My family went to Toronto to visit relatives when I was 13 or 14. It was the first time we had ever been abroad. This was the early Eighties, and I remember the impossible glamour of air travel - my mum spending days trying to decide what she was going to wear on the plane.

Distance and difference become irrelevant as our technology connects youth from Vancouver, Toronto, Iqaluit, Attawapiskat, Delhi, Nairobi - anywhere - to learn from and about each other.

I trained in Toronto with a private acting teacher, who was wonderful, for years growing up.

I grew up in Toronto and as long as I can remember, as long as there was cable, even those old cable boxes that were wired to the TV, there have been Bollywood movies on Toronto TV.

Music is the only passion I shamelessly indulge in. However, for recreation I enjoy watching movies. 'Wizard of Oz' was the first film I ever saw, followed by the 'Bond' movies. I also watch a lot of World cinema through DVDs mostly brought by one of my best friends who's now based in Toronto.

Toronto is a special city, and the environment is perfect for the arts; free and alive. I'm a New Yorker, and Toronto reminds me of a much cleaner New York, so it's like coming home after your mom just cleaned your room for you; for me that's a lovely environment.

The fact that over 50 per cent of the residents of Toronto are not from Canada, that is always a good thing, creatively, and for food especially. That is easily a city's biggest strength, and it is Toronto's unique strength.

I dropped out of school to play poker, and at 21, I moved from Toronto to try my luck as a pro in Vegas. I ate the typical meat-heavy diet of most poker players in the '90s: burgers and steak, along with French fries, mash, and a bucket-load of wine, beer, and vodka. There was nothing fresh in my diet, and I felt terrible.

I make personal appearances around the country. I'm starting a book tour now, and I may be coming to Toronto with the Learning Annex, which I'm doing all through the United States, so that may come up just before Christmas.

I grew up in Toronto and as long as I can remember as long as there was cable even those old cable boxes that were wired to the TV there have been Bollywood movies on Toronto TV.

Well Toronto I consider to be the birthplace of my films. I've made three films and this is the third one to premiere here in the same theater on the same day at the same time - they are my audience. They're the people that I think about while I'm writing directing and editing. I specifically make movies for them.

Not only did I get to play with these great international musicians but I also had the opportunity to jam with the local celebrities in Toronto people like the Walsh Brothers David Wilcox Kim Mitchell and the like. It was a great learning experience.

I make personal appearances around the country. I'm starting a book tour now and I may be coming to Toronto with the Learning Annex which I'm doing all through the United States so that may come up just before Christmas.

Right now a lot of people are still choosing to go to Toronto instead of shooting in New York City something I haven't done and something I hope I'll never have to do.

I really like having a life outside work. I sometimes wish I did more career stuff and was in that Hollywood scene a bit more. But Toronto's my home.

I think I would say 'The King's Speech' is surprisingly funny in fact the audiences in London Toronto LA New York commented there's more laughter in this film than in most comedies while it is also a moving tear-jerker with an uplifting ending.