Vancouver

Roberto Luongo still is a Vancouver Canuck today.

..WORD JUST IN that the #1 downloaded CD in the world is JAMES LEE STANLEY & JOHN BATDORF's new "ALL WOOD & STONES II," their acoustic reimagining of Rolling Stones hits, part deux. Catch them playing the whole album live, Thursday at the Talking Stick in Venice, or Friday at the Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena. Read the extensive write-up in the 8 pm Friday listing, in this edition.. --------. FESTIVALS....Yes, this weekend brings superb MUSIC FESTIVALS:• SWINGIN’ ON A RIFF BIG BAND JAZZ FESTIVAL (May 23-26, in L.A.) • SCOTTISH HIGHLAND GAMES (May 25 & 26, Costa Mesa) • SIMI VALLEY CAJUN & BLUES FESTIVAL (May 25 & 26, Simi Valley) • TOPANGA DAYS FESTIVAL (May 25-27, in Topanga)+All are in the Guide's current FULL EDITION, and much more about these fine events (and others) will be along Thursday.. --------. THIS edition brings youNEWS: Competition Winners -- Topanga Banjo•Fiddle Contest+PLUS:Great WEB RADIO tonight, andLATE ADDITIONS to the LIVE MUSIC scene, through Friday.. --------. NEWS:.Winners of the competitions:53rd annual "TOPANGA BANJO•FIDDLE CONTEST & FOLK FESTIVAL" ..All were determined, announced, and awarded Sunday at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California. But that was late, and many attendees missed it. Here's the full compilation of all the winners in each category. The Guide adds our congratulations to each of these devoted musicians..Note that categories exist for entrants did not register. A "Beginning" category (for example) may not be here because entrants registered at higher levels..."BAND" Category:.1. The Bluegrass Hoppers, Los Angeles 2. String Project L.A., Culver City 3. TED, Long Beach.."TRADITIONAL BANJO -- ADVANCED" Category:.1. Scott Linford, Los Angeles 2. Chris Lauer, Lompoc 3. Christopher Murphy, San Diego.."TRADITIONAL BANJO -- INTERMEDIATE" Category:.1. Laura Osborn, Glendale 2. Michael Ostgaard, San Clemente 3. Mark Thompson, Buena Park.."BLUEGRASS BANJO -- ADVANCED" Category:.1. Quinton Fults, Fountain Valley 2. Sean Conlon, San Pedro 3. Ken Leiboff, Newbury Park.."BLUEGRASS BANJO -- INTERMEDIATE" Category:. 1. Betsy Brandel, Seal Beach 2. Lee Cotter, Chatsworth 3. Aaron Wardell, Ventura.."BLUEGRASS BANJO -- BEGINNING" Category:.1. Christy Saute, Reseda 2. Mason Unthank, Santa Clarita 3. C. Jean Pearlstein, Valley Village.."FIDDLE -- ADVANCED" Category:.1. Tony Ludiker, Valley Village 2. Grant Wheeler, Los Angeles 3. Laurie Kost, Pacific Grove Honorable Mention: Aisha Rigert, Lancaster.."FIDDLE -- INTERMEDIATE" Category:.1. Amaya Rose Dempsey, Paso Robles 2. Jordan Ezquerro, Rancho Santa Marguerita 3. Mari Haig, Dana Point.."FIDDLE -- BEGINNING" Category:.1. Elijah Kaak, Pomona 2. Luisa Bryson, Los Angeles 3. Christine Lee, Canyon Country.."MANDOLIN -- ADVANCED" Category:.1. Jonathan Trawick, Vancouver, WA 2. Joseph D’Amico, Los Angeles 3. Pamela Croft, Castaic 4. Andrew O’Neal, Ojai.."FLAT-PICKING GUITAR -- ADVANCED" Category:.1. Robert Rosen, Los Alamitos 2. Jonah Warschaw, West Hills 3. Mark Heyes, Agoura 4. Jeffrey Riggs, Sherman Oaks.."OTHER -- INSTRUMENTS" Category:. 1. “Jerry Scott” Edelnant, of Northridge, for Finger-Style Guitar2. Samantha Harvey, of Ventura, for Accordion3. Craig Lincoln, of Woodland Hills, for Finger-Style GuitarHonorable Mention: Chuck Lawhon, of Huntington Beach, for Mountain Dulcimer.."SINGING" Category:.1. Travelin’ Light, Santa Clarita 2. Sabrina & Craig, Woodland Hills 3. Homesick Elephant, Los Angeles Honorable Mention: Harmonistas, ClaremontHonorable Mention: Phoebe Bridgers, Pasadena.."BEGINNING INSTRUMENTS -- TRADITIONAL BANJO, FLAT-PICKING GUITAR, MANDOLIN (inclusive)" Category:.1. Anya Sturm, of Santa Monica, for Flat-Picking Guitar2. Michael Cavanaugh, of Mission Hills, for Flat-Picking Guitar3. Samantha Harvey, of Ventura, for Mandolin.."BEST BACKUP GUITAR" Category:.1. Tony Ludiker, Valley Village 2. Jonathan Trawick, Vancouver, WA 3. Laura Osborn, Glendale Honorable Mention: Evan Anderson, Orange.."OTHER BACKUP INSTRUMENTS" Category:.

I am proud of many of the things we accomplished as a group these past seven seasons in Vancouver and only wish we were able to win the Canucks first Stanley Cup. I am a career coach and it is what I love to do. I hope to coach again in this League and will always have good memories of my time and the fans in Vancouver. -Alain Vigneault. Read more from a release he sent out at the Canucks' website.

The Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the NHL playoffs in disappointing fashion in each of the last three years, and on Wednesday, the team decided to fire head coach Alain Vigneault.Louis Jean of TVA Sports was the first to report the news, and then the team made it official shortly thereafter:Vancouver Canucks President and General Manager Michael D. Gillis announced today that Alain Vigneault has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. Associate Coach Rick Bowness and Assistant Coach Newell Brown were also relieved of their duties today.When the Canucks blew a 2-0 series lead in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final to the Boston Bruins and lost in seven games, the pressure on Vigneault to help the team capture its first championship increased dramatically.Instead of improving, Vancouver followed its Stanley Cup Final appearance with two consecutive first-round playoff exits, which included eight losses in the team's last nine playoff games. Vigneault spent seven seasons as the team's head coach, but the Canucks advanced past the second round of the playoffs just once in that time.With the Canucks' championship window rapidly closing, making a coaching change to help this team reach the "next level" was the right decision for the future of this franchise.Let's look at the five best coaching candidates who should be considered as potential replacements for Vigneault in Vancouver.Begin Slideshow

Vancouver GM Mike Gillis relieved his head coach, Alain Vigneault, of his duties late Wednesday afternoon. As we've learned in Buffalo, sometimes change is good. Coaching changes are necessary. The NHL is a players league, not a coaches league. The players need to hear the same message in a different voice. Thats a fact of coaching life. The good ones know that they were hired to be fired. Vigneau...

The Vancouver Canucks have fired coach Alain Vigneault on Wednesday.

Jenna Talackova, the Canadian transgender woman Donald Trump ejected from the Miss Universe pageant last year, is making headlines again — only this time, everything seems to be going her way. Since her famous snub made headlines around the globe, Miss Universe officials have changed the competition’s rules to allow transgender contestants to compete. That spotlight, according to Talackova, landed her in the hot seat with major television networks bidding for her to become their next big reality star. After turning down a handful of offers (including one that would have cast her in a Bachelorette-style series where she reveals that she is transgender halfway through the season), Talackova found a home with E! Canada in a new reality television series, Brave New Girl. “I believe everything happens for a reason,” Talackova told The Globe and Mail in a phone interview. “A lot of my friends and people who meet me [have thought] I should have a show because I’m so funny. I think if there’s one thing I’m good at it’s definitely being funny. I just hope people fall in love with my comedy and, like, my personality and really enjoy the show.” The concept, explained by the show’s producer, Carrie Mudd of Peacock Alley Entertainment, will follow Talackova in a move from Vancouver to Toronto. Fresh out of a three year relationship, she’ll spend most of her time exploring the city and “having adventures” with fellow Miss Universe contestants Elena Semikina and Dajana Radovanovic. For Talackova, the move is more than just a stunt for reality TV. “I think it’s more a chapter in my life where I want to play with my career more so than being in, like, a relationship,” or as Mudd puts it: “She wants a change, and Toronto, with its proximity to New York, seems to be the place where she at least wants to start the journey. I don’t doubt that she’ll live in 15 cities in the next 10 years.” Filming of Brave New Girl will run into August, and the show is expected to premiere on E! Canada in September.

Qualcomm, which has been struggling to market its futuristic Mirasol display technology, demoed the product at the 2013 Display Week conference being held in Vancouver, Canada. The company displayed a 5.1-inch panel with 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. It also put demoed a 1.5-inch panel embedded on a smartphone and on a smartwatch, but these were apparently mockups. "This technology has been chasing a moving goal line for awhile, which has made it very difficult to market," said Rob Enderle of the Enderle Group.

The Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday fired head coach Alain Vigneault and assistant coaches Rick Bowness and Newell Brown, according to TVA's Louis Jean, reported ProHockeyTalk.com.

Numerous media outlets are confirming the report from Louis Jean of Vigneault being fired by the Canucks. Source says Alain Vigneault, Rick Bowness and Newell Browne have been fired by Vancouver Canucks. — Louis Jean (@LouisJean_TVA) May 22, 2013 Hearing no immediate rush for #Canucks to name a new head coach. — Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) May 22, 2013 added 4:30pm, from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province. Popes are elected in less time than it took the Canucks to fire Alain Vigneault. But now that the inevitable decision has been made, the longstanding debate over Vigneault’s abilities has finally come to an end. For this we can only be thankful, because the issue had long since become tiresome. The small but persistently shrill anti-Vigneault faction laid a disproportionate share of blame for the Canucks’ shortcomings at the former coach’s feet. Vigneault supporters were likely blind to a staleness that had set root in the organization. In the end, it was simply time for a new voice, a new face, and unless Francesco Aquilini decided to reset the organization from top to bottom, Vigneault was going and general manager Mike Gillis was staying. continued added 6:10pm, Read the press release from the Canucks below...Continue reading "Canucks Will Be Searching For A New Coach"