Panelists Der Kosmonaut, Cem Ertekin and Jerry Gabriel discuss the Mayday March protests and the violent police reaction in downtown Montreal, an update on the US Primary elections, Prince leaving us too soon and Peter Sergakis’ lawsuit against Peter McQueen. Plus the Community Calendar and Predictions!

Host: Jason C. McLean
Producer: Hannah Besseau
Production Assistant: Enzo Sabbagha

Panelists

Cem ErtekinFTB Contributor and Managing Editor

Der Kosmonaut: Poet, writer, spoken word artist, DJ and blogger at The Adventures of Der Kosmonaut

Jerry Gabriel: Podcast regular and FTB Contributor

* Reports by Hannah Besseau

Microphone image: Ernest Duffoo / Flickr Creative Commons

Panelists Josh Davidson, Cem Ertekin and Enzo Sabbagha discuss the NDP Convention which voted for a campaign to replace Tom Mulcair as leader, Jersey’s Saloon, a controversial new coyote-ugly style bar Peter Sergakis is opening in NDG and the trailer for Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and the issues of gender and race representation it brings up. Plus the Community Calendar and Predictions!

Host: Jason C. McLean
Producer: Hannah Besseau
Production Assistant: Enzo Sabbagha

Panelists

Josh Davidson: FTB Food Columnist & Blogger at mealscape.wordpress.com

Cem Ertekin: Editor at The McGill Daily & FTB Contributor and Editor

Enzo Sabbagha: Podcast Production Assistant and music student

Kittomher: Cat

* Sergakis Report by Josh Davidson

Microphone image: Ernest Duffoo / Flickr Creative Commons

Republican Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump may be making an appearance in Montreal this month, at least if local businessman Peter Sergakis has his way.

The infamous bar and restaurant owner has invited Trump to be the guest of honour, welcoming patrons to the grand opening of Jersey’s Saloon, a Coyote Ugly-style bar set to have two locations, one which used to house NDG landmark MAZ Bar.

“We’ve turned a community watering hole into a resto-bar where women wearing next to nothing dance on tables and pour drinks. It’s a flashback to a hypersexualized fad from the 90s that never took hold in Montreal,” Sergakis told the press, “who better to kick it off than Donald Trump!”

For Sergakis, this is a follow-up to far right French Front Nationale leader Marine Le Pen speaking at another one of his bars, Station de Sports in Montreal’s Gay Village. The connection wasn’t lost on the bar and real estate magnate:

“I didn’t get enough traction with far-right drinkers by inviting Le Pen,” the businessman lamented, “hopefully Trump will change that! Or, at the very least, we could get Milania, she’s hot!”

When asked about the invitation, Trump was enthusiastic, stating that it was a good reason for him not to build a wall along the US border with Canada. While he emphasized that his attendance would depend on his campaign commitments, he made it clear that if he did not show up, Montrealers should blame “Muslims and China.”

Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton didn’t have anything to tell the press, though reports indicate she has asked Sergakis how much a speaking gig at his new bar paid. Trump’s principal GOP opponent Ted Cruz, meanwhile, said: “What? Who is this? Forget the what? How did you get this number?”

It was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, though, who hit the proverbial nail on the head:

“Oh, April Fools, funny, now let’s get back to the real issues!”

***

Seriously, though, while the Trump part was a joke, Peter Sergakis did harbour Marine Le Pen when she was in Montreal and is planning on turning what was MAZ Bar in NDG into a Coyote Ugly-style resto-bar, or at least he was until yesterday, when the promo video for Jersey’s Saloon was removed from YouTube and rumous surfaced that he had changed his plan.

Maybe it was the rather vocal opposition to his plan, or possibly the fact that he realized it was the wrong location and year for this concept to take hold (Don’t get me wrong, I love burlesque, but this is not burlesque. I also have no problem with strip clubs, but this is not a strip club. It’s just a cheesy idea and not in a good way). Or just maybe this was itself an April Fools joke executed a few days early. We may never know.

Also, Donald Trump is still the frontrunner to be the Republican candidate for the presidency. And no one in the party or his campaign has said April Fool’s on that one yet!

 

Panelists Quiet Mike, Josh Davidson and Jerry Gabriel discuss our new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the defeat of the NDP and the overall results of the Canadian Election and Bernie Sanders and the US Democratic Debate. Plus a Sergakis Update and Predictions.

Host: Jason C. McLean
Producer: Hannah Besseau

Panelists

Quiet Mike: Editor-in-Chief of and columnist on QuietMike.org

Josh Davidson: FTB food columnist

Jerry Gabriel: FTB contributor

* Please note: This podcast was recorded prior to the events in Paris

FTB Podcast #13: Canadian Election Results, Bernie Sanders and Sergakis Update by Forget The Box on Mixcloud

FTB Podcast also available on iTunes

Microphone image: Ernest Duffoo / Flickr Creative Commons

Panelists Josh Davidson and Stacy Drake discuss the refugee crisis and how many only started paying attention after a picture got shared, Donald Trump, Kanye West’s VMA presidential announcement and the latest bits of craziness from Peter Sergakis. Plus the Community Calendar.

Host: Jason C. McLean
Producer: Hannah Besseau

Panelists

Josh Davidson: FTB food columnist

Stacy Drake: FTB culture and entertainment contributor

FTB PODCAST #11: Refugees, Donald Trump, Kanye West and More Peter Sergakis Weirdness by Forget The Box on Mixcloud

Microphone image: Ernest Duffoo / Flickr Creative Commons

In our fourth FTB Podcast, we discuss we discuss the closing of Le Bull Pub at the hands of Peter Sergakis, the new Star Wars trailer and Porchfest NDG.

Host: Jason C. McLean
Producer: Hannah Besseau

    Panelists

Jay Manafest: Hip hop artist, organizer of Mic Check

Thomas O’Connor: FTB film reviewer

Cem Ertekin: FTB and McGill Daily news editor

Sarah Ring: Writer and Porchfest NDG co-organizer

 

Microphone image: Ernest Duffoo / Flickr Creative Commons