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CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Rod Stewart shares his thoughts on '51st state' threat with Toronto crowd
Rod Stewart isn't a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump or his threats against Canada, and recently used a concert to amplify his sentiment on the matter. Video clips of Tuesday night's performance on Toronto's Budweiser Stage shows the 80-year-old rock legend sharing his thoughts on Trump's threats to make Canada the 51st state. Stewart's enthusiasm and support for Canada were dished out in the form of a tribute during his finale, where he brought out his dancers and musicians and projected a video above the stage, which he said he found on the internet. The clip in question was an altered version of Gloria Gaynor's 1978 hit 'I Will Survive,' with the lyrics changed to reflect Canada's strength in the face of Trumps threats of annexation, superimposed over images of Canadian landscapes and icons, like TTC streetcars and the Canadian flag. Some of the lyrics include the lines: 'We spent so many nights thinking how you did us wrong, we've banded all together, your tariff made us strong,' as well as, 'You know you're not so great, there's not a snowball's chance in hell we'll be your 51st state,' and 'We have all we really need, we will live without your greed, we will survive.' Stewart and his dancers shimmied on stage as the video played. After the clip was finished, Stewart addressed the audience with gusto. '51st state my f---ing ass,' he told the crowd as he pumped his fist. 'Go on Canada!' Tuesday's concert was part of Stewart's One Last Stop Tour, which featured opening act Cheap Trick. In June, the rock legend had to cancel several U.S. dates as a result of illness.
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Trump vs. TV: A play-by-play of a wild week taking on the U.S. president's naysayers
Social Sharing First he came for late-night TV, then a daytime talk show and a crude cartoon. U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration are fighting battles on all fronts when it comes to mockery and criticism of the 47th commander-in-chief. As speculation swirls that CBS might have turfed The Late Show with Stephen Colbert because of his recent criticism of parent company Paramount Global agreeing to a $16-million US settlement with the president over a 60 Minutes interview, the White House has also come out swinging this week against the animated series South Park and ABC's The View. South Park 's 27th season premiere episode, which aired on Wednesday, lampooned the president and the CBS-Colbert drama and depicted a naked Trump climbing into bed with Satan. That same day, a co-host of The View accused Trump of being "jealous" of former president Barack Obama's looks and marriage. Even though he's known for mocking a range of people he doesn't like, Trump's image, persona and brand are what made him a household name, and he doesn't take it well when he senses attacks on any of them. While he would largely take out his anger in a Twitter tirade during his first administration (what X was known as back then), there are concerns that Trump is using his power in his second term to influence corporate decision-making and settle grievances — especially when it comes to the news and entertainment industry. But freedom of expression groups say the political satire and parody that are now under fire are art forms that are not only constitutionally protected but vital to public discourse. "We have mocked presidents and leaders in this country since before this was a country," Will Creeley, legal director of the Philadelphia-based advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights in Expression (FIRE), told CBC News. "If you can't make fun of who's running the country, then the First Amendment doesn't mean a damn thing." WATCH | Questions swirl around cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Why CBS axed The Late Show: Ratings or politics? 7 days ago A 'chill' setting in Earlier this week, Trump seemed to take credit for the cancellation of The Late Show and putting Colbert, a vocal critic of the president, out of work. Although CBS, when it made the announcement last week, said the decision to end the show in 2026 was "purely financial," Colbert and others have suggested it may have something to do with the settlement and Paramount's merger with Skydance Media that the Trump administration approved this week. As a storm of backlash brewed, including from Colbert's late-night compatriots, Jon Stewart and Jimmy Kimmel, Trump appeared emboldened and even claimed in a post on his Truth Social platform that ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! could suffer a similar fate. Creeley said no matter the reason for The Late Show 's cancellation, both the timing of it and Trump's "glee" contribute to what he sees as a "deeply depressing chill" setting in when it comes to satirizing and criticizing the president and his administration. "This is ugly, strongman authoritarian territory we're entering, and it should chill all Americans, regardless of your partisan commitments," he said, comparing Trump to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been accused by such groups as Human Rights Watch of limiting press freedom and freedom of expression. Creeley pointed to another White House clapback this week as further indication of how the political climate has changed. Spokesperson Taylor Rogers lambasted Wednesday's episode of South Park, which coincidentally airs on Paramount-owned Comedy Central, saying the show "hasn't been relevant for over 20 years" and that no "fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak." Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone brushed off the rebuke while speaking at Comic-Con in San Diego on Thursday, but Creeley said the mere fact that this episode has gotten so much attention speaks to the current state of affairs. "It used to be that South Park making fun of people wasn't front-page news, but it shows you how far we've slipped, that all of a sudden it feels like this extremely important, extremely righteous act," he said. WATCH | Trump in bed with the devil in South Park premiere (contains profanity, cartoon nudity): The View in Trump's sights But it's not just comedy shows that are in the Trump administration's sights — it's criticism in any form. Joy Behar, a longtime co-host of ABC's top-rated daytime talk show The View, appeared to hit enough of a nerve that both the White House press office and the head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reacted. Responding to Trump calling for an investigation into former president Barack Obama over unsubstantiated allegations that he tried to "lead a coup," Behar, a former standup comedian, called out Trump for his alleged role in the Jan. 6, 2020, riots at the U.S. Capitol and said that the sitting president was jealous of his predecessor. "The thing about him is he's so jealous of Obama, because Obama is everything that he is not: trim, smart, handsome, happily married ... and Trump cannot stand it. It's driving him crazy," she said. White House spokesperson Rogers called her "an irrelevant loser suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome" and warned in a statement to media outlets that The View could be "next to be off the air." FCC chair Brendan Carr, in a later interview with Fox News, also said The View may face "consequences" but didn't elaborate. Tough to snuff out satire Attempting to silence political satire, parody and criticism isn't a winning strategy, said Sophia McClennen, a professor of international affairs at Pennsylvania State University and author of the book Trump Was a Joke: How Satire Made Sense of a President Who Didn't. Speaking with CBC Vancouver's On The Coast on Thursday, she said satire helps people develop their resilience to consume news and information that is interspersed with "lies, misinformation and B.S." "Having that sort of more playful source of information is really the heart of what makes satire such a really powerful remedy," she told guest host Amy Bell. But McClennen said that's also why "satirists are some of the most attacked entertainers in the world." Still, she said, it's important to remember that satire "doesn't die" when people in power try to muzzle them. Instead, it continues to evolve and show up in other forms. Another example of limiting free expression Trump butted heads with network television stars and comedians during his first administration, but Creeley, of the group FIRE, said the president now appears to have more of a "willingness to use extra legal means or abuse the power of the federal government to intimidate critics." He said what has happened in recent days is part and parcel of Trump cracking down on freedom of expression in other venues, which includes cutting funding for public media, threatening companies over diversity, equity and inclusion policies and putting legal and financial pressure on Ivy League universities. Creeley said the "hypocrisy" of Trump and his Republican Party is "staggering," having once sold themselves as champions of free speech, in the face of Democrats and left-wing groups and institutions, but are now the ones trying to put limits on political discourse.
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
Heat forces Ballet in the Park cancellation Friday
Extreme heat is forcing Ballet in the Park to conclude early. (CTV News Winnipeg) Extreme heat is forcing a popular summer series to close its curtain early. The Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) told CTV News Friday's performance is not happening due to the heat. Temperatures Friday evening were in the high 20s, with the humidity making it feel like 37 C. Friday would have been the final night of a free three-day performance series put on at Assiniboine Park's lyric theatre. The series served as the RWB's new artistic director Christopher Stowell's debut.
