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

Teeth on the Dial: Renewals

The following shows have been confirmed as being officially renewed for next season: "The Office," "Earl," "Heroes" and "Law & Order: SVU". No word yet on whether Chris Meloni or Mariska Hargitay wiill return to SVU, as will be determined by contract negotiations.

"Everybody Hates Chris" will live to see season 3 next year, "Survivor" will be back for at least two more seasons, "Scrubs" will definitely be back for a seventh on NBC or ABC, and the CW are negotiating for one more year of "Gilmore Girls".

If Scrubs and Gilmore Girls come back next year, it would be for likely the last season for each.

Patriots-Colts Random Column Generator

Are you ready for some football? It's hours until NFL Championship Sunday, and I'm desperate for some football insights. You can't get past the door at Jenster's place if you can't tell your Manning from your Brady.

Thanks to ESPN2.com I can pull together some last minute NFL smarts by using their handy Patriots-Colts Random Column Generator. After a few minutes with this generator and some 5-sided dice, you too can write your own insights on today's Colts-Patriots confrontation without dropping the ball. Plus, I learned that "winningest" just should not be counted as a word. Also, I'm pretty sure "LOL" and "IIRC" don't belong in a sports column.

Just as sure as I am that "New England and its quarterback are the winningest combination in the sport", I'm sure I'm "always ready for some football".

Scrubs gets musical with the medical

A reminder to set the PVR, because tonight is the musical episode of Scrubs, with lyrics by the creators of 2004 Tony Award winning musicalAvenue Q, which was about a bunch of . Here's your preview of "Guy Love", about the closest bestest friends ever, who are close, but not in that way.



Thursday at 9pm NBC.

BTW A touring production of Avenue Q is finally in the works according to Wiki-pedia, seeing as how the Vegas didn't do well. Broadway hits and Vegas don't always mix, so trust me if you like musicals, puppets, and songs like "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?" and "It Sucks to Be Me": see the show.

Planet of Sound: Amy Winehouse ain't going to Rehab

Watch this video once, and you'll be humming it all day. Then you'll realize every time you've hummed it, your body is grooving to it, putting a little bump in your walk, maybe a little chair dance at your desk. A songstress with a 50s-60s girl group vibe to the music. A woman who is at turns both smooth and broken, a modern incarnation of Billie Holiday in both voice and lifestyle.

This is Amy Winehouse.



Loving the horn section on that song.

"Rehab" is her response to her managment's efforts to send her to rehab for alcohol abuse after several "Lohan-esque" escapades that were featured in the UK tabloids. She refused, dumped the management company, and got a UK Top Ten hit out of it. But despite the tabloid fodder behaviour, she sure can sing. The combination of a hard living but talented singer is definitely drawing comparisons to Billie Holiday: both the talent and the sad side. I hope she can sort herself out, because she's got a great voice and a sly knack for songwriting. She may be a bit of a mess, but there's a rough rowdy charm to her, just like the new album, Back to Black, which is out now.

Official Site: Amy Winehouse
Wikipedia -Amy Winehouse
Myspace: Amy Winehouse
All-Music Guide with a good write-up and discography of Amy Winehouse

I'm in for an afternoon of waiting rooms and power tools. I'm off to the dentist and then to the garage to drop off the car to get the brakes and the windshield wiper motor fixed. I figure one needs to be able to both see and stop when winter driving. I've loaded 2 episodes of 24 onto the iPod and a couple episodes of Extras (from the creators of the original Office), so that should get me through the wait at the garage. Ciao.

(And no Amy, I don't plan to go to Crappy Tire. They've haven't done anything particularly wrong in the past, just that the customer service has never given me a reason to come back.)

Steve! Steve! Steve! Steve!

"Springer" bodyguard gets own talk show - The burly security guard on "The Jerry Springer Show" will bring some tough love to his own daytime talk show in the fall.

Celebri-Don't

Don't willingly give the public or your enemies more ammunition for public relation battles:
At the unveiling of his Hollywood Walk of Fame star, Donald Trump boasted about his young son Baron, describing him as"strong, he's smart, he's tough, he's vicious, he's violent — all of the ingredients you need to be an entrepreneur". His son is 10 months old. What parent encourages that type of behaviour in a kid and brags about "vicious" and "violent". If Barron knocks down another child at the sandbox and takes their toys, does Donald refer to it as a new acquisition? Like Rosie O'Donnell will let that quote go unmentioned on The View. By the way, congrats on your crappy reality show getting crappy ratings. D-Bag. (source: TV Tattle.com)

Don't be afraid to repair your tarnished public image by spending a few nights in rather than go clubbing:
How bad is Britney Spears' reputation? She recently was turned down for a Super Bowl ad due to her being too much of a "trainwreck". The NFL network will go with their preferred choice: Paris Hilton. Nice Brit, you're the second choice to what I imagine herpes as a blonde. Britney also showed up on the annual Blackwell's worst dressed list, which was followed by her stylist immediately publicizing that she had nothing to do with that: "Yes, I’ve done Britney Spears, but don't blame me, okay? I make her up and she just takes everything off and does her own thing."

Don't blatantly flaunt your daddy issues in public:
Lindsay Lohan has been dating the Girls With Low Self-Esteem Girls Gone Wild creator Joe Francis.

Don't be afraid to bring out the big guns:
After Stephen Colbert's scathing performance at last year's White House Press Correspondant's Dinner, who does the White House bring in this year? Rich Little. Yes, the impersonator guy who, frankly, some of us assumed had died already, but apparently has not. Pretty blatant example of getting someone so inoffensive, so mild by comedy standards, that you are guaranteed Bush will be the funniest guy in the room and won't be criticized. This is like George Bush offering one, and only one, "no holds barred and, ask him any question" interview, and then giving that interview to Kermit the Frog for K-MPT news Elisabeth Hasselbeck from The View.

Edit: Nikita reminded me that there's nothing meek or tame about Kermit the Frog, as shown in a Daily Show clip where Kermit was the guest (yes really), and managed to get the better of Jon Stewart. The clip was pulled from YouTube a while ago, but it is priceless. So yes Nikita, I think Kermit is much more cutting edge than Rich Little. And Rich Little is to comedy as Elisabeth Hasselbeck is to journalism.

Could be worse: Michael Richards is always available. Always.

Coffee Talk

Oh what the hell: here's a few links so you know what the hell people are talking about around the water cooler / coffee cartridge thingy:

• The transcript of Sacha Cohen's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes after winning Best Actor - Musical or Comedy. "Just remember, this is in his own, polite, British voice, and not in character" - ALOTT5MA. Was there any doubt? It's an award handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press, and the nomination was for playing a foreign reporter.

• What's Alan Watching? is my daily check-in for write-ups on the previous nights TV from Alan Sepinwall, TV critic for the The Star-Ledger. He's got the write-up on last night's "24". This is the first season I am watching (I'll catch up on the DVD's) and once you sign off on the "Suspension of Disbelief Because It's Only A TV Show" affidavit, it's all good. If you don't sign the affidavit, you're liable to question how Jack can spend 2 years being tortured and then get back to running around LA with no signs of muscle atrophy. Or how his cellphone always has power and a signal. Or how...

Glad to see Alexander Siddig getting a prominent role since his turn as Dr Bashir in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and in Syriana Sepinwall nominates him for "Best Post DS-9" career, right on the tail of Colm Meaney. The whole "He's a terrorist but he's trying to stop a worse terrorist" makes him an unlikely partner for Jack Bauer. And how about a shout out to Canadian comedian Shaum Majunder in a drama role!

Now excuse me while I picks chunks of Kumar and Valencia, California off my TV screen.

Barista was not in the job description

I'm glad to see we finally got coffee machines in the office. We've been relying on the Tim Horton's downstairs for ages, and now we have one of those single-cup machines where you load a coffee/tea cartridge, drop in a quarter, then it brews and pours in 35 seconds. Neat, pretty fresh and it makes sense cost wise: with 600 people in the building, providing free coffee would get prohibitively expensive.

The added bonus is less snacking: whenever I go to the Tim Hortons, I feel easily tempted to get a muffin or donut. Now I can get my coffee without the temptation of an apple fritter or worse, the chocolate danish - it's the Mary Magdalene of pastries.

Unfortunately the kitchenette is about 20 feet from my desk and separated by a wall that only stops about 3 feet from the ceiling: I. Can. Hear. Everything.

Commence the running coffee commentary.

I'm going to be sitting through a week of exclamations of "Wow, look at the coffee machine" and "What's to stop someone from taking all the coffee cartridges?". Or people coming out of the kitchen and stopping at my desk to ask "Have you seen the new coffee machine? and "How wonderful is the new coffee machine?" and "Did you see 24 last night?"

And if I hear "How does it work?", I have to go over to show them. I don't have to do it, it's not like it's part of my job: what I mean is I AM COMPELLED TO SHOW THEM. I can't resist the question "How does does it work?" or "How do I do this?", it's like an automatic response for me to answer "I'll show you." Probably why I'm a trainer. It's all very Pavlovian.

I also feel compelled to show them after 2 minutes of "But where does it..." and "Is it supposed to..." and "That doesn't look right..", or because at minute number 3 I will likely burst into the kitchen, ranting as I go "It's coffee! It's just coffee! Cripes, it's not difficult, it's not a half-caf soy mocha latte with light whip and sugarless sugar, it's coffee!"

Maybe I drink too much coffee?

Planet of Sound: Great Gigs, Great Bands, and David Bowie Enters His Golden Years

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to see more concerts this year. I seemed to have slacked off going to live shows in 2006, but the next 3 months will see a number of my favourite bands roll through Toronto, most of whom I haven't seen play yet but have a reputation for excellent live shows. The March 24th weekend is especially sweet:

Bloc Party - March 25th at the Kool Haus (don't think tix are on sale yet)
The Roots - Saturday March 24th at the Kool Haus with Zaki

THE M#**$#*$*ING ROOTS!! YEEEAAAHHH BOY! And they're not at the godforsaken Docks venue this time out. I know The Roots have a rep for having some hit and miss live shows, but when they are on, they are on. Anyone who is on the fence about this gig, go watch Dave Chappelle's Block Party and watch them turn that mutha out. Seriously wicked band. I didn't realize until watch Block Party that ?uestlove, the drummer, is the music arranger and the frontman of the band. Sort of blew away the preconcieved notion that only singers and lead guitarists could be frontmen. Plus, local songstress Zaki Ibrahim is the opener! Check out Zaki's myspace page for a treat as she is bound to be a global diva.

TV on the Radio play Kool Haus on Sunday, March 4, 2007. Tickets are on sale now, and I'd snap them up quick. Their album Return to Cookie Mountain topped quite a lot of Top 10 album lists on the web and in print. Pitchfork review of Return to Cookie Mountain (rating: 9.1)

The Toronto Wintercity festival has a great line-up of Canadian talent for free over two weekends at Nathan Phillips Square. Names to see include some hella-good live performers: Sloan, The New Pornographers, Elliott Brood, Oh Susanna. Check the site for times. The one band you may find a pleasant surprise, and I mean that as a compliment, is Elliott Brood. The sound can only be described as Death-Country, banjo playing, floor stomping, "WHoo Hoo!" inducing good times.

Not a single Broken Social Scene bandmember or side-project on the Wintercity bill. I image most of them are working on their own albums. The most prominent BBS-related gig would be with Apostle of Hustle aka Andrew Whiteman. Andrew plays guitar in BSS and has style that is very prominent on BSS releases. He also was the guitarist for The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir, a mainstay of the Toronto music scene in the late 80s-early 90s. His new album is National Anthem of Nowhere and is out February 6, 2007. Andrew is playing a 4 gig stay at The Rivoli, playing Wednesdays for 4 weeks at The Rivoli: Wed, Jan 24, Jan 31, Feb 7 and Feb 15.

I'm relieved that the gigs I want to see aren't at Ricoh Colliseum or The Docks. My dislike of those venues periodically overrides my desire to see a band I like.

And last, but by no means least, +nurse plays The Bovine Sex Club on Thursday, February 8th. Friend of this blog may recognize BrokenEngine as a member of the band. Every time he invites me out to a gig or a birthday, I seem to be moving on that exact night. The gig at O'Grady's Bar on College? Moving out of my apartment the next morning. His birthday at The Gladstone? Moving out of the housesitting gig the next morning. I don't plan on moving in on a Friday morning in February, so I hope to make it out this time.

Whew that's a lot of shows, and a lot of bands I've always wanted to see but haven't had the chance yet. Now if only Tom Waits, David Bowie, Radiohead , or Interpol were hitting the road this month. Man, how awesome would that show be with all of them on the same bill?

By the way: David Bowie turned 60 this week. 60! The fact that he lived past the 1970s is remarkable enough, but I hope I look as half as good at 40 as David Bowie does at 60. Now Iggy Pop turns 60 in April, but he looks about 105. Mind you, he still the most badass, hard rocking, lean mean lizard-skinned sex machine 105 year old out there.

myspace pages:

Apostle of Hustle
TV On The Radio
The Roots
Bloc Party
Zaki Ibrahim
Sloan
Elliott Brood
The New Pornographers
Oh Susanna
+nurse

the2scoops

Pepperpot

Winterlicious, returns January 28 to February 8, so get ready to make like a glutton until you can't see your toes. Over 130 restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe menus at $15 or $20 for lunch and $25 or $35 for dinner. Blog TO has some tips and recommendations for Winterlicious, and so does Torontoist.

Stuffed Full of Methamphetamine Elmo.

Jenster at No Such Nonsense has her picks for the NFL Divisional Playoffs. Looks like those Saints are marching in.

With the news that David Beckham has signed with the LA Galaxy soccer team, Toronto FC has seen a surge of season ticket sales, as The Galaxy will be playing Toronto this summer. Toronto FC has extended their ticket line hours this weekend to meet demand for season seats. With The Beckhams set to storm Hollywood, look for Victoria to start the inevitable and ill advised acting career.

Do the Apostles qualify for a shared minutes plan?

PvP by Scott Kurtz , with another word on the iPhone:

click for whole strip

The iPhone isn't the cure to any specific disease, does not solve homelessness, starvation, turmoil in the Middle East and Africa, and is not guaranteed to get anyone laid. That being said, it is still kind of a cool gadget. And now I can recommence my perspective.

What a brave corporate logo! I accept the challenge of Mr. Sparkle.

The Simpsonzu by *spacecoyote on deviantART

Check out this wonderful manga reinterpretation of The Simpsons by a fan who goes by the name SpaceCoyote. The original picture is below.



SpaceCoyote also did a sweet picture of Futurama looking, well, futuristic. I love that she included some of the fan favourite gags like the Hypno-Toad, Orphan-Bot, and Fry's fossilized pet dog..

Found on http://blog.newsarama.com/2007/01/08/introducing-the-simpsonzu/

Apple unveils iPhone; sucks to be Zune

After months of speculation, Apple finally unveilled the long in development iPhone, which blends the multi-media functionality of an iPod, with wireless internet and phone. I think I just heard Motorola and Nokia passing out.

Apple already has the iPhone up on their site. No word on price or Canadian carriers, but it appears Cingular Wireless will carry the GSM phone in the US. My money is on Rogers as the initial Canadian carrier.

Update: The phones will start shipping in June. A four-gigabyte model will cost US$499, while an eight-gigabyte IPhone will be $599. Prices will be probably be lower for those buyers who sign up for cellular plans.

• The beauty part of this device is that it's a touchscreen interface, and switches to a widescreen video mode. Bye-bye click wheel on the next round of iPods?


• The memory comes in either 4GB or 8GB, which puts it in the iPod Nano range. There appears to be an expandable memory slot on it too.


• Runs on OS/X platform, and you can sync it with iTunes on your PC or Mac.


• Safari internet browser, and syncs to your bookmarks on your PC or Mac.


• 2.0 MP camera


• Very very shiny


• It says 5 hour battery life in video playback or talk mode. Probably eats battery power like a monster.

On sale date hasn't been announced yet, likely pending Federal Communication approval. But damned if it doesn't look like the wait was worthwhile.

BoingBoing.net has on the spot coverage:

Width: 11.6mm. Runs OSX. Will be iPod + mobile phone + internet communicator. No bottom keyboard, but a screen that can shift. One button on front, 3.5" screen, 160 pixels per inch display. Jobs: "Multitasking, networking, power management, graphics, security, video, graphics, animation." Ambient light sensor. Accelerometer allows it to sense whether in portrait or landscape mode. View video, listen to music with iTunes... contact management, scroll through contacts... visual voicemail... Quad-band, WiFi, bluetooth, GSM / EDGE data.

Jobs: "What's the killer app? Making calls!," promises ease of use for initiating and receiving calls.... multi-session SMS messaging... widgets... push IMAP, like Blackberry... Safari web browser...

Sucks to be a Treo or Zune today.

Apple also announced their AppleTV module, which will allow users to stream digital media from their computer to their TV sets. It's priced on the site at $299 US.

But who gets custody of Tim Robbins?

Holy cow, we finally have a celebrity break-up that I care about:

Piven and Cusack friendship may be over

Last call for several Toronto spots

This year saw a number of my favourite restaurants and bars close down. They were all pretty reliable for a date, a casual get-together, or birthdays. I hadn't realized so many had shut down until I looked at the list:

• Montreal Bistro, perennial Toronto jazz bar
• Cobalt on College was a cozy funky spot for drinks and hosted Easy Tiger, an anything goes DJ night of mostly indie and Brit pop.
• Oasis on College, a fun space with tasty tapas and jugs of sangria
• I could have sworn Cafe Margaux, the french bistro (also on College - I wonder if that's a sign of things to come?) was closed and had a new name when I went by last month. Any confirmation?
• Accordion Guy and Blog TO confirm that Gypsy Co-op on Queen shut down over the holidays. Some of you may remember it as the bar/restaurant with a candy store in the front entrance. I thought they were still thriving, with a terrific old-skool night Never Forgive Action, but apparently the owner can't afford the upkeep. The obituary is here.

These places may not have been as chic as the late and lamented Sassasfraz, but I miss having them around. And while not eateries, we also lost the Festival Cinema group and The Revue in particular. The Royal on College has since reopened, but no new buyer has been found for The Revue, which is still on the market.

Now I better go and make sure C'est What and Queen Mother Cafe are still open...

Capricorns Unite

I was pleasantly surprised this week when I found out two of the bloggers I regularly read (and who read and comment here frequently) share my birthday: Broken Engine and Jacquie (Artifacts). I thought I'd do a little digging and find who else shares a birthday on January 3rd. The list is all over the place, but it seems we roll in some interesting company:

1892 - J. R. R. Tolkien , author of the Lord of The Rings series
1929 - Sergio Leone, Italian Film Director of spaghetti westerns ( The Good, the Bad and the Ugly)
1939 - Bobby Hull, Canadian hockey legend
1946 - John Paul Jones, bassist for Led Zeppelin
1954 - Jim Ross, WWE wrestling announcer
1956 - Mel Gibson, actor and director
1969 - Michael Schumacher, German race car driver
1975 - Danica McKellar, actress. Best known for playing Winnie Cooper in the television show, The Wonder Years. She holds a Mathmatics degree from UCLA, authored a published paper, and has a theorem named after her. Also, known for growing up to be quite the babe.

The one about My Birthday

I turned 31 on January 3rd, so I think we'll mark it with a night out. I'll be at The Charlotte Room pool hall and restaurant on Saturday evening, January 6th. It's in downtown Toronto - one block east of Spadina, north of King. I plan to be there after 7, but I expect we'll be there past 10, so come by anytime that night. Feel free to swing by, shoot some pool, and help me ease plunge plummet into my 30's.

Don't worry, I promise not to hustle you: my pool shooting skills are fueled by beer or gin. Come to think of it, most of my skills are fueled by beer or gin. Besides, I can't recall one night of pool that didn't involve me accidentally ricocheting the cue ball off the table. Typically that marks the need-one-more-beer/had-one-beer-too-many gauge for my pool skills.

http://www.charlotteroom.com

Pepperpot

• Best. Haircut. Ever.
  

• Jodi Picoult talks about writing Wonder Woman. Oddly enough, Jodi is only the second woman to write a Wonder Woman series in the character's 60+ year history. Mindy Newell was the first.
  

• See ya Seth: The O.C. Is O-Ver. Shame, everything I've been reading indicated it was having a creative resurgence. The CW was rumoured to be thinking of moving it to their network, but I don't think they'd follow through due to the expense of the cast. The once-hot-but-then-not O.C. ends its four-season run Thursday, Feb. 22

• The end of 2006 also saw the end of Foxtrot weekly comic strips. The comic strip's creator, Bill Amend, decided to move to a "Sunday only" format because it was time he "got out of the house and tried some new things". I've always found the strip charmingly goofy and didn't take itself to seriously. And after almost 20 years, at least Amend knew when to leave. How long must we endure Beetle Bailey and Hagar the Horrible? The final weekly strip is here.
  

• In a time of reflection, let us appreciate the legacies of ex-President James Brown, deposed dictator Gerald Ford, and the Godfather of Soul, Saddam Hussein. Jen Dziura provides what I can only describe as a looney bit of a obituary mash-up.

What smells like candle wax melting on a Passion Flaky snackcake?

The answer is my office's nice gesture on my birthday. Yes, it's my birthday today.

It's funny how the most obvious thing didn't occur to me.

What didn't occur to me is that this is the first time in years where I don't have to work the night shift. At the book company it was always the first business day of the year and we did inventory that time. The last few years in my old department, it would be a mandatory work night due to it being the first banking day after the holidays. I usually do a weekend party, but it never crossed my mind that one should actually go out on one's own birthday.

Duh. Who says you get smarter with age? Oh well, some hasty calls and an evening of wings and beer to be had. Still going out on the weekend to get snookered though.

Grim Reapers love to play the trifecta

Check The Fien Print reminded me about how Death tends to hit in threes, particularly in regards to celebrity/well-known types. With a recent spate of deaths he pointed out one of the stranger "Trinity of Death:

James "The Hardest Working Man In Show Business" Brown, Gerald "The Least Elected President In History" Ford and Saddam "Co-Star of 'The Big Lebowski'" Hussein.

It's the semi-unexpectedness of Hussein's execution (does that tamper with Death Pool rules?) that pushes this week's Deceased Trifecta ahead of the month's earlier odd menage a trois of Augusto "Where Have All The Dictators Gone?" Pinochet, Peter "Puttin' On the Ritz" Boyle, and Joseph "Ugly Animation" Barbera.

I dug a little bit and found an odd Trinity from back in September 2003, which saw John Ritter (DoD: Sept 11/03), Johnny Cash (DoD: Sept 12/03) and Leni Riefenstahl (DoD: Sept 08/03) pass away in the same week. Or in keeping with Dan's post:

John "Didn't meet a pratfall he didn't like" Ritter
Leni "Prolific documentaries make me doze off in film class" Riefenstahl
Johnny "We don't mock Johnny" Cash

WKRP to DVD - Give it to me straight doctor, I can take it

Finally, it looks like we have a DVD release date of April 2007 for Season One of WKRP in Cincinnati (1978-1982), one of my favourite sitcoms and a show that was unlikely to ever show up on DVD in a format that would satisfy fans and the shows creators. And they've solved the music issue.

WKRP was long speculated as being "unreleasable" on DVD, due to the music rights issues. WKRP revolved around the eclectic staff at a rock and roll radio station, so the authentic contemporary music of the period was a large part of the show: The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix songs all were part of the scenario. The original licenses for the music only included the original run of the show and didn't cover any future plans for syndication or collections. To put WKRP on DVD in its original format would be hugely expensive due to having to pay licensing fees in order to use the original tunes.

Even the copies of WKRP that were used to air the show on cable reruns in the 1990s showed significant changes (aka butchering) of the show, with slapdash substitutions and clumsy re-dubbing of dialogue to reflect the changes. Basically it meant the show wasn't being seen as it was originally intended. Do you ever see the two versions of the season 2 episode "The Americanization of Ivan"? The original had the Russian quoting Elton John's song "Tiny Dancer" to the uptight Les Nessman in a side-splitting bit. The syndicated version didn't have the rights to the song, so new voiceover dialogue was dubbed in. The new line didn't even make any sense and you were left wondering why the studio audience was laughing.

It now appears we have a solution with this DVD set. While not every original piece of music originally used will be intact, where a replacement is needed "Fox has tried hard to keep the music within the spirit of the original song used in the scenes", thanks to a music coordinator was brought on to replace any unattainable songs with sound-alike songs. I'm guessing think this will result in more of the original tunes showing up, particularly those that are key to the story like the Elton John tune.

Hopefully this extra effort from Fox Studios will please the many fans of the show like me, who would have screamed bloody murder if the WKRP available on DVD was the syndicated version. Season One includes the classic "Turkeys Away" episode and the one where Johnny and Venus do an on-air demo on the effects of alcohol ("Fish Story").

And yes, I watched the show when it first aired. I also saw MASH when it was originally aired on CBS. I am that old.

WKRP In Cincinnati - Wikipedia

WKRP Season 1 Release Date and Details - TVShowsonDVD.com

Suiting Up your iPod

In response to the usual rush of "I just got an iPod for Christmas, not what do I do" questions I get this time of year, I direct you to my iPod post: the2scoops iPod toolkit. It's a primer on how to set up and get the most from your iPod.

My recommended manufacturer for the iPod is still Marware. I've had a few different cases and these are the best I've used so far. The iPod is snug in it's little body armour. When you have an ill-fitting iPod case, the iPod moves around a little, allowing dirt or debris to get caught between the case and your screen, causing scratches. I've used the Marware Sidewinder model for months and it's terrific. The protections is top notch, the features are practical (the kickstand and headphone holders are especially handy), and my iPod looks kind of badass in its armor. The benefit is the adapter plate inside, which means the Sidewinder can hold my 30 GB or convert to hold the thicker 60GB or 80GB models with a click of the adapter. I don't flinch if the iPod is fumbled or drops as long as it's suited up

The only drawback is that I have to take the iPod out of its armor when I want to plug it into a dock or device like my iHome alarm clock. I just have to remember to pop the suit back on it and not leave it unprotected on a desk. Having rambunctious pets or children will lead to a banged up MP3 player and heartache if you aren't careful.

Joss Whedon and the slayerific return of Buffy in 2007

There will be a Buffy The Vampire Slayer season eight, but it won't be a TV movie or direct to DVD (like I'd like to see happen with Firefly), but it's happening in comic book form. This new series is being created by Joss Whedon and is taken as what officially happened (in canon) after the series finale of Buffy. It takes up months after the destruction of Sunnyvale Sunnydale, which saw the empowerment of every potential Slayer in the world, giving the show a new status quo and the gang new roles in the training of a potential network of Slayers across the globe.

Joss Whedon is writing the first arc and last arc, and has drawn in writers from his time on Buffy and other comic book writers to contribute to the 20 - 30 episodes/issues. TV Guide chatted with Whedon about this new season and how it'll work. Yes, there will be appearances by Spike and Angel, but no insight into what occurred at the end of Angel or beyond.