Friday WORDS: The new season of the Toronto Poetry Slam kicks off Friday. Amateurs sign up half an hour before the show, and are given a chance to showcase their talents. Afterward, there will be a performance from musician Mark Berube and The Patriotic Few. For more information, check out the Toronto Poetry Slam website. The Drake Hotel Underground (1150 Queen Street West), 8 p.m. (sign-up at 7:30 p.m.), $5. MUSIC: Local musician Jennifer Castle......

Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city. Mediocre Action Movie + Toronto + Sam Jackson = HELL YEAH! Let’s get this out of the way: The Long Kiss......

What Honest Ed’s lacks in architectural artistry compared to more high-brow institutions, it makes up for in self-promotional bombast. From its "quirky hand-painted signage" to the low-price Toronto souvenirs, badly painted Elvis busts, and abandoned theatre props, Honest Ed’s is a museum of kitsch. Now a local illustrator, Christopher Hutsul, has designed a stationery set paying tribute his neighbourhood’s "foremost local architectural landmark." "When Ed Mirvish died the building took on greater historical significance,”......

Honest Ed's turkey giveaway successful like always. Which, Torontoist supposes, is not technically "news," but considering the rest of today's actual news, we felt it appropriate to lead off with a softball. Canada to encourage "constructive" emissions agreement at the Bali climate change summit. Since this is John Baird we're talking about here, expect "constructive" to mean something along the lines of "voluntary," or perhaps "nonexistent." 16-year-old gunned down in doorway of his home.......

Every weekday morning, bright and early, we feature a photo (or two) from a photographer in the Torontoist Flickr Pool. It's our way of giving the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention that they deserve. Honest Ed's Sign BY MUTE* RELATED ON TORONTOIST: "Honest Ed" Mirvish, 1914-2007, Vintage Toronto Ads: Honest Ed's Smells Out Bargains For You!, Celebrating A Great Life......

"Honest Ed" Mirvish passed away nearly a month ago, but Toronto is still in mourning. On Sunday, August 12, his family will be hosting a celebration of life outside of the Honest Ed's Emporium (581 Bloor Street West) in lieu of Ed's famous annual birthday party—he would have turned 93 on July 25. With live music and entertainment scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., the city is closing down Bloor Street between Bathurst......

"Honest Ed" Mirvish was many things—successful merchant, theatrical impressario, civic booster. For almost as long as his store at Bloor and Bathurst has operated, he also brought smiles to the faces of advertising bean counters at local newspapers. Large-scale discount stores gained popularity in the 1950s, as post-war shoppers looked for economical ways to support their families and new lifestyles. First came the local store, often an outgrowth of a pre-existing department store, dry......

Toronto legend Edwin "Honest Ed" Mirvish has died. He was 92. The philanthropic businessman was a crucial part of Toronto's reputation as a world-renowned theatre centre, and had been mostly out of the public eye after contracting a severe case of pneumonia in 2003 and experiencing deteriorating health ever since. Mirvish died at St. Michael's Hospital at 1:30 a.m. Mirvish was born in Virginia on July 25, 1914 to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. His introduction to......

Who's up for a trip through time? While an H.G. Wells-style contraption or fourth dimension-smashing telephone box are not available in the consumer market, there are simpler methods of going back through time. All that's required are a date and the arcane knowledge of knowing how to load a microfilm reader. Toronto has a rich newspaper history, with no fewer than three dailies at a time battling for the city's readers. This series of......

When you're awesome at something and never ever make mistakes, the most karmic and mature thing to do is embrace and enjoy those who aren't as blessed as you. That's why we're titillated to present our new feature: Lost In Translation. Our introductory piece is in celebration of Deepha Mehta's Oscar Nomination. It's a "Lan Yu Brand Multifunction Strainer" that hails from China and was purchased for a mere $1.99 at Honest Ed's. There's......

Ed Mirvish: theatre tycoon, city hero and...turkey giveaway guru? People lined up overnight outside Honest Ed's for the 19th Annual Turkey Giveaway on Sunday. Now approaching age 93, Ed himself was sadly not in attendance, but son David Mirvish took over greeting duties. City Homicide #64, if you're keeping track: 26-year-old Mississauga resident, Dennis Kwame Oppong, died after being shot in the head near Front and Spadina early Sunday morning. The victim had been convicted......

Torontoist remembers that wonderful summer afternoon spent in the alley behind Honest Ed's at the Toronto Comic Arts Festival. There were just far too many talented artists and graphic novel goodness for us to take it all in. So sadly we missed meeting the three artists appearing at the Revival tonight. Sammy Harkham (Drawn and Quarterly), Kevin Huizenga (Drawn and Quarterly), and Anders Nilsen (Fantagraphics) are current favourites for the comic gurus over at the......

Sure, there are a thousand other things demanding your attention this evening, but how many of them are free and will only take up an hour of your time before you hit the club/gallery/spooktacular house party? The comic store The Beguiling (which just got a nod from NOW as the best in the city) is holding two impromptu signings this weekend featuring Charles Burns, Chip Kidd, and Chris Ware. Tonight is your chance to meet-and-greet......