Warm reception for the Governator

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/01/2011 (5371 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped out into the crisp Winnipeg air Tuesday with his entourage of personal assistants, managers, and bodyguards, the tough guy remarked: “It isn’t as cold as everyone said it would be!” Whew. Arnold just missed our -40 C cold snap, so maybe he meant it when he finished his speech at The Fairmont with this famous line “I’ll be back.”

The film star and recently retired governor of California didn’t make it to the Pony Corral (the primo after-party possibility) because he was apparently too tired. The Terminator booked it back to his private plane to go to his hotel in Toronto, saying it had been “a very busy day.” He wasn’t being a girly-man. The Terminator spoke to 850 people at The Fairmont, plus he patiently lined up with Mayor Sam Katz and another 90 or so VIPs who wanted photos taken with the star.

“Those are fancy shoes you got there!’ Arnold remarked to official photog Manuel Sousa, checking out his black-and-white spats. (Arnie is a snappy dresser himself, arriving in a dashing red scarf and red leather tie to prove the point.) “That’s how friendly he was with everybody,” says Sousa. “He still had time to say ‘Hi,’ to each person — a regular guy who has made it big, but is still very approachable.” Sousa said Arnie was fabulous at doing one-take photos. “His smile looked the same for every shot, and he didn’t blink once; he knew exactly what to do.”

People close to Schwarzenegger said he was appreciative of how friendly people were to him in Winnipeg. And, he was excited by people talking about relationships and commonalities of Americans and Canadians and loved people telling him about trips they’d taken to California.

— — —

HOLLYWOOD NORTH: Filming for Beethoven Saves Christmas starts in two weeks and director John Putch is busy in the city, getting ready to shoot the sequel involving the lovable St. Bernard — not the dead composer. Putch is the son of the late producer/director William H. Putch and actress Jean Stapleton who played Edith Bunker. John’s TV directing credits include: Scrubs, Cougar Town, My Name Is Earl, and Ugly Betty. His films include Valerie Flake, BachelorMan, Mojave, and Phone Booth.

— — —

DATE WITH A STAR: A mob of glitzy media/entertainment/sport and arts world Winnipeggers met at The Delta Wednesday after work to eat a pile of hors d’oeuvres, air-kiss and schmooze at the annual Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba (LDAM) fundraising bash. Jay Oliver of 102.3 Clear FM put magician Brian Glow and Big Daddy Tazz on stage to rev up the crowd, and LDA Manitoba honcho Marilyn McKinnon said a few words. Then it was off to top restaurants all over the city with two celebrities to host a carte blanche dinner — anything off the menu!

Obby Khan, of Bomber fame, who headed up the Free Press table with football pal Doug Brown, is on a strict weight-loss diet. He’s existing on delicacies such as egg whites and protein shakes and gets just one pig-out a week. Poor diddums kept asking, “How many entrées can we have?” and looked like he might cry when no one wanted to stay for dessert. Brown had a few questions for Miss Lonelyhearts about love and life, but we won’t go there.

— — —

WHO KNEW? Toastmaster Comedy Night was the best entertainment deal in Winnipeg this week. The packed house in the St. Ignatius church basement howled during six comedy speeches by province-wide winners — and scarfed down dessert — all for a toonie.

Former Montrealer Claudine Davidson wowed the crowd with a story from her first non-Hinglish speaking days in Manitoba, teaching Grade 2 kids a French song about a baby seal, a word that unfortunately rhymes with duck. Parents were not amused. Safety guru Berni Plett titillated the crowd with a naughty New Year’s yarn, Kim Jacobsen angrily taught the crowd how to keep a guy, while whacking a pointer on a cardboard heart.

Speaker Jenny Gates delivered “I am a Canadian” in her Australian accent, saying an old lady once commented, “It’s wonderful you’re here in Canada learning a new language!” Darryl Gervais talked about teaching junior high sex-ed classes to “hormones in running shoes” and Steinbach teacher Sheryl Berglund demo’d her navigation problems all over the stage.

Spotted: Toastmasters past international poo-bah Lyle Appleyard, and District 64’s governor Catriona Younger from Red River College acting as emcee with her newly-svelte sidekick Ray MacIsaac.

Got tips, events, sightings, unusual things going on? Email maureen.scurfield@ winnipegfreepress.com or send a letter to The Insider, c/o The Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave. Winnipeg R2X 3B6