BT Calgary Blogs

Check out the video behind the scenes.

Royalty in Calgary!

Her Royal Highness Princess Margriet  of the Netherlands was in Calgary to mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands.  She laid a wreath for our fallen soldiers on Friday May 21. The wreath was made by John Freriksen, owner of La fleur. What an honor, I had the exclusive with the Princess which aired this morning on BT .  

Judy Gabriel at the De La Soul Concert, Olympic Plaza.

 The 3rd Annual  Live Style Urban Arts Festival was one I’m glad I didn’t miss out on, because the legendary De La Soul echoed through the downtown as fans crowded the stage at Olympic Plaza. Before the old school rappers took the stage, local artists, including Lady C and Dragon Fli Empire, warmed up the crowd. It was a feast for the eyes and ears, as various hip hop dancers, rappers, singers and poets took the stage as the crowd waved their arms in the air and called for more.  The festival was a great start to the long-awaited outdoor party season!

Eric Braeden and Judy Gabriel at a lunch for more than 20 women, at West Restaurant and Bar!

Victor Newman has nothing on the real Eric Braeden, who had thousands of women swooning over him at the Calgary Women Show. Several generations of fans came out to see him in the flesh and asked him questions about his real life. Talk about a captive audience! They hung on his every word: most of which concerned his upbringing, his fitness regime and his advice on maintaining a happy 40+ year marriage! That said, he did dish on some behind-the-scenes trials, tribulations and triumphs that he has experienced throughout his Young and the Restless career.

Speaking of young, I got to interview him at the brand new downtown hot spot, West Restaurant and Bar in Scotia Centre. 20 die hard fans got to hang out with Mr. Braeden in a private dining room, and I was there to witness the mayhem. The Daytime star was relaxed and casual, as was his meal, an Alberta Beef  burger and fries!

He is suave, he is sexy and he is Billy Dee Williams, need I say more!

From the Jovan musk commercials to the movie cult Colt 45, and the Star Wars Franchise, he has done it all. Billy Dee Williams has had a career that any actor would be envious of.  He has had 40+ years in the film and television industry. He is know internationally as “Lando Calrissian” from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Williams can also be seen  in Batman (’89), Moving Target (’96) and Undercover Brother (’02), just to name a few. 

Billy Dee Williams and Judy Gabriel sit down for a chat!

I’ve been a fan of Billy Dee Williams for many years, but finally sitting beside him and talking to him I was mesmerized by his charm and charisma. He is a class act.

From the bridge of the Starship Enterprise to a booth at Mango Shiva, Brent Spiner is known all over this planet and, without a doubt several more, as Data. For such a well travelled guy, he seems quite at home here on Earth! All kidding aside, Brent Spinner is one of the most engaging and personable Hollywood actors I have had the privilege of sitting down with. We had a fantastic conversation over a vegetarian dinner at Mango Shiva, with a few friends. Later, we stepped outside on Steven Avenue for an exclusive interview, which aired on Breakfast television. I met up with Spiner the next day at the Calgary Comic Book Expo where her signed autographs for thousands of adoring fans! He signed one for me as well!

Brent Spiner and Judy Gabriel at Mango Shiva!

English Actor Malcolm McDowell has a career that spans more than forty years. He is one of my favorite actors who is known for his roles in the films If, A Clockwork Orange, Blue Thunder, Tank Girl and O Lucky Man! . He is an amazing actor who has worked both in film and television, including Star Trek Generations, Entourage, Heroes, the animated film Bolt, the 2007 remake of Halloween and  2009’s Halloween II.

Malcolm McDowell and Judy Gabriel hanging out!

I had the pleasure of chatting with him when he was here for the Calgary Comic Book Expo. I have never meet an actor that made me laugh until my belly ached! He is an incredibly smart and witty man but, most of all, he is very down-to-earth and real!

Nimoy beams out, but leaves legacy!

He may have beamed out of Calgary and even retired from television and film, but the legacy of  ‘Spock’ will linger and “live long and prosper” thanks to the town of Vulcan! Leonard Nimoy was honoured with the White Hat and was given the keys to the small town.  He was here for the Calgary Comic Book Expo, where he was swarmed with fans. Nimoy has such a cult following that even I found myself a bit star stuck when chatting with him. We talked about his retirement, his passion for photography, his family life and his thoughts on the recent Internet poll of William Shatner for Governor General of Canada. Mr. Nimoy and I had a great time!

What a fantastic night! Fabulous food, drinks, wonderful company and friends at the AGC Cooks this evening!  WOW!!!  Hosting was a pleasure and an honour!

This year six of Calgary’s top Chefs had the challenging task of coming up with tantalizing dishes in less than 48 hours. The Chefs had to prepare a four course meal, created around a the secret ingredient, chosen by food guru John Gilchrist and Dacey Cooper-Varga (Senior Director Events & Marketing at The AGC).

Each Chef received: 2 Bodacious Black Currant Melonel; 2 bottles of Buckaroo Buckwheat; 2 bottles of Ginger Snapped Metheglin, and 3 pieces of Honeycomb from the ”Chinook Honey Company”.

Guests  wined and dined as they rated the Chef’s meals based on presentation, creativity and taste.

The judges, John Gilchrist, Don House, Gail Norton and Food Network Chef Chuck Hughes, put their skills and taste buds to the test!

Finally the winners were announced at the end of the night!

The winners of the AGCcooks 2010 are:

Winner of The Media Food Critic Award and The AGCcooks Gilded Utensil Award…

Raw Bar!

Winner of the Sommelier Award…

 Bonterra!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

The participating restaurants this year were: Sky 360; Bonterra; BR&;  Raw Bar; Charcut; Saint Germain.

AGCcooks is taking place tonight, Wednesday 14th, at the Art Gallery of Calgary…I’m one of the hosts!

If you haven’t heard about it…listen up!

Calgary’s top Chefs go plate-to-plate in a friendly culinary competition. Each Chef will create a four-course feast designed around a “secret ingredient” chosen by Calgary food writer and critic John Gilchrist. The Art Gallery of Calgary (The AGC) will be transformed into a kitchen stadium for the annual fundraiser.

The “secret ingredient” was unveiled Monday. Last year the “secret ingredients” were Orange Passion Fruit (Granadilla), Banana Passion Fruit (Curuba), Lulo, Tamarillo supplied by More Than Mangos Exotic Fruit Co. and 2007 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon supplied by Cloudy Bay Vineyards.

This year we will have the pleasure of handing out three esteemed awards:

1. AGCcooks People’s Choice Award – winner to be determined by the guests;
2. AGCcooks Media Food Critic Award – winner to be determined by our renowned 2010 media food critics;
3. AGCcooks Sommelier Award.

* AGCcooks People’s Choice Award winner for 2009: Chef Joanne McFadden of Bistro Piq Niq.

* AGCcooks Media Food Critic Award winner for 2009: Chef Chris Walker of The Belvedere.

*AGCcooks Sommelier Award winner for 2009: We had a tie! Chris McFadden of The Belvedere and Brian Greenslade of Bonterra Trattoria.