POLITICS: It's Federal Election time! Torontoist will be liveblogging the results this evening, so make sure you've read up on all of our election coverage in advance. Go vote! Seriously! Various locations (find yours here), 9:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m., FREE. WORDS: There is another book launch tonight as part of Pages' This Is Not A Reading Series. Fear of Fighting, the new graphic novel by author and Torontoist contributor Stacey May Fowles alongside illustrator Marlena... [continue]

SPORTS: The Toronto Maple Leafs take on the St. Louis Blues this afternoon. Ideally, the Leafs will see better results than last Saturday's game, but we're not keeping our hopes up. Air Canada Centre (40 Bay Street), 1 p.m., $44.61–$401.51. HOLIDAY: Grocery stores, banks, liquor stores, government offices, and the post office will all be closed today. Fairview Mall and Yorkdale Mall will also be closed, but the Toronto Eaton Centre, Vaughan Mills Mall,... [continue]

SPORTS: Join Red Bull Street Style today at the Great Hall for the National Street Style Finals. Sixteen soccer-trick stars will compete to become Canada's freestyle soccer champion, with the winner advancing to the Red Bull Street Style Worlds Finals next month in Brazil. The Great Hall (1087 Queen Street West), 3:30 p.m., FREE. WORKSHOP: Garden Jane is holding a workshop today in the High Park Children's Garden on organic gardening and permaculture. The... [continue]

SPORTS: If you're wandering around the Financial District tonight, don't be too shocked when you see hundreds of people running around erratically. It's got nothing to do with the economic crisis; it's Newmindspace's Capture the Flag, back for its sixth episode, where the only crisis participants face is determining the whereabouts of their opponents' flag. Full details, the official map, and rules are available here. King Street and Bay Street (on the southwest corner),... [continue]

MUSIC: Torontonian electro-soul group Pants and Tie are celebrating the release of their new single, "Washing Machine," with a party tonight at Sneaky Dee's. The single, mixed by Dale Morningstar, will be available on both CD and vinyl at the show. Pants and Tie will be performing (obviously), accompanied by musical sets from the Pink Noise and Slow Hand Motem, and a DJ set from DVAS. Sneaky Dee's (431 College Street), 9 p.m., $5.... [continue]

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tonight at Lennox Contemporary, join the Magenta Foundation for the launch of Flash Forward 2008, a photographic anthology showcasing up-and-coming photographers. The photos in the book were chosen from entries in the 2008 Flash Forward competition, the Magenta Foundation's annual adjudication of emerging talent. The launch is complemented by an exhibition showcasing these photos, which will run until October 26. Lennox Contemporary (12 Ossington Avenue), 7 p.m., FREE. MUSIC: The Department of Culture... [continue]

FILM: War/Dance, winner of the 2007 Hot Docs Audience Award, will be screened tonight at the Bloor Cinema. The documentary follows a children's dance troupe from northern Uganda invited to compete at an annual dance and music festival. The screening is presented in association with GuluWalk and AMREF Canada. Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street West), 7 p.m., $10 ($5 for students). WORDS: Pages' This Is Not A Reading Series continues with the release of... [continue]

THEATRE: Puppeteer troupe The Old Trout Puppet Workshop will be presenting their project Famous Puppet Death Scenes at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts. The Dora-nominated production explores what happens when extremely well-crafted puppets get annihilated. The show runs until October 16. Young Centre for the Performing Arts (55 Mill Street, Building 49), 8 p.m., $20-$30 WORDS: Internationally renowned printmaker Akira Kurosaki is speaking today at OCAD. Kurosaki's work is displayed at MoMA, the... [continue]

MUSIC: Lambchop frontman Kurt Wagner will make a rare solo appearance tonight: the Nashville alternative-country singer is playing at the Drake Underground. The Drake Hotel (1150 Queen Street West), 8 p.m., $15. POLITICS: There is a debate tonight for Toronto Centre MP candidates, featuring Green candidate Ellen Michelson, NDP candidate El-Farouk Khaki, Conservative candidate David Gentili, and Liberal candidate Bob Rae. The event is free and open to the public. Isabel Bader Theatre (93 Charles... [continue]

MUSIC: We can't really think of a better way to nurse your Nuit Blanche hangover than spending an afternoon with Nardwuar. The Human Serviette himself will be performing at Trash Palace with his band, The Evaporators. He'll also be presenting clips from his "Video Vault," which feature interviews with Marilyn Manson, Iggy Pop, and Michael Moore. The 3Tards and The Weirdies will also perform. Trash Palace (89-B Niagara Street), 3 p.m., $6. ART: Feel like... [continue]

ART: In case you didn't know (but how could you not?), Nuit Blanche returns tonight! Torontoist's guide is here. Various locations, 6:52 p.m.–7 a.m., FREE. BENEFIT: Today, participants in the 2008 Sunshine Walk will depart from Queen's Park on their sixteen day journey from Toronto to Ottawa. The walk is presented by the Toronto Climate Campaign to support solar energy awareness, and ends at Parliament Hill on October 20, when walkers will present the... [continue]

ART: "Off Camera" is an exhibition at the new Filmport Studios, featuring more than 200 works from 50 artists currently working in the Toronto film industry. The reception tonight will include musical performances and a silent auction, and did we mention you get to go inside Filmport Studios? Filmport Studios (Studio 7, 225 Commissioners Street), 6 p.m.–1 a.m., FREE. WORDS: Ruckus Magazine, a new online magazine for student artists in the GTA, is celebrating... [continue]

MUSIC: Today, War Child Canada is presenting "Busking For Change," a day-long busking event featuring a number of reasonably successful Canadian performers. Among those performing are Our Lady Peace's Raine Maida (a fervent supporter of War Child Canada), Chantal Kreviazuk, Zack Werner, The Waking Eyes, and Neverending White Lights. Expect to see lots of teenaged girls unable to control their excitement, and a slough of disgruntled buskers who've had their spots stolen by real musicians... [continue]

THEATRE: Hart House Theatre's 2008–2009 season officially begins this evening with Shakespeare's King Lear, which runs until October 18. This production of the classic tragedy stars Peter Higginson as Lear and is directed by Jeremy Hutton. Hart House Theatre (7 Hart House Circle), 8 p.m., $12–$20. FILM: There is a free advanced screening of Guy Ritchie's new film, RocknRolla, presented by U of T's Cinema Studies Student Union tonight at Innis Town Hall. The film—which... [continue]

MUSIC: Tonight's No Shame music showcase is over at the Silver Dollar Room, and will serve as a Pop Montréal preview for those lucky enough to attend the festival this weekend (and presumably as some sort of compensation for those who are not). Toronto favourite the Rural Alberta Advantage will be playing, along with the similarly indie pop groups Hooded Fang and Mt. Royal. The Silver Dollar Room (486 Spadina Avenue), 9 p.m., $7.... [continue]

MUSIC: The Polaris Music Prize Gala is happening tonight at the Phoenix Concert Theatre, where the winner of this year's best Canadian album will receive $20,000. The gala will include performances from nominees Holy Fuck, Shad, Two Hours Traffic, Basia Bulat, and Plants and Animals—but it's also invite-only. Those of you who can't get in have still got a number of options, though: CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence will be hosting a live broadcast... [continue]

WORDS: Torontonian artist Steve Driscoll is launching his new book, Steve Driscoll: Conversations, this afternoon at David Mirvish Books. The book showcases the changes and developments in Driscoll's paintings over the last eight years, and the launch will also include an exhibition of the work presented in Driscoll's book. David Mirvish Books (596 Markham Street), 2 p.m., FREE. FUN: Improv Everywhere is hosting the MP3 Experiment in Toronto today. At 2 p.m. in Riverdale... [continue]

FESTIVAL: The TrekZac FestiCon, a day-long celebration of Star Trek, returns to The Tranzac today for its second year. The mini-convention kicks off at 1 p.m. with a Steam Whistle Brewing beer tasting, along with performances from Laura Barrett, Mackenzie King (formerly Ontario Power Generation), and Woodhands frontman Dan Werb. At 3 p.m. the “convention” begins and will include a lecture by David Dineen-Porter, a demonstration of Klingon ceremonies and rituals, and a panel... [continue]

FILM: There are a couple of film screenings today. Patti Smith: Dream of Life, Steven Sebring’s new documentary about the singer/songwriter/artist, opens today and will screen until October 2 at the Royal Cinema (608 College Street, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Mixed Greens, the monthly environmental film series at the Gardiner Museum, will be screening Marie-Monique Robin’s documentary, The World According to Monsanto. The film is presented in association with the upcoming Planet in... [continue]

ART: In the aftermath of May Karp’s slightly controversial street art exhibit opening/closing, the Show & Tell Gallery is putting on a fundraiser to pay the "dramatic" legal costs they've incurred. “With All Due Respect” is an exhibition and auction happening tonight at Charlie’s Gallery. The exhibit will feature an auction of original work from the artists whose work was photographed for Karp’s show. Charlie’s Gallery (112 Harbord Street), 6 p.m., FREE. WORDS: There... [continue]