10:45pm
We just got back from the CBC studio about 45 minutes ago. We'd been there since noon. It was by far the very best day of our trip thus far. In fact, it makes up for all the bad and scary things that have happened in the past few days. Aaron is less enthusiastic about the whole thing. We seem to be unable to become excited about the same things on this TO excertion. He likes eating corn and talking to Aussie girls in the bar and I'm a little more fond of taking a photo with Jonathan Torrens while he strokes my hair.
But I'm jumping ahead... ;)
We got there at noon and were shown to a very lovely green room in which we would spend the good part of our day and evening. Kim, the awesome Jonovision producer who I'd been talking to on the phone, greeted us and showed us the edit they'd done of our song. We spent several minutes rehearsing our newly shortened (and lyrically interrupted) song.
We were told we would have some greenroomates in the form of "Slick Sinister and the Mofo Malfunktions" who would be joining us shortly. They turned out to be fabulous wonderful people. Sarah, Gerard, Perry, Steve, and David were also extremely talented musicians and although they kept insisting that I must be getting annoyed by hearing their song over and over, I never tired of it. In my opinion, they were the best band there (next to us of course;). I hope we get to see them again in the future.
After rehearsing in the green room, waiting, rehearing in the studio, taking a lunch break, some more waiting, watching the headliners (i didn't really dig em) and our 3 competitors, we were finally up. Jono introduced us and the audience took the between shooting opportunity to shout all manner of lovely things to me like "i love the prairies" and "ninja turtles rule!" (i was wearing a turtles shirt). We did the song in one take and it went over famously. (Although I did happen to glance at Jonathan in the middle of the intro which left me flustered for the first two lines.)
I'm not gonna tell you who won the Coveted Golden Ear Award, "the world's most prestigious honour" (obviously you can assume it wasn't us), nor will I reveal Paul the writer's beautiful pun-filled intro for our performance. You'll just have to watch the episode when it airs on thursday, december 2 at 5:30pm on cbc.
Which brings me to the best absolutely most special part of not only my day but my entire trip thus far......meeting Jonathan Torrens. (For those of you who have been known to become ill from reading terribly girly 13-year-old-mentality crush descriptions, please skip the next three paragraphs.)
The first thing he said to me was "Hey Saskatoonians!" as he hurried through the studio while we were rehearsing. My next Jono encounter was while I was in the make-up/hair room where he suddenly appeared in the mirror beside me and asked "How did you come when you came?" "How did I come when I came? On a plane." I said. After a brief conversation about the distance between Stoon and TO and how my trip had been going, he hurried off fearing that the rehearsing headlining band was making far too much noise.
After the show, Kim (as promised) grabbed Jono for me so I could give him a present (my CD, specially autographed telling him he is superdreamy and thanking him for being my favourite part of Toronto) and get some autographs. He autographed my star from the green room door for me and a Jonovision card for Amy (I told him "My sister said that if I came back from Toronto without your autograph, she'd kill me.") Then Kim took a photo of us. He put his arm around me and sort of unconsciously started touching my hair. "Oh," he said, "I'm stroking her hair, I probably shouldn't do that." I assured him I didn't think there was anything wrong with that at all.
The girls in the chick band called Jayden didn't quite understand my intense affection for Mr. Torrens, but Gerard from SS + the MM wrote this in The Book. "Just keep reaching for that lucky star and someday - someday you will be Mrs. Jonathan Torrens! (both dreamy and famous)" Ya see, he understands.
They were taping two more episodes after Jonopalooza and, after much whining and begging (but no groveling), I managed to persuade Aaron to sit in the audience with me. We watched a particularly unsuccessful episode of "Matchmaker 2000" (my favourite part of which if, of course, when Jono says the words "Matchmaker 2000!!" in that groovy game show voice of his), but left before the Pop Culture Trivia Show started on account of Aaron's very hungry belly and my desire not to walk through dark TO streets on my own. I'm curious as to how the editing process will go in order to eliminate some particularly risqué jokes about pie (maybe they'll keep em) and all those "um"s. I'll have to find out when that episode airs as well.
So, in conclusion, all the people that work at Jonovision are spectacular, television takes a long time to do, SS + the MM are supercool, green rooms are groovy, the studio is wayyyyy smaller than it looks on tv, and Jonathan Torrens looks even better in those sweaters in real life. I hope I get to be there again.
Tomorrow we've been invited to David's house (which is actually Mike and Vinchenza's house) in Mississauga where we will visit with family (David's parents are in town this weekend from Sudbury) and likely do some jamming. I can't wait!
12:10am
Today I wish Amy had come with me on this trip.
12:20am
Things I Must Learn When I Get Home:
How do airplanes fly?
How does the white ball know to come out its own special hole in the pool table?
Does Robert play pool?
Why are Britain and England the same place?
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