Canada clearly had no shortage of head-turning entertainment news in 2025.
Black Press Media reporters covered everything from an iconic first dance to Canadian musicians ranking among the century’s best – so far, according to the Rolling Stone – and to local actors and settings showing up on TVs worldwide.
On the stage
Newlywed Chilliwack couple has first dance onstage at Jonas Brothers concert
A newlywed couple from Chilliwack got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity when they had their first dance onstage at a Jonas Brothers concert in Vancouver in front of thousands of people in September.
B.C. metal band Spiritbox Grammy-nominated for a third time
B.C. heavy metal band Spiritbox continues to rock the stage on a whole other level.
The Victoria-based band, nominated for a Grammy in 2024 and 2025, have been nominated again for Best Metal Performance, this time for their song Soft Spine.
Mission singer Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit ranks among century’s best: Rolling Stone
Mission pop star Carly Rae Jepsen’s iconic hit “Call Me Maybe” made Rolling Stone’s list of “The 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century So Far”.
The list, released in October, spans over 25 years of records, including chart-toppers from the eras of CDs to iPods to streaming. The song ranked 42nd, sandwiched between fellow Canadians Drake at 43 and The Weeknd at 41.
VIDEO: ‘Best moment of my life’ for B.C. guitarist who jammed with Arkells
Close to 25,500 people bought tickets for the Delta-based brewery’s third annual festival, which featured nightly headlining bands Walk off the Earth, Arkells and The Dead South.
During Arkells’ 90-minute set, after high-energy singer Max Kerman asked if anyone in the crowd knew the guitar chords D, G and E minor for their song “Private School,” Surrey teen Jackson Newson, 19, was picked to get on stage with the band.
Vancouver Island singer performs O Canada at Major League Baseball all-star game
A Vancouver Island singer helped get the night started at an historic Major League Baseball All-Star Game in the summer.
Lauren Spencer Smith, from Nanaimo and Port Alberni, performed O Canada at the start of MLB’s 95th all-star game July 15 in Atlanta.
Country music superstar Dierks Bentley defeated by a plate of B.C.
Boy, you just never know who’s going to pop into B.C.’s Cherryville RV Golf and Roadhouse Café for a bite to eat.
Dierks Bentley and friends had been powder skiing in the Monashee Mountains with Kingfisher Heli-Skiing out of Revelstoke when they headed into Cherryville to get something to eat.
Surrey hip-hop dancer wins 2nd Canadian championship, off to Worlds
Surrey’s Humuza Bazira (aka Humuzza) danced his way to another world final of the Red Bull Dance Your Style event competition. He was set to rep Canada in Los Angeles in the fall after winning the Canadian regional dance-off Sept. 5 at Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.
B.C. artist wins twice at Canadian Country Music Awards in Kelowna
Country music fans watched Nanaimo’s Cameron Whitcomb walk away with two honours at the Canadian Country Music Association Awards at Prospera Place in Kelowna on Sept. 13.
On the screen
‘Twisted and sexy’: New comedy ‘North of North’ redefines Inuit women’s stories
In developing ‘North of North,’ a new Inuk comedy co-produced by Netflix and CBC in partnership with APTN, the creators made one thing clear: it had to be “a horny show.”
“So often Indigenous women don’t have any bodily autonomy in shows and aren’t allowed to enjoy sex. They’re often victims of it,” said Nunavut-born co-creator Stacey Aglok MacDonald.
‘Queerness is the rule’: New B.C.-made film highlights fabulous gay animals
Ymir’s Rio Mitchell is director of the new documentary Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story that debuted on CBC Gem in May. The film shows queer behaviour in a variety of species as well as biologists whose work proves sex in the natural world isn’t just about reproduction.
‘Deadman’s Curse’ searches for more clues in Harrison area
Explorers on the hunt for a gold mine worth billions set foot once again in the Harrison Lake area.
Cariboo paranormal investigator travels to Ireland in new special
A trio of paranormal investigators who got their start in B.C.’s Cariboo region got to explore Leap Castle in Ireland, the world’s most haunted castle.
Agassiz restaurant makes cameo in Netflix rom-com
Agassiz’s Sossy’s Saloon on Pioneer Avenue starred as itself in The Wrong Paris, a romantic comedy that was filmed in the Agassiz area last September 2024.
Langford’s Dominic Fox lands role as ‘chief elf’ in debut Netflix film
Langford’s Dominic Fox was on vacation when he received the call to audition for the My Secret Santa film for Netflix, which was ranking in the Top 10 movies on Netflix Canada in December.
Food challenge YouTuber conquers Vancouver Island party boat platter
A food challenge YouTuber recently became the first to complete the French Creek Pub’s Party Boat Platter solo.
Scott Watkins, better known as “Scott Eats”, powered down the platter’s three pieces of cod, three pieces of halibut, popcorn shrimp, shrimp skewers, calamari, lobster rolls, coleslaw, onion rings and fries, served with tartar sauce and cocktail sauce.
On the page
Safari debacle earns B.C. author accolades after ‘worst vacation ever’
Local author Sheldon Herman, a proud son of Maple Ridge and current resident of Osoyoos, racked up accolades for his debut travel memoir, “The Tortured Traveller: How I Survived the Worst Vacation Ever.”
The book received not one, but two major honours in the humour category from respected independent book award organizations.
In new book, Greg Nesteroff traces the mysteries of Sandon’s elusive ‘king’
In the mining boom town of Sandon, B.C., in the late 1800s, John Morgan Harris owned the townsite, the power plant, a steam plant, the water works, two hotels, office buildings, a livery stable, and more, all paid for with proceeds from his silver mine.
In those days Sandon had a population of about 5,000 people (compared to its current population of about 20) with all the amenities of a small city (including an opera house) despite its remoteness and harsh winters. Harris was 28 when he moved to Sandon from the U.S. in 1892.
“Harris’ story is Sandon’s story,” writes West Kootenay historian and journalist Greg Nesteroff in the introduction to his just-published book about Harris entitled The King of Sandon: Murder, Myth, and the Man Behind B.C.’s Greatest Ghost Town, which launched Oct. 4 at the Silvery Slocan Museum in New Denver.
B.C. creator behind Captain Canuck celebrates comic’s 50th anniversary
It’s been 50 years since Captain Canuck first hit the shelves of comic book stores all across Canada, proudly displaying the iconic Maple Leaf emblem on his forehead as he endeavoured to keep serious crime out of his beloved homeland.
One of the creative masterminds behind this classic superhero is artist and writer Richard Comely, who now resides in Abbotsford.