A fitting tribute to Canada’s seventh Prime Minister.  And the similarities to Star Trek’s Mr. Spock are extensive.

Where Laurier said (of English and French Canadians living together):

Two races share today the soil of Canada. These people had not always been friends. But I hasten to say it. There is no longer any family here but the human family. It matters not the language people speak, or the altars at which they kneel.

Mr. Spock said (in ‘City on the Edge of Forever’):

I am endeavoring, ma’am, to construct a mnemonic circuit using stone knives and bearskins.

So, you see, there are a lot of similarities.

Name: Michael J. Fox
Occupation: Actor, Author, Advocate
Date of Birth: June 9, 1961
Place of Birth: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, but he was raised in Burnaby, British Columbia

Notable Contributions to the world:

• Alex P. Keaton – Fox pretty much ruled the 80’s as the capitalist Republican teenager in the sitcom Family Ties, constantly frustrated by his hippie parents and clueless sisters.
• Marty McFly – Fox’s vest-wearing, skateboarding time-travelling character in the Back to the Future trilogy that made us forgive him for that Teen Wolf fiasco.
• His Stephanopoous-esque role as White House Chief of Staff to Jack Nicholson’s president in Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks.
• His leading role as the deputy Mayor of New York in the underappreciated Spin City
• After contracting Parkinson’s Disease, he bowed out of show business in 2000 and devoted his talents to the Michael J. Fox Foundation which is dedicated to “finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease through an aggressively funded research agenda and to ensuring the development of improved therapies for those living with Parkinson’s today.”  To date, his Foundation has funded $176 million in research.

Little Known Facts:

• His first acting role was on on a CBC sitcom we’ve never heard of called Leo & Me.
• His actual middle name is Andrew, but there was already a SAG-registered character actor named Michael Fox, so he needed a different stage name.  Not wanting to become a Canadian stereotype with the moniker Michael ‘Eh?’ Fox, he went with a ‘J’ instead.
• Fox married Tracy Pollan in 1988, who played his girlfriend Ellen in Family Ties for one season, and some bit part in Bright Lights, Big City.

On Canada:

My name is Mike, and I’m a Canadian.  Not only was I born in Canada but I was raised in British Columbia. It’s true, I’ve lived in the States for over thirty years now, but I know I’ll always think of Team Canada as my home team.  And hey – if I’m having a bad hair day, I wear a touque.  If I’m extra hungry I put some back bacon in my poutine.  And if I’m watching the US and Canada play hockey, I’m sorry – I’m wearing a maple leaf on my sweater.

But it doesn’t really matter where you live or where you’re born, Canada is a big tent.  If you’re good at something, we will claim you.  Like you, the Olympic athletes – curlers and cross-countries, bobsledders and biathletes, skiers and skaters.  You’ve come to Vancouver, you’ve spent time among us.  You’ve competed on the world stage in Canada and that means you’re Canadians too.  Yes, Canada is my home and now it’s your home too.
- Michael J. Fox, Closing Ceremony, Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Why we love him:
Because when his trembling pushed him out of show business, he stayed relevant by directing his fame and celebrity to helping rid the world of a terrible central nervous condition.  And he still makes us laugh whenever he pops up on the screen.

Rick Mercer interviews “Hurricane” Hazel McCallion – the longest serving Mayor in Canada, who has run the city of Mississauga since 1978.  Mississauga is Canada’s 6th largest municipality, and has no municipal debt – largely due to her stewardship.

Rick talks to McCallion while she plays hockey, works out at the gym, and plays a few frames of bowling.

Did we mention she’s 89 years old?  And running for her 12th term?

So you’re throwing the Olympics, and it’s opening night, and with the whole word watching the lighting of the Olympic torch -really, the principal iconic moment of the games – well, it goes bad. (and i’m not even talking about Nikki Yanofky, which is another post.) One of the hydraulic arms that comprise the 4-arm cauldron fails to.. ahem… erect.

First off – you would think that they would have really tested the hydraulic arms thoroughly, wouldn’t you? Seeing as how it’s really the big finish of the whole opening ceremonies and everything, which is really the kickoff of the whole Games, which is our shining moment of glory – the big patriotic payoff for hosting the Games, right? They probably did test it, I guess. Shit happens. Glad it wasn’t my responsibility.

Anyhoo – the media jumps on it as ANOTHER olympic screwup in what was admittedly a troubled start for the Games.

How does VANOC redeem itself? By summoning Canada’s greatest natural resource – funniness. We poked a little fun at it. Send in the Chaplin-esque (also Super Mario-esque) Canadian clown to plug the hydraulic arm back in and voila – it was just a merry mixup with a cute and clever resolution. Not a failure at all. Those Canadians are so funny.

I thought it worked. Everyone had a laugh. It was clever and classy. And it gave Canadian olympian speed skater Catriona Le May Doan her chance to light the torch – which she missed when the arm failed to lift the first time. Redemption complete.

Not to mention, it was also a great way to inject a little more de contenu web français into the program to appease the Quebec language gestapo – Yves Dagenais is a Quebecois clown and mime.

Well done VANOC. Loved the Games.

Give them a break. They won a gold medal!

With all the fuss over the Canadian women’s hockey team celebrating after their GOLD MEDAL WIN with a drink and a cigar on centre ice, you’d think that they’d taken the Zamboni for a ride through Stanley Park. They won the gold medal, after all.