NOW Toronto

Old classics are returning to the streamers: a new take on Cinderella called Sneakerella co-starring Brantford's Devyn Nekoda arrives on Disney+ and The Kids In The Hall brought a new season 27 years after the last to Prime Video Canada. Nekoda (01:00) discusses flipping the glass slippers into fancy new kicks and how we could possibly realize the dream of seeing a great Toronto dance movie. NOW's former senior film writer and podcast host Norm Wilner spoke to Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald and Scott Thompson of The Kids In The Hall (19:35) last year about how their comedy survives in a new climate.

Author Andrea Werhun and photographer Nicole Bazuin discuss expanding the sex work memoir Modern Whore with stories from a Toronto strip club and even more stunning imagery. Plus, Stephanie and Rad get into the 20th anniversary of Spider-Man, the trans joke Dave Chappelle made after being attacked on stage and reactions to a leak revealing that the US Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade. CHAPTERS (1:15) Sam Raimi's Spider-Man turns 20 Looking back at how Spider-Man broke the movies. (4:30) Dave Chappelle attacked onstage A man tackled Dave Chappelle while he was finishing off a set at the Netflix Is A Joke festival. The comedian then made another joke directed at the trans community as violence was being committed behind him. (12:55) Roe vs. Wade Steph shares a personal story reacting to a leak revealing that the US Supreme Court will overturn Roe vs. Wade, which protects people's rights to an abortion. (24:55) Spotlight Interview Author Andrea Werhun and photographer Nicole Bazuin discuss balancing serious issues with playful titillation in the "engorged" edition of their sex work memoir Modern Whore, which now adds experiences at a Toronto strip club and doing advocacy work on "the stroll."

The Wire creator David Simon joins to discuss his new series We Own This City, the dystopia created by the war on drugs and why defunding the police may be the right thing to do in some cases. Culture writer Stephanie Hinds joins to discuss Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde; Vin Diesel and Fast & Furious director Justin Lin; Elon Musk and Twitter; Freshii and Nicaragua; Toronto and Carnival. And we introduce you to Quebec filmmaker Miryam Charles, who is showing her haunting and beautiful debut feature This House at the Hot Docs Film Festival. CHAPTERS (1:20) Elon Musk and Twitter Tesla CEO Elon Musk is tired of being owned on Twitter, so instead he’s about to own Twitter. (7:50) Freshii and Nicaragua Canadian salad chain Freshii introduces “Percy,” a digital cashier at its restaurants connecting customers to an employee in Nicaragua who makes about $3.75 an hour. (13:05) Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Actor and director Olivia Wilde was served custody papers from her ex, Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, while on stage in front of movie exhibitors and press. Wilde was previewing her new movie Don’t Worry Darling, which stars current boyfriend Harry Styles, when a woman appeared on stage and handed her a mysterious manila envelope holding what sources say were the custody papers. (19:15) Justin Lin hits the brakes on Fast X and Vin Diesel From custody battles to breakups. Director Justin Lin who has directed more than half the Fast and Furious movies (the best ones really) has quit his duties on Fast X after 10 days in production. (27:52) From social bubbles to bubble wine at Toronto Carnival Steph picked her costume and, like so many others who are done with coronavirus, is ready to play mas. But many of those yet to catch COVID-19 aren’t ready to jab jab, even if they got their jab jab. (39:50) Spotlight Interview The Wire creator David Simon discusses his new series We Own This City, what changed since #BlackLivesMatters, where he stands on defund the police and how crime stats are manipulated to push political agendas. (1:05:45) Hot Docs Interview Quebec filmmaker Miryam Charles tells us how she found her voice and works through pain, loss and tenuous relationship to home in her stunning debut feature This House.

Angelica Lisk-Hann is nominated for a Canadian Screen Award in the Best Stunt Coordination category that she had a hand in creating. Lisk-Hann joins us to discuss her journey from performing stunts on movies like AVP to becoming the first Black woman to be a stunt coordinator. She discusses the challenges in an industry that still relies on Blackface to meet demands for diversity.

Norm and NOW editor Radheyan Simonpillai talk to stars Alex Mallari Jr. and Rong Fu and co-creator Nathalie Younglai about what their new CBC Gem series Hello (Again) hopes to do for Asian-Canadian representation, and the challenges of creating a consistent performance when shooting a time-loop story out of sequence. 

NOW editor Radheyan Simonpillai talks to actor turned filmmaker turned author Sarah Polley about her new book Run Towards The Danger: Confrontations With A Body Of Memory, and how after 14 years behind the camera she’s finally thinking about getting back in front of one.

This week’s podcast was so packed we had to break it into two episodes. In this one, Norm talks to Jennifer Holness and Sudz Sutherland about their new documentary series BLK: An Origin Story, and then checks in with Last One Laughing Canada players Colin Mochrie and Andrew Phung about their experience on Prime Video’s reality endurance series. 

For this week’s Sound Of Toronto Right Now issue, NOW editor Radheyan Simonpillai talks to TikTok rapper Akintoye about coming up, finding his voice, building a brand and being absolutely, one hundred percent himself through all of it.