Hollywood North

Winnipeg is getting to be a real Hollywood North! there is a lot of "celebrity" traffic in and around the city on a regular basis ... i was reminded of this when i met a sleek black stretch, on a quiet residential street, i was driving on ... it could have been just a local ... or it could have been Robert Duval ... one never knows here!


the movie industry loves the varied scenery and the turn of the century buildings which abound in this prairie city ... at the moment the local media is a buzz about Brad Pitt coming to town ... they will use the Exchange District (downtown Winnipeg) in the movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" ... they are scheduled to shoot for 5 days, starting on Monday ... most of this movie was filmed in Alberta, but the Exchange District was deemed perfect for some pivotal scenes ...

the movie "Shall we Dance" (Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, Susan Sarandan) was filmed in Winnipeg (substituting for Chicago) ... they were here for almost 2 months ... and it happened to be at the height of the media frenzy regarding Lopez and Ben Affleck - so Affleck was in town too ... driving a motorcycle and gambling in the local casinos ... out of town paparazzi hounded them, but i do think they still had some quiet moments ... at least i hope ... what a way to live - in a goldfish bowl with everyone wanting pictures of you!

Harrison Ford was in Gimli for a submarine scene, one cold January ... Russell Crowe filmed a movie in Brandon (just before he became super famous) ... the latest Category 7 disaster movie (to be aired on tv in November) was filmed in and around Winnipeg ...

one morning on my way to work, i noticed dozens of large media type vehicles (there have to be dozens for me to notice anything in the mornings!) parked across from a beautiful picnic area which contained rapids and a fast moving river, all to be showcased in a Shannon Doherty flick ...

now that i’m sitting here writing about Hollywood North, i realize how extensive the list of big name actors are (Robin Williams, Keanu Reeves, Jane Seymour, James Brolan ... to name only a few) ... the likelihood is that you have seen Manitoba scenery or Winnipeg’s skyline, without realizing it! ... it’s also great for the economy ...

all the hard working movie stars are just folks, making a living, with the talent God gave them ... we can enjoy their craft (well if they would only keep their clothes on and not be so potty mouthed! editorial note) ... but i remind myself not to worship at their shrine ... you know, the "celebrity shrine" ... God sees our hearts ... and the quiet, unassuming, lady who puts on the make-up for a million dollar beauty, may actually be the one with the more beautiful heart ...

yup ... Man looks on the outward appearance, but God KNOWS our heart ...