John Harkness

I learned of the death of a good friend John Harkness, I just cant believe he is gone, for those of you that dont know him or never played poker with him, he was a very good poker player and also a film critic. I have had the pleasure of playing poker with john since pokerstars opened and I enjoyed every table we ever played on together. I have played on countless cash tables with john. john just like me, loved omaha hilo pl with a passion and he was very very good. when I was in a sit n go with him I knew what I was up against. I am truly going to miss my friend, he would always have something good to say to me and he was never ever out of line at the tables, john was the true definition of a respectable poker player. While John was obviously very knowledgeable about the film industry, hisreal passion was his hobby -- collecting watches. He could go on forhours about stuff that I knew nothing about, but it was OK since I couldtell he was enjoying talking about it.John also participated in the beta testing for Pokerstars. For histrouble, he received a very small ownership position in the company.December 18, 2007 at 6:56 PM EST John Harkness, the film critic for NOW Magazine since its beginning on Sept. 10, 1981, was found dead in his home in Toronto on Tuesday, according to Michael Hollet, the tabloid's editor and publisher. Mr. Harkness, who was 53 had been suffering from high cholesterol. "He had never missed a deadline in 26 years," Mr. Hollet said Tuesday fternoon, "so we sent somebody to his house when his copy didn't arrive." That is when they found his body and called the police. Born in Montreal in 1954, Mr. Harkness grew up in Halifax and Sarnia. He earned a degree in English literature from Carleton University in Ottawa before doing graduate work in Cinema Studies at Columbia University in New York City, where he studied under critic Andrew Sarris. "John Harkness was simply the best film critic in Canada over the last 26 years," said Mr. Hollet in a press release. "He has been an essential element of NOW magazine's success and his unique vision and bravery and art in expressing it inspired all of us at NOW to strive." Mr. Harkness also wrote for Sight And Sound, Take One, and the Cinematheque Ontario program and spent several years as a trade reporter for Screen International and Cinema Canada. His book on the Oscars, The Academy Awards Handbook, is currently in its eighth edition. besides being a film critic and author john loved to play poker with a passion, I will miss you john it is strange how one can become such close friends online, I will miss my friend dearly, R.I.P john harkness