The goofy aspects of raging against Russia
The part-time internet comedian who dropped everything to join the fight against Russia has been explaining his motivations: Anthony Walker has no military background, and a wife and kids at home in Port Hope, Ontario, but he’s among several who left Canada for the Ukraine in response to the call for volunteers.
The accidental propagandist
I Don’t Understand is the William Shatner-hosted show that debuted last summer on the Kremlin-owned channel RT America. But it’s produced by Ora TV, a company co-founded by the late Larry King, which struck a deal with Russia Today in 2013. Shatner argued RT was merely a rebroadcaster of unaffiliated efforts, but it seems the arrangement is over anyhow.
“Therefore, as of now, we’re the inventor of the fries cheese gravy.” Le Roy Jucep in Drummondville, Quebec, deleted the initial declaration that it was ceasing to serve a signature dish redolent of Vladimir Poutine, as he’s called in French, to avoid a vulgar association. But the term “frite fromage sauce” is now enshrined on the restaurant’s Facebook.
As the box office turns again
Turning Red had its cinema run postponed in Russia, but the Pixar feature was already relegated to Disney Plus where possible—and forced its animated glorification of Toronto to be consumed without crowds. On the other hand, the reopening of Canadian theatres has built momentum for a different coming-of-age tale, produced with a much lower budget:
Shinan Govani returns with an honest-to-goodness party report. There’s not a word of disdain to be found in the reportage from a rescheduled 60th birthday bash for Toronto condo king Brad Lamb. It’s better press than he received a year ago, when he blamed the city for evicting tenants from his property.
Finally, many moods of 2002
Avril Lavigne received a bouquet from Taylor Swift, who was enthused by a new album called Love Sux. Going back to pop-punk after a dalliance with Christian rock has given Lavigne renewed attention 20 years after debuting as a teen from Napanee, Ontario. Stick around long enough and Cosmopolitan will eventually invite you to appraise products: