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FYI

Media Beat: June 11, 2020

Political comedy that takes on a taboo subject

Media Beat: June 11, 2020

By David Farrell

Political comedy that takes on a taboo subject

Jonathan Pie is a fictional UK political correspondent created and portrayed by English comedian Tom Walker who has created a wildly successful YouTube series where he rants and rolls with a sharp stick about current affairs. His most recent edition takes on the civil outcry over racism in the US. From that video: “I was disgusted and appalled… but it’s not a competition. Black Lives Matter is not a competition to see who can be the most affected by the issues surrounding black people. It’s not about who’s the most woke, it’s not about white people demonstrating their bravery by having a good cry about their white privilege because doing that makes it about you. It’s not about you, or me and it’s also not about going on Twitter and bullying comedians into apologising for tasteless jokes that haven’t aged well…”


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Wendy Mesley sidelined for use of a “word that should never be used”

What that word was remains a mystery, and the context in which it was spoken during preparations for last Sunday’s episode about Black Lives Matter and the media’s coverage of racism isn’t known. But media coverage has been swift in tarnishing her name and, for now, she is suspended from her usual hosting duties while the CBC investigates.

Canadaland has the story and a quote from Mesley apologizing for poor judgement and the use of a word that should never be used.

History of racism in Canada downplayed

Many accounts of racism and slavery in Canada fly under the radar, says El Jones, a poet and professor at the University of King's College in Halifax., pointing to the "reverse" Underground Railroad, where enslaved people left this country for the northern U.S. She says that the first recorded race riots in North America took place in Shelburne, N.S., in 1784.

"White settlers burned out their Black neighbours in an act of racial violence and segregation that persisted in Nova Scotia until 1966 and the last segregated school closed in 1983," she told the CBC this week.

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Maple Leaf stories

Celebrating Radio's 100th anniversary in Canada with Stories from some of Canada's iconic broadcasters and music makers. This episode includes Rob Braide, Cliff Dumas, Bernie Finkelstein, Keith Hampshire, Alexander Mair, Shirley McQueen, Joanne Wilson (Dusty Shannon) Terry David Mulligan, Doug Thompson, Bob Roper, and Earl Jive. This episode is co-hosted by Eric Rothschild & Don Shafer. To listen, place your cursor over the embedded link in the headline above.

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Shaboozey attends the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards at The Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 26, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Shaboozey attends the 2024 People's Choice Country Awards at The Grand Ole Opry on Sept. 26, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.

Awards

Shaboozey Jumps for Joy Over Song of the Year Grammy Nomination for ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’

"Let's go!!!!" the country phenom cheered upon learning the news.

Shaboozey has a lot of reasons to dance on Friday (Nov. 8), with the 29-year-old breakout country star nabbing five nominations for the 2025 Grammys.

In addition to best new artist and best melodic rap performance for his “Spaghettii” duet with Beyoncé, Shaboozey’s smash hit single “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” was recognized for best country solo performance, best country song and, last but not least, song of the year. When his name was announced in the latter category Friday, the initially nervous-looking singer — as captured by his guitarist Stephen Musselman and reposted by Shaboozey on Instagram Stories — let out a huge cheer and jumped up from his seat, bursting with joy.

This article was originally published by Billboard U.S.

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