For Immediate Release: Ravnfilms Inc. Releases Part Three in the Popular 'Ravn Boys' Trilogy

January 14, 2011, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada - World famous film studio, Ravnfilms Inc has released the much anticipated third part in their blockbuster trilogy series, 'The Ravn Boys' this morning at 5:12 AM, Atlantic Standard Time.

The new movie, titled 'The Ravn Boys, Part 3: Nicholas Patrick', has received critical acclaim in a number of early reviews, notably a 5-Star review in the column, "Morning Rounds," in which well-known film critic, Dr. Leyanaar, called the film "absolutely lovely."

Ravnfilms' Executive Producer, Jodi Ravn, said that the production team knew they would have to pull out all the stops in order to satisfy fans of the first two episodes in the three-part series. "The movie-going public was used to our work being top quality on 'Part 1: Eric Larsen' (released February 2005) and 'Part 2: Alexander Liam' (released December 2007), so we worked hard to make this release another guaranteed hit," said Ravn from her temporary office in the Saint John Regional Hospital.

Ravnfilms' Director of Marketing, Lloyd Ravn, recapped many of the new movie's key selling points to assembled media representatives shortly after the screening. "We are particularly proud of how cute this release is, in keeping with the other titles in this series," beamed Ravn, with the excitement level of a new father.

The film will be on limited release at the Saint John Regional Hospital until January 15, when it will be shown in Sussex, NB, before being eventually released worldwide.

In an unusual glitch from typically well-polished Ravnfilms, the film's running time listed on the promotional materials was shown in Pounds, Ounces and Inches, rather than hours and minutes (listed as 9 lbs, 5.7 oz and 22.5"), however a newly updated promo piece corrected the film's length to "many, many years."

For more information on this new release, predicted to be the biggest hit of 2011, contact Lloyd Ravn at lloydravn@hotmail.com

Lost in the East Comedy Tour

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Canada’s King of Edgy Comedy to Visit the Maritimes


September 19, 2010, Sussex, NB – Comedy fans in the Maritimes who like their laughs on the edge will be happy to hear that Darren Frost, a popular nationally-touring headliner known for his over-the-top material will be visiting the Maritimes in October. Frost’s “Lost in the East” tour will be hitting Moncton (October 17), Fredericton (October 18), Saint John (October 19) and Charlottetown (October 20).

The Toronto Star said that Frost’s material “has the quality of a satanic revival meeting”, and it is that kind of performance that has earned him a strong following of fans across the country including here on the East Coast. The eccentric entertainer, whose latest DVD, Dead Inside will be available in October, has been performing stand-up comedy since 1992 and has toured coast to coast, both delighting and offending audience members in every corner of the country, including numerous comedy festivals and appearances at Montreal’s Just for Laughs Nasty Show.

Frost’s resume includes roles in feature films such as the blockbuster Hairspray, Assault on Precinct 13 and Fever Pitch, as well as television appearances on Much Music’s Video on Trial and his own Comedy Now special on CTV and The Comedy Network. He is a regular on XM Satellite Radio’s Laugh Attack channel, where he hosts the weekly show Anything Goes with Darren Frost and has been heard on CBC Radio’s The Debaters. Frost is recognizable from his seemingly endless roles in television commercials, including a stint as the original Listerine bottle action hero.

Joining Frost on his Fall 2010 East Coast micro-tour will be his co-host on Anything Goes, and another favourite on the comedy circuit in Canada, Dave Martin. Toronto’s NOW Magazine promises that when it comes to Martin’s “alt sense of humour, you won’t be disappointed” and Eye Magazine called his material “too bold or dirty for mainstream television.” Nonetheless, Martin has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing, having advanced to the final stage of the Toronto auditions, and has filmed his own Comedy Now special, in addition to appearances on the Comedy Network’s The Jon Dore Television Show.

The organizer of the “Lost in the East Comedy Tour”, New Brunswick-based comic Lloyd Ravn, who will also appear onstage with Frost and Martin, said “Maritime comedy fans don’t get enough opportunities to take in professional comedy, and fans of the kind of unorthodox material Darren and Dave bring to the stage have even fewer chances to get their comedy fix,” so he expects all three shows to sell out quickly. “If you love what Darren calls ‘Happy Clappy Fun Boy’ comedy, this might not be the show for you, but if you can leave your ability to be offended behind and just enjoy an adults-only comedy show, then you don’t want to miss this rare chance to see two of Canada’s best at work,” said Ravn.

Tickets are on-sale now, as noted below.

Show Details:

• October 17: Moncton, NB –8:00 PM - Manhattan Bar and Grill, 125 Westmoreland St – http://www.themanhattanbarandgrill.com/
TICKETS AT https://ww4.ticketpro.ca/achat_MAN17JS10.html?lang=en or by calling 888-311-9090 or at Read's on Main Street in Moncton. Special guest for this show: Moncton's Neal Mundle



• October 18: Fredericton, NB – 7:30 PM –Charlotte St Arts Centre, 732 Charlotte St – http://www.charlottestarts.ca/
TICKETS AT https://ww4.ticketpro.ca/achat_CSA18JS10.html?lang=en or by calling 888-311-9090 or at East Side Board Supply on Queen St in Fredericton. Special guest for this show: Saint John's Shane Ogden.

 • October 19: Saint John, NB – 7:30 PM –3Mile's Club Tonic – http://www.3mile.com/tonic/index.html
TICKETS AT https://ww4.ticketpro.ca/achat_TNC19JS10.html?lang=en or by calling 888-311-9090 or at Read's on Charlotte St in Saint John. Special guest for this show: Saint John's Shane Ogden.


• October 20: Charlottetown, PE – 8:00 PM – The Guild, 111 Queen St – http://www.theguildpei.com/
TICKETS AT the Guild Box office, 111 Queen Street in Charlottetown, or by calling 902-620-3333. Special guests for this show: Charlottetown's Francois Weber and Taylor Carver.



For more information:

Lloyd Ravn, Tour Organizer: 506-512-0566 or LloydRavn@hotmail.com
Darren Frost's website: http://www.comedywhore.com/
Dave Martin's website: http://www.davemartinworld.com/

Swingers Club

Have you ever been to a swingers bar? Ever wondered what it's like? Here's a video I made about a couple who visited a swingers bar for the first time.

Welcome to Holland, Bloorview

OK, today my blog is going to be uncharacteristically serious rather than the usual foolish (I originally typed "funny" and then realized that was a massive overstatement) blog post, because there was some news I thought was worth sharing. And that news reminded me of an essay I wanted to share for those of you who haven't seen it.  

Today was a big day at one of my favourite places in the world. If you know me at all, you probably know of my love for Bloorview Kids Rehab, Canada's largest pediatric rehabilitation centre for kids with disabilities. For those of you who have escaped my professions of love for Bloorview, either on Facebook, in person or at one of the "Laughs for Possibility" live comedy fundraisers I have organized and performed on, I'll give you a brief-ish outline of why I feel so strongly about the place.

My oldest son, Eric (5) started going to Bloorview for Occupational therapy through their Community Development Program (CDP) and to see a developmental pediatrician when he was 2, due to global developmental delay. He later began seeing a physiotherapist at Bloorview, went to the dentist there and attended the Bloorview Nursery School in Scarborough.

When Eric was 3, while on vacation in Prince Edward Island with his mother and brand new brother, Alex, he experienced a major stroke. After a month in hospital in the Maritimes, he was sent home to Toronto and was admitted as an inpatient to Bloorview's Brain Injury Rehab Team (BIRT) unit. After one month as an inpatient, he was followed by the BIRT Day Program in which he attended therapy at the hospital daily, from September to December of 2008.

After his recovery had progressed well enough that he could be discharged from the Day Program, Eric returned to the Bloorview Nursery School and to physio and O.T. through the CDP at Bloorview. Then, in May 2009, Eric suddenly experienced a second major stroke, followed by a third two weeks later. After a month at Sick Kids in Toronto, he found himself as an inpatient at Bloorview again, this time from June to October and in the Day Program until December. He started Junior Kindergarten in the resource program at the Bloorview School Authority. Upon discharge from the Day Program, he began being followed by the BIRT Outpatient program for physio, O.T. and speech therapy, and continues to be seen by this team today.

It is impossible to properly explain how much the people at Bloorview, over our nearly 4-year journey with them,  have impacted our family. Every single person we encounter in that amazing building and at the nursery school, is deeply dedicated to helping kids with disabilities move, as the Bloorview slogan says, "From Disability to Possibility." The wonderful doctors, nurses, therapists, therapy assistants, therapeutic clowns, teachers, volunteers, support staff, researchers and more at Bloorview go above and beyond on a daily basis to improve the lives of the unique children they serve.

Eric's first Bloorview therapist, an Occupational Therapist named Yvonne, made such an immediate and deep connection with this kid who, at age 2 had already begun to distrust adults in hospital-type environments, and helped him make significant developmental gains thanks to that connection, that I remember Jodi and I saying that she would forever go down as Eric's (and our) life-long hero.

We still feel that way about Yvonne, but what we didn't know at the time, is that as we continued to meet Bloorview staffers and volunteers, we would add literally dozens of names to our hero list. I'm not even going to attempt to name them all, but they know who they are. Every person we've dealt with at Bloorview, from the doctor who, hearing that Eric was having seizures one day during his time in the Day Program dropped everything in her busy schedule to sit with him for over an hour, watching him, comforting him (and me), to the Therapeutic Clowns who seemed to be able to read Eric's needs better than anyone else (including me) to the Nursery School teachers who set aside personal time to visit Eric during his hospital stays, to the ladies at the Tim Hortons coffee shop in the lobby who come out from behind the counter to give Eric and Alex a hug when they see them, and so on and so on, are heroes. I think their hiring policy begins with "all applicants, in order to be considered, must be able to perform miracles."

This week I've been thinking a lot about how much Bloorview means to us, since this is our second-last week at Bloorview. I know we will meet more heroes after we move to New Brunswick in a week-and-a-half, and will be closer to other heroes (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc), which is extremely exciting, but right now, the prospect of leaving Bloorview behind is often leaving me with a lump in my throat. In case I haven't made it clear, I love that place and the people in it and hate to imagine where we would be without having had them in our lives over the past few years.

So, I was interested to hear that effective today, Bloorview Kids Rehab is no more. Don't worry, all those heroes are still there, but the place changed its name today. After an incredible $20 Million donation from the Holland family, Bloorview Kids Rehab is now the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.

That $20 Million donation is on top of the $6.2 million that the Hollands have already donated to Bloorview. Bill and Suzanne Holland are dedicated to helping Bloorview... I mean Holland Bloorview, help kids with special needs meet their potential. They are parents themselves, but not parents of a Bloorview patient, as you might assume of someone who is so passionate about such a place. Bill Holland says “When my family and I toured Bloorview, I couldn’t decide which I found more compelling- the children who were dealing with disability in so many different ways or the professionals who were so dedicated in their work with them. I’ve seen many healthcare organizations up close and this is one I’m pleased to support because it works.” (quote taken from the Holland Bloorview website)

So this is a family who has more financial means than most of us will ever dream of, who could choose to support any cause, and indeed have chosen to support several not-for-profit organizations. There are a lot of great charities out there, some of which probably have a more direct connection to their family. But they decided to put their weight behind this place that I love so much. When I think about how much their support will mean for kids with special needs in Toronto, across Ontario, and (thanks to the ground-breaking research undertaken at Bloorview) around the world, I realize that we have two new heroes to add to our list. We've never met the Hollands, but we certainly appreciate them all the same. They have given kids like Eric an amazing gift: the gift of Possiblity. And we want to thank them for that.

Did I say "brief-ish"???

If you're still reading after my long love letter to Bloorview, you might as well stick around and read a bit more, because I have a link I want to share with you. I recently had an e-mail discussion with my sister about how one of the most important things that we can offer a kid with any kind of special need is understanding. So, I also wanted to suggest you read an essay written in 1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley about the way in which many parents of kids with special needs come to an understanding about the fact that their child has a disability. I think it's pretty amazing (even if it's a little sappy, but isn't that what parenting is all about?) Don't worry, it's much shorter than this blog entry!

Here's a link to the essay, called Welcome to Holland: http://www.our-kids.org/Archives/Holland.html

I think it's pretty apropriate for today, considering the Bloorview name change.

Ok, that's my love letter to Holland Bloorview, and my link for you. I promise my next blog entry will be much sillier, and much shorter.

Llove,

Lloyd

PS - if you want to read more about the Holland Bloorview name change, you can check out these links:

- here's a story from the Globe and Mail
- here a story from the National Post
- here's a piece from Holland Bloorview's just-released 2010 report to donors

Advertising so bold, I will gag

Is it just me, or is the current billboard campaign for Bullseye Barbecue Sauce the least appetizing advertising for a food product ever?

SAUCE SO BOLD PORK WILL PULL ITSELF

Now, I love me a pulled pork sandwich. mmmm. But the idea of pork "pulling itself" puts two, equally revolting images in my head.

First, I imagine a sad little piggy, cutting off its own shoulder, slow-roasting it, basted in a little Bullseye and then pulling it apart (one-handed of course) into tender pieces for my sandwich. I think it would be hard to eat while Porky is crying in the corner.

Secondly, and even more disturbingly, I imagine a pig tasting the sauce and finding it so amazing that he can't resist, ummm, "pulling" himself. By that, I mean pulling one specific part of himself. You know. Down in his bathing-suit area. If pigs wore bathing suits. And if pigs had opposable thumbs.

I love barbecue sauce, however I have never found the flavour to be erotic, but apparently it is like oysters to a pig.

I just hope that the next campaign isn't Bullseye's all-new Hollandaise sauce.

Misplaced Generosity

I took this picture in the bathroom of an Esso station (yes, I was that desperate that I visited a bathroom in an Esso)

If this washroom isn't up to your standards, please tell us. And accept a free air freshener as our thanks.

I decided to donate the air freshener back to the cause. I think they need it more than I do.

To me, this sign is like having a sign in a restaurant saying "if you don't like our food, please let us know. and accept an enrollment in a culinary class as our thanks." Or a hospital saying "if our doctors don't fix what ails you, let us know and we'll give you a medical kit to take home with you."

Book Learning

During a recent stay in Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) for my son Eric, we brought some favourite books with us, and also borrowed some books from the reading room. I noticed that when they were lined up on the bookshelf in his room, there was a secret message on the library's stickers on the side of the books.

Are these books homophobic, trying to get me all riled up by questioning my sexuality? It didn't work, books! I'm not in grade 8, so calling me "Gay Boy" doesn't hurt my feelings!