Skip to content

James Blunt brings balancing act to Vancouver

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Published in the Vancouver Sun on May 10, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

James Blunt is like the middle child in a family of radio superstars and soft-rock indie darlings: He seems to get lost in the fuss over his more defined siblings.

Blunt, a British cavalry captain-turned-musician, straddles the border of Top 40 buzz and folky singer-songwriter obscurity. (In the U.K., it’s a bit of a different story: the five-time Grammy nominee is tabloid fodder.) Known for the songbird-esque quiver in his voice, Blunt isn’t the type of musician to sell out Rogers Arena in 10 minutes, or produce consistent and anticipated No. 1 hits for American charts.

On one hand, his songs are elemental, personal, unpolished emotion, avoiding the overly jangly or super-sweet lacquer that earns you pop fame. But then you take into account the 37-year-old’s nauseatingly cute hit, You’re Beautiful, off his multi-platinum debut Back To Bedlam, and other big money-makers like 1973 off 2007’s All The Lost Souls. They’ve burrowed deep into North Americans’ ears, earning him mainstream staying power and a few accolades.

On paper, Blunt’s music seems to be the best of both worlds — with three albums, two world tours and 18 million records. But he just doesn’t get the hype that similarly successful artists do. In short, Blunt’s the guy you hear killing time on the radio when DJs have already played that godawful Britney song 10 times in the past hour.

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Filed in Concerts, Music, Vancouver Sun | | Comments (0)

Need a new workout? U Got It

Monday, May 9, 2011

Published in the Vancouver Sun on May 9, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

Juggling family engagements, job deadlines and personal sanity on a day-to-day basis can be a workout in itself, but thanks to a group of Vancouver women, there’s a new way to get -or stay -in shape even when your schedule is conspiring against you.

Local entrepreneurs Sara Shears, Debra Karby and Melanie Finkleman have developed a 30-minute workout called Ugi, which uses a single piece of equipment-their Ugi ball-and combines strength, core, stability and cardio training in an intense routine that can fit into anyone’s haphazard lifestyle.

What first began as an idea over a cup of coffee two years ago has now evolved into a growing business. The Ugi workout can be found at gyms in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Seattle, Chicago and St. Louis. In addition, the women are on the eve of presenting their idea to the famed investors on CBC’s Dragon’s Den.

“I felt like there was a real lack of exercise going on outside of the gym and outside of working with the trainers,” says Shears, who has been a personal trainer for 15 years. “I wanted to create a workout that would be comparable to a workout you would get in the gym with a trainer or with a group class, but be portable and realistic in its time frame and sustainable for people to do outside of the gym.”

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Filed in Life, Vancouver Sun | | Comments (0)

From Vancouver to the world: DOXA’s passion projected on film

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Story published in the Vancouver Sun on May 5, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

With Vancouver’s DOXA Documentary Film Festival celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, programmer Dorothy Woodend is taking the opportunity to raise a glass to one “tough, feisty little festival.”

Woodend, a longtime DOXA film critic and board member, leapt in feet-first this year as the new programmer. Her mission was to ensure each film guarded the soul of the festival by promoting fearlessness, a love for discussion and a fiery disposition for telling a smart story.

“DOXA is a curious creature, because we don’t want to become necessarily the Hot Docs of the West,” Woodend says. “I think the spirit of DOXA, and that feisty underdog activist thing that it came out of, was something that was really precious and something that I was committed to.

“[DOXA is] very audience driven. It’s not an industry event, which gives it a level of intimacy more than something like Hot Docs or TIFF or a lot of those bigger events, where it’s for the industry people who are there to make deals. DOXA, because it’s an audience festival, it’s for the filmmakers first and foremost.”

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com

Filed in Articles, Film & TV, Vancouver Sun | Tagged | Comments (0)

Robert Plant churns out pure gold to eclectic Vancouver crowd

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Review published in the Vancouver Sun on April 19, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

Robert Plant is a musical nomad. He’s sailed the spiraling seas of ’70s psychedelia, scaled the jagged peaks of rock ‘n’ roll and wandered through the twisting backcountry of bluegrass. Today, touring in support of his new album Band Of Joy, he’s rambling through the pastoral prairies of Americana.

The 62-year-old vocalist, better known as the yelping frontman of Led Zeppelin, is a musician of perpetual motion. Like his ever-shifting musical aspirations, Plant’s career — especially in recent years — is akin to a walkabout. 2007’s Raising Sand, the Grammy Award-winning bluegrass collaboration with songbird Alison Krauss, was Plant’s first solo record that really severed the umbilical chord between the man with the cocker spaniel curls and the rock god from Zeppelin. His recent record, Band Of Joy, continues to tear him away from his “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway To Heaven” days, the newfound roots and alt-country soundscapes further solidifying him as a solo artist.

Sure, some may regard Plant’s recent gypsy-esque traipsing through genres as a symptom of a greater malaise — perhaps exhaustion from being trapped in the Zeppelin black hole, and a desire to find a renewed musical identity — but as the wailing wonder illustrated to a sold-out Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sunday night, his smorgasbord of curiosities aren’t necessarily a means for reinvention.

Plant’s talents are as big as his hair; Feed the beast and it will prosper. In order for the British banshee to continue growing for another 40-odd years, the aesthetic explorer has started grasping a world of genres to grease his wheels.

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com

 

Filed in Concerts, Vancouver Sun | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Nepal’s golden child Prabal Gurung takes inspiration from all the places he loves

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Published in the spring 2011 issue of The Block Magazine.


Filed in Fashion, The Block Magazine | Tagged | Comments (0)

Inject some fun into your spring fitness routine

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Photo courtesy of the Vancouver Sun.

BY AMANDA ASH, SPECIAL TO THE SUN

It happens to the best of us: Spring rolls around, and as we strip off the pea coats and oversized sweaters, we notice a little jiggle in our step.

The gym is a logical place to start a sand-and-sun fitness routine, but for most people, hitting the treadmill can be just that -a lifeless routine that can leave you feeling like a hamster on a wheel. According to Eric Marcina of Urban Contender Kickboxing Bootcamps, getting in shape for the summer doesn’t have to be snore-worthy. The Vancouver-based instructor says the social environment of group classes can keep you motivated and help you to achieve that coveted beach body, all while having a bit of fun.

“Having that same goal of ‘I want to get into shape,’ ‘I want to look great for summer,’ ‘I want to look great for a wedding’ . Whatever the reasoning is, everybody has some sort of goal or mission, and 20 people doing it altogether makes everybody want to reach that goal together,” Marcina says.

“If you’re by yourself, there’s no motivation. If you’re suffering with other people or working hard with other people, it feels great and you never get bored. It keeps you going.”

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com

 

Filed in Life, Vancouver Sun | | Comments (1)

Owen Wilson parties weeks after becoming a father

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Exclusive article features reporting by myself.



Filed in Celebrity, Us Weekly | | Comments (0)

Vancouver film-maker Lynn Booth Woman of the Year

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Photo: Handout

Story published in the Vancouver Sun on March 3, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH

You could say Lynn Booth is the modern day version of True Grit’s lead protagonist, Mattie Ross.

Booth, a Vancouver-based film and television producer/writer, is this year’s recipient of the Spotlight Awards’ Woman Of The Year award, presented by the Women In Film & Television non-profit society.

Although she hasn’t necessarily ventured into the Wild West to seek revenge like True Grit’s young heroine, Booth has been a dedicated and unwavering force in the film and television industry since 1995, blazing trails and paving the way for women behind her.

“I’m very grateful,” Booth says over the phone about the award. “The last two weeks, I’ve just been thinking of all the support I’ve received over the past sixteen years.

“You’re only as good as the people around you. I’ve been really lucky because I’ve been supported by talented people who have backed me up every step of the way. It’s a great feeling.”

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Filed in Film & TV, Vancouver Sun | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Young Mr. Young goes to high school

Monday, February 28, 2011

Photo: Handout

Story published in the Vancouver Sun on February 28, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH, SPECIAL TO THE SUN

Mr. Young gives a new meaning to the high school experience.

The brand new YTV comedy sitcom, taped in front of a live studio audience in Burnaby, follows the story of 14-year-old child prodigy Adam Young (played by Vancouver’s Brendan Meyer) who graduates early and chooses to become a high-school science teacher.

The brilliant and talented Mr. Young could easily have headed straight for a glorious job in the adult world. Instead, he opts for the bullies, crushes and giggles of high school — but as a teacher.

According to Mr. Young’s executive producer and writer Dan Signer, it’s the ups and downs we share during our teenage years that make us who we are.

“The biggest theme of the show is this genius kid who decides to become a teacher, which isn’t what people expected him to do. If he’s this genius, he’s more likely to work at NASA or something,” explains Signer.

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com.

Filed in Film & TV, Vancouver Sun | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Twilight werewolves arrive in Vancouver to howl

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Photo: Ken Redekop

Story published in the Vancouver Sun February 24, 2011.

BY AMANDA ASH, VANCOUVER SUN

Twilight werewolves Bronson Pelletier and Alex Meraz arrived at Vancouver International Airport Tuesday morning with wolf-sized appetites.

Pelletier, who plays Jared, and Meraz, who plays Paul, hit up a McDonalds near the airport on Marine Drive after being picked up by a chauffeured vehicle.

Both men chuckled at the paparazzi following them as they got out of their vehicle, surprised they had company on their breakfast run. The hungry wolves stopped to chat with the shutterbugs, before walking inside the burger joint with them.

Continue reading at www.vancouversun.com

Filed in Articles, Vancouver Sun | Tagged , , , , | Comments (1)