Lina Ko July 28th, 2010
It’s now no longer news that two of the country’s three national newscasts will soon be anchored by female journalists. Lisa LaFlamme, 45, will replace anchor Lloyd Robertson when he leaves CTV National News in mid-2011. A lesser known journalist here in Canada, Dawna Friesen, also 46, will take over in August from Kevin Newman of Global National News after working for NBC for over a decade as an international correspondent based in London.
According to Friesen, being a woman has neither helped nor hindered her in her broadcast career. And so should it be. But it’s encouraging to see two very capable young boomers becoming the ‘voices’ of Canadians on two very influential newscasts, each reaching over an estimated TV audience of one million Canadian viewers.
Lisa LaFlamme has always been my favourite broadcast journalist. I recall bringing the famous Wolf Blass to an interview at Canada AM about 10 years ago when LaFlamme was one of the program hosts. Booze is not a natural subject of interest for a morning show, but we managed to pique the interest of the show because LaFlamme appeared to be a big fan of Wolf Blass wines. Since then, she has moved off the morning show to take on various news positions. She has received five Gemini nominations in the Best News Anchor category and has won several Radio-Television News Directors Association awards for achievements in electronic journalism.
Dawna Friesen brings with her over 10 years of international reporting experience having spent most of her time abroad. She covered the downfall of Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic, the kidnapping and murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan and the guerrilla war in Iraq following the fall of Saddam Hussein. Last year, Friesen won an Emmy Award for her role in NBC’s coverage of the U.S. presidential campaign of Barack Obama.
Together with Katie Couric and Diane Sawyer, women boomers are now dominating the North American TV news broadcast space in a changing world when fewer and fewer people, particularly young people of 25 years and under, are relying on TV as a source of news. I look forward to a fresh perspective these women will bring to an evolving world of news reporting in the years to come.
Lina Ko June 7th, 2010
According to the Edmonton Journal, tomorrow’s Creative Age Festival that will kick off at Edmonton City Hall just might change some lives of boomers and seniors.
Boomers continue to discover their late-blooming talents and are celebrating them with their peers. A woman who was well into her 60s discovered, much to her surprise, that she was a good writer after she went to one of the writing workshops in last year’s Festival. The Festival got its name after research suggests that becoming engaged in music, painting, drama, storytelling or writing improves the mental and physical health of seniors and, by extension, helps them live longer, happier lives.
In its third year now, the Festival’s program includes jazz performer Rolanda Lee and her Gentlemen of Jazz, bestselling author Mary Woodbury, and performances by the Geriactors drama troupe and the School Boys Big Band. There will also be an art workshop and seniors’ art exhibit at the Art Gallery of Alberta, film screenings, storytelling, drama workshops and a choral fest.
A great idea like this should really be expanded to a national level. Perhaps Moses Znaimer and his Zoomer team could consider organizing a similar festival in all key markets across the country and bring some big-name boomer Canadian artists to the Festival? I recall when I visited Naples, Florida, last December, I was impressed by the quality of The Naples Players performing at the Sugden CommunityTheatre. The theatre group comprises primarily amateur boomer actors and if we can somehow pursue this in Canada, boomers will have a great creative outlet to flaunt their talents.
Lina Ko May 26th, 2010
According to The Toronto Star, more and more boomers are pursuing their musical passions– playing the piano or learning a new musical skill. Piano teacher Clare Pengelly said she’s been teaching a lot of “big kids” how to play the piano. Her so-called “kids” are baby boomers who are passionately taking piano lessons and are now outnumbering the “little kids” who flock to her Victorian house where two baby grands share centre stage in her family home.
Pengelly’s mature students come from all walks of life – they are busy teachers, photographers, medical experts and investment bankers. Most are in their 50s and many have never taken a piano lesson. Many sign on with her because they see this as a distraction from their intense and demanding jobs. Most of them are looking for an outlet from their jobs, empty nests or a way to keep their brains sharp into retirement.
I also know boomer friends who are taking painting lessons for the first time. Of course it’s better to learn a new skill when you’re younger. But it’s never too late to try something new at any stage in life. Or perhaps this is just evidence of what we boomers are constantly doing – cherishing the past, maximizing the present and still dreaming about the future!
Lina Ko May 10th, 2010
Betty White’s appearance on Saturday Night Live over the weekend created a big sensation – a lot of people were amazed that the 88-year-old White, who’s been a part of pop culture since the 1940s, has become one of the hottest stars of 2010. A successful half-million-strong Facebook campaign has got her invited as a host of Saturday Night Live in the first place, and the show she hosted got its highest rating in 18 months! And guess who she trumped? John McCain.
Not only was White very much at home on the show, but she was making fun of the very social networking site which campaigned for her in the first place. Prior to this invitation, White said, she didn’t even know what Facebook was. And now having understood what it’s all about, she considers it a ‘big waste of time’ as she teased on TV.
According to The New York Times, “all it took to reinvigorate a 35-year-old comedy show was the presence of an 88-year-old woman.” White also brought back the support from past cast members including Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer. Support for White was evident on Twitter, where she was a trending topic on Sunday and had praise from fans including the teenage singer Justin Bieber, who tweeted after the broadcast, “BETTY WHITE RULES.”
All eyes are now on her new sitcom Hot In Cleveland which will be launched soon. All boomers should learn from White’s example – the power of a youthful mind cannot be underestimated!
Lina Ko April 22nd, 2010
According to the Victoria Times Colonist today, exhibitors at Show Canada, the annual convention of the movie theatre industry, theatres need to keep an aging clientele coming back to the movie house by starting to make some important changes – smaller food and drink portions, better lighting, lower sound levels, and more elevators.
Contrary to popular belief, statistics reveal that in 2010, there are slightly more 50-and-older Canadian boomers going to movies than those aged 24 or younger. With the fertility rate falling and life expectancy rising, the older moviegoer will be important to the industry. Apart from an aging population, immigrants from China, India and the Philippines form the majority of immigrants to Canada and they tend to gravitate to large metro areas. According to a board member of the Motion Picture Theatre Associations of Canada, theatre owners need to know their changing client base and adjust accordingly.
Boomers are definitely seeking more entertainment outside the home, particularly when 3-D movies like Avatar are increasingly drawing audiences to cinemas even though they may have large media entertainment rooms at home. I don’t care how big your state-of-the-art TV is at home, or how many sets you’ve got, there’s nothing like going to the cinema and sharing the experience with other film buffs! The VIP cinemas at Cineplex are going in the right direction for boomer audiences – they don’t mind paying for more and sharing the cinematic experience with a more intimate crowd with fewer noise distractions.
Perhaps Canadian cinemas should consider offering seat bookings in select locations so that boomers and older audiences can avoid standing in line. For now, I still see younger audiences dominating the movie theatre audience group, but that may change soon if cinema marketers and operators adapt to the evolving demographics.
Lina Ko November 24th, 2009
Everything good must come to an end. So when Oprah finally announced on her show last week that her daytime TV show would end in 2011, both she and her audience choked up on air.
However, according to a lot of journalists and entertainment analysts, this hardly came as a surprise. Oprah calling it quits with her syndicated talk show became inevitable like Jerry Seinfeld quitting his hugely successful sitcom. One of the richest people in the world, Oprah has moved from an afternoon icon to magazine publisher to Broadway impresario to movie producer. She has become not only an entertainment giant, but also a motivational inspirer and the most powerful pop culture and even political influencer.
With her new venture in 2011, the Oprah Winfrey Network, we will probably see more of Oprah, instead of less. The most successful personal brand of Oprah will reach new heights with her own cable network. With her evolution as a household name over the last two decades, Oprah has always, in Rob Salem’s words, “managed to maintain her emotional integrity and boundless empathy, while also possessing the foresight and business savvy to retain ownership and creative control of her own brand.” We will not see the last of Oprah. It’s just another stage of renewal for the Oprah brand.
Lina Ko October 26th, 2009
I’m tired of talking about the doom and gloom news on this blog. So, for a change, I’ll mention another boomer woman whose glorious past and a divorce 10 years ago didn’t stop her from further developing herself.
I read with interest in Hello! Canada how Jerry Hall, a former model and ex-wife of Mick Jagger, has been staying in the same house in Richmond, U.K., where she raised her four kids. At 53, the statuesque Texan looks amazing. She appeared on the London stage in Calendar Girls with critical acclaim (not just on her naked body!) and contintues to be involved with various charities and campaigns. She has also completed a university degree, writes poetry and is planning to do a Cordon Bleu cooking course. On top of all these, she has also got her captain’s licence for boat driving.
With no plastic surgery (she might have Botox here and there) and an accomplished life, this former rock chick is single but happy. She also told the publication that she would not go out with a rock star again. I never thought Jerry Hall was attractive in her younger days, but she is increasingly beautiful every time when I saw her on TV or read about her in a magazine. Maybe as she said, happiness and self-accomplishment drive away wrinkles.
Lina Ko August 24th, 2009
There were so many blogs already on Mad Men’s debut episode that what I’m writing here is probably no surprise to anyone! But from a boomer’s perspective, I can hardly find any boomer who doesn’t like the show. A lot of us were born or grew up in that era, so it’s natural that we love the series. But the reason why I really like it from the beginning is that it’s not until you watched the show did you realize that we women have come a long way! The evolution of women over the years is astounding, but even the evolution of the women characters within the show as the seasons progress is amazing. Peggy, Joan and Betty have all evolved to become stronger women in their own ways.
Shakespeare’s ‘seeming’ theme woven through all seasons is another reason why there is poetry beneath the chaos. The Drapers look perfect on the outside – a golden couple living in suburbia with a pair of lovely kids. Yet, inside, they are both in trouble and terribly insecure in their own ways.
It is not just a boomer show. The popularity of Mad Men transcends generations – the Millennials, Gen-Xers, boomers and seniors all follow the show. The September issue of Vanity Fair said Mad Men is the best TV drama ever produced. It certainly is the best written, when compared to Seinfeld, The Sopranos and other great shows. How can it not be when the majority of writers for the show are women? The silence in this show can sometimes be mistaken as snail-pace production and the subtlety of the witticisms can be missed if you’re not paying attention. In addition, it’s always a challenge for viewers not to be distracted by the disturbingly good looks of Jon Hamm and Jennifer Jones to appreciate their fine acting.
I’m now rewatching Season 2 while Season 3 is gradually being unveiled – you discover something new every time you watch the old episodes!
Lina Ko June 16th, 2009
Having just returned from London, U.K., I cannot resist but recommend a hotel with great service and attention to detail. Having stayed in a variety of hotels, new and old, big and small, all over the world, I must say that The Langham, a five-star London hotel just across the street from the BBC, is a rare find and maintains its consistency in service, quality and overall attention to detail. I haven’t been to London in nine years, and I recall that last time when I visited, I stayed at The Langham Hilton – an elegant grande dame but definitely needed a makeover. Earlier this month, I took a week’s vacation to spend some time in London with two good friends from Hong Kong. The Langham Hilton has now become The Langham and has just gone through an 80-million-pound refurbishment.
The entire experience of my stay was heavenly – great service from the doormen to the reception and the restaurant staff. There’s nothing wrong with boutique hotels, but The Langham offers a lot of things for boomers that boutique hotels can’t – a state-of-the-art fitness centre and plastic floor mats for both the bathtub and the shower chamber. It’s got 380 rooms (the right size) in two wings with classical rooms combined with contemporary design. The Artesian Bar and some other parts of the hotel were designed by renowned architect and interior designer David Collins who also designed the bar at The Claridge’s and Nobu at Berkeley. The hotel has over 140 years of history and the fitness centre, with an indoor swimming pool, used to be the safety vault of the old Barclays Bank. Given the British high-tea tradition, the Palm Court on the lobby floor was the birthplace of afternoon tea in London.
The only tiny shortcomings, and I’m really nitpicking here, were in two areas: the evening bedtime roll-down service started at 6 p.m. which is really way too early to even think about going to bed in a 24-hour city like London. On top of that, the very elegant doorman disappeared at 10:30 p.m. every night including weekends. While I’m not expecting a 24-hour doorman service, I think an extension of evening duty till at least midnight would be a reasonable request. Given the economic recession, the web rates for the hotel rooms were extremely reasonable. I had the privilege of being upgraded to The Club floor which was even more value for money. I’m determined to go back to the same hotel whenever I return to London – and I think it will be very soon.
Lina Ko May 19th, 2009
It’s common for people to stereotype baby boomers and their musical tastes. Of course, it’s natural to associate boomers with their preference for boomer-era musicians – Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Bee Gees and others. In terms of music, I’m kind of unusual for a boomer. My taste in music is pretty eclectic – from the Stones to Prince to Robbie Williams to Black Eyed Peas to Divine Brown to young musicians such as Joss Stone, Duffy, Amy Winehouse, Sophie Millman and even the wunderkind Nikki Yanofsky.
To me, there will always be that group of iconic boomer bands who influenced me when I was growing up – the Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and almost all Motown musicians. In spite of my reference often on this blog to boomers reinventing themselves, most of the boomer musicians I liked are not making new music any more. The Rolling Stones are making new breakthroughs via their concerts, but not in creating new music. CCR is long gone and the solo-touring John Fogerty does not have the same impact as the band. The only baby boomer musicians who are constantly reinventing themselves and still making a huge impact are Prince and Madonna. I don’t particularly like Madonna’s music but I’ll pay any price to see her perform. Being a devoted Prince fan all my life, hearing his latest triple-disc set Lotusflow3R is a real thrill! In spite of his eccentricity, Prince is probably still one of the most talented R&B musicians alive. And watching him perform in concerts only drives home the uniqueness of his diverse talent in creating and playing music.
We boomers are lucky to experience and enjoy the ‘oldie’ music, but we should also continue to support new, up-and-coming artists who shape the present and the future of the musical world.