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. From price hikes to bomb hoaxes, the ROM has been a constant news item this year. But while Thorarinn......

Urbanist is a photo series that will look at developments, architecture, trends and activities happening in various cities––including our own––to inspire the urbane urbanist at home to make Toronto a better place. While Toronto has been making headlines in recent years for its investment in artistic institutions such as the Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, and the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Ottawa has been in the spotlight of late because......

Martin Knelman, writing in the Star, once apologized for the lacklustre exterior of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts by describing it as a building that "has to be experienced from the inside out rather than the other way around." What better way to reinforce the impression that the performances showcased inside are principally targeted at an elite class than by plopping down a building that offers little to those standing on......

Fresh from this year's successful stab at World's Largest Thriller Dance, Toronto is looking to weasel its way into the Guinness Book yet again. This time, with a big-ass Christmas stocking. To coincide with the third annual Guinness World Records Day, the sock of honour will be stationed in the main lobby of the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts this Thursday afternoon. While it isn't technically part of the record attempt, folks are encouraged......

As Torontoist reported yesterday, the Hummingbird Centre is changing its name to the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, marking the second change in corporate naming rights during the venue's half-century existence. Support of the site has ranged from a philanthropic brewer (O'Keefe Brewing head E.P. Taylor) to a multinational media company. As today's ad promised, Yonge and Front has seen a wide range of performances since the O'Keefe Centre officially rolled out the......

As of Friday, it's no longer the Hummingbird Centre, but instead the Sony Centre. You know what? All performing arts venues should be renamed so that they sound like something you would find at your local mall. It gives the whole experience more delicious corporate flavour. Stephen Harper says there will be no vote on the mission in Afghanistan anytime soon unless it is to "finish the job." And if that sounded like, "Hey, I......

The grand dame of Toronto's performing arts venues, the Royal Alexandra Theatre, celebrates its 100th birthday tomorrow. To mark the event, the Mirvishes have organized a free open house from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., during which you can go on a self-guided backstage tour, eat free grub at the BBQ in front of the theatre (weather permitting), or catch a tribute performance from the original members of the 1969 Canadian cast of Hair.......

Bluma Appel, philanthropist and patron of the arts, died last night in a Toronto hospital from complications of cancer. She was 86. Her death comes as a sudden blow to the city and to her family; she was diagnosed with lung cancer only two months ago. Appel and her husband celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary last week. Torontonians knew Appel as a passionate advocate for the arts and particularly for the theatre community, where she......

This Sunday, July 8 from 12 to 9 p.m., Mirvish Village will host the first Pedestrian Sunday outside of Kensington Market. The neighbourhood is home to the landmark discount store Honest Ed’s and is a collection of boutiques, studios and restaurants, founded and named for the Mirvish family in recognition of Toronto’s retail show biz entrepreneur Ed Mirvish. Inspired by the success of P.S. Kensington, the project is being taken on by the local Business......

Every weekday, we pick an image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve! The miniaturized effect created with a tilt-shift technique can pull a photo out of the ordinary by adding a touch of whimsy. As demonstrated before, the results it has on glass is very convincing as the sharp sheen is dulled and......

Beginning Friday and running until July 1st, the TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival is smoothly bringing over 60 swingin' musicians to play in venues all across town in what apparently is Canada's best jazz festival. Take that, Montreal! So, catch up on some free music downtown at Nathan Phillips Square, or go chill at joints like The Rex and Lolita's Lust, open with an extended liquor license until 4 a.m. (which Torontoist thinks......

The National Ballet of Canada kicked off its summer season last week with an impressive triple-bill performance at the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. First came James Kudelka's acclaimed The Four Seasons, set to Antonio Vivaldi's set of four violin concertos. Kudelka is notorious for his very animated choreography, and he certainly did not disappoint. The Four Seasons follows the character known only as "everyman" through the cycles of life, as represented......

A museum of ceramics may not be everyone's cup of tea [rimshot], but the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art is one of Toronto's favourite buildings. Garnering an unprecedented positive rating of 81.5%, the structure took top honours in the third annual Pug Awards, which were announced today. The Pug Awards, despite their frustrating website, had Torontonians vote on 22 new buildings with a simple thumbs-up, thumbs-down rating. 40,000 votes later, the brilliant Gardiner came......

Ever wanted to know what goes on in the kitchens at the Royal York Hotel? Or see if the interior of the Gooderham Flatiron Building is as cool as its exterior? Or finally know what’s in that loft above the Pure Spirits building at the Distillery District? Doors Open Toronto 2007 will allow you to do all that—for free! 150 buildings across the city will allow you free access on May 26 and 27 in......

What's that you say? You were out of town last fall when Daniel MacIvor's Here Lies Henry got remounted at Buddies and was the best thing since sliced bread? You were clinically dead in January when Monster, the second awesome remount of the one-man shows MacIvor created with Daniel Brooks went up? Well, cancel your trip to the Sea of Tranquility, because you have exactly 14 more chances to see the final remount, House,......

How cool would it be if you could design a Toronto city street from scratch, top to bottom? How wide would it be? How many lanes? Would it have a streetcar? A bike lane? Would the buildings along it be residential, retail, or mixed? Last Thursday night, a group of random citizens joined city councillor Pam McConnell and other TTC and city officials for an evening (hosted by the West Don Lands Committee and the......

By now, following the blog and mainstream media firestorm, almost everyone has seen this week's most discussed web clip involving a bride from hell and a bad hair day. The Star covered the buzz today with comments from Norman Jewison(!), the viral video was discussed this morning on NBC's Today show and it's been viewed almost 2.5 million times on YouTube. The big debate: it it real or fake? Entitled "Bride Has Massive Hair......

Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann courtesy of the TSO. If you’re turned off at the idea of classical music concerts because they seem like an activity for the high society rich, think again. There are plenty of ways to enjoy Toronto’s healthy classical music scene on the cheap or for free. Toronto Symphony Orchestra In an effort to infuse some young blood into its increasingly grey-haired audience demographic, the TSO offers $12 concert tickets to......

Saddam Hussein has been sentenced to death for war crimes, and may be hanged within the next few months. What does the international community say? U.S. President George W. Bush calls the verdict "a milestone in the Iraqi people's effort to replace the rule of a tyrant with the rule of law". The UN and European Union criticize the former Iraqi leader's death sentence. Vatican representative, Cardinal Renato Martino, calls the sentence "eye for an......

There's a lot of Henry Moore in the city of Toronto. After so many years of public school trips to the AGO, it took a fine art education to convince this writer that Moore wasn't a Canadian sculptor. In the late 1950's, British sculptor Henry Moore was at the height of his artistic powers and world-class cities were being defined by their Henry Moore sculptures. New York got a Moore. So did London. And......

Theatre people often get a bum deal. Humiliating auditions, selling the car for acting classes or singing lessons or to fund a play, producing blood, sweat and tear-filled work and for what? To end up emotionally drained, penniless and with nothing but a collection of tap shoes and wigs to keep them warm at night? So is life on the stage. And, damn it, they deserve recognition for it. They got it last night......

This is the inside of the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, well you won't be seeing it tonight. Not unless you have a ticket to the fancy-pants opening night gala ,which apparently is sold out. Don't fret opera lover. You can join the rest of us plebs outside at Nathan Phillips Square where they'll be simulcasting the concert which will feature Canada's greatest living working tenor Ben Heppner. Just before the......

Last week, we had a sneak preview of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. It's the new home for the Canadian Opera Company and The National Ballet. Yesterday marked the official ribbon cutting ceremonies.......

Torontoist was recently invited to take a peek inside at the soon-to-be-opened Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, better known as Toronto's opera house. Being one of the most highly anticipated buildings in Toronto history, we have to say we were more than a little curious to a look inside. The "city room space", or lobby, is well named. The open concept interior has the feeling of transparency, made mostly of steel, wood......

Seems like it's just bad news piled upon bad news for the city's small theatres this fall... - First, falling closely on the heels of the closings of the Tim Sims Playhouse and the Poor Alex, Artword Theatre is told to vacate the premises of 75 Portland St by March (Hello condos!); - Then, the Great Hall at Dovercourt and Queen went on sale, putting the Theatre Centre's future in doubt (Hello condos?); - Now,......

Tall Poppy Interview - Noah Kenneally, Puppeteer ...

Mayor Miller unveiled plans for his 16-month TO arts public relations venture yesterday, oddly titled 'Live With Culture.' Naturally, this venture has a website. Ultimately, Livewithculture.ca will offer free entertainment listings, but for now its just an info page about the mayor and his monumental adventure in arts and crafts. Some of the other events tied to 'live with culture' do seem pretty cool - a 40th anniversary of City Hall photo retrospective, and a......

Looking to spruce up your resume? The stage production of "The Vagina Monologues" and V-Day Toronto are spending March seeking Toronto's next Vagina Warrior. Successful candidates must have made a positive contribution to helping create and maintain a violence-free social environment in the GTA. Knowledge of women's issues is not required, but would be considered an asset. The V-Day Toronto campaign is accepting nominations by 6:00pm on March 25, 2005 for all Vagina Warriors. To......

Selon le chercheur américain Richard Florida, Toronto arrive en première position pour l'importance de son noyau créatif, qui regroupe les emplois liés à la technologie et à la culture. Toronto est suivi de très près par Montréal. Et parlant de fusions municipales et créatrices, un directeur artistique montréalais joint les forces créatives torontoise pour mettre sur pied l'opéra de Siegfried. Comme quoi la créativité vient avec la collaboration. L'opéra jouera encore le 2, 5, 8......