British Columbia Brings Out Their Own Stars
There is a commercial that promotes California and has as many stars as they could jam into a 30 second commercial. Well, British Columbia has their own celebrities and it turns out they can roll out a a pretty good commercial too. Just in time for the Olympics, BC brings out Ryan Reynolds and Michael J Fox as well as Erick McCormack, Kim Cattrall, Steve Nash, and Sarah McLachlan. That is a whole lot of firepower for 90 seconds. If you live in Canada or BC I understand you will get choked up when you watch. You have been warned.
54 comments:
My father was Canadian, not from BC, he was from the Maritimes. I still got choked up. Gorgeous commercial. Makes me proud to be a half a Canuck.
I LOVE BC, been there many times. Would be living there too if Canada wasn't so tough on immigration - even for family. My husband's father, stepmom (who's Canadian) and his half-sister (also Canadian) couldn't sway immigration to allow us to move there. We did not bring a desired occupation, or ethnicity to the table. All we wanted was to live near to family (that and a few loonies will get you a cup of Tim Horton's finest).
That all said, I was there in Sept for a family get together. Can't wait to go back next time.
Absolutely gorgeous! Wow.
I'm from Texas and got choked up. Love Canada, especially Vancouver and Montreal. And Toronto. And Quebec City. Should have married a Canadian.
Beautiful!!!! My friends and I drove up there once and the guy at the border really gave us the 3rd degree about what we were going to do there.
OMG always in Montreal or Toronto never been to BC, but after seeing this sign me up I am so there!
wow - I live in vancouver and I think its easy for us to forget how freaking beautiful it is here. I'm all warm and fuzzy now
I'm from Utah and I got choked up.
Speaking about the borders; when I was young and stupid I got busted at the border and kicked out of the whole Country for 5 years..Ugg.
I think I can go back... Haven't tried yet. :P
Well, not to nitpick, but they're not all BC natives. Fox was born in Edmonton, Eric McCormack in Toronto...etc.
But, awesome video. Saw it on TV the other night for the first time, and I got all prided up for Canada.
I'm not Canadian, but B.C. is my favorite place on Earth ...and I was crying through most of the commercial.
Interesting info, notachance! My husband and I have talked about moving up there - getting him transferred through his job - but that might not be so easy.
I'm a Swede who lives in Alberta, but yeah...choked up...*L* Now I want to go on a road trip! :)
I saw it for the first time last night and said to my husband "Hey, this is exactly like the commercial they did for California"
BTW, I thought Eric M looked weird in it. Plastic surgery? Aging? Me having a few too many beer?
That was amazing - love the photography.
Who were the blonde and the guy with longish brown hair?
Love, love, love BC. Beautiful, great food, fun. I agree with the border issues. In Vancouver and Toronto, got the 3rd degree about what we were doing there.
Beautiful commercial, beautiful place.. hair on my arms stood up a little :-)
Must admit though, I was a little taken out of it by the celebs (they seemed to be stuck in weird random paces and it didn't help the flow for me) but I can't deny that this is a great commercial for the Olympics and a great advert for BC.
I'm from Alberta and yes this is a beautiful commercial. B.C. is gorgeous but so is the rest of the country. Each place offers something magical.
I've been crying for most of the afternoon due to some pretty bleak punches in the gut from life; didn't think there were any tears left. I was wrong; how nice to cry for a GOOD reason. I'm a British Columbian born and raised, and although times re pretty rough here right now, I wouldn't live anywhere else. Thank you for sharing this Enty.
This commercial did leave me a little choked up, but in a "I think I'm going to puke" kind of way.
I am a B.C. native, born and raised, and I've never lived anywhere else in my whole life. My province is hands down one of the most beautiful places in the world and I am most grateful to live here.
But this commercial is gross. I can get behind the beautiful imagery but it's such a bloody whitewash of reality. Living in the midst of Olympic hoopla and seeing the negative impacts its had on this city and its inhabitants is heartbreaking and to see Tourism British Columbia put out shit like this is just ... gross. I don't know how else to say it.
I really hope all the privileged tourists who can afford to come here for the Games and colonize the space have a wonderful time, I really do. I'm going to be at home, hiding from the madness.
I wanna go there!
Wow......it took my breath away!!!!The landscape in BC is absolutely beautiful!!!! I have never been to Canada......looks like this is on the very tippity top of my wish list for travel destinations!!!!!!
To Sean:
Blonde = Kim Catrall
long haired guy = Steve Nash
To lauramart:
I thought erik mckormick looked weird too... i think because all the stars stayed in the US and just did the voiceovers in front of a green screen!
lol!
@WBotW, I'm sorry things are rough for you right now and hope things get better for you real soon.
I'm I the only one who noticed the weird white plus shaped things in the background of Ryan Reynolds. They don't go with the landscapes. Kinda like they forgot to be erased or something.....
Pause it at 1:30 you'll see 5 of them.
@wbotw - sorry the year's not starting well for you, i hope things look up soon. :)
i have never been to canada, but wow, what a beautiful place, i will have to put it on my list.
I was in Whistler last weekend and the snow is AWESOME right now! I can't wait to show off our lovely city for everyone during the Olympics. Come and visit you are welcome!! Don't mind the naysayers, some people just aren't comfortable if they don't have anything to complain about.
On a side note lauramart:
I live in the Vancouver and have seen Eric McCormack a few times over the past few months. Always at the specialty wine store, but I can't say anything about that since I am there too. Not to worry, he is very handsome in person and not creepy/plastic looking at all. He looks great and is very charming as well!
I'm from Calgary, used to live in Vancouver and I'm now in Toronto. This video made me achingly sick for out west.
'm from Toronto but visit BC regularly and have been to Whistler a few times. All of Canada is beautiful but I think BC especially so. The video sure made me proud not only to be Canadian but to be welcoming the world to our fabulous country in just a few more weeks....get ready everyone....we're going to roll out the red carpet and party!!!
@paulealex. LOL. Yep, those are green screen marks alright.
Wow. What a beautiful place. I live in Phoenix, and I got choked up. I've been to Toronto, Windsor, and Montreal, but not Vancouver. I've always wanted to go. A trip is in order!
And Yay! Steve Nash! Phoenix Sun fan here.
Olympic disdain aside......I fucking Love my home! thanks for posting this Enty..had some tears.
and if any of you are thinking of coming to visit Vancouver this summer...do it,ya gotta be here.
Just a warning to all the folks excited to visit B.C. It absolutely looks like this *in summer*. If you travel from Sept-May, chances are it is pouring buckets of rain. Vancouver is a beautiful city, lived there for 15 years, but if BCr's are honest, they will tell you it is dark & raining for a good 6 months. It's a big deal when the sun comes out.
ugh. gag me.
cheesy and lame.
the east coast is way cooler (people and landscape) and soooooo much less pretentious.
VanCityGirl - they're going on in the news about how the warm weather is going wreck the slopes. I'm skeptical - they're on a mountain.
My husband was with Katimavik when he was young. He took a 3-month training course in the Navy in Vancouver. If he could move anywhere in Canada - first choice is BC.
littleoleme is right - there is a lot the rest of the country offers.
Oh, btw - if you want to see some more views of Vancouver/BC, rent Rumble in the Bronx with Jackie Chan. Because we all know the Bronx has the same landscape as Vancouver. Especially the golf course.
I'm a BC girl born and raised, but now I live in Melbourne Australia with my Aussie partner. That video made me cry... what a reminder that my home is still the best place on earth, and I can't wait to move back there!
Copycats..sans Ahhhrnold and Maria.
Sarah McLachlan is from the opposite coast.
That video...gorgeous. I went to Canada when I was a kid and remember how clean everything was. I'd love to go back, however after years in the subtropics it would have to be during summer!
This ad choked me up from the outset.
I've been to Canada three times, but never farther west than Ontario. All of the trips were marvelous experiences, from the people, to the landscape, to the wonderful little ways in which Canada differs from the US (like a bizzaro world). My husband and I long ago decided that BC would be our next destination, now we just have to GO.
Beautiful! I've dreamed of visiting BC since I was a back-packing wannbe hippie teenager in the early 70's. Someday...
Take good care WBotW. You're included in my prayers tonight. (if that's not too presumptuous).
Shakey- the Olympic events are on two different ski hills in two different cities. Whistler is 90km north of Vancouver and is home to the ski events, luge, cross country, ski jumping etc and Cypress is the local Vancouver mountain that has aerial and snowboarding.. Whistler tons of snow, Cypress.. not so much..
Ahhh Rumble in the Bronx.. brings me back the time I was an extra on 21 Jump Street, probably the last time Johnny Depp was in Vancouver, lol.
I lived in Vancouver for years, and it's a beautiful city. Kinda of sad at times (the 20,000 drug addicts downtown breaking into cars and all), but what city doesn't have an underbelly? I lived for a while in Little India, surrounded by Punjabi neighbours (I'll throw in the "u" in honour of Canada today), and I'd move back there in a heartbeat.
I live in BC, and it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful places in the world. Depending on what secenery you are into, I personally think the west coast of Vancouver island is the most gorgeous spot in the entire province. The beaches, the rain forest, the tidal pools and the wildfire..so natural and undeveloped. You will never regret spending money to holiday there, I guarantee it!
the tidal pools and the wildfire
Oops..sorry, wildlife! No one likes forest fires:)
@Miranda - you go girl!
@VanCityGirl - you working for Vanoc or Whistler Village?
BC sure is beautiful, but it's sure expensive. Google some house prices - you'll be amazed.
The government spent our money on the olympic$ so they made huge cuts to arts funding, and are now closing schools and laying off teachers. Happily, they can afford to truck and helicopter snow to Cypress mountain (The one in Vancouver).
Meanwhile, the company that owns the Whistler Resort is in receivership, and may be auctioned off during the Games. Interesting times...
[http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/lenders-foreclose-on-intrawest/article1437922/]
I live in Langley, 30 min from Vancouver. always wanted to travel, & have been fortunate enough to in the past few years thanks to my biz. after a variety of trips I have come to the conclusion that I really DO live in the best place on earth, a the commercials always say. I liked the commercial, but it was a tad cheesy.
s
a
oh & DOLLY72...totally agree
If this was the video about California, everyone would be knocking the celebrities in it. Well, California is my home. I'll be polite and not behave the way others would toward BC. Even if most of the better known celebrities in the video made their living in the US. You know, the evil neighbors. ;)
And I will ignore the flames in reply to this, too.
BC is Beautiful no doubt...but so are the Maritimes ...c'mon down to PEI, NS, NB and NFLD - we'll treat you like family (well better than family lol)
It's true Melody...many canadian actors and musicians do work in the states. Mostly because the majority of the work originates in LA...but that doesn't stop the film crews from crossing the border to film movies using our scenery and the cheaper dollar! So, its really six of one and half a dozen of the other isn't it? I'm just glad that the industry manages to co exist and put out some excellent music or films from both sides of the border. We all benefit from it:)
One of the bad things about being Canadian - our country is so damn big very few of us get to see it all :( I've never been west of Ontario (my home province.) I've been to every province east of Ontario (canadachick is right, GORGEOUS out there - Quebec, too, GORGEOUS) but never west, although I've always wanted to. One day, I hope.
And I agree the commercial is cheesy, but it's still nice. And I ♥ Steve Nash lol.
Melody - what are you talking about? Who's flaming people? Who's criticizing California? O_O
Wow, I had no idea that people loved Canada so much! It sure doesn't seem like it, what with all the Canadian snowbirds down here now, but they're mostly from Ontario which I'm sure is very different from BC. I always wanted to go to PEI just because of Anne of Green Gables...maybe one day!
Also, can someone PLEASE explain Tim Horton's to me? I went in one in Ohio and it was DISGUSTING. Like, absolutely nasty filthy and the food didn't even seem like it would be good (I didn't try it due to fear of foodborne illness from the unwashed cretins that worked there). It looked like a cut-rate Dunkin Donuts, which is pretty terrible as it is. Maybe it was because it was in Ohio (which BTW was the WORST place I've ever been besides Chicago), because I cannot imagine that people would rave about the Tim Horton's that I experienced.
Oh, and Melody? I feel your pain. Nobody EVER has anything nice to say about Florida, yet people are always vacationing here...probably like Cali. Hate us til you wanna go on vacation, LOL!
I can't vouch for the Tim Horton's (or Timmies, as we call it lol) in the U.S. - maybe it's just a bastardized version of it or something, but up here it's very good.
As for the snowbirds - it's VERY VERY COLD up here. Old people get cold, they like Florida. Go figure. LOL ;P
This 'gay affair' is NOT the mood that is actually felt by Vancouverites. The Olympics have put an already financially strained province in deep debt. (Their Provincial budget comes out the day AFTER the Olympics.)
There are as many cover-ups of social problems & discrepancies as there were with the China Olympic fiasco. One news channel will report them, one will not.
A poll was taken to see how many Fraser Valley residents (people in close proximity to games) would attend any of the events, torch runs etc. 72% said "No way". The resentment & frustration of Bc'rs is definately not was is presented to the rest of the world.
I lived in BC for many years & as a fellow Canadian I agree that the last thing this province needed was to host the world's most expensive party & be burdened with Olympic debt for the next 25 years. And they were already on the map, so that excuse doesn't fly.
wow pwner, sour grapes much?
@Amanda Rae...don't assume that the snowbirds head south because they like it there better. The vast majority just don't like the cold. If we could somehow warm up our country, most would stay home. BTW, I'm from Ontario and we have so many beautiful places in our province too.
As for Tim Horton's, you either love it or hate it, but don't judge the entire chain based on one store located away from it's home country. After all McDonalds in Canada is very different than McDonalds in the US, the same goes for Dairy Queen, KFC, and any other fast food chain.
And for everyone commenting that they were hasselled at the border...that's what customs officers do. It's much worse for a Canadian visiting the States, especially since YOUR government has decided that everyone must have a passport to go. I live right on the border and I haven't bothered getting one.
Post a Comment