By BERNIE FLETCHER “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” (Old adage of Murphy’s Law) Things have gone wrong lately for traffic and businesses near the corner of Kingston Road and Queen Street East. Some say we only have two seasons: construction and winter. The stars have aligned right for the ground-breaking CBC show […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER “I’m going to play my song Across this lake From Scarborough Bluffs Over to New York State.” (song lyrics from “Dead End Kid”) Robbie Robertson is having quite a year. The music legend may be 76, but he’s going to keep playing his songs. His latest solo album Sinematic was released on […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER If Shakespeare were around today he might write (or perchance tweet) that “one woman in her time plays many parts. Her acts being seven ages.” Beach resident Amy Jo Johnson has been gymnast, actor, singer, songwriter, writer, director and mother. She is “thrilled” that her second feature film as a director, Tammy’s […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER What scares you? Horror films are popular these days, but zombies and monsters and demon clowns don’t do much for me. What is really frightening is the oppressive society of a dystopian future in the TV series The Handmaid’s Tale from the 1985 novel by Margaret Atwood. Fans of the horror genre […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER Summertime and the livin’ is easy for music lovers. Maybe the fish aren’t jumpin’, but the bands sure are. Whatever your musical taste you can find your groove at music festivals. Summer kicked off on June 22 with the 50th anniversary celebration of the Legendary Downchild Blues Band at the Toronto Jazz […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER Some dads receive a tie on Father’s Day, but Rocky Johnson was given a new home by his actor son Dwayne Johnson. Hey, the Rock can afford it. Did you know the king of summer action flicks is proud of his Canadian roots, eh? His grandmother and uncle even lived in our […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER In May we welcomed the royal baby Archie (a good ‘heir’ day) and celebrated Mother’s Day. Back in 1926 a prominent lawyer who lived in Balmy Beach didn’t show much respect for motherhood. In his will, Charles Vance Millar left a fortune “to the mother who has since my death given birth […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER We Beachers love our dogs and cats, but does living close to a Great Lake and wooded ravines give us a special appreciation of nature? It is amazing that so many local naturalists, artists, authors and filmmakers have been influenced by the natural world around us and have devoted their lives to […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER When I was growing up in the Beach it was a great adventure to play in the Glen Stewart Ravine or ride bikes up to the mysterious Warden Woods (north of the Danforth off Pharmacy Avenue). The big world out there seemed ripe for exploring, though there were scary rumours of a […]
By BERNIE FLETCHER As awards show season winds down, try this quiz about some legendary actors who have filmed in our neck of the woods: 1. During the tax shelter era of the 1970’s and 1980’s Toronto became known as “Hollywood North”. Oscar-winning stars like Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro, Ellen […]
