This Weekend in Toronto: Nikki Yanofsky plays Massey Hall, Rob Ford cleans up the city, an affordable art show and more

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Our round up of the best things to see and do in Toronto this weekend. In this edition: affordable art, Nikki Yanofsky and Canada’s Got Talent judge Measha Brueggergosman are in town for solo concerts, it’s time to clean up the city with Rob Ford, and we have some French theatre for you.

Nikki Yanofsky at Massey Hall

The 17-year-old singer with an impressive repertoire and two Juno nominations to her name takes on Massey Hall this weekend. She will be performing jazz and R&B hits from her latest album, Nikki.
Massey Hall, 178 Victoria St., 416-872-4255. April 21, 8 p.m. $40-$70.

Mayor Ford’s clean up Toronto day

Grab a bag and a pair of gloves and help make Toronto a cleaner place to live. Simply get a group together, choose a location and have at it. Garbage bags will be made available at a number of locations and registration is required for garbage pick up.
April 21, various locations.

Toronto Art Expo

Dubbing itself the “affordable art fair,” the Toronto Art Expo opens at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Guests can browse and purchase art from around the world, like the stunning acrylic drawing by Burmese artist S. Moe Z. shown at left.
Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 255 Front St. W., 416-265-6988. April 19-22. $14 adult, $10 student.

Measha Brueggergosman album release

Canada’s Got Talent judge and Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman celebrates the release of her new album, I’ve got a Crush on You, with a concert at Trinity St. Paul’s church. The album is a departure for Brueggergosman, who shows a poppier side to her typical operatic style.
Trinity St. Paul’s Church and Centre, 427 Bloor St. W., 416-922-8435. April 20, 8 p.m. $58.

L’Emmerdeur

If you’re looking to gain a little culture this weekend, check out L’Emmerdeur (The Pain in the Ass) by French director and and playwright Francis Veber. Known for his well-received comedy, Dîner des cons (later adapted in an American movie version called Dinner for Schmucks, featuring Paul Rudd and Steve Carell), Veber now brings us a story of a failed suicide attempt and a man who just won’t let things die.
Berkeley Street Theatre, 26 Berkeley St., 416-534-6604. To May 5.

Sauvage pops up on Queen West, selling exclusive foreign shoes and handbags

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Fashion-forward women who have travelled the globe and have the tastes to match exist in Toronto. The problem? Once comfortably back home, they lust and long for the beauty and design of that exquisite jewellery, those drool-worthy shoes and supple leather bags that are found only in the world’s most chic cities. But fabulous brands and beautiful things can be found in Toronto, too. Case in point: retail veteran Jaya Kahlon has just opened the Sauvage pop-up store.

Set within the Burroughes Building on Queen West, Kahlon has set up her accessories-focused pop-up shop to fill the gap in the city for women such as herself.

“There was definitely the need in Toronto for contemporary brands,” she says. “When it comes to accessories, there just isn’t that much selection, so I took the initiative to bring in my favourites from around the world.”

Kahlon has brought in brands from style capitals like New York, London, L.A., Berlin and Paris. So what does she hunt for when shopping for Sauvage?

“I look for brands that are about more forward and interesting design, and that have a unique identity,” she says. “Labels [I’m carrying] are either not here or they are underrepresented in Toronto. Most importantly, I look for something with a forward feel at an attainable price point.”

A pair of laser-cut, peachy-coloured leather sandals by London’s Miista are eye-catching, comfortable and ring in at an acceptable $228. On the other side of the room hangs a soft, tan leather satchel bag with turquoise accents from Vancouver-based Gaya ($198). Fashion nerds take note: labels exclusive to Sauvage include Tom Gunn, Bryna Nicole, Miista, K.Kiechel, Codico and Beracamy.

And shoe and handbag lovers — who are sure to get hooked on Sauvage — need not to worry about Kahlon packing up and disappearing any time soon.

“The plan is to stay [here] for a couple of months, then move to a permanent location on Queen West,” she says.

’Tis the season to slip your tootsies into a fresh new pair of sandals, and there is no doubt that Sauvage has got some of the best options in the city. Sizes and styles are limited — we say hurry.

Sauvage, 639 Queen St. W., Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m.

Reasons to check out the Marlies postseason: cheap tickets, cool mascot

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There will be playoff hockey taking place in the city of Toronto this spring, even involving players wearing blue-and-white, maple leaf-crested jerseys. Okay, so it’s only the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leaf’s farm team, who’ll be chasing glory, but in this city, you’ve gotta take your winning teams where you can find them.

The Marlies open their chase for the Calder Cup tonight at Ricoh Coliseum, with a best-of-five first-round series against the Rochester Americans (7 p.m.). The Marlies boast a talented roaster of Leafs-to-be, and Ricoh Coliseum offers an intimate setting to watch the play up close and get a Leafs-like experience at a fraction of the price.

For their first-round playoff series, the most expensive tickets at the 9,500-seat Coliseum cost just $39, less than one-tenth the price of the highest-value platinum level seats at the Air Canada Centre ($416). A great view can still be had from the fanzone at just $10 per ticket.

You can also find yourself just inches away from the team as they walk directly through the concourse to get from the locker room to the ice. The opportunity to high five a potential Leafs superstar such as Nazem Kadri, Joe Colborne or Ben Scrivens is particularly popular among kids.

The youngsters also go wild for Marlies mascot Duke the Dog. He is a lot easier to get a hold of and snap a picture with than, say, Carlton the Bear (Leafs), the Raptor or Ace (Blue Jays), even if the pic won’t earn you quite the same kudos when you post it on Facebook.

For fans, the club’s playoff push offers a chance to at least partially quench what has been an eight-year thirst for NHL postseason play in Toronto.

Morning Throwback: early Toronto computers were surprisingly multi-faceted

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Back in the ‘60s, computers were so mysterious to people. Though we weren’t fully aware of their true capabilities, we did think they could do, well, pretty much everything and anything. That’s why this early IBM prototype was used to not only crack Soviet supercomputers, but to wash dishes at the exact same time! However, like most computers back then, it became self-aware and ordered its human users to remove the dishwashing component, noting, “I ain’t no busboy!”

We’re not sure who Johnny Jackson is, but if he’s bringing mac ‘n’ cheese to Little Italy, we’re happy

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The website of a new resto-bar opening in Little Italy says, “If you don’t know who Johnny Jackson is… don’t ask.” We tried asking anyway, and predictably didn’t get a response. Still, the website offers a hint as to what’s taking over the space previously occupied by Strangelove and the very short-lived Bloc 22.

Johnny Jackson is billed as an “unpretentious and fun restaurant bar,” complete with a food menu where everything costs $10, taxes in. Offerings include poutine, mac ‘n’ cheese, burgers, chicken poboys and more (let’s not forget a deep fried Mars bar for dessert).

A sign in the window indicates that Johnny Jackson will open this spring.

Johnny Jackson, 587 College Street

With 100 days to the Olympics, new mom Priscilla Lopes-Schliep eyes the podium

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Priscilla Lopes-Schliep’s second-place finish at an invitational race in Sherbrooke, Que., this past February easily could have been counted as just another routine achievement for the 29-year-old hurdling star. But running 8.33 seconds in a 60-metre hurdles final a mere five months after giving birth to her first child made the race nothing short of inspiring. The results were clear: Lopes-Schliep was back and determined to be a threat at the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

“People were like, ‘You’re crazy’ for wanting to race so soon [after the birth],” Lopes-Schliep says. “But I felt good, and the sports doctors said everything was great. I keep open communication with everyone, including my body. You have to have good communication with your body and listen to it. Your body gives you signs.”

Though she had always loved sports while growing up in Toronto (her family would later move to Whitby before she started high school), beating the local neighbourhood boys in races as a child was one of the first signs Lopes-Schliep’s body gave her that racing was what she was meant to do.

“I always loved racing the boys in my neighbourhood,” she says. “It got to the point where boys, and then later some girls, would come to challenge me. I loved beating the boys.”

That natural competitive streak is what makes the sport of hurdling such a perfect fit for Lopes-Schliep, whose quest for success garnered her a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, in addition to a silver medal at the 2009 World Championships in Germany, which was followed by a season in which she was ranked number one in the world. Then Lopes-Schliep got the news that she was having a baby.

“I had lost an ovary to a cyst several years ago, so when it came up that I was pregnant, it was like ‘This is awesome,’” she says, adding that her coach and agent were “excited” about the news even if they momentarily questioned her future as a world-class hurdler. “I’m a determined individual, and I knew I was coming back. [My agent and coach] were like, ‘Are you sure? You don’t want to retire?’ and I told them: ‘No way.’”

Given her intense passion for the sport and innate tenacity, nine months of sitting on the sidelines was difficult for Lopes-Schliep. “I was excited to see my teammates make the World Championships, but I so wanted to be there and run. But it definitely gave me more drive and got the fire inside going: ‘I want to go, too.’”

Lopes-Schliep continued with her workouts while pregnant, which alternated between moderate sessions at the track and pool. For such an accomplished athlete, exercising while pregnant was “easy, but I was pretty winded, too. It’s interesting to know that a little person takes your energy and nutrition from you.”

The race in Sherbrooke was her first since becoming a mom and, according to Lopes-Schliep, she is making progress every week.

“My coach is pleased. I’m pleased. I’m pushing, but I’m not pushing too hard because it’s been six months since I had the baby. But I’m feeling great. All the hard work I’m putting in is turning around. I’m pleased with the progression. I’m ahead of schedule.”

Her motivation may have always been stronger than most, but now Lopes-Schliep is pushing herself for a reason other than her personal best.

“I’m dong it for all of the moms out there,” she says. “Being a mom isn’t an easy thing, and I just want to be a good role model for the other moms out there watching.”

Lopes-Schliep admits that it’s hard balancing being a mom and being a competitive athlete.

“It’s not easy. There are times I have to go to track meets and she’s home with daddy or with my mom. I don’t like being away from my little pumpkin.”

But Lopes-Schliep remains optimistic. “I know she’ll look back and think what a good role model I was for her and for the other moms out there. It has its challenges, but it has its rewards.”

As for her advice for other busy moms who are striving to maintain some balance in their lives? “You definitely have to make sure everything’s okay with the baby and that they’re happy but to also have some ‘you time.’ Go for a walk, get your nails done. Even if someone comes over and helps you out, take a nice hot shower. It’s so easy to get caught up with being a mommy: breastfeeding, making the food. But you need to keep some sanity and peace. When mommy’s happy, everyone is happy.”

What I Wore: Aritzia, Lowon Pope, Liberty London, Aldo

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Despite the fact that my style (and wardrobe) contains many of the same staple items, I am incredibly particular about the things I like and wear. Often, friends and acquaintances will spot something and proclaim, “Oh Gracie, this is so you!” Meanwhile, I’m thinking, “Have you taken crazy pills? I would never wear that!”

This might sound horrible, but when people tell me they’ve got a surprise present for me, or have found something they think I would like, I can go straight into a full-on panic attack. I’m a terrible liar — the look on my face always reveals the truth — and I hate to hurt anyone’s feelings.

But when people get it right, I really do love it. I get so happy and excited that I feel like I could do cartwheels and back flips for days. Maybe even run around in circles, cheering, with some pom-poms in hand.

That is the exact feeling I had when StyleBlog.ca blogger Nelia Belkova asked me to take part in the second edition of her style blogger “style-off,” featuring a pair of shoes that, according to her, brought me to mind right away.

“YES!!!! I love those shoes!!” was my immediate answer (via email), and then I gave her some telepathic props.

Sometimes I think that certain items are like a missing puzzle piece to your wardrobe. When you’ve got the right one, everything just fits and works together. Before the printed wedges even arrived at my door, I already had this exact outfit in mind. Literally everything for my outfit came together in my head as soon as I saw them online, and not one adjustment was made when I finally tried them all together.

This look was put together to express my deep love for mixing prints together. Like I said last week, mixing prints is a challenge, but a fun one! The outfit is bright and fun for spring, but toned down and sharpened with the crisp tailored vest. Since Nelia asked to meet in the Financial District, I was inspired to wear something that represented my style and personality, but reflected my version of a professional “work” look. Don’t I look ready to be whisked off to a chic lunch meeting?

So, the style-off. The challenge? Myself, Nelia and Anita Clarke of I Want – I Got each had to find a matching style for the same pair of shoes by Libertine for Aldo Rise. Readers can vote on which look they like the best. The winner gets a styling high-five and bragging rights!

Please vote in the Style Blog style-off!

What I Wore: white deconstructed vest by A Moveable Feast from Aritzia, printed wrap dress by Lowon Pope, vintage bag, scarf from Liberty London, shoes by Libertine for Aldo Rise.

Grace Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

Riverdance stomps its way to Toronto — for the final time

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Riverdance, the high-energy celebration of Irish dancing, returns to the Sony Centre tomorrow — for the final time. The show that introduced the world to the art of dancing with weirdly straight arms will have four performances at the centre before disppearing from the Toronto stage forever.

Over its 16-year history, Riverdance has become a phenomenon, and probably helped the rest of the world stereotype Ireland for years to come.

And Toronto certainly was clamouring for it — five tours have stopped to play sold-out shows here.

With its roots in traditional folk dancing, Riverdance began as interval entertainment at the 1994 Eurovision Song Contest. The performance was given a standing ovation and a place in history (which must have left a bitter taste in mouths of that year’s winners, Charlie McGettigan and Paul Harrington, as they currently tour in, um, somewhere). From that one gauche, tacky song contest, a mainstream — if overly sparkly — crowd pleaser was born that has now been seen by 22 million people.

The spectacle, which has not been without its controversies, became a part of pop culture in the ‘90s. For anyone not familiar with Riverdance, think of it as an older generation’s version of Brit Pop: the dramatic departure of original star Michael Flatley was akin to a Gallagher brothers’ bar fight but, y’know, with more sequins.

Riverdance now has a warm and fuzzy place in the hearts of all ‘90s lovers. The experience was unlike anything else before it, a high-octane dance show featuring manly men in tights with all the mysticism of a Spinal Tap concert. While it may be a mass-market phenomenon, it is an excellent way to celebrate pseudo Irish culture. That, and drinking Guinness while listening to “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”

Sony Centre, 1 Front St. E. April 19-21. $34-$89.

Morning Throwback: in the ‘50s, parlour games in Toronto were just plain bananas

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We imagine that the ‘50s parlour game depicted here went something like this: the oldest man in the room was designated as “Old Man Money.” The others were known as “Two Bits.” The Two Bits would put up an ante and Old Man Money would decide who won all the money. He would be offered bribes (shoe shines, back rubs), but if he wasn’t appeased, he would keep the money. Let’s just say no one ever won the Old Man Money game.

Oprah Winfrey woos Toronto, reveals that she’s pretty freaking good at Scrabble

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Almost 9,000 people crammed into the Metro Toronto Convention Centre yesterday for the Toronto leg of Oprah Winfrey’s Lifeclass tour, and Lady O didn’t disappoint. A four hour wait preceded her second show of the day — a live taping of her forgiveness-themed Lifeclass episode — during which time speakers Bishop T.D. Jakes, Deepak Chopra, Iyanla Vanzant and Tony Robbins pumped up the crowd for the talk show queen’s imminent appearance.

The real show, it turned out, was the one going on between live segments.

Oprah strode on stage in typical fashion, arms open wide, and boomed, “Hello Toronto!” The crowd, mostly women between 20 and 60, went wild. Oprah smiled as one girl in the front row absolutely sobbed at seeing her idol so close.

Almost immediately, the show was sent to commercial break and crewmembers dashed across the stage setting up the next segment. Oprah peeled off one of her sky-high heels, saying that the next we’d see them would be at the end of the show, when she would stand again. She then proceeded to say how grateful and shocked she was at the response from her Canadian fans.

“You know Beyonce’s not going to be here right?” she quipped.

Her banter with the audience continued right up until the end of the break, when she seamlessly transitioned to speaking into the camera and introduced her first guest, spiritual life coach Iyanla Vanzant. The two talked a bit about Vanzant’s work and introduced a young man having issues with his parents’ abrupt divorce before we were sent to yet another commercial break. We soon learned that there would be a lot of these.

Once again, crewmembers converged on the stage setting up additional chairs. One bold worker even had the gall to argue with Winfrey, claiming that the position of a chair would block her from view.

“Don’t worry about blocking me,” she said, pulling the chair into position herself.

“You tell him Oprah!” shouted a man in the audience.

Next up was lifestyle guru Tony Robbins, who already riled up the crowd with his earlier speech (though may have actually been due to his Rambo-like build and charisma rather than his message of empowerment). At one point, when speaking to a woman from Texas who claimed she only likes people who do things for her, he actually said, “Well, we all whore ourselves out sometimes.” That sent the audience into yet another frenzy and prompted Oprah to joke, during commercial, that she doesn’t know if everyone’s a whore, “but we all know the Secret Service is.”

She then fielded more questions from the audience and boasted happily that her highest Scrabble score (apparently one of her favourite pastimes) is 400, but she hasn’t had time to play much since, you know, she runs an entire network. At one point she even swore into the mic, which had the audience roaring.

Yes, Oprah is human.

Her interviews with spiritual leader Deepak Chopra and Bishop T.D. Jakes ran in much the same fashion, with the two mentors helping to solve the problems of those who wrote to Oprah from across the world. Chopra, however, did stumble at one point when he misunderstood a question and gave an answer that was both lengthy and, let’s face it, somewhat irrelevant. Ever the consummate professional, Oprah smoothed over the situation with a joke about how Chopra’s depth can sometimes go right over her head.

The show passed quickly, and just as things were winding down with the final commercial break, a question from a woman in the audience sent a hush over the crowd. The woman was a teacher from Toronto — and an event volunteer — who has been working for about 35 years.

“I think what your network is missing is a show about teachers and students,” she told the talk show titan. “I think I am lucky to be here today and I think you should let me show you what I can do for you.”

The audience held its breath as Oprah considered.

“Okay,” she said simply. And just like that, someone in the audience successfully pitched a show to Oprah Winfrey.

A few seconds later, Oprah was on her feet, heels back on and thanking viewers for tuning in. True to form, Oprah not only delivered a stellar show, but she gave the audience an experience they wouldn’t soon forget. As parting shot, she declared her regret at the fact that she had never done a show north of the border.

“I’m definitely coming back here,” she said.

Celebrity chef Corbin Tomaszeski brings fondue franchise — and a new take on double dipping — to the GTA

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Sure, seeing the words “melting pot” in conjunction with the GTA is disconcertingly cliché, but in this case it’s warranted. The Melting Pot, North America’s largest fondue franchise, is opening its first Ontario location in Richmond Hill this month, and the man behind the project is owner Corbin Tomaszeski of Restaurant Makeover and C5 fame.

Tomaszeski won’t be heading up the kitchen, but most of the food at The Melting Pot is cooked tableside anyway. A complete Melting Pot experience consists of four courses: cheese fondue, a salad, an entrée and chocolate fondue. With the exception of salads, food is cooked either by the customers or by servers at the table.

Entrées, for example, are comprised of a choice of proteins (such as chicken, lobster, filet mignon or salmon) self-cooked in a chosen broth (like herb-infused Burgundy wine, vegetable broth or canola oil) and then dipped in a chosen sauce (like curry, teriyaki or gorgonzola).

Themed dinners, featuring all four courses, will cost around $50 per person.

The Melting Pot is set to open on April 25.

The Melting Pot, 125-135 York Blvd., 905-764-7770

NXNE reveals its 2012 lineup, including free concerts from Bad Religion, Matthew Good and The Flaming Lips

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North by Northeast and AOL Canada have just announced the headliners for this year’s music and film festival. Now in its 18th year, NXNE will feature 40 films and 650 bands, including free concerts at Yonge-Dundas Square from Bad Religion, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, Matthew Good and three-time Grammy award winners The Flaming Lips. Other noteworthy acts include Of Montreal, No Use for a Name, Hollerado and more.

NXNE kicks off on June 11 and runs until June 17.