Q&A with TANYA KIM

Your career as a Canadian television personality has spanned more than 14 years. If you could go back in time what advice would you give yourself when you were just starting out?

In retrospect, I would tell “Li’l TK” to always run her own race and not worry about what others are doing … And to enjoy and appreciate both the positives and negatives of the journey. There will no doubt be bumps along the way but even those are meant to be appreciated and learned from.

It’s almost been a year since you joined the team at Entertainment City, how has your experience been so far?

First off, I can hardly believe it’s almost been one year!?! My experience with Entertainment City and Breakfast Television thus far has been an exhilarating whirlwind of hard work and good times! As Entertainment City is a small (but mighty) team, I’ve been flexing my producing chops a ton more than ever before. And joining BT, such an established and nationally loved morning show, has been an absolute dream. I still pinch myself when thinking about how blessed I am to add yet another wonderful TV family to my life!

With Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF) just around the corner there is a lot of excitement in the air. How do you get red carpet ready?

TIFF is really like the Super Bowl of our industry, so making sure I catch as many Zzz’s as possible leading up to the big event is key. Then it takes the magic touch of makeup artists/hair/wardrobe stylists to bring me to red carpet life! And between you and me, some essentials you might find in my red carpet clutch include: healthy lipstick-friendly snacks, a pair of comfy flats, and an arsenal of breath mints. 😉

You’ve gone face-to-face with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars! What is your all-time favourite celebrity encounter?

This question is always a little challenging for me to answer as I’ve been really fortunate and have many favourites … But if you’re making me choose only one, I would have to say it’s a tight tie between David Bowie and Prince. I generally pride myself on being a great listener, but during these particular sit-downs, I found myself having out-of-body experiences and getting lost in those moments, if only for a moment. I mean, THE Ziggy Stardust sung a lullaby to me!?! And Prince, as charming and polite as he was, kept referring to me as “Ma’am.” I was in the presence of two legendary icons and will cherish these memories forever.

Can you give us the inside scoop on any popular celebrity hot spots in Toronto?

Yorkville is a tried and true hot spot of an area and even the Queen Street West/Parkdale neighbourhoods offer occasional celeb sightings. Toronto has become such a beloved city amongst the Hollywood A-list that you’re sure to spot a celebrity almost everywhere you look!

With 15 years in the entertainment industry under her belt so far, TANYA KIM is widely recognized as one of Canada’s most familiar television personalities. As a host of Entertainment City, Breakfast Television and Your World This Week on Rogers Channel 1, Tanya travels the world interviewing all of your favourite A-listers. She also prides herself on being a big supporter of her community, dedicating her time to causes closest to her heart such as the Ontario SPCA.

Q&A with TANYA KIM

Your career as a Canadian television personality has spanned more than 14 years. If you could go back in time what advice would you give yourself when you were just starting out?

In retrospect, I would tell “Li’l TK” to always run her own race and not worry about what others are doing … And to enjoy and appreciate both the positives and negatives of the journey. There will no doubt be bumps along the way but even those are meant to be appreciated and learned from.

It’s almost been a year since you joined the team at Entertainment City, how has your experience been so far?

First off, I can hardly believe it’s almost been one year!?! My experience with Entertainment City and Breakfast Television thus far has been an exhilarating whirlwind of hard work and good times! As Entertainment City is a small (but mighty) team, I’ve been flexing my producing chops a ton more than ever before. And joining BT, such an established and nationally loved morning show, has been an absolute dream. I still pinch myself when thinking about how blessed I am to add yet another wonderful TV family to my life!

With Toronto International Film Festival® (TIFF) just around the corner there is a lot of excitement in the air. How do you get red carpet ready?

TIFF is really like the Super Bowl of our industry, so making sure I catch as many Zzz’s as possible leading up to the big event is key. Then it takes the magic touch of makeup artists/hair/wardrobe stylists to bring me to red carpet life! And between you and me, some essentials you might find in my red carpet clutch include: healthy lipstick-friendly snacks, a pair of comfy flats, and an arsenal of breath mints. 😉

You’ve gone face-to-face with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars! What is your all-time favourite celebrity encounter?

This question is always a little challenging for me to answer as I’ve been really fortunate and have many favourites … But if you’re making me choose only one, I would have to say it’s a tight tie between David Bowie and Prince. I generally pride myself on being a great listener, but during these particular sit-downs, I found myself having out-of-body experiences and getting lost in those moments, if only for a moment. I mean, THE Ziggy Stardust sung a lullaby to me!?! And Prince, as charming and polite as he was, kept referring to me as “Ma’am.” I was in the presence of two legendary icons and will cherish these memories forever.

Can you give us the inside scoop on any popular celebrity hot spots in Toronto?

Yorkville is a tried and true hot spot of an area and even the Queen Street West/Parkdale neighbourhoods offer occasional celeb sightings. Toronto has become such a beloved city amongst the Hollywood A-list that you’re sure to spot a celebrity almost everywhere you look!

With 15 years in the entertainment industry under her belt so far, TANYA KIM is widely recognized as one of Canada’s most familiar television personalities. As a host of Entertainment City, Breakfast Television and Your World This Week on Rogers Channel 1, Tanya travels the world interviewing all of your favourite A-listers. She also prides herself on being a big supporter of her community, dedicating her time to causes closest to her heart such as the Ontario SPCA.

Danielle Graham Canada’s Charming Entertainment Host

Danielle Graham is the Co-Anchor for CTV’s ETALK — Canada’s #1 Entertainment Show. Enchanting audiences with her charm and charisma, Graham has gone face-to-face with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, not to mention has covered high-profile events both here at home and around the world. Next month, Danielle will be covering the red carpet at the 88th Academy Awards, airing live Sunday, February 28th on CTV.

You’ve been with ETALK since 2007. During that time you have interviewed the likes of Robert Downey Jr., Jennifer Aniston, and Beyoncé Knowles. What is your all-time favourite celebrity encounter? Oh, that’s a tough one. Maybe because it’s the most recent and because it was such an incredible interview — I would say Adele. First of all, she’s so incredible and I’ve seen so many interviews with her and I had hoped that she would be just as funny with me. She was really unguarded. There was nothing I couldn’t ask her during our 30-minute sit down in London and it was a North American exclusive! She only did three interviews that day, one of which was mine, and then some of the interview was picked up all over the world! Billboard Magazine picked it up, the New York Times, the Daily Mail, and I just had the best time with her. It was so much fun. So for me, that’s up there on the list.

All of us have challenging work days, though not all of us have to grapple with them in the limelight. If you could redo one moment interview in your career what would you choose? I would like to go back and reconsider some outfits and some hair choices over the years. Sometimes when we go into the ETALK vault and we bring up old interviews I want to die a thousand deaths. It’s mortifying because it’s like, what was I thinking? I know we all have those, but the problem is all of mine have been documented for the past 15 years and they’re all out there!

You’ve made your mark on red carpets around the world at events like The Toronto International Film Festival, THE OSCARS®, THE GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS®, THE PRIMETIME EMMY® AWARDS, the and the Cannes Film Festival. Can you share a memorable behind-the-scenes moment? I can share with you an insider moment. Last year was my first Academy Awards. It was my first time seeing the set up where Ben Mulroney is on the red carpet and where Lainey and I are in the balcony overlooking the end of the red carpet. The stars are at the last photo wall, so it’s the last chance to get their photos taken and then they go inside the theatre. We’re watching all of this as it’s happening — Jennifer Lopez getting her dress fixed, Hollywood’s biggest stars standing in line. You see Anne Hathaway standing behind Meryl Streep, behind, Rachel Weisz — it’s amazing to watch them act like normal people! So we have this bird’s eye view and the best part is that they don’t know we’re there. They don’t think to look up. When the live show is over Lainey packed an amazing bag of snacks. It was like Cheetos, Doritos, Swedish Fish, Dr. Pepper, and Coke, so I’m in this beautiful designer gown with orange Cheetos fingers watching Jennifer Lopez’s assistant fluff up her dress — and that was such an amazing behind the scenes moment for me because no one knew that we were there!

This will be your second time covering the Academy Awards live from the red carpet. What do you look forward to most this time around? What I’m most looking forward to this time around is the live red carpet show. There’s no predicting, you’re on your toes, but it makes you feel so alive. I know Lainey’s got my back; I know Ben’s got my back and I’m looking forward to having a better lay of the land this year and not being the new kid!

How do you prepare to interview celebrities on the red carpet during award season? Has your mind ever gone blank right before a red carpet interview? My mind has definitely gone blank before in terms of things that were prepared or questions that the ETALK team and I have come up with, but I’ve never been ‘uhhh’. You have to prepare by seeing the content, so I will spend a tremendous amount of time at home and at theatres alone watching movies. It’s one of the most amazing perks of the job — I get to watch movies for work.

It’s been a year since you were promoted to Co-Anchor with Ben Mulroney on ETALK. During this time you must have got to know Ben pretty well. Does your polished colleague have any hilarious habits or quirks that the audience doesn’t get to see when the camera is rolling? Oh, Ben, I adore him. He is an amazing work husband and such a hard worker. Ben loves to poke fun at me; we have this amazing brother and sister relationship. He is very passionate about TV, so we spend a lot of time talking about television shows. He is also a phone addict, constantly scrolling, tweeting, and Instragraming!

When you aren’t on the red carpet or flying across the world to cover a premiere, how do you like to spend your downtime? I spend my downtime by looking the complete opposite to how I do on television. Real life Danielle is no hair, no makeup. Chances are my pants have an elastic waistband. That’s how I live. We entertain a lot at our cottage up north or at our home. I like gardening, I love baking, and I love cooking. I love watching movies and I love being outside.

Can you reveal any surprises that ETALK has in store for 2016? As Canada’s #1 most-watched entertainment newsmagazine, ETALK will continue to deliver unprecedented access to the entertainment world’s biggest names!

The 88th Academy Awards air live Sunday, February 28th on CTV.

Follow Danielle Graham on Twitter, @DanielleGraham and on Instagram, @mrsdaniellegraham.

A Jann Arden Christmas

What happens when two music icons collaborate on an age-old tradition? Well, this may be one instance where history is re-written for the better. Platinum recording artist and acclaimed Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden releases her first Christmas Album, A Jann Arden Christmas, with the help of legendary producer (and Grammy-Award winner) Bob Rock under Universal Music Canada.

Arden — a Juno-winning artist selling over 1.5 million records — is still in the midst of a remarkable career spanning over 22 years, dating back to her 1993 debut album, Time for Mercy which catapulted her into the Canadian music scene.

Now, with 12 albums, 19 top-ten singles and a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame under her belt, the Calgary native is still determined to make her mark with a fresh take on classic Christmas songs.

EXTRAORDINARY BY ASSOCIATION
It’s not every day an artist and producer of this calibre join forces, let alone on something like a holiday album. However, fans of both Arden and Rock needn’t be worried.

The iconic producer (born in Winnipeg) has more than expressed his joy for working with Arden, which are high accolades coming from the man who has produced records for seemingly every top artist under the sun, from Cher to Metallica.

“It was an amazing experience making what could be the finest record Jann has ever made… it just happened to be a Christmas record,” exclaims Rock.

Having first worked together in 2010 on the single “I Can’t Make You Stay,” Rock and Arden mixed the festive tracks at Toronto’s Revolution Recording, with performers on the album including members of her touring band coming on board.

A TIME-HONOURED CLASSICAL FEEL
Indeed some favourites on from the album are new interpretations, but still include a classic Christmas feel. Foremost from a seven-piece symphonic string section featured in the recordings to ensure each track pleases not only brighteyed youngsters, but mom and pop as well.

“I always wanted to make a Christmas record, and I wanted to do something really, really special and timeless,” expresses Arden, who has grabbed inspiration from a litany sources to ensure A
Jann Arden Christmas is like no other Christmas album before it. Songs are poised to stay at the top of iPhone playlists for years to come.

For example, a rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” is the Canadian’s ode to Mary Poppins while “Silent Night” is inspired by Elvis’ version from the late sixties, which amazingly includes vocals from Arden’s basement demo-sessions.

More pleasant surprises certainly lie within the recordings adding excitement to classic songs that may have begun to taste stale after so many years.

Though, with loyal fans and a strong social media following, the album is sure to be top of mind and maintain its spot on radio stations this holiday season.

To buy A Jann Arden Christmas go to www.JannArden.com.

Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Stephanie Bennett’s first feature lead was in 2012’s Grave Encounters 2, followed with roles in TV movies such as Stolen Dreams, Truth & Lies and Nine Lives of Christmas. She demonstrated her versatility in Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, Leprechaun: Origins, the CW series iZombie and the Lifetime series UnReal. Stephanie can be currently seen in the CBC drama The Romeo Section playing Dee. Next up, she will appear in the ABC Family series Shadowhunters, based on the popular book series The Mortal Instruments by Cassanda Clare, set to air in early 2016.

You studied classical ballet from a very young age, including two years at the National Ballet. It wasn’t until university that you decided to pursue acting full-time. What made you switch focus from dancing to acting?

Dance gave me the opportunity to portray different characters and tell their stories. Playing characters was my favourite part of dance so I knew at a young age I loved acting. When I was in university and considering a career, I had to give acting a shot before anything else. After my first acting class I knew it was what I was meant to do.

Over the last couple of years your acting career has undergone quite the transformation. You’ve moved away from traditional ‘pretty girl roles’ to take on more substantial acting parts that better demonstrate your range and versatility. What has this evolution been like for you?

I love roles that push me in directions I didn’t know I could go. Characters like Dee with lives very different from mine excite me. Knowing so little about that world required a lot of research and risk-taking. It’s amazing how playing Dee helped me learn about myself in the process. I really hope to continue to be challenged by my work and be able to transform into different characters.

We’ve heard you went above and beyond to ensure your part on CBC’s The Romeo Section was as authentic as possible. How did you prepare to play the role of Dee, a troubled cocaine addict?

I started by reading articles on drug addiction and the effects of alcohol and crack cocaine abuse in particular. I watched many documentaries on individuals and their personal stories of struggle with substances, as well as documentaries on young women in domestic abuse situations.I spent a bit of time in downtown Vancouver’s east side with women suffering from drug addiction. I made sure to take note of specifics, like their body language and how they communicated during highs and lows. As the season went on, Dee encountered new challenges that required new research. Not only did this role require outside research but I needed to do a lot of work on myself and how to bring out Dee in a way that was truthful.

Early next year fans can look forward to seeing you in ABC Family’s Shadowhunters, a new TV series based on The Mortal Instruments fantasy novels written by Cassandra Clare. This role is set to make waves State-side. How does an emerging Canadian actress, such as yourself, carve her career on both sides of the border?

I am very lucky to live in Vancouver as there are so many great opportunities in both Canada and America that come through there. It was the perfect place to begin my career and get my foot in
the door. I can audition with Vancouver casting directors in person, but I also have managers in Los Angeles that submit me for American projects. I send audition tapes to Toronto and Los Angeles for projects there. This was how I was able to audition for Shadowhunters.

In the upcoming series you portray Lydia Branwell, a no-nonsense young Shadowhunter. This part is definitely one of the most physically demanding on your repertoire; have you done any training to prepare for the role?

Dancing at a young age helped me develop a strong physique, which was useful as the role was physically demanding every day. I continue to run regularly and try to stay as strong as possible, all good experience for the role of Lydia. However, I did have some martial arts training during the shoot and it was completely new to me. I think I caught on okay but I was definitely nervous!

There’s buzz that the role of Lydia will positon you as Hollywood’s ‘next big thing’. If you had the choice, who would you model your career after? Is there any star in particular you would love to work with?

I have a never-ending list of actors that inspire me and I dream of working with. However, Kate Winslet has been a huge inspiration from the start. She is so honest in her work and I can see different aspects of herself in every role she plays. She can transform so beautifully and has played such a wide range of characters, which I definitely aspire to do.