The Scribble

By Vanessa Brazeau
With August lurking, these consecutive warm summer nights will soon be running low. While most of us take advantage of them while they are here, sometimes movie nights with friends are due, and not just on rainy days in April. However, staying indoors while the heat continues to rise from both your neighbour's BBQ and tarred driveway comes along with over analyzed guilt. Do you watch the sunset on 3rd beach, or watch The Beach on Channel 3? (Okay, bad example, that movie blows. But it sounded witty.)

Thanks to Fresh Air Cinema, you can now guiltlessly indulge in your favourite classics without further complication in various locations throughout the lower mainland. Every Thursday in Stanley Park, for example, screenings of nostalgic hits such as Ghost Busters and The Goonies and featured for your viewing pleasure. Check out the facebook page to stay up to date with other screening times and locations.

The only other thing you have to do is grab a blanket, your favourite wine and a paper bag, then enjoy more mindless summer relaxation (as if you probably haven’t had enough already) and milk this gorgeous weather for all its worth!

Music-loving out-of-towners take note:  in collaboration with  Osheaga, VIA Rail is offering 50% discounts on adult regular fares when you book a one-way or round trip to Montreal. Bookings must be made online at least 3 days prior to departure, and travel must be completed between July 27 and August 5, 2010. This gives you time to sneak in a few MEG Montreal Festival shows (such as Birdy Nam Nam, Holy Ghost! and Black Strobe) before Osheaga on July 31st and August 1st.

This year’s Osheaga boasts the best line-up yet, with Arcade Fire, Weezer, Snoop Dogg, the Black Keys, the National, Pavement, Beach House, Metric and many more.

Get your tickets here, and pray for sun!

The Runaways-the extremely cool movie starring Kristin Stewart and Dakota Fanning as the legendary bad-ass cult girl punk group, is now out on DVD. The movie is aesthetically inspiring fashion-wise, and will make you want to take a page out of their book and cause some serious trouble. Pick up the DVD and spend an hour learning the rock-school ropes from Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. Along with Whip It, it's search to find its place in the ranks of coming-of-age girl power movies that you can recite every word to.

by Becca Lemire

Ahh, emergency pee breaks on the edge of a cornfield, eating nacho cheese combos bought from a convenience store as dusty as the road we drove to it on, the tranquil sound of turning your phone off, weekend road trips can be that little jolt one needs when too stuck in a routine. And if the rest of Canada ain’t your thing, Toronto, like most Canadian cities, is in a convenient location for road trips to the US. We’re border bumpers, but are fortunate enough to be able to come back Sunday night and see the doctor (oh, snap).

I’m lucky enough to have relatives in the states (my dad hails from Detroit, dodging the Vietnam War draft and settling in Toronto in the 70’s) who let me and some friends crash on their couches the other weekend. They live in Southfield, one of many ‘burbs where you can spend nights, and head downtown for the days. Michigan is pretty hard hit economically right now (as always), so hotel rooms are dirt cheap ($50/night at the Hilton Garden in Novi for a room with 2 beds; you do the math) which means you’ll still have plenty of dollar bills left in your wallet to invest in the fading American dream. I’ve also heard good things about nicer downtown hotels. 

If you’ve never been, Detroit and the surrounding area (about a 5 hour drive from Toronto) have a lot of cool stuff for Canadians looking for a change of scene. And some damn cheap booze. The birthplace of Motown, anyone?! I’m no wimp but even if you’re feeling adventurous make sure you know your way around and have some maps in the car before entering downtown at dusk, and generally be cautious and use common sense. And this is an American city we’re talking about, so unfortunately you need to go in a car - some neighbourhoods don’t even have sidewalks and I would not recommend the bus (doesn’t that just make you appreciate the TTC a wee little bit more?). 

The thrift stores are amazing, there are tons of cool photo-ops (although their existence is sad. Abandoned neighbourhoods make for great photographs), great restos and an acclaimed Mexican Town, one of the world’s best community art projects and a thriving indie music and arts scene. Here are some things worthy of adding to your itinerary, with some helpful contributions from fellow Detroit road-trippers Amy Wood, Aynsley Amy and Sarah Bodri:

THRIFTING

Value Villages are called Value World’s and there are several in the Detroit area. The VW hotline is (734) 728-4610. Here’s a few, but there is a plethora to choose from!‎

22150 Coolidge Highway
8300 Woodward Avenue
12125 Dix Toledo Road

There are plenty of Boutique-type thrift stores as well:

Mother Fletchers, think Black Market or Exile mixed with 69 Vintage, and packed to the gills, (248) 398-4816, 234 West 9 Mile Road

American Pop, an eccentric and exciting mix of kitsch, antiques, collectibles and just a lot of bizarre, cool things, and the owner is no different, (248) 837-2127, 175 W 9 Mile Rd

V-Male Detroit Vintage, men’s and women’s clothing as well as burlesque supplies and lingerie, (313) 846-8243, 23902 Van Born Road, Dearborn Heights

An amazing community art exhibit and one of my fave spots on earth, The Heidelberg Project:

Heidelberg St. in between Mt Elliott and Ellery, Detroit, (313) 974-6894, www.heidelberg.org

Tyree Guyton is a Detroit native, an artist, a teacher and a visionary to say the least. After a hard childhood he stood up against the bleak future he could’ve easily fallen into and chose art instead. Tyree started to transform the spaces around him using everyday abandoned objects sadly left behind and spun them into something beautiful, blanketing over 2 city blocks in amongst abandoned torched buildings, liquor stores and poverty. 

24 years later Detroit is home to one of the world’s most frequently visited and well respected community art projects in the world, which is also involved with children’s art classes and projects with local colleges and universities. Over 275,000 visitors a year gaze upon this surreal statement on the issues facing residents in the community. 

It’s brightly coloured, 3-D and engaging - deserted yet full of life, and photos will never do it justice so you’ll just have to go down there one day and check it out. Posters, postcards and informational flyers are for sale if Tyree is around, and donations are always welcome. $10 bought me a full colour large fold-out pamphlet that doubles as a poster and map of the entire exhibit, with a bio and leaflet on upcoming projects and current exhibits. 

The Heidelberg Project is healing the community through art – and we could all learn a thing or two from it. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing it several times when visiting family over the years and this past weekend I met Tyree for the third time. When I asked him how he was, he abruptly responded “I’m good. You know why? Because I know what I’m doing. I have purpose and everything’s working out”.  We talked about the meaning of art today, why he wanted Heidelberg to be outside and accessible to everyone, and why it’s so important to continuously break down barriers in poor communities. Please do yourself a favour and add this to your “things you need to see before you die” list.

GRUB

Mudgie’s Deli 1300 Porter Street, (313) 961-2000
Slows BBQ 2138 Michigan Avenue, (313) 962-9828‎
American Coney Island  114 W. Lafayette (586) 219-0995

A Michigan native, musician, DIY pro crafter and super talented artsy chick Elena Gonzalez took us to The Majestic, a lovely diner and concert venue at the front of a bowling alley and we feasted on thick cut sweet potato fries with citrus garlic aioli, spinach salad with beets, candied pecans, apple and red onion, sliders and burgers.

4140 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, (313) 833-9700,

Check out the thriving Mexican restaurant scene:

 Xochimilco 3409 Bagley, (313) 843-0179
Los Altos 7056 W Vernor Hwy, (313) 841-3109
Mexican Town 3457 Bagley, (313) 841-5811
Mexican Village Restaurant 2600 Bagley, (313) 237-0333

MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE

Cliff Bells 2030 Park Avenue, (313) 961-2543
Baker’s Keyboard Lounge 20510 Livernois Ave, (313) 345-6300

If you’re thinking about planning a Detroit road trip in August, Pop Up Detroit is happening Friday, August 27th at the Kresgee Shopping Centre, 1201 Woodward. It’s an art exhibition featuring local artist and musicians. Here is the facebook page.

July 15th-Aug 1st
One For Sorrow, Two For Joy @ The Midpoint, 1180 Queen St. W. This cool theatrical performance explores the character's romantic lives through fairytales, and features music from the likes of Stephen Sondheim and Danny Elfman. The coolest part? The play takes place in the bar-the characters are patrons and employees and the action happens all around you. For tickets and showtimes: www.magpietheatrecompany.com $10, $15 at the door.

July 21-25
Toronto Burlesque Festival 2010: Metopolis @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W.
The Burlesque Fest is an always sexy, sometimes crazy celebration of everything Burleqsue. Beautiful twirling girls, muscly guys, fetish burlesque, and more! http://www.torontoburlesquefestival.com/

July 23-25
Human Rights Docfest @ NFB Mediatheque.
Support media making a difference. www.hrdocfest.com for more info.

July 23-25
Love, Saskatchewan @ Harbourfront Centre.
A whole bunch of events celebrating prairie country, from music and food to storytelling and more! http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/worldroutes/festivals.cfm?festival_id=...

July 23-26
Press Fest 2010 @ The Press Club, 850 Dundas St. W.
23 bands come together in what they're calling a "fury of booze and passion." Plus...BBQ!

THURSDAY
6 pm An Outback BBQ @ 99 Sudbury Patio & Loft. iYellow Wine Club presents over 30 Aussie wines, Outback BBQ canapes, and local beats. Tickets $35: http://iyellowwineclub.com/upcoming-events-tours/an-outback-bbq

7 pm The Pleasure Is Back by Adam Medley: Product Line & Website Launch@ Art Metropole, 788 King St. W. 2nd Floor. The product line created from the long-running consumer satire project.

8 pm Cancer Can't Dance Like This @ Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Performing Arts. A one-man comedy show by cancer survivor Daniel Stolfi. The show has sold out before in Montreal, Toronto, and Guelph, and is poised to do so again. For tickets: http://www.stlc.com/index.php?id=732

8 pm Boobalicious & Toronto Burlesque Festival Present Bras for a Cause @ The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W. Beautiful Burlesque bras are auctioned off to help the fight against breast cancer. Always a celebratory, wonderful event, and the bras are seriously cool.

9 pm Unit's 4th Birthday @ Unit Bar, 1198 Queen St. W. Resident DJs will help them celebrate 4 signless years.

10 pm Lockedown @ Margret, 2952 Dundas St. W. DJ Lockedown, the mashup king, is back! He takes requests. Pabby hour from 8-10 with $2.50 PBRs.

Carnaval Noir @ Fly Nightclub, 8 Gloucester St. An evening with burlesque, magic, aerial performances, and carnival games to support the AIDS Committee of Toronto. Tickets are on sale now, $15 in advance, or $20 at the door. Email carnaval.noir@yahoo.ca or http://www.eventsbot.com/events/eb192047922. Help support this fantastic cause!

FRIDAY
6: 30 pm The Block Party @ Everyone Is An Artist, 289 Queen St. E. No cover, cash bar, delicious food.

8 pm David Dondero w/ Barzin @ The Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen St. W. An evening of intimate folk melodies loved by NPR. $5.

9 pm TIME Festival @ The Sound Academy, 11 Polson St. Diplo, Skream, Benga, Milano, Azari & III, Damian Lazarus, Adultnapper, Konrad Black, Kingdom, Meech, Tapedeckbros, and more. Tickets at Rotate This, Soundscapes, Play de Record.

10 pm Cottage Wattage @ Sneaky Dee's, 431 College St. Rock out to 106.9 FM The Loon, Cottage Country's best fictional radio station. Rock hits of the 60's, 70's, and 80's. $5.

10 pm Tropicalism @ The Piston, 937 Bloor St. W. Nigeria special, Ghana soundz, Brazilian tropicalia, new Cuban beats, 80's and 90's dancehall. $5.

10 pm FLEX: Funk, Love, Etc. @ Margret, 2952 Dundas St. W. Shit La Merde and Cozmic Cat bring funk, soul, indie, breaks and hip hop and house.

11 pm Edumacation @ The Drake Underground, 1150 Queen St. W. This month with Stylistik Endeavours. 3 DJs, 4 turntables. $5.

Women's Arm Wrestling @ 751, 751 Queen St. W. Twist some wrists for Red Door Family Shelter! It's $2 to wrestle, $3 to watch, and sign up is open, so anyone can get in the game. They're also accepting donations at the door, and there will be a live performance from Toronto's DENTATA.

SATURDAY
1 pm The New Bloor Festival @ Landsdowne to Dufferin on Bloor. The street will be closed to vehicles, and filled with art and more! http://newbloorfestival.com/

10 pm Rapture @ Blondie's, 1378 Queen St. W. With residents Silvermayne and Paul Revered. Soulful dance music.

10 pm Grum, The Jackals, Tapedeckbros @ Wrongbar, 1279 Queen St. W. Dance dance dance.

10 pm Nadastrom and Nautiluss @ The Social, 1100 Queen St. W. Switch is a fan of these two. Tickets: http://www.wantickets.com/

SUNDAY

10 am Furniture & Garage Sale @ 104A Northcote Ave. Purging possessions to raise money for Seventh Stage.

1 pm Deli Duel @ The Green Barn, 601 Christie St, Barn 4. The battle for Toronto smoked meat supremacy. Caplansky's, Goldin's and The Stockyards are going brisket-to-brisket to raise funds for The Stop Community Food Centre. $3 sandwiches available for purchase, $3 lemonade and iced tea, $5 Steamwhistle and Mill St.

by Jasmine Soucy
So you’re sitting in a movie theatre waiting patiently for your feature-film of choice to start. Actually, it isn’t really a feature-film per se, it’s a two hour-long compilation of short films. Also, forget waiting patiently; truth is you are witnessing a short pre-show montage largely consisting of 80’s music videos and Lionel Ritchie dancing (on the ceiling). The compilation’s organizer then comes out (of nowhere) to discuss the talent and motivation behind these short films. Oh, one more thing: the organizer pauses this introduction to call a seemingly-random usher to the front of the theatre who promptly proceeds to (brace yourself) PROPOSE to his girlfriend (!) ...conveniently she’s been seated in the front row the entire time. A few teary handshakes and theatre-wide rounds of applause later, your short-film compilation of choice begins. Okay okay, so you are not actually sitting in a movie theatre. You’re sitting in the Hall Auditorium at Concordia University. And this present string of events that would possibly seem quite odd to the normal movie goer barely fazes you. This is because you are anything but a normal movie goer – you, my friend, are a Fantasia festival attendee.

The compilation I saw that night, which featured a mix of animated and live action English and French shorts, exemplifies what you can expect from this festival: diverse material that is often interesting and regularly hilarious (ahem, YouTube Jack Chop). Highlights include Rubber, a film about a psychotic tire (yes, tire) with psycho-kinetic powers, The Revenant, a bromance- meets-Army of Darkness piece, and Birdemic: Shock and Terror, which is... exactly what you’d expect (a.k.a. so bad that it’s good).

A key, if not central, achievement of the Fantasia festival is the exposure it gives to films like this, the type of which they may not enjoy in more mainstream cinema due to their quirky and über-campy nature. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy watching rubber tires mentally obliterate squirrels and beer bottles just as much as the next girl, but is there summer blockbuster-potential here? Sadly, I have my doubts. This home Fantasia provides for the sci-fi brand of film also acts as a home for its counterpart: the (notorious) sci-fi fan. Wonderful as it is, this reality also presents the only problematic aspect of Fantasia. Less voracious sci-fi followers, like you , and me, and anyone else who thought twice about choosing to see Inception over seeing Day and Knight, can be somewhat put off by this audience base. “How am I supposed to stand in line for a film with a bunch of sci-fi junkies?”, you may ask yourself. “I mean, they’re practically their own subculture, its intimidating!” Well, being an infrequent movie-goer and an even more faint-hearted critic myself, I was just a little inclined to share in these reservations. What I quickly realized however, is that they’re based on a bit of a misconception. Yes, Fantasia fans do love Science Fiction. Do they ever. But this is totally inclusive, not exclusive.

I realized this during the pre-show marriage proposal. The now-engaged usher who proposed to his girlfriend is actually a long-time Fantasia volunteer whose dedication to the festival earned him this place in the spotlight. Now, not only a few, not just half, but, the actual majority of the audience knew and recognized this guy and were there with him all the way with their applause and cheers. No one minded the delay before showtime, no one was wondering who this guy thought he was, and most of all no one was wondering who all these clapping audience members thought they were giving some stranger a standing ovation. Audience members, whether they were wearing a Labyrinth t-shirt or an Ed Hardy hat (alright, that's a reach) were genuinely excited to be witnessing this. And that’s what Fantasia is about: the experience. You don’t have to be a sci-fi junkie, it doesn’t even necessarily help. Fantasia succeeds in being a festival for everyone; you’ve just got to be there.

Fantasia runs until the 28th of July, so go while you still can! For the festival schedule, check out http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2010/en/films/

By Shelley Budd
I found myself incredibly ruffled by the old monthly crank this weekend, more so than usual. I’m wondering if it’s the heat. My theory goes, amazing sunshine + period = serious crankiness, feeling all the more sensitive to hormonal fluctuations because of the heat. Total non-medical diagnosis, but whatever the reason, if you find yourself barking orders at perfectly lovely people or heart-achingly whining because you dropped a single grape, try these stress-reducing cures.

1. Mist yourself. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. There’s a great Natural Wellness shop on Robson St., called Saje- there you’ll be directed to a remedy for anything from PMS and cramps to grief or mental fatigue, so you can pick up something for yourself and whoever you’re spending time with on a bad rag.
2. Eat something luxurious. Pick your sullen mood up off the dirty floor by indulging in a swank treat to-go – Le Crocodile on Burrard makes their Classic Alsatian Style Onion Tart specifically for that time of the month, I think...the French are bitchy all year long so I guess they need it. It’s smooth as silk with a perfect crust and little bits of bacon inside; a true, “one-of the-best-things-I’ve-ever-eaten,” foodie delight, and they’ll give it to you in a fancy, bright, shopping bag.
3. Watch a Period Film. These consist of a healthy dose of comedy, a fierce leading lady, great art direction and an accessible love story that works out in the end. Happy Go Lucky, Volver and Rachel Getting Married are all Period Films. Or the 90’s classics like Excess Baggage and Empire Records always feel good.

Other Notables:
Baking Pretzels
Rootbeer Floats
Ordering in the Italian Mushroom Pizza, from Oscar Pizza on Denman St.
Going for a solo, meditative, lane swim, ie. YMCA on Burrard from 7 to 10:30pm
Playing racket sports to get out the aggression

by Kait Fowlie
Think the best part of the public library is the air conditioning? WRONG! Libraries offer oodles of FREE opportunities for glee and merriment, such as workshops, author lectures and book signings, and classes. Rediscovering your favourite childhood hangout has many great benefits this summer, and we put together a list of specific reasons they are worth investigation!

1. Authors are always around, doing book signings and providing fans with an opportunity to pick their brains. Here are some gems:

Can’t get enough Igor? Author Richard Poplak and illustrator Nick Marinkovich will be discussing their bad ass graphic novel “Kenk, A Graphic Portrait” July 31st at 2:30 at the Toronto Reference Library. A spoken word performance by two members of the Toronto Writers Co-op will follow.

Carl Hiaasen and novelist and former Star columnist Linwood Barclay will be at the Toronto Reference Library July 29th from 7 – 8:30 pm for a Q&A, book sale and signing.

Author / illustrator David Anderson will be doing a meet and greet, discussing how his early years in Africa inspired his career, (and giving a lesson on drawing wildlife!) August 5th, 2 – 3 pm at Agincourt Branch (Kennedy and Sheppard).

The editors of Broken Pencil Magazine and special guests are running a tour of the zine collection at the Toronto Reference Library (Bloor and Yonge) September 21st at 7 pm. It will be followed by a discussion of the past and future of print culture. Bring used zines to donate to the collection! Prizes are also up for grabs.

2. Libraries make it easy to learn a little more about your hood, and support your local scene.
The 3 Greek sisters from the Danforth will talk about growing up in Greek-town, penning a Greek cookbook, and discussing the benefits of going Greek! Add this event to your Taste of the Danforth agenda, August 7th at 1 pm at the Pape / Danforth branch

3. Libraries are an opportunity for you to give back to your community, support literary initiatives and help kids!
From July 15 – August 26th, the Pape and Danforth branch needs volunteers for one hour per week to help provide individualized help for children grades 2 – 6 with reading at the library for their summer Learning to Read program.

4. There are workshops of all descriptions to help you achieve great things! The library wants you to succeed!
Yes, the library even has Yoga classes. Laughter yoga, a new revelation in body-mind medicine, will go on July 24th and July 31st at 2:20 at the York Woods branch (Finch Ave. West)

Listen to different viewpoints and become better informed about urban issues that matter to the city dwelling voter at the Toronto Reference Library, September 15th and 29th at 7 pm.

A mixed Media art class focusing on ink, watercolours and pen will be led by Asha, a Toronto based artist, September 15th at the Don Mills Branch (Lawrence and Don Mills)

5. If you’re feeling disillusioned about the workplace and your career, the library can help!
Learning about career resources and how to make a plan in the short term and long term is easy with this workshop, run by Sean Tan of the Ontario College of Technology. August 27th at 2 pm at the Bloor and Gladstone branch.

Hidden Job Market news is revealed, as well as labour market trends and employers in the city at this workshop for those wishing to achieve a better grip on not so common career info. September 8th, at 1 pm at the Toronto Reference Library.

Wednesdays from 1 – 5 and Thursdays from 9 – 1, one on one employment counselling will be offered at the Bloor and Gladstone branch. Drop by for some productive hangouts with Skills for Change employment specialists. They can help you if your cover letter and resume writing skills are hurtin’.

6. Library Book Clubs make it easy to stay on top of summer reading, even when you are distracted by pool hoppin' and 40-sippin'.
The variety of Toronto Public library book discussion groups will keep your intellectual side stimulated during the long, aimless summer months. Check out the list of branch – specific clubs so you can geek out with some other readers in your hood. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/rec_clu_book_groups.jsp

TPL also has an online book club! Check it out here: http://bookbuzz.torontopubliclibrary.ca/index.html

If you’re the kind of person who likes reading and fancies the idea of a book club, but can’t stomach someone else’s due dates and schedule, visit the Toronto Public Library website for tips on how to start your own book club. http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/rec_clu_tips.jsp

7. If you are a hardcore specialized geeker-outer, the library has in depth, one of a kind collections.
Unique collections at the TPL are as follows:
LGBT collection (Yorkville branch)

The Jewish Mosaic collection (Barbara Frum branch at Pape and Danforth)

Native Peoples collection (Spadina road Library, North York central library and the Reference Library)

Rita Cox Black and Caribbean Heritage collection (Malvern branch at Sheppard and Neilson, Maria A. Schuka at Dufferin and Eglinton, Parkdale at Queen and Dufferin and York Woods at Jane and Finch).

Performance Arts Center (Toronto Reference Library)

The Merril Collection of science fiction, speculation and fantasy (Lillian H. Smith branch at College and Spadina)

8. If you have a serious brain child on the go, the library can facilitate your venue needs.
The TPL provides free spaces for artists to display their work at 11 branches. For submission details check out their site: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/spe_ser_artspace_index.jsp

If your sweaty apartment is hindering your musical vision, piano / practice rooms are available at these branches: North York Central Library, Parkdale, Parliament Street, Toronto Reference Library.

Theatres are available for rental at these branches: Fairview, Palmerston, York Woods for about $100 per day. Current audition info and schedules are also up for grabs on the 5th floor of the Toronto Reference Library.