Reaction Roundup: Rob Ford befriends an owl and reporters get excited
Rob Ford visited the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show yesterday, where he showed off his well-honed fishing skills, fired a gun and got spooked by a possum (we don’t blame him: those things are creepy). The mayor was in a jovial mood, clearly enjoying being the centre of attention for something that doesn’t involve a court appearance. Judging by the onslaught of articles, photos, tweets and videos from city hall watchers, they liked it too. Or, at the very least, they worked out that Ford + animals = funny, and decided to capitalize on the opportunity (naturally, so did we).
• The National Post wrote a play-by-play account of the day, including Ford’s attempts to bond with Alexandra, a great horned owl. The highlight: Ford blows in the owl’s ear and chides Global TV reporter Jackson Proskow: “Jackson, you could have been lunch.”
• Proskow got his revenge by tweeting several videos of Ford’s escapades, including the one below showing the mayor’s uneasy relationship with the owl.
• The Toronto Sun couldn’t resist the obvious puns. Its front page today depicts a gun-brandishing mayor and the words “Ford on Target,” and online, their story is titled, “Rob Ford a hoot at Toronto Sportsmen’s Show.” (To be fair, the Sun wasn’t the only outlet to give in to the “hoot” pun temptation.)
• The Globe and Mail swiftly edited journalist Marcus Gee’s cellphone footage into a short video with a delightful circus-meets-Lone Ranger soundtrack.
• The Toronto Star opted for a photo slideshow. Photographer Randy Risling deserves kudos for capturing some hilariously candid facial expressions from the mayor.
• Jonathan Goldsbie clearly thought so, too. The NOW writer wins a gold star for using one of Risling’s photos for a spot-on comparison of Rob Ford with Alfred Hitchcock.
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