HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN IS one of those rare actors who got into the “biz” for the love of the craft, rather than the pursuit of fame and fortune. He’s drawn to projects with visionary directors, and at just 30 years old, Thornhill’s most famous export has already worked with some of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers including George … Continued
ASK AARON ABRAMS how he landed a leading role in Take This Waltz, and he’ll tell you it’s because of his resemblance to Seth Rogan and Sarah Silverman, who play his brother and sister in the film. “I’m like the missing link between the two that makes it believable for them to play siblings,” the … Continued
Ivan Reitman is coming home this September to see how his baby is doing. The director and producer of such hits as Ghostbusters, Kindergarten Cop and the recent rom-com No Strings Attached, will be in Toronto for TIFF — which moved into shiny new digs in the Bell Lightbox just one year ago. The TIFF … Continued
The countdown is on. We’re staring the end of summer in the face, with our remaining dog days numbered in the single digits. Such little time, and yet, so much left to do in our city before the big end. Here’s our to-do list of what to take in before summer turns into a pumpkin at 11 p.m. on Labour Day (because, as everyone in Toronto knows, when The Ex closes its gates, it means school’s on and summer is gone).
There’s dust on these songs. When Darren Eedens sings, it’s like stumbling upon an old record at your grandparents’ house, pulling it out, wiping off the years and dropping the needle in the groove; the Harry Smith Anthology comes to mind. But make no mistake: these songs are as informed by the past as they are a product of today (certain songs betray a bit of a Dave Matthews influence).
When Doug Ford revealed his plan for the Port Lands, jaws dropped, people fell out of their chairs and the city suffered another mini-earthquake. Well, maybe not quite. So far, only a few details have surfaced from Ford’s “vision,” but if they’re any indication of what’s to come, our waterfront is on the fast track to becoming very, well, interesting. Below, the potential Fordifications that we’re most excited about.
As the season winds down, now’s a great chance to either catch that old show you haven’t seen in a while (The Winter’s Tale) or take in a new show, like the latest one from those crazy clowns over at Second City. Because let’s face it: summer’s basically over, and there’s no better way to fight the sadness than with laughter. As Shakespeare said: “He that is giddy thinks the world turns round.”
Convicted genre-transgressor k-os (September 2 @ CNE) wishes that he knew Natalie Portman. Is she in Toronto for TIFF? Can somebody make this happen for the guy? After navigating some mid-career controversy, the Torontonian crossover maestro has spent the past few years doing that other thing musicians do — you know, making songs.
This summer has seen festivals celebrating just about everything: beer, music, organic food, food trucks and more. While most people have been able to find an event related to their interests, one group has been left out: the bloggers. But don’t worry, they won’t be forgotten for long. Word11, the world’s first ever 24-hour blogging festival, is happening at the Center for Social Innovation (CSI) on Aug. 27.
The AGO’s Abstract Expressionist New York exhibit is coming to an end on Sept. 4, so this is your last chance to soak up the splatter and spill of the abstract expressionist movement before the paintings return to their rightful home in New York’s Museum of Modern Art. The exhibit’s got some big names: Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Franz Kline — names which, if you care about art at all, you already either love or hate. Probably hate.
Even though the dust has barely settled on Toronto’s summer of indie theatre festivals, theatre artists are already gearing up for next year (Fringe applications will be available in a month). But when it comes to next summer’s venues, there will be an obvious gaping hole in the bunch: Bread & Circus, Kensington Market’s tiny-theatre-bar-that-could, is closing its doors this weekend.
Anthony Daniels, Star Wars’ man-in-the-golden-mask, was kind enough to answer our Fan Expo questions last week. Now, we’d never want to offend the legions of hard-working, hard-gaming trekkies, comic fans and anime aficionados (we’ve got a few D&D manuals in our closet as well), but it goes without saying that conventions are widely regarded as geek-only dungeons into which “normies” shall not pass.
