An ornately set table. A fine bottle of pink sparkling wine. A bouquet of flowers purchased in a hurry on the way home from the office. A filter on the window to simulate a blue moon. Andy Williams crooning "Moon River" or the 101 Strings playing "Light My Fire" in the background. All of the necessary mood-enhancing ingredients for a cozy tête-à-tête on Valentine's Day. There's a good chance many of these evenings from......

It’s a strange, perhaps undesirable, thing to admit to, but Torontoist spends a lot of time thinking about R. Kelly. Generally it comes down to one core question that we just can’t answer (nor do we think we ever will): Is R. Kelly a genius or a lunatic? Here is a man who has produced some of the most pitch-perfect songs in the sickeningly syrupy ballad category (including possibly the pinnacle, Michael Jackson’s "You are......

Photo by nevbrown. The last couple years have been tough ones for fans of the Wu. Their last album, 8 Diagrams w,as marked by group infighting and public denunciations of the album by Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Still, GZA's appearance at the Sound Academy is expected to be a great show. GZA (aka. The Genius) will be performing his classic album Liquid Swords in its entirety. The Friday night show will be as much......

The Toronto International Film Festival have announced 73 films today, which is, er, a lot. Too many for us to even pretend to give them even coverage, so as usual we’re just going to pick and choose from today’s announcements, which are made of films from international filmmakers, and tell you about the ones that interest us personally. Gala Presentations gains Blood Brothers, the debut of director Alexi Tan. Produced by John Woo, it’s......

For some of us, every day is dance day, but UNESCO has decided that this Sunday, April 29th, is International Dance Day 2007 for everyone. "Oh, my sainted aunt!" you cry. "How to manage the anticipation? The pressure! How can I avoid messing this one up like I did Secretaries Day, or that one Mothers' Day in 1986?" (Shudder.) "I swear, I honestly thought she liked macaroni art." Don't you know it? Dance Umbrella......

Justin Timberlake. Where to begin? Tracing his life story to this point requires little more than listing nouns. Mickey Mouse Club. Britney Spears. *NSYNC. Justified. Wardrobe Malfunction. SexyBack. Dick in a Box. Timberlake is the epitome of a guilty pleasure, someone who is intensely hard to dislike, try as some might. No-one in recent memory has drawn more comparisons to Michael Jackson, been as successful post-boy-band, or created catchier pop songs (dude's even Pitchfork-approved).......

"Thriller" is having a moment. Last October, we reported the story of Thrill Toronto’s attempt to set the first Guinness World Record for Largest Thriller Dance (see the video at right) by recreating the choreography from Micheal Jackson's video classic. Then there was the much blogged Thriller Wedding Dance on YouTube, a Bollywood-style version and reports from London and New York of fitness classes that use M.J.'s zombified moves as a 13 minute workout. Now......

Jagshemash! Borat is a hit. It's getting rave reviews, grossing millions, and definitely the most quotable thing we've seen in ages. But Borat seems to have missed most of the -ist cities, and we were all wondering how the film would have been different if he'd made his way around the world on the -ist tour. In Shanghai, Borat would be observing Inane Learnings of Penis Photos for Make Benefit Glorious Flat World of......

It looks like this Halloween is going to be very zombie-filled in Toronto. On Sunday, we had Toronto's Annual Zombie Walk. And this Sunday, October 29th, at the Harbourfront Community Centre, a group of some 200 Torontonians will be setting the Guiness World Record for the Largest Performance of "Thriller" - in full zombie ensemble. And they want you to participate. Here's the rundown: Everyone welcome! We'll teach you the dance! Sunday, October 29,......

'Ladies and Gentlemen, live at the Apollo, all the way from Torontoooo, Canada, it's....Torontoist!' Wouldn't we love to hear that. But wouldn't anyone? Here's your chance: On Saturday, December 3, the Drake Hotel Underground offers the chance at a much-coveted Apollo Theatre spot. Apollo judges will host auditions starting at 11 am till 2 pm. The live spot would be a part of the 71st year of obviously Apollo amateur night. The Harlem theatre is......

What's a summer in the city without the Jazz Fest? Torontoist confidante Paolo has absolutely no answer to that question. He can, however, provide some details as to how this year's Fest went down. Here's his reportage: The Toronto Beaches International Jazz Festival once again closed down Queen St. East for three days over the weekend. Live bands were playing at every street corner. Thousands of people were dancing in the streets. And roasted corn......

Some links. Some news. Some not. Here are a few things to think about till you're done work today. - Dose cover girl Hannah Sung's got an MMVA blog, amongst other things. - Tonight at Stone's Place (1255 Queen St W), writer/editor/frontman/music guy Stuart "stuberman" Berman will DJ for the Lipstick, Cherry party. - Insult the Triumph Dog takes on Michael Jackson weirdos. - This Gentleman Reg vid is making waves. - Eye know! Play......

Bob Geldof, the Nobel Prize winning, hunger hating, debt relieving, musician and activist, officially announced Toronto as the Canadian location for Live 8. With less than a month to go before the July 2nd concert and Canada Day events taking place all over the city the on the 1st, planning Live 8 is going to involve a lot of tough decision making. Where is it going to be? Who’s going to play? Torontoist comes through......

Describing yourself as the "king" of anything usually warrants a little skepticism. Michael Jackson, for instance, will never live down calling himself the "King of Pop." The same can be said for LeBron James' "King James" moniker in the NBA. Salad King, however, represents a horse of a different colour. The popular Thai restaurant on Yonge and Gould St., one block north of Dundas Square, is neither "salad" nor "king." Against the literal meaning of......