Page
      12
      February
      16,
      2009
      EN'TERTAINMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Vancouver,
      Canada’s
      golden
      city,
     
     
      needs
      to
      give
      itself
      a
      shine
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      city
      set
      to
      host
      winter
      games,
      as
      well
      as
      Juno
      awards.
      But
     
     
      with
      home-grown
      artists
      like
      Nickelback,
      maybe
      the
     
     
      viewer
      should
      wait
      another
      year
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Whitney
      Bysterveldt
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      seems
      as
      though
      Vancouver
      is
      Canada’s
     
     
      golden
      city
      lately,
      playing
      host
      not
      only
      to
     
     
      the
      winter
      games
      but
      also
      the
      upcoming
     
     
      Juno
      awards.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      course
      the
      former
      is
      a
      much
      more
      es-
     
     
      teemed
      event,
      and
      with
      the
      announcement
     
     
      of
      the
      nominees
      on
      Feb.
      3
      that
      statement
     
     
      couldn’t
      be
      any
      more
      true.
     
    

    
     
      Leading
      the
      pack
      with
      five
      nominations
     
     
      is
      the
      marketable
      yet
      insipid
      Nickelback,
     
     
      followed
      by
      Canada’s
      most
      congenial
      rock
     
     
      star
      Sam
      Roberts
      with
      four
      noms.
     
    

    
     
      Rounding
      out
      the
      multiple
      nominations
     
     
      are
      veteran
      Celine
      Dion
      and
      the
      inane
      en-
     
     
      semble
      known
      as
      Hedley,
      both
      tied
      with
     
     
      three
      nominations.
     
    

    
     
      It
      seems
      as
      though
      the
      selection
      in
      Can-
     
     
      ada’s
      awards
      for
      outstanding
      achievement
     
     
      in
      the
      record
      industry
      is
      as
      diverse
      and
      in-
     
     
      spiring
      as
      an
      Abercrombie
      and
      Fitch
      cata-
     
     
      logue.
     
    

    
     
      The
      lacklustre
      array
      of
      artists
      doesn’t
      end
     
     
      with
      the
      front
      runners
      as
      those
      up
      for
      inter-
     
     
      national
      album
      of
      the
      year
      include
      AC/DC,
     
     
      Coldplay,
      Guns
      N’
      Roses,
      Jack
      Johnson
     
     
      and
      Metallica.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      strange
      how
      a
      country
      with
      such
      a
      vast
     
     
      range
      of
      musical
      talent
      is
      continuously
      pay-
     
     
      ing
      homage
      to
      those
      artists
      who
      produce
     
     
      the
      most
      pallid
      work.
     
    

    
     
      Granted,
      the
      nominations
      for
      general
      cat-
     
     
      egories
      such
      as
      album
      of
      the
      year
      are
      de-
     
     
      termined
      by
      sales
      but
      genre-specific
      cat-
     
     
      egories
      are
      chosen
      by
      a
      panel.
      For
      this
      we
     
     
      should
      be
      grateful
      as
      it
      is
      in
      the
      panel
      cho-
     
     
      sen
      categories
      that
      the
      nominations
      look
      a
     
     
      little
      more
      promising.
     
    

    
     
      Take
      the
      alternative
      album
      of
      the
      year,
     
     
      for
      example,
      as
      artists
      such
      as
      Chad
      Van-
     
     
      Gaalen,
      Plants
      and
      Animals,
      The
      Stills,
     
     
      Black
      Mountain
      and
      Fucked
      Up
      are
      in
      con-
     
     
      tention.
      Even
      a
      few
      East
      Coast
      bands
      snuck
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      as
      The
      Trews,
      Sloan
      and
      Matt
      Mays
      and
     
     
      El
      Torpedo
      are
      all
      up
      for
      Rock
      Album
      of
     
     
      the
      Year
      and
      Gordie
      Sampson
      is
      once
      again
     
     
      up
      for
      Songwriter
      of
      the
      Year.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      strange
      that
      the
      majority
      of
      categories
     
     
      are
      congested
      with
      male
      artists
      when
      it
      is
     
     
      the
      females
      that
      appeared
      to
      be
      in
      strong
     
     
      standing
      this
      year.
      Artists
      such
      as
      Ala-
     
     
      nis
      Morisette,
      Sarah
      Slean,
      Serena
      Ryder,
     
     
      Feist,
      Lights,
      Tara
      Oram,
      Molly
      Johnson
     
     
      and
      Ariane
      Moffatt.
     
    

    
     
      Mundane
      nominations
      aside,
      the
      airing
     
     
      of
      the
      awards
      should
      prove
      to
      be
      no
      more
     
     
      rousing
      as
      performances
      include
      the
      likes
     
     
      of
      Nickelback
      and
      Simple
      Plan.
      Perhaps
     
     
      the
      most
      entertaining
      aspect
      of
      the
      awards
     
     
      show
      will
      be
      the
      return
      of
      comedic
      host
     
     
      Russell
      Peters.
      So
      unless
      you’re
      interested
     
     
      in
      watching
      a
      nationally
      televised
      Nickel-
     
     
      back
      gala
      you
      may
      be
      better
      off
      waiting
      for
     
     
      next
      year’s
      awards.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Nickelback
      frontman
      Chad
      Kroeger,
      whose
      musical
     
     
      interests
      includes
      making
      music
      that
      is
      not
      interesting,
     
     
      will
      be
      with
      his
      band
      as
      they
      are
      set
      to
      play
      at
      the
      Junos
     
     
      in
      Vancouver.
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