Canadian of the Week » Birthday

Happy Birthday, Nelly Furtado!

Victor — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:08:46 +0000

Canadian of the Week wishes a Happy Birthday to Nelly Furtado, the Victoria, B.C., native who turns 31 today.

Nelly gave us a little birthday present of her own — a featured spot in Timbaland’s single and video, “Morning After Dark,” which can be here at PerezHilton.com.

Nelly’s sound has never been easy to pin down, and she has made an 18 million-album-selling career of experimenting with different instruments and styles. This year, the Canadian-Portuguese singer released her first Spanish-language album, “Mi Plan,” which included the single, “Manos al Aire.” It spent four weeks atop Billboard’s Hot Latin Tracks list.

As is customary here at COTW, here is a list of five fun facts* about the birthday girl:

Her parents immigrated from Sao Miguel Island, Portugal, to Victoria, B.C. (also on an island, for those scoring at home), in the late 1960s. She never lived in Portugal.

She was named after Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim (her middle name is, in fact, Kim).

She turned down $500,000 to pose, fully clothed, in Playboy.

In 2008, she married Cuban sound engineer Demacio “Demo” Castellon, with whom she worked on her 2006 comeback album “Loose.”

She may or may not be promoting a new line of henna tattoos (citation needed).

* “Facts” provided by Wikipedia, the only trusted source for information.

Canadian of the Week wishes a Happy Birthday to Nelly Furtado, the Victoria, B.C., native who turns 31 today.

Nelly gave us a little birthday present of her own — a featured spot in Timbaland’s single and video, “Morning After Dark,” which can be here at PerezHilton.com.

As is customary here at COTW, here is a list of five fun facts* about the birthday girl:

Her parents immigrated from Sao Miguel Island, Portugal, to Victoria, B.C. (also on an island, for those scoring at home), in the late 1960s. She never lived in Portugal.
She was named after Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim (her middle name is, in fact, Kim).
She turned down $500,000 to pose, fully clothed, in Playboy.
In 2008, she married Cuban sound engineer Demacio “Demo” Castellon, with whom she worked on her 2006 comeback album “Loose.”
She may or may not be promoting a new line of henna tattoos (citation needed).

* “Facts” provided by Wikipedia, the only trusted source for information.

Happy Birthdays, Shannon Tweed and Paul Haggis

Victor — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 04:15:41 +0000

Surely, you can’t think of Shannon Tweed without thinking of Paul Haggis in the same sentence?

OK, maybe you can. But not on March 10, as both Canadians celebrate the completion of another year on Earth.

Tweed, the 1982 Playboy Playmate of the Year and subsequent star of many an “erotic thriller,” turns 52 today. The native of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador (every time I see the name of a province like that, it reminds me why I love running this site), has also been seen in the TV series “1st and 10″ and “Falcon Crest,” in addition to her two-year stint on “Days of Our Lives,” from 1985 to 1987. She has famously not been married to KISS bassist and singer Gene Simmons since 1985.

Meanwhile, Haggis, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Crash,” turns 56. The London, Ontario, native was also nominated for Best Director for “Crash,” but lost out to Ang Lee, who directed “Brokeback Mountain.”

Happy Birthday, Catherine O’Hara!

Victor — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 04:11:10 +0000

Toronto native Catherine O’Hara turns 55 today!

One of our faves from Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries, including “Waiting for Guffman,” “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind,” O’Hara got her start at Second City in Toronto in 1974 before becoming a series regular on “SCTV.”

A tremendous character actress, she’s also brought her touch to memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Home Alone” and ”The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

She was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame last year.