The Cormac MacSweeney Blog - 660News Calgary

After a four-day trip to Las Vegas, I’m back.

Vegas was fun with a lot of gambling, some drinking in the streets (which is legal there) and of course catching a show. In the gambling department I lost but I still had a lot of fun. Chris Bowen and I took the trip and we had a chance to check out Second City Las Vegas. That was a heck of a lot of fun (I suggest to anyone heading to Nevada) and I got up on stage and did some volunteer improve with the actors and true professionals.

The big story is from when I got back. My girlfriend Melissa surprised me with a little bundle of joy. No, no, no…She wasn’t pregnant for 8 months and 3 weeks without my knowledge; she actually bought a puppy!

She looks like a little Rottweiler but the vet tells us she is not. She’s a Beagle cross…but the other breed he’s not sure of, he’s just sure it isn’t a Rottweiler. I’ll have to post some photos, and I still owe you photos from the playoff beard days. Patience is a virtue.

On to work talk. It is never easy to adjust back to your routine when you’ve been on holidays, especially when you work on a morning show. You get so used to making your hours and doing what you want that, you dread waking up and don’t even want to go to work.

That applies for most jobs but imagine dealing with it on a morning show when you wake up at 3 a.m. That’s a complete bummer.

Well that’s all for an update I can give at the moment…stay tuned to your same bat station on your same bat website.

Just one more day and I’ll be boarding a flight to the city of sin.

I am really excited and pumped up for this trip. I have never been to Las Vegas before, so it should be an interesting time. I am going with my co-worker Chris Bowen, so I’m sure he and I will get into some shenanigans while we’re there. Let’s just hope we don’t get arrested.

I don’t usually make travel itineraries, but I produced a loose one for this trip. Chris and I are going to catch a magic show, a comedy show (both are in our hotel…the Tropicana), meet an Elvis impersonator, play some blackjack, walk up and down the new and old strips, and jump on the “Big Shot”  — a thrill ride more than a 1,000 feet in the air on top of the Stratosphere Hotel.

I hope to get most of this done before I leave on Friday…but if I don’t I’m sure I’ll have fun trying.

Oh and don’t worry, if I win big I’ll try and keep my day job…for five minutes at least.

So I think it is safe for me to declare myself the winner of the playoff beard competition between myself and Ted Henley.

To be fair to Tedley, I did have a head start because he didn’t put the razor down until the playoffs actually started. I let the hair grow beginning a couple of days after the regular season ended.

Next week we will post photos…I just have to get off my lazy butt and take some pictures of my face.

On another note I must apologize for not writing lately. I was sick as a dog (missing work and everything) and recently have had some personal stuff, so right after work I have been out of here as fast as a lightning flash.

And on Tuesday I’m off for Vegas so unfortunately you will not get your full fix of Cormac next week either. I’ve been a bad boy, so sorry about all this. If I have access to the internet while I’m there I’ll try and update you on my trip.

Yours truly….the 660 staff member with the greatest playoff beard!

So I am not at work today because for the second time, I believe, since I started work at 660News two years ago, I have called in sick. I rarely get sick, but I think the hectic month I have had is finally catching up with me.

First, it was a radio conference a few weekends ago, then non-stop action with the Juno Awards, and then I threw my whole sleep schedule out of whack by working the afternoons. That is close to three weeks of running around and playing with my sleep schedule…not fun when it all catches up to you.

The good news is, I hope to be back tomorrow at my regular spot…reporting for the morning show.

On another note, I have started a playoff beard. I stopped shaving before the Flames played game one and I have not touched my razor since. I have never done anything like this before, but felt a little crazy and decided to go through with it. We are only three games in and I already have the itchy feeling all over my face. Maybe I need to rub moisturizing cream into chin and cheeks everyday to get rid of that…if you know, contact me and give me some beard-o tips.

Right now my playoff beard is more like playoff stubble…but as the flames keep winning, I will look more and more like a biker. Oh and one more thing, if you see me walking down the street DO NOT rub my poor excuse for a beard for good luck…unless you ask for permission first.

That’s right, I’m Mark Strashok this week. Well not exactly … if I really was Strashok I would have to grow 5 feet and become a fan of the Edmonton Losers … I mean Oilers.

I am merely filling in for Mark while he fills in for our morning man Ted Henley, who is on vacation somewhere wonderful with his children.

I am very happy that the week after the Junos I am able to sleep in until 9 in the morning. I was so busy from Thursday until late Sunday evening that I swear I was about to burn out. At least now I can grab some shut-eye as I anchor the afternoon show and not come in to work as the grumpiest radio man on the planet with a runny nose and a hoarse cough.

Now that I can relax and have my mornings available … maybe I’ll hit up a spa … just like Mark Strashok does.

So the “big night” has come and gone and let me tell you, I am very tired today.

Despite my fatigue, the Juno Awards ceremony was a blast! I had the opportunity of a lifetime to interview stars like Anne Murray, Michael Buble, Finger Eleven, Hedley and for about three-and-a-half seconds….Avril Lavigne.

It was an amazing time but filled with stress on the red carpet. Going live every half hour while trying to file clips, not miss an interview, and keep your sanity isn’t easy. I’ll be honest I felt overwhelmed at certain points but was able to somewhat pull off a decent set of reports.

I think the most fun was actually listening to Michael Buble speak after his Fan Choice Award. He was full of life and I don’t think there was one person in the media room backstage with a straight face through his diatribe. Buble had a number of zingers including: “What I love most about Alberta is the women…especially when they grow those Lenny MacDonald moustaches. You don’t notice them after a couple of beers”

The most draw-dropping moment with him was when he was talking about Dorito’s and included a sexual comment.

Wait…before I let you know what he said I have to save my butt.

WARNING WARNING WARNING…this quote is not for children or people afraid of raunchy material.

Okay…now that that’s out of the way, this is what the crooner had to say: “I do love Dorito’s. I just learned when you’re eating them you should never watch dirty movies. (laughter) No it’s true, I thought something was really wrong with me but it was….it was Dorito’s. (More laughter.) That was so disgustingly unclassy but I’m Michael Buble…that’s all I have to say, I’m Michael Buble!”

I heard today that joke is old and also made with other snacks like cheezies. But it was the first time I’ve heard it and I was shocked, I had no clue he had a potty mouth.

Avril Lavigne basically walked right past the local media section on the red carpet. She stopped for people like Ben Mulroney and Rick the Temp (he will always be a temp to me) but only answered a handful of questions for the others.

I was taken aback when I saw Jack Layton walking the red carpet with the stars. Most of the entertainment reporters where I was didn’t really care for Jack because he wasn’t a celeb. But with me being a political junky I couldn’t pass up the chance to at least get a few words. He was very nice and told me he was star-struck to meet Jesse Cook because he and Olivia Chow have had many romantic dances under the stars to his guitar music.

I met my friends of Finger Eleven for the zillionth time. They were all-smiles after grabbing their first Juno (I know, it’s hard to believe they’ve only won one) and we chatted about the possibility of a Finger Eleven musical like what’s been done with ABBA, The Who and Queen. They said if someone wants to do it they’ll give the rights and maybe help finance it but they didn’t want to get on stage and do the choreography themselves.

Hedley was another group of guys who kept my abs working from the laughter. Those guys are a hoot and we simply joked around for a minute or two (because that’s basically all the time you get) about Alberta, the red carpet and the odd Calgary weather.

Russell Peters was also a joker who definitely made his rounds, but if he wasn’t then I think we all would have been disappointed. One of the funniest stories about Peters (besides embarrassing that 11-year-old boy) is probably the screw up from Ben Mulroney. Mulroney tried to get the crowd going by yelling “Ladies and gentleman here he is…Russell Simmons!”

In case you don’t know…Russell Peters and Russell Simmons are two different people. Simmons is from New York and is the co-founder of Def Jam Records and creator of the clothing line Phat Farm. Peters is a stand up comic from Toronto. Needless to say it was a tad embarrassing for the former Prime Minister’s son.

All-in-all I had a wonderful time. And I’m sure all of you will join me in inviting the Junos back to Calgary as soon as we can get them.

So the Juno Awards are over and the hardware has been handed out.

We started off with a bang with the kickoff concert that included Finger Eleven, Sloan, and Bedouin Soundclash…to name a few.

I think the coolest fact about all of this Juno stuff is that you likely went to your regular clubs or pubs and there was a good chance you bumped into one of your musical idols.

In fact I’ve been bumping into a couple of people quite a bit lately. On thursday I, by chance, caught the sound check for Finger Eleven and got to chat with drummer Rich Beddoe. He and I have talked on the phone a few times and it was good to meet him face to face. Then at the concert I was able to interview Scott Anderson from F-11 (for space saving reasons…and the fact I’m lazy, the F-11 is how I’ll refer to Finger Eleven from now on) and asked him where his Public Relations girl Lisa was. I wanted to thank her for the help she’s been over the years with interviews, etc. etc. Scott and I ended up walking for a good 5-10 minutes together chatting about Guinness and looking for Lisa. You never know what you’ll end up talking about with rock stars.

Then Friday I was doing the “green suspicious stereo” story and bumped into Scott on Stephen Avenue. We talked for a total of 15 seconds before one of his former tour bus drivers honked a horn and he ran onto the bus. They hadn’t seen each other in long time, I had a story to worry about, and I already interviewed him…so it was no big deal.

Then around dinner time I took a friend, who’s here from out of town, to the James Joyce pub for some food and a couple of drinks. Of course who walks in but the members of F-11. As you may have figured out they were drinking Guinness. I didn’t bother walking over because I figured they wanted some down time to relax. About a half an hour after they arrived Scott (lead singer) walked over to me at the bar and apologized for our breif encounter earlier in the day. We chatted again for a few minutes before the guys had to run off.

If you ever want to meet some humble down to earth guys…try and meet F-11.

You never know who you’re going to meet at times like these and what you’re going to talk about.

I am glad I get to do something I have wanted to do since college. This weekend I get to talk to students at NAIT and discuss the radio industry and my personal experiences.

When I was sitting in class watching the “industry elite” stroll in and talk with us I always loved meeting the people behind the voices. I made a commitment to myself that one day I’d get to stroll in like someone who knows what he is talking about and blab at a bunch of kids … although some may be older than I am.

I’ll let you all know how it goes on Monday because this is the first time I’ll ever do something like this.

On Good Friday I decided enough was enough. It had been about two-and-a-half years since I last played golf. Since coming out to Alberta and leaving my clubs out east, I have been too busy/lazy to pick up some new clubs, let alone make my way to a course.

So I couldn’t take it anymore and bought a driver…it’s not a set but it’s a start. I grabbed a golf glove and made my way to a golf dome. I hit ball after ball for an hour and a half. In fact the only reason I stopped was because I developed a blister on my hand.

I was soon to realize that was not the only pain I’d feel. During the night my muscles seized up and I basically began to hurt all over. The main pain points were the shoulders and thighs.

It still hurts but it was well worth it to get back into a sport I have enjoyed so much.

Hope to see you on the links soon…provided there is no unexpected snow from mother nature.

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and it’s the day where everyone looks at his or her family tree trying to find an Irish relative so they can head out to a pub and party. Even if you have no lineage from the Emerald Isle it’s a safe day to call yourself an honourary Irishman (or woman).

We all know this is another day for a Saint that we have exploited for consumer purposes, in this case buying beer, and it’s lost the true meaning. But that doesn’t stop us from making a big party of the day…and let’s be honest, who can turn down a party?

In Ireland St. Patrick’s Day is a holy day and is a little bit different than the drunken parade full of shamrocks that many North Americans know it for. My parents moved to Canada in the 70’s and most of my aunts and uncles are living in Ireland. For them, it used to be all about going to church and getting together with family, check out the parade, maybe have a nice dinner and just trying to relax. It is a national holiday.

Nowadays things have changed. Ireland has a St. Patrick’s Festival, which began in the 90’s. The parades are getting bigger, it’s more of a party than when my parents used to celebrate it and people are definitely hitting the pubs. I believe (if I can accurately remember what my mother told me) that they used to close down the bars on March 17th to keep the holiday about religion and not alcohol.

The first parade in North America began in Boston in 1761 (according to Wikipedia.org…I love that site) and for Canada the longest running is the one in Montreal which has been celebrating St. Patrick since 1824. If you ever get a chance to catch the one in Montreal I advise you do so. My cousin lives out there and it was probably the most fun I have ever had.

You may be wondering why Calgary doesn’t have one. Well I did that story on Friday and it is because of a lack of volunteers and a lack of support…which could mean not enough people are taking the initiative. Colette Smithers with the Irish Cultural Society was telling me she really wants to start organising a parade for Calgary so that families, and anyone else who enjoys a parade, can have some fun and celebrate St. Patrick in a way that isn’t just revolved around pubs.

I think it would be an amazing addition to yearly festivities and would be great for tourism. I suggest you write to the Society if you are crossing your fingers for a parade, and if you have the hands or mind to lend in planning and preparing such a parade then help them out.

Oh and in case you’re wondering “why March 17th?” it’s actually the day St. Patrick apparently died. Sorry to leave on a morbid note…HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!