cliff. And in the Non-Performer category -- record executive David Geffen, and songwriters Jeff Barry and Elle Greenwich, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and Otis Blackwell.
Top Of The W/E To Yeh!!!!
LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!
Wow - Friday night in Montreal City and folks getttin' a good jump on the St. Patrick's festivities... On the way over, I noticed a few "go-getters" stumbling down the street, drinking and when I went to say "You might wanna wait a few more hours bef-" I was cut off by one of the guys, who said "NYYYYAAAARRGGHHHH"... Apparently didn't like that too much - wanted nothing of it... That's fine - was just trying to help my fellow "man" but it's cool!
Gettin' There!!!
ALREADY - WHA....?!?
Alright so clocks spring forward this Sunday morning - we lose an hour of well-deserved bar time but that means a little more light at night & in the morning + it means summer's gotta be close... Yeah!! ..And hey, with temps like this, don't really mind if he had "winter" year round - with me???
Sad to see Corey Haim - you remember him from "The Lost Boys"; "Licensed to Drive" & most recently "The 2 Corey's" TV Show... Apparently found dead this morning in L.A... Not exactly sure about cause of death but looking a lot like a drug overdose.. Corey Haim of Ontario dead at 38. Sad. This comes on the heels of Andrew Koenig's death (Boner from "Growing Pains") just a few weeks back in Vancouver.. Usually happens in three's - wonder who's next???
And we can lower the Alert Status from RED back to YELLOW... Syd Crosby found his golden stick & glove... Not stolen after all, just a mix-up!! His stick got mixed up somehow and was being shipped back to Russia!?? Can you imagine??? And the glove, it was found in his teammate's Pat Bergeron equipment bag??? Guess he thought he'd hawk it for some beer money at the local pawn shop for it, eh?!? Probably not...
HEEE-EEEE'S BAAAAA-AAAAACK
New Jimi Hendrix music hit stores yesterday. Valleys of Neptune is a compilation of 12 songs that were never officially released. These are the final studio recordings of the original Jimi Hendrix Experience, done over four months in 1969. Janie Hendrix, C-E-O of Experience Hendrix, says, "Valleys of Neptune offers deep insight into his mastery of the recording process and demonstrates the fact that he was as unparalleled a recording innovator as he was a guitarist." Among the 12 songs is a cover of Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love."
For The Ladies!!
DID YOU CELEBRATE???
Just want to wish all the ladies a happy International Women's Day!! Would've been nice to get the day off but hey, it's Quebec!!! Pretty relaxing weekend - skiing up at Val St. Come with the most beautiful conditions yet!!! We'll be up at Mont Blanc this Saturday - saw the mountain this weekend and looking like great coverage!! Elan will also be there - so come hang out and maybe win a brand new pair of skis AND bindings!!!
Oscars last night - what a crap-fest, this year!!! Couldn't believe how boring it all was... Liked Martin & Baldwin (all 3 minutes of 'em) but the rest of the crap & crappy movies... BLAH!!! thought AVATAR had it all locked down and then along comes Precious; The Hurt Locker & Crazy Heart... Guess I'll have to watch Heart & Locker now... Thank God there was a hockey game on ..and we won!!!
The other high(or low)light was finally seeing 2012... Very happy I waited to see this one - how 'bout this title instead: "The Day After Tomorrow 2"??? Ya. Not impressed.
BACK, BABY
Just weeks ago, the future of Aerosmith was up in the air, and now they've announced their second tour in two weeks. Before hitting Europe in June, they'll tour South America in May. The Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour will hit Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil between May 18th and the 29th!!!
MORE!!!
Rolling Stones fans, be on the lookout for new music. Keith Richards tells Rolling Stone they have "no definite plans," but adds that he "wouldn't be surprised if we did some recording later this year."
It's Here!?!!
OFFICIAL!!!
Oooh yeeeah!!! Welcome to the weekend!! Might as well go ahead and book off the rest of the week 'cause the weather just keeps getting better!! Yeah, go ahead and shoot in a "Guinness I.V. drip" - make it a St. Patty's WEEK!!! Ya baby!!! Sun & 5 degrees forecasted for the week - just watch next Sunday... BLIZZARD!??! Hope not but never know in Mtl!!!
The CHOM Bernard Trottier Ski Team will be up at Val St. Come for another day of "shreddin' & ridin'".. Elan skis will be there as well, so come on up and enjoy some major SPRING SKIING!!!
As for early spring, I think we can safely assume this is spring now... Bears in St. Anne's waking up a full month early, slowly starting to emerge... Don't worry, they were spotted at Morgan Arboretum!! Early spring also means less pot-holes (if you believe the city) but from what I've seen - still got a ways to go!!! And this means you can get going a little early on the garden - know Mom will be pleased with this!!! ..Just watch out for the man - with all the nice weather they'll be out BIG-TIME!!!
CARS???
Sean Lennon says the use of John Lennon's image in a commercial for Citroen automobiles was a way to keep the rock icon "in the public consciousness." Footage of John, talking about being rebellious, not nostalgic, is used in a new spot for French automaker's compact D-S-3 model that's now up on YouTube... The younger Lennon said on Twitter that his mother, Yoko Ono, "did not do it for money... It's just hard to find new ways to keep dad in the new world. Not many things as effective as T-V."
Trade'Ya???
ANYONE???
.So I woke up today all psyched for some "Deadline Presents" but not so much for our Habs??? 30 trades total (mostly little things) with The Bruins; Thrashers; Panthers; Lightning; Flyers & Islanders not doing anything major either.. Pierre Gauthier saying “We have so many new faces on the team this year and we’ve yet to really have everyone in the lineup at the same time due to injury. We’re looking forward to seeing what this group can do when they are all back healthy and in the lineup.”.. I get that - we did grab Domenic Moore before the Olympic break - he's a veteran and maybe with that 4-1 win down in Boston, Tuesday night.. Might be just OK - maybe!!! Matt D'Agostini gone to St. Louis for Aaron Palushaj - Max Pacioretty's old college roommate?! See if they "re-acquaint" on the Bulldogs!!!
NEW!!!
David Bowie has a new live album out, A Reality Tour, which documents his 2003-2004 world tour, but don't expect him to promote the effort. Outside of a few red-carpet appearances, he's been quiet since suffering a heart attack in 2004. His bass player, Gail Ann Dorsey, tells us, "I would not count him out... He's a very inspired human being so I can't imagine there isn't something brewing." If there is, he's keeping it close to his vest as he has not updated his blog since 2006.
Home & Native Land
YA BABY.
So happy to be flying the flag today, after what has been (for me) the best Winter Olympics I can remember.. Not sure if it was because they were being held out there, in our backyard but really felt connected this time around.. Of course, Gold Medals coming out of our ying-yangs is always good incentive but seemed to really know the athletes this time around... Watched the hockey "game of the millennium" Sunday afternoon downtown at a buddy's place - you could feel the ground move when "Syd the Kid" scored "the goal"!!! Good buzz!! Way to go Canada!!
The CHOM Bernard Trottier Ski Team was at Mont Sutton on Saturday - which was just hit with 60 cm's of new snow.. All of you worrying about rain on Saturday missed out! Nothing but snow - sometimes heavy - best conditions yet at Mt. Sutton!!! Plus the Airbag.ca was there - missed my perfect-off-axis-full-270-backflips-Bilodeau-style... Gone and never to be seen again!!! Oh well - maybe some other time!!
ROCK AUCTION
Items from The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton are among a massive selection of rock memorabilia being auctioned this week in New York by GottaHaveIt.com. The sale includes:
Gone Skiin'!!!!
MT. SUTTON!!
Oooh yeah - Weekend time in Montreal and looks like it's gonna be a big one!! Starting to feel that cabin-fever just a bit..? Not so bad this year with the warmness but starting to think about patios and terraces.. How 'bout you?
Nice momentum going for Canada these past few days.. Joannie Rochette nailing bronze & Women's Hockey Team wiping out the US for GOLD, baby!!! Some nice girl power happening there... Ya! Like 75% of all our medals this year, have been won by the ladies!!! Wow!? Nicely done, girls!! Loved the beer & cigar celebration on centre ice last night; just hope the guys can follow suit!!! Love to see another celebration!!!
This Saturday, The CHOM Bernard-Trottier Ski Team will be hitting Mont Sutton.. Yes, Lee Brosseau and his Elan demo team will be on hand for your skiing enjoyment!!! Also as a bonus this week, The Airbag will be on hand.. No your wife's not coming - this is the huge air-cusion that stunt guys jump of roofs onto!!! So you can try out some Bilodeau action and not worry about breaking your kneck... Click HERE for their website!!!
Oh Canada, Baby!!!!
PRIDE!!
Pretty crazy 48 hours, eh? We saw Joannie Rochette dazzle the audience then get showered in standing ovations for let's face it, what could have been a disastrous experience! She goes again Thursday night in the long program - good luck, Joannie!! This afternoon it was Clara Hughes - again - taking Bronze this time for her Women's 5000m Speed Skating!! She then went on to announce that she was retiring - going out on a great note! Way to go Clara!! And then the big - HUGE news: Team Canada beating Russia 7-3 - the game we've all been fearing for how long now??? From the second the puck dropped, Russians had no idea what hit 'em... A little case of overconfidence methinks!!! Take it anyway we can!! Nicely done Canada!!!
MULLET FEST 2010 Y'ALL!!!
“Life, Liberty and Rock!” – that’s the mission of Rocklahoma 2010. The Rock Fever annual hard rock music festival held in Pryor, Oklahoma has announced its 2010 lineup and fans are now excited. The 2010 Rocklahoma festival will happen on Memorial Day weekend, May 28 to 30 and will include the biggest rock bands in the United States from the 80s, 90s and today. Click HERE for a direct link to their site!! And don't forget to "Jus-Giver!!!"
Epic!!!
REUNITED!!
Another picture perfect ski day up at Mont Avalanche for The CHOM Bernard-Trottier Ski Team!! Can't understand how we keep lucking out (on the weather)??? Woke up to a (rare) Montreal snowstorm Saturday morning but as soon as we hit Laval - gone?!? Good times! Next week, it's Mont Sutton in the Townships - hope to see y'all there - gonna be a party... Drop by, say hi and try out some brand new Elan skis!! As for the Clapton/Beck show tonight at the Bell Ctr - that's it; just like me, you missed it!!! Pretty wild interview I read about how the two reunited.. It happened in Japan when a Japanese concert promoter brought the 2 of them together for 2 nights. Last time this happened was back in 1983 for MS Benefit Show?!!
10:45 now and calls pouring in - Big thanks to Eric, Sam, Nadia, Andre, Phil, Mike, Robert, Denis, Jason, Tina & Josee (and anyone else who I left out!!) Apparently another great show to grace our Bell Ctr... Starting with Jeff Beck and some orchestral elements - just all over the place.. really wanted to see him with Slowhand but have to wait till summertime and Clapton's Crossroads Festival in Illinois! After about an hour, out came Eric, who was a little heavy on the acoustic according to your calls but still proficient as all hell!! To finish: Clapton & Beck on the Crossroads!! Good on ya guys - thanks for another kick-ass experience!!!
CLAP TELLS ALL???
Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck wrap up their run of six shows tonight in Montreal, after playing two shows in London and New York and one in Toronto. Although they both played in The Yardbirds in the early '60s, Clapton and Beck never played together until the ARMS benefits for multiple sclerosis in 1983. Clapton tells Rolling Stone the reason why it took so long was "Because we were enemies. He was my replacement in The Yardbirds. I mean, there shouldn't have been a replacement. That was why I left: 'I'll leave, and the whole thing will collapse without me.' In fact, they got better with Jeff and became more successful."
