So yesterday the folks at Oxford University Press chose “GIF” as the U.S. Word of the Year, thanks in part to the word’s transition from noun to verb. GIFs were pretty much everywhere this year — kittens were GIFfed, and so was Obama. And Toronto was no stranger to the craze. Below, five of our favourite Toronto-esque GIFs.
Ditch the fat-laden comfort foods of the season for a warm hug from one of these nutritious alternatives
Former Toronto news anchor delivers top story of true love
Disgraceland beckons passersby with its strands of Christmas lights twinkling in the window — regardless of the season. Inside, the Bloor Street bar caters to a mixed crowd, with patrons entwined in board games (plucked from a hodgepodge on the shelf), cheering over a foosball match (there’s a table dead-centre) or noshing on food (the menu is vegans and vegetarian friendly).
If the city’s food truck craze wasn’t enough to fill our instant consumption cravings, now Yorkdale Shopping Centre is rolling out a fashion truck tomorrow. In preparation of its big expansion extravaganza this Friday, the fashion mobile will be stocked with a wide range of clothing and other fashionable items from the new stores.
Announcing the final rose of the evening on The Bachelor Canada is a pretty important job, and its host, Tyler Harcott, knows it. A veteran of hosting roles (he’s held 14 in his 17-year career) Harcott says his latest gig as bachelor Brad Smith’s wingman has been pretty “magnificent.” We chatted with the statuesque host about his stand-out contestants, finding love on TV and what we can expect from the Women Tell All episode.
Every week, we round up the best events from the city’s fashion scene. In this edition: Drake General Store relaunches its Queen West location, Ted Baker hits Toronto, a Lucian Matis sample sale and more.
Halloween might be over, but for those who still crave a fright, TIFF Bell Lightbox has a new film series that ensures horror fans get their jollies. Kicking off on Nov. 10 and running until the end of the year, Birth of a Villain examines the freaky and familiar villains of the ’70s and ’80s, from Michael Myers to Jason. We rank our favourites of the bunch with our highly scientific scare-o-meter.
Yes, it’s true: the guys in the comedy troupe, Vest of Friends, really like vests and really are the “best of friends” and it looks they’ll be sticking to comedy for a while rather than making real money as engineers or something, which is a good thing for us because they’re really good at it. We chatted with the group about – what else? – vests and their strange love for the cartoon series, Doug.
Justin Ringle has successfully brought back baroque music. His band, Horse Feathers, was at The Drake Hotel last night, and they turned out a pure, unrefined performance, without going down the gimmick-laden road that some foot-stomping, hand-clapping folk outfits have travelled too often.
Girls, guns, suits and swagger — James Bond has it all. But you don’t have to be an international man of mystery to match his style game.
It is always an exciting discovery to learn that a local theatre group is presenting a quality play, especially when a major production company such as Mirvish supports it. Studio 180 is that group — along with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre — and the play is The Normal Heart, by New York playwright Larry Kramer. I am embarrassed to say that I never saw this play when it was first presented in Toronto last year. (No, theatre critics are not infallible.)
