Prince Philip has muttered his final blunder
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The passing of the Duke of Edinburgh was accompanied by the angles that tend to be readied in advance when a subject is 99. Canada sent the inevitable condolences, but Prince Philip’s history of visits also added to his collection of gaffes like, “I declare this thing open, whatever it is,” and saying how he had better things to do than royal duties.
Taking off the flight jacket
Doug Ford landing in the 55-plus demographic approved to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine required removing his boss new apparel. The photo-op was also a symbol of the new Ontario strategy to accelerate inoculations amidst a stay-at-home order that accommodates the outdoors while forcing some strange retailing arrangements.
“But I have to say tame isn’t a bad thing.” Toronto Liberal MP Marci Ien remarked upon how the party’s policy convention appeared, even if its virtual presentation offered some Québécois corporate rock from Rémi Chassé between the speeches. But the spectacle can’t compete with how San Francisco’s ABC affiliate covered We Charity as a top news story.
An era of storefront sadness
The closing of Toronto record store Soundscapes brought on many fresh lamentations for the disappearing experience of retail dedicated to culture. It seems most apparent on Queen Street West, where one photographer spent last summer and fall chronicling vacancies. Now another has made a record of the scene as it stands:
Anne Beatts dead at 74. The writer for the first five seasons of Saturday Night Live then created the legendary 1982-83 sitcom Square Pegs. Born in Buffalo, she credited the McGill University newspaper for giving her a career that initially routed through Toronto. Beatts was recently working on a cartoon series version of The Blues Brothers.
Finally, the new chain reaction
CFCF is the electronic alter ego of Michael Silver, who adopted broadcasting call letters that stood for “Canada’s first, Canada’s finest,” which still officially belong to CTV Montreal. He first used the handle for a dubbed mixtape of chopped and screwed R&B to play at Zellers. So, an album inspired by nostalgia for Y2K was a matter of time: