LATEST NEWS

 

Alanis Morissette to host Junos

Alanis Morissette has been pegged to host this year's Juno Awards, securing efforts by organizers for another star-studded evening. The Ottawa native will be the face of a two-hour broadcast on April 4 when the country will honour the year's favourite musicians. Several years ago the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences got its act together and turned the once-stodgy show into a stellar night featuring high profile acts, starting with the Barenaked Ladies in 2002. The effort paid off in huge TV ratings. And it hopes to beat previous records, such as the 2.2 million viewers entertained last year when Shania Twain wore various hockey-themed outfits. Juno producers are trying to squeeze in more performances, having already confirmed Avril Lavigne, Barenaked Ladies, Michael Buble, Nelly Furtado, Sarah McLachlan and Nickelback. Morissette, a Juno nominee in the music DVD category, has won 12 Junos and seven Grammys and she has been a presenter at both shows. "Having been engaged in the music industry in Canada and beheld the evolution of the Junos over the last two decades, I feel so honoured to be hosting the show," Morissette, 29, said in a statement. "I see this as the least I can do in the way of gratitude for a show and a country that has supported and propelled me over the last few years." For Morissette the timing couldn't be better. The singer/songwriter/producer will release an album, So Called Chaos, on May 18. The CD's first single, Everything, will hit radio next month. This year will also mark Morissette's return to the big screen. She will play an actress in a musical film based on the life of American songwriter Cole Porter. Called Just One of Those Things, the film stars Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. Furtado, McLachlan and Nickelback lead this year's Juno nominations with five nods each. Celine Dion follows with four and Billy Talent, Our Lady Peace and Sam Roberts are tied with three apiece. Tickets for the show, to be held at Rexall Place, are nearly sold out.

Kidman preps in UN interpreters booth

UNITED NATIONS -- Actress Nicole Kidman slipped into the interpreters booth at the UN Security Council to prepare for her next movie role. In March, Kidman and co-star Sean Penn begin filming The Interpreter, a thriller about a UN translator who overhears a conversation that could cost her her life. The outside of the United Nations has appeared in numerous movies, but Hollywood had been unsuccessful in getting permission to film inside for many years until director Sydney Pollack asked UN Secretary General Kofi Annan last month. Annan agreed in principle, and the presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council then gave a green light for The Interpreter to be filmed inside the United Nations. Kidman watched the interpreters in action during a Security Council meeting on Iraq Tuesday. She arrived and left the interpreters' booth above the council chamber without being noticed by reporters or photographers. "She was here this morning doing work with the interpreters as part of preparation for The Interpreter," a UN spokesman said, speaking on condition of anonymity. UN interpreters do simultaneous translation in the six official languages at the United Nations -- English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese. The Interpreter is scheduled to be released in November.