New City Montreal TV sports show announces local hosts Lozoff and Weir

Weir and Lozoff

The first significant announcement from City Montreal has been made. When the new 30-minute weekly sports magazine show Montreal Connected  premieres on Thursday, May 30 at 7 p.m.  Sportsnet reporter Alyson Lozoff of NDG and television personality Wilder Weir from Beaconsfield will serve as co-hosts. A press release says that the English-language program will take audiences beyond the game highlights for an in-depth look at the city’s professional and amateur teams, along with athlete profiles and feature stories on local, national, and international sports.   

Following the May 30 premiere, Montreal Connected will air Thursdays at 7 p.m.  with encores on Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 6 p.m. on City Montreal. Beginning June 1, Sportsnet East will air Montreal Connected on Saturdays at noon ET.

"Montreal is a great sports city, and Montrealers support not only their pro teams but embrace amateur and collegiate sports as well,” said Scott Moore, President, Broadcast, Rogers Media. “With in-depth coverage and exclusive access to the city’s illustrious sports scene, Montreal Connected offers audiences a unique perspective on professional and amateur sports with a Montreal-centric view, plus a look at stories of interest at the national and international levels.”

 "It's a dream come true!" Lozoff told me. "Montreal Connected will offer Montrealers a unique view of its sports teams, athletes and events among other experiences and I am thrilled to be there every step of the way leading them on the adventure!"

Lozoff was born and raised in NDG. She first discovered her passion for sports broadcasting when she worked as an in-game host during Montreal Canadiens games. Officially hooked on the gig after reporting live from the Red Bull Crashed Ice finish line, Lozoff joined Sportsnet in 2012, regularly covering the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Alouettes, and Montreal Impact. A lawyer in Ontario and Quebec, Lozoff received a Civil Law Degree, a Common Law Degree, and a Masters Degree in Law at l’Université de Montréal. She also studied at the China University of Political Science and Law in Beijing, where she obtained a Chinese Law Study Certificate.  She was also a Miss Teen Canada and visited many schools on the island to speak out against bullying.

Weir, raised in Beaconsfield, is the son of retired professional hockey player, Wally Weir. The puck was passed to Weir who continued his father’s legacy playing senior hockey for Lower Canada College and making the varsity team at Queen’s University. He also attended St. George's School of Montreal at the elementary level. 

A budding hockey star, in 2005 Weir made his television debut as a hockey player in the Canadian reality series Making the Cut: Last Man Standing, a program that pitted Canada’s top 60 amateur hockey players against each other. His transition to an on-air television personality occurred in 2008 as host of national television series Oh So Cosmo, where Weir then worked on-air for six consecutive seasons. He returns home to Montreal with countless celebrity interviews, live event hosting, and on-air experience under his belt. 

"I always had my eye on coming back here," Weir told me. "When I need Making the Cut in 2005 I met Scott Moore. He ended up helping me get by job at TSN. We lost touch, but three or four months ago I ran into him and told him that my contract hosting Oh So Cosmo was up. We got to talking; I had some screen tests and I got this job. It is really exciting."

Wally Weir now works for the Port of Montreal and loves to golf. Wilder has temporarily moved back to Beaconsfield and taken up residence in his old room, making Wally and mom Wendy pretty happy. Younger brother Wyatt lives downtown and just graduated from Concordia's John Molson School of Business.

How did he get the name Wilder? "My mom and dad were high school sweethearts," he explains. "Many years ago my mom was in the hospital with a weird strain of pneumonia. So my dad was wandering the halls and he saw this plaque for Dr. Wilder Penfield.  He thought to himself that when Wendy gets better, if I marry her and if we have a boy, we will name him Wilder because he liked how it sounded. Apparently my mom said 'no way,' but it happened."

In addition to Lozoff and Weir, the roster of talent joining Montreal Connected also includes Sportsnet’s award-winning Stephen Brunt, considered one of Canada’s top sports journalists; Sean Gordon, Globe and Mail sports reporter; Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette sportswriter; and Arpon Basu, managing editor at NHL.com.

Montreal Connected will be produced by three-time world water ski champion and member of the Order of Canada and Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, George Athans, alongside Kelly Greig, a former producer in Montreal. Bob Babinski is Executive Producer and Local Content Manager, City Montreal, Jordan Schwartz is Vice-President, In-House Production, Rogers Media, Scott Woodgate is Vice-President, News & Information, Sportsnet, and Scott Moore is President of Broadcast, Rogers Media.

Here is a clip of Wally Weir fighting Chris Nilan.

Montreal Music Scene plans one rocking party on Sunday

Listeners to Montreal radio are no doubt familiar with the name of Esteban Vargas. These days he is the producer of the CHOM FM Morning Show with Terry DiMonte and Heather Backman. He also oversees  The Comedy Show with Joey Elias on CJAD a few  nights per week. "This was actually part of my old position over on the production side of things on CJAD,  but I insisted I keep it being the huge comedy fan I am," he says. "Joey is also just great to work with!"
 

But a true labour of love for Vargas is the Montreal Music Scene (MMS), one of the city's oldest and most active online music communities for independent artists and listeners. MMS recently announced the relaunch and re-branding of its image and website, with work done  by  Raymon Fong.
 

The relaunch will be celebrated at  a kick-off party on Sunday,  May 26  at Co-op Katacombes (1635 Boul. St. Laurent) and will  feature local Montreal artists and acts such as The Damn Truth (acoustic), Dead Messenger, Patrick Lehman, and more. It will be hosted by Montreal actor/comedian Mike Paterson. MMS will also host a barbeque throughout the night.

Tickets can be purchased through www.admission.com, 514-790-1245, and in person at Sound Central (4486 Coloniale). They are $12,  plus service fees. All proceeds will go to the Montreal Children’s Hospital and their Music Therapy Program.

From its humble beginnings over a decade ago, MMS now boasts one of the largest active music message boards and communities in Eastern Canada, bringing together bands and fans alike. They remain an important player in the Montreal music community. With this launch, Varagas and Rose Agozzino hope that MMS will again become a household name within the city’s music scene, while expanding its reach on a national and international scale.  

"MMS and the launch party is a labour of love from a group of contributors who are passionate about music and the local scene," Vargas says. "We have everything from professional photographers to writers to designers to musicians"

Some of the names currently on the project include Big James (from band Endast), Carl Roloff, Jennifer Lariviere, Jenny King, Michelle Pucci, Rebecca Munroe, Valerie Pyke and  co-organizer  Agozzino.

For more information check out Facebook.com/MontrealMusicScene or follow them on Twitter @montrealmusic.

 Here is a clip of  Mike Paterson.

New P.F. Chang's Montreal location is already a big hit

One month after opening its doors for the first time in Quebec, the new P.F. Chang’s China Bistro is bringing in the crowds at its gorgeous Montreal location on Rue des Jockeys next to the former Blue Bonnets Raceway and off of the Decarie Expressway.

Aronovici (right) and director of operations Cary Mausner.

I was there for a daytime visit on the eve of its formal opening to meet the founder of the international chain, Philip Chiang. But other commitments prevented me from attending a couple of VIP celebrations.  My family and I finally got to try it out on May 17 and it was everything we expected it to be and more. We have always been huge fans of P.F. Chang’s, dining there every chance we came close to one while travelling in the States. In January we ate at the first Canadian location in Toronto.  It was cold mid-week evening and the place was packed. Well, Michael Aronovici, the man who has brought P.F. Chang’s to Canada, really thought this over very well. You know what they say about “location, location, location.” In Toronto, a trendy shopping plaza in Don Mills was chosen.  Rue des Jockeys here is centrally located and it has already attracted a loyal following of regulars. On June 17, Aronovici’s Interaction Asian Restaurants will debut the next P.F. Chang’s at Carrefour Laval.

We arrived at 7:30 p.m. Outside, the valet parking attendants were busy while inside sat dozens of people with pagers, patiently waiting for tables. I saw many familiar faces. One of them was Aronovici, who was there with his own family.

Manager Emile Haykel was supervising the busy kitchen, the bar and the two levels of seating. Our waiter was Eric, an enthusiastic young man who treated us to the chain’s traditional creation of a special dipping sauce, done right before your very eyes. Each server has their own mixtures.

Each dish on the P.F. Chang’s menu is prepared to order using the freshest and highest quality ingredients. The environment at each location combines influences of Chinese and American cultures. A panoramic, hand-painted mural depicting 12th century China, is visible from the main dining room and commands attention as the restaurant’s centerpiece, while several terra-cotta warriors stand guard. The majestic 11 foot tall horses grace the entrance to many of the restaurants, including Montreal. This horse symbolizes the original Forbidden City in China, which was built for China’s first emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.

The trademark lettuce wraps.

I  started off with some won ton soup, containing pork wontons, mushrooms, fresh spinach, water chestnuts, chicken and shrimp in a savory chicken broth. Then it was time for P.F. Chang’s signature chicken lettuce wraps: wok seared minced chicken, mushrooms, green onions and water chestnuts served over crispy rice sticks with cool, crisp lettuce cups.

Crispy honey chicken.

This is a place where sharing dishes makes the most sense. My recommendation is the Mongolian beef (tender flank steak wok-cooked then quickly tossed with scallions and garlic), crispy honey shrimp (lightly battered and tossed in a sweet and tangy honey sauce with green onions), crispy honey chicken (lightly battered and served in a sweet sauce over a bed of crispy rice sticks), double pan-fried noodles (crisp egg noodles stir-fried with mushrooms, bok choy, carrots, celery and onions and comes with a choice of beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or vegetable) and a bowl of steamed rice.

We had just enough room to share some mini-desserts, served in shot glasses. Not too filling. We sampled the triple chocolate mousse, the tres leche lemon dream and the tiramisu,

When we got ready to leave, towards 9:45p.m., large groups of people were still filing in. P.F. Chang’s does take reservations, but leaves about 25 percent of the availability for walk-ins.

This new Montreal locale can seat 280 people, plus 50 on the unique terrace which even has heaters for when the weather turns a bit nippy. There is a staff of 170.   

You can log on to www.pfchangs.ca to see the menu. Takeout is available. You can call 514-731-2020 for reservations. The restaurant is also opened for lunch, with some great deals.

Here is the interview I did with Aronovici and Philip Chiang last month.

 

The Toonie Challenge: a great initiative for students to support MUHC

Town of Mount Royal’s Michael Kounadis is one sharp fellow. The Selwyn House high school student made an immediate impression upon me as he stepped to the microphone as part of a well produced program organized by the McGill University Health Centre (MUCH).

Kounadis,  whose dad Dennis is one of the city’s sharpest lawyers,  was taking part in the public kick-off of The Toonie Challenge, an MUHC initiative involving local Montreal schools.  Students have been busy collecting toonies for the MUHC Foundation as part of the hospital’s Best Care for Life Campaign, which supports the building of the new Glen site and vital equipment purchases. The long-term fundraising goal is to raise 69,000 toonies ($138,000), enough to circle the entire Glen site (1,932 metres) if placed end-to-end.

Held at Glen Hall of the new MUCH Administrative Centre next to the Vendome Metro and a short walk from the  new super hospital which will be completed in  the fall of 2014, the ceremony fed on the enthusiasm of youngsters like Kounadis who spoke about how they organized their own  toonie challenges. “We did a bake sale during Valentine’s Day,” Kounados explained,  “and a joint school carnival with The Study.”

A total of $14,012 was raised – representing 7,006 toonies.  Besides Selwyn House, other QAIS (Quebec Association of Independent Schools) participating schools were  ECS, Lower Canada College, Sacred Heart, The Study, Trafalgar, Vanguard, Villa Maria and  Queen of Angels. Tim Peters from the PriorySchool was there with some student ambassadors and Irene Miller from the English Montreal School Board, each party observing for possible participation next year.

 

Students proudly display a large version of the cheque, representing the money raised in the Toonie Challenge. That is Michael Kounadis, second row, fifth from the right.

At ECS,  for instance, the students sold smoothies for $4 (two toonies) , organized toonie races (lining toonies up along the ground) and held a free dress day. The latter was a common activity at most schools.

Dr. Preetha Krishnamoorthy, an attending physician of the Division of Endocrinology & Metabolism at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, addressed the  group. A truly dynamic speaker, she spoke with great enthusiasm about the new facility. She explained that when her patients turn 18 she must say good-bye and send them to another building.  “With the new campus my patients will go right next door,” she said.
 

Dr. Jonathan Meakins, Director of the Heritage Centre of the MUHC, praised the Toonie Challenge and noted that this initial donation represents 10 percent of the toonies necessary to surround the new site.

Following the presentation, students will be invited to visit a variety of health kiosks covering topics such as nutrition, the importance of volunteering, nursing, trauma prevention and more. 

After the speeches, students and guests circulated around the room to browse at different information kiosks dealing with  everything from archival items to nutrition.