What Pope John Paul II means to me

This Sunday, May 1, the late Pope John Paul II (Karol Wojtyła) is going to be beatified by the Roman Catholic Church. I am particularly excited about this event, as I've always regarded him as one of my favourite history-makers of the last century.

My admiration for JP2 goes back to the mid-1980s, long before I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. His ability to draw people from all walks of life I find inspirational, including young people, the religious and even the non-religious. He presented himself as warm, loving and a man of peace. (He even bore an uncanny resemblance to my late grandfather!)

My earliest memory of him was when he visited Toronto in 1984. Around that same time I had a comic book which summarized his life story and the key events in his life. This included his early years in Poland, his first travels as a seminarian and a priest, right up to his election as pope in 1978 to the assassination attempt made on his life in 1981.

To me, Pope John Paul II was a fearless man who was filled with love, life in the spirit, wisdom and perseverance. He was also a man who encouraged Christian unity. The fact that he was able to deliver the gospel in the face of several adversities tells me that I can get through almost any situation as long as I have faith. I believe that his positive example helped to plant seeds in me.

Today I continue to meditate on the things he did during his incredible life, and I'm also getting myself acquainted with some of his writings. "Be not afraid" has become a mantra for my life. His life was truly blessed.

I'm sure it won't be long before he is canonized as a saint.

My favourite moment from my favourite Easter movie ("I Make All Things New")

This is my favourite Easter movie

Song Blog: "April Love"

Pat Boone (b. 1934) was a major pop star in the 1950s. Back in 1957, he registered more hit singles than Elvis Presley. "April Love" is one of Boone's biggest hits from that year. This song is from the film also titled April Love, starring Boone and Shirley Jones.

"April Love" was composed by Academy Award-winning songwriters Sammy Fain (1902-1989) and Paul Francis Webster (1907-1984). Fain composed the music while Webster wrote the lyrics. Webster had previously written "Friendly Persuasion (Thee I Love)" for Boone to sing for the 1956 film Friendly Persuasion.

According to Susan Sackett in Hollywood Sings!, Fain and Webster quickly composed "April Love" in order to meet the film's release deadline. Everyone involved with the film's soundtrack knew that "April Love" would be the song most people would remember.

Boone told Fred Bronson in the Billboard Book of Number One Hits that he found the original arrangement of "April Love" not upbeat enough to become a hit. He said it didn't sound commercial enough, at first. A last-minute discussion with arranger Billy Vaughn is what led to the 12-note instrumental build-up. This is what you hear on the single release of "April Love."

The film version differs in that it contains a prologue sung by Boone. He sings it to Jones and an appreciative crowd in the movie, backed by a big band. The lyrics for this section are:

Has anybody here seen April,
Dressed in her gown of green?
She walks in a world of enchantment,
Where no one ever grows much older than 17.

"April Love" topped the US chart for two weeks not in April, but in December 1957. It spent a total of 26 weeks on the chart. The song also received an Oscar nomination, but lost to "All the Way" from The Joker is Wild.

My 2011 Juno Awards Recap, Part 2: The Junos Experience

I had quite a time last weekend when the Juno Awards came to town. The Junos are Canada's main music awards show similar to the Grammy Awards. I grew up watching the Junos on TV, and to be there live last Sunday (March 27) was something I will always cherish.

My Junos experience really started three days prior to the awards show. A number of Juno-related events took place in Toronto that week, and on that Thursday (March 24) I went to two of them.

The first one I went to was a photo exhibit featuring 40 years of Juno history, with shots of some of Canada's biggest stars, including Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, Bryan Adams and Celine Dion.

Later that evening I spent some time at a free downtown concert. Various acts participated, and the one I heard was Dallas Green, aka City and Colour. He's the bass player and co-lead singer of Alexisonfire. I discovered that his solo work is more mellow than that of his band, which sounds much closer to heavy metal. Their styles couldn't be more different! I liked what I heard.

A Juno Fan Fare event took place that Saturday (March 26), and I couldn't resist being there. The Fan Fare was an opportunity for fans to meet some of today's most popular singers.

Johnny Reid was the singer I wanted to meet most of all. I saw the Scottish-born country singer at Massey Hall last November, and I've become a fan of his since then. He was the first singer to greet me, and I got a picture with him and an autograph. I even got to tell him about my Scottish family ties. He was very friendly and I wish him continued success.

In addition to meeting Reid, I also met Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Dean Brody, two other country stars. It was after meeting them that I got to say hi to R&B singers Keshia Chante and Danny Fernandes, and rapper Karl Wolf. Then I met Down With Webster, a Toronto group that uniquely incorporates rock, hip-hop and rap. Before I left, I met the pop-rock group Hedley. Everybody I met was kind and I enjoyed meeting all of them.

I got to the Air Canada Centre early Sunday night. I'm glad I got there early, because everybody in the audience was treated to a 40th anniversary montage that nobody at home got to see. R&B singer/rapper Drake hosted the awards, and he wasted no time getting it off the ground.

I thought his opening comedy bit with Justin Bieber via Skype was a fun way to kick things off. That was one of the highlights of the evening for me, and I'm sure for other viewers as well.

Another highlight was seeing Shania Twain make a triumphant return to the music scene. She became this year's inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, and she looked beautiful as always. Fellow Hall of Famer Bryan Adams (inducted 2006) welcomed her into the Hall of Fame. Twain is in the process of recording a new album and hosting her own show on Oprah's new TV channel. She is also planning to release her memoir later this year. Welcome back, Shania!

Later that evening another Hall of Famer, Neil Young (inducted 1982) received this year's humanitarian award recognizing his work with Farm Aid and the Bridge School for children with severe physical and developmental disabilities. He also gave a heartfelt and inspirational speech, encouraging aspiring young musicians to focus on their music, and to let anything else follow from that. He surprised everybody later on when he returned to pick up the Artist of the Year award. Over 40 years later, Mr. Young is still da man.

Of the performances that evening, my favourites were by City and Colour, Down With Webster, Hedley, Johnny Reid and Arcade Fire.

An honourable mention goes out to a male indie duo from Montreal who call themselves Chromeo. It consists of a Jew and an Arab, and they played a song ironically titled "Hot Mess." I found their electro-funk sound and stage presence captivating. These guys perform with such gusto and harmony that the rest of the world should stand up and take notice.

Toronto was the first Canadian city to host the Juno Awards back in 1971. Other cities have had their turn hosting them during the past 10 years. This year's Juno ceremony is the first Toronto has hosted since 2000. Next year it will be held in Ottawa, the nation's capital, for the first time since 2003.

I'm so glad I didn't pass up a chance to experience the Junos in my hometown this year. This Canadian music fan will not soon forget it.

My April Fool's Dream (2010)

Here's another blog rescued from my old MySpace account:

Subject: My April Fool's Dream

Posted Date: Apr 1, 2010 2:17 PM

This is a dream I experienced two nights before this April Fool's Day. It's one of the few I can still remember vividly.

I went into this store and saw ads for a new oldies radio station premiering that day. It billed itself as Toronto's newest oldies station. (The one we used to have on AM changed to an all-news format last year.)

I could hear music and a dynamic-sounding DJ's voice coming from what looked like a radio bolted to the wall. There was even station merchandise for sale with the station's logo on it. I also saw other people enjoying the sounds. I stuck around and heard 3-4 songs.

As soon as I was about to buy a station cap, someone came in front of me, and said, "Stop! Don't buy this! This is all fake! You've just been punk'd on April Fool's Day!" I don't recall laughing much as I left the store.

The "DJ" was a guy in the backroom, the radio was an intercom that looked like a radio, and the "customers" were paid extras.