The 28th Annual Canadian Film Centre BBQ Fundraiser

By: Sari Colt

I recently attended the 28th Annual Canadian Film Centre (CFC) BBQ Fundraiser, which was held at the historic Windfields estate, on a spectacular September day. There were close to 2000 guests attending the event, which supports the work of the CFC's programs in film, television, music and new media. Some of the CFC programs include the Actors' Conservatory, the Slaight Family Music Lab, CFC Media Lab, Bell Media Prime Time TV Program, the DHX Experience and many others.
 
The BBQ also celebrated the work of CFC alumni who had their films showing at TIFF 2016, including The Headhunter's Calling, Below Her Mouth, Maudie, and Two Lovers and a Bear. 

Tents were set up throughout the grounds featuring food and drink and various industry suppliers. I enjoyed tasty treats from 10tation Event Catering, Fat Lamb Kouzina Catering, The Mighty Cob, Gelato Fresco, Holy Cannoli, Lollicakes, Crystal Head Vodka, Flow Water, Magnotta Winery, Brickworks Cider, Mill Street Brewery and more! 

Christina Jennings, chair of the Board of Directors and CFC CEO, Slawko Klymkiw gave speeches thanking everyone for attending the fundraiser.

Then, legendary Canadian producer/director and CFC founder Norman Jewison came to the podium. Jewison spoke about the accomplishments of the CFC alumni and their successes. 

In the greenhouse, the Media Lab set up virtual reality stations whereby guests could use HTC Vive headset to participate in games.

Musical entertainment was provided by Adaline and Tomi Swick.

Among the many guests attending were actor Naomi Snieckus (Mr. D), actor/director Art Hindle, and comedian/actor Ron James.

I am already looking forward to the 29th Annual CFC BBQ!

Learn more about the Canadian Film Centre here: cfccreates.com

Photos by Liz Tomkins. 

She Said/He Said: A 90-Minute Theatrical Rhapsody

Imani Enterprises presents the Toronto Premiere of She Said/He Said: A 90-Minute Theatrical Rhapsody. Written and directed by Anne-Marie Woods, She Said/He Said is an urban love story centering around a man and a woman looking for love, examining their failed relationships and the racial stereotypes they encounter in their daily lives. She Said/He Said uses poetry, song and monologues to convey a powerful story about the complexities of finding true love.

She Said/He Said: A 90-Minute Theatrical Rhapsody plays from Wednesday,  September 14 to Sunday September 18, 2016 at Native Earth's AKI Studio, 585 Dundas Street East.
Wednesday - Saturday at 8:00 p.m. 
Friday & Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, elders & arts workers) and are available through the box office by calling 416-531-1402 or online at imaniartsbiz.com.
For information on group rates, call the box office at 416-531-1402.

Performed by Anne-Marie Woods and Matthew G. Brown
Songs and Lyrics Composed by Anne-Marie Woods
Musical Arrangements by Anne-Marie Woods and Jeremiah Sparks

Matilda The Musical - Theatre Review

By: Angela Guardiani

I've never seen a theatrical event with so much anticipation around it as Matilda The Musical. Part of it, of course, is nostalgia. Like Tim Minchin,  Matilda's  composer and lyricist, I can remember reading Roald Dahl's savagely funny book and cheering for its sweet-hearted, big-brained heroine. (Unlike Tim Minchin, I'm not an idiosyncratic genius, but I can appreciate a good bit of weirdness when I find it.) But a bigger part of it, I think, is how much the modern musical has become something so expressive of the way we live and create and consume art. Musicals today aren't necessarily campy or cheesy or over-the-top. They can be full of spectacle, like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, or they can be quiet and deeply personal, like Fun Home. Matilda is smack dab in the middle. It is exuberant and colourful and dazzling and snarky, but it is gentle and honest too. And that makes is something worth seeing.

Matilda is about a precocious six-year-old who loves to read. Ignored and unloved by her obnoxiously loud family and bullied by her horrible headmistress, Matilda stays serenely self-composed because of the bond she's formed with her teacher, Miss Honey, who sees and fosters Matilda's intelligence.

When a dark secret from Miss Honey's abused past threatens her beloved teacher, Matilda finds a strange talent within herself that saves the day. It doesn't sound realistic at all, and it's not meant to be – the story is a fairy tale, all extremes.

Miss Honey is everything good and kind and thoughtful and sweet, and Matilda's parents – the repulsive Wormwoods – are everything loud and trashy and gleefully ignorant. “You chose books and I chose looks!” Mrs. Wormwood announces scornfully to Miss Honey before launching into a breathtakingly athletic musical number (“Loud”).

Mr. Wormwood gets an entire song and a good ten minutes of the intermission break to scoff at children in the audience for their bookwormy tendencies and to (literally) sing the praises of cable and reality TV (“Telly.”) And in my very favourite bit of stage business, the evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull seizes a child by her long pigtails, spins her around, and literally flings her into the ceiling. I don't know how the director managed to launch a child actor up into the Ed Mirvish Theatre's proscenium arch and had her drop like a stone into the waiting arms of an adult – without any ill effects! - and I don't care. It's incredible. 

The plot's not realistic, but that doesn't mean it's not real. Matilda has brains, but she has heart, too. Although she's plucky enough to engage in a bit of mischievous revenge, her family's bullying isolates and hurts her. The scene where she imagines a loving father coming home to rescue his beloved daughter made my chest ache with sympathy (“I'm Here.”) 

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the supporting cast of child actors. Matilda is the star of the show (three girls share the role - Jamie MacLean was playing the role the night I saw it), but this is a show about childhood that's equally for kids and adults. You can't speak to children without including children, and this show gives them a voice. A lot of film/TV/theatrical productions have uncannily adult-like children parroting lines that I can never imagine a real child saying – basically well-trained ventriloquist's dummies. Not here! These children act their age. They are all really, really talented, but they are kids playing kids. It's lovely to see.

I wondered, as I watched the show, if the many young people in the audience were getting as much out of it as I was. Minchin's lyrics are dense with wordplay and metaphor, and there's an awful lot of “You maggot! Keep quiet!” low-level verbal abuse being hurled at kids. So at intermission, I asked a few of them.

“The dad is funny!” one of them said, grinning ear to ear.

“I liked the part where they hid the boy under the coats!” said another. (She's right. It's not as brilliant as the pigtail-enabled tossing, but it's pretty awesome.)

“I want to sing and dance too!” said a third, bouncing up and down with enthusiasm. 

The kids are all right, I thought, heading back into the theatre for Act Two. Matilda's got something for everyone.

Matilda The Musical is playing at the Ed Mirvish Theatre (244 Victoria Street) in Toronto until November 27, 2016. To purchase tickets, visit: mirvish.com.

Photos by Joan Marcus. 

Angela Guardiani is a lady of strong opinions who lives and teaches ESL in Toronto. She is a food lover, grammar nerd, book junkie, and will try anything once. Follow her enthusiastic but sporadic tweets at @minorgoddess.

A Look at LG's Latest Innovative Products

By: Natasha Williams

On a scorching hot summer day, I was more than happy to look ahead to Christmas at the LG Social Club preview of hot new items for the holidays. The second I walked through the door at The Spoke Club, I was blown away (and not just by the refreshing whoosh of air conditioning). From household appliances to razor thin televisions, LG specialists spoke passionately about the latest and greatest from LG. 

The Styler, which retails for $3,199 (and looks like it belongs in James Bonds’ bedroom) is a steam closet that will refresh, de-wrinkle and sanitize your delicate clothes and household textiles, eliminating the need for dry cleaning with one sleek looking unit that requires nothing more than a standard electrical outlet (steam provided by a refillable water tank). This unit will handle everything from your fur/leather trimmed garments to Daisy’s doggie bed.

I’m also deeply in love with the LG Sidekick Pedestal Washer (starting at around $949.99), an add-on mini washer that can be paired with any LG front loading side-by-side, and allows you to do two separate laundry loads at once. The practical applications are endless, such as new moms wanting to do a small load of tiny little onesies using delicate detergent in the Sidekick while doing a bulkier more heavy duty load in the main washer. Don’t want your delicates to snag on the zippers of your jeans? Bring in the Sidekick! Back from the gym and don’t want to let your sweaty gear stew while waiting to accumulate a larger load? Sidekick to the rescue. Better yet, all of the appliances being showcased can be operated by an app on your phone! This excited me to no end when I realized I no longer need to call my mom in a panic to ask how to get red wine out of my favourite blouse; just type the stain into the app, tap your phone to the washer and it sets everything for you!

Now while my comfort zone is situated within the domain of the domestic arts, even the televisions on display got me excited. LG’s OLED (Organic Light Emitting Display) is completely new with advanced and award-winning technology that essentially provides the truest blackest black allowing for greater contrast and clarity. They demonstrated this technology by playing a relatively dark movie (Batman vs. Superman) and you could distinguish the stitching and fibers and even black-on-black patterns that would otherwise be missed with standard LED or LCD displays. The models on display ranged from the moderately priced $3,000 to the extravagant $10,999.99, but even the more affordable models have added features such as anti-glare film (so necessary for binge watching Netflix on a sunny Sunday in your condo with floor to ceiling windows) and a central hub that will allow you download any app (Shomi, Crave, YouTube, Netflix, etc.) and control all your internet enabled appliances from one place.

The event was capped off by an exclusive cocktail party complete with athletic and culinary royalty in attendance including Raptors' General Manager Masai Ujiri, Raptors' #6 Cory Joseph and celebrity chef Chuck Hughes). Though if I’m being completely honest, nothing left me quite as star struck as the LG Styler. Sigh...sorry CoJo.

Product photos courtesy of LG Canada. 

WayHome VIP Preview Party at the Drake Hotel

By: Shelby Morrison

Although the WayHome Music & Arts Festival does not start until July 22, why not get pumped up a little early? With artists like Arcade Fire, Metric, Arkells and many more taking the stage, WayHome is sure to be loads of fun! The Drake Hotel hosted a VIP preview event of the festival to get us excited for what’s to come.

The atmosphere at the Drake was pulsating with DJ sets by Nino Brown and CRSB and a performance by River Tiber. I started off the night with a refreshing strawberry, sherry and Cointreau cocktail and made my way around the different stations. TopShop and TopMan were on site offering one-on-one consultations with personal stylists, while highlighting the top festival trends. After making my way over to the Equinox set-up, I was greeted with some fresh spa water with cucumber and mint. Massages were also being offered to guests, as well as free passes to the gym.

The Drake Hotel’s chef, Ted Corrado showcased some of his specially curated WayHome x The Drake VIP menu. A whole roasted suckling pig was offered at a create-your-own taco station with a variety of toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, salsa, hot sauce, cabbage slaw, and beans. Korean fried chicken lettuce wraps, as well as salmon fried rice was being passed out as well. These dishes were bursting with flavor and were the perfect accompaniment to the evening.

If you wanted to get creative, Paris-born, Toronto-based artist Jimmy Chiale was painting abstract art directly on people’s bodies. A photo wall by The Kit was set up to take selfies and pictures, while also informing guests about the 'Best Dressed' competition that will take place at the festival.

If concert goers weren’t hyped about attending WayHome before, this sneak peek definitely changed that!

Tickets to WayHome are on sale at wayhome.com. 

Shelby Morrison is a Toronto-based food blogger and freelance writer. She has a passion for food and living the most delicious life, while enjoying every step of the way. She eats her way through Toronto, yet loves to travel the world for unique and tasty finds.