Latest news with #Tremblay
Montreal Gazette
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Montreal Gazette
Kelly: Revered Quebec singer Serge Fiori was loved by both solitudes
Music When Les Cowboys Fringants singer Karl Tremblay died in November 2023, I wrote a column about how the two solitudes were still very much a thing ici — and, yes, they still are today. I vented my frustration about how Tremblay's death was an absolutely huge thing for French Quebec and yet so few English-speaking folks 'round these parts had any idea just how important Tremblay and his band were for their franco neighbours. But that narrative doesn't work nearly as well with Serge Fiori. The Montreal singer-songwriter, who died Tuesday at age 73, was, of course, way better known by French-speaking music fans, but Fiori and Harmonium, the iconic progressive-rock band he founded in the early '70s, had a surprisingly strong following among English-Canadians. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Fiori's as famous in the ROC (Rest of Canada) as, say, Gord Downie or Gordon Lightfoot. But back in the day, Harmonium was one of the only francophone bands to break out beyond the borders of Quebec. First, a little background for those of you who don't know him. Fiori is positively revered in Quebec for the very good reason that he is one of the greatest musical artists of his generation. If you don't believe me, slap on Pour un instant or L'Exil or Un musicien parmi tant d'autres and tell me those tracks aren't as good as anything else produced by the best British, American or Canadian tunesmiths back in the '70s. Actually, don't tell me. Because you'd be wrong. Fiori, with his falsetto vocals, sang like an angel, and he was an unbelievably gifted composer. There's a tuneful accessibility to most of what he penned, but there's also a rich complexity, with fine-textured guitar lines and, especially as time went on, almost orchestral takes on British progressive rock. Harmonium's third and final album, L'Heptade, released in 1976, is considered their masterpiece, and it's inspired folky prog-rock that can win over a guy like me who loves to hate progsters like Genesis and Gentle Giant. By 1978, the band split up and, astonishingly enough, Fiori never performed on stage again, plagued by anxiety. In fact, he disappeared from sight for much of the 1980s. In the '70s, Harmonium as much as any other group personified the hopes and aspirations of un peuple, a mantle that Fiori was never comfortable with. He was a committed nationalist, but he was also a remarkably down-to-Earth Italian-Montrealer who had difficulty seeing himself as a saviour. He didn't write all that much music in the 40-plus years since L'Heptade, but when he did, like for his very good solo album from 2014, it was as great as ever and became a huge hit. After he died on June 24, the day of La Fête de la Saint-Jean, so many online were talking about the heavy symbolism of him leaving us on Quebec's national holiday. He was as loved as any contemporary Québécois artist and was a tireless defender of the French language and culture here right up to the end of his life. Given all that, it's quite the rich irony that the local French-language music biz here was initially cool to Harmonium. I've met and interviewed Fiori many times over the years and he often told the story of how French radio in Montreal wasn't into the band in the early days. The first station to play Pour un instant was CHOM, and because of that Fiori always had a soft spot for the anglo classic-rock station. The band also signed with a Toronto-based disco label, rather than with any of the Montreal record companies. They often toured Canada to packed venues and even played throughout California, opening for Supertramp. Three years ago, my old friend Geneviève Borne and I did a podcast interviewing local musicians in both of Canada's official languages, and we had a great conversation with Fiori. I asked him how it was that English-Canadians were so into Harmonium. 'I don't know, but it was the first time a (Quebec) band was going there, all through Canada, with nights and nights booked in every city,' Fiori said. 'You'd go on stage and there's like 3,000 people at the Orpheum in Vancouver. And they sing the words in French, and that's very rare.' The record company CBS offered to pay him to re-record the Harmonium songs in the language of Lennon and he turned them down. That day in the fall of 2022, I asked him why he said 'no'. 'Cause I'm nuts,' he said with a laugh. 'First of all, there's something about writing rock 'n' roll in French that is extremely hard. It's pretty easy in English. It sounds good with nothing. Once you get it (in French), it's so profound. The song is so amazing, so even translating that in English, for me it wouldn't work… and I think if I would have done that, Quebec would have turned against me.' He said the reaction in Western Canada was exactly the same as it was here in Quebec — people just adored Harmonium. They told him they didn't care what language the songs were in, 'It was just the music.' He recalled travelling to Toronto with the band to meet with the executives at Quality Records and on the spot the label gave them five grand to make an album in Montreal, something no local label was willing to do. 'We were too weird (for the Montreal record companies),' Fiori said. But so accessible as well, you touched the heart of everyone, said Borne. 'Yeah, but they didn't believe that,' Fiori said. To which I chimed in, 'proving my theory that the vast majority of these record-company people know nothing.' 'Thank you very much,' Fiori said quietly. Then he started laughing. 'You said it!'
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Yahoo
Seven weeks later, two N.S. children are still missing. Why wasn't an Amber Alert issued?
Seven weeks after two children went missing from a rural Nova Scotia community, family members are still questioning why an Amber Alert wasn't issued for Lilly and Jack Sullivan. The young siblings have been missing since the morning of May 2, when police received a 911 call reporting they had wandered away from their home in Lansdowne Station, about 140 kilometres northeast of Halifax. RCMP have said all along that the case did not meet the criteria for the alert, and are now providing more details on the factors that are considered and the process that plays out in such situations. Amber Alerts are a national public notification system used to help find abducted children believed to be in imminent danger. Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay, who works in the RCMP's communications unit, was working the day of the disappearance and reviewed the policy on Amber Alerts. He said the criteria state there must be something to point the public toward, such as a suspect, a person of interest or a vehicle. "You want to direct the public to look for a specific vehicle, to look for that licence plate, to look for that suspicious person, to have a photo of someone or more information to suggest that there was an abduction," said Tremblay in a recent interview. While Tremblay reviewed the policy, it's the risk manager — appointed for every major incident — that ultimately decides if an alert should be sent out. In this case, the force issued two "vulnerable persons" alerts. The first was sent at 12:43 p.m. on the day of the disappearance and was directed to cellphones across a swath of communities in northeastern parts of Nova Scotia's mainland, including Lansdowne Station and New Glasgow. The second was issued at 5:26 p.m. the following day — May 3 — and included a larger area from Truro up to Tatamagouche and stretching across to Antigonish. For Daniel Martell, the children's stepfather, those alerts did not go far enough. He said he asked RCMP to issue an Amber Alert early on, and to position officers at the New Brunswick and P.E.I. borders and the airport, but was told the situation did not meet the criteria. "I think they should have just bent the criteria at that moment," said Martell. "It wasn't just one missing person, but two vulnerable children." Lilly and Jack's mother, Malehya Brooks-Murray, posted on her Facebook page the day after the disappearance asking for an Amber Alert to be issued. RCMP have repeatedly said there is no evidence to suggest the children were abducted. But that hasn't quelled the concerns of Belynda Gray, the children's paternal grandmother. She, too, wanted police to issue an Amber Alert, given the children's vulnerability. Lilly and Jack's mother and stepfather have both spoken to the media about how the siblings could have autism, but it has not been diagnosed. Gray says it's unfortunate an Amber Alert hinges on a specific car or person being identified as involved in a disappearance. "These are vulnerable kids," Gray said in a recent interview. "They do have a bit of a learning disability, so that puts them even more vulnerable." The investigation has included searches of 8.5 square kilometres surrounding the children's home, including wooded areas, the family home, mine shafts, wells, septic systems and lakes. There are 11 RCMP units working on the case, with the major crime unit taking the lead. Formal interviews have been conducted with 54 people, some of whom were administered polygraph tests. Police have also collected hundreds of hours of video from the surrounding area, including dashcam footage of Gairloch Road — where the family home is located — from days before the disappearance. Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia government is offering up to $150,000 for information about the disappearance. On Thursday, Justice Minister Becky Druhan repeated that Amber Alerts involve specific criteria that were followed in this case. She noted they are administered through a national system, so the criteria are standardized across Canada and any changes would be beyond her department's scope. "Right now, we are focused on doing what we can to help support the investigation," said Druhan. "Ther RCMP has asked us to include this case in the major rewards program, and so we're hopeful that that's going to help generate some information that's going to help solve this case." There were eight Amber Alerts involving 10 children issued last year across Canada, according to the RCMP's National Centre for Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains. All of those children were found alive. MORE TOP STORIES
Metro
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Witcher 4 designed for PS5 and not PC after 'so many problems' scaling down
CD Projekt has discussed its technical ambitions for The Witcher 4, which marks a big change in strategy for the studio. The history of CD Projekt is rooted in the PC market, stemming back to the original The Witcher in 2007 and their origins as a CD-ROM importer, but development of The Witcher 4 will see the studio make a shift in priorities. The majority of CD Projekt's games have been built for PC first, with console versions scaled down from this baseline to accommodate their technical limitations. However, this method has caused some issues in the past, with console versions of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Cyberpunk 2077 riddled with problems at launch – especially the latter. An Unreal Engine 5 demo for The Witcher 4 earlier this month indicated a possible sea change at the studio, showing the upcoming sequel running on a standard PlayStation 5 at 60fps. Now, CD Projekt has confirmed Sony's console is the priority for The Witcher 4. When asked by Digital Foundry, about the reasons why it chose to show the Unreal Engine 5 demo on PlayStation 5, Charles Tremblay, vice president of technology at CD Projekt, said: 'As you said, we always do PC and we push [the technology] and try to scale down. But then we had so many problems in the past that we tried to see, ok this time around we really want to be more console-first development.' After noting the challenge of targeting 60fps on PlayStation 5 with a game like The Witcher 4, he added: 'Where we go from there is hard to say, but right now we really wanted to focus on what does it mean to make this ambition on a console, and we have all our other projects at 60fps and we really wanted to aim for 60fps once again.' While it remains to be seen what this means for the PC version, Tremblay did reassure PC players that it still wants to offer the 'best experience' for those on the platform. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. When asked how the studio would potentially scale up The Witcher 4 beyond PlayStation 5, Tremblay said: 'I don't want to go too much in details and again, not to overpromise, but in the past something that's super important for the group is that if people pay good money for their hardware, then we want them to have what the game can provide for that. Not like a simplified experience. So this is something we'll definitely explore. 'The company started as a PC company and we definitely will want to have the best experience for the PC gamer for sure, but it's too early to say what it will mean for The Witcher 4.' According to Tremblay, the bigger hurdle is scaling down from the PlayStation 5 version, most notably for the Xbox Series S. More Trending 'This is something that is next on our radar for sure,' Tremblay replied, when asked about the Xbox Series S version. 'I will say that 60fps will definitely be extremely challenging on [Xbox] Series S. Let's just say this is something that we need to figure out.' As per Microsoft rules, developers have to ensure their games can run on both the Xbox Series X and the Xbox Series S, with no difference in features. This has caused problems in the past, with Baldur's Gate 3 being delayed on Xbox Series X/S due to issues related to the lower-powered console. The Witcher 4 doesn't have a release date yet but it is expected to launch in 2027, with a sequel to Cyberpunk 2077 set to follow. That's around the time that the PlayStation 6 has been rumoured for release, but unsurprisingly Tremblay made no mention of that. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 sales numbers smash records in the US and worldwide MORE: Red Dead Redemption 2 actor teases news this week as fans hope for Switch 2 port MORE: Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass?
See - Sada Elbalad
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- See - Sada Elbalad
Russell Crowe, Shailene Woodley, Annabelle Walli, Jacob Tremblay to Star in Ted Kaczynski Thriller "Unabom"
Yara Sameh Russell Crowe, Shailene Woodley, Annabelle Wallis, and Jacob Tremblay have signed on to star in "Unabom", a new thriller on terrorist Ted Kaczynski to be directed for Netflix and MRC by Janus Metz. Inspired by true events, "Unabom" originated as a spec from Sam Chalsen and Nelson Greaves, the writers behind Radio Silence's forthcoming Art Bell project, who have developed the film alongside 2.0 Entertainment since its inception. The film follows Kaczynski's (Tremblay) transformation from Harvard prodigy into the infamous Unabomber, who carried out a nationwide bombing campaign in the U.S. from 1978-95, killing three people and injuring 23. Subjected to controversial psychological experiments by Professor Henry Murray (Crowe), Kaczynski's troubled past resurfaces decades later when his manhunt, led by FBI agent Joanne Miller (Woodley), brings to light the chilling consequences of ambition and isolation. Sophie Cassidy will produce for 2.0 Entertainment, in association with MRC. Don Lee, Chalsen, and Greaves will exec produce. Recently wrapping Walden Media's Cold War thriller "Billion Dollar Spy" and the action thriller "Bear Country", directed by Derrick Borte, Gladiator Oscar winner Crowe will next be seen starring in Walden's "Nuremberg" along with Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Known for turns in films including "Room, Wonder", "Good Boys" and "Doctor Sleep", Tremblay next will be seen starring in Neon's Stephen King adaptation "The Life of Chuck" from filmmaker Mike Flanagan, which opens Friday in select theaters. He'll also be seen starring opposite Nick Offerman in the crime drama "Sovereign". Most recently starring in such films as "Ferrari" and "Dumb Money", as well as Starz's "Three Women", Woodley's upcoming slate includes Potsy Ponciroli's "Motor City" and the second season of Hulu's "Paradise", among other projects. Wallis has starred on shows like "Star Trek: Discovery" and "Peaky Blinders", also appearing in films like "Silent Night", "Malignant", multiple entries in the Annabelle horror franchise spinning off The Conjuring, and more. Other upcoming projects include Amazon MGM's sci-fi thriller "Mercy" opposite Chris Pratt, and Lionsgate/Sky's action thriller "Mutiny" opposite Jason Statham. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Sports Neymar Announced for Brazil's Preliminary List for 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Arts & Culture New Archaeological Discovery from 26th Dynasty Uncovered in Karnak Temple Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream
Boston Globe
31-05-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
No. 18 Burlington girls' lacrosse erases a three-goal deficit in Division 2 victory over No. 15 Marshfield
'We did not stop, at all,' said Burlington senior CJ Tremblay. 'Even when we were down, we just kept fighting. We had a great fourth quarter. Everyone was putting their body on the line. That's all you can ask for in a game like this, especially with such a young team.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Tremblay, junior Ava Robitaille, and sophomore Emma Steiner paced Burlington with three goals apiece. Junior Mairin Condon made 12 saves, including a critical one with 22 seconds left, and fearless freshman Georgia Bilodeau battled on the draw with Marshfield junior Julia O'Brien all night. Advertisement Clara McGrath converts for Marshfield to trim Burlington's lead to 14-13 with 3:10 left — Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) Junior Clara McGrath fueled the 15th-seeded Rams (12-7) with five goals, and senior Noelle Finucane tallied four. Marshfield, hosting its first non-preliminary-round tournament game in program history, displayed plenty of fight as well in a physical, well-played battle. 'Burlington is such a talented program,' said Marshfield coach Sabrina Santaniello. 'We were matched up pretty well for this. It just came down to literally the last 10 seconds. I'm proud of my team this entire season. What a ride. I'm proud of my seniors. I couldn't have asked for a better team this season.' Advertisement Marshfield led, 3-2, through 1, 8-6 at halftime, and 11-8 late in the third, behind a steady diet of Finucane and McGrath and well-timed cuts. Gabby Colozzi made it 11-9 through 3, then Robitaille notched three timely goals in the first six minutes of the fourth to vault the Red Devils in front, 14-12. McGrath added one more with 3:10 left before Condon and her teammates secured one final stop. Girls lacrosse final: Burlington 14, Marshfield 13 18th-seeded Red Devils storm back and outlast the 15th-seeded Rams in a thriller. Huge save from Mairin Condon late. A truly outstanding game — Trevor Hass (@TrevorHass) The Red Devils ran out the clock, with Steiner hoisting her stick in the air, letting out a scream, and joining her teammates for the celebration near the Burlington net. 'I told them to just keep playing our game,' said Burlington first-year coach Maddy Skiff. 'Be patient, do what we do best, work together. We did that, and we came out on top.' Burlington's Emma Steiner (No. 9) exults in her team's 14-13 victory over host Marshfield in a Division 2 girls' lacrosse matchup. Barry Chin/Globe Staff Burlington learned from close regular-season losses to Lexington, Bedford, North Andover, and Ipswich. The setbacks yielded a deceiving record, as this was not a typical No. 18 seed. Tremblay, whom Skiff described as 'one tough cookie,' said it was her favorite lacrosse game ever. 'Honestly, my mind went blank,' Tremblay said. 'It's just such an amazing feeling. As a senior, I don't have many games left, so I'm taking it all in, but it's the best one I could ask for.' Trevor Hass can be reached at
