Pop Life

Last Call is a weekly podcast on the stories behind the places where everybody knows your name. This week, Harry's New York Bar in Paris, the home of the Bloody Mary! I’m Richard Crouse. I tended bar for seventeen years everywhere from hot spots to dive bars and I thought I had seen it all… In my life behind bars I witnessed everything from first dates and marriage proposals to knife fights and a woman who brought a pet monkey in for a drink. Nothing could surprise me… Or so I thought… Then I heard about how a lion who visited Harry’s New York Bar in Paris inspired Ernest Hemingway to write one of his greatest novels. And why there are century old chicken bones hanging above the beer-stained bar at McSorleys in New York City. And how Vincent Sardi refused to do business with the mob during Prohibition, so his famous Broadway Restaurant didn’t serve alcohol until the 21st amendment passed, six year after they first opened… With the help of the Last Call radio players, music and interviews, I bring these stories, and many more, to life in my podcast Last Call. It’s fact folded in with a sprinkling of fiction, because, well, who doesn’t exaggerate after a few drinks? So, open that bottle of wine or crack that beer and join me for an intoxicating guided tour of some of the strange stories from some of the world’s best watering holes.

This week on the "Pop Life Podcast" we meet “Relax! Dammit” author and law professor Timothy Caulfield. Host Richard Crouse and Caulfield talk about life during the pandemic, how to manage stress and what advice to listen to, and which to ignore. Then the "Pop Life" panel, sleep expert Amanda Jewson and founder/ chef of 'The Nomad Cook' Travis Petersen, discuss the myths and misconceptions that cloud our decision making. Watch the whole thing HERE! (Link coming soon) Film critic and pop culture historian Richard Crouse shares a toast with celebrity guests and entertainment pundits every week on CTV News Channel’s talk show POP LIFE. Featuring in-depth discussion and debate on pop culture and modern life, POP LIFE features sit-down interviews with celebrities from across the entertainment world, including rock legends Sting and Bob Geldof, musicians Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman, comedian Ken Jeong, writer Fran Lebowitz, superstar jazz musician Diana Krall, stand-up comedian and CNN host W. Kamau Bell, actors Danny DeVito and Jay Baruchel, celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Nigella Lawson, and many more.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet Tracy Deonn, the North Carolina author of the bestselling YA novel "Legendborn." Called "a modern day twist on Arthurian legend" it follows a Black teenage girl who discovers a secret historically white magic society while attending a UNC-Chapel Hill residential pre-college program.   Then, the "Pop Life" panel, Mohawk film director and producer Tracey Deer, Publicity Director at HarperCollins Canada Lauren Morocco and rising country singer, songwriter, and musician Madison Kozak convene to talk about the various ways to pitch your creative ideas. 

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet veteran music journalist Lisa Robinson, Her new book “Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls: Women, Music, and Fame,” pulls from four-and-a-half decades of interviews with music’s most famous women — from Tina Turner, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks to Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. In our interview Robinson reflects on her own career as a pioneering female music writer and editor of Music Scene Magazine. Then, Robinson joins the “Pop Life” panel, Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s, the first all-female band to have a #1 album in the U.S and Rookz Eastmond an entrepreneur and producer who specializes in urban music, to talk about being a woman in the world of music.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet international publishing phenomenon Angie Thomas. Her debut novel "The Hate You Give" debuted at number one on The New York Times young adult best-seller list, where it remained for 50 weeks. Her new novel, "Concrete Rose," is one of the most anticipated books of the year. We discuss growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, pitching a book on Twitter and much more.   Then, the "Pop Life" panel, Angie, broadcaster, author and elected MP Marci Ien and diversity, equity and inclusion consultant Camille Dundas, discuss making a difference in the world. Watch "Pop Life" every Saturday at midnight on CTV. 

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet rock and roll legend and author of "Do You Feel Like I Do? A Memoir," Peter Frampton. We discuss his new book, his guitar heroes and an old friend named Dave... (that's David Bowie to you and me).  Watch "Pop Life" every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV. 

On the Saturday December 19, 2020 episode of “Pop Life” the “Pop Life” panel, “eTalk” senior correspondent Lainey Lui, UK Correspondent for CTV News Daniele Hamamdjian and National Affairs Correspondent for CTV “National News” Omar Sachedina, look back the memorable stories from a year we’d rather forget.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet Harnarayan Singh, host the Punjabi-language broadcast of "Hockey Night in Canada" and author of a memoir called "One Game at a Time: My Journey." In this interview we talk about the FIRST memoir he wrote... when he was six years old, what it was like growing up as a Sikh kid playing hockey in rural Alberta and much more. Then, the Pop Life panel, former professional ice hockey player and mental health activist Theo Fluery, NHL player and executive and hockey agent Eustace King and TSN - SportsCentre anchor Lindsay Hamilton, discuss diversity in hockey. Watch "Pop Life" every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV.   

Welcome to the Pop Life Podcast. This week Royal Watcher Robert Lacey, author of "Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult." We talk scandal, the rift between the brothers and whether the twio princes will ever reconcile.  Then, the Pop Life Panel, Lacey, CTV NewsChannel anchor Beverly Thomson and Chef John Higgins, who has cooked for the Queen at Buckingham Palace and on the Royal Yacht Britannia. They discuss the obsession with Royals and what the future holds for the Royal Family.  Watch "Pop Life" every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV.

On the “Pop Life” Podcast this week Timothy Caulfield, author of Relax, Dammit! A User's Guide to the Age of Anxiety joins us. His book is an Insightful, sometimes controversial, always entertaining and practical guide to getting through the day with less stress and better health. Then, the Pop Life Myths and Misconceptions panel, sleep expert Amanda Jewison and Travis Petersen - founder/ chef of The Nomad Cook join us to discuss the myths and misconceptions of their work.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet Canadian icon Gordon Lightfoot, in a special interview shot at his home. He talks about childhood singing with the Orillia St. Paul’s United Church, writing songs and his favorite cover version of all of his songs… and you’ll never guess what it is. Then, the “Pop Life” panel, opera star Measha Brueggergosman, broadcaster Denise Donlan and filmmaker Paul Saltzman discuss what makes a legend. Watch "Pop Life" every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV. 

This week on the Pop Life Podcast with Richard Crouse we meet best selling author Darin Strauss. "The Queen of Tuesday," about Lucille Ball, a thrilling love story starring Hollywood’s first true media mogul, it's Strauss’s follow-up to the National Book Critics Circle Award winner "Half a Life," mixes fact and fiction, memoir and novel, to imagine the provocative story of a woman we thought we knew.  Then we ask the Pop Life panel, stand up comedian Debra DiGiovanni, Second City alum Darryl Hinds and Just for Laughs co-founder Andy Nulman, to discuss influences in comedy.  Remember, you can each Pop Life on television and twitter every Saturday night at 8:30 pm on the CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV.  

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we are discussing legacy. Jake Clemons is a solo musician, singer and songwriter who understands legacy. In 2012 he has been the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, after the death of the band's original saxophonist, his uncle Clarence Clemons. We discuss performing with his famous uncle in church, having big shoes to fill and much more.  Then the "Pop Life" panel, Clemons, Canadian jazz vocalist and pianist Carol Welsman whose granddaughter was Frank Welsman, the founder and first conductor of the first Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Todd D. Snyder, author of a biography of Muhammad Ali’s cornerman, Drew “Bundini” Brown, who coined the phrase “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” talk about the role legacy plays in our lives.  Watch "Pop Life" every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV. 

This week on the "Pop Life" Podcast we meet Darrell Fox, brother of Canadian icon Terry Fox and editor of "Forever Terry," a collection of letters that recounts the inspiration, dedication, and perseverance that Terry Fox embodied. We discuss Terry Fox's legacy from a personal point of view. Then the "Pop Life" panel, world champion hurdler Perdita Felicien and rock star Tom Cochrane talk about the impact Terry Fox left on the entire country. Film critic and pop culture historian Richard Crouse shares a toast with celebrity guests and entertainment pundits every week on CTV News Channel’s talk show POP LIFE. Featuring in-depth discussion and debate on pop culture and modern life, POP LIFE features sit-down interviews with celebrities from across the entertainment world, including rock legends Sting and Bob Geldof, musicians Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman, comedian Ken Jeong, writer Fran Lebowitz, superstar jazz musician Diana Krall, stand-up comedian and CNN host W. Kamau Bell, actors Danny DeVito and Jay Baruchel, celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Nigella Lawson, and many more.

On this week’s podcast Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo visits virtually to talk about making new music during the pandemic and what it is like staying close to home. Then the panel, Cuddy, singer/songwriter Alexis Lynn and Jackie Dean, the co- Interim CEO/ Chief Operating Officer of Music Canada discuss the future of live music. Jim Cuddy on life as a musician during the pandemic: “We have a little place north of the city and so my wife and I, to varying degrees, moved up there. And, you know, it seemed to everybody that it was going to be pretty short term. But then when it was obvious it was going to last a long time, we settled in. I have not stayed in one place that long for 30 years. And it was beautiful because I watched the seasons come and go at our farm, which we’ve had for 20 years, that I didn’t even know happened, and watching the life and the death and wrote a lot of songs. I try to be really productive. And so it was OK for me. I mean, I know that I’m one of the lucky ones that I had space and I had a career that was OK to put on hold for six months or whoever knows how long.” Film critic and pop culture historian Richard Crouse shares a toast with celebrity guests and entertainment pundits every week on CTV News Channel’s talk show POP LIFE. Featuring in-depth discussion and debate on pop culture and modern life, POP LIFE features sit-down interviews with celebrities from across the entertainment world, including rock legends Sting and Bob Geldof, musicians Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman, comedian Ken Jeong, writer Fran Lebowitz, superstar jazz musician Diana Krall, stand-up comedian and CNN host W. Kamau Bell, actors Danny DeVito and Jay Baruchel, celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Nigella Lawson, and many more.

This episode of the "Pop Life" Podcast is an in-depth look at the popularity of true crime stories. We begin with an interview with journalist Justin Ling, author of “Missing from the Village: The Story of Serial Killer Bruce McArthur, the Search for Justice, and the System That Failed Toronto’s Queer Community” which documents the tragic and resonant story of the disappearance of eight men–the victims of serial killer Bruce McArthur–from Toronto’s queer community. Then the “Pop Life” panel, journalist Kevin Donovan author of “Billionaire Murders,” Kristi Lee, host of CDN true crime podcast “Canadian True Crime” and Michael Arntfield, a former detective/ writer, producer, and consultant for the true crime series “To Catch a Killer.” You can watch "Pop Life" Saturday nights at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel or midnight on CTV.  Film critic and pop culture historian Richard Crouse shares a toast with celebrity guests and entertainment pundits every week on CTV News Channel’s talk show POP LIFE. Featuring in-depth discussion and debate on pop culture and modern life, POP LIFE features sit-down interviews with celebrities from across the entertainment world, including rock legends Sting and Bob Geldof, musicians Josh Groban and Sarah Brightman, comedian Ken Jeong, writer Fran Lebowitz, superstar jazz musician Diana Krall, stand-up comedian and CNN host W. Kamau Bell, actors Danny DeVito and Jay Baruchel, celebrity chefs Bobby Flay and Nigella Lawson, and many more.

Happy Canada Day. Here at the House of Crouse we go big. Not satisfied to simply celebrate Canada Day on July 1, we’re honouring our home and native land for the whole week! Spend some time with us and noted patriots Brent Butt, Jay Baruchel, Jill Hennessy, Deepa Mehta, Patrick Mckenna and the most Canadian being of all, Captain Canuck. Stop by and stand on guard with us.

One from the Vaults: Welcome to the House of Crouse. C’mon in, pull up a bean bag chair and enjoy photographer Chris Buck talking about taking portraits for his book Uneasy of everyone from President Obama and President Trump to Jay Z and Willie Nelson. Which world leader did he make spit out their gum? Listen in and find out. Then Logan star Hugh Jackman comes by to talk about finding the confidence to get up on stage in drama school. It’s good stuff, so sit back, relax and sit a spell.

One from the vault! Welcome to the House of Crouse. Howie Mandel is best known as a stand up comedian and game show host, but he also has a serious side. In our conversation he talks about “On My Way Out: the Secret Life of Nani and Popi,” a film he produced about how secrets can be harmful and then reveals how sharing a secret changed his life. It’s good stuff, so c’mon in and sit a spell.

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Fourteen! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, a coming of age story, a comic playing against type and the secret history of disco. #Pariah #Drive #The SecretHistoryofDisco

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Fourteen! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, going underground, a gang war in rhyme and the beginning of a franchise. #Buried #ChiRaq #FirstBlood

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Eight! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, a financial crisis, a blacklisted writer and a troubled trumpeter. #TheBigShort #Trumbo #BornToBeBlue 

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Eight! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, a strange biography, lovestruck bank robbers and a cabin in the woods. #ALiarsBiographyTheUntrueStoryofMontyPythonsGrahamChapman #TheTown #ACabinInTheWoods

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Eight! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, wrestling, murder, aliens and keeping time. NSFW Language may not be suitable for all audiences.#Foxcatcher #AttackTheBlock #Whiplash

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Ten! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, newsrooms, vigilantes and a twelve-year-old vampire. #Christine #HarryBrown #LetMeIn

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Eight! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, dinosaurs, the meaning of life, the potential of the page and true crime. #treeoflife #paterson #westofmemphis

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Five! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Richard Crouse at Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, there’s trouble in the kitchen, thrill killers and “Gucci!” #NoseToTail #TheStrangersPreyAtNight #EighthGrade Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Five! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Richard Crouse at Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, too much money, a murderous game and SSSHHH! They’re listening! #GenerationWealth #GameNight #AQuietPlace Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Five! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Richard Crouse at Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, a human-animal hybrid, a homemade superhero and a country music legend. #Defendor #Splice #CrazyHeart Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Five! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, Ozark drug dealers, driving lessons and teenage rock n' roll! Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW #WintersBone #TheRunaways #LearningToDrive

What to watch when you’ve already watched everything Part Four! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, rogue cops, troubled troubadours, a chef and a story about a cat! #DirtyHarry #Chef #InsideLlewynDavis Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW

What to watch when you've already watched everything Part Three! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Richard Crouse at Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movies to stream, rent or buy from the comfort of home isolation. Today, road warriors, romantic zombies and an underemployed dancer. #MadMaxFuryRoad #WarmBodies #FrancesHa Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW

What to watch when you've already watched everything Part Two! Binge worthy, not cringe worthy recommendations from Richard Crouse Isolation Studios in the eerily quiet downtown Toronto. Three movie choices to stream, rent or buy that will help fill the minutes until we can comfortably cough in public once again. And no, "Electric Boogaloo" is not one of the selections. Today, a fictional lover, a youthful queen and a man on a mission. #Ruby Sparks #TheYoungVictoria #TheWorldsEnd Some language may not be appropriate for all listeners. NSFW

This week we’re talking about reunions. Later the “Pop Life” panel, that’s Gordon Deppe of The Spoons, Monika Deol of Electric Circus and DeGrassi’s Stacie Mistysyn talk about revisiting the past in the here and now… But first… singer-songwriter, author, political activist and occasional actor Bob Geldof stops by the Pop Life bar. He became famous as the lead singer of the Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and became a legend when he and Midge Ure founded the charity supergroup Band Aid to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia and went on to organise the charity super-concert Live Aid. He is an accomplished solo artist whose charitable work continues to this day. We were supposed to talk about the Boomtown Rats, "Citizens of Boomtown," their first album in 36 years and a lead single, "Trash Glam Baby,” but, as you’re about to find out, that was just a starting point for a much wider conversation. I hope you enjoy listening to Bob Geldof as much as I enjoyed speaking with him.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast: We meet an actor who plays a doctor on one of the most popular shows on television. You’ve seen Christina Chong in films like "28 Days" and "Random Hearts," and on television on "24,""CSI: Miami,""Boston Legal," "Suits," and "Nashville" but she is best known as Dr. Audrey Lim on "The Good Doctor." We talk about a little bit of everything, including what it was like to move to the United States from Taiwan when she was a teenager and the kind of research she does about medical procedures to convincingly play a doctor on TV. Later in the show, on the “Pop Life” panel, we have two real doctors, Dr. Brian Goldman—he’s an ER physician, host of CBC's White Coat, Black Art and author of the national bestseller "Power Of Kindness," Dr. Raj Waghmare, he’s an Emergency Physician and Canada's ER Blogger--Read his stories at www.ERTales.com and www.theoverheadpage.com--and an actor who plays a doctor on television, that’s Transplant’s Ayisha Issa to talk about the real life medicine versus what we see on television.  

This week on The Pop Life Podcast: the multi-Gold and Platinum-selling Bif Naked has been called a Punk Princess, Rock Goddess, and Legend… she’s all that and more. Add to the list, Cancer Survivor, Mentor and Entrepreneur. With a new tour, a new record and her own CBD brand, Bif is busier than ever. She found time to stop by the Pop Life bar to talk about the record that made her take up music over medicine, how her cancer diagnosis changed her and taking risks!  Then, the “Pop Life” panel, sports podaster Shireen Ahmed, Indigenous Fashion Week co-founder Sage Paul and Roxy Earle, Founder of #MySizeRox, talk about why each of them chose the path less travelled. 

This week on thr Pop Life Podcast: an in-depth interview with culinary legend Lidia Bastianich. The television host, author, and restaurateur stopped by the Pop Life bar to talk about how growing up on her grandparents' farm affected her relationship with food… how she ended up in New York City working with a soon to be very famous actor and what dish every household should know how to make.  Later in the show the “Pop Life” panel, celebrity chef Selwyn Richards, foodie and television host Pay Chen and The Globe and Mail’s national food reporter Ann Hui, talk about the intersection of food and community. 

This week on “Pop Life” we’re talking about rock and roll with a panel of rock and roll heroes, Big Wreck’s Ian Thornley, Headstones’ Hugh Dillon, Moist’s David Usher and The Tea Party’s Jeff Martin. They stopped by the “Pop Life” Bar to talk about their new tour–The Saints and Sinners 2020 Tour visits 19 cities between June 26 and July 30–life on the road, meeting Jimmy Page, dental work and much more.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast neuroscientist and author Daniel J. Levitin stops by the “Pop Life” bar to discuss his latest book “Successful Aging: A Neuroscientist Explores the Power and Potential of Our Lives.” He looks at the science behind what we all can learn from those who age joyously, as well as how to adapt our culture to take full advantage of older people’s wisdom and experience. Throughout his exploration of what aging really means, using research from developmental neuroscience and the psychology of individual differences, Levitin reveals resilience strategies and practical, cognitive enhancing tricks everyone should do as they age. Then Levitin joins the “Pop Life” panel, Paul Mason a.k.a. Fashion Santa and Juno nominee Jay Douglas, to talk about the future of aging, lying about their ages and how much of defying aging is mental.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast we meet a classic musician who first performed in public when he was just five years old and is still making music, most recently releasing an album of his interpretations of classic standards called True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter. Harry Connick Jr stops by the Pop Life bar to talks about his earliest musical memories, the massive success of his When Harry Met Sally soundtrack and how he narrowed down Cole Porter’s library of hundreds of songs to the 13 that appear on the record.  Then, listen as Antoni Cimolino, the Stratford Festival’s Artistic Director, Simon Rivard, RBC Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and Alina Solomon the Chef/owner of the restaurant Tutti Matti… and also a wizard of classic Italian cooking.. break down why the classics are not only important but often just as timely today as when they were first created. You can catch Pop Life every Saturday night at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV… we’d love you to join us.

This week on the Pop Life Podcast: Cynthia Loyst visits the Pop Life bar. We know her as one of the hosts of the CTV talk show The Social but did you know she’s also an expert in how to find pleasure in your life? She is the creator of Find Your Pleasure, an online hub to help readers find pleasure in their lives and recently authoured a book… a road map to happy living called Find Your Pleasure. The book shines a light on: the importance of guilt-free pleasure, the mental health benefits, the pleasure gap between men and women, how to prioritize pleasure while parenting, and the inclusivity of pleasure and how to find it in a resourceful way. In this interview the self-described professional sensualist we talk about how she “quietly suffered” through what looked like a perfect life, what it means to be a “professional sensualist” and the keys to pleasure. Then, the Pop Life Panel, Cynthia, Licence To Grill host Rob Rainford and Del Rollo, Senior Director, Arterra Wines Canada, talk about turning their pleasures and passions into thier jobs, the best meal they’ve ever had and the big difference between knowing what to do to find pleasure and actually doing those things. Pop Life runs every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV…  we’d love you to join us.

This week on The Pop Life Podcast: The #1 New York Times bestselling author of “Tuesdays With Morrie,  Mitch Albom. His new book, “Finding Chika,” is an intimate and heartwarming memoir about the young Haitian orphan whose short life changed his life, and it’s his most personal story to date in a career filled with important and touching stories. We talk about the inspiration for Tuesdays with Morrie, the book he says changed the way he thought about his life and career, about how he became involved with the orphanage in Haiti and, of course, about Chika, the little girl who inspired his new book and who taught him about living life.  Then, the “Pop Life” panel… publisher, broadcaster, philanthropist Denham Jolly, musician Egbo Egbo Thompson and Jen McCain, Entrepreneur, granddaughter of McCain Foods Limited co-founder Wallace McCain, discuss giving as a way of life. Pop Life runs every Saturday at 8:30 pm on CTV NewsChannel and midnight on CTV…  we’d love you to join us.

February 3, 1959 and February 9, 1964. The day the music died and the date it was reborn on the Ed Sullivan Show, both days burned into the collective memories of pop culture fanatics everywhere. But what about May 25, 1977? If you were a teenager then chances are you felt the earth shift. It was the day Star Wars opened, kicking off a cultural phenomenon that continues to this day. On the eve of the release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the third installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy, and the final episode of the nine-part "Skywalker saga," we welcome the droid you’ve been looking for… Anthony Daniels. As C-3PO he is the only actor to have appeared in all of the episodic films in the series, as well as many of its spin-offs, including television shows, video games and radio serials. We talk about his first stage appearances, the uncomfortable nature of the gold suit that made him famous and how he once felt like a “secret outcast” from the rest of the cast.  Then the Pop Life panel of Star Wars fans and friends… Ken Lashley, Marvel, DC, Lucasfilm and Hasbro artist… CTV NewsChannel anchor and Star Wars superfan Todd Van Der Heyden and Roger Christian the Academy Award winning Set Decorator and Production Designer for Star Wars--he created the lightsaber and R2D2 and decided to put dice in the film as a nod to Han Solo gambling. Here’s the panel on why Star Wars is still important forty two years after its initial release…

Later in the show the “Pop Life” panel, songwriters Marc Jordan, Amy Sky and Domanique Grant discuss the alchemy behind creating new music. First up though…  an in-depth interview with one-half of one of the most successful and prolific songwriting duos in the history of popular music… he’s the man Elton John calls his “soul mate…” As the lyrist to Elton John, Bernie Taupin is responsible for more than 35 gold and 25 platinum albums, 30 consecutive U.S. Top 40 hits, has sold more than 255 million records worldwide, and holds the record for the biggest-selling single of all time, Candle In the Wind ’97, with more than 33 million copies sold… He stops by the Pop Life bar to discuss writing some of the greatest songs of not one but several generations… we talk about what he told Elton John when they first met, why he doesn't like to explain his songs and how he now spends his days creating visual art including abstract and contemporary mixed-media pieces.  

Later in the show… the “Pop Life” panel, musician Jason Sniderman (a.k.a. Ensign Broderick) and YouTube Influencer Jillian Danford discuss life’s only constant–change. But first… an in-depth interview with Arlene Dickinson, Canadian businesswoman, investor, television personality and author of, “Reinvention: Changing Your Life, Your Career, Your Future.” She is a dragon investor on CBC television’s Dragons' Den, she owns one of Canada's largest independent marketing and communications firms and is someone who has shaped and reshaped her life. Arlene stops by the “Pop Life” bar to discuss her new book, and how to make meaningful changes in your life at any age.

On this episode of the Pop Life Podcast we have a look at telling stories. Later the Pop Life panel, “The Gown” author Jennifer Robson and journalist True Daley, talk about the art of storytelling… But first we welcome Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and author of  “Mobituaries: Great Lives Worth Reliving.” It’s a book that asks, "Why should it be only the rich-and-famous who get obits?” It celebrates extraordinary people whose names you may not remember, plus sitcom characters, historical epochs, and even snack foods that have all bitten the dust. He stops by the “Pop Life” bar to discuss his new book, the art of the obituary and how a good obituary is about the person’s life, not their death.  

This week on the Pop Life Podcast: Later the Pop Life panel, CTV science and technology specialist Dan Riskin, engineering program manager at Google Komal Singh and science commentator & author Of ‘An Earthling’s Guide To Outer Space’ Bob Macdonald, discuss how science became cool again… And of course one of the people who has changed our views of science is astronaut Chris Hadfield. He’s the first Canadian to walk in space, Chris Hadfield. In addition to being the most famous astronaut our country has ever produced, he’s an author, engineer and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot. Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner is a fan and the late, great David Bowie called Hadfield’s acoustic version of 'Space Oddity,' performed on board the International Space Station, in 2013, ‘possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created.’  At the Pop Life bar he talked about how being in space makes you aware of how connected people are on earth, how he feels lucky that he has a job that can inspire people, thinking like an astronaut and much more.

On this episode of the Pop Life Podcast we have an in-depth interview with hip hop musician, former elementary school teacher and author Humble the Poet. He stops by the “Pop Life” bar to discuss his new book “Things No One Else Can Teach Us,” what he learned from his failures, including a bad record deal, how even after he crawled out of crippling debt, the satisfaction was short lived and much more. Then the “Pop Life” panel, Humble the Poet and “The Awesome Music Project Canada: Songs of Hope and Happiness” authors Terry Stuart and Robert Carli, discuss teachable moments in life. “They saw that I was working on music after school,” Humble says of his parents. “I was working two jobs, working as a full-time teacher and I was tutoring high school kids at math. So I spent about four hours after work doing that, and I’d come home I’d write record and release something on YouTube. So they saw the work ethic and the main thing I was sacrificing at that point was sleep. And so, they knew when I said I’m going to leave the job full time, that I had a potential record deal on the table and was going to work on music full time, they knew that I wasn’t, you know, just looking for an excuse to quit my job and do nothing.”

This week on the Pop Life Podcast: You’re probably already listening to their new album, “Hey, I'm Just Like You” and have definitely had their ear-wormy song "Everything Is Awesome!!!" from The Lego Movie soundtrack reverberating around your brain from time to time. They are Tegan and Sara, the Grammy Award nominated indie rock sensations who stop by the “Pop Life” bar to discuss their new memoir “High School.” They talk about how music became the perfect fit for them. They tell stories about writing their first song, ‘Tegan Didn’t Go to School Today,” the important people in their lives and how music became a replacement for drugs and alcohol. Then, the “Pop Life” panel, music industry insiders Farley Flex, Nathan Stein and Laurie Lee Boutet, talk about finding the perfect fit between business and art.

On this week's Pop Life Podcast: What a career our guest has had. He began his career in 1969 as a music journalist. From 1974-1976 he was Vice-President of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song Records, and in the early nineteen eighties he co-owned Modern Records, which released Stevie Nicks' solo albums. He’s worked with everyone from Bonnie Raitt and The Allman Brothers to Hole and Sonic Youth. He was the Executive Producer of the soundtrack from the TV series Miami Vice and was Music Supervisor on numerous feature films including Dirty Dancing. He began managing Nirvana just before Nevermind made them international superstars. In the twenty-fifth anniversary of Kurt Cobains death visited the Pop Life bar to talk about his close relationship to Cobain — both professionally and personally -- and his new book Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain. Then the Pop Life panel, musicians Shelley Hamilton, Damhnait Doyle and Tyler Shaw, discuss life on the road and in the spotlight.

Our first guest is socialite, actress, model and YouTube sensation with over 2.8 million subscribers, Gigi Gorgeous. She has vlogged the trials and triumphs of her gender transition, and, is someone Caitlyn Jenner calls an inspiration and the best storyteller on the internet. In this interview we talk about her beginnings on social media, gender transition, being a role model and why she published a memoir called He Said, She Said at such a young age. You Tuber Shane Dawson, says, “A conversation with Gigi is filled with laughter, tears, and continuous gasps of shock. This book is no different.” And this interview promises some surprises as well. Then, Dave Hill stops by. He's a comedian, writer, musician, actor, radio host, and man-about-town originally from Cleveland, Ohio but now living in New York City. He is also one quarter Canadian, thanks to his grandfather… and has always had a fascination with Canada, a fascination he explores in his new book Parking the Moose.