Enterprises big and small participated in the 2011 Campbellford Santa Claus Parade. Campbellford is a bustling town in eastern Ontario, Canada. This modest “float” consisted of the bunk of a hard-working pickup truck framed with rusty stakes and weathered, gray boards. The little girl tucked in the centre brought a special glow to this display.
I wouldn’t write this post if they still had a pillory in the town square. I could stand the public humiliation, but being exposed to the Canadian weather in January or whipped on my bare backside with a birch switch is just too much. You see, I have an issue with Sigourney Weaver’s characterization in Avatar. I think James Cameron has made a serious mistake in trying to personify her as “off-putting and even unpleasant”, as well as “obnoxious”, by having her smoke cigarettes. The press jacked up this trait to “evil”. My generation grew up on movies where smoking was ubiquitous. So for many of us, using this habit for characterization only moves Cameron’s efforts from the sublime to the ridiculous. And that is objectionable because of my admiration for Sigourney. Whenever I see her on screen, whatever her role, deep in my heart she will always have a touch of the quick-witted heroism of Ripley — just like Gable will always have elements of Rhett Butler and Cooper of Marshal Will Kane. Continue reading »
Riders on this float illustrate that Christmas is for all ages as they pass by the delighted crowds at the 2009 Campbellford Santa Claus Parade in Ontario, Canada.
