Newsstand: February 9, 2010
Bob Kinnear isn't Greg Kinnear
Duly Quoted: Adam Giambrone
Newsstand: February 8, 2010
Scale Model City, Actual-Size Grime
We can all relax. Christmas-themed zombies haven’t risen up to become "exquisite" Mississauga dentists; as it turns out, the amateur colouring job above is actually City Living Magazine’s signature style. We had never heard of City Living before, but it turns out that it might just be Toronto’s best publication.
City Living also specializes in 1980s-style yearbook photos.
We're not sure how City Living slipped under our radar, but according to its website, it's become so popular and influential that it's now "a preferred publication among Canada’s affluent consumers who have an appreciation for the finest things in life." This is reflected in brilliant hard-hitting advertorials, or "advertiarials," as City Living refers to them, like "Pink: Learn to Decorate with this Comforting Colour," "Waterview Dental: Dental Clinic Meets Spa: Waterview Dental Delivers an Experience with their Treatments," and "Dr. Jay Rabinovich: Your family dentist!" Of course advertorials aren't all City Living has to offer. "City Living [sic] dynamic editorial is designed to move its readers to action with articles on our reader’s most passionate interests. There are feature articles on home décor, gourmet chefs, fashion, travel, restaurant review, cars and high profile Canadians."
Eric Fleming, of the television show Rawhide, probably wouldn't look as happy if he could see City Living's mediocre Photoshop job.
Since 1994, City Living has been edited and published by Patricia E. Binns. According to her profile, Binns was "Eduated [sic] at York University" and has interviewed prestigious individuals like "Frank Stronachay [sic] of Magna International." Originally, Binns "wanted to be a successful model or a flight attendant," but when that didn’t work out, she decided to become a publisher. "I have worked for many magazines and newspapers," explains Binns, without actually naming any of them. "I started in 1972 selling subscriptions part-time for a magazine...Since then, I have worked in the publishing industry. I did some modeling here in Toronto in the early 1980's and started a modeling agency in Ottawa in 1986."
Binns named her magazine City Living, "because it was devoted to all that was distinctive, beautiful and elegant," and apparently "City Live Magazine [sic] proudly remains on [sic] of the leading lifestyle publications today because it has stayed true to its founding philosophy, which is to showcase the communities [sic] most outstanding businesses and its home conscious readers." You see, City Living is just so awesome that it doesn't need proper spelling or grammar—it doesn't even have to make sense. Did we mention that this brilliant publication only costs $16.95 for a four-issue subscription?
City Living also contracts out its graphics services for brochures, business cards, and wedding invitations, so you too can terrify friends and family with your own colourful zombie-style look.
All photos by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist.
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Harsh, but fair. And oh-so-funny.
Regarding the subscription price I find it a bit odd. I seem to recall receiving a number of issues of City Living for free. Maybe it was just a temporary promotion to encourage readers to subscribe.
- Vic De Zen
managing to publish for 15 years is no mean feat in the Toronto/Ontario/Canadian magazine market. Kudos to Binns for staying power. Maybe Toro et al were just too slick! Herein lies the key to staying power in publishing. Keep costs low and don't be afraid to make a few mistakes along the way. Also, try to do something weird on a regular basis like hand-colouring photos for your covers.
You're giving them too much credit. The title of the decor advertiarial was actually "Pink learn to decorate with this comforting colour."
That's just online. The magazine itself actually manages to get it right.
Aha! I'm amazed that they got it right in print!
BRAAIINNS
No wait. TEEEEEETH
Check out the photo of the editor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.citylivingmagazine.ca/editor_publisher.html
Beware the green eyed monster.
So this is what happens when the Joker attacks small-scale publishing companies.
Love that Joker!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgCbegtw0JM
"All photos by Stephen Michalowicz/Torontoist."
Really? You took those photos of Dr. Ali and Eric Fleming? Great work, Stephen!
Photos of prints, yes. You know it and I know it. There's no need to troll.
Ah publishing: the default option of so many derailed modelling careers.
It's like the poor, green-eyed woman's GOOP. Nourish the inner aspect, people! Nourish it!
I really want to believe these people's eyes are indeed that green; that City Living Magazine is just a front publication for an ancient sect of wonky-eyed cannibalistic carnivores, like Elijah Wood's character in Sin City (at best) or the Twilight vampires (at worst), that the incessant typos are actually coded locations for green-eyed monster cotillions and ritual feedings. Just as I want to believe the noisy construction apparatus outside my window that occasionally emits dolphin-like chirps is, in fact, a friendly pod frolicking at my window after the biblical flood that took out all the right-wingers. But in both instances, for all my fevered mental straining, I simply cannot manage it. It's just an amateurish magazine and ungreased machinery, respectively, and there is no magic nor God.
To use a British expression: I'd bin the rag.
Kinda Warhol-esqe don't you think?
The site is plastered with 2006 copyrights. Have at it, pirates!!
Torontoist: Exquisite Toronto News Culture, Events Photos and, Everything Else !
My fave is the misplaced apostrophe in this line "articles on our reader's most passionate interests." that makes it seem as if they only have one reader. Which may be true.
Where to begin? I was drawn in to take a closer look at this odd, loosely joined collection of ads and found no end of amusement, from the spelling and grammar errors (Mississauga Exquisite Dentist) to the article on decorating with Pink. The opening paragraph in the article seemed like an entry from Wikipedia to me, so I checked and lo, it was practically all there, word for word. A closer look at the strange interior shot , which didn't look quite current, revealed a TAPE PLAYER in the setting's shelving unit. The fashion shots of the editor are all from sometime in the late 80's, I am quite sure, and the "celebrity" shots of her and various "celebrities" have no captions, leaving us more puzzled than ever . Or maybe I'm just so hopelessly out of touch that I don't recognize these media giants. Sigh.
Please, Patricia, give me a job fixing your pages.I could, I don't know, change a font in the headings once in a while, or find you some stock photography that looks current even!
I think I am a little obsessed with this magazine. I need help.
The article on decorating with pink was apparently so good that Binns decided to print it twice. According to the author, Cynthia Taylor, the article first appeared in City Living in 2006.
You can read the article here.
Here's another gem I found in an article on home design:
"People went to the moon, so they can build houses in Toronto."
Amazing.
I too began fantasizing (I guess) about getting hired by Patricia and completely overhauling the magazine, then realized it would be such an exhaustive effort. Starting a new, better magazine from scratch would probably be easier than attempting to save this trainwreck.
Why would you want to eliminate what is clearly one of the most entertaining publications in Toronto?
Good point! Relentlessly criticizing this magazine is too much fun.