Northern Pikes frontman rebounds from addiction

TORONTO - The last time Northern Pikes frontman Jay Semko tried to break out with a solo album, it all went horribly wrong.

He had pulled together a disc called "Redberry" by reworking a collection of old song ideas he had socked away, and just as the album came out two years ago, found himself spiralling into the depths of alcoholism.

Semko says he checked into a treatment facility in rural Quebec, and from there, conducted a media interview by payphone, hoping to disguise how far he had fallen but soon found himself revealing all his secrets. After just a month in rehab, Semko hit the road on tour, eventually finding himself alone in Halifax with a bottle of vodka and on the precipice of what would be a hard fall off the wagon.

"There's about a three-month period there that was very blurry to me - where I had periods of being quite coherent and doing things and then I would lose it and take off on a bender for many days at a time," Semko says by phone from his home in Saskatoon as he prepares to release a new disc, this time sober.

"I became very negative and I really didn't (care) about anything. Towards the end, I just was this self-absorbed, negative individual."

By this point, Semko had lost his wife of 16 years, incurred stomach and liver problems, pawned his guitar and even began losing interest in the music he loved.

He says it took his family four interventions to get him to start seeing straight, and with the help of a tight support group and newfound spirituality, says he's been clean since March 26, 2007 and is ready for a new chapter in his life.

Semko's third disc, "International Superstar," is a country-tinged collection of bittersweet tunes outlining dark days and celebrating a healthier outlook on life. The catchy title track offers such evocative lyrics as: "Look at the international superstar, drunk as a skunk trying to smoke a cigar; He just dumped his wife and the bank took his car, he's an international superstar".

The album closes with the song "Jesus Is Gonna Help."

Semko credits a couple of fruitful trips to Nashville with reinvigorating his creative spirit and finding collaborators who could push him in positive directions.

"I really got out of the mode of trusting my instincts and I think a lot of that was because I was pretty messed up," says Semko, whose hits with the Pikes included "Things I Do For Money," "She Ain't Pretty," "Girl With a Problem," and "Teenland."

"It got to the point where I don't think I was dealing correctly with reality and not judging, not able to focus in on my instincts when it came to writing. Everything gets affected by that and sometimes in a positive way, and unfortunately most of the time in a negative way."

Although the Northern Pikes didn't quite reach the heights of international stardom, Semko points to the band's heyday in the early '90s as seeding a burgeoning addiction problem. He notes that their booking contracts often involved demands for large amounts of alcohol, and while his bandmates largely managed to keep things under control, he could not.

"Our (tour) rider was huge - a huge, huge rider of alcohol," says Semko, who still tours occasionally with the Pikes.

"We're talking, like, two large bottles of wine and a bottle of vodka and a bottle of schnapps and a bottle of scotch and 48 beer and anything else that you may want in there. And you know, if you're really smart about it, then you can do things in moderation and have no problem with it, but I'm not like that".

Despite his personal demons, Semko has maintained a steady work schedule since the Pikes temporarily broke up around 1993. Semko went on to score music for TV and film, including the Paul Gross vehicles "Due South" and "Men With Brooms." He'll be in Toronto next week (Aug. 15-17) for a "Due South" fan convention in which hundreds of devotees are expected to converge for panel discussions with the stars, play games and go tours of the series' shooting locations.

The appearance will coincide with the release of Semko's first solo single in more than 10 years, the wistful ballad, "She Won't Be Lonely Long."

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world right now because there's a good chance that I would not be here and not able to do what I'm doing," Semko says of his future.

"When I think of many of the situations that I put myself in through the years, it's a miracle that I'm here, it really is. And as a result of that, I feel obligated to be good now. To do good things to try and make the most of what I have now."

Reports: Christina Applegate has breast cancer

LOS ANGELES - Actress Christina Applegate reportedly is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Ame Van Iden, publicist for the 36-year-old actress, released the following statement late Saturday:

"Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life threatening. Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery."

Applegate has earned Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her starring role in ABC's comedy "Samantha Who?" Applegate plays the title character, a young career woman who awakens from an eight-day coma remembering nothing about her past.

The series debuted last October and marked the return to television of Applegate, who helped establish the upstart Fox network in 1987 as ditzy teenager Kelly Bundy on "Married ... with Children." The raunchy comedy ran 11 seasons and has been airing in syndication ever since.

She won an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series in 2003 for her portrayal of Amy Green, the younger sister of Jennifer Aniston's character on "Friends."

Applegate earned a 2005 Tony Award nomination for her Broadway role in "Sweet Charity."

"I'm really grateful that acting is the job that was chosen for me," Applegate told The Associated Press in April. "I get really lost when I'm not working. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with myself. Thank God for dance class and The New York Times crossword puzzle and `American Idol.' But acting is what I really have to do."

Applegate is among the celebrities scheduled to appear on the "Stand Up To Cancer" one-hour television special to be aired on ABC, CBS and NBC on Sept. 5 to raise funds for cancer research.

"The Dark Knight" leads box office for third weekend

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Batman narrowly fended off the new "Mummy" sequel to lead the weekend box office in North America for a third weekend, while moviegoers rejected Kevin Costner's new political comedy "Swing Vote."

"The Dark Knight" earned $43.8 million for the three days beginning Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday. Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" followed with $42.5 million.

Walt Disney Co's "Swing Vote" came in at No. 6 with just $6.3 million, the latest disappointment for Costner, who has not had a $100 million movie since 1992's "The Bodyguard."

The total for "The Dark Knight" rose to $394.9 million. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it expects the film to add at least $100 million, likely becoming the No. 2 movie of all time in North America. "Titanic" holds the record with $601 million, ahead of 1977's "Star Wars" and its two reissues with $461 million.

"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" came in below pundits' forecasts of an opening in the $50 million range, bruised by the Batman juggernaut. The Brendan Fraser film actually beat "The Dark Knight" on Friday but the reigning champ bounced back on the next two days. (The Sunday component of the data is an estimate; final data will be issued on Monday.)

Universal, a unit of General Electric Co, said "The Mummy" was big internationally. The film, set in China and co-starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, opened to $59.5 million from 28 territories.

Fraser has had a low profile since appearing as part of the ensemble in the Oscar-winning 2004 movie "Crash." But he now has two movies in the top 5, with "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at No. 5 with a four-week total of $73.1 million.

The Couch Potato Report - August 2nd, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels some films that are interactive, and a five part biography of Earth.

Our first two films this week are being billed as INTERACTIVE. If you don't like what is happening on screen at certain times, you just push ENTER on your remote and the story line and scene changes.

Unfortunately this unique idea can't save either film, as no matter how many times you hit enter the end result is still a mediocre movie.

That is ceratinly the case with this week's HOT POTATO...the Canadian made, National Film Board release that is LATE FRAGMENT.

LATE FRAGMENT has several plots and due to the fact that it is non-linear - and interactive - it give you the choice to watch the stories of three strangers. Faye, Kevin and Théo.

They - and their stories - all come together in a restorative justice group therapy session, after each has become involved in a crime, either as perpetrator or victim or both.

In the sessions the victims and offenders share their stories in hopes of finding wholeness, balance, forgiveness, redemption and a sense of safety.

There are 380 available opportunities for you to hit the ENTER button, and for me the concept of an interactive movie just overshadowed the film itself.

I kept pressing ENTER, because you can't just sit and watch the film...you have to push ENTER in order to prevent the film from staying in a loop...and each time I pressed the button I hoped that the movie would engage me...but it didn't.

LATE FRAGMENT isn't a happy movie, and I wasn't interested in the characters, so even though I had several different choices literally at my fingertips...I just didn't care.

I am 100% sure that there will be people who will love this movie, and will watch it repeatedly, in order to see all of the different ways it can play out, but that person is not me.

After eventually getting to the film's conclusion, I just couldn't wait to press one more button...eject.

The interactive film LATE FRAGMENT is an interesting concept...but not an interesting movie.

And that is true with the other film featuring some interactivity that I have for you this week, the "comedy" HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY

You know I liked the first HAROLD AND KUMAR film...2004's HAROLD AND KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE. It was a fun little film about two stoner friends who just want to get some hamburgers, and the problems that prevented them from getting them. It was fun, stupid and an entertaining time at the movies.

This sequel is none of that. It is not funny, it is actually racist at times, always profane and even though I don't usually have a problem with those sort of things in an out and out comedy...I just hated this movie!

And like LATE FRAGMENT, HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY has an interactive element to it.

Using the bonus feature "Dude, Change the Movie!," you can alter the direction of the film at various moments.

Some of the changes merely add a quick joke or two, while others send the film in a completely different direction, including drastically changing the ending, and one change even eliminates the plot of the film.

If the studio green lights a third HAROLD AND KUMAR film, I hope they remembered the low budget origins of the first movie, and skip the expensive high budget path that this second movie took.

It is just a bad movie, no matter what your frame of mind is at the time you press play.

Up next this week is the BBC series EARTH - THE BIOGRAPHY, from the same folks who gave us the PLANET EARTH and the BLUE PLANET series.

Yes, EARTH - THE BIOGRAPHY is a five-part series that look at how our our planet was formed, and how it is changing.

While not as completely compelling as the PLANET EARTH and BLUE PLANET series, EARTH THE BIOGRAPHY is still an exceptional series and very worthy of your time.

The made in Toronto movie HUSTLE - about baseball player Pete Rose and his gambling problems that lead to his banishment for life from the sport - is also worthy of your time...but only if you are a huge baseball fan, or fan of the history of the game.

The made-for-TV movie is not great by any stretch of the imagination...but the Special Features certainly are.

Those truly Special Features include that press conference where Rose's suspension was announced, interviews with the man during and after the scandal broke, and much more.

HUSTLE is good stuff for baseball fans like me.

Now, as you may know, due to the millions of dollars that has been spent to promote and advertise it, there is a new film in the MUMMY series that is now in theatres.

The latest one is called THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR, and because there is a new one, Universal has released the two previous MUMMY MOVIES starring the Canadian raised Brendan Fraser in Two Disc Deluxe Editions.

The first Fraser MUMMY film is still a fun and entertaining movie, and THE MUMMY RETURNS - while not as great, is also still pretty good. Both of them are certainly better that THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR...but I will have more on that when the DVD comes out in December.

PLUS, also new on DVD, as a tie in to this new MUMMY movie is the very first movie starring a Mummy...the 1932 classic THE MUMMY starring Boris Karloff.

Now this DVD is the true discovery for fans of these types of films...it is truly a conematic classic, and it has never looked better in any home viewing medium!!

Pick it up and enjoy!!

Finally, it is time once again for THE FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD, this week starring CHAOTIC ANNA from Spain.

CHAOTIC ANA is about a woman named Ana and it tells the story of her life from the ages of 18 to 22.

But it might not necessarily be her life...her existence seems like a continuation of other lives of young women who all died in a tragic way, and we experience it all through through her hypnosis.

CHAOTIC ANA is a visually provacative and engaging film, that is exotic at times, erotic at others, and yet it is also horrific at times as well.

It is a very interesting picture that had me really wanting to find out what was really going on...and why....and because of that, and Manuela Vellés, the actress who plays Ana...I really enjoyed it.

The Spanish movie CHAOTIC ANA, the 1932 Boris Karloff classic THE MUMMY, Brendan Fraser's 1999 THE MUMMY and 2001's THE MUMMY RETURNS, the Pete Rose TV-Movie HUSTLE, the engaging EARTH THE BIOGRAPHY, the non-comedy HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY and the failed Canadian interactive film LATE FRAGMENT are all available now on DVD.

Coming up in three weeks - on August 23rd - on the next Couch Potato Report

The CBC series MVP - THE SECRET LIVES OF HOCKEY WIVES will be out on DVD along with the action films DOOMSDAY, ROGUE and PROM NIGHT.

Plus, the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD will continue with the Chinese film STILL LIFE

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in twenty-one days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

Favre could get paid to stay off the field

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Brett Favre's reinstatement to the NFL was held up again Friday as the three-time MVP mulled getting paid not to play through a marketing deal with the Green Bay Packers that could resolve the standoff over his retirement.

The potential agreement, worth a reported $20 million over 10 years, might end Favre's bid to return just months after retiring. It also would likely keep him from reporting to Packers training camp and a team that is not planning to start him at quarterback for the first time since 1992.

After talking to Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy about the marketing deal Wednesday, Favre confirmed he was considering it to ESPN on Thursday.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy made it clear Friday that, from the team's perspective, the agreement would be more than a buyout to make an awkward situation go away. In fact, it's been in the works for months. He first heard about it at Favre's retirement news conference in March.

"I know Mark Murphy talked to me about it in the past, how important it was for Brett to continue to be part of the organization after he was done playing," McCarthy said after practice Friday morning. "And frankly, it's good for Brett. Brett needs to stay a part of football, Obviously, he's a part of the Green Bay Packers."

Meanwhile, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sat on Favre's reinstatement letter for the fourth straight day, giving the two sides more time to resolve the situation.

"The commissioner will take no action today on Brett Favre's reinstatement request. Discussions are continuing between the Packers and Brett," league officials said in a statement issued by NFL spokesman Greg Aiello.

Despite Favre's tearful farewell to football, he now is considering a comeback.

The problem is that Green Bay hasn't been eager to bring him back, with Aaron Rodgers taking over the starter's role. The Packers also don't want to release Favre, suspecting he would immediately sign with division rival Minnesota.

The Packers hold Favre's rights until his current contract expires after the 2010 season.

Tensions have built between Favre and the team over the past several weeks. Earlier this week, Favre sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell requesting to be reinstated from the team's reserve/retired list.

But Goodell has held off approving the request, hoping the two sides could resolve their differences. Murphy flew to Mississippi to meet with Favre and his agent, James "Bus" Cook, on Wednesday. That meeting apparently rekindled talks about the marketing agreement.

Favre said in a text message to ESPN reporter Ed Werder Thursday night that the marketing deal might be the best idea.

"There isn't a perfect solution to this, but Mark Murphy is at least trying," Favre told ESPN. "We know what they want and where I stand. His solution, although awkward and unsettling for most, may be the best in the end."

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk chuckled at the thought of being paid $20 million not to play.

"You could hand me a billion dollars, and I'm still going to be on the field," Hawk said. "It doesn't matter to me. But everyone has different situations, has different views on money. Money is not more important than football to me right now."

But if the deal can't be worked out, Favre still could be reinstated and report to camp, presumably forcing the team to trade him or reconsider releasing him.

Cook told The Associated Press Thursday that Favre understands he would be walking into a media frenzy by showing up for camp, but he's willing to handle that it if that's the only way he can force his way back into football.

"He's prepared to deal with it," Cook said. "He's ready to go back, but he can't go back until the commissioner reinstates him."

McCarthy has said the team has a plan in place should Favre report to camp. He'd have to pass a physical exam and a conditioning test, then likely would be limited to individual drills at first.

"He's not a part of our 80-man roster right now," McCarthy said. "And if or when he is, we'll deal with that then. And I think our team has done a great job of just staying focused."

The Packers did not practice yesterday, but players did hear from a guest lecturer: former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Fleischer's lecture on media relations was scheduled before the latest Favre controversy, but McCarthy said he took advantage of the opportunity to pick Fleischer's brain on how he might handle the team's current predicament.

McCarthy said Fleischer was "very encouraging" about the team's approach.

"As popular or unpopular as it is, for as tough or as difficult as it is, I think the organization has stood strong," McCarthy said. "They're decisive, and they're continuing to work through this. Everyone wants this resolved, don't get me wrong. No one thought it would get to this point, but this is where we are."

Weakerthans, Corb Lund vie for Western Canadian Music Awards

Veteran Winnipeg rockers The Weakerthans and Albertan country music star Corb Lund are among the top nominees for the sixth annual Western Canadian Music Awards.

Organizers announced nominees in 19 categories on Thursday in Edmonton. The city will host the conference and awards gala this fall. As in the past, the awards are a publicly voted honour.

The Weakerthans (Reunion Tour) and Lund (Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!) scored four nods each and will go head-to-head in categories like outstanding independent album. Their rivals in that category include Jeremy Fisher (Goodbye Blue Monday), Immaculate Machine (Immaculate Machine's Fables) and The Perpetrators (Tow Truck).

Other nominees include:

Classical Recording
David Harding, Phillip Bush & Jonathan Crow (Brahms)
Jasper Wood (A Child's Cry from Izieu)
Michael Horwood (Suite and Serious)
Shauna Rolston (Dreamscape)
Tiresias (Delicate Fires)

Country Recording
Aaron Lines (Moments that Matter)
Gord Bamford (Honkytonks and Heartaches)
Hey Romeo (Hey Romeo)
Jo Hikk (Ride)
Paul Brandt (Risk)

Jazz Recording
Altered Laws (Metaphora)
Greg Lowe (Guitar and Bass Sessions)
Hutchinson Andrew Trio (Music Box)
Ian McDougall Big Band (No Passport Required)
Saul Berson Quartet (Intricacy)

Rock Recording
Maybe Smith (Animals & Architects)
Social Code (Social Code)
State of Shock (Life, Love & Lies)
The Evaporators (Gassy Jack and Other Tales)
The Weakerthans (Reunion Tour)

Urban Recording
GreenTaRA (Global Baby)
Moka Only (Vermillion)
Moka Only & Def 3 (Dog River)
Souljah Fyah (Truth Will Reveal)
Touch & Nato (Intelligent Design)

Songwriter(s) of the Year
Aaron Lines (Moments that Matter)
Corb Lund (Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!)
Jeremy Fisher (Goodbye Blue Monday)
Social Code (Social Code)
The Weakerthans (Reunion Tour)

Video of the Year
I Wanna Be In The Cavalry, Corb Lund
Transportation, James Murdoch Band
Cigarette, Jeremy Fisher
Civil Twilight, The Weakerthans
Viva la Vinyl, Twilight Hotel

A full list of nominees can be found at the awards website.

Part of the celebrations will include tributes to Vancouver's Spirit of the West and Albertan bandleader and Senator Tommy Banks.

The gala is set for Oct. 19, as a grand finale to a music festival, conference and industry awards that kicks off in Edmonton Oct. 16.

Batman may bow down to "Mummy"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - This is the weekend Batman should get whooped by somebody's mummy.

Universal on Friday opens "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which could earn upwards of $50 million for the weekend in United States and Canada, enough to end the two-week reign of "The Dark Knight."

Warner Bros.' massive Batman sequel appears likely to gross $40 million or so during its third session.

"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" marks the third film in the Brendan Fraser adventure franchise, following 1999's "The Mummy," which opened to $43.4 million, and 2001's "The Mummy Returns," which unwrapped a $68 million bow. They ended up with $155.4 million and $202 million, respectively.

The addition of Jet Li as a villain in the threequel seems to have restoked interest among the franchise's fan base. Michelle Yeoh also joins the cast, while Maria Bello replaces Rachel Weisz.

Also Friday, Disney debuts the Kevin Costner political comedy "Swing Vote," but low turnout among an older-skewing crowd should limit returns to the single-digit millions.

Cheech and Chong reunite as feud goes up in smoke

LOS ANGELES - Their feud finally having gone up in smoke, Cheech and Chong say they're eager to get back on the road for their first comedy tour in more than 25 years.

"We had such a legacy, such a history. We couldn't escape it, even if we tried," Tommy Chong told reporters at a news conference Wednesday at the Troubadour, the Los Angeles nightclub where the pair were discovered more than 35 years ago.

The duo said their "Light Up America" tour will kick off Sept. 12 in Philadelphia.

"It's going to be very theatrical," said Cheech Marin.

If Wednesday's news conference was an indication, it won't spare the pothead humor, either.

"We're definitely still smoking," Chong said when asked.

"I get transfusions now," quipped Marin.

"I like the taste," Chong said. "I'm old fashioned."

Marin told AP Radio earlier this month that he and the 70-year-old Chong had recently decided that if ever they were to reunite the time was now because, "You're not getting any younger and neither am I."

They tossed around some ideas and figured a comedy tour would be "the most fun" and "the least hassle," the 62-year-old Marin said.

Marin and Chong, who broke up amid creative differences, have tried to reunite before, but have always fought too much.

"It takes about three minutes for that to happen, Marin said. "There's this veiled hatred." But he added: "We've kind of resolved that."

During their original run, Marin and Chong released nine comedy albums between 1972 and 1985, were nominated for four Grammy Awards and won one. They also starred in eight feature films, almost always portraying a pair of comical stoners.

"We've gotten to the age where we don't feel like fighting anymore," Marin said, "because the end is a lot closer than the beginning."

Farrell leads CCMA noms

TORONTO - Newcomer Jessie Farrell leads the nominees for the Canadian Country Music Awards this year, snagging a total of seven nominations Wednesday, including single, album, songwriter and female artist of the year.

The Vancouver singer, a 30-year-old redhead with a strong pop bent, dominated a field heavy with more traditional fare from more established acts.

They include Winnipeg's Doc Walker who raked in six nominations, Calgary's Paul Brandt with five, and Gord Bamford of Lacombe, Alta., with four.

Farrell said she was still drifting in and out of sleep in Vancouver when the nominations were being announced at a Toronto press conference.

"I was kind of half-asleep thinking: 'I wonder if I should get up. What am I doing now?' and the phone rang. So I jumped out of bed and there's nothing like waking up to good news," said Farrell, who got word from her record label at about 8:30 a.m. Pacific time.

"I've been working so hard for the last eight years and it's only been in the last year and a half that I've been on the radar. It is kind of surprising.... It's such an amazing thing to think people are listening to the music. I am lucky."

The album of the year is a race between Doc Walker, Deric Ruttan, Johnny Reid, Farrell and Brandt while nominees for songwriter of the year include Doc Walker, Farrell, Bamford, Ruttan and Brandt.

The awards will be handed out at a gala in Winnipeg on Sept. 8. Country singer Terri Clark will host the bash, which will feature performances by nominees George Canyon, Emerson Drive, Farrell and Reid.

Bamford, who showed up at the announcement clad in a black coat and black hat, said he and his band have been pleased with the success of his nominated single, "Blame It On That Red Dress."

"When you work hard at something you hope that there's rewards and they're starting to happen for me so it's very cool," Bamford said.

"We just keep putting out stuff that we think we do well at and whether there's trends or not, you see how music kind of goes through the pop to country, I'm real traditional. We've just tried to stick with the grassroots of that. I think that the consistency of doing that and the persistence of doing that is what's paying off."

Nominees Doc Walker have been designated honorary chairs for Country Music Week, a series of music-related events leading up to the awards bash. They said they were thrilled to serve as ambassadors for their hometown of Winnipeg, which will host the awards for the first time in more than 20 years.

Frontman Chris Thorsteinson said they were blown away to hear they were up for six trophies.

"It's pretty amazing, that's a lot of nominations," said Thorsteinson.

"It's pretty humbling when you look at the people we're in the categories with. I grew up listening to these artists and respecting these artists and to be in the same category is pretty amazing. We're really excited."

Prairie Oyster singer Russell deCarle said the group was honoured to be named this year's inductees into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

"I don't feel that old but it's a real honour for us," said deCarle, who formed the band in the mid-70s and went on to craft a sound that blended rockabilly, folk and country traditions.

"We're certainly in incredible company there - I think of the years I watched people like Hank Snow, and Gordon Lightfoot and Ian Tyson, a whole host of others."

The awards show is set to air on CBC-TV on Sept. 8.

Canadian Country Music Award nominees

TORONTO - Here are some of the major nominations for this year's Canadian Country Music Awards:

FANS' CHOICE AWARD: Paul Brandt, George Canyon, Doc Walker, Emerson Drive, Jessie Farrell.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life," Doc Walker; "Best of Me," Jessie Farrell; "Blame It on That Red Dress," Gord Bamford; "Risk," Paul Brandt; "You Can Let Go," Crystal Shawanda.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life," Doc Walker; "First Time in a Long Time," Deric Ruttan; "Kicking Stones," Johnny Reid; "Nothing Fancy," Jessie Farrell; "Risk," Paul Brandt.

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Lisa Brokop, Terri Clark, Jessie Farrell, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Crystal Shawanda.

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Paul Brandt, George Canyon, Johnny Reid, Deric Ruttan, Shane Yellowbird.

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life" (written by Murray Pulver, Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw; recorded by Doc Walker); "Best of Me" (written by Jessie Farrell, Jared Kuemper, Jesse Tucker; recorded by Jessie Farrell); "Blame It on That Red Dress" (written by Gord Bamford, Byron Hill, Zack Turner; recorded by Gord Bamford); "First Time in a Long Time" (written by Jimmy Rankin, Deric Ruttan; recorded by Deric Ruttan); "Risk" (written by Paul Brandt; recorded by Paul Brandt).

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR: Ambush, Doc Walker, Emerson Drive, the Higgins, the Wilkinsons.

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR: Ridley Bent, the Cruzeros, Sean Hogan, Corb Lund, Prairie Oyster.

TOP NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR - FEMALE: Jessie Farrell, Amber Nicholson, Alex J. Robinson.

TOP NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR - MALE: Gord Bamford, Ridley Bent, Jason Blaine.

TOP NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR GROUP OR DUO: Desert Heat, Hey Romeo, Jo Hikk.

CMT VIDEO OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life," Doc Walker; "Best of Me," Jessie Farrell; "Blame It on That Red Dress," Gord Bamford; "In This Room," Ambush; "Ring of Fire," George Canyon.

TOP SELLING ALBUM: "Carnival Ride," Carrie Underwood; "Raising Sand," Robert Plant/Alison Krauss; "Reba Duets," Reba McEntire; "Taylor Swift," Taylor Swift; "Ultimate Hits," Garth Brooks.

TOP SELLING CANADIAN ALBUM: "Classics," George Canyon; "Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!" Corb Lund; "Kicking Stones," Johnny Reid; "Nothing Fancy," Jessie Farrell; "Risk," Paul Brandt.