Emmy Award-winning CNN anchor Anderson Cooper will be appearing in Vancouver for “A 360 Degree View of the World”, a live and unscripted engagement at the Vancouver Convention Centre on April 5th, 2012.

Anderson Cooper has become “the go to source” for reliable and up to the minute, unbiased views of current events and ground-breaking news. The veteran journalist famously keeps politicians and policy makers honest with in-depth reporting, illustrating broad ways of thinking. His modern approach whether it be through the use of social media or zoning in on relevant pop culture has helped engage a new generation to gain an interest in world affairs keeping viewers of all ages and backgrounds informed and aware of current news and social issues.

Tickets for the event are available online for $175 each and they include a pre-event reception with live music at 10:30am, a luncheon, and opening remarks from CTV’s Tamara Taggart. Anderson will be discussing his life, experiences while reporting for CNN, and HootSuite will host a Q&A session. During the Q&A Anderson will take audience questions and respond to some Twitter activity live. Working with Pacific Carbon Trust, this event will also be carbon neutral.

I have two tickets to give away to this one-of-a-kind opportunity. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Friday, March 9, 2012 at 12:00pm. You can follow @CooperYVR (powered by HootSuite) for updates and information about Anderson Cooper’s time in Vancouver.

UPDATE: I would like to thank everyone for entering the contest however I will be unable to draw a winner as I received the following from the organizers today:

“On behalf of Leverage Worldwide, we regret to inform you that Anderson Cooper- A 360 Degree View of the World has had to be cancelled. We are disappointed and regret having to cancel this event which was scheduled for April 5th, 2012 at The Vancouver Convention Centre. Anyone who has already purchased tickets will receive a 100% refund and can do so by calling Northern Tickets at (604) 569-1144.”

Rock of Ages, the hit Broadway musical featuring the music of Pat Benetar, Styx, Journey, Foreigner, and more is coming to Vancouver. Get your jean jackets ready because this 5-time Tony nominee arena rock show musical will hit the stage at The Centre May 8th to 13th, 2012.

Photo credit – © Scott Suchman via Broadway Across Canada.

The worldwide party musical Rock of Ages features a mix of 28 rockin’ 80’s tunes including Don’t Stop Believin’, We Built This City, The Final Countdown, Wanted Dead or Alive, Here I Go Again, Can’t Fight This Feeling, and I Want to Know What Love Is. In 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small town girl met a big city rocker and in LA’s most famous rock club, they fell in love to the greatest songs of the 80s.

The pre-sale will run from Friday, March 9 at 10:00am to Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 10:00pm.

Link: Miss604 reader pre-sale link
Code: POISON

Although it states that the pre-sale date is March 5th, that is just for American Express cardholders. Regular ticket sales will begin after March 11th.

This morning it was announced that Sears was closing its downtown Vancouver location, along with others in Calgary and Ottawa, by October 31st [News1130]. While rumours are flying about what will move into the Pacific Centre Sears spot, which they took over from Eaton’s back in 1999, my immediately reaction was that now we can finally do something about that building.

Photo credit: Maurice Li on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

Bordering Georgia, Howe, Granville, and Robson, its blank stone walls lock out the public and offer one of the most unwelcoming sidewalk views in the city. A few years ago many talked about projections and artwork to liven up the building and during the Olympics, the broadcast projection was rather successful.

History
The TD Tower and the adjacent Eaton’s (Sears) building, as a part of Pacific Centre, actually sit on the site of the first and second iterations of the Hotel Vancouver.

1923 – Georgia at Howe. Second Hotel Vancouver. Archives Item# CVA 677-951.

The second Hotel Vancouver stayed at that spot until 1939, when the hotel as we know it today opened up on Burrard and Georgia.

1939 – View of 2nd and 3rd Hotel Vancouvers. Archives Item# CVA 1376-154.

After the second Hotel Vancouver was demolished, Georgia at Granville became nothing but a parking lot until the Pacific Centre development began.

1969 – Granville looking West to Georgia. Archives Item# 2010-006.095.

1969 – Pacific Centre construction. Archives item# cva 1135-41 & cva 1135-42.
Photographer: William E. Graham.

In the late 1960s, Eaton’s Department store moved from Hastings (where SFU’s Harbour Centre campus is now) to the brand new Pacific Centre Mall location [Source].

Photo credit: vjm. on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

Now that a new tenant will be moving in, Cadillac Fairview could take advantage of this opportunity to provide street-level access, bring in more foot traffic, and even open up sidewalk-level retailers around the perimeter.

I’d love to know your thoughts. Would you like something to be done with the building now that it will be undergoing a tenant transition?

Update July 19, 2012: CTV News confirmed that Nordstrom will be moving in.

Carousel Theatre, the award-winning theatre for young people on Granville Island, presents A Year with Frog and Toad starting Saturday, March 3, 2012.

Todd Talbot, Allan Zinyk. Photo by Tim Matheson for Carousel Theatre.

“After playing to sold out houses and critical acclaim in 2010, Carousel Theatre is proud to bring the musical treat A Year with Frog and Toad back to the Waterfront Stage for an encore run. Join Frog, Toad, and friends for four seasons of adventures, and enjoy your favorite songs and stories all over again. Arnold Lobel’s beloved amphibian heroes come to life on stage in this charming musical exploration of friendship and fun.”

Where The Waterfront Theatre (1412 Cartwright on Granville Island)
Who The show is for ages 3 and up, just not babes in arms.
Dates Saturday, March 3 to Sunday, April 8, 2012.
Times Performances at 10:00am (some days, all ages) and 2:00pm.
Tickets Available online starting at $15 (for ages 3 to 17), $29 for adults, and $25 for seniors and college students. A seating map is available online as well.

Kaylee Harwood, Darren Burkett, Janet Gigliotti. Photo by Tim Matheson for Carousel Theatre.

I have a four-pack of tickets available to a show during the last two weeks of the run, March 25th to April 8th. The winner will be able to choose their performance time and invite 3 friends, young and old, to join them. Here’s how you can enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
• Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)

I will draw one winner at random from all entries next Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 11:00am. The winner will be contacted right away so that we can arrange ticket to the performance of their choice after March 25th.

Update The winner is Christie C!

Tourism Richmond launched a campaign this week to hire a blogger to dine out at one of 800 local restaurants every day for a year, providing social media updates and posts about their experience. The winning applicant will be set up with a gym pass for the Richmond Olympic Oval, a negotiated daily stipend for meals, and a salary of $50,000 for the year — a blogger’s dream job.

Photo credit: nonstopdesign on Flickr – Submitted to the Miss604 Flickr Pool.

I spoke with Tracy Lakeman, CEO of Tourism Richmond, to find out more about the project who said the inspiration simply came from local love for Richmond’s asian cuisine. “We have been experiencing a lot of exposure from media, residents, and visitors and we were thinking ‘how can we elevate the exposure of our wonderful asian cuisine?’.” While this would appear to be the perfect fit for a food blogger, the chosen individual will be enjoying more than dining in the island city.

“It’s about one individual connecting with the entire community,” Lakeman told me. “They’ll be engaging, getting to know the locals, getting to know the people who live, work, and play here.”

Personally, I would love to see someone like a Jaeger Mah, who lived at YVR Airport for 80 days, get the position. Someone dedicated to creating content and engaging with the community – and it looks like Tourism Richmond is in that mindset as well.

The job description does call for an experienced blogger but hobby and part-time bloggers are very welcome to apply. Lakeman added that it’s all about quality. “If the right individual is creative and social media savvy, they are just as eligible as a professional blogger. This is about someone who is adventurous, willing to try new things, and who can get that across through printed words, photography, and video.” She highly recommends that bloggers of every type apply.

When it comes to the duration of the stay, the blogger will need to be in Richmond for the full-pull, 365 days. However, they are free to explore Metro Vancouver at their liesure throughout the day, thanks to the Canada Line and proximity to Vancouver, New Westminster, and neighbouring cities. On top of eating, which is a great draw on its own, the individual will also get to experience everyday life and activities. Lakeman said they could jump on a bike, walk around Steveston and have lunch on the docks, or head out to London Heritage Farm for tea.

The position is not asking for a food critic, but more-so for a personable documentarian. They will be fully expected to provide transparent and authentic experiences and their content will be determined with minimal input from Tourism Richmond.

Download the full job description PDF and apply online before March 31, 2012 if you’re up for experiencing and telling the story of life (and food) in Richmond.