Sunday's star-studded Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble special left many viewers with questions. Here are five of them:
Why did Drake get more screen time than Justin Trudeau?
Canada’s Prime Minister delivered a 10-second message followed by one from Drake that ran nearly three-and-a-half minutes.
Trudeau, in fact, was not part of Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble. His clip was part of the “Lean On Me” video, which was premiered on the show.
Still, the PM would have technically had the last word on the show because the broadcast was originally going to end after the “Lean On Me” video aired. Drake’s clip was submitted to producers after the show was ready for broadcast but since they were anxious to include him, his message was added to the end of the show, extending it to 94 minutes.
Why was Amy Poehler in the same house as Will Arnett?
As many viewers know, Amy Poehler and Toronto-born Will Arnett separated in 2012 and were officially divorced in 2016. So, why did they appear together on the show?
There's no reconciliation (Arnett's girlfriend Alessandra Brawn is expecting a child) so we can only assume the stars, who share custody of sons Archie, 11, and Abel, 9, simply decided to co-quarantine while they co-parent.
What was the deal with the Cirque du Soleil acrobats?
Many viewers had questions about the Cirque du Soleil segment on Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble.
What was so Canadian about acrobats from Britain and Kazakhstan performing in their home in Hamburg, Germany on behalf of a circus controlled by American and Chinese companies?
Well, although Cirque du Soleil has been majority-owned for five years by U.S. investment company TPG Capital and China’s Fosun International, it remains headquartered in Montreal. (The Quebec Deposit and Investment Fund currently holds a 20 per cent share.) Also, the youngest child in the segment, Lucas Atherton, was born in Canada.
Others were curious about the family of acrobats who performed in the clip – two men, one woman and three children.
The men are 44-year-old British twins Andrew and Kevin Atherton and the woman is Kazakhstan-born Gasya Akhmetova. She is married to Andrew, with whom she has daughter Kamali and son Kaysen – both born in the U.S. Kevin is currently sharing their home in Hamburg with Lucas, his son with partner Judah Gavra. Lucas was conceived at an IVF clinic in New York City and born via surrogate in Calgary.
Where in the world was Shania Twain?
The Canadian pop-country superstar delivered a heartfelt message – and a bit of her hit song “Up!” – from outside a log cabin on a sprawling piece of property. Where was she?
Twain wasn’t at her home in Switzerland, her getaway in Bahamas or her cottage near Huntsville, Ont. The singer was on her new ranch in Nevada, where she hunkered down ahead of her Las Vegas residency (Twain recently cancelled shows scheduled for May 22 and June 6 due to the pandemic).
What was Buffy Sainte-Marie reciting?
The 79-year-old singer-songwriter, environmental activist and Oscar winner (for Best Original Song in 1983) delivered a powerful message during Stronger Together, Tous Ensemble.
“We're only here by the skin of our teeth as it is,” she said, “so take heart and take care of your link with life.”
Sainte-Marie was doing a spoken-word version of “Carry It On” from her 2015 album Power in the Blood.