LOS ANGELES -- There's usually nothing "ugly" about Canadians who live abroad. They tend to fit in nicely and abide by the rules. You know, when in Rome ...
So what to do when it's your native holiday (Canadian Thanksgiving) -- but the hosts, naturally, don't understand why you just don't wait and celebrate all together on American Thanksgiving at the end of November?
In the cases of a few Canucks in this town, they remain quietly loyal to the Canadian calendar and celebrate on their own terms.
Kiefer Sutherland, for instance, is a huge enough star that he could have ordered turkey and gravy to be served Monday on the set of his TV show 24 as he worked on Season 8.
Instead, he worked, then celebrated at home with his Canadian family members, including dad Donald, who also live in Hollywood.
Brother Rossif said Kiefer's girlfriend -- an understanding Yank named Siobhan Bonnouvrier -- spent the day making turkey and the trimmings for the entire family.
"Happy Thanksgiving!" Rossif wished Sun Media readers back home in an e-mail sent through me.
Since she moved to the city from Oakville a few years ago, Lindy Booth -- co-star of The Philanthropist and October Road -- said she faithfully maintains Canadian Thanksgiving and usually invites other Canadians, such as actress friend Neve Campbell.
Although the usual cast of northern characters wasn't around this year, Booth nonetheless spent days in the kitchen of her L.A. home whipping up butternut squash soup, turkey, "mom's special stuffing" and pumpkin pound cake with buttermilk glaze.
"I'm introducing some of my new American friends to the yummy goodness of Canadian Thanksgiving!" she reported.
Actor, linguist and computer graphics whiz Philippe Bergeron taught his American wife to make his favourite French Canadian dish: "She makes the best sugar pie in L.A. and of course, she made one on Thanksgiving," said the co-star of the Alan Rickman film Bottle Shock.
"Of course, we always call mom and dad back in Montreal."
Myself, I made French-Canadian tourtiere, no easy feat since the key spice in my favourite Montreal-learned recipe -- chervil -- is not used here and must be ordered on the Internet. I served it to my two pre-teen Canadian kids who insisted on slathering the "meat pie" with ketchup.
ANDERSON IS SIZZLING: I may have mentioned when I saw Pam Anderson at a Chili Cook-off Festival in Malibu this summer she looked like she had "put on a few." Especially around her waist. Well, she had. But it is with relief that I can report, just about 10 weeks later, our Canadian icon is back in the shape we know and love.
Video of Anderson doing her new modelling gig prove the Ladysmith, B.C., babe has been hitting the Pilates machines (or at least doing zillions of crunches) with a vengeance.
Anderson, 42, is modelling sexy see-through ensembles and other wear for New York designer Richie Rich.
The designer tour for the new label, A*Muse, will bring her home for a weekend -- she's scheduled to titillate the brethern Oct. 23 at Ottawa's Parliament Ultra Club.
MASSARELLALINDA@YAHOO.COM
MASSARELLA, A CANADIAN WRITER IN LOS ANGELES, WRITES EVERY SUNDAY ABOUT NOTABLE CANADIANS LIVING IN L.A.
