Entertaining Librarians since 2000

I know that several of my readers are attending the Ontario Library Association Conference in Toronto next week, and you couldn't have picked a better weekend. The WinterCity 2007 festival is on, which means no shortage of events to keep you busy.

Part of the festivities is Winterlicious, where dozens of excellent Toronto restaurants offer fixed price menus for lunch ($15) and dinner ($25/$35). It's a super chance to try some fantastic restaurants in Toronto. Check the Winterlicious website for menus and make reservations.

I have to give special credit to Fred's Not Here, which is offering 8 different mains for lunch and 7 mains for dinner, which is above the typical 3 mains most Winterlicious restaurants offer. It's 2 blocks north of the Metro Convention Centre, at John and King.

You also have concerts at Nathan Phillips Square, with the highlight being a free show with The New Pornographers on Saturday February 3rd at 8pm. I know it may be cold, but you'll be dancing too much to notice.

I work in the same neighbourhood as the Metro Convention Centre, so if conference attendees are looking for some good quick lunch between sessions, the best kept secret is the food court across the street from the Convention Centre. It's easily accessible through the CBC Building, and has some good options. recommend Green Curry Thai and Vietnamese. The line-up looks long, but it runs really quick. The food is fresh and has good flavour, and you get a lot of bang for your bucks. Much better than watered down pasta from East Side Mario's.

And hey, if you want to sample some of the watering holes, drop a line and we'll see if we can work out a meeting after work.

Here are a couple of friends of Jason who are working the conference this year. They're some fine folks who love people who love books, so take the time to check them out:

• Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers is having a mass book launch on the Friday, and among the authors is my old friend Liam O'Donnell. Go by and ask him about his books. And then ask him how he manages to write so many children's books, and write the Max Finder Mysteries in OWL Magazine, and doing speaking engagements at children's libraries, and take up running. Then ask him how he still manages to put in time on Warcraft despite all that.

• My old employer National Book Service is one of the sponsors; they're a book wholesaler that caters exclusively to schools and libraries. I'm not sure who's working the booths, but drop my name and they'll treat you right. A least a couple of folks there will know me.

The less I like "Studio 60" the more I like "30 Rock."

TVCHAT: 30 Reasons to Love '30 Rock' covers all the bases on why '30 Rock' is the best new sitcom this year. Where Studio 60 stumbles, 30 Rock has made sure footed strides. I had no real expectations of this show, but I'll be damned if it didn't sneak up on me and get quite brilliant. A good sign is when a show gets quotable: "This untowards! This is not towards!"

Jack: (to Liz) I like you. You have the boldness of a much younger woman

I am surprised how much this show has turned up the laughs and the pacing's improved ever since a shaky pilot. It's doing what a new show should: gotten better, gotten zanier, gotten bolder. It's improved whereas "The Class" has just floundered about after all the hype.



Jokes are crafted and can be subtle, weird, or the results of a set-up several scenes before. The characters have developed nicely, and Tina Fey has gotten a bit more comfortable with appearing in front of camera, developing Liz Lemon into a charming neurotic mess in a position of power. And that Golden Globe win for Alec Baldwin? So very much deserved. His portrayal of Jack Donaghy is just killer on this show, with lines like: "My mother tried to send me to Vietnam to make a man out of me. I was 12."

Jack: The Italians have a saying: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." They've never won a war or mass-produced a decent car, but in this, they are correct.

Another reason to watch: Whoopi Goldberg had a cameo the other week and I laughed. At Whoopi Goldberg. On purpose.

This show fits so nicely in that NBC Thursday comedy block with my favourites The Office and Scrubs, my Thursdays are now a write-off. I know many of you have missed out, as it is up against CSI and Grey's Anatomy. Do yourself a favour: tape or PVR and save it for a night that sucks. Like Wednesday.

Mash-Up On Russian Moterway

This is the Lefortovo tunnel in Moscow, Russia. It's 2.2 km (1.367 miles) long, making it is the third longest in-city tunnel of Europe. It's also insane: the tunnel runs under the Yauza River, and water leaks in at some points. When the temperature reaches −38 degrees Celsius as during the winter of 2005, the road surface can freeze.

This video was taken during a single day with the tunnel monitoring camera.

Top 5 Lists I've Read This Week

For those of you who went through a Beatles' phase and then moved on, and for those who just don't get what the fuss is about, Stlyus compiled a list of Top Ten Beatles Songs for Lapsed Fans. They do the impossible and manage to knock it down to 10 quality songs, which doesn't read like a "Top 10 List", but showcases the different elements that make them great. (ALOTT5MA)

Translating advertising and marketing slogans can lead to some comic mis-steps and altered messages. So don't be like the Top 13 Worst Slogan Translations Ever, and spend the time to run your potential slogans through Google language tools. (ALOTT5MA)

The Global Language Monitor lists Top 10 Bushisms of 2006. Topping the list? "I'm the Decider..." (ALOTT5MA)

The A.V. Club lists off the likely, maybe, and never gonna happen future inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They skip over Radiohead and Nirvana, who can be argued as inevitable inductees. (largehearted boy)

KarateParty lists the 100 worst martial arts movie names. (largehearted boy)

How do you solve a problem like Isaiah?

Apparently you can check into rehab for anything these days, including homophobia and career suicide. Stupid stupid Isaiah Washington

Let's review the drama and attention drawn to Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington:

• He calls co-star T.R. Knight a "faggot", which leads to T.R. outting himself but not on his own terms. The f-bomb is revealed as the cause of a fight between Patrick Dempsey and Washington, and it seems to blow over after T.R. comes out.
• Months later, Isaiah gets called on it in the Golden Globes press room and denies calling T.R. a "faggot", causing an palpable air of discomfort as he pretty casually drops that word in public. Katherine Heigl, who I've underestimated, had the stones to publically call him on his B.S. This is followed by T.R. going on the Ellen Degeneres show and he talks about what happened, how everyone heard him being called a "faggot' and why he came out at that point.
• The f-bomb has overshadowed everything from the Golden Globe awards. At this point show producer Shondra Rimes still hasn't issued a statement, which she finally does this week.
• All the negative press prompts ABC executives to get involved, which leads us to this week when Isaiah checked into a rehab centre to get to the bottom of his homophobia, which apparently is a problem involving his "soul". Not booze, not because he was abused as a child, or forced to wear pink socks to school, but his soul is troubled. Nice way to pin it down on an abstract concept and not take the blame. D-Bag.

So Isaiah is apologetic, but not really. Whether he still has a job is up in the air. If Dr. Burke is written off the show, it's doubtful he'll be given a fond farewell or even the dignity of a flaming helicopter falling on him; it will be off screen and everyone will just move on. You can't watch Grey's Anatomy now without thinking just how the hell can they do their jobs and share scenes with each other after all of this. And just what would have happened if this was reversed and Patrick Dempsey or T.R. Knight had dropped an n-bomb on Washington? Mhmm.

If all goes well, maybe we can open the Isaiah Washington Rehab for the Homophobic. It will look just lovely in the brochure next to the Marge Schott School of Race Relations.

And why do I use the word "faggot" in quotes? Because that was Isaiah Washington's word, not mine.

Good God, Someone's Getting Funky

It's been a month since James Brown, Godfather of Soul, passed away on Christmas Day, and his body still remains unburied while matters of his estate are still being argued. At this rate, they can roll out his freeze-dried corpse at the Grammys and he'll be the first musician to ever attend his own "In Memoriam" tribute.

Stop waiting for that phone to ring Gary Cherone

Van Halen is one of this year's Rock and Rock Hall of Fame inductees, and usually the inductees play a song or tune at the ceremony. I've been speculating which version of Van Halen would potentially play: the original line-up with David Lee Roth singing (1978-1985), or Sammy Hagar (1985-1996)? The Roth line-up had the biggest hits and was the most rocking with "Panama" and "Hot for Teacher", but Hagar was part of the period that saw the band reach a wider commercial audience with "Right Now". Over the years, both singers, and the many lesser-knowns who followed Sammy Hagar, have had multiple falling outs and reunions, so it's anyone's guess who would show up in Cleveland.

In what looks like a sign of things to come, Roth is back yet again for another go round.

Van Halen reuniting with Roth for summer tour - Yahoo! News

Oscar Nominations announced

The nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards are up. I'll put some initial thoughts up later today, but most of the categories lack a strong favourite and are wide open. "Dreamgirls" and "Babel" have the most nominations, but the first surprise is that despite all the nods, "Dreamgirls" didn't get a Best Picture nomination. Prominent Canadians in the running include Ryan Gosling for Best Actor in "Half Nelson" and Deepa Mehta's "Water" is up for Best Foreign Language Picture.

Full nomination list is here.


Best motion picture of the year

“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) An Anonymous Content/Zeta Film/Central Films ProductionAlejandro González Iñárritu, Jon Kilik and Steve Golin, Producers

“The Departed” (Warner Bros.)A Warner Bros. Pictures Production Nominees to be determined

“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.)A DreamWorks Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures ProductionClint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg and Robert Lorenz, Producers

“Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)A Big Beach/Bona Fide ProductionNominees to be determined

“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)A Granada ProductionAndy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, Producers


Achievement in directing

“Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage) Alejandro González Iñárritu

“The Departed” (Warner Bros.) Martin Scorsese

“Letters from Iwo Jima” (Warner Bros.) Clint Eastwood

“The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada) Stephen Frears

“United 93” (Universal and StudioCanal) Paul Greengrass


Performance by an actor in a leading role

Leonardo DiCaprio in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)

Ryan Gosling in “Half Nelson” (THINKFilm)

Peter O’Toole in “Venus” (Miramax, Filmfour and UK Council)

Will Smith in “The Pursuit of Happyness” (Sony Pictures Releasing)

Forest Whitaker in “The Last King of Scotland” (Fox Searchlight)


Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Alan Arkin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)

Jackie Earle Haley in “Little Children” (New Line)

Djimon Hounsou in “Blood Diamond” (Warner Bros.)

Eddie Murphy in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)

Mark Wahlberg in “The Departed” (Warner Bros.)


Performance by an actress in a leading role

Penélope Cruz in “Volver” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Judi Dench in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)

Helen Mirren in “The Queen” (Miramax, Pathé and Granada)

Meryl Streep in “The Devil Wears Prada” (20th Century Fox)

Kate Winslet in “Little Children” (New Line)


Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Adriana Barraza in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)

Cate Blanchett in “Notes on a Scandal” (Fox Searchlight)

Abigail Breslin in “Little Miss Sunshine” (Fox Searchlight)

Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls” (DreamWorks and Paramount)

Rinko Kikuchi in “Babel” (Paramount and Paramount Vantage)


Best animated feature film of the year

“Cars” (Buena Vista) John Lasseter

“Happy Feet” (Warner Bros.) George Miller

“Monster House” (Sony Pictures Releasing) Gil Kenan

Ahead of the curve, as long as that curve was 5 years ago...

Wherein So Quoted points to Walter Mossberg's review of Windows Vista that can only be described as Mac-tacullar and Mac-tastic.

So Quoted: I think this speaks for itself

You will believe a man can explode

NBC’s Heroes returns tonight after a winter break. The next few episodes will see more interaction between the heroes, Claire's search for her birth parents, the introduction of new characters, including Chris Eccleston ("Doctor Who") as an "Invisible Man" who may help Peter figure out his powers.

The Toronto Star has an interview with creator Tim Kring, as he discusses "Heroes". Kring is, despite assumptions, not much of a comic book guy and has an outsider's perspective on the genre. He does have several talented folks on staff who have put in time on comic books, such as writer Jeph Loeb, and Isaac's illustrations are done by Tim Sale. Loeb and Sale have collaborated on some terrific comic stories like Batman: The Long Halloween, which was one of the influences for the "Batman Begins" movie.

I'm enjoying the traps that "Heroes" has bypassed in telling a story about super-powered people: capes, costumes, and code names can look silly when portrayed in a realistic style (*cough*Daredevil*cough*). Most of the characters are reluctant to embrace their powers, let alone use them. I'm curious if we'll see any non-powered heroes emerge in the coming months. The self-made hero has always been around longer than the powered heroes, from pulp mystery-men of the 40s like The Sandman and The Shadow, to better known heroes like Batman and Green Arrow. The story possibilities are intriguing, because what can a common man do compared to a time-traveller or girl with a healing factor?

We'll see if the Heroes can maintain its momentum and continue to be appointment TV. Appointment TV is when I make an effort to catch it every Monday, like I used to do with Lost and X-Files, both shows that started strong and saw interest wain as mysteries were dragged out to long.

And on the subject of Lost, we will see how Juliet came to be on the island, the story on Jack's tattoo, and FINALLY the story of how Locke ended up in his chair.

And today's brain teaser: just what does happen if Peter absorbs Sylar's powers?

Illustration by Cameron Stewart (The Other Side, Seven Soldiers: The Guardian): RAID blog.

TV Guide has some scoops and info on upcoming Heroes episodes

Thanks to Blog at Newsarama

Wikipedia: Heroes

In praise of the lactose tolerant

It's an internet pile-on as hundreds of customer comments have appeared on the Amazon.com page for Tuscan Whole Milk. Tuscan Whole Milk has drawn about 896 customer comments, ranging from what the D&D point value for a gallon of milk, to short stories, and statements like "a dingo tried to eat my baby but this milk saved her. Praise Tuscan Whole Milk!"

NY Times: On Amazon, All of a Sudden Everyone’s a Milk Critic

Found on ALOTT5MA