BLAMBLOG v7

West Goes East

2010-03-11T01:12:00.007-05:00

A West-Ender's Guide to East Toronto

I've been meaning to post about our move east, but now I don't have to. Today's issue of NOW Magazine takes a look at Toronto's East vs. West divide: people in this city tend to associate themselves with the side of Yonge Street, the city's spine, they live on. In the past there's been very little cross-pollination; west-enders stay in the west and east-enders stay in the east. As a west-ender, I once didn't cross the valley for five years in a row ... and I still don't have a good sense of the layout of the east. Where exactly is the "Upper Beach"? St. Clair & Victoria Park?

But NOW missed the real story. Six years ago, some friends moved from Little Italy to Leslieville (which was a barren, neglected stretch of Queen Street East at the time). I thought they were nuts: why would anyone move EAST? A year later another friend moved to Leslieville. The trickle continued and more friends moved east until we ourselves picked up and left for Leslieville in December (joined by more friends all moving at roughly the same time). This was a story we heard over and over as we were house-hunting: priced out of the west, people are migrating east in droves.

[above] one difference: the west end is mostly deforested compared to the east. Leslieville even has a spring 'tree festival'..

For us, it was a no-brainer. We were priced out of the crappier parts of the west end and by moving east we traded up in almost every way that matters. Out in the shadow of the Dufferin Mall, it was a minimum ten-minute walk to do or get anything ... here in the east, we have everything we need within a few blocks. Some trades are significant; we have a galaxy-class LCBO compared to the tiny Parkdale & Little Portugal stores we used to rely on. And we can walk up and get Indian take-out any time we need it (which seems to be often). We even have a little French cafe right on our corner ... but it's run by west-enders.

[above] one trade-up: parks and the dog beach. A year ago, we didn't even know the dog beaches existed.

Because we've only been here for a few months, we're seeing the neighbourhood with fresh eyes, so here's my 2 cents on NOW's coverage.

In NOW's feature, Michael Hollett defends the east and Josh Errett defends the west. I thought Hollettt lived out here, but after reading his east end article, I have my doubts:

East-enders know that pedestrian traffic, even late at night, helps make a neighbourhood safe, not surly, and the ease with which our latest fun ’hood, Leslieville, has sprung to life with an ever-increasing number of excellent galleries, restos and bars illustrates this.

Um, no Mike, east enders don't know this. Dufferin & College has more pedestrian traffic than Leslieville, especially at night when Leslievile turns into a ghost town. Heck, Bloor & Lansdowne has more nightlife. And the Danforth has one little stretch that's walkable. The west has far more pedestrians and far fewer front yard parking pads, than the east. I actually signed a petition the other day to help a new pizza place -- a really nice pizza place -- get a liquor license because a neighbour opposes the place being open after 8pm. It's on QUEEN STREET, why wouldn't it be open after 8pm?

Josh does a better job although, being Josh, he does it in a bit of a dickish way. But he mucks up at the end:

The East lacks that ability to reinvent itself. It is staid, which ultimately spells boring. Greektown along the Danforth is a prime example; it hasn’t changed in nearly 40 years, and probably never will.

Stupid thing to say at a time when the east is rapidly reinventing itself. See paragraph 2, above.

[above] Even the people in Leslieville have told us that the Beach residents are a bunch of conservative douchebags.

But while the divide is real, it's not really a fair comparison. The city's centre of gravity really is in the west and the east is smaller and quieter. To paraphrase 30 Rock: the east end is just like the west end, just without all the stuff!

Crap Shit

2010-03-10T00:51:00.004-05:00

Idiot song -- idea pretty much pilfered from an old beer commercial -- by 'Grayson Matthews' played on CBC's The National tonight:

Not much different in style and substance from all of those post-9/11 patriotism songs ... except that he doesn't try to rhyme "Bin Laden" with "forgotten":

Knee-jerk patriotism is ridiculous at the best of times ... it's completely uncalled for at a time when the country is sucking so badly.

Bad Apple

2010-03-08T23:29:00.001-05:00

If Apple wants to be a real leader, it should be fostering innovation and competition, rather than acting as a jealous and arbitrary feudal lord.

In other news: 5 Creepy Ways Video Games Are Trying to Get You Addicted

LOST

2010-03-05T01:23:00.001-05:00

Great analysis of the crappy start to LOST's final season. [ io9 ]

Defender of the Manly Men

2010-03-03T14:22:00.002-05:00

Jason Kenney's always been a bit of an oddball when it comes to sex. As a young Reformer, he was vocal about saving himself for marriage. Now, this:

But Kenney, who fought same-sex marriage when it was debated in Parliament, ordered those key sections removed when his office sent its comments to the department last June. Senior department officials duly cut out the material, but made a last-ditch plea with Kenney in early August to have it reinstated.

QWAC Gala 2010

2010-03-03T11:23:00.002-05:00

I've contributed an 8-minute animation to the first-ever gala fundraiser for the Queen West Art Crawl. The event is March 26 at the Gladstone and tickets are $75:

The artists are split into two ‘waves’ of creativity. Ten artists will get the party started by creating original works based on a Queen West-related theme. After an intense two-week creation period, these works are submitted to the second wave of ten, who take inspiration from the first group and respond with their own original works.

My work is currently in the hands of a musician who has two weeks to compose ... something ... to accompany the animation and will perform it live at the gala.

Polley Punk'd by Product

2010-03-03T11:15:00.001-05:00

Polley pulled her name from the project because "my film is also being used to promote a product," namely Becel, a Unilever brand. [via Mondoville].

Feb

2010-02-25T11:48:00.001-05:00

The month on Mondoville.

Playing Now in Vancouver & Toronto!

2010-02-24T12:42:00.000-05:00

2010-02-24T02:33:00.000-05:00

2010-02-24T02:32:00.000-05:00

Noisy Toronto!

2010-02-11T01:31:00.002-05:00

While renovating, we found a Mail & Empire newspaper from 1934.

Inside was this letter to the editor:

Rerun: Omega Sandwich

2010-02-02T01:46:00.000-05:00

Originally posted Sept 20, 2004.

During the day, Zack and this almond butter and banana sandwich have the run of the city. But at night, they have to take shelter to avoid the raccoons who have been surrounding the compound in greater and greater numbers.

The raccoons' leader is a pompous, Luddite windbag named Mathias. He and the raccoon mob sit in the trees and chatter.

MATHIAS: Sandwich! Sandwich! Show yourself to us, sandwich!

SANDWICH: [drinking Scotch, speaking to Zack] What say you and I play a game of chess? Ah, you'd probably win again.

Zack does not answer because he is a dog and dogs can't speak.

SANDWICH: [again, to Zack] What's that? Cards? I haven't played cards in years. I reckon you'd have a tough time holding them in your paws ...

MATHIAS: Sandwich! We know that you are in there! Why don't you show yourself?

SANDWICH: [smashes the glass, clenches his fists] Dammit! Will they ever shut up?

MATHIAS: Sandwich! You are the last of your kind. It is time for you to renounce the religion of the machine and join us. I promise that the pain will be short ...

SANDWICH: [to Zack] How long? How long has it been since I last spoke to another sandwich? How long?

Anyhow, not to give away the ending or anything, but that sandwich is a modern-day Jesus Christ sandwich and he will sacrifice himself to save sandwich-kind.

The end.

Now Playing: Grown Up Movie Star

2010-01-31T22:56:00.002-05:00

Tatiana Maslany won the special jury prize for Breakout Performance in World Cinema at Sundance for her role in Grown Up Movie Star. The film is playing this weekend in Toronto at the Scotiabank Theatre (formerly the Paramount).

The current issue of NOW also has an interview with the director/writer and a four NNNN review.

Tablets Make You High Then Low

2010-01-28T11:43:00.002-05:00

It's not what I was expecting ...

As always, Hitler has the last word:

It Only Costs One Shiny Penny!

2010-01-25T23:59:00.003-05:00

Reaction to Leah McLaren's paywall piece:

Here’s where the irony kicks in, because it isn’t that news consumers aren’t interested in paying for milk once they’ve grown accustomed to getting it for free. Instead, it’s that they aren’t interested in paying for the infant formula that’s been getting substituted for their milk over the last decade or so, a product that has no real nutritional value. Unfortunately for McLaren and the other comfortably compensated, formula-hocking columnists at the Globe and other mainstream media outlets, it is also a product that they can get for free from a variety of other sources.

via Mondoville

Grown Up Movie Star at Sundance 2010

2010-01-22T01:47:00.003-05:00

If you're at the Sundance Fest, Grown Up Movie Star has its first screening ... this afternoon! I just finished sprucing up the film's website. Here's the info:

One-time NHL star Ray, has returned home to Newfoundland from the US following a drug conviction, only to have his wife Lillian leave him for aspirations of stardom. Ray flails from woman to woman trying to replace her, while struggling against a growing awareness of his homosexuality and to care for his two daughters. At loose ends for lack of guidance, 13-year-old Ruby attempts to follow her mother's starlet dreams with make up and sexual behaviour, putting herself in increasingly risky situations.

The film itself is top-notch ... it's the fourth good film I've found work on in a row which means that streak of good luck is probably about to end. I bet the next film I work on is Bon Cop, Bad Cop V. Or worse: Friends: The Motion Picture.

A Hard Name

2010-01-20T13:58:00.002-05:00

Alan Zweig's excellent doc, A Hard Name, is on TVO tonight.The film was one of the top ten audience picks at Hot Docs 2009 and NOW magazine said:

Zweig’s on-camera questions are always the ones we’re wondering ourselves – a good sign in a doc. The unforgettable subjects, including a man who stabbed fellow inmate Clifford Olson 21 times before Olson committed his notorious crimes, implicitly trust him.

Some are more guarded than others, but Zweig’s open approach lets them confront the demons that have chased them for years, giving the project a cathartic feel.

2010-01-19T02:07:00.000-05:00

Tim Hortons + Monsanto + Curling = Organ Failure

2010-01-13T15:58:00.001-05:00

From HuffPo:

In a study released by the International Journal of Biological Sciences, analyzing the effects of genetically modified foods on mammalian health, researchers found that agricultural giant Monsanto's GM corn is linked to organ damage in rats.

Imagine!

Local Fame

2010-01-13T14:04:00.004-05:00

Funniest bit of local social convention from a Q&A with Raymi:

Did people ever recognize you on the street (and talked to you/ acknowledged it?)

yes lots but in the city of toronto you're not supposed to acknowledge famous people. you're supposed to secretly snicker at them for some reason. when i get approached i know that the person does not actually reside in toronto haha.

I didn't know that you're supposed to snicker.

Movie Stuff

2010-01-12T23:07:00.005-05:00

I don't think we'll ever top this review (scroll down) of the Leslie poster. It was also cool when the poster showed up in the Salt Lake City Tribune's TIFF coverage. [full size image] I think there's going to be Leslie news on the horizon ...

Meanwhile, Grown Up Movie Star is an official selection at Sundance 2010 ... and for good reason. It's the type of grittier, smarter film that people should think of when they hear the words, "Canadian film" ... although I hear that a lot of people actually like Bon Cop, Bad Cop. We're just putting the finishing touches on a new website design ...

Until Grown Up Movie Star shows up in theatres, why not enjoy something in the same vein, the 1968 NFB drama, The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar. You know, that gas station at Kaladar could use a damn fiddler ...

Pix

2010-01-12T10:39:00.000-05:00

More Kids in the Hall party pix.

Death Comes to Town Party

2010-01-11T23:09:00.009-05:00

We saw the first episode of Death Comes to Town at the Kids in the Hall launch party at the Rivoli tonight and did a whole lotta minor Canadian celebrity spotting ... it seemed like the entire cast of Boyfriend Latte was there. And Peter Keleghan from Leslie My Name Is Evil was everywhere. Ever present in life just like he is on tv.

OK, here's the scoring:

Best Sighting: Jesse Camacho, the guy who centres Less Than Kind. Less Than Kind flew so far under the radar, I would mention the show to people who work in Canadian tv and hardly anybody had heard how great it is. But great it is and you can still go back and watch the first season via the link above. Spotting someone from something so good is +10 pts.

Internet Meme Sighting: I recognized a tall, redheaded woman but couldn't place what show she was from. Then it hit me ... I had seen her in this "PPP cyberspace video" with the guy from The Beachcombers on Everything is Terrible:

I dunno ... I think I deserve some kind of bonus for that one. +12pt

Best 'Who Knew?': Diana Swain in real life? Smoking hot. +7

Best Sighting of a Person Who Never Did End Up Sitting Down: We were milling around and Amber is pregnant and gets tired from time to time, so she set her bag down on an empty bench for a moment and some woman asked her to move the bag because Ron Sexsmith, who was being interviewed, had been saving the seat. The woman clearly wanted Ron to sit beside her and was worried that some pregnant woman was going to spoil her night (we weren't sitting down ... I was trying to show her Jesse Camacho). If you see the interview and see us behind him talking to someone and looking confused, that's what's going on.

And then ... Ron Sexsmith ... just walked away.

But that's Toronto ... when we were in Buenos Aires, we were surprised at how people bent over backwards for pregnant women. Amber was always offered seats on the subway (which never happens in Toronto) and we even went through the line for 'diplomats and pregnant woman' at the airport. And that was months ago ... she's way more pregnant now. In Toronto, people ask her for her seat on the streetcar and the other day at the grocery store, a woman asked her if she could butt ahead of her in line because she was in a hurry. +2

Best 'I'm Glad That Happened So Fast' Sighting: We were on our way out the door and I heard some woman exclaim, "I LOVE YOU." So I looked, wondering "Who does she love?" Who does she love? Ron James. I was six inches away from Ron James for less than a second and then we were gone.

Ok, I didn't want to get into this, but what the hell ... a lot of people love the comedy of Ron James. I don't like the comedy of Ron James. I don't like Friends, either. I'm a bad person. If you go to the CBC website and watch the first episode of his tv series, you will actually hear him say the joke about getting older and having hair growing where it shouldn't and disappearing from the places where it should grow. Yes, I'm getting older and yes, that's happening to me ... but it's still one lame, stinky old joke.

So, in December Torontoist was doing this Heroes & Villains feature and CBC was one of the heroes and I illustrated it with a sarcastic, overly-cheesy picture of Being Erica ... because I was pissed off that my earlier, sexier idea , on the right, was bounced:

When I submitted my orginal, Torontoist said that they "didn't get it". So I explained that the CBC 'hero' is in jeopardy -- as CBC always is -- but the sexy supervillain recognizes that the CBC has got it going on and she's turned on by that but one thing confuses her ... when you've got so much going for you, WTF are you doing with Ron James? Ha. Ha. Ha.

But Torontoist said they didn't "get it" and wouldn't run it ... and would I please remove the visible nipples when I reworked it. And make it "happier". Well, that pissed me off further because a) it's legal for a woman to show their nipples all they want in this province, and b) the reason the nipples are there in the first place is a nod to the Batman nipple suit in Batman & Robin. I'm pretty sure they'd run a picture of that suit without batting an eyelash. So, I made that argument and said that I wanted to keep the nipples in the reworked cartoon and they said 'no' because they were worried about getting blocked by internet filters ...

Which turned out to be bullshit, because when the feature appeared, they had no qualms about using the term 'fucked up', unedited ... if you're concerned about filters you tend to use f*cked up or f--- up. And look at it ... the pic is pretty damn tame.

So, soundly chilled, I went and altered the roughs of some of the other illustrations because I reckoned I'd crossed Torontoist's line again (and because the Ron James joke continued through a few of the other cartoons) and I didn't have time for drawing, let alone redrawing. I'm a Kids in the Hall fan and I think that influence sometimes shows up in my drawings ... but Torontoist wanted Ron James.

Fortunately, I'm still really mad about it. +10

So, final score: 5344. Bonus!

Q&A ...

2010-01-08T19:03:00.001-05:00

... with Jason in this week's NOW.