Step aside Tinsletown. Toronto, dubbed "Hollywood North" for its active film industry, has its own star-studded "Walk of Fame," and its biggest red carpet yet was rolled out on Saturday for this year's Canadian inductees.
Actor Michael J. Fox and director James Cameron were among those honored in front of hundreds of reporters and fans in the city already flooded with celebrities for the Toronto International Film Festival.
"I don't know if I deserve it, but I'll take it," Fox told Reuters before getting his star.
Fox, 47, famed for his legendary teenage roles in the 1980s as young Republican Alex P. Keaton from the hit show "Family Ties" and Marty McFly in the "Back to the Future" time-travel movies, originally received a star in 2000 but was unable to attend until this year.
Semi-retired from acting due to Parkinson's disease, Fox said returned to TV this past spring as a guest star on the firefighting drama "Rescue Me."
"I'm feeling pretty good, actually really good, and compared to what I had thought it might be at this stage, it's terrific," he said. "I had a nice summer, played a lot of tennis, played a lot of golf, it feels good."
Also on hand was Cameron, 54, hailed for his epic "Titanic," "Terminator" and "Alien" films, and he attributed some of his success to the fact he was Canadian.
"I really do owe a lot to Canada, to my education, to my work ethic that was instilled in me by my parents -- my father was raised on farm near here," said Cameron.
He shot parts of steamship disaster film "Titanic," the top grossing movie of all time with roughly $1.8 billion at worldwide box offices, and the TV series "Dark Angel" in Canada, and he continues to look for opportunities to return.
"I think that does inform who you are and the likelihood of your success," he said.
Presenting Cameron with the tribute was his "Alien" leading lady Sigourney Weaver, who also stars in Cameron's upcoming film "Avatar."
This year's other luminaries from entertainment, sports and fashion include singers Bryan Adams and k.d. Lang, comedy troupe Kids in the Hall, NBA star Steve Nash, supermodel Daria Werbowy and 90-year-old actress Frances Bay, dubbed "Hollywood's Grandma" for her old-lady characters in TV shows and films such as "Seinfeld" and "Happy Gilmore."
Previous inductees of Canada's Walk of Fame, which started in 1998, include Alanis Morissette, Paul Anka, Jim Carrey, Shania Twain, Wayne Gretzky, Celine Dion and Pamela Anderson. via
