Civil-rights champion and celebrated performer Leon Bibb turned 90 on Tuesday (February 7), a milestone year for the veteran singer and actor who shows no signs of slowing down.

Bibb, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, trained as a classical baritone singer in New York before making his first major theatre appearance in the original 1946 production of Annie Get Your Gun , alongside Ethel Merman.

He later branched into folk music, appearing at the inaugural Newport Folk Festival and as a member of the Skfflers with folk music legend Milt Okun.

He moved to Vancouver in 1969, and went on to put his indelible stamp on the B.C. arts scene, co-producing and appearing in a seven-month-long run of Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Vancouver Arts Club Theatre. His choral cantata, One More Stop on the Freedom Train , become a highlight of the Canada Pavilion during Expo ’86.

He founded A Step Ahead, an anti-racism school program and foundation in 1992, which, 20 years on, continues to present to elementary and secondary school students through the country.

Bibb, who remains a regular performer on the B.C. and national scene, is an inductee to the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, a recipient of the 2002 City of Vancouver Cultural Harmony Award, the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal, the Harry Jerome Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2009, he was made a Member of the Order of British Columbia. Last year, he received an honorary doctorate from UBC.

Up to eight lucky documentary filmmakers will get the chance to hone their craft and advance their careers under the mentorship of accomplished documentarians.

Giving Voice: Filmmakers Working With Filmmakers, an apprenticeship program run by CBC's documentary channel and the Documentary Organization of Canada (L'Association des documentaristes du Canada) is back for its second year.

Over the course of four months, the eight chosen participants will have the opportunity to receive guidance from established professionals and further develop their skills and authorial voice through experience and feedback. What's more, they'll also get the chance to learn from the creative processes of their mentors.

But it's not just the apprentices who'll benefit; the program is designed to be beneficial to the mentors as well.

This year features one more spot than last year, and filmmakers from all demographics and regions, particularly those from underrepresented communities, are encouraged to apply. Among the eligibility requirements, applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada, and have a minimum of two broadcast credits (or equivalent experience) in the documentary field.

This year's deadline for applications is February 29, 2012.

Full details can be found at the DOC website.

You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig.

Last weekend, LMFAO was performing with Madonna at the Super Bowl.

On Thursday (February 9), the duo from L.A. stepped up their game and rocked the Pacific Coliseum.

You can see more photos from the LMFAO concert on The Snipe.

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Jade Dempsey

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Congratulations to the man who replaced the late Paul McCartney. Some chirpy imposter with the maniacal habit of giving the thumbs-up sign like he's the Dr. Strangelove of fabbiness was finally given a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame yesterday—the last of the Beatles to receive the honour.

In case you didn’t know, Reuters included a bluffer's guide in their report on the event, helpfully explaining that the Beatles were an electrical musical outfit hailing from Liverpool, England who “became one of the best-selling bands in the world in the 1960s, triggering a wave of Beatlemania for hits like ‘Love Me Do’, ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Let it Be’.” I know, it’s a lot to remember.

In less happy entertainment news, Death Row Records boss Suge Knight was arrested in Las Vegas again yesterday after he killed a man and then ate him in front of horrified onlooke… oh, sorry, scratch that, Knight was busted for outstanding traffic warrants, sparking a coast-to-coast wave of violence and then even more violence (probably).

A 191-page FBI dossier on Steve Jobs was released yesterday under a Freedom of Information Act request. The Bureau conducted an extensive background check into the Apple founder while he was being considered for a post on the Export Council during the administration of George HW Von Bushenplatz.

The report described Jobs as “deceptive”, “shallow”, “callous”, and driven by his own “narcissism,” which is precisely why he was awarded the position. According to the Toronto Star, Jobs was also granted “top secret clearance from the defense industrial security office for two years while working at Pixar”—an item that only seems odd if you haven’t seen Cars 2.

Somewhere in the same region as all this, Bloomberg is falling all over itself in its excitement over the Facebook IPO, reporting that “privately traded shares have risen 10 percent since the dominant social network filed for an initial public offering, pushing its market value past $100 billion.”

Which is lovely and everything, but let’s hope that things remain stable here on the ground where Zuckerberg’s monster prompted a double-slaying in Mountain City, Tennessee. Notwithstanding that the other word for “double-slaying” in Mountain City, Tennessee is “Monday”, this is reportedly the first time anybody has died over an unfriending.

In this case, Marvin Potter shot a couple to death (orphaning an eight month old baby in the process) after they both deleted his 30-year-old daughter from their accounts. Industry analysts are reassuring a shaken financial sector that the tragedy will likely have no impact on the blue ridge mountains of money they’re all sitting on.

If you’re wondering how all this relates to the photograph adorning News for Youse this morning of Marine snipers posing in front of their beloved SS runes—it doesn’t, unless you wanna give some general consideration to the effect of a post-WW2 underground Reich on our accelerated ride to Hell.

But we wouldn’t recommend it. So without further ado, this:

Part Charles Dickens novel; part “Choose Your Own Adventure”. The Mystery of Edwin Drood is the Tony Award-winning musical that lets the audience decide its outcome.

Set in Victorian-era Britain, The Mystery of Edwin Drood centres around John Japer, an eccentric Jekyll-and-Hyde-type character who is madly in love with his student, Miss Rosa Bud. When Miss Rosa Bud’s fiancé, Edwin Drood, goes missing on Christmas Eve, the audience must decide (during intermission) whodunit.

Presented by Fighting Chance Productions, Rupert Holmes’ musical stars Alex McMorran as John Jasper, Jennifer Doan as Miss Rosa Bud, and Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud as Edwin Drood. This production features musical direction by Vashti Fairbairn and choreography by Dawn Ewen.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood runs at the Metro Theatre (1370 South West Marine Drive) from February 18 to March 3 at 8 p.m. Tickets are between $10 and $30, and are available online, by calling 604-684-2787, and at the door.

The Scotiabank Dance Centre’s Global Dance Connections series presents the world premiere of Something(s) Relative, a new work by Science Friction co-artistic director Shannon Moreno.

Moreno is a Vancouver-born dancer and choreographer who has danced with ballet companies n Sweden and Germany, and performed with Vancouver’s link Dance and Wen Wei Dance. She is the Dance Centre’s artist-in-residence for its 2011-2012 season and was the recipient of the fourth Iris Garland Emerging Choreographer Award.

Something(s) Relative features local dancers Justine Chambers, Alison Denham, Farley Johansson, and Billy Marchenski, with lighting design by Rob Sondergaard, music by Marc Stewart, and dramaturgy by Ruth McIntosh.

Something(s) Relative will run at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street) from February 16 to 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $18 to $25 and can be purchased online or by calling 604-684-2787.

Check out one guy’s ode to his sweetie, done through flip-book animation. Kinda reminds you of a-ha’s video for “Take on Me”, doesn’t it?

One Million Moms, maybe it's time you ladies found a more important cause to focus on. (Like things that are just a, you know, tad more pressing, like, oh, I dunno, maybe environmental devastation, families suffering in poverty, or widespread health issues.... Surely your million members can come up with some ideas.)

Besides, your latest target, Ellen DeGeneres, is not backing down. And neither is J.C. Penney.

If you're just joining us, here's a quick recap.

After tackling such earth-shattering issues as Ben & Jerry's naming a new ice cream flavour Schweddy Balls or Chaz Bono appearing on Dancing With the Stars , the conservative Christian activist project One Million Moms launched a campaign to get J.C. Penney to drop DeGeneres as their new spokesperson. Simply because she's an out lesbian.

To counter their actions, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation launched a petition called Stand Up for Ellen to defend DeGeneres and thank J.C. Penney for choosing her.

In reaction to One Million Moms, J.C. Penney issued a statement on February 3 stating that they stood behind their choice of Ellen DeGeneres as their spokesperson.

What's more, CEO Ron Johnson reaffirmed this stance when he appeared on CBS This Morning earlier today (February 9).

Johnson said that when the company decided to return to their roots of using the Golden Rule and to "treat people fair and square", they felt that DeGeneres was the perfect choice. He says it was a "no-brainer" to choose her because people trust her and she reflects the values they want represented.

What's significant to note is that J.C. Penney's decision to remain with DeGeneres also helps to affirm that LGBT celebrities who are out about their sexual orientation or gender identities remain marketable in the mainstream, even in the face of public opposition.

In the past, numerous companies have caved in and bowed to customer pressure due to complaints about queer content. Consequently, many celebrities still remain closeted due to fears about how their sexual orientation or gender identities may negatively affect their commercial potential.

DeGeneres, who had remained silent on the issue and says she normally ignores her haters, finally broke her silence and spoke out on her show on February 8.

She first talked about the good news about Prop 8. (If you missed the news, a federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled on February 7 that California's gay marriage ban, Proposition 8 or the California Marriage Protection Act, was unconstitutional. The case is now expected to move on to the U.S. Supreme Court.)

She then addressed the campaign against her, organized by One Million Moms.

Here's a clip from the show.

After all, being a hater doesn't sound very Christian, now does it?

You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig. You can also follow the Straight 's LGBT coverage on Twitter at twitter.com/StraightLGBT.

Melo Productions has announced that Jamaican ska legends the Skatalites—joined by guests Tonye Aganaba and the Foundation—will perform at Venue on Thursday, April 19.

Formed by a group of studio musicians in 1964, the Skatalites backed the likes of Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Toots and The Maytals, Prince Buster, Ken Boothe, Alton Ellis, and various other Jamaican vocalists in the early sixties. The group disbanded in 1965, but its music climbed the UK charts in 1966 with a version of "The Guns of Navarone".

The Skatalites reformed in 1983 and, although many of the original members have since passed, has been playing and touring ever since.

Tickets for the show are priced at $28.50 (plus service charges and fees) and go on sale Friday (February 17) at 10 a.m. on the TicketWeb website or charge by phone at 1-888-222-6608.

Tickets also available for purchase at Highlife and Zulu Records, Salon Supreme, Rehanah's Roti, Piassa Hairdressing Salon, Patty Shop & Caribbean Market.

And don't forget to become a fan of the Georgia Straight on Facebook and sign up for THE LIST newsletter for more concert announcements, contests, and exclusive “beat the lines” presale passwords.

Let’s face it: 3 p.m. is the cruellest time of the workday. The morning latte has worn off, and the post-lunch crash has you staggering around like an extra from a George A. Romero flick. That’s why, each weekday at 3:01 p.m., we present you with a video hand-picked to kick-start your heart. If the following clip doesn’t bring you temporarily back to life and help get you through the rest of the afternoon, chances are you’re dead inside.

Well, that goofy Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time got something right when it included Robbie Robertson, and something wrong when he was placed at #59. As Don Was said in an old episode of VH1’s Classic Albums series, “Robbie Robertson is a freak on guitar.” Indeed, but he’s a generous freak, content to sit it out until he’s needed, as in various magical moments during this smokin’ version of Marvin Gaye’s “Don’t Do It”—and even then, he’s playing around everybody else, not stepping all over them. The man had taste to spare.

Incidentally, this clip is from the same series of shows that were used for the Band’s live Rock of Ages album, and as any nerd will tell you, it captures them at the height of their powers in a way that The Last Waltz decidedly doesn’t.

These people could be you in 50 years.

This viral video is part of the online marketing for the upcoming Social Media Week, which is happening in several cities around the world.

Watch out for those community managers.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Are you a woman who has been prescribed medicine by a physician in order to enjoy sex?

Or are you a woman who has been told that you are suffering from sexual dysfunction disorder?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, how would you feel if you were told that the identification of the disorder and its treatments might be motivated more by profit than by research?

That's what the documentary Orgasm Inc. considers, in its examination of what role drug companies had in identifying and treating the medical disease known as female sexual dysfunction.

Filmmaker Liz Canner was originally hired to edit erotic videos for a pharmaceutical company that was testing a new drug. But she wound up documenting, over a period of nine years, how the medical industry has attempted to change our understanding of illness, desire, and orgasm. What she presents (which includes cases such as a woman who had an electrodes attached to her spine to help her attain orgasm, as well as a look at the vaginal rejuvenation industry) is simultaneously hilarious, jaw-dropping, and disturbing.

Researchers from the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria will participate in a panel discussion at a free screening of the film held tonight (February 9) at 7 p.m. at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts's Royal Bank Cinema at UBC (6265 Crescent Road). (To reserve a seat, email orgasmincscreening@gmail.com.)

The panel, moderated by Canadian Institutes of Health Research's Dr. Joy Johnson, will include:

• UBC School of Population and Public Health Dr. Jeannie Shoveller;
• UBC Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology assistant professor Lori Brotto;
• UVic Women's Studies assistant professor Thea Cacchioni (who was an expert witness for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on proposed drugs to treat "hypo-active sexual desire disorder" in women).

"Approximately 30 per cent of women experience sexual difficulties that are distressing," Brotto stated in a news release. "Despite the fact that there are no Health Canada–approved medications, physicians’ “off-label” prescribing practices are a huge problem given the unknown, long-term impact of these unregulated drugs."

Here's a trailer for the film:

You can follow Craig Takeuchi on Twitter at twitter.com/cinecraig.

Hannah Hart is capable of much more than getting tipsy and trying to make a raw vegan cheesecake.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, here's the My Drunk Kitchen star singing an Internet love song that started out as a tune against SOPA and PIPA.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Every week, the people at OpenMedia.ca, a Vancouver-based nonprofit organization that advocates an open and affordable Internet, bring us up to date on Canada's telecom news and their campaigns.

This week's update: It's the beginning of the end for Internet throttling, and the hotly contested Bill C-11 moves through the House of Commons.

He’s no longer the coach of the B.C. Lions, but Wally Buono is still in the running for Canadian Football League coach of the year. The three finalists for the 2011 honour were released this morning and Buono, who resigned as coach in December 2011 to focus on his general manager duties, is in the running along with Winnipeg’s Paul LaPolice and Edmonton’s Kavis Reed. In his final game on the sidelines, Buono and the Lions defeated LaPolice and the Blue Bombers 34-23 in November’s Grey Cup.

Buono should win the award. He managed to turn a 0-5 and 1-6 football team into champions as the Lions won 10 of their final 11 regular season games and both games in the playoffs. Buono has won the Annis Stukus Award on three previous occasions, but only once (in 2006) since claiming it in back-to-back years in 1992 and again 1993.

The award will be presented at a CFL luncheon in Toronto on March 2.

What a shit day for Gary Busey. First, the Hollywood star—considered by many to be the greatest actor of his generation—wakes up to find he’s been totally shut out of the Georgia Straight’s annual Who I’d Fuck survey by weedy non-entities like Ryan Gosling and that beady-eyed Reynolds creature.

Then he goes, “Oh fuck, I’m broke.” Having apparently squandered the fortune he made writing all of Buddy Holly’s songs, Busey is joining “many great American institutions, i.e., General Motors, American Airlines, and others who have utilized the strategic business tool called bankruptcy…” (this is from a statement by his manager).

True story: Busey once told Letterman that after his big motorcycle accident his head had been sewn back on with “hamster feet.” As American institutions go, he’s a lot funnier than Citigroup or JP Morgan, if not as eligible for a taxpayer bailout, and it’s a bizarro world indeed when Greece can score a $172 billion kiss-of-life just in the Nick Papadopoulos of time (see what I did there?), but Drake Sabitch goes hungry.

In happier news, Stephen Harper finally knows what a real majority feels like after a breathtaking sweep in the Straight's “Which politician would you never have sex with?” category. Boom, not only did the PM finally secure the lesbian vote, but he did it on the same day that he scored major oil and uranium export agreements with China, bringing Canada’s long-cherished dream of a runaway greenhouse gas scenario and/or the irradiation of the entire planet that much closer to reality. Now that's hot.

Meanwhile, many miles away, something crawls to the surface of a dark, Icelandic loch:

Step 1: Invite a vegan to your kitchen.

Step 2: Get plastered.

You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Instead of practicing with his teammates in Minnesota earlier today, Vancouver Canucks captain and leading scorer Henrik Sedin was getting a CT scan at a local hospital. Sedin blocked a shot with his right foot in the first period of Wednesday night's 4-3 shootout win in Nashville. He left the ice briefly, but returned and finished the game. In fact, he recorded two assists late in the first period helping his team jump out to a 3-1 lead. Following the game, x-rays proved inconclusive, so Sedin was sent for a further medical analysis. He was seen at the team hotel wearing an air boot on his wounded foot.

Not only does Henrik Sedin lead the Canucks in scoring with 57 points, but he has been the club’s most durable player for the past seven seasons. In December, he set the franchise record for consecutive games played (534) and has since stretched that streak to 552 having played every Canucks regular season game since a lockout wiped out the 2004-05 season. In addition to all of those regular season games, Sedin has also played in 59 Stanley Cup playoff games and a pair of Winter Olympics without getting injured.

Two seasons ago, Henrik Sedin won the NHL scoring title and Hart Trophy as league MVP despite playing without twin brother Daniel Sedin for 19 games (Daniel missed 18 games early in the season with a broken foot and one game later in the year with a sore back). It may be Daniel’s turn to adapt to playing without his brother in the line-up.

The hockey club is not expected to provide any kind of update until Thursday (February 9) morning.

Let’s face it: 3 p.m. is the cruellest time of the workday. The morning latte has worn off, and the post-lunch crash has you staggering around like an extra from a George A. Romero flick. That’s why, each weekday at 3:01 p.m., we present you with a video hand-picked to kick-start your heart. If the following clip doesn’t bring you temporarily back to life and help get you through the rest of the afternoon, chances are you’re dead inside.

Today’s offering: If you believe Hollywood, waking up the dead is easy. All you need is some vague, ill-defined plague. Or a lab manned by a dude with a name like Frank N. Stein. If all that seems like too much bother, why not get a really loud stereo system and some Comeback Kid and then head down to the local cemetary? If the band’s take on classic midwest hardcore doesn’t wake up the dead when cranked to 13, nothing is going to bring it back to life.

Good news for '70s-rock fans who might feel like taking a quick musical trip Stateside this summer. Hot Tuna--aka guitarist-vocalist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady--will be performing in Bellingham on Saturday, August 4, as part of the three-day Mount Baker Blues Festival.

Hot Tuna was one of the most underrated rock bands of the '70s, in my unhumble opinion. Kaukonen and Casady formed it in the late '60s as an acoustic folk-blues side project while still members of the Jefferson Airplane, and although it evolved in different directions over the years, the blues remained a constant.

I became acquainted with Hot Tuna big-time in 1975, the year they released the rock albums America's Choice in May and then Yellow Fever in November. Both discs took turns vying for airplay on my trusty Yamaha turntable, and I spent long hours entranced by the radarlike musical connection between Jorma and Jack, who had grown up together in Washington, D.C.

But don't take my word for it. Check out these three tracks from America's Choice your own self, and then try telling me that '75 wasn't the Year of our Lord for sweet guitar-based tuneage.

You can follow Steve Newton on Twitter at twitter.com/earofnewt.