Q with Tom Power

In the late ‘80s, Paula Abdul helped define what a pop star could be, from dance to music to performance. If you were watching music videos at that time, you would have seen her on your screen. If you weren’t around for that, you may remember her as one of the original judges on “American Idol” from 2002 to 2009. Back in September, Paula sat down with guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on how she was discovered by the Jackson family, what it was like choreographing for some of the biggest superstars in the world while she was still a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, and her philosophy as a mentor.

What’s our individual responsibility when we see atrocities happening in our world? That question is the central premise of the film “Small Things Like These,” which sheds light on Ireland’s infamous Magdalene laundries. Set in a small Irish town in 1985, the film stars Cillian Murphy as Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father of five girls who discovers that the local convent in his community is forcing the young women in their care to live under inhumane conditions. We revisit Cillian’s conversation with Tom Power about the film, why he didn't want to portray his character as a hero, and what life has been like for him after winning an Oscar for “Oppenheimer” earlier this year.

The textile artist Hangama Amiri is known around the world for making masterpieces out of fabric. A lot of that fabric is from a home she was forced to leave. Hangama was seven years old when the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996. Years later, after fleeing Afghanistan and settling in Canada with her family, she started stitching together her memories of home. We revisit Hangama’s conversation with Tom Power about her work, the Afghan store where she buys her materials, and what home means to her these days.

The Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and producer k-os is kind of like the Forrest Gump of popular music — he’s been everywhere. Earlier this year, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his smash hit album “Joyful Rebellion,” k-os sat down with Tom Power to share some wild stories from his life and career, like the time he hung out with Prince.

Last year, Brenda Lee’s iconic holiday song “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” turned 65. We revisit Tom Power’s conversation with Brenda about the song, how she was just 13 when she recorded it, and how the movie “Home Alone” changed its popularity.

As a visionary director and self-professed loner, Tim Burton has spent decades channelling the angst and loneliness he felt as a child into hit movies like “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” But it was his outlandish 1988 movie “Beetlejuice” that set his career into motion and proved to Hollywood that being weird was an asset, not a problem. This year, 36 years after the original “Beetlejuice,” the film’s long-awaited sequel, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” has finally hit theatres. Tim joined guest host Talia Schlanger to discuss the new movie, how it helped him rediscover his love of filmmaking after a creative slump, and his on-again, off-again relationship with Disney.

Though she’s been called Canada’s original cowboy punk, k.d. lang has had a long and complex relationship with country music. When she got her start as a singer in Edmonton, she didn’t fit the mold of what people thought a country artist should be. Earlier this year, k.d. was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame. She joined guest host Talia Schlanger to reflect on her history with the genre, from her early days channelling Patsy Cline to her thoughts on country music today.

After a crazy few years, Omar Apollo returned with his sophomore album, “God Said No,” this past summer. It was inspired by a bad breakup that he says left him feeling like he hit “rock bottom.” A few months ago, Omar sat down with Tom Power for the second time to talk about transforming his sadness into music, making his acting debut in Luca Guadagnino’s film “Queer,” and launching a new hot sauce.

A few months ago, a new podcast and radio show called “Bookends” premiered on CBC. It’s hosted by Mattea Roach, the Canadian “Jeopardy!” champion who held a 23-game winning streak a few years ago. Right before the show’s debut, Mattea sat down with Tom Power to tell us a bit about “Bookends” and what they were most looking forward to. Plus, they shared the correct strategy for wagering on a Daily Double.

The director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Witch) has been fascinated and haunted by the shadowy form of Nosferatu since he was a kid. Now, he’s brought his take on “Nosferatu” back to the screen with his long-anticipated remake of the same name, which stars Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Willem Dafoe and Bill Skarsgård. Robert joins Tom Power to discuss the film and why he wanted to bring this gothic horror tale back to life.

The Canadian actor Lauren Collins became famous for playing a gutsy, outspoken high school student on "Degrassi: The Next Generation.” But now as she approaches her 40s, she’s matured into roles that portray women with new kinds of problems, such as when to have a baby, how not to work so much, and what to do about the ghost of your mother who won’t shut up. Lauren sits down with Tom Power to talk about her new show, “My Dead Mom,” and how it strikes the perfect balance between anger, humour, grief and the conflicting emotions around losing a parent who drove you crazy.

For 20 seasons, National Ballet of Canada principal dancer Heather Ogden has been performing the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in the enduring holiday classic “The Nutcracker.” Heather sits down with Tom Power to talk about the magic and opulence of this production — and what makes the Sugar Plum Fairy’s solo so tricky. Plus, she makes a special announcement about an upcoming National Ballet of Canada production of “Swan Lake.”

Suki Waterhouse is best known as a model and actor, but she’s had a quiet passion for music since she was a kid. After starring in the hit show “Daisy Jones & The Six,” which is about a band finding success in the ‘70s, she was inspired to finally pursue a career in music. Suki joins Tom Power to talk about her career pivot and her new album, “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda changed the face of Broadway forever when he wrote the musical “Hamilton.” Now, he’s bringing his talent back to the screen with Disney’s upcoming film “Mufasa: The Lion King.” Lin joins Tom Power to talk about why we can’t get enough of “The Lion King,” how the wild success of “Hamilton” changed his life, and what he thinks about the state of Broadway today.

From playing bars in Saskatoon to arenas around the world, the Canadian rock band The Sheepdogs have come a long way in two decades. To mark their 20th anniversary as a band, lead singer Ewan Currie joins Tom Power to talk about what it means to have longevity in rock and roll — and why the band couldn’t resist making a holiday song.

This year, decades after re-establishing herself as a solo artist, Cher was finally recognized by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She’s also just released a new book, “Cher: The Memoir,” which is the first of a two-part autobiography that covers her start in music from 1946 to 1976. In this conversation with Tom Power, Cher tells us her story of growing up with a mother who wanted to be a star herself, how she found out she could sing, and why behind the scenes Sonny & Cher was not at all what you saw on TV.

The acclaimed tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain has died at age 73. Last year, he was in Toronto for his show “Masters of Percussion” at Massey Hall. Just before that concert, he spoke to Tom Power about his life in music, from his most notable collaborations to the life advice he got from the late George Harrison. In tribute, we revisit that conversation.

Michael Healey’s award-winning play “The Master Plan” is a biting satire about the Sidewalk Labs fiasco in Toronto, when the Google sister company attempted to build a smart city in an underdeveloped neighbourhood on the city’s waterfront. It’s based on the book “Sideways: The City Google Couldn't Buy” by tech reporter Josh O’Kane, and it’s now being remounted at the Soulpepper Theatre in Toronto. Michael joins Tom Power to talk about the play and the clash of Big Tech and municipal politics. Plus, he reflects on his life in theatre, from the success of “The Drawer Boy” to the controversy around “Proud,” his satirical play about Stephen Harper.

The Canadian pianist D.D. Jackson got an unusual request during the pandemic: his old friend, Canada’s former poet laureate George Elliott Clarke, asked him to turn a poem he had written for his daughter into a song. That led to a whole project in which George sent D.D. different works by Canadian poets for D.D. to transform into music. The result of their collaboration is a new album called “Poetry Project.” D.D. and George join Tom Power to talk about the album and set up a song from it.

It’s been eight years since Gwen Stefani has released an album. Following a very public divorce, she needed some time to heal, pick up the pieces of her life and find her voice again. Now, after some time away from music, she’s back with her fifth studio album, “Bouquet.” Gwen joins Tom Power to talk about the record, her time in No Doubt, and finding real love for what she says might be the first time.