Author: Kevin Bourne

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne explores the questions, details and new relationship dynamics in his All American season 4 episode 2 recap. While the season four premiere of All American answered a lot of questions, including whether Coop would live or die and who would win the state championship, there are some questions and details that are still up in the air. Although there’s less drama in this episode than the premiere, we’re being set up for some on the edge of our seat storytelling and we’re here for it. Here’s our All American season 4 episode 2 recap. Will Coach Baker…

2021 has been a big year for Somali-Canadian singer-songwriter Amaal. Back in July she returned with her single “Honey”, produced by the Grammy-nominated duo Nicky and Davey, where she celebrated her sexual liberation having grown up in an environment of fear, judgment and shame. Then in September she returned with “Heaven”, tackling the subject of love in an Afrofuturistic context. Now, the Toronto-based artist has returned with her sophomore EP Milly, the follow up to her previous EP Black Dove which earned her a 2020 Juno Award nomination for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year. Named after her former nickname that…

SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne says the stories “unfolded frustratingly slow, but in the end it created a tension that was worth the wait” in his All American season four premiere recap. The season three finale of All American left us with a lot of questions. Will Coop live or succumb to her gunshot wounds? What exactly does scary Carrie have up her sleeve and where is she taking Layla? Will Crenshaw high finally win that elusive state championship? Well, the All American season four premiere answered some of those questions while posing a few more. At times, the different stories unfolded frustratingly…

From the acting, action sequences, and visual effects to the score, Dune is “simply epic” says SHIFTER’s Kevin Bourne in his Dune review. Groundbreaking Oscar-nominated director, Denis Villeneuve, has returned with Dune, the story of Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet), the son of Duke Leto who embarks on a harrowing journey to the most dangerous planet in the universe to preserve the legacy of his family and people. At the core of this intergalactic power struggle is spice which has become the most important commodity in the universe. Based on Frank Herbert’s bestselling novel of the same name, it…

What sold Lil Durk manager Ola Ali on the opportunity to work with the young star was not only his talent as a rapper and singer, but his drive and hunger to succeed; something he also saw in himself. When you think about Chicago hip-hop, it’s become synonymous with big names like Kanye West, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa and Chief Keef. But during the pandemic, another artist has been asserting himself in the game and taking Chicago to the masses―Lil Durk.  One of the men behind Durk’s mid-pandemic rise to superstardom is none other than Ola…

Canada Goose recently dropped their new Fall/Winter collection and to say we’re impressed is an understatement. The collection features a number of cool features and materials, including backpack straps allowing certain jacket to pack within itself, snorkel hoods that eliminate the need for a hood, metallics, performance satin, word marks, a marble-like glacial print, and more. The collection also features brand new toques, headbands, hoodies and knitwear as Canada Goose evolves into a full lifestyle brand. The company even announced they’d be ending their purchase of fur by the end of 2021 and removing fur from their product line completely…

It’s been a busy year for Shamier Anderson and Stephan James. Back in January, the Scarborough-raised brothers announced the launch of the Black Academy awards to celebrate the accomplishments of Black talent in Canada. Produced by Insight Productions, the ceremony is set to air next fall on CBC under a multi-year deal. Then in February, the brothers, alongside younger brother and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon James, launched Bay Mills Investment Group, a private equity that supports and invests in young BIPOC entrepreneurs. Now, Shamier Anderson and Stephan James have launched their third venture of the year with their new production…

The sequel to the film Venom (2018), Venom: Let There Be Carnage continues the up and down (and up again) story of investigative journalist, Eddie Brock (played by Tom Hardy), and his sometimes reluctant symbiote crime fighting partner Venom. Whereas the first film depicts the duo wrestling for control and learning how to co-exist in this new partnership, Venom: Let There Be Carnage shows that their arrangement has grown beyond partnership to friendship. The irony of an alien being and a human being learning to live together in harmony when many humans have difficulty co-existing is clear. This is where Hardy shines,…

The buzz is in the air. After a successful virtual event in 2020, the Cranium Festival 2021 is here with an in-person event and the line up is crazy. Featuring some of Canada’s top hip-hop and R&B artists, the festival will be taking over some of the capital’s leading downtown venues from October 1-3. While the Friday, show is almost sold out, there are still tickets available for the weekend shows. Here are my picks for the must-see shows from each day at Cranium Festival 2021. OCTOBER 1 View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eazy…

Back in the day, my friend Tony and I would regularly make the trek downtown to St. Joseph College School to pick up our friend Koliah (who would later become my wife) and her friends from school. One of them was Flo King. She was bold, blunt and the big sister of the pack. I soon found out that what made her such a force to be reckoned with was her upbringing in one of Toronto’s roughest neighbourhoods. The beginning Flo was raised in Regent Park by a single mother who exemplified the power of education and entrepreneurship. “I grew…

Tonight marked the opening night of Cityfolk at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa as some of Canada’s brightest young talents took to the stage. With the world still grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, many music festivals have opted for an all-Canadian lineup and Cityfolk 2021 is no different. The opening performance, sponsored by RBCXMUSIC, featured Töme, the Montreal born singer, songwriter and actor who has been gaining steam as of late. The Nigerian-French Canadian performer set the tone with her smooth vocals and powerful message, including her 2021 single “Nana”. Before going into the closing number she encouraged women to own…

Based on a 2020 documentary of the same name, The Eyes Of Tammy Faye is a film adaptation of the real life rise and fall of televangelist couple Tammy Faye Bakker (played by Jessica Chastain) and Jim Bakker (played by Andrew Garfield). The film begins by exploring Tammy Faye Bakker’s childhood, from growing up in poverty in Minnesota and her early religious awakening, to being a product of divorce―something that was taboo at the time. It is a story of religion, politics, love and greed, providing insight into the couple’s call to ministry, rise to fame, and subsequent fall from grace. The film…