Results tagged “fun”

City councillor wants to bring in the army—literally—to fight gangs. Torontoist ultimately decided to link to the Star's version of this story over Holy Shit Somebody Actually Said That Weekly. You are welcome. Mitt Romney delivers passionate speech defending religious plurality in America. The gist of the speech is thus: "Don't be intolerant of me because I am a Mormon; be intolerant of those agnostics and atheists over there who should not even be...

Torontoist is one of fourteen cities in the worldwide Gothamist network. Once a week, the editors of each site—from LAist to Londonist—compile some of their most interesting posts into a brief blurb. It's Elsewhere In The Ist-A-Verse, and it appears, across the network, every Sunday.

They’ve got Hank’s seal of approval, so you know they’re at least half-way decent. Since receiving some "big-ups" on Henry Rollins’ show on L.A.’s Indie 103.1, The Harold Wartooth’s grunge-y star has been rising, with support coming in from the likes of CBC’s seminal Definitely Not the Opera and UK-based Catacomb Records. With a solitary self-titled EP under their belts, the band have demonstrated a propensity for writing Fun House-era Stooges-style riffs and burying them in Rated R-era Queens of the Stone Age-esque heaviness. The result is a mix of drunken garage punk and wanking classic rock, a combination that has done right by the band so far. You can thank the good folks at Sleepytown Sound for bringing out the best of the band's sound, letting the grime shine through their Hendrix-inspired solos and aviator-sunglass-wearing ways.

There used to be a sign above a video arcade that proclaimed "Yonge Street is Fun Street." Back in the 1960s and 1970s, much of that fun was to be had at the many bars and clubs that lined the street south of Gerrard––Le Coq D'Or, Steele's Tavern, Friar's Tavern, Zanzibar Tavern and so on. Depending on the venue, you could listen to music, dance the night away or catch a striptease. Today's advertiser...

New laws will officially criminalize identity theft by making it illegal to gather personal information which can be used for criminal purposes. Fun fact: if your identity is stolen online, the chances of the crime ever being investigated or prosecuted are practically zero. Surf safe, kids!

Me and some of my co-workers left early today to see Blue Rodeo, who were playing various spots around Toronto, promoting their new album. By the time we'd arrived, a sizeable crowd had convened on the patio of the Black Bull, and a couple of stragglers and curious passers-by milled about its perimeter.

Continue reading "A Thousand Shining Pamphlets Waiting Just To Rain Down On You"

OMG! This week sees the release of Kickin' It Old Skool, a Jamie Kennedy vehicle. He plays a breakdancer who awakes from a 20-year coma and something that Jamie Kennedy probably considers hilarity ensues. We here at Torontoist Towers are astounded at the idea that somebody greenlighted a film with Jamie Kennedy in it. Absoultely gob-smacked.

Despite the bitter temperatures as of late, the windy weather is perfect for kite flying! Toronto Kite Fliers is seeking kite enthusiasts to participate in the first monthly TKF and Spitfire Fun Fly of the year at Downsview Park this Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.

It takes chemistry, faith and ego control to make a comedy duo work—elements that aren't easy to keep in check. In improvisational theatre, a duo has even less control over the laughs because it's all made up on the spot. But that's the beauty of the form—it's a high wire act. Me Likey, a combo comprised of Jan Caruana and Rica Eckersley, is one of the city's most successful comedic pairings. In June, the act will be representing the T-Dot at the San Francisco Improv Festival. To warm up and raise funds for the Fest, Me Likey is putting on a show tonight at the Bad Dog Theatre.

L’Oréal Fashion Week kicked off this morning with an 11 a.m. press conference at Queen's Park. Seems the Ontario government excludes fashion from its definition of culture. So members of the Fashion Design Council of Canada want fashion visionaries to get the same recognition as their colleagues in art, dance, theatre and music. Clearly Toronto Fashion Week isn't the same kind of high-octane glamathon as Paris or Milan. In fact, most shows will be held in one venue—The Liberty Grand—so instead of rushing from venue to venue, most buyers and editors have to cool their heels in the hallway between collections.

Added this week: "One" by U2 and "All I Wanna Do Is Have Some Fun" by Sheryl Crow

The best places to find gourds and wild corn are harvest-themed events, but they don't usually happen in the centre of the city. Luckily, Harvest Family Fun Day at the Brick Works smack-dab in the middle of a valley in the middle of the city (that's so L.A.). In addition to a farmer's market, there will be sculpture creating, quarry exploring, eating, drinking, music, and yes - free pumpkins*.

The week starts off with another instalment of Pussy Pen, an evening of readings and performance focusing on women, trans, and queer perspectives. It takes place at Tango and Crews, 508 Church St, beginning at 8pm. Free.

This was the first press screening Torontoist went to, and we walked in 10 minutes late entirely by accident, so you don’t have to listen to us on this one if you don’t want to.

Torontoist will take a look each week at what's being said on the people's perpendicular press on and around the Danforth. Given the absence of wooden poles and the city's policy of scrape, scrape, scrape, vox pop isn't as loud as it used to be. Pity.

Ban there, done that. In lieu of the City of Chicago's ban on foie gras, Toronto and our various bans seem a lot less authoritarian. In fact, we would venture to say our city is substantially lagging in the ban game. To make ourselves feel better about this, Torontoist has put together a list of memorable bans, almost bans and future bans for the city. Since there is no comprehensive list of banned items (that we are aware of), add any that we've missed in the comment boards.

is a pretty awesome play. And for all the zillions of productions we've seen of it, good and bad, we have never seen one man attempt the whole enchilada all by his lonesome.

Our attention span is short enough at the best of times, and in the middle of a frigid and hectic December (like this one, if you haven't been paying attention) all we really want to do is read rhyming books about hippos. Fortunately, Sandra Boynton is here to fill all our rhyming hippo needs (which are extensive). Plus, if you're stuck for gift ideas for all the kids (and immature friends) in your life, you really can't go wrong with any of her books.

Le Mercredi Mixtape returns. Yep, it's *sixeyes sharing music on Torontoist with you the Torontoist readers. So, put a plug in it, plug in and listen up while Torontoist plugs some recent discoveries and some favourites.

Summer, summer, summertime. Time to sit back and unwind? Here's how:

Sorry, Torontoist got so wrapped up in that Gomery affair we totally forgot our Mercredi Mixtape obligations last week! Expect another blip in the Mixtape delivery when Chuck Guite gets all up in it. Other than that, here's the downloadables:

The Instant Coffee Artist Collective knows how to throw a party. Some of their past initiatives have included make out parties (complete with a blanket fort perfect for snogging) and the urban disco trailer (a converted trailer fitted with huge speakers and a queen size bed). They’ve also organized exhibits of up and coming Toronto artists all over North America and further abroad.

Of all the shows that have opened in Toronto in the past week or so (Bea’s Niece, Little Dragon, Swimming in the Shallows), none have received as consistently good notices as Trout Stanley, the new play by Claudia Dey on at Factory Theatre. "It's like meeting a spellbinding person at a party and finding that you can't get them out of your mind the next day," writes Richard Ouzounian in the Star. (And that’s one of the less positive reviews, see: Globe and Mail, National Post.)