I suppose this would better fit under the Cheap Plugs category here, but I guess I’m feeling generous. Even though Santa didn’t bring me the Xbox 360 like I asked him. Asshat. (Hat tip to Darren.)
     On CBC Radio One, join hosts Paul Grant and Roy Forbes for Snap, Crackle, Pop – a feast of obscure and fascinating music rescued from bargain bins, thrift stores and basements at 6am (all times a half-hour later in Newfoundland). Then, former CBC journalist and now Governor-General Michaelle Jean will deliver her official New Year’s Greetings at 8:27 a.m. Why that exact time? I have no idea.
     On The Current at 8:30, Jeopardy wiz Ken Jennings will discuss if the Internet made us more knowledgeable. Bill Richardson steps in after 10, filling in for Shelagh, to talk with John McLachlan Gray, who created Billy Bishop Goes to War and other fine musical plays.
     At noon, John Lagimodiere asks if we can actually enjoy the holidays — with all the hustle and bustle and all. Freestyle, with new co-host Marsha Lederman, steps in to check out their list of the top Canadian CDs of the past year. If Uncle Seth isn’t on there, I’ll cry.
     Now here’s where it gets good. At 4pm, my colleague Sook-Yin Lee and Wab Kinew present From the First – two hours of music and conversation celebrating “new experiences and fresh starts.” Find out how Adrienne Clarkson’s first job prepared her for her role as Governor General, for example, and how Billy Bragg’s first crush inspired his songwriting career.
     That night at 7:30, The Debaters rolls out a couple of resolutions. First, just how sick is Canada’s healthcare system? Should it be privatized? And this, believe it or not, is a comedy show. On Outfront at 8:45, part one of “The Busker and The Diva” — a boyfriend and girlfriend who drifted apart and lost touch. One becomes a busker, the other a concert pianist. What happens when they meet up again?
     On Ideas at 9pm, host Paul Kennedy convenes an Ideas levee, at which various contributors discuss the year just past, and the one just beginning. And on The Arts Tonight, Vancouver writer Ryan Knighton reflects on the surreal, mundane, and hilarious aspects of living with blindness, in an interview with Don McKellar conducted onstage at the International Festival of Authors in Toronto. That’s after the 10pm news.
     Finally, Between The Covers starts the new year off with Trevor Cole’s “witty yet probing novel” (I just report this stuff; I don’t write it) called “The Fearsome Particles.” In this story, a window screen manufacturer is trying to keep his family together . All the while he has to deal with middle class angst, the realty market and Canada’s role in Afghanistan. It starts at 10:43 pm then end your first day of 2007 with Northern Lights and an hour of music from Vienna, including waltzes by Strauss and Lanner, plus music by Beethoven.
     And at some point, one of the hosts will say the phrase “wankel rotary engine” — if you hear it, call in, and you’ll win a car. Supplies are limited.

I dunno. Is this too pluggy? Maybe this kind of stuff shouldn’t be on the blog. Let me know what you think — too promotional, or do you like this occasionally?

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