Saturday, September 29, 2007

Nuit Blanche

In past 24ish hours my friend Emily and I have gotten up to some pretty crazy hi-jinx.


1) Second City Toronto's Facebook of Revelations

***.5/*****

Very very funny. Opens with a bang by previewing another Toronto area theatre production (from the producers that brought you Mama Mia, We Will Rock You and Dirty Dancing) "Safe Bet: The Musical". And is followed by Canada's finest sketch comedy. The energy stays consistent through the first half and most of the second half of the show and I had quite a few good healthy gut laughs.
While I don't recommend staying for the *cough* *ahem* "improv" the show itself is very enjoyable. You almost feel like SNL could still be saved.


2. The Royal Ontario Museum
****/*****

Apart from making a point not to visit the paper-weights exhibit we took in the vast majority of the ROM. I think I had forgotten just how much fun this place was:


The new "Crystal Age" entrance way and exhibit




The ceiling in the corridor of the "Staircase of Wonders". Yes, that's really what it's called.




I thouhgt this wall was pretty cool, but I think that the lack of flash did diminish it a touch



This next photo may be a little disturbing to some people, but it's too cool not to include. So, in an attempt not to expose anyone's fears on the world wide web, let me just say that Indiana Jones, Adam and Eve, Gryffindor House and anyone else who might have some a distaste for snakes should probably brace themselves.





OK, so you can kind of tell that it's fake. But it still looks pretty scary at first... er maybe just in person.


3. Eastern Promises at Rainbow Cinemas, Market Square
****/*****

Excellent movie, directed by David Cronenberg and starring Viggo Mortensen and Naiomi Watts. I was thoroughly impressed, and with the exception of a scene of graphic violence that actually moved me to laughter (because when it gets that disturbing what the hell else can you do?) the movie held together very strongly. It managed to create an very strong ambiance without sacrificing the pace, and there were a number of nice twists worked in to the plot to keep it exciting right to the end. Very highly recommended.


4. Nuit Blanche
*****/*****
After Emily borded her bus to return to KW, I headed back home, only to make the mistake/starting the exciting adventure of taking the streetcar down Queen St. Tonight is an event in Toronto called Nuit Blanche. Basically a whole bunch of art galleries and club are having all night events featuring art and music throughout the city. Queen is of course the craziest of it all, and it was literally bumper to bumper with people lining the streets. Naturally I got out to investigate, but found that there was just so much of being in a crowd that huge that I could take before I went nuts. I seriously think that the entire population of Toronto was in the streets tonight partying. There were drum circles, street dances, random video kareoke parties outside, performance art pieces on the sidewalk, illuminated art in the park. I think I had censory overload or else I would still be there right now.

Hmmm maybe I'll go back later...

Monday, September 24, 2007

Tedious Endless School and Learning

The most important thing I learned in class today: I'm not the only person who really isn't enjoying TESL.

You might think that a Theatre major would love to sit around in a class and talk about feelings and life experiences and debate whether or not the verb "to love" is an action verb on the basis of one's own comprehension of the word love. The truth is I do not. When it comes to school I enjoy concrete ideas, or at least discussions of abstract ideas within an academic context. Otherwise I'm left saying, as any English prof will... "SO WHAT?" So what's the point?

OK great, when you were growing up in another country and had to learn English you struggled with the grammar. That's a good experience to bring to the class, but now let's get critical about it. WHY? HOW did you learn it? WHAT would you do differently? Don't just tell me about your suffering, let's talk about it in a context that is applicable to the course. OK, so your niece said something cute the other day and that kind of loosely relates to First Language Aquisition theories... HOW? I am beginning to understand why a lot of companies will hire you on to go to Japan and give you crash courses in TEFL in two weeks.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Ricky Gervais has done it again

Okay, so I had seen a couple of clips from a strange show called "Extras" on youtube, and then last night I saw two episodes I'd seen get nominated for Emmys. I found myself cheering for a TV show I barely knew, and decided to get better acquainted with this wonderful program.

My favourite going in was this fantastic scene in which Sir Ian McKellan explains why he's such a good actor:




Also on youtube and highly recommended: Orlando Bloom makes his case for why he's obviously better looking and more popular than Johnny Depp, Daniel Radcliff makes it clear that he does not need glasses and is not still a virgin, Kate Winslet gives advice on how to conduct yourself during phone sex while wearing a nun's habit, and Patrick Stewart exclaims "You're not married, you don't have a girlfriend... and you don't watch Star Trek?"

Have I sold you yet? Go! Go!

Saturday, September 15, 2007

High school is still weighing me down

I went to the website for the Royal Ontario Museum today to see if there was anything interesting on next week (as I may have my first visitor). Currently the ROM has an exhibit on Darfur, which while undoubtable depressing would also be extrememly informative and relavent. To my dismay, however, the exhibit closes on Monday. I checked to see what the next exhibit would be. It is a display of 19th and 20th Century Glass Paperweights. I couldn't have made that up.


Maybe I'm still just really bitter at glass paperweights because, unlike every other year in the history of Cayuga Secondary School, our graduating class received paperweights instead of proper plaques or trophies for graduation awards.

Think this:





With my name on it. Just incase I ever want to feel naustalgic and have my window open during a wind storm.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

I follow him to, ahem "serve my turn upon him"

The rest is not yet silence...

I went to the official website for London's West End, as it is my hope to visit the UK at some point in the very near future. Thinking "Hey maybe I'll see Jude Law as Hamlet" I discover that alas no, it will not premier until 2009, and I'm not waiting that damned long.

But what should I discover opening in November... Othello with Ewan McGregor as Iago. Wow. I did NOT see that one coming. I think that I must see this. I am starting the "Liz needs to go to England fund". Anyone wishing to make donations please be certain that they are in GBP.


PS: This made me laugh. A lot.

From Overheard in New York

Are You Sure?

Child: Tia Jeanette, did you know that the tourist-ists brought down the twin towers?
Tia Jeanette: No, no, no, Anthony, it was the terror-ists.
Child: Ohhh...

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

"The whole world is just one big group work assigment. That's really God's cruelest joke. And what's worst? We're all getting an F"- loosely translated coversation with Bonnie Buchanan

That was simply brilliant Mom.

****************************************

So today I had a moral dilema. I went on the Toronto International Film Festival website, just to see if there were any rush tickets today for anything I wanted to see. There were... (deep breath) Cassandra's Dream. HOWEVER the tickets were for 11AM the same time as my class on Grammar and Linguistics. In retrospect "moral dilema" is pushing it. Prioritization malfunction might be a better sumation.

sigh

The phrase "Ewan McGregor is the sexiest man alive" has two nouns, a verb, an adjective, adverb and a preposition.

sob sob


I must focus on Friday. Because even if they try to schedule me for class on Friday I'M NOT THERE! :D

******************************************

In a final bit of news apparently Jude Law is going to play Hamlet at the Gielgud in London's West End AND he is going to be directed by nonother than.... (drum roll please)... Gilderoy Lockhart incarnate himself, Kenneth Branagh.
"Jude, the problem is that you aren't anywhere near loud enough. How are we supposed to know that Hamlet's upset if you aren't yelling?"

I don't feel that I can end on such a cruel and negative note. So ummmm.... the rest is silence.

(heh heh heh works everytime)

Saturday, September 08, 2007

Literally

I found one of the greatest articles in the Toronto Star the other day, but it appears that I have put it in the recycler.
Some files were released by British Intelligence regarding spying activities in the 30s and 40s. The file of a prominent author who was being monitored, and under suspicion of communist ties during this era, due to the nature of his political writing was made public. That author was George Orwell.

That's positively... hmmm what's that word that's a literary reference to the government spying on people in order to control information... Or- something...

I mean I can see why this happened of course. Anyone who has read Animal Farm knows what a fondness Orwell had for Stalin and communism. And anyone who read that sentence and did not pick up on the thick sarcasm clearly has the mental capacity of a 1940s British Intelligence agent.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Apt

Bill Sanders once told me "I was born and grew up in Toronto, so I can only stand to be there for about 10 minutes". I replied "Bill I'm from Hamilton, try 5 minutes".

Hating Toronto. It's as much part of being born in Hamilton as childhood asthma, an inability to play football, and the desire for a hockey team we won't actually pay money to watch play. But I of course have a deep down envy of a city where if you miss one bus there is another one right around the corner and where a 24 hour business isn't limited to Walmart or a porno theatre. And of course a place which nourishes artists, musicians, actors and film-makers. Not to mention has concerts, festivals, museums, and live theatre to make any mildly cultured person just a little excited.

So here I am. A big city girl. I've been a city girl, a country girl, a northerner, and a Peterboroughian (which really has its own special classification), and now I am a Torontonian.



Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Ideal

Tonight I finally watched Bobby. Our generation needs a hero in a big way.

That is all I have to say tonight.



... except for this:

It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a person stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope,and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.