Audrey and Dan in the Valley of the Whales (Wadi Al-Hitan)

I’m quite excited as at the end of the month I get to share these sassy cats with my hometown of Vancouver, as they roll into town to speak at the Future of Tourism Talk being put on by G Adventures and Planeterra. Aside from loving listening to Audrey and Dan talk, the event looks like it should be an interesting one with thought-provoking ideas around culture, travel and sustainability, shared by Bruce Poon Tip, Paula Vlamings, David Suzuki, and my friends Audrey Scott and Daniel Noll.

On May 31, 2012 G Adventures invites you to the Future of Tourism—an evening of discussion, debate and creative exchange between visionaries from across the tourism spectrum.

Together we’ll explore the roles travel and sustainable tourism play in the world today, and set the agenda for the future of our industry and our planet. Join Bruce Poon Tip, Paula Vlamings, Daniel Noll & Audrey Scott and RSVP for this special FREE event. Space is limited and will sell out fast!

Here are the details:

• Date: Thursday May 31st, 2012
• Time: 6:45 – 9:45 pm
• Location: The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts (777 Homer St.)
• Registration: By Donation on Eventbrite (tickets are going fast)

Hope to see you there!

Emme

You can catch Ross tonight (Saturday May 19th, 2012) and me with my feet a stomping at Pat’s Pub and Brewhouse at 403 E. Hastings St. at Dunlevy Ave in Vancouver. Show starts at 9 pm.

Curious as to what Ross sounds like?  Here is my favourite youtube video of him:

Tonight he will be playing with his new band, which I am very much looking forward to hearing.  The band includes Karl Gans (previously from Ross Neilsen & the Suffering Bastards) and Young Will Pacey (the new band mate).  Speaking of which I am a little overdue sharing Episode 3 of Ross and Karl’s Great Bass Search (for Episode 1 & 2 , click on the links), so here are the fools themselves:

Really, how can you not love these boys with classy videos such as that.

Hope to see you at the Show tonight.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Yes, it’s true, life is rough, and work this week has taken my digital tales to Egypt to demonstrate some ‘real’ time digital storytelling for the UNWTO Media and Tourism Conference: Partnering with Media in Challenging Times in Egypt with Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott of Uncornered Market and Lucy Duck and Erica Hargreave of Roamancing. You can read more about it on UnCornered Market and Ahimsa Media:

• Off to Egypt: A Little Bit of Work & Play
• #WeVisitEgypt ~ A Digital Travel Tale

Would love for you cats to join in the fun by:

• Share what we are doing in Egypt and the #WeVisitEgypt hashtag to your media channels;
• Follow #WeVisitEgypt on your social networking channels and retweet content that appeals to you;
• Interact with us on our adventure at @UMarket, @Roamancing, @EmmeRogers and @EricaHargreave; and
• Share your own photos, video and blog posts from Egypt with the #WeVisitEgypt hashtag (and we will do our best to retweet them).

 

Cairo Sunset on the Nile

 

*Blowing Kisses* of thanks for the smiles and support you all give me.

Emme xoxo

PS. In Full Disclosure: As always, the opinions and thoughts shared here are our own and honest ones. We are bought out by no one. In the spirit of disclosure, it should be noted that on this trip, our expenses were paid by Egyptian Tourism, as a guest to the country and the UNWTO Media and Tourism Conference.

Watching a few of the Russian Figure Skaters Train

So speaking of making the most of it, one thing I wish I’d done (had I stopped being annoyed by the Games Committee sooner), was apply for experiences to take part in the Games.  I mention this as Tourism England (aka. Visit England / Enjoy England) has a pretty gosh, darn cool opportunity for a UK digital storyteller leading up to London 2012, in the form of the Fan in a Van Search.

Tourism England's search for the Fan in a Van is on. Will this be you?

Basically they are putting one lucky budding digital storyteller with a passionate love for England in an iconic Anglomobile, decked out with everything they need to get started on a 70-day, all-expenses-paid trip around their green and pleasant land, following the Olympic Torch.  In return, the fans job is to entertain England with videos, photos, tales of adventure and lots of fun.

If this is something that sounds like fun to you, then it’s time to put down the crumpet, pour a fresh cup of tea, roll up the sleeves and get writing as the deadline for Round 1 of this competition is April 9th at midnight, UK time.  That’s tomorrow!

To be entered into Round 1, you need to send them 100 words on your favourite place in England and why you love it, accompanied by a picture you’ve taken to go with it.

Depending on how you fair on Round 1, there will be 2 more rounds:

• Round 2: A 60 second video clip telling them why you love where you live.
• Round 3: Meet the team at VisitEngland HQ and tell them why you’re the best person for the role.

Here is where to go for those that wish to apply.

Wishing those of you that decide to apply, good luck and have fun with this!

Courtesy of Model Mayhem

Picked up the newspaper yesterday to see that a striking woman, by the name of Jenna Talackova, had been kicked out of the Miss Universe Canada Pageant after being selected as a finalist.  Normally, this would not be an article that would be of particular interest to me, but this woman is transgender, meaning she started out life biologically as a boy, but felt like she was meant to be a girl, so underwent the hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery to make her a woman.  So forgive me if I’m wrong, but I suspect Jenna has been kicked out of the competition by some very narrow minded people when it comes to defining gender.

The statement that the Miss Universe Canada issued last week is that “Jenna will not complete the pageant, because she didn’t meet the requirements to compete, despite having stated otherwise on her entry form.”  I ask Miss Universe Canada, which of those requirements did Jenna not meet? If it’s that she said she’s a girl, well from the reports in the media, she is, having gone through hormone therapy from the age of 14 and gender reassignment surgery at 19.  In fact, I’d harbour a guess that Jenna has thought a lot more about what it means to be a woman than those of us that were biologically born as such.

‘She was dishonest,’ said Denis Davila, the director of Miss Universe Canada, referring to the fact that Jenna wrote on her application that she had been born a female. Denis – I suspect in Jenna’s mind she was born a female, otherwise she would have never gone through such a surgery. Gender is more than just your biological bits. Jenna has already been through more challenges than most her age, yet the Miss Universe Canada Pageant wants to penalise her for that?  In my mind, that is not an institution that should be penalising someone with embracing being a woman.

Clearly, based on this video from Miss International Queen in Thailand last year, Jenna is not trying to hide anything, as far as her gender is concerned.  Jenna appears at 8:08 minutes into the video.

That is my opinion though.  I am sure there are other opinions out there.  Feel free to weigh in here or to sign Jenna’s petition, which maintains she was disqualified from the contest solely because she was born male.

Scenes shared on twitter of St. Patrick's Day violence in London, Ontario. 2012

Back in June when the rioting happened in Vancouver, I was asked what my opinion was.  I said nothing (aside from to my close friends), as I wasn’t there and was going through my only personal Hell at the time.  When riots then broke out in England, I thought, ” it’s time, I really should share my opinion”, but I didn’t, I got busy instead.  Well enough is enough, and I am sure as Hell going to share my opinion this morning.

As the fireman said on the CBC News this morning, “Grow Up”.  This kind of behavior wasn’t acceptable when you were 5 and terroized the neighbour’s dog and your younger siblings, breaking things and throwing a fit, and it sure as Hell isn’t now that you’ve graduated to turning over vehicles, lighting them on fire and throwing beer bottles (at other people, no less).  If you weren’t given a swat on the bum when you were a kid, you probably should have been.  You need to understand that there are repercussions to your actions.  I encourage the police to show you this by charging you and Fanshaw College to show those of you that attend this by suspending or kicking you out.  This sort of behavior is not acceptable and will not be tolerated. It should not be something that youth in this country continue to brag about.

A Screenshot Shared on Twitter of Facebook bragging about the St. Patrick's Day riots in London., Ontario.

Parents – there is no excuse for your child’s behavior in this circumstance. Don’t protect them, let them hide behind you and make excuses and lie for them. Sit them down, tell them they’ve screwed up and help them find a way to make up for what they’ve done, starting by taking responsibility and owning up to their mistakes. Just watch this video.  These College Students are treating this as a party.

“The rioting was started by another group.” “The police didn’t do enough to stop us.” “I was drunk.” “My friends were doing it.” ARE NOT EXCUSES FOR YOUR ACTIONS.  You hurt and scared others and damaged property. Take responsibility and start to become a positive member of society, helping others, not hurting them for your gain or amusement.  This is real life, not a movie or a video game. If that means recognizing that your friends are not good for you and moving on from them, then so be it, that’s part of growing up and being an adult.

Future Parents – Learn from what we’ve seen as of late in society, and be a parent, not your child’s best buddy.  I know you are proud of them, but if you really want to be proud of them later on then they need a bit of tough love from time to time.  You need to teach them to respect and be considerate of others. That mistakes happen, but they need to take responsibility for them and right them. And yes, sometimes it is their fault ~ don’t pass the blame. They need to learn to work hard and be a productive member of society.  I know we like to think of them as perfect, but they’re not (none of us are), and telling them they are does them no good. And they need to learn that there are real reprecussions to their actions. You don’t want this to be the kids you raised:

A Screenshot Shared on Twitter of Facebook photos posted from the St. Patrick's Day riots in London., Ontario.

As a society, we’ve made mistakes with no fail policies and protecting our young too much. We’ve seen how destructive too much hand holding can be and passing the blame on others for our child’s failures, now it’s time to stop, and fix the mistakes we’ve made. Be aware and respectful of those around you, work hard, take pride in your work, and take responsibility for your actions.

~ Emme

• Here on Being Emme (contest closes at midnight TONIGHT, March 18th, 2012), and
• Roamancing (contest closes at midnight on Wednesday March 21st, 2012).

 

Victor Victoria plays at Vancouver's Metro Theatre, March 17th – April 7, 2012.

The Interviews …

• Victor / Victoria Director is a Size Queen ~ Gay Vancouver ~ Mark Robins

What do you do when you’ve done it all? If you’re triple threat Jeff Hyslop you look for projects that excite you, like Metro Theatre’s upcoming production of Victor/Victoria.  And if you’re director Mark Carter, you realize size sometimes does matter.

“It’s all about the script and this is a quality script.  I didn’t hesitate,” explained Hyslop (pictured right with director Mark Carter).  “It was perfect timing too as I was moving back to Vancouver and it wasn’t a starring role so the weight of show wasn’t going to rest on my shoulders.”

• Chatting with Jeff Hyslop ~ Greater Vancouver Professional Theatre Alliance ~ Trilby Jeeves

What does one limit themselves to asking when doing an interview with one of the most prolific and successful Canadian Triple Threats, actor, singer, dancer, the notable Jeff Hyslop? (Actually, “Quadruple” as he is also a director.) My challenge was to direct the myriad questions I had and the stories he had into the short, but time-stopping two hours we shared. Publicist Cheryl Hutcherson set the scene comfortably and we soon sailed into the creative, exciting, rich world of Jeff Hyslop.

Opening Night Reviews …

With Opening Night, just last night, the Reviews are only just coming in, so I will be updating this section, as I see more.

• Review Vancouver on Victor Victoria at Metro Theatre ~ Ed Farolan

It’s always a full house when the yearly musical is presented at Metro, and the cast and crew deserved the proplonged standing ovation on opening night.

• Theatre Review: Victor/Victoria – Jeff Hyslop Has Mighty Big Shoes to Fill ~ Gay Vancouver ~ Mark Robins

Filling in for an injured Jeff Hyslop, understudy Seth Little was opening night’s highlight as Metro Theatre presents the stage musicalVictor/Victoria. …  Almost at par with Little’s wonderful performance Saturday night was the scene-stealing Karin Inghammar as Norma Cassidy who milks every ounce of fun from the ditzy blonde moll as she drops malapropisms like bonbons across the stage.

Catch Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre in Vancouver from March 17^th – April 7, 2012, with performances on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8pm and two Sunday Matinees on March 25 & April 1 at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

So what is the musical you ask?  Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre, based on the 1982 musical comedy film by Blake Edwards (adapted from the 1933 script of a German film by Reinhold Schünzel), which I am sure there are a few in Vancouver’s Arts Community that could relate to the premise behind this story.  You see Victoria (played by Sylvia Zaradic) is a struggling performer looking for her big break. On the advice of Toddy, a middle-aged gay performer, Victoria takes on the real life role of Count Victor Grazinski, a gay Polish female impersonator.  Why you ask (or at least so you asked in my head)?  To get an agent and her big break, of course, and that is exactly what she does.  Only, as I am sure you can imagine, it is not all that smooth sailing playing the part of a man, when you become the bed ‘fellow’ of a known gangster.  Bring on the conundrums, misunderstandings and delightfully ridiculous!

Sylvia Zaradic and Jeff Hyslop, as Victoria / Victor and Toddy

Now, if this hasn’t perked your curiosity, just wait until you hear who is playing Toddy!  None other than Jeff Hyslop, the quintessential Phantom of the Opera from the traveling Canadian Production!  Also known, by those of you close in age to me, as Jeff the mannequin in the children’s show Today’s Special.  The Metro Theatre puts on great musicals, but with Jeff Hyslop in the cast, this is one musical not to miss.

So how do you win the tickets?  We have a pair of tickets to giveaway here and a pair to giveaway on Roamancing (stay tuned for that giveaway in a day or two) with your choice of Wednesday March 28 or April 4th.  To enter:

• Comment below with something crazy you have or would do for your dream job;
• The Deadline to enter is Sunday March 18th, 2012 at midnight PST.

To be entered a second, third and fourth time:

• Tweet this post with me, @EmmeRogers, @MetroTheatre and #VancouverTheatre somewhere in the tweet, so I see the tweet;
• Share this post on facebook and include @Roamancing in the text when you post it (this should link Roamancing’s facebook page, so I’ll see the post); and/or
• Share this post on G+ and include @Emme Rogers in the text when you post it (this should alert me on G+ of your post).

I shall pull the name of one lucky winner from commenters, tweeters, facebookers and G+ers, and announce the winner on Monday March 19th.  Very much looking forward to making somebody happy!

Oh, and if sadly you don’t win, the play is running at the Metro Theatre in Vancouver from March 17^th – April 7, 2012, with performances on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8pm and two Sunday Matinees on March 25 & April 1 at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

So given that I’m in Ontario and he’s in Ontario this month, I’ll just have to stalk him for more hugs.  I encourage others to do the same, as really who wouldn’t want to hug this man (especially after listening to the last song in this set)?

So how does one find him?  Just follow this schedule, and stay the Hell out of my way when I go to hug him at the Casabah in Hamilton (I introduced him to you, so I get to hug him first … so there!):

Ross RAWKS the Casbah

• March 8, 2012  ~  7:30 pm  ~  Acoustic Grill Solo, Picton, ON
• March 9, 2012  ~  9 pm  ~  Stonewater Pub Solo, Ganaoque, ON
• March 10, 2012  ~  8 pm  ~  Huron Club Solo, Collingwood, ON
• March 11, 2012  ~  noon  ~  Huron Club Brunch Solo, Collingwood, ON
• March 15, 2012  ~  9 pm  ~  Casbah Lounge Solo with guests Ian Philp, Hamilton, ON
• March 16, 2012  ~  9 pm  ~  RCHA Club Kingston Blues Society, Kingston, ON
• March 17, 2012  ~  9:30 pm  ~  Lavigne Tavern Solo, Lavigne, ON
• March 18, 2012  ~  noon  ~  Huron Club Brunch Solo, Collingwood, ON
• March 19, 2012  ~  9 pm  ~  The Press Club Solo, Toronto, ON
• March 20, 2012  ~  9 pm  ~  The Local on Ronces Solo, Toronto, ON
• March 21, 2012  ~  7 pm  ~  Oasis Bar and Grill Solo, Cobourg, ON
• March 22, 2012  ~  9 pm  ~  Irene’s Pub Solo, Ottawa, ON

 

Who wouldn't want to hug a man with such cool boots?

Christian & Vera Stanfield and Emily & Nathan Breckenridge of the Side Street Steppers, as photographed by Molly Kennedy.

Specifically, just now, I am envisioning two that were center stage every night at The Pig on Beale, during the 2012 International Blues Challenge. Him, because he was doing a splendidly personable job of MCing the venue, and her, because she was always wearing the most wonderfully charming outfits from times go by. Who were they? Foxy husband and wife, Christian and Vera Stanfield. Turns out, that not only did they look good and could carry a music competition, but they too were talented musicians themselves with their own band, the Side Street Steppers.

Have always loved vintage tunes, it’s part of the reason why The Good Lovelies have always appealed to me, and these cats have the personality to boot. Funny as all get out, total characters, and just check out the dancing!  After the above video, I am feeling quite unworthy of the praise they gave Jesse Roper and I for our dancing.

Oh and even though I didn’t snap a shot of Vera’s outfits, as I left my camera behind in the evenings, she did tell me where I could find some vintage outfits of my own at Crazy Beautiful. Will be sure to visit on my next trip to Memphis, Tennessee, and then wear the outfit out to a live performance of the Side Street Steppers.