RIP Sam ‘the Record Man’ Sniderman
Sam “The Record Man” Sniderman, legendary music retail mogul, has died at the age of 92.
Sniderman, along with his brother Sid, opened their first music shop in 1937. The brothers started their chain of record stores in 1959 with the flagship location on Yonge St., which later expanded to 130 stores nationwide. After filing for bankruptcy in 2001, some stores remained open, and the iconic, neon, Toronto mainstay closed in 2007, seven years after Sniderman retired.
Sam “The Record Man” was also known for his philanthropy, and work in the community. Sniderman received the Order of Canada in 1976, and 680 News reports he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1997.
According to reports, the beloved music man passed away in his sleep on Sunday night, surrounded by loved ones.
Toronto’s Film and TV industry making a comeback
Busy chasing Nicolas Cage around Toronto as he films Kick-Ass 2, or stumbling onto the set of Covert Affairs? Time to get used to it.
Statistics from the Toronto Film and TV Office show a 25 per cent jump in production spending in the city in a year, totalling to $1.13-billion in 2011, or $200-million more than in 2010, reports 680 News.
Big productions, including Total Recall, the Bravo/USA show Suits, and the Carrie remake have all called Toronto home over the past year, with more to come. The higher Canadian dollar, remnants of SARS-related worry, and desirable American tax cuts in Pittsburgh and Massachusetts have detracted from Toronto’s film and TV production revenue in years past, but now the stars are finding their way back to the city.
In addition, the big-budget Robocop remake is set to shoot in Toronto until late December. But, for those of you on the lookout for Cage and his co-stars, they are shooting around King St. West and Spadina Ave. on Monday evening.
Tracy Morgan’s Emmy stunt results in 25,000 tweets
If you missed the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sunday night, your Twitter feed may have proved confusing.
During TV’s biggest night, host Jimmy Kimmel asked 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan to pass out on stage, and urged viewers to tweet about it, instantly resulting in 25,000 tweets.
Kimmel, speaking to the audience, asked them to write, “Oh my God – Tracy Morgan just passed out onstage at the Emmys – turn ABC on NOW!”
Morgan played along, and stayed on his back during the presentation of the award for Best Writing for a Drama Series, seriously confusing the presenters, Nashville stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere. Mashable writes that within minutes of Kimmel and Morgan’s stunt, “OMG Tracy Morgan” was a worldwide trending topic on Twitter. Hilarious, or too far? We think it was just right. After all, it’s easy to blame it on the altitude, or something.
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Joanna Adams writes about news and entertainment for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at†@nowstarringTO.
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