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 Eugene Levy moved his family back to Toronto in the early '80s so his children wouldn't be drawn to acting. Guess what Eugene? It didn't work. |
MTV's Dan Levy doesn't mention his famous dad Eugene on the air. Dan just doesn't want to be a braggart, and he wants to be judged on his own merits.
Dan's sense of propriety is no coincidence, though. In fact, it relates directly to the Levy clan's decision to move back to Canada.
"We were living in Los Angeles in 1980 and 1981, and just before my wife got pregnant, when we talked about having kids, I said, 'Toronto is the best place to raise them,' " Eugene Levy said in an interview with Sun Media this week.
"I said, 'If we stay here (in L.A.), they're going to grow up in a show-business kind of community, and the next thing you know they're going to want to be actors when they're eight. And that's not good. So let's go back to Toronto and they'll have an even playing field.' "
Flash-forward a quarter-century and you just know what happened.
"Of course, they both want to be actors now," Eugene said with a laugh. "My daughter is in theatre with one more year to go. And then she probably is going to head down to Los Angeles and see what she can do.
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"But believe me, I never pushed Dan. I did not steer my kids one way or the other. I didn1t tell them not to do it and I didn't tell them to do it. I just said, 'You have to know in your heart that this is what you want to do.'
"Acting's great if you don't mind not eating."
Dan Levy can be seen hosting MTV Live, which airs Monday to Friday on MTV.
Eugene Levy, who first gained fame on SCTV and subsequently has enjoyed a prolific film career, is hosting the 2007 Canada's Walk of Fame ceremony tomorrow in Toronto. CTV will provide tape-delayed coverage of the event on Sunday evening.
Jill thrill
Speaking of Canada's Walk of Fame, new addition Jill Hennessy (Law & Order, Crossing Jordan) said she's humbled to be inducted in the same year as one of her heroes, actor/comedian Catherine O'Hara.
"I think Catherine O'Hara is one of the best actresses working today and she is respected the world over," Hennessy said. "You mention her name in Los Angeles, people actually bow down and kiss the ground. You can put her in any role and she excels in it.
"She's one of my inspirations. I used to watch SCTV fanatically, like we all did. All those guys were my idols, which is why I'm so excited Eugene Levy is hosting, too."
Cherry picking
Having seen CBC's Don Cherry do a between-periods guest spot on NBC earlier this week, it confirmed just how valuable Ron MacLean is.
On Hockey Night in Canada's Coach's Corner segments, MacLean tends to focus Cherry, who is at his best when he is challenged a little bit. It forces Cherry to clarify his thoughts, which gives his opinion more depth.
Watching Cherry and NBC analyst Brett Hull loudly confirm each other's theories, with host Bill Clement sitting there mute and not framing the conversation at all, just was not entertaining TV. Cherry is at his best with MacLean, case closed.
Jericho jive
OK, this sets a very, very dangerous precedent.
CBS has ordered seven additional episodes of the previously cancelled Jericho after a barrage of protesting fans sent nuts to the network. The reason fans decided to send nuts was that the word "nuts" was uttered by one of the characters at a crucial moment on the final show.