Shilling for some "famous" people I know

I don't mean this to be a name-dropping post.  I just want to give a little leg up to a few talented people I have the good fortune of knowing and who are promoting things online.

• Phil Villeneuve, a fellow graduate of École secondaire Le Caron in Penetanguishene and one of my brother's best friends (more on him later) is making a name for himself by unselfconsciously dacing his way through such Toronto landmarks as the ROM, the Eaton Centre, and the subway.  He even got a shout out from the Scissor Sisters onstage after he danced to their song "Any Which Way" in 2010. Phil's latest performance caught the attention of the Toronto Star this week.See all his videos on his YouTube channel 
• I met Anna Södergård a few months ago in Picton, New Zealand.  Aside from being incredibly easy to talk to, friendly and interesting, Anna is a great artist. Now, I don't speak or read Swedish, so I'm not sure what her blog says, but I can tell you that her artwork there is great.  Check it out
• I had the opportunity to meet Ben Mandelker a few years ago when he was in Toronto for a wedding and I was visiting my then-boyfriend who lived there at the time.  Ben is a Los Angeles-based writer who is best known for his blogging about TV and food under the monicre B-Side. He's been known to rub elbows with some of reality TV's heavy hitters  and even co-created the nickname "Chenbot" that Big Brother host Julie Chen has adopted with pride.  I've been reading Ben's hilarious TV recaps and other fine writing for years. You should too!
• Last but not least in my list of shills is Damien Robitaille. As most of the handful of people who read my humble blog know, he's my wee brother and he's a francophone musician.  He's doing quite well and hardly needs any of my meagre help promoting himself, but I try nonetheless.  I've been talking him up to all the French and franco-Canadian people I've been meeting during my travels, so maybe I'll convince at least one or two people to check him out. If you haven't yet, go see Damien's slick site.

OK.  Shilling over.