Special Guests

  • Paul Michael Glaser — Perchik from Fiddler On The Roof / Starsky from Starsky & Hutch
    Something's Gotta Give, Ray Donovan, Numb3rs, Criminal Minds, The Closer, Faceless, Ladies Night, Third Watch, Total Cops, The Streets of San Francisco, The Sixth Sense, The Waltons, Kojak, and "The Rockford Files" are a few things you may have seen him in. But playing Detective David Starsky is what got him his own “hunk poster” back in the 70's! Paul grew up with a Jewish father, a VERY Jewish grandfather and an agnostic mother. Today, Paul considers himself a "Jew-Bu" (Jewish-Buddhist). His wife Elizabeth, contracted HIV in a blood transfusion while giving birth in 1981. Their daughter, Ariel, became HIV-positive through breast milk and died of AIDS in 1988. The couple's next child, Jake, contracted HIV in utero. Desperate to save their son and other children suffering from AIDS, the Glasers created the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation to spur research for children. Elizabeth died of AIDS in 1994.
    Part 1 of Drew's One Hour Interview

  • Emily Pearson — Actress, Producer, Ex-Mormon, Author of Dancing With Crazy
    Emily began her career singing, dancing and acting in various stage productions (A Christmas Carol; The Sound of Music; Once Upon a Mattress; Oliver; Hold Me; Working; Oklahoma!; West Side Story; The Pirates of Penzance) and received a double nomination as Best Actress in a Musical by the Connecticut Critics Circle for her roles as Carrie in Carousel and Mitzie in Over Here! Her film and television credits include Saved By the Bell; Twin Peaks; Beverly Hills 90210; Baywatch; and Touched By An Angel. Emily has been a guest on Geraldo, Regis and Kathy Lee, San Francisco's People Are Talking and CBS Sunday Morning News with Charles Kuralt; her voice can be heard in the animated film The Swan Princess; and she has been seen and heard in various television and radio commercials. Emily Pearson's memoir Dancing With Crazy is the true story of her personal derailment, both horrifically and humorously demonstrating what happens when mindless obedience to religious authority supersedes plain old common sense. As a young Mormon girl Emily gave up her own personal power, relinquished the ability to think for herself and allowed herself to blow with a wind that carried her from studying scriptures in the Sunday School classes of correctly clothed, righteous descendants of Mormon pioneers, to studying porn on San Francisco's Castro Street with her gay father and half naked drag queens, to drowning in depression in a stinky apartment in Hollywood, to puking in the toilet of a courting polygamist, to marrying her very own gay man in a Mormon Temple. After nearly losing her mind several times over, Emily disentangled herself from toxic and narcissistic personalities, walked away from a crippling religion and finally learned to think, act and live for herself. Dancing With Crazy is both heartbreaking and heart warming - an inspiring story filled with religious fundamentalists, transvestites, AIDS, love, abuse, obsession, visions, sex, Satan and salvation.

  • Michael Coren — Journalist, Broadcaster, Author of HATRED: Islam's War On Christianity
    From the bestselling author of Why Catholics Are Right, comes a new book examining the history, reasoning, theology, and politics behind the great genocidal phenomenon of modern times: the Islamist war on Christianity. Christians are the most persecuted identifiable group on earth. This is not the opinion of some but the informed view of most -- including the United Nations. What is seldom admitted, however, is that the vast majority of the nations that carry out the oppression, intolerance, violence, rape, and murder are Islamic. While Christians suffer in North Korea and parts of India, it is in Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, Turkey, and even Indonesia and Malaysia where the situation is dark and becoming worse. The statistics and stories are truly terrifying in proportion and degree and as Islam expands and becomes increasingly aggressive, fundamentalist, and confident, Christian minorities live in fear and face a bleak future. Hatred outlines the history of the relationship between Islam and Christianity, explains what Islam actually teaches about the Christian faith, and gives numerous examples of the experience of Christians throughout the Islamic world. It explains not only what happens, but why it happens, and deliberately challenges the comforting but false idea that all of this is somehow an aberration and contrary to Islamic thought.
    *MICHAEL COREN is the bestselling author of twelve books, including biographies of G.K. Chesterton, H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. He is the host of the talk show The Arena on the SUN News Network. He also hosts a daily radio show and writes a syndicated column for ten daily newspapers. His book Why Catholics Are Right was a national bestseller.

A Radio Host And A Preacher Walk Into A Book...

  • Jim Cymbala — Pastor Of Brooklyn Tabernacle, Author of Storm: Hearing Jesus for the Times We Live In
    Brooklyn Tabernacle pastor Jim Cymbala believes that the church is on the edge of a major storm. The warning signs of decreasing church attendance, watered-down messages, and pastor burnout are all around. Jim has just released his first prophetic book, Storm: Hearing Jesus for the Times We Live In, which examines the alarming challenges modern churches face and inspires the hope needed to over come them. Many people are concerned that the direction of our culture is becoming darker and more antagonistic toward the faith. But is the problem outside the church—or inside? Pastor Cymbala addresses the topic not with despair, but with hope. With inspiring stories of changed lives and growing churches, he draws readers back to prayer, offers ways to lead with love, and reminds readers why the message of grace matters more than political trappings.
    *Jim Cymbala has served as pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle for more than forty years. He is the author of many bestselling books, including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire, The Church God Blesses, When God’s People Pray, Fresh Faith, and Spirit Rising. He lives in New York City with his wife, Carol, who directs the Grammy Award–winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

    *Co-Hosting this www.faithbooks.ca interview is Murray Cornelius from www.paoc.org

LIVE! on TDMS - Devoted Souly to the Art of Music

  • LINDA CARVERY
    Soloist and director of the award-winning Nova Scotia Mass Choir, Linda Carvery embarked on her solo career in 2000. Working with Bill Stevenson and the crew at CBC Halifax, Linda recorded her first solo CD Yesterday / Today. This recording featured selections of her personal jazz, blues, R&B and gospel favourites and she won the ECMA for Best Jazz Artist in 2002. Linda has since expanded her musical horizons by performing in the Neptune Theatre productions of the musicals Gospel at Colonus and Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. She also performed in Eastern Front Theatre’s production of Whylah Falls, which staged a series of performances at the National Arts Centre. Linda performed at the Halifax for Haiti fundraising concert, and recently was part of the East Coast Blues Summit on CBC. She is also a regular featured performer with the Canadian Atlantic Ladies In Blues film series. Linda’s musical diversity and powerful presence combine to deliver an entertainment experience that has attracted a large and loyal following. Aside from her musical endeavours, Linda recently served as the Citizenship Judge for the Atlantic region.
    AUDIO NOT AVAILABLE

  • JEREMIAH SPARKS
    Now based in Toronto, Jeremiah Sparks was born and raised in Cherrybrook. His musical career started in the church, where he became the organist at the age of sixteen. By the time he was asked to move to Toronto to play the role of Mufasa in "The Lion King", he had held the position of Church organist and Choir director for the Nova Scotia Mass Choir for over twenty years. Jeremiah is an accomplished actor, singer and composer whose theatre credits include Hosanna, Satchmo Suite, The Odyssey (Stratford; actor and composer), Mother Courage, A Christmas Carol, and Oliver for the National Arts Center. He is also a major performer in the world renown production of "Drum" and he recently performed as the lead role in the play "Cake" for the Biyimba International Arts Festival in Uganda, Africa.
    AUDIO NOT AVAILABLE

    A Special African Nova Scotian Gospel Celebration...
    On October 26 at 2 p.m., Ken Whiteley will kick off his 12th Sunday Afternoon Gospel Series at Hugh’s Room in Toronto with a fabulous show of African Nova Scotian gospel music. To book concert tickets or to make a table reservation for lunch contact Hugh's Room at (416) 531-6604. Tickets are $20. in advance, $22.50 at the door, and $18. per person for Groups of 10 or more. The doors open at 1 p.m. Hugh's Room offers a lovely lunch menu. The concert starts at 2 p.m. with the music running until 4 p.m. Hugh's Room is located at 2261 Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

    Check out some of our LIVE in-studio performances on DrewTube

Pub Crawl

  • John Counsell — Host of "Late Night Counsell" on AM580/CFRA Ottawa
    TOPICS:
    1)  We'll talk with Ottawa broadcaster John Counsell, who took calls from his listeners for 4-hours concerning the “mental illness” attack at the Parliament buildings. His studio is only two blocks from where our Canadian soldier was murdered. Is it time for the Parliamentary Police to carry more than handcuffs and a baton? Since the killer was Canadian born and had actually been kicked out of a Mosque in BC, who do we blame now? And as inappropriate as this might be – why has one dead soldier completely overshadowed the fact that 6 dead babies were found in a Winnipeg U-Haul storage unit? Is this connected to why abortion doesn't seem to be that big of a deal anymore?

    2)  Do Jesus people still flip out over Halloween or have they figured out that Mike Warnke and the infamous “satanic panic” of the 70's & 80's was all hysteria? Is Halloween still something to be worried about for good old church goin' folk? Are there still churches that celebrate Halloween “Kirk Cameron Style”? (Using it as an opportunity to evangelize your neighbours.)

Talkback, etc.

  • W.here's T.he F.aith (W.T.F?)
    Join Drew and various religion reporters from an assortment of news outlets, as they catch up on happenings in the world of Religion & Faith & Cults (Oh My!)
    Today's W.T.F. Guest: Sarah Posner - Contributing Writer for Religion Dispatches