Results tagged “detroit”

For a Torontonian, walking through downtown Detroit on an ordinary Saturday afternoon is an eerie, Rod Serling–esque experience: where're all the people? Nobody’s around. From time to time a rolling vehicle will pass by, on the lookout for a safe lot. It is a desolate, almost post-nuclear dystopia, where every storefront and sidewalk is as deserted as a Chrysler dealership. Even ten or fifteen minutes out from the downtown core, there aren't many locals in sight. Perhaps the odd drifter hustling tourists in a near-empty McDonald’s or Burger King. The savvy eat in their parked cars, while roving police cruisers outnumber pedestrians and pleasant chatter by a wide margin. Portraits of yesteryear glories hang wherever you go, and you’d like to think this famous city has more heart than a Michaëlle Jean snack, but downtown NoMo-town is undeniably a lifeless, soulless scene.

It's been the best of times, it's been the worst of times for the Toronto Maple Leafs; in fact, the past couple weeks have been nothing short of surreal. First, the best of times: wins against the high-flying Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, followed by a thoroughly unexpected Hockey Day in Canada victory over the league-leading Detroit Red Wings, have given the team a boost. Injured players are getting healthy. The return of the much-maligned Bryan McCabe has apparently galvanized the team's defensive corps, not to mention relegated Andy "The Cause" Wozniewski to the Toronto Marlies. Mats Sundin, meanwhile, who turns thirty-seven years old today, has fifty-eight points in fifty-seven games—not bad for a guy with a "career-threatening" injury (we'll never tire of using it against you, Steve Simmons!).

Torontoist is one of fourteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Each Sunday, the editors of every site—from LAist to Londonist—choose their most interesting article, a list which is compiled into the network-wide feature Elsewhere In The Ist-A-Verse.

Photo from Plexifilm.

Torontoist is ending the year by naming our Heroes and Villains of 2007––the people, places, and things that we've either fallen head over heels in love with or developed uncontrollable rage towards over the past twelve months. Get your dose, starting Boxing Day and running into the new year, three times a day––sunrise, noon, and sunset.

Craig Silverman, author of "Regret the Error," has published his annual compendium of errors and corrections in global print and online media, and it's a doozy. Culprits are fairly evenly dispersed, with errors from America (Obama? Osama?), the UK, Australia and Russia all figuring prominently. But don't fear! Southern Ontario media did us proud by contributing their fair share. The Toronto Star makes the list—twice. And both about the happy subject of death!A Nov....

Sometimes, you just need to know when to give up.

Faced with a distasteful choice between imposing unpopular new taxes or recommending draconian budget cuts, City Council came up with the ingeniously gutless idea of deferring the decision until after the provincial election in October. The premise is that maybe that the province will agree to once again pony up for the social service costs that it downloaded under Mike Harris. Or maybe the City Hall lotto pool will win the 6/49, like, forty times in a row. Either way we’re golden.

When people first hear the words "Professional Pillow Fight League," they often conjure images of jello-wrestling and hair pulling. However, if you've ever been to a Pillow Fight League event, you know that the fights are real, they're violent, and they're bloody entertaining.

It has been one week since the inauguration of Crosstown, Toronto's newest underground (literally) dance spot. Formerly Healy's, and well before that, Bassmint, this fresh Queen and Bathurst club has gotten an exposed-brick and Edison-lightbulb makeover, adding to the raw, minimal feel of the place.

Tonight marks the first installment of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School at the Cameron House. The event provides a night of drawing from the live model with a series of cheeky twists. Firstly, the model is not some random naked person, but rather a cabaret star dressed in appropriately Vaudevillian costume. And at this life drawing session, the art-making is accompanied by alcoholic beverages and groovy tunes, not to mention kooky contests (best incorporation of a woodland animal, anyone?) and flashy prizes.

Do either of these ads say "Toronto" to you?

Toronto needs more studio space, not less. Some folks have started a petition to delay the February 21st closure of the studios, and for those of you that like name dropping; George Romero signed it.

St. Louis beat Detroit last night for a 2-1 game lead in the World Series, but nobody was watching it (only 12.8 million).

A seven (!!) alarm fire destroyed a building at Queen and Sherbourne. The building was occupied by a paint store which had been there since 1913. Firefighters rushed to the scene to stop the fire from spreading.

After the Leafs out-performed Torontoist's pre-season predictions, the real deal gets underway tonight. Despite the 3-5 record over the past two and a half weeks, the team lost a pair against Ottawa, followed by a pair against Detroit (with the Red Wings playing their "B" squad against the Leafs top unit in the second of the two games) leading in to the start of the regular season. So will they turn it around tonight? The smart money is on no. However, stranger things have happened. One thing's for certain - Goaltender Andrew Raycroft WILL continue to disappoint fans this season. The Leafs play a back-to-back set against their provincial rivals, with the first installment at the ACC tonight. What better way to get off to an 0-2 start?

Looking to check out some live music this week? Here's your listing of what's happening around the city between August 7-13.

Rappers Royce Da 5' 9" and Choclair have recently been "jacked" in Toronto, according to a report last Friday.

Rocktober is winding down to a close, but November, while not quite as wordlplay-friendly, isn't letting up one bit with the shows of rock. And while it's early, it's hard to imagine that the month will offer any bills quite as exhilarating as The Constantines and The Hold Steady at the Opera House on November 2.

Tall Poppy Interview - Davy Rothbart

Calling Beat, Breaks and Culture the Toronto Electronic Music Festival is a bit of a pickle. Supposing the ‘electronic’ refers to the "computer generated visual performance, film and video" and "live Canadian and international electronic artists," there’s still a real gap between the ‘electronic artist’ tag and the highlights Platinum Pied Pipers. Featuring Detroit’s finest rapper/producer Jay Dee, the PPPipers, along with Jean Grae, graffiti art and the film Freestyle, represent the festival’s strong hip-hop flavour - making the ‘electronic’ aspect an aftertaste. Not to say Denise Benson or Out Hud are an aftertaste, but more so that this is an odd collection of artists to file in one cabinet. But then again, if the worst part of a festival is the name, you have yourself a worthwhile event.

Peyton Manning, Doug Brien, Joshua Errett. All three neglected to show up while their reputations were on the line. All three were faced with daunting tasks and failed to come through when their teams put the game in their hands. All three possibly solidified their place in sporting history, not for triumph, but collapse.

Everyone is a bit sluggish and fat after such a nice holiday, so excuse our tardiness. You might not realise it, but you are probably much fatter than you were a month ago. Torontoist is not ashamed to say we got fat. But it's okay, all our fat went to our booty. On the subject of booty's, you can shake yours tonight at the Cloak and Dagger Pub (394 College), where the Mercredi Mixtape extends late into the night to become L'après-heures Mixtape. Enjoy the selections today, fatty.

Not to be left out of our collective goodwill, athletes across the world have rushed help with aid to the tsunami-devastated regions of southern Asia. Following the lead of many tennis and soccer stars, the “Biggest Private Donation Ever” was submitted by F1 champion Michael Schumacher during a German telethon Tuesday evening. The Ferrari driver has pledged US$10 million to his country’s world-leading effort.

Toronto Raptors all-star guard Vince Carter has injured his ankle this week, straining his left Achilles tendon. The alleged injury was suffered in the recent 90-86 overtime loss in Detroit, where the embattled Raptor was shooting 2-for-8 with five points and one assist. Carter was making a move toward the basket - which he would have probably missed anyway - when he dropped to the floor clutching his leg. The injury is bad news for the 7-14 Raptors, who need to trade Carter as soon as possible. Carter, who is frequently criticized for being such a nancy, is undergoing tests and will now miss at least two games. With Vinsanity out, the Raps now have a chance to improve on their sad 2-12 road record.

In what some are calling the worst sports brawl of all time, Indiana Pacers forward and fledging rap star Ron Artest charged the stands to fight with a fan in an NBA game last Friday night. In Auburn Hills, Mich., the Pacers were under a minute away from beating the Detroit Pistons when the Pistons' Ben Wallace took exception to a hard Artest foul. Wallace and Artest exchanged shoves, and moments later tempers were cooled - until a fan threw beer on Artest. The 250-pound athlete raced into the crowd and started throwing haymakers. With the help of Indiana's Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal, Artest successfully dummied the fan and several others. When the players returned to the court, Artest was confronted by a short, overweight Pistons fan. Artest proceeded to drop a bomb on the fan's face, causing an ensuing melee. Rumours in Detroit suggest that a police officer was assaulted by either O'Neal or Jackson, which means they might be playing ball for the state soon.