Famous people who died in 2011

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An annual TevyTown tradition (mostly because these posts bring me the most hits), we now bring to you a list of famous people who died in 2011. There were an insane amount of people who left us this year, and who knows – I may even have to update this list once more before the year ends (thanks Kim Jong-Il).

Nevertheless, here’s the list – which includes the name, age of death and a little ditty about who they were/what they’re most known for. The list begins with with the most recent passings:
When you see this * it means I put in my own little commentary.

And of course ‘famous’ is a subjective term. There are many well-known people who left us this year, and this list is my own subjective opinion who I wanted to include on this post. The ones left out are neither greater, nor lesser than those I’ve decided to include on this list.

Thoughts on turning 24

When the clock struck midnight last night, the age twenty three I was no longer,  thus bringing forth the arrival of the Great Two-Four (as we like to call it north of border). And while my joy for the realization of that number is great, it doesn’t even come close to how happy I am to NOT be twenty three any more.

23 is now the past… And 24 is the future. (And I am Jack Bauer… racing against the clock, doing my very best to thwart the terrorists threatening to trample the town that is Tevy…)

(And yes… I just used ten straight words starting with ‘T’, and eleven out of twelve when including Tevy.)

And though finding it very hard to believe (being 24), I am nonetheless happy and very much looking forward to what next year has to offer.

And I wouldn’t be anywhere without the grace of G-d and the copious amount of support from all the people who care about me. I am beyond appreciative.

And since it is December 16 (and I of course want more hits), feel free to check out a previous post I wrote about said date. That being said, I’d like to wish all the people of Kazakhstan a very happy Independence Day…. It’s nice!!

Much thanks once again.

You’re older today. And that’s a good thing.H to the B, young fella.

My cameo on “Kenny Hotz’s Triumph of the Will”

Check out the footage at 7:36 and you’ll see my shining moment.

Yeah, that’s right… I hugged a Muslim. And it was fun.

I was getting off the subway at Bloor Station on my way to an appointment when I noticed the filming. When I came back to the station after the appointment, they were still there filming. Me being the curious media dude, I asked the producer what they were filming and he immediately asked if I wanted to be interviewed. I had nothing to lose and said yes. “Kenny” (in disguise) began asking me questions regarding if it was alright if there should be a mosque built by Jews in the city. I honestly told him I had no problem with it and it would probably be a great sign of respect for two faiths to be peacefully be working towards something beneficial such as giving a group of people a place to pray; it would perhaps put Jews in a better light in the eyes of some Muslims. Kenny then spoke some Hebrew with me and that was it…. until the Muslim showed up. I stuck around to chat with the producer and all of a sudden Kenny motioned to me to come back for more. Next thing I know, Kenny is interviewing the Muslim and I simultaneously. Eventually the questions led to whether peace was possible between us, and then we hugged it out.

It wasn’t until after while signing the release did I realize that it was Kenny behind the whole thing. I went up to him in between shots and told him I had no idea it was him and that he was doing a great job. He smiled and said thanks to me and then muttered to himself, “that’s what I’m talking about,” with a big smile on his face.

The footage was shot around winter time last year (late 2010-early 2011) and wasn’t aired until July 29, 2011. The only reason I’m bringing this up now is because I never saw the footage until today, when a friend sent me the link on Facebook. Much thanks for find, bro

Classic Dalton McGuinty Fail: Telling a terminally ill cancer patient, “That’s Not True…”

Amidst the non-stop advertizing in lieu of this Thursday’s Ontario Provincial election, I was reminded of this classic Dalton McGuinty video of him giving the cold shoulder to a man telling him that he’s dying of cancer and that McGuinty isn’t doing anything to help.

Imagine if smart phones, Twitter & Facebook were around when 9/11 happened…

So I was listening to the radio this morning and like everyone else, the DJ’s were talking about the upcoming tenth anniversary of 9/11. Not that talking about 9/11 is nothing special to talk about (that would just be insensitive), but it’s pretty much the hot topic in the news right now. And that obviously means that every question, sound bite and memory gets regurgitated and repeated to the enth degree and just becomes boring. It’s pretty much things any media-based dude can just skim over and look or wait for the goods that make a piece unique.

That unique piece was heard this morning when one of the DJ’s randomly threw out the question of what would’ve it been like had the technologies and innovations of smart phones, Twitter and Facebook were around when 9/11 was going on?

My favourite Jack Layton & Wade Belak moments

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Over the past two weeks, two well-known Canadians passed away. One was a politician, the other a hockey player. And even though their professions were very much different (besides the aspect of immense competition involved), they both shared in common something more important – they were stand-up & exceptional human beings.

My two favourite Rob Ford jokes

In this city we call Toronto, we have a mayor who is very easy to target. And that’s not just because of horizontally-challenged physique. It seems that no matter what this guy does or doesn’t do, he’s bound to gets scrutinized for it. It’s really too bad as well, since it probably just adds unnecessary pressure to an already very stressful and demanding job. However as a political figure, taking the heat from all sides is very much part of the job description. And even though I hope he succeeds in making Toronto a better place (so far he’s screwing up everything he touches), I still want to put in my two cents of mockery…

Only happy posts from now on

So I’ve been doing a bit of thinking and I’ve decided to stop using my blog as a place to express myself when I’m having feelings of sadness.

I used to say that the self benefits of doing this would outweigh the potential negative consequences that would result. But after doing some thinking as well as talking about this to a friend who had the guts to say some very strong and meaningful things to me (that no one else would say), I realized that I could no longer find any strong enough benefits that would legitimize writing these things on my wall.

I’ve learned that there are more than enough ways to deal with my issues without taking it to an incredibly public locale. Even though I’ve learned to be more open with my feelings, I’ve also learned about the values of control and discretion.

So from now on, all you’ll see on this blog is what I like to call entertainment and information.

Sure this space is called TevyTown, but from on it’ll be less Tevy, and more “town”, which in a sense is you, the reader.

Enjoy the goods to come.

Remembering my cousin, Yale Pilz (1982-2002)

Nine years ago today, Yale Pilz, a second cousin of mine, was tragically killed in car accident.

I was reminded of this anniversary by his brother Evan, who created a Facebook group in his memory.

Even though I was thirteen when he died and we didn’t share too many memories together, simply the mentioning of his name was capable of bringing smiles to me and to other peoples’ faces along with great feelings of joy, laughter and overall happiness.

Good times and bad times

As I write this I’m currently sitting here with two amazing friends on a yacht. It’s the definition of awesome.
We’re just sitting. Listening to jazz, looking out at the lake, the Toronto skyline in the distance, with some nargila in hand. Talk about relaxation.

Life is like an elevator. Sometimes you go up, sometimes down. You don’t really have control of which direction your going, but that’s alright.

I’m happy with that. Things will suck but that’s life. As long as you take it all in stride; make the most of the good times and learn how to find the best in all situations. It takes constant reminders, but it’s always good to remember that things work out for the sake of awesomeness.

I’ve been taught to internalize during the good moments because it’s easy. Plus it’s good practice for when things aren’t that great. That way when things suck, you can somehow tell yourself “you’ve done this before, even though circumstances were different.”

That should be enough.