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02/28/13
If there is one area of Toronto that deserves a rethink, according to one group, it could be the back laneways that snake through the city’s urban neighbourhoods. Instead of sketchy, rundown alleys with rusted-out garages and an atmosphere of impending doom, a local group would love to see the largely ignored areas put to good use as sites for laneway homes, public art and community engagement.
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02/28/13
Full House may have painted a pretty picture of Bob Saget, but his standup will give you a fresh perspective. The edgy standup comic is nothing like the persona that made him popular, which makes his show as much of a surprise party as it is a comedic act. He hits Toronto on March 3.
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02/27/13
As we sat down at the Granite Club for our sixth annual Real Estate Roundtable, last spring’s narrative of bully offers and bidding wars had given way to slowing sales. Here’s what the GTA’s top market experts had to say about whether we should brace for bearish conditions in 2013.
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02/27/13
If you ever wondered what the ’80s smelled like, then you might want to check out this Toronto comedic quartet, Smells Like the 80s. Okay, so maybe their B.O. doesn’t smell like Corey Hart, but their comedy sure doesn’t stink either. Double award winners at the 2010 Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, they’re headed there again next month.
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02/25/13
Every Monday, we round up the most exciting music news happening in Toronto. In this edition: a look the nominees for the 2013 Juno Awards, Sally Shapiro drops a new album and The Strumbellas play at Caplansky’s Delicatessen.
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02/24/13
With Academy Awards upon us, we take a look at Toronto’s biggest two purveyors of Oscar-winning movies. Bay Street Video and Videoflicks are independents still thriving in a world dominated by iTunes and Netflix. But who comes out on top?
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02/23/13
In 1988, hundreds of scientists and policy-makers met in Toronto for a major international conference on climate change.
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02/22/13
There are very good reasons why Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead has been revered as a modern classic since it first saw light of day onstage in 1966. And Stoppard has gone on to become one of the most respected playwrights in the world, for the legitimate reason that he is one of the most gifted in wit, craft, characterization and plot.
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02/22/13
Sunday night is the biggest movie industry event of the year — The Oscars — and we would be remiss if we didn’t offer our hopes, beliefs and criticisms on the major categories of the yearly Hollywood spectacular. Below, our picks for the top awards of the night.
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02/21/13
Most of us are looking forward to the spring, but a select few of us are hoping winter sticks around a little longer, especially for events like IceFest in Yorkville. Starting this Saturday, ice carvers will expertly cut down blocks of ice into various creatures of delight, including an “Enchanted Garden” display of gnomes, fairies and more. Bonus: it’s an all ages show, and it’s free.
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02/20/13
The 34th annual Rhubarb Festival kicks off today, featuring over 100 artists partaking in theatre, performance art and more. Once such artist is Sook-Yin Lee, who writes, directs and performs in How Can I Forget? We caught up with the CBC host and former MuchMusic VJ to talk about the show.
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02/20/13
Like so many other things in life, a concert that looks good on paper doesn’t necessarily translate that way in practice. That was the case with Maroon 5’s cold, unaffecting show at the ACC last night.
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02/19/13
Imagine if the movie Fight Club was about a secret society featuring competing painters and writers instead of, well, fighters. That’s the concept behind two new creative crazes hitting Toronto: Art Battle, an event going down later this month, and the Write Club, which is happening tonight.
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02/19/13
Map out your idea of a custom-made, surefire rock star from the ground up and you are likely to come up with someone bearing an awful close resemblance to Jon Bon Jovi. From his megawatt smile to his stage presence to his arena rock voice to his boundless charisma, the seemingly forever-touring JBJ is the embodiment of a true rock star.
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02/19/13
Nobody can accuse Canadian author Yann Martel of not following through on his ideas. His latest book, What is Stephen Harper Reading?, chronicles a passionate four-year campaign that involved sending a book and a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper two times per month. Martel is in town tomorrow to take part in a Kama Reading Series event.
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02/17/13
When it comes to interviewing morning television hosts, there’s an unwritten rule in journalism. It goes like this: the writer asks the star how they manage to be so lively at 6 a.m., the star claims not to be a morning person, and jokes about caffeine addiction ensue.
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02/16/13
The emcee is the first comic the audience sees, and the emcee becomes the voice of the show and the representative of the club. It’s a job I used to do myself, but since I’ve retired from active performing, there’s one comic that’s my go-to emcee: Jay Brown.
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02/15/13
While The Tragically Hip may not be a traditional Valentine’s Day choice for the Air Canada Centre (John Mayer and Jon Bon Jovi have both had couples flocking to the ACC on previous V-Days), it was oddly appropriate to have them on stage. After all, Thursday night’s show could have been considered a love affair between the Canadian icons and the 13,000 strong in attendance.
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02/15/13
For a film series that’s geared towards young film lovers, the second annual TIFF Next Wave Film Fest is surprisingly mature and wise, delightfully filled with optimism and charm. The three-day event, which kicks off tonight at TIFF Bell Lightbox, has plenty of variety for the young filmgoer and for the young-at-heart filmgoer. Here are our top picks from the fest.
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02/14/13
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Canadian International AutoShow makes its way back to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre this weekend for another grand showcase of cars from the past, present and future. The 600,000-square-foot space will showcase everything from eco-friendly vehicles to customized hot rods to Bugattis and Rolls-Royces.
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02/14/13
Growing up is already hard to do. But growing up in today’s social media–driven world? That’s exceptionally difficult. Add to that a hormonally fueled navigation through the dating world as a teenager, and, well, that’s, like, totally hard. And any parent of a teenager knows how challenging it can already be when a teen becomes interested in dating.
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02/13/13
The inaugural Toronto Black Film Festival kicks off Wednesday with a slate of feature films, shorts, and documentaries in tribute of Black History Month, the 50th anniversary of the ‘I Have a A Dream’ speech, and of course some quality filmmaking. The festival has a wide variety of tones and themes to showcase, but we liked best the flicks that follow youth in Africa. Here are our top picks.
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02/13/13
In a sea of raunchy comics who abide by a “the more expletives, the better” mantra, Andrew Chapman’s comedy is refreshing. Much like Jerry Seinfeld (one of Chapman’s comedic influences), Chapman’s routine is clean, polished and “semi-observational,” which probably helped land him a slew of gigs at YTV, including the new show, Extreme Babysitting. We chatted with the Toronto comic about his first standup performance, Rich Little and Hollywood’s oldest stuntman.
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02/13/13
Although she’s still living at home with her parents in Waverley, N.S., singer-songwriter Mo Kenney has taken a huge step in her evolving musical career — she quit her day job at the Dollar Store. That’s big time.
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02/12/13
Annually, the editors of Post City Magazines invite me into a room full of realtors and economists for a debate over the local housing market. After a few hours of evisceration, you can normally collect me with a spoon.
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02/11/13
Every Monday, we round up the most exciting music news happening in Toronto. In this edition: Stars launch a free tour EP, Drake wins big at the Grammys, Divine Fits tackle Springsteen and more.
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02/11/13
On Friday night, in front of 15,000 adoring, storm-braving fans, Lady Gaga performed the first of two shows at the Air Canada Centre. It was an over-the-top, mesmerizing production, just like her previous Toronto shows.
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02/11/13
A penthouse atop the boutique building at 77 Avenue Rd. in Yorkville went back on the market last month for $2,595,000 — $400,000 less than it was listed for at the end of 2012.
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02/10/13
In the final stretch of the awards season, it’s now the musicians’ turn to honour the most distinguished artists in their industry at tonight’s Grammy Awards ceremony. But before you settle in with your popcorn and prepare to judge the outfits - from the classy to the down right scandalous - we’ve gathered some facts that’ll put a Canadian spin on tonight’s festivities.
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02/09/13
The NHL hockey season is underway, as is the 60th anniversary season of Hockey Night in Canada — the longest-running sports show on television. And that also means a return to Coach’s Corner and the blustery brilliance of Don Cherry along with his broadcast partner Ron MacLean. Post City caught up with the puck-loving pair at the CBC’s recent launch event.
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02/09/13
Those public hearings the city held about casinos? I didn’t attend. The chance of learning anything new about casinos was limited. The chance of the meeting being hijacked by one faction or another was high. The chance of influencing any politician was nil. Why spend a few hours getting frustrated?
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02/08/13
I’m slightly terrified to talk to Gail Vaz-Oxlade, who has agreed to give me something of a financial makeover. Most of us know Vaz-Oxlade as the host of TV shows Til Debt Do Us Part and Princess, where she’s not the kindest woman when it comes to people’s financial woes. She goes all boot camp on them. While watching, you’re, like, “Are you kidding me? — $25 for entertainment for a week?”
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02/07/13
For you history buffs, Heritage Toronto has partnered with the Ontario Black History Society and BAND (Black Artists Network in Dialogue) to arrange a special bus tour this weekend that celebrates Black History Month. The route will take you around the city to explore where people of African descent made significant contributions to our city.
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02/06/13
Fratwurst is an all-beef (meaning, all-male) comedy troupe, piled high with Evan Arppe, Eric Miinch and Josh Murray, who create raucous laughs that are something to relish. The trio regularly make the rounds on the local comedy circuit and will be featured in next month’s Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival. We chatted with cast member Miinch about their creative process, Cripple Claus and condiments.
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02/06/13
Staff at the Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) are having to flex their creative muscles to find solutions to avoid closure now that the City of Toronto has denied them an annual subsidy of $160,000 following their annual budget meeting.
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02/06/13
There are many nouns that can be used to describe Meg Tilly: actress, writer, Oscar nominee, survivor. Now there’s a new one to add to the list: Torontonian. After a decade away from the spotlight, writing books in rural British Columbia — a life U.K. tabloid The Daily Mail termed a “sometimes eccentric seclusion” — Tilly is in Toronto and back on our screens.
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02/05/13
Should the University of Toronto have allowed the student levy-funded Sexual Education Centre to conduct a student field trip to Oasis Aqualounge, an adults-only sex club? Two Toronto “sexperts” weigh in.
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02/05/13
The Eglinton Crosstown light rail transit (LRT) line is hitting road blocks as the provincial transportation agency Metrolinx attempts to push the project forward. Currently, the agency is in the process of consulting the public on the possibility of extending the tunnel by 2 km at its east end.
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02/04/13
Every Monday, we round up the most exciting music news happening in Toronto. In this edition, Grounders sign a record deal, Drizzy drops a new single, Thomas D’Arcy releases his first solo album and more.
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02/04/13
Today the plug was pulled on “Penny,” the Canadian one-cent piece, but her body will lie in repose for viewing, indefinitely, on top of dressers and in kitchen drawers country-wide. Born 1858, Penny Moneypenny (spinster) was 154 years old when she was struck, for once and for all, by a large machine at the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg last spring.
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02/04/13
After hearing that the newest TTC Rockets will be getting exterior door chimes along with some other tweaks, we got thinking about another well-known sound that every TTC commuter knows very well. It’s a sound that grabs our attention — or tries to, at least — during even the most chaotic and loudest of rush hour times: the TTC pre-announcement chime.
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02/04/13
Adam Korson is a man who talks a lot about sperm. Not in a pervy way, he just has a lot to say on the subject. Especially when it comes to the issue of sperm donation.
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02/03/13
At the much-anticipated 2010 Hong Kong premiere of his hit documentary Sharkwater, filmmaker Rob Stewart held a standard post-screening Q & A. When the lights came up in the theatre, he called on a young woman who thanked him for a beautiful film but then bluntly asked, “What’s the point of stopping shark finning if the UN predicts that by 2048 the fisheries are actually going to be all wiped out?”
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02/03/13
When it comes to the NFL, Canadian representation is slim. A player here, a player there. One of the finest examples of a Canuck making it big in the NFL is Steve Christie, one of the most successful kickers in league history. With this weekend’s Super Bowl festivities, one can’t help but think of the Oakville native with the record-setting boot.
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02/02/13
Any Canadian who owns a television probably recognizes the face of Jennifer Podemski. The Torontonian has been gracing small screens since the tender age of 12 when she got her first paid gig co-hosting an episode of the CBC’s Wonderstruck, a science show aimed at kids, alongside Bob McDonald.
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02/01/13
With the Academy Awards just weeks away, we’re in full-on movie mode. Thankfully there are two film programs opening this weekend that will satiate all of our cinema cravings. TIFF’s Oscar Shorts, showing all the films nominated in the Best Live Action and Animated Short categories. Movie fans can also hit up Cineplex’s The Great Digital Film Festival, which gives favourite flicks the digital treatment on the big screen.
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02/01/13
Matt Dusk may have been born in the wrong era. From his showbiz name to his tailored suits to his love of a good proverb, pretty much everything about him screams “rat pack” cool.
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01/31/13
The Harbourfront kicks off Black History Month with Kuumba, a free festival that includes dance, music, film and much more. Hit up the Kuumba market place for some worldly shopping, or if you’re more adventurous, try your hands at the Kuumba drumming circles.
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01/31/13
There are legendary playwrights, such as Shakespeare, who live forever in our hearts, quotation books and high school exams. There are minor playwrights, whose plays we may read or see on the stage, who are too numerous to list. And there are inventive, daring, even raunchy playwrights, whose fame shoots across the sky for a short time before fading from view.
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01/31/13
Sheila McCarthy speaks quickly, in torrents of asides, exclamations and declarations, of all that she’s done and all that she’s excited to do. The actress, a resident of North Toronto and one of the most recognized Canadian performers in stage, film and television, leaps from topic to topic with the bounce and energy of a first-time performer.
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