Author Archives: darmyers

A Radio gal who loves food & wine! I'm a Certified Sommelier with the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers.

The Oscars!

See full size image  Rourke-oscars mickey-rourke-2009-oscars-15   Winslet-oscar kate-winslet-2009-oscars-01  Hugh Jackman with Anne Hathaway in the opening number for the 2009 Oscars

   
 
“You Commie Homo Lovin’  Son’s of Guns!’  It’s not every day you hear that at an Awards Ceremony!  Sean Penn’s first line after winning the Oscar for Best Actor for his role playing Harvey Milk in the film Milk, and by far, the best Oscar acceptance speech of the night!
It was a night of some predictability, a lot of cream colored dresses and some great moments.  I thought Hugh Jackman did a superb job of hosting.  This is not an easy job… It tends to be a 4-hour show and you have to entertain through awards given in categories that not alot of people talk about, like Best Foreign Film, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing… and the list goes on and on!   I really enjoyed the opening number. The length of this show leaves a lot to be desired though. 
I was really glad Sean Penn won, I personally think he is a brilliant actor in all the roles he takes on.  I was cheering for Mickey Rourke.  I saw ‘The Wrestler’ and thought he gave a jaw-dropping performance.   And I thought the recognition Sean Penn gave him was well-deserved.   Kate Winslet was honest and funny with her story of the shampoo bottle, and to no one’s surprise “Slum Dog Millionaire” won Best Picture.
I have got to comment on some of the funny moments… Ben Stiller doing his Joaquin Phoenix impression was hilarious, but I think the best was Steve Martin and Tina Fey.  Two of the funniest people on the planet had people laughing so hard.  And if you missed the Red Carpet, you missed Mickey Rourke telling people “I hope Sean Penn wins, if he does I’ll be there clapping my ass off”!
And with that, I think I will wrap it up!

Winter Carnival Events in Corner Brook!

2008 Corner Brook Winter Carnival by GaryKelly.

Lief the Lucky with my friend Gary Kelly and Liam & Lucas Kelly.

I had so much fun at the Opening Ceremonies for the Corner Brook Winter Carnival Friday night, I thought I would tell you about some of the more fun upcoming events! 

* Sunday, February 22nd is the Torchlight Parade at Marble Mountain.  This event is a family favorite with a torchlight parade down the mountain and another spectacular fireworks display.  Great for all ages.

*Monday, February 23rd is a civic holiday in Corner Brook, and a day jam-packed with events.  The Family Day in the Park gets underway at 2 p.m. at Margaret Bowater Park.  And the Kinette Variety Show is tonight as well.

* More fun events include Newfie Day for Seniors, Old Sam Days at Marble Mountain on Friday the 27th, and the food!  Everything from Cabbage Rolls, Fisherman’s Brews, Meatball dinners, Roast beef dinners, chili cook-offs.  It’s not possible to go hungry during Winter Carnival.

For a complete list of events, check out this site.

http://www.cornerbrookwintercarnival.ca/Schedule09.htm

Have fun

Darlene

Winter Carnival Time in Corner Brook

   

Friday, February 20th, kicked off the 38th annual Winter Carnival here in Corner Brook.  It was the best opening ceremonies I have ever seen.  The park was filled with people of  all ages, waiting for Lief the Lucky to come out of the tunnel and offically open Winter Carnival.

There was a spectacular fireworks display, followed by great entertainment by Rex Goudie and Uncle Harry’s Bar Band.  The draw for Lief the Lucky’s Treasure Chest went over extremely well.  It was the first year and a lucky 14 year old girl walked away with some fantastic prizes, including a Wii System, Ipod, digital camera and much more.

 These opening ceremonies set the stage for 10 days of Winter fun.   If this is any indication of the level of entertainment, the people of Corner Brook are in for a great 10 days.  Tied in with the ECMA’s, Corner Brook is now a hot-bed of winter activity, entertainment and fun. 

Enjoy!

A visit to the Great Northern Peninsula.

pictures of the season winter            picture of Iceberg

It’s been 26 years since my last visit, but this weekend I took a trip to the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland.  My mother is from the Northern Peninsula and although the occasion was sad, her sister died, and we went up for the funeral…. the visit, however, was fantastic.

I have never been up there in the winter, and the stark beauty captivated me.  Ice floes in the water, the snow drifts where it was so barren in places.  I can’t believe I didn’t bring my camera, so I got the above pictures from a website on the Northern Peninsula. 

It’s a popular spot in the summer, and I can see why.  The ocean is your driving partner as you drive along Route 430, and you see bogs and mountains.  We saw 1 moose and 5 caribou on the way up, and 1 moose on the way down, just curled up sitting watching the traffic on the side of the road.  He wasn’t moving. 

There wasn’t much traffic in the winter time, and with good reason.  Weather can change pretty quickly in Northern Newfoundland and we hit two separate snow storms on the return trip. 

We did however, get to enjoy the music and hospitality of the people.  They celebrate life like no others.  It was a joy to watch.  The funeral was packed, as people share everything with each other.  There aren’t much in the way of amenities, no shopping, no museums, no galleries.  There’s just people, music and laughter

What a great trip.  Thank you to every0ne who made it so enjoyable.  I can’t wait for the next trip.

Darlene

Where Are All The Deals?

    Me On Vacation!

I would love to go on another trip to a destination I have never been!  So where are the deals?  Is it my imagination, or do there seem to be fewer deals this year than ever before?

I was thinking that with the economic recession around the world, and people all over Canada and the United States losing their jobs, that the travel industry would offer some good deals on vacations.   I think the statistic I heard was 598,000 people lost their jobs in January.   These people are trying to save their homes, probably not thinking about vacations.

I was talking to my travel agent in early January and she told me that people are waiting for ‘the deal’!  Well, where are they?  Normally in January, Air Canada offers a great seat sale.  If they did it this year it was the best kept un-advertised secret ever. 

I have been checking the regular websites, (Expedia, Travelocity, etc)   but nothing catches my attention as a great deal.  I usually take a vacation every year, usually a sunny destination.  6 months of winter each year will do that to you.   I know what I have paid in the past, and I’ll tell you, there aren’t any spectacular deals yet.

If anyone knows of  another website I can check out, please let me know.

Here’s to the sunshine in our minds!

Darlene