Théâtre la Seizième presents An Evening with Samantha Bee at the Vancouver Playhouse June 4, 2011. The most senior correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Bee is referred to as “the funniest Canadian woman currently on American television”.

I had the chance to meet Samantha Bee in 2008 when I was on CBC’s Test the Nation. Bloggers from around the country (and a handful from Vancouver) were selected to be on a team and we came out on top. As you could expect, she was personable, smart, and incredibly witty.

If you would like to see her live on stage in Vancouver, tickets are available through Ticketmaster starting at $34. I also have a pair to give away, here’s how you can enter to win:

I will draw one winner on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at 11:00am.

Update The winner is Ryan McKee!

The Shore 104 Song Search has returned for 2011 as the local radio station seeks out the best summer song in Vancouver that has been written and performed by home-grown talent.

ShoreFest 2010 – Photo by John Bollwitt

I spoke to Patrick Zulinov, Music and Programming Director at The Shore, about the new Song Search (previously the Sounds of Summer contest) and the Shore’s Canadian content. “There’s a huge amount of talent in this city that deserves to be heard,” he said. “I saw an opportunity to show off a lot of talent that I’ve experienced in this city and I wanted to get it on the radio.”

As opposed to last year, full bands (not just solo performers) can throw their hat into the ring. Zulinov said there have already been about 300 entries and the tough part will be selecting the finalists in each round. [Source: My TV Week Online column]

They have the field narrowed down to 20 finalists right now and are also hosting a public video challenge. Each finalist has submitted a video and the one with the most “likes” on YouTube will earn the title of “Fan Favourite”.

The Matinée, short-listed again this year, hopped on a water taxi two days ago to film their entry for the song Sweetwater.

Here’s another video submission from Steph Macpherson for Summer Salute.

The finalists for 2011 include Billy the Kid, BJ Block and Dawn Pemberton, Freeflow, Mark Irving, Ivory Sky, Jackie Treehorn, Reid Jamieson, Steph Macpherson, The Matinée, Ryan McAllister, Ryan McMahon and the Company Damn, The Midnight Hours, Sheree Plett, Randy Ponzio of Quest Poetics, Portage and Main, Prairie Dance Club, Redbird, Ben Sigston, The Sumner Brothers, and Watasun.

You can view all videos created by the top 20 and be sure to “like” your favourites on YouTube to give them a boost in the rankings.

Miss604.com is a proud sponsor of the Shore 104’s Song Search 2011.

This morning I set out on the Rocky Mountaineer train with a group of media traveling to Echo Valley Ranch. While the train was simply our selected mode of transport up the Fraser Canyon into the Chilcotin Cariboo region of BC, it was well-worth photographing and documenting the experience.

Departing from the Rocky Mountaineer station off Terminal Avenue in East Vancouver, the route took us over CN and CP rail lines through New Westminster, Surrey, Harrison, Agassiz, Hope, and up the Fraser Canyon.

In the dining car, we met a man traveling from Cyprus who enjoys passing through BC every now and then on his way to Hong Kong. I think in this regard, train travel is far more social than air travel. You can sit and face your companions while enjoying your meal and interact with the staff who share historic tidbits, anecdotes, and make sure to clink glasses with every single passenger as the train departs from the station.

Truth be told, train travel takes much longer than the highways or even air, but it’s something worth experiencing. The comforting sway of the carriages, the waves from strangers watching as the train breezes through towns, and the unique scenery not visible from well-traveled roads makes for a relaxing and insightful ride.

While Ashcroft isn’t an official stop (passengers heading to Jasper or Calgary were spending the night in Kamloops) the train slowed to a halt to let us off so that we could hitch a ride to our destination. Echo Valley is located North West of Clinton, then about 35 kilometers up a gravel road along the backside of Marble Range Provincial Park.

I’ll be at Echo Valley for the next few days with limited access. Tomorrow we wake up and head to the Thai spa for yoga, which will be followed by a family-style breakfast in the lodge’s great room, then a horseback trail ride through Gold Rush country.

Heading into Week 6 of the BC Travel Tuesday series, we’re about half-way through the giveaways and getaways that have been lined up by backyardbc.com. In case you haven’t been following along already, we’re highlighting travel and hotel stays for locals.

backyardbc is a new travel website designed specifically for residents of British Columbia. Essentially a “be a tourist in your own backyard” program, participating hotels & resorts offer residents of BC exclusive rates and specials, designed to motivate BCers to travel more within the Province. Each offer has its own unique reservation code, and all bookings are done directly with our hotel and resort partners. Visit backyardbc online, on Twitter, or Facebook and see more of BC!

As I am currently traveling (and have scheduled this post for publishing) the winner of BC Travel Tuesday: Week 5 Watermark Beach Resort, Osoyoos will be announced later tonight. However, I will still reveal this week’s property in Kelowna and as a bonus, Kamloops too. Update The winner of Week 5 is Michael Florizone (as announced on that post).

Photos: John Biehler on Flickr

Accent Inns
Website (Kelowna), Website (Kamloops), Twitter, Facebook
backyardbc listing (Kelowna), backyardbc listing (Kamloops)
Location: 1140 Harvey Ave, Kelowna & 1325 Columbia Street West, Kamloops
About: Accent Inns is a family-owned hotel chain that offers convenient and comfortable accommodation around BC. Kelowna is the hub of the Okanagan with outdoor recreation, wineries, and great golfing. Scenic Kamloops has traditionally been a pit-stop location for my family when traveling up the Coquihalla or Trans Canada highway although many are discovering it’s a great destination on its own with an emerging culinary and craft beer scene. Make either city a destination or a spot on your road trip map.
Prize: 2 nights at Accent Inns in Kelowna and 2 nights at Accent Inns in Kamloops^*
Value: $400

To enter to win, leave a comment on this post and/or post the following on Twitter:

Gift certificates for hotel and resort stays will be sent directly to each weekly winner so they can arrange their visit personally with the property. Some restrictions apply, based on availability. Accent Inns offer cannot be used for stays in July and August^*. Must be 19 years of age or older to enter and win.

Update The winner is Sarah C – congratulations!

View all posts in the series by following or subscribing to my BCTravelTuesday tag. Open to residents of BC.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings are playing Malkin Bowl May 27th. I admit, I had not heard anything from Sharon Jones before so I looked up the following video on YouTube:

And then I wanted to hear more:

Here you have amazingly solid vocals, deep soul, hip shaking funk, and to top it all off, the concert will take place in one of our city’s most beautiful venues in the heart of Stanley Park. Known for their incredible live shows, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are a part of a revivalist movement for their genre (they even recorded their 2010 album on an eight-track tape machine).

Tickets for this concert are currently on sale and they’re all general admission, all ages, lawn seating. It’s an early show, starting around 5:30pm on the 27th and guests Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears will be opening the show.

I have two tickets up for grabs if you would like to win your way in, here’s how to enter:

I will draw one winner Friday, May 20th at 10:00am.

Update The winner is Kate!