Cross Border Interviews

Mary Walsh is a Newfoundland actor, writer, comedian, activist and mother. Among her many awards and doctorates, Mary is also the recipient of The Order of Canada and the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts.

Feeling natural within a series of jokes and humorous moments, Mary Walsh has created many comedic characters that have gone on to live among the hearts of audiences for years. Marg Delahunty’s debut on 22 Minutes (CBC) marked the launch of a cultural icon who would stand up to the nations most powerful and speak the words the rest of us wish could be said but never had a platform to get out.

Mary Walsh has been a rabid fan of books since childhood, taking in as many as she could get her hands on and even at one time hosting a CBC Television show called Open Book where she discussed recently released or historically important books with celebrities and friends. But, until now, Mary had never written and published her own Novel.

Mary Walsh has enjoyed an exciting film career and has played roles in more than 15 films to date. She was nominated for two Genies for her performances in feature films Crackie (Official selection at TIFF) and New Waterford Girl. Later this year her Hatching Matching & Dispatching film A Christmas Fury will be released, in which she stars and also wrote.

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Maxime Bernier is known as a dependable politician who speaks his mind. A man of ideas, his belief in personal responsibility and freedom is at the heart of his political vision. In his public statements, he expresses those values and his unwavering commitment to reducing the size of government.

In 1985, Mr. Bernier earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Université du Québec à Montréal and entered Law at the University of Ottawa. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1990.

Mr. Bernier has a long-standing interest in business and during his career worked for several financial and banking institutions before becoming Executive Vice-President of the Montreal Economic Institute in 2005.

Many people in the region encouraged him to enter politics. He took up the challenge and was elected Member of Parliament for Beauce on January 23, 2006, with the largest majority outside Alberta (he will remain MP of the constituency until 2019). He was appointed to Cabinet on February 6, 2006, as Minister of Industry.

His success in deregulating major portions of the telecommunications sector prompted the chair of the Political Science department at McGill University, Professor Richard J. Schultz, to write, “In terms of what is perhaps the single most important component of his Industry portfolio, telecommunications, he was without challenge the best Industry Minister in thirty years.”

Mr. Bernier also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from August 14, 2007 to May 26, 2008.

He was re-elected to represent Beauce on October 14, 2008, again receiving the largest majority of all MPs in Quebec.

Learn More about the Peoples Party of Canada Here: https://www.peoplespartyofcanada.ca/

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Besides writing for the hit series CHiPs, The Street of San Francisco, Barnaby Jones, Simon & Simon, Jake and the Fatman, and Crazy Like a Fox – where he also served as Story Editor – Paul Robert Coyle was a staff writer for genre series such as Xena: The Warrior Princess; a writer/producer for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys; and a writer for three Star Trek shows – The Animated Series; Voyager; and Deep Space Nine. Paul also wrote for the genre series Superboy, The Dead Zone, and Space Precinct.

Now, in his engrossing book revealing the ups and downs of a life writing and producing for TV, Paul takes us behind the scenes of these popular series with inside information and his candid recollections. Paul brings the reader deep into the worlds of Xena, Hercules, Trek, and others, to discover the secrets behind creating the characters and stories of iconic series, in a powerful read that we call Swords, Starships and Superheroes.

To purchase a copy of his new book click here: https://jbmj-book-store.myshopify.com/products/swords-starships-and-superheros

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Marc Cushman was born in San Diego, but grew up on the road with a traveling father, making pit-stops in San Francisco, Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington, before finally landing in Los Angeles. Five years spent living on a dairy farm outside Tillamook, Oregon, fostered a knack for entertaining himself through writing. He has since entertained himself - and worked - in television and film for 30 years.

Marc's television writing assignments include scripts for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction, and Diagnosis Murder. His Film credits include Midnight Confessions, Taressa's Tattoo, and The Magic of Christmas. As a writer/producer, Marc created and served as show runner for two TV series: the cult comedy Channel K and its spin-off, the original Bachelor Pad (not to be confused with the current ABC series of the same name).

Directing credits include the award winning comedy- documentary Desperately Seeking Paul McCartney, An Evening With The Gold-diggers, The Story Of O: Untold Pleasures, and a pair of recent TV pilots. There have also been numerous instructional films, music videos, and infomercials. This experience has enabled Marc to appreciate writing within the constraints of shooting schedules and budgets. Marc has shared his knowledge as a teacher of screen writing at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, California.

Marc wrote I Spy: A History Of The Ground-breaking Television Series "a biography of a TV show", the three-volume, 1,500 page, definitive history of Star Trek, These Are The Voyages, TOS, for which he was honored to receive a Saturn Award for Special Achievements in 2014. In August 2016, Jacobs Brown Press released Irwin Allen's Lost in Space: The Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series Volume One, Volume Two and Volume Three.

He will continue his documentation of the evolution of Star Trek, through the 1970s, with the Animated Series and into the movies and onto Star Trek: Next Generation.

He was interviewed for, and been prominently featured in the History Channel's two hour documentary, "50 Years of Star Trek" which aired on August 14, 2016. Marc has not only been seen on the History Channel, but also Access Hollywood, Fox News, CBS Special Projects, and heard on Coast to Coast with George Noory.

Marc served as President of the Los Angeles based Alameda Writers Group for five terms, spanning 15 years of the AWG's history.

To Purchase copies of Marc's Books Visit: http://www.jacobsbrownmediagroup.com/

Visit Marc's Website at http://www.marccushman.com/

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Herbie J Pilato is a TV host, writer, producer, performer, and entertainment executive who has worked on several television shows including Bravo’s hit five-part series, The 100 Greatest TV Characters, Bewitched: The E! True Hollywood Story (the seventh-highest rated True Hollywood Story in E!’s history), A&E’s Biography of Lee Majors, TLC’s Behind the Fame specials on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Bob Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues, and L.A. Law, among others.  Herbie J has also served as a consulting producer and on-screen cultural commentator on various classic TV DVD documentaries for Sony, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros., including The Six Million Dollar Man boxed set, Kung Fu, and CHiPs.

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Herbie J’s long list of top-selling, critically-acclaimed pop-culture/media tie-in books include Mary: The Mary Tyler Moore Story, Dashing, Daring and Debonair: TV’s Top Male Icons from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Glamour Gidgets and the Girl Next Door, The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery: A Guide To Her Magical Performances, Twitch Upon a Star: The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery, Bewitched Forever, The Bewitched Book, The Bionic Book, Life Story: The Book of Life Goes On, The Kung Fu Book of Wisdom, The Kung Fu Book of Caine, and NBC & ME: My Life as a Page in a Book, personally-signed copies of each book may be ordered by visiting Herbie J's Shop. 

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Herbie J began his career as an NBC Page in 1984 (where he worked The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson), after which he became an actor and appeared on TV shows like Highway to Heaven, The Golden Girls, General Hospital, and The Bold and the Beautiful, in addition to various film and live stage productions (some of which he has also directed, such as Leonard Malfi’s Birdbath).

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In 2010, Herbie J founded the Classic TV Preservation Society (CTVPS), a formal 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the positive social influence of classic television programming; a core function of which is the Classic TV & Self-Esteem Seminars that are brought to schools, colleges, business, community, and senior centers.  Seniors, in particular, respond enthusiastically to the seminars, which many times include six-week programs that allow participants to explore their true life experiences in theatrical productions. 

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Herbie J, born in Rochester, New York, and today living in Los Angeles, was inspired to ignite the CTVPS due to the positive family values presented on classic TV shows, the inspiration he received from Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery (who he befriended, and who was active in charitable organizations), and because of his dedication as primary caregiver to his parents in their later years (which see Herbie J's Family Blog).  

Herbie J also serves as an Editor Emeritus for Larry Brody's heralded www.TVWriter.com, writes about classic television for the Television Academy's distinguished www.Emmys.com, and is a classic TV consultant for Closer Weekly Magazine, among other media outlets.

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James Cohen is the founder and primary song writer of his band, James Cohen and the Prairie Roots Rockers who are a Winnipeg-based roots rock group and whose debut album was released in October 2011 on Soccermom Records / Warner Music Canada. Their self-titled album produced one single “So Long Sweet Deception” which charted for 16 weeks in early 2012 on the Mediabase Canadian Active Rock Top 50 Chart peaking at #32.

The song “These Long Nights” was also featured in the movie soundtrack of “Gone Tomorrow” released in 2016. James graduated from the prestigious Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California and spent years honing his guitar playing and song writing skills. After several demos and playing with various collections of skilled musicians, James achieved his dream of an album release on a record label after refusing to give up and keeping his eyes firmly on the goals he had set.

Since the album release, James has performed with his band at Canadian Music Week, the 2015 Grey Cup Festival and is set to perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 2021. The band also plans on releasing an EP later this year featuring several new original songs.

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Celina Caesar-Chavannes helps organizations create more inclusive and equitable spaces by challenging the notion of diversity as a goal. Diversity is ubiquitous. Equity and inclusion require intentional, sustained and measurable work. Celina works with organizations, business leaders and individuals directly or through workshops, coaching and lectures to help create more inclusive spaces, build capacity and transform systems.

On a personal level, Celina works with individuals, especially women, to encourage them, through her own life lessons, to maximize their inner potential and fully live their purpose.

From 2015 to October 2019, Celina was an elected Member of Parliament for Whitby, and served as Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development. While in politics her advocacy and vulnerability helped shape policy related to mental health, equity and justice.

Before politics, Celina owned a double award winning research management firm that helped pharmaceutical companies run national clinical trials, as well as co-chairing Canada’s first national epidemiology study on neurological conditions. Celina has many years of experience managing complex projects involving industry, federal agencies, health care professionals, researchers and patient advocacy groups, and has lectured on the international and national stage on the inclusion of marginalized populations in clinical research.

She holds a Bachelor of Science, an MBA in Health Care Management, and an Executive MBA from Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto .

She is a past member of the Governing Council at the University of Toronto, and past Vice Chair of Campus Council at University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. She was also a member of the Institutional Advisory Board with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Institute of Neuroscience Mental Health and Addiction, and a member of the Congress of Black Women.

Celina was given the Champion of Mental Health Parliamentarian Award in May 2017 by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health. Her advocacy related to equity and justice resonated in Canada and around the world as she was also named one of the Most Influential People of African Descent, Global 100 Under 40, Politics & Governance and Black Parliamentarian of the Year in 2017, and a feature in the April 2018 edition of O (Oprah Winfrey) Magazine entitled, “What would you stand up for?”. Celina was also named Chatelaine Magazine’s Woman of the Year 2019.

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If you haven't already be sure to listen to the Wednesdays episode with Tommy Chong.

In todays episode we talk about meeting Cheech, his movie career, time in prison, and we get deep as we talk about Cancer.

Tommy Chong is one-half of the comedy team Cheech and Chong. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta and the family moved to a neighbourhood near Calgary when Tommy was young. Racism he witnessed and experienced while growing up had a noticeable influence on his career.

Chong returned to Canada and worked in his brother’s club where, inspired by the standup acts he saw, he began writing comedic skits and eventually performed himself with an improv troupe. Richard “Cheech” Marin joined the group, beginning a professional relationship that would lead to 9 comedy albums, 8 movies (some directed by Chong) and many live standup performances.

Cheech and Chong’s first movie, Up In Smoke (1978), follows the pair while they chase down some marijuana in a van they are unaware is made of it. On the way they satirize police and the government, which was also a common theme in their act. This early “stoner” film led to more in the same style and was hugely popular despite not being taken seriously by critics. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong dissolved their partnership in 1985 and embarked upon solo careers.

In 2003 Chong was charged with conspiring to transport drug paraphernalia across state lines (he co-owned “Chong Glass,” an online water-pipe retailer), and he spent 9 months in federal prison. In 2006 The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint, his account of the experience, was published and Josh Gilbert released his award-winning documentary about it, a/k/a Tommy Chong.

The incarceration had interrupted Chong's ongoing role as hippie Leo on That 70’s Show, but he returned to the TV series and also to standup. He reunited with Cheech Marin for Cheech and Chong’s Animated Movie in 2012 and the duo created a new standup act, including Chong’s wife Shelby.

“Cheech and Chong” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1973 for the album “Los Cochinos.’ Tommy Chong was inducted into the Canadian Alternative Hall of Fame in 2005.

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This was such a huge episode we had to split it into two parts!

In this episode we talk about Tommy Chong's life in Alberta.

Tommy Chong is one-half of the comedy team Cheech and Chong. He was born in Edmonton, Alberta and the family moved to a neighbourhood near Calgary when Tommy was young. Racism he witnessed and experienced while growing up had a noticeable influence on his career.

Chong returned to Canada and worked in his brother’s club where, inspired by the standup acts he saw, he began writing comedic skits and eventually performed himself with an improv troupe. Richard “Cheech” Marin joined the group, beginning a professional relationship that would lead to 9 comedy albums, 8 movies (some directed by Chong) and many live standup performances.

Cheech and Chong’s first movie, Up In Smoke (1978), follows the pair while they chase down some marijuana in a van they are unaware is made of it. On the way they satirize police and the government, which was also a common theme in their act. This early “stoner” film led to more in the same style and was hugely popular despite not being taken seriously by critics. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong dissolved their partnership in 1985 and embarked upon solo careers.

In 2003 Chong was charged with conspiring to transport drug paraphernalia across state lines (he co-owned “Chong Glass,” an online water-pipe retailer), and he spent 9 months in federal prison. In 2006 The I Chong: Meditations from the Joint, his account of the experience, was published and Josh Gilbert released his award-winning documentary about it, a/k/a Tommy Chong.

The incarceration had interrupted Chong's ongoing role as hippie Leo on That 70’s Show, but he returned to the TV series and also to standup. He reunited with Cheech Marin for Cheech and Chong’s Animated Movie in 2012 and the duo created a new standup act, including Chong’s wife Shelby.

“Cheech and Chong” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1973 for the album “Los Cochinos.’ Tommy Chong was inducted into the Canadian Alternative Hall of Fame in 2005.

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Cross Border Interviews is owned by Miranda, Brown & Associates Inc.

In our very last episode of the year, we are chatting 2020 with a look towards the future and what is coming up on the Cross Border Interview Podcast in 2021.

Be sure to tune in and check it out!

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Cross Border Interviews is owned by Miranda, Brown & Associates Inc.