The Mazda3 Sport hatchback is ‘a really comfortable, reliable car for me,’ says Melanie Berry.
Although executive producer Melanie Berry has been working hard on this year's Juno Awards, she's already looking ahead to the 2011 show. Next year marks the 40th anniversary of the awards that are presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and Berry is president and CEO of CARAS.
And the show, the biggest night in Canadian music, is her top priority. This year's gala, which airs Sunday from St. John's, Nfld., features a star-studded lineup of top musicians including Michael Buble, Justin Bieber, K'NAAN, Johnny Reid and Blue Rodeo. Olympic gold medalists Alexandre Bilodeau and Jon Montgomery will also grace the stage during the two-hour CTV broadcast.
While last-minute details and around-the-clock preparations are under way, Berry relies on her small, sporty wheels to get the job done. That's why she drives a 2010 Mazda3 Sport hatchback.
"It's a really comfortable, reliable car for me. It's great in the city. I'm mostly driving in Toronto, especially during the week. And in the summer I'm going on trips up to the cottage so it's great in the city, great on the highway and great up north as well."
"It's zippy. It's a very fun car. And it looks really nice from the front. You can't really tell it's a hatchback. It looks sleek."
The Mazda3 is Berry's second office. "One of my favourite parts of my car is the voice-activated and hands-free phone because when I am in the car I do lot of thinking, followed by phone calls so it's very efficient for me."
Berry is hooked on Mazda - in fact she has never driven another make. "I've been happy with Mazda. It's worked well for me. I've never had any problems. It's very important to me for it to be reliable because I drive alone a lot. My husband and I will often be on different schedules so I'm often driving on my own," says Berry.
Her last car was a larger Mazda - a Tribute to accommodate her dog, Floyd. "My husband and I bought a big dog - a 130-pound Burmese mountain dog. I figured I needed a bigger car so that's why I got the Tribute.
"Then after four years, I realized he'll road trip with me in any car. The hatchback is great because the seats go down and he can still sit in the back.
"It seemed like I was going to a very small car after my Tribute. But once I test drove it and got into it I realized it had a lot of space."
But there are also other advantages. "The gas savings are incredible. I haven't had it a full year yet, but I think my gas will be a third of what I paid on the Tribute - that's fantastic!" she says excitedly.
She also owned a Mazda Protege; her first car was a Mazda Precidia. "I'm very boring. What drew me to the Mazda was the RX-7 and then when I went I realized that wasn't the most practical car for someone on their first car so I got the Precidia."
But the Precidia met a tragic end. "I've had one car accident.
"I was coming back from a concert we did in Kingston and I saw a deer on the side of the road. He crossed and then there was another deer and I said don't cross, don't cross! And he stepped in front of me.
"The deer hit the car; the hood smashed over the window and the deer went over the top!
"I'm blind doing 100 on the highway. I just let off the gas and went over to the right until I felt gravel and stopped. I was fine, but I totalled my car."
Berry got her licence on her 16th birthday. "I worked for a balloon delivery company so I was instantly, to my parent's chagrin, driving in downtown Toronto with dozens of balloons in the back of the van."
She admits she likes speed. "I do like to drive fast - I cannot tell a lie.
"I've only had one speeding ticket and that was back when I first got my licence. Before they put up the big walls for Mississauga beside the highway and I was on the South Service Road I was just going 120 like everyone else on the highway. And then I thought what are those lights in my back mirror?," she laughs.
"I'm not zipping in and out of traffic, but I definitely do like the speed. If I had two cars, I would have a sportier car that's not quite as efficient."
Her favourite road trip nowadays is to the cottage, north of Toronto. "That's my safe, completely distressed relaxed place. By myself, dog in the back, windows down, music blaring. …
"I'm sorry my phone doesn't work, my Blackberry doesn't work. That's my time to get away and just hang out with friends and family. That's why I love driving to the cottage."
On the trip she listens to Canadian musicians. "I always have a mix in the car - things I know and things I want to get to know better. I love Canadian music - there's always Blue Rodeo in the car."
Occasionally, she'll belt out the tunes, too. "It's embarrassing when you're singing away in the car and you look next to you and someone is driving along laughing at you. …
"You don't want to hear me sing. I think that's probably why I admire musicians so much because I'm a horrible singer."
Berry isn't planning to move from Mazda any time soon. "If you're happy and it's working well for you, I have no reason to shop around. If I was having problems I'd gladly shop around."
But she would shop for her dream car. "I want a '63 split-window Stingray Corvette in silver because I don't wash my car enough for black.
"It's a great-looking car. It would be the fun, sexy car to drive. But the dog absolutely won't fit in it."
pgentile@globeandmail.com
Petrina Gentile