Jim Cuddy and Michelle Stafford @ Pearson Airport, Toronto ON
No, this isn't a review, just a fun anecdote. This happened on Saturday, July 14, 2001, that date being significant for two reasons:
1. It was the day after Blue Rodeo's annual Toronto show
2. It was the day after Friday the 13th, when our flight from Vancouver to Toronto was delayed in both Vancouver AND Toronto and we ended up missing the last flight back to Windsor while waiting inside the plane on the tarmac for a gate to open up.
As it turned out, that wasn't such a bad thing. Here's the rest of the story:
My cousin and I got put up in a hotel for the night (all on Air Canada's tab of course) and were scheduled on a flight back to Windsor the next morning at 8:45.
We got to Pearson airport at around 8:15 and were walking to our gate, when down the terminal I saw none other than Bazil Donovan! It looked like he was headed for the men's john, but when I rounded the corner I realized that he was actually going to a gate... and the Jim Cuddy Band was all there: Anne Lindsey, Colin Cripps, Bazil Donovan, Joel Anderson and Jim Cuddy! I started walking in Jim's direction and he saw me and said "Hi!" In the meantime, my cousin's behind me literally hopping around 'cause she's never met Jim before. We told him we were headed to Windsor and he said something like, "Well, aren't you fancy!" as in, "It's only a 4 hour drive from here, why are you flying?" Jim and his band were on their way to Timmins for a show that night. I asked about the show the night before and he said it was fabulous or incredible, or both, or neither, 'cause I don't remember things like that very well. But anyway, it was something that implied it was very, very good Then we asked to take some pictures, said thanks, and "Have a good show tonight," and "Bye," and then literally hopped down the terminal to our gate. I guess our bad luck the night before got turned around that morning.
BTW, any fans of The Young and the Restless here? 'Cause once we got to our gate, the girl sitting across from us overheard us still giggling about Jim and asked if we were fans, 'cause the woman that was sitting over there plays Phyllis on the show.
So "Phyllis," whose real name is apparently Michelle Stafford, was sitting behind us. At one point, we moved, just to get closer to the gate and we ended up sitting behind her. My cousin started joking, asking "Dare me to start singing the theme song?" (you all know that heart-pounding piano theme to Y&R). But that really wasn't the funny part. As it turned out, she was on the flight to Windsor with us, to go to an autograph signing at Sears. While we were boarding the plane, this one guy was visibly freaked out at the "petite" size of our twin prop Dash 8 and was saying how he's seen cropdusters bigger than this! He was on the plane pretty much across the aisle from the actress, except that they both had window seats, so he didn't really notice her. At one point during the flight, I saw him order two small bottles of alcohol along with a can of Coke from the stewardess... he must have needed to calm his nerves at 9:30 in the morning. After 45 min or so, we finally arrived in Windsor, and everyone was getting off the plane. That's when the nervous guy noticed the actress and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you look like that woman off of uhhh.... umm... All My Children?" And meanwhile the rest of the people on the plane all started giggling, 'cause they all knew who she was at this point. Then, seemingly realizing the folly of his observation, he said, "No wait! Young and The Restless!" By this time, she was almost off the plane and out of earshot. I managed to get his attention through all the giggles and say, "Dude, that's her! She really is on Young and Restless!" Of course, he was really freaking out by then, so once we were inside the airport he started apologizing and asking for an autograph.
*whew!*
So that was my busy morning... and to think, I wanted to go home the night before!
P.S.: Has anyone else ever seen Jim just after 8 in the morning?!?!
