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Amy Sky Live In Concert, Presented By Interim Place, April 20th, 2011
Thursday, March, 24th, 2011
Interim Place presents "Her Life Her Words" featuring EMI Recording Artist, Amy Sky.
With her new CD release, "Amy Sky - Life Lessons: The Best of Amy Sky", listeners now have the opportunity to have one collection containing all of the key songs that have made Amy Sky a profound part of their lives.
On the platform, as a signer and a speaker, the impact is immediate, personal and pleasing.
Proceeds benefit Interim Place programs for Women and their children fleeing violence.
For more information
Musician Marc Jordan performs live on A Channel Morning, Ottawa
Tuesday, February 22rd, 2011. A Channel Ottawa
Click here to watch
Marc Jordan back in songwriting form
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011. Ottawa Citizen
It's been a while since pop fans heard Marc Jordan sing on the radio. Although the veteran Canadian songwriter has been cranking out hits for everyone from Rod Stewart to Josh Groban, he's not usually the one singing the song. His biggest hit was the 1978 classic, Marina Del Ray.
But now you can hear Jordan's voice on his 12th album, Crucifix In Dreamland, including the powerful radio single Falling Man. Jordan's first album in six years, it marks a return to singer-songwriter form after a string of smooth jazz-influenced albums.
This one was a labour of love, says the 62-year-old musician, who looks like an eccentric scientist with his unruly hair and funky specs.
"There's no reason to do it, really," Jordan said in an interview Tuesday at ARC Hotel. "It took me a lot of years to realize there's nothing I like doing more than getting up in the morning and writing. I just completely love it. It's a way to explore yourself. It's a way to grow, I think. It's more than songwriting. It helps me to understand my own life."
Recorded live with an elite group of musicians in Nashville, the new album is a polished collection of soulful, pop-influenced songs about love, loss and relationships. For a guy who's been happily married (to Canadian singer-songwriter Amy Sky) for more than 20 years, it's surprising to hear so much heartache in his ballads. He says it stems from his tendency to brood about negative events.
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Her Life, Her Words, With A Creative Twist
Monday, February 14th, 2011. Mississauga.com
Interim Place's annual Her Life, Her Words Speaker Series kick off next month (March 29) with a creative twist.
Executive director Cindy Cowan says the agency, which provides shelter and support services for women in Peel Region who face violence, is introducing a new approach to the signature fundraiser by teaming with dance fitness studio Moxy Chic to present women with "great creative skill and talent" to tell their stories through the creative arts.
Television personality, speaker and poet Dini Petty will be the first to be featured. The second installment in the series will feature singer Amy Sky. She'll perform at the Living Arts Centre on April 20.
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Amy Sky Interviewed on Career Buzz, CIUT Radio Friday, February 11th, 2011. CIUT Radio
Career Buzz hotsed by Leigh Anne Saxe on CIUT 89.5 FM The show that is all about empowering lives, enriching careers and energizing organizations.
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Fundraising letters signed with love Monday, January 31st, 2011. The Gazette
The seventh edition of Le coffret mille mots d'amour, a boxed set of love letters designed as a fundraiser for Fondation Les Impatients, is now available at Renaud-Bray stores across Quebec for $39.95. It can also be purchased directly from the foundation at its office, 100 Sherbrooke St. E.
The foundation has a double mission: It promotes artistic and therapeutic expression for people who are mentally ill, and makes exchanges with the broader community possible by acting as a vehicle for their work to be seen. In so doing, the foundation is working to raise awareness about mental-health problems, which affect one Quebecer in five directly -and thousands more indirectly because they know a family member, friend or colleague who is affected.
The letters were written by authors as well as performers and entertainers, those who face mental-health challenges and members of the public. Among the 139 contributors in this year's edition are performer Clementine Celarie, radio host Julie Belanger, writer Jean-Simon DesRochers, actress Marina Orsini, author and actress Evelyne de la Cheneliere, philosopher and writer Eliette Abecassis, playwright and author Pol Pelletier, radio host Pascale Wilhelmy, writer and scholar Frederic Encel and pop singer and songwriter Amy Sky.
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Amy Sky interviewed on "Extraordinary Women" Tuesday, January, 11th, 2011. AOL Video. Click to watch...
Marc Jordan broadens musical horizons on new CD Saturday, December 11th, 2010. The Guardian
After recording several albums with a strong jazz orientation, singer-songwriter Marc Jordan has opted to refocus his creative energies.
The award-winning tunesmith has chosen this point in his career to revisit the kind of pop music that first brought him major commercial success in the late 1970s (with songs like Marina del Rey) and continued to generate hits for him throughout the '80s and '90s, both as a performer and as a go-to songwriter for artists like Rod Stewart, Joe Cocker, Cher, Natalie Cole and Bette Midler.
Jordan's latest project, Crucifix In Dreamland, is no retro excursion however.
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Live, work, play: Musicians plugged in at home Thursday, November, 25th, 2010. Homes-extra.ca
Juno Award-winning singer/songwriter Marc Jordan was born with the musical gene.
His father was Canadian singer and radio personality Charles Jordan, who worked in the U.S. for 10 years before returning to Toronto, where Marc grew up.
"I learned about show business through osmosis," says Jordan. "Even with the ups and downs, I always thought I would succeed."
He studied classical piano at the Royal Conservatory. He turned to guitar as a teenager and joined cover bands. When he entered Brock University to study film, his guitar remained tucked away in the closet for the first year.
"During my second year, a penny dropped. I just wanted to play music," he says.
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Amy Amy Sky to speak at the "Women in Business" event held at the Shalom Centre on Sunday November 5th at 5:00pm Monday, November, 22nd, 2010.
Amy Sky interviewed on "Always Good News" Posted Friday, November, 12th, 2010. Youtube.com
Click here to view
CAMH Foundation: When Is a Pair of Slippers or a Healthy Breakfast the Most Thoughtful Holiday Gift? Tuesday, November, 9th, 2010. Marketwire.com
When is a pair of slippers or a healthy breakfast the most thoughtful holiday gift? When it's Delivered to Patients in Treatment Over the Holidays at Canada's Largest Mental Health and Addictions Hospital.
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) is not like other hospitals. The halls at CAMH are not crowded with loved ones coming to visit friends and family. There is no gift shop; there simply isn't the demand for one.
Instead, there is the recognition that simple, practical gifts - for the whole community to give - can be, in the words of one patient, "like a hug when you need it most."
Today marks the launch of the 2010 Gifts of Light holiday gift-giving campaign, supported by award-winning broadcaster Valerie Pringle, men's fine clothing designer Harry Rosen and Juno nominee/singer-songwriter Amy Sky, who have joined forces to encourage people to send a message of hope and comfort to CAMH patients over the holidays.
Pringle, Rosen and Sky have each been touched by the impact of mental illness and as ambassadors for Gifts of Light, they share a common passion for speaking openly about their personal stories in hopes of removing the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction and encouraging the public to support CAMH patients along their road to recovery.
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Amy Sky co -writes song for Jim Brickman, Delta Goodrem and Mark Masri
Tuesday, October, 26th, 2010. Delta Daily
Delta Goodrem is featured on Jim Brickman's new album "Home". The track "Breathe, Dream, Pray, Love" features Delta and Mark Masri. Check out what Jim had to say about Delta and the song on his official website below:
"Here's the story of how this song was written. This song represents a lot of firsts.
I was in Nashville last year, when I wrote this song. It was the first time I collaborated with Victoria Shaw and Amy Sky together. It was also the first time, Victoria and Amy ever worked together. (They have since worked together). While we were writing, we really liked the direction of the song, but couldn't decide if it should be a solo or a duet. We decided it really spoke to the heart as a duet, so we put together two amazing talents. Mark Masri, who is already a fan favourite on the Brickman tour and Australian superstar Delta Goodrem.
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Do sticks and show tunes make for a compelling 'Score'?
Friday, October 22nd, 2010. CTV.ca
Bundling up and heading to the rink, playing an impromptu game of shinny on a sheet of homemade ice or scoring a winning goal are all images that come to mind when you think of hockey in Canada.
But what about bursting into song in the middle of centre ice or doing a choreographed dance in the locker room?
In "Score: A Hockey Musical," the new film by Toronto-director Michael McGowan, we see a whole different side of our country's beloved sport.
But does combining the gritty game of hockey with the over-the-top theatrics of musicals actually work?
The movie stars Noah Reid as 17-year-old Farley Gordon, a teenager who gets discovered by a hockey scout while playing a game of shinny with his buds at the neighbourhood rink. He is quickly turned into an overnight sensation, complete with media attention, endorsement deals and a revealing billboard in Toronto's Dundas Square.
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The hockey mom to ice all hockey moms: Score's Olivia Newton-John
Thursday, October, 21st, 2010. The National Post
Olivia Newton-John and Marc Jordan are a bit of an odd couple, both onscreen and off. The two star as husband and wife in Score: A Hockey Musical and have been friends in real life for the past 15 years.
For her part, Newton-John is one of those celebrities who will forever be associated with the hits she had at the start of her career -- a lead role in Grease alongside John Travolta and a Top 40 single, Physical, which featured a music video in which she bounced and gyrated in a multicoloured leotard.
Since then, she hasn't done much, other than appear in a few news headlines when former partner Patrick McDermott went missing in 2005 after a fishing trip off the California coast, then was found three years later living near Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.
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Olivia Newton-John on Score: 'It seemed like a fun thing to do' Thursday, October, 21st, 2010. The Globe And Mail
English-born, Australian-raised singer/actor Olivia Newton-John knew next to nothing about Canada's game when she got a call from her friend and music collaborator, Toronto's Amy Sky, to see if she would play a hippie hockey mom in Michael McGowan's quirky film, Score: A Hockey Musical.
Intrigued by the notion of joining a big-screen musical (her first in 30 years since Xanadu), Newton-John asked her pal to send the script to Florida, where she lives with her second husband, John Easterling.
The sweetness of the story appealed to her. So the Grammy-winning artist and star of Grease signed up to shoot, for one blisteringly cold week in February, a role that has her bursting into song at the drop of a puck or a hug from her husband and son.
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Not too Sexy In The City: Cynthia Nixon pairs her beautiful gown with some very comfy sandals Monday, October, 18th, 2010. The Daily Mail, U.K.
Cynthia Nixon was the epitome of style and grace last night at the Susan G Komen Global awards in New York.
That is, until you got a peek at her footwear!
The 44-year-old actress looked elegant in her stunning off the shoulder coffee and cream coloured tie-dye gown and her elbow length brown suede gloves, but as she posed for pictures she showed off what looked like a pair of Birkenstock flat sandals.
The Sex and the City star was posed with her girlfriend of six years, Christine Marinoni, who looked very dapper in her black tuxedo suit and bow-tie.
In an interview with the Advocate Nixon once described her girlfriend as being: 'like a short man with boobs.'
She later went on to explain her comment, saying that she had actually been referring to Marinoni's fashion sense. 'It is a funny and cute quote,' she said. 'I was actually speaking about Christine's love of clothes, but how difficult it is for her to find suits that she fits into.
'She wears men's suits and she's a little short for a guy. It's a challenge.'
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Legend Olivia Newton-John returns to musicals after 30 years Thursday, October, 14th, 2010. Metro Canada
Although she sang with John Travolta in Grease, danced with Gene Kelly in Xanadu and recently featured her hit Let's Get Physical on Glee, Olivia Newton-John hasn't appeared in a full-on musical on the big screen for 30 years. That will change this weekend when she will be seen playing an overprotective hockey mom in Score: A Hockey Musical.
Director Michael McGowan wanted Newton-John, but didn't think he'd be able to get the Australian superstar, who now makes her home in Florida, to come north to shoot the film.
"She's funny and she doesn't take herself seriously," he said, "but for her to say, 'This is the film, a hockey musical shot in Toronto, in February, seemed virtually impossible."
When asked why chose to do this film, Newton-John laughed and said, "Because it was fun. Marc Jordan (who plays her husband in the film) is my friend and he is married to Amy Sky, one of my best friends who also produces my music, so why not?"
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Bell Canada to invest $50 million in mental health Wednesday, October, 13th, 2010. The Toronto Star
Bell Canada president George Cope has joined the ranks of people in high places willing to stand up for something many still associate with fear and shame.
Former Senator Michael Kirby was one of the first to become a champion for mental illness, speaking openly about his sister's struggle with depression and writing the first-ever national report on mental health.
When he was health minister, David Caplan opened up about his family's long and tragic battle with depression.
Toronto singer-songwriter Amy Sky spoke openly about her personal struggle with postpartum depression.
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Grace and Gratitude Renewed Review Saturday, October, 9th, 2010. http://musicinfonic.blogspot.com/
Oliva Newton-John's Grace and Gratitude is inspired by her belief that music has the power to heal by calming our minds, lifting our spirits and connecting to our hearts.
Named for Olivia's appreciation of the gift of life, Grace and Gratitude contains over 20 tracks intended for relaxation and healing. As an eighteen-year breast cancer "thriver," Olivia has learned the importance of physical and emotional health, and especially the power of music. Research has shown that music can lower stress hormones, slow down brain waves and actually boost the body's own healing process.
Co-written by the album's producer, Amy Sky, the lyrics acknowledge a variety of belief systems including, Tibetan chants, prayers from Judaism and Islam, and a poem from St. Francis of Assisi.
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REVIEW: Grace And Gratitude Renewed October, 2010. Hello Canada
She's still most famous as the star of the 1978 musical movie "Grease" and the singer of "Physical," her ubiquitous hit from the 1980's. But Olivia Newton-John may one day also be remembered as a passionate health advocate. Ever since she survived breast cancer in 1992, the singer-actress has been on a mission to promote awareness of the disease. Two years ago, she raised money to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne, Australia, and led a 228-km walk along the Great Wall of China, joined by various celebrities and cancer survivors throughout the trek.
Musically, the British-born, Australian-raised star chronicled her ordeal in 1994's "Gaia: One Woman's Journey" and then in 2006 released a healing CD, "Grace and Gratitude" which benefited women's health disease charities. Now Olivia is releasing a re-recorded version of her healing CD. It includes two new songs and six tracks with new vocals. Explains Olivia: "I want to bring some of the happy energy I have been blessed with these past few years to this revisited collection."
Like its predecessor, "Grace and Gratitude Renewed" is produced and co-written with Toronto talent Amy Sky. Amy joins Olivia on a new, revamped rendition of "I Will Lift Up My Eyes" and co-wrote the new "Help Me To Heal." But Olivia's "happy energy" can best be heard on the uplifting "The Power Of Now" and the stirring "Love Is Letting Go Of Fear," where the Grammy-winning singer's joyful, soaring voice could well have the power to heal.
Amy Sky says giving is good for the soul Friday, October, 1st, 2010. The Toronto Star
For singer-songwriter Amy Sky, giving her time and talents to help support groups like the United Way isn't a choice, it's a necessity.
"Being of service is good for the soul. It's something we all ought to do. Every song I write has a personal as well as a universal theme, so I try to combine the two in my life as well."
Married to singer/actor Marc Jordan (currently on screen in Score! The Hockey Musical) with two children, Sky admits that she can't offer herself up to every organization that comes along, but she finds time for the United Way because "in community organizations like that, every person makes a difference."
She also always helps out if she gets a call from CAMH (the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) and for the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario because "the state of mental wellness is the window through which you see the world."
For Sky, the journey towards charitable use of her time for these organizations began in a very personal way.
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REVIEW: Olivia Newton-John, Grace and Gratitude Renewed Wednesday, September, 22nd, 2010. The Napster Blog
Olivia Newton-John is best known for starring in films like Grease and Xanadu and for her chart-topping pop songs in the '70s and '80s, including her biggest hit, "Physical," which came out in 1981 and was #1 for 10 weeks. So with her new album, Grace and Gratitude Renewed, (a reworking of the relaxation- and health-minded Grace and Gratitude, from 2006), as with her work for some time now, it's safe to say she's gone from "Physical" to metaphysical.
But lame jokes aside, this is nothing short of wonderful: Newton-John, an 18-year breast cancer survivor, or "thriver," as she likes to call it, aims to aid the healing process with serene, calming vocal and instrumental arrangements. Newton-John's songs draw from many different belief systems, ranging from Judaic and Islamic prayers, Tibetan chants, and Catholic poems. Co-written and produced by fellow actress and musician Amy Sky, the two focused on the chakras, or "force centers," of the body as an inspiration for each piece of music. Newton-John's vocals for Renewed are clearer than the earlier work and come through in stunning resolution.
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Olivia Newton-John shot Glee and Score simultaneously Friday, September, 10th, 2010. Toronto Life
Who knew Olivia Newton-John was in such high demand? During this morning's press conference for Score: A Hockey Musical, the Aussie actress said that she had to fly back and forth from Toronto to L.A. to shoot her cameo in Glee. In the movie, Newton-John plays the mom of a rookie hockey prodigy and describes her character as "an intellectual snob who was vegan before it was popular to be vegan. My father was a professor, so I'm quite familiar with women like her."
The film is packed with cameos by Canadian icons (Theo Fleury and Walter Gretzky among them). Director Michael McGowan said casting built momentum and buzz as more and more celebs signed on; Newton-John said yes after Marc Jordan (who plays her husband) was cast. His wife, Amy Sky, produced Newton-John's latest album and convinced her to do the movie. "I thought it would be fun to work with Marc and hang out in Toronto for a bit," she says.
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Amy Sky Kicks Off HGJT's "Conversations"
Tuesday, September, 14th, 2010. Shalom Life
Canadian singer-songwriter Amy Sky is kicking off Harold Green Jewish Theatre's "Conversations on the Green" series for the 2010/2011 season.
Hosted by Canadian radio personality Ralph Benmergui (narrator of the recent Rosh Hashanah: The Day of Judgment documentary on VisionTV), each session features Benmergui in discussion with a prominent Canadian Jewish individual from the world of arts and/or politics on the role their Jewish background has played in their life and professional success.
The one-on-one conversations take place in the Jane Mallett Theatre at the St. Lawrence Center for the Arts."
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Olivia Newton-John 'lured' into hockey musical by Amy Sky Saturday September, 11th, The Toronto Star Blog: TIFF Dailies
Toronto-based megahit songwriter Marc Jordan was so terrified after he landed a role in director-writer Michael McGowan's Score: A Hockey Musical - playing the stodgy dad to star Noah Reid's puck-crazy lead character - that he turned to his wife, songwriter/producer Amy Sky, for ideas about casting an empathetic and accomplished star to play his on-screen partner.
"I used her to lure Olivia," Jordan said at a cast-and-director press conference Friday to publicize Score, which was the opening night gala presentation at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival the previous night.
It just so happened that Sky was producing Olivia Newton-John's upcoming album when Jordan made his query, and the rest was easy, said the youthful-looking Australian pop singer, actress and star of the enduring 1978 screen musical Grease.
"Amy's a brilliant songwriter and producer, and we're great mates, and after I read the script and listened to the songs (lyrics by McGowan, melodies by sundry Canadian musicians, including Jordan), I jumped at it."
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Olivia Newton-John Could Be Bollywood-Bound Saturday September, 11th, NBC Washington
Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John has embraced different musical genres in her career such as country, pop and rock. Now she could possibly add Bollywood to her resume.
Newton-John revealed that she is in discussion to appear in a Bollywood film during an appearance at the Toronto film festival, AFP reported.
"I have a Bollywood-kind-of-film that is being talked about right now, but nothing concrete," said Newton-John.
The 61-year-old stars in the recently-opened film "Score: A Hockey Musical", in which Newton-John portrays Hope Gordon, the mother of a young hockey star. She appears opposite Canadian singer Marc Jordan, who plays HopeÕs husband.
Jordan credited his wife, Amy Sky, a producer of Newton-John's previous album, to convince the singer to make a return to the movies. Newton John recalled that Sky "called me and said Marc was doing this musical and there was a part for his wife and would I be interested in reading for it."
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Olivia Newton John in talks to star in Bollywood film Friday September, 10th, 2010. AFP
Olivia Newton John is in talks to do a Bollywood film, she said Friday after her latest movie opened the Toronto film festival.
"I have a Bollywood-kind-of-film that is being talked about right now, but nothing concrete," the Australian actress and singer said.
Newton John has rarely appeared in film since her blockbuster roles in "Grease" (1978) opposite John Travolta and "Xanadu" (1980), as well as "Two of a Kind" (1983).
She landed supporting roles in "It's My Party" (1996) and "Sordid Lives" (2000), but her career has otherwise been focused on bit television parts, including Fox Television's runaway hit "Glee," and recording music, which earned her four Grammy awards.
Her newest album is due out on September 22.
In Canadian director Michael McGowan's "Score: A Hockey Musical," which opened the Toronto film festival on Thursday, Newton John plays the organic-loving New Age mother of a young hockey phenom, opposite Canadian singer-songwriter Marc Jordan as the father.
Jordan, whose wife Amy Sky produced Newton John's last album, took credit for luring her back to the silver screen.
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Amy Sky Interviewed at the Toronto International Film Festival Friday September, 10th, 680 News
The 680 News showbiz editor chats with singer/songwriter Amy Sky at the TIFF premiere of "Score: A Hockey Musical"
Watch the video here
Rob & Rita: Score's TIFF party adds spice to new venue Thursday September, 9th, The Toronto Star
 Team members from Score included director Michael McGowan and actors Noah Reid, Olivia Newton-John and Marc Jordan.
Jordan was tres cool in a leather biker jacket bought by his wife, singer/songwriter Amy Sky, who has produced Newton-JohnÕs past four CDs.
Sky was no slouch herself, a knockout in a black chiffon bustier and black sequined silk skirt by Catherine Curtis.
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Score: A Hockey Musical opens TIFF and brings out the stars Thursday September, 9th, 680news.com
 Olivia Newton-John and the rest of the cast from Score: A Hockey Musical were at the Spice Route bar on King Street West to celebrate the opening of TIFF and the Canadian film chosen as the opening night film.
The famed Australian actress, who plays the mother in Score told 680News showbiz editor Gloria Martin she has also been working on children hospital charities and has a new album coming out soon.
Singer/songwriter Mark Jordan, who plays the father in the film, and his wife, singer Amy Sky were also in attendance, as well as Juno award winner Nelly Furtado. A number of Toronto Maple Leaf's who had cameo rolls in the film were also there.
Score: A Hockey Musical is directed by Michael McGowan whose films One Week and King Ralph also had their premier at TIFF although this is the first time one of his films will open the festival.
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Hockey and music: Combining two things we do well Thursday September, 9th, CTV.ca News
 There's certainly nothing more Canadian than hockey. So it's not surprising then that the movie opening this year's Toronto International Film Festival is one that celebrates our country's love for the game.
But it is surprising that the man behind "Score: A Hockey Musical" says he wasn't sure his film would even get accepted into the festival, let alone open it. "When you're making these things you always hope that you'll get into TIFF. The fact that it's opening is a huge honour but it's also completely surreal," McGowan tells CTV.ca. "This is my third film at TIFF and compared to the other two É opening is just exponentially bigger and kind of crazy."
The Toronto-born director is no stranger to paying homage to his home country -- 2008's much acclaimed "One Week" chronicled one man's quest to find himself on a cross-Canada trek -- but combining the rough game of hockey with choreographed song and dance was a challenge like none other. "In Canada we do hockey and music so well and it seemed like an absurd enough and intriguing enough idea to at least try and write a script around that."
McGowan, who also wrote and produced the film, says he has wanted to do a musical for a while and when this idea came to him -- and he admits he's still not sure how it even did -- it seemed like the perfect thing to try to do.
But not everyone believed he could pull it off.
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Canadian Forces Musical Salute Friday, August 20th & Saturday, August 21st, 7:30pm at the Toronto Star Bandshell in Bandshell Park
The Canadian Forces move to the Bandshell this year for two spectacular nights of music and more. Both evenings will come to a dramatic crescendo with a rousing performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with cannons with fireworks!The Canadian Forces Musical Salute features Amy Sky on Friday, August 20th and Alan Frew on Saturday, August 21st. FREE with CNE admission! Read more...
"Hockey Musical" To Open Toronto Film Festival Canadian pop culture crowd-pleaser with nineteen original songs
Toronto, Ontario-July 14th, 2010
"Score: A Hockey Musical" is to open the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9.
Fest organizers tapped Canadian director Michael McGowan's music-driven homage to hockey, toplined by Olivia Newton-John and Nelly Furtado as a hockey zealot, to kick off their 35th edition with a glitzy world premiere at Roy Thomson Hall.
The coming-of-age movie portrays a sheltered 17-year-old, played by newcomer Noah Reid, going from zero to hero on the ice in a matter of weeks. Think "Glee" with sticks and skates as hockey players croon while slapping a puck round an ice rink. Read more...
Canadians Amy Sky and Mark Masri Featured on Grammy Nominated Album
Jim Brickman's Faith up for best new age album at 2010 Grammy Awards
Toronto, Ontario- December 7, 2010 –In addition to the dozen Canadians nominated for awards at the 2010 Grammys there are several more Canadians connected to the Grammy Nominees list. Included in the latter list are Canadian vocalists Amy Sky and Mark Masri who both appear as guest vocalists on pianist Jim Brickman’s CD Faith which has been nominated for Best New Age album (Category 43).
Faith is a collection of 18 beloved hymns and inspirational originals released by Somerset Entertainment. It is an instrumental album, with the exceptions of “Love Never Fails” featuring Amy Sky and “Fly Away” featuring Mark Masri. These 2 tracks are the only vocal collaborations on the album.
Neither Amy nor Mark are strangers to award nominations; Amy has been nominated for several awards including 3 Junos, and Mark has been nominated for both a Covenant Award and a Juno.
"Jim has been a treasured collaborator of mine for years, and “Love Never Fails” is one of my favourite songs, so it is very exciting to be a part of his Grammy nominated CD!" commented Amy Sky, on hearing of the honour.
Amy and Mark Masri have also collaborated on Masri’s forthcoming album “La Voce” due in early 2010 from Green Hill-EMI.
The 52nd Grammy Awards will take place on January 31, 2010.
Copyright Reform Must Protect Rights of Canadian Artists
How much value do we place on music?
That's a huge question, and one that lies at the heart of proposed reforms to Canada's copyright law. The Harper government has promised at various times to bring in new legislation, and recently the government held a number of townhall-style consultation meetings seeking input and suggestions. But the legislation has yet to emerge from cabinet, and time is running out before the Christmas recess and, potentially, an election call.
The Copyright Act is important legislation for Canada's songwriters, recording artists and other rights holders, because it sets the rules around the copying and use of music, and how the artists who create it are paid for their work.
Like so many other Canadians who make and market something, we make our living from the sale and use of what we create. Some people make furniture or footwear or even wireless hand-held communication devices. We make music.
Just like the clever folks who created the BlackBerry, Canada's songwriters and recording artists are proud of the music they create. It has value, in both the artistic and monetary senses of the word. But unlike the creators of other things, artists don't enjoy the same kind of safeguards to ensure they are fairly compensated when their work is copied and used.
The Copyright Act was last updated in 1997. Some significant changes were made at that time, especially with respect to private copying of music.
Did you ever make mixed tapes of favourite songs from your vinyl record collection? Prior to 1997, that was against the law – even though every stereo system was designed to do it. But the '97 reforms addressed that issue in two ways: first, it permitted home taping or otherwise making copies of music for private use; and second, it entrenched in law the fact that private copies have a tangible value – and it provided compensation for the creators of the music through the Private Copying Levy. The levy was applied to blank media, such as cassette tapes, CD-R's and mini-discs, which were the popular technologies of the day for copying music.
Since then, the levy has seen more than $150 million paid to songwriters, composers, recording artists and other rights holders for the copying of their music. This money has been paid to more than 97,000 rights holders, most of whom would not be able to continue their careers without this revenue. This isn't money from government, but it is an important source of earned income for musicians – one of the ways they can make a living from the music they create.
Today, the technology is dramatically different. Digital audio recorders like the iPod have become the new standard for making and playing copies of music. Hardly anyone uses cassette tapes or mini-discs anymore, and even the private copying of music to CD-Rs is declining significantly.
If Canada's songwriters and recording artists are going to be able to make a living from the music they create, we need copyright legislation designed to reflect the technologies people are using now, and which is also flexible enough to accommodate future changes. Measures to properly protect artists' work, and to ensure that they receive fair compensation for the copying and use of their music, make it possible for them to earn a living. Without the needed changes, many Canadian songwriters and artists won't be able to afford to continue to create music at all.
Canada's MPs are focused – and rightly so – on finding ways to support various sectors of our economy, with the goal of ensuring that they remain viable amid the global economic turbulence. Modernizing Canada's Copyright Act so that Canada's songwriters and recording artists can continue to earn a living from the use of our music is essential for our sector of the economy.
We're not asking for a multi-billion dollar bailout. We're just asking for copyright legislation that will let us continue to have our livelihoods amid the technological realities of the 21st century.
Amy Sky, Marc Jordan and Marie Denise Pelletier are songwriters and recording artists who make their living from their music. Learn more about this issue at www.savethelevy.ca
Olivia Newton-John, for a cause: Headlining benefit at W. Chester Univsersity Tuesday, March 23, 2010. The Philadelphia Inquirer
Olivia Newton-John, the woman with three names, is busier than three people.
Millions of fans are still hopelessly devoted to her singing, her songwriting, her bobby-soxer appeal in the 1978 film Grease, her leotard and headband in the 1981-82 "Physical" video. They love her, they honestly love her.
Since "If Not for You" broke her to the world in 1970, music and performance have been Newton-John passions. By phone from a traffic-locked limousine in Karlsruhe, Germany, Newton-John, 61, marvels at her sweet, bizarre line of work, in which one intimately touches millions one never meets: "When you do meet people and they tell you about how, at a particular time in their lives, your music affected them, it's something to be thankful for."
Gratitude and grace will be on display this week, when Newton-John headlines a two-day benefit at West Chester University. On Friday, she'll give the keynote address for the university's 11th annual integrative health conference. Integrative health - a multi-strategy approach to physical and spiritual wellness - is a Newton-John passion. She has begun building a health center with her name on it in Melbourne, Australia. To raise funds, she led a three-week, 142-mile trek along the Great Wall of China in April 2008.
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From Theatre, the Music Scene and Figure Skating to the Runways of Toronto’s “LG Fashion Week beauty by L’Oréal Paris”
Vancouver, BC, Oct 16, 2009: The VATA Brasil™ runway show at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week beauty by L’Oréal Paris this Tuesday at 2:00 PM is shaping up to be quite the spectacle. VATA Brasil™ has now confirmed the following models from the worlds of Theatre, Olympic Figure Skating, TV and Music.
Those celebs that will be seen on the runway are Josée Chouinard, sought after Coach, past Canadian Figure Skating Champion and Canadian Olympic Team member; Amy Sky, famous actor, singer, song writer; internationally acclaimed actor and singer Lori Alter; and Tracy Moore, renowned Television host of CityLine .
“The goal says Mario Gomes, C.E.O. and co-founder of VATA Brasil™ is to ensure everyone has a firm understanding that our active wear apparel is one size fits most”. It fits not only the various sizing of our celeb models but just their participation and excitement around our product and styling demonstrates it also fits their varying lifestyles”, Mario went on to say.
“All of these very accomplished women of today show the versatility of VATA Brasil™”. “They show the form and function as well as the ability to transform from performance wear to urban fashion” says Daniel Langevin, C.O.O. of VATA Brasil™. “These women are today’s women… mothers, thinkers, doers and are what VATA Brasil™ is all about”. They exude VATA Brasil™’s energy, excitement, innovation and performance, on screen, TV, on the ice, in the gym and just living life,” continued Daniel.
“That is what I design for” says Ananda Gomes, VP design and Product Development for VATA Brasil, “living life and looking good doing it.” My collection “Atleta Sofisticado” was designed with our customer, these women in mind. I hope my collections make our customers feel good and look great, any time of day.
VATA Brasil™, a distinctive line of urban active wear and LP studio line™ by VATA Brasil, Yoga wear are both inspired by Brasilian sexy flair. Designed in Vancouver by Ananda Gomes, a native Brasilian and athlete and manufactured in Rio de Janeiro, VATA Brasil helps you make the most of your active life, dresses you in excitement, outfits you with performance and innovation and fills you with true Brasilian energy.
VATA Brasil was founded by Brasilian competitive free divers Mario Gomes and Ananda Escudero Gomes. Head office in Vancouver and manufactured in Rio, VATA Brasil is developing markets across North America, Mexico, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, India and Australia.
Amy Sky Shares Skin Care Favorites at the Scarlett Lounge
Singer/songwriter Amy Sky has been busy with her new single Taking You With Me but always makes time for her skincare routine. She loves Arbonne’s anti-aging products so much that she’s become a distributor! |
