Editor’s note: Canadian of the Week has taken on the task of joining two massive and seemingly destined musical forces: “Glee” and Bryan Adams. The Kingston, Ont., native reportedly is the last major holdout among pop artists who have been asked to make their music available to the show. Can we make it happen? You can’t tell us it’s not worth fighting for. We can’t help it — there’s nothing we want more. Thus, this is the “Summer of Change Your Mind.”

As you may have read yesterday, there was an immediate update on the “Summer of Change Your Mind” campaign when an astute reader pointed out that Bryan Adams tweeted back in March that no one from “Glee” has ever approached him for songs on the show.

The direct quote: “Just to set the record straight, no one from Glee has ever approached me for songs on their TV show…”

Needless to say — but I’ll say it anyway — this could change the scope of the entire effort. We need facts, and then we need for this union to be consummated. (OK, saying it like that sounds a little gross, but you get the point).

Canadian of the Week’s investigative team is on the case. We’ve reached out to Fox representatives for comment and are waiting to hear back. COTW will continue to pound the virtual pavement to get to the bottom of this they-sang-he-said situation.

In the meantime, which of Adams’ songs would you like to see done on the show, and who would sing them? Comment below!

Apparently looking to use the death of Canadian actor Corey Haim to send a strong message about prescription drug abuse, California’s Attorney General Jerry Brown revealed at Haim had obtained more than 550 prescription pills in the three months before he died on March 10.

Brown said Haim obtained the medications, which included Valium and Soma, through seven different doctors, according to a CBC.ca report. The doctors appeared to have been duped, Brown added, and he said Haim also used emergency rooms to get such drugs, in addition to the seven doctors and pharmacies he allegedly used.

All this comes before the final autopsy has even concluded, because toxicology reports have yet to be revealed. The initial autopsy showed an enlarged heart, pneumonia and water in his lungs.

Listen up, Canada: One of the Barbi Twins isn’t going to move to Ontario until the seal hunt has ended.

Now, I know you’re probably asking yourself something to the effect of, “Are the Barbi Twins still around?”

Well, yes, and the vegan animal activists are speaking out against the controversial seal hunt that has found itself in the spotlight again over the past year, or so.

If you didn’t know, Shane Barbi (the busty one) is married to ’80s heartthrob Ken Wahl (remember “Wiseguy”?), and they were planning to move to Burlington, Ont., but the seal hunt boycott has forced them to stay in California, instead, according to a QMI Agency report in the Edmonton Sun.

“We do think it’s an oxymoron to say there is such a thing as kind killing,” Shane told QMI, adding: “We’re just two bimbos coming up with a better alternative — eco tourism — that’s worked around the world.”

By Gordon Holmes
Special to Canadian of the Week

From Alberta’s Hart Family to Quebec’s Rougeau Brothers to Ontario’s Edge and Christian, the tradition of Canadian wrestling is full of larger-than-life personalities and unforgettable matches. Join us every week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXVI by taking a look at the Great White North’s finest contributions to the squared circle.

Editor’s Note: The “Modern Era” is defined as the period of wrestling that exists from
SummerSlam 1988 to the present day. Why 1988? Because that’s when I started watching wrestling. I know, I’m lame.

Previous picks:
10. Andrew “Test” Martin
9. John “Earthquake” Tenta
8. Lance Storm
7. Christian
6. Chris Benoit

5: Trish Stratus
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 125 lbs.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Greatest Match: Stratus vs. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley – No Way Out 2001

If this were a ranking of the top women wrestlers of the modern era, Trish Stratus would be a no-brainer pick for the top spot.

Of the handful of women who have been legitimate draws in the past few decades, none of them have combined the superstar look, promo-cutting ability, and in-ring talent into one package the way Trish Stratus has. Sable had a million-dollar look but couldn’t talk or work. Lita could throw an impressive highspot or three when she needed to, but couldn’t cut a promo to save her life. And Chyna…well…I never quite got the appeal of Chyna…maybe the less said about her the better.

So, if Trish is the undeniable best female wrestler of the past twenty years, I think it’s fair to say she’s the Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, or Rock of women wrestlers.

But how do you rank a woman wrestler against male wrestlers?

Sure, the in-ring and microphone basics are the same, but from a business standpoint, the pressure and drawing ability of a female wrestler isn’t as great as that of a male wrestler. Not to open up a sexual politics debate, but from a money-making standpoint the Women’s Champion isn’t as important to the company as the male World Champion. The Women’s Champion rarely main events shows and is rarely given enough time to put on a classic match.

I’m not saying that’s the way it should be, I’m saying that’s the way it is.

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Comparing Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock to Trish Stratus isn’t exactly fair. It’s like comparing apples to super hot oranges.

So here sits Trish, arguably the greatest female wrestler of all time sitting at the number five spot on a list of the best Canadian wrestlers of the modern era.

Is it fair? Probably not. Is that the way I’m going to leave it? Yes.

That being said, Trish deserves credit for much more than her wrestling character and in-ring ability. She was The Miz before The Miz was The Miz.

Wait, what?

Basically The Miz and Trish got their jobs based on something other than their wrestling-based talents. The Miz was a minor celebrity from his appearance on MTV’s “The Real World.” Trish was hired because she was a nuclear-hot fitness model.

Both could have coasted for a while and enjoyed some success without ever improving. We’ve seen it before. Yes, I’m looking at you, Maven.

However, neither was content to rest on their laurels. Both worked to improve all facets of the craft. And now, The Miz walks around with three championship belts and Trish Stratus is considered to be the best female wrestler of all time (or a close second to the Fabulous Moolah.)

So, why didn’t Trish follow the standard eye candy route that The Kat and Terri Runnels paved for her? Because she’s a wrestler.

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While Diva Search contestants were signing with the WWE because it was a paycheck that kept them out of strip clubs, Trish signed because she was a wrestler.

And by wrestler, I mean someone who when they enter the ring and are about to do something violent doesn’t think “Gee, I hope this doesn’t hurt too bad.”

They think, “This better look awesome.”

It may sound simple, but it’s not a mindset many outside the business have.

As someone with a wrestling background, I’ve been asked several times why I’d allow myself to be smacked with a steel chair or thrown through a table. The answer is simple; the mental pain of something looking terrible is way worse than the physical pain of something that looked awesome.

I’m not special. I’d say 95 percent of wrestlers have this same attitude.

Trish Stratus is a perfect example of this. She’s missing a knuckle from a match with Victoria (now Tara). She never had it repaired because it looks cool and she likes to tell the story. When given the choice of experiencing a hand taser or a shooting taser on the dreadful reality show “Armed and Famous” she chose the more painful shooting taser because it’d look better.

And that’s just one facet of what Trish brought to the table.

In fact, I’d go so far as to say if Vince McMahon were allowed to head into a lab and create the perfect Diva; she’d have the looks of Trish Stratus, the attitude of Trish Stratus, and the work rate of Trish Stratus.

The only thing I’d change? The catchphrase: “Stratusfaction.” I’ve always kinda hated that.

Gordon Holmes is the wrestling correspondent for Comcast.net’s SlamCast wrestling coverage and the “Survivor” correspondent for Fancast.com. He was also trained to take a beating by WWE Hall of Famer Afa “The Wild Samoan” Anoa’i. You can follow Gordon on Twitter at twitter.com/gordonholmes.

Sure, it’s been a week since the hoax that shook Canada, but it’s worth mentioning once more that Gordon Lightfoot is not dead.

The 71-year-old Canadian singer took to the airwaves last week in Toronto to assure his fans that he was very much alive after reports began circulating that he’d passed away — one of which was confirmed by a musician friend of his who’d been duped by his own management.

“I’m fine, everything is good,” Lightfoot told a Toronto all-news station. “I don’t know where it comes from. It seems like a bit of a hoax or something, I’m not sure. I was quite surprised to hear (it) myself.”

He joked that “I haven’t had so much airplay on my music now for weeks.”

The friend, singer Ronnie Hawkins, explained that his management team in the United States had told him that someone claiming to be Lightfoot’s grandson told them the singer had died, according to a Canadian Press report.

“I think they can trace that phone call, maybe, and see who did that,” Hawkins said. “Oh, what a dirty, sick joke that is, but I’m glad it was a sick joke and not the truth.”

It seems to be the most downplayed reunion in recent memory, but J.D. Fortune will be performing with INXS when it takes the stage at the 2010 Olympics Victory Ceremony on Wednesday at BC Place in Vancouver.

The singer confirmed the news on his Web site, and the band made mention on it on its Facebook page, writing, “We have sold out our show at the Vancouver Winter Olympics on Feb. 24th and are excited to be playing for the Canadian fans. JD Fortune will do a special guest appearance at the show.”

Back in December, when the list of performers was first announced, we here at COTW speculated that Fortune would perform with the band, given the Canadian-heavy lineup for the Olympics concerts and the fact that without Ontario native Fortune, INXS is purely Australian band.

The band is set to tour the world this year, but it still isn’t clear whether Fortune will be on board, given all this “special guest appearance” business.

By Gordon Holmes
Special to Canadian of the Week

From Alberta’s Hart Family to Quebec’s Rougeau Brothers to Ontario’s Edge and Christian, the tradition of Canadian wrestling is full of larger-than-life personalities and unforgettable matches. Join us every week as we count down to Wrestlemania XXVI by taking a look at the Great White North’s finest contributions to the squared circle.

Editor’s Note: The “Modern Era” is defined as the period of wrestling that exists from
SummerSlam 1988 to the present day. Why 1988? Because that’s when I started watching wrestling. I know, I’m lame.

Previous picks:
10. Andrew “Test” Martin
9. John “Earthquake” Tenta
8. Lance Storm

7: Christian
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 227 lbs.
Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
Greatest Match: Edge and Christian vs. Hardy Boyz vs. Dudley Boyz – Wrestlemania X-Seven – TLC Tag Title Match

When one member of a tag team goes on to become a bigger star than the other member, that less successful member isn’t referred to as “The Jim Neidhart” or “The Ray Rougeau.”

They’re known as “The Marty Jannetty.”

Maybe it isn’t fair for any wrestler to have to live up to the legacy Shawn Michaels has crafted for himself during his post-Rockers career, but such is life. After Shawn ended their tag team run by shoving Jannetty face first through Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake’s storefront window, Michaels went on to enjoy four World Championships and some quality time with Tammy “Sunny” Sytch in her prime. Meanwhile, poor Jannetty was left to bounce around the independent circuit.

So, when the WWE was enjoying a bit of a tag team renaissance around 2000-2001, me and my friends would debate who would become the Shawns and who would become the Martys.

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The charismatic daredevil Jeff Hardy? Future superstar. His more fundamentally sound, yet microphone challenged brother Matt? Less so.

The angry redneck with a fetish for smashing women through tables Bubba Ray Dudley? Maybe not up to Shawn Michaels’ talent level, but seemingly destined for bigger things. His testimonial-requesting half brother D-Von? Not so much.

Then there was Edge and Christian. Surely Edge had to be the Shawn Michaels in this scenario. He had the cool gimmick of the club kid who would stalk the arena and enter the ring from the audience. He had the double awesome Stanley Cup-inspired trophy he received after winning the 2001 King of the Ring tournament. And, he even had a brief Intercontinental Title reign before he ever began teaming with Christian.

This theory was seemingly proved shortly after the team broke up in the Fall of 2001. Edge would quickly go on to unify the WCW U.S. Title and the WWE Intercontinental Title while Christian was promptly lost in the shuffle of the WCW/ECW Alliance mess.

Surely, Christian was on his way to a plate-glass facial.

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But something funny happened on the way to the Barber Shop. Christian managed to survive misguided angles such as throwing temper tantrums after every loss and Steve Austin dubbing him a “Creepy Little Bastard.” In spite of all of that, he found his groove.

The nickname “Captain Charisma” and the catchphrase “That’s how I roll” started to catch on. Signs from fans proclaiming themselves to be one of his “Peeps” started to show up in the audience. And his feud with Chris Jericho over the lovely Trish Stratus was one of the highlights of the WWE’s very strong 2004.

From there, Christian enjoyed a successful run in TNA which helped him hone the character we’re seeing today.

Christian may not be among the higher echelon of WWE superstars today, but I wouldn’t bet against him eventually getting there for one reason; he can make the fans care. Watch a Christian match; even when he’s paired with a questionable worker like Ezekiel Jackson, the fans are into the finish. He clearly has the talent to carry the move, catchphrase, or angle that’s needed to finally propel him through the glass ceiling.

(OK, I swear that’s the last glass-breaking metaphor.)

So, does all of that make Edge the Marty Jannetty? Absolutely not. But I will say this about Christian; everyone else you’ll see on this list will probably stay in their spot until someone bumps them lower. Nothing against those workers, they’ve just either retired, reached their peaks, or passed on.

But if we revisit this list in a few years, Christian is the only one I can see in a higher position.

Gordon Holmes is the wrestling correspondent for Comcast.net’s SlamCast wrestling coverage and the “Survivor” correspondent for Fancast.com. He was also trained to take a beating by WWE Hall of Famer Afa “The Wild Samoan” Anoa’i. You can follow Gordon on Twitter at twitter.com/gordonholmes.

A Canadian Member of Parliament says PETA should be labeled as a “terrorist” organization after a protester pushed a pie into the face of Canadian fisheries minister Gail Shea while Shea was giving a speech Monday in Burlington, Ontario.

See video of the moment here:

The CBC reports that MP Gerry Byrne of Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte, said the action was threatening and intimidating, and puts seal hunters at risk.

“There has to be a review whether or not PETA has crossed the line now by attacking a federal minister of the Crown for the purpose of public intimidation of an office-holder,” Byrne told CBC News on Tuesday.

PETA’s president Ingrid Newkirk said the MP was blowing the situation out of proportion.

“Mr. Byrne’s reaction is a silly, chest-beating exercise that is unlikely to impress anyone who has a heart for animals or who is bright enough to spot the difference between a bomb and a tofu cream pie,” Newkirk said in a statement reported by the CBC.

The pie-wielding woman was identified as Emily McCoy of New York City, and she was protesting what PETA called “the government’s ill-advised sanction of the seal slaughter.”

McCoy was charged with assault.

Read more at CBC.ca.

Canadians came up big at Sunday night’s Golden Globe Awards, with director James Cameron taking home the top prizes as he won for Best Director and his film, “Avatar,” claimed the trophy for Best Motion Picture, Drama.

The Kapuskasing, Ontario, native who’s long lived in Los Angeles has had a heck of a year with the release of his long-awaited and highly anticipated adventure film to the far-off planet of Pandora. The film was Cameron’s first since a little thing called “Titanic” was released 12 years ago, and it seems the wait didn’t hamper the new film’s performance. In addition to claiming some major awards, it’s approaching $500 million gross revenue at the box office, according to boxofficemojo.com, putting it third place all time after “Titanic” ($600 million) and “The Dark Knight” ($533 million).

Elsewhere, screenwriter and director Jason Reitman took home a Best Screenplay award with co-writer Sheldon Turner for “Up in the Air,” which starred George Clooney. Reitman, of Montreal, also directed the film, but lost in that category to the aforementioned Cameron.

FInally, Calgary’s Cory Monteith was not nominated for an individual acting award, but his show “Glee” won the top prize for Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy, knocking off heavy hitters such as “30 Rock,” “The Office” and “Entourage,” and another highly touted newcomer, “Modern Family.”

See all the Golden Globe results here.

In Canada, the hierarchy of music could go something like this:

1. The Canadian National Anthem

2. “The Hockey Theme”

3. Anything by Rush

Two of those became one, in a way, on Thursday night with the debut of Rush drummer Neil Peart’s percussion-heavy version of “The Hockey Theme.” The one-minute tune premiered during the first intermission of Thursday night’s broadcast of the game between the Flyers and the Maple Leafs.

UPDATE: And now you can see it here:

Of course, the move comes with a touch of controversy. “The Hockey Theme” was — and to many Canadians always will be — the “Hockey Night in Canada” theme song on CBC. A couple of years ago, the CBC was unable to negotiate an extension for the rights to use the song and rival CTV snatched it up. “The Hockey Theme” now plays on TSN’s broadcasts of hockey games.

Still, Peart said it was an honor to give his take on a song known throughout the land.

“I gave a little speech in the studio before we started [recording] saying: ‘Every mother, father, grandfather, grandmother, child, moose and beaver will see and hear this,’ the St. Catherines, Ontario, native told Allan Maki of The Globe & Mail. “I’ll be very curious to know how Canadians respond to this.”

He took the job seriously, taking about 60 days to record the minute-long piece of music, and using a 17-piece orchestra behind him. Peart was filmed recording the song, playing on a custom drum kit by DW, that bore the logos of all 30 NHL teams. The drum kit will be displayed at the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Check out the video below for a quick take and some words from Peart about what it meant to do this job: