He’s the guy Toronto theatre-goers love to hate every holiday season. For more than a quarter of a century Canadian actor and producer Ross Petty has been the target of extreme heckling as the villain in his annual pantomime.
Demetrius Joyette thought he’d found his ticket out of the classroom. The North York actor began acting professionally in elementary school, and soon saw it as a way out of the daily classroom grind. Ironically, that’s exactly where his career ended up taking him.
Spoken by any other actress, this might be hard to believe, but Sarah Gadon isn’t your average artist. After taking roles in esteemed director David Cronenberg’s latest two films — A Dangerous Method and Cosmopolis — the 26-year-old was quickly dubbed one to watch, recognized as a TIFF Rising Star and featured on a number of magazine covers and in fashion editorials.
No, Ramin Karimloo isn’t what you might expect in a traditional musical theatre star. And make no mistake, Karimloo is a star, with a voice that can be as powerful as a freight train before it drops to a gentle and angelic wisp of the wind. Born in Iran and raised north of Toronto in Richmond Hill, Karimloo returns to his home turf this month to star as Jean Valjean in a bold new production of the classic Les Misérables, scheduled to run until at least Dec. 22.
I’ll be huffing and puffing as you ask me questions,” says Sheila McCarthy who, at 57, is bubbling with more effervescence than most teens. The much-decorated actress — she’s racked up two Genies, two Doras and a Film North Bull’s Eye Lifetime Achievement Award — is barely gasping for breaths as we leap between topics. In the span of an hour we bounce from her lifelong love of dance to her upcoming films, and we even get the veteran actress to divulge her desert island acting medium.
A Thornhill resident is at the centre of an international controversy. Vahe “Cy” Tokmakjian, owner of the global transportation firm Tokmakjian Group, was detained in Cuba in September of 2011 and has been held in prison there without charge ever since.
This past summer, a vote by Markham City Council to approve a long-awaited plan to revitalize the Thornlea neighbourhood was delayed after local residents and businesses expressed a plethora of concerns. Instead, a new committee was formed consisting of representatives from residents, business owners and city councillors, and the vote was to be rescheduled this fall.
Toronto’s World MasterCard Fashion Week is officially over but the ideas still linger on. Herewith, our top Spring/Summer 2014 collections from last week’s parade of fashion.
Richmond Hill is one of the only municipalities in the GTA without a bylaw in place to regulate vehicle towing, meaning there is no standard for what private towing companies may charge for services.
North York artist and activist Franke James returned from a trip to Washington, D.C., this past October where she unveiled her unique protest art. Six posters were hung at different city bus stops as part of her “Oh No Canada” anti–tar sands campaign. The posters feature slogans such as “Do not talk about climate change” and take aim at Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government.
Residents of the Bathurst Manor area have been working with the City of Toronto and a developer since 2006 to come to a consensus on a proposed six-storey, mixed-use development on Wilmington Avenue. After the most recent community meeting last month, residents are still feeling dissatisfied.
Two townhouse developments being proposed on Bayview Ridge at the corner of Bayview Avenue have some residents concerned.
