Arkells, Corey Hart performing at Junos
TORONTO — Canadian rock band Arkells, hip-hop artist Nav and a prerecorded performance by Shawn Mendes have been added to this year’s Juno Awards.
The celebration of homegrown music also booked alt-folk singer Bahamas and the show’s host Sarah McLachlan to perform.
They join a roster of other talent announced for the event, which broadcasts live on CBC from London, Ont., on Sunday, March 17.
Presenters include singer Jessie Reyez, Canadian figure skating star Tessa Virtue, and producer David Foster, who will also receive this year’s humanitarian award.
Mendes will perform a pre-taped appearance from the European leg of his tour, which launched this week.
Previously announced musicians set to take the stage include DJ pair Loud Luxury, pop singer Bulow, Jeremy Dutcher and Corey Hart, who’s being inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.
Priestley’s loving tribute to Perry
TORONTO — Canadian actor Jason Priestley has posted a heartfelt tribute to his late “Beverly Hills, 90210” co-star Luke Perry on social media.
In an Instagram post, the Vancouver-born star shared a photo of them together from their days on the 1990s teen drama series.
In Priestley’s caption, he said Perry was like a brother to him and that he “adored his family, was passionate about his work, and loved his wide collection of friends.”
Priestley added that every life Perry touched, he made better, noting “he was caring, gentle, charming, warm, funny, and smart.”
He also said Perry loved to tell stories and laugh and was “a true gentleman.”
Perry, whose other credits included “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Riverdale,” died Monday after suffering a massive stroke at age 52.
He and Priestley played high-school pals in a wealthy neighbourhood in “Beverly Hills, 90210.”
“Luke was much more than just a friend to me... he was also my teammate, my teacher, my sounding board, my compass, my brother,” said Priestley’s Instagram post.
“Luke was truly one of a kind.”
Margaret Atwood staging major event
TORONTO — Margaret Atwood is coming to a theatre near you in a special live event timed with the release of her sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
The celebrated novelist will be the focus of “Margaret Atwood: Live in Cinemas,” a fireside chat hosted by BBC journalist Samira Ahmed.
Atwood will reflect on her acclaimed career and what led her to write “The Testaments,” a second handmaid book she’s releasing more than three decades after the first.
The event will be broadcast live from National Theatre in London on Sept. 10, the same day her book hits stores.
Organizers promise a number of special guests will be announced later this year.
“Margaret Atwood: Live in Cinemas” will be beamed to more than 1,000 screens, including Cineplex theatres across Canada.
It’ll also play movie chains in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Jan-Michael Vincent starred in ‘Airwolf’
Actor Jan-Michael Vincent, the “Airwolf” television star whose sleek good looks belied a troubled personal life, has died. He was 73.
A death certificate shows that Vincent died of cardiac arrest on Feb. 10, 2019, in an Asheville, North Carolina, hospital. The certificate signed by a doctor says he died of natural causes and no autopsy was performed.
It wasn't clear why it took several weeks for news of the death to surface before it was first reported Friday by TMZ. Messages left at phone listings for Vincent and his wife weren't immediately returned Friday.
Born in 1945 in Denver, Colorado, Vincent starred in such films as 1972’s “The Mechanic” and 1978's "Hooper," in which he played a stuntman opposite Burt Reynolds. He also starred in the 1983 television miniseries "Winds of War" as the love interest of a character played by Ali MacGraw, a ratings hit which earned him a Golden Globe nomination.
Simpsons pull ‘Stark Raving Dad’
LOS ANGELES — The producers of “The Simpsons” are removing a classic episode that featured the voice of Michael Jackson.
Executive producer James L. Brooks told The Wall Street Journal on Thursday “it feels clearly the only choice to make.” He says fellow executive producers Matt Groening and Al Jean are “of one mind on this.”
The action follows HBO’s broadcast of the documentary “Leaving Neverland,” in which two men allege Jackson sexually abused them as children. Jackson’s family has criticized the program, and his estate is suing HBO.
In the 1991 “Stark Raving Dad” episode, Jackson voiced the character Leon Kompowsky who claims to be Jackson and who meets Homer Simpson in a mental institution. The singer is listed in credits as John Jay Smith. It was the premier episode of Season 3, first televised in 1991.
The episode will be removed from streaming services and future DVD sets.
Jackson was a fan of the show, in particular the Bart Simpson character. He’s believed to have ghost-written the song “Do the Bartman,” which was solely credited to Bryan Loren.
Nelson-born poet Patrick Lane dies
TORONTO — Award-winning poet and novelist Patrick Lane has died at age 79. Publisher McClelland & Stewart made the announcement Thursday evening, calling Lane “one of Canada’s most renowned writers.”
His accolades include the Governor General’s Award for Poetry, the Canadian Authors Association Award and three National Magazine Awards.
Lane’s website says his career spanned 50 years and included 25 volumes of poetry and award-winning books of fiction and non-fiction.
He was named an officer of the Order of Canada in 2014, and had been a writer-in-residence and teacher at several universities.
Whoopi Goldberg cheated death
NEW YORK — Whoopi Goldberg says she nearly died of pneumonia.
Appearing Friday in a video that aired on ABC’s “The View,” Goldberg told the audience she had pneumonia in both lungs.
Goldberg said: “I came very, very close to, ah, leaving the Earth.” She appeared in good condition but said she is still not moving around as fast as she’d like.
The 63-year-old thanked the audience for their good wishes and says she can’t wait to return to “The View.”
Goldberg has been absent from the talk show, which she co-hosts, since Feb. 6. A return date is unknown.
New York Yankees buy YES Network
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are buying back the YES Network, partnering with Amazon in a deal that will give the company the right to stream games in the team's broadcast territory.
The deal for the team’s parent company to purchase 80 per cent of the network from The Walt Disney Co. values YES at $3.47 billion.