2015 Recap

The year 2015 was incredibly full and busy for me, which is great, and I'm truly grateful. But it was sooo busy, I barely had time to breathe, never mind tend to my blog. So I'm delighted to have finally found the time to compile all my major highlights of the year. I hope you enjoy reading about them, as much as I had a blast experiencing them. 

Here is my Wisdom of the Ages Celebrity Roundup Column which was featured in Good News Toronto:

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My 2015 'Wisdom of the Ages' Columns

Featured in Good News Toronto

January: New Beginnings, Fresh Starts, Renewal & Growth 

Kevin Frank, Artistic Director of the Second City’s Toronto Training Centre, Bianca Lakoseljac, Author, Summer of the Dancing Bear and Tenor Michael Schade of the Canadian Opera Company, share the pivotal events in their lives that turned into positive outcomes.

February: Love! Family! Relationships!

I particularly enjoyed putting this one together as it was in honour of the Famous PEOPLE Players' lovely matriarch Mary Thornton's 99th birthday, and features my talented friends iconic rock 'n roll photograhter Barrie Wentzell & singer Patti Jannetta too!  

 

March: The Wonderful World of Sports, Athletics, Fitness, and Dance 

This triumvirate of quotable notables, The Hon. David Peterson, Lorna Geddes and George Chuvalo, utterly reject the seductive siren's call of a sedentary couch-spud lifestyle.

 

April: Caring for Planet Earth

 

These notables, Hugh's Room publicist Jane Harbury,  Celebrity Chef Brad Long of Cafe Belong, and Bunny Iskov, Founder of the Ontario Poetry Society, share their thoughts on caring for the environment.

  

May:  Reflecting on Family

Listen up as songbird Jackie Richardson, vice-chair of the Toronto Argonauts Michael “Pinball” Clemons, and internationally renowned sex-educator, author and radio and television personality Sue Johanson chat about their beloved progeny.

 

June: That's Entertainment!

Entertainer and executive director of PAL (the Performing Arts Lodge) Canada Foundation's Adrian Luces, music industry icon Michael Williams,  and multi-talented singer, songwriter, and poet Honey Novick, say that as long as they are doing what they love, they have no intention of retiring.   

July: Overcoming Challenges with Optimism and Positivity 

President of Disability Awareness, Lauri Sue Robertson, internationally renowned crystal artist and photographer Mark Raynes Roberts and award-winning sculpter Patricia Goss tell us how they face life's challenges with a positive attitude.

August: 'Tis Better to Give Than to Receive

Mary Jo Leddy, the Founder of Romero House for refugees, Beloved songstress Catherine McKinnon, and Popular 680News sportscaster Peter Gross discuss what compels them to give to the charitable causes closest to their hearts.

September: Seriously, Humour is Essential for a Healthy Life

 Knock, knock. Who’s there? It’s award-winning cartoonist Andy Donato, Avery Saltzman, co-artistic director of the Harold Green Jewish Theatre, and Robin 'Zee' Zilberg who wrote and stars in Borderline Me. They explain why humour and an upbeat attitude are essential for a healthy life.

October: Rising Above Adversity With an Attitude of Gratitude 

 Entertainer Michael Danso, beloved children's author Jean Little, and radio and TV personality Gail Vaz-Oxlade share how gratitude helped them triumph over adversity.

November: Mentors and Personal Heroes 

Popular mystery author Sylvia Maultash Warsh, Lisa Cherniak the Founder of Artists Against Racism, and poet Carolyn Clink discuss how their mentors and personal heroes inspired them.

December: Three Prominent Torontonians Share Their Holiday Memories

It’s that time of year again, when many of us become nostalgic and reminisce about old family traditions. This holiday season, Toronto Mayor John Tory and thespians David Fox and Tom Melissis share some of their favourite childhood holiday memories with us.

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Busy, Busy!

Have you ever been so busy you don't know if you are a-comin' or a-goin'? Yep, me too, especially lately. But busy is better than stagnating, so I have no complaints. Besides, they are all exciting, fun projects which are keeping me out of trouble. You know the kind of trouble that happens when we have too much time on our hands. Me, I tend to start navel-gazing and sliding into the blues - and I don't mean with a trombone. So as I attempt to keep a bunch of metaphorical plates spinning in the air, I try to do it with good humour, and a heck of a lot of gratitude, to be living life, not just existing. As Mame Dennis, one of my favourite fictional characters says about making the most out of life, in Auntie Mame: "Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!"

Okay, enough philosophising! I would be remiss if I didn't share with you that recently hubby and I had the best time at Club SEVEN44 Restaurant and Lounge. Schmoozed a bit with media mogul Moses Znaimer and Zoomer mag editor-in-chief Suzanne Boyd. Thanks to Club Seven44's Manager Cindy for inviting Vinnie and me to the show, where we got our exercise in by dancing the night away to one of our favourite bands ROBBIE LANE and the DISCIPLES.

When legendary headliner ROBBIE LANE invited NEIL HEDLEY, (AM 740 RADIO/The Happy Gang), up onto the stage, Neil totally blew the place away with his incredible song stylings.

Heartfelt thanks to Robbie for a GREAT impromptu interview for my December Wisdom of the Ages columns in Good News Toronto. You can also hear him on AM 740 RADIO/The Sixties at Six.

With Robbie Lane, his lovely wife Marilyn, and Neil Hedley. Photo credit: Tatiana Hedley

 

Speaking of GOOD NEWS TORONTO and my latest WISDOM OF THE AGES column, the August edition is online now featuring DIANE DUPUY, Founder of the internationally celebrated FAMOUS PEOPLE PLAYERS/Motivational Speaker/Order of Canada recipient, SPIDER JONES, Sports Commentator/Ex-Boxer/Motivational Speaker “BELIEVE TO ACHIEVE” for SPIDER’S WEB YOUTH EMPOWERMENT CENTRE, and SHARON SINGER, Poet/Writer/Librettist of a new Canadian Opera, ISIS AND OSIRIS:

Diane Dupuy, Spider (Chuck) Jones, Sharon Singer

Exciting, star-studded, upcoming events:

The Montreal World Film Festival/Festival Des Film Du Monde, Aug. 21-Sep1, 2014
FAN EXPO, Aug. 28-31, 2014  

TIFF/Toronto International Film Festival, Sep 4-14, 2014.

 Until next time, ciao for now! 

Good News!

 

Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! 

This month, I am launching my newest column, WISDOM OF THE AGES for GOOD NEWS TORONTO, an inspirational online magazine. I am grateful to be celebrating almost 35 years as an Entertainment and Lifestyles Journalist. So what better venue to participate in than a website that is all about positivity, kindness, and chock full of Good News? Wisdom of the Ages will feature Celebrity Roundups with Notables and Quotables aged 50+. The Celebs in this month's Roundup are renowned Science Fiction Author Robert J. Sawyer, Radio Personality Ziggy Lorenc, and Gary Holiff, Star of the film My Father and the Man in Black.



 
They say write what you know and love, and I do! As a teenager, I read my first Celebrity Roundup in Cosmopolitan magazine and I was hooked. A few short years later, I managed to create a niche for myself professionally in this regard. I've been honoured to interview everyone from Astronauts to Oprah. I enjoy coming up with special survey topics for them, ultimately to enlighten and entertain you, the reader.

Of course since then, my byline has also appeared in a myriad of Cover Stories and Features, Entertaiment and Lifestyle columns for newspapers and magazines. Plus I've co-written questions for a board game, as well as dipped my toes into radio.  Believe me, it's ALL rather exciting. But it's the most fun to chat up the Stars in the wonderful world of Celebrity Roundups. I've dug through my archives to show you some of my favourite ones: 

My Toronto Sun Newspaper Column. This one featured Oprah, who was hilarious. We were both screeching with laughter in hysterics. Actually, I laughed so hard, I had tears streaming down my face, grateful the interview was on the telephone. And thankfully this was well before Skype! It was a real, memorable, 'gurrrllfriend' moment. Among other things, we traded war-stories about boyfriends and breakups, which was the more serious part of our chat, no levity there. It took forever to score that interview, but it was well worth it.

Here's another favourite Celebrity Roundup of mine, from the Toronto Sun. It features all three heart-throbs from the film Three Men and a Baby: Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson, and Tom Selleck.

This was for YOU Magazine. I remember sitting down with singer Judy Collins and being mezmerized by her striking blue eyes and her distinctive accent. I was also thrilled to interview Kim Campbell, our first female Prime Minister.  I met both of these distinguished women at the CBA - Canadian Booksellers Association Trade Show.

Here's another one from YOU Magazine. Over the years I've had the pleasure of interviewing the late, great Al Waxman (King of Kensington, Cagney and Lacey) quite a few times. But the very first time was quite memorable as he had his little dog with him, and it was time to go 'walkies'. So here was this man of great stature, his cute, tiny pooch, and me, strolling down the street chatting.

It was a major highlight in my career to be on retainer, as a stringer, to the editor of the People Page at Maclean's Magazine. But I was over the moon with this Celebrity Roundup because it was my own article, with my byline, AND it was featured in a banner on the cover. FYI: Maclean's Magazine is the prestigious Canadian equivalent of Time or Newsweek in the USA.

 
With the American magazine Soap Opera Weekly, I enjoyed the delicious opportunity to indulge my passion for Daytime Dramas, especially The Young and the Restless, Days of our Lives, and (the now defunct) Another World.

Most of the Celebrities in this Roundup for Toronto Computes were nabbed for interviews by me at the Toronto Trek Science Fiction convention in Toronto. To my surprise, elderly Kim Chan, of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was funny and flirtatious.

One my many mini Holiday Roundups for the CJN Newspaper. Hobnobbing with the best in the business, showbusiness or not, is always a thrill.

HAPPY CANADA DAY!