Michael Buble to Host the 2013 JUNO Awards to the, Er, Surprise of Avril and Chad

This just in, Mr. Bubbles himself, Michael Bublé, will be hosting the 2013 JUNO Awards which will be broadcast from Regina on April 21.  Last year, it was William Shatner who did the hosting honours, participating in some comedic sketches where he attempted to convince bands to take him on as a member.  Buble, always full of good humour, won the Album of the Year award at the JUNOs last year for 8x Platinum Christmas.  The announcement was made via a funny television advert today featuring him with Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger.  Check it out below.  Nominations for the JUNO Awards will be unveiled on February 19.

 

Hosts of the JUNO Awards

I received a personal email asking me whom I would like to see host the JUNO Awards this year (2012). I’m not a member, so my opinion doesn’t hold much weight. But I did give it some thought. The JUNO Awards were first televised in 1975, the host being Paul Anka (fitting). Over the years, hosts have not only been music stars but actors, TV personalities, and comedians. Below is a table summarizing the hosts of the JUNOs since 1975, including the host city.

Year	Location	Host
1975	Toronto	Paul Anka
1976	Toronto	John Allan Cameron
1977	Toronto	David Steinberg
1978	Toronto	David Steinberg
1979	Toronto	Burton Cummings
1980	Toronto	Burton Cummings
1981	Toronto	Andrea Martin
1982	Toronto	Burton Cummings
1983	Toronto	Burton Cummings and Alan Thicke
1984	Toronto	Joe Flaherty and Andrea Martin
1985	Toronto	Andrea Martin and Martin Short
1986	Toronto	Howie Mandel
1987	Toronto	Howie Mandel
1989	Toronto	Andre-Philippe Gagnon
1990	Toronto	Rick Moranis
1991	Vancouver	Paul Shaffer
1992	Toronto	Rick Moranis
1993	Toronto	Celine Dion
1994	Toronto	Roch Voisine
1995	Hamilton	This Hour Has 22 Minutes Cast
1996	Hamilton	Anne Murray
1997	Hamilton	Jann Arden
1998	Vancouver	Jason Priestley
1999	Hamilton	Mike Bullard
2000	Toronto	The Moffatts
2001	Hamilton	Rick Mercer
2002	St. John’s	Barenaked Ladies
2003	Ottawa	Shania Twain
2004	Edmonton	Alanis Morissette
2005	Winnipeg	Brent Butt
2006	Halifax	Pamela Anderson
2007	Saskatoon	Nelly Furtado
2008	Calgary	Russell Peters
2009	Vancouver	Russell Peters
2010	St. John’s	None
2011	Toronto	Drake
2012	Ottawa	TBA
2013	Regina	TBA

As you can see, in the beginning, for feasibility, the show was held in Toronto. In 1991, for the first time, the gala was held elsewhere–in Vancouver. With bigger budgets, it is now being held in various cities. The JUNOs were broadcast on CBC up until 2002 when CTV took over. In general, they prefer big name stars to help draw viewing audiences. So, I’m guessing they’re considering Michael Buble, Justin Bieber, Rachel McAdams, Nickelback, Ellen Page, Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, Avril Lavigne, Wayne Gretzky, and Jim Carrey.

I prefer the idea of a lesser name star.

Because our blog has a policy of giving priority to promoting Asian and Aboriginal Canadians, it would be cool if a star from one of these realms appeared as emcee. Because the show is being held in Ottawa this year, it would be fitting, though not necessary, if an Ottawan served as host. It should be someone current (i.e. had a hit in the past couple of years). And, it would be preferable to have a fresh face, someone who hasn’t hosted before. One name who fits all of these comes to mind–Kristina Maria. Being from Vancouver though, I can’t help being a bit biased. I would seriously cry if the honours were given to Elise Estrada.

Who should host the JUNOs? What do you think?