We get links

Facebook reaction to the Toronto Star's call for unpaid election commentators:

http://www.facebook.com/SpeakYourMindCanada

OT: Dave Marsden

©John Cosway

While sorting through photos snapped during a 1967 Johnny Cash reception at O'Keefe Centre, discovered this pic of Dave Mickie, aka David Marsden.

While being raised on rock and roll, two memorable deejays were Buffalo's George "Hound Dog" Lorenz and that wild and crazy guy, Dave Mickie, in Toronto.

(Today, Freddy Vette over at Belleville's CJBQ is keeping the 50s and 60s rock deejay style alive at 800 on the am dial.)

David Marsden is a Toronto-born deejay legend and in March was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame with an Alan Waters award.  

And he still has most of the hair - and the passion for music - after 50-plus years in the broadcasting business.

Belated congrats to David, who now hangs his hat on a rack at 94.9 The Rock. He also blogs at Marsden Global.

We get links

Why Sun Media quit the Ontario Press Council?

http://bigcitylib.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-sun-media-quit-ontario-press.html

http://www.thejournalismdoctor.ca/Blog.php/call-em-outlaws

OT: Netflix

If you are buying, or have bought, a Sony Blu-ray player to watch Netflix movies on your big screen TV, be advised not all movies are in the Blu-ray listings.

No mention of that before forking out $150 for the player and $70 for a gizmo to access the Netflix menu on the TV screen.

We made the discovery while scanning Netflix on a laptop then logging onto Netflix using the Blu-ray player and its catalogue was lacking titles.

An understanding Netflix rep said Blu-ray players don't have the capacity to list all of the Netflix movies, documentaries and TV shows, but computers do.

So if your computer is not hooked up to your TV and you want to watch Netflix fare on TV, scan Netflix's full catalogue on your computer and do a Blu-ray search for titles you want to watch.

It is a nuisance  that hopefully Blu-ray manufacturers can eliminate for the benefit of Netflix users.

Billy goes hi-tech

Life With Billy has had a life of its own for 25 years.

Now, Brian Vallee's 1986 international best-seller is available as an e-book, which would have made the former Underwood typewriter user from the Soo giddy.

Ron Base, a longtime friend of Brian's, says the $9.99 e-book from West-End Books is available at Amazon's Kindle Bookstore.

New exposure for a timeless non-fiction tale of domestic abuse.

Jane Hurshman shot and killed her abusive common-law husband, Billy Stafford, in 1982. The killing was first publicized in Toronto media by Toronto Sun columnist Mark Bonokoski after newspaper clippings were mailed to the Sun by a reader in Nova Scotia.

Brian's 1986 book became a movie, released in 1994.  

Brian's memorial

Brian Vallee's family, friends and former colleagues will gather around a piano Aug. 29 to celebrate the life and times of the multi-talented writer, author, documentary producer, party pianist.

Longtime friend Ron Base has all of the details on his blog.

Ron writes:

"Two great pianists will get together Monday, August 29, at 6 p.m. in the foyer of the Glenn Gould Studio, inside the CBC building, 250 Front St. W., Toronto.

"That’s when the friends of Brian Vallee will gather for a memorial celebrating his life. As most of those present will certainly know, Brian, like Glenn Gould, spent  a lot of time tinkling the ivories. Musicologists will forever debate which artist made the larger contribution to music. The debate almost certainly will continue throughout the evening on August 29."

Ron says "there will be drinks, laughter, memories, a tear or two, and - whatever gods there are help us - an open microphone."

Hugh's mother

Our thoughts are with Hugh Wesley, former Toronto Sun photo desk chief, whose mother has died at 97.

The Toronto Star obit can be read here.

Dorothy Mary Wesley, a Toronto-born mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died Saturday.

Visitation at the Turner & Porter Peel Chapel, 2180 Hurontario St., in Mississauga, is Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. Funeral service in the chapel on Thursday at 11 a.m.

More print wars

John Downing, a Tely/Sun newspaper vet who had a recent brush with death, shows why his keyboard prose would have been greatly missed with a blog posting about Tely-Star newspaper war stories.

John's replay of his favourite newspaper war stories follows Peter Worthington's Front Page tales in the Sunday Sun. Great reads and one more argument for these vets to collaborate on a new Tely/Sun book.

John, Peter and other Toronto print media vets are from a news era long gone from most of today's sterile newsrooms. Their memories need to be penned for future generations to appreciate the feisty days of print dominance.

Meanwhile, John and Peter, keep 'em coming.We can't get enough of your newspaper experiences.

40th ideas?

It is exactly three months to the Toronto Sun's 40th anniversary on Nov. 1.

John Iaboni, a Day Oner who volunteered his time to help organize a 40th celebration, tells TSF he has had little response.

The clock is ticking. 

So TSF readers, how would you mark the 40th anniversary of the launch of the Sun by 62 former Toronto Telegram employees?

Doug Creighton is no longer around to see that the 40th is properly celebrated, as he was for the 20th and the memorable SkyDome party.

But Iaboni and others are open to suggestions for the 40th.

Send your 40th ideas to TSF via email and we'll post them for feedback.

No Sun vidpass

This could be a first.

A Kings of Leon video clip used online by the Toronto Sun has been blocked by a copyright claim by Vector Entertainment.

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/07/30/kings-of-leon-rocker-walks-off-stage?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=recommend-button&utm_campaign=Kings+of+Leon+rocker+walks+off+stage

Torontosun.com does check for copyright restrictions before using video clips from other sources, right?