Juno Awards Stuff

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THE SIXTH EDITION OF "THE BEAU ZONE" ON THE HARD ROCK HEROES WEBSITE FROM AUGUST TO DECEMBER 2005.

The Juno Awards were held in Winnipeg this past April. I have lots of comments about that:

Before the show, I had heard an announcement would be forthcoming from CARAS concerning previously-announced Juno Award performers and presenters that would now be dropping out of the awards show as they had just realized the Junos are being held the same night as Wrestlemania 21. Some of these celebrities were thinking of coming to Winnipeg anyway and just watch it at The O.C. (formerly The Beach, formerly Scandals, formerly Haggar's) at the Norlander Inn with Joe & Cyrus. Yes, I'm kidding around, although if that did happen, I wonder what matches they would have chosen to miss when it's time to spend a few minutes in the outdoor smoking compound, unless they had TVs set up out there. And there's no truth to the rumor that Neil Young was at first denied access to watch the Junos at the Canadian consulate in New York because Pamela Wallin's staff wanted to watch Wrestlemania 21, either. I wonder if Neil wanted to see W21, though? Now, how about Chantal Kreviazuk? Cancelled her appearance due to pregnancy? A likely story. She just wanted to see W21! Maybe she wanted to cheer on her fellow Winnipeg hometown hero Chris Jericho.

On a more serious note, since I couldn't get around to this comment at the time of Northern Lights, Northern Stars, the opening show at our new arena, the MTS Centre, here it is now as it pertains to the Junos: I predicted someone will say to Burton Cummings or Randy Bachman that night, "I bought your first record/I bought my first record by you right here in this building when it was Eaton's!"

And too bad Bryan Adams didn't come. When/if he does show up at MTS Centre to perform, where the stage is located is pretty damn close to where A & A Records was at Eaton Place when he did an autograph signing there when he was in Winnipeg opening for Loverboy at Winnipeg Arena in 1982. Wonder if he'd remember. I got his autograph on his "Lonely Nights" picture single. There were about 15 people in line, I think. Wow. I asked him if he'd do "Let Me Take You Dancing," a Saints Roller Rink fave. I didn't think he would but I thought I might hear an interesting story about that oddball disco song with chipmunk vocals that came out before his first album did and has never been on any album. Instead, he just said, "No." Oh, okay. Man of few words, I guess.