The Bloor Cinema is a host for gobs of film festivals, movie premieres, special gala events, classic films and Hollywood blockbusters. They showcase a variety of perspectives from across Canada and around the world: independent films, fascinating stories, important documentaries and sometimes just wild, unbridled entertainment.

This historic landmark should be a must-see item on your list when visiting Toronto, whether you go see a movie or not. LOVE this place.

Browsing tonight’s listing, I noticed that Ghost World (with Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi) is playing. Don’t miss that excellent film!

Bloor Cinema
506 Bloor Street West,
Toronto ON M5S1Y2 Canada
(416) 516-2331

if you’re anywhere in the vicinity of Toronto. Or not. Some highlights from last year featured Al Green, so you must see the Rev (June 19) if you’re tired of being alone, because if anything, he’s still in love with you. Ahmad Jamal will be there (June 23) too! And – A surprising guest, a very old timer in jazz, Dave Brubeck will be kickin it with y’all (July 2) and taking at least 5 minutes to play his signature tune. If you have no idea who he is, you will surely recognize his tunes, and at 88 years old, he will amaze you.

There will be lots of music and lots of artists and venues so the best thing to do is download a schedule and go from there. Get tickets online at www.ticketmaster.ca or by calling 416-870-8000.

For more information: toronto jazz

I Am Elvis
Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
Thursday, May 1, 2008
7-9:30pm
Melody Bar
Free

“Every time he bought a 6/49 lottery ticket, Jose Lima prayed he’d win the big prize and promised God to share his boa sorte, good fortune.

He’s doing just that.

Canada’s newest millionaire – the 52-year-old father of two who won $14.5 million in the 6/49 draw – is giving each of his 50 employees at O Nosso Talho butcher shop $5,000.

On April 3, the fifth anniversary of his father Joao’s death, his generosity will spread even further when he gives away 22,680 kilograms of chicken legs to thank his customers and help Toronto’s needy.

Gilberto Andre, a 10-year veteran behind the meat counter, was with Lima, who manages the busy shop, when he checked his numbers.

“When I told him he’d won, he hugged me,” said Andre who described Lima as a very caring, kind man.

“For me, he’s a great person who never says no. We’re all very happy for him. And it’s such a good thing that he’s doing, sharing his good luck with us. I don’t know if anyone else would do that.”

Lima admitted he’s still in a state of shock and it’s too early to decide what to do with the money.

“The first thing I will do is to keep my promise to my employees and the people. I’ll decide what to do with the rest of the money later.”

Also at the top of his list is his…”

Read the article

“They gleefully sang O Canada on the bus back to the hotel and again on the street after they arrived at the Howard Prince in Taichung, Taiwan.

Against the odds, the national baseball team qualified for the Beijing Olympics on Thursday and the jubilant players celebrated in the same way they did when a berth for the 2004 Athens Games was secured – by singing the anthem over and over.

“We’ve sung O Canada at least four times already,” said veteran infielder Stubby Clapp of Windsor, Ont. “Here we go again Canada, come on with me!”

The emotional display of national pride came after a 4-3 win over South Korea ran Canada’s record to 5-1 at the final Olympic qualifier, and guaranteed it a finish in the top three. South Korea and Taiwan, both 5-1 too, claimed the other two berths up for grabs at the tournament.

Washington Nationals prospect Matt Rogelstad of New Westminster, B.C., hit a three-run homer in the first while Cleveland Indians youngster Nick Weglarz of Stevensville, Ont., added a solo shot in the fourth to lead the way.

Cincinnati Reds product James Avery of Moose Jaw, Sask., held South Korea to a run on four hits in four innings and after Mike Kusiewicz of Ottawa recorded the final out, the Canadians partied into the wee hours on the eighth floor of their hotel, as players hooted, hollered and contemplated their achievement.

“To hear the national anthem sang on the bus so many times, we stopped at the hotel and we got off and before the players would go in the hotel they were singing outside and all the people were looking at us,” said manager Terry Puhl. “It really was quite a scene.

“It’s been a great night and a great tournament.”

Canada’s performance in Taiwan has been especially impressive since…”

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“Legendary blues and jazz guitarist Jeff Healey has died, his publicist said Sunday. The Canadian musician had battled cancer his entire life.

“It was something he fought with considerable bravery,” his publicist, Richard Flohil, told Newsnet late Sunday.

Healey, 41, had lost his eyesight to a rare form of the disease, retinoblastoma, at the age of one.

The musician had performed with such acclaimed guitar players as B. B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and George Harrison.

His full name was Norman Jeffrey Healey and he passed away Sunday in the city of his birth, Toronto, at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Healey first began playing guitar at the age of three and formed his first band while still a teenager, according to his website. He played with a very distinctive style, laying his guitar on his lap….

Article

Milla Jovovich climbing down the wall of City Hall, helicopters and approaching zombies, and Toronto being nuked in Resident Evil – Apocalypse.

Brinks truck blowing up in Nathan Phillips Square in The Kidnapping of the President.

Train crashing through a wall of Union Station in Silver Streak.

Santa Claus with a gun pushing his way down an escalator in the Eaton Centre in Silent Partner.

Danny DeVito climbing over cars in traffic jam in Other People’s Money.

Claude Van Damme’s chase through the Zanzibar strip club and down Yonge Street in Maximum Risk.

Crowds rushing out of the University cinema in Strange Brew.

Racing car chase along University Avenue and Molson Indy in Driven.

Exploding bomb at Woodbine race track in Bait.

Geena Davis standing across from Honest Ed’s sign in The Long Kiss Goodnight.

Rock band Lighthouse playing at U of T in Frankenstein on Campus. Other bands that have had acting rolls include Rough Trade, Bare Naked Ladies, and The Tragically Hip.

Man alone in the world in the future shot at the new Science Centre, Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future.

Crowd outside of the CN tower in the climax of Canadian Bacon.

A TD bank tower containing a drug bank in Half Baked.

Casa Loma as the school for training the X-Men.

U of T in so many films like The Skulls, Superstar, Good Will Hunting, PCU and horror ones.

[Source: FIT]

Mike McDonald of Waterloo, Ontario, northwest of Toronto, is too young to legally play in most Canadian provinces and the United States, but since turning 18 in September, has racked up some impressive wins in London, Prague, Macau and Aruba, his mother told the Waterloo Record.

Saturday night was the biggest win for McDonald, who saw through repeated bluffs by German poker veteran Andreas Gulunay in Dortmund, the report said.

Speaking to the newspaper by telephone, the teenager said he’ll continue playing until he’s had enough.

“I see these guys who are playing 60 hours a week when they’re old, and none of them seem very happy,” McDonald said. “I don’t want to make this my long-term career … I might like to go back to school and get a real job.”

He said he’d also like to buy a used car, although he hasn’t got his drivers license yet, the report said.

For the longest time, I couldn’t listen to The Goldberg Variations without thinking about Hannibal (The Cannibal) Lechter from Silence of the Lambs – let alone eat fava beans.

It made me sad because I love this recording by Glenn Gould. Luckily, I did overcome it and disassociated the two. Finally. Yay.

My baggage aside, one of the best things you can do for your life, is to stop everything and JUST listen to beautiful music for a while. You don’t have to spend the entire day doing this; just spend some allotted time to step away from the chaos of life, and just…chill. And chilling with music rules. Some of you are so used to multi-tasking and always doing a million things at the same time. You know I’m talking about you. Your days are filled with a continuous string of tasks back to back to back sans cesse, if you know what I mean. Calm, serenity, quiet, peaceful – well, these words do not exist in your life’s vocabulary.

Cut it out!

Do yourself a favor and find great music, like Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection

So…..WHY am I writing about Glenn Gould on this Toronto blog? I thought you’d never ask. Glenn Gould was born in Toronto on September 25, 1932. Thought you’d like that bit of trivia.

About Glenn Gould: The Complete Original Jacket Collection
Each of the 60 single and 9 double CDs consists of the exact recordings as first issued on vinyl and looks like a miniaturised form of the original disc: the CDs are in cardboard slipcases in the original design, and the CD itself is designed to look like a LP.

The bonus CDs include the last great interview that Glenn Gould gave the American journalist Tim Page in 1981 and an essay on Johann Sebastian Bach and the fugue that Gould recorded in 1972 for a bonus LP. They also feature a number of late recordings that never appeared on vinyl: fragments of the “Italian Album” and Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll in its orchestral version — Gould’s recording debut as conductor and his last recording of all, made on 8 September 1982 with members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Another rarity is Gould’s own film music to George Roy Hill’s Slaughterhouse Five from 1972.

Free admission.

Weekend animation workshops for kids ages 3-13; $5 per child with guardian. Mon.-Tue. 1-7p.m.; Wed. 10a.m.-7p.m.; Thu.-Sat. 10a.m.-10p.m.; Sun. 12-5p.m.

Mediateque
150 John St (at Richmond St W)
Toronto (Osgoode subway station)
M5V 3C3 Canada
416.973.3012

Hours of Operation
Monday & Tuesday, 1 – 7 pm
Wednesday, 10 am – 7 pm
Thursday – Saturday, 10 am – 10 pm
Sunday, Noon – 5 pm

Fees for Digital Viewing Stations
Unlimited Day Pass – $2
Annual Unlimited Pass – $12
Annual Unlimited Family Pass – $15
Red Carpet Pass – $50

There’s a dinner theater and it features revues, comedy sketches and late-night improv sets. Dinner and show packages are available, and Leoni’s Italian Kitchen serves up heaping portions of southern Italian fare, from pastas to fish, steaks and pizzas.

Second City
51 Mercer Street
Toronto, ON M5V 9G9
Canada
Telephone: 416-343-0011
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 8pm – Friday and Saturday 8pm, 10:30pm

Tuesday, November 6
Ani DiFranco @ Music Hall Theatre, $47.50
Athlete @ Lee’s Palace, $17.50
Swayzak @ Mod Club, $12
Jenny Owen Youngs @ Varsity Theatre, free

Wednesday, November 7
Marc Cohn w/ Amy Correia @ Mod Club, $35
Ani DiFranco @ Music Hall Theatre, $47.50
Mobius Band w/ Tigercity @ the Horseshoe, $11.50
The Weatherthans @ the Phoenix, $25

Thursday, November 8
The Weatherthans @ the Phoenix, $25
The Police @ Air Canada Centre, $59.50–225
Two Hours Traffic @ the Horseshoe, $8
Say Hi, The Velvet Teen and The A-Sides @ Sneaky Dee’s, $10

Friday, November 9
The Academy Is… @ Guvernment, $21.50
My Brightest Diamond @ the Drake Underground, $13.50
Band of Horses @ the Phoenix, $16.50
Jully Black @ Mod Club, $15
Sea Wolf @ El Mocambo, $10
Ohbijou, Basia Bulat, Bruce Peninsula and Bocce @ Lee’s Palace, $10
Melissa Laveaux @ Hart House Arbor Room, free
Grainne Ryan, Jonathan Seet and more @ the Rivoli, $6

Saturday, November 10
Battles and White Williams @ Lee’s Palace, $15
Paul Brandt w/ Shane Yellowbird @ Music Hall Theatre, $39.50
Caribou @ Opera House, $15
Rock Plaza Central @ Music Gallery, $10
XYZ Affair, Hexes and Ohs and The Craft Economy @ the Drake Underground, $5

Sunday, November 11
Razorlight @ the Phoenix, $16.50
Juliette & The Licks @ Mod Club, $17.50
The Bicycles, The Blankket and more @ Sneaky Dee’s, PWYC

Recently Announced

November 20 - And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead @ Lee’s Palace, $20
December 13 - Apostle of Hustle @ Lee’s Palace, $15

[via The Torontoist]

David T. Suzuki PhD, Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster. Since 1990, the David Suzuki Foundation has worked to find ways for society to live in balance with the natural world that sustains us. Focusing on four program areas – oceans and sustainable fishing, climate change and clean energy, sustainability, and the Nature Challenge – the Foundation uses science and education to promote solutions that conserve nature and help achieve sustainability within a generation.

Click here to purchase tickets online

For more information contact:

Emma Roche
416-533-9481
eroche@rsgc.on.ca

Over The Rainbow – Denim deficient rock stars Mick Jagger and Hilary Duff in search of the coolest duds can be spotted here.

Holt Renfrew, the Canadian equivalent of Bloomingdale’s, is a magnet to celebs like German actress Diane Kruger and her Canadian boyfriend Joshua Jackson. Trek farther west along Bloor Street, and who might you run into? Ashton Kutcher and Canuck celebrities like Mike Myers and singer Deborah Cox emptying their wallets for leather goods and athletic gear at Roots.

Kidding Awound – Famous parents such as Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan are known to shop at this Canadian version of FAO Schwartz (toy store).

Starbucks (139 Yorkville Ave.) has taken orders for Sienna Miller, James Franco and Colin Farell, while other celebrities like Wesley Snipes head to Canadian-coffee staple, Second Cup (170 Bloor St. W.).

Four Seasons Hotel – Particularly during film festivals, A-listers like Bruce Willis and Gwyneth Paltrow stay at this Yorkville sanctuary, with equally star-studded room service going on downtown at the Fairmont Royal York, which attracts festival favourites like Mira Sorvino and John Cusack.

Vikaspa – is the spa where Kate Hudson, Robert Downey Jr. and Hilary Swank chill.

Thomas Hinds Tobacconist – attracts the likes of stogie sportin’ Alec Baldwin, Sean Penn or Charlie Sheen.

Kultura, is a multi-floor lounge where Jude Law, Vince Vaughn, Ethan Hawke, Sofia Coppola, Scarlett Johansson and Christina Ricci have all hung out.

Bistro 990, a French bistro, is one of the city’s biggest stomping grounds for visiting celebs like renowned Canadian director Norman Jewison (Moonstruck, In Country), Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

Note: These star gazing ops are more successful during film fests when Hollywood descends upon the beautiful Canadian haven of Toronto.

If you are interested in what goes on behind the scenes of creating a ballet you will be thrilled to get this DVD. You will see that the people involved have so much fun when they are making a new ballet. Karen admits that her life was not as dramatic or sexy or funny every day as it is in this piece, but still, it’s based on a lot of true things about my world and about what I experienced and have experienced. So to create this character she was half inspired by real life and half inspired by her own imagination. She was 43 years old when she did this film and was still very beautiful. She still is today, for that matter.

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