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Ten things we love about Canada!
Yesterday was Canada Day, and we feel terrible that we didn't acknowledge our neighbors to the north. After all, Canada is far ahead of the U.S. when it comes to things like marriage-equality, realistic teen shows, and actors willing to do the full monty on camera (it's true, look it up!) A list of Canadian things we love would be endless, so we put together this partial sampling. Journey below and take off, to the Great White North. Take off ... it's a beauty way to go! Luke MacFarlane *Sigh* It certainly is a beauty way to go. Canada gave us out actor Luke, so that automatically earns them my undying love. SCTV I can't be the only one who far preferred this Canadian sketch comedy series to Saturday Night Live. Such classic characters and scenes; Edith Prickley, Lola Heatherton, Count Floyd, Bob & Doug McKenzie, Alex Tree-Beck, Chariots of Eggs, The Days Of The Week, Slinky: The Toy From Hell. They just don't make 'em like this anymore. Degrassi Since its earliest incarnation back in the 80's, Degrassi has always seemed so much more, well ... grown-up than American shows about teens, especially concerning sexuality. Celine! Mock her if you must, but one of the biggest regrets of my life is that I never got the chance to experience "Cirque De Celine" in Las Vegas. Ryan Reynolds Just because. 80's pop hunks Whether it was Corey Hart, Bryan Adams, Loverboy, or the guys from Glass Tiger and Honeymoon Suite, there was no shortage of northern hunks to choose from in the 80's. And I have to give props to the legendary Rush, which was one of the first rock concerts I ever attended. kd lang One of the most daring and creative performers of her generation. Constant Craving is one of the essential recordings of the 90's. rocking ladies Of course, kd lang isn't the only Canadian woman who's had an impact on music and pop culture. The list is long and varied, from the earthy Sarah McLachlan to the jagged Alanis Morissette and R&B Queen Deborah Cox. One of my personal favorites is the criminally underrated Lisa Dalbello, and of course we can't forget the country-pop of Shania Twain and the gay indie rock sisters Tegan and Sara. Rufus Wainwright Though born in the U.S.A., Rufus grew up in Canada, and retains dual citizenship. The out singer/songwriter definitely has that unique introspection that only Canadian artists have. Mounties! They always get their man. Submitted by on Thu, 2009-07-02 16:01. |
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You only needed Ryan
You only needed Ryan Reynolds. Ye Gods! That picture!
SCTV
was always my first choice over SNL too - they had my loyalty with skits like John Candy (as Divine) starring in "Peter Pan":
Happy birthday, Canada!
Plus a day!
Look at the bounty my little country has given the world.
I love Ryan and Luke, and Adamo Ruggiero will always have a spot in my heart.
I kind of also love me some Canadian indie musicians... (And some Sarah McLachlan).
Canadian Indie music is awesome...
like The (pretty gay (in a very positive way)) Hidden Cameras:
What about Eric McCormack?
What about Eric McCormack?
No! (Canada!)
What about Eric McCormack?
NO! I WAS JUST GOING TO POST A MESSAGE ABOUT ERIC MCCORMACK!
You beat me to it by less than a minute!! ;o) Well, a few minutes..
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R.I.P. Heath
JEFFREY WRIGHT for "MLK Jr" biopic!
We gave you guys Kids in
We gave you guys Kids in the Hall as well. Yes, I registered after a forever of lurking just to make this comment. :)
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
OMG
Sorry, I didn't notice your comment before I posted my comment about the omission of the great Kids in the Hall a couple comments below! But you are so right!
Kids in the Hall were so awesome and so Canadian! :)
I would add Slings and Arrows
Canada <3 You
Thanks for the special recognition! It made this Canadian smile :)
Snicks, you already had my undying love, but this adds another 100 points. And major Kudos for mentioning Bryan Adams, my all time favourite musician!
I think this list is a really good overview of some pretty cool Canadian things (though of course there is much more), and yes, Mounties always get their man ;)
You too can be saved by the blog! www.savedbytheblog14.blogspot.com
I may be straight, but I'm not narrow.
What about...
Kids in the Hall:
featuring the lovely and gay Scott Thompson:
What about...
Rick Mercer (He's like our Jon Stewart, except Rick happens to be gay and all the straights love him)...
The above picture is of the current Conservative Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper reading Rick Mercer a "bedtime story."
Only in Canada! :)
And thank you!
On behalf of all 31.6 million of us, I would like to say thank you so much for loving Canada and we love the whole world right back! :)
Plus, sorry everyone for posting too many comments here! I apologize for boring you all! Hope you forgive me! :)
Buddy Cole
Don't forget Callum Keith
Don't forget Callum Keith Rennie (born UK but raised in Canada) and James Allodi -
and Tom Cavanagh and Maple Leafs for bringing us Breakfast with Scot!
Thanks!!
One of the best things about Canada is our ability to laugh at ourselves (you know, and everyone else, too) Rick Mercer has made more than just Stephen blush. The gang from "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" have no shame!
Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere may be happy.
I'm thankful for Canada
I almost forgot...
Charlie David:
Yep, he's Canadian too! :)
Canadaphiles
It's easy to love Canadians
We have a Canadian politics fan club in Seattle
Every election we get together to watch CBC report the results while eating Canadian food and drinking Canadian alcohol. It's always great fun. Last election my poutine was a huge hit.
Poutine-french fries, curds (aka dry cottage cheese) and beef gravy. Yum!!
Canada Day was great!
I was visiting friends in Vancouver for the holiday. We went to a party that was 80% straight/20% gay and lesbian -- a mix of blood families, chosen families, and loving friends from toddlers to elderly folks in wheel chairs who warmly welcomed a couple of gay guys from south of the border. Unlike nearly any party I've been to in the States, there was no self-editing of comments or toning down by teh gays. In fact, a couple of the straight guys were more flamboyant than we were and were teasing US about being so reserved. It was a great time and really made me wish I could find a nice Canadian guy who would sponsor me for landed status.
Btw, William Shatner, James T Kirk himself, is also Canadian.
My favorite pop star and actor .......
1)Bryan Adams
2)Celine Dion
3)Shania Twain
4)Rufus Wainwright
5)Luke Macfarlane
so that why it make me love CANADA!!!!!
Not to stir the pot....
scotia
Neighbors to the North get me in the South
I must offer big (!) props to any country that has given us SCTV, Degrassi, Kids in the Hall, Slings & Arrows, and the off-duty male escort from Vancouver (that looked like Cameron Matheson, but wasn't) with whom I had a splendid assignation while we were each vacationing in San Francisco.
Um...too much information?
The blog has just enough information.
Two more reasons..
Two more reasons why I love CanadaLand:
1) I. Am. Canadian.
2) Same-sex marriage is legal nationwide.
indie musicians
Just want to add the awesome Feist, Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire to the list of Canadian musicians.
Funny story about Canada at EPCOT
In the late 90's I got to go to Disney World for a week, since my partner was going there for an HR conference. All we had to pay for was my plane ticket and park hopper, since my partner had the hotel room (at the Disney Villas). One of the interesting things at EPCOT is the World Showcase, or Around The World In Eighty Minutes, as you visit little "greatest hits" versions of major countries around the giant lagoon.
Anyways, one of the Disney approaches to "authenticity" was hiring natives from each country to work at their respective EPCOT representations, in "authentic" costumes. "Canada" was filled with THE! MOST! GORGEOUS! MEN! you've ever seen--and all of them were wearing lumberjack-style flannel shirts, khaki shorts, and hiking boots. And not only were they insanely beautiful, they were all nice as could be. (And the food was good, too.)
People asked me how the trip to Florida was, and I said, "I don't know--I spent most of my time in Canada." ;) Subsequent trips to Victoria confirmed my impressions.
Vancouver..
I'll be in Vancouver for a couple of days at the end of July. Anything must-see/must-do I shouldn't miss?
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R.I.P. Heath
JEFFREY WRIGHT for "MLK Jr" biopic!
Add me to the canadaphile
Feeling the Canada love!
Ok, can I just say this Canadian is blushing over all the love you guys have for Canada! We could always use more people. And Toronto's actually not that cold.
So I'll give a Canadian perspective on why I love Canada:
1) Progressiveness. Gay marriage nationwide? Mosaic multiculturalism? Environmentalism? Yeah, I love it. Now if only Harper would stop messing things up.
2) Hockey. The game is beautiful and so are the players. We are the #1 Hockey nation. And Sidney Crosby is just so cute.
3) Being able to travel and having people say "Oh you're Canadian? We LOVE Canada!" I was actually in Greece and met people who knew about the Danforth (our Greek town).
4) The geography. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, Canada is a beautiful country.
5) Hot Canadian singers. Bryan Adams. Michael Buble. Matt Dusk. Jaydee Bixby. Sam Roberts, etc.
6) Hot Canadian actors. Luke MacFarlane. Ryan Reynolds. Ryan Gosling. Hayden Christensen. Shawn Ashmore. Joshua Jackson, etc.
7) Funny Canadians. Rick Mercer. Jim Carrey. Mike Meyers. Colin Mochrie. John Candy. Matthew Perry. Michael Cera. Brendan Fraser, etc.
8) Tim Hortons. Double double and timbits are staple food items here.
9) Universal Health Care. Thank you Tommy Douglas!
10) Mounties.http://media.photobucket.com/image/gay%20mountie/hammer396/untitled.jpg
So lots of Northern love to all my American friends, hope your 4th of July was awesome eh?
You too can be saved by the blog! www.savedbytheblog14.blogspot.com
I may be straight, but I'm not narrow.
Translation
I've heard reports from our soldiers in Afghanistan that others from outside of Canada maynot understand Madeleine's 8th item so I'll offer a brief translation.
Tim Hortons : Coffee shop. Think Starbucks only with less fancy coffee and we had them first---years and decades before. Like Starbucks the damn things are everywhere. I'm in a small town --- population 20,000 and there has got to be 7 or 8 outlets here.
Double Double : Coffee with 2 creams and 2 sugars.
Timbit : bite sized doughnut balls.
We've got about 2500 soldiers in Afghanistan fighting the war on terror and we exported a little bit of home for them. A Tim Hortons outlet. THAT is an example of just how much they are ingrained into the Canadian cultural landscape.
Timmy's
Thanks Campion, guess I should have explained. That's so cool about the Timmy's in Afganhistan.
Might I just add that Timmy's is WAY better than Starbucks. I mean, Starbucks is cool, but soooo expensive. I'd rather have Tim Horton's everywhere than Starbucks.
and did you hear? ownership is coming back to Canada! I was so upset when Wendy's took over.
You too can be saved by the blog! www.savedbytheblog14.blogspot.com
I may be straight, but I'm not narrow.
Longtime lurker and enjoyer
Longtime lurker and enjoyer of this site... finally prompted to join in by the Canada discussion. Apart from seconding the mention of crooner Matt Dusk, I'd like to add a couple other people who've not been mentioned yet:
- Theo Tams, who is the current Canadian Idol champion, is also an openly gay man and an amazing singer. Check out theotams.com and enjoy!
- Luba - another of Canada's singer-songwriters who was huge in the 80s. Check her out at myspace.com/lubamusic and videos on YouTube, such as this one:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ILoveLuba#play/uploads/1/aHVVZCzlkEI
Which is for a song called "Let It Go", one of her iconic tunes. She's got a solid gay following, and is very gay friendly.
And, yeah, everyone else mentioned is great, too! We do have a lot to be proud of up north!
of course...
...we love Canada! (and Québec, félicitations aussi pour la Ste-Jean le 24 juin)
More reasons:
- Le village (Montréal), Davie Street (Vancouver) and Church Street (Toronto)
- Québécois films C.R.A.Z.Y and Mambo Italiano
- the acceptance towards us immigrants
- Brokeback Mountain was filmed in Alberta
- The Cirque du Soleil is from Montréal
- Québécois silver medal diver Alexandre Despatie
Alexandre Despatie
I love him!!!
You too can be saved by the blog! www.savedbytheblog14.blogspot.com
I may be straight, but I'm not narrow.
To that list of Canadian cuties...
...add Gregory Smith, who turns 26 today. Everwood, indeed!
(thanks, I'll be here all week.)
What is Gregory Smith up to these days?
You should be loving Daniel Baylis ;-)
God, that Ryan Reynolds guy gets all the attention.
But can he kiss as well as I can?
I don't know...
Self Promotion. Je