RIP – Ernie Butler

I just discovered that Ernie Butler died yesterday…

My standout memory of Ernie are of a wee man who burst into the soundbooth mid show at his Comedy Nest as I was reaching a particularly tricky and technical part of the show, demanding an explanation as to why his sub par mini ceiling microphone was not filling the room with luscious sound.

He may have been an aggressive, stubborn Irishman with a fiery temper, but he was committed to delivering laughs to Montreal and gave a number of my friends a break and a venue when they needed it most.

Montreal lost a good one yesterday.

RIP Ernie.

Death Race!

Cool!

I just got notice that the remake of Death Race is going to be filmed (or some of it anyway) across the street from my house!

If I recall correctly, Death Race was the movie where you scored points for running down men, women and children and was the language of the primary 5 (grade 5) schoolyard!!

That, and I may catch a glimpse of Jason “Turkish” Statham, and Ian “Al Swearengen” McShane doing their very, very BADASS thing!

Score!

Family is Family

My twin brother arrived yesterday from the UK along with his wife and 1 1/2 year old daughter…

Obviously I am hugely excited to see him this evening – I haven’t seen him since I got married 11 months ago and now, of course, I have his nephew to introduce him to.

My brother and I were adopted shortly after birth, and although we grew up in very separate directions (I took the art – he took the science), we’ve always maintained an extremely close bond – there’s always been a lot of love and respect between us.

I have no adverse reaction to the word ‘adoption’. My mother (adopted) told me that the best advice she received when she picked us up for the first time, was to say the word in a warm, safe, comforting environment so that it would never be a ‘bad’ word. I grew up grounded and educated and consider myself supremely lucky that I have the parents that I have. I owe everything I am today to them. I also have no doubts at all that the adoption of my twin brother and I was the best thing for all of us, including my birth parents. Very rarely do I get the urge to know more about them.

Only after a combination of life milestones and large amounts of alcohol! And that dissipates with a hangover!

All that said, there is a tiny voice inside which makes me feel even MORE privileged to introduce my son to my brother.

When he had his daughter, I felt this immediate bond with her. And it was something primal and innate, because I know that she was also, in a sense, part of me too. It’s an intangible emotion that I find very difficult to express – especially, as I have a sister who also has a daughter, but it’s an undeniable one nevertheless.

I feel the same way about Jack.

Of all the people on this earth, I know I’ll feel most proud when I introduce him to my brother.  

Nearly Pretty…

On my usual commute par pied today I spied a college girl and immediately, and without reservation, thought to myself, ‘She’s nearly pretty’.

I couldn’t put my finger on what it was exactly that made me add the word ‘nearly’ in there. Maybe a lack of absolute symmetry, maybe an attitude, maybe a misplaced splash of colour which threw focus in all the wrong directions.

But it struck me almost immediately afterwards that being assigned a title of ‘nearly pretty’ could be taken as a really big insult, like they were *this* close to making the grade, but failed at the last. Didn’t make the cut. Got a B+ when only an A would do.

Don’t get me wrong – I mean, who the hell am I to judge who’s pretty and who’s not – Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that – but I was struck with how immediate and powerful my initial reaction was.

But here’s the plus side: If you see something or someone that you find immediately attractive (or unattractive for that matter) you know at first glance. Instant result.

“Nearly pretty” will always warrant a second look. Just to be sure.

I tried to think of nearly pretty celebrities to see if I was alone in my thinking…

- Renée Zellweger. Nearly pretty.
- Drew Barrymore. Nearly Pretty.

…and it works for guys too…

- Tom Hanks. Nearly Pretty
- Will Smith. Nearly Pretty.
- Procrasto. Nearly Pretty.

Insulted? Suprisingly not.