Zoomer Magazine December/January 2024

This season, more than ever, I wish us all the gifts of faith, hope and charity, as well as light within all darkness. ON THE COVER Human rights lawyer Irwin Cotler photographed by Paul Alexander on location at the ZoomerPlex in Toronto, November 2023. Creative direction, Stephanie White; styling, Derick Chetty; prop styling, Mark Worsfold; grooming, Tana D’Amico CONTACT US Keep your ideas coming! Share with us on social media Email: comment@zoomermag.com @zoomermag @zoomerist @imagesofcanada @zoomermagtravel @zoomer @everythingzoomer @imagesofcanada @zoomermagazine @zoomermag Manage Your Account 24/7 at myzoomer.ca Email us: support@zoomermag.com Call us: 1-833-211-2277 Write: 8799 Hwy 89, Alliston ON L9R 1V1 Mail Preferences: From time to time, Zoomer makes its list available to like-minded organizations. If you do not want your contact information made available,…

THIS MOMENT // LIFE SIMPLIFIED // BODY MIND SPIRIT UP As her first holiday album, Christmas, topped the Billboard charts, Cher, 77, quipped that her beau, who’s 37, doesn’t get her references In other words, the lovebirds will still be rockin’ around the Christmas tree, even if he doesn’t know who Brenda Lee is. All you need is love … and some AI tech The Beatles released their poignant final song, Now And Then, after AI technology helped combine separate parts by John, George, Paul and Ringo recorded in different decades. No, it’s not an AI illusion. The Stones are back on top Not to be outdone, the Rolling Stones topped the U.K. charts with Hackney Diamonds, their first album of original music in 18 years. Heroes never retire…

FOR OLDER FOOTBALL FANS, the Oct. 1 broadcast of a Toy Story-themed game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Jacksonville Jaguars was an unsettling glimpse into the future of televised sports. Viewers of this ESPN+ and Disney+ “altcast” saw all the plays of the regular match but with hallucinatory twists: The action seemed as if it was taking place in Andy’s toy room and the players appearing as animated figures. Woody, Buzz Lightyear and a roster of characters from the popular movie franchise made frequent cameos. The NFL is doubling down on this cartoon trend for the 2024 Super Bowl. Those watching the big game on the kids channel Nickelodeon on Feb. 11 will enjoy another graphically enhanced broadcast, with players scoring touchdowns in end zones filled with green…

It’s rare, but social media influencers can possess both clout and compassion. Meet the Old Gays. In 2018, four California-based senior pals aimed to “connect the older and younger LGBTQ+ generations” with some saucy online video clips, imparting lessons learned during the era when being openly gay was treacherous. The Gays’ alternately kooky and sincere and sometimes intergenerationally clueless bits resonated big time, amassing a combined 11 million TikTok and Instagram followers. Now their collective “240 years of life experience,” has been distilled into a book. The Old Gays Guide to the Good Life: Lessons Learned About Love and Death, Sex and Sin, and Saving the Best for Last collates the back stories of former bodybuilder Michael “Mick” Peterson, 67; former professional musician Jessay Martin, 70; Bill Lyons, 79,…

YOU MIGHT CALL it a musical hat trick. Bryan Adams’ latest release, Live at the Royal Albert Hall, features the Canadian rock legend playing three shows at the famed London venue in May 2022, each featuring a different classic album. The 64-year-old performed his breakout album Cuts Like a Knife (1983), platinum-selling Into the Fire (1987) and chart-topping Waking Up the Neighbours (1991) – in their entirety, on successive nights, channelling his trademark showmanship into electric performances that prompted one reviewer to declare, “The kid really does still wanna rock.” The box set, which also features a Blu-ray DVD of the concerts and a photo booklet from the shows, is the latest in a string of career callbacks for Adams. In 2022, he dropped Classic and Classic Pt. II,…

Although we’re still a month out from Christmas, eager “yulephiles” can start early with Christmas with The Tenors, which dropped late September. The Victoria-founded quartet, previously known as The Canadian Tenors, now include a double dose of Italian spice via Alberto Urso, winner of Italy’s version of America’s Got Talent, and Victor Micallef, a Toronto-born tenor who trained for six years in Florence. The foursome is completed by Canadians Mark Masri and founding member Clifton Murray; and they’re all seamlessly riffing off each other during a Zoom call with me. To Urso’s ample tattoo collection, for example, Masri suggests he adds Tenor ink “right along the neck, bro.” “My momma will kill me!” cries Urso. Their dynamic is infectious, which all agree is a rarity in the music business.…