Comic, TV host gets fun new gig

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/03/2011 (5547 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jon Ljungberg, well-known TV host and comedian, will start bartending Sam Malone-style at the Silver Heights this Friday. He’ll be slinging beer and trading jokes and stories alongside bar owners and old buddies JC and Tony Siwicki. “It’s been 20 years since I was a bartender,” he laughs. “But it’s going to be fun.” This part-time gig is perfectly designed to fuel his in-depth panel discussion news show The Peg This Week on Shaw TV, running Sundays starting April 17. “I’m looking forward to getting inside locals’ heads — and also I have divorce lawyers to pay,” Ljungberg says, candidly. The veteran TV host found out he was losing his job at Breakfast TV and his marriage on the same day last fall, but he’s back a few months later, slim and trim with a combination of jobs that are intellectually stimulating and provide new comedy material for his standup act. The deep-rooted Winnipeg transplant (hometown Rutland, Mass.) will be holding court at 2169 Portage Ave. starting Friday at 5 p.m. in the famous Cheers-style neighbourhood bar where everybody knows your name and, in some cases, your entire history.

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LABOUR OF LOVE: Danny Jefkins, who won Master Builder for his gorgeous silver 1963 Le Mans at World of Wheels last weekend, actually bent metal with his bare hands to shape parts no longer made for his Pontiac. But, the 37-year-old dad confesses he gets the major guilts over time spent in his garage. “Oh, God. I spent anywhere from 20 to 35 hours per week on this car for five years, over and above my job as a caretaker at Garden Grove School.” And $33,000, to boot. “I ripped up those bills, but I have the tally in my head.” He and his wife Kim Dunning had two babies during that period, and their four-year-old is already “working” with Dad in the garage. “I give him the wrong size tool so he can’t take anything off we’ve been working on,” Jefkins chuckles. Being a loving dad, this man had a whole different attitude to his award-winning car at World of Wheels, even letting people put their kids in his car to take pictures. Jefkins also won the award for Best Street Machine up to 1980. “I built it to drive,” he says, so Winnipeggers will see the family proudly riding in his shiny silver antique Pontiac around town. For now he’s taking a break from his conscience, while the kids grow up a little. “And then there’s this convertible truck, a Bronco,” he says dreamily.

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YOUTUBE DJ FOR SHOPPERS: Want to order up a song while you shop? Store owner Allyson Linklater has started playing YouTube song requests at Redeemed, the Consignment Store on Saturdays for customers in her upscale shop at 410 Academy Rd. “OK, I’m taking requests for love songs now!” she shouts out to the women going through the clothing racks, “What do you want to hear, ladies?” From behind the racks yours truly heard disembodied voices calling out, “How about Let’s Stay Together?” and “You got Etta James singing At Last?” Linklater tees up the YouTube songs for people on the computer beside the till, singing along with the music. Why go to all this trouble? “It’s Saturday, and ya gotta have fun! I do it every week,” she said dancing around the till, which was going ching-ching-ching! Music to a shop owner’s ears.

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WHOOPS! Talk about the 100-metre dash! Drummer Patrick Barrios of Tropical 99 was already outside the front of the Park Theatre Sunday night, having a celebratory smoke, when the audience started yelling for a belated encore. In fact, the 13-piece group started up without him. He tossed the cigarette, crashed back through the doors and ran full-tilt boogie down the aisle to jump onstage. Typical of this wild ‘n’ crazy night! Nobody had to beg the combo of the Latin community and university crowd to get up and dance. With a full house, Carlos “Cabu” Barrios and his hot eight-piece Latin band plus five jazzy horn players, were a blast. The night opened with Jonathon Barrios singing Carlos Santana’s Fuggedaboudit wearing cool black shades. Second song, everybody was up dancing for the night, swivelling their hips to sizzlers like The Woman Who Lit The Room on Fire. Midway through the night, Tony Melendez and Jassiel Gomez of popular month-old online Latin Flave Radio whispered they’re moving out of Jassiel’s house — to studio space at Pembina Highway and McGillivray Boulevard. “You know the building where Hakim is? Near there.”

Got tips, events, sightings, unusual things going on? Call Maureen’s tip line at 474-1116, email Maureen.Scurfield@Winnipegfreepress.com or send mail to The Insider c/o the Winnipeg Free Press at 1355 Mountain Ave. Winnipeg R2X 3B6