bpauker

Okay, I just feel compelled to write this for whatever reason. It was my first celebrity on an AC flight. Thursday night (9/26) AC 794 (LAX-YYZ), actor James Caan in F. Preboarded with special services and sat 1K. Girlfriend (?) and assistant (?) were with him. Got what seemed like a fair amount of questioning at customs in the special services line on the left side. Exited to the right at the point where you are supposed to hand your card to the customs official... Probably had a limo waiting to take him to the four seasons. Anybody know what he might have been in town for?

Shareholder

There are two dozen American feature films, movies of the week, or television series being shot here in Toronto right now. Caan could have been in town for any of these, or just to go to the theatre to watch Robert Redford's daughter act. AC's flights ex-LAX to YVR, YYZ and even YYC are often filled with "celebrities" and others in the film/television production industry, often more so than US transcons between LAX and NYC. BTW, AC's front cabin is J, not F. And we do have our own extensive thread for such sightings on this forum, though most would be unknown to anyone but a Canadian since our politicians tend to be our version of "movie stars":

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum5/HTML/003025.html

Meanwhile, I will keep my eyes out for Mr. Caan and report any spottings and situations which might answer your question.

[This message has been edited by Shareholder (edited 09-30-2002).]

NeverAtHome

Well, since we've started yet another new celebrity thread, (thanks SH ), saw Tom Jackson heading from YYC to YVR last week up in J, while the rest of his "crew" sat in the back with us peons. I'm pretty sure Susan Aglukark was one of them in the back. I'm guessing it was part of his Dreamcatcher tour.

parnel

Actually, SH would have been thrilled to death wih my seatmate last week--it was the socialist supremo Stephen Lewis.I think his reading material was Carl Marx as his tone of conversation was certainly along those lines.

Academic

Parnel: It's Karl, not Carl. If you want to put down the socialist writers, at least spell their names correctly. People will suspect that you may not have read them and that your views are uninformed.

parnel

Its an honest error as one of my associates is "Carl"--but I did read "Karl" way back

Lee A Carney

Speaking of socialists, I sat across the aisle from Bob White in J a few years back. He was on his way to Regina to help mediate the Saskatchewan nurses strike.

Oh, and my favourite celebrity story......boarded a flight from YYZ to YVR and sat down in my J seat, and immediately discovered that the guy next to me, well, to put it nicely, had very different hygenie habits than I do. The thought of sitting beside this guy for 4-1/2 hours was not a pleasant one, so I looked around for an empty seat. There was one left, 10 minutes to go before our scheduled departure. I waited 9 minutes, and then bolted for the open seat. No sooner had I settled into the empty seat when it's rightful occupant arrived: Brian Burke, the GM of the Vancouver Canucks. I told him that my seat was right over there and began to get up to move back, and he said "no problem, I'll switch with you". He sat there the whole flight with nary even a dirty look! I've made it a point to take a customer to at least one Canucks game a year ever since........

(edited for spelling)

[This message has been edited by Lee A Carney (edited 09-30-2002).]

back seat

My only claim to flying by a celebrity was when I was flying from YOW - YYZ beside Josee Chouinard. As soon as the plane left the gate she slept until we arrived in YYZ. One thing that struck me about her was how petite she is!

FlyerAl

On the subject of Canadian Politics, back in November 2000 (before the federal election) I was on a flight from MIA to YYZ on a 727 (AA First) and I was chatting with my seatmate. It turned out he was a friend of Preston Manning and also knew Ralph Klein. I started talking about my involvement in the Canadian Alliance at McMaster and gave him a copy of A Time For Change (election platform). He was absolutely tickled and told me how he hoped Stockwell Day would win the election and make the necessary changes to improve Canada's economy (the guy was a sucessful enterpreneur). Unfortunately Mr. Day didn't perform as well as I had hoped, but it was a good flight anyway

Shareholder

Actually, Stephen Lewis is one of my least favourite lefties -- hell, he and his son went to Upper Canada College, what sort of Socialist is that? -- and even more so since he bailed on narrating a friend's doc. [I warned her not to get him to do it, but she wouldn't listen.] And besides, most of my friends are rabit neoCons or capitalists.

parnel

So, are you always the dissenting voice amongst your friends or are you hiding something from us.
SL is like all leading socialists--they like equality for the masses, just not for themselves.