No time…Must get back down to Harbourfront…IFOA in full swing…Here are some other literary events taking place this week…. Monday The Test Reading Series returns on Monday night, 7:30pm, with readings from Rob Read (that could be the best name for a writer I’ve ever heard) and Souvankham Thammavongsa. This night is also doubling for the launch of the new issue of Carousel, one of the best lit mags in the country – Mark Laliberte......

A busy day for Torontoist yesterday, though no parties; though the Star! TV Shmooze was taking place. We didn’t hear any gossip about it, but it did rain. So we imagine the gossip would be something like… Famous celebrities got a bit wet. Torontoist instead felt the hot tickets of the night were the screening of Guy Maddin’s Brand Upon the Brain, which featured members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, foley artists, a narrator and......

We wish we liked Monkey Warfare, we really do. There’s few films that we’ve seen that are more indelibly stained with Toronto than this, with enough shots of Parkdale it’s almost like going for a bike ride around it yourself. Also, Don McKellar! We love that guy! He’s good in this too, as is Tracy Wright (previously excellent in the must-see You, Me, and Everyone We Know). We were less impressed with Nadia Litz, but......

Those of you putting off watching Mean Girls until those exorbitant movie rental prices come down ($4?! Ridiculous!!) can breathe a sigh of relief. A hot, fire-haired, pre-bulimic sigh of relief. Every year, the University of Toronto presents a free film in the back field of their downtown campus. Past films have included Good Will Hunting - presumably fitting for the U of T crowd since it traces the intellectual and emotional growth of a......

What began in Toronto as a bachelor party gift, then a Fringe Festival production, then a Mirvish produced play several years ago, has turned into a Broadway hit! Leading the pack, it garnished thirteen Tony nominations, the most of any play this year. The New York Post even predicted it as the big winner. Well, after last night's Diamond Tony Award ceremony, Toronto born The Drowsy Chaperone came home with five awards! Best Book......

TOist Ear EF sends us the following dispatch about Don McKellar's less than stellar ride - What Would Don Do? Can somebody ask Don McKellar if his new bike is working ? Canada's favourite actor screenwriter know it all, was riding a very rickety half flat squeeky theft proof two wheeler, pure brown junk - as he careened through the intersection he was overheard saying to his cycling companion, "are you sure you have the......

The U of T Humanities Department's Voicing Toronto Conference is a mixture of lectures, screenings, performances and readings. Attempting to rope in six humanistic disciplines, they're offering something for everyone, or at least for anyone who lives in Toronto and enjoys the occasional foray into obscure local history. The film events include works by Don McKellar, Clement Virgo and David Cronenberg. The music component includes shows about Glenn Gould's Toronto and A Toronto Songbook. And......

Junk shop owner surveying two wan, artsy nicoTeens on Queen West: Man, don't you be smoking! Gallery-goin' smokers in the lovely Saturday sun: Hey, beautiful man, what a lovely day! Junk shop owner: You gots to quit that stuff if you wanna be healthy. Just throw those cigarettes away. Smokers: Right. Recently Juno'd Ron Sexsmith, to TOist contributor JKelly, at the paddock on Friday, after a bit of cajoling: Hey man, it's your birthday. Uh,......

- TOist heartthrob Don McKellar diaries up his trip to Bangkok over at CBCArts. - Rockn'roll Nigga abandons the spottyblog to roost at city blog empire Toronto 1051. - Zerbisias blog/steamrolls Torontoist, and tells us we should call a drunk a drunk. - And for a bit of pop pap: Avril makes new friends, via GoldenFiddle.......

We haven't bothered with our Seven critique in recent weeks because the tabloid-stepchild of the Globe's Friday paper hasn't warranted much criticism of late. But this week Globe Seven does a bang up job. The Sleepy McKellar cover shot ranks second only to StrutMag's awesome pimped-out McKellar photo spread (think Don McKellar pretending he's Dov Charney!) of issues past. What's more, we get a Monday Report shot of Margaret Atwood inventing the character of a......

Have you ever noticed that no journalist can get through a single article about Don McKellar without using the word nebbish at least once? Robert Fulford had a great column a few weeks ago on descriptive adjectives and the impoverished nouns they flank, and we were duly inspired to never use the pairs 'checkered career' or 'bitter end' or 'stunning development' again. And now we'll add nebbish to any descriptions of Mr. McKellar or the......

Holiday season is more than just eggnog lattés and snowflake donut-of-the-months. It's also about top ten lists, year-end compilations of the good, the bad and the ugly. Torontoist thoroughly enjoyed contributor Frank Yang's musical ten. But in the land of movies, we simply cannot condone any list that includes the treacly Sideways among the year's top ten. Thankfully, there's a tenner that Sideways does not qualify for - A Canadian ten, as curated by TIFF.......