Edmonton-born actor – director -writer, Eric Johnson was by Valhalla on Queen West to sign his Maple Leaf Forever stamp for us folks at Canadian Culture Thing!
Eric Johnson MapleLeafForever stamp on the back of CCT0104
A big favourite around here, Eric played Whitney Fordman, Lana’s Lang’s jock-boyfriend on Smallville. Filmed in Vancouver, Smallville told the story of the early years of Canadian-Kryptonian hero Superman. Along with Eric Johnson, Smallville was packed with Canadian talent like Erica Durance, Kristin Kreuk and Aaron Ashmore.
After a season as Flash Gordon, Eric took the role of Detective Luke Callaghan on the awesome Toronto-set cop-show Rookie Blue. Rookie Blue tells the story of a group of Rookies on the Toronto police force, learning the ropes from their training officers and working the beat (and getting shot…and kidnapped…and BETRAYED!). Eric Johnson plays Luke Callaghan, the dapper Detective and main-squeeze of Star-Rookie Andy McNally, played by Missy Peregrym until he does a no-no and she finds herself a new man. Only time will tell what drama the future holds for the now brooding James Dean-esque Eric “Luke Callaghan” Johnson on his return in season 3.
Supergirl Laura Vandervoort signed her Canadian Culture Thing MapleLeafForever Stamp…ages ago! But hey, even though it predated this blog, it’s still cool.
Toronto-born actress Laura Vandervoort, actively acting from the age of 13, has appeared in many children’s shows like Goosebumps (1997-1998) and Are You Afraid of the Dark? (2000) until finally getting her biggest break in the WB’s Smallville. Laura playedKal-El’s (Superman‘s) Kryptonian cousin Kara, subtly known as Supergirl beginning in the 7th season (2007) of the series until the finale of season 10 (2011).
The Spectator’s Canadian Magazine February 12, 1972
Becoming Sci-Fi’s It-Girl, Laura was cast as Lisa, an alien visitor in the ABC reboot of V (2009-2011) along with fellow Sci-Fi It-Girl Morena Baccarin of Firefly (2002-2003) who worked with Canadian actress and MapleLeafForever Stamp, Jewel Staite.
Laura Vandervoort has starred in countless Television Shows like Instant Star (2004-2008) and Movies like Into the Blue 2: the Reef (2009) as well as the voice of Mary-Jane Watson in the Spider-Man: Edge of Time videogame (2011). Up, up and away!
Prospect Point, Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC c1929.
On Wednesday (October 5, 2011) Canadian actress Jewel Staite of Firefly, Stargate: Atlantis and Wonderfalls (Yes, and other stuff too) was in Valhalla with her friend Chelan Simmons! Jewel very graciously signed the back of Canadian Culture Thing postcards #0097 which features a MapleLeafForever stamp of Jewel on the back. The Chelan Simmons stamp is in the next batch so we’ll just have to hope she comes back!
Maple Leaf Forever Stamp Jewel Staite
Jewel Staite was born in White Rock, British Columbia which sits on the Pacific coast south of Vancouver, just north of the Canada/U.S. border. She began her career in modeling but turned to acting at the age of 6. She went on to become Sci-Fi royalty with linchpin roles as the endearing Kaylee in Joss Whedon’s Firefly and it’s follow-up film Serenity as well as Dr. Jennifer Keller in Stargate Atlantis. I have to give an honourable mention to her in Wonderfalls, another short-lived but exceptional show set in Niagara Falls around a gift shop whose star has conversations with animated objects – just see it. Wonderfalls is from the people who brought us Dead Like Me and Pushing Daisies, two more must-see shows!
Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t seen Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and really want to be surprised, bookmark this article and read it later.
Scott Pilgrim vs The World is a 2010 film based on the 6-part Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series by Canadian Graphic Novelist Bryan Lee O’Malley of London, Ontario. Directed Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World stars the City of Toronto and tells the story of a rock band bassist and habitually bad boyfriend, Canadian actor Michael Cera (Arrested Development) of Brampton, who meets the girl of his dreams – literally. In order to pursue a relationship with his American dream-girl Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Scott Pilgrim must fight and defeat in a videogame-esque, martial-arts battle, an alliance of Ramona’s 7 Evil X’s led by the fiendish Gideon Graves (Jason Schwartzman).
The film sets the scene with screen copy that reads: “Not so long ago…In the mysterious land…of Toronto, Canada…Scott Pilgrim was dating a high schooler.”
After calling his sister at work at a Second Cup, and telling her that he is dating a 17 year-old, his sister complains that he is falling into his typical routine of bad relationships and that he should call it off. Thus begins the adventure of Scott Pilgrim in the City of Toronto. While building the storyline with bits of acting like Scott picking up his teenaged girlfriend Knives Chau (Scarborough actress Ellen Wong) at school and again at a video game arcade, things get quite interesting with a shot of Bathurst Street and Bloor Street West. The viewer gets the opportunity to see the pomp and pageantry of the 23,000 light-bulb encrusted Vegas-esque marquee of Honest Ed’s on the south-west corner with Central Technical School back in the distance. Sadly, the scene is in the daytime and the millions of lights are dark.
Honest Ed’s is a landmark department store in Toronto opened in 1948 by the larger-than-life Toronto personality “Honest” Ed Mirvish. With World War II behind Canada and the future looking bright, Ed created a bargain basement department store filled with close-out, bankruptcy and fire-sale merchandise. The no-frills style business model was an immediate success and Honest Ed’s began to expand. Eventually Honest Ed’s would consume almost an entire city block and would bill itself as the “world’s biggest discount department store”. In the late 1950’s began buying houses on Markham Street south of Bloor with the intention of razing the lot and for an expanded store and parking lot. When the City rejected Ed’s application to tear down the Victorian houses on Markham, Ed rented them to out to local artists at low rates and the street became a community of shops and galleries known today as Mirvish Village.
Perhaps because of the red of Honest Ed’s sign, Scott dreams that night of Ramona, a red-haired beauty and while at the library with Knives the next day, he sees her in the flesh. His obsession builds. After t rehearsal, when Scott introduces the star-struck Knives to his band Sex Bomb Omb, including girl-drummer Kim Pine played by Toronto actress Alison Pill, they head out into one of the more exciting scenes in the film.
Sex Bomb Omb walking up Manning St. at Queen St. W.
Suddenly, and out of nowhere Toronto again steals the scene when the band is seen walking up Manning Street! From just north of Queen Street West in the extremely cool neighbourhood of Trinity-Bellwoods, you see 793-797 Queen Street West in the background. Filmed before the fire that on May 24, 2010 would leave 791-797 in ruins, the cameraman mistakenly excluded 791 Queen Street West, the eventual home for Canadian Culture Thing and Valhalla Cards and Gifts. Perhaps it was because he felt psychically that without CCT and Valhalla in the shot there was no point to widen his shot.
Looking north up Manning at Queen 1900.
The four-alarm fire that started accidentally on the apartment deck above 793, would take 18 fire trucks and 65 firefighters an hour and a half to put out. The damage would exceed $600,000 and would leave several people and a poodles named Rocco homeless and three business closed. The resulting shuffle would have Australian Boot Company formerly at 791 and Sydney’s at 795 moving across the street into new spaces while Flight Centre would go on with business as usual after a three-day closure. In December of 2010 cool baby fashion shop Minimioche, a children’s clothing boutique would move into 795 and Deluxe who had temporarily closed awaiting renovations would wait to move back in June of 2011.
Sex Bomb Omb walking up Manning St. at Queen St. W.The fire of May 24, 2010 that left 791-795 Queen St.W. a charred ruin.
While some took the disaster in stride as one tenant commented, “Like anything bad that happens in life, something good will come from this; I just don’t know what it is yet…It’s just stuff.” Others would take a more realistic view, “I had $50,000 worth of uninsured vinyl in there…so that’s f#@*ing gone.” The something good that would come would be in February 2011, when Canadian Culture Thing and Valhalla Cards and Gifts, after being further west on Queen Street for 12 and a half years, would upgrade their space and move into the newly renovated and structurally sound 791 Queen Street West…but I’ve gratuitously digressed.
Looking south to Queen West down Manning 1900.Queen and Manning 2011 – Valhalla standing out in lime green.
After having walked up Manning Street in a show-stopping scene of (almost) cinematic brilliance the group goes to a party where Scott meets his dream-girl Ramona in the flesh for the first time. With his thoughts of Manning Street distracting him, Scott’s indifference is overwhelmed by his band-mates excitement at an upcoming gig at the Toronto International Battle of the Bands, the TIBB. The TIBB will offer Sex Bomb Omb an opportunity to win a record contract.
Dreaming again of Ramona, Scott wakes to find that the dream has turned to reality and she is at his door. Scott Pilgrim convinces her to go out on a date with him and they have an amazing time. Scott is hooked but little does he know that Ramona is carrying a terrible secret.
Pressured by his room-mate (Kieran Culkin), his band and his conscience, Scott knows he must break things off with Knives but just can’t find the right time. Even at his next gig, he forgets entirely about Knives and is confronted with having two girlfriends present. Fortunately, Knives’ naivete keeps her clueless and her excitement in seeing Sex Bomb Omb play at the Club Rockit on Church Street keeps her unconscious. Having fainted, she misses Scott’s fight for the love of Ramona.
The first battle takes place at Club Rockit on Church Street south of Richmond against Matthew Patel (Satya Bhabha) in which Scott is triumphant defeating the first Evil X. With Knives having gone home, Scott and Ramona ride home on a TTC bus heading east on Carlton towards Parliament St. (although that is actually a streetcar route…oh, those crazy magical movin’ pictures!) in the Cabbagetown area of Toronto.
The next day as Scott prepares to leave, with plans to finally break it off with Knives, his roommate mentions that Lucas Lee an OK skateboarder turned OK actor “is filming a Winnipeg Healey movie in Toronto right now.” To which Scott Pilgrim responds, “They make movies in Toronto?” As he leaves, the Spike channel is on TV airing a Lucas Lee movie. In the clip, the Toronto skyline is shown with Lucas Lee charging towards a phone-booth near Cherry Street in the foreground.
Since 2004 we have been creating some great postcards, notecards, mugs and magnets featuring awesome nostalgic Canadiana. Canadian Culture Thing set out to explain visually what Canada was and is. We wanted to remind Canadians how amazing we are as a people. It seemed that it was more likely that a Canadian would have one of Lewis W. Hine‘s photographs of the construction of the Empire State Building in 1931 hanging on their wall than similar photos of the Canada Life Building in 1931! We wanted to change that. (more…)
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