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Monday, October 28, 2013

The Social Hosts: Cynthia Loyst, Melissa Grelo, Lainey Lui and Tracy Melchor

The Hosts

 
 
                        

Lainey Lui


Lainey Lui

Lainey isn’t looking to impress anyone, especially celebrities. Co-host of CTV’s THE SOCIAL, ETALK Reporter, and scribe of the immensely popular celebrity gossip blog, LaineyGossip.com, Lainey does what she does for one reason – to provide a gossip education to the Canadian public.

The Toronto-born, self-proclaimed gossip maven got into the gossip game in a very roundabout way. What started as an email to two friends grew to a website with millions of readers from around the world. As friends told friends about Lainey’s non-sycophantic email updates, she received so many requests to get on her mailing list that her server crashed.

More than one million readers and Twitter followers read LaineyGossip.com every month, making it a leading international celebrity gossip source. Recognizing Lainey’s talent, she joined the ETALK team in 2006.

In February 2010, Lainey reported on entertainment and gossip news for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Leaving little time for sleep, she also penned national columns for The Globe and Mail and Metro newspapers, and appeared daily on Canada’s official Olympic morning show during the Games. Lainey also travelled to London, England to cover the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Lainey regularly shares her gossip updates with CTV NEWS VANCOUVER and CTV News Channel, and is called upon as a celebrity expert by media outlets across North America, including CNN.com and the Los Angeles Times. Lainey is also known for her coverage of the phenom book and movie saga Twilight, and has a cameo in D: NYC - Degrassi Takes Manhattan.

A graduate of the University of Western Ontario majoring in French and History, Lainey lives in Toronto with her husband and beagles. She is a consultant for Covenant House, which offers shelter and services for homeless youth. 

 

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Cynthia Loyst


Cynthia Loyst

Cynthia Loyst’s childhood dream was to become part of the circus. When that didn’t work out, she decided TV was close enough. A multi-faceted television producer, host, and writer, Loyst is a two-time Gemini Award-nominee who is best known for her work around love and sexuality.

As the resident advice columnist for TheLoop.ca, Loyst is known for giving her candid opinions on the joys and complications of love and relationships. She’s also not afraid of the word “labia.”

Previously, Loyst was the host and producer of SEX MATTERS and the documentary series SEXTV for which she interviewed a wide range of experts including academics, Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, celebrities, and fetish enthusiasts. Her documentary Losing It: Men, Women & the Myth of Virginity, won the Award for Excellence at The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

Most recently, Loyst co-hosted the daily, national entertainment program INNERSPACE where she was able to showcase her geeky side. She also got relationship advice from Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), parenting advice from Jonathan Frakes (STAR TREK), and talked about defining sexiness with Idris Elba (Pacific Rim).

Loyst is a graduate of York University’s Film and Video Department with a Bachelor in Fine Arts. She also studied with York’s Women/Gender Studies Department. Loyst’s career as a relationships expert began during her years at York, where she wrote a sex column titled Pandora’s Box for the independent magazine Rosco. Since then, her expert advice has been much sought after. She is also a certified life/relationship coach, which is basically like a sports coach with less yelling.

Loyst has shared her relationship expertise numerous times on radio and television, including THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, CTV News Channel, 99.9 Virgin Radio Toronto, 103.9 Proud FM Toronto, 104.5 CHUM FM Toronto, and TVO. Her public appearances have included speaking engagements at colleges and universities throughout the Toronto area, such as Ryerson University, Sheridan College, Centennial College, Bishop's University, and the University of Toronto – where she often guest lectures on relationships and sexuality.

Loyst’s perfect dinner party would be with Prince, Anaïs Nin, George R.R. Martin, Louis C.K., and her smarty pants co-hosts on CTV’s THE SOCIAL.
 

Traci Melchor


Traci Melchor

Beloved for her outgoing and lively personality, Traci Melchor has been an icon on the Toronto entertainment scene for more than a decade. Vibrant and witty, this Pickering, Ontario native always puts a fresh spin on today’s hottest entertainment headlines, and she’s ready to continue to speak her mind as co-host of CTV’s THE SOCIAL.

Melchor has years of experience interviewing hundreds of stars, including Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Lopez, John Travolta, Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling, Zac Efron, Jamie Foxx, Dolly Parton, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Janet Jackson. She recently travelled to her native St. Lucia to interview The Jacksons, and she also travelled to seven countries in seven nights on a chartered jet as part of Rihanna’s “777” tour in support of the singer’s seventh album, Unapologetic. Melchor also covered Michael Jackson’s public memorial service live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, following the singer’s death in 2009.

Before joining CTV’s ETALK as an entertainment reporter in 2008, Melchor contributed to ETALK’s “T’N’T Report” with Tanya Kim, covering the OSCARS®, Super Bowl, and co-hosting one of the biggest events of 2007 – CTV’s coverage of LIVE EARTH from London’s Wembley Stadium. Delivering daily entertainment news hits on CP24, Melchor was named one of the National Post’s “Worthy 30” for her contribution to the television industry. Melchor also contributes regularly to CP24 BREAKFAST, THE MARILYN DENIS SHOW, CTV News Channel, and 104.5 CHUM FM Toronto.

Melchor kicked off her career as host of the legendary RAPCITY on MuchMusic, followed by a move to Citytv Toronto as the station’s entertainment specialist. From 2000-2005, Melchor thrived in L.A.’s celebrity scene, guest starring on hit series CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION and LIZZIE MCGUIRE, and reporting from countless red carpets as the Hollywood correspondent for Star!. Melchor also hosted weekly F.Y.E. – FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT, celebrity profiler EXTREME CLOSE UP, and STYLE VIP. Melchor returned to Canada from Hollywood in 2005 to host MuchMoreMusic, a move that kept her in the celebrity spotlight and plugged into multi-platinum superstars like INXS, Sheryl Crow, and Shakira. Melchor also spoke one-on-one with multi-award-winning music icon Madonna in New York for the specialty station’s primetime TV special, MADONNA: CONFESSIONS. A seasoned writer, Melchor has contributed entertainment stories to magazines such as Elle, Essence, and The Source.

Off camera, the graduate of Seneca College’s Radio and Television Program spends most of her time with her twins Phoenix and Phoebe. Melchor loves balancing being a mom and covering the business. From the hair salon, to fashion shows, to reading the latest children’s book, and driving the twins to Tae Kwon Do and cheerleading, Melchor’s days are hectic but she wouldn't have it any other way.

A true renaissance woman, Melchor supports various charitable organizations and events including Power of Movement (Canada’s largest yoga fundraiser) benefitting arthritis and related autoimmune diseases, Hospital for Sick Children, Wear White 4 Women, and Sickle Cell Awareness Group of Ontario. During L’Oréal Fashion Week in 2009, Melchor walked in the closing night show, Dare To Wear Love, in support of The Stephen Lewis Foundation. Melchor also walked the runway at The Heart Truth Fashion Show on March 21, 2013 at Toronto Fashion Week in support of Heart and Stroke Foundation.
 

Melissa Grelo


Melissa Grelo

Melissa Grelo has been with the Bell Media family since 2006. A co-host of CTV’s THE SOCIAL, Grelo is also a news anchor and co-host of the popular morning show, CP24 BREAKFAST with Steve Anthony. They wake up the Greater Toronto Area weekdays from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Grelo co-hosted CTV’s OLYMPIC MORNING program at the 2010 Winter Games with Seamus O’Regan. Based out of Whistler, B.C., they brought Canada, from “sea to sea to sea” their morning Olympic updates including exclusive interviews with Canadian medallists, their families, and coaches. Grelo has also co-hosted the Santa Claus Parade on CTV with CTV Toronto’s Ken Shaw since 2010, and contributed to the Grey Cup Weekend on TSN in 2012, and Daily Planet on Discovery in 2013. Grelo has also covered the Toronto International Film Festival red carpets since 2009, and was in Los Angeles to report from the 85th Academy Awards.

Prior to her career in broadcasting, Grelo was a Grade 7 and 8 teacher in Nobleton, Ontario, north of Toronto. In broadcasting, Grelo has held positions as a news writer, reporter, anchor, weather, and commuter specialist at CP24, CityTV, and /A\ Barrie.

Grelo is devoted to getting to the heart of stories that matter most to Torontonians at CP24. She has anchored and reported on the devastating February 2008 Queen Street fire where Toronto history went up in flames, the April 2008 TTC strike that left commuters in limbo, the massive propane explosion of August 2008, and the 2012 Eaton Centre shooting that changed the face of the city.

In 2005, she travelled to Louisiana and Florida with Magna International Inc. founder Frank Stronach to cover what they were doing to help survivors who continued to struggle to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

When away from the newsroom, Grelo enjoys horseback riding, fitness training, reading, and travelling. Grelo has a “pay it forward attitude” and dedicates time to charity work raising funds for Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA), and the Community Association for Riding for the Disabled (CARD) with horseback riding demonstrations. She also speaks at many fundraising events specifically with the GTA’s youth who Grelo encourages to become involved in charitable work and contribute to their communities.


 

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