 |
07/03/12
If you miss the wheels on the bus going round and round on your way to summer camp, then you’ll love Camp Shecky. A Play on a Bus. This Fringe adventure takes place aboard a yellow school bus that winds through the streets of Toronto, where you become the camper and witness the drama of the camp staff unfold.
|
 |
06/29/12
Not many films terrified the world the way Jaws did back in 1975. From its eerie music to its bloody deaths, there’s no question as to why people were afraid to go into the water after seeing it. Besides its visceral effect on film-goers, Jaws also changed the way we think about summer movies. Cinephiles can experience the great white terror all over again at TIFF Bell Lightbox with a week-long run of the digitally-restored flick.
|
 |
06/29/12
Get sauced this weekend at Toronto Ribfest, where barbecue masters will cook off for more than 200,000 meat lovers. Held at Centennial Park, the all-you-can-eat ribfest will also have a beer tent, live music, a Guinness World Record-holding illusionist, a carnival and — yes — fall-off-the-bone, sticky, smoky deliciousness. And did we mention admission is free?
|
 |
06/29/12
It takes a real man to admit when he’s wrong. It takes an even realer man to exchange his baller status for a bowler hat, buy the largest bouquet of flowers ever and head over there to apologize. Let’s do this, John.
|
 |
06/28/12
Back in 1949, cops were cops. They didn’t carry tasers, they carried guns. They stood up straight, looked you in the eye and struck a pose in their parachute pants. After all, they were too legit to quit.
|
 |
06/27/12
Ah, the age of classic screwball comedy. When farce was classy, not crude, and couples took the long way around. Romantic glances were exchanged as frequently as fast-paced barbs, and women were hard-working dames and not damsels in distress. If you long for those good ol’ days, you’re in luck. Starting tonight, TIFF in the Park presents classic screwball comedies underneath the stars every Wednesday. Here’s a peek at our favourites from the film series.
|
 |
06/27/12
Ben Caplan's bone-crushingly rugged, smoky vocals and foot-stompin' gypsy-inspired rock make for raucous live sets. Backed by The Casual Smokers (whose roster changes almost every show), he's tamed his ferocity on his first full-length record, In the Time of the Great Remembering. From frenzied folk songs to lyric-heavy ballads, Caplan jumps from banjo to guitar to piano in wayward musical exploration reminiscent of Tom Waits or Mark Lanegan.
|
 |
06/27/12
Almost every little girl dreams of a June wedding while making veils from empty pillow cases. Then the real day comes and she has to walk down the aisle with a McLovin lookalike who’s borrowed his dad’s sailing outfit for the big day, while her older single sister steals her thunder, again. Looks like one crowded honeymoon.
|
 |
06/26/12
A favourite of ours from earlier this year, Avenue Q returns to the Lower Ossington Theatre due to popular demand. It's a must-see for college grads and whoever's had a crush on a puppet (everyone).
|
 |
06/26/12
There’s nothing like a non-threatening old man smoking a pipe during his lunch break to remind us that aging gracefully is possible, even if you are being worked to the bone at 80 years old when you should be lying on a beach in Fort Lauderdale.
|
 |
06/25/12
An in-your-face approach to comedy has made Toronto-based comedian Dave Merheje one of Canada's most original stand up acts. He produced the We Ain't Terrorists comedy tour alongside Ali Rizvi and is regular on the Just For Laughs circuit (he'll be featured at the fest in Montreal this summer). Oh yeah — he was also just nominated for Best Male Stand-Up at the Canadian Comedy Awards.
|
 |
06/25/12
Sure, city heat waves suck — slimy toes in Birkenstocks, wet armpits — but the worst was when you had to rip off your front door with your bare hands in order to get some relief from the swelter.
|
 |
06/22/12
Before “found footage” and Paranormal Activity, there was this mysterious swinging door. Its random behaviour must have been due to some ghost that wanted to rattle everyone’s sense of security. Confound those ghosts and their mind games!
|
 |
06/21/12
The Wall was played at the Berlin Wall at the time it fell, and it will be played from beginning to end in Toronto this Saturday when former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters plays the Rogers Centre. The iconic album may have larger political leanings, but to Waters, it represents growing up after losing a father, which he said helped him to empathize with others. And don’t forget: you can’t have your pudding without first eating your meat.
|
 |
06/21/12
Yep, it sure does suck when it’s your job to typeset and you let “your” stand in for “you’re.” Again. After 2,000 copies have already been printed. Remember: “your” is a possessive adjective and “you’re” means “you are.” Example: it’s your fault that we have to be stuck in this sweaty basement for another week printing out more copies. You’re such a tool.
|
 |
06/20/12
The Beach Boys were in Toronto on Tuesday night, playing less the part of legendary rockers and more the role of ringleaders in an 11,000-person sing-along. The crowd on hand at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre, most of whom had clearly grown up on the band, happily served as back-up vocalists, lending their voices to an anthology of Beach Boy classics.
|
 |
06/20/12
With bands such as Wintersleep, Constantines and Fleet Foxes getting regular radio play, it comes as no surprise that Toronto-based folk/indie-rock band The Wooden Sky has an ever-growing fan base. With an impressive band roster, whose current and former members include musicians from Ohbijou, Timber Timbre, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Forest City Lovers and The Mars Volta, we admittedly hold The Wooden Sky to a higher standard.
|
 |
06/20/12
Note to parents: when you work away from home too much and raise your eight kids on Alice in Wonderland and Ovaltine, you get this: an uncalled for sense of entitlement.
|
 |
06/19/12
Live from the CenTre is a different kind of comedy troupe. Comprised of familiar faces from The Second City, this group takes on socially important and relevant issues — like teaching dogs how to read or recommending beets to cure depression — via an improvised web series.
|
 |
06/19/12
We know all about throwing shade at political rallies, but throwing punches? That’s hardcore. And the guy on the receiving end is just so cool about it. He’s all like, “Give it to me.” Somebody probably said, “Dude, no one’s gonna to show up at the rally,” and he said, “Don't worry about it” and then orchestrated the whole thing just to grab some attention. That's really taking one for the team.
|
 |
06/18/12
“Highway to the Danger Zone” was right. The latest adaptation of Top Gun! The Musical, playing at the Lower Ossington Theatre, spins out of control almost as furiously and tragically as the F-14 jet that crashed in Top Gun the movie, killing Maverick’s lovable partner, Goose.
|
 |
06/18/12
We’re not sure if this guy is waiting for a trolley isn’t showing up or just doesn’t like his picture taken, but either way, he personifies the old Spanish proverb that says, “A kiss without a moustache is like an egg without salt.” Plus, his ‘stache is El Salvadorable.
|
 |
06/16/12
Starting today, TIFF Bell Lightbox is screening a new series starring two of Hollywood’s buffest behemoths: Arnold “I’ll be back” Schwarzenegger and Sylvester “I’m your worst nightmare” Stallone. From Conan the Barbarian to Cliffhanger, Schwarzenegger/Stallone: The Rise of Beefcake Cinema follows the trajectory of the post-Steve McQueen, pre-CGI superhuman action hero.
|
 |
06/15/12
Probably equally as weird as they are awesome, The Flaming Lips are playing at Yonge-Dundas Square this Saturday and will surely prove to be the highlight of this year’s NXNE festival. In the past, their psychedelic, far-out sets have included spaceships, puppets, loads of confetti and, of course, Wayne Coyne’sZorb.
|
 |
06/15/12
While you lie in front of your big flat-screen TV complaining that there's nothing on, just thank your lucky stars you're not these kids from 1913, who had to go down to the old creepy knife sharpener to get their jollies.
|
 |
06/14/12
Ah, the high wheel. A giant middle finger to all those losers who think extending the fork on a motorcycle is zany. Nah. Try riding a penny-farthing up a large hill, bro. Popping a wheelie will seem like child's play afterwards. Trust.
|
 |
06/13/12
The Sheepdogs will be jamming at a (top secret) backyard in Toronto tonight at what is probably the hippest charity event ever: Servestock. Every summer, to benefit at-risk youth, musicians and celebs perform at a private backyard party, the location of which is only revealed to ticket holders.
|
 |
06/13/12
Baby modeling was pretty cutthroat back in the day. Sure, this youngin was pretty much the Gisele Bundchen of babies, but she knew that if she didn't lose a few ounces soon, she’d be just another flash in the pan, paving the way for a blond baby who was edgier and —gasp! — younger to take the rattle and crown.
|
 |
06/12/12
Watch favourite local improv troupes like Pink Slip (pictured), Jape, British Teeth and many others battle it out in the early rounds of Sketch Com-Ageddon. The winner, um, marries Ben Affleck?!
Comedy Bar, 945 Bloor St. W., 416-551-6540. June 12-14.
|
 |
06/12/12
Remember when hammering nails into random pieces of plywood with your friends was equal to throwing down the gauntlet of coolness? Well, in 1931, that’s how it was. As these ladies demonstrate, the act of nail-hammering was a great test of a woman’s attractiveness and strength. And you knew you hit the nail on the head when you made every other woman look like your mom.
|
 |
06/11/12
Though she says she got into stand-up “by accident” in 2009, comedian Rhiannon Archer’s busy schedule (she’s pretty much booked this month, including a stint at this month’s NXNE festival) proves that there really is no such thing as an accident. Performing at the Rivoli tonight, we chatted with Archer about flying belts, the boys’ club of the comedy world and making herself laugh.
|
 |
06/11/12
Indie folksters Evening Hymns, founded by singer and songwriter Jonas Bonnetta, are working away at a new album to be released this year that will be called Spectral Dusk. But to whet the appetites of eager fans chomping at the bit for a little hymnal action, the band has released a first taste of the album: the song “Arrows” is currently available via Soundcloud.
|
 |
06/11/12
Before the women of Sex and the City and the girls of Girls, there were these dames: four single ladies from 1913 looking for Mr. Right to put a ring on it. When they weren’t going on disastrous picnic dates with textile workers, these BFFs were dishing on where to buy the latest girdle, exchanging tomato soup recipes and causing uproars by flashing ankle skin. And, of course, the one on the left was involved in an off-and-on relationship that was totally bad for her.
|
 |
06/08/12
Puppy lovers, unite! This weekend is Woofstock, the annual doggie love-in which celebrates man's best friend. Now in its ninth year, the St. Lawrence Market event is completely free, and includes a pooch-friendly high tea event at the King Edward Hotel, a Mr. and Mrs. Canine Canada Pageant, and the Running of the Pugs. Warning: a cute puppy overload will no doubt ensue.
|
 |
06/08/12
The Euro 2012 soccer championship kicks off this afternoon. And, though the games are taking place several time zones away, they sure will be felt throughout multi-cultural Toronto over the next three weeks. Expect to see flag-adorned cars and bars packed at strange hours of the day (hosts Poland and Ukraine are six and seven hours ahead, respectively).
|
 |
06/08/12
Sure, this photograph may have been taken in 1953, but it could easily be a familiar scene come January 2013 thanks to one of the biggest “Fordian slips” of all time. No word yet on whether bag boys will be making a comeback, but we kinda hope so, since they sure were cute.
|
 |
06/07/12
Cai.ro met each other on Craigslist, and after a face-to-face Tim Hortons’ coffee and shaky basement jam session, they’ve been honing their sound ever since. The result? Rich, fuzzy, orchestral indie rock with massive sound. Backed by booming drums, honeyed vocals, warm strings and driving bass, Cai.ro have (shockingly) remained unsigned. But they’ve been gaining a cult following in Toronto.
|
 |
06/07/12
When not inventing cubism or lurking in his blue period, Pablo Picasso was a clean freak who liked nothing better than to get out the Swiffer and Windex and have a real go at his apartment. That, at least, is according to the subversive imaginings of Toronto artist Eric Rosser.
|
 |
06/07/12
The Clash may have whined, “I got my motorcycle jacket but I’m walking all the time,” but like these dudes from 1912 prove, there’s bikers out there without jackets, or even half-decent choppers, who are still riding to live and living to ride because that’s where they live. Literally.
|
 |
06/06/12
This has to be one of the best excuses ever to slack off from cleaning your car. Your windshield isn’t dirty, it’s just an artwork that hasn’t happened yet.
|
 |
06/06/12
There's aging gracefully, and then there's aging kick-assedly, like this guy. He's damn classy with that glass of milk, but what really does a body good is his cavalier 'tude that says, “Yeah, I'm drinking a tall glass of straight-up vitamin D. What of it?” If we don't get to be this guy for at least a couple hours before we die, we are going to wreck the shiznit out of heaven.
|
 |
06/05/12
Toronto hip-hop artist Drake announced yesterday has signed up R&B star The Weeknd and rappers A$AP Rocky and 2 Chainz for his third OVO Fest at Molson Amphitheatre on August 5. It adds to an already packed summer of music in Toronto that features the likes of The Black Keys, Coldplay and The Beach Boys. Here are our picks for 20 concerts you can’t miss.
|
 |
06/05/12
We like to imagine that these two women were involved in a Truth About Cats and Dogs situation where the “smart” one was telling the “beautiful” one what to say to the guy through some sort of way-ahead-of-its-time candlestick telephone earpiece. It’s going well until some nutso bee distracts the smart one and she’s all like, “Get out of here, stupid bee!” and then the beautiful one repeats it and the guy realizes what’s going on and dumps both of them, because who needs the drama, right?
|
 |
06/04/12
It’s been a while since anyone called us “Toronto the Good,” and now we may be about to find out just how far our moral standards have fallen. A new art project is seeking volunteers to confess their sins on camera — and it wants to broadcast those confessions to commuters on the subway.
|
 |
06/04/12
We wouldn’t want to face these ladies in a dusty old tavern back in 1913. Sure, they’re all smiles, but when these cowgirls weren’t panning for gold, they were skinning squirrels alive for dinner, blasting cigars out of men’s mouths and sucking down whiskey like it was tax deductible. Annie Oakley only wished she could shoot a gun like them.
|
 |
06/01/12
Today is the 45th anniversary of the release of The Beatles’ classic album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and this weekend legendary Canadian musicians are reinventing the entire record at the Harbourfront Centre.
|
 |
06/01/12
If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Unless a creepy Joe Pesci look-alike sneaks up behind you and threatens to pilfer your big catch of the day. Fine. Let him. The fish is totally fake, anyway. Just don’t tell him he’s funny.
|
